The Cost of Discipleship

Luke   •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  37:30
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What I want to begin with is the difference between Anthropocentric and Theocentric ideology.
What is the difference between Anthropocentric and Theocentric?
Anthropocentric comes from the Greek word Anthropos meaning man. So this would be a view with man in the center.
Theocentric comes from the Greek word Theos meaning God. This is a view with God at the center.
Sometimes in Christianity we can get a Anthropocentric world view.
This is expressed when we hear the terms like God is for us. When the love of God is expressed more than the holiness of God. When our focus is on how God will bless us rather than on trying to show His glory to the world. When we trust in works for salvation rather than grace.
Yes God loves us, Yes God is working on our behalf, Yes God blesses us, but they aren’t where all of our focus should be.
A Theocentric world view is where we realize that our lives are all about bringing God glory, not us.
This is why we say when hard times come that God will use it for our good and His glory.
The focus is on His glory.
It is good because we change as we go through trials. Who we are and our trust in God changes when we go through the trials.
But our overall focus should be the glory of God, not ourselves.
I believe the Westminster Catechism had is correct in the first question:
What is the chief and highest end of man?
A. Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy Him forever.
Our lives should be about bringing glory to God. More than that, we should find our enjoyment, our pleasure in spending time with God and serving Him.
We now come to our passage.

Luke 14:25-35

Why did we begin with Anthropocentric compared to Theocentric?
When we think it’s about us, we can get a view of cheap grace. That God loves us, paid the price and He’s so joyful over us coming that how we live or what we do doesn’t matter.
When we realize it’s about God, we see that He loves us. He paid a price for us but no He calls us to live not for ourselves, but for Him. That we are now to bring Him glory with our lives.
Jesus lays out in this passage that following Him isn’t easy, grace, salvation. It isn’t cheap. Jesus paid the price for it, but there is a cost to being a disciple of Jesus.
We need to get in the mindset where Jesus is the center of our world, that being a disciple of His is the most important thing in the world to us if we want to stand strong through the trials.

Counting the Cost

If you were going to build a tower, which of you wouldn’t go through the budget line item’s first. Find out if you could finish what you started?
How many of you before you went into battle wouldn’t weigh in your strengths and weaknesses against that of the enemy.
The first cost that Jesus calls us to examine:

Relationship

v.26- Whoever doesn’t hate all other’s, including his own life in comparison cannot be my disciple.
This is the extent that we should care about God. More than any other. Even His own life.
We say we love God....PROVE IT!!
John 14:21
John 14:21 ESV
21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Do you read the bible enough to know what God commands?
Do you listen to expository preaching enough to know what God commands?
Do you go to bible studies to hear His word taught so you know what God commands?
That takes time out of my day! This is the cost of discipleship!

Holy Living

Part of the cost of discipleship. Realizing that it isn’t all about us, but about God means that we should dedicate ourselves to live lives that are glorifying to Him.
1 Peter 1:14-16
1 Peter 1:14–16 ESV
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Our lives should be different that the people around us.
In a culture that sees nothing wrong in sleeping around, we should live differently.
In a world that says drinking to the excess is the norm, we should be different.
In a culture that doesn’t value human life! We should care about all life, no matter if they are unborn, homosexuals, or a different race.
They are people created in the image of God, that makes them valuable. The are going to hell if they die apart from Christ, that should make us desire to reach them.
In a culture where gossip is okay, speaking behind peoples backs. We should be those who aren’t destroying people.
In a culture where people fight for their way, we should be those that are humble enough to realize that God is the center not us. Then in meekness give in because bickering isn’t becoming of the people of God.
Are you living, set apart in this world.

Faith

Faith isn’t blind.
We should see clearly, more clearly than others in the world for we have the divine word of God to give us direction. To lead us along our way.
Faith is believing God even though you don’t understand.
When God says He will never leave you nor forsake you.
The situation in your life is dark and depressing. You don’t see a way out. Faith is believing in God’s promise and knowing that He is there helping you through guiding you through even though you don’t feel Him.
When God says He answers prayer.
You have been praying to be healed from a disease, you are praying for a loved one to come to know Jesus.
You have faith in God; that His time is perfect, that He has a plan. That God answers prayer, yes, no, or in His time and no matter the answer it is based off of the perfect knowledge of a loving God.

Unsalty Salt

If you are a “disciple,” who doesn’t care about your relationship, who’s conduct is not different from the world, who has no faith.
Then you are a worthless disciple.
One who isn’t even good enough for the manure pile.
I urge you, get your relationship with Jesus right today. Make sure that your life is Theocentric.
If you don’t know Him, count the cost. I can testify that following Him is worth it.
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