Are You In?

Are You In?

⁵¹ When the days were coming to a close for him to be taken up, he determined[a] to journey to Jerusalem. ⁵² He sent messengers ahead of himself, and on the way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for him. 53 But they did not welcome him, because he determined to journey to Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”

⁵⁵ But he turned and rebuked them, ⁵⁶ and they went to another village.

⁵⁷ As they were traveling on the road someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

⁵⁸ Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” ⁵⁹ Then he said to another, “Follow me.”

“Lord,” he said, “first let me go bury my father.”

⁶⁰ But he told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹ Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.”

⁶² But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

^{Luke 9:51–62}

We can divide people into two groups. The ones that are IN and the WANA-BE’s. But that of course is from our view of things. What some call the natural order. The way we would make it all work—survival of the fittest and all that.

So, what group do you belong?

Being in the IN group is always nice. Remember high school?

So, what does it mean to be in Jesus’ in-group? He is heading to Jerusalem, where He will die. He is NOT going to take the throne in the palace, but rather on the cross. He is the crucified one, and remains so, for you and for me. He is the lamb who IS slain, starting before time began, and on into eternity.

Then this is who is IN—in this group—we who are baptized are baptized into this death- HIS death. We have been given our own crosses to carry. He gives them to us. We are sheep of His pasture—ready for slaughter as the Bible calls us—ready to give our lives like He did.

You still in? Take up your cross and follow him.

Now, the Pharisees thought they were IN. They had their own tailor-made crosses—with a glossy finish and of course only of the choicest of Styrofoam. They even liked them.

You like yours? If you do, it is not from God.

It costs everything—even a cross—to have everything—to be really IN. It cost even the life of God.
Count the cost. You still in?

Our crosses are painful… bitter… grinding… but they are from Him—a personal fitted tool of glory.

All the same, the truth is… He has and is… carrying the brunt of the load. Does not always seem so, but this is His promise to us. Our cross, specially made for us, is something we CAN bear. Another promise of His.

Well because He is still carrying most of the weight of it… because we are IN Him… and He is in us… .

We all must be IN Jesus, even when that is not so comfortable at times. Doing His work can hurt. Striving to please Christ means doing things no one else likes. It is a cross planted in a barren wasteland, not water-front property—but it is promised to become paradise very soon.

Now our text talks about an IN group. Peter, James and John.

Two of the three are the “good” sons of Thunder. The IN boys. James and John. They were not part of that other IN group, the Pharisee crowd. No, they were part of Jesus’ inner circle. Yet what is it they do? They think they ought to take out these worthless Samaritans.

Let’s show them who is IN and who is not. Blast them with fire from Heaven.

Now the Samaritans knew Jesus was heading into Jerusalem. Yet, He was not their idea of what was IN, either.

They did not want Him because He was not their Messiah, even if He was the Jew’s. This conflicted with their own idea of where you were supposed to worship. Their place was Mt Gerazime—and Jesus ought to be from or going there.

Anyway, of course it was not Jesus’ inner circle that the Pharisees considered themselves to be IN either.

To them it was all about keeping the LAW for some mean old judge… so they became mean old tyrants, themselves.

Know anyone like this?

It was not just God’s Law … that they liked to think they were good at… to earn their INness with God. They added a bunch more. More than 1500 rules and regulations to show who was IN and who was OUT. They thought they had it all going right. They thought they were doing what God wanted.

They were IN—yes, but… IN trouble.

Jesus came to town and blew their notion of INness away. He told them it has to be of the heart—they had to like it and want to do it. They missed the whole thing… and found out they were OUT.

It was always, from the very beginning… to be done… all of it… from Love not from judgment. He told them that their own self-chosen rules and religious activities were of no value. They were to be because they loved God and neighbor, not excluding both by making an exclusive elite.

So, they were still dead in their sins.

They did these things—all of it—all their lives—for themselves. For this very reason—death from sin was excluding them from the kingdom—the real IN place to be.

So… could the Pharisees be IN, and the Samaritans OUT, or was it Jews that were OUT and Samaritans IN… or was it that James and John considered them all OUT and only they were IN… .Hmmm… . and what of the other 10 disciples?

The truth was, they all hated their brothers and were proud of it… as they thought it was all done for God.

Our boys here—the sons of Thunder—how different were they? Not much.

You see, the LAW only produces wrath because we find we cannot do it. So, we hate while we work to save ourselves—all to get IN, even at the expense of others—even if others are left OUT.

The Pharisees hated God because He would show them they failed—and were OUT. The Samaritans were ticked because God demanded them to worship in Jerusalem and not where and how they liked. They all hated Jesus pointing out just how far OUT they all were.

Yet the Law still … and only demands. The LAW is a treadmill that demands all the time, while condemning those who attempt it, even if only failing in the smallest way.

How many feel better if they can condemn others while doing—while working their way IN?

We think it better to try and please an angry judge—an angry god, than to bother with doing even what ought to be natural—should be natural… like having compassion on those in need.

But, you see, we… all of us who are dead… cannot… . The dead cannot do any good work. The dead cannot believe, cannot trust, and cannot please God.

Not even a simple thing like helping a fellow Jew beaten and robbed get to a doctor. Not even to allow healing on the Sabbath. Not even allowing the Samaritans to have another chance to be saved.

So, Jesus says They—YOU… ME… are all OUT. Dead in your sins on the outside in darkness—OUT.

Jew, Pharisee, Samaritan—even perhaps our good sons of Thunder… at least in the beginning… .

Yes … . ALL are OUT! The whole World.

… all so that anyone, at all, can be IN.

This was all because of Jesus… not because of you, or your ability. He chose to be OUT—Himself—even outside of His Father’s Love—in darkness for a little while—all so that many and many and many who cannot—can come IN.

He will do it Himself. Invite, call, carry, bring and deliver these outsiders—even you… IN to the kingdom.

But not to be like these, the IN-grown and festering. Repent if you are.

But really IN. IN because Jesus has made you in.

Now your cross awaits—with fuzzy sheep fur to cover—covered in His blood—fed by His body. The only IN place to be.

Yep, IN and IN the middle of IT—the war is on.

You see, they all were wrong.

What did I say about IN-Grown and festering?

For this reason, the world hates. Not many see what IN is all about—what it means. So, these all work to push everyone else out.

James and John thought they were IN… in the know, and they were heading to the IN place to be.

Yep, to the place to be—Jerusalem. Where all the cool kids hang out—the place of kings, prophets and priests.

The IN crowd. Church people. The best of the best. This is where it all happened. It is where it all is supposed to happen. Love, faith, kindness, gentleness, peace, longsuffering, etc.

“I will die with you” Peter says… then Peter cuts off the ear and denies him three times. Another runs away naked as the rest scatter.

What one of these things would I do?

How many times are we like James and John—sons of thunder? How many things do we do or have excuses for to write others off? Are we IN that sort of IN-crowd?

So, we let them all pass us by. People we know and so many nameless others. We pass them by. We discount people with little thought or with malicious thought.

The truth is, we—the church—do not even keep our own standards, not to mention God’s Laws, or the many we have made up. We fail our own expectations, our own rules of conduct. When we do, who will comfort us?

Who will let us back into the fold of the acceptable, then?

No one, I hope. That group, even though having a form of Godliness lacks the power that saves, heals and redeems lost sinners. This is definitely not being in Jesus’ IN group.

But, He will let you in. Leave the other group. Repent, O Pharisee—that is what we are when we do these things.

Did Jesus die to let you or me decide who will be saved? Thank God it is not so. Jesus told James and John that they were not thinking rightly. They were of a different spirit. They were being like the Pharisees—like the Samaritans.

Jesus came to save sinners by Grace, not of works… by faith not right attitudes and manners.

So, if you are IN by your way, by your doing—any way of the Law, even if you think it is by GOD’s LAW— you are OUT. In fact, you are dead in your sins still. You cannot be IN by this way.

So, we are not IN, Right? Good, but we wanna-be. That is the difference. Which group do we want IN to? Jesus is calling you by His word—come and be with me, my child. All is finished. All has already been done. All is ready now.

You want to be in Jesus’ IN crowd? Then you are welcomed in with open arms. Free admittance. It is not earned—it cannot be because it already has been—earned and paid for with the perfect work of Christ and by His blood that has the power to redeem the whole world.

Jesus did this for you. He has paid your ticket to be IN—really and fully—no guesswork. No waiting list—it is right now. Not just for this moment or as long as you can hold on.

It is forever! He keeps you IN His midst. He will bring you all the way home. He holds on to you.

The Samaritans were not IN, but could be. The Pharisees were not IN, but also were invited. The Jews in general were not in even if they worshiped in the right place—as their worship was by guilt and of the LAW.

So too are prostitutes, tax collectors invited— remember Mary and Matthew? As are IRS agents, drug dealers and addicts, drunks, murders and you. Yes, you are to be numbered with—you are… Yes you are really in this crowd. Your sin damns you just as much. I am one of them.

Yet, all still are invited to be an heir – which is really IN.

How more IN can you get than being a King’s kid?

We eat at His table each time we celebrate His supper. We hear His royal pronouncements each time we hear or read His Word.

It is all about God for us. It is for us—all those precious promises. We are children of the Promise and not the Law, as Paul tells us.

We are promised a way IN. It is by Christ alone. He has done this for you.

Then very soon, we will be really IN, when we are in His everlasting kingdom. No longer a slave, but a child. A beloved brother of Jesus. No longer a sinner but wholly saint. IN at last. Amen.

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