The Cost of Following Jesus
CDC/ 4/3/12
Today’s topic is an especially hard one, being about the cost of discipleship, the cost of following Jesus, and we will examine in particular two areas in our lives which we must learn to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Our main passage today is from Matthew 8:18-22 but let’s read together from vs.16, “ When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases 18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Ok, friends, let us picture ourselves back in time to the place where Jesus was. Imagine, it is evening, and Jesus has been ministering to crowds of people in the thousands probably for hours now, healing the sick, casting out demons, preaching the good news. Jesus would be very tired by now, I’m sure, and the Lord gives instructions to his disciples to cross by boat to the other side of the lake. We get an idea how tired Jesus was because just a few verses later in vs.25, it describes how Jesus fell so soundly asleep he was not even awaken by a powerful storm. Just as Jesus is about to go, a teacher of the law who has been listening to Jesus comes and tells Jesus“ I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus answers “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Well friends, what does this mean? In fact, Jesus was telling the man, “Even animals, even birds have their own homes but if you follow me, you won’t have a permanent home.” Sure enough, straight after this encounter, Jesus had to sleep in a boat, something Jesus and His disciples must have done quite often in His three years of ministry.
Incidentally, in Luke 9:57-58, this same conversation is also recorded. Someone tells Jesus “I will follow you wherever you go.” and Jesus answers in the same way “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Just a few verses preceding this encounter, Luke records how a Samaritan village would not welcome Jesus, and after this conversation, Jesus sends out 72 of his disciples to towns He will go to later. And Jesus warns them that some of these towns will not welcome them. Indeed, the life of Jesus and His disciples during that time were like nomads, traveling from town to town without a permanent home. So, we see here, friends, this saying of Jesus definitely applied to Jesus and His disciples during that time.
However, the next question we need to ask ourselves is “Does this apply to us today?” In the early church, the disciples of Jesus largely followed this model, especially the apostle Paul, who traveled all over the known world to spread the gospel. Paul gave up everything and did not have a permanent place to lay his head. In 1 Corinthians 4:11, Paul exclaims “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.”
Well, friends, there were also many Christians who did not move about but continued to stay in their own homes and served God in the local church. Were they not true disciples of Jesus? Of course they were. There are missionaries whom the Church sends out, and there are senders who support the missionaries. Both are important in the Church of Jesus Christ. However, it is also true that more are called than are willing to go. As the Scripture says “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few”.
The missionary calling, friends, is often one of great hardship and persecution.
Consider the shining example of our own sister Soo Bee, who is doing missionary work in Chad, Africa. Forsaking the comfort of home here in Malaysia, she is staying in a little hut in a poor African country, serving God almost on her own. In a recent email, Soo Bee shared how in a place where resources are so limited and the need is so great, anyone would be overwhelmed if they did not learn how to just live one day at a time, and not worry about tomorrow. Her courage, her perseverance in the Lord’s service is simply amazing, and the Lord will not forget the sacrifices of His servants. As Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 19:29, “everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” Yes, friends, the sacrifice may be great, but Jesus promises that the rewards will be even greater. God is no man’s debtor. We just can’t outgive the great God who loves us.
Ok, friends, some of us may think “If I don’t have a calling to be missionary, I don’t need to leave my home. This doesn’t quite apply to me”. However, friends, we must not forget that we are in the end times, and Jesus warns us in Matthew 24 that we, His disciples will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and hated by all nations because of Him. Friends, when persecution comes upon all Christians as a whole, losing our beloved homes, even our lives could become a serious reality indeed.
Friends, for many of us, our home represents our greatest form of security. It is our place of comfort, where we can sleep and be at rest. Those who have no home, who sleep on the streets, or under makeshift tents can never be fully at rest. They know they are always vulnerable to easy attacks from robbers and thieves. Losing our homes would probably be the greatest material sacrifice we would have to make for following Jesus. And we need to be ready should that day come.
Church, the main point of this saying is that Jesus must be first, even above our homes, even above our most basic comforts. In today’s world, many have become too caught up with things like home improvement - renovating every few years, always looking for the latest hi-fi set, LCD TV or sofa. How much better, friends, would the resources entrusted to us be invested instead in building the kingdom of God and helping the poor. Church, in view of the coming end times, it is so important, now, when we still have times of peace, to become less absorbed in the things of the world, and more devoted to the things of God, so that we can be strong and mature in the Lord when the time of testing comes. Remember, friends, our security, our refuge, our meaning in life should be in God alone and not on material things.
In the great passage of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, we see that one of their common factors was that they saw themselves as foreigners and strangers on earth. They knew that this earth is only a temporary place, not where they truly belonged. Instead, they continually looked forward to a better place, a better country, a heavenly one.
Let’s read this beautiful portion of scripture together:-
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:13-16
Friends, this great city that God has prepared for us is described in all its splendor in Revelation 21. It is a city made out of pure gold and precious stones. This city does not need the sun or the moon for God gives it light, and our Lord Jesus is its lamp.
Church, when we have this mindset, this continuous expectation and hope for this far better home, we no longer become so focused on the temporal things in life. As Paul exclaims in 2 Corinthians 4:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal..” Friends, this principle is so important for us to understand and apply to our daily lives. All trouble, all suffering, all hardship that we could possibly face on earth is nothing compared to the most amazing, beautiful, perfect everlasting life we have in Jesus.
Friends, beware. In today’s church, there is a dangerous prosperity gospel that focuses too much on the material blessings of the here and now. Prosperity preachers even dare to say “If you have Jesus, you can expect to get rich, you can expect to get gold!”. In contrast, friends, if you really look into the teachings of Jesus, the Lord always focuses our attention on heavenly things rather than earthly things. He says in Matthew 8:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Friends, wealth in itself is not sinful, but those who have wealth must be careful not to let it become a snare for their hearts. It is so easy to fall into the love of money and become entangled in the ways of the world. We have to recognize that there is no point in accumulating lots of wealth that we cannot take away when we leave this earth. As Jesus said “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world yet lose his soul? “
In life, friends, let us bless when we have the opportunity to bless, realizing within us that we are strangers in this temporary world. Let us always look forward expectantly to our perfect home, the perfect kingdom that the Lord who loves us has destined for us one day.
Ok, moving on, friends, let’s come back to Matthew 8 vs 21. Straightaway, another disciple says to Jesus “Lord, first let me go and bury my father”, but Jesus tells him “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead”. Here, there is a disciple who makes a seemingly reasonable request of the Lord. Bible scholars speculate that it is quite unlikely the man’s father was already dead, because he would be already too busy with funeral arrangements if that were the case. Instead, his father was probably of old age or ill health, and the man probably wanted to take care of his father until death before committing to Jesus. However, the Lord tells him “Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead”. Apparently, the members of this man’s family were spiritually dead. Perhaps they had not accepted the testimony of Jesus. The underlying principle behind Jesus’ reply is that Jesus is more important than our family ties.
In the corresponding passage in Luke 9, yet one more disciple comes to Jesus and says “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family”. The Lord answers him “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God”. Furthermore, in Matthew 10:37, Jesus said ““Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”. Therefore, church, the main point again is that our faith in our Lord Jesus is most important, far more important than even the closest of our family relationships.
But how does this apply to us practically? For many Christians in non-Christian homes, this is in fact a very difficult issue. For example, in many traditional pagan Chinese families, failure to hold the joss-stick and bow down to one’s ancestors is seen as being non-filial. A Christian friend of mine told of how the rest of her family boycotted her and would not speak to her because she refused to burn incense or bow down to her recently deceased father-in-law. The point is, friends, difficult as it may be, our love for our Lord Jesus must take precedence even over our love for our families.
However, does this mean we should abandon our families in our service of God or cut ourselves off from unbelieving family members? Of course not! Although our love for Jesus is first, this does not mean that we stop loving our families. In fact, the more we know Jesus, the more we know God, we will find that we will love our families even more. As John writes, “we love because God first loved us”. Let’s say it together, church. “We love because God first loved us”. There is something about knowing God’s love that overflows out of us, and enables us to really love others.
Recently, I heard a testimony of a pastor’s wife who was the first to know Christ among her family members. She was practically disowned by her parents and had to stay with friends and depend on others to help her buy working clothes. Basically, she lost her home, she lost her family’s love and support because she decided to follow Jesus. Yet, amazingly, she found that she loved her parents more and more as she felt Christ’s love for her through her persecution. Every year, she would continue to bring flowers to her mother only to have the flowers thrown back in her face. Yet she continued to love her parents and pray for them. After a long time, they too came to know the Lord and one day, the mother asked forgiveness from her daughter.
Friends, some of us may feel that God is too hard to require such a sacrifice of us. However, we have to understand that if we really know God, putting Him first is how we can really show true love to our family. What would be the use of following our parents or relatives back to worshipping idols? We would perish with them. However, if we remained true to God, and continued to pray for them, our parents or relatives would have every chance to know the real truth and be saved in the love of God. Sometimes, as Jesus said, it takes a single kernel of wheat to fall to the ground and die for many seeds to be produced.
Church, most precious in this world above all material things are our family relationships, but even this must come secondary when it comes to our Lord Jesus. Following Jesus means putting Jesus not only before all material things, but also before all relationships.
So friends, looking back at the key message today, we see that basically Jesus is telling us “If you follow me, you may lose your home, you may lose your family.” Underlying these two hard sayings is the Lord’s command in Luke 9:23-24 – let’s read together “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” Basically, friends, following Jesus demands our all, our everything. Either Jesus is Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.
However, friends, in our actual practical experience, has following Jesus actually been so hard? The truth is, most of us have not endured real persecution for our faith. Other than missionaries who have left homes or those persecuted by non-Christian family members, most of us have generally never really suffered for our faith.
We, the local church have thus far largely been spared persecution, perhaps due to her general agreement to restrict the preaching of the gospel. However, in so doing, are we guilty of obeying men rather than God? How would the church of China, for example, respond in our shoes? These are not easy questions, but in general, to obey the whole will of God could well result in persecution, and no one likes to move away from their comfort zones. Still, in the coming end times, God will use persecution as a way to shake the church, and this testing will identify who is really loyal to Jesus and who is not. Again friends, let us be reminded that in the time that we have now, when great persecution has not yet arrived, we must strengthen our faith, grow deep and mature in the Lord, and strive to please the Lord in all that we do.
Friends, in recent years, there has been a popular movement within the church that focuses heavily on the “Gospel of Grace”. The basic premise is that since Jesus has done everything for you, you don’t need to do anything at all, just sit back and receive! Some proponents of this gospel even claim that Jesus’ Sermon of the Mount and the Lord’s prayer are only relevant up to the cross and that people trying to live by them are accused of working for their salvation and missing the grace of God! They even accuse those who confess their sins after being saved as being faithless since they claim all sins are already forgiven anyway - past, present and future! They focus a lot on on what Jesus has done for them but not on what Jesus requires of them. How sad that God’s Word is manipulated in this way.
Friends, while the emphasis on Jesus’ finished work on the cross is all-important, this movement has gone beyond that to create a kind of easy-going gospel where there is no striving, no aiming for holiness that is clearly taught in the New Testament. This gospel is pleasing to the ears, and has the appearance of wisdom but it has no place for the Words of Jesus that we are looking at today – that we need to put Jesus above all comfort, even our homes, even our families.
Church, following Jesus does not mean we will have an easy, problem-free life. However, God has promised in Scripture that He will always be with us, always there to help us through every difficult situation as we continue to hope in Him. Jesus said “Surely I am with you always to the very end of the age”.
At the same time, friends, we will find that following Jesus is not as difficult as we may perceive when we come and learn from Him. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The reference to the yoke which is typically placed on bulls when plowing the field shows that there is hard work in following Jesus. However, Jesus said that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. As we grow in knowing Jesus deeper and experience His great love and power, we will find it is easier and easier to sacrifice of ourselves to Him and to serve Him more and more. Indeed, the words “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” will indeed be a reality!
Church, in following Jesus, we need to be sure of our faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” Yes, we are saved by grace, through faith, not by works as stated clearly by Paul. However, continuing to Ephesians 2:10, it says “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” So, church, we are saved solely by grace yes, but we are saved for a reason, and that is to do good works. The book of James plainly tells us that faith without works is dead. Basically, friends, a genuine faith will result in us doing good works, which are the fruit of a true faith. Remember, friends, salvation is a process. Sanctification means that we are being made holy. We have to continue in our salvation until Jesus comes back. Time and again, we see in the gospels, how Jesus says “Follow me”. Follow is an active word. Jesus said “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working”. We are to continually seek to follow Jesus and join Him in His work wherever He is. Following Jesus, friends, may mean leaving our homes, and we may even face rejection from family, but if that is our destiny, we really still need to follow the Lord.
This principle of actively following Jesus can be seen right in the basics of our salvation which we would do well to revisit at this point.
In Mark 1:15, Jesus proclaimed “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” The meaning of the word repent in Greek means to change one’s mind. In Hebrew, the word repent means to turn around. The picture one gets is of a man walking in one direction and then turning around 180 degrees and walking in the opposite direction. Therefore repenting involves both a firm inward decision and the acting out of that decision. The best example we have in Scripture is that of the prodigal son, who repented in the pig sty when he made a firm inward decision to go back to his father and physically went back.
For us, repentance comes when we decide firmly in our minds that we need to go back to God our Father in Heaven. It is turning away from just living life however we want and instead looking to God to save us. Once we repent, we are now facing in the right direction towards God, towards Jesus and it is so important for us to continue facing and walking in this direction, which is towards the light. Friends, do not think that repentance is only for unbelievers. We too, even mature Christians, need to ensure that we keep in repentance. John the Baptist said “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” How do we keep in repentance? Make sure we are facing God in our hearts and minds, seeking to follow Jesus and acting it out, always aiming to move closer to God.
Once we have repented and now face towards God, the next step is to believe. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Friends, once we turn to God, we must next believe three important facts. Firstly, Jesus Christ died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice to God so that our sins can be forgiven. Secondly, God raised Jesus back to life on the 3rd day so that we too might receive eternal life in Him. Thirdly, Jesus will save those who believe in Him as the one and only way to God. Friends, Jesus means Saviour. That means He is the one who saves us from our sins and we must believe that! Once we believe this, our names are written in the book of life.
However, we must understand that we must continue believing in Jesus. In the Greek, the verb form believe actually means keep on believing – so we must keep believing in Jesus continually. Friends, this belief is not just head knowledge, like believing an article of news reported. It is a belief that is so deep that we are willing to stake our very lives on it.
There is a story of the famous tightrope walker Blondin who could walk across the Niagara falls blindfolded, on stilts, in a sack and even push a wheelbarrow across. However, one day, Blondin asked his manager to hop on his back before crossing over. It is one thing to believe Blondin could do it, it is another to trust him completely by risking your life for that belief. However, friends, that it the level of belief that we need to have in Jesus for our salvation. Friends, do we trust in Jesus enough that we are willing to let go of our homes, our families, even our lives for His sake? True believing will result in outward actions that show we believe in Jesus. Those who really believe in Jesus will desire to follow His teachings and know more and more about Him. Jesus said “If you love me, obey my commands.”
So friends, recapping again, when we repent, we are facing God and seeking His salvation. Then we believe Jesus is the way for our salvation, and as we follow Him, we are continuing in His salvation. It is both a conviction in our hearts and an active life lived out in seeking to follow Jesus, His will, and His teachings. As long as we continue in the Lord, we can be absolutely assured of our salvation.
However, friends, we must be careful to stay on this path, this direction of following Jesus. The world is always calling us to veer off in other directions. The devil uses both the carrot and the stick to get Christians off the safe road. The parable of the seeds illustrate this perfectly. Some seed are sown among thorns, where the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desire for other things choke the word, making it unfruitful, and we know very well what happens to trees that do not bear fruit. They are chopped down and thrown into the fire. There are also some seed that fall on rocky ground, which fall away during trouble or persecution. So, we need to stay focused on following Jesus, through temptation or persecution.
A key concept in Scripture that we must understand is our need to Overcome. Everyone say Overcome. In Revelation, in Jesus’ letters to the seven churches, He always promises reward to him who overcomes. In Revelation 3:5, Jesus said to the church of Sardis “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels”. Church, remember that this letter is addressed to the church, to Christians. Therefore, this verse tells us it is also possible for a person’s name to be blotted out from the book of life, which is the book of salvation. Remember how Jesus said “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned”. When we are following Jesus, we are remaining in Him and we will bear fruit. If we do not follow Jesus, we can no longer bear fruit, and are in danger of being thrown into the fire. Remember friends, the importance of finishing the race, of staying true to Jesus till the end no matter what the cost. Our salvation depends on it.
Ok friends, so we know it is so important to follow Jesus, but how do we do it practically, on a day to day basis? We need two main things – firstly, the Word of God, and secondly, the Holy Spirit. In the Epistles, Paul tells us the secret “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”, “if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law.” The Holy Spirit is the One who tells us Jesus’ will and helps us follow Him. At the same time, we also need the Word of God, which is the primary way by which God speaks to us and teaches us. The Spirit and the Word cannot be in conflict. Rather the Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance the particular portion of God’s Word that we need to apply in a given situation. So friends, it is so important for us to give priority towards knowing God’s Word more and more as well as seeking to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading day by day, consciously. We can talk to the Holy Spirit as to a person. “Holy Spirit, what should I do in this situation?”. ”Precious Holy Spirit, help me out here, I need Your wisdom”. “Holy Spirit, guide me as I speak, even now”.
As we draw to a close, I would like to invite the musicians to come at this point.
Although I attended church for many years, I somehow felt that I did not have a real relationship with God, with Jesus. However, things began to change during my first year of work in 2000. In the course of my work, I had to go to old colonial bungalows, some of which had evil spirits, and I felt my unreal faith was powerless in the presence of evil. At the same time, I was also deeply impressed by the simple faith of a colleague, who was so genuinely thankful to God for even small things in life. I knew his faith was real, and I really desired for Jesus to be real in my life too. At that point in my life, though I did not realize it, I was repenting. I was turning away from just living life however I wanted, and starting to want to live life how God wanted. From that desire, I started to pray and seek God, and I felt a quickening in my spirit, and the Lord really became more and more real to Me, in the Word, in prayer, in worship. Before, I was so fearful of going to haunted houses. Not long after the change in my heart, I was no longer afraid, and would even read the Bible and worship in a haunted house, even alone.
Brothers, sisters, friends, I want to encourage you, desire for Jesus to be real in your life. He will come in and you will never be the same again. Through Jesus, I have heard testimonies of broken marriages being healed, strained relationships between parents and children restored, serious financial or medical problems resolved. Jesus has promised us in His Word “No one who comes to me will I turn away”. He will accept everyone who comes to him, young or old, rich or poor, male or female. Whatever our past, whatever our sins, He will not turn away any of us who come to Him. He is able to make all things new, to give us new life!
As we close, there are perhaps some of us here today that do not know Jesus personally. However, in your heart, there is a turning happening even right now. You realize you cannot be saved on your own, but you are turning to God now for His salvation. More than 2,000 years ago, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sins and God raised Him from the dead on the third day. If you really believe this in your heart, that Jesus has saved you, you have found the door of salvation. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the only way to salvation. Friend, you only have to ask Jesus to come in, to come into your heart! Following Jesus does not promise us an easy life. We may well have trouble and persecution because we follow Jesus, but He has promised to always be with us, to give us peace even in a storm and in the end, we will receive wonderful, everlasting life. When we invite Jesus into our hearts, He will give us His Holy Spirit, the Great Teacher, who will teach us to follow Jesus and we need to listen to Him. I will say a prayer now to ask Jesus to come into my heart, and I invite any of you who have not known Him to follow after me. “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I am lost without Your salvation. I thank You, Lord Jesus, that You died on the cross for me that my sins might be forgiven and that I might inherit eternal life. I ask You Lord Jesus to come into my heart right now as my Lord and Savior. I receive Your Holy Spirit. Help me to follow You always as Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.” Once we have said that prayer, we are saved in Jesus Christ, we have received God’s Holy Spirit and joined the family of God. As the Holy Spirit leads us, we can now set our hearts on a life of following Jesus, as our precious Lord and Savior. Then on, we need to continue along this road, this adventure of following Jesus. We do this by reading and learning from the Bible and growing in Christian fellowship with brothers and sisters. May God bless you!
Perhaps there are also some of us who have attended church for many years like I did, but somehow feel that our faith in Jesus is not quite real. Let us turn to God again, let us desire for Jesus to be real in our lives. If you feel this way, but even now, strongly desire for Jesus to be real in your life, I invite you to say this prayer after me. “Lord Jesus, I believe in you, I know much about you, but I really need You to be real in my life. Help me really know You Lord. Awaken Your Holy Spirit within me. Create in me a new heart O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen”.
