"He is Worth the Cost" Matthew 8:18-22

We are willing to sacrifice much for comfort and health and prosperity.

To follow Christ is not cheap but is worth any and all sufferings of loss.

Deciding to Follow (v.18-19)

To walk in His footsteps

With everyone He calls in the New Testament He calls them with simply two words; “Follow Me”

He was inviting them to become His disciples

Not to just follow the steps of feet but of His teachings as well.

To follow means to go in the same direction as.

John 10:27 ““My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;”

To chose to follow Jesus is to chose to be a part of His flock. (Sheep following a shepherd)

Like sheep, we do not know where the shepherd may be leading us, but we follow all the way, trusting we are being led to greener pastures.

Trusting Jesus when He says, “Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Leave every other way

In marriage, you are not only saying “Yes” to your spouse but also “No” to everyone else.

By deciding to follow Jesus, you must reject every other way (Though there is not another way)

He is the way and the only way (John 14:6) Choosing Him is to reach this conclusion.

It is impossible to follow two who travel in different directions. You cannot serve two masters.

You cannot follow Christ and the world which opposes Him.

Deciding to follow Jesus is to decide to follow Him completely

To be faithful to Him

John 14:15 ““If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

Faithful to His teachings and His teaching alone.

The leader of a church has authority over the church only as far as he leads with the authority of the teachings and commandments of Christ.

You stay behind Christ and do not try to get out in front of Him.

You remain steadfast in your following.

The Israelites in the wilderness following the pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night.

Evaluating the Cost (v.20-22)

Cost our comfort

Our Lord Jesus Christ was homeless during His ministry

The Apostles left behind their homes and family and careers and comforts to follow Jesus

Perhaps the one who left the most “comfort” would be Matthew

We may grow tired while following Jesus/ Worn out and exhausted/ Hungry/ Cold or over-heated.

Having to go without a soft bed/ air-conditioning/ food or even simple rest.

May find ourselves being pushed to the limits of the capabilities of our minds and become mentally drained for the sake of following Jesus.

We may lose friends and loved ones who do not wish to follow Jesus as we do.

Christian Pilgrim and his wife and children along with his friends who dwelt in the city of destruction.

They are liable to call us fanatics and lunatics because of our following of the Christ. (Seems foolish to them)

Philippians 3:7–8 “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ”

Cost our lifestyle

Habits that we have grown accustomed to

Places we liked to frequent/ Shows we liked to watch/ Music we liked to listen to/ Clothes we liked to wear/ Words we liked to use

We may find ourselves separating ourselves from others that we see have negative influences on us.

People who refuse to acknowledge the Lord and bring nothing but chaos and pain and sorrow and destroy our peace./ Family and friends.

May cost us our future and the dreams and plans we had made.

MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Commentary) The phrase, “I must bury my father” was a common figure of speech meaning, “Let me wait until I receive my inheritance.”

The Lord points out that we are to view His calling as higher than our future plans and “inheritances”. That everything else is considered mundane in comparison to the call on our lives to follow Him and should be left to the mundane of the world. Those who are spiritually dead.

Cost our lives

Like the Apostles before us, our lives may be asked of us.

Luke 9:23 “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

Deny yourself and consider yourself less for the sake of following Him

The word’s used here “take up his cross” would not have been lost to those who heard it; This brought to mind pain and suffering and even death.

1 Peter 2:21 “For to this you have been called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps,”

As Christ followed the will of His Father even unto death on a cross, we follow our Lord Jesus, step by step to whatever end, even our lives.

John 12:25 ““He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.”

He is Worth It

He commands more

He commands more of us than anyone else

More devotion/ More time/ More focus/ More love and even... more suffering

He commands more than we would ever give to ourselves.

We know the price we would pay for ourselves.

Nobody hates his own flesh but nourishes it/ Love your neighbor as yourself (Understanding the love we have for ourselves)

He offers more

For the love given to Him is rewarded with the love of He who is love and created it.

For the life on this earth given unto Him will receive life everlasting in paradise.

The peace that is sacrificed on His behalf is replaced with peace that cannot be taken away.

Comfort abandoned for His sake is replaced by no more tears and no more sorrow.

Riches left for His glory will be rewarded with the richness of His righteousness.

The story of Job testifies to this.

He is more

The Son of Man (v.20)

Christ’s favorite expression of Himself. (Approx. 80 times in the Gospels)

First used in the book of Daniel, chapter 7, referring to one who was given all authority and an everlasting kingdom.

He is the Son of God

The inheritor of all the universe, given to Him by His Father, who made Him Judge over all.

And in His death, the covenant of His blood sealing the will of God that we too would inherit the kingdom given to Him.

That we would reign as a kingdom of priests to God for eternity.

Following Christ is not cheap and it is not easy, but it is worth any and all sufferings of loss.

Answer the call of the Lord and hear His words in your heart as He whispers unto you, “Follow Me”