Theme: Returning to our First Love
Topic: Leaving All to follow Christ
Main Text: Luke 14:25-33.
Key verse: Luke 14:33 “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
Introduction:
In our main text today, Jesus sets out the cost of discipleship at the end of a series of discourses that focus on the “narrow door” to the kingdom of heaven (Luke 13:24-35,14:1-24). Seeing “multitudes” following him, Jesus makes it clear that he was not (and is still not) interested in popularity but in making disciples (Luke 14:25) by challenging them to think carefully about what it means to follow him. There is a cost to following Jesus, and we are, at best, deceitful and unloving if we gloss over that fact in our personal walk or in our evangelism. Jesus used the image of carrying a cross, an image of death, to illustrate the ultimate submission required of his followers. When the Romans led a criminal to execution, he was forced to carry the cross on which he would die to show his submission to Rome and its authority. Jesus was telling the crowd that following him required them to cultivate such a devotion to him that their attachment to anything else, including their own lives, would seem like hatred by comparison. This is a demand for total commitment from us. Without it, Jesus says we CANNOT be his disciples. As John wrote at the end of another challenging encounter with would-be followers, “this is a hard saying; who can understand it?” (John 6:60).
Q1. (1a)Read Luke 14:27, 33 in the AMPC, NLT, and TLB versions. Discuss what Jesus demands from His Disciples in these two verses. (1b) Read Luke 14:26 in NLT, AMPC, and TPT (if readily accessible). What does Jesus mean when he says “hate” your father, mother, wife, children, etc. ? (1c) Discuss what impact such demands might have on family life for a disciple.
Paragraph 2:
Jesus set very high demands on those who desire to follow Him as disciples. Some might say it is too high, yet discipleship is a foundational aspect of Christianity. Discipleship is not about a higher level of commitment for a select group, but rather a call to follow Jesus and live out his teachings in ALL aspects of life. Christians may differ at any given point in time in their level of knowledge, maturity, and consecration; they may also work in different parts of the “vineyard,” but the call to submission to the Lord Jesus Christ is the same. The command to “love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and your neighbor as yourself” is the same for everyone, regardless of circumstances. Disciples live a life of loving God and the brethren, giving themselves to modeling the life of Christ to all people in love. This “Way” demands the death, first, of the self-life, earthly ambitions, and desires, and subordinating seemingly traditional and cultural priorities, such as family, career, riches, self-recognition, and even remembrance here on earth (legacy), to prioritize obedience to the revealed will of Christ. Disciples give these up for possession of eternal life here on earth and in the hereafter (John 17:3, 6:67-69, Mark 10:28). It is indeed a radical life which is impossible in our own strength. It can only be lived by the power and enablement of the Holy Spirit. But we must choose it.
Q2. Read Luke 14:28-32 (2a) Why did Jesus tell everyone to count the cost before embarking on the discipleship journey with Him? (2b) Participants should discuss how WE should count the cost in our own lives today. What will YOU give up to be Christ’s disciple? (2c) Given these conditions, which one of us can say we are disciples? For some encouragement, see Philippians 3:12-14.
Paragraph 3:
Jesus made it clear that only those who bear their cross can be His disciples. He did not obscure the conditions to be His follower. Sometimes, we may understate the demands of Jesus when we present the gospel. We can give the impression that coming to Jesus is only about believing certain facts, instead of yielding one’s life. That was not how Jesus went about it. He enumerated difficult requirements upfront; He did not really encourage people to follow Him. He never put forward the rewards of following Him. He probably used this method to eliminate those whose motives were steeped in self-interest, which is the first thing that must be given up. Because of this, only a few really followed Jesus, but those who did had a tremendous impact. This is true even today. God has a way of eliminating the crowd, the fickle, and the self-centered to achieve His purpose (read how God reduced Gideon’s army from 32,000 soldiers to a select 300 yet still got the job done in Judges 7:2-7).
Q3. Read Mark 8:34-37, 10:28-30, John 14:12,23 (3a) Discuss the benefits of being disciples of Christ (3b) How does “Leave All” connect with “Gain All” from these scriptures (3c) What result does a person who decides to “Hold On To All” receive? Discuss.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for opening MY eyes to this condition of “Leaving All”, precedent to following you. I would rather give up all to gain God and His Christ over holding on to my life and all my possessions, only to lose them at the end. Please, Lord Jesus, give ME the fortitude and courage to follow you as your disciple. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.