Luke 9:57-62 And as they went on the way, a certain man said unto him, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But he said unto him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but go thou and publish abroad the kingdom of God. And another also said, I will follow thee, Lord; but first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house. But Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Introduction
Living in a democracy we all understand election day. As Christians, we’re not involved in the affairs of our government, but we do understand that a bigger, grander election day is at stake. We don’t know the day or hour when the Lord will return, but we know he’s coming. Scripture tells us that Jesus himself doesn’t know when the Father will send him. So we’re commanded to wait and watch. Before we can wait and watch we have to become a fit candidate for discipleship. If we’re not following the Lord our waiting and watching is worthless. We have to be committed disciples of the Lord if we ever hope to be elected to Heaven.
The 3 Candidates Who Would Follow Christ
In the verses prior to Luke 9:57 Jesus reiterates his goal and purpose. As He prepares to journey to Jerusalem, He sends disciples to a village in Samaria to make ready. The village won’t receive the Lord. This makes the disciples mad. They ask the Lord if they could command fire to come down on the village. Jesus tells them that He hasn’t come to destroy, but to save – then He went to another village. Salvation is the goal of the Lord.
We begin with that same goal in mind. Salvation is always the goal. Heaven must always be in view. If we miss heaven then our lives here are a complete, total loss. We possess nothing more important than our soul. Nor can we possess anything more valuable. Neglecting to remember the value of our soul will cause us to lose sight of the most important matters in this life.
Matthew16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
The verses in Luke 9 show us three people who would follow Christ. They evidently sought the honor and distinction of being a disciple, but they were all different in their view of what was needed.
It’s important to see that they had their idea of commitment. They each brought their own approach to the concept of serving Jesus. It’s possible for us to bring our own concepts of service to the Church in our service to the Lord. We might think that because we’re willing to commit a little to the Lord, then He’ll commit all of heaven to us. We might be willing to think that our commitment of convenience will reward us with the sacrifice that caused heaven great inconvenience! We fool ourselves.
Closing The Gap
The building of any team requires the gap between the most committed and the least committed to be as narrow as possible. In other words, the gap between the two cannot be enormous or the entire team suffers. It doesn’t matter if the team is a sports team, a business organization, a non-profit group, a marriage, a family, or a congregation.
How effective would our marriages be if one member was totally committed, but the other wasn’t? How harmonious is a home where some of the children are committed to the authority of the parents, but some are not? How frustrating is it to work in an environment where some are committed to perform excellent work, but others are always showing up tardy and unconcerned about the quality of the performance?
We’ve all been in various situations like these. Perhaps we’ve all been in the committed column and at other times in the non-committed or less committed column. There are reasons for that.
Sometimes we alter our priorities. The young college student is committed to school when he understands that his studies are crucial to his physical future or ambitions. If there is no apparent goal in sight, it’s hard to commit to your studies. Those students who understand what they want to do with their career and understand the price that must be paid are typically the most committed. For them, college takes some place of prominence in their list of life’s priorities. Once they graduate and get a job, school is no longer a commitment. Now, the job becomes more important. And if they see potential rewards for being committed, they’ll commit to that just as they did to their studies. If they see no rewards or if they don’t care about being rewarded, they’ll grow slack and become uncommitted very quickly.
Sometimes we haven’t been convinced that our best interests are served by being committed. Again, look at the college students who could care less. Campuses are full of them. They don’t know what they want to do with their lives. They don’t have a plan. They don’t have a goal. They go with the flow. They’re uncommitted because they don’t understand the long-term benefit of being committed. It’s simply easier and sometimes more fun to just let life happen. That way, no one has to count on them for much of anything. However, most young people wake up and realize they want something that requires commitment, responsibility. They want to live their own life. They want to be trusted. They want to do something that is important. All of us want some level of responsibility, if only for our own lives and the choices we can make.
Numerous other factors could be considered as to why men, women, boys and girls don’t commit. The alignment of hearts and minds is crucial to the success of any enterprise today. That includes every local congregation of the Lord’s Church.
The Olympic games demonstrate the athletic commitment made by people from all over the world. Few Olympians expect to win with some half-hearted effort. The path to success for every athlete is paved with commitment. Olympic athletes are different than other athletes in terms of their drive, determination, natural ability and focus. They get up early. They work hard and long. They sacrifice things that others simply are unwilling to sacrifice. The winners pay a high price for an Olympic medal, but it is what matters the most to them so they do it willingly.
Centuries ago a young man was sent by his father to go check on his brothers who were engaged in a war. The young man was shocked to see an army of uncommitted soldiers. Each day they would watch an enemy soldier rail against them. Each day they would endure this enemy’s ridicule and they would do nothing to stop it. Fear had paralyzed them. Fear had robbed them of any commitment to do what they knew needed to be done.
Ultimately, the young man – David – would fight this enemy himself. He would kill the man, Goliath. Goliath’s own sword would be used by David to cut off the giant’s head. He would not only fight and win, but he’d become king someday. All of this stemmed from the commitment of a young man to do what needed to be done while others would simply watch.
As we embark on a brief study of the 3 types of men who would follow Jesus, THINK of your own personal commitment to the Lord and to a local, faithful congregation. If you are not a member of the Lord’s body, THE CHURCH, then I want you to think about making a commitment to learn the Truth so you can obey it and be added to the Church. There are no spiritual blessings outside the Church. Let me briefly explain to you what it takes to be IN CHRIST because today, if you aren’t a member of the Lord’s Church then you are lost forever. We’d be doing you a horrible disservice if we didn’t warn you of the eternal consequences that await you if you haven’t obeyed the gospel.
Paul asked the Galatians in Galatians 4:16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? We don’t want to be your enemy, but we owe you the Truth so you can be saved in heaven.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
What does the Apostle Paul mean “in Christ??? If all spiritual blessings are found in Christ, then it’s pretty important to me to know what it means to be in Christ. First, consider the fact that Paul says “all?? blessings are found in Christ. That’s not hard to understand. There aren’t any spiritual blessings found outside of Christ. We can’t find them at work. We can’t find them at school. We can’t find them at home with family. If you’re looking for spiritual blessings you’re going to have to look somewhere other than those places.
Next, where is in Christ? It’s not that hard to understand really. The Bible explains it pretty clearly.
Ephesians 1:16-23 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
God has placed Christ in a position of prominence. He is head over all things to the church – which is his body. Now I don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand that the body of Christ is the Church. And if that is true, as the Bible says, then I have to be in the Church in order to be in Christ, where all the spiritual blessings are found. So how can I accomplish that?
Romans10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Faith is required. You get faith by hearing the word of God. It all starts with learning the Bible, but you have to continue beyond mere faith. The Bible tells us that the devils believe and tremble. They’re not going to be saved. They’re not in Christ. So faith alone isn’t enough to save us. We have to do more.
Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
What does it mean to repent? 2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
According to the Apostle Paul’s writing to the Corinthians it’s not just about being sorry. That’s what the world feels when they get caught in sin. Godly sorrow causes a person to work toward repentance. Repentance is a change of will. It indeed is the alignment of your heart and mind to do what God wants, not what you want. Repentance is an alignment of will to match God’s will. God doesn’t change. We do.
Matthew10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
What does it mean to confess Christ before men? We have an example in Acts 8. A man is riding in a chariot reading from the book of Isaiah, but he doesn’t understand what he’s reading. Philip, the evangelist, joins himself to the man in the chariot and promptly asks the man if he understands what he’s reading. The man asks him, How can I except some man teach me? So Philip preaches Christ to this man. Eventually, in their journey down the highway the man spots some water and he asks Philip about being baptized. It’s clear that Philip has obviously preached to him about baptism. Why else would the man have asked about baptism? Then in verse 37 Philip answers the man’s inquiry about baptism: And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
That’s the confession we make with our mouths in front of men. Then we’re baptized INTO Christ. Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Do I have to be baptized? What’s the point of baptism? Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Luke 3:3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
Forgiveness of our sins is why we’re baptized. The Bible doesn’t say a word about having our sins forgiven any other way. Men say all kinds of things, but we’re interested in what God says because He’s the one who can save us. He’s also the one who can condemn our unrighteousness in hell. We’re obligated to please Him. When we do these things outlined in His word, then we’re doing what God wants us to do – not what we want to do or what we think ought to be right. We have to align our hearts and minds with God’s will.
Acts2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Regardless of your circumstance, listen to the 3 candidates that Jesus discusses in Luke 9 beginning with verse 57. Examine their commitment in light of your own life. Look at your own commitment and be honest with yourself!
Some Folks Are Impulsive
The first example given by Jesus is the impulsive person. He had great enthusiasm. We’re reminded of Peter over in Luke 22. Jesus foretells that Peter will deny him. Christ tells Peter that Satan wants to sift him as wheat. In other words, Satan wants to see what you’re really made of. Peter seems offended. So in verse 33 he says, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
That’s enthusiasm. But, the Lord goes on to tell Peter that he’ll deny him 3 times before the cock will crow. Peter goes on to do exactly what the Lord said he would – he denied even knowing Jesus and he did it 3 times before the crowing of the rooster.
The scribe in Luke 9 sees Jesus perform miracles. He hears Jesus teach. That makes him enthusiastic for Jesus, so he volunteers to follow the Savior. There is no invitation or anything. I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest, says this man.
There was only one problem with this man. He didn’t have a clear understanding of what the cost would be to follow Jesus. If he had clearly understood the price that he needed to pay in order to follow Jesus and agreed to pay that price – this would have been a great story!
In verse 58 we hear the Lord’s response. The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Jesus deliberately chose the way to Jerusalem and the cross. He didn’t have to go that way. From the response Jesus gave it’s obvious that this man thought following Christ would have earthly or financial rewards. We hear no more of this man after the Lord tells him that he has no place to lay his head.
Today, there are enthusiastic people who claim to serve God, but they falsely believe what this man believed. They talk about being blessed with financial prosperity. They talk of having bigger salaries, finer homes and newer cars all in the name of serving the Lord. Yet, in our text reading the Master contradicts this altogether. The Lord has a kingdom that is heavenly, not earthly. He’s interested in spiritual things and his followers have to be focused on those things rather than the things of this world.
Worldliness has caused people who would follow Jesus to do what this man did – give up and quit. It has caused others to be lukewarm or indifferent.
In the 22nd chapter of the Revelation the Master criticizes the Laodiceans. They were indifferent and worldliness was the reason why. The Lord tells them they’re neither hot nor cold. Because they’re lukewarm He’ll spew them out of his mouth. The explanation of their condition is in the verses that follow.
Revelation 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
These brethren had plenty of material things. They were increased with the things this world had to offer, but spiritually they were in horrible shape. The worst phrase of verse 17 is knowest not. They didn’t know how bad off they really were.
Maybe you’re like that today. Maybe you are among the less committed because you are too focused on the things of this life. Maybe you are chasing things that are not eternal and neglecting the things that matter the most. Maybe your enthusiasm stopped because you don’t think you need God like you used to. Your life is rolling along pretty good without Him, you think. Or maybe your enthusiasm stopped because following Him didn’t get you the earthly wealth you thought. Either way, your focus on the correct cost of discipleship is lacking and it’s costing you in ways you cannot afford.
What did Jesus tell the Laodiceans do to fix their problem?
Revelation 3:18-19 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Here’s the remedy: (a) buy of me gold, (b) anoint your eyes with salve and (c) repent.
Buying gold means they needed to pay something. We don’t buy the Truth or faithfulness with money, but we do have to pay something. Today, if you aren’t sacrificing anything or if your faith costs you nothing – then you need to buy the gold of the gospel. You need to pay a price.
It reminds us of the story over in 2 Samuel 24 where King David seeks to make an offering to the Lord. Involved was a threshing floor and some oxen. The servant of the king who owned these things offered them to the king at no charge. Here is King David’s response:
Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing.
Are you paying anything to follow the Master? Do you let just anything stop you from attending the services, from praying, from reading and studying your Bible or from doing your Christian duty? Then you need to learn the rule of PAYING or BUYING. Salvation is not free. It will cost you something. If you don’t buy it now, you’ll pay an eternal price for damnation at judgment. As the old song says, Heaven will surely be worth it all.
Anoint your eyes meant they needed to give attention to God’s word. That’s the only eye salve for the souls of men. If we don’t give the Bible proper attention, then we end up in the same condition as these people – BLIND! They didn’t even see themselves as they really were. They didn’t know how bad off they really were. Today, you might be blind to your spiritual condition because you don’t spend enough time focused on what God wants. Examine your life and see if you are considering God’s will in everything you do. If not, you need to correct your course before it’s too late.
Repent. But notice he says, Be zealous and repent. Regain that fervent spirit of service toward God. Jesus doesn’t want to dampen the enthusiasm of men, but he does want men to understand that serving Him has a price. Count that cost before you dive in and PAY THAT PRICE. He wants men to determine that they’ll make the necessary changes in order to follow him. That’s the message of our Lord.
Next, We Have The Person Who Procrastinates
He’s not like the first fellow. He’s not volunteering. Jesus has to urge him with the words, Follow me.
His problem is he has other things to do. He considered something else more important. He might have been earnest, but he had his priorities mixed up. Jesus told him to let the dead bury the dead. That is, let the people who aren’t following me (that is, those who are dead spiritually) do the physical task of burying those who are physically dead. Other people can do those things. Jesus encouraged him to do what was right by focusing on the spiritual things.
You might find yourself in the category with this man. You’d like to follow, but you’re not volunteering for anything. Maybe you aren’t volunteering because there are other things you’d RATHER be doing than serving God. You know it’s the thing to do, but there are other things that distract you.
The best advice I can give you is what the Bible says. In fact, Jesus himself tells us in Matthew chapter 6. He points out that there are things in nature that are arrayed in fancier fashion than Solomon. And these things, like the lilies of the field, don’t work or toil. They depend on God to give them sunshine and rain.
The divine appeal is for men to put first things first AND depend on God. That means we have to put our time in those things that matter most. We have to put our emphasis on the things eternal. We have to focus on the things that can save our souls!
We con ourselves into thinking we’ll have another day to accomplish something for the Lord or His Church. That’s not true. The day, the hour, the moment can be lost. It can’t be recaptured. Sometimes we’re distracted from serving God because we want to bury the dead. Let the dead bury the dead. We need to serve God.
I want to encourage you to commit yourself to the Church. Commit yourself to the Truth of God’s word. Commit yourself to a faithful local congregation of the Church. Live so God can count on you! Live so your brethren can count on you. Commit yourself so you can help others.
No local congregation of the Lord’s Church will never be what God wants unless the members all work diligently to become united together in their efforts to serve Him. Every member must be in his or her place. We can ill afford to let things crowd our time and energy away from our obligations to the Church.
1 Samuel 20:18, 24-25 Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, and David’s place was empty.
David’s absence was caused by King’s Saul evil desire against him, but Jonathan’s expression is still valid for us today. Anytime a person isn’t where they are supposed to be, they’re missed. When Christians don’t commit themselves to the Church as they should, they’re missed. Most importantly God misses them, but the Church suffers enormously when members are uncommitted or out of place!
All you have to do is read countless stories of the Old Testament to see where God did great things with small (seemingly insignificant) groups of people. In every case the scriptures stress the importance of men standing in their place. God relies on every person being what they ought to be. He hasn’t changed. He expects that of us all! No one is exempt. No one can beg off due to a busy schedule, a career, school or lack of talent.
God was the first to implement the philosophy of NO EXCUSES! Consider all the stories where men tried to use them. The talents, the invitees to the feast, the foolish virgins…the list is long! Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ve got an excuse that God will hear. God doesn’t listen to excuses.
The Last Example We Have Is Of The Wavering Man
Like the first man, he volunteered. Like the second man, he had other affections. He had other distractions. His willingness had a stipulation. He was enthusiastic, but he procrastinated. Jesus tells him that no man who begins to plow looks back. I’ve never plowed, but folks who have inform me that you have to really watch the rows you’re plowing. You have to pay attention or you wander all over the place. I look at straight rows and see how uniform they look, but that doesn’t happen automatically. Some farmer worked very hard to keep those rows straight.
Our pursuit of serving God is the same way. If we don’t pay attention and look ahead, we’ll wander off course. Our life will become a mess, just like a farmer’s field. It’s not so much the case of going back, but it’s more the case of LOOKING back and failing to focus! If we do that, Jesus says we’re not fit for the kingdom! What a horrible declaration ~ UNFIT!
This man hadn’t counted the cost. He was willing, or so it would seem, but he had a flimsy excuse. He needs to bid some folks farewell first. It would seem from the comments made by the Savior that this man might encounter problems at home. There might have been those who try to talk him out of following Jesus. Or, we might view it as a very flimsy excuse not to follow the Lord. Regardless, he wanted to look back and that would cost him discipleship.
It’s true today. There are some who would follow Jesus, but only within the bounds of what is convenient or easy. If it’s hard or difficult, count them out.
Do you see the Christian life that way? You won’t gain heaven if you’re not willing to focus. An unfocused life might patronize your mind and fool you into believing that all you must do is give lip service to being a Christian. However, Jesus tells us it’s an unprofitable life.
These verses speak to one central theme of everything we’ve talked about…the HIGH PRIORITY OF THE KINGDOM, THE CHURCH! It takes commitment.
Henry Thoreau, the rugged New England individualist of the 19th century, once went to jail rather than pay his poll tax to a state that supported slavery. His good friend Ralph Waldo Emerson hurried to the jail to visit him. Peering through the bars of the jail he said to Thoreau, Why, Henry, what you doing in there? Thoreau responded, Nay, Ralph, the question is, what are you doing out there?
There are some wonderful examples you should study on your own of those who answered God with strong commitment. There is Abraham, Moses, David, the three Hebrew children, the Apostles and most importantly…the Savior Himself! Study them. Look at their lives.
Brethren, we want to close the gap between the committed and the less committed in the Lord’s Church. We want to increase the strength of every member. It is our goal and responsibility to help every member of Fossil Creek achieve heaven, but we seek to add more souls to the flock. We want you to consider the condition of your soul while God still gives you opportunity to obey.
Our goal is to assist you in becoming a fit candidate who is fully prepared to follow Christ.
