Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of Scripture, but before we do that I wanted to ask you a little question.
Have you ever taken your children to a beach on a hot summer day? After playing for a little while in the sand, the younger ones walk up and test the water by wiggling their toes. Eventually they step in so they can rinse off, but they stop right about their kneecaps and begin swishing their fingers in the refreshing water. Suddenly, you hear some loud screeches behind you, as your older boys come running down the beach. As hard as they can, they plunge deep into the lake with everything they’ve got!
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Many people claim to be disciples of Christ Jesus, but to truly become a follower of His, He must be your greatest love. Our love and devotion to Christ must outweigh anything else in this world, and like these older boys our hearts must be all the way in. Jesus regularly called out to people to come follow Him, but many times they were more concerned about the cares of this world, even making excuses so they didn’t have to show up.
Luke 14 ¹⁵ And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. ¹⁶ Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: ¹⁷ And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
¹⁸ And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
¹⁹ And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. ²⁰ And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. ²¹ So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
²² And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. ²³ And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. ²⁴ For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. ²⁵ And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, ²⁶ If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. ²⁸ For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? ²⁹ Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, ³⁰ Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. ³¹ Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? ³² Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. ³³ So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Our precious Lord Jesus came into this world to save sinners, but many people were just too busy to seek Him. They were too devoted to the world instead. This is why John warned the church not to love this world. This is because when you do, God is no longer first in your life anymore, and your relationship with God gets pushed aside. Remember that everything in this world is going to be gone someday, and the only thing that matters is drawing nigh unto God with a perfect and obedient heart. We must show Him our great love, like a devoted bride to her own husband.
1 John 2 ¹⁵ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Many people quickly claim that they don’t love this world, but their actions speak otherwise. What you seek after most, is what you love the most. When we love the Lord we will desire to seek and obey Him, submitting to His every will, even when it flies in the face of your own wife, children or relatives. My wife can testify that one of my nicknames for her is “my number two.” This is because my relationship with God will always come before her or any others. Some people just will not last in the Christian Life because they love other things more than God. Just like Lot’s wife departed from her own husband, these people depart from God and become unfit for the kingdom of heaven.
Luke 9 ⁵⁹ And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. ⁶⁰ Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. ⁶¹ And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. ⁶² And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Matthew 10 ³⁷ He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. ³⁹ He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
In order to have fruit unto life eternal, the preaching of God’s Word must happen, but some men are so consumed with Earthly concerns that they simply don’t make the time at all. They simply cannot forsake the things of this world.
Mark 4 ¹⁸ And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
¹⁹ And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
To truly be a disciple of Christ you have to be capable of walking away from everything. After all this is what the Apostles did. About 20 years ago I did the same thing, completely walking away from my job, my home and my possessions. You cannot be a disciple of Christ unless you are actually capable of doing that.
Matthew 19 ²¹ Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. ²² But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. ²³ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ²⁵ When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
²⁶ But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. ²⁷ Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? ²⁸ And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. ³⁰ But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
To attempt the Christian Life, one must be completely committed to Christ Jesus, making sure that there is nothing in this world that has a hold on us. We must dive into our relationship with Him with everything weve got. We must show Him by our actions that He is our greatest love, and we are capable of giving up this world for Him. Jesus is our pearl of great price: Jesus is our treasure of Truth: and His rewards and eternal life await all those, whose hearts are….
……All the Way In
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious goups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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