A True Christian

A True Christian

Central idea: Many Christians have no idea of what following Christ means.

Specific purpose: to communicate to the congregation the true cost of Discipleship

The inspiration for this sermon is Charles H. Spureon sermon “Counting the Cost”.

Luke 14:25-35, 25 Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, 26 “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my Disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my Disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33 So therefore, none of you can become my Disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. 24 “Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”

In the Grand Teton Mountains of Wyoming is the Bridger Wilderness Area. It is one of the most beautiful and majestic parks in the world. The following are actual responses from visitors' comment cards given to staff members of the Bridger Wilderness area:

- Too many [mosquitoes, chiggers, ticks] bugs, leeches, spiders and spider webs; please spray the wilderness to rid the area of these pests.

- Please, reconstruct the trails avoiding building trails that go uphill.

- Please, pave the trails. Chair lifts need to be in some places so that we can get to the wonderful views without having to hike to them.

- Escalators would help on the steep uphill sections.

- A McDonald’s at the trailhead would be nice.

- Coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annoying animals.

- A small bear came into my camp and stole a jar of my pickles. Is there a way to be reimbursed? Please call.

A. The folks that made these comments just do not sound like real campers. They sound like city folks looking for some beautiful, idealized encounter.

B. I meet many Christians who seem to want some kind of beautiful, idealized encounter with Christ. These folks do not have any idea of what following Christ means.

I. Whether you are thinking about becoming a Christian or have been a Christian for many years, you need to understand what it means to be a Christian, a Disciple of Christ.

A. I use the term Disciple as a synonym for Christian. The Book of Acts says that we were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26). Prior to that, you were Disciples of Christ. After Antioch, the Bible still most often refers to Christians as Disciples. Indeed, my King James concordance shows that the term Christian occurs only 3 times in the New Testament while the term Disciple occurs 255 times. In sum, if you describe yourself a Christian, you are telling the world that you are a Disciple of Christ.

B. In your scripture today, verse 27, “and whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” This is serious. You cannot be a True Christian, a true Disciple, unless you pick up your cross and follow Christ.

C. God’s Grace, your salvation, cost you nothing. You cannot buy salvation with money; you cannot earn salvation with works, with vows or penances. It is free. However, do not confuse your salvation with what is to come after you accept Christ as your Savior: your Great Commission “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Christ asks you, His Disciples, to join Him in the joy of His works.

1. Luke says that “large crowds” followed Jesus. Jesus “turned to them” and asked them to count the cost of being a Disciple. Jesus was not talking to people who were hostile or uninterested in His message. These people were “traveling with Jesus.”