Forsaking All For Christ
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Introduction
Open your Bibles with me to Luke 14:25-35.
The human mind is fascinating. God has made us as image-bearers with an incredible ability to create, solve problems, and build. You think of the amazing things humans have built. Pyramids, skyscrapers, bridges. At Babel (Gen 11), rather than scattering as God commanded, humans worked together to attempt to build a tower to heaven, and then God confused their language, for nothing they propose will be impossible for them.
Apollo missions, Lunar landings, AI, 3D printing, Electricity. Human wisdom can create and figure out amazingly complex things.
But among all the knowledge of human skill and thinking, there are still gaps that humanity can never hone in on.
For example, we can build hospitals; we can perform surgeries, but we can NEVER cure what is truly broken in man. Their soul, their heart of sin, and need of eternal redemption. We can work the economy and manage it to our benefit, but we cannot pay the debt we owe before a holy God. By willpower and knowledge, we can build a life, earn a reputation, accumulate wealth, but it will never equate to our ability to stand before a holy god in judgment or endure the trials of true discipleship in following Jesus.
We are conditioned by our world, and the flesh, to think, if you try hard enough, dig deep enough, apply the right efforts, at the right moment, we can solve all our problems. We think, I good enough, I’m smart enough, and PEOPLE like me! …
And often we think we can translate that type of thinking to following Jesus. All the knowledge and wisdom and skill will translate spiritually to our walk with Christ….
Except it doesn’t work. It’s a delusion. And Jesus exposes that here in this text in Luke 14.
In Luke 14, the crowds are drawn to Jesus as he continues to Jerusalem. They are enthralled with the excitement, miracles, and glory of Jesus. They thought they rightly calculated what following Jesus entails, but Jesus corrects them and shatters their self-sufficiency.
See, Jesus isn’t asking for human ingenuity. Or human wisdom. He’s not inviting disciples in for their skills. Instead, he is inviting them in to expose them to the gap between human skill and thinking, to living a life of true discipleship and faith in Christ alone!
Our sermon summary is simple :
Sermon Summary: You must forsake everything to truly follow Christ.
25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. 34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
I. True Discipleship Demands Allegiance to Christ over All (v.25-27)
I. True Discipleship Demands Allegiance to Christ over All (v.25-27)
Well, the dinner party ended. And now Jesus continues on his mission. The mission Jesus declared in Luke 9:51, with His face set toward Jerusalem.
And it’s likely that, as Jesus made His way, healing, casting out demons, and doing many great works, people would have been drawn to the expectation and excitement of His ministry. Desiring a ringside seat, if you will, to all the grandeur and glory of Jesus ‘ earthly ministry. People wanted to be near Him. The word for “accompanied him,” that word means to “go along with.” Like a parade to Jerusalem. So they thought.
25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
Jesus is intentional: as the crowds grow and draw near, Jesus TURNS and says to them to consider what following Jesus entails. It is NOT following Him into comfort or ease. It is NOT following Him to appeasement or leisure, or success. Notice that Jesus anchors his statement in repeating himself three times in verses 25-35, a condition of absolute - of YOU CANNOT BE my disciple.
Absolute conditions must be met to be a disciple. Here you see them mirrored in verses 26-27. The term disciple means to be a learner. It means someone who is following Jesus. Jesus, who is now on his way to Jerusalem, where the glory that marvels and captivates the crowd now will give way to a great glory, and shame at the cross in the eyes of man.
So he turns, looks at the crowd, and gives a statement of resolve - A condition statement: IF anyone COMES to me; the door is open to the feast!! But you MUST be willing to hate your father, and mother and wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life.
Jesus isn’t suggesting outright hostility towards family. Jesus himself loved his mother and honored His Father and Mother. He knows the 5th Commandment and would not suggest violating it. Jesus considers his disciples to be like family. But Jesus uses a strong word here. It’s an old word for HATE - it literally means to “detest”
Jesus is speaking hyperbolically. But he means it to be serious. He wants them to recognize the seriousness of resolve. Jesus isn’t commanding emotional bitterness toward parents; He’s demanding exclusive loyalty.
In fact, there is a likely allusion to what Jesus means in Deut 33:9: the devotion of Levi, modeled by the allegiance of Israel’s priests, to vow their lives fully unto the Lord. The simplest way to say it is that to hate here means to love less. But it’s more EMPHATIC than that. It carries with it the idea of superior loyalty, total resolve unto Christ, and relationship to Him. ABOVE the nearest earthly relationships we know.
That we are to Luke 10:27 - Love the LORD YOUR GOD with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.
That in everything CHRIST must take PREEMINENCE. He is to be FIRST PLACE among us. And to us. Colossians 1:18.
Thomas Boston said it this way:
“No man can be a true disciple of Christ, to whom Christ is not dearer than what is dearest to him in the world.”
He is to be chief, even ABOVE our own life! They must be willing to forsake their own life, because there is a call to lay their life down in the same way that Jesus did, and take up a cross. That Jesus declares everyone who would come after Him must be willing to embrace their own CROSS. That what awaits Jesus in Jerusalem is NOT comfort, but shame. It is NOT grand and glorious as what they see now, but they will soon realize the cost and sacrifice.
Jesus says this must be done actively and continued. To bear their own cross and to come after Jesus are both PRESENT ACTIVE VERBS. Meaning these are daily surrender and daily commitment. They are to be the continuing posture of the LEARNER of the way of CHRIST!!
This is what Jesus said to his disciples after Peter’s confession of Christ as Lord in Luke 9.
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
And if you are unwilling to do that, Jesus says, then you CANNOT BE my disciple.
When Matthew gives these Statements in Matthew 10 and Matthew 16. Matthew frames them in terms of moral worth… that you are NOT worthy to be my disciple.
And Luke centers more on moral strength. - DYNAMAI - means to have power. To ABILITY….Jesus says you do NOT have the strength to do it. This is always the tension: we think we can always muster up the strength, and Jesus helps us see that, even here, we do NOT have sufficient in ourselves to accomplish what Jesus requires.
This is always the call to follow Jesus. It is an open invitation, but also a radical call to discipleship and followship of Jesus. To instead abandon everything and follow Jesus.
The same was true for Simon, James, and John, the Son of Zebedee (Luke 5:11) - to leave their nets, leave everything, and follow Jesus
The same was true of Levi, the tax collector, in Luke 5:27-28
After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
The same was true in Luke 9:23 - to anyone who would come after him…Deny self, take up his cross, and follow.
The same was true of those who vowed to follow Him whenever He went in Luke 9:57-62…And Jesus said You must be willing to follow me to hard places, and to the one who needed to first bury his father, and another needed to say farewell to his family. Jesus says, no one who puts His hand to the plow and looks back is FIT for the kingdom of God.
There is no room for divided loyalty.
The same is true of the rich Young Ruler; you must be willing to get rid of all your stuff in Luke 18.
The same is true of the one looking to follow Jesus into greatness in Luke 22 - there is a call to radical humility and service.
And that’s the call here…AWAY from greatness. AWAY from status. AWAY from comfort. AWAY from things that might take precedence and priority among us on the earth. And to devote ourselves to ALLEGIANCE solely unto CHRIST.
That is the call, over and over and over and over again in Scripture. To DENY self. To see worldly things as lesser in comparison to Christ. To take up your CROSS, and FOLLOW Jesus….
So why would we expect anything different for US!?
II. True Discipleship Renounces Everything To Follow Jesus (v.28-33)
II. True Discipleship Renounces Everything To Follow Jesus (v.28-33)
Now Jesus continues by telling two parables.
When most people read these two parables, they assume Jesus is giving a pep talk on human willpower—like a coach telling you to dig deep and see if you have what it takes. But if you look closely at the text, Jesus is doing the exact opposite. He isn't asking you to find self-sufficiency; He is forcing you to realize your spiritual bankruptcy.
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Jesus tells two parables. The first is one of construction, and the other is that of battle.
He says, “Who desires to build a tower?” “ Now, we don’t know what type of tower this is. But the fact that it requires a foundation likely means it was a decent-sized building. Footers need to be built to sustain it. In other words, it’s NOT a pop-up tent or shed.
Jesus says anyone with sense would NOT first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it. This is a picture of deliberate examination. To sit down and to count the cost literally means to calculate. The same word John used in Revelation 13:18 in his vision is to sit down and calculate the number of the BEAST. Here Jesus says they are to count to determine if they have enough to complete it.
Because if they don’t, the foundation may be laid, and he finds himself UNABLE to finish it. Construction is NEVER easy to plan; material costs go up, the economy shifts, supply and demand change, and many factors can compound on the finished project. And many have found themselves able to start, but unable to FINISH.
Jesus says, well, that’s embarrassing. And that’s the picture you see in verse 29 - the word for mock is the word EMPAIZO; it means to ridicule. It’s a word that means to joke like a child like play. I get the picture of mocking like a baby - look, him tried to finish the tower and him couldn’t do it! The picture is of complete embarrassment.
And so Jesus gives another parable to illustrate further; this one about a king in battle. And He’s going out in confidence, looking for a conflict. To for an encounter. The word there means to bring together. He brings together another king. This is reckless; surely he too will sit down and deliberate. The word there means to think carefully, to decide something. To consider wisdom.
Wisdom like Proverbs 24:3-7
3 By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; 4 by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. 5 A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, 6 for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory. 7 Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth.
And surely, this man will see when he does that. He’s outnumbered 2:1. Better to know that, Jesus says, than to meet face to face with an opposing force and be forced to concede.
The picture again in Verse 32. Is one of complete embarrassment. He sent a delegation of older, mature officers to arrange for a peace treaty. In which, obviously, the stakes are much higher here than just shame. This is defeat. This is a strike to the ego. But this also requires your submission; it means you have been conquered. And it likely means you are now enslaved to a people by force. The king would be foolish to fight; his best chance is surrender!
So the question becomes: Ok, what does Jesus mean here? I mean, the logical answer is WHO DOES THIS?….IS NO ONE!! And most people, when they read this, with good instinct, say, well, it’s about counting the cost. It’s about making sure you know what will be required of you. It’s going to cost you a lot. It’s going to cost you familial relationships and ridicule….I mean, am I ready to endure and pay that?
Which, I mean, that’s fine….and I mean, I guess it’s even technically true. But I want to offer you a slightly more pointed interpretation in light of the context of what Jesus says.
Notice that he makes an inference of what this parable means in verse 33.
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
This is about renouncing EVERYTHING. RENOUNCE ALL that you have!!… and if you don’t do that…Uh oh, repeated PHRASE - YOU CANNOT be MY DISCIPLE….Now, that’s the same refrain we saw in verse 26 and Verse 27, right?
So these parables are sandwiched between two bookend conclusions - YOU CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLES, and about RENOUNCING EVERYTHING YOU HAVE. Further, the word there for renounce in verse 33 is another old military term - APOTASOO - which means to say GOODBYE!!…FAREWELL……
Like, leaving and forsaking your father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and EVEN YOUR OWN LIFE….v.26.
I think Jesus is driving at the same conclusion this ENTIRE time… and it’s NOT about calculating for preparation. It’s about counting the cost for the sake of losing and forsaking everything to follow Jesus. Now, that is a different equation, isn’t it?
Because I think when MOST of us read something like this. We instantly go to a carnal and earthly way of thinking. We get out the CALCULATOR. We start mashing in the formula. We start equating. Measuring. Do I HAVE ENOUGH?…Do I have what it takes….I mean, I’m looking at all that I bring to the table…..I see it, I pile it up….I mean, here are the relationships, and here are the skills, and this is savvy, and the gifting….And we think….OK, HERE WE GO!!!! …..I mean, I think I got it….Let me just dig deep….
And think Jesus is going, NO, NO, NO…..you’re missing the point….It’s NOT about what you have. It’s NOT about what you bring to the table. It’s NOT about your worth or value. Or your sufficiency. It’s NOT about you completing it…..In fact, both of these parables are showing us, that if we arrive with that mindset. We don’t have enough. We will be like the man who tried to build a tower with his own supply and fell short in the end!!
And Jesus is saying, if you think you have the strength to FIGHT in your own flesh!! …To ENDURE and FINISH THEN…..you’ll be like KING, of your own domain, who met an army twice HIS size and is conquered….
See, I think most of us, when we read this, we start thinking in terms of effort, and mustering up energy and strength….I gotta COUNT THE COST!. I GOTTA DO IT….
And I think Jesus’ point is this - SURE, COUNT the cost. Realize what it will require of you….sit down, think about it. And wisdom…..and humility. REALIZE, you don’t have what it takes!!
And where we think this builds up some sort of self-sufficiency, Jesus is actually calling us to abandon self-sufficiency and realize we must FULLY rely on God.
Your possessions are of NO use. Your strength is of NO use. Your family ties and heritage won’t help you here. You must instead, FORSAKE EVERYTHING and CLING to CHRIST!!
All you’ll be able to bring is a CROSS of sacrifice. Following Jesus will COST YOU EVERYTHING!!! And strength you don’t have….And it will require COMPLETE and TOTAL dependency on CHRIST and CHRIST ALONE!!
Man, this is the math of the Kingdom, isn’t it….Because we often think, I’ve worked up the formulas, and Jesus says that math doesn’t work here.
See, in the kingdom, there is one God in three persons, yet there is ONLY ONE GOD. In the kingdom, 5 loaves and two fish feed a multitude……and in the gospel, YOU BRING NOTHING, and CHRIST GIVES HIS ALL, means that we are justified!!
Jesus isn’t asking us to BRING our part of the equation. He’s saying you don’t have it. And He’s completed THE work… and on the CROSS…IT IS FINISHED!!
So we don’t have to bring our self-worth and think, man, a church would be lucky to have me…I mean my skill. My experience. My save. My wisdom and clout…..No, beloved, Jesus says HE WILL BUILD HIS CHURCH!! He’s NOT looking for you to build it. He is sufficient!!
We don’t have to act like we are strong and mighty and macho….That we can combat the Spiritual forces we battle against. For the flesh is WEAK, and we will surely fail….We must depend fully on Christ!!
ARE Y’ALL STILL WITH ME?
Jesus is calling us in this parable and in this passage. To DENY self-sufficiency and cling only to JESUS.
And so here we have yet another REVERSAL….We’ve seen this time and time again in Luke 14….the proud brought low and the humble exalted. We’ve seen the original guest deny entry, and outsiders brought in. We’ve seen an attempt to protest and embarrass the host, turn to magnify the grace of the HOST…
And so here again is a reversal….TO COST the COST!! And to forsake it all, to cling to JESUS!! To consider EVERYTHING YOU HAVE….and realize….It’s NOT enough!! SO I MUST RUN TO JESUS COMPLETELY!!
It’s what you see the disciples doing all throughout the GOSPEL…Leaving everything to follow HIM!! It’s what Peter does.
And what the church does in the book of Acts. And it’s why they live with such little regard for their earthly treasures. Acts 2:45 and Acts 4:34.
And it’s what the RICH man failed to do in Luke 18… he walked away sad when Jesus says, “Sell all you have and come follow me…” and the man walked away SAD because he had many treasures!!
Man, I can keep going….of ALL the worldly EXCUSES the guest had to NOT come to the banquet. I HAVE possessions to tend to; I have property, things of value and worth in this world. I have family to tend to……And they were all excuses as to WHY they couldn’t COME!!
And now, Jesus says, you’ve got to FORSAKE IT ALL to FOLLOW ME!!
So count it, sure. Get the calculator out; that’s fine… work the formula…BUT the end result is the same. FORSAKE sufficiency in YOU….and RENOUNCE EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW JESUS!!
4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
III. True Discipleship Displays a New Identity (v.34-35)
III. True Discipleship Displays a New Identity (v.34-35)
All that Jesus has been speaking to is building to forsaking SELF. Denying self. Taking up a cross….And it is building towards a NEW IDENTITY. NOT in self. But In Christ!
And so, that’s why Jesus concludes here in talking about SALT. This isn’t just some random statement that Luke didn’t know where to put it. So he put it here. No, it belongs quite rightly here!
34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
You know…is an elemental makeup. SALT is SODIUM CHLORIDE! That is its substance. That is its identity!! It’s SODIUM CHLORIDE!! … anything less than that is simply, just NOT salt…..And Jesus is saying you will know a disciple by their makeup.
False disciples may look like salt; sugar looks like salt, but it’s NOT salt. Sand may look like salt, but it’s NOT salt. False disciples may look like disciples, but they don’t bring true flavor; they don’t bring true distinctiveness of discipleship, so they are NOT truly disciples of Jesus. Just a zestless pile of waste!
Salt is SALT. And salt is good….but it can be diluted. It can be diluted by adding compounds and components to remove its potency! For example, GYPSUM interacts with salt to remove its chemical makeup and dilutes its saltiness. Similarly, if you pour enough water into salt, it can be diluted to almost undetectable levels.
Thus, when salt loses its distinctiveness, it’s good for nothing. The nature of salt changes taste. It changes PH levels. It ADDS distinctiveness.
Jesus means His disciples to be SALT in the world!! But if that salt is contained and diluted, how can it be restored…It can’t be thrown on soil to add nutrients anymore….It can’t be added to even the manure pile to help burn it. Which is what SALT was used for. It increased the FLAME to burn MANURE down.
When salt is diluted. When it’s lost, it’s makeup; when its true identity is lost and abandoned. It’s good for nothing. It might as well be thrown out!! It can’t be restored!! It can’t be used for any value….Throw it out; that’s ALL that can be done….
He who has ears to hear, Jesus says, let him hear!!
And I take what Jesus means here as challenging us to embrace our sole identity and calling unto CHRIST alone. To receive a NEW NATURE in Christ alone.
And sure, there is a great warning of those who may appear for a time to look like disciples, but to be carried away from discipleship by the cares of this world. To be allured by the attraction of possessions, or by fame, or money, or earthly carnal riches, apart from Jesus.
I think that is, in part, of what warning passages are getting at in the book of Hebrews.
But, more succinctly, I see Jesus calibrating us toward the true nature of discipleship. That’s what he’s been doing in this entire passage. Following Jesus means embracing a new identity in Christ and Christ alone. It means to be born again. It means to be transformed into a NEW COMPOUND and make up. SODIUM CHLORIDE. TO BE SALTY!!
And to NOT be diluted by adding in a mixing in SELF, the world, POSSESSIONS, or anything else that would attempt to dilute or add to SALT….It will only take away from the NATURE of SALT!!
Jesus is once again saying there is NO place for divided loyalties here. There is NO neutrality. There is NO half-ins and half-outs. To embrace Christ is to embrace a completely NEW identity, away from self, away from self-sufficiency, and CLING solely unto CHRIST!!
Jesus isn’t asking you to bring your self-worth to the table. He’s NOT asking you to bring your good works to accomplish salvation. Salvation is NOT Jesus plus our good works. No, we bring NOTHING; Christ accomplishes EVERYTHING on the CROSS. And salvation is FOUND, by GRACE, THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST ALONE!!
And redemption is found NOT in our achieving. NOT in our working. NOT in our adding to. NOT in our bringing something of worth to the table. NOT in our good deeds. Or our skills. Look how I’m helping Jesus out….Look what Great things I’ll do, when I’m in the KINGDOM!!
NO, there was a bloody CROSS of SHAME, which Jesus considered from ALL ENTIRETY, and SAYS, behold, I CAN PAY THE PRICE to FINISH THE WORK!!
BEHOLD, I CAN endure the GRUELING agony and ATTACK from SATAN and HIS DEMONS, and ALL THE SPIRITUAL FORCES OF EVIL….and I will NOT need to RETREAT!!
Jesus says I won’t have to beg for a peace TREATY. I will make peace through conquering the STRONG man, and on the CROSS, I will disarm them, but TRIUMPHING OVER THEM on THE CROSS, at CALVARY…
It’s this that Paul says in Colossians 2:13-15
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Oh, we’ve got so much to learn here, don’t we…..So much of our walk with Jesus and living, we’ve made it about petitioning for our rights, our privileges. We are owed. What we deserve. Demanding, and jockeying, and desiring to be noticed and be seen, for people to recognize us!
And Jesus is saying, that’s NOT what DISCIPLESHIP is ABOUT….It’s about forsaking all those things. AND CLINGING TO CHRIST ALONE. Looking to CHRIST ALONE!!
It’s NOT about self-sufficiency. It’s about His sufficiency. And embracing HIM to be a new creature!! And receiving a NEW IDENTITY as a disciple that follows HIM by forsaking this world, forsaking self, forsaking everything within you that might give you CAUSE to BOAST…..
And consider it as WORTHLESS, compared to CHRIST….Family, riches, possessions, you part in formula; we so often jump to….Isn’t that what Paul did?
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Because Christ isn’t contained by our equations. In fact, that is the exact role of faith in the equation.
Because when faith is added to the equation. The solution is NEVER found in earthly sufficiency!! Instead, we must depend on GOD!!
Your sufficiency is of no use here in the kingdom. INSTEAD CHRIST IS EVERYTHING.
Sermon Summary: You must forsake everything to truly follow Christ.
At it’s why the Apostle Paul would say this ….it makes so much sense now….
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
So may we LIVE this way. NOT in the way of the flesh. Placing confidence in the flesh, but by FAITH, in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me….
FORSAKING EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW JESUS!
