A. The story is told of a pig and a chicken who were walking down the road one day.
1. As they passed a church, they notice that a potluck charity breakfast was under way.
2. Caught up in the spirit, the pig suggested to the chicken that they each make a contribution.
3. “Great Idea!” the chicken cried. “Let’s give them ham and eggs!”
4. “Not so fast.” said the pig. “For you, that’s just a contribution, but for me, it’s a total commitment.”
5. Let me ask you this question: with regard to your commitment as a Christian, are you more like the chicken or the pig?
B. Now, let me tell you about the Bridger Wilderness Area that is located in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming – from this picture, you can see that this is a beautiful place!
1. It is comprised of over 400 thousand acres and has 600 miles of hiking and climbing trails.
2. The highest peak in the area is Gannett Peak at 23,809 feet tall.
3. No motorized or mechanized vehicles, including bikes, are allowed in the park.
4. Let me share with you some actual responses from comment cards given to the staff members at Bridger Wilderness Area:
a. Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill.
b. There are too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the areas of these pests.
c. Please pave the trails…Chair lifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views without having to hike to them.
d. The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annoying animals.
e. A small deer came into my camp and stole my jar of pickles. Is there a way I can get reimbursed? Please call…
f. Escalators would help on steep uphill sections.
g. A McDonald’s would be nice at the trailhead.
h. There are too many rocks in the mountains. (Mike Neifert, Light and Life (Feb. 97), p. 27
5. These comments and complaints indicate that the people who made them do not really understand what it means to stay in a “wilderness area.”
a. They were looking for something convenient and comfortable, but not truly a wilderness experience.
6. In a similar way, many people today do not understand what it means to be a genuine Christian.
a. There are multitudes that often follow Jesus or claim to be a Christian but they do so on their terms and not on Jesus’ terms.
b. They do not truly comprehend the biblical definition of discipleship.
C. Last week, we began a sermon series called “A Healthy Church,” and I spoke on that topic.
1. In that sermon, I encouraged us to take a look at where we have been, as a congregation, and where we are going.
2. I suggested that healthy churches will be growing churches, just like healthy plants grow.
3. I went on to cover some myths about growth and growing churches.
4. In the midst of that lesson I suggested that there are five elements that need to be functioning for a church to be healthy and growing.
a. Those five elements are discipleship, fellowship, worship, ministry, and evangelism.
5. Today I want us to begin focusing on the first element - discipleship.
6. God desires that we grow deeper through discipleship.
D. But, what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?
1. In Luke 14:25-35, Jesus makes it very clear what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
2. So, let’s take a look at how Jesus defined discipleship, but before we do, allow me to explain the word “disciple” which is repeated several times in the passage in Luke 14.
3. A disciple is a true follower of Jesus Christ.
a. In other words, a “disciple” is what we would call a “Christian.”
b. If you are a Christian, then you are a disciple; if you are not a disciple as Jesus defines it then you are not a Christian.
c. These two terms (Disciple and Christian) mean the same thing in the same way that I can speak of my “spouse” or my “wife.”
4. The term “disciple” occurs 269 times in the New Testament, while the term “Christian” only occurs three times.
a. In the Book of Acts we’re told that “The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26).”
b. This makes clear that the terms are interchangeable.
5. Both terms describe someone who is committed to following the teachings of Jesus.
E. With that brief explanation let’s now work through Luke 14:25-35.
1. Let’s start with verses 25-27: 25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “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. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
2. The first thing I want us to notice is to whom Jesus is speaking these words about being his disciple.
a. Luke notes specifically that “large crowds” were following Jesus and that Jesus specifically “turned to them” and elaborated on being a disciple.
b. Jesus was not talking to those who were antagonistic towards him or to those who were uninterested in his life and message.
c. No, these were people who were “traveling with the Jesus.”
d. These folks were positive in their attitude toward Jesus.
e. They were interested in what he had to say.
3. But, they apparently mistook this positive attitude and interest in Jesus for true discipleship, as many people do today.
a. They considered themselves to be followers of Jesus, but in reality they were only casual followers and not committed followers.
b. They were willing and even anxious to follow Jesus providing the cost was not too high or the demands too great.
c. They were like many people today who do “Christian things” like go to church, pray, or sing Christian songs, but are not really committed to Jesus.
d. In a sense they were “along for the ride,” but were unwilling to give up everything in their lives that conflicted with following Jesus in a committed way.
e. They were like many today who look to Jesus to solve their money problems, relationship problems, health problems, etc., but who quickly grow disillusioned and unwilling to obey Jesus completely when following Jesus doesn’t solve these problems or following Jesus requires real sacrifices in their lives.
f. These “large crowds” were casual followers and not committed followers, which are we?
F. Notice that in verse 26, Jesus says that this commitment level applies to “anyone who comes to me...”
1. In other words, Jesus is not speaking exclusively to a special group of Christians such as apostles, evangelists, missionaries, preachers, or even mature believers.
2. He is saying that this principle applies to everyone who would be one of His followers.
G. In verses 26 and 27, He explained in vivid and clear terms what it means to be a disciple of His.
1. To summarize Jesus’ basic message about discipleship in these two verses is this: to be a disciple of Jesus a person must be committed to Him above everything else.
2. Jesus explained, “Anyone who comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters, - yes, even his own life cannot be my disciple.”
3. When Jesus used the word “hate” here in this passage, it is not meant to be taken literally, but is rather used figuratively to express a point.
a. It is hyperbole or exaggeration similar to what we use when we say, “That NFL lineman is big as a house.” We don’t mean that he was literally “as big as a house.”
b. In Jewish culture the word “hate” was used to express lesser love, so Jesus was saying that we must love Him much more than we love our closest family relationships.
c. And in comparison to our love for Jesus our love for these other people look like “hate.”
4. Jesus was certainly not speaking of our emotional feelings toward Him or our families, but rather He was speaking of our level of commitment.
a. He was saying that our commitment to obey and follow him must be greater than any other commitment in our lives.
b. In other words, Jesus must be first in our priorities and loyalties.
5. For instance, if following Jesus obediently results in problems or interferes with our closest relationships, will we still follow him?
a. This is no mere hypothetical situation.
b. For many people, following Jesus can sometimes mean being kicked out of the family, losing their status in a community, or losing their friends.
c. And for some, they experience challenges in their marriage when one spouse is a committed Christian and the other is not.
d. In such cases, Jesus wants us to know up front what it means to be a disciple.
e. Jesus must come before even our closest relationships.
H. Additionally, we must not only love or be committed to Jesus more than to our loved ones, but we must also be committed to him above “even our own lives” as Jesus says in verse 26.
1. This refers to our physical lives which we must be willing to surrender for Jesus’ sake.
2. It also refers to our self-lives, which means our personal desires, goals, interests, and even needs.
3. We must be committed to Jesus above our bank accounts, our public image, our jobs, every personal desire, etc.
4. If following Jesus means forfeiting these things, then we must be willing to do that.
5. Again this is not a hypothetical situation. Following Jesus will many times mean making such sacrifices.
I. In verse 27, Jesus used a metaphor to reemphasize this point.
1. Everyone present that day when Jesus spoke these words was familiar with what Jesus was referring to when he talked about “carrying his cross.”
2. The cross was a cruel form of punishment used by the Romans.
a. The criminal was forced to “carry his cross” to the place of execution.
b. Everyone knew that this person was saying “goodbye” to everything.
c. There would be no turning back or coming back.
3. Jesus used this vivid illustration with the intent of showing us that following him requires that same kind of saying “goodbye” to our own will and desires because of our commitment to Him.
J. Sometimes people are confused by this requirement of total commitment that is required to be a follower of Jesus.
1. They wonder of this isn’t contradictory to the truth that salvation is a free gift of God.
2. How can it be a free gift and yet cost us our whole selves?
3. Perhaps an illustration may help to clarify this confusion.
4. Let’s suppose I had a desire to climb Mount Everest. (I don’t have such a desire and I think that those who do have a screw loose.)
a. But suppose that I did desire to climb Everest.
b. In reality it costs about $70,000 to do it and I don’t have that kind of money.
c. But suppose a wealthy businessman heard of my desire and offered to pay for the entire expedition.
d. He would buy all the expensive clothing and gear; he would pay for my transportation, the guides, and the training.
e. Monetarily, it would be totally free for me.
f. But if I accept his free offer, I have just committed myself to months or years of difficult training and arduous effort.
g. It could even cost me my very life, because many good climbers die trying to climb Mount Everest.
5. Do you see how it is a free gift and yet it is very costly? (Source: The Cost of Discipleship, www.fcfonline.org/80199.htm, Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 1999, All Rights Reserved).
K. Let’s move on to verses 28-33. Here we see that Jesus gave two illustrations: 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not 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, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
1. In these two illustrations, Jesus is expressing one simple but pertinent point.
a. His point is that just like it is prudent to consider the cost involved in building a tower or going to war before jumping in with both feet, so it is prudent and necessary to take in to account the cost and commitment necessary to follow Jesus.
b. Jesus doesn’t want people to make a commitment to him without completely understanding what is involved in this decision.
c. Jesus does not want a half-hearted, blind commitment that expects only easy paths and blessings, but doesn’t understand the costs and challenges.
2. Several years back, there was a commercial on TV that showed a man sitting in the chair at a tattoo parlor expressing his love to Donna by getting her name tattooed on his arm.
a. Halfway through the procedure he asked how much it will cost, $50.00 was the total.
b. The man pulled out his cash, and said, “But, I only have $41.”
c. The next seen showed the couple outside the tattoo parlor with Donna storming off, and with her boyfriend yelling after her, “I’ll get it fixed.”
d. The camera then zoomed onto the tattoo which read, “I love Don”
3. That commercial illustrates the foolishness of considering the cost of something so irrevocable halfway through.
a. A person should consider the cost prior to making the commitment.
b. Jesus wants us ask ourselves, “Am I in this for the long haul?”
c. Jesus asks us, “Are you willing to follow me no matter what happens or what you’re required to give up?”
d. That’s what it means to be a disciple of Jesus!
L. Unlike many people today, including many preachers who are only interested in large crowds, Jesus wasn’t interested in numbers.
1. Large crowds didn’t impress him, but what he wanted was totally committed people.
a. Jesus didn’t want crowds, he wanted commitment!
2. Sadly, the condition of much of the church today indicates there are many who are just part of the crowd and are not true disciples.
a. Their total commitment is lacking even though a profession of faith is present.
b. This is why polls repeatedly show little difference between the way the world lives and the way professed Christians live.
c. Next week, Lord willing, we will talk about what discipleship should look like in a practical way.
d. The life of a true disciple of Jesus must look very different than the life of a worldly person.
M. In verse 33, Jesus once again made clear the cost of following him.
1. He said that the disciple must be willing “to give up everything.”
2. Everything is a very inclusive word, isn’t it? Everything means everything!
3. Now we may not literally “give up everything,” but Jesus is referring to an attitude of the heart in which these things don’t have priority over obeying Jesus in our lives.
4. The Greek word translated as “give up” can also be translated as “say goodbye or renounce.”
5. In other words, Jesus says that we must be willing to renounce or forsake anything when it interferes with following him faithfully and completely.
N. The section ends with Jesus giving another illustration: 34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
1. Salt was routinely used by Jesus in figurative ways because of the high value people placed on salt in ancient times.
a. Salt was used as a preservative, flavoring, and as a fertilizer.
2. Salt in this case represents a person’s commitment to Jesus. When that commitment is complete then the “salt is good.”
a. This means that the Christian’s life will have a positive useful purpose in the same way is good salt did for the people in Jesus’ day.
3. Salt in Jesus day wasn’t pure like salt is today, so it could by various means “lose its saltiness.”
a. If this happened, then the remaining product had the appearance of salt but with none of the benefits.
b. It could not even be used for fertilizer or as Jesus says, “It is fit neither for the soil or the manure pile.” In other words it was useless in every respect.
4. Jesus was saying that people who follow him without total commitment are like that salt that has lost its saltiness.
a. They may have the appearance of being His disciples and they may go through the motions, but they cannot be used in the kingdom as a Christian should.
b. This half-hearted commitment will not work in the same way salt that has lost saltiness is of no use.
5. Jesus concluded by saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
a. He said this to remind us of our responsibility to listen and respond to this difficult message.
b. The teaching is not difficult to understand, but it is difficult to accept and to practice.
O. Leadership magazine once ran this cartoon that showed a church building with a billboard in front that said: “The LITE CHURCH: 24% fewer commitments, home of the 7.5% tithe, 15 minute sermons, 45 minute worship service; we have only 8 commandments—your choice. We use just 3 spiritual laws and have an 800 year millennium. Everything you’ve wanted in a church … and less!” (Source: Leadership Summer, 1983, p. 81).
1. This cartoon may present what people are looking for in a church, but to be a disciple of Jesus one must be totally committed.
a. The church that Jesus built is not “church lite!”
2. We need to understand and embrace what a Christian is as Jesus defined it.
3. The question we need ask ourselves is not: “Am I able to follow Jesus completely?
4. Rather we need to ask ourselves: “Am I willing to follow Jesus completely?”
5. All of us are human beings, and we will sometimes fail in our commitment to following Jesus the way we should, but the thing Jesus is confronting here is not our ability, but our willingness and commitment to follow him with our whole hearts.
P. Jesus hasn’t issued a call for “consumers of religion” or “inspiration junkies.”
1. Jesus calls people to be his disciples.
2. Discipleship isn’t optional for those who want to be saved, it is mandatory.
3. Discipleship is a divine challenge that makes everything about life here and now meaningful.
4. Jesus is calling us to be devoted men and women who will join him in the difficult task of building his church.
5. We must be willing to pay any price as we become what he has called us to be, and as we follow-through with what he has told us to do.
Q. I trust that when you committed your life to the Lord, you meant it.
1. I trust that all of us who took up our cross and began following Jesus, did so in good faith.
2. But it is so easy to get side-tracked.
3. We are so easily lulled into spiritual laziness and sinful entanglement. Right?
4. But God wants more and better from us than that. Don’t you agree?
R. We will be a healthier church as all of us are better disciples.
1. Next week I want us to return to this subject and look more closely at the specifics of discipleship.
2. But for now I simply challenge us to reflect on our commitment to Christ.
3. How seriously are we really taking our walk with Christ and our engagement in His mission?
4. Are we putting anything or anyone ahead of our commitment to Jesus?
5. If we are or do, then we cannot be a disciple of Jesus!
Resource:
Growing Deeper through Discipleship by David Owens
Defining Discipleship by Larry Sarver, SermonCentral.com
