I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS

September 8, 2010

I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS

Luke 14:25-35

Don Dinnerville

Central Truth

Following Jesus is the greatest and most costly adventure upon which we will ever embark.

"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:27)

The Cost of Discipleship

25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 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? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Salt Without Taste Is Worthless

34 Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

I mentioned above that I love worship with a little "w." I think that's a gift my mom gave me when I was a little kid. I vividly remember driving across Oahu when we lived there (prekindergarten through second grade) and singing songs with her, my brother, and my sister. Two of the songs that have stuck with me through the years are "His Banner Over Me Is Love" and "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus." Maybe you remember some of the words from that second song: "[T]he world behind me, the cross before me . . . . Though none go with me, still I will follow . . . ."

In this passage Jesus calls each of us to carry our own cross when we decide to follow Him. My own struggles have often felt like an overwhelming burden, but they've taught me an amazingly simple truth—I need Jesus. Somehow, God has brought me to a place in which I can be thankful for my struggles because they've shown me how desperate I am for Him. At times I cry out for release, but I believe that without this yoke, it would be all too easy for me to forget how much I need Him. And so I carry my cross—I acknowledge my sin that carries with it a sentence of death and lay it at His feet—because I know that on THE CROSS, Christ bought my freedom when He paid the price for my sin.

Jesus doesn't pull any punches in describing the cost of following Him. Compared to our love for Him, it should appear as though we hate our families, and even our lives (Luke 14:26). These statements are convicting to me. I have family members, friends, and even some of those acquaintances mentioned in my bio who get an inordinate amount of time compared to my Savior. I pray that I will truly set my eyes on the cross, leave the world behind, and give up anything and everything that stands between Jesus and me.

1. In what areas of your life should you leave the world behind?

2. What is your biggest struggle, fear, or heartache? How can you take that burden and turn it into praise for how it points you to your need for the cross?

3. What relationships or possessions do you need to sacrifice in order to grow in your relationship with Jesus?

FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In verse 33 Jesus says you must be willing to give up everything you own to be His disciple. Do you think that literally means giving everything away?

2. What is the most important thing in your life that would be hard to give up? Why would it be hard to let it go?

3. Talk about what it means to make God first in your life.