Sermon Tone Analysis

Luke 9:57-62

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell © 2001

Discipleship - How We Finish The Race

 

By 7 p.m. on October 20, 1968, at the Mexico City Olympics Stadium, it was beginning to darken.

It had cooled down as well.

The last of the Olympic marathon runners were being assisted away to first-aid stations.

Over an hour earlier, Mamo Waldi of Ethiopia had charged across the finish line, winning the 26-mile, 385-yard race looking as strong and as vigorous as when he'd started.

As the last few thousand spectators began preparing to leave, they heard police sirens and whistles through the gate entering the stadium.

The attention turned to that gate.

A sole figure, wearing the colors of Tanzania, came limping into the stadium.

His name was John Steven Aquari.

He was the last man to finish the marathon in 1968.

His leg was bandaged, bloody.

He had taken a bad fall early in the race.

Now, it was all he could do to limp his way around the track.

The crowd stood and applauded as he completed that last lap.

When he finally crossed the finish line, one man dared ask the question all were wondering.

/You are badly injured.

Why didn't you quit?

Why didn't you give up?/ Aquari, with quiet dignity said, /My country did not send me seven thousand miles to start this race.

My country sent me to finish./

So too, God didn't send us to start this race.

He didn't just send you to begin a noble task or a noble relationship.

God sent you both to start and to finish.

Introduction

 

As I said this morning salvation is a gift of God, but discipleship will cost us everything.

Our salvation is only the beginning of the Christian race, it is discipleship that takes us to the end.

*/Discipleship/* is the second purpose God has given to the Church.

Jesus commanded the apostles /to make disciples of all nations/.

A disciple is a learner, or follower of Jesus Christ.

This morning we saw how disciples of Christ are willing to count the cost.

Tonight I want to continue the same theme.

We will see three men that Jesus called to be His disciples.

We will see their response.

I call them, */Today Man, Tomorrow Man & Yesterday Man/*.

/Firstly, /   Today Man

 

*Luke 9:57* /Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, Lord, I will follow You wherever You go./

 

/a.

The Offer/

 

This conversation took place as Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem.

Some people decided to join Jesus and His disciples.

One man came and promised to follow the Lord wherever He went.

At first glance this seems to be a strong commitment that he was making to Christ.

After all He was willing to go anywhere that Jesus went.

The word */follow/* ajkolouqew means */to follow as a disciple/*/./

He even addressed Jesus as Lord.

This revealed that He knew Christ was worthy of his service.

Most churches would jump at such an offer from someone.

They would sign them up for membership and get them involved straight way.

But Jesus didn't.

Although this man is very keen to follow Christ immediately, Jesus response indicates that he was acting rashly.

He was too hasty and inconsiderate.

He hadn't sat down and counted the cost first.

*Luke 14:28-30*/ For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it — lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish.

/

 

/b.

The Objection/

* *

*Luke 9:58* /And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head./

/How did Jesus respond to this man's offer?/

Jesus responded with an objection.

The Lord knew his heart.

He knew that he hadn't thought this through properly.

He knew that this man wasn't prepared to count the cost of being a disciple.

Jesus told him that being a disciple was not an easy life.

Christ had no home or possessions.

Jesus lived in absolute poverty and required His disciples to live the same way.

Unfortunately this man was accustomed to living a comfortable life.

Matthew gives us further details.

* *

*Matthew 8:19-20* /Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.

And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.

/He was a scribe and scribes lived very comfortably.

So Jesus told this scribe that hardship and suffering lay ahead of anyone who followed Him.

In fact Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem where He would be put to death.

A disciple must first deny Himself, take up His cross and then follow Christ.

This meant forsaking all the comforts of life and embracing hardship and poverty.

*Luke 14:33* *says:* /So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

/Service and sacrifice go together.

/ /

Two Kinds Of Grace/  -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer/

/ /

Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves.

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession.

Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace ... is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

/c.

The Outcome/

 

/What was the outcome?/

By the lack of response we know that he went his own way.

This Scribe was prepared to follow Christ as long as he was comfortable.

He loved the pleasures of the world more than pleasing God.

*Today Man* lived for the comforts of today not the rewards of the future.

He wouldn't deny himself the pleasures of this world.

He didn't follow Christ to Jerusalem.

He wasn't prepared to count the cost of being a disciple.

Ready For Either

 

Ready for Either is the significant legend that under spans the seal of the Baptist Missionary Union, which presents an ox standing with a plow on one side, and an altar on the other.

Application

 

/Have you received Jesus Christ as your Savior?

Are you following Him wherever He leads?

Or do you have certain conditions that need to be met?

Do you expect to live comfortably?

Are you willing to serve the Lord even if it means not having a big home and possessions?/

Jesus asks His disciples to count the cost.