Don't Cut Cost When Following Jesus (In Your Discipleship)

Introduction

This second installment focuses on my discipleship. Not discipling others, but my discipleship in Christ.

We hope to learn some principles from the Master Himself

A BUDGET is a tool used to track income and expenditure. From that it allows you to see where the money is going and how much.

When things are not going right we can simply make “cuts” to various things on our budget to meet our goals.

E.g. fast food, entertainment

This is good when you want to meet your financial goals

In our Spiritual Life, we sometimes do the same thing.

Maybe we need more time for “me” and I look at the budget and make a “cut” into my prayer time

Maybe I need to more time for my job so I make a “cut” into my personal studies

Maybe I need more time to further my education and I make a “cut” into worship time/bible class time

Jesus encourages us against making “cuts” into our spiritual walk.

“Don’t Cut any cost when it comes to following Jesus”

If we are honest we will admit that there were some times we made some cuts

Sometimes life gets so busy I develop this posture where I’m trying to fit God in

God deserves SUPREME SPACE

First Text

Luke 14:25-33 “Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, [APPL. Jesus is not concerned with how large the crowd is, He wants to know are you faithful? Are you really committed?]

APPL. You can be connected to the crowd without having a connection with Jesus

“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple [implies a close follower not one for mere information]

Explanation: Gen 29:30-31 “So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years. Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.”

Matt 10:37 ““He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

There needs to be a clear line of dilineation between my committement to Christ and committment to other things

Too many times Jesus had to take backseat for “my stuff”.

This means I will always be willing to drop something for Jesus!!!

Discipleship is NOT possible if Jesus is not the teacher

APPL. If you can’t love Jesus more, then you can’t (truly) be my disciple

“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. [APPL. With Jesus there’s a cross you must bear.]

1st Example

“For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ [APPL. Many times we teach this to prospective Christians, but there is application for those already following Jesus. . .they were “going along”]

[APPL. Jesus wants you to “count” the cost not CUT the cost]

APPL. You have started, now you need to finish! Sustain, Hold On, Keep Fighting “Don’t Cut Costs, Keep Counting the Cost”

2nd Example

“Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?

“Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

“So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”

I need to love Jesus more

#1 More than personal honour “bear your own cross”

#2 More than family honour

#3 More than societal honour

#4 More than earthly possessions

Luke The Lukan Message

A half-hearted discipleship is doomed.

Discipleship was never meant to be convenient

Second Text

Luke 9:57-62 “As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.””

This second interaction “someone turned to Him”

I will follow

Students usually lived and travelled with the Rabbi. Wherever he laid they laid.

APPL. Sometimes following Jesus might leave you lacking in physical things, will you still follow?

Let me first bury my father

In Judaism burying family was a big deal

APPL. Your call is so high it demands that you must leave somethings for others to do

Let me first say goodbye

Again Jesus higlights the sigificance of family

When a farmer ploughed on the hills and looked back he will go of his course

APPL. Disciples must remain FOCUSED

The scripture is clear that Discipleship has a cost

The grace that God sent cost Him, And God did not cut any cost; God paid the full price for our REDEMPTION.

CAN WE NOT pay the cost to follow Him