Luke 14:33 - Who Is Lord Of Your Life? (addendum)
Luke 14:33 - Who Is Lord Of Your Life? (addendum)
Luke 14:33 (KJV) So likewise, whosoever he be of you that
forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:33 (EAV) So then, any of you who does not forsake
(renounce, surrender claim to, give up, say good-bye to) all that he has
cannot be My disciple.
CONTEXT: The Cost of Following Jesus (Luke 14:25-35).
APPLICATION COMMENTARY - With Emphasis On Verse 33 (addendum).
It is easy to be part of the crowd and follow a popular Jesus,
but that is not true discipleship. He calls you away from the crowd
to take up your cross and follow Him. When it comes to winning the
lost, God wants His house filled; but when it comes to discipleship,
Christ thins out the ranks and wants only those who will die to self
and live for Him. [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren
Wiersbe re Luke 14:25-35]
Jesus was up front with his followers. He set the bar high. He
told potential followers that being a Christian would have a cost.
What does that mean?
Perhaps you're experiencing that already. Perhaps your new
faith has been ridiculed at home, at school, or at work. Maybe your
old friends are wondering what happened to you-and they're backing
off a bit, afraid that you've become a fanatic. It could be that
your faith is wreaking havoc with some of your old habits. Perhaps
you're being convicted to make a greater sacrifice of time or money for
God's Kingdom. That's all part of the cost of becoming a believer, so
don't. think it's unusual.
But it's not all one-sided. The cost you pay is nothing
compared to what you have gained. You have been given a new life with the
promise of joy and fulfillment. You have been given a worldwide family
of believers. You have a true purpose and can experience the joy
and fulfillment of living it out.
So what do you do when you face those costly times? Keep the
right perspective, pray, and persevere. Greater joy awaits! [The One
Year Bible for New Believers re Luk.14:33]
The cost to be counted is a willingness to give up everything
for Jesus. For some, this may be literal, such as the rich young man
in 18:18-23 and many of Jesus' early followers; for others it may
be a willingness to hold loosely to material possessions. To be
preoccupied with money or possessions is to miss the demands and joys of
true discipleship, as with the people who refused the host's
invitation to the kingdom (14:18-20). Again Jesus painted no rosy picture
of a high-paying job with all the benefits. He said that the way
would be rough and would be a way of self-sacrifice. Oddly enough,
however, this is the only way to true fulfillment and satisfaction.
Unfortunately, too many refuse to count the cost or, having counted, decide it
is too high. They do not count the cost to God -- the life of his
Son -- or the immense treasures awaiting all disciples in the
kingdom. Jesus does not ask anyone to give anything up without having
given it up himself. Jesus' promise is: "And everyone who has left
houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields
for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit
eternal life" (Matt 19:29 NIV). (Life Application Commentary Luke
14:33)
A man must pay the ultimate price. He must forsake all, renounce
and give up all that he is and has; or else "he cannot be my
disciple." When a man counts the cost of following Christ, he needs to
think about two things.
1. It will cost him all he is. The man must be willing to center
his life around Christ and His mission to reach a world lost and
full of desperate needs. It will cost the man...
* his heart: total devotion and commitment.
* his mind: being permeated and controlled by Christ.
* his eyes: watching what he looks at.
* his ears: watching what he listens to.
* his hands: watching what he touches and picks up.
* his feet: watching where he goes.
* his mouth: watching what he eats and drinks and says.
* his desires: watching, controlling, and changing his urges and
desires.
* his energy: committing his strength, initiative, and will to
Christ.
* his effort and work: dedicating and centering all in Christ,
using his efforts and work in the cause of Christ.
2. It will cost him all he has. The man must be willing to give
everything he has to Christ, without watering down the cost. It is this
point that will cause so many to be lost and doomed (see
outline--Luke 18:18-30 and notes--Luke 18:18-30;
outline--Matthew 10:16-23 and notes--Matthew 10:16-23). To really follow
Christ will cost...
* family: being put after Christ.
* friends: being put after Christ and centered around Christ.
* home: all the comforts and extravagances.
* job: being centered around Christ and being used to earn
enough to give to those who do not have (Ephes. 4:28).
* cars: not being extravagant, so as to have more to give to a
needful world.
* investments: using for God's cause.
* money: taking care of personal necessities and then using the
rest for God's cause.
Whatever a person has, it will cost him. He must surrender it
to Christ, which is to say, he must be willing to use it in the
Lord's mission, the mission of helping a world lost and reeling under
the weight of enormous needs.
When a man counts the cost of following Christ, he must think
about the consequences of both fighting against Christ and
surrendering to Christ. If the man chooses to reject Christ, to struggle
against Him, the man will...
* never experience abundant life, deep satisfaction (John 10:10).
* never know God, His love and care, on a daily basis.
* never have an eternal sense of purpose, meaning, and
significance.
* never know nor have the assurance of eternal life.
* never be free from the uncertainty of life.
* never be free from the dread and fear of death.
* never be free of some sense of judgment and of what lies ahead.
* never be freed from a sense of false security.
The consequences of surrendering to Christ are, of course, the
very opposite of the above. [Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible re
Luke 14:28-33]
EXCELLENT SERMON ON A RELATED PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE:
Mat19:21 Laying Up Treasure In Heaven by Pastor Derek Morris:
http://media.forestlakechurch.org/media/20060617/2006-06-17.mp3
