Sunday, June 22, 2014
Bible Lesson:Parables-Our Lord's: The Tower.
Bible Lesson:Parables-Our Lord's:
The Tower.
Occasion: Addressing The Following
Crowds.
Lesson: Counting The Cost.
Bible Text: Luke 14:25-30 NLT
(The cost of discipleship.)
25 A large crowd was following
Jesus. He turned around and said to them,
26 “If you want to be My disciple,
you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life.
Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple.
27 And if you do not carry your own
cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple.
28 “But don’t begin until you
count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building
without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to
finish it?
29 Otherwise, you might complete
only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone
would laugh at you.
30 They would say, ‘There’s the
person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
To be a follower of
The Lord Jesus Christ, one must be willing to pay the cost.
“Pastor, isn't
salvation free?”
Yes, but that does
not mean that we may follow our Master at no personal cost!
26 “If you want to be My
disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and
mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own
life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple.
This does not mean
a Christian goes around hating their father, mother or other
siblings, of course not, it means that our love for them pales, in
comparison to our love and servitude to our Master, The Lord Jesus
Christ.
Luke 9:57-62 MSG
57 On the road someone asked if he
could go along. “I’ll go with you, wherever,” he said.
58 Jesus was curt: “Are you
ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know.”
Jesus said to another, “Follow me.”
59 He said, “Certainly, but first
excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements
for my father’s funeral.”
60 Jesus refused. “First things
first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce
God’s kingdom!”
61 Then another said, “I’m ready
to follow you, Master, but first excuse me while I get things
straightened out at home.”
62 Jesus said, “No
procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom
off till tomorrow. Seize the day.
27
And if you do not carry your own cross and follow
Me, you cannot be My disciple.
Matthew 16:24
KJV
Then said Jesus unto His disciples,
If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Mark 8:34 KJV
And when He had called the people
unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will
come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow Me.
Luke 9:23 KJV
And He said to them all, If any man
will come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
The cross is a
symbol of pain and suffering, self-denial, rejection and ridicule.
The Christian must
be willing to suffer for Jesus' sake.
OK, so in America
(because that is where this blog originates.), how are we doing
spiritually?
We can tell by
how our country itself is doing!
Morality is at an
all time low, other countries refusing our books, magazines and
movies!
Crime rates,
abortions (Now totaling some 57 million.), white collar crimes,
godless education, drugs, alcohol, and not to mention political
chicanery, all tell us we are a people awaiting judgment.
How can this all
be, of the most “religious,” nation in the world?
Matthew 7:21-23
KJV
21 Not every one that saith unto Me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have
cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.
Workers of
iniquity, because their “private-lives,” were not, obedient to
The Lord Jesus Christ!
Religious leaders,
that do not “deny themselves,” do not carry their cross of
“self-denial,” and yet lead others.
Many, many of them
millionaires, boasting “among themselves, ” their portfolios of
gold, silver and diamond mine stock etc. etc.
What sin is this?
It is the sin
of hypocrisy.
Matthew 23:28
KJV
Even so ye also outwardly appear
righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and
iniquity.
Luke 12:1-3 NLT
1 Meanwhile, the crowds grew until
thousands were milling about and stepping on each other. Jesus turned
first to His disciples and warned them, “Beware of the yeast of the
Pharisees—their hypocrisy. 2 The time is coming when
everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is
secret will be made known to all.
3 Whatever you have said in the dark
will be heard in The Light, and what you have whispered behind closed
doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!
James 3:17 KJV
But the wisdom that is from above is
first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of
mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
Hypocrite:
a person who
pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles,
etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person
whose actions belie stated beliefs.
It is the sin
of refusing the cross of self-denial.
Psalm 52:5-7
KJV
5 God shall likewise destroy thee
for ever, He shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling
place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
6 The righteous also shall see, and
fear, and shall laugh at him:
7 Lo, this is the man that made not
God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and
strengthened himself in his wickedness.
Proverbs 11:28
KJV
He that trusteth in his riches shall
fall;
Proverbs 13:7
KJV
There is that maketh himself rich,
yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great
riches.
Ecclesiastes
5:13 KJV
There is a sore evil which I have
seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to
their hurt.
Ezekiel 28:4 KJV
(Description of Lucifer.)
4 With thy wisdom and with thine
understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and
silver into thy treasures:
5 By thy great wisdom and by thy
traffic hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up
because of thy riches:
Matthew 13:22
KJV
He also that received seed among the
thorns is he that heareth The Word; and the care of this world, and
the deceitfulness of riches, choke The Word, and he becometh
unfruitful.
Mark 10:23 KJV
And Jesus looked round about, and
saith unto His disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches
enter into the kingdom of God!
Luke 8:14 KJV
And that which fell among thorns are
they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with
cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to
perfection.
Luke 18:24 KJV
And when Jesus saw that He was very
sorrowful, He said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into
the kingdom of God!
James 5:1-3,5
NLT
1 Look here, you rich people: Weep
and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of
you.
2 Your wealth is rotting away, and
your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags.
3 Your gold and silver have become
worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your
flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as
evidence against you on the day of judgment.
5 You have spent your years on earth
in luxury, satisfying your every desire.
If you can't know
your pastor's salary, if you can't know the salary of your
Superintendent, or denomination head's salary (For whatever reason!),
then its time to move on!
This is why so many
churches try to hide their denominational affiliation, by not putting
it into their church names, as they “once,” did!
This is why there
is such a huge exodus from denominational churches to independent
churches, where everything is open and transparent!
Thank God, this
doesn't apply to all, but to many, yes!
I Peter 4:17 KJV
For the time
is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first
begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel
of God?
28 “But don’t begin until you
count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building
without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to
finish it?
29 Otherwise, you might complete
only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone
would laugh at you.
30 They would say, ‘There’s
the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish
it!’
Heralds of the gospel, time to count the cost. Time to realize the
cost of true discipleship, which is total consecration and complete
surrender.
We do know the financial holdings of our founder, The Lord Jesus
Christ, The Man, who could have been the most wealthy of all who ever
lived!
Matthew 8:20 KJV
And Jesus saith
unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests;
but The Son Of Han hath not where to lay His head.
Matthew 17:24-27 KJV (No money for taxes.)
24 And when
they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to
Peter, and said, Doth not your Master pay tribute?
25 He saith,
Yes. And when He was come into the house, Jesus prevented him,
saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth
take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
26 Peter saith
unto Him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children
free.
27
Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and
cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when
thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that
take, and give unto them for Me and thee.
To follow The Lord Jesus, one does not have to be a pauper, but one
does have to live in such a fashion, as to make his life totally
transparent! Then one and all may judge, if indeed our life is a life
of self-denial!
This is taking up ones cross and following The Lord Jesus!
This is the life of honesty and self-denial!
It is time to seek The Lord, and to hear His voice again!
John 12:24-26
KJV
24 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground
and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much
fruit.
25 He that
loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this
world shall keep it unto life eternal.
26 If any man
serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My
servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honor.