Will You Trust Jesus?
Notes
Transcript
INTRO
INTRO
Tonight we are finishing our “sharing the good news” series
Over the past fews weeks we have been going through “The Four”
a simple way to remember the gospel and share it using these four symbols
And each week we have looked at each of these statements that the symbols represent and taken a look at scripture to see what they really mean
And tonight we are on the last symbol, the question mark
“Will you trust Jesus?”
So, we are going to spend the next few minutes looking at scripture to see what does it really mean to trust and follow Jesus
So if you have our Bible go ahead and turn to Luke 14 (page 595)
As you are turning there I have a question for you to think about…
Have you ever chosen the easy way over the hard way?
Homework
pulling ChatGPT up
Chores
shoving all your dirty clothes under your bed or in your closet
Practice
stop doing the drill or exercise when coach isn’t looking
And you know what we do… instead of call it taking the easy way, we say: “I’m just working smarter, not harder”
Why do we do this?
because there is just something in us that tries to always find the easiest way to do something
I’m not saying that is always a bad thing
but it can quickly can become a bad thing
You do all your homework using AI and never actually learn the content
pop quiz or exam comes and you have no clue what do to
You keep shoving your clothes under your bed
your room smells disgusting and you eventually run out of clean clothes to wear
You cut corners at practice
coach begins to notice or someone who isn’t cutting corners starts outworking you so you lose the starting stop or don’t get as much playing time
TENSION
TENSION
What scares me more than you using AI to do your HW, shoving dirty clothes under your bed, and cutting corners at practice is you allowing this “easy way” mentally to infiltrate your relationship with Jesus
what it means to trust him
what it looks like to follow him
And it scares me because I see it all the time…
I see it with people sharing the gospel with family members and close friends
people that would do anything to see them get saved
so they start sharing the “easy way” version of what following Jesus looks like
all you have to do is believe in Jesus and then all these good things happen
church isn’t a big deal
believing these things are okay or not agreeing with these things are okay
still living that way is fine
you just need to have a personal relationship with Jesus
and I truly believe they do it with a good intentions
the easier it is, the more people we can get to follow Jesus
as less demanding or life alternating we can make it the more people will be inclined to say yes
But you know what is interesting…
Jesus never used that strategy when calling people to follow him
In fact, almost every time the crowd that was following Him got really big, he did the complete opposite
He would often turn to them and tell them the truth
the hard truth
of what it meant to truly trust in him to truly follow him
And you know what happened every time?
many walked away
So tonight, in our text Jesus is going to do just that
He is going to address the crowd following him
He is going to address us in the room tonight who are following Him
and He is going to remind us what it really means to trust in Him
what it really looks like to be a follower of His
And my hope tonight is not that you will walk away
but that you will see that Jesus is worth following no matter the cost
TRUTH
TRUTH
As we pull up to Jesus’ words in Luke 14 we see that Jesus has been traveling
and as as he is traveling the crowd that is following Him is getting bigger and bigger
and like I just mentioned often times when this would happen he would address them
remind them the reality of what it meant to follow Him
So tonight, in our text when Jesus address’ the crowd He is going to tell them what it cost to follow Him
and he is going to tell them 3 things
The Cost of Trusting in Jesus is…
“Hating” your family
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.
Jesus is clear… you can’t be my disciple unless you hate your family
but when Jesus uses the word “hate” in this moment He is not using it in the same way we use it today
When we say we “hate” something we mean:
greatly dislike it, despise it, or even are disgusted at it
but is not what Jesus means when he says this
Hate = Love Less
And this meaning for “hate” isn’t something new to the crowd
they would be familiar with this from the OT
like the story of Jacob and Leah in Gen 29
Jacob didn’t hate Leah he just loved her less than Rachel
Knowing that, what does Jesus actually mean then?
Jesus is saying your love for me has to be so great that when compared to the love for your family it seems like hate
meaning you love for Jesus always and in all circumstances trump your love for your family
So in moments when it comes to choosing who you are going to please or going to live for the choice is always Jesus
even if it’s your mom or dad
brother or sister
aunt or uncle
spouse or child
That is why Jesus can use the word “hate” here
because He knows that choosing to follow Him means there are going to be moments where conflict or tension arises with your family because your love for him is more than your love for them
Jesus is ultimately asking the question:
If following me meant loosing your family, would you do it?
A question most of us don’t have to worry about but is a real thing for the majority of the world
Any muslim, buddhist, JW, Mormon, or Cult member decides to follow Jesus almost always means
being reject, shunned, and disowned by their family
Again, while most of us don’t have to worry abou that it doesn’t mean that following Jesus won’t cause your family or some of your family to
Shun you, mock you, not invite you to things
it might even mean you don’t go or partake in somethings your family does
That is a real cost and one worth counting
The Cost of Trusting in Jesus is…
“Hating” your family
Picking up your cross
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
Jesus again says your cannot be my disciple unless your bear or pick up our own cross
we we say: “wait… didn’t Jesus die on the cross so I didn’t have too??”
That is a great question and you are exactly right
Jesus did die on the cross for you so you wouldn’t have to
So, what does Jesus mean here?
See, what the crowd didn’t understand about Jesus was that is minsitry wasn’t going to end with him overthrowing Rome and becoming the final king of the Jews
Jesus wasn’t gathering a following to march into Rome with an army
Jesus was marching towards a cross
A cross in which He would die as the ultimate sacrifice for the sin of his people
And what Jesus is saying in this moment is that if you want to follow Him then you too have to take up the cross just like him
not to pay for you sin but to die to them
Picking up your cross = dying to yourself
Desires, wants, dreams, future plans, sin, the world’s way of living
Again, this is nothing new to us… we see this all over the NT
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Jesus is ultimately saying:
I have died for you so you now live for me
I have given my life for you so give your life to me
What this looks like is saying:
“Jesus, because you died for me and saved my life, today I die to my desires, my wants, my dreams, my plans, the sins that once held me captive and I live for you… today I live for your desires, what you want for my life, your plan for my life”
This prayer is not a prayer that we just pray at our salvation moment
it is and everyday thing
Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Jesus says if want to follow me then the cost is your life everyday
that is a cost worth counting
The Cost of Trusting in Jesus is…
“Hating” your family
Picking up your cross
Giving Him your everything
“For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
“Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If not, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.
Jesus give the crowds two illustrations
First, the builder
if you are going to build something before you start you figure how much it is going to cost
do you have a enough money?
if not then you won’t be able to finish it
It’s like if your family were to start building a house and your parents never figured out how much it was going cost just went for it
they prepped the land
prepped the ground
then laid the concrete slap
then all of the sudden they were out of money
all you have is a concrete slab
so then they popped a up some tents on the slap and said welcome home
you would think they are insane…
how did they not think this through
did they not count the cost of the house
Second, the king
has 10k men going against an army of 20k men
if he is smart he will count the cost of losing the battle and losing all his men
so he sends an offer to make peace
Jesus is using these stories to say: listen following me is costly so actually think about it before just saying yes
Then he gives the final cannot statement and our last cost
You cannot be his disciple unless your renounce, leave, or give up everything
Jesus isn’t saying you have to give up all of your physical possessions in order to be true follower of his
we see wealthy and prominent people in scripture who don’t do this
now it doesn’t mean He want call you to
we also see him do that
Giving Him your everything = giving Him all of you
What Jesus is getting at here is there is not place for half-heartedness in following him
he isn’t just an add on to your life
an accessory to use in a time of need
You are either all in or all out
he is either the center of your life or not a part your life
Meaning you are willing to renounce, give up, or leave anyone, anything, or any opportunity to follow him
no matter what that might cost
your relationship
your future
your circumstances
your popularity
Jesus has been clear
The Cost of Trusting in Jesus is…
“Hating” your family
Picking up your cross
Giving Him your everything
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
But what does that actually look in your life?
we have seen what Jesus means by them but what does it look like?
What does it look like to “hate” your family?
A parent or sibling tells you it’s “not that serious” to live out your faith, but you keep standing firm
You refuse to laugh at or join in on crude family jokes at gatherings
A family event conflicts with church or MDWK, and you choose to go where you’ll grow in Christ
Maybe it’s just letting the mocking go in one ear and out the other
What does it look like to pick up your cross?
Deleting social media to get rid of temptation or distraction from spending time with God
Saying no to your friends after the game because you know what will be happening at the party that night
Not listening to the music everyone else is listening to because it is full of bad language and celebrates sin
Forgiving someone that really hurt you when all you want to do is get revenge
What does it look like to give Him your everything?
Popularity/Status: Being willing to give up your desire to be “known,” liked, or the center of attention if it means standing firm for Jesus.
Relationships: Being willing to surrender your dream of having a boyfriend/girlfriend, or even walking away from one, if it keeps you from following Jesus wholeheartedly. Or friends
Future Plans: Being willing to lay down the career, college, or life path you’ve dreamed of since you were a kid if Jesus calls you elsewhere.
Dreams of Family: Being willing to entrust even your hopes for a future spouse, kids, or the “perfect life” to Jesus — saying, “Even if You don’t give me what I’ve always pictured, I’ll follow You.”
CLOSING
CLOSING
Saying yes to following Jesus is so much more than just believing in who He is
James tells us that even the demons believe in Jesus
and they know better than any of us who He is
yet they don’t follow Him.
The cost of following Jesus is great
And He knows that
That’s why tonight He’s told us to count the cost
And what do we do when we’re counting the cost of something?
When we’re deciding whether to buy something really expensive or take on something really hard?
We ask: “Is it worth it?”
Tonight I want you to know:
Jesus is worth it.
If you don’t get anything else tonight, get this…
BOTTOM LINE: Following Jesus is costly, but He is worth the cost
BOTTOM LINE: Following Jesus is costly, but He is worth the cost
Jesus
the second person of the Trinity
who took on flesh and blood
came into this sin-wrecked world as a baby in a barn
lived the perfect life we never could
yet He died the sinner’s death we deserve
Three days later He rose again defeating sin and the grave
He ascended to the right hand of the Father
and one day He will return to gather His people and make all things right.
He is worth it
He is worth every cost
Tonight’s message is not about stepping on toes or trying to make you feel like you’re not a good enough disciple
It’s to remind you how precious Jesus is
To show you that the reality of what it means to follow Him is not meant to show you how bad of a follower you are
but to show you how valuable of a Savior He is.
That day in Luke 14 when Jesus spoke to the crowds, there were twelve men standing there
They didn’t know it then, but in just a few years, ten of them would be martyred
killed because they followed Jesus.
It wouldn’t be wrong to assume that some in that crowd were later thrown into the Roman Colosseum
attacked by wild animals, slaughtered by gladiators for entertainment
And not only them…
We now have 2,000 years of church history filled with men and women giving up
their lives,
their families,
their reputations,
their homes,
their belongings
all because they followed Jesus.
And still today, around the world, there are believers facing the same cost.
Why?
Because they all understood: He is worth it.
So my question for you tonight is this:
Have you counted the cost?
Have you decided that Jesus is worth it?
And if you have
are you living like it?
Does following Jesus actually cost you anything, or is He just an add-on, an accessory to your life?
And if you haven’t, let me leave you with Jesus’ own words:
For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life?
Following Jesus is costly but so is gaining all this world has to provide just at the cost of your soul
