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Jul 06, 2024 06:00am

Are We Entitled Christians?

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Jesus doesn’t owe us anything. He never has.

Most Christ followers would agree. Most would recognize God’s grace and mercy as foundational truths of our relationship with Him and give Him full credit for our salvation and the forgiveness of our sins.

This acknowledgement and gratitude should lead us to action. When our hearts are changed by Him, our desire to surrender our lives to His mission should overwhelm our hearts and take over. Our lives should reflect an authentic attitude of service to our King who saved us and rescued us from our sin and darkness and placed us in His kingdom of light. Serving Him should become our sole purpose and our reason for being.

Is it so for you today?

Do you remember a time when serving Jesus was all you wanted?

Can you look back and see the transformative power of Christ in your own life? Can you remember those feelings of relief and peace and hope for something more? Can you think of all the ways you intended to change and who, maybe for the first time, you believed you could become in Jesus’ name? There is a soul-wrenching thrill that comes with knowing Jesus!

But, if you are merely remembering, you’re likely not currently in that head and heart space.

I’ve been there.

Our enthusiasm often fades. Our self-centered defaults and desire for earthly things muddy the waters of our hearts. Easily and unintentionally we search the scriptures taking note of what God can do for us, rather than chasing down what we might do for Him.

In Luke 17, Jesus asks a couple of pointed questions that set some pretty high standards, and honestly are pretty tough to absorb. In verse 7 He asks, “Will any of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?”

Pause.

Is Jesus talking about being a hard master? Is He encouraging unkindness and inconsideration for those who work for someone else? No. He’s emphasizing the nature of a relationship between a master and a servant. He’s making a clear point — I, as the master, don’t owe you anything.

The servant works for the master.

Period.

Full stop.

The statement bears repeating: the servant works for the master.

In verse 10, Jesus goes on to say, “So you also (emphasis mine), when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.”

We don’t like that. We want Jesus to do things for us. We want signs and miracles and blessings and for Him to do what we ask and what we request. At minimum, we want our serving to be enjoyable and not too difficult. We feel certain Jesus doesn’t want to “give us more than we can handle”. We believe He won’t and that we deserve to be treated like the royalty we are.

But that’s not what being a Christ follower is in the scriptures. Jesus says “I don’t owe you anything. In fact, just like I came to serve, not to be served, you do the same.”

If we read on in Luke 17, Jesus meets 10 lepers on the road and heals them. Only one, the Samaritan outcast, makes the effort to go back to thank Jesus and give Him praise for the miracle. Jesus asks, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except for this foreigner?” I’m always struck by what Jesus does NOT say…”Oh, I’m so glad at least one of you came back!” or “Be like this guy. What a great guy!” or “You’re so welcome, Sir, it was the least I could do.” No. Jesus’ expectation, His standard, was that all who were healed give God praise. He didn’t perform the miracle only for their good, He performed the miracle so God would be glorified.

The same is true in our lives. We must be careful not to get who Jesus is upside down in our hearts. He forgives us and saves us and redeems us, not just for our good, but for the glory of God. It is in our pride and self-centeredness we begin to think Jesus did what He did and does what He does FOR US.

But, really, it is all FOR HIM. Jesus lives for the glory of the Father. And if that reality hurts our feelings we are living an entitled version of Christianity that misses the main point of Jesus Christ, His coming and His future return.

One more example, in Acts 23, the great apostle Paul whose life was radically interrupted and transformed by Jesus, is on trial. Paul was heavily and brutally persecuted for years because of his relationship with Christ and his desire to serve His kingdom. In this chapter, Paul has been brought before the council in Jerusalem. The scene is intense. A fight breaks out, so violent the scriptures say in verse 10 the tribune demanded Paul be taken away by force because they were afraid he would be “torn to pieces by them.”

Let’s just say it was a bad day, again, for Paul.

Paul whom Jesus saved. Paul whom Jesus loved. Paul who was Spirit-filled, appointed and anointed. And yet, in verse 11 I am again struck by what Jesus did NOT say. If I were in Paul’s situation, I would pray and hope and beg for some kind of deliverance and freedom from this life of persecution and struggle, but instead…

“The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

Sure Paul knew at that moment he would live to fight another day, but his future reality was HARD. More struggle. More fights. More persecution. More pain. WAS coming. Jesus did not say, “I’m so sorry Paul. You’ve really been through it! Would you like a break? Retirement perhaps?” Rather, Jesus made Himself known. He provided His presence. His presence brought courage enough and He drove Paul to keep going, to keep serving and to press on.

Why? For the growth of His kingdom and for the glory of the Father.

What’s the point? Life following Jesus IS a life of serving. It is life surrendered to the lordship of a master regardless of the cost. It is exalting a King who is righteous and worthy. Christianity is about a kingdom and that kingdom belongs to Jesus Christ.

As Christians, we are not to use Christ to build our kingdom. That is entitlement. We are to use our lives to build His. And beautifully, because our King is also good, in the process of giving our lives in service to Him, we find our truest selves. Our purpose and our joy and our peace is found in this belonging to the kingdom of Christ. First understand, He owes us nothing.