Thanks, Jordan and Anna.
Join me in your Bibles in Luke.
Gospel of Luke, chapter 9.
So as Jake stated earlier,
!
Put a lot of thought into New Year's.
Maybe I should.
But for a lot of people in our culture
and those around us,
it's like the time to kick off new things.
It's to make big resolutions,
small ones, big ones,
all the best intention
to bring about change in somebody's life.
And out of curiosity,
I looked up the top 2024 New Year's resolutions.
None of them will shock you,
but a survey says
improving finances, shocker, 38%.
Losing weight, 33%.
Improving one's diet, 31%.
And a lot of well-meaning, I guess,
but fewer people focus on goals
like learning a new skill, 8%.
Hobbies, 7%.
And traveling more, 5%.
The problem occurs somehow
when we fail to keep these new resolutions of change.
I heard recently that March is the month
when most people quit.
Everything they're doing.
They start strong in January,
they struggle in February,
and then they quit in March.
And they start to say,
this is harder than I thought it was going to be,
so I'm just going to stop.
After all, I made this promise to myself
and not other people,
so I can quit on myself.
But some people make resolutions with somebody else,
like your spouse or your friend,
and that can end too.
All you've got to do is tap into that same temptation
and weakness that they're having
and quit together.
So unless one of you is stronger
and can kind of push through a little more
and say, no, no, we're not quitting.
Keep going.
So anyway, our sinful condition
tends to drift us towards laziness,
indulgence, and comfort.
And so we don't like disciplining ourselves.
But for the believer,
discipline is a critical part of our everyday life.
It's not like we just try it once a year.
It should be infused to our everyday living.
In fact, like a lot of the meaning of the word disciple
comes from this idea of discipline.
And so this week, today, next Sunday,
we're going to talk about more specific resolutions
maybe next week and unpack that.
But I kind of wanted to give us one broad one for the day.
And that is resolve to follow Jesus Christ.
Resolve to follow Jesus.
And it may sound kind of shallow for Christians, right?
Of course we're supposed to follow Jesus.
But there are only two types of people in this room.
Those who have given their lives to Christ,
who have repented of their sins
and thrown their self on the grace of God
and come to saving faith in Jesus Christ
and are reconciled to God
and now are disciples and followers of Jesus
and those who aren't.
And so let's look at, I mean, just, I think,
just a very simple definition of a resolution
is to reach a clear and firm decision on something.
Right?
And so Jonathan Edwards, we think of him
when we think about resolutions,
those who know some of their church history
and read some of the old guys.
Jonathan Edwards wrote,
Resolved by God's grace to love my Lord Jesus Christ
by daily denying myself,
taking up my cross,
and following him wherever he leads,
no matter the cost.
Those of you who are familiar with Jonathan Edwards,
he did not write that.
I wrote that.
But I thought you would listen to it more
if I said that he wrote it.
So this is actually one of the points, okay?
And I want you to, I'll read this slower
so you can follow.
But this is the main point we will be unpacking today.
It's not a lighthearted subject
to talk about the cost of discipleship.
But our main point, we would say,
is this resolution to resolve by God's grace
to love my Lord Jesus Christ
by daily denying myself,
taking up my cross,
and following him wherever he leads,
no matter the cost.
And so, just a quick reminder
that we never graduate or move on from the gospel.
It's the greatest news possible
that God won for us over sin,
over death,
over hell by sending his son
to graciously save sinners.
That's what we read in John 3, right?
That God so loved the world,
he gave his only son,
that whoever believes in him
would have eternal life, right?
They would not perish.
For God did not send his son into the world
to condemn the world, right?
But in the world that might be saved through him.
So, let's not confuse some things.
Salvation is a free gift of God's grace.
You cannot earn it.
You cannot pay it back.
It only comes as a result of God's grace,
love, and mercy
towards sinners in Jesus Christ.
Alright?
So, that's the good news.
That's what we're resting on.
And so, like I mentioned earlier,
there's only two types of people in the room.
Those who are probably most of us here,
the church,
those who have a relationship with Christ
and have trusted for him
and for salvation
and have devoted their lives
to following him
and obeying him
and loving him.
So, for you,
for most of us,
let's renew our desire
to follow Jesus.
Renew our desire
to take up our cross.
And then there's those
who don't have a relationship with Christ
and are still at odds with God.
In fact,
called enemies of God
and under his judgment.
A very chilling verse in John 3,
right after the famous John 3.16.
John 3.36,
whoever believes in the Son
has eternal life.
Whoever does not obey the Son
will not see life,
but the wrath of God remains on him.
And so,
point number one,
so I gave you the resolution
about following Christ,
but point number one,
there's just two points today,
and we'll spend,
I've done my best to keep you in Luke.
So,
besides looking at one other place.
But,
point one,
is that Christ demands
that you weigh the cost
of following him.
Christ demands
that you weigh the cost
of following him.
And,
we're going to start in Luke 9,
go to verse 57.
Alright,
and in the context here,
Jesus,
it says earlier,
has set his face
towards Jerusalem.
He's making
a final journey
towards Jerusalem
where he knows
he will be arrested,
beaten,
and crucified
to save men
from their sins.
And so,
along the way,
Jesus encounters
three different men
who all claim
and have interest
in wanting to be
his disciple.
Right?
And they're,
what they say
doesn't seem unreasonable
on its face,
but then Jesus responds
to them
kind of surprisingly.
Let's look at
verse 57.
As they were going
along the road,
someone said to him,
to Jesus,
I will follow you
wherever you go.
And Jesus said to him,
foxes have holes,
the birds of the air
have nests,
but the Son of Man
has nowhere
to lay his head.
To another he said,
follow me.
But he said,
Lord,
let me first go
and bury my father.
And Jesus said to him,
leave the dead
to bury their own dead,
but as for you,
go and proclaim
the kingdom of God.
Yet another said,
I will follow you,
Lord,
but first,
let me say farewell
to those who are at home.
And Jesus said to him,
no one
who puts his hand
to the plow
and looks back
is fit
for the kingdom
of God.
So,
why does Jesus
actually call them
to weigh the cost here?
Right?
Why does he
tend to drive them away?
As far as we know,
these men turned away.
We never hear about them again,
never heard from them
after this.
And,
what I want to
throw forward to you
is like in your
evangelism
and your sharing
of the good news
with unbelievers,
I tend to get to a point
where I've met
with people several times
and I've gone over
the foundational
gospel message
with them.
and when they get
to that point
and they say,
yeah,
like I'm in,
I'm there,
I believe it.
I then kind of cringe
and go,
okay,
let's look at Luke 9,
let's look at Luke 14,
let's look at Matthew 10
and I hope you know
what I'm saying
when I say this,
but I try to talk them
out of following Jesus
after that.
And,
not what you do
if you want to grow
a successful ministry
and have a lot of people
come around.
But in fact,
this is exactly
what Jesus did
when he got too popular
and he would turn around
and say,
hey,
listen guys,
listen,
this is serious.
I'm not playing games.
I'm not here for your fun
and entertainment
and to give you prosperity.
So,
at first glance,
Christ seems to be
a little unreasonable,
but a closer study
of the passage
might help us
unpack what's going on.
and he looks straight
through their words
and goes after
the idols of their heart.
He chooses to sift
at those things.
And all of them
refused to obey Jesus
immediately
when he said,
you know,
follow me.
This proved,
really,
that they did not
really believe
who Jesus was.
Okay?
So,
it's not like
they had this genuine
faith in Christ
and he's saying,
no,
not you,
go away.
He's basically revealing
they don't really
believe who he is.
That's like
what's happening
right here.
He's exposing that.
And so,
the first man,
Matthew,
in Matthew 8,
19,
also tells this story
and he says
that he was a scribe.
Alright?
And so,
this scribe
made a very bold claim.
I will follow you
wherever you go.
That's a huge claim
for anybody to make,
right?
Very bold.
But we know
based on how Jesus
responds to the man
that he's looking
for something else.
And often,
in this time,
just like today,
you would find
an influential person,
an influential teacher
and attach yourself
to that person
in order that
as they continue
to prosper,
you would kind of
rise up with them.
That's how you do it,
right?
Especially in the business world.
And so,
this guy really
saw Jesus
as a way
of personal advancement
in society
and probably
a means
of comfort
and security,
right?
And Jesus basically said,
look,
if that's what you're
looking for,
I'm not it.
Go away.
I'm not here
to make you comfortable.
Even foxes
have places to go.
I do not.
And so,
we know
just based on
Jesus' response
what this guy
was actually looking for.
But rather,
the Christian life
is not one of comfort,
but as we're talking about,
suffering,
going against
the ways of this world,
persecution even.
And so,
this man considered
his earthly comfort
and status
more important
than actually being
redeemed,
right?
Have you ever seen
people
confess to be followers
of Jesus,
but yet in time
it just revealed
over time
that they actually
were trusting in Jesus
for some other reason?
Like to get them
somewhere else,
to give them
something that they wanted,
claiming to be believers.
So,
the second man,
very tricky here,
right?
The second man,
he said,
let me go and bury my father.
I'll follow you,
but let me first go
and bury my father.
So,
it seems like
an honorable request.
And Jesus isn't
attacking that idea
of honoring
your father
and your mother
because we know
elsewhere in the Gospels
Christ defends
the commandment
to honor your father
and your mother
against those
who really
weren't doing that.
But,
with this statement,
let me go and bury my father,
it did not even
necessarily mean
that his father
was dead yet,
for one.
So,
meaning that he was
waiting for him
to pass away.
And the phrase,
I must bury my father,
was a common figure
of speech,
which could also mean,
let me wait
for my inheritance.
Like,
let my father
pass away
and then let me
get my inheritance
and then I'll
follow you.
That's just what
this really
could mean.
And again,
Jesus isn't
going against
the commandment.
He just basically
said,
look,
this is more
important.
What I'm asking
you to do
is more important
than waiting
for your
inheritance.
Right?
It could reveal
that the man
really desired
money and title
that he would
receive
over the call
to follow
the Messiah.
Right?
So,
again,
we know
these things
just based
on how
Jesus responds
to them.
We know
he's not
attacking the
commandment
to honor
your parents.
So,
very clearly,
this guy
had a different
motive.
So,
thirdly,
the third man,
he basically
says,
let me say
farewell to those
at home.
Let me go
home,
kiss everybody
goodbye,
wrap up my
business,
and then I'll
follow you.
Of all the
requests,
this seems
the most
reasonable,
right?
Like,
it seems
like,
sure,
Jesus would
surely allow
them to go
and do that.
So,
what's the
problem?
Why does
Jesus respond
this way?
It seems
like kind
of harsh.
So,
please hold
your hand
or your
bookmark
in Luke,
but look
really quickly.
This is the
only other
place I want
you to turn,
but look at
1 Kings
really quickly.
1 Kings
chapter 19,
and you'll
see some
very scary
parallels
in this
text,
but this
is when
Elisha
was about
to be
taken up
into heaven
and he
was passing
on his
mantle as
prophet to
Elisha.
Alright?
And look
at 1 Kings
19,
verse 19,
now,
just think
about how
Jesus responded
to that third
man and then
think about
this passage.
Alright?
So,
he departed
from there
and found
Elisha,
the son
of Japhat,
who was
plowing with
twelve yoke
of oxen
in front of
him,
and he
was with
the twelve.
Elijah
passed by
him and
cast his
cloak upon
him.
Symbolic.
And he
left the
oxen and
ran after
Elijah and
said,
now listen
to this,
let me
kiss my
father and
mother and
then I
will follow
you.
See the
connection?
And he
said to
him,
go back
again for
what have
I done
to you?
And he
returned from
following him,
took the
yoke of
oxen and
sacrificed them
and boiled
their flesh
with the
yokes of
oxen and
gave it to
the people
and they
ate.
Then he
arose and
went after
Elijah and
assisted him.
So,
we'll stop
there.
So,
what's amazing
is Elijah
grants that
request.
Sure,
go home,
kiss your
mother and
your father
goodbye.
But,
why did
Jesus refuse
to do it?
What's the
difference?
Well,
the difference
can be seen
in what
Elisha
actually does
when he
goes home.
He immediately
returns home,
says for a while
to his parents,
then he takes
all the oxen,
and oxen are
huge.
I saw one at
a fair a few
weeks ago.
They're like
a truck.
They're like,
you know,
Oregon Trail
doesn't do
them justice.
So,
like,
a bunch
of oxen.
So,
he sacrifices
them and
gives it
to the
Lord.
Right?
Here you
go,
Lord.
symbolic
acts of
severing
your old
lifestyle
to start
a new
one.
You see
that?
He had
nothing to
go back
to.
He destroyed
everything.
He had
nothing to
return to.
So,
this proved,
right,
that Elisha
abandoning his
home and his
livelihood proved
that his true
passion and
devotion was to
follow the
Lord's call
on his
life.
So,
Elijah didn't
mind if he
temporarily
returned home
to do
something like
that.
However,
we see clearly
that Jesus
perceived something
very different
about this
third guy.
And this is a
hard one.
He basically
said,
you may come
after me for
a little while
and you may
follow me for
a little while,
but you're
always going
to be looking
over your
shoulder.
You're always
going to be
going,
looking back
at home,
looking back
at your
family.
And at
some point,
you're going
to miss
them so
much that
you will
leave me
and you
will go
home.
And most
people don't
plow around
here.
I've done
some hay
cutting and
hay raking,
not the best
thing to do
if you have
a respiratory
problem.
people.
But like
just keeping
your rows
straight.
But if
you're
plowing a
straight line
and you're
always going
like this,
you tend
to do
this,
and so
you don't
really
accomplish
the goal.
And so
Jesus clearly
perceived that
this man would
leave him and
return back to
his family.
So he goes,
no.
Right?
So,
in case that's
not enough,
you can go
back to Luke
now.
Go back to
Luke.
In case
that's not
enough,
Jesus goes
on to
expound more
a little
later.
Like,
look at
Luke 14.
Let's go to
Luke 14 a
few chapters
later,
and he
returns to
this idea
of discipleship.
So if that's
not enough,
again,
like Jesus
basically says,
you have to
renounce all
you have in
order to be
my disciple.
So this is
his final
journey to
Jerusalem.
Think about
this.
He's not like
the most
upbeat.
He's like
feeling lonely.
He's feeling
the weight of
what's going
to go on.
And he's
being followed
by these
crowds of
people that
basically just
want him to
do cool
tricks.
Right?
A lot of
them.
And he
just,
it's one of
those moments
where he
has it.
You know,
he's had it
and he goes,
hey,
listen to me.
Listen very
carefully.
He boldly
turns around
and confronts
this crowd,
this sort of
flirting with
him,
if you want to
put it that
way,
and warns
them of the
heavy weight
and cost it
means to be
his disciple.
Don't be
quick to
become my
follower.
And he
uses two
examples of
building,
one building,
and one going
to war to
illustrate this.
Luke 14,
verse 25.
Great crowds
accompanied him
and he
turned and
said to
them,
here it
is,
if anyone
comes to
me and
does not
hate his
own father,
mother,
wife,
children,
brothers,
sisters,
yes,
even his
own life,
he cannot
be my
disciple.
Whoever
does not
bear his
own cross
and come
after me
cannot be
my
disciple.
For which
of you
desiring to
build a
tower does
not first
sit down
and count
the cost
whether he
has enough
to complete
it?
Otherwise,
when he's
laid a
foundation
and he's
not able
to finish,
all see
it and
begin to
mock him,
saying,
this man
began to
build and
was not
able to
finish.
Or what
king,
going out
to encounter
another
king in
war,
will not
sit down
first and
deliberate
whether he
is able
with 10,000
to meet
him who
comes against
him with
20,000?
And if
not,
while the
other is
yet a
great way
off,
he sends
a delegation
and asks
for terms
of peace,
so therefore,
any one
of you,
so personal,
any one
of you
who does
not renounce
all he has
cannot be
my disciple.
Gosh.
So this
isn't like
seeker friendly,
this isn't
like he's
really wanting
to just build
a cool church
and have a lot
of people,
he's like,
no.
Like if you
don't love me
more than
anything else,
even your own
life,
you cannot
be my disciple.
That's a
condition.
Again,
it's not
replacing our
gospel message
of grace
and our
gospel message
of faith
alone in
Christ.
It basically
is just
saying,
you know
what,
if you
truly believe
who I
am,
none of
this will
be a
problem.
But as
Westerners,
as Americans,
we read this
and it just
doesn't quite
ring true,
but in
Jesus'
world,
the people
he's talking
to,
for them
to become
his disciple
could mean
death.
It could
mean separation
from family.
Many years
ago,
there might
be two people
here who
remember this,
Nathan being
one of them.
I had a
friend from
Kyrgyzstan
come and
visit and I
got like a
large crowd
of college
students,
probably like
80 to 100
in here,
to hear him
talk.
It's a
buddy of
mine,
his name's
Ossal.
And he
basically said,
hey,
in America,
when people
want to become
Christians,
they walk
the aisle,
they shake
the pastor's
hand,
they pray a
prayer,
they're baptized,
and then they
are expected
to kind of
show up on
Sunday and
be a pretty
good person
and give to
the church,
just outwardly,
right?
But he's like,
in Asia,
when you become
a Christian,
first your
family rejects
you and
kicks you
out.
Secondly,
your community
will ostracize
you.
And then
thirdly,
the government
will either
not allow
you to
work,
or they
will imprison
you or
kill you.
And then
he said,
and if
someone we've
been sharing
Christ with
does all
that,
we know
they're a
true Christian.
So,
even today,
this is true
for many
places in
the world.
And I
don't think
that Jesus
would say to
us,
hey,
Americans,
that's not
you,
so be
thankful you
live in the
land of the
free and the
home of the
brave.
I think
he would
say,
no,
I demand
that same
loyalty
from you.
And that's
chilling.
But firstly,
we see in
Luke 14
right here,
a superior
love to
family and
self,
right?
He doesn't
say,
the term
hating here
doesn't mean
malice,
evil,
towards your
family or
your friends.
love to
me.
You should
cultivate such
a love and
devotion to
me that all
other loves
in comparison
look like
hate.
Right?
So,
very similarly
in Matthew's
Gospel,
you don't have
to turn
here,
but very
similar
passage about
the cost of
following Jesus.
Jesus said,
do not think
that I have
come to
bring peace.
I have not
come to
bring peace,
but the
sword.
The person's
enemies will
be those of
his own
household.
So,
meaning,
that Christ's
real presence
in your life
will cause
division.
It will cause
people to
not want to
be around
you.
I lost a
lot of my
friends when
I first
became a
believer,
just because
I didn't
want to
shoot guns,
hunt,
fish,
and blow
things up
every day
anymore.
That was
like the
context of
our friendship,
plus a few
other things.
But,
some remained
friends,
but I basically
just said,
look,
I'm done
with that.
Look,
I'm not
living for
this anymore.
I just
exposed that
they weren't
really my
friends,
sort of,
to begin
with.
But,
a superior
love to
our family
and our
friends,
like it
could cost
you that.
Some of
you have
had family
issues because
you've been
loyal to
Jesus.
You've
said,
I'm not
going to
compromise on
what Christ
said.
I'm sorry.
And they've
responded harshly
to you.
They don't
understand why
you think the
way you think.
Right?
But secondly,
he wraps that
up by saying
that you have
to love me
more than
even your
own life.
and he
calls them
to bear
their cross.
Earlier
in Luke
9,
if you want
to go back
to Luke
9,
and then
we'll,
you know,
you don't
have to
turn anywhere
else.
We'll go
back to
Luke 9
really quickly.
More of a
selection of
scriptures today
from Luke.
But Luke
9,
if you go
to verse
23,
a little
earlier in
the chapter,
okay,
he says,
if any
one of
you would
come after
me,
let him
deny
himself,
take up
his cross
daily
and follow
me.
For whoever
would save
his life
would lose
it,
and whoever
loses his
life for
my sake
will save
it.
For what
does it
profit a
man if
he gains
the whole
world and
loses or
forfeits
himself or
his soul
in some
translations?
Alright,
so take
up your
cross and
not wear a
cross necklace.
It is an
invitation to
come and
suffer and
die.
I have
no problem
with cross
necklaces.
Just saying,
it is an
invitation,
it is not
a pretty
thing at
all.
One would
literally be
saying farewell
to this
life,
to their
family,
to their
plans,
and like
saying,
yep,
I could
die.
And in
the world
we are
told to
constantly,
we are
told to
protect
yourself,
promote
yourself,
preserve
yourself,
entertain
yourself,
and comfort
yourself,
Christ says,
slay
yourself.
Slay
yourself.
Not to
just abstain
from certain
things,
but to
relinquish
control of
your life.
Right?
A willingness
to follow
and serve
Him,
and to
keep His
commandments,
to suffer,
and maybe
even perhaps
die for
Him.
But think
about it
this way,
I am not
trying to
put words
in Jesus'
mouth,
so you
can check
me
here,
but
paraphrasing,
if He
said to
you,
if you
knew
that coming
after me
and being
my disciple
meant that
it could
cost you
your life,
would you
do it
anyway?
Are you
that desperate
for me?
Am I
that glorious
to you?
Would you
be willing
to give
up your
life here
to have
eternal
life later?
Would you
be willing
to?
You might
not,
but it
could happen.
Would you
still come?
Were you
that desperate?
Would you
give it
up?
So it's
not to
be a
believer,
not just
a call
to learn.
I love
theology,
I love
doctrine,
it's
awesome,
I'll
nerd out
with you
all day,
but becoming
a follower
of Jesus
is not
about just
learning some
cool things
and dogma
to make
our lives
better,
it's a
call to
a person.
And
Bonhoeffer,
Dietrich
Bonhoeffer,
a lot of
us know
that name,
he wrote
a book,
Cost of
Discipleship,
and after
it was
published in
the U.S.,
he had a
choice,
they said,
here in
America,
hey,
why don't
you stay
here?
Stay here,
you'll have a
successful
ministry,
a lot of
people will
listen to you
and trust you
and you can
have a great
ministry here
in life,
don't go back
to Germany,
right?
the Third
Reich is
firing things
up,
and he
basically
just said,
I'm paraphrasing,
like,
if I don't
go back
to Germany,
everything I
wrote in
this book
is a
lie.
And so
he goes
back,
you know,
and we all
know the
story,
he eventually
is martyred
by the
Nazis.
But he
said,
salvation
is free.
Thank
goodness,
right?
But
discipleship
will cost
you your
life.
And so
salvation
costs nothing,
but discipleship
will cost
us everything.
And it's
a lifetime.
Delinquished
control of
all things.
If I had
to pull
in a passage
that Paul
wrote that
goes alongside
this,
right?
Talking about
the death
of Jesus,
he says,
he died
for all
so that
all those
who live
would no
longer live
for themselves,
but for
him who
died and
was raised
for their
sake.
Second
Corinthians
5.15,
that we
would no
longer live
for ourselves,
but live
for him
who saved
us.
So if you
are a
believer,
have you
taken the
command of
Christ to
deny yourself
and take up
your cross
daily,
seriously?
Or is it
just floating
around?
I confess
there's many
days I'm
just sort
of getting
by and I'm
not really
thinking about
what it
means to
follow Jesus
daily in
the context
that I
am,
denying
myself,
denying
myself
comfort,
sleep,
food,
whatever else,
things that
I want
for the sake
of other
people,
and to
give those
over fully
to Christ.
Has your
life reflected
a love and
devotion to
Christ that
appears funny
and different
to the fallen
world around
you?
Already you
just blend
in and
nothing looks
different.
It's something
to think
about.
So all
of that
was point
number one.
Christ
demands that
you weigh
the cost.
And then
wrapping it
up,
point number
two,
this is the
beautiful part.
Christ is
worth losing
everything to
gain.
Right?
Christ is
worth losing
everything to
gain.
Right?
The reality
is that
Christ alone
is worthy
of our lives.
It overrides
everything
else.
No human
relationship,
no employment,
no hobby,
or anything
else you
have compares
to the
greatness of
knowing Jesus
Christ our
Lord.
All things can
be taken away
from you.
And one of
my questions
I asked guys
I'm sharing
the gospel was
like, hey
man, what are
you living
for?
And they'll
say, fill
in the blank,
you know,
money,
comfortable
life, to
be a good
athlete, to
get married
and have a
nice place
to live
and a good
job, to
have good
health.
That's a big
one.
Especially when
you're talking
to college
students because
they think
that they're
invincible.
And then
you just
say, can
you lose
all of that?
Is all
that permanent?
And they'll
say, probably
not.
I can lose
all of that.
And say, well,
it's not worth
giving your life
for then.
Like, you
will lose
it all.
Like, Christ
is the only
thing that
cannot be
taken away
from you.
Period.
And Jesus
says later
on, and
Mark and
I will
paraphrase some
of this, but
the disciples
come to him
and they're
kind of
whining, you
know, like
they do
sometimes, like
we do
sometimes.
Like, Lord,
we've sacrificed
and we've left
so much to
follow you.
And he
basically is
like, really?
Have you?
Have you
sacrificed
everything to
follow me?
Jesus responds
to them.
Jesus said,
Truly I
say to you,
there is no
one who
has left
house or
brothers or
sisters or
mothers or
sacrificed family
lands for
the sake of
the gospel who
will not
receive a
hundredfold now
in this life
houses,
brothers,
sisters,
mothers,
children,
and lands
with persecutions
and in the
age to come
eternal life.
So what he
basically says
is like,
whatever you
think you're
sacrificing,
when you
compare it to
what you're
gaining in
me,
it is no
comparison.
Like, you
will not
even be able
to speak of
sacrificing
anything if
you truly
believe what
I'm giving
you.
It's like
giving up
garbage to
get gold.
You know,
you're like,
I sacrificed
my garbage.
You know,
it's not like
that at all.
We gain
everything in
Christ.
You know,
and so I
just want to
pose this
thought to
you.
We've had
it easy.
We've had
it easy for
a long
time.
Being a
big history
guy, I
can tell you
that we've
lived in
the most
prosperous,
peaceful
stretch of
human history
ever.
And it
may, if
God shows
mercy,
continue that
way for a
little longer.
I'm not
at all a
doomsdayist
or hey,
the end
is nigh.
But if
you ask
people,
anybody in
this room
that's older
than 40,
would some
of the stuff
that's going
on today be
happening here?
People go,
oh, no
way.
Like, men
calling themselves
women, women
calling themselves
men, men
getting pregnant,
call people by
pronouns.
If you try
to tell your
kid that there
are any other
gender than
what they
want to be,
we're going
to throw you
in prison,
that's actual
stuff going
on in our
country today.
And that
blows our
minds.
And we may
be sheltered
from it a
little bit
just because
of the
culture we
live in.
But the
stuff that
we hear
today, we're
going to
have to just
kind of
kindly say,
no.
Because
thus says
the Lord.
Not a
conservative
American
response,
but a
deeply
rooted,
gospel-centered
conviction about
what God
says.
That's what
we will
suffer for.
Most of
the time
when Scripture
talks about
suffering and
persecution,
it's not
just because you
get sick and
ill.
Of course,
that counts as
a trial.
But it's about
suffering for
Christ's sake.
Right?
Saying no to
the world
around us.
And we
have to
prepare ourselves
for that.
Have some
deeply rooted
theology and
what it means
to follow
Jesus and
say, Lord,
help me.
Right?
It's been
easy for us.
Right?
And there's
tests that
could be
coming.
I don't
know for
sure, but
it seems to
go that
way.
And then
lastly, I
just want to
affirm just
two things
in closing.
Like, we
fail, okay?
We fail at
our devotion
to follow
Christ, okay?
So this
isn't a call
to be
perfect.
It's not a
call to get
this all
figured out
in a week.
But with
God's help,
we can push
forward, we
can progress,
we can be
faithful disciples
carrying our
cross daily.
But when we
fail, remember
that our
identity and
our salvation
lie secure
in Christ so
that we
strive in
His love,
not to gain
His love,
okay?
It's really
huge to
remember that.
But then
lastly, again,
willpower alone
won't be able
to help you
fulfill this
resolution to
follow Jesus.
And we
need God's
grace, His
strength to
help us.
Christ is our
sufficiency, and
He can sustain
that life of
holiness and
devotion to
following Jesus.
If you have
on your
bulletin a
quote by
Edwards on
here, go
back to
Edwards real
quick,
start with
that and
end with
that.
But your
historic
quotation by
Edwards, he
says,
being sensible
that I am
unable to do
anything without
God's help,
I do humbly
entreat him
by His grace
to enable me
to keep these
resolutions so
far as they
agree with
His will for
Christ's sake.
That is a
great way to
say this, like
Lord, help
us to do
that.
Close
me in
prayer.
Let's
close
me in
prayer.
me in