According to Luke: Crazy Faith

According to Luke: Crazy Faith

Opening Illustration:

The great theologian of the last century, Karl Barth, wrote a 10 volume theological work titled "Ethics." When traveling and lecturing throughout the United States at all the important universities and theological schools, it is reported that one young man asked him, "Dr. Barth, you have written multiple volumes on theology. But, if you had to boil down all your theological knowledge into just a sentence or two, what would you say is the essence of your theological understanding?"

Dr. Barth didn’t hesitate. He replied, "It is really quite simple. 'Jesus loves me, this I know - for the Bible tells me so.'"

Point:

Barth is correct, there is a lot of truth and simplicity to that statement that we all learned as children. 'Jesus loves me, this I know - for the Bible tells me so’ is the ultimate expression for the Christian. However, while that statement is true, the simplicity of the Gospel is born out of hardship and suffering. Jesus never said that following Him would be fun. He never said it would be easy. He actually said it would be painful and He became the living illustration of suffering for the Kingdom while He hung on the cross. 

Point;

Don’t believe the wolf in sheep’s clothing that tell you that this Christian walk is filled with prosperity, a peaceful existence, fun, and materialism. Following Christ, by His own words, is a difficult road to travel and a hard life to live. Fill in these blanks for me this morning. 

Following Jesus Is Not Simple, But It Is Satisfying!

Following Jesus Is Not Simple, But It Is Satisfying!

Point:

Suffering is a large part of the Christian life, but there is a reward. Listen to Jesus’ own words in Mark 10:29-30. 

Mark 10:29-30 ESV

29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.

Point:

Jesus is not promising to give 100 fields to everyone who gave up a farm to follow him. He is not promising to give 100 mothers. He is not promising to make everyone wealthy. He is not talking in literal terms. He means that the things we receive in the next life will be 100 times as valuable as the things we give up in this life — as measured by real value, eternal value, not by temporary fads about physical things.

Even our trials have spiritual value to our benefit…

Romans 5:3-4 ESV

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope…

James 1:2-4 ESV

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Point:

This is of greater value than gold. 

I Peter 1:7 ESV

7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

God sometimes gives us gold and other temporary rewards (perhaps as an indication of better things to come), but the rewards that count most are those that last forever.

Point:

Isn’t it good that we do not suffer in vain and that there is a purpose to our pain. Sure, we are often refined by the fire of trails but it is good to remember that there is a satisfying reward for our toils. 

Point:

With that understanding, let’s dive in to today’s Scripture and message.

Scripture:

Luke 9:23-27 ESV

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

According To Jesus, Following Him Is…

I. Revealing vs. 23

Luke 9:23

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me…

Point:

It is in this Scripture where we see Jesus drop all facades, no more games, he gets to the heart of the matter. It is almost like He is saying “Guys, I’m going to get real with you here.” 

Point:

In May of 1992 MTV debuted a show that would change the landscape of television history. I was 14 years old at the time. I was not allowed to watch MTV at the time. Sadly, I was someone disobedient as at 14 year old kid and I would sneak around to see it on TV when I could. I can remember kids at school talking about it. People got addicted to it actually. The show was called “The Real World”. Remember that show? Do you remember the intro of the show? 

“This is the true story, of seven strangers, picked to live in a house, work together, and have their lives taped. Find out what happens, when people stop being polite, and start getting real… The Real World!”

“The Real World” gave birth to reality television. People wanted see what real life was really like. We were done with pre-taped scripted television shows, people wanted the drama and grit of real life. “The Real World” provided that for people.

Point:

In verse 23 Jesus reveals a powerful concept to His disciples. He reveals that following Him is open and available to anyone. Anyone can come after Him, and be His followers. Jesus words flew in the face of common Jewish religious thought. To that point, Rabbi’s were very choosy in who they asked to follow them. They would only take the best of the best. Chances are that Peter and Andrew were rabbinical rejects themselves. Do you remember the story when Peter and Andrew were called to be Christ’s followers. Scripture tells us that they immediately threw down their nets and went with Jesus. In that moment, Peter and Andrew’s dreams of following a rabbi had been realized. Now Jesus goes beyond His initial 12 followers and says that anyone can make the choice to follow Him. 

Point:

This is a revelation to us this morning. Jesus invitation to follow Him is open to whites, blacks, asians, hispanics, eskimos and everyone in between. This means that Jesus’ invitation is open to doctors, lawyers, and teachers. It means that it also open to prostitutes, drug dealers, murderers, and everyone in between. 

Greek:

The Greek word being used here is “tis”. It is a simple word that makes a world of difference when considering what Jesus is saying. it means “any man, any one, or anything”. The invitation to follow Jesus is open to any and everyone no matter where they are, what they’ve done, or where they’ve been! Jesus is revealing to the disciples that He is calling all sinners to follow Him. 

I Timothy 1:15-19 MSG

15-19 Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.

According To Jesus, Following Him Is…

I. Revealing vs. 23

II. Refusing vs. 23

Luke 9:23 

Luke 9:23-27 ESV

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself…

Point:

Its good news today that Jesus reveals that His invitation to follow Him is open to anyone! It is great news that comes with a cost. Jesus continues saying that “if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself…”. This is where Jesus loses the crowd. This is where He loses our culture. This is where we part ways with Jesus. In order to follow Him, we must deny ourselves. 

To follow Jesus, we have to give up ownership of our lives and install Him as the soul proprietor of our hearts, souls, minds, wishes, dreams, and desires. 

In order to follow Jesus, we must lay down who we once were and become who he calls us to be. 

Illustration:

Many of you know this but since the new year, I have been trying to work on myself a bit. I have joined a gym. Ive been going there on the regular. 5 days a week in fact. Each morning that I go it is an exercise of self denial. When my alarm clock goes off early in the morning, when it is dark outside, my flesh wants to stay in bed and skip. My mind has to rule out over my body to get up and get going. I have deny that lazy desire and be productive. 

I will tell you where I really struggle. I struggle with the denial of food. There are two types of food you know. Good food that is healthy and serves as fuel and bad fuel that is yummy and is trash. You can imagine which food I like to eat. That’s right bad food. For a month, every day is filled with denial of bad food in favor of good food. 

“Self” denial is a part of our every day experience isn’t it. Chances are you have felt like quitting your job because you were angry at your boss. You denied that urge and are still working.

You probably had a moment where you did not want to study for that test but you denied that urge and studied. 

You have probably had moments where you have wanted to skip worship and church in favor of the beach but you still came. You denied that inclination in favor of investing in yourself spiritually. 

Greek:

The Greek word for “let him deny himself” is är-ne'-o-mī. It literally means to deny one’s self, to disregard his own interests or to act entirely unlike himself. 

Point:

So when Jesus says that we must deny ourselves, practically speaking what does that mean?  I will give you an extreme case. 

Illustration:

A few years ago while I was on staff at a different church, I met with a man in my office. He was a friend and someone that was very involved in the church. He had volunteered in adult ministry for many many years and was even a deacon in the church. He was an unmarried man with no children. He often told me that the church was his bride and that the congregants were his children. He loved the church and the church loved him very much. While meeting with me in my office he confessed to me that he was gay. I was stunned. I did not expect him to say that. Before I could utter a word, he told me that he knew his feelings were wrong and were not consistent with God’s Word. He told me that long ago he gave his heart to Christ. When he did, he also told me that he gave his feelings and fleshly desires to Christ as well. He submitted to Christ’s authority over his life and instead of pursing sin, he pursed serving God’s people. He told me that giving his heart to Christ was the greatest decision of his life and that he would not trade his existence for anything. 

Point:

Brothers and sisters, that is what it means to deny ourselves to follow Christ. The invitation to follow Christ is open to everyone, but it is an invitation that comes at a cost. It is a cost that far to many people are unwilling to pay. 

Some people want to follow Christ but they cannot put down the bottle.

Some people want to follow Christ but they cannot find help for their addiction.

Some people want to follow Christ but it means that they have to live a different lifestyle. 

Following Christ always comes at a cost. Always. 

Point:

Brothers and sisters we must remember that self denial is self control. Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit to help us with self control and self mastery. 

2 Timothy 1:7 ESV

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

According To Jesus, Following Him Is…

I. Revealing vs. 23

II. Refusing vs. 23

III. Relentless vs. 23

Luke 9:23 ESV

Luke 9:23-27 ESV

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily…

Point:

When Jesus carried His cross up Golgotha to be crucified, no one was thinking of the cross as symbolic of a burden to carry. To a person in the first-century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: death by the most painful and humiliating means human beings could develop.

Two thousand years later, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus’ day, the cross represented nothing but torturous death. Because the Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion, bearing a cross meant carrying their own execution device while facing ridicule along the way to death.

Point:

Therefore, “Take up your cross and follow Me” means being willing to die in order to follow Jesus. This is called “dying to self.” It’s a call to absolute surrender. After each time Jesus commanded cross bearing, He said the following:

Luke 9:24-25 ESV

24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Although the call is tough, the reward is matchless.

Point:

Wherever Jesus went, He drew crowds. Although these multitudes often followed Him as Messiah, their view of who the Messiah really was—and what He would do—was distorted. They thought the Christ would usher in the restored kingdom. They believed He would free them from the oppressive rule of their Roman occupiers. Even Christ’s own inner circle of disciples thought the kingdom was coming soon. When Jesus began teaching that He was going to die at the hands of the Jewish leaders and their Gentile overlords, His popularity sank. Many of the shocked followers rejected Him. Truly, they were not able to put to death their own ideas, plans, and desires, and exchange them for His.

Point:

Following Jesus is easy when life runs smoothly; our true commitment to Him is revealed during trials. Jesus assured us that trials will come to His followers. Discipleship demands sacrifice, and Jesus never hid that cost.

Point:

Do me a favor and open you Bibles to Luke 9:57-62. Same chapter just a few verses down from where we are this morning. 

Luke 9:57-62 ESV

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

In Luke 9:57-62, three people seemed willing to follow Jesus. When Jesus questioned them further, their commitment was half-hearted at best. They failed to count the cost of following Him. None was willing to take up his cross and crucify upon it his own interests.

Therefore, Jesus appeared to dissuade them. How different from the typical Gospel presentation! How many people would respond to an altar call that went, “Come follow Jesus, and you may face the loss of friends, family, reputation, career, and possibly even your life”? The number of false converts would likely decrease! Such a call is what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”

Point:

If you wonder if you are ready to take up your cross, consider these questions:

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing some of your closest friends?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means the loss of your reputation?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life?

In some places of the world, these consequences are reality. But notice the questions are phrased, “Are you willing?” Following Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean all these things will happen to you, but are you willing to take up your cross? If there comes a point in your life where you are faced with a choice—Jesus or the comforts of this life—which will you choose?

Commitment to Christ means taking up your cross daily, giving up your hopes, dreams, possessions, even your very life if need be for the cause of Christ. Only if you willingly take up your cross may you be called His disciple. The reward is worth the price. Jesus followed His call of death to self (“Take up your cross and follow Me”) with the gift of life in Christ: 

Matthew 16:25-26 ESV

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it”.

I Corinthians 15:58 ESV

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

According To Jesus, Following Him Is…

I. Revealing vs. 23

II. Refusing vs. 23

III. Relentless vs. 23

IV. Resolute vs. 23 

Luke 9:23-27 ESV

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Point:

Friends, today is the day. Jesus has just dropped a big fat truth bomb on us. Sure, anyone can follow Him. However, following Him will come at a cost. Following Him will have to be a daily choice. Every day I must chose to sacrifice myself on the cross of Christ. 

Today, we must make the choice to either follow Him or not. Not everyone will. Not everyone will make the choice of self mastery and self denial. Not everyone will say that they are ready for that type of commitment. 

Are you?

Are you ready to follow Christ today, to lay it on the line, to leave it behind, and grab hold of Jesus. 

It is all a choice. It is your decision. 

Lyrics:

I have decided to follow Jesus;

I have decided to follow Jesus;

I have decided to follow Jesus;

No turning back, no turning back.

2. Tho' none go with me, I still will follow,

Tho' none go with me I still will follow,

Tho' none go with me, I still will follow;

No turning back, no turning back.

3. My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus;

My cross I'll carry till I see Jesus,

My cross I'll carry till I see Jesus;

No turning back, No turning back.

4. The world behind me, the cross before me,

The world behind me, the cross before me;

The world behind me, the cross before me;

No turning back, no turning back.

Proverbs 4:25-27 ESV

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Count The Cost…Follow Christ!