Sermon Tone Analysis

“Jesus does not hide his extreme requirements in the fine print but proclaims them boldly in headlines.”

David Garland

Following the success of the 1997 Mars Pathfinder Lander, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) planned a series of scientific missions to the planet Mars.

Intending to launch at least one new mission every two years, their motto was “Faster.

Better.

Cheaper.”

Things did not go quite the way that NASA planned, however.

In December of 1999 the Mars Polar Lander failed to slow on its descent and slammed into the surface of the Red Planet, smashing into thousands of pieces.

Later it was determined that a design flaw in the 165 million dollar spacecraft had caused the braking system to shut off too soon.

According to the engineers, this was a flaw that could have been detected and prevented if only they had run the right simulation on their computers.

Why, then, did they fail to run the right simulation?

Because NASA was trying to cut costs and decided not to purchase the necessary software.

They may have done it cheaper, but they did not do it better.

The Mars Lander crashed because the administration failed to count the cost for completing the mission.

This is a mistake Jesus wants to be sure that all of his disciples are careful to avoid.

Therefore, he tells us in advance how much it will cost us to follow him to the very end.

Even before we come to faith in Christ, he calls us to count the true cost of Christian discipleship, which demands us to love him more than anything else in the world and to carry the cross of our own sacrificial love.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls what Christ does here “Costly Grace”

In His book The Cost of Discipleship Bonhoeffer addresses the opposite … He calls Cheap Grace -

I Quote: “Cheap Grace is the deadly enemy of our church.

We are fighting today for costly grace.

Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks’ wares.

The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin and the consolation of religion are thrown away at cut prices … In such a church the world finds a cheap covering for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be delivered from sin.

Cheap grace therefore amounts to a denial of the living word of God, in fact, a denial of the incarnation of the Word of God.

Cheap Grace means justification of the sin without justification of the sinner.

Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before.”

The atmosphere was electric, and people wanted to get in on the excitement.

Jesus was there to do something more than make people curious, however: he was calling them to make a commitment.

So Jesus turned around and told his followers—three times—that unless they met his strict criteria, they could never be his disciples.

Ryken, P. G. (2009).

Luke.

(R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.) (Vol.

2, p. 89).

Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

Rather than increasing the number of his followers, such a confrontational statement would cause many of them to walk away.

But Jesus was not looking for spectators; he was calling for recruits, and he knew that the only disciples who would go the distance with him were the ones who had counted the cost.

First part of Chapter 14 tells of God’s free invitation in the Gospel … Everything has been provided for our salvation at HIS expense

You cannot do anything nor bring anything to deserve His invitation

God provides it all by His free grace.

Our text this week makes what seems like an abrupt shift and shows us the cost of following Christ.

It teaches us that:

To truly follow Jesus Christ, we must consider the cost and put Him above everything else.

Salvation is both absolutely free and yet it costs you your very life.

You receive it freely at no expense to you, but once you re- ceive it, you have just committed everything you are and have to Jesus Christ.

You may protest, “That’s a contradiction!

How can something be both free and costly at the same time?”

Let me illustrate.

Suppose I had a desire to climb Mount Everest.

(I don’t have such a desire and I think that those who do are lacking in common sense.)

But suppose that I did desire to climb Everest.

But it costs about $115,000 to do it and I don’t have that kind of money.

Suppose a wealthy businessman heard of my desire and offered to pay for the entire expedition.

He would buy all the expensive clothing and gear, he would pay for my transportation, the guides, and the training.

It’s totally free for me.

But if I accept his free offer, I have just committed myself to months of difficult training and arduous effort.

It could even cost me my very life, because many good climbers die trying to climb Mount Everest.

It is free and yet very costly.

1

Or, consider a friend who offers me a free ride in his airplane.

He invites me to come along at his expense.

In accepting his free offer, I’ve just committed my very life to him.

If he flies safely, I am safe.

If he crashes, I die.

The instant I say yes to his free offer, I am totally committed to him.

I have entrusted my very life into his hands.

Jesus Christ freely offers the water of life to everyone who thirsts.

But, we need to understand that when we receive His free offer, we are no longer our own; we have been bought with a price.

Thus, to truly follow Christ, we must consider the cost and not begin to follow Him superficially, only to turn back later when things get tough.

That is what Jesus warns against in our text.

Lets Read the Text and get a grasp on what Jesus is saying to us today …

Jesus was continuing on his trek to Jerusalem … to the Cross

There was a Large Crowd … who accompanied him (NIV - Travelling with him) - They were there for the ride … one commentator - They were trailing along to satisfy their curiosity and perhaps to get a ring side seat.

Crowd was a mixed bag … genuine believers … genuine seekers of truth … thrill seekers … skeptics

Majority probably didn't fully grasp the implications of what it meant to be with Jesus … I mean really following him.

There is a difference between simply going along (accompany/travel - 25) and coming after/following (v27)

· The crowds need to know that it will not be enough to say that they were there, heard his teaching, saw his miracles, and ate with him.

He already has warned that some will say at the last judgment, “We ate and drank before you and you taught in our streets”; and he will respond, “I do not know who you are” or “where you come from” (13:25–27).

Jesus’ disciples are those who change every priority in their lives and conform to his way of the cross, and so he lets them know what it will cost.[1]

[1] Garland, D. E. (2012).

Luke (p.

600).

Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Note the three “cannot’s” - Three times Jesus says to this crowd … you cannot be my disciple - vv:26, 27, 33

[1] Garland, D. E. (2012).

Luke (p.

600).

Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

I think Jesus had their attention … These are his demands … or requirements for being his disciples

Definition of a Disciple:

Jesus’ Definition of Disciple

The most important factor in defining a disciple is the teachings of Jesus.

He was the disciple maker; He was speaking to the disciples when the Great Commission was issued.

Jesus’ definitions are head and shoulders above any other.

Jesus defined a disciple, and we will consider that profile in detail in the next few pages.

We can summarize Jesus’ teaching on disciples as follows.

A disciple:

Is willing to deny self, take up a cross daily, and follow Him (Luke 9:23).

Puts Christ before self, family, and possessions (Luke 14:25–35).

Is committed to Christ’s teachings (John 8:31).

Is committed to world evangelism (Matthew 9:36–38).

Loves others as Christ loves (John 13:34–35).

Abides in Christ, is obedient, bears fruit, glorifies God, has joy, and loves the brethren (John 15:7–17).

If a person is not willing to make such commitments, Jesus declares emphatically three times, “He cannot be my disciple” (see Luke 14:26–27, 33).