Do you really want to follow Jesus

The barriers to becoming a true Follower Jesus

Luke 9:57–62 NKJV

57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 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.” 59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” 61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Intro: In this message we see three potential followers. The subject is following Jesus. The first man says “I will follow”, to the second man Jesus says “follow me” the third man says “I will follow”

“I will follow” To go in the same direction. It’s all about following Jesus.

 The high cost of following Jesus. What hinders people from following Jesus.

Jesus many times called men to follow him. He called Peter, Andrew, James, and John. He called Philip, he called Matthew. At some point and time he called all the 12.

He called the rich young ruler to follow him. He called others to follow him.

And always when he did he used the same Greek word, akoloutheo. It is an ongoing command. It implies a future; it implies something continuous, something from beyond the moment. This word for follows implies; Keep on following me. You might say, “from now on in your life follow me”

For many today it’s a matter of a moment not a life time. It’s an emotional experience led by some fiery preaching, or heart rendering story or music.

Today’s evangelism: Whatever it takes to get someone to have some kind of an emotional breakdown where they pray a prayer make a decision to accept Christ. Elab

Bow your head and pray this prayer with me and everything will be ok. It becomes something of the emotion of the moment.

That is not what Jesus did. He didn’t want people just for the moment. When Jesus asked someone to come to his kingdom, when Jesus invited someone to receive his forgiveness and salvation, He asked that person for the rest of their life.

He didn’t want the emotion of a moment. He wants a carefully thought out understood commitment of a life time. Repentance of sin, confession that Jesus is Lord. And there is always an emphasis in the ministry of Jesus.

Jesus didn’t want short term followers. He wanted followers that were in it for the long haul, and he didn’t make it easy. Many would walk away because the standard was too high.

In this text we see three illustrations of following Christ. The word follow appears in each one. Two men would come to Jesus to say they wanted to follow him. The other Jesus would call him to follow. He will be asking them for their full devotion, a calling that is permanent following. Not just an event but for the rest of their lives.

Luke 9:23 NKJV

23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

VS 23 “let him deny” To disown. You give your life to Jesus. You give up your own interest, to give up self. Paul called himself a servant “slave”

“Cross” In our day a cross is something we see on steeple or wall or on a necklace. In Jesus day it was that a much different meaning it was an instrument of torture. So Jesus is letting them know that Following Him would not easy task.

So being a Christian is more than just asking Jesus to save you. It is giving your life to him that is what being a follower of Jesus is about.

VS 51

I. The First Potential Follower. VS 57-58

Luke 9:57 NKJV

57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”

1. The book of Mat tells us that this man was a scribe.

a. Scribes were experts in the Jewish law. They were religious lawyers that were highly educated and loyal to the Jewish system. They were generally hostile to Jesus. They joined the Pharisees and the Chief priests to kill Jesus.

b. He had been a part of the crowd that had experienced great miracles. The excitement grabbed his attention, and he said I will follow you wherever you go.

c. Someone may go to retreat, seminar, revival service they get fired up ready to serve Jesus. Then it last about a week and the flame goes out. Why? It was the emotion of the moment too many times people act out on an impulse. (Seed falls on stony ground)

2. This man seemed to be an impulsive man. He had heard the words of Jesus, the seed was sown. He acted out on his emotions.

a. He said I will follow. Jesus didn’t say pray this prayer with me. Jesus didn’t say thank you, welcome abroad. Jesus didn’t seem to be overly impressed with the enthusiasm of this man.

b. This man may have been sincere in his desire but he has yet counted the coast.

c. When someone wants to do work in the ministry of the church today they are usually put to work before they count the cost, or in most cases not even told the cost.

d. Jesus knows our hearts, he knows our intentions. He knew that’s this scribe had not counted the, so Jesus lays all out for him.

Luke 9:58 NKJV

58 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.”

1. Foxes and birds. Even a sly fox and a pesky bird a place to call home.

a. Jesus didn’t own anything other than the clothes on his back. He didn’t own a home; he knew this man had a desire for the comforts of home, personal comfort.

b. Why did Jesus make an issue out of this? Because it was an issue with the man’s heart. There was no Self-denial. “If any man come after me let him deny himself”

c. For many people it’s what’s in it for me? That is the wrong way to proclaim the gospel, that the wrong way to be a follower of Jesus, it’s not about self-satisfaction, it’s about self-denial.

d. It’s about what can I do for Jesus.

II. The Second Potential Follower. VS 59-60

VS 59

Luke 9:59 NKJV

59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

1. Now we come to a man that Jesus calls out too. “Follow me”

a. why did Jesus single this man out? Jesus knows your thoughts. Maybe he’s thinking saying I’ll follow you. Whatever the case Jesus turns to him and says “follow me”

b By the way. Jesus is still in the business of calling people to follow him.      

2. This man to had good intentions but he had other priorities.

Luke 9:59 NKJV

But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

3. The question has always been was his father dead?

a. According to Jewish custom, burial took place immediately after death. They didn’t embalm they just wrapped the body and put it immediately in the grave. So it would have been appropriate for the son to be there. It would have been his responsibly to make sure his father body was cared for.

b. In middle-Eastern statement “I must bury my father” meant I must stay home until he is gone. It had a lot to do an inheritance that they would get.

c. Look the answer Jesus gives him.

Luke 9:60 NKJV

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

“Let the dead bury the dead”

1. That may seem like harsh thing to say to someone. Remember it’s all about putting Jesus first.

a. Go back to what the man said to Jesus vs 23. “Lord let me first” to go bury my father”

b. There, fully exposed, is the fallacy of his offer and the reason that the Lord was so blunt

with him.

c. You cannot say “me first” and be a follower of Jesus. It is an effective denial of Lordship of Christ.

d. What Jesus said in effect to both the scribe and other man was “me first”

e. Jesus knew this man’s heart. He may have wanted to follow Jesus but he wanted to wait. His priorities were all wrong.

Luke 9:60 NKJV

, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

f. Jesus simply told him to go preach the gospel. Elab

III. The Third potential Follower. VS 61-62

VS 61

Luke 9:61 NKJV

61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”

1. Another man with good intentions “I will follow you” (he had heard the others) He may have been thinking, “I don’t have to wait for my father to die, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”

a. Greek word: Farewell To set apart, to take leave.

b. It was more than just going home and saying bye. It was a farewell party. He wanted time to go home have a praty and raise support for his ministry venture.

c. He wanted to follow Jesus but he had other priorities. VS 51

d. Time for the life of Jesus was coming to an end he didn’t have time to wait on this man. If he was going to follow Jesus had to leave his family and follow Jesus. Jesus first.

Luke 14:25–27 NKJV

25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

1. This is a verse that blows people away. If Jesus tells us to love our neighbor, why would he tell us to hate our family?

a. We need to look at the word hate here.

Greek: Miseo. To love less, to detest.

To love someone or something more then you love someone or something else. To favor one over another.

Luke 14:33 NKJV

33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

VS 62

Luke 9:62 NKJV

62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

1. The issue in this verse is salvation, the coming into the kingdom.

a. Jesus is simply saying. “If you are holding back anything, you can’t come in”

b. Salvation is for those who have come to complete self-denial.

c. The Lord may take away all your comforts; he may take away your possessions. There is no negotiating. The gospel of Jesus Christ is so great that if he asks, I’ll give it up.

d. Jesus gave his all. Elab.