The Cost of Discipleship - Pastor Justin Miles
Sunday Morning Sermon
Pastor Justin Miles
The Cost of Discipleship
Luke 9:51-62
Snapshot from someone sitting in the pew:
Pastor Justin's sermon yesterday made me think of a paradox in the Bible. A paradox is defined by Dictionary.com as, "A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality, expresses a possible truth". An example of a paradox in the Bible is we must die to live. How is the cost of discipleship a paradox?
At first glance it appears that following Jesus costs us too much. I must give up my things. I can't do things my way. It costs too much. In the sermon passage the disciples wanted to blast the rude Samaritans with fire from heaven! That was their "great" idea and would have been done their way. Just imagine their shock when Jesus nixed their plans!
But on second glance, how much does it cost a believer for not following and obeying the Son of God, the source of our eternal hope? When we do it our way, which Jesus will allow at times, we reap the consequences. Doesn't mean we aren't still a Christian, doesn't mean Jesus doesn't love us. But when we do it our way instead of Jesus' way, we cause damage. We have regrets. We wish we could jump in a time machine and go back to correct our mistake. The disciples who voiced a plan to burn up the Samaritans probably wished they had waited for Jesus before they put their thoughts to words in front of their peers.
I mentioned a paradox at the beginning of this blog entry. That paradox is what this Bible passage is about. It isn't that a believer only dies once when we accept Jesus for salvation and then we go about our daily business.
A believer must die to live every single day.
Every day when we roll out of bed, we must ask ourselves, "Who will I follow today?" If we choose to put Jesus first, there will be a cost. But that is surely a cost savings when we compare it to the cost of doing it our way!
Bullet Points:
Luke 9:51-62
Luke Part 1 - Birth - baptism of Jesus - his temptation - beginning of Jesus' ministry - his supernatural control over everything - now setting his face toward Jerusalem
Luke Part 2 -
Jesus came down for a limited time
Would be taken up to Jerusalem and up on the cross
Messengers went ahead of him - Samaritans rejected him
Why? Because he was heading to Jerusalem to worship?
Because of the cost of following Jesus?
Jesus knew why he came and where he was headed.
v. 54 - James and John offered to use Jesus' power to help him!
When we take matters into our own hands = disaster.
Jesus understands the necessity of his suffering, death and resurrection.
3 snapshots of what following Jesus looks like -
v. 58 - Will have to trust in Jesus for all things daily
v. 60 - Can't do it on our terms - He is Lord over all of life
We are called to proclaim the kingdom!
v. 62 - We can't pick and choose which of Jesus' commands to follow (Lot's wife - what she left was more important than what she was heading for.)
How deep is my commitment to Jesus?
What trial or distraction is preventing me from fully committing to Jesus?
When I take my eyes off Jesus, I am worshiping myself.