Are You REALLY Sure You Want to Do This?
The Cost of Following Jesus
Matthew 8:18-22
October 9, 2005
Introduction
I thought I’d better warn you up front that my introductory remarks are going to be longer than usual, but you don’t have to worry about the rest of the message - we’ll still get out of here at a decent time, I promise!
But I wanted to spend a good bit of time laying down some stuff that will give us some perspective as we look at this passage from Matthew 8. I’d like you to turn there, if you would, please. If you’re using the Bibles in the seats, you can find this passage on page 686.
One of the underlying themes of the gospel according to Matthew is the idea of what it means to follow Jesus. And really, this is a theme throughout the gospels.
In our passage today, we see that Jesus has become very popular, and he has people coming up to him and saying, "Hey Jesus! Let me be your disciple!"
My guess is that everybody thought it’d be pretty cool to say that you hung out with Jesus.
And I have a feeling Jesus had to set some things straight. And he says some tough stuff here to those who think that following Jesus is a life of luxury and glamour.
Let’s take a look at what he says to two people in specific.
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
20 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
21 Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
22 But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
One of the things I appreciate about Scripture is its brutal honesty. God wants us to have our eyes wide open as we seek to follow him.
Jesus is being brutally honest here. He lets it be known that following him is no picnic. It’s not always easy being a follower of Jesus.
And to me, it’s like I hear him asking the question you see for the title of the message, "Are you REALLY sure you want to do this?"
Another word for follower is "disciple." And I use them interchangeably.
Disciples not only believe in Jesus, they live for him. They’re believers who have decided that the status quo of their spiritual life isn’t good enough, and they want more of Jesus and what he has to offer, in spite of the costs.
It’s interesting to note what Jesus said as he was preparing to go back to heaven after his resurrection. We call this the Great Commission, and it’s found in Matthew 28:19, where he says to go and make disciples of all nations.
Folks, it’s my considered opinion that the church of Jesus Christ isn’t doing enough to make disciples. We’re pretty good at making believers, and believe me, that’s incredibly important, because you can’t get to heaven unless you’re a believer in Jesus.
But I also want to tell you that your leadership is committed to helping people become solid disciples of the Lord.
And our CLASS 101, Discovering Church Membership, is one of the tools we’re going to use to help us do that. It lays a foundation for helping people become disciples.
CLASS 201 is called, Discovering Spiritual Maturity, and deals with developing healthy habits of spiritual growth.
CLASS 301 is called, Discovering My Ministry, and deals with the fact that God has gifted everyone for ministry in one form or another.
We’ll talk about how to find out just how he’s gifted you and how you can use those gifts.
And CLASS 401 is called, Discovering My Life Mission, which deals with how we can reach out to those around us who don’t yet know that they can have their sins forgiven and have a home in heaven.
So I just want to give an invitation to everyone here, whether you’re a long-time attender or you’re just checking us out, to participate in these classes.
My plan at this point is to offer them every couple months or so, with CLASS 201 being offered in January.
We also have small groups that meet in homes and at the church (starting later this month) so you can get great fellowship as well as get more exposure to the Bible, letting God use it to transform you into Christlike people.
My point in bringing these up is that at AWC, we’re committed to building healthy, authentic followers of Christ. That’s what we’re all about, because that will help us become effective in reaching more people for Jesus, both here in our area and around the world.
But I also have to be truthful and let you know that discipleship isn’t an instant deal.
Some of you may remember comedian Yakov Smirnoff. He said when he first came to the United States from Russia; he wasn’t prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in American grocery stores. He says, "On my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk--you just add water, and you get milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice--you just add water, and you get orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to my self, what a country!" James Emery White, Rethinking the Church, Baker, 1997, p. 55-57 (SermonCentral.com, Contributed by: David Yarbrough)
Well, the truth of the matter is that if we’re not careful, we can get the idea that following Jesus is just as easy as getting instant milk.
So let’s turn the corner and look at a couple things Jesus says about being his follower or his disciple, shall we?
Jesus calls followers to sacrifice.
He calls followers to sacrifice the security of a "normal" life of ease and acceptance by everyone.
Interesting that this first guy was a teacher of the law, asking to be a disciple. Most of these guys didn’t like Jesus, but this one was willing to be identified as one of Jesus’ disciples. And he was probably aware that it would cost him, at least in terms of reputation, prestige, and acceptance.
That’s not what Jesus was specifically addressing, but I think it’s interesting that what Jesus does say involves sacrifice as well.
"Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
Now let me set something straight. People use verse 20 to say that Jesus was some homeless poor person.
But I don’t think that’s the case.
Yes, it’s true that Jesus lived "on the road," and that he didn’t go home to a nice house every night.
But he was not exactly living under bridges and digging in dumpsters, either!
The Bible tells us in one of the other gospels that there were a number of people who supported Jesus’ ministry financially.
Did Jesus carry a fat wallet or a big bag of gold wherever he went? Nope, but the disciples were not without money. In fact, we find that Judas was the treasurer of the gang, although he wasn’t an honest one.
So what’s Jesus saying here? He’s saying that he was constantly on the move, that you might be sleeping in a different place each night, and that you’ll probably be camping most of the time.
It would involve letting go of your earthly priorities and possessions for his sake.
It would involve living according to his schedule, not yours. So here’s the question he was asking then, and that he’s asking you now: are you willing to let Jesus run the show?
Are you willing to become identified as a follower of Jesus no matter what?
"Are you REALLY sure you want to do this?"
The next thing I want to point out here is that...
Jesus calls followers to sell out.
The second man approaches Jesus full of desire, just as the first guy did, but he has one little barrier to deal with:
"Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
There is a lot of discussion among scholars about just what this guy was asking.
Many feel that he was asking for a delay, because his father was aged, and he wanted to be a good son who honored his father by attending to his burial upon his death.
Others feel that the father probably had already died and was buried, but was waiting for a time when the bones are reburied in the walls of the tomb - usually about a year. If this is what he’s addressing when talking to Jesus, then he’s saying, "I want to be your follower, but not now - how ’bout next year?"
Others feel that the father wasn’t dead, but that this guy just wanted to wait for the inheritance before getting serious about discipleship.
In any case, Jesus’ answer was pretty straightforward:
"Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
In other words, "If you’re going to follow me, you need to put me first, even above family allegiances."
Another way of saying this is that Jesus wants us to be totally sold out to him, above anything and anyone else.
Now that’s not easy, let me tell you, because I’ve had to make that choice.
When I put my trust in Jesus and decided that I wanted to belong to him heart and soul, then it brought me a bit of conflict with my family. They all thought I was off my rocker, and let me know it.
But I had to tell them that Jesus was my boss now, and that I would obey him and serve him, even if it meant I would be misunderstood by them.
Twenty-plus years later, they’re all cool about it. They don’t all love Jesus yet, but they’re coming around, one by one, and they are seeing that I made the right decision, after all.
So here’s the question you need to ask yourself if you claim you want to be a follower of Jesus: are you willing to let Jesus be your primary allegiance?
If not, then you’re not ready to be his disciple. So let’s ask the question again: "Are you REALLY sure you want do this?"
Well, PB, you haven’t exactly been focusing on attracting people to be disciples, now have you?
Nope. Believe me, I want everyone here to be disciples of Jesus, and I believe Jesus wants everyone here to be his disciples as well.
But, like Jesus, I want your eyes wide open. I don’t want someone coming to me later telling me that I’ve sold them a bill of goods and they’re ready to jump ship because they didn’t know what was expected of them.
One of my original thoughts about this message was to entitle it, "I Beg Your Pardon, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden." How many here remember that song? Big hit for Lynne Anderson back in the day.
But I got to thinking that if I used that title, a few of you might get the impression that I actually listen to country music, and I couldn’t take that!
But I do want to take some time here, because you have to know that while it’s not all a bed of roses, there are some benefits of being a close follower of Jesus, a disciple.
And believe me, they far outweigh the negatives. So let’s look at the question of why bother being a disciple?
So why bother?
I want to point out three benefits Jesus promises to those who follow him.
Benefits of being a disciple:
* A full and abundant life.
Look at these words in John 10:10. Jesus says this -
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
Now I want to point something out here. The context of this verse in John is not just about those who put their faith in Christ, the context is listening to Jesus and following him.
Jesus is promising that those who follow him will find a life filled with significance and security.
Now that’s enough for most folks right there. We all want our lives to mean something, right? We all want to know that we’ll be taken care of right? Well, that’s what Jesus promises.
It won’t always be easy, but he takes care of you. A second benefit of being a follower of Jesus is...
* You gain spiritual insight and knowledge.
John 8:12 -
"Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
He opens up the Bible to us, using the Holy Spirit to give us understanding of the Bible and how to make it real in our lives, and so we can avoid error.
Jesus is promising a spiritual "safety net."
A third benefit of following Jesus is...
* Heavenly honor.
John 12:26 -
"Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me."
You know, I think everyone likes a pat on the back. I like being told I’ve done a good job, and I like telling people they’ve done a good job.
The Bible says that a time is coming when the servants of God will come up to followers of Jesus and say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
What Jesus is promising here is a spiritual "pat on the back."
Conclusion
Folks, the bottom line of all this is that discipleship is, at times, hard. It’s not for the faint-hearted. It’s a commitment to let Jesus really be the boss.
And that’s not easy because we like to be in control.
But let me remind you of something: God created you. Each and every one of you. And I’m kinda of the opinion that he knows how to best run things. Makes sense, right?
Jesus has so much to offer all who will take the challenge to really follow Jesus. I listed just three, but let me tell you, and I know this’ll be backed up not just by Scripture but by the lives of some in here who have followed Jesus, there are many more benefits of following him.
And here’s the great news: it’s entirely up to you. Discipleship isn’t some sort of spiritual lottery - you get to be a disciple and you don’t. It’s an open invitation to every single person who wants it and is willing to make the effort.
And here’s some more good news: God’ll supply the help in making the effort. Because he wants it even more than you do.
So here it is: are you willing to rise up and take the challenge of being a bona-fide follower of Jesus, who lives for him above all else?
My prayer is that today God will move on the hearts of some of you to make that choice after hearing this message. Not because of me, but because God’s been moving in your heart and spirit to make a deeper commitment to Jesus, and he’s given you a yearning for what he has to offer the close followers of Jesus.
Now it’s not just enough to say you want it. You need to take some action. And so let me suggest that the first step is to come to CLASS 101 in a couple weeks.
We’ll be going over some very practical stuff and it’s a great first step in that journey of discipleship.
Do you need to come to that class to get going? Nope. But it’s a great way to get it started.
But my point here isn’t to advertise the class more. My point is that you need to take action in becoming a disciple. Good intentions don’t cut it.
If you feel that God is moving in you to at least explore this whole idea of discipleship, I’d love to talk to you. Give me a holler and we’ll have some coffee, or you can e-mail me and we’ll get together.
But let me just encourage you to not let this sit. Do something this week to solidify your desire to step up to be a follower.
I promise that you’ll be glad, for the rest of your life.
Let’s pray.
