Scripture: Luke 14:25-33
Title: Discipleship - It's Not What You May Think
Proposition: In this passage Jesus shares with us the true meaning of what it takes to be His Disciple. It's not an A, B, C formula.
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God our Father and from His Son Jesus Christ who came to take away the sins of the world!
Recently, we all enjoyed watching the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil. We enjoyed watching such great athletes like Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky and Usian Bolt compete against the world's best and win. Their abilities inspire us as we watch them do impossible feats. We may even want to emulate them. What we probably wouldn't want to do is to endure all the countless hours of exercise and training that they have endured. We watch them compete and we think it's all raw talent. We don't see the thousands of hours that they have spent in the gym, at the track or in the pool.
Did you know on average Michael Phelps would swim between 40 to 50 miles every week? In a year's time that over 2,000 miles swimming. Did you know that Simone would spend over 6 hours in intense training six days a week every week? And that is just a part of their daily regime. They had to eat special diets, live apart from other people and sacrifice years of their lives to get to be the best in the world. We get to see the end of their sacrifice, not to daily toil and grind it requires.
Could you imagine sitting down with Michael Phelps at the age of 7 years of age (when he started swimming ) and telling him that it would take over 40,000 hours of study, resistance training and swimming for him to be the GOAT? And that all he would have to do is to swim somewhere around 30,000 miles ? Can you imagine sitting down little eight year old Simone Biles and telling her that all she would have to do is train six days a week twice a day - three hours in the morning and then four hours in the afternoon and she might have a chance to be on the Olympic team?
We can guess what would have happened if anyone would have had those conversations with either one of them. No doubt their little eyes would have glassed over. You might as well been trying to teach them Boolean algebra. No normal seven year old or eight year old child would be able to fully understand the commitment, the sweat, blood and tears it would take to achieve Olympic greatness. Any more than any of us could have at that age or perhaps even at our present age.
In a similar fashion, how many of you could have handled it at the age of 20, 30 or even 40 if someone had told you that in order to drive a car over your life time you were going to have to spend about 200,000.00? And yet, according to AAA and other motorist studies that is exactly what the average driver in America will spend over their lifetime on a car including the cost of the cars, gasoline, maintenance and insurance. By the way, that's a conservative figure.
What about a family? According to the government a car is economical compared to raising a family. To raise a couple of children today in the USA the average family will be shelling out over 450 - 500,000 dollars and that is only up to the age of 18. Can you imagine sitting down with a couple in their 20's and telling them that in order for them to have a car and a couple of children they need conservatively around 750,000 give or take a dollar or two?
That's just the financial side of the equation. Think about the multitude of hours it takes to earn that kind of money. Think about the multitude of hours it takes to raise a family. Even though we may think that we know what it takes when we are in our teens, 20's and even 30's it is only when you are older and begin to reflect that you take stock of just what it costs to own a car, a home and a family.
The same thing happened when Jesus started sharing the cost of what it would take to be His disciple. I am sure those that heard Him talking that day went a little glassy eyed. Even today, it is hard for us to meaning the core meaning of this passage. One thing we do know is that Jesus isn't giving us a list of do's and don'ts in this passage. He isn't saying - Here is the deal. It is going to take A, B and C. Now, sit down and write that down. Then go over there and decide if it is all worth it. Decide if you are willing to do all those things. If you are then hitch up your saddle and let's go.
If we read this passage that way we are going to miss out on the adventure of a life time and end up in a self-righteousness trap. We will begin to think that all it will take is some hard work and effort. That true disciples are made by simply doing A, B, and C.
Pastor Jeff Dunn in his Blog- A Most Misunderstood Parable give us some keen insight into this passage. He warns us that if we are not careful we will think that this parable is teaching us something that could be put on a bumper sticker or a T-shirt - "IF IT IS TO BE, IT'S UP TO ME." We are to read this passage, look over our lives and decide if or not we want to do all the work. We are the ones in the driver's seat. It all depends on us - our motivation, our commitment and our work ethic. But that is not what Jesus is teaching. He is teaching us something radically different.
How then did we ever begin reading this passage incorrectly? How did we ever think that we could in our own strength be able to actually do A, B, and C and therefore be a great disciple. After all, it is possible to read this passage and concur that all it takes is:
A. Putting Jesus 1st - that is the "hating" others and ourselves part.
B. Picking up our cross and following Him
C. Renouncing all our goods
That's Christianity 101 in a nut shell. Do those three things. Go and be the Church. We are dismissed this morning. Wait! Hold on a second!
No, that is not what Jesus is telling us in this passage. To attempt to live that message will lead us at best to works righteousness and at worst to self-idolatry.
Reading this passage incorrectly has made others believe that there are different tiers in the Christian life. They believe that after reading what they see as Jesus' formula for discipleship that Jesus must have been talking to those who are specially called, those who are retired or those who will one day live in monasteries and/or convents. Many believe that those individuals are the only ones that can truly 1. Put Jesus First 2. Carry a cross 3. Renounce all their earthly goods.
Everyone else has to be happy with just being a "regular" Christian. Regular Christianity is for regular people who have secular jobs and who have families to feed. Regular Christians have to satisfied with another level of discipleship. One only has to be as committed as much as their job or their family obligations allow. That real discipleship stuff is for those other people.
However, let's take another look at this passage. We see that Jesus offers only one invitation: Follow Me. Pick Up Your Cross. Renounce your possessions.
Jesus is not offering a discipleship that has terms like some tiered gym membership or an Airline Club. If you are a frequent flyer on Airlines you can choose to become a Premium Club member, a Star Alliance Gold Member or a United Club Member. Each one provides a certain level of flying experience with a Premium Club member being the best.
Jesus doesn't have a Gold Club, Silver Club or even a Bronze Club. Jesus has only one Discipleship Club.
Only there is one small but very important hitch. We can't. That' right. We can't. That is to say, we can't get in on our own effort, commitment or determination. That is Jesus whole message. No matter how hard we try we can't get in Jesus discipleship club on our own merit.
So, why does Jesus tell us this parable in verses 30 -33? Isn't it so we can do a personal spiritual inventory? Isn't so we will understand that we " don't begin what we can't finish"? Isn't it so we will understand that we should "count the cost so we don't end up short"? Isn't that the messages we are to receive when we read this passage?
Don't be confused. Jesus wasn't laying out for us these great models of discipleship. Just the opposite. The whole tenor of God's Word is against building self-made towers and going to battle to kill people. We read this passage and forget the whole story of the Tower of Babel and the Cain and Abel story. Why in the world would Jesus point towards a tower and war as positive metaphors?
That's just it. He wouldn't. And He didn't. Biblical faith isn't about a faith that builds towers or seeks way to destroy its foes. Biblical faith isn't being able to be committed enough, dedicated enough or being willing to embrace abject poverty.
Who among us this morning when we really think about it, has the talent, the skill or even the commitment to truly follow Jesus. How many in their own strength can denounce your family, pick up your cross and renounce all your earthly treasures? Could you do it for a year? How about a month? A week? Let's talk about a day?
We may like to think that we could. We may even imagine ourselves doing just that. In Mark 10, the Apostle Pete thought he already had done A, B, and C. But if that is the case what happened in the courtyard after Jesus' arrest? And what happened on the sea shore after Jesus rose from the dead? And what happened when Peter faced some heat by sitting with some Gentiles in Galatians chapter 2?
The reality and the message of this passage this morning is that no one besides Jesus possessed the skill, the commitment or even the will power to do A, B or C. We don't have the ability to put God first, to pick up a cross or to completely renounce our earthly treasures.
And that is the message that Jesus is telling this crowd of people. You can't sit under a tree, count up the cost and then sign up. You can't try to figure it all out. That's not the way we follow Jesus. That is not what it means to be a Christ disciple.
Over the years I have enjoyed watching young couples try to do the same thing when it comes to getting married or having their first child. They think that if they plan well enough then everything will come out okay. They decide that they will wait until they have enough money to get a home, to get a car etc... then they will get married. Or they will wait until they get a certain age, have their careers under their belts, have some money set the side then they will start a family.
Does it help to plan? Of course it does! Does it help to know that Jesus is serious about discipleship? Of course it does. In fact, it helps more than we realize. But we can't plan out our Christian walk. We simply repent, receive forgiveness, grace and mercy and begin to walk with Jesus. We spend the rest of our lives getting Jesus dust on the bottom of our clothes.
That's right. Our passage is not a story of counting the cost. It's a story of taking a leap of faith and following Jesus. It's a story whose only plan is to receive Jesus' forgiveness and then put one foot in front of the other and walk with Him. He will led the way. All we have to do is be obedient and listen. Obedience will enable us to hear the LORD.
It's the story of us bringing our water to Jesus and watching him make wine. Then taking that wine and sharing it with others so that we all can rejoice in God's love, mercy and grace. It's the story of us bringing our lunch pails of fishes and loaves and then co-partnering with Him as we meet the needs of thousands. It's the story of us putting our trust in him and co-partnering with Him in bring healing and wholeness into the lives of the broken and broken hearted.
The point Jesus is making here is simple: We can't do it. We can't put Him #1. We can't carry a cross. We can't even renounce all of our earthy possessions. If you don't believe me go ahead - try it.
What we can do is put ourselves in His care. What we can do is daily surrender ourselves to Jesus. What we can do is to become Jesus' sheep. Then we take one step at a time. We go forward. We go backwards. We repent. We go forward. We move closer. We rest in Him. We trust Him. We follow Him. We spend time with Him. He lead - we follow. We obey - He speaks - we obey some more.
You see that's the key. The key isn't counting the cost. The key is counting the cost if we try to do it on our own. The key is counting the cost if we don't surrender to Jesus. The key is counting the cost if we don't take a leap of faith day after day after day.
The cost of a good marriage is giving yourself over to another person each and every day of your life. The more you do and be with that person the more you enjoy your marriage. The less you do and be with that person the more marriage becomes a duty.
The cost of a good family is giving yourself over to your family. The more you let go the more you enjoy your family.
The cost of following Jesus is the same. Just daily follow Him.
Through His Holy Spirit, Jesus will show us what to do during those test times to make sure He is# 1 in our lives. We will all face our wilderness times of temptations and testing. The Holy Spirit will help us experience oneness.
The Holy Spirit will show us the cross that we have to bear. We will all face our dark nights of the soul and our own Gardens of Gethsemanes. The Holy Spirit's infilling will help us to say - Not my will but Your Will Lord.
The Holy Spirit will even show us how to use our earthly treasures for the Kingdom of Heaven. We will be ask by the Holy Spirit to share in order that other's need will be meet. That is not a responsibility as much as it is co-partnering with the LORD.
This morning, Jesus is looking for walkers. He is looking for those who will simply put their hand in His hand and walk with Him. He is looking for people who are willing to take a step of faith each day. He is looking for people who are poor in spirit, who understand that they have nothing to bring but themselves and what God has put in their hands. He is looking for people who will say "LORD, I BELIEVE, HELP MY UNBELIEF."
I wish I could give you a list of ways you could astound Jesus. I wish I could give you a spiritual calculator that you could plug in your name and then see all the different things that Jesus requires of you. But I can't. All I can say is "FOLLOW HIM", "BELIEVE IN HIM" "OBEY HIM" "LISTEN TO HIM". He will lead you. He will show you how to live in Him and for Him.
One of the greatest men who ever walked our earth was an individual by the name of Abraham. We find his story in the book of Genesis. In Genesis chapter 12 we read how Abraham was called out of a life of idolatry. Jewish tradition tells us that Abraham's family worshipped nature - the sun, the moon and the stars. For the first sixty years of his life Abraham was raised in that culture and no doubt participated in that culture.
It is out of that culture that he and his family are called. They are called to worship and serve the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. Under Terah's (Abraham's father) leadership they begin their walk of discipleship. However, when they arrived in Haran they decided to put down roots. They decided that they couldn't follow God any longer. They decided to settle down and sadly began to serve the gods of the Canaanites.
Abraham chose differently. He knew that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY was the only way. He knew that without God he was nothing. Oh, he had a lot of earthly treasures but he knew all of that was rust and dust. He knew that there existed a void in his life that only the LORD GOD AMIGHTY could fill. So, he steps out and follows God. He doesn't know the cost. He had no idea what it would mean to follow God. He had no idea what cross he would have to bear or what treasures he would place in God's hands. All he knew to do was simply follow the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
Abraham had no clue that he would spend the rest of his life living in a tent and traveling all over in a land that he would never own. He had no clue that it would be another 30 - 40 years before Sarah would have the child God promised. He had no idea that one day God would test his love through that son. Abraham simply had no idea. All he knew to do was to tell God he would obey him whatever God said. Abraham learned how to obey before he listened. Obedience precedes hearing is the normal way our God does things.
Did Abraham ever mess up? Ever heard of a man named Ishmael? Was Abraham perfect? Ever hear of Abimelech or even Keturah?
So, why is Abraham considered the father of the faithful? Because when God said move, Abraham already had his tents on the backs of his camels. In the midst of his humanness, Abraham did his best to follow God. He knew God was more than his riches. He knew God was more than his own life. Abraham simply followed God.
He didn't try to build towers or plan on killing everyone around him. He did build altars and water wells. He did build places where he could spend time with God and places where he could receive God's living water.
This morning, we can look at this passage and see it as a passage that is all about sacrifice, work, energy and practice. We can see it as a sign that we all must do our best to be our best. We can see it and think - Great Discipleship is by doing A, B and C. We can think that if it is to be then it is up to me.
Or we can realize that it's a passage that tells us that we can't do it on our own. We can't build towers. We can't go to war. We can't make God #1. We can't carry our own cross. We can't renounce anything.
All we can do is put ourselves in God's Hands. Through His Holy Spirit He will show us how to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul. Through His Holy Spirit He will help us know what it means to carry our own cross and do so. Through His Holy He will show us how to lay down our possessions at His feet.
This morning as we close we do so with an invitation to His Table. The Lord's table teaches us that all we can bring is ourselves. All we can do is receive. We receive the grace that comes through the taking of His body and blood. We receive His presence. We receive Him.
It is by receiving Him that we are able to live like Him. We are able through the infilling of His Holy Spirit to live the life He died for us to live. Will it take sacrifice, energy, patience and commitment? Yes, but those things are by products of His Holy Spirit working in our life. Those things are the gifts that come through His cleansing, transforming and infusing grace, love and mercy.
Our part is to simply follow. To obey, hear and do. To take a leap of faith daily resting in Him. Our part is to know that He loves us so much that He can take our nothingness and create an abundant life. Our part is to know that through His blood and His body we receive redemption, renewal and are restored into the image of Jesus this morning.
Let us come to the table and rejoice! Let us come and receive His Holy Spirit. Let us come and receive His grace. Let us come and be one with Him and with one another.
This is the message of God for the people of God.
