Bible Lesson: Parables Our Lord's:
The King Going To War.
Occasion: Addressing The
Following Crowds.
Lesson: Counting The Cost.
Bible Text:
Luke 14:25-27; 31-33 NLT
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.
31 “Or what king would go to war
against another king without first sitting down with his counselors
to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000
soldiers marching against him?
32 And if he can’t, he will send a
delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far
away.
33 So you cannot become My disciple
without giving up everything you own.
Our Lord's parables
here all have the same message, being a follower of Jesus Christ
means that we must count the cost!
“Pastor, how
ridiculous, we don't have to pay anything to follow Jesus!”
No?
Tell that to the
missionary who after 4 decades has only faint snatches of memories
seeing his mother or father, and siblings growing up and scores of
friends left in the home land.
Tell that to the
faithful Pastor, Evangelist, Deacons and Church Workers who have
given up secular lives to be dedicated servants of The Lord, doing
His bidding, only!
Tell that to the
faithful Christian who has lived a life separate from the world, not
living or socializing as they do, because their life is “set-apart,”
as unto The Lord Of Glory (II Corinthians 6:14-18).
Following Jesus
Christ, means bearing our own cross!
John 13:15,16
KJV
15 For I have given you an example,
that ye should do as I have done to you.
16 Verily, verily, I say unto you,
The servant is not greater than his Lord; neither he that is sent
greater than He that sent him.
John 15:18-21
KJV
18 If the world hate you, ye know
that it hated Me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the
world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I
have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said
unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have
persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My
saying, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do
unto you for My name's sake, because they know not Him that sent Me.
Many a dear soul
has asked this pastor over the years, “What is the guide line we
should follow regarding finding a pastor?”
And the answer is
in “cross bearing.”
“Well, we
found a pastor who says he prays at least 30 hours a week, this
sounds good to us.”
Not the
standard!
“Well, we
found a pastor who has 2 degrees, this must be the man for us.”
Not the
standard, as set forth by our Savior!
The standard as set
forth by our Savior is the following......
does his or her
life exemplify that of ….
- Cross Bearing and
- Self-Denial.
Is every facet
of their life transparent, and open? Or are there hidden areas, where
introspection is forbidden!
When viewed, in its
entirety does their life show a life of “self-denial?”
If not, keep
looking, God will lead you. Granted you may, well be looking for some
time, but you will find honest, sincere, totally transparent, God
fearing, men and women, who are living “totally,” dedicated,
consecrated lives to The Lord Jesus Christ!
In politics when
facing corruption, there is a saying, “follow the money!”
Matthew 6:24 NLT
No one can serve two masters. For
you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and
despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Luke 16:13 NLT
“No one can serve two masters. For
you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and
despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
A King who does not
know his enemy, is beaten already!
Lucifer, did “not,”
know his enemy, and his enemy, defeated him!
Ezekiel 28:3-8
KJV
3 Behold, thou art wiser than
Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:
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 traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is
lifted up because of thy riches:
6 Therefore thus saith the Lord God;
Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;
7 Behold, therefore I will bring
strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw
their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile
thy brightness.
8 They shall
bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them
that are slain in the midst of the seas.
Apostle Paul's call
to Pastor and Deacons:
I Timothy 3:3
KJV
"...not greedy of filthy lucre;
I Timothy 3:8
KJV
"...not greedy of filthy lucre;
Titus 1:7 KJV
For a bishop must be blameless...not
given to filthy lucre;
(Peter)
I Peter 5:2 KJV
Feed the flock of God which is among
you, taking the oversight thereof...not for filthy lucre,
Mark 4:22,23 KJV
22 For everything that is hidden
will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be
brought to light.
23 Anyone with ears to hear should
listen and understand.”
James 3:1,2 NLT
Dear brothers and sisters, not many
of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be
judged more strictly.
I Corinthians
9:13,14 KJV
13 Do ye not know that they which
minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they
which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
14 Even so hath The Lord ordained
that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
Dear friend, our
Lord, knew that His coming to earth, would end in a cross, yet He was
faithful unto the end.
John 13:1 KJV
Now before the feast of the
passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should
depart out of this world unto The Father, having loved His own which
were in the world, He loved them unto the end.
Revelation 13:8
KJV
"...The Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world.
This faithful
Shepherd, Savior, calls us to be faithful unto the end.
John 10:27 KJV
My sheep hear My voice, and I know
them, and they follow Me:
John 12:26 KJV
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.
