Will It Be Worth It

Introduction-Luke 18:28-30

Before we dive into the message today it will be important to establish a bit of context for the verses we have just read.

These verses occur immediately following an encounter that most of us have at least a passing familiarity with.

Jesus has just been approached by a wealthy young ruler asking Him what he must do to inherit eternal life.

At first Jesus tells him to keep the commandments to which the man insists that he has kept them since the time of his youth.

Then Jesus tells the man to sell all that he has and give the profits to the poor and then come and follow Him.

At this critical moment the man turns away in sorrow unwilling to do as Jesus has instructed.

Jesus then comments on the difficulty of a rich man entering into the Kingdom of God and yet though it seems impossible with men it is possible with God.

It is here that Peter interjects the statement that we have just read.

Today we will take a look at the underlying truths behind Peter’s statement and see the important application that this passage has to believers still today.

Notice first...

The Reality of Sacrifice

Peter states here that he and the other disciples have “left all” in order to follow Jesus.

There are times when Peter is overly bold and exaggerates but here he is speaking the truth.

The disciples had indeed left all to follow Jesus. This speaks to the reality that sacrifice is often and one might say at least to some extent always necessary in order to follow Jesus.

Let’s consider a few things that the disciples left when they followed Jesus.

They left behind...

Personal Ambitions

These men were not influential figures in society and they were not considered to be men of renown but certainly they were all men with ambitions.

Matthew 4:19–20 KJV 1900

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

One can easily imagine that Peter, Andrew, James, and John all had plans to be successful fishermen who would earn a good living for their families and carry on the family business well into the future.

Matthew 9:9 KJV 1900

And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

Matthew was certainly an ambitious man being willing to bear the shame and reproach of being a tax collector.

Each one of the disciples likely had aspirations, hopes and dreams of the life they wanted for themselves and their families.

Yet each of these men would ultimately lay aside their own personal ambitions in order to follow Jesus.

If you commit to following Jesus you may well have to leave your personal ambitions behind.

Personal Relationships

Each of the disciples which committed themselves to following Jesus also left behind a number of personal relationships.

In following Jesus these men would be called to leave behind family and friends and many relationships that were important to them.

Throughout history countless men and women have left their loved ones behind to follow Jesus call.

Luke 12:53 KJV 1900

The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Luke 14:26 KJV 1900

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.

One-way missionary-A.W. Milne (1785-1822) was one of those missionaries. He set sail for the New Hebrides in the South Pacific, aware that the headhunters there had martyred every missionary before him. Milne didn’t fear for his life because he had already died to himself. His coffin was packed.

For 35 years he lived among that tribe. When he died, they buried him in the middle of the village and inscribed this on his tombstone: “When he came there was no light. When he left there was no darkness.”

If you are going to truly follow Jesus there will be some relationships in your life that you will have to leave behind.

Personal Preferences

When these men surrendered their lives to follow Christ they lost their right to choose where they would go or what they would do, instead allowing Christ to make those decisions for them.

There is no doubt that each of them were forced on many occasions to step out of their comfort zones in order to fulfill the will of God.

We must recognize that if we choose to follow Christ we also must surrender our will to His will and be willing to step outside of our comfort zone as well.

We may have our own preferences as to the life we desire to live, the places we would desire to go, and the ministries we would like to be involved in but God’s plan may be very different from ours.

The Question

Peter’s statement here is actually in the form of a question...

Matthew 19:27 KJV 1900

Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

Matthew’s account give us a bit more insight into exactly what Peter was asking.

What Peter is ultimately asking is a question that every believer must grapple with even still today… “Will it be worth it?”

This question is ultimately at the heart of every decision that you and I make either to follow Christ or to go our own way refusing to follow Him.

As God works in your heart through His Word and His Spirit convicting you of sin and directing your life according to His will we are constantly (even at times unconsciously) asking ourselves the question “Will it be worth it to follow Jesus?”

When God speaks to your heart convicting you of the sin in your life ultimately your response is determined by the answer to this question. Will it be worth it to forsake the sin to follow Jesus?

When God speaks to your heart directing you to step out in faith and to leave behind the place of comfort in your life your response is ultimately determined by the answer to this question. Will it be worth it to leave behind what is familiar in order to follow Jesus?

When God speaks to you and asks you to forsake your own plans and ambitions in favor of His plans and purposes, ultimately your response will be determined by the answer to this question. Will it be worth it to give up my plans and dreams in order to follow Jesus?

Jesus Response

Jesus responds to Peter and promises that no man who has sacrificed for the kingdom of God’s sake who will not ultimately be rewarded.

We often think primarily of eternal rewards and rightly so for these are of far greater value than any temporal reward that we may gain.

Notice here though that Jesus promises not only eternal rewards but also present rewards for those who have sacrificed in order to follow Him.

Those who have forsaken sin, who have left behind all that is familiar, who have given up their plans and wishes have ultimately found that Jesus rewards their sacrifice not only in eternity but also in the present.

The answer to this most basic of questions is clear and simple.

YES IT WILL BE WORTH IT TO FOLLOW JESUS!

NO MATTER HOW GREAT THE SACRIFICE IT WILL ALWAYS BE WORTH IT TO FOLLOW JESUS!

Jesus will be a debtor to no man and He will always reward those who are willing to sacrifice for Him.

You will also find that what Jesus gives in reward for the sacrifices that you make is always better than what you have left behind.

This is not a promise of wealth, prosperity, or a life without grief or sorrow but the fulfilment and joy that comes from following Jesus is ultimately worth more than any sacrifice that He would have us make for Him!

Conclusion

I don’t know exactly how the Spirit of God may be speaking to your heart today, but I do know that if you have been intentionally listening today He is speaking to you.

Every one of us likely have areas of our lives where God is leading us to do something in response to Him and right now we are asking ourselves this age old question: “Will it be worth it?”

Let me simply tell you today that whatever the Lord may ask or require of you the answer is always: YES IT IS ALWAYS WORTH THE COST TO FOLLOW JESUS!