Luke 14:25-35 - The Cost of Being a Disciple

All right. Let's start this thing up. Welcome. Oaks to West London Alliance Church Sunday morning streaming service. I'm John and this is my wife Amy. I work in student Ministries with West lemon and we're glad to welcome you to our home for this morning. We're going to share a few announcements with you and then jump into a lesson from God's word. First thing that we want to make known to everyone's attention is in terms of student Ministries. They've kind of continued but in an online fashion, if you are a parent of a high school student or Junior High student, please be checking your email and we will be getting updates as to those on my meetings. Anything is for the parents and just so you know, that stupid Ministries is issuing challenges each week. So feel free to encourage your students to participate in that. For example, we did one making a meal for your family last week's was to send snail mail and this week you'll just have to wait to find out but if your student has not yet done this before you go back to previous weeks and encourage them to complete those things in terms of other updates from the church. There will be some sent out by student Ministries on Instagram for Monday mornings. The WLA staff meeting is sent out by email every Wednesday. The elders will put forward an email as well an elder update on Saturdays and I wouldn't in general invite you guys to be checking your email for other updates along the way that come from the church. We also wanted to update you guys on two of our members of our church that are have been diagnosed with covid-19. So Derek, he's still in the ICU, but he has had a couple of good days and his fever has kind of subsided for the past two days, which is a huge blessing because it kind of just help progress happened and so he still on the ventilator but they're intending to have him sit up in bed today so that hopefully he can watch a movie at which will be really fun for him and they'll be doing another covid-19 in the next few days. And so if that test negative then they're able to bring in some physical therapist and other people to start helping him with the moving forward. So just keep praying that he'll keep improving in that that test will come back negative and the other in 10 he is still in the hospital, but he's doing well, so just keep praying for his recovery as well as missionaries that we want to acknowledge our mic Nikki Howell who are planning to begin their two-year apprenticeship in Senegal. Please be praying for them during this time because they have a life update of having Young Thugger join their family. Tom Howell has a little brother and they are trying to navigate especially this situation in light of the fact that they have to support a growing family. So please be praying for them in that regard that their actions and attitudes would line up with what they believe especially if they developed their family. Also. Please be praying for them and prayerfully considering how you can be supporting them financially as they prepare to go there in the process of raising. Funds and meeting with different people at once in person. But now online at to be able to raise the financial support, they need to complete their two-year apprenticeship and you can reach out to them or to the staff. If you have more questions about that in addition to that we want to lift up the team that's already in Senegal. They are experiencing a situation similar to our partner still trying to move forward with ministry as they are able so we want to pray for them and their concerns with that. Let's unite our hearts wherever we are weather in London or abroad and seek the Lord in prayer making me sexy.

Father in heaven, we thank you that you have given us what we need to do this together. We thank you that you hear our prayers you are kind. and merciful and Powerful

and those things don't change based on circumstances. We give you thanks for being the faithful God that you are. We asked for your hand of support and Mike and Nikki house family is they re support to serve you overseas? We pray that you would keep Todd and Oliver safe as they grow and that they wouldn't get sick. How we pray for them and stayed parent their children that you would give them wisdom and self-control.

And we also pray that you would give them everything. They need in order to serve you overseas where you called them to? Father in heaven, we pray for the team there to that you would support them in their Ministry and give them Innovation to serve in different circumstances than they used to. We also pray for Derek and Dave that you would give them complete recovery that we might celebrate your goodness in their lots. And we thank you for rescuing them calling him into fellowship with you from the even greater epidemic upset because of your son died on the cross and rising from the dead. We lift him high after what he is accomplished through what we celebrate on Easter weekend. He is amazing and we give him praise in order that all praise might be give it to you far. Are we pray for each Ministry Circle that continues to happen in our church that life groups. Would Thrive as they pray and study or work together that the student Ministries would be fruitful and look gross students fake. That you would watch over the elderly in our congregation who may be particularly intimidated by this illness give them peace and courage and give us creative ways of reaching out to them that they might not feel alone. And we pray for the families that are navigating Close Quarters right now and trying to manifest patience in difficult circumstances. We pray for love and harmony and peace. And we pray for students who have their schedules rearrange dramatically. Some of them jobs that have changed we pray that that though the past their future might be unclear in some ways that they know you and that you are trustworthy.

Father we thank you for the way that you looked after us. And we entrust ourselves to you in Jesus name.

Well, thank you for joining us.

We are resuming our study of Luke now that our Easter series is over and I invite you to grab a Bible if you don't have one and if you do to turn to Luke chapter 14, in the meantime, I tell you about one of the Summer's that I experienced not too long ago after graduating. I began installing windows and doors for Home Depot and my boss was a Hungarian gentlemen. We got to know each other quite well because most of our work was in Windsor and was anywhere from Windsor to Niagara Falls. Which meant that we spent somewhere between thirty minutes to 4 hours in the car together every day and we got to know each other pretty well. I got to really know his taste in music and even learn some Hungarian phrases along the way but we drove together. We work together and on sometime some days like when we had to stay overnight cuz the work was so heavy. We would stay in the same hotel room. He dinner together. We even had discussions about engagement rings that I was shopping for at the time. And yeah, we got to know each other really. Well. He also learned that I sweet-talk and yeah, we got to know each other really well. Something that struck me though. We're two things one that he said even though I had just graduated from college. I had entered into a new education program. one that would be a blessing to me because not only was I learning life skills, but

I was getting paid to learn instead of having to pay for the learning.

Which was apply for sure the second thing that stood out to me was a conversation I had with one of our customers.

This customer was a landlord who is renovating his house to have new tenants and had to install fire rated doors on all the bedroom entrance has and he wanted these new laws put in place that had the punch codes on them. We were going to be there a little while and as we love these doors into the home. He asked me. How long have you been working for your master?

That question took me back because I had never used that kind of vocabulary to describe the relationship. I had with my boss. But the more I thought about it the more. It seemed to fit the Paradigm that I was living out that I was functional in his Apprentice. Not only learning the skills of carpentry and how to install a window correctly. But I was walking with him and driving with him and living with him and eating with him listening to the same music and sharing the same stories. And it occurred to me that this was remarkably similar to the way disciples and Jesus day used to function to see they would seek out a rabbi a teacher sorts and would begin to emulate their way of life. Not just wearing a trade although crap similar to it. They were learning an outlook on life and a lifestyle defined by their teachers interpretation of the Hebrew scriptures and the disciple would not only learn what they taught but spend a lot of time with that Rabbi even sometimes entering into his home. So when we talk about a disciple falling after a master, this isn't just clicking subscribe to a Channel or following someone's profile on social media. This was a lingering after and chasing after imitating learning observing this teacher. And not only something to a set of values but committing to a person in their thought process and emulating their action. So if someone claimed to be a disciple of Jesus, they were identified as his apprentice and declaring him to be their master in a way that would reshape everything about their lives. So if you haven't already, please turn to Luke chapter 14, we're resuming our series on Luke. And as you turn there, I'll give you a little bit of the back story of how we got to this point in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus has determined after doing his ministry in the north that he is setting his face to go to Jerusalem. And as he goes swarms of the Enthusiast begin following him people who had seen him teach orotate Ubly in their places of worship and performed miraculous Signs by Healing The Sick and casting out demons.

ISIS group formed and followed him in this chapter. He turns around and gives them a message to put things in perspective.

On what it would really mean to become one of his disciples and for us who want to follow Jesus and be known as his disciples it puts things in perspective for us to end the question. We will look at today. It's how much does it cost to be Jesus disciple? Luke chapter 14 starting at verse 25

Luke chapter 14 starting at 25 great crowds accompanied him and he turned and said to them 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. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple 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. Otherwise when he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish it all who see it will begin to mock him. Send this man began to build and was not able to finish. Or what king going out to encounter another king and War will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with 10,000 to meet him who comes against him with 20,000. And if not while the other is yet a great way off key send a delegation and asks for terms of Peace. So therefore any one of you who does not renounce all that. He has cannot be my disciple. Salt is good. But if salt has lost taste how shall its saltiness be restored is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile is thrown away. He who has ears to hear Let Him hear.

From this passage. There are a few things that we need to learn. And the first thing is calculate the cost of discipleship first in light of his Rising popularity in people's enthusiasm. He lays out three prerequisites will call them tuition payments for apprenticeship with him the cost of discipleship in three easy tuition payments. The first wishing payment for apprenticeship under Jesus is family and we see this right away in verse 26. If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters. Yes, even his own life. He cannot be my disciple. That was some of you might be thinking to yourself and I think it's valid is how can love be mixed with hate. I mean didn't Jesus teach that we should love each other. Well, you're right in John 13:35. He says by this all the world will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. And yes, you just said anyone who does not hate his father Etc cannot be my disciple. Isn't he contradicting himself? Oh, I think it's a valid question and makes us think about what he really intends to say here. This is not an issue of care or concern but rather of commitment and it's not about love as much as it is about the Loyalty that comes from love what you love most determines where your highest loyalty is and what you care about most determines what you commit yourself to First. Jesus makes this clear to his disciples right away and to borrow the terminology of a professor from back at Moody Bible Institute. Dr. Zuber. Jesus wanted their first loyalty. You didn't want his disciples to turn around and in their families become ruthless unkind in different people, but he did want their Chief attention and highest priority again. It's not a license to mistreat their family or even neglect them in the name of religious faithfulness after all it says later in the New Testament that even someone in Ministry if they can't take care of their own family. They have no business taking care of the church. So it's not a license to neglect family or to mistreat family. But rather to set up Jesus as the highest Authority in her life. That's the first tuition payment that Jesus gets for apprenticeship with him family. Second tuition payment is life as Jesus describes in verses 26 and 27. If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters and yes even his own life cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple hear. Jesus makes too difficult references again using the word hate and using the word cross again hate here does not mean that you live life in Despair and hopelessness hating the fact that you exist and that you are alive, but it does mean that you do not love your life by clinging to it treasuring it clean it Sheltering it complete with its Comforts and freedoms, its surrendering your life to the authority and command of Jesus. Laying down your life is different than seeking out your own death. Jesus is not condoning a suicidal mindset. He wanted them to live with comfortable awareness of their own mortality. Comfort that they could Embrace because he offered Resurrection Life in his own Resurrection Life which pertains to the second that he says about bearing his own cross. What she's referring to is carrying the execution mechanism that he would one day. Carry that was placed on his back by the Romans Romans would take criminals and hang them publicly in order to make a spectacle or example of them to others and one day. Jesus was going to die on the cross by implying that his followers should also carry their cross. He meant that they were to live the same anticipation of his own death and identification with his cuz he came from God to rescue Humanity from the epidemics in because Humanities Global Rebellion against God creator and ruler of his universe. Because of that Rebellion we as a human race are sentenced to capital punishment for art reason. Death and separation from God but God in Mercy towards us sinners sent his son to live a life innocent from guilt and be killed in the place of men who are guilty so that by putting their confidence in him their sin would be judged and condemned. To be put away so that at his resurrection three days later that we celebrate on Easter anyone who believes in Him should not only be forgiven of their sin, but take hold of Life abundantly in him and one Eternal to Come Those Who trust in him do not need to fear death anymore because it no longer has the final word on just like Jesus rose from the dead. They have the same promise to in Jesus death becomes a door to better things for the Christian and is not in and of itself. In the book titled strong and weak by Amanda and Andy Crouch. He's the editor for Christianity Today. He writes that the primary responsibility of every leader is to prepare and plan for their descent to the Dead. What he means by that Eerie sentence is that all leaders whether presidents or CEOs should not live to avoid death. They live anticipated because one day or another whether by death sickness layoff transition promotion moving or some other circumstances every leader not only must but eventually will depart from their position. There are no exceptions for this reason their season spent in leadership must have a component preparation for their departure and I would submit that is the same for True disciples. That we should live bearing a cross with an anticipation of our own mortalities not. One leg with despair hopelessness, but knowing that our hope is in the life to come and we live here with that in mind. That's why offering your life to Jesus doesn't just mean spending your life in an active dying for Jesus by martyrdom. Although it doesn't exclude that. Rather it means spending your life. Your years months weeks days even minutes of life for him in under his authority rather than under our own personal free in the words of a band. Ironically called disciple. It's not it's easy to find someone's ready to die, but it's not easy to find someone who's willing to live in some ways. It's even harder than Dying For A Cause yes, death or martyrdom can be a scary thing, but it is momentary and for many of us largely hypothetical. We aren't facing the threat of death for what we believe here in North America most of the time in our lives the more realistic and costly decision is to live for him. Looking to his command as someone who is loved and cherished by him loved to the point of death even death on a cross you live under Jesus is Authority not your own autonomy like Eric buddies ship. Eric Letty is a young or was a young man who believed in Jesus when he was six years old, but he describes another Epiphany when he was in college when he surrendered the control and authority of his life to Jesus. He describes it as God boarding his ship and moving into the Captain's Quarters. What all that for, that was a season of God going from door-to-door. So to speak of his life and claiming ownership of each room. Each entry was met with reluctance and some discomfort but letting recalled that God was a good captain and that he was under God's Authority. When you came to Believe In Christ, did you mean simply to fly up his flag and continue sailing on your own terms, or did you hand the helm over to Jesus?

Let him drift boat. And let him rearrange the rooms let him make the plot changes the changes to your course. This is the importance of counting the cost of Jesus talks about sailing and Jesus asleep may be wonderful and spiritual but it's not the end title is not the end. If you're ready to join this week. You have to be ready to accept his authority and if you're not ready for that, you have to ask whether you're ready to join this week to begin with because Eric muddy had been flying the flag of Jesus on his boat for 13 years before he allowed him to board and take control of hell. Have you counted that cost of being Jesus follower disciple Apprentice what you want to call it? Did you know that he would claim everything because he claims Primacy over family. Declaim Primacy over your BMI supposed autonomy over your life and he claims Primacy even over our position and unless you're not only ready and willing but also active in offering the territories that you apparently own you are not ready to be his disciples. Jesus says you can't be his disciple. You don't have the prerequisites to take besides holding on to your life to preserve it and live the way you want is an illusion anyway, because death will inevitably take your life from you like and a crock said no matter how tightly you cling to it. It is whether you choose to hold fast to it or offered to Jesus and Trust his resurrection that makes all the difference if your hope is set somewhere else and your life is pointing towards that and it changes the way you approach everything including the way you approach your things. The first payment for apprenticeship under Jesus can be described as a loyalty deeper than family and II would be a perspective that's beyond even death's door in particular because in Jesus, it is merely a door to better than for a Believer, but I'll talk more about that later. The first cost is family. The second is life in the third tuition payment that Jesus is calling for is our possessions. We're going to come back to verses 28 through 30 to Jesus's illustrations to convey this and we'll start with verse 33 and we'll go back and read that verse 33 says this so therefore any of you who does not renounce all that. He has cannot be my disciple. As many of you know, Amy and I and a team of high school students spent mark break and a bonus weed in Peru Mission Peru was an experience filled with drama and much prayer and through the hands of the government and people working at home. And on the field. We are thankful to say that God worked out our delivery in a beautiful way. There's much more to tell in terms of how that went. But I wanted to share with you a little piece of the story that

Took place during our preparation because as news of our departure began to become a little bit more Vivid we gave instructions to the students that they should begin packet because we could be leaving any day. The one stipulation that we gave them was that they should take the things that they were determined to hang onto and put in their carry-on and anything that they would either be willing to donate or worst case scenario could bring with them put in their check bag. The reason we did this was at the time the details of the flight. We're still being worked out and we had no guarantee that we would even be allowed to check back. So we wanted students to be able to keep what was most valuable to them in one bag and anything after that. They had brought would become peripheral to that. I began to receive a lot of regular questions from students about how they should pack what they should leave behind and often them sharing. the sentiment of how difficult it was to be certain things behind and while I felt some degree of sympathy for them I could offer no guarantees. The risk was real.

If I offered you the same dilemma. What would you have put in your carry-on bag?

And what would you have put in your check back? Think about that? Just Roman?

What would you put in your carry-on bag? And what would you put in your check back an additional question now? What if I updated the situation and said that you couldn't bring any luggage now your checked bag and not your carrier.

My question for you is would you still get on the airplane?

I believe that even though that couple of days is really challenging for students to kind of decide what to come. What should go if you said to them that they could get on the plane as long as they didn't bring any luggage. Almost all of them. If not, all of them would still get on the plane. If it meant getting home from Peru safely. Jesus offers no guarantees of any kind of luggage carry-on check bag. You name it? The only thing that he guarantees in life, the only things are suffering in this life. Company for along the way through the church and through his spirit. And an eternal inheritance that outweighs everything that we leave behind. The truth is that you must count as cost before taking up the title of discipleship without evaluating this cost. You're not ready for the course in the same way that if the students at Mission through we're not prepared to evaluate what was coming with them or not. They would have to choose between the luggage and the airplane and the right decision for them was the airplane all of them knew that but they had to be willing to part with the things. He has Disciples of Jesus. We have to hold our possession with an open hand putting them into the command of our captain of our ship Jesus and sometimes that sacrifice can be difficult for us, but it's a cost that we need to count. And those are the examples that he gets next or in the passage previous verses 28 through 32 book back with me. verse 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. Otherwise when he is laying the foundation and is not able to finish. All who see it begin to Market sang. This man began to build and was not able to finish. Or what can going out to encounter. Another king in war will not sit down first and deliberate whether he's able with 10000 to meet him who comes against him with 20,000. If not while the other is yet a great way off. He sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. Jesus offers here two contrasting examples someone who set out on a project perhaps even gather materials, but didn't keep in mind how much it would cost him and because that was unable to complete the project and became a mockery to those we're back or observing his building. On the other side. We have a king going off to war and realizing that his opponent is far too strong for him. He does pay attention to the cost that's coming and sends out a peace delegation act based on his cost rather than neglecting the cost.

For us we need to deliberately count the cost of what this means for us. It will cost us many of our loyalties. It will cost us our autonomy in our lives and even authority over our own possessions what might letting go of our possessions look like in God's ownership. I'm not saying to empty your life savings into the offering plate. I mean, I think faithful giving is important but it's not for that exclusively. How can you live having a trusted ownership of your wealth to Jesus consider what the Bible says elsewhere like in the Book of Proverbs Chapter 19, that sounds Proverbs 19:17 says this

whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord and He will repay him for his deed. That's Proverbs 19:17 and later the Apostle Paul writes in 1st Timothy.

As for the rich in this present age charge them not to be haughty nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but I'm God richly provides us with everything to enjoy their to do good to be rich in good works and to be generous and ready to share this. Storing up treasure for themselves as a good fortune for the future so that they may lay hold of that which is eternal life, which is truly life that they may take hold of that which is truly like I want to encourage you to consider investing in Eternal stocks. Living with your possessions here and spending your possessions here in a way that stores up treasure in heaven good works that honor Humanity of other people and Delight the father who made them. We need to turn our action and give attention to those in need and the first step is learning about those in need. This may take some detailed investigation or may take some simple observation. Where are the poor? Where are the hungry? Where are the lonely? Do you know of people who have lost their jobs because of this pandemic?

We know that Jesus says or that Jesus wants us to not just leave these Active Release by government grants to be the only way these people are experiencing compassion. We as a Disciples of Jesus have to be meeting our need consider partnering with movements like food drives and I don't mean like once because one of the drives are good but like establishing a routine and a pattern of generosity like that allows needs to be mad that aren't going to be met by one-off steps of action, but rather start a pattern of generosity that needs needs in an ongoing way or what about kids in the community difficult unstable broken families or vulnerable families for various reasons. Are we ready to pay the cost of coming alongside those families as comfort? Or even opening our doors like organizations like safe families that welcomed in vulnerable children for a short. Of time nor that their family might get re-established. Are we ready to pay the cost of discomfort or even financial and financial cost to meet peoples needs and not just leaving it to others to do for us. What about the lonely and forgotten those left behind by loved ones either by death or by separation? What are we doing to care for the elderly among us whether they be in long-term care homes or retirement facilities or even locked at home during this social distancing season, like what about even on your street? Do you know the needs of your neighbors a perhaps the Widow down the street? Are you ready to knock on doors take a step back to their driveway and have a conversation with them. Do you know the needs of your neighbors and are you prepared to shoulder the cost of caring for their needs like Jesus compels his followers to do let's not merely talk like Christian, but let's walk like Christians which leads me to the second point of this passage, which is not only calculate the cost of discipleship, but to practice your discipleship and with that we turn back to flipping around Luke chapter 14 looking at verse 34 and 35. We're going to talk about salt.

Salt is good. But if salt has lost its taste how shall its saltiness be restored 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'm recently I think in 2019. There was a movie produced called Pilgrim's Progress. It takes an old classic written by John Bunyan and reanimate it in kind of a modern war. Child friendly Manner and not only child friendly but also profound in the sensitive challenged as adults you washed it. The reason I bring it up is there is a link in the email update to send out by the church to be able to watch that film with your families in any and I as adults would also recommend it and so would families who have seen it before us who have kids now. In that story the character named Christian leave the city of Destruction in search for the celestial City and two men come chasing after him compelling him to return to the city of Destruction. Christian refuses to turn around but begins to describe the beauty of the celestial City that he's heard about and invites them to come along the first gentleman named abstinence as his name might suggest refused and turned around the other gentleman named pliable changed his mind and went along with Christian but soon afterwards they found themselves in the slough of despond a swamp filled with Despair fear and discouragement and as his name suggests pliable again changed his mind because even though he liked the idea of going to meet the celestial King at the celestial City. He did not have the perspective.

Or pursuit of the Kingdom that lay ahead of him that Christian did in some ways as we'll see in a minute. He was salt without saltiness. He was the man building a tower without counting how costly it would be to him. He began building and had to return home and as the classic suggest he returns home to the city of Destruction to be mocked by those who side Lee What Jesus is warning against here by salt is good and salt that is loss of taste is warning against flag flying disciples. I myself and myself professing flag fire of the Edmonton Oilers professional hockey team in western Canada. I even have a literal flag in my office window at the church. However as it's quite plain both now, and if you took me to a nearby Arena, I am not an Edmonton Oiler.

I have put no effort into becoming one and if I wanted to I would need to drastically increase my time on the if I would need to invest a lot of money into some quality hockey equipment and probably Alberta it would be expensive in terms of time energy and a lot of money, but in order to sit on the bench next to Connor McDavid, I have to be willing to pay a much higher cost than whatever my felt flag in my office light cost. While the cost of hockey time and equipment and moving across the country would be costly. The living and training of an Edmonton Oiler demands at the cost of discipleship is necessary for the same reason the training and living demands it. That's why Jesus says it's salt is good. But salt that is loss of taste. How can its saltiness be restored. What if you went to the dinner table for lunch today and after shaking the salt shaker nothing but flower came out. It doesn't season your meal and even though it might be labeled at Salt it doesn't have the saltiness that is supposed to have and salt becomes useless after that. If it doesn't have its properties, it's garbage. Resetting unless you are ready to live like a disciple counting the cost. Then you aren't ready to be a disciple. Jesus calls for his apprentices to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom. How can you do that? If your allegiances at home hold more sway than your relationship to Jesus? Jesus calls for his disciples to invite the needy into their lives because of the treasure it accumulates in heaven. How can you live with eternal perspective when it's fogged-up by the concerns of your own life your Comforts and Freedoms.

Jesus calls for his disciples to be generous and radical generous even towards their enemies showing kindness to those that don't serve it and how can you do that? When you have your possessions and your rights in such a close grip? I have good news subjecting the expectations of those who matter most to family in your friends under the authority and higher expectation of Jesus by submitting those expectations to his allows you to live freely for him. Committing your inevitable departure from this life around with whatever you are going to leave behind gives you a freedom to live with the end in mind rather than this Transit life, which you will inevitably lose. And leasing ownership of your things allows you to be freely generous with your possessions and kind to those around you just as Jesus calls me to be Jesus does not want flag flying disciples. Or to put a Jesus fish on your minivan or to go to church once a week and listen to a sermon. He wants you to lace up your hockey skates and get on the ice and learn from him and experience the richness of life as his Apprentice learning from him and spending time with him that you might bless the world and take hold of life, which is truly life a personal knowledge of him and experience of Abundant Life shared with him flying A team's flag does not sit you on the bench next the team's Captain but putting on your skates and learning does so practice your discipleship. Please don't misunderstand because God isn't waiting for your righteousness statistics to get high them before you enlist. That's not what I'm saying in that the less you bring to the table weather in family health wealth success or otherwise the easier it will be to be his apprentice and learn his trade and I can't help but wonder if that's why she spent so much time with those who are poor in spirit depended on God the sick the Sinners the poor because they couldn't bring anything to him except their face confident that she was a hope they needed. Both in the life. They were experiencing and also in their relationship with God the only one who could rescue them from their sins. Jesus filtered his application app not by might but by what they left behind. And we need to be ready to practice our discipleship that we claim to walk so much and leaving things behind might be hard for us like the students who went on Mission through I'm not saying that those couple days work challenging or even enlightening to perspective that we have towards our things. But even our own Freedom as Disciples of Jesus, we need to be ready to leave all those things behind. And it is a high cost.

Out of all his followers Jesus chose 12 men to be with him, you know many of the names Peter Andrew James John there 12 of them and he used these 12 as kind of his exclusive close apprentices that would learn everything from him. He took them into quiet Huddle's to explain some of his teaching to them private. He brought them into his more private Act of miraculous signs that he didn't want the public to see

And he gave them authority to walk in the same way that he did they came from various locations of fishermen a tax collector, but they have one thing in common. They left everything behind their entire life to follow Jesus for the three years. He was Ministry. The Sight and Sound Theaters are a production organization in the states that create breathtaking live action shows of stories in the Bible and this past Easter weekend in light of the current social distancing precautions. They streamed their Jesus Show online for free. Leading up to the tragic betrayal of Jesus by one of his 12 disciples, Judas, Iscariot. Judas is actor has a monologue and he says these words. Three long years on a dusty road trusting this man and the story she told the first shall be last and the last shall be first and all I have to show is dirty feet and an empty purse. Bingo he's right. You were not expecting that for you me to endorse Judas Iscariot and everything. He has to offer. Well, he's right. I'm serious. He followed Jesus and had nothing to show for it except dirty feet and empty purse key reconsiders at the end whether he would have made the same choice if he had known what the end would be like leaving behind his livelihood ending up penniless and traveling around ministering to the people that were needy unclean and I'm wanted If that's what the cost of following Jesus was right now, if the cost cost us every dime of our savings the comfort of our homes or a reputation among our friends families co-workers. Neighbors you name it? Would we still decide to follow Jesus?

We knew the end from the beginning would we count the cost like Judas did and said it's not worth it. Jesus actually makes it really easy so that we aren't surprised by what it would cost. He turn into his disciples here in chapter 14. He essentially says apprenticeship with me cause everyone, you know, everything you own and yes, even your perceived autonomy over your own life. You still want to follow in other passages. He said I don't know where I'm going to put my head foxes have holes birds of the air have nests and the son of man has no place to lay his head. Do you still want to follow He puts the price tag of apprenticeship with him in Big Bright bold letters on a giant price tag with no gimmicks or tricks. He just puts it plainly. I'm not pretending that the cost. Isn't high but neither is Jesus. He's stating it plainly the question is not whether or not the cost is high. The question is is it worth it? In Matthew chapter 19 a Rich Young Ruler once approached Jesus asking what was required for eternal life and after seeing the price tag, thanks him after seeing the price tag.

He turns around discouraged and walked away and Jesus comments about how difficult it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, and he responds by saying. See we have left everything. And followed you what time will we have?

Jesus said to them truly I say to you in the New World when the son of man will sit on his glorious Throne you who have followed me will also sit on 12 Thrones judging the Twelve Tribes of Israel and everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my namesake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

The thing that we need to realize at the end of the day is that yes, we need to calculate the cost and it's high and we need to practice our discipleship that we claim to want. but the cost of discipleship is worth it. The cost is high and the cost is worth it these light and momentary afflictions that we experience on Earth are achieving for us an eternal weight of Glory that outweighs. There is a new life ahead of us. Not only because Jesus becomes merely Jesus death makes death merely a door for us into better things while that's true it also Gives us a life of abundance because we know him that is the like that we're being invited to my boss. And I when we were installing Windows together at the same table slept in the same hotel room drove around in the same bat met the same customers how much more will life of find its richness when we begin to live life and close fellowship with Jesus coming to him and taking on his yoke and learning from him because it is light we leave everything behind.

That's why. chicken for soup and to set a to Jesus we have left everything and followed you what will be left then for us. And then to trust the words that he says to us that those of us with last things behind will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life. We know it because he is a loving leader and Shepherd and Captain. He's someone worth giving our allegiance to because he loves us. in 2nd Corinthians 5 pulse is this

2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verse 14 for the love of Christ controls us because we have concluded this that one has died for all and therefore all had died and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sake died and was raised. Experience alone will tell you that this world cannot offer you Eternal Abundant Life, even the wealthiest healthiest most well-loved people find themselves at the mercy of mortality and immortality is never merciful. It spares. No one. Jesus has conquered the one who holds the power of death. That is the devil and threw his death. He freed those who all their lives were Corral in slavery by their fear of death. Andy Crouch who I mentioned before notes that Jesus lived his life in expectation of his pending death so that because of his Resurrection Life Anyone who puts their confidence in him can live forever just like he did he not only diet to pay the penalty for sin, but he conquered death itself 3 days after his death he rose from the dead reclaim his life accident his tomb and lives today offering the same promise to us who would put our confidence in him. When he comes back, we who trust him in no. That we will have the same Resurrection he will and we will explain the death has been swallowed up in Victory and until then we walk saying. See, we have left everything and followed you what will be left us and we trust his voice. It says everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters houses or lands for my sake. Will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us and he will come back to take us to be with him that we can be where he is. Yes, the cost of following Jesus is high and it is worth it. Leave it behind and take hold of life. That is truly life. I invite you to Bow your heads with me where you are and hold hands together as a family if you're with others and pray with me.