Luke 14:25-35
Are you willing to sacrifice all?
Almighty and eternal
God, you know our problems and our weakness better than ourselves. In your love
and by your power help us in our confusion and, in spite of our weakness, make
us firm in faith; through Jesus Christ our LORD.
Problems, weaknesses, confusion, turmoil. These are but a few
word, which might describe our lives in a fallen world outside of Eden. Thus,
we ask the LORD to make us firm in faith. To hold fast to Him. To live with Him
forever.
The appointed lessons for today call us to total commitment
to the will of God. The Gospel reminds us to count the cost of being Christian,
because the cost is extremely high. “None
of you…” says the Savior “can become
my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions!”
The LORD’s holiness and perfection demands absolute and
unequivocal commitment and service. Clearly, only those who are perfect can
stand before the LORD. All others will perish.
This discipleship of which Jesus speaks, demands total
renunciation; family, fame, fortune, and of course, self-actualization is gone!
Consider those Jesus excludes. He says, “He
cannot be my disciple.”
Discipleship is far from free. On three occasions, Jesus will
simply say, “He cannot be my disciple!”
Notice, the final, definite, categorical…”cannot.”
You cannot be a disciple.
These are truly difficult words. What does the Savior mean
here? You cannot be a disciple unless…
1.
You
love Him more than family
2.
You
bear the a cross of adversity
3. You make Him your chief treasure
You cannot love Him
more than family. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his
father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters- yes, even
his own life – he cannot be My disciple.” V. 26
Jesus makes a vivid assertion. He uses an overstatement to
teach a profound truth. One must love Jesus even more than his immediate
family. Christ must stand at the center
of your very life. He desires your
complete devotion, and loyalty. In a word, complete commitment.
Are you willing to sacrifice all? Christ Jesus has paid the
cost of discipleship for you. For such a sacrifice is impossible except that
Christ Jesus has already paid that cost with His life.
Jesus was the one who was ridiculed, mocked, rejected. Jesus
was the one ridiculed mocked, rejected from the cross. “He saved other, he cannot save himself.” The world mocking says, “You did not consider the cost.” Jesus is the one who went against legions as
an army of one. He knew the cost. He understood the sacrifice. He entered the
fray prepared for battle and went to war willingly for you.
Your commitment to Christ comes from His commitment to you.
In the book of Malachi He reassures us of His love when He writes, “I have loved you.” Says the Lord. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’
Was not Esau Jacob’s
brother?” the Lord
says, “you I have loved Jacob.” –
Malachi 1:2-3
When Jesus says, “hate
his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes,
even his own life…” He is saying that we are to love Him even more. We are
to love Him more than family. More than relationships. More than even
ourselves.
Transition: You cannot be a disciple unless you love Him more
than family. You cannot be a disciple unless you bear a cross of adversity.
You bear a cross of
adversity. –“And anyone who does not carry his cross and
follow Me cannot be My disciple.”
Jesus would earlier say, “If
anyone would come after Me, be must deny himself and take up his cross daily
and follow me.” – Luke 9:23
To follow Jesus requires self-denial, complete dedication,
total obedience. He is the focal point of your salvation. Christ must be at the
center of everything we in this parish do or say.
It is prescribed, “daily.” Luke emphasizes continued action. We do not
follow when we get around to it. When it is convenient, or when Christ fits
into our busy schedule.
The disciples of Jesus were much aware of what the term “a
cross” meant. Hundreds of men had been executed by this means in their region.
The cross was an instrument of death. The cross symbolizes
the necessity of total commitment – even unto death.
Such is the vow you took on the day of your confirmation. And
in the spring of the year, the confirmation class of 2023 will make a similar
vow of faith:
“Do you intent to
continue steadfast in the confession of this church, and suffer all, even
death, rather than fall away from it?”
The answer, “I do so
intend, with the help of God.”
Your response to that question helps us see where our
commitments lie. It is based not on our good intentions, not on our willingness
to get serious with God. Rather, it is based on Christ getting serious with
you.
It is done, “with the
help of God.” It is done with His
commitment to you by going to the bloody and cruel cross to suffer and die for
all of your sin.
Transition: To be a disciple you must love Christ more than
anyone or anything else. You must bear the cross of adversity. You do this by
making Christ your chief treasure.
You make Christ your
chief treasure. – “In the same way, any of you who does not
give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.” Vs 33
The cost, Jesus explains is total commitment. It is complete
surrender to Christ.
Again. By ourselves, we cannot do this. Our sin rises against
us. We are intent on pursuing our own agendas, our own interests, our own
plans.
The LORD instills in us his own Spirit. It is the Spirit of
Christ, the Holy Spirit, which calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies and keeps
us in the faith. This causes us to think and consider what Jesus expects of
us. Our will, our all, our love, our
serving.
In exchange, we receive the Father’s gifts; forgiveness,
life, salvation.
As a builder estimates the costs and
as a king evaluates the strength of his military, so we consider the cost of
following Christ. The stakes are high, and the outcome is serious stuff. Know
what you are getting into before you commit. And as you do; never look back!
Words- 1,125
Passive Sentences – 6%
Readability – 75.3%
Reading Level – 5.2
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