Sermon Tone Analysis

We live in a world where people are making up their own definitions for just about everything.

There are many who are making up their own definitions for gender by claiming that men can be women and women can be men.

There are others who are defining sexuality by their own desires… science, politics,

In Luke 14 Jesus defines who cannot be a disciple, he tells us what it cost to be His disciple, and He tells us what He expects of His disciples.

Following Jesus is not an impulsive decision, in fact Jesus makes it clear you cannot be his disciple without carefully considering the cost.

Luke 14:26–33 (ESV)

26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?

32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

The word disciple refers to a student or an apprentice.

Disciples in Jesus’ day would follow their rabbi (a word that means teacher) wherever he went, learning from the rabbi’s teaching and being trained to do as the rabbi did.

A disciple is a follower, not in the figurative sense, but in the literal sense.

Becoming a disciple of Jesus is the result of obeying His call to follow Him.

Jesus said in Matthew 4:19, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Jesus’ call to believe in Him and follow Him carries with it the command to become like Him.

Jesus was a fisher of men, and those who follow Him were to learn to do the same.

It’s impossible to be a disciple or a follower of someone and not end up like that person.

Jesus fully expects His followers to become like Him.

This is why He said, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

(Luke 6:40)

The point of being a disciple of Jesus is to learn from Him and imitate Him.

He intends for us to carry on His ministry and become like Him in the process.

Here in Luke 14:26-33.

We find requirements or qualities that must be possessed by a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Four Requirements For Being A Disciple:

Love the Lord more than anyone else

26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:26

Being a disciple means that your love for God and your commitment to Christ takes pre-eminence over all other relationships.

This is not a one time expression of the commitment and place Jesus requires of those who are His disciples.

In Luke 9:57-62 there are a series of moments in which Jesus tests those who say they want to follow Him.

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, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

59 To another he said, “Follow me.”

But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead.

But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”

62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

You see here that Jesus doesn’t leave any room for doubt.

Either you love Him more than you love anyone else or you are not His disciple.

The call to follow Jesus Christ is costly.

You will either live in harmony with people and at odds with God, or you will have peace with God and friction with others.

You cannot have it both ways, you must decide which direction your life will go.

The requirements that Jesus lays down here in our passage are consistent with the call that God placed on Abraham’s love in Genesis 22. Genesis 22 is a passage that tells the account of God calling Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac.

God tested Abraham’s heart and Jesus does the same to those he came across in Luke 9, just like he is doing in Luke 14:26.

You cannot be a disciple of Jesus Christ and love others more than you love the Lord.

Make a life-long commitment to Christ that includes dying before you would renounce Christ.

27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:27

The greatest obstacle to knowing all that God has for you is the preoccupation of self.

It is the preoccupation with self that stands in the way of truly following Christ.

It is the denying of denial that prevents you from walking closely and growing in your walk with God.

In Luke 9:24 Jesus says, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

This means that you forsake, repudiate, disown, forfeit, and totally disregard your plans, dreams, and desires for the sake of Jesus.

There is no other way to understand Jesus’ words in Luke 14:27 than literally.

He really does mean that you are to die to yourself, meaning you surrender and deny yourself the direction you have been going with your life to live the rest of your life imitating Him and obeying His Word.

In Jesus’ day taking up a cross only meant one thing… it meant death.

To take up your cross was to begin walking toward your death.

This means that when you give your life to Christ and begin following Jesus you have given yourself to Him and are willing to bear the consequences of following Him… even death.

You may be tempted to discuss whether or not you really have to take this whole salvation thing so serious.

You might even have someone ask you if you really believe we have to be willing to die if that’s what it means to be faithful to Jesus?

Let me go ahead and insert the Word of God into that conversation, The answer the question of do you really think?

Is that God really said this.

It’s not something unique to this sermon, it’s the common level of commitment in the Bible.

And, just because you don’t face a culture or opposition doesn’t mean you are called to the same degree of commitment and faith.

A.W. Tozer said, “In every Christian’s heart there is a cross and a throne, and the Christian is on the throne till he puts himself on the cross; if he refuses the cross, he remains on the throne.

Perhaps this is at the bottom of the backsliding and worldliness among gospel believes today.

We want to be saved, but we insist that Christ do all the dying.

No cross for us, no dethronement, no dying.

We remain king within the little kingdom of Man’s soul and wear our tinsel crown with all the pride of a Caesar; but we doom ourselves to shadows and weakness and spiritual sterility.”

If this describes you, then are a not a disciple, and I fear that you may not be a believer.

If this describes you then you need to repent of the sin of sitting on the throne before you begin to make any commitments to God today.

Repentance precedes commitment.

You cannot truly commit to the way of the Lord until you have repented of your way.

Forsake all that you have

33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:33

What does really mean?

Forsake means “to surrender your claim, to say goodbye.”

Until you recognize that everything you have belongs to Jesus Christ, you cannot be His disciple.

Consider the encounter Jesus had with the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17.

The New Living Translation capture this moment wonderfully-

“He asked Jesus, What must I do to inherit eternal life?

Jesus answered, You know the commandments: Do not murder.

Do not commit adultery.

Do not steal.

Do not testify falsely.

Do not cheat.

Honor your father and mother.

Teacher, the man replied, I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was a child.

Jesus felt genuine love for this man as He looked at him.

You lack only one thing, He told him.

Go and sell all you have and give money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

Then come, follow me.

At this, the man’s face fell, and he went sadly away because he had many possessions.”

Jesus was not implying that his disciples must make a vow of poverty.

But, he is saying that if what you own and where you live is so important that you would rather live there, own that car, or have that bank account then follow Him… you are not His disciple.

Why you may ask?