The Disciple's Cost

I frequently hear persons exhorted to give their hearts to Christ, which is a very proper exhortation; but that is not the gospel. Salvation comes from something that Christ gives you, not something that you give to Christ. The giving of your heart to Christ follows after the receiving from Christ of eternal life by faith. It is easy to work our friends up so that they say, “We will give our hearts to Christ,” but they may never do so, after all. If, with broken heart and contrite sigh, they had confessed their guilt, and had penitently cried, “God be merciful to me a sinner,” they might not have looked quite so well, but there would have been more hope of them. We cannot come to Christ unless Christ comes to us, and gives us a broken heart and a contrite spirit. If there be no repentance, depend upon it that that faith which we think we have is not the faith that will save us. Give me faith with tears in her eyes; I know her to be the true child of God. The faith that makes me feel my ruin, confess my sin, and lay hold of eternal life, because otherwise my merits will bring me to eternal death, this is the faith which saves. But some people are very great at resolving rather than repenting and believing.

Any commitment in words calls for further examination. Have you counted the cost? Do you realize what you are setting yourself up for? Are you ready to cut past ties and depend absolutely on the commitment to God in the future? What do you really mean when you say I will follow you wherever you go? Are you following to see miracles, be where the action is, and gain God’s blessings? Or are you following because you are devoted to the mission and ready to take up the cross?

This man had a distinct command from the Lord: “Follow me.” That is a very solemn thing, to have a command from the Lord coming to the heart, and then to repel it. I would have you very cautious when you hear the Word of God preached, or when you read it. If, at any time, it comes to you with unusual power, if it seems to arrest you, to lay an iron hand upon your shoulder, if you feel it difficult to get away from it, I pray you do not try to get away from it; for, if you do, you will add very greatly to your guilt. When Jesus himself seems to say to you, “Follow me,” be not deaf to the divine message, close not your ear to the heavenly command.

This man had a distinct command from the Lord: “Follow me.” That is a very solemn thing, to have a command from the Lord coming to the heart, and then to repel it. I would have you very cautious when you hear the Word of God preached, or when you read it. If, at any time, it comes to you with unusual power, if it seems to arrest you, to lay an iron hand upon your shoulder, if you feel it difficult to get away from it, I pray you do not try to get away from it; for, if you do, you will add very greatly to your guilt. When Jesus himself seems to say to you, “Follow me,” be not deaf to the divine message, close not your ear to the heavenly command. Have not some of you sat in these seats sometimes, and felt that, if you could but get home, if you could but be spared to get to your little chamber to bow your knee in prayer, you would be very different from what you had ever been, for a voice which seemed more than human was calling to you, and you could not but hear it? I beseech you, never trifle with such a message as that. O my hearers, never trifle with truth at all; but especially with truth that has a voice which you are compelled to hear; for, if you do, it will go hard with you. This man was called by Christ, who said to him, “Follow me.”

19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21 And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.

These three men called Jesus “Lord” but did not do what He told them to do (6:46; Matt. 7:21–27). When he heard of possible hardships, the first man would not deny himself. The second man was concerned about the wrong funeral: he should have taken up his cross, died to self, and obeyed God’s will. The third man had his eyes in the wrong direction and could not follow Christ. The conditions for discipleship are given in 9:23, and these three men failed to meet them. Their emphasis was “me first.” No wonder the laborers are so few!