Discipleship Defined: Commitment, Allegiance, and Faith | The Book of Matthew: The King and His Kingdom | Matthew 8:18-27 | Pastor J.M. Lee

Good morning! Go ahead and grab your Bible and turn to Matthew 8. We are continuing our sermon series through the Gospel according to Matthew that I have entitled “The King and His Kingdom,” and this morning we are considering verses 18-27. Matthew 8:18-27.

Matthew 8:18–27 (CSB)

18 When Jesus saw a large crowd around him, he gave the order to go to the other side of the sea. 19 A scribe approached him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

20 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

21 “Lord,” another of his disciples said, “first let me go bury my father.”

22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

23 As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves—but Jesus kept sleeping. 25 So the disciples came and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!”

26 He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!”

This is the Word of the Lord: Praise be to God.

Let’s Pray

Close your eyes for a moment and let your imagination carry you to the edge of a vast, storm-tossed sea. Feel the salty mist on your skin as you stand amidst the crashing waves, each one a tumultuous reminder of the uncertainties that churn within your soul. This isn't just any shoreline; it's the threshold of discipleship, where the call to follow Jesus echoes across the waters, beckoning us to step into the unknown.

In this moment, we find ourselves not merely spectators to an ancient account but participants in a timeless journey. Like the disciples who once walked alongside Jesus, we stand at the crossroads of faith and doubt, grappling with the weight of what it truly means to follow Him. The path ahead is fraught with challenges, demanding sacrifices that test the very essence of our being.

Yet, amidst the chaos of the storm, a voice cuts through the noise—a voice that speaks not of fear, but of hope; not of despair, but of redemption. It is the voice of Jesus, calling us to embrace discipleship with courage and conviction, to count the cost and find Him worthy, to prioritize Him above all else, and to trust Him unfailingly, even in the face of life's fiercest storms.

This morning’s text vividly mirrors our own struggles …and reminds us that this journey of discipleship is not for the faint of heart. Yet ..even in the midst of our trials….if we unite ourselves to Jesus …we unite ourselves to the one who has power and authority over our trials and keep us secure.

Our text this morning is helpful for in it Jesus provides us with three extremely important instructions about discipleship, about what it means to have faith in Jesus, and about what it means to be a follower of Him. Let’s start with the first instruction.

I. Courageous Commitment: Counting the Cost of Discipleship (Matthew 8:18-20)

Up to this point, we've witnessed Jesus teaching with both power and authority. Not only that, but He was healing every disease and sickness, even freeing people from the oppression of demons.

As a result of His powerful teaching and His authoritative healings…. crowds of desperate people were flocking to Him. The reality is, Jesus is tired….But…. at one point…. it did seem as though He might be able to get some rest at Peter’s house. However, upon His arrival, He was met with a sick mother-in-law and a crowd of people who were demon-possessed….But even amidst His weariness, Jesus continued to minister tirelessly, demonstrating His compassion and power.…..It’s been a crazy day, to say the least.

This leads us now to our text: Look at verse 18 ‌

Matthew 8:18 (CSB)

18 When Jesus saw a large crowd around him, he gave the order to go to the other side of the sea.

Perhaps…Jesus wished to cross the Sea of Galilee in an effort to find a quiet place after a busy season of ministry…or maybe….…Jesus felt it was time to get away from the crowd. The truth is…..as long as he was being mobbed by the crowds….there was no way that he could give his disciples the attention they needed. And so…by getting in a boat and crossing the sea…well….it would narrow the number of people who could accompany him to a committed few.

Now….there were a couple of guys who wanted to be a part of the small group….they wanted to get in the boat and follow Jesus. We see the first guy in verse 19

Matthew 8:19 (CSB)

19 A scribe approached him…

The fact that this guy is a scribe is an interesting detail…A scribe was a Bible scholar …a teacher…they were experts in the Scriptures. …to be a scribe was to hold a position of great respect…similar to a brain surgeon today. To be a scribe demanded intellect and skill which ultimately earned the admiration of society.

And so this highly respected intellectual approaches Jesus and says what seems to be a noble and thoughtful statement…look back at v19…the scribe says to Jesus….

Matthew 8:19 (CSB)

19 …“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

First…notice that this scribe calls Jesus, “Teacher.” And the reason why this is interesting is because …..in Matthew's Gospel… whenever someone refers to Jesus as "teacher" (8:19; 12:38; 19:16; 22:16, 36)…. it's always someone who ultimately doesn’t become a true disciple. So, even in this seemingly respectful address, Matthew is providing us with a hint that something might be off with this guy.

But …maybe you’re thinking….what’s wrong with what he's saying? I mean….it’s pretty commendable of this guy to declare , "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go"? Think about it…..in today's world….. it's rare to find people…… especially scholars…who openly proclaim their willingness to follow Jesus.

And the truth is….. I have heard this said more times than I can count….. “Pastor, I don’t want to do business as usual…..I’m tired of messing around….I’m ready to go and do whatever Jesus wants me to do.” And it seems like this guy is eager….it seems as though he is willing…he’s passionate as he wholeheartedly proclaims…. “Jesus…..I will follow you wherever you go!!!”….…..whatever you ask of me….wherever you call me….. I’m in!….I will go!

But ….Jesus knew that following him would not be easy and despite this man’s passionate declaration of commitment ……Jesus perceives something beyond the surface…..he discerned pride and obliviousness lurking within this man….and he knew that this man would never make it. Remember..…the road that Jesus is traveling is going to ultimately end in death.

So Jesus tests the commitment of this scribe because …well…He’s concerned that…. eager as he seems….Jesus knows that he hasn't fully grasped the cost of discipleship. So, Jesus asks him to deliberate….to calculate what it truly means to follow Him. Think about it…..this scribe…. accustomed perhaps to a life of comfort and ease….. may not have realized that following Jesus entailed sacrifice, suffering, and self-denial and so Jesus says to him…Look at verse 20

Matthew 8:20 (CSB)

20 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

In other Words…. “When things get tough for a fox….when hunters are after him….and arrows are shot at him….that little guy has got a hole to crawl into…and when the weather gets too rough for the birds…they can find safety in their nests…but I want you to know something…..the one you are signing up to follow…well…I don’t have any of that.”

What Jesus is saying is that those who follow Him may find themselves swimming against the current of society…if you follow Jesus you will endure ‌affliction and rejection…for…following Jesus means embracing a life of discomfort—a life out of step with modern culture, a life of loving difficult people, giving sacrificially, and putting oneself out for the ministry of Christ.

Church…… no one who commits to following Christ…. and does so…. lives a life of ease….NO!……The only certainty we have on this road of following Jesus is the good news …not that we will find ease or comfort but the good news that Jesus is walking this road with us…that he will never leave us and that he will never walk out on us. And one day He will return for us and we will be with Him forever…..and the question you have to ask yourself is……Is that enough for me? Is Jesus enough for me?

I ask this gut wrenching question because …..there are many who would have you to believe that following Jesus will inevitably lead to health and wealth and prosperity and worldly success….and people are following Jesus in order to obtain the very things he has called his followers to forsake. We don’t follow Jesus for what He gives us…we follow Jesus to get Jesus.

Yes…its true…. Salvation is an amazing gift that we receive when we follow Jesus…and we must never lose sight of the truth that salvation is free by the grace of God.  Salvation is free based on the work of Christ…. not on our own merit.  But as Billy Graham has said,

“Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything that we have.”  - Billy Graham

Friends….Jesus makes it clear that He will have no disciples who are not ready to pay the price.  Commitment to Christ is too important to make without deliberation and without awareness of what it costs us.

I am reminded of what Jesus said to his disciples in Luke 9..He said,

Luke 9:23–24 (CSB)

23 … “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it.

Clearly …..choosing the cross over comfort is a requirement of following Jesus. In his book The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonheoffer – the German theologian wrote:

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” - Dietrich Bonheoffer

For Bonheoffer…. the call to follow Jesus literally cost him his life…and the truth is……Christ’s call for you to follow Him may or may not cost you your physical lives. But the cost of following Jesus is no less expensive…for this call requires every ounce of you…..it requires courageous commitment….it requires you to die to your self…….if we are going to partner with God to see His Kingdom come here in Las Vegas as it is in heaven then we must burn the idols of comfort…we must set ablaze the idol of preference for the sake of the mission….for the sake of the advancement of Gospel in Las Vegas.

Friends…as you count the cost of discipleship …ask yourself….. “Will I choose comfort or the cross?…Am I willing to deny myself and take up my cross to follow Jesus? Am I willing to sacrifice my desires for the sake of the mission that God has commanded of me? Is Jesus enough for me, even if it means sacrificing worldly comforts and success?”

Friend…. following Jesus does not guarantee ease or comfort, but it does promise His presence, His faithfulness, and the hope of eternal life with Him.

So the first instruction about discipleship is that we must count the cost for Jesus is calling us to a courageous commitment.

Now….as Jesus and His disciples are trying to get in the boat….a second guy approaches Jesus … and here we see Christ’s second instruction of discipleship.

II. Radical Allegiance: Putting Jesus First (Matthew 8:21-22)

Faith must not only count the cost and pay the price…. but faith must recognize the priority of Jesus and the priority of His kingdom. look at v21

Matthew 8:21 (CSB)

21 “Lord,” another of his disciples said, “first let me go bury my father.”

Scholars debate wether or not this dude’s dad had actually died….I tend to believe that his father’s corpse was not lying at home waiting on him to come home and bury him…and here’s why…… if it was…… the son would have already been at the funeral……. because it was his religious and cultural obligation to be there……..So…… perhaps….. the man had a father who was close to death…and he was saying to Jesus that he would rather wait until his father was dead and buried before leaving everything to follow Jesus. If you think about it….his request seems fair.

But look at how Jesus responds to him…

Matthew 8:22 (CSB)

22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

When Jesus calls us to follow Him .....the only correct answer is, "Yes, I will follow you." Understand...Jesus is saying to us that He must be our number one priority. And the truth is...like this man who desired to care for his father..... even legitimate things can come between us and our relationship with Christ. There are legitimate things that can come between us and the mission that Jesus has commanded of us.

And…well…if we are honest…there are also illegitimate things that can come between us and our discipleship. The statistics are staggering …. many who profess faith in Jesus..on average attend corporate worship twice a month…and this in spite of the instruction in Hebrews that we are to not forsake the gathering of God’s people. Another staggering statistic is that only 50% of professing Christians believe that they have any personal responsibilities to share their faith…..even though Jesus is clear that the Great Commission is given to each of us!

Tell me… Are you truly living under the lordship of Jesus? Have you wholeheartedly responded to His call to "Follow Him”?

If not…Why not? What is it for you? Does Jesus and His mission take top priority in your life? Or…does something else? Legitimate or not…..Jesus is telling us, “I will not be second to anything. Let the spiritually dead care for the physically dead. Son......Daughter, you're alive. You come and you follow Me. We have a message to preach....we have disciples to make.”

The truth is ….Recognizing Jesus’ sovereign authority in the world should lead us to give Jesus total allegiance in our life…..for His authority is not to be toyed or trifled with.

J. C. Ryle once said

“Nothing, in fact, has done more harm to Christianity than the practice of filling the ranks of Christ’s army with every volunteer who is willing to make a little profession” (Ryle, Matthew, 59)

Friends….notice that Jesus is not begging for followers in Matthew 8. No!…...He’s actually turning them away because He expects unconditional trust and undivided affection from those who follow Him.

When Jesus speaks, leprosy, paralysis, and fever obey. …and we will see in just a minute that even the wind and the waves obey Him……The question this morning is, “Do you obey?”

Do you have a hunger to engage with His Word…. do you long to read it, study it, and hear it proclaimed? Is your deepest desire to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus? Do you long to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Do you eagerly seek for opportunities to serve Christ and His Church? What does your giving reveal about where your priorities lie?

Brothers and sisters…Jesus does not sugarcoat discipleship….rather….He compares following Him to a challenging journey….a journey that results in many who eventually turn away. I love how Pastor Ligon Duncan says it…He says,

Jesus calls us to a pilgrimage, not a parade, to a battle, not a leisurely stroll. Christ's disciples are enlisted in the fight. Are you standing with Him as your Lord? - Ligon Duncan

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Friends……Jesus calls us to a Radical Allegiance…..If we are to follow Jesus we must put Him first.

Now…the third instruction …. Jesus wants us to trust Him in all circumstances because faith not only counts the cost and pays the price, faith not only recognizes the priority of Christ and His kingdom, but faith rests on Christ, not on good circumstances.

III. Steadfast Faith: Trusting Jesus Through the Storms (Matthew 8:23-27)

Matthew 8:23 (CSB)

23 As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.

Remember…..that Jesus is tired…maybe hungry…..possibly in great need of a shower ……..and…He gets in the boat …grabs a pillow…and falls asleep.

So you have Jesus and his disciples in a boat headed for the other side of the Sea of Galilee…………And understand…..the Sea of Galilee is a shallow lake….a lake that was known for it’s violent storms…….you see….the weather in that region had a reputation and to this da.y…the weather can change drastically in a blink of an eye….from a sunny cloudless sky to a dark sky ….and hurricane like winds…..and that’s the scene as we look at v24

Matthew 8:24 (CSB)

24 Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves….

Suddenly everything turns upside down……..The words “violent storm” speaks of hurricane-type winds…..so the boat is being thrown around and water is pouring into the boat……. I imagine Peter yelling and cursing at the storm with one fist in the air as he does his best to scoop out water with the other hand…while John is crying and holding on to the boat for dear life……..These seasoned sailors and fishermen suddenly find themselves in a storm unlike anything they have ever experienced.

Now…… before we continue ……. there is a crucial detail that we have to take note of……You see……it was Jesus who led them into the storm! This was not an accident. This did not catch God off guard.

Which tells me that we should not be alarmed by surprises in our lives….because those surprises and everyday circumstances that you and I experience…….those are moments that God is working in to reveal to us who He is….. who we are……and who we need! Bad days, rough situations, difficulties, and desperate moments are when God does His greatest work in our lives. When He brings us to the end of ourselves………moments were we are driven to Him and Him alone as our Savior and Rescuer.

However…in this moment these guys have yet to see this truth…look back at verse 24

Matthew 8:24 (CSB)

24 Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves—but Jesus kept sleeping.

Now….. I love this part of the text because ….if Jesus can take a nap in the midst a chaotic busy time….then maybe that means that I can too….and the truth is…… sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap.

You see…….this verse speaks to the humanity of Jesus. The Bible teaches….and the church has always believed,….that Jesus is both fully God and fully man…. two natures united in one person. He is 100 percent God and 100 percent human…He is the God man.

And it’s important to note that ……..the only qualification related to His humanity is that He is without sin. He had no sin nature, and He never committed a single sin— not one. Two texts make this clear:

2 Corinthians 5:21 (CSB)

21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Hebrews 4:15 (CSB)

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.

You see…….both His humanity and His deity are put on display in this story, and it is His humanity that appears so clearly in the fact that He was so exhausted that He was sleeping through this violent storm

Now…..the Bible repeatedly teaches about Jesus’ humanity…….. we read in Scripture that Jesus got hungry (Matt 4: 2). He got angry (Mark 3: 5). He cried (John 11: 35). and He even died.

Now we see in Matthew 8…….that He slept. He had an exhausting day, and He kept on sleeping right through the storm. Yes, He is human. But there is something else…….something that we can’t miss…..you see….Jesus…… He has complete trust in the care of His Father. These veteran fisherman and sailors may have been terrified, but the Carpenter from Nazareth slept soundly. You see….Jesus knew He had work to complete on the cross….he knew He still had a mission to accomplish. Therefore…..He was confident in His Father’s promise to see Him finish….as result….he wasn't afraid…..He had complete peace because He fully trusted His Father.

I don’t know about you but most nights I struggle to sleep…and there are many contributing factors to this ….from pain to too much coffee…but if I were to be honest…I struggle to sleep some nights because I lie in bed and think about all of the storms in my life… I think through what I could have done better today and I think through how I am going to navigate the mess tomorrow….and all of this speaks to the presence of fear in my heart and to my lack of faith in God. I don’t know about you but I often lose sight of the fact that it’s in my most desperate moments when God does His greatest work in my life.

Like the disciples I try to bail out the water while I question if Jesus has the ability to see me through the storm. And it’s not until the storm gets unbearable …it’s not until I recognize that I have no power in and of myself to control my situation…..that I cry out to Jesus, “Lord save me!” look at v25

Matthew 8:25–26 (CSB)

25 So the disciples came and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!”

26 He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

Now….I have heard many people preach this text and make the statement that if you are facing a storm….whether its the storm of a rocky marriage…or the storm of a financial crises…or the storm of bad health…simply cry out to Jesus and He will calm your storms. Now…that sounds great…..but …the only problem is the fact that…that’s not the point of the story. The point is much deeper than that….

You see… the point of this text is that we would see the truth that Jesus is God …that we would see that the authority that belongs to God is the authority that belongs to Jesus.

The point is for us to come to the end of ourselves …that we would stop trusting in our selves ….and that we would see how amazing Jesus truly is …and that we would move from fear to faith…you see…..the point of this text is to move us to a place of greater trust and faith in Jesus. The truth is….everyone needs to come to Christ and say: “Jesus, save me! If You don’t save me, I’m going to die!” Friends….there is nothing more certain than this truth..…the truth that … If Christ doesn’t save me, I will certainly die. If Christ does not save you, you will certainly die. ….. understand….there is no other Savior whom God has given us apart from Jesus….and Jesus proves that He has the authority and the power to save us by quieting the storm with just a word…and if Jesus can save us from the fiercest of storms…sin and death itself…then surely we can trust Him to see us through any other storm that life throws at us!

Think about it… Jesus is speaking to the elements personally…..and it has the feel like a Master commanding his servants …because….that’s exactly what’s happening here………Jesus is the ruler of nature….this is the one who spoke the world into existence….and He literally has the authority to speak to the natural elements…like the water…and the wind…and they have to obey Him

Friends….this should blow our minds….and radically change our perspective of not only our circumstances but it should begin to develop our understanding of who God is. We need to let scriptures like this one take root in our hearts and minds……brothers and sisters……I don't know what else to say but, “This is your God……This is your Lord…..and He his amazing!” and the only correct response is to respond as the disciples do in verse 27…

Matthew 8:27 (CSB)

27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!”

This is the question that everyone of us has to answer. What kind of man is this? Who is this Jesus that even the fiercest wind and the mightiest of waves must obey Him?

And the answer is…… He is the one who was consumed by the stormy sea of God’s wrath as He hung on the cross. He endured the storm so that we could find peace and be saved. You see……Jesus calmed the only storm that could truly drown us…..God’s wrath and judgment. He went down in the storm only to emerge three days later as the One who stilled the just and righteous wrath of God against sinners. Brothers and sisters….the greatest storm in your life is not a crappy circumstance…..or a loss of a loved one….or financial struggle …or chronic pain….No!!!…..the greatest storm in your life is called sin…….and the waves of sin beat at the borders of your heart.

And like the disciples in that boat….you have no ability to save yourself….you have no ability to defeat sin and death. You see……salvation is only found in an awe of the saving grace of Jesus and in a recognition of the sufficiency of His sacrifice on the cross.

“What kind of man is this?” He is the Lord of glory who is calling you today to count the cost and to follow Him with a radical allegiance and a steadfast faith… a faith that says…Jesus …you and your Kingdom deserve to be my number one priority…….and as I follow you in obedience…it does not matter how strong the winds are… it doesn’t matter how destructive the waves may be … because I serve the God of the universe who has the power and authority to see me through!

Let’s Pray