I. Be Willing To Live Without Creature Comforts Vs. 18-20
A. Jesus Was/Is On The Move
1. When upon Earth, Jesus was on the move, reaching people. He had a mission.
2. He was internally driven by the will of His Father.
3. Turn to John 4:25-38
4. That heavenly drive still exists w/in the hearts of Jesus’ disciples.
a. See Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
b. 2 Corinthians 5:14a For the love of Christ compels us…(internally driven)
B. The Scribe
1. Scribes- a teacher of the law, well versed in scripture
2. Scribe saw the glory of what Jesus did; he didn’t realize the cost of discipleship
3. He believed that he had it in him to follow Jesus wherever He went.
4. You might think that Jesus would like to have such a one “on His team”
5. Jesus wasn’t opposed to having a scribe; But He made it clear there was a cost
6. Jesus may be speaking to this man’s weakness. Comfort and security.
C. Jesus’ Response
1. Jesus calls Himself “Son of Man”, a term of humility; opposite of glorious
2. The recent miracles would point to Jesus’ divinity
3. Jesus wanted to emphasize His humanity to this scribe. Blood, sweat, tears.
4. Jesus warning to this man was that there was no guarantee of creature comforts
5. There is no record of the scribe following Jesus
6. Does your desire for comfort, even shelter, keep you from following Jesus?
7. It is a most basic thing to have a place to lay your head.
a. Do we see that as an absolute and undeniable right in our lives?
b. Would that keep you from serving God, even if was for a week?
8. If having a place to lay His head wasn’t a priority w/Jesus, why is it with us?
a. It is natural to our flesh to want to have comfort, ownership of shelter
b. American society directs us towards creature comforts
c. Followers of Jesus need to be led by Him, not by or nature or society
d. Discipleship means being willing to forsake creature comforts
9. Do you “spiritualize” creature comforts, believing that if God is acknowledged in those comforts, it is OK to indulge & think of self; as long as you “use them for God” occasionally?
10. Does comfort, convenience, or entertainment dictate the decisions we make?
11. Have we lost sight of the fact that by having a car, a home, and a computer, we are more comfortable than billions of people on Earth?
II. Be Willing To Choose Jesus Over Family Or Money Vs. 21, 22
A. A Potential Disciple Makes Conditions
1. This man chooses family instead of Jesus
a. As honorable as family ties are; they are secondary to following Christ
b. If we “stay behind” b/c of others, there is an element of “self” involved
c. We are worried about their spiritual/physical well being
d. If we “leave”, we worry about how things will turn out for them
e. “Staying behind” means that we don’t have to trust God regarding family
f. We may feel that they need us. Who they need is Jesus.
g. The disciple of Jesus is called to follow Jesus, not family or friends.
h. Be careful about exalting “family & friends” above discipleship.
i. “Family Values” are not the measure of discipleship; obedience is
j. Jesus won’t say, “Well done…you chose your family over me”.
k. How does “staying behind” help our family to have faith in Jesus?
l. We’ll die some day. Who will they trust in then? What are we cultivating?
2. This man chooses financial security instead of Jesus
a. His father’s death would bring forth an inheritance for this man
b. “When I am financially secure, then I will be able/free to follow Jesus”
c. That isn’t walking in faith; that is trusting in money.
d. More passages in Bible re. $ than about Heaven, Hell, salvation
e. How many of these passages are warnings re. trusting in money?
f. When is “secure”, secure enough. How about trusting God?
g. That carnal thinking will eventually carry over into your “service”.
h. Heroes of the Bibles never waited until they were “financially secure”.
B. Jesus Corrects This Man’s Viewpoint
1. People can be alive physically, and dead spiritually.
2. W/o a relationship with God, people are spiritually dead.
3. God may use us to reach them with His message, but only He can give them spiritual life from the dead. He may call us on to minister to others.
4. Ephesians 2:1-4
5. The call to believers is…“Let those who refuse to follow Me do that which any man can do. You follow Me”.
6. A Christian may be saved, but still function according to worldly principles.
7. Many remain unbelievers b/c they can never let go of the control of their lives.
a. They must remain in financial control
b. They believe it to be foolish to trust a God you cannot see, when you can direct the affairs of you own life, and build financial security.
8. Matthew 16:24-26 24Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?