If You Want to Be | Pastor Mike Fortune |April 22, 2017

IF YOU WANT TO BE
by Pastor Mike Fortune
April 22, 2017

1. Accept the invitation (Luke 14:25-26; Matthew 10:37; Luke 14:24)
2. Make a costly commitment (Luke 14:27-33; Matthew 10:38; AA 482; Matthew 6:33)
3. Stay useful (Luke 14:34-35; Philippians 3:8; Napoleon; Bonhoeffer; Revelation 2:7)

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. 

 

Matthew 10:37

37 If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.

 

Luke 14:24

24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.

 

Luke 14:27-33

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!' 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.

 

Matthew 10:38

38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.

 

 

Matthew 6:33

33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

 

Luke 14:34-35

34 "Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? 35 Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!"

 

Philippians 3:8

8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.

 

Napoleon

I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander [the Great], Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and this hour millions of men would die for him.

 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (cheap grace)

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession...Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (costly grace)

Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus, it comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. It is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: 'My yoke is easy and my burden is light.'"

 

Revelation 2:7

7 Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.