Luke 9:51-62
There are many excuses for people not wanting to follow the Savior. There were plenty of excuses given then and there are plenty today. Commitment to Christ requires total surrender. We encounter numerous excuses not to follow Christ in the Scriptures. The question for us to ponder today, have things changed over the years? Let’s consider what the Savior was up against shall we?
1. “I will follow you wherever you go” – Such a bold statement! One of unswerving and unwavering faith! Yet, consider the response the Savior gives this bold confession: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
A. I will follow so long as I am not inconvenienced. I’ll follow You Lord as a disciple - as long as my creature comforts are not compromised. I will follow - as long as I do not have to get involved in the lives and concerns of others.
B. What this excuse says loud and clear is - don’t make discipleship too difficult. This could happen when one might complain that the service went over an hour. Yet would we even blink an eye if a Wizards game, for example, went into extra innings? Or if we limit our time of discipleship to a few hours a month have we become overly taxed?
2. The 2nd excuses “Let me burry my father” – Jesus responds by saying, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
A. Do not allow personal relationships to get in the way.
B. Do we not want anything to be inconvenient or problematic for us? Does everything have to fit into a perfect timetable? We don’t want anything awkward some may say. But is this always possible?
C. Jesus’ response reminds us that there is urgency about our relationship with Him. Being a disciple demands an immediate response. Jesus’ response is a sobering one at that! Not even something as important as arranging and attending your parent’s funeral should keep you from responding.
The point the Savior is making is a profound one – The Kingdom of God cannot wait until you fulfill lesser responsibilities. There will always be commitments demanding our time, our attention, and our resources. The issue we must address is our priorities – what is the most important? What is your first love? Where is your passion?
3. “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus replied. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
A. We need a total focus to the task at hand. Proclaiming and sharing the truth of the Gospel, and then reaching out to our neighbors and friends with the message of the cross. Paul said, “I desire to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
B. We need to keep our focus on Christ. May the main thing always be - the main thing. There needs to be a singleness of purpose in our lives. No one who plows looks back! The eye is on the goal ahead. You cannot go back. Paul would remind us, “One thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind…” A true disciples has a one track mind, there is one purpose in life, one task, one devotion – the person Jesus Christ.
What is your purpose in life? Follow the example of Christ He knew where He was going and His mission and why He was doing it. He had a total commitment to the Father’s call to be the world’s Savior. He gave us these words “when the days drew near for Him to be received up.” (Vs. 51) He knew the time was short, that His days were numbered, that He must work while it was day for soon of night of Calvary would come. His mission was to give His life as a ransom for the sin of the world. Your mission is to share His story with those whom the Lord places into your life.
1. “I will follow you wherever you go” – Such a bold statement! One of unswerving and unwavering faith! Yet, consider the response the Savior gives this bold confession: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
A. I will follow so long as I am not inconvenienced. I’ll follow You Lord as a disciple - as long as my creature comforts are not compromised. I will follow - as long as I do not have to get involved in the lives and concerns of others.
B. What this excuse says loud and clear is - don’t make discipleship too difficult. This could happen when one might complain that the service went over an hour. Yet would we even blink an eye if a Wizards game, for example, went into extra innings? Or if we limit our time of discipleship to a few hours a month have we become overly taxed?
2. The 2nd excuses “Let me burry my father” – Jesus responds by saying, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
A. Do not allow personal relationships to get in the way.
B. Do we not want anything to be inconvenient or problematic for us? Does everything have to fit into a perfect timetable? We don’t want anything awkward some may say. But is this always possible?
C. Jesus’ response reminds us that there is urgency about our relationship with Him. Being a disciple demands an immediate response. Jesus’ response is a sobering one at that! Not even something as important as arranging and attending your parent’s funeral should keep you from responding.
The point the Savior is making is a profound one – The Kingdom of God cannot wait until you fulfill lesser responsibilities. There will always be commitments demanding our time, our attention, and our resources. The issue we must address is our priorities – what is the most important? What is your first love? Where is your passion?
3. “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus replied. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
A. We need a total focus to the task at hand. Proclaiming and sharing the truth of the Gospel, and then reaching out to our neighbors and friends with the message of the cross. Paul said, “I desire to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
B. We need to keep our focus on Christ. May the main thing always be - the main thing. There needs to be a singleness of purpose in our lives. No one who plows looks back! The eye is on the goal ahead. You cannot go back. Paul would remind us, “One thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind…” A true disciples has a one track mind, there is one purpose in life, one task, one devotion – the person Jesus Christ.
What is your purpose in life? Follow the example of Christ He knew where He was going and His mission and why He was doing it. He had a total commitment to the Father’s call to be the world’s Savior. He gave us these words “when the days drew near for Him to be received up.” (Vs. 51) He knew the time was short, that His days were numbered, that He must work while it was day for soon of night of Calvary would come. His mission was to give His life as a ransom for the sin of the world. Your mission is to share His story with those whom the Lord places into your life.
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