Luke Series #69 June 23, 2002
Title: Defining Discipleship
Email: pastorsarver@yahoo.com
Website: www.newlifeinchrist.info
Introduction: Welcome to New Life in Christ. This morning we are continuing in Chapter 14 of the Book of Luke in our verse-by-verse teaching series out of that book.
Read Luke 14:25-35
Opening Prayer
The following are actual responses from comment cards given to the staff members at Bridger Wilderness Area in 1996:
Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill.
Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the areas of these pests.
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.
The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annoying animals.
A small deer came into my camp and stole my jar of pickles. Is there a way I can get reimbursed? Please call…
Escalators would help on steep uphill sections.
A MacDonald’s would be nice at the trailhead.
Too many rocks in the mountains.
Citation: Mike Neifert, Light and Life (February 1997), p. 27
These comments and complaints indicate that the people who made them do not really understand what it means to stay in a "wilderness area." They were looking for something convenient and comfortable, but not truly a wilderness experience. In a similar way, many people today do not understand what it means to be a genuine Christian. There are multitudes that often follow Jesus or claim to be a Christian but they do so on their terms and not his. They do not truly comprehend the biblical definition of discipleship.
Because of this ignorance there are many who consider themselves to be followers of Jesus who are not, even though in many ways they do look like followers of Jesus. They go to church, have a profession of faith, read their Bibles, pray, even give in the offering, but they are not the real deal or at least are not living and thinking like the real deal. Jesus confronts this problem in our text today. He makes very, very clear what it means to be a Christian, and therefore there is no reason for anybody to be ignorant or self deceived.
We will take a look at how Jesus defined discipleship in a few moments when I go over this text verse by verse, but before I do I want to explain the word "disciple" which is repeated several times in these few verses. A disciple is a true follower of Jesus Christ. In other words, what we would call a "Christian." If you are a Christian, you are a disciple; if you are not a disciple as Jesus defines it then you are not a Christian. These two terms (Disciple and Christian) mean the same thing in the same way that I mean that the same thing when I speak of my "spouse" or my "wife."
In fact the term "disciples" occurs 269 times in the New Testament, while the term "Christian" only occurs three times. In the Book of Acts we’re told that "The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26)." This makes clear that the terms are interchangeable. I wanted this to be clear because I believe it greatly clarifies the seriousness of what Jesus was saying. For instance, Jesus words in verse 27, "Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple" could also be phrased as "Anybody who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be a Christian." That phrasing somehow gets our attention more and clarifies the seriousness of the issue or subject Jesus is teaching about.
With that brief explanation let’s now look at this passage verse by verse.
Read Verses 25-27
The first thing I want you to notice is to whom Jesus is speaking these words about being his disciple. Luke notes specifically that "large crowds" were following Jesus and that Jesus specifically "turned to them" and elaborated on being a disciple. Jesus was not talking to those who were antagonistic towards him or to those who were uninterested in his life and message. No, these were people who were "traveling with the Jesus." There are positive in their attitude toward Jesus. They were interested in what he had to say. They apparently mistook this positive attitude and interest in Jesus for true discipleship, as many people do today. They considered themselves to be followers of Jesus but in reality they were only casual followers and not committed followers.
They were willing and even anxious to follow Jesus providing the cost was not to high or the demands too great. They were like many people today who do "Christian things" like go to church, pray, sing Christian songs, etc. but are not really committed to Jesus. 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. 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. These "large crowds" were casual followers and not committed followers, which are you?
Jesus addresses this mistaken understanding of discipleship in verses 26 and 27. He explains in vivid and clear terms what it means to be a disciple of his. In summary, Jesus’ message in these two verses is:
I. To be a disciple of Jesus you must be committed to him above everything else
In our hearts Jesus must come before our loved ones, self-interest, possessions, careers, hobbies, goals in life, and even our very lives. In practice this commitment to Jesus will be tested and sometimes, in a moment of weakness, Jesus will not come first in our choices, but genuine disciples have made a sincere commitment in their hearts and will not continue to put other things before Jesus.
In verse 26 Jesus says that this commitment level applies to "anyone who comes to me. . ." In other words, Jesus is not speaking exclusively to a special group of Christians such as apostles, evangelists, missionaries, pastors, or even mature believers. He is saying that this principle applies to everyone who would be one of his followers.
Jesus goes on to say, "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." Now the word "hate" here is not meant to be taken literally but is rather used figuratively to express a point. It is hyperbole or exaggeration similar to what we use when we say, "That man was as big as a house. . ." In Jewish culture the word "hate" was used to express lesser love, so Jesus is saying that we must love him much more that we love our closest family relationships or even our own lives. We must love him more than our hobbies, more than our goals in life, more than our careers, and more that our self interest.
Jesus is not speaking of our emotional feelings toward him or our families but rather he is speaking of our level of commitment. He is saying that our commitment to obey and following him must be greater than any other commitment in our lives. In other words, Jesus must be first in our priorities and loyalties. Is this true in your life?
For instance, if following Jesus obediently results in problems or interferes with your closest relationships, will you still follow him? This is no mere hypothetical situation. In other countries following Jesus can sometimes mean being kicked out of the family, losing your children, etc. In our own country, many relationships have encountered problems because one spouse was a committed Christian and the other was not. In such cases Jesus wants us to know up front what it means to be a disciple. He must come before even your closest relationships.
I. To be a disciple of Jesus you must be committed to him above everything else
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. This refers to our physical lives which we must be willing to surrender for Jesus’ sake. It also refers to are self lives, which means our personal desires, goals, interests, and even needs. We must be committed to Jesus above our bank accounts, our public image, our jobs, every personal desire, etc. If following Jesus means forfeiting these things, then we must be willing to do that. Again this is not a hypothetical situation. Following Jesus will many times mean making such sacrifices.
I. To be a disciple of Jesus you must be committed to him above everything else
Jesus uses a metaphor in verse 27 to reemphasize this point. Everyone present was familiar with what Jesus was referring to when he talked about "carrying his cross." The cross was a cruel form of punishment used by the Romans. The criminal was forced to "carry his cross" to the place of execution. Everyone knew that this person was saying "goodbye" to everything. There would be no turning or coming back. Jesus uses 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.
Now some of you may think that this requirement of total commitment to be a follower of Jesus is contradictory to scriptural truth that salvation is a free gift of God. An illustration may help to clarify this issue
Suppose I had a desire to climb Mount Everest. (I don’t have such a desire and I think that those who do are lacking in common sense.) But suppose that I did desire to climb Everest. But it costs about $70,000 to do it and I don’t have that kind of money. Suppose a wealthy businessman heard of my desire and offered to pay for the entire expedition. He would buy all the expensive clothing and gear; he would pay for my transportation, the guides, and the training. It’s totally free for me. But if I accept his free offer, I have just committed myself to months of difficult training and arduous effort. It could even cost me my very life, because many good climbers die trying to climb Mount Everest. It is free and yet very costly.
Source: The Cost of Discipleship, www.fcfonline.org/80199.htm, Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 1999, All Rights Reserved.
Read Verses 28-33.
In these two illustrations, Jesus is expressing one simple but pertinent point. 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. Jesus doesn’t want people to make a commitment to him without understanding and seriously thinking about what is involved in this decision. Jesus does not want a half-hearted, blind commitment that expects only blessings.
Illustration: There is a commercial that has run on TV recently that has a man sitting in the chair at a tattoo parlor expressing his love to Donna by getting her name tattooed on his arm. Halfway through the procedure he asks how much it will cost - $50.00. He pulls out his cash, and says, “Oh, I only have $41” Cut to the couple on the sidewalk, Donna storming off, with the guy yelling after her, "I’ll get it fixed." Zoom into the tattoo which reads, "I love Don!” Source: It’s Not Always Easy!
The Tough Side of Discipleship by Steve Chapman. www.sermoncentral.com
That commercial shows the foolishness of considering the cost of something so irrevocable halfway through. One should consider and make sure one is willing to pay the cost prior to making the commitment. Jesus wants us ask ourselves, "Am I in this for the long haul?" Jesus is asking us, "Are you willing to follow me no matter what happens or what you’re required to give up?" There is only one way to truly follow Jesus!
I. To be a disciple of Jesus you must be committed to him above everything else
Unlike many people today, including many preachers who are only interested in large crowds, Jesus wasn’t interested in numbers. Large crowds didn’t impress him but what he wanted was totally committed people. Jesus doesn’t want crowds, he wants commitment! The condition of much of the church today indicates that we have many who are just part of the crowd and not true disciples. There are many who have not listened to Jesus and considered the cost. That total commitment is lacking even though a profession of faith is present. This is why recent polls show little difference between the way the world lives and professed Christians live.
For example, recent polls show that those who call themselves Christians are just as likely as non-Christians to have been divorced, bought a lottery ticket, watch MTV or have subscribed to cable television like HBO. Professed Christians are also just as likely to watch PG-13, R, and even X rated movies as non-Christians.
Another example that demonstrates a lack of true commitment happened in Washington DC on Palm Sunday this year. The city had scheduled a marathon on Palm Sunday, which greatly interfered with normal traffic. The leaders of various churches were upset and made their feelings known in local papers. Many churches reported attendance down 50-70 % on that day. Why, was it not possible to get to church on that day? No, but the race did delay traffic about 15-30 minutes and many regular church attendees were by their own admission unwilling to take the extra time and fight the traffic to get to church. Such an attitude doesn’t seem fitting for true disciples who are supposed to be willing to give their lives to follow Jesus.
These kinds of things, moral compromise and half-hearted commitment, would not be happening if people really understood what was required of disciples and they had considered the cost as Jesus instructed.
In verse 33, Jesus once again makes clear the cost of following him. He says the disciple must be willing "to give up everything." Everything is a fairly inclusive word! Everything means everything! Everything means your cushy job, favorite hobby, most prized possessions, free time, money, goals and dreams, and more. 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. The Greek word translated as "give up" can also be translated as "say goodbye or renounce." In other words, Jesus says that we must be willing to renounce or forsake anything when it interferes with following him faithfully and completely.
I. To be a disciple of Jesus you must be committed to him above everything else
Read Verses 34-35
Salt is routinely used by Jesus in figurative ways because of the high value people placed on salt in ancient times. Salt was used as a preservative, flavoring, and as a fertilizer. Salt in this case represents a person’s commitment to Jesus. When that commitment is complete then the "salt is good." This means that the Christian’s life will have a positive useful purpose in the same way is good salt did for the people.
Salt in Jesus day wasn’t pure like salt is today, so it could by various means "lose its saltiness." If this happened the remaining product had the appearance of salt but with none of the benefits. 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.
Jesus is saying that people who follow him without total commitment are like that salt that has lost its saltiness. The may have the appearance of being His disciples but they cannot be used in the kingdom as a Christian should. Jesus was referring to those who only give a part of their lives to him. They will commit to following Jesus one day a week but not seven. They will commit to obeying him in their marriage but maybe not in their finances. The will give up this thing but not that thing to follow Jesus. This half-hearted commitment will not work in the same way salt that has lost saltiness is of no use.
I. To be a disciple of Jesus you must be committed to him above everything else
Jesus concludes by saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." He said this to remind us of our responsibility to listen and respond to this difficult message. The teaching is not difficult to understand but it is difficult to accept.
Conclusion: Leadership magazine once ran a 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.
This cartoon may present what people are looking for in a church but to follow Jesus one must be totally committed. I want you to understand what a Christian is as Jesus defined it. The question we need ask ourselves is not "Am I able to follow Jesus completely?" But rather "Am I willing to follow Jesus completely?" We are all human and sometimes we will fail in our commitment but the thing Jesus is confronting here is not our ability but our willingness to follow him with our whole hearts. For those of you who are not Christians you need to understand what following Jesus really means before you make that commitment. For the majority of you in here who are already Christians let this lesson be a reminder of what being a Christian and a disciple truly entails.
I. To be a disciple of Jesus you must be committed to him above everything else
Closing Prayer
