The Demands of Discipleship
Notes
Transcript
The demands of discipleship is the title of the message today. If you have your bibles today I ask you to turn to Luke Chapter 14 starting with verse 25.
Large crowds were now traveling with Jesus, and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.
Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it? Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This man could not finish what he started to build.’
Or what king on his way to war with another king will not first sit down and consider whether he can engage with ten thousand men the one coming against him with twenty thousand? And if he is unable, he will send a delegation while the other king is still far off, to ask for terms of peace.
In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.
Salt is good, but if the salt loses its savor, with what will it be seasoned? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, and it is thrown out.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Large crowds were now traveling with Jesus, and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.
Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it? Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This man could not finish what he started to build.’
Or what king on his way to war with another king will not first sit down and consider whether he can engage with ten thousand men the one coming against him with twenty thousand? And if he is unable, he will send a delegation while the other king is still far off, to ask for terms of peace.
In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.
Salt is good, but if the salt loses its savor, with what will it be seasoned? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, and it is thrown out.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
When the dinner was over Jesus resumed his journey to Jerusalem.
Here in verse twenty-five we see that when Jesus left the Pharisee’s home in which he had been invited to dinner and…
Large crowds were now traveling with Jesus…
Jesus’ public ministry attracted such a large following that it was hard for him to get away from the crowds long enough to catch his breath.
But among the crowds were many who were attracted by many different interests.
Physically, these people are on their way to Jerusalem in Jesus’ entourage.
But there is a suggestion that they are merely ‘going along’ with Him spiritually as well.
They held certain beliefs about Him, but it is not clear that they truly believe in Him.
Jesus knew that most of this crowd was not in the least bit interested in spiritual things.
They were like many people today, willing to follow Jesus as long as the cost is not too high or the demands too great.
They just look to Jesus to solve their money problems, family problems or health problems but quickly grow disillusioned and unwilling to follow if Jesus does not solve those problems or if following requires sacrifices on their part.
It would seem that Jesus was never impressed by the size of the crowd or by sheer numbers. For Jesus now turns to this crowd of mixed spiritual commitment and speaks of “The Demands of Discipleship,” words that seem deliberately aimed at thinning their ranks.
The demands are stated in the phrase that reoccurs three times (v. 26, 27, 33) in this text, “… he cannot be my disciple… he cannot be my disciple… [he] cannot be my disciple.”
So let’s look at the text and make sure we are not found with those who cannot be his disciple.
1. We must love Jesus Christ more than personal relationships
The demands of discipleship are found beginning in verse twenty-six.
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple.
His language about hate is shocking as He intended it to be.
To understand his statement we need to understand Jesus often used startling and penetrating paradoxes to make his point.
Jesus wanted his listeners to have to think about the stringent demands that He is making.
The clear teaching of scripture is that we are to honor our father and mother (Mark 7:9-13), and that men are to love their wives as Jesus loved the church (Ephesians 5:25).
What Jesus is saying in a paradoxical fashion is that our love for Him must be so great and so pervasive that our natural love of self and family pales in comparison. We are to love him supremely.
Jesus grabs believers out of “la-la land” and He demands that we examine our lives and ask some hard questions. Jesus is saying:
Do you think you are a Christian? Well then do you love me more than you do anything else? Do you love me so much that your love for family seems like hatred by comparison?
Otherwise don’t pretend to be a follower of mine!” Jesus’ words still have the power to astonish us.
Jesus is saying that our love for Him must outshine all other loves, even the love we feel for our families. Jesus has to be the number one love in your life.
Look what is says in Matthew 10:37
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;
The choices of discipleship are not always easy.
Sometimes a decision for Jesus will put us at odds with someone we love. Sometimes even the people that are sitting beside you in the pew.
Sometimes a decision for Jesus means refusing to offer support to a family member for a decision that may be immoral in God’s eyes.
But understand with me that Jesus is not merely talking about emotional feelings toward him but rather he is speaking of our level of commitment.
If following Jesus obediently causes problems or means complications with your closest relationships, will you still follow?
Discipleship not only deals with personal relationships but with personal goals.
2. We must love Jesus Christ more than personal preferences
(v 26b-27)
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.
We must not only be committed to Jesus more than to our loved one, but we must also be committed to him above even “our own life.”
We must be willing to commit to Jesus our personal desires, goals, interests and even needs.
He goes on to say in verse twenty-seven,
Whoever does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Here Jesus evoked an image familiar to everyone present – the image of a convicted criminal stumbling to their deaths carrying the very instrument of that death, a cross.
The cross was not an implement of irritation or inconvenience, it was an implement of death.
Everyone knew that this person was saying “goodbye” to everything.
There would be no turning or coming back.
This image undoubtedly sent a shudder of fear through his listeners.
So it begs the question, what does the phrase “carry the cross” mean?
Jesus is telling his disciples that we must put to death that part of ourselves that resists Him, the part that wants to have life our own way.
It means death to self, to our own plans and ambitions, and a willingness to serve Him as he directs.
We Must Love Jesus Christ More Than Personal Preferences and
3. We must love Jesus Christ more than personal resources
(v. 33)
In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.
The New Living Translation’s rendering of this verse is, Luke 14:33
So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.
Does Jesus mean this literally, do we have to get rid everything and take a vow of poverty in order to become a Christian?
When money or the things that money can buy makes us hesitant about following what we feel the Lord is calling us to do, then we are disciples of those things not disciples of Jesus.
One test of discipleship is what are we doing with our resources.
Regardless of our income, if we are not giving regularly and generously we are not living like disciples of Jesus.
Do not misunderstand me when I say this. I’m not talking about tithes here. I’m talking about your ordinary, normal, day-to-day lives.
How generous are you with your time and talents?
I want you to be aware of the cost of discipleship.
So lets do that, let us count the cost of becoming a disciple.
(vv. 28-30)
To many of those who heard Jesus’ words, his requirements for discipleship seemed too strict and demanding. Their natural response would have them wondering why.
Why does discipleship have to be so tough?
Jesus uses two stories (parables) to explain his meaning about the cost of disciple-ship.
In verse twenty-eight, he explains, Luke 14:28-30
Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it? Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This man could not finish what he started to build.’
This first story tells of a careless builder.
Almost all of us have seen some building project begun but never finished.
“The wise builder, the Lord suggests, will estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to compete it. He will make a careful evaluation of the costs, risks and resources. Otherwise, the unfinished structure will be a visible evidence of impulsive commitment and his failure will expose him to ridicule…
Discipleship is not a casual or an occasional activity. …Discipleship is an exciting adventure.
But it is also a draining and demanding lifestyle.
Warfare may look thrilling in the movies, it looks very different from the trenches.”
It is long. It is hard. The path is narrow and not many people take it.
But oh is it rewarding.
So if that is the cost of becoming a disciple, how do we Count The Cost Of Not Becoming A Disciple.
(vv. 31-33)
For every person who leaps without looking there are a dozen or more that never leap at all.
Most people do not have as much difficulty with impulsiveness in the spiritual realm as they do inactivity.
It is the first step that is the hardest. The step of making a decision is the hardest.
Our hearts may be warm but often our feet grow cold.
Jesus knew that impulsiveness was a problem for only a few.
But many are hindered by their unwillingness to make a commitment and it is to them Jesus tells the next story beginning in verse thirty-one, Luke 14:31-34
Or what king on his way to war with another king will not first sit down and consider whether he can engage with ten thousand men the one coming against him with twenty thousand? And if he is unable, he will send a delegation while the other king is still far off, to ask for terms of peace.
In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.
While it foolish to begin without counting the cost, it is disastrous to delay one’s choice without considering the consequences.
Not only do we need to count the cost of becoming a disciple we need to count the cost of not becoming a disciple.
To decide to not decide is not an option. Every follower of Jesus is invited to weigh the risks, make his choice and live with the consequences.
In order to show the cost of not following Him he said, in verse thirty-four, Luke 14:34-35
Salt is good, but if the salt loses its savor, with what will it be seasoned? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, and it is thrown out.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Jesus is saying that people who follow him without total commitment are like salt that has lost its saltiness.
They may have the appearance of being His disciples but they cannot be used in the kingdom as they should.
Without commitment, the Christian is tasteless salt, useless to achieve God’s purposes.
Jesus is referring to those who only give part of their lives to Him.
They will commit to following Jesus one day a week but certainly not seven.
They will commit following Jesus in their marriage but not in their finances.
This half-hearted commitment will not work in the same way that salt that has lost its taste is of no use.
I urge you today to commit your whole self to him.
Conclusion
As I close today I want you to count the cost.
Jesus’ words are tough and sobering. It forces us to ask ourselves some tough questions.
Is there any relationship that comes ahead of Christ in your life?
If He is first, then you obviously will not allow any other relationship to draw you away from obedience to Him.
Is He the Lord of your plans, your thoughts, and all that you do, or are you clinging to your plans, living life your way, instead of trying to please Him with your every thought, word and deed?
Is the Lord of your finances and possessions? Are you faithful in managing those things for His purposes? Do you give generously and liberally to His work?
Life is full of choices, some are important and some are not. There are choices that are not to be made impulsively, but after much prayer and soul searching. For every time you choose one alternative you cut yourself off from others.
I’m calling everyone that can hear me to dedicate your life to the Lord.
Count the cost, know what this bill will cost you, make the decision to follow him.
PRAY
