Jesus is Worth It

Luke 14:25-34[1] 

As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, September 11^th, 2011

So far in chapters 13-14 of Luke, as we follow Jesus toward Jerusalem, we've been with Jesus as He warned Jews about the narrow door, disdained Herod's threats, lamented over the hard-hearted Jerusalem, healed a sick man, and rebuked a Pharisee who invited him over for dinner. He has taught true hospitality and humility. A common theme is rising to the top in these two chapters; neither the works of religion nor the faith of your relatives can save you from the wrath of God. Only by faith in Jesus Christ, who shed His blood on that cross, can one hope to be made righteous to stand before God and live. Today we're going to move on into a teaching about counting the cost before following Jesus as a learner, disciple, or student. The sermon title is simply Jesus is Worth It.

Luke 14:25-34

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.

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."

Here is the message in this passage: There is a high cost to follow Jesus; so you need to decide – is Jesus is worth it? The best commitment comes from love, not duty. Three questions…

Is this anti-church growth? How quickly our Lord moves from "Highways and hedges compelling them to come in" to "You cannot be my disciple if…"! have to wonder about is Jesus' addressing of such a large crowd – it's a warning, a challenge! You would think, based on current western philosophies of ministry, that Jesus would LOVE to draw a crowd – by serving, healing, preaching, helping, or however He could – so He could then preach the gospel to them! That's us, right? Two things to consider about that;

1.     Jesus wasn't seeking worldly, temporary success; He was seeking the lost.

2.     Jesus would rather have a few devoted followers than many demanding followers. 

So for those who say, "I want to see more, I gotta be around for this", our Lord isn't so excited to entertain you; He demands fidelity, and warns those temporarily excited crowd to count the cost before taking off. Second question…

Is this hate? Hate, in the Semitic meaning for this context, means to love less than the other. Let me show you why I say this: Gen 29:30-31 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years. When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 'Hate' here isn't literal, as we understand hate; that would contradict the command to honor your parents, love your wife, provide for, protect, and train your children. I am convinced that Jesus won't contradict Himself in different books of the Bible, or different passages in any book. He simply means that you must love Him more. Listen to His words in… Matt 10:37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Is this anti-church growth, hate, and third…

Is this different from conversion? I have stood fast against such distinctions my entire Christian life; but I must confess in this context, I have my first seeds of doubt. He had just sent servants to invite all to come to the heavenly banquet. Now when He leaves and many want to follow, He throws the hard lines out!

For today, I'm going to let you wrestle with that. You have the Holy Spirit; I don't have to answer all questions. Two out of three isn't bad. Here is what we see clearly in this text…

Jesus' challenge to all who would follow Him is to love Him more.

More than those you love. Either to serve Christ away from their presence, or to cling to Christ; even if it means rejection by your family – the disciple must follow Christ. To follow Him as a learner means you can't stay home enjoying life all the time. This call can't void out the command to 'leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife' (Gen 2:24).  But it very clearly means that, regardless of what love you have for family, you must love Jesus more.

More than your own life. This must be about His will, His purpose, His mission, His glory, and His ministry on this earth. When we commit to follow Christ, life cannot be about our lives, our dreams, our wealth collection, or our comfort as a priority – it must be about Christ and His glory. That was it for Abraham, who looked at the eternal city instead of his hometown. It was true for Moses, who left Pharaoh's court to walk in the desert. Peter said,

Amazingly, this is the best life a Christian can live! You would think opposite, right? Not at all. To have nothing one is clinging to desperately is actually freedom, not bondage. To lay out a list of things to God that you must be, have, or do in this life is by far the more nasty bondage.

More than your possessions. "See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" What was Jesus response? "You] will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life" (Matt 19:27-29). We're not condemned in Scripture for having wealth; we are condemned for living for wealth above Christ (Mark 7, Rich Young Ruler).

Church, the best commitment comes from love, not duty. One does much for duty; one does much more for love. Therefore…

You must count the cost. If you start, will you finish? If you follow, will you continue when it gets hot, dry, unpopular, self-denying, and lonely? Jesus started toward Jerusalem for you, and He will. He was warning this crowd – this won't be easy, folks. Don't take this commitment to follow me lightly.

It's better not to start than to start and quit. The tower, the battle, and the salt tell us this. It would be better to honestly go home than to falsely commit then turn away. So…

There is a high cost to follow Jesus; so you need to decide – is Jesus is worth it? The best commitment comes from love, not duty. Let's consider a few things as we close…

1.     What is it worth to know, love, believe, and follow Jesus? To be with Him forever? Can you honestly say He is worth more than your family standing, community standing, your things, and your present comfort? He is, but that isn't visible without faith.

2.     What is it worth to know that your life will never end, and you will see His full glory?

3.     Jesus asked it this way; For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? (Matt 16:26)

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[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.