Theme: Judgment (Commitment) Sep.

21,2014

Text: Luke 14:25-33; Luke 9:23-25; Luke 9:57-62

Devotion: 2 Cor.5:15 Luke 9:25

Title: The true disciples of Jesus Christ

Introduction:
Good morning to every one of you, before we begin, let us first have a word of prayer…
Today our message centers on the importance of commitment in the Christian’s life. It is
invaluable, more than that; it is irreplaceable and critical in our walk with God. The world is not
doing us Christians any favors, because day by day many new things and wonders of the world
seek to distract us and divert our attention from what is really important. If we are not careful,
we might wake up one day staring with unbelief of how far the waves of the world have taken
us from the will of our God. And the farther we drift away, the harder it is to come back onto
the right path. Let us make certain of our commitment to the Lord while it is still not too late.
Let us affirm our faith, love, and hope that only rests upon our living God. Our message for
today is The true disciples of Jesus Christ.

Today, God’s word will be speaking to us, reminding us of our own commitment to Christ, and
how important it is to not just be committed in word, but also in deed.

Exegetical Idea: In the life of the Christian, there is a big difference between being an admirer
of Christ and being a fully committed disciple.

Proposition: Brothers and sisters in the Lord, Let us be reminded by the word of God on what it
truly means to be committed Christians.

Interrogative: What is involved/does it mean when we commit our very lives to the Lord?

I. A true disciple is committed

Many people claim to be Christians. Even in the religious circle even here in our own
country, many religions claim to be Christian. But we know that not all of them are telling the
truth. Inside the church however, the same thing can also happen. Many people say that they
are believers, that they are disciples. But sadly, many are Christians only in appearance, but not
in truth. Many believe that being a Christian is going to church, giving up some vices. Carrying a
bible, praying, Etc. but in reality, it is more than that. It involves those things, yes, but it also
involves so much more. God is not looking for part time Christians, He does not want half-
hearted faith. The only thing acceptable to Him is a thoroughly committed person, and this is
the proof.
In Luke 9:23, a very familiar text, we find Jesus speaking and saying these words: “if
anyone would come after me” notice that word, “anyone” (sinumang) Christ did not give this
invitation to a select few. He gave it for all. No matter who you are, what you have done, what
your past was like, His invitation was open for all. But look closely at the next word (nagnanais)
in the English, it is translated as desires, wants, and wishes. Many people were following Jesus,
from the moment He started His earthly ministry, people gathered to Him, listened to Him and
were amazed by His teachings, His parables, even the miracles He had performed. A few verses
back and we see that this was just right after Jesus had fed the 5000 men, not counting the
women and children. Many go to Him to ask for healing, and for blessings. But Jesus knew the
truth, and Jesus knew their hearts. That is why it is during this time, Jesus tells them of a simple
truth. A simple, yet hard truth, about those who wanted to follow Him.

A. We must deny ourselves – Luke 9:23b

The first requirement for following Jesus is self-denial. Jesus said: itakwil niya ang
kanyang sarili. Now what does it mean to deny yourself? Simply put, denying yourself
means saying “No” to yourself and “Yes” to God. Jesus is not talking about asceticism —
forgoing earthly possessions, not eating certain foods, ignoring the world, etc. To say it
differently, the process of denial is “to humbly submit my will to God.” It is to go
through life repeating the words that Jesus said the night before he died. When he was
praying in the garden, he said to God his Father, “Not my will but yours be done.”
Denying yourself means you are letting go of the wheel, you are stepping down from the
throne of your life. But it doesn’t stop there. You now let God in, and make Him take the
wheel. You make Him sit on your throne and make Him the King of your life. You stop
being the boss of yourself, and instead, now submit to God. Denial of self means you put
your own self aside. When you make a decision, or act on something, you are not
fulfilling your own flesh anymore. Self-denial here is a means to an end, not the end
itself. Many other religions and religious sects follow a rule of self-denial, but what
Christ wants here is to deny ourselves so that it is He who will be working in us. The
truth of this matter is, we don’t do this once, we don’t do this occasionally. Jesus said
we must deny ourselves. And it means we must do it every single day of our life, if we
truly want to be committed to Him.

What does it look like to live out this prayer? Someone hurts you. Your natural reaction is to
lash back, to get angry. But the path of discipleship is “not my will but yours.” It is humbly
submitting my will to God’s will. Instead of getting angry, we realize that God is calling us to
forgive even our enemies. A verse that is becoming more and more important to me is Paul’s
instructions to the church in Ephesus. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving
each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (4:32). When I am hurt, I am called to submit my
will to God’s will and follow his example. This is what it means to “deny” yourself. Now, I don’t
always do it. Sometimes I like to reword Jesus prayer: “not your will but mine be done.” But
that’s not what Jesus said.

B. We must take up the cross daily – Luke 9:23c

The next thing Jesus says is take up his cross daily. Let’s begin with what Jesus
didn’t mean. Many people (binibigyan kahulugan) interpret “cross” as some burden they
must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness. With
self-pitying pride, they say, “That’s my cross I have to carry.” Such an interpretation
 is not what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.” 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. So
what does taking up our cross daily mean? It means being willing to die in order to
follow Jesus. This is called “dying to self.” It’s a call to absolute surrender.

The multitudes that followed Christ were convinced that He was going to bring a glorious
kingdom to earth, freeing them from the oppressive Roman rule. Even His own disciples were
thinking this way. Misunderstanding the prophecies, they were shocked when He began to talk
about death to self and carrying the cross. They left Him in droves because of these teachings.
Similarly, believers today misunderstand the call of Jesus as a call to health, wealth and
prosperity. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The call of Jesus is a call to die, but today
many of His followers are unwilling to accept this, so leave Him or simply change His message
to something more self-pleasing or self-serving.

C. We must follow Jesus – Luke 9:23d

After denying yourself and taking up the cross will then prepare you to follow
Jesus. Loyal obedience is the key in our life of following Christ. It is the full submission to
the Lordship of Jesus Christ that becomes a pattern of our lives. That is what disciples
do: they follow their Lord, their master. Did you know that the word Christian, is only
mentioned 3 times in the bible? 3 times in the whole bible. But the word disciple is
mentioned 294 times. We know that disciples are called Christians, yes, but don’t forget
that it was the disciples who were eventually called Christians and not the other way
around. The word disciple in itself contained the idea of following. Now what does this
mean for us? It is simple, in that we follow Jesus Christ, and only Jesus Christ. We follow
Jesus even though we know of the dangers and hardships and possible death it may
bring. We follow Christ not because of His popularity or because He has lots of other
followers. We follow Him not for the sake of anyone else, be it family member, relative,
or friend, not even because of our leader of Pastor. We follow Jesus because of our faith
in Him, and that He is trustworthy in all that He has said, and not just because of feelings
and emotions. A heartfelt loyalty and unyielding obedience is the main work of a
disciple. We obey whatever He commands us to do, go wherever He sends us, and abide
always in His presence.

Illustration:
This is what Jesus said to the people. These three things though simple to say and easy
to understand, are very difficult to do, even impossible, if not for the help of the Holy Spirit.
What Jesus is saying here is that it is all or nothing. We cannot just pick one and forget the
other. He said in one quick statement, that we should deny ourselves, take up our cross daily,
and follow Him. Remember the fact that Jesus did not just tell these to his disciples, but for
everyone to hear. This is what should grip our hearts as we first come to know Christ
personally. The three things we have studied earlier, teach us the same thing: in order to follow
Christ, one must have a full surrender to Him. Everything in this life, including our life itself, we
now leave it in Jesus’ hands.
The truth is spelled out to us in verse 24-25, whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose
it. That is because what would one do to preserve his/her life? But whoever loses his life for
Jesus sake will save it, for that is the promise God has given us through Jesus.

Application:
Brothers and sisters, one question I want us to ask ourselves today is this: Why am I
here? Why do I go to church, why do I reach out to people with the gospel, why do I strive to
obey God’s commands? Any answer less of saying because I want to follow Christ, deserves a
long hard look and review. Have we denied ourselves fully? It is not a one-time thing. Every day
is a decision to live not for ourselves anymore but for Jesus Christ. Do we take up our cross?
Can you really say that you are willing to suffer, be persecuted, and ultimately, die, just for
Christ? Let us think about these things. If your answer to these questions is anything less than a
100%, it should come as no surprise to everyone if the day comes when you would also turn
your back on the savior. Matt. 7:21

II. Commitment or convenience?

During Jesus ministry here on earth, many other people followed Him and listened to
His teachings. Some saw Him as a great teacher, others took to Him as a prophet, some saw
Him as the revolutionary that would overthrow the Roman government and once again
establish the freedom of Israel, while only few of them truly knew that He was the Son of God.
Many had followed Him for varied reasons, but many also left Him when His words and actions
went against their own interests. Many gathered before Him in the fields and mountains, but
none were to be found when Jesus was on the cross.

A. The great pretender

Of the disciples of Christ, well known are the exploits of Peter, the brash and
impulsive and de facto leader of the group, John the beloved, so called because of His
closeness and intimacy with Jesus, Thomas, who is well known for his philosophy of “to
see is to believe”. They had their strengths, but also their weaknesses. They followed
Christ, but scattered when things got hot with the Romans. But even after doing those
things, Jesus forgave them all, and they returned: they were instrumental in the
founding of Jesus Church, and the spread of the gospel to all places. All of them, except
one: Judas Iscariot. Many people even non-Christians know of his exploits, some know
him better than they know Jesus. He betrayed Jesus into the hands of the Pharisees,
with one of the most endearing displays of affection: with a kiss. It is notable that in the
gospels whenever the 12 disciples of Jesus are listed down, Judas is always dead last,
along with a description: Matt.10:2-4; Mk.3:16-19; Lk.6:13-16; He was called a traitor.
But he, like all the other apostles, was called by Jesus for a purpose: Mk.3:13-15 to be
with Jesus, to be sent out to preach, and to have authority to cast out demons. Ever
since the day they were called, Judas spent all of his days with Jesus: he witnessed His
character and compassion, he heard His words and saw His works. Every miracle, every
parable, every sermon, every lesson, Jesus sought to reveal Himself and His father to
them. 11 of them kind of got the message, but Judas, who was also present at every
occasion, did not. Three and a half years he was with Jesus for every single day. Yet his
hardened heart did not give way. We learn of His motives in Jn.12:1-6, by this we find
out that we don’t even know if Judas truly believed that Jesus was the messiah in the
first place. The only reason he followed was because it allowed him to be the one to
manage the funds of the group, which was in reality, his motive all along. His evil action
here is twofold. Not only did he not care about the token of affection given by Mary to
Jesus, he also lies about his intention to help the poor. Before he became a betrayer, he
was already a thief. Even at the turn of His betrayal, it was money that was on His mind.
Matt.26:14-16 More than just a traitor, Judas can be considered a great pretender: he
was one of the twelve, one of the apostles, a man who was with Jesus for the whole
duration of His ministry, and yet, he did not find salvation. None of the other apostles
ever doubted Him, even caught a whiff of his true intentions. Only Jesus knew
everything. When Jesus revealed one of them was to betray Him all the others thought
of themselves, and never once suspected Judas. Matt.26:20-22 at the end of his life
Judas felt guilt and regret for condemning an innocent man, but did not repent but
instead, chose to hang himself. Matt.27:3-5 unlike Peter who also became bitter and
regretful of His denial, but instead chose to return to his lord and master.

B. Do not waste God’s grace

Judas squandered the time and opportunities that were given to him during his
days with Jesus. It goes to show us that no amount of time spent in church, no amount
of years in the ministry is a guarantee that a person condition is all right, that these
things are enough to be able to say “I am a Christian”. What happened to Judas is the
ultimate warning for us all today: even one who was close to Christ and His ministry was
unsaved and unregenerate. a tremendous waste of time and opportunity, and most
especially the undeserved grace of God. Have we received the grace of God in vain?
2Cor.6:1 to know this we must look inward: what is my condition? What are my
motives? Am I truly moved by the love and grace of God? Or am I looking toward
something else? what am I doing right now? Is this what is truly pleasing to the Lord? Or
am I squandering the invaluable grace of God? These are difficult questions to answer if
we are being truthful, and yet it is the initiative to think about these things that will tell
us if we are still living in the presence of God. Unlike Judas who sought to run away and
kill himself because of his guilt. We are not perfect, nor will we ever be on this earth,
but that does not give us the license to disobey our God. Heb.12:12-17 God’s
forgiveness is not something that is fickle: His promises stand forever: those who ask for
forgiveness will be forgiven. The scary part is if you would even want to. Paul warns us
of things concerning the last days: 2Tim.3:1-7 we already are living in the last days. We
should not only avoid such people, but guard ourselves so as to not become one of
them.
Application:
It is our duty to take a long hard look at the mirror of God’s word. The message today
speaks to each one of us personally. This is not the time to be looking at your right or your left.
Look into yourself, your life, and make the right call. Are we here because of commitment? Or
are we here because of convenience? Ponder this carefully. God already knows the answer.
How about us? If we are to ever imitate someone, let us imitate Jesus Christ, and not the great
pretender.

Conclusion:
The question remains: Are you committed? Let us make sure of ourselves. Let us walk in
the path that God has set in front of us. Without commitment, you are in danger of going
astray. One problem, one trouble, one trial is all it would take for you to turn your back on God,
and we do not know if once you do will you be able to make it back. These last days are
dangerous, all the more as people grow more apathetic of their spiritual condition. But for
christians, for true disciples of Christ, I hope that we may be strengthened and encouraged to
fully commit ourselves to our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, not just today, but for the rest of our
lives. To God be the glory.