The Cost of Following Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Remain Standing please as I read our scripture for this morning.
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 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.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
PRAY!
It’s good to be in the house all together this morning for homecoming! It’s good to have our kids in here too!
Just remember, if you hear a kid crying or making noice this morning we should be thanking God that we have kids in this church. It is a sign of health!
We are going to look at the last part of Luke 9 for just a couple of minutes before we share a meal together and have inflatables!
Our text this morning is covering the topic of the cost of following Jesus…Did you know that it will cost you something to truly follow the lord? In most cases, it costs everything.
Think about it this way....Your at walmart with your kid, standing in the check out line. They are asking and grabbing for everything. After telling them now you lie and say ‘we don’t have the money for that.’
Now…think about something that you spent a lot of money on for your kids. I took my daughter to a country concert that she really wanted to go to. Crazy expensive tickets. I told her this was her birthday and christmas gift until she turns 18. But i did it. I payed the amount.
WHY??
Cost is rarely bases on worth or value…but by our own hearts desires.
What you desperatly want in life you will pay for. No matter the cost.
In our spiritual lives....if you truly want to follow Jesus. You will do it no matter the cost.
Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything we have.
Billy Graham
Salvation is God’s gift to us because Jesus died for us on the cross. Discipleship is our gift to Him as we take up our cross, die to self, and follow the Lord in everything.
Warren W. Wiersbe
My heart desires for this church to be fully committed followers of Jesus.
We can remember from our Hebrews sermon series that only being convinced of Jesus is hardly enough. What does he want? Convinced AND Committed followers.
I want to share a couple more verses to prime our hearts for our main text...
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Why is the gate narrow?
Because following Jesus is hard. Following Jesus costs everything.
In our text this morning we are going to see three men who give three different excuses in why they can’t follow him.
Every single one of these excuses have to deal with comfort.
I have one main statement this morning that will help navigate us through the text, so if you are taking notes write this down.
Earthly comfort distracts me from my Heavenly Calling.
God has a specific call and plan for each one of our lives…but so many times we let the comforts of this world distract us from what HE wants.
Let’s look at the text…verse 57
As they were going along the road....
We know from the text last week that Jesus has his eyes fixed on Jerusalem. He knows his mission and what is in store for him.
We saw that he wants to go through Samaria, but he is rejected there so as verse 56 says, they went to another village.
So on the way to Jersualem, a random guy comes up to him and says...
I will follow you wherever you go.
If we would hear someone say this we would think thats a good thing! But remember, Jesus knows everything. He sees everything intention and motive. He also sees into the future.
Maybe this statement was built around on an emotion. We see this all the time. People on fire for the Lord, following Him anywhere but after a month or so it fizzles out.
Why does it fizzle out?
Earthly comfort distracts from Heavenly calling.
Jesus knows every detail of this man’s life and he replies in verse 58...
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.”
maybe this man had nowhere to go? Maybe he was homeless looking for a place to stay. Maybe he saw the wide success of the ministry of Jesus and thought he had a huge house somewhere that he could crash?
We see Jesus denying the earthy comforts of a home, the stability of a place to call his in order to fulfill his heavenly calling.
Think about this statement....the creator of the universe was homeless.
We see homelessness in our own community and maybe we make fun, question their life decisions, and look the other way.
But the God of the universe was homeless.
Jesus had every right to have the nicest things. He had the right to live in the biggest home. But he didnt. He says you know the foxes have a home, the birds they have a home, but me....i don’t know where I’m laying my head down at night.
That alone is security. It is comfort.
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
This man knew the cost of following Christ. It means that the life Christ lived would be his. He would probably be homeless.
We dont know what the man said, but it is safe to assume he went away and didnt follow Him.
Application from this man....
Earlthy comfort will distract you from your heavenly calling.
So does this mean that you need to go home today, put your house on the market and live in a cardboard box?
Maybe!
Are you willing to get rid of anything that distracts you from your calling?
Are you willing to sacrifice stability?
When it comes to our homes.....may we remind ourselves that this home here is only temporary. I’m looking forward to my heavenly one.
Text goes on…verse 59...
To another he said, Follow Me.
Wow. What an honor to be asked personally by Jesus to follow him.
This is the same invitation that he asks of everyone....follow me
So why doesn't everyone follow him?
Because following Jesus is costly.
The second man responds,
Lord, let me first go and bury my father.
Explain this…inheritance. Financial stability.
Jesus responds with verse 60
60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Explain this
61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21 And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.
62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
True discipleship is radical and risk-taking, because true disciples rely on God to keep his promises to bless them, and not on their own instincts, plans, or insurance policies.
Timothy Keller