The Cost of Discipleship

We have been programmed to think that discipleship is a course that we take or a workbook that we fill out. In reality discipleship is a like-style of obedience to the commands of Jesus. The requirements for being a disciple of Christ are stringent to say the least. For the first disciples it meant leaving jobs and family and physically following Jesus as He preached, taught, and healed throughout Galilee. It also meant that those who hated Jesus hated them as well. Today we will look at the requirements of a modern disciple.

Examination: (Why?)

1. Die daily (16:24-27)

Mt 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. (this is deliberately dying to self. Paul put it this way in Rom 6:11 “Even so consider yourself to be dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”) For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each according to what he has done.”

In the classic book “The Cost of Discipleship”, Dietrich Bonhoeffer emphasized that discipleship is a matter of personal, dynamic obedience to Christ, not to a program of rituals. However, he does draw a blueprint for the general lifestyle of a disciple, based on what Christ taught his original 12 disciples. Four key aspects of a disciple’s life that he discusses are humility, self-denial, suffering, and pacifism.

There are at least 28 references to “humbling yourself” in the Bible, and the concept is mentioned many more times. I have thought for years that we had a choice to either humble ourselves or be humiliated by God. Meekness and humility go hand in hand.

Self-denial means sacrificing one’s wants or desires. This is the key to fasting is self-denial from a physical need or desire. We live in a world where happiness is a priority. Even the Declaration of Independence speaks of the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. True happiness springs from joy which is only available through a relationship with Christ.

Suffering is something that we desperately want to avoid. We spend billions of dollars trying to avoid physical suffering. However, in Scripture suffering is the key to spiritual growth. The writer of Hebrews said in Heb 5:8 “Although he was the Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.” Even the Son of God learned through suffering. Suffering for the Gospel may be physical, mental, or emotional. It is linked to self-denial.

Pacifism means the avoidance of conflict wherever possible. One source mentioned four types of pacifism: Kinds of Pacifism

Absolute Pacifism. An absolute pacifist believes that it is never right to take part in war. ...

Militant Pacifism. Militant pacifists will use every peaceful method at their disposal to oppose violence and war. ...

Conditional Pacifism. ...

Selective Pacifism. ...

Active Pacifism. (the type practiced by Gandhi)

Paul urged the Roman believers in Ro 12:18 “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

2. Plan diligently (Luke 14:25-34)

Luke goes into a bit more detail on the cost of discipleship. In Luke 14:25-34 “Now great crowds were traveling with him. So he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, 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, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ “Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If not, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple. Now salt is good, but if salt should lose its taste, how will it be made salty? It isn’t fit for the soil for the manure pile; they throw it out. Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

In today’s business or politics, if anyone wants to get a large following, they usually paint a rosy picture of what joining their ranks would provide for the prospect. Jesus took exactly the opposite tack. He emphasized the challenges and costs of following Him.

Vs 26 is sometimes confusing to the person who reads it without digging deeper. The word translated “hate” actually means “lesser love”. In other words, if you choose to follow Jesus, your love for Him must be so much greater than your love for family that it actually appears to be hatred. In Matt 10:37 it is a bit clearer. “The one who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; the one who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

In Luke 14:27 the case for dying to self is again presented. The true follower of Jesus voluntarily chooses death to his old life. Jesus would set the example for this. Although we see him being led to the cross by soldiers after having been in shackles, the truth is that He went there voluntarily. At any given moment He could have called for angels and been set free from the Romans.

Then Jesus admonished them to count the cost before making the commitment. In many instances in modern Christianity, we want to make it appear easy to follow Jesus, ignoring the costs that Jesus said are inherent in the life of a disciple. That is why many who have made a commitment to Christ walk away later. When they become aware of the cost, they say, “That’s not what I signed up for.” Some have gone so far as to say there is a difference in a Christian and a disciple. That is a lie of the devil. Salvation is both a crisis experience and a process. The crisis experience is the moment you choose to surrender to Christ. The process is continuing to follow when the rough times come…and they WILL come. To say it is one without the other is to mislead the seeker. Jesus encouraged the crowds to do a careful inventory before they decided to follow Him. (McArthur)

3. A Preview of coming attractions (Mt. 16:28-17:13)

Going back to Matt 16:28-17:13 “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. He was transfigured in front of them, and his face shone like the sun; his clothes became as white as the light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here. If you want, I will set up three shelters here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown and were terrified. Jesus came up, touched them, and said, “Get up; don’t be afraid.” When they looked up they saw no one except Jesus alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

Some people think that when Jesus said, “some standing here will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom,” that He was saying that some of the disciples would not die until after the 2nd coming. John McArthur points out in his commentary that the word kingdom can be translated “royal splendor”. Peter, James, and John saw Him in his splendor just six days later. It is most natural that Jesus was referring to His transfiguration rather than His second coming. While other commentators disagree with this interpretation, it appears to be the only acceptable interpretation because all of the disciples did die and Jesus has not returned in His glory yet. The Transfiguration was a preview of coming attractions if you will. They saw Jesus in His Heavenly glory. They saw representatives of the Law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah) showing that both pointed to Jesus as Messiah.

Application: (How does God want me to respond?)

Each week at the close of the sermon I challenge you to examine your life to see if you have really surrendered to Jesus as LORD. Although I explain that it is simple, I also emphasize that it is not easy. If you surrender to Jesus, you do get the benefit of eternal life with Him, but you also get the persecution, opposition and suffering until you go to Jesus, or He comes for you. Consider your decision carefully.

If you are one who did make that surrender, but now you are not sure that you’re willing to pay the price, today would be a good time to reconsider and perhaps renew your surrender.

Realizing that the local church is the representation of Christ to a community, perhaps today is the day that you sense God would have you become a part of this local Body of Christ.

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