Morning Message Text: Luke 14: 25-33
The Cost of Being a Disciple
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.
27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?
29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you,
30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.
33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Morning Message:
Last week we asked the question, where is the Lord? Do we believe that God is with us?
Author F.B. Meyer said, “There is an experience in which we do not only believe that He is near, but we perceive His presence by the instinct of the heart. He becomes a living, bright reality; sitting beside us, walking beside us through the crowded streets, sailing with us across the stormy lake, standing beside the graves that hold our dead, sharing our crosses and our burdens… Then the believer leans hard on the ever-present Lord.”
We read in the book of Genesis the story of Joseph. From the time he was seventeen until he was thirty, Joseph encountered one heartbreaking setback after another, but we read many times where the Lord was with Joseph. The Lord was with him and showed him mercy. The Lord was with Joseph, and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper. When we chose to follow Jesus, we may encounter setbacks and sometimes go through heartache. But those are the times to perceive Christ’s presence by an instinct of the heart. We must learn to let His nearness be a living, bright reality in our lives. Think about what Joseph went through. Over and over again he risked everything for the reward of a closer walk with his God.
We don’t take many risks in our lives. At least most of us don’t. The older we get the more careful we are as we walk through this world. In many cases that is out of necessity. We tend to fall more easily, and let’s face it, we are more easily injured. Our bones are more brittle, not seemingly made of rubber like they were when we were young. They say that caution is the better part of valor. That was probably an older person who first said that. This abundance of caution in our physical being has led to a hesitancy to take risks in our spiritual being. From a spiritual Christian standpoint, we should be bold and always looking for ways to risk everything for the gospel of Jesus.
Our text today flies in the face of what we usually hold dear in our hearts. We need to look closely and examine what Jesus is saying here. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” That statement, taken as it is, eliminates all of us from being disciples of Jesus. Aren’t we called not to hate, to love others as ourselves, to turn the other cheek and repay wickedness with kindness? We must look at many variables when we read and study scripture in order to fully understand what Jesus is saying. The ancient Near Eastern concept of hate did not involve intense feelings of loathing or revulsion, as the modern Western concept does. To hate something meant to place it in a lower position than something else. Jesus was not exhorting his followers to loathe their families but rather to ensure that God reigns supreme in their lives.
Now I believe that to the detriment of our society we have lost the importance of family. I know that we still think of our family members as important, but we have allowed the value that we once placed on the family unit to erode to the point that if time travel were possible and someone could travel forward, let’s say fifty years, they would not recognize or understand our family dynamic. Family took precedence over everything in the ancient Near East, so the idea that God should be the center of one’s life held radical implications and required a serious counting of the cost upfront. This should give us a better understanding of what it took for the disciples to follow Jesus when he called them. Remembering the scripture about Andrew and Peter leaving their boat, their family business, when Jesus called. James and John leaving their boat, their nets, and their father. Back then they would have been abandoning everything and everyone. What have you risked?
Jesus is making a valid point here. He is not preaching a prosperity gospel. You know what a prosperity gospel is don’t you? You can see and hear them all the time; just turn on the TV. One of my favorite examples today is Joel Olsteen. I have never been able to smile like that when I preach. I mean I can smile, but not the whole time while the words are coming out of my mouth. He smiles and shows off those beautiful teeth. Who knows how much those have cost his followers. He tells you how wonderful everything is and how wonderful your life is going to be when you accept Jesus. You will never have another trouble in this life if you will just say yes to Jesus. You are going to have everything you ever wanted. Millions of people flock to his church and watch him on TV just to hear how wonderful everything is.
Jesus says, count the cost. Come to me and I will give you spiritual rest, but understand what it will cost you in this world. Come to me with a serious heart and commitment; don’t come because you think there is something in it for you. There is, but that’s not why you should come. Treat your commitment to Me like you would treat any serious life commitment. Don’t enter into a relationship with Me halfheartedly. You are either all in or all out. A true commitment to Jesus requires all of you, one hundred percent. Nothing else can come before Jesus.
From an earthly point of view there is great risk in giving your life to Jesus. You might lose friends, family members might turn against you, places of employment might reject you. If you look around, you will see the persecution. It has not become too serious in this country yet, but believe me, it will. Christians in this once great Christian nation are being rejected and mistreated. Things that were unheard of just ten or twenty years ago are starting to become everyday occurrences in this nation that was formed by God on Christian principles. Don’t take my word for it, watch the news. Even in our courts the justices place burdens on Christians that they would never dream of imposing on other religions. The risk, the cost is great, while we are on this earth, but there will be reward. Every once in a while, we have to look past this present uncomfortableness and view our reward in heaven. I don’t make you any promises for this life except for the wonderful contentment of serving your Lord and Savior, but in the next life, if you will walk with Jesus, I can promise you according to God’s word, everything. A mansion, a harp, and a crown. Whenever this world gets me down, I listen to this next hymn.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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