Dr. Bradford Reaves
CrossWay Christian Fellowship
Hagerstown, MD
www.mycrossway.org
The story is told of the military legend Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia (336-323) and conqueror of Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, Babylonia, and Persia, almost all of the known world.
One day on the warpath, Alexander and small company of soldiers approached a strongly fortified walled city and Alexander raised his voice and demanded to see the king. When the king arrived, Alexander ordered him to surrender the city and everyone inside.
The king laughed, "Why should I surrender to you? You can't do us any harm!"
But Alexander offered to give the king a demonstration. He ordered his men to line up single file and start marching. He marched them straight toward a cliff. The townspeople gathered on the wall and watched in shocked silence as, one by one, his soldiers marched without hesitation right off the cliff to their deaths!
After 10 soldiers died, Alexander ordered the rest of the men to return to his side. The townspeople and the king immediately surrendered to Alexander the Great. They realized that if a few men were actually willing to die at the command of this leader, then nothing could stop his eventual victory.(Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.")
The Christian life is unlike anything you will ever experience in the world. If there is one phrase that defines the life of a true Christian, it is “self-denial.” the more you deny yourself because of the life of Jesus Christ, the more you live according to his word. The more you follow Jesus the more the world will hate you. The more you follow Jesus the more you will be persecuted. The more you follow Jesus the more you will experience spiritual attacks. In other words following Jesus Christ comes at a high price with the world. It will cost you everything. There will be consequences within your relationships, family, jobs, and things you would have never considered. But the decision to follow Christ is your most significant decision ever. This brings us to today's parable:
25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, 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 begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:25-33)
This passage of scripture contains explicit statements. They challenge those who are casually following Jesus and invite them to come closer, understanding that coming closer means something costly. Three times in this passage, Jesus uses the statement “my disciple, " meaning he is inviting everyone around him to become a true disciple. But there is a standard with that. He also uses the phrase, “you cannot.”
Crossway Christian Fellowship is in the business of making disciples. We are not in the business of drawing large crowds, entertaining people, or making people feel good about themselves. We are in the discipleship business. We are here to make true disciples of Jesus Christ.
Becoming a disciple according to Jesus, is a radical and continual commitment period he is calling out to those of this world, take up your cross and follow me.” This is an invitation to self-denial. There is no glamour. There is no worldly applause. There is no goosebumps or giddiness. This world is no longer your home.
The fact is that More people turned away from Jesus's invitation to follow him than actually followed him.
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him (John 6:66)
The word “disciple” (mathetes) means learner or student. And it was used in many settings. Most rabbis in Jesus’s day had disciples who followed them and learned from them about Judaism. Jesus is saying if you want to be “my disciple” there is no casualness to this invitation. This is an invitation to abandon the empty promises of this world and follow after the king of the universe. There is no casualness in following him. It is a path to eternal salvation, a path impossible without Jesus Christ. And with the stakes so high the commitment is just as high.
Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! (Luke 18:24)
Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. (Matthew 10:34)
Today, in the church, there are many carnal Christians - casual Christians. Casual Christianity is a path that is wide and we'll not lead many to the narrow gate we live in a world where pastors are entertainers; Self-help motivational speakers who sprinkle a little bit of scripture in an uplifting message in order to attract the crowds. Likewise, worship has been designed to look more like rock concerts than a congregation singing the truths of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. They are designed to entice people to believe imitating the world with the name of Jesus is worship.
Jesus is calling his disciples to something deeper than this. And so he uses extreme language: “hate your own family”, “denying yourself”, “taking up your cross to follow him.” Here, it is clear that Jesus isn't calling for some kind of spiritual makeover. He's calling for a complete takeover. This is an invitation that is not emotional, not additional, not convenient, not casual, not cultural. It is transformational. It is high standards that says you are all in.
Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates it in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25)
this call is explicit. Jesus is asking you to tear down every barrier in your life standing between you and God so you can fully surrender to him. It is more than just knowing facts about God or Jesus. It is more than just knowing about him. It is the complete surrender, abandoning everything you put before him so that you may be eternally with him.
The parable of the cost of discipleship is a culmination of all the calls of all the parables Jesus taught. The parable of the soils describes how the good soil receives the seed and grows fruitfully. It is the parable of the treasures, which talks about selling everything you have to acquire the treasure of the Kingdom of God. It is the parable of the product we realize that as we hold on to the things of this world, it is only when we come to our senses as the cost of the world that we come back to God. It is the parable of the wedding feast and the banquet thinking that we can clothe ourselves in the world and find ourselves acceptable in God's presence. And so much more. It is, narrow door Christianity.
And so, this week and next we will be discussing 3 requirements and the cost of the discipleship:
1. being a disciple demands relinquishment of past priorities.
2. being a disciple requires assessment of current commands.
3. Being a disciple Commands allegiance to future fulfillment.
In other words, you take on a completely different worldview, past, present, and future, when you choose to become a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Being a Disciples Demands Relinquishment of Past Priorities
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple…Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple... So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14: 26, 27, 33)
Following Jesus could mean that you have to give up your family, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. You may lose them, all because of the decision you've made to follow Jesus and stay obedient to his word. But not everyone is willing to lose people for Jesus. That is why the world is twisted and adjusted by Christians so that they can compromise with the world. But Jesus said that he came to bring the vision and that you will be hated because of him, Not to reconcile you with the world.
and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matthew 10:22)
The unregenerate person does not, will not, and cannot understand this. The three most important people in their lives are “Me, My, and I.” The reality is everyone has gods that they put before everything else. Money, jobs, family, kids, relationships, etc. Jesus is calling us to put him first in all things.
In verse 25, we learn that great crowds were following Jesus. This multitude extends beyond the thousands and thousands of people that we read about earlier. What we need to understand is that Jesus was on his way to Jericho and then on to Jerusalem, where he would be crucified. So Jesus is essentially saying to the crowds, “Are you willing to follow me to where I am going?” Are you willing to forsake everything in order to continue to follow me?
That question remains true today. Are you willing to forsake, sin, false religion, idolatry, the love of money, greed, lust, homosexuality, destructive relationships, demonic spiritualism, worldliness, materialism, possessions, even family, anything that puts itself before almighty God.
A recent survey of Discipleship Journal readers ranked areas of greatest spiritual challenge to them. These are listed in this order. 1. Materialism. 2. Pride. 3. Self-centeredness. 4. Laziness. 5. Tied were: Anger/Bitterness/Sexual lust. 6. Envy. 7. Gluttony. 8. Lying. (Credit, Sermon Central)
There’s little difference in ethical behavior between the churched and the unchurched. Religion, for most people, isn’t really a life changing experience. People cite it as important, for instance, in overcoming depression, getting through a problem at home, work, or school but it doesn’t seem to have first place in determining personal behavior.
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and cannot finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26-33)
It all begins with abandoning past priorities—everything in your life changes. Your priority has been yourself, your next priority, your family, and your possessions. You have to abandon all of that. If you look at life for the unregenerate person, that's about it. It's me, my people, and my stuff. Jesus says, if you want to be My disciple, you abandon it all.
In other words, putting God at the front of your life means putting it before your natural affections. The reason is that Jesus will change everything about you in your rebirth. He will change how you view family, friends, money, and possessions. The world will tell you that is hate. Jesus tells you it is putting God's priority where it needs to be.
Now some of you may be sitting here thinking that's contrary to what the Bible teaches. It's contrary, because we're commanded to love everyone.
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12)
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, (Ephesians 5:25)
But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27)
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. (John 13:34)
So what is going on here, is Jesus contradicting himself? What are we to make of this? Well, we have to understand that this is Semitic language. This is an expression of preference. This is not a division between emotional love and emotional loathing. Jesus is not introducing the idea that we are to have animosity toward our people. Instead, he is expecting us to have a preference. He tells us that our life's preference must always be God first.
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24)
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:27)
Here again we see this denial. It is a death to self. He is calling us to carry a cross. Crucifixion was reserved for the lowliest of people. They were considered the scum of the earth. Bearing a cross meant that your life on earth was over. You were walking to your grave. You are walking to the end of your life. That's exactly what Jesus is saying to us here. He's saying your life on earth is over as you know it.
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:8)
“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. (1 Corinthians 10:23)
What Jesus is saying, what the bible is saying, from the very beginning, is that To follow God everything in this world must take a back seat to him. There is a high cost of discipleship. You are setting all your past priorities behind you, and it may be against your will because we must put God’s will before our own
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead (Phil 3:13)
How important is it for you to receive the forgiveness of sin and eternal life? If you're not willing to put a sword in the relationship that is being put before Christ and to deny the thing your heart craves, then you're not worthy to be Jesus’ disciple. That became the nexus of that whole debate.
In a discipleship training series called “The Agape Road”, author and speaker Bob Mumford discusses what he calls “The White Knuckle Club”. In other words, sometimes God will bring some area of our lives to our attention, and we will realize that we need to change. So, we’ll go to God and promise to do better and try harder. But, what God wants for us to do is to bring that area of our lives to Him and allow Him to change us from the inside out. When I just “try harder”, ultimately I fail and get discouraged. But, when I give it to God. Ultimately, I’m asking God to transform my heart (Credit: Jeff Simms, Sermon Central)
Don't come to Christ and say, "I want to be saved, but I'm not giving up my [fill in the blank]." Abraham was called to this, as he was commanded to take Isaac and sacrifice him on Mt. Moriah. Anything less than that, Jesus said, you can't be my disciple.
Now, that just takes care of you and your relationships. Next week, we'll look at you and your stuff.
