Luke 9:57-62
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
It is almost Christmas.
(doesn’t really feel like it though)
(church and music since i was a kid)
(Christmas Eve service should help)
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Today we are not going to talk about baby Jesus.
I’ve mentioned before that the world loves baby Jesus.
The only thing He demanded was milk and a clean diaper.
We are going to read about grown up Jesus today.
He became a whole lot more demanding, and that’s why the world hates Him.
We talked a few weeks ago about how there is an Americanized version of the gospel that really is not offensive.
The problem is that it is a false gospel that cannot provide forgiveness and reconciliation with God.
We looked at how Jesus said...
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.
25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
See, the real gospel is a lot more demanding than the false gospel.
And we can understand why some people thought it needed revision.
Jesus was not at all concerned with getting a lot of followers so He could have enough financial support.
He didn’t see the benefit of having people recite a prayer.
As a matter of fact, nowhere in the ministry of Jesus did you see him try to bring someone to ...
an emotional point to where they would make a commitment to Him.
Today, we will see that He really did the exact opposite.
It’s almost as if He tried to talk people out of it.
He didn’t really try to talk them out of it, but He clearly did not want an emotional decision...
He wanted people to count the cost of discipleship.
Last time, when we looked at the passage I just read for us, I said I wish we could spend more time here
because...
The concept of costly discipleship is so poorly understood in the contemporary American church.
Jesus thought it was worth re-visiting too, so we get to do that today.
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PRAY
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Jesus is going to encounter 3 guys...
2 say they want to follow him - they offer to enlist - these guys have been hanging around Jesus and they are impressed.
They are absolutely ready to be fans, but we will see they are not ready to be followers
and
Then we see that Jesus tells one guy to follow him.
What we are going to learn is that a little half-hearted commitment is not at all what Jesus is looking for.
It is what a lot of church folks are willing to give, but it is not what Jesus either wants or will accept.
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A little bit of exercise is better than no exercise. Right?
It is not the same for association with religion.
The more truth that you hear and fail to act upon - the more you will eventually have to answer for to God.
Do you remember what Jesus told the church at Laodicea?
16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
He would rather have nothing than some token, half-hearted acknowledgment.
He deserves complete devotion and will not accept less.
Look with me at our passage for today.
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Jesus was not much for sugar-coating the truth.
but...
This may seem a little harsh, even for Jesus.
I think when we get done today you will better understand why Jesus said what He did here.
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Jesus knew men’s hearts.
If you tell me that you are a follower of Jesus, a true disciple, and a Christian - I’ll rejoice and assume it is true
unless...
you live in such a way that I am forced to doubt the truth of what you claim.
Jesus, though, knew who were truly His and who weren’t...
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.
24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people
25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
When people sing, “Oh, How I Love Jesus”, but what they really mean is...
I love what I think Jesus will do for me...
Jesus knows the difference.
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Let’s look back at today’s passage and see that...
Following Jesus may cost you your comfort.
Following Jesus may cost you your comfort.
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Let’s remember what the Jews thought Jesus was going to do.
He was there to...
see the wonderful religious fervor of the Jews
congratulate them
and
reward them by overthrowing their Roman oppressors.
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Do you remember what Peter did when Jesus talked about dying?
Peter rebuked him.
Peter thought he should explain the plan to Jesus,
because...
Jesus was not sticking to the script that Peter though He should.
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With that in mind, this really good prospect for the kingdom says...
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
I suspect this guy thought there might be some trying times ahead
but...
in the end he would be on the winning side.
Overthrowing Rome might be difficult and even dangerous
but...
Jesus seemed to be up to the task.
He was doing some astounding miracles - If Jesus couldn’t get rid of Rome then who could?
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Why did Jesus take such a good prospect and not close the deal while this guy seemed ready?
Because He knew what was in the heart of man.
He warned this guy that by following Him, he would lose the comfort that he cherished.
He responded with...
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Matthew gives us more detail about this guy than Luke does.
Luke just says “someone said to him”
but
Matthew says...
19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
If you have read the Gospels, then you know that for the most part the scribes were on
team “pharisee” rather than on team “Jesus”.
Scribes were important religious authorities.
They were like religious lawyers - kind of a cross between a theologian and a lawyer.
This guy really was a great prospect...
Most of us would have handled him very differently.
Jesus knew his heart, though.
He knew that this guy valued his comfort and his position.
What about you?
Do you value Jesus more than your comfort?
I don’t know that Jesus will call you to give up your comfort, but He sure might.
God can call you to something you did not see coming any time He wishes.
Milissa had no idea she was going to be a pastor’s wife when she married me.
God calls people to leave everything they know and move to some remote place to be a missionary.
He changes the trajectory and even the place of your ministry however and whenever He chooses.
You can always trust God, but you cannot anticipate Him.
He will guide you, but sometimes it feels like He guides you while moving fast down a mountain road in the dark.
and
If you trust Him, that’s okay.
and
To know Him is to trust Him.
Following Jesus may cost you your comfort unless Jesus is the source of your comfort.
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Next we will see that...
Following Jesus may cost you your possessions.
Following Jesus may cost you your possessions.
Look with me again at...
59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
You may wonder what this has to do with security and why Jesus did not let this guy tend to the burial of his own father.
Well, if the father were dead, lying at the house, this guy would not have been here with Jesus.
When a Jew died, they did not go through the embalming process and have a burial days later.
They took care of the burial right away.
This guys father wasn’t dead.
What he meant by this phrase, “Let me first go and bury my father”, was...
I want to follow you, but let’s wait until my father dies and I receive my inheritance.
You just said that you’re homeless, so let me get my assets and my estate in order and then I will follow you.
Jesus shows him how urgent the need is for gospel proclamation.
He says, let the dead bury their dead.
You, who are spiritually alive need to focus on the things of the kingdom rather than the things of the world.
Spiritually dead folks can worry about wordly stuff, you “Go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
It is completely rational and even wise to plan for the future.
but...
A Christian cannot let concerns for future financial security get in the way of present ministry.
This is not merely an abstract concept for any of us.
From the point of view of financial security,...
I would be better off trying to find a good paying job in a well-established church than...
Staying here and trying the risky business of planting a church.
but…
By God’s grace, we will do what God calls us to do.
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Making the most money you can make is what a lot of people think they should do.
Using your talents and vocation in service to God is what Christians are supposed to do.
A doctor could stay home and make lots of money...
or...
he or she could take time and personal expense to go do medical mission work.
Which should they do?
Probably both.
You need to make money in order to spend money on kingdom projects.
We need to give liberally.
We cannot take our money with us, but we can invest it in the permanent kingdom, and thereby send it on ahead of us.
If financial security is an idol for you, then God may get rid of it for your own benefit and growth in the faith.
That will hurt...
so...
find your security in Him.
He may give you financial security that you enjoy while you are freely and liberally supporting the work of the kingdom...
if so...
thank Him and make sure you do not let that financial security become an idol that God has to destroy.
You can be rich and give sacrificially...
You can be poor and give sacrificially...
but...
it is usually harder for rich people.
Don’t let present financial security cost you your faithfulness to the permanent kingdom.
The spiritually dead are going to focus on the concerns of the world - we are to proclaim the kingdom.
Jesus said...
60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Christians are called to have a different set of priorities.
We aren’t supposed to be foolish and fail to plan...
but...
we are to plan with the kingdom of God as the first priority.
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Jesus never, ever, pulled a bait and switch.
He never went after a superficial, emotional, temporary commitment.
The only kind of commitment He would receive were sober-minded, lifelong commitments.
Those truly drawn by the Father will make those kind of commitments.
Genuine re-birth may be very emotional - and that is awesome...
but...
God doesn’t do his deepest work in just our shallowest part.
Most church people want you to make an emotional decision right now - you can read the fine print later.
Not Jesus - He wanted people to count the cost.
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What about this last guy?
He teaches us that...
Following Jesus may cost you your relationships.
Following Jesus may cost you your relationships.
61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
You think that is a tough saying, try this one.
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.
We are only in Luke 9, but when we get here we will see that Jesus does not mean to hate your family,
but...
that your love for Jesus must be greater than the love for your family if you are to follow Him.
That means...
If you have to choose Jesus or your family, you choose Jesus.
This is not an abstract question for many people around the world.
If a former Muslim in a Muslim family hears the gospel, he will have to choose either Jesus or his family.
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I believe we can tell from Jesus’ reaction that this guy was still caught up in the apron strings.
He wanted to follow Jesus, but he had to go home and check with Momma first.
You need to honor your father and mother.
but...
sometimes it is very difficult to allow your children to follow Jesus.
Cat has said for years that she wants to do medical missions.
That will probably be more dangerous than staying put in the U.S.
but...
she needs to do what God tells her to do.
We are to train our kids to listen to us and obey us...
so that...
they will be ready to listen to God and obey Him.
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SO,
You may be asking why I couldn’t just talk about warm and fuzzy baby Jesus.
Here is why.
Jesus did condescend - lay aside His glory - in order to provide a way of salvation...
and...
I do not want you to miss that way of salvation.
There are myriads of people in churches all over America today who think they are Christians who are not.
((One time transaction))
((Real Gospel))