Luke 14:25-33.
Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, 'This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.' Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all of his possessions cannot be my disciple."
The Gospel of the Lord.
IV. v. 25-35 AN ENORMOUS PRICE
A. Lest anyone think that being a follower of Christ is cheap, Jesus makes it very plain that it is anything but cheap. The price, in fact, is more than many are ever willing to pay! (Ill. The large crowds that followed Jesus would have awed many men. However, after Jesus wooed men, He would then challenge them. It is at this point that we can safely separate the Christian from the Disciple. A Christian is one who has received Jesus into his/her heart. A disciple is one who has surrendered EVERYTHING to Jesus and is following Him faithfully, even unto death.)
B. Jesus tells us that there are 5 basic thing we have to do to be a disciple of Christ. Anyone who is not willing to pay the price and do these things may be saved, but they are not a Disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice the requirements for true discipleship.
1. v. 26 – The true Disciple will love Christ supremely. Every other love in our lives must seem like hate when compared to our love for Jesus Christ! This is a tall order, but it is simply the fulfillment of Mark 12:30 [the Shema].
2. v. 27a – The true Disciple will take up his cross. The cross is not a bad situation on life, it is not a disease, or some other burden. The cross is a pathway of reproach, suffering, loneliness and even death that the believer voluntarily endures for Jesus’ sake. Not all believers are cross bearers! It is possible to be saved and to leave your cross unborn. You do this by living a "nominal" Christian life. You go to church, you claim Jesus as Savior, yet your Christian walk goes no deeper. It is a surface thing in your life. But, when you decide to go all out for Jesus, you can expect to face the same level of satanic opposition that Jesus faced while here on earth. Are you bearing your cross for Christ this morning?
3. v. 27b – The true Disciple will follow Jesus – This means to be engaged in the work He did. When we are following Him, we will walk as He did, speak as He did, live as He did and love as he did. When we are following Jesus, we are demonstrating the Father to a lost and a dying world. Is it possible for people like us to live out Christ in this present day? Yes, but only so we yield to Him and allow Him to live His life through us daily – Gal. 2:20.
4. v. 28-33 The true Disciple will Count The Cost. He will weigh his worldly attachments against the demands of the cross and he will enter into the race knowing that it will cost him everything he has for the sake of Christ. His work demands that everything be placed on the altar of sacrifice. Very few are willing to pay that price, but those who are will find a grace for living that the rest never experience. They will find a peace that others cannot comprehend. They will know power with God and for God that others can only dream of. The price is outrageous to the mind of man, but when compared with the payoff, it is extremely cheap.
5. v. 34 The true Disciple will fulfill his one purpose in life.
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