My Greatest Loyalty

Luke 14:26; Matt. 10:37

What is my greatest loyalty?

Loyalty has always been esteemed. When we think about loyalty, we are thinking about a person’s devotion to a person, group, ideal, duty, or cause.

We show Loyalty to a person, to a people, to a group, to a spouse, to a company… to some just cause… We love to experience, and to see loyalty… Especially when that loyalty benefits us, or our cause, in some way.

When the pastor asked me why I wanted to marry Jessica… One of my replies was, “She is loyal.” We desire loyal spouses.

I heard a business owner say this… this week: “You just cannot find people who are loyal anymore… I need someone who is loyal… who will be devoted to us.”

In the South, family loyalty is a heritage. The value of it has been handed down through many families. Above and beyond loyalty to companies or causes… We desire and expect family loyalty around here above all else...

We are to remain loyal to family… no matter what… Because that is what we are to do.

Why? Because blood is thicker than anything else. Family is the most valued and treasured thing...

If you are asking me to choose between friends and family… we will choose family over friends. If a friend and a family member gets into a fight, argument… We will side with the family member… Because we love them the most.

But what happens when the issues, conflicts, problems, and fights come up between family members?

We will side with the ones closest to us. We will side with the ones we love the most… The ones we are most loyal to.

We will choose mothers and fathers over aunts and uncles, and we will choose brothers and sister over cousins...

We choose to be more loyal to one over the other because of the value that they have… even if they are in the wrong.

And here we are with this text for the day: Luke 14:26

Let’s do some work here and try to understand this better, biblically. Turn to Matthew 10:37.

“Well Ryan, why didn’t you just read this one?” Because I want you to learn how to use the Bible to interpret the Bible.

And Luke 14:26 really gets our attention...

What do we see? What do you hear? Jesus is telling a people who valued family loyalty, family, traditions and customs… that they were going to have to make a choice...

Jesus is saying that Loyalty to Him must be thicker than family/blood… and that everyone who desired to follow Him was going to have to make this choice: You would have to choose Jesus above and beyond all others. You would have to choose to be more devoted and committed to Him than anyone else.

Now listen: We are to love our family, love our neighbors, and love our enemies. We are to honor our mothers and our fathers. If you do not take care of your family… you have denied the faith… (1 Tim. 5:8).

Our lives: We see from Scripture that we are to take care of our lives, be good stewards of our bodies, for we are the temple of the Holy Spirit...

So, this word and expression used here is not sinful… It is not being used here in a way that contradicts loving our neighbors as ourselves...

This expression, used by Jesus, is an expression that captures the reality of someone loving less that another. It is an expression that captures more devotion to one over the other.

You are choosing to show more love/devotion/commitment to one over the other.

When we turn to Romans 9:13, we see the verse “Jacob I loved and Esau I have hated...” But when we look at the life of Esau and Jacob, what do we see? Esau is blessed and has an abundance...

We do not see an emotional hatred towards Esau. God chose one over the other, to bless and to use according to His purposes...

God made a choice to be devoted to one over the other...

You are making a choice...

We see God choosing Jacob, to be the one through whom, Israel would come forth and ultimately, Christ will come into the world. God chose Jacob to bring forth the promises...

So hang on to this idea...

What is Jesus teaching us?

Jesus is teaching us about discipleship. Jesus is teaching us the cost of discipleship...

And you and I must count the cost and make a choice.

We must choose to love Jesus more than anyone else.

Following Jesus requires a commitment and faithfulness that is greater than your commitment and faithfulness to your family or to yourself...

In other words: Loyalty to Jesus must be greater than loyalty to anyone else.

Loyalty to Jesus must be thicker than family/blood/friends.

At times, you may have to turn away from family and friends in order to be loyal to Jesus...

“But, come on… family is the highest and the greatest...”

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 12:46-50 - There were people telling Jesus, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with you...”

And Jesus responds: “Who is My mother and who are My brothers? He stretches His hand over His disciples and said, Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother, my sister, and mother.”

This is the way Jesus sees it.

This is the Way, that disciples are to see it.

We must be pressed on this in our culture. We Southerners must be pressed on this… Because we have been told that nothing is thicker than blood and that we are to always be loyal to family… no matter what...

Family loyalty is greater than logic here...

It does not matter… If they are living in sin, are doing wrong, have done other people wrong, they are lying stealing or cheating… it does not matter...

You excuse them, defend them, and never hold them accountable or rebuke them...

Why? Loyalty to them is the highest value. There last name is the most important. Who they are is the most important thing… What they think and who they represent matters most...

But: What about our loyalty to Christ first? Is Jesus Lord? Is Jesus Master? Is Jesus your Treasure?

Our hearts and loyalty are tied together.

Family may be rebelling against Jesus, disobeying His Word, Ways and character, causing harm to neighbors and Christian brothers...

Will I choose Jesus over family/friends… or family/friends over Jesus???

All across this world today, just like it was during Jesus’ day and the early church, to choose Jesus is to lose your family, to be kicked out… or even be put to death.

Nabeel Qureshi wrote a book called, “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus.” He died several years ago from cancer, but it was a tremendous book that God has used around the world, and he was a devout Muslim man who eventually came to faith in Christ… And lost his family because of it.

This is what he said,”I asked God to kill me because I lost my family; I lost my friends in the mosque; I lost all the people who loved me the moment I became Christian.”

It is like this with Hindu religions… To leave Mormonism is to be condemned, not find work...

This is common around the world. People have their customs, their traditions, and their own religions… And they are customs, traditions, and religions that are loved… and these people love their family who practice these things...

But then they meet Jesus, they meet the Way, the Truth, and the Life... and they have to choose… Follow family… or follow Jesus… Follow their customs, traditions, and sins or follow Jesus...

And it is painful… to be rejected… by family and friends.

And here we are today in 2024, with our family and friends, with our customs and traditions… with our heritage and lifestyles...

And then we meet Jesus… Our parents have not met Jesus. Our spouse or friends have not met Jesus… and they still want to do the same things we always have done… which violates Christ’s character and commands...

What will we do?

We may say: “Well, I want to keep the peace. I do not want to be rejected. Can’t I be loyal to both… even if one is pulling me in the opposite direction… even though I know this is Anti-Christian???”

Jesus said that we can only serve One master.

Light and Darkness do not mix.

Matthew 10:34 - Jesus says “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law… a man’s foes/enemies will be those of his own household...”

Following Jesus is not easy. We must count the cost and make a choice. He is either Lord and Master of our lives or He is not. He is the Pearl of Great Price… or He is Not.

Now: Christians are called to be equally yoked together. But, sometimes, we find out that we married an unbeliever. Or we marry and then, one of us becomes Christian and the other is not… And we have some choices to make...

If our spouse does not follow the Lord. We must follow the Lord. We must seek the Lord. We must worship, we must praise, we must sing, and we must work with our children even if the other spouse does not… While you minister to your spouse with your words and your actions...

(Study 1 Corinthians 7 for more help on this)

If our parents do not follow the Lord. We must follow the Lord. We must honor and obey our parents with all respect, and we must pray for them and witness to them with our words and our conduct and seek after Christ through the Word and through prayer… even if parents do not.

If our brothers and sisters beg us to turn away from Christ or they will turn away from us… We must follow Christ.

We love them, pray for them, witness to them with patience and kindness… But we must prize Jesus above all.

If our friends or family call us to turn from Christ to do activities that interfere with our relationship with Christ… We must turn from our friends...

We might even have to cut ourselves apart from them and their influence, put up parameters around our lives, to keep what we value the most protected...

Why?

Because Christ is everything to us… Our relationship to Him is above and beyond all other relationships.

“Now, come on preacher, shouldn’t we separate church life from everything else…?”

Many people do...

There are political issues going on everywhere. There are government politics. There are family and church politics. There are power struggles and decision-making processes within these circles… that have nothing to do with Jesus.

There are actions and responses, decisions and judgments… that have nothing to do with our loyalty to Jesus… and it has everything to do with our loyalty to friends and family...

People will lie, cheat and steal. People can and will get away with anything and everything… and they will be held accountable to no one… And they will hold no one accountable...

Why? Because of loyalty to friends and family...

“Yea, but this is politics, and politics is politics… and this is business and business is business… and this is Baxley… and Baxley is Baxley… and this is family and family is family...”

And you are a Christian… no matter where you are.

You are a Christian wherever you are. That never stops.

You are a follower of Christ in the government, in politics, in business, in Baxley, and in your family… You are a Christian first… And your first loyalty is to Christ, above all.

You choose what you value most… And what we often value most is our own self-preservation. What we value most is not being rejected. What we value most is money and acceptance from all these other people...

And not God...

Doing the right thing... Doing the Christian thing… Choosing holiness and righteousness is not always easy...

But Jesus is Lord. He is everything to us. And He is worth it.

Isn’t He? Isn’t He worth it?

1 Peter 2:7 - To you who believe, Jesus Christ is precious...

Matthew 13:44-46 - A man found a treasure hidden in a field, and for joy over it… he goes and sells everything to buy that field...

A merchant found a pearl of great price… and went and sold everything so that he could have it...

Are you overlooking His worth today? Are you valuing anyone else over Jesus today? Is someone in between you and Jesus?

What is the Lord calling you to do?

I pray that we would all see His value and worth today, and decide to be completely loyal to the One Who died for you.

Pray.