A Follower of Jesus
Scripture Reading: Luke 9:23-27; 57-62.
Introduction:
What does it mean to be a follower of Christ? What
does it take in order to follow him? What are the
requirements for be one of His? Does have your name on
the roll at a church make you a follower of Christ? Does
being a faithful supporter of a church make you a follower
of Christ? Does coming to church make you a follower of
Christ? All of these questions are very important issues
that one must deal with if they desire to be a follower of
Christ.
Jesus when he was here on earth dealt very
specifically with these questions. You see, when he was
here on earth he had lots of “followers”. Jesus performed
miracles and did many other signs and wonders and he
naturally drew a crowd. You’ve seen it happen before. If
someone seems to have great ability or is of great
personality or something, they will draw crowds. Jesus
drew the crowds. He had a lot of “followers” who were
just after what they could get from him. As long as he was
healing their diseases and filling their stomachs they
would follow him everywhere, but when it came down to
truly dedicated their hearts and lives to him, the list of
“followers” grew mighty short. In the Scripture reading
that I would like for us to examine closer this morning,
Jesus gives us the terms and the tests of discipleship.
Let’s read Luke 9:23-27 and 57-62 together this morning
and see what it has for us today.
There are five things from this passage of scripture
that I would like to notice about a True Follower of Jesus.
Notice with me:
I. To Be a Follower of Jesus You Must Count the Cost.
v. 23, 62.
All throughout this passage of Scripture Jesus is
emphasizing the fact that if you truly are going to follow
him you must count the cost. You see, it costs something
to follow Christ. There is a price that you are going to
have to pay to follow him. Jesus told the rich young ruler
to sell all that he had and give it to the poor, but the rich
young ruler went away sorrowful. You see, there is a cost
to serving Jesus. He says in verse 23 of our scripture
today that you must deny yourself, take up your cross daily
and follow him.
There is more to being a Christian than just saying
you believe in him. Jesus had a lot of people who followed
him around, but most of them were not true followers of
him. Most of them weren’t willing to count the cost and
take up their cross and follow him.
Friends, I am here to tell you this morning that if you
truly take up your cross and follow him. If you truly
decide to follow Christ, there is going to be some cost
involved. This world is no friend of Grace, people of this
world will mock you and make fun of you. Look what
they did to Jesus, they mocked him, spit on him, if they did
it to him, they will do it to us. When you become a
disciple of Christ, there will be cost involved. It may mean
giving up some things, that you may enjoy doing. It may
mean surrendering a favorite sin of yours. Jesus demands
our total commitment. He demands our total devotion.
But the cost of being a follower of Christ is far outweighed
by the rewards for doing so. Some day, the things that
seemed so huge will seem so small. I remember, as I was
wanting to serve God, but there were some things that I
knew I would have to give up, there was some things that I
was going to have to make right, and the devil did his best
to make those things look so huge in my eyes. He told me
that I would never be able to do it. And I had to count the
cost, but let me tell you friends, when I surrendered to
Christ, he helped me to give up the things I had to give up,
and make right the things that I had to make right, and
now, those things look so small looking back on them. But
the devil made them seem so big, and he is going to do the
same to you, but you are going to have to count the cost
and be determined to follow Christ no matter what the
cost!
You must Count the Cost.
II. To Be a Follower of Christ You Must Cut the
Connections.
In our Scripture this morning, Jesus had people
coming up to him and telling them that they wanted to
follow him but they wanted first to go home and bury the
dead, or go home and say good bye to their families, but
Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their dead, and don’t look
back!” Jesus wasn’t teaching that we must neglect our
families, he was teaching the principle of cutting the
connections to sin. Jesus realized that if the man went
back to bury his father, or back to say good bye to his
family that his love for family or friends would influence
his decision to follow Christ.
You are going to have to cut the connections in your
life as well. When I became a Christian and went all out to
serve Christ, I soon realized that there was some
connections that were going to have to be cut. I had some
friends who weren’t Christians that I just wasn’t able to
associate with quite as much as I once did because I was
now following Christ. I still remained friends with most,
just I was not able to remain as close as I once did. I even
had a girlfriend that I had to cut the connections to. This
seemed like such a big step. The devil once again made it
seem like I would never be able to do it, but once I did I
found new friends, but I had to cut the connection.
It was only friends that I had to cut the connection
to, there was other things as well that I had to do away
with. Things that were connected to me, that were not
conducive to Christian living. But God helped me with
those as well.
Jesus told us in his Word that there is some things
that he does and does not want us to do if we are going to
be a disciple of him. But he will help us to cut those
connections and to follow him.
To be a follower of Christ you must Count the Cost,
Cut the Connections, and . . .
III. Cleave to Christ.
Jesus wants us to hold on to him. He wants us to
follow closely in his footsteps. If you want to be a disciple
of Christ, you’ve got to make sure you follow him alone.
There will come people who will tell you that there is an
easier road. ‘You don’t have to do live a careful life, you
don’t have to this or that.’ But Jesus tells us to follow him.
Live as He lived. Walk as He walked. Jesus did not sin,
in fact, he took on sin on the cross so that he could free us
from sin. But the devil is going to come along dressed in
sheep’s clothing (in other words looking so good, but
hiding his true identity) and he is going to try to lead you
astray, but as long as you are holding onto Jesus you will
never get lost. As long as you are holding your little hand
in his great big hand, he will lead you home. Isn’t that
awesome! When we walk with Him, we always reach our
destination. We don’t have to worry about getting lost.
We don’t have to worry about going astray. As long as we
hold onto Jesus. The great thing about it is that the
Apostle John tells us that no one can pluck us from God’s
hand. As long as you remain in God’s hand, no one can
remove you from it. As long as you keep yourself in
God’s grip, no man, no woman, no temptation, and no trick
of the devil will ever be able to remove you from God’s
grip. The only time we get into trouble is when we remove
ourselves from God’s grip. But if we take up our cross
and follow him. If we hold onto to Jesus, he’ll hold on to
us.
To be a follower of Christ you must: Count the
Cost, Cut the Connections, Cleave to Christ, and . . .
IV. Contend for the Cross.
Jesus has told us that we must “take up our cross
and follow him.” The Cross is not popular in today’s
world. No one what’s to stand by the cross. People try to
say that there is more than one way to have. You can
follow Buddha or Mohammed, as long as you believe
someone you’ll make it to heaven. Friends, that is the
most twisted logic there is. It is only through the cross of
Jesus Christ that we can make it to heaven. I contend for
the cross this morning! No, there is nothing special in the
old trees that were put together so long ago, it is what was
accomplished on that cross that is so important. Our
salvation was purchased on that cross. 1 Peter 2:24 says,
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the
tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the outworking
of God’s redemptive purpose in time and in eternity. For
this very reason the cross is central in God’s Word as well
as being central to God’s world. In the Bible we find the
message of the cross of Christ central in the Law, the
Psalms, the Prophets, the Gospels, the Acts, the Epistles,
and the Book of Revelation. To remove this recurring
truth is to render the Bible meaningless. But the cross is
also central to God’s world. It was planted on a hill called
Calvary in a land called Palestine. The cross is central in
history, for the death of Christ divides human history and is
the converging point of two eternity’s. But, supremely, the
cross of Christ is central to human experience, having an
important relevance to the relationships of government and
people, masters and servants, husbands and wives. A
careful study of these verses makes it obvious that without
submission to the Christ of the cross there can be no hope
of peace, harmony, or good will. The Cross is God’s
Standard for Men. The Cross is God’s Salvation for men,
and the Cross is God’s Satisfaction for men. The Cross! I
am contending for this Cross! If you want to be a follower
of Christ you must Count the Cost, Cut the Connections,
Cleave to Christ, Contend for His Cross, and . . .
V. Completes the Course.
In verse 62, Jesus said, “No, man having put his
hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom
of God.” Friends, it is not enough to start well. It is not
enough to just have good intentions. It is not enough to
‘accept Christ as your Savior’ and continue living like you
once lived. Jesus said, “no man that looks back is fit for
heaven’. You must finish the course!
The Scriptures compare the Christian life to a race.
It is not good enough for a runner to just start running and
then half way through the race quite running. The never
win the race. It is not enough to for them to almost finish,
but they must cross the finish line. Friends, if you want to
make it to heaven, if you want to be a follower/disciple of
Christ, you must Complete the Course! There is a life to
be lived. There is a race to be run. Jesus knew that unless
someone was completly dedicated to him they would drop
out before the race was completed. Don’t look back!
Don’t stop short! Complete the Course!
Conclusion:
Friends, the Scriptures teach us that there is more to
following Christ than giving him lip service (that’s what so
many do). There is more to following Christ than just
good intentions. In Jesus’ day there was so many who
wanted to follow him for the ‘loaves and fishes’ or for the
benefits that there were, but Jesus told them that they were
not fit for the Kingdom of Heaven. In order to be a
follower of Christ you must Count the Cost, Cut the
Connections, Cleave to Christ, Contend for the Cross, and
Complete the Course.
Are you a follower of Jesus? Have you decided to
leave all and follow him? Jesus said, “For whosoever shall
be ashamed of me and of my word, of him shall the Son of
man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and
in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” And Jesus said,
“No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking
back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Are you ashamed of
Jesus? Or have you at one time or another served him, but
then looked back? If you are either one of these, there is
hope for you-you can be a follower of Jesus. After Jesus
gave these terms and tests of discipleship, in the next
chapter he sent out seventy to win the lost. Do you want
to be a disciple of Jesus? Do you want to follow him? If
so, why don’t you come right now and confess that desire
to Jesus and become one of His disciples?
Perhaps you say that you don’t think you can make
it as one of his disciple’s. Maybe you think that you don’t
have what it takes. Well, I have a letter that I thought
might be of interest this morning. Allow me to read it to
you.
To: Jesus, Son of Joseph
Woodcrafter’s Carpenter Shop
Nazareth 25922
From: Jordan Management Consultants
Dear Sir:
Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men
you have picked for managerial positions in your new
organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests;
and we have not only run the results through our computer, but
also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our
psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.
The profiles of all tests are included, and you will want to
study each of them carefully.
As part of our service, we make some general comments
for your guidance, much as an auditor will include some general
statements. This is given as a result of staff consultation, and
comes without any additional fee.
It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are
lacking in background, education and vocational aptitude for
the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have
the team concept. We would recommend that you continue your
search for persons of experience in managerial ability and
proven capability.
Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of
temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The
two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place
personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates
a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale.
We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew had been
blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have
radical leanings, and they both registered a high score on the
manic-depressive scale.
One of the candidates, however, shows great potential.
He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well,
has a keen business mind, and has contacts in high places. He is
highly motivated, ambitious, and responsible. We recommend
Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man. All of the
other profiles are self-explanatory.
We wish you every success in your new venture.
Sincerely,
Jordan Management Consultants
Well, that just goes to show you that Jesus doesn’t
look at people the same way that we do. He doesn’t care
what kind of ability you have or don’t have. He doesn’t
care if you are rich or poor, black or white. All that he
cares is if you truly want to follow him. Or if you have
only have hearted desire to follow if, maybe just for the
loaves and fishes. Because a true disciple of Jesus must:
Count the Cost, Cut the Connections, Cleave to Christ,
Contend for the Cross, and Complete the Course.
Rev. Jon Earls
Bible Methodist Church
Cordele GA
http://cordelebmc.tripod.com
If this sermon has been a help, email me. If not, don’t bother! :)
