Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
What Is A Disciple?
Luke 14:25-35 September 12, 2004
Is your heart singing today? Do you get excited when you think about Jesus? Do you want to
rush out and tell your friends when you learn something new about our Lord? If you can’t jump
up and down when you answer these questions, then I am talking to you today. The rest of you
can go home because you already know what I am talking about.
You see, as a Detroit Tiger fan, I know what it is to have a passion for something. Just look at
my office. Same is true for Red Sox fans, Yankee fans, New England Patriot fans or sports fans
in general. You can tell what is important to them by looking at their lifestyles, what they do,
what they talk about, how they spend their money.
Unfortunately, many of us don’t look at our faith life in the same way. The truth is that many
people who don’t know us might look at us and know that we are a sports fan long before they
know how much we love Jesus. Am I way off base here?
We don’t try to hide our faith, but for many of us, it is a personal thing, we keep to ourselves.
We don’t want to be a show-off. We don’t want to offend anybody. So we go to church on
Sunday. We give our offering and maybe help out at some event or another during the year. We’
re good Christians.
Let me change gears here for a minute. I found this cute little story that relays some actual
responses from comment cards given to the staff at a state park wilderness area a few years ago.
They are quite funny.
First,trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill.
Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the
areas of these pests.
Please pave the trails. Chair lifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views
without having to hike to them.
The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please remove these annoying
animals.
A small deer came into my camp and stole my jar of pickles. Is there a way I can get
reimbursed? Please call!
Escalators would help on steep uphill sections.
A McDonald’s would be nice at the trailhead.
Too many rocks in the mountains.
Do these comments sound like they came from people who understand what it means to stay in a
"wilderness area." They were looking for something convenient and comfortable, but not truly a
wilderness experience. Society today puts a premium on quick and easy. Truth is that it has
flowed into our understanding of faith and what it means to be a Christian. Quick and easy! Go
in on Sunday and morning and do your thing and then get right back out there. It’s like a pit stop
in the Daytona 500. We say, “The shorter the service, the better.”
Leadership magazine once ran a cartoon that showed a church building with a billboard in front
that said: The LITE CHURCH: 24% fewer commitments, home of the 7.5% tithe, 15 minute
sermons, 45 minute worship service; we have only 8 commandments, your choice. We use just
3 spiritual laws and have an 800 year millennium. Everything you’ve wanted in a church and less!
The cartoon hits us at a point where we are vulnerable and in an area we need to look at. So
what exactly are we talking about when we say we are a Christian or when we claim the name
disciple?
Jesus answers this question in our text today. He makes very, very clear what it means to be a
Christian. Before we look at the text, I want to explain the word "disciple." It is repeated several
times in these few verses.
A disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ. In other words, what we would call a "Christian." If you
are a Christian, you are a disciple; if you are not a disciple as Jesus defines it then you are not a
Christian. These two terms (Disciple and Christian) mean the same thing in the same way that I
mean that the same thing when I speak of my "spouse" or my "wife."
In fact the term "disciples" occurs 269 times in the New Testament, while the term "Christian"
only occurs three times. In the Book of Acts we’re told that "The disciples were first called
Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26)." This makes clear that the terms are interchangeable.
I wanted this to be clear because I believe it greatly clarifies the call to which Jesus speaks here
in our text. You see Jesus wants us to be sold out for him. He wants us to be his fans, more than
that though, fans of his heavenly father.
Jesus doesn’t pull his punches when he talks about the expectations he has for his followers. He
explains in vivid and clear terms what it means to be a disciple.
First and foremost it means putting Jesus first in our lives. Jesus must come before our family
and friends, our self-interests, our possessions, our careers, our hobbies, our goals in life, and
even our very lives.
That means we must make a radical decision. Are we willing to pay the price for following
Jesus? Sometimes I think we get this whole thing confused. We think following Jesus, being a
disciple, means being good.
We will come to church and take care of our family, and try to do the right thing. But Jesus
ratchets it up a notch. That’s why a lot of people don’t like this passage. He talks about hating
your family as a requirement for being a disciple. Better skip over that part.
Well actually we need to look at that part. Now the word "hate" here is not meant to be taken
literally but is rather used figuratively to express a point. It is an exaggeration similar to what we
use when we say, "That man was as big as a house. . ." In Jewish culture the word "hate" was
used to express lesser love, so Jesus is saying that we must love him much more that we love
our closest family relationships or even our own lives.
Jesus is not simplyspeaking of our emotional feelings toward him or our families but rather he is
speaking of our level of commitment. He is saying that our commitment to obey and following
him must be greater than any other commitment in our lives.
For instance, if following Jesus results in problems or interferes with your closest relationships,
will you still follow him? This is no mere hypothetical situation. I was listening to one of our
missionary speakers a year ago and he told how he was shunned by his family because he was
the first one in his African village to become a Christian. He lost every worldly relationship
because of his call to follow Jesus. If your husband or wife complains that you want to go to
Church every week or attend a Bible study, Jesus asks who do you love more? He calls us to put
him first.
Jesus doesn’t stop there. Lots of people have made that decision already. They put church first,
make it a priority in their family life. They get their kids to Sunday School and participate. Jesus
goes on to say we must love him more than our own lives. There is no doubt that he is talking
about our physical lives but he is also talking to us today about all of our personal desires, goals,
interests, and even needs. His claim on us as disciples also involves our bank accounts, our
public image, our jobs, and every personal desire, etc. If following Jesus means forfeiting these
things, then we must be willing to do that.
Jesus uses a metaphor in verse 27 to reemphasize this point. Everyone who heard him speak was
familiar with what it meant when he talked about "carrying his cross." The criminal was forced
to "carry his cross" to the place of execution. Everyone knew that this person was saying
"goodbye" to everything. There would be no turning or coming back. Jesus uses this vivid
illustration with the intent of showing us that following him requires that same kind of saying
"goodbye" to our own will and desires because of our commitment to Him.
I hear a lot of people say that they are too busy these days. Come to Sunday School. Sorry, too
busy. Come to Bible Study. Sorry, too busy. Come to worship. Come teach a class, sing in the
choir work at this event. Sorry, too busy. This is what Jesus is talking about. What could be
more important than studying His word and learning about his love? What could be more
important than BUILDING THE KINGDOM? To Jesus that is what we are all about. His
disciples have a job to do. The Tigers come second. The shopping spree comes second.
Jesus is right up front about this. He says we need to consider the cost of discipleship before we
say we are in, the same as if we were involved in building a tower or going to war. Jesus doesn’t
want people to follow him without understanding and seriously thinking about what is involved in
this decision.
There is a great commercial that ran on TV not too long ago that has a man sitting in the chair at
a tattoo parlor expressing his love to Donna by getting her name tattooed on his arm. Halfway
through the procedure he asks how much it will cost - $50.00. He pulls out his cash, and says,
Oh, I only have $41 Cut to the couple on the sidewalk, Donna storming off, with the guy yelling
after her, "I’ll get it fixed." Zoom into the tattoo which reads, "I love Don!
That commercial shows the foolishness of considering the cost of something halfway through.
We need to really think about what it means to be a disciple, to follow Jesus. Jesus wants us ask
ourselves, "Am I in this for the long haul?"
Why is Jesus so adamant about this. Well the clue comes from the fact that the scripture ends
with a call for us to be like salt. He reminds us that we are called to follow him not just so we
can feel good, but so we can do his work in the world.
Jesus is saying that people who follow him without total commitment are like that salt that has
lost its saltiness. The may have the appearance of being His disciples but they cannot be used in
the kingdom as a Christian should.
So are you a disciple? It is never to late to take the plunge and go deeper in your faith. Let us
pray.
Luke 14:25-35 September 12, 2004
Is your heart singing today? Do you get excited when you think about Jesus? Do you want to
rush out and tell your friends when you learn something new about our Lord? If you can’t jump
up and down when you answer these questions, then I am talking to you today. The rest of you
can go home because you already know what I am talking about.
You see, as a Detroit Tiger fan, I know what it is to have a passion for something. Just look at
my office. Same is true for Red Sox fans, Yankee fans, New England Patriot fans or sports fans
in general. You can tell what is important to them by looking at their lifestyles, what they do,
what they talk about, how they spend their money.
Unfortunately, many of us don’t look at our faith life in the same way. The truth is that many
people who don’t know us might look at us and know that we are a sports fan long before they
know how much we love Jesus. Am I way off base here?
We don’t try to hide our faith, but for many of us, it is a personal thing, we keep to ourselves.
We don’t want to be a show-off. We don’t want to offend anybody. So we go to church on
Sunday. We give our offering and maybe help out at some event or another during the year. We’
re good Christians.
Let me change gears here for a minute. I found this cute little story that relays some actual
responses from comment cards given to the staff at a state park wilderness area a few years ago.
They are quite funny.
First,trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill.
Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the
areas of these pests.
Please pave the trails. Chair lifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views
without having to hike to them.
The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please remove these annoying
animals.
A small deer came into my camp and stole my jar of pickles. Is there a way I can get
reimbursed? Please call!
Escalators would help on steep uphill sections.
A McDonald’s would be nice at the trailhead.
Too many rocks in the mountains.
Do these comments sound like they came from people who understand what it means to stay in a
"wilderness area." They were looking for something convenient and comfortable, but not truly a
wilderness experience. Society today puts a premium on quick and easy. Truth is that it has
flowed into our understanding of faith and what it means to be a Christian. Quick and easy! Go
in on Sunday and morning and do your thing and then get right back out there. It’s like a pit stop
in the Daytona 500. We say, “The shorter the service, the better.”
Leadership magazine once ran a cartoon that showed a church building with a billboard in front
that said: The LITE CHURCH: 24% fewer commitments, home of the 7.5% tithe, 15 minute
sermons, 45 minute worship service; we have only 8 commandments, your choice. We use just
3 spiritual laws and have an 800 year millennium. Everything you’ve wanted in a church and less!
The cartoon hits us at a point where we are vulnerable and in an area we need to look at. So
what exactly are we talking about when we say we are a Christian or when we claim the name
disciple?
Jesus answers this question in our text today. He makes very, very clear what it means to be a
Christian. Before we look at the text, I want to explain the word "disciple." It is repeated several
times in these few verses.
A disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ. In other words, what we would call a "Christian." If you
are a Christian, you are a disciple; if you are not a disciple as Jesus defines it then you are not a
Christian. These two terms (Disciple and Christian) mean the same thing in the same way that I
mean that the same thing when I speak of my "spouse" or my "wife."
In fact the term "disciples" occurs 269 times in the New Testament, while the term "Christian"
only occurs three times. In the Book of Acts we’re told that "The disciples were first called
Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26)." This makes clear that the terms are interchangeable.
I wanted this to be clear because I believe it greatly clarifies the call to which Jesus speaks here
in our text. You see Jesus wants us to be sold out for him. He wants us to be his fans, more than
that though, fans of his heavenly father.
Jesus doesn’t pull his punches when he talks about the expectations he has for his followers. He
explains in vivid and clear terms what it means to be a disciple.
First and foremost it means putting Jesus first in our lives. Jesus must come before our family
and friends, our self-interests, our possessions, our careers, our hobbies, our goals in life, and
even our very lives.
That means we must make a radical decision. Are we willing to pay the price for following
Jesus? Sometimes I think we get this whole thing confused. We think following Jesus, being a
disciple, means being good.
We will come to church and take care of our family, and try to do the right thing. But Jesus
ratchets it up a notch. That’s why a lot of people don’t like this passage. He talks about hating
your family as a requirement for being a disciple. Better skip over that part.
Well actually we need to look at that part. Now the word "hate" here is not meant to be taken
literally but is rather used figuratively to express a point. It is an exaggeration similar to what we
use when we say, "That man was as big as a house. . ." In Jewish culture the word "hate" was
used to express lesser love, so Jesus is saying that we must love him much more that we love
our closest family relationships or even our own lives.
Jesus is not simplyspeaking of our emotional feelings toward him or our families but rather he is
speaking of our level of commitment. He is saying that our commitment to obey and following
him must be greater than any other commitment in our lives.
For instance, if following Jesus results in problems or interferes with your closest relationships,
will you still follow him? This is no mere hypothetical situation. I was listening to one of our
missionary speakers a year ago and he told how he was shunned by his family because he was
the first one in his African village to become a Christian. He lost every worldly relationship
because of his call to follow Jesus. If your husband or wife complains that you want to go to
Church every week or attend a Bible study, Jesus asks who do you love more? He calls us to put
him first.
Jesus doesn’t stop there. Lots of people have made that decision already. They put church first,
make it a priority in their family life. They get their kids to Sunday School and participate. Jesus
goes on to say we must love him more than our own lives. There is no doubt that he is talking
about our physical lives but he is also talking to us today about all of our personal desires, goals,
interests, and even needs. His claim on us as disciples also involves our bank accounts, our
public image, our jobs, and every personal desire, etc. If following Jesus means forfeiting these
things, then we must be willing to do that.
Jesus uses a metaphor in verse 27 to reemphasize this point. Everyone who heard him speak was
familiar with what it meant when he talked about "carrying his cross." The criminal was forced
to "carry his cross" to the place of execution. Everyone knew that this person was saying
"goodbye" to everything. There would be no turning or coming back. Jesus uses this vivid
illustration with the intent of showing us that following him requires that same kind of saying
"goodbye" to our own will and desires because of our commitment to Him.
I hear a lot of people say that they are too busy these days. Come to Sunday School. Sorry, too
busy. Come to Bible Study. Sorry, too busy. Come to worship. Come teach a class, sing in the
choir work at this event. Sorry, too busy. This is what Jesus is talking about. What could be
more important than studying His word and learning about his love? What could be more
important than BUILDING THE KINGDOM? To Jesus that is what we are all about. His
disciples have a job to do. The Tigers come second. The shopping spree comes second.
Jesus is right up front about this. He says we need to consider the cost of discipleship before we
say we are in, the same as if we were involved in building a tower or going to war. Jesus doesn’t
want people to follow him without understanding and seriously thinking about what is involved in
this decision.
There is a great commercial that ran on TV not too long ago that has a man sitting in the chair at
a tattoo parlor expressing his love to Donna by getting her name tattooed on his arm. Halfway
through the procedure he asks how much it will cost - $50.00. He pulls out his cash, and says,
Oh, I only have $41 Cut to the couple on the sidewalk, Donna storming off, with the guy yelling
after her, "I’ll get it fixed." Zoom into the tattoo which reads, "I love Don!
That commercial shows the foolishness of considering the cost of something halfway through.
We need to really think about what it means to be a disciple, to follow Jesus. Jesus wants us ask
ourselves, "Am I in this for the long haul?"
Why is Jesus so adamant about this. Well the clue comes from the fact that the scripture ends
with a call for us to be like salt. He reminds us that we are called to follow him not just so we
can feel good, but so we can do his work in the world.
Jesus is saying that people who follow him without total commitment are like that salt that has
lost its saltiness. The may have the appearance of being His disciples but they cannot be used in
the kingdom as a Christian should.
So are you a disciple? It is never to late to take the plunge and go deeper in your faith. Let us
pray.
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