PRIORITIES
Luke 9:57-62, "And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
Here is a man who had the desire to be used by the Lord in ministry. He had already seen Jesus in action and he was convinced that Jesus was a leader among leaders. I wonder if the vision that he saw in his own mind was one of becoming a part of Jesus’ inner circle?
There are a lot of people in our churches right now who are only following Jesus because of the earthly benefits that they receive from being a “man of God”. It’s still somewhat popular to be called a “man of the cloth” or a minister of the gospel. There are a lot of men and women on the radio, and on the TV, who claim to have the call of God upon their lives but there is no real “fruit” of souls being saved as a part of their ministry.
How often do we watch the programs on TV that are supposed to be Christ centered and yet we never see them preach repentance or give an altar call where lost souls can accept Jesus as their Savior? All you see in entertainment and conversations with those who are lifted up before the world as great leaders but there is no meat of the Word of God in their testimonies.
The gospel message that saves souls is not a message that speaks of the great buildings and huge congregations that attend. It is not a message of how great our music is, how well our singers and musicians can perform, nor is it a message of positive thinking and motivational seminars.
The last time that I looked, the message of the gospel as presented in the Word of God, has not changed.
Paul tells us how the message of the gospel is to go forth in 1 Corinthians 1:21, "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."
All of our beautiful buildings and entertainment centered churches are not growing because of the “foolishness of preaching” anymore. They are growing because many have become little more than religious country clubs.
The sad fact is that most people are not seeking to follow Christ in the manner that Jesus wants them to. If Jesus doesn’t fit into their box, or their plans for their lives, or into their own busy schedule, then they simply reject Him and move on.
When the first man came to Jesus desiring to be a follower of the Lord, he didn’t have a clue to the sacrificial life that Jesus led while he walked upon this earth. That man came to Jesus expecting to gain a good life, fame and popularity. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn’t what he found because he backed off of his request to be a follower very quickly.
Jesus knew the carnality of this man’s heart. He knew that his heart really wasn’t in living a sacrificial life, or giving his will over to the Lord completely. He knew that this man had no idea what he was asking for.
Jesus’ answer quickly dispelled any dreams of the easy life or grandeur that this man had. Jesus admitted to being a “homeless” person. This world wasn’t Jesus’ home. He had come from Heaven and knew that in just a few short years, he would be returning to Heaven once again. He didn’t care for establishing a home, or a base of operations for his ministry. Jesus just went wherever he was led of the Holy Spirit to go and had no ties with anyone or anything that would hold him back.
How many of us would allow a homeless person to lead us for the rest our lives? That’s the picture that Jesus painted for this man who was searching for success and the grand lifestyle that went with success. When that man realized that success in this life was not what Jesus was teaching; when he realized that wealth of this world was the last thing on Jesus’ mind; and when he realized that following Christ was going to be a life of sacrifice and giving up all the good things in life to obtain the promise of eternal life, he turned and walked away.
That’s the way that many are going today as well. Even among those who stay in church, many are only there for the social part of church. They are only there for what the church can give to them, not for what they can offer to the Lord in the church.
This is the mindset of most of those who decide, within themselves, to make Christianity their profession. There are a lot of professional preachers; men and women who have chosen to make the ministry their full-time profession because of the benefits they receive from the church, but they have not the call of God upon their lives and they are not anointed to fulfill the position which they have claimed. Just take away the benefit package and let’s see how long most will last as ministers.
The second example we have in this passage of scripture is that of a man who receives the call of God upon his life to work for the Lord. This time it is not the man who asks to follow Jesus; it is Jesus who asks the man to follow him.
Little did this man know or understand the great privilege that had been given to him to follow Jesus as one of the Lord’s disciples! I wonder if we had known his name if he would have accepted the call of God instead of making excuses.
(Read Again) Luke 9:59-60, "And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God."
Matthew chapter 12 gives another account of the excuses of these 3 men. It is thought, by most Bible scholars, that this second man, who Jesus asks to follow him, had actually been walking with Jesus and his disciples for some time and had begun to gain their admiration and respect. It was at that moment that Jesus was forced to reveal the heart of this uncommitted disciple.
There are a lot of people who will come to church, attend faithfully and even support the work of the ministry to a point, but don’t ask them to get too involved if you want them to stay around for a while. As soon as a real commitment is necessary, they turn around and run. It’s okay to be involved in church, but let’s not go overboard. They don’t mind wading around in the edge of the water but don’t ask them to dive in head first and start swimming in the deep.
These are timid people who are afraid of take a chance, afraid to give their all for the Lord, and who are only willing to surrender their time and talent as long as it doesn’t interfere with what they really want to do.
On the surface, we may look at this man whose only request was that he be allowed to go back and bury his father before really committing his life to following Jesus. If we only think of it as a short delay in obeying the call of God to take care of necessary business, we might be inclined to wonder why Jesus was so hard on him.
I think that we must remember these words of Jesus in order to understand why Jesus reacted to this man’s request the way he did.
Luke 14:26-27, "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. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple."
In other words, this disciple was called by God but chose rather to take care of family business and was too wrapped up in the cares of this life to be of much value to the work of the Lord. He would have to forsake his family, forsake his friends, give up his home, his job, his comfortable surroundings, and then take up his cross and follow Jesus without looking back.
Luke 14:28-33, "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 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? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple."
This whole passage, and the call that Jesus gave to that disciple that day are calling on us to focus on the central message! Count the cost! Make up your mind whether obeying the call of God is worth what you may have to leave behind. Count the cost! It’s better to never start than to turn back after you have begun to follow Jesus.
Those who begin this journey toward Heaven and then turn around to pursue the cares of this life are not fit to enter into the Kingdom of God. With God, it’s either all or nothing. This is a picture of a lukewarm Christian; one who means well, who desires to serve the Lord, but who is unwilling to make a full commitment to Christ because he loves the things of this world more that he loves Jesus.
Jesus restated this point in the last example of the man who came to ask to be his follower.
Luke 9:61-62, "And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
This third man adds something new to the equation for being a follower of Christ. He isn’t just caught up in the cares of this life, this man actually begins to set the criteria under which he will obey God. He tries to make a deal with Jesus.
I’ve seen a lot of Christian react to the call of God upon their lives in this same manner.
Lord, I will serve you if you bless me. If you give me a good job with a lot of extra money, then I’ll pay tithes. If you give me a nice home, then I’ll use that home for your work. If you will bless our church, we will serve you.
We need to understand that we can’t “make deals” with God. The Call of God to be his disciple and follow him is not like a game show where we can pick what’s behind door #1, door #2 or door #3. God doesn’t play games with his anointing. He has already charted our course and laid the finished work that we are to accomplish before the ever gives us the call.
While the reaction of this third calling may be very similar to that of the man who wanted to go and bury his father, it adds a whole new dimension to having our own way while we think that we are obeying God.
Understand this, “Partial obedience is the same thing as absolute disobedience and God won’t use a disobedient disciple.” With God it’s a total surrender of our will to his will, or it’s no surrender at all.
A soldier in the army doesn’t decide where he wants to go or what he wants to do. He is given orders that must be obeyed because those in command over him have a greater picture of where he is needed. A soldier on the battlefield doesn’t know whether he is winning the battle or losing it most of the time. All he knows is that he must do all he can to survive until the outcome is decided.
It’s the commander who can see the big picture who knows what is happening and who is really winning and losing.
Thank God that we have a Commander in Chief who never fails and who has never lost a battle, and who is victorious over death, hell and the grave, and is alive forever more.
The problem with all of these men who desired to follow Jesus was that they had the wrong priorities. One wanted the wrong things out of life, another desired the things of this life more than the things of God, and the last one wanted the right things but he only wanted them his way, and not in the Lord’s way.
If we will put God’s will above our own; if we will put God’s plans above our own; if we will give up what we want to take up whatever cross we must bear for the Lord; and if we will put God first above all things in our lives, then we will be fit for the Kingdom of God and we will become profitable servants and disciples who follow Jesus.
Where are your priorities? Have you turned back to attend to the cares of this life? Have you counted the cost and found that you were not willing to pay the price of obedience to the call of God on your life? Have you tried to play “Let’s Make A Deal” with God?
It’s time we surrendered and followed Jesus as true disciples. That is our number one priority, obeying the call of God.
As we begin this New Year, let us take stock of where our priorities are right now. Let’s determine to follow Jesus without excuses. Answering and obeying the call of God on your life to follow him and to work in His kingdom, must become the primary purpose of your life if you are going to be a good disciple.
Disclaimer:
Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording, including sermon titles, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these sermons. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copied and/or quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
