"HOW ABOUT YOU?"

JOHN 21:18-23

When the soldiers of Napoleon's army were invading Russia, they came to a village from which all had fled except one man. The man was a Russian peasant, a woodsman. He carried his ax in his leather belt. When the French Captain saw him, he ordered his immediate execution. When the soldiers leveled their rifles, the man stood firm. He was not, apparently, afraid to die. He looked calmly, but resolutely, into the eyes of the waiting soldiers. His calm so impressed the French Captain that he ordered his men to hold fire. He determined that the Russian would be spared for his bravery, but that he would be branded. The iron was heated red hot and was pressed against the flesh of the woodsman's hand. The man saw his own flesh burn and quiver, but he did not flinch or cry out. The letter "N" was branded onto his hand and it stood out in stark redness, throbbing and inflamed. The Russian demanded to know the meaning of the brand; he was told, "This is the letter 'N' and stands for Napoleon; you belong to Napoleon now." The peasant did not know, for a moment, what to do or say. He was a patriot. He had always been a faithful and loyal Russian. But what would he do now? I wonder what I would have done or said under those circumstances? What would you have done or said? And that is really the issue this morning: "What about you?" Jesus implied that when He met with the disciples after His resurrection. He told Peter, "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself, and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go." He said that to inform Peter of the manner in which he would die. Then he said, "Follow me!" Peter therefore seeing him said to Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?" referring to John. Jesus, not unkindly, said, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!" In other words, "Don't worry about him or anyone else; you just do what I command you to do." Maybe we wonder why someone else isn't taking a stand for Jesus. Maybe we wonder why somebody else doesn't step up to teach a class or work with the youth or take on some other responsibility. We may ask, "Lord, what about that person?" And He says, "Not what about that person; what about you?" That is the question we must each face, consider, and ultimately answer.

• HOW ABOUT YOU: WHICH WAY ARE YOU GOING?
• Jesus makes this very clear: there are only two ways to go in life:
• The broad, easy, indulgent, popular way which leads to death.
• The narrow, strait, demanding way that leads to life.
• Onto which road do your values, goals, desires and aspirations direct you? Will you go the way we are directed by
• Jesus' words, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33.
• Paul's words, If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." Colossians 3:1, 2.
• When it comes to choosing a direction in life which are we most like?
• Many are like Judah of whom God said, "Why then has this people, Jerusalem, Turned away in continual apostasy? They hold fast to deceit, They refuse to return. ... Everyone turned to his course, Like a horse charging into the battle." Jeremiah 8:5, 6.
• To some degree we all are like those of whom Isaiah said, "All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way;" Isaiah 53:6.
• Some are like Jonah who, when God told him to go to Nineveh, "rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord." Jonah 1:3.
• Others the example of John Mark who turned from the mission trip to go his own way when things got too hard. Acts 13:13.
• Hopefully we will all strive to go the way Paul choose saying, "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13, 14.
• So which way are we going? The way of the world? The way of our own desires? Or the upward way that leads to Jesus?

Which way would the Russian go? The easy way or capitulation to the enemy, or the courageous way of the patriot? He was surrounded by the adversaries. They still had power of life or death over him. His hand was branded and the French Captain said he belonged to Napoleon. The Russian had to make a decision; he had to act. So do we when the enemy presses in hard and the temptations of life plague us.

• HOW ABOUT YOU: ON WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU?
• Jesus declares that there are only two sides: For Him or against Him. Here's how He put it in Luke 11:23 "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters." There is a line drawn down through the ages that delineates His allies and His opponents. It is always "For Him, or against Him."
• Someone asked Abe Lincoln during the Civil War, "Do you think God is on our side?" Abe said, solemnly, "I know that God is always on the side of right. I am not nearly as worried about God being on our side as I am about being on God's side."
• Well, we all have our loyalties; we are loyal to friends, family, school, club, or athletic team. Some people are more die-hard than others. Some are pretty fickle: they wait to see which team is winning before cheering one way or the other. But the call is for a clear-cut allegiance when it comes to Jesus Christ. Heed what I read:
• "Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:14, 15.
• Elijah spoke to the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." 1 Kings 18:21.
• "Who is on the Lord's side? Who will serve the King? Who will be His helpers, Other lives to bring? Who will leave the world's side? Who will face the foe? Who is on the Lord's side? Who for Him will go? By Thy call of mercy, By Thy grace divine, We are on the Lord's side -- Savior, we are Thine!" (Frances R. Havergal).
• So on which side do we take our stand? To whom do we pledge our loyalty?

The woodsman had always been a loyal Russian. But now the fiery letter "N" claimed to mark the Russian as the possession of Napoleon. But his heart had always belonged to Russia. What should he do? What would he do? And when our loyalties are tested, when the world lays claim to us in conflict with heaven's claim; what will we do? Where will we stand?

• HOW ABOUT YOU: TO WHOM DO YOU BELONG?
• The Bible makes it clear. If you are a Christian, you belong to Him:
• Paul says, "you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God." 1 Corinthians 3:23.
• "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.
• When we buy something we generally put a mark on it; we tag it. I often write on a styrofoam vessel, "This is MY cup!" We put our name on the inside of a book. We put a mark on the label of our jacket. All that to say, "This belongs to ME!" We also wear a label; we show to whom we belong by our obedience: Paul said, "Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?" Romans 6:16.
• In spite of that, many continue to mistakenly assume
• "It's MY body! I can, therefore do what I want!"
• "It's MY money and I can spend it for anything I choose!"
• "It's MY time and I will use it as I desire!"
• "It's MY life and I don't have to do anything I don't like to do!"
• "I am MY OWN PERSON and I can serve Jesus when, and if, I want and myself when I want." But Jesus cautions: "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24.
• So, to whom do you really belong? What authority do you recognize and serve as master?

There was no doubt about it for the Russian. An idea suddenly occurred to him. His pain was intense. He had always been loyal and patriotic. Now was the time to take a stand and prove it. At once he placed his burned hand against a tree stump, took out his ax and swinging it high, brought it down with such force that he severed his branded hand with one blow. "There! The hand may belong to Napoleon, but I am a Russian. If I must die, I will die a Russian!" How about me? How about you? Have you determined that no matter what you will be loyal and faithful to Jesus? Will you pledge allegiance to Him and His cross? Are we willing to pay the price of commitment to Jesus Christ? Will we follow Him wherever He may lead? Will we take a stand for Him though nobody else stand with us? Will we belong to Him though all others go to the world? May the words of the song be the words of our lives, "Now I belong to Jesus."

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