Following Jesus

Following Jesus, Luke 9: 18-25 Aug 14, 2016

In the NIV Luke 9 has eight divisions and is full of the major themes from Jesus’ ministry on earth. We are looking at two sections: Section3, Peter declares Jesus as the Messiah and section 8, the cost of following Jesus. We will be looking at the cost of following Jesus. But we begin at verse 18 through verse 25. That is in the context of Jesus as the Messiah, and Jesus’ prediction of his death. But the issue is discipleship and about following Jesus at that time and it is about following Jesus and discipleship today. Jesus says to us who do you think I am? Who is Jesus to you? READ Luke 9: 18-25

 We highlight verses 23-25 where Jesus says take up your cross and follow me. Don’t hold onto your life but loose your life for me Jesus says.

 We want to follow Jesus. The Holy Spirit is at work in us to make a full commitment to follow Jesus but life often gets in the way. Following Jesus is not just going to church as important as that is. It does not mean just studying God’s Word as essential as that is. It is not only living as Christians at home and with family as important as that is. Those actions are included but it goes deeper. Following Jesus means that His humility, His spirituality, His compassion, His love, and His forgiveness are applied to all areas of our lives. It means making disciples: praying for and seeking the lost, setting direction for those who have lost their way, loving and helping those stuck in a destructive life with no way out on their own. God wants to reconcile mankind back to Him and He uses followers of Jesus to do it! Paul tells us in II Cor. 5:11-21 “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:” God makes His appeal through us!

The above is the Great Commission that Jesus commands and continues to command to all those who follow Him, as we read it in II Cor. and Matt 28:16-20.

 Talking about taking up our cross, the end of the chapter (v. 57-62) is more definitive of the cost of discipleship.  Jesus gives us several examples of those who want to follow Him but life gets in the way.   Read. v.57-58 It appears this person decided not to follow Him. This person has the wrong financial priorities. Jesus is not asking us to be homeless, but serving Him must be our first financial priority.  Lack of paying Ministry Shares has hurt overseas mission work in our denomination. We thank God for our supporting churches.

Read v. 59-60 What was this person doing there? Jewish custom dictates that the person is buried as soon as possible. Maybe he is talking about the future? Jesus sets his priority straight: “you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” Jesus tells him. Sometimes we are in the wrong place. Jesus is speaking to us also. Go and proclaim the Kingdom!

Read v.60-62 Here is an other family issue. Again it is a matter of priority, I don’t think Jesus calls us to reject or ignore our families, my family is my first mission field, but family should not prevent us from accepting or minimize what God calls us to do. These two issues, financial and family can be a big hindrance to ministry here and in Nigeria. We have lived in Niger State a very Muslim state but we worked with Traditional African Believers. Most of the elders in that community oppose conversion to Christianity and they oppose western education. When a person converts to Christianity they could lose their wife or children, they lose the support of the community they lose out economically. Jesus is asking them to make a huge sacrifice, humanly speaking. For us that kind of opposition is much more subtle but it is here just the same.

Even missionaries are under pressure.  As missionaries working over seas educating our kids is a challenge for them and their children because most of the time it means sending your child to boarding school starting at first grade. Our son Steve spent all his lower ed. that way and when children go to collage in their home country there are unique difficulties when parents are out of the country.

This is what Jesus is talking about in Lk. 9:23-24 Where Jesus says: “Take up their cross daily and follow me” Jesus carried his cross willingly, knowing He would be crucified on it. Are we willing to deny ourselves like Jesus did, always putting others before ourselves, willing to give our physical lives to follow Jesus?  Saving one’s life, as Jesus puts it, means to have only earthly ambitions, living only for ourselves, grabbing all we can out of this physical life with no thought about the after life. That means living apart from God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in this life and takes away our eternal life with Him. 

The opposite of that kind of earthly living is losing our life to follow Jesus and having eternal life with God.  Does that mean only suffering in this earthly life? No! Not necessarily, but it may, many of Jesus followers are persecuted in many places today. Even so, as a general rule those who follow Jesus have greater joy, live longer, are happier, have peace, love more than those who do not follow Him, and have eternal life beginning the day we commit to follow Him. That is what Jesus means in Verse 24: “whoever loses their life for me will save it.”

What do these passages really mean for us today?  Well, 55% of the people living around us are not committed Christians or not Christian at all. God wants to reconcile the world back to Him and He makes his appeal through us. If Jesus is to be visible in the world today, His humility, His spirituality, His compassion, His love, and his forgiveness HE must be seen among us! That starts at home with family, moves to fellow Christians, we appeal to our friends, to our co- workers, and to our neighbors. Our succees and comfort is that God promises to be with us, whatever we do in His name, even unto the end of the age. Amen?

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