The Cost of Being a Disciple
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The Cost of Being a Disciple
The Cost of Being a Disciple
Luke 14:34-2
Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Pollster George Gallup contends that fewer than ten percent of evangelical Christians could be called deeply committed.
Most of those who profess Christianity don’t know basic teachings and don’t act differently because of their Christian experience.
The Cost of Being a Disciple
The Cost of Being a Disciple
George Barna found that almost half (46%) of evangelicals read their Bible only once a week or not at all.
Pollster George Gallup contends that fewer than ten percent of evangelical Christians could be called deeply committed. Most of those who profess Christianity don’t know basic teachings and don’t act differently because of their Christian experience. George Barna found that almost half (46%) of evangelicals read their Bible only once a week or not at all.
Our text last week presented God’s free invitation of the gospel.
He has provided everything at His expense and He invites sinners to come to His great dinner. You cannot bring anything nor do anything to deserve an invitation.
God provides it all by His free grace.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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 receive 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.
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.
I Consider Carefully Who You Follow
I Consider Carefully Who You Follow
And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
Verse 25 is crucial for interpreting what follows. “Great multitudes were going along with Him.” Every pastor would love to have that kind of congregation.
Every ministry desires more followers. Pastors with large congregations get their books published and are invited to speak all over the world because they are successful. We measure success by numbers.
But Jesus was different. Large crowds did not fool Him. He knew that many were following Him for selfish or superficial reasons. It was the exciting thing to do. Maybe you or someone you knew would be healed. But Jesus was not a false recruiter.
He wanted to weed out those who followed Him for superficial reasons, because when the battle heated up, He knew that they would fall away and cause damage for His cause. So He turned to the great multitude and laid out these demands of discipleship.
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
At the outset I need to point out that there are many in evangelical circles who draw a sharp distinction between salvation and discipleship.
Salvation, they say, is God’s free gift, but discipleship is costly. They would also say that while every believer ought to pursue discipleship, it is not linked to saving faith. In other words, there are some who are truly saved, but who never commit themselves to being disciples. They say that it is possible to receive Jesus as Savior, but not to follow Him as Lord.
I cannot find any basis for such teaching in the New Testament, and I can find many Scriptures to refute such teaching.
To believe in Jesus Christ as Savior necessarily entails following Him as Lord.
Salvation is not just a decision that a man makes, but it is the mighty power of God in raising a dead soul to eternal life.
God, who began that good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus ().
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
The new life God imparts inevitably results in a new way of life in accord with its nature, namely growth in holiness. The seed of the Word will bear fruit unto eternal life.
The new life God imparts inevitably results in a new way of life in accord with its nature, namely growth in holiness. The seed of the Word will bear fruit unto eternal life.
God through t he holy spirit will through groaning convince you of the need to follow him.
Thus it is possible to follow Christ superficially and it is to such followers that Jesus lays out the cost of discipleship. He knows that the battle will be intense and He doesn’t want to recruit anyone under false pretenses. Thus,
II Consider the Cost to Follow
II Consider the Cost to Follow
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Jesus first lays out two of the costs of discipleship (14:26-27); then, He gives two parables (14:28-32) that make the same overall point, namely, that a person must give careful consideration to the cost before he rashly jumps into it.
Then He states a third cost of discipleship (14:33). He then (14:34-35) gives an illustration about salt to illustrate the cost of not truly following Him. He concludes by warning, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
WE MUST CONSIDER THE COST OF FOLLOWING CHRIST.
Our evangelistic methods today are big on emotion and little on reason. We get people into a stadium to hear testimonies from famous athletes or movie stars about how Christ changed their lives. Then they hear a rousing speaker promise how Christ can meet the person’s every need. Then the invitation is given and counselors are primed to get out of their seats and walk forward so that people on the verge of a decision think that others are going forward. The choir or band is playing a song of invitation. Going forward feels like the right thing to do. In a swell of emotion, the person gets out of his seat and “decides for Christ.”
But did the person get saved? By God’s grace, some do. But even the well-known evangelists admit that the long-term “stick with it” rate for those who make a decision is only about 10-15 percent. All too often, their decision was based more on emotion than on careful thought about what it means to follow Christ. Here, Jesus says to the crowds who were interested enough to be going along with Him, “Consider the cost of following Me.”
A. WE MUST CONSIDER THE COST OF FOLLOWING CHRIST.
A. WE MUST CONSIDER THE COST OF FOLLOWING CHRIST.
Jesus spells out three costs:
WE MUST HATE OUR FAMILIES AND OURSELVES (14:26).
WE MUST HATE OUR FAMILIES AND OURSELVES (14:26).
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Whoa! Doesn’t the Bible say that we are to love our families? Doesn’t it say that no man ever hated his own flesh?
Is Jesus contradicting the Bible? Of course not!
But He puts it in these terms for shock value, to get us to stop and think about the stringent demand that He is making. He means that our allegiance and love for Him must be so great that by comparison our love for our families and even for our own lives looks like hatred.
Then, in an act of desperate and simple faith, he did something that he would never advise anyone else to do, but what he felt was right for him at the time: he prayed, “Oh, God, pleaseshow me.” Then he took out a coin and said, “Heads, I’ll go in spite of dad’s desires.” It was heads. Still weeping, he cried out, “God, be patient with me. If it’s tails this time, I’ll go.” Tails. The third time he pleaded, “Once, more, God. I don’t want to make a mistake with Dad upstairs. Please now, let it be heads again.” It was heads. So he went upstairs and told his dad that he had to go.
His dad looked hard at him, then went out to slam the door. But just before the door hit the frame, his voice came through, “I’ll pay for the first half year.” It was many years later that Fran’s dad became a Christian, but Fran thinks that this moment was the basis of his salvation, when Fran in effect declared, “I must follow the Lord.” (Told by Edith Schaeffer, in The Tapestry [Word], pp. 60-62).
As a Christian young person, you should seek to be obedient to your parents in all things, unless they are asking you to go against what God wants you to do. You should appeal to them in a submissive manner. But if it comes down to a choice to obey your parents and disobey Christ or to obey Christ and disobey your parents, you must follow Christ. As a Christian wife, you may have an unbelieving husband who says, “I don’t want you to go to church.” While you must seek to be the most loving and pleasant wife you can be, you must also explain to your husband that following Jesus Christ is more important to you than your relationship with anyone on this earth. That is the clear application of verse 26.
When Jesus says that we must hate even our own lives, again He means in comparison with our love for Him. Normally, when we follow Christ He lovingly gives us the desires of our hearts
Delight thyself also in the Lord;
And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Delight thyself also in the Lord;
And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
(
He floods us with joy and true pleasure (). But, there are times when it is easy to give in to the immediate gratification of the flesh and it is hard to obey Christ. The disciple has thought this through in advance and is committed to follow Christ.
He floods us with joy and true pleasure (). But, there are times when it is easy to give in to the immediate gratification of the flesh and it is hard to obey Christ. The disciple has thought this through in advance and is committed to follow Christ.
WE MUST CARRY OUR OWN CROSS (14:27).
WE MUST CARRY OUR OWN CROSS (14:27).
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
The cross was not an implement of irritation or inconvenience. The cross was an implement of slow, tortuous death. Jesus here is looking at the process of daily death to selfish desires and of the willingness to bear reproach for His name’s sake.
Since our Savior suffered the rejection and agony of the cross, if we follow after Him, we must be prepared for the same treatment. If people revile us for being Christians, we must bless them in return ().
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
We should never do anything to provoke persecution, but if we suffer for the sake of righteousness, we must entrust our souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right ().
We should never do anything to provoke persecution, but if we suffer for the sake of righteousness, we must entrust our souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right ().
Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
Again, this is a process in which we all must grow. If we blow it, we must confess it to the Lord and seek to be obedient the next time we have opportunity to suffer for Him. But if we aren’t involved in the process of carrying our own cross in death to self, we are not on the path of the disciple of Jesus Christ.
WE MUST GIVE UP ALL OUR POSSESSIONS (14:33).
WE MUST GIVE UP ALL OUR POSSESSIONS (14:33).
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
After telling the two parables about considering the cost before making a commitment, Jesus concludes, “So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” Does Jesus mean this literally, that we must get rid of everything we own and take a vow of poverty in order to be a Christian? What does He mean?
I believe that Jesus is getting at the fact that there are two possible lords that we can serve and the two are exclusive: God or Mammon.
Most of us think that we can combine them, with God taking the lead: “I’ll serve God mostly, but I’d also like to serve money.” But Jesus says that won’t work: “You cannot serve God and Mammon” (, emphasis mine).
Most of us think that we can combine them, with God taking the lead: “I’ll serve God mostly, but I’d also like to serve money.” But Jesus says that won’t work: “You cannot serve God and Mammon” (, emphasis mine).
In other words, you can’t just add Jesus to your already materialistic lifestyle as a way of rounding out your spiritual needs.
To be a Christian means that you have been bought with a price and you are not your own (). Nothing you own is your own. You become the slave of Jesus Christ and He owns everything.
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
I like the way Juan Carlos Ortiz tells the story of the pearl of great price. A man sees this pearl and says to the merchant, “I want this pearl. How much is it?”
The seller says, “It’s very expensive.” “How much?” “A lot!” “Well, do you think I could buy it?” the man asks.
“Oh, yes,” says the merchant, “everyone can buy it.”
“But I thought you said it was very expensive.” “I did.” “Well, how much?” “Everything you have,” says the seller.
“All right, I’ll buy it.” “Okay, what do you have?”
“Well, I have $10,000 in the bank.” “Good, $10,000. What else?” “That’s all I have.” “Nothing more?” “Well, I have a few dollars more in my pocket.” “How much?” “Let’s see … $100.” “That’s mine, too,” says the seller.
“What else do you have?” “That’s all, nothing else.” “Where do you live?” the seller asks. “In my house. Yes, I own a home.” The seller writes down, “house.” “It’s mine.”
“Where do you expect me to sleep—in my camper?” “Oh, you have a camper, do you? That, too. What else” “Am I supposed to sleep in my car?” “Oh, you have a car?” “Yes, I own two of them.” “They’re mine now.”
“Look, you’ve taken my money, my house, my camper, and my cars. Where is my family going to live?” “So, you have a family?” “Yes, I have a wife and three kids.” “They’re mine now.”
Suddenly the seller exclaims, “Oh, I almost forgot! You yourself, too! Everything becomes mine—wife, children, house, money, cars, and you, too.” Then he goes on, “Now, listen, I will allow you to use all these things for the time being. But don’t forget that they’re all mine, just as you are. And whenever I need any of them, you must give them up, because I am now the owner.” (Adapted from The Disciple [Creation House], pp. 34-35.)
That’s what Jesus means when He says that we must give up all our possessions in order to be His disciple. He isn’t just Lord of a tenth; He is Lord of all. We are just managers of it for Him. Of course, in return we gain all the riches of heaven for all eternity. But, still, we need to sit down and determine if we’re willing to follow Jesus as Lord of everything from our families, to our possessions, to our very lives.
III CONSIDER THE COST OF NOT FOLLOWING CHRIST.
III CONSIDER THE COST OF NOT FOLLOWING CHRIST.
Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
luke 14.34-35
If we make a profession of following Christ, but then go back on our commitment, people will ridicule us as they would mock a man who started to build a tower but couldn’t complete it:
Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
luke 14.
“He claimed that he became a Christian, but look at him now! Some Christian he is!” Or, we will face the damaging effects of being defeated by the enemy because we did not consider the intensity of the battle we were facing. Satan loves it when a Christian’s testimony is ruined because he did not consider the demands of following Christ in this evil world.
Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
Jesus uses a third illustration to show the cost of not following Him, that of salt that has become tasteless. The salt in Jesus’ day was often corrupted with other substances.
Jesus uses a third illustration to show the cost of not following Him, that of salt that has become tasteless. The salt in Jesus’ day was often corrupted with other substances. If moisture hit the salt, it would evaporate and leave behind these other impure minerals, so that the salt lost its saltiness. It was worthless for any useful purpose and had to be thrown away. Jesus is saying that if a follower of His doesn’t live as he ought to live, he is useless to God. Whether Jesus is referring to a false believer being judged or to a true believer being taken out of this life because of his sin is ambiguous. But either way, I don’t want it to happen to me! The point is, follow Jesus Christ by putting Him above everything else in life so that you are useful to God. That’s the last thing we must briefly consider:
If moisture hit the salt, it would evaporate and leave behind these other impure minerals, so that the salt lost its saltiness. It was worthless for any useful purpose and had to be thrown away. Jesus is saying that if a follower of His doesn’t live as he ought to live, he is useless to God. Whether Jesus is referring to a false believer being judged or to a true believer being taken out of this life because of his sin is ambiguous. But either way, I don’t want it to happen to me! The point is, follow Jesus Christ by putting Him above everything else in life so that you are useful to God. That’s the last thing we must briefly consider:
To follow Christ truly, we must put Him above everything else in life.
To follow Christ truly, we must put Him above everything else in life.
Jesus clearly asserts His absolute supremacy and authority in these verses! What mere man could rightly claim that everyone must hate their closest family members in comparison to their love for him? We would rightly call such a man a cult leader, unless He were God in human flesh! What man could tell his followers to follow him into death? Jim Jones did and he was rightly labeled a lunatic. But Jesus Christ could do it because He is God! What man could tell people to give up all their possessions for His sake? Some modern cults require that of their followers and we rightly label them as false. But Jesus could do so with authority because He is the Lord. He alone deserves to be first above everything else in all of our lives because He is the Lord God who willingly offered Himself on the cross for our sins!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Jesus’ words here are tough and sobering! We all fall short, but we must honestly work at applying them to our hearts. Is there any relationship that comes ahead of Christ in your life?
If He is first, then obviously you will be spending consistent time alone with Him in His Word, in prayer, and in devotion.
You will be fellowshipping with Him every day. You won’t allow any other relationship to draw you away from obedience to Him. You will confess and forsake every sin that hinders fellowship with Him.
Is He the Lord of your plans, your thoughts, and of all that you do? Or, could you selfishly be clinging to your plans, to your way, instead of seeking to please Him in all things, beginning with every thought that you entertain? If you don’t hate your own life and daily carry your cross, you’re not His disciple.
Is He Lord of your finances and possessions? Are you faithful in managing these things for His purposes? Do you give generously and faithfully to His work? Or, could the love of money be choking out the Word in your life?
Salvation is absolutely free, but once you receive it, it costs you everything. To truly follow Christ, we must consider the cost and put Him above everything else. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.
261f any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but
deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
How you ever considered the relationship of your tongue to you discipleship? According
to James this small two once piece of flesh plays an important role in the life of a
disciple.
• It can make or break a marriage
• It destroy friendship
• It will make a home a paradise or desert
• It can draw people to Christ or away from them
• You can loose you job
• It can pull down the church
( 1 The Importance of a Disciples Tongue
261f any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth
his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
If we are religious and know the Lord we will bridle or hold back what we should say.
Is our religion in vain — good for nothing
Our we deceiving our self
Religion — belief system what you stand for .....
• Interrupting others
• Gossiping
• Condemning others
• Using slang or cursing
George Barna found that almost half (46%) of evangelicals read their Bible only once a week or not at all.
• Off colored jokes
N -
()
36But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account
thereof in the day of judgment.
• We will give a account for every word
• Don't think by saying I was just kidding or you really take didn't take me
seriously will get you out of it.
• Running others down
How many idle word have we spoken that we will have to give a account for
II The Ividence of Not have a Disciple's Tongue
If we don not have disciple tongue, the sins of the tongue will be evident in our lives.
Look at the thing the apostle Paul said we should put off....
through
8But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthysommunication
out of your mouth. 9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have Loff_the old man with
his deeds;
Just as you take off dirty clothes at the end of the day we should discard the old
ways of using the tongue...
N I Most disciples do not have a problem with drunkneess, stealing or adultery but those sins
of the tongue are just as damaging.
Lets look at some of these sins
1) Anger - this means to deep smoldering. It is a slow burning anger that refuses to
be pacified. It says " That person burns me up" It is a attitude
through
Our text last week presented God’s free invitation of the gospel. He has provided everything at His expense and He invites sinners to come to His great dinner. You cannot bring anything nor do anything to deserve an 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:
34 0 generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth .speaketh. 35A good man out of the good treasure of
the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth
forth evil things.
'2) Wrath — a sudden outburst of anger . It is anger in action . iT is the tongue let
loose . Most disciples would never thing of hitting someone bu they will let their
tongue fly.
3) Malice — a attitude of ill will toward a person. It literally means "evil intent" . It is
what causes someone to be sad when someone succeeds or happy when they fail.
'4) Blasphemy - when relating this to people it means slander and tearing someone
down.
through
8But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, MI of deadly poison.
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which
are made after the similitude of God. w Out of the same mouth proceedeth
blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
5) Filthy communication - this is obscene language . it is dirty talk or obscene
language . A disciple of Christ should never be heard talking that way ....
45A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is
good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that
which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
6) Lying — this is to tell a deliberate untruth or half truth . half a fact is a whole lie
2Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.
III how to have a Disciples Tongue
Our success in becoming morel like Jesus will be greatly determined by how we
harness our tongue.
It is difficult to have a disciples tongue
through
7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed,
and hath been tamed of mankind: 8But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil,
full of deadly poison.
As long as we live we will never gain complete control of the tongue and we must
constantly on guard of it.
The importance of taming the tongue is like bridling a horse
The control of the tongue begins with ph thought process .We should change our way of
thinking.
8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these
things.
As we think on thes things , we find our speech will also be about these things and not be
critical , hateful, cynical or malicious.
6Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought
to answer every man.
Text: “…if any man come after me…”
There is a cost to following Christ – there is no denying the fact! We must:
1. Deny self
2. Take up His cross daily
3. Follow Him Closely
I. Deny Self –
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
The true Gospel is a call to self-denial.
A. Lets look at self-esteem – Biblically we cannot have “self esteem” but rather “Christ esteem”. To be a disciple of Christ at a true Bible-believing church you must have a heart to hear the word of God and be open to:
· conviction regarding your sin
· the reality of self-denial
· the demands of following Christ.
Sadly, many will not hang around long enough to
consider these things.
In the book, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation, there is an amazing statement: “Once a person believes he is an ‘unworthy sinner,’ it is doubtful if he can really honestly accept the saving grace God offers in Jesus Christ.”
So, if you want to be saved, according to this new gospel you cannot believe yourself to be an unworthy sinner. How twisted is that? How contrary to the truth is that? But it is just the sort of man-centered, self esteem gospel that eventually became the seeker-friendly movement, which has hijacked so many churches. It’s a kind of quasi-Christian narcissism, or self-love, that is characteristic of false teachers.
A saint of many centuries ago got it right with this prayer:
Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess everything, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive. Let me find thy light in my darkness, thy joy in my sorrow, thy grace in my sin, thy riches in my poverty, thy glory in my valley, thy life in my death.
It’s not about exalting self but slaying self! So, we must:
II. Take up Your Cross– ,: Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [ KJV]
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. [ KJV]
· This passage mentions nothing about improving your self-esteem, being rich and successful, feeling good about yourself, or having your felt needs met! Quite the opposite!
· Jesus says that to be His follower we must: Deny self, take up your cross, and lose our life!
· Unfortunately, so many churches are preaching this false “feel good” gospel in order to sugarcoat the truth. So who’s right? Is the message of Christianity self-fulfillment or is it self-denial? It can’t be both!
· The truth is that we matter to God – so much so that Christ gave His life to pay the penalty for our sins. God has shaped us for a purpose – He created each of us uniquely for that purpose. But WE get in the way if we don’t die to self!
III. Follow Him Closely –
…and follow me. –
· ;
A. The Rich Young Ruler - – “look what I’ve done.”
· Jesus’ response was quite the setup for personal evangelism! He could have said, “Pray this prayer” or “Make a decision to accept Me!” He didn’t. Instead He confronted the young man with the reality of sin to reveal whether or not he was convicted of his wickedness and was penitent over is iniquities. Jesus offered several of the Ten Commandments as examples of the law of God the young man had broken. However, the young man rejected any thought of sinfulness and repentance, and bragged about having obeyed the Ten Commandments all his life.
· Jesus is the personification of the fulfillment of the Law. It is only right that if we are His, we should follow Him, not our own self-righteousness!
B. Three Men Who Won’t Follow –
1. The Man Along the Way – vs. 57 – “I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.” Jesus made it clear that He’s not staying at the Hilton Hotel. Following Christ means laying aside comfort.
2. The Man Concerned about a not-yet dead father – vs. 58-60.
“The story continues in vs. 59: And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. The implication here was that his father wasn’t even dead. What did he mean then? Did he mean go to the funeral? No, he meant hang around until he got the inheritance! He wasn’t going to have anything if he followed Jesus. Jesus had nothing materially to give him, so he wanted to stick around the house until he could pack a future in his bag and then come after Jesus. He disappeared too.
Following Christ means forfeiting worldy riches.
3. The man concerned about his family and friends – vs. 61-62