Matthew 8:18-22 | No Turning Back

Bilingual Thanksgiving service

New sermon series: The cost of following Jesus

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

What do we mean by the cost of following Jesus.

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

Followers on social media = influencer/fans

There is one crucial word that Jesus used to help us what it means to be his follower: KINGDOM.

A kingdom has a king who reigns over his people.

Following Jesus means that we enter into a new kingdom where Jesus is king.

We see a glimpse of that in our passage: “Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.” (Matthew 8:18)

The King gave orders.

Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God more than any other thing. It’s everywhere in the gospel books.

The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible says this about the Kingdom of God: "The word 'kingdom' is found fifty-five times in Matthew; twenty times in Mark, forty-six times in Luke and five times in John. When allowance is made for the use of the word to refer to secular kingdoms and for parallel verses of the same sayings of Jesus, the phrase 'the Kingdom of God' and equivalent expressions (e.g., 'Kingdom of heaven,' 'his kingdom') occur about eighty times . . . These statistics show the great importance of the concept in the teachings of Jesus . . . There can, therefore, be little doubt that the phrase 'the Kingdom of God' expresses the main theme of His teaching" (Vol. III, Zondervan, 1976, p. 804).

He gave orders. He is the King!

Jesus begins his ministry this way according to Mark 1:14–15 “14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.””

John the Baptist had similar message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)

What did Jesus mean when he said, “the time is fulfilled”?

The Story

The goodness of the King (Creation)

Genesis 1:26 “26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over [the world].”

We were created to be representatives of God our King.

But,

Rebellion against the King (Fall)

We committed cosmic treason by rebelling against the ruler. Adam and Eve were tempted, “Why be ruled by God the King when you can be your own king and rule yourself?” (Genesis 3)

What we discovered is that the King is good and his reign brings freedom, whereas the reign of sin and Satan lead to slavery.

A throne never remains empty. Sin is not only rebellion against God, it is a replacement of God. We were made to find satisfaction, meaning, and security in God. When we look for those things in money, fame, sex, or career, it’s a slap in the face to our Maker. It’s a declaration that we want all that God provides but that we don’t want God himself. Jeremy Treat, Seek First the Kingdom of God Changes Everything.

Waiting for the King (Israel)

God also made a promise in Genesis 3 that God the King would set right what our sin made wrong.

Abraham, Moses, David, and the Prophets pointed and waited to that day when God would redeem and restore his creation.

The coming of the King (Redemption)

“The time is fulfilled” declared Jesus. “I am here as your king to set you free from bondage to sin and Satan and bring you into my kingdom.”

John 8:34 “34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”

Matthew 4:23 “23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.”

Matthew 12:28 “28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Colossians 1:13 “13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,”

Jesus our king accomplished all this through his death and resurrection.

The return of the King (Consummation)

“I’m making all things new” (Revelation 21:4)

Following Jesus means that we enter into a new kingdom where Jesus is king.

This implies that Jesus now rules every aspect of my life. Praying to receive Jesus is only the beginning. Jesus is now my king who not only gives me new life but also as his disciple, I follow him in order to be with him, learn from him and imitate his way of life.

Matthew 6:33 “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Receiving Jesus the king my life implies that I now cease to build my own personal kingdom and start living my life for the only kingdom that truly matters, the kingdom of God.

As disciples, our motto and our prayer is, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

Your kingdom come, in my life.

Your kingdom come, in my family.

Your kingdom come, in our church.

Your kingdom come, in our community.

Your kingdom come, in our world.

If we’re honest with ourselves, the internal, silent prayer of our fallen hearts is “my kingdom come.” We want God to bless our plans. We want people to follow our agenda. We want the world to praise the glory of our names. “Your kingdom come” is a dangerous prayer because we’re stepping off the throne of our own lives and submitting to God’s agenda of bringing restoration and renewal in creation. To pray “your kingdom come” is to ask God’s gracious reign to invade the sin-corrupted spaces of our lives and our world. Jeremy Treat, Seek Frist: How the Kingdom of God Changes Everything.

Problem: we want to set the terms of what following Jesus the king looks like. We want Matthew 8:18 to read, “I gave the orders.”

Following Jesus means that we enter into a new kingdom where Jesus is king.

Two Implications from our passage:

Following Jesus implies letting go of my personal agenda and the approval of others for the sake of pursuing the kingdom of God.

The Scribe

The Scribe in our passage had to let go of his personal agenda and expectations because following Jesus is a commitment to follow him wherever he leads

Matthew 8:19–20 “19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 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.””

Why did Jesus not say, “Sure, do follow me.” Instead his answer is something like, “Are you sure you want to follow me?”

Throughout the ancient world a class of people arose called “scribes” (Gk. grammateus), people trained in reading, writing, and transcribing. Because of the importance of that trade, their role often went far beyond simple secretarial skills to include teaching, interpretation, and regulation of laws found in official documents. In Judaism a class of scribes had developed who were experts in interpreting and teaching Scripture (hence the niv “teacher of the law”). (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary)

Teachers of the law enjoyed a relatively high status within Judaism, but Jesus has no school or synagogue or prestigious place of honor among the religious establishment. (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary)

Perhaps the crowds surrounding Jesus got the Scribe excited at the expectation of worldly success (speaking engagement, book signing, interviews, world tour, fame, mass followers on social media)

When Jesus says that has has “No place to lay his head” does not indicate that he is homeless, but rather that his ministry will not result in comfort, benefits or wordly success.

The Croatian theologian Miroslav Volf offers a solemn warning: “The main temptation is not to reject God outright, but to embrace God as something secondary and use God as an instrument for our own ends.” Jeremy R. Treat, Seek First: How the Kindgom of God Changes Everything

Following Jesus implies letting go of my personal agenda and the approval of others for the sake of pursuing the kingdom of God.

The Disciple

Matthew 8:21–22 “21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.””

What is going here? Jesus says things that seem like a PR nightmare.

Two possibilities:

Dad is dead and the son needs to go to the funeral.

Dad is still alive (more likely). What this man might saying is, “I want to follow, but I better wait until my father dies.” Why? “He might not approve of my decision to follow you and he might disown me and I’ll end losing my inheritance.

Parallel passage: Luke 9:59–62 “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.””

Jesus is saying, “there cannot be any conditions to your obedience. The kingdom requires 100% commitment.

Following Jesus is a commitment to follow him whatever the cost including forsaking the approval of others.

These are not commandments for Jesus’ followers to keep:

Thou shall not have a bed and a pillow

Thou shall not go to your dad’s funeral

Rather, “Who has the allegiance and devotion of my heart?”

Mateo Manifestación de autoridad (8:18–22)

La lección general que se establece en estos dos versículos tiene que ver con las prioridades en el discipulado. Quien tome la determinación de seguir a Jesús debe considerar que entra en el camino de la renuncia personal

What do we mean by the cost of following Jesus.

The cost of following Jesus

*Not about earning your salvation

When we talk about the cost of following Jesus we are asking about a very important question. The answer to that question will affect the rest of your life.

Is Jesus worth more than anything in the world?

In other words, Is Jesus the ultimate treasure that my heart longs and goes after?

We hear cost and we assume only in terms of losing.

Two stories:

Matthew 13:44–46 “44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Jim Elliot

What’s the next step?

Have you made a decision to follow Jesus? What’s stopping you?

Have you publicly declared Jesus as your King through baptism?

Who do I need to ask for forgiveness?

What day this week will I call to reach out for help (counseling, 7 Pillars)

What hobby or sport do I need to put on hold for the next 12 months in order to pursue seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness?

What unhealthy relationship do I need to break off today?

What area in my life has God been “nudging” me about that I need to step in faith?