Good evening everyone. First of all let me say thank you for everyone for your many prayers
and encouragement and support over the past few months. Phoebe has arrived which was fabulous
and is fabulous and she's going fairly strong. She's in a tank thing but she's breathing on her
on her own so apart from the tank thing she's breathing on her own so we're and she's getting
stronger the doctor's very happy with her and all going well so thank you for that really appreciate
it. Let's pray. Gracious God thank you for your word we thank you for your many promises to us
Lord we pray that as we look at discipleship tonight what it means to follow you I pray
Father that you would encourage us that you would challenge us particularly over the next couple of
weeks as we walk with Jesus to Jerusalem as as we see what it means to follow him Lord I pray that
you would you would help us to understand it with clarity in a way that the disciples didn't understand
it so Lord that we might truly be your disciples challenge us we pray rebuke us we pray that you
would change us and encourage us as your people amen. It was December 2000 and Natalie and I had been
planning to go on a holiday to the UK it was the first time that we'd been overseas and it was kind
of one of those things we had been planning it for you know six months or something like that and
we'd planned every contingency. We'd spoken to a number of people who had been to places like the UK
and so they gave us all the bits of advice and we wrote all the advice down and covered all our bases
so we had everything covered we organized our passports we had clothing for every kind of
weather contingency in the UK both cold and freezing we we had medication for every known disease
that we may potentially pick up on the way we had pre-booked accommodation put cars
tours I think even meals I think we'd pre-booked basically everything we had we figured we had
everything we were so you know had all the pamphlets and books and we you know our bags were just
completely loaded we're so looking forward to this and you know we had it all prepared and I was we're
flying out on a Sunday afternoon and so I decided I would preach and do services that Sunday morning
and then left church and went straight to the airport and so I arrived at the airport we're excited we're happy
booked in and all that sort of stuff and we got to the back of the plane and which is where we were seated
right at the very back of the plane and I sat down and then I went oh no I'm not ready for this
I had it was the first time that it dawned on me that it's a long way from Australia to the UK
and I got to sit in this plane and that guy there is too close to me and that seat is too close to me
and there are too many people too close to me and I got I realized however that there was a map on the
back of the plane on the back of the seat and so I watched the map basically all the way to the edge
of Australia and so it was like five hours and I got on the plane I didn't have a change of clothes
I didn't have a book I had I had nothing I literally walked out except for my sermon notes
is all I had I hopped on this plane and I got to Singapore and it was like is there any other way
to get to London than to get back on that plane I'm just not ready for this I just this is this is I
mean we have we're not even halfway there yet and I've got to get back on this plane and fly the rest of
the way it was yeah I got to say it was probably the worst travel experience of my life I just had
not at all mentally prepared I prepared everything else it was down there in the dungeon the plane
somewhere but I had not actually mentally prepared for the actual trip at all and and I just fidgeted and
I whinged and I complained all the way I didn't sleep a wink all the way and this guy beside me wanted
to talk for most of the way it was mind-boggling I said to that I got to the UK and I said look if we
can book a boat home that would be fantastic I love the boat dates what we're about to embark on here
is a journey that Jesus is beginning with his disciples and it's a journey that we have to prepare for
it's a journey that we have to be clearly prepared for because Jesus talks about it in the end of
that verse 62 he talks about fickle following he talks about fickle following he wants to make it
very clear what we are to expect if we're going to be his disciples and follow him and he says this in
verse 62 no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God
what Jesus is saying is you want the good stuff you want heaven but you're ready for the trip
are you ready for the trip to get there because we can have this idea of heaven and the trip's going
to be like heaven as well and Jesus said guys it's not quite like that this is the most significant
turning point in Luke's gospel we've seen the great things that Jesus has done we've seen his
compassion for the lost and we've seen his authority over all that is and now it says in chapter 9 verse 51
having just moments before had Peter's confession that you are the Christ and God himself saying
this is my son whom I will please it's quite clear who Jesus is now what does it mean to follow this
Jesus and so in 951 it says Jesus said his face for Jerusalem that's what it literally means he
resolutely set out for Jerusalem he said his face for Jerusalem and so we are about to embark on this trip
with Jesus let's turn however to chapter 19 because in chapter 19 we get the end of the trip
where Jesus is just about to arrive so Luke chapter 19 it's the last week of his life and Jesus says this
in verse 37 when he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives the whole crowd of
disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen blessed is the
king who comes in the name of the Lord peace in heaven and glory in the highest it needed to be said
as Jesus arrived at Jerusalem it needed to be said blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord
Jesus said it had to be said the Pharisees and the teachers of the Lord said Jesus tell your disciples to
shut up and Jesus said if they do not speak that which is true the stones would speak it it had to be
said the king has arrived I like to think of our worship in this age as a rehearsal for the age to come
I like to think that as we gather week after week that that's what we're thinking as we come to church and
worship it's a rehearsal of that which is to come in the age when we are gathered around the throne
one day we who by God's grace have been faithful to the Lord are going to stand with innumerable
millions of believers from Bangladesh and Poland and Egypt and the United States and Iceland and Cameroon
and Ecuador and Burma and Borneo and Japan and thousands of tribes and peoples and languages
all purified by Christ with palms of praise in their hand and when we raise those palms of praise in salute to our King Jesus
he will see almost an endless field of green shimmering with life and pulsating with praise
and then like the sound of a thousand choruses we will sing our song of salvation while the mighty Christ with heartfelt love
looks out over those whom he has brought with his own blood
that is the future that is the worship that we are in rehearsal for right now
but as Jesus approached Jerusalem
if he had taken his throne on that day at Jerusalem
none of us would be robed in white
none of us would be waving palms of praise
in the age to come
there had to be a cross
and this is what the disciples had not yet understood
so back in chapter 9
flick back to Luke 9
as Jesus resolutely sets out for Jerusalem from Galilee
he tried to explain this to his disciples
in verse 22 of chapter 9 he said
the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders
the chief priests and the teachers of the law
he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life
and then in verse 44 he says to them
listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you
I mean you should pick up at that point
the son of man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men
but verse 45 tells us
they did not understand what this meant
it was hidden from them
so they did not grasp it
and they were afraid to ask him about it
you see clearly their understanding of Jesus' last journey
to Jerusalem was actually flawed
they saw him as a king who was moving in to take control
and he was
but they could not grasp that the victory that Jesus would win in Jerusalem
was over sin and Satan and death
and all the enemies of righteousness and joy
and that this victory would be won through his own horrible suffering and death
and that the kingdom which they thought was going to be established immediately
was going to take thousands of years
to be established
and their misunderstanding of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem
resulted in a misunderstanding of what it meant for them to be disciples of Jesus
this is why this is so important for us to see
lest we make the same mistake as those disciples
in Luke chapter 9 verse 51 to 56
we learn how not to understand Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem
as the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven
Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem
to resolutely set out is to set his face towards
to doggedly, stubbornly, determinedly
head for Jerusalem
and it meant something very different for the disciples
than it did for Jesus
you can actually see the visions of greatness
that danced around in the disciples' minds at this point
verse 46
an argument started amongst the disciples
as to which of them would be the greatest
it's like Jesus, we're almost there
another week and we're going to be there sort of stuff
we're going to be in Jerusalem
you're going to be king
and let's fight over who's going to be foreign minister
and deputy prime minister
and you know
who's going to be the greatest in your kingdom
Jesus
because Jerusalem and glory
were just around the corner
for the disciples
oh what it would mean for them
when Jesus took his throne
but Jesus had another vision in his head
and one wonders frankly
how he carried it for so long
and alone
here's what Jerusalem meant for Jesus
Luke chapter 13 verse 33
in any case
I must keep going today
and tomorrow
and the next day
for surely no prophet can die
outside Jerusalem
Jerusalem meant one thing for Jesus
certain death
and he was under no illusions
as to whether it was going to be a quick death
or a heroic death
he pointed out in chapter 18 of Luke
verse 31 onwards
we are going up to Jerusalem
and everything that is written by the prophets
about the son of man will be fulfilled
he will be turned over to the Gentiles
they will mock him
insult him
spit on him
flog him
and kill him
when Jesus
set his face to go to Jerusalem
he set his face to die
so he sets out
and he says in chapter 9 verse 52
he sent messengers on ahead
who went into a Samaritan village
to get things ready for him
but the people there did not welcome him
because he was heading for Jerusalem
it doesn't really matter
whether his rejection
is because Jesus
and his companions were Jews
and the Samaritans hated Jews
or whether the rejection
is a more personal rejection
because they didn't want Jesus
being their Messiah
that what matters for this story
is simply that Jesus
is already being rejected
and then what happens is
this focus shifts from Jesus
to the disciples
and their response
and especially the response
of James and John
you see it there in verse 54
they said to Jesus
Lord
do you want us to call down fire
from heaven to destroy them
you get a glimpse here
why Jesus called these guys
the sons of thunder
and you know frankly
I can imagine being there
I can imagine saying it
you know Jesus
do you want me to whip the guns out
you know come on Jesus
you know we're on our way to victory
nothing can stop us now
let's let the fire fall Jesus
let the judgment begin
oh Jesus how Jerusalem
is going to tremble
when they see us coming Jesus
let's get on with the business
right now
and Jesus turns to them
and rebukes them
in verse 55
and they simply went
to another village
those couple of verses
help us to see
that a mistaken view
of Jesus journey
to Jerusalem
can lead to a mistaken view
of what it means
to be his disciple
if Jesus had come
to execute judgment
and take up
an earthly rule
then it would make sense
for the sons of thunder
to launch missiles
at this Samaritan village
but if Jesus had come
not to judge
but to save
then a radically different
form of discipleship
is required
and so here is the question
I think that this passage
is asking every believer
does discipleship mean
deploying God's missiles
against the enemy
in righteous indignation
or does discipleship mean
following him
on the Calvary road
which leads to suffering
and death
the answer in the whole
New Testament
is that the surprise
about Jesus the Messiah
is that he came
to live
a sacrificial
dying service
before he comes
a second time
to reign
in glory
and the surprise
about discipleship
is that it demands
a like of sacrificial
dying service
before we reign
with him
in glory
what James and John
had to learn
and what we must learn
too
is that Jesus'
journey to Jerusalem
to die
is our journey
to Jerusalem
to die as well
there are certainly
those that view it
as the exact opposite
that since Jesus
suffered so much
and died in our place
therefore we are free
to go straight
to the head of the class
we skip all the exams
he suffered
so that I could have
comfort
he died so that
I could live
he bore abuse
so that I could be
esteemed
he gave up all the
treasures in heaven
so that I could build
up treasures in earth
he brought the kingdom
and paid for our entrance
and now we live in it
with all its earthly
privileges
but that goes against
the plain teaching
of the Bible
even the plain teaching
the context here
Luke chapter 9
verse 23
and 24
Jesus says
if anyone
would come after me
he must deny himself
take up his cross
daily and follow me
whoever wants to save
his life will lose it
but whoever loses
his life for me
will save it
friends what I'm saying
here is that
when Jesus
resolutely set out
for Jerusalem
to walk that
Calvary road
he was not merely
just taking our place
he was setting
our pattern
he's not just
our substitute
he's actually
our pace setter
if we seek
to secure
our life
through returning
evil for evil
or surrounding
ourselves with luxury
in the face
of human need
this passage says
we will lose
our life
we can only
save our life
if we follow
Christ on the
Calvary road
Jesus
died
to save us
from the power
and punishment
of sin
not from the
suffering
and sacrifices
of simplicity
for love's sake
Jesus
died to save us
from the power
and punishment
of sin
not from the
suffering
and sacrifices
of simplicity
for love's sake
and so
verses 56
to 62
are Jesus
way of correcting
the misconception
of discipleship
the misconception
of all the
glories of
discipleship
that James
and John
had
three times
here in
these passages
these verses
we see the
word follow
to describe
what it means
to be his
disciple
verse 57
I will follow
you
verse 59
follow me
and verse 61
I will follow
you
the point is
that being
a disciple
of Jesus
is more than
just learning
about Jesus
it's actually
following Jesus
where Jesus
goes
and as it
says in Luke
14
verse 27
whoever does
not bear
his own
cross
and come
after me
cannot be
my disciple
when Jesus
says these
words
follow me
he says
it in the
context of
having just
been rejected
at Samaria
as he said
his face
to go to
Jerusalem
and so
just for a
moment
I want to
dwell on
those words
those two
little words
follow
me
and if
you're dozing
off at all
right now
you need to
tune into
this bit
follow
me
follow
me
what I
want you
to do
tonight
after church
is go
home
pick up
your Bible
turn to
Luke chapter
9
and you
dwell
on those
two words
you hover
over them
you meditate
on them
you read
them
you think
about them
you incline
your heart
to them
you ask
God to
pray
you pray
to God
ask him
to bend
your heart
to understand
those words
follow me
until they
burn
deep in
your heart
and in
your mind
and if
they're
not burning
deep
in your
heart
and in
your mind
you read
them again
you ponder
you meditate
you think
you pray
you ponder
you meditate
you think
you pray
again
and again
until they
burn
deep
in your
heart
because my
guess is
for most
of us
we read
those verses
and we skip straight over them.
Follow me, follow me, follow me.
And they are so significant.
They reveal two things.
They reveal a person and they reveal a path.
They reveal Jesus, they reveal his mission.
They reveal a sweetness and they reveal a suffering.
When Jesus responded the way he did
to these three would-be followers,
he was teaching that the Calvary Road through Jerusalem
would be a hard road
and would require personal sacrifices.
And he was testing, testing, testing
to see if he, the me in the follow me,
was their greatest treasure.
There are two things happening here.
Firstly, Jesus is offering himself
for our fellowship and our friendship
and our partnership.
Just think about that.
This is the me bit.
This is the me of the follow me.
The creator of the universe,
the king of kings, the lord of lords,
the one who upholds everything
by the power of his word,
the one who is from everlasting to everlasting,
that's mind-boggling in of itself,
born of a virgin, the holy one of God,
perfect in obedience, triumphant over sin
and death and hell and demons.
In him are hidden all the treasures
of knowledge and wisdom.
And this Jesus, this me,
says follow me.
Me.
Do you get who's saying follow me
on this Calvary Road?
The significance of those words.
And the second thing that Jesus is doing here
is testing us.
Testing us
that if
this
is in actual fact
enough.
In other words,
he's testing us.
Do you know
who's calling you
to follow him?
Is it enough
to have Jesus?
Is it enough
to be satisfied
in him?
Is he your treasure,
your joy,
your security,
your hope,
your friend
in times of loneliness,
your home,
your father,
your mother,
your power
to look straight ahead
rather than to be turned aside
in fickleness
of discipleship?
When Jesus says
follow me,
he wants us
to be satisfied
in him
and not to be satisfied
in our homes,
our furniture,
the security system
which keeps it safe,
the manicured garden,
the climate controlled atmosphere,
the cockroach,
mouse free,
ant free,
fully automated kitchen,
not even the cosy comfort
of the bedroom
where we lay down
our head at night
and cuddle up
under a doona
because the son of man
has no place
to lay his head.
No place to lay his head.
He wants to know
are we satisfied
in him?
In him.
We don't need to make
these words
any harder
than they are.
Jesus isn't saying
there will never be
a time
when you will have
a bed
or a pillow
or a roof.
Jesus is not saying
that one of the criteria
of being his disciple
is that we must sleep
standing up
but it has
something to say.
It has something
to say about
how many beds
and how many pillows
and how many rooms
and how many doonas
we have.
It has something
to say
about how many
places we've invested
in to lay
our head,
how much comfort
and luxury
that we seek
to surround
ourselves with.
It has got something
to say about that.
Brothers and sisters,
we're 16,000
people groups
in this world
still waiting
to hear the gospel
and millions
of children
and people
starving
through no fault
of their own
and many people
in our own country
hard pressed
because of jobliness
and just emptiness
of the soul.
It is inconceivable
that a disciple
of Jesus Christ
can go right on
pursuing the great
Australian dream.
What excites me
so much
is when I see
Christians
who have
an alternative
dream,
a dream
of breaking
loose
from the shackles
of this
self-serving
consumer
culture
in which we live,
a dream
of doing
something radical,
something
radically loving
with your house,
something radically
loving with your
portfolio,
something radically
loving with your
income,
something radically
loving with your
free evenings
or mornings
or afternoons
or weekends
or something
radically loving
with your job.
Some of us
have discovered
such wonderful
freedom from
the love of
things,
but some of us
are yet to
discover it.
Likewise,
Jesus isn't
saying here,
it will always
be wrong to go
to your dad's
funeral.
The point is
that Jesus
Christ is
absolute
and all
other allegiances
are relative
to that.
That's the point
Jesus is making
here.
Jesus isn't
trying to
create a bunch
of laws
that all
disciples have
to keep.
This is where
we get bogged
down so much.
We fight
over,
thou shalt
not give
all your money
or thou shalt
not have a bed
or thou shalt
not go to
your dad's
funeral.
And we forget
about the
me,
who it is
that's called
us to follow
him.
We get so
caught up in
the follow
bit and we
forget about
it's me,
the me that's
called us
to follow
him.
The point of
this whole
passage is Jesus
sets out to
Jerusalem
is that he
knows our
idols.
He knows
it.
He knows
perfectly
what is
competing
in your
heart
with
affection
for him.
He knows
it.
It's why
he raises
the question
in verse
62 about
fickle
following.
It's the
danger of
indecisive
discipleship.
No one
after putting
his hand
to the
plough
and looking
back is
fit for
the kingdom
of God.
In other
words,
you can't
plough in a
straight line
if you're
looking behind
you.
No, I
know it.
I come
from the
country.
I've
tried it.
You
cannot
serve
Christ.
You
cannot
make
Jesus
look great
to this
world if
you're
always
second
guessing
whether
or not
he's
worth
following
and
trusting.
Looking
back
means
longing
back.
It
means we
are not
really
sure if
he's
worth
following.
It's
having a
divided
heart
and James
says that
the double
minded person
is unstable
in all
they do.
Friends,
tonight
Jesus
is coming
to us
through
his word
and he's
looking
in our
faces
and he's
looking
straight to
our hearts
and I
want to
say please
let him
do it.
Please
let him
do it.
Let him
mess with
your heart.
Let him
mess with
your heart.
Let these
words
follow me
burn.
Burn
deep
within you
until you
burn for
a passion
for his
glory.
Burn
for a
passion
for his
kingdom.
Jesus
is worthy,
he is
worth
following
even
through
Jerusalem,
even to
the cross
and from
there
to all
the nations
of the
world.
Yes,
he died
just outside
of Jerusalem
but it's
not bad
news.
His
death
is our
life
and so
follow
him.
Follow
him.
join
him.
worship
himself
a
heaven
hopefully
you
y
proudly
ad