Encounter Jesus – Luke Week 5

The Cost of Discipleship

Luke 9: 21-27, 57-62

AUDIO

Lecture Handout

(There is no handout for this week)

Lesson Notes

We’ve seen the kind of Messiah Jesus is – here to seek and save the lost, the lesser, etc. Jesus calls us to “Follow Him” – what does that mean? Where does that fall in our list of things to do? Tonight we encounter Jesus when He is very clear about what that will cost us – are we prepared to pay the price?

Take Up Your Cross Daily (Luke 9: 21-27)

  • Verses 21-22 – Having just confessed Jesus as the Christ, He now can talk about the future – for Himself and those who follow Him
    • He will suffer and die and rise again on the third day
  • Verse 23 – Said to all – so likely more than just disciples present
    • “If anyone would come after me” – 3 things: deny himself, take up his cross daily, follow Jesus
    • 1st, deny yourself = give up control over your life,  your desires and wishes and let God set your course for you
    • 2nd, take up your cross = this is profound – the cross is a symbol of humiliation, pain, brutal suffering, oppression, and death
    • For Jesus, it’s also the place of sacrifice
    • For us – to take up the expectation of daily pain, suffering, embarrassment, sacrifice, and even death for the sake of Jesus Christ
    • 3rd, follow Jesus – we aren’t called to suffer while doing whatever we feel like – to make the cost of discipleship meaningful, we must actually follow Jesus
  • Verse 24 – Makes clear – take up your cross = death to self and selfishness, and possibly even physical death
    • And it’s worth it!
    • Holding onto this life by not following Jesus into risk, suffering, or death leads to spiritual death – not entering heaven but rather an eternity of suffering
    • To lose our life – either through death or through surrendering control to God – for the sake of Jesus is the ultimate reward – eternity!
    • If you believe in Christ, you’re committed to following Him
    • To this point the cost has generally been low in the US, but that shouldn’t be expected in the future
  • Verse 25 – There’s no profit in getting rich in this world while losing your essence or life!
  • Verse 26 – Our attitude toward letting people know about our faith is in question here! This should be incredibly sobering!
    • Son of Man – Christ’s favorite name for Himself
    • When Christ returns and we stand before the judgment seat, don’t let Christ be ashamed of you!

The Price of Following Jesus (Read Luke 9: 57-62)

  • 3 different conversations/invitations to follow Jesus and the social cost
  • Verse 57 – “Someone” starts the conversation – “I will follow you”
  • Verse 58 – It’s easy for us to start with enthusiasm, but there is a price to pay – that denial of self and cross taking up thing
    • Jesus – even animals have homes, but I don’t; neither will you
    • Consider the cost of alienation from the world
  • Verse 59 – He invites another to follow Him, but the man wants to “bury his father”
    • This is a critical obligation for a Jewish son, but the point is Jesus is greater!
    • Perhaps he’s not dead yet, because he wouldn’t be out and about for the first week
    • So he could be asking for an extended amount of time to relieve him of his obligations and get set financially
    • In this case, he’s willing to follow Jesus once he’s financially stable – but that’s not the call of Jesus – “Follow Me”
    • Alternately, he’s waiting for up to a year to transfer his father’s bones to an ossuary. About controlling the timetable of following – again, that isn’t the call
  • Verse 60 – Leave the dead to bury their own dead = put a priority on proclaiming the kingdom of God
    • The dead = the spiritually dead
    • Jesus says to leave it for them to do. It has to be lower priority than proclaiming the words that bring the spiritually dead to life!
    • This sounds callous, but the point is we have to think about our family and cultural bonds carefully and not put them above Jesus Christ
    • Jesus is very clear – Christ comes before family. To put anything before Jesus is a form of idolatry.
    • Kingdom > Family
  • Verse 61 – Another would be follower – I will follow you but…
  • Verse 62 – Do the work of the kingdom and don’t look back at your friends, family, or the things of the world
    • Once you start the work of the Kingdom, your assignment may change periodically, but you don’t stop
    • Note – this doesn’t leave much room for retiring from ministry – just changing its form throughout your life
  • Discipleship – really, genuinely following the Jesus we claim to love – demands a radical shift in priorities – have you made that shift? Is that shift in progress?

Next Week: Luke 11: 1-13