disciple | Sermons

What Stands in Your Way?
August 10, 1997	Sermon by DRW	Passage Luke 14.25-35

Luke 14.25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:

Luke 14.26 “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.

Luke 14.27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14.28 “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?

Luke 14.29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,

Luke 14.30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’

Luke 14.31 “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?

Luke 14.32 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.

Luke 14.33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14.34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

Luke 14.35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Introduction

While the Lord Jesus was on this earth, many people desired to be identified with Him. In fact, in the height of His popularity, it was difficult for Him to travel without great crowds following Him.

People came from everywhere to see Him perform the miracles that He did, such as heal the sick, cast out demons, multiply food, and so forth. They marveled at His stand against the established religion of the day; they were attracted to Him by His love; and some followed just to be part of the crowd. And Jesus knew that many of these people, if not most, were hoping that He could do what others had failed to do: liberate them from their oppressors, and establish a new kingdom, here and now, of which they could be part.

Many people follow Jesus today for the same reasons that people 2000 years ago followed Him. They want to see the miracles; they want to rule in a kingdom; they want to get what they can from Christianity.

Our churches are full of those who were eager to make professions of faith. They are full of those who desire to get something from the church because they are members of it. And it is sad that some people join the church for social reasons or loneliness.

What I want to ask you this morning is the same thing that Jesus asked a crowd 2000 years ago: Have you counted the cost of discipleship, of following Him?

In verses 28-30 Jesus uses the story of building a tower to illustrate the need to carefully analyze all that is involved in being a disciple of Christ. When a person goes about the task of building a structure, he first needs a plan. He then analyzes his plan, and divides up the different tasks that must be performed in order to complete the building. Next, a list is made up of all the materials that will be required to build the structure, and then this list is priced. The decision is then made whether to go ahead and attempt to build the structure or not. [House on Calle Mayor]

We have His plan-the Bible. We must analyze the plan by reading all of the different things that are required of us by the Lord in order to be His disciples. Here Jesus is telling us to count the cost. The Lord Jesus has given us a list of materials, and we must determine if we are willing to pay the price. We must determine whether it is worth it or not to follow Him.

We must consider, what stands in our way of being His disciples?

Pastor Hui has told me that your church has been going through the concept of discipleship this year. It is to be commended. I will not bore you with the details of a definition of being a disciple, except to give you my definition:

Someone who follows the teachings of another through adhering to the teaching and imitating the teacher. For us the Teacher is Jesus and the teaching is the Bible.

Today I will take you through Luke 14.25-35 to show you what is demanded of each one of us in becoming a disciple and then I want you to leave here answering the question: What Stands in the Way of my becoming a Disciple?

Let us pray:

“Father, teach us through Your Word today what You would have us know about being Your disciple. Speak to us today. In Jesus name, amen.”

I. Total Commitment (26)

Our text reads: “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.

Jesus stood before a rather large crowd and didn’t ask them to come and follow. He asked them to count the cost of following so they may be sure later when times get tough that they made the right decision. He wanted total commitment from them. Jesus wasn’t asking for a promise of following or believing what He said. It isn’t enough just to give our word in order to become totally committed to Him. What He is telling us is that we must LOVE Him more than anything else in our lives. If we do this, total commitment will naturally follow.

Each person here today needs to ask him or herself this question: Is there anything in this world that I love more than the Lord Jesus? You see, Jesus cannot be our Master if there is another to whom we have a stronger allegiance.

Our love towards Him must be stronger than the love for our mothers, or our fathers, or our sisters and brothers. It must be stronger than our love for our husband or wife. It must be stronger than our love for our children. Finally, it must be stronger than our love for our own lives.

You cannot follow Christ without learning to despise your old ambitions. Jesus wants you to learn to love every member of your family. But He’s realistic. Family members have ambitions for your life, what it should look like, what you should bring them. Hate those competing desires. Give up expecting the approval of family members for your decision to follow Jesus.

You also have competing desires. Jesus says, “Hate … even your own life.” When your soul’s deepest longings — who you want to be, how you want others to see you, what you want to do with your life — conflict with Christ’s, you must hate them.

Every self-centered agenda and every ambition that competes with God’s ambition for your life must be challenged.

We must put Jesus above everything else that we love in life. It is that position Christ desires to occupy in our lives.

That’s asking a lot, isn’t it? How much do you love your mother? You must love Him more! How must do you love your husband? You must love Him more! How much do you love your children? You MUST love Him even more! How much do you love yourself? You MUST love Him more!!!

Jesus demands total commitment to Him know or when the times get tough, we will want out. This is the truth of

Revelation 2.4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

They didn’t count the cost of total commitment. [swimming pool story???] And when difficult times came, they walked.

II. Taking your Cross (27)

Our text reads: And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Have you ever thought what it means to bear your own cross? Some think it means putting up with all the aches and pains of living: getting old, getting sick, turning gray, working for a living.

But I think the meaning becomes very clear when we stop and realize that the cross is an instrument of death. It is designed to kill. It is designed to put an end to your character before Christ. It is meant to put aside the lust of the flesh and produce the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5).

And Jesus says if we don’t carry our own cross, like He did, then we can’t be His disciples. Our Lord carried His cross to His death, and then was crucified on it. In the same way, we are expected to put ourselves upon our cross, and allow ourselves to be crucified and with the Apostle Paul say: “I die daily.” But Jesus also needed help carrying His cross. We will need the fellowship of other believers to help us as well.

What about you? What have you crucified on your cross lately? Maybe your ego? Maybe your dignity? Maybe a habit, a sin or your reputation?

When we crucify ourselves, we allow the Lord to live through us and to use us. We become the instruments that glorify Him!

Let your light so shine before men that they glorify your Father in Heaven.

Is that what you want? Then you must take up your cross daily and die to self!

To some, bearing the cross means their very life. In some countries, it is death to be known as a Christian.

2 Timothy 3.12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

How fortunate we are that we have it so easy in this country to be a Christian as compared to some. Our cross must seem very light to one who has lost his home, family, and is fleeing for his life because of his love for Christ.

You cannot follow Christ without expecting to experience alienation and rejection from others. Are you willing?

Serious rebellion against the Roman state was punished on the cross. It was very public, very humiliating — the whole focus was to deter others from treason. This is why it is so important to understand was is means to become a Christian, a disciple demanded all of the person. It was a high cost to count-it could mean your very life. The decision to follow Christ, to devote yourself to His purpose, will be viewed by the rest of the world as treason against their standards and lifestyle. Expect a very public humiliation and rejection. Take up a life that is unacceptable and expect to pay a price.

Therefore, count the cost.

The two illustrations that follow ask, “Do I have what it takes to see this through to the end?”

III. Take Into Account the Cost (33)

Our Text Reads In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

How attached are you to your home? Your car? You toys? How about your job or career? What about your dreams for your future? Or, your money?

If the Lord said to you, “Follow me, but take nothing with you except the clothes on your back,” could you do it?

If the Lord said to you, “Give all that you have to the poor,” could you do it?

If the Lord said to you, “Give your children to My service,” could you do it?

The apostle Paul had a godly perspective concerning worldly possessions: we can read about it in Phil.3:7-8.

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

Paul’s chief object in life was to possess the Lord Jesus. His relationship with Christ was the most prized treasure that he could possibly have. He was willing to give up a place to call home in order to have that relationship. He was willing to give up all material possessions, his freedom, and his very life rather than lose his treasure.

Paul estimated the cost of being a disciple of Christ. And he calculated that it wouldn’t cost him 20 per cent of what he owned, not 50 per cent, but 100 per cent. You cannot follow Christ without losing control over your finances. Following Christ will cost your material possessions — i.e., your money, your means of getting it — your stuff! The disciple has a new life orientation and for him it doesn’t matter. Things in this world are resources to be used up in order to draw people into Christ’s kingdom.
The word “give up” does not mean “get rid of” — that’s easy. The word means “arrange or set aside, make ready for use.” That is harder. It implies marking something — making it available for use as the need arises. The disciple creates an inventory of money, things, and the means of getting them — each with a tag that reads “AVAILABLE FOR HIS USE.”

My question to you this morning is this: Do you consider your relationship with Jesus to be worth giving up everything that you have? Does He mean that much to you?

The cost may seem high, but the rewards are eternal!

IV. The Gain (34-35)

Our Text Reads “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. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Jesus does promise us a worthwhile life if we become His disciples.

If you follow Jesus Christ…

1. He will change your understanding of God. He is God. His perfect obedience to the Father shows us how to relate to God. Godliness means becoming more like Christ. To be a disciple, again, is to be one who learns and adheres to the teachings of Jesus and imitates Jesus in life. 1 John 1.1-4 promises us joy as we get to know Him and make Him known. Only disciples have this.

2. He will expose your sinful nature. Jesus is the light: If your heart is open you will want to be around Him. If your heart is closed you will hate who He is and what He stands for. As we learn of His teaching, we begin to see how far we are from Him and will want to rid ourselves of things to be closer to Him. We will be willing to lose all for the sake of gaining Christ.

3. He will provide for your continued growth. He died and rose from the dead for you. He constantly prays for you. He gives every resource you need to be productive in your pursuit of God’s purposes. We must keep this in mind: the cross was never the goal but only the means to the goal. Death was not God’s goal but the Resurrection that all might have life was the goal (Hebrews 12.1-2). When we follow Him we may feel bad or that it is too hard, but seen in the light of the life that we gain (after time) we will count it all as worth it [sin is almost always easy, it is only in struggle we can gain].

4. He will call you to make disciples. This is God’s clear, authoritative purpose for your life. You are not following Christ if you are not joining with Him. He wants you to give your life so that others might grow in their relationship with Him. One of the great benefits of following Him is that He uses us to reproduce in others the same desire to follow. We become the salt of the earth.

What is standing in the way of your being totally sold out to Him?

Are you willing to count the cost of being His disciple and forsaking that which stands in the way?

If you are, speak with Pastor Hui or myself after service that he may guide and direct you into a better understanding of what should be done.

Let us pray:

“Father, we ask that Your Holy Spirit search our heart and show us what stands in the way of us being totally committed to You. As we leave, Father, I pray Your Spirit does His work in our lives. To the end that Jesus be raised and You be glorified. Amen.”

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Faithfulness
Fruit of the Spirit
September 20, 1992	Sermon by DRW	Passage Galatians 5.22-23

Introduction:

The prisoner sat in a poorly lit cell.
they tried starvation, torture and mental anguish to get the prisoner to bow before the ruler.
they came to take the prisoner to a room with a high ceiling.
they lifted the prisoner high on a rope, “BOW!”
“Forsake your God. BOW!”
Sounds like a story out of Paul’s life, or a first century Christian.
She would not bow.
She stood for God, no matter the cost.
They figured if they could get here to bend forward and take a picture, and publicize it they’d ruin her testimony.
They raised her three stories in the air.
They let the rope go and she plummeted toward the floor.

Why would she go through all this? She knew her Saviour. She may not have known why she was put through this but she knew her Saviour: He is faithful and she realized she needed to be faithful, after all she was a disciple of her Lord.

I. This poses an interesting question, “Is God faithful?”, if so, how does He show it?

A. God keeps His promises

1. Deuteronomy 7.9

2. 1 Corinthians 10.13

3. People often ask me how I know the Bible is true and not just partial truth. Every time I answer, “Look at me!” . . .

B. God does no wrong, He is just.

1. Deuteronomy 32.4

2. Isaiah 42.3

C. Faithfulness is part of His glory, who He is

1. Psalm 89.8

2. 2 Timothy 2.13

3. There are times when we feel we have no faith, no purpose to carry on for, no God to lean on. But He remains faithful. The One who said, “Lo, I am with you always” will still be there, even when we are without faith for it is His character.

I can only imagine this is what my friend’s aunt knew as they raised her high and threatened her to bow before Mao. Flashing through her mind was Proverbs 2.8–God is faithful in His promises, in His justice, and true to His character. She bellowed, “I will not bow! For I am faithful.” She exemplified Revelation 2.10.

II. God has called us to be imitators of Him. How can we do this? By being faithful.

* Kim and Eric story that Kathy told me.

A. Faithful in Word, God keeps His promises

1. Psalm 89.1

2. Isaiah 29.1

3. Prayer has got to be the greatest acts of faithfulness in word that a believer has. In prayer we praise God, worship Him, make requests of Him, communicate with God. Prayer always precedes doing.

B. Faithful in Deed, God does no wrong

1. Joshua 24.14

2. Romans 12.12

3. When the world says forsake God and bow, do you? When the world causes others to deny Christ, do you? *Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego* When there is a choice between self and God, who do you choose? When the devil tempts do you fall for the temptation and ultimately into sin. Are you faithful in deed?

C. Faithful as our way of life, faithful is God’s character

1. 1 Timothy 1.12

2. 1 Peter 4.10

3. Revelation 13.10

Daily, we are asked to stand for Jesus in some way: rejecting false teaching from godless professors (whether in school, on T.V., billboards, etc); refusing to take heed to our friends who deny Christ or blaspheme the holy God we worship; telling someone about Christ; praying. Daily we are called to stand. When we don’t we bow to the world, the flesh, or the devil.

I know there are times when we wonder if its all worth it, those times we are raised to the ceiling, the moment we plummet toward the earth, not certain. In those moments of we need to remember His faithfulness (1 Corinthians 10.13; 1 Samuel 12.24) and cling faithfully to Him

What happened to my friends aunt? We left her hanging a while back. As I said, they let the rope go with the intention of taking a snapshot of here when she hit the ground. When she hit, they thought, as they placed a large photo of Mao before the spot she would land on, in full range of the camera shutter, she would fall forward in a “reverential” bow to Mao for all the Christians of China to see.

But, and this is a big but, they did not know that she was a faithful follower of a faithful God and He was about to show this to her and to the officials of the communist Chinese government in the 1960’s. As she was falling to the ground she praised her God, re-counting His faithfulness to her. When she hit the ground, she landed standing! What a picture of God’s faithfulness Premier Mao now had. Too bad the camera did not have a spiritual eye. If it did, can you picture what would be in the picture? I can only imagine it would have contained what Elisha saw in 2 Kings 6. It would have shown an elderly woman standing defiantly before a picture of Mao DeZhong, being upheld by the mighty angels of God! The only explanation, God gave His angels charge over her lest she dash her foot. AMEN!

The world, the flesh, the devil (all that Mao embodied) can get you by the throat and damage your testimony. Stand firm! Be faithful! God will be well pleased with you and be glorified because of you. Then the Proverb will be answered, “I am that faithful person.”

Remember,

1. God is faithful to His Word–you be faithful to your words.

2. God is faithful in not doing evil–you be faithful in your deeds.

3. God is characterized by faithfulness–you live a life that is characterized by faithfulness.

In so doing, we imitate God and are the greatest billboard for Him, and we bear His Spirit.

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What Stands in Your Way?

Faithfulness

Scriptural Truths for Today's World