What's Your Price?

        What a message, indeed!  We are so quick to judge Judas for selling Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver.  We can look back and say, "I would never do that."  And, though it may be true that we would not sell Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver, just what is our price?  You may say, "What do you mean?  I wouldn't sell Jesus out for any amount!"  But, let's look into God's Word and see what Jesus was worth, or not worth, to others.
 

        Matthew 19:16-24  And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
 

I Timothy 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
 

 Titus 1:7-11  For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;  But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

Judges 16:4-10   And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.  And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.  And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.  Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.  Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.  And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.  And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.  Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.  And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.  And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.  And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.  And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;  That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.   And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.  And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.

 I Corinthians 6:19-20   What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

        After all, we have all been taught that the order of the home is:  God, family, ministry, etc.  Doesn't following Jesus fall into the category of ministry?  Therefore, our families come first, don't they?

        All I can say is, see for yourself what God's Word says about the subject.

 Luke 9:59-62  And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.   And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Luke 14:26-35  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.   And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.  For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?   Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,  Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.  Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.  So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.  Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?   It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

        These are all considered by most to be legitimate reasons for putting Jesus on the "back burner" in our list of priorities.  Yet, when we stand before God, what "excuse" will we try to give Him?  Will He accept our "reasons" for why we did not put Him first in our lives?  After all, we are not only bought with a price and not our own, but we are the called according to HIS PURPOSE:

Romans 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

        Here's a couple of questions which came to my mind while preparing this:

• How "fair" was it for Jesus to have to take on the sins of the world when He committed none of His own?
• How great a task was it for Jesus to carry His cross up Calvary's hill to be hung upon the very cross He bore?
• How fair was it for Jesus to have to take upon Himself all the infirmities and sickness that Satan had dealt to mankind, because of mankind's rebellion against Him; then, turn around and take the 39 lashes with the cat-of-nine tails in order to achieve healing for our bodies?
• What if Jesus said, "I'm sorry, but I just don't feel good today.  I think I'll just stay home" when it came time to pay the price for OUR sins?
• What if He said, "Find someone else to do it, it just isn't convenient for me" and just didn't show up?
• What if the Father said, "I am not willing to sacrifice my Son for you.  This is My Son.  Go find your own way" and made no plan for salvation?

• Go and do His own thing
• Live His own life
• Take care of His own problems
• Have some "fun" with His friends
• Continue a career with Joseph
• Get His own family
• Make His own plans?

        If the Father required so much of His own Son for us, how much does He require of us - for Him and for each other?  We were bought with a great price and what God expects - yes, requires - of us is nothing in comparison.  Yet, you would not believe the frail excuses given for not serving Jesus with ALL that we have.

       Our God is a JEALOUS God.

• Ex 20:4-5  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
•  Ex 34:14  For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
• De 4:24  For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
•  De 5:8-9  Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
•  De 6:15  (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

Mt 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

        Here are a few of the "reasons" or "excuses" we have either given ourselves or had other people give us.  As you go through the list, see if you are guilty of using any of them.  Help us determine the underlying problems and give some  resolutions to these:

Contact Information:

Cornerstone Tabernacle
PO Box 17 Drakes Branch VA 23937
Phone: 434-736-8555  Email: E-mail at drdan@marlene.org

Revised August 2001