Have You Considered the Cost of Discipleship?

Luke 14:25-35

We live in a culture of people who lack commitment.

Root of the problem self-centeredness

Jesus addresses this issue of commitment.

Jesus never sugar coated what it would cost to be one of his disciples.

Audience: a large crowd of people travelling with Jesus

Many people mistake having a positive interest in Jesus as equivalent to being one of his true disciples

Jesus is not looking for casual “tag-alongs” He is looking for committed disciples!

There are consequences to being a committed disciple of Jesus

Have You Considered the Cost of Following Jesus?

Five illustrations help us understand the cost and commitment Jesus requires from his followers:

1. A Family

2. A Cross

3. A Tower

4. A War

5. Salt

1. A Family

Luke 14: 26 [NIV] – “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.”

“hate” a hyperbole = an exaggerated statement used to make a point.

Jesus is talking about priorities in our relationships.

We need to love Jesus so much that when you consider our love for him compared with our love for anyone else it will seem like we hate everyone else.

Do you love Jesus more than any other relationship in the world including yourself?

Ask: Where do my loyalties lie?

Being a committed disciple involves:

Loyalty - Making Jesus My First Priority

2. A Cross

Luke 14: 27 [NIV] – “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

Carrying a cross heading toward death!

Carrying our cross is a continuing process

Galatians 2:20 [NIV] – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 5:24 [NIV] – “Those who belong to Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires…”

We are called to put to death our old self every day

Romans 8: 13 [NIV] – “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

Stop living self-directed lives and begin to live Spirit-directed lives

Being a committed disciple involves:

Self-denial - Giving Jesus My Life

3. A Tower

Luke 14: 28-30 [NIV] - “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’”

Jesus is pointing out the importance of the preparations that go into building the tower.

Jesus doesn’t want people making a decision to follow him without first understanding what they are getting themselves into.

Discipleship is an exciting journey but it is also difficult and demanding journey

The New Testament often compares our Christian journey to a race.

Jesus is telling us that he wants us to finish the race well.

Hebrews 12: 1 – “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

A lesson in perseverance as well as commitment.

2 Timothy 4:7 [NIV] – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Being a committed disciple involves:

Calculating Costs – Making Sure I Can Finish Well

4. A War

Luke 14: 31-32 [NIV] - “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.

Discipleship is about sacrifice.

v.33 – “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

Discipleship is about being willing to sacrifice everything in order to make Jesus the priority of our lives.

Note: Jesus says -- “give up” everything – not “give away” everything

The cost of following Jesus – Total Allegiance

Are you ready – are you willing to give control of everything you have to God?

Being a committed disciples involves:

Sacrifice - Being Willing to Surrender Everything

5. Salt

Luke 14: 34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.

Salt was an essential mineral in Biblical times.

Used to preserve food - prevent decay

Used to add flavor - a seasoning agent

Used as a fertilizer for certain types of plants and soil.

BUT Salt could lose its saltiness.

Committed followers of Jesus:• We are to be seasoning agents in our communities• We are to be the preserving component of our society – stop its decay.• We are to be fertilizing- representing Christ with our lives – preparing soils for God’s Word

Our distinctiveness in the world is based on a total commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Being a committed disciples involves:

Saltiness – Remaining Pure and Effective in Impacting the World for Christ.

Have you considered the cost of following Jesus?

Are you in fully committed or just “along for the ride?”

Jesus said “If you don’t meet this standard…you cannot be my disciple”

There are only two options:• Go your own way• Or join with him to surrender our lives

totally to his way.