Pastor Nam Park.
If I asked you, "What is the cost of Salvation?"
I would hope you would respond, "Nothing, our salvation costs us nothing."
We are incapable of bringing anything to the table that would insinuate that we are worthy of salvation. We can't earn salvation. Yet, although we come by faith alone, there is a reality that settles (after we're believers) that it costs us everything.
Once you are made a child of God, there is nothing you would keep in order to follow Him. You would easily count all other things as loss compared to knowing Christ, Jesus. Nothing you wouldn't sacrifice for our Lord.
Jesus begins with instruction on what it costs to follow Him.
Luke 9:51 When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; 52 and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. 54 When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”55 But He turned and rebuked them, [and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; 56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they went on to another village.
Exacting Discipleship
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, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 59 And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”60 But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” 61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
“The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night.” - John Piper, Hunger for God.
Luke 9:51 When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem;
- Luke reminds us of Jesus' task.
- "He set His face toward Jerusalem."
- "He set His face toward Jerusalem."
Samaritans and Jews hate one another.
Reason: Nationalistic Pride.
Samaritans were intermarried with foreigners. Israel is commanded not to marry with foreigners. In Luke Samaritans is only mentioned 3 times. Thus, it was just a point of reality.
Luke 9:54 When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
- Sons of Thunder. Thunderous in their personality. Wonderful zeal and faith... but misguided.
- Possibly similar to story of Elijah commanding fire to consume the messenger and 50 of his men.
2 Kings1:9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” 10 Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
11 So he again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he said to him, “O man of God, thus says the king, ‘Come down quickly.’” 12 Elijah replied to them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
13 So he again sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. When the third captain of fifty went up, he came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him and said to him, “O man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. 14 Behold fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in your sight.” 15 The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king. 16 Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word?—therefore you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’”
Luke 9:55 But He turned and rebuked them, [and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; 56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they went on to another village.
- Why Brackets? A: Sometimes, it's uncertain whether this portion belongs in the original text.
- The word of God is inerrant. A good student of the Word would just bracket these words so that at least we have it.
- These words may not have been included in the earliest text, but did appear in others.
- In God's wisdom, there were many copies of Scripture, everywhere. No one could just go in and change one set of manuscripts. We have preserved the full Word of God.
- New portions of scriptures found just validate what we already have.
MAN #1: TOO EAGER.
Luke 9:57 As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
- Said eagerly, without thoughtfulness.
- They wanted to share in His power. But what about sharing in His suffering.
- Jesus recommends to come into this with "eyes wide open."
- Foxes and birds of the air are wild/undomesticated, but the Son of Man is REJECTED. It's not about comforts. It's about not having a place.
A committed heart knows the discomfort of loving uncomfortable people.
"I love the life I'm given now, but I would easily give it up if the Lord called me somewhere else."
- Discomfort of being disliked.
- It costs nothing to come to Christ. Yet after, He is the pearl of GREAT VALUE. You would give up everything. It's not a standard of earning your way.
- Make sure you make Christ the number 1 thing.
MAN #2: HE WANTS TO DELAY.
Luke 9:59 And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”
- Jewish Culture: They usually bury the dead first. Immediate, top priority; over service at the temple.
- Most likely this guys father is not dead yet, but in-firmed.
Jesus isn't demanding this of everyone.
We're listening in on these commands. Jesus hints that we must be ready to give these up.
- If we consider the gifts more important than the giver, it becomes idolatry.
- God wants us to love our families, but we must remember to make Christ the most important thing.
MAN #3: HE WANTS TO SAY GOODBYE TO THOSE AT HOME.
Elisha requests this to Elijah.
Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
If He asked you; would you, could you... abandon all?
William W. Bourdin (Bourdin Cheese).
Son of a wealthy Chicago family. Traveled around the world at age 18.
Education at Yale then Princeton Seminary. Committed to seek the salvation of Muslims in China. Before leaving, he gave away 500,000 (Equivalent to $15 million today). Helped to establish Moody Bible Institute. He then left for Egypt for the final year of his life. As he lay dying, he scribbled, "No reserve, no retreat, no regrets."
It's not about fulfilling a task, it's about following Jesus.
William Bourdin didn't allow anything to come between him and following Jesus Christ.
To be able to say, "If the Lord took me today, I was a follower of Jesus Christ."
