Please turn with me to Luke 14. Sometimes when I say the word “Luke” I want to go all Star Wars! L-U-K-E. (Laughter)
The more I spend time in the gospels, the more I see that what Jesus asks of us, He has already had to do Himself. When Jesus taught what He taught, He not only spoke from a kingdom of Heaven perspective, but it was also very personal for Him.
We know that he came here to live a life, to model a life, so that we could also live just like he lived when he was here on earth. When He taught us something, that means it was a lesson that He also had to learn.
And I thought about that as we talk about the issue of discipleship. We’re going to look at a passage that we have looked at before and I hope that, as we look at it, it would jump out in a different way tonight.
For the last three years or four years, we have been gearing up, we have been preparing, we have been getting ourselves ready for our part in the revival – for what we have to do.
And I thought about this in the context of professional football. In the past, they had four weeks of training camp. Many years ago, training camp last six weeks. So now there is four weeks of training camp where the players go through process of getting themselves conditioned properly, going over the playbook, understanding their individual assignment as well as understanding the assignment of the person next to them. They do this to prepare themselves for the first game of the regular season.
One of the things that I have noticed about professional football is that most of the starters don’t play much during the four preseason games. They may play one half of the final preseason game. In the past, when there was six games, the starters would play the entire last game. Last year they only had three preseason games and last year they had the most injuries in NFL history because the players were not truly ready to play.
Here's my point: until we are ready to play, we are not ready to pick up our assignment in the revival. And the only way we are going to be ready to play: we have to understand what’s at stake and we have to understand what our role is to be. That’s the only way we’re going to get ourselves ready.
In Luke 14, we’re going to look at the passage about discipleship. It begins in verse 25, but leading up to verse 25, let’s pick it up in verse 15.
(15) And when one of them that sat at meat with Him (Jesus) heard these things, He said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. (One way of eating bread in the kingdom of God ladies and gentlemen is to devour this book [held up the Bible]).
(16) Then said He unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
(17) and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
(18) And they all with one consent began to make excuse.
This is important ladies and gentlemen to where we are going tonight. Let’s continue verse 18.
The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
(19) And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
(20) And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
(21) So that servant came, and shewed his Lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
The obvious question is why was the master angry? We understand the reason clearly from verse 18: “And they all with one consent began to make excuse.” The master is upset because he says “The dinner I have prepared for you, you have no excuse for missing it.”
Ladies and gentlemen, the revival that’s coming, the revival that God needs each of us to be a participant in, we have no excuse for not being in it. We have no excuse for not being part of that revival.
(22) And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
(23) And the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
(24) For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
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None of those men who made excuses shall taste of the supper. None of us who make excuses, will be part of the revival. Now, the excuses that were made were legitimate reasons, but no legitimate excuses. But at some point, ladies and gentlemen, our reasoning should not, must not, stop us from doing what God has called us to do.
(25) And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
(26) If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
I have a question: Has Jesus changed the subject? No. He has not changed the subject. Some read these verses and come to the conclusion that Jesus is saying that the only way to be His disciple is to hate our families in order to do what He has called us to do. This is not what Jesus is saying. He’s telling us that we don’t have an excuse for not doing what He’s asking us to do.
And when Jesus says “If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple,” they often miss the “yea.” They want to focus on the family members and forget that He’s talking about us too.
When Jesus says we have to “hate” them and ourselves, He’s saying we have to “love the less” than we love Him and we see this clearly in Matthew 10:37. “He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”
Jesus is not telling us to hate our families, or ourselves, in the way we commonly understand what it means to hate. He’s telling us that, if we are truly going to be His disciples, if we are truly going to be mirror images of Him, then He must be to us in our lives what His Father was to Him in His life – first.
Ladies and gentlemen, this should not be a surprise to us. Jesus taught this truth in what we call “The Sermon on the Mount.”
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
The word “seek” communicates something very important:
Nothing else matters until we obtain what it is that we are seeking! Jesus says our heart’s desire should be the same as His heart’s desire when He was on earth – to obtain everything the kingdom of His Father has to offer. Nothing should come close to our longing for more of God’s presence in our lives!
And Jesus emphasizes this point with the word first.
In the Greek, it’s proton and I’m sure you will find this shocking – it means “first”. ? And it’s first, “particularly in place, order and time.” And here in Matthew, it communicates first in terms of “dignity or importance.”
I like the way the Amplified Bible handles this verse.
“But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.”
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How did Jesus seek the kingdom first in His life?
“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” (Mark? ?1:35)? ???????????????
“And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” (Luke? ?6:12?) ???????????????
“And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.” (Luke 4:26)
Just like Jesus, we have to prioritize the things of the kingdom – the Father’s desires – in our lives and the only way we can do this is by spending time with Him. Prayer was a way of life for Jesus. Going to the synagogue, to church, was a way of life for Jesus. And look at what He did for the kingdom of God!
Counting the cost of discipleship is not an option for those who want to follow Jesus.
In Luke 14, Jesus is using natural examples to describe what it will take for us to be His disciple. And His example doesn’t stop with verse 27. Let’s keep reading.
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
(30) saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. (Luke? ?14:28-30)? ?????????????????????????????
If we are going to be His disciple, Jesus says we must determine, up front, whether or not we will finish what we start. Jesus knew that His disciples would have to endure ridicule, name shaming beatings – everything He had to endure and not by those who didn’t know His Father, but by those who supposedly knew His Father. Jesus says, “You need to think about this decision long and hard because either you will be My disciple or you won’t. There is no in-between.”
Jesus continues his use of natural examples in verse 31.
(31) Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
(32) Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. ??(Luke? ?14:31-32)? ??????????????????????????????????????????
Now I want you to understand what I believe Jesus is saying here. We know Jesus has “made us kings and priests unto God” (Revelation 1:6). Here in Luke, Jesus says we are going to face another “king” – Satan, the devil – and we need to determine whether are not we are willing to prepare ourselves for the all out war that he’s going to wage against us. And we know that his attacks will be aimed at our flesh, our minds and emotions. Again, Jesus says, “You need to think about this decision long and hard because either you will be My disciple or you won’t. There is no in-between.”
And he ends the requirements for being His disciples with verse 33.
“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke? ?14:33?)??????????????
Now let’s be clear. You can still go to heaven and not be Jesus’ disciple. I want to make sure you understand that. Discipleship is something that is only available AFTER a person has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and is born again. So, we are not talking about where you’ll spend eternity. We’re talking about your relationship with Jesus.
Before leaving this passage, it’s important to understand why Jesus uses the word forsaketh to describe His expectations of His disciples. The word means “to place in order” and carries “the notion of putting something aside to prevent it from being a hindrance or gaining excessive control” in our lives.
Understanding this one word brings clarity to Jesus’ use of the word hate in verse 26. Jesus says His disciples are so focused on seeking God and bringing His kingdom to earth that they will not allow anyone or anything hinder them or be more important to them.
Choosing to be Jesus’ disciple is not a casual decision.
What does the cost of discipleship look like? A visual.
The first decision we must make is to believe that everything Jesus says is true. It’s something that’s easy to say, but can be a challenge to live out. There’s no room for compromise. There’s no room for excuses. And you can’t be invisible when the gospel is under attack.
Ladies and gentlemen, choosing to be an uncompromising, line drawn in the sand disciple of Jesus has its risks. This is why He uses three natural examples to drive home one singular point: “Count the cost before you say you want to be My disciple.”
An example of what it means to “count the cost” is found in Daniel 3. Nebuchadnezzar built a golden image of himself and when various musical instruments sounded, everyone was commanded to stop what they were doing and “fall down and worship the golden image” (verse 5) and the person who did not would “be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace” (verse 6). Three Jews, who held positions of authority in his kingdom, had counted the cost of serving and worshiping God and refused to obey the king’s command.
Now let’s pick the record up with verse 8.
(8) Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
(9) They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar … (Now jump down to verse 12.)
(12) There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
(13) Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.
(14) Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
(15) Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
(16) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
The three Hebrew captives say, “O king, we already know what we’re going to do and what we’re going to tell you. We’re not going to choose our words carefully and we’re not going to beat around the bush. We’re not going to make excuses.”
(17) If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
It sound like Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego had already counted the cost. They had decided what they would do before the king came to them. They knew the stand that they would take.
(18) But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel? ?3:8-9, 12-18?) ?????????????
We know this story. I simply want to draw your attention to the Jews response to the Gentile king. “O, Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.” In the Hebrew, careful means “need or obligation.” “Oh king,” the Jews say, “we don’t feel the need or an obligation to defend our God or ourselves to you.”
Nebuchadnezzar was hot. So they added even more fuel to his rage. “Our God was able to deliver us from the burning furnace and you can’t stop Him.” And then they said something that rendered the king powerless before them: “But if our God doesn’t deliver us, we are still not going to bow or worship your image!”
This was a “mic drop” moment.
And this is what discipleship looks like. The Jews were willing to sacrifice their lives for the God they served. What about us? What sacrifices are we willing to make to be a disciple of Jesus?
What could the cost of discipleship look like for us?
How do we get to the place of truly knowing and believing that Jesus is the Truth and that we are willing to stake our lives on it? It begins by making a purposeful decision to spend time with Him. In those times you can pray, read the word and worship. And one of the most meaningful things you can do with Jesus in these times is nothing. Just sit quietly and let Him minister to your spirit.
Let’s say you have to be at work at 8 a.m. and your commute is 20 minutes. For you, that may mean getting up at 6 instead of jumping out of bed at 6:45 or 7, showering and rushing out of the house.
Now you’re probably thinking, there’s no way I can do all of that before going to work. I believe you can. What about purposefully setting aside 30 minutes each morning to be with Jesus? You could spend the first 10 minutes praying in the spirit and with your understanding, the second ten minutes reading the Word and the final ten minutes in worship. Or, you could spend the entire 30 minutes just sitting quietly in His presence.
But suppose you don’t have 30 minutes in the mornings before work. How about spending 30 minutes of your lunch time, or all of it if you only have 30 minutes, just sitting quietly in His presence? And, if this is not possible, then let the last 30 minutes before you go to bed be with Jesus.
You see, the practical side of discipleship, of counting the cost, is your willingness to sacrifice your time – to hate time doing other things when you could spend it with Jesus.
You see, Jesus also had to count the cost of discipleship to His Father – the cost of obeying and fulfilling the plan His Father had for Him. Like us, He had to choose and He had to believe the choice would be worth the cost that it required.
Who did Jesus choose? He chose His sheep – He chose us!
(14) I am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine.
(15) As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep.
(16) And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
(17) Therefore doth My Father love me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again. ??(John? ?10:14-17?)???????????????????????????????????????
Jesus counted us worthy!
When the crown of thorns was forced into His skull releasing unrelenting pain and blood that flowed freely into His eyes, instead of calling the 12 legion of angels that He had at His disposal, Jesus endured the pain because He had already counted the cost and we were worth it.
When the temple guards cursed Him and spit in His face and pounded His body repeatedly, instead of calling the 12 legion of angels that He had at His disposal, Jesus endured the pain because He had already counted us worthy of the cost He would have to pay for our freedom.
With each flesh ripping slash of the whip, more and more of His blood flowed on the ground like a cloth being slowly unrolled on the floor, instead of calling the 12 legion of angels that He had at His disposal, Jesus endured the pain because He had already counted us worthy of the cost.
When the nails were being driven through His hands and feet, with each swing of the mallet that tore through His flesh and as the pain reached a new crescendo each time, instead of calling the 12 legion of angels that He had at His disposal, Jesus endured the pain. We were worth it!
“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.” (John 19:30)
“… looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
Jesus counted the cost required to purchase our freedom from the sin nature and proclaimed that we were worth the price!
Thank you Jesus!
If we want to be Jesus’ disciples, we also must count the cost of sacrificing our wills and desires so that we can partner with our Father in accomplishing His will and desires. Being willing to sacrifice our time to be with Him is the first cost of discipleship – and the most critical. Is it worth it to you in order to win souls for the kingdom? I already know the answer for Barry!
