Sermon notes from Sunday 9 September 2018 pm
Luke 9 verses 57 - 63
I suppose it is safe to say we live in an age of great apostasy. Whenever we see many filtering away from the faith in God as Saviour and Lord. The Lord in these verses is pointing out a great truth, following after him. We need to get back to looking at the foundations. When a house begins to crack you would begin to look at the foundations. So many are turning away from the Lord, they haven`t got a foundation in the first place. Today it is easy believism, a mere raising of the hand in a meeting and you are saved. Maybe signing a commital form and you are saved. There is no mention of the cross, no mention of sin or being sorry for sin, no mention of turning from sin. None of these phrases are mentioned. We meet in this passage 3 men who came to the Lord with a desire in their hearts. The Holy Spirit turns the searchlight on them, we see their conversation and desires. They want to follow after the Lord for whatever measure we don`t know. Maybe they wanted to catch the limelight, to be seen as followers of the Lord. Whatever reason they came with the Lord makes it clear what it would cost them to follow the Lord. The Lord makes it clear what it would cost them to follow him. It is good to count the cost of following after the Lord.
Verse 57 "Lord I will follow thee withersoever thou goest." Peter himself said "even it means death I will not deny you." He didn`t realise what he was saying. This man wanted to follow the Lord wherever he was going. In verse 58 Jesus asked him "do you want to follow after someone who hasn`t even a roof over his head." The Lord was saying to follow the Lord on these terms would be sacrificial. Zacchaeus wanted to see the Lord when he came into the city. He couldn`t see him because of the crowd so he climbed up a sycamore tree. The Lord stopped at that tree and told him to come down. He later said he was prepared to give everything up just to follow Christ. To follow Christ it means sacrifice, turning away. This man comes to the Lord and didn`t realise what the Lord meant. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he would never return this way again. In Jerusalem he would be rejected by men, he would be beaten, abused, placed on an old cross outside the city walls. There he would die an awful death. He said "would you follow me to that?" Is that what you are going to do? It will take sacrifice to do that. Perhaps this man had the best intentions but he hadn`t really fully counted the cost. It is sad to see how many are caught up in the emotion of a meeting, they are determined to do something but there was nothing there. Confronted with the reality this man seems to have disappeared into the shadows. Didn`t he say that about the parable of the sower. The seed that would fall in the hard ground, it had a certain amount of growth to it. The sun comes up and the winds come and it is withered away. People hear the word of God to receive it but when the reality sinks in it is a differen story. There is no foundation to their commitment. Jesus spoke of the sacrifice it would mean. Matthew 16 verse 24 "if any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross." Abraham when he was called was living in Ur of the Chaldees. God told him he wanted him to leave his home behind, leave his family behind, leave his nation behind. Can you imagine what it was to say farewell to all he had to follow the Lord? When the rich young ruler was called upon to follow he looked at his wealth, his riches, his position in society, his popularity. The Lord said all of it had to go. Moses was a young man when he came to make a decision. He had everything he could ever want, his education was second to none. He was brought up in Pharaoh`s household with all its wealth. Yet there came a day when he realised this was not the life for him. He had to take a stand with the people of God, those who were beaten and tormented. He had to forsake all he had. He was mighty in word and deed yet he had to give it up for the sake of the Lord. Is there something in your life that you are not prepared to give up to be saved?
There is a walk of sincerity. Verses 59 and 60 a man heard the voice of the Lord saying "follow me". He wanted to put off the decision. "I have a father will you wait until I bury him." We are not told that the man was even dead yet. He just wanted to put off the decision to follow. When the Lord came to Matthew he was sitting at the seat of custom or taxes. The Lord said to him "follow me" and he arose immediately and followed Christ. This man wanted to wait for a few days. He had the desire to follow but he wanted to do it in his time. We cannot pick and choose the day or hour of our salvation. He just wanted to put it off. In these days it was the responsibility of the young man to take care of his family`s needs. He didn`t want to make a decision at that particular time. It was his duty to make sure his parents were cared for, to bury them if necessary but we are not told here that the father was even dead yet. This young man thought he could wait for a while. The time to come to Christ is when you hear the Lord telling you to come. The Holy Spirit works in your heart to show you Christ dying for your sins on Calvary. There he shows you your great sin, then he says come. That is the time to come. Martin Lloyd Jones met a man one morning who said to him "Sir if you had made an appeal last night I would have responded." Martin Lloyd Jones looked at him and said "well why don`t you come now?" The man said "O no I don`t feel like it now." Martin Lloyd Jones said "I feel it wan`t God that was speaking to you last night because if it had of been you would have been at my door this morning first thing." It is not coming when you are emotionally ready but when the Lord speaks to our hearts.
It is a work of separation. Verses 61 and 62 this man wanted to go home and say farewell to his family. The Lord had something of this man`s soul in mind. If he went back home maybe someone would put him off following Christ. This young man had set his hand to the plough but he was about to take it off. The fishermen in Matthew 4 as Jesus was passing were told to follow him and he would make them fishers of men. Right away they followed him. There was no mention of going back to their homes to say farewell. They followed Christ immediately. Maybe the Lord is saying to you "will you follow me, will you allow me entrance in your heart?" "If any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in." There is a work of separation. We have to be separated. The woman caught in adultery was told "go and sin no more" In other words "don`t be in the places of sin any longer." The woman at the well left her water pot and went to Samaria. Why? Because the water pot would take her back into the home where there was immorality. She wanted to be separate. This man wanted to say farewell to his family. Sometimes that is what happens. A person comes under the convicting hand of God, he hears the word of God and is challenged, then he goes out the next day and confers with someone else.
It is a work of steadfastness. Verse 62 contains a stern warning. "No man having put his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." The Lord gives the same warning to us as he did to this man. When the farmer got his hand on the plough and his eyes on the marker at the top of the field he wouldn`t let go until he reached that point. The Lord likes that to us today. Maybe God is speaking to you, something he requests of you. The Lord says if you take your hand off the plough you are not fit for the kingdom of heaven. How is it with you today? What`s holding you back from getting saved? Is it the sacrifice, giving up of sin? Is it something that holds you back? Is it the sacrifice that is called for? Is it the sincerity, are you ready to go on with the Lord? Is it the separation? What about the steadfastness, going on and going through with God? Whatever the cost the man that hears the word of God, goes out and does it is like a man who build his house on a sure foundation. When the winds and rain come the house will stand because it has good foundations. The man who hears God`s word and forgets about it is like a man building his house on the sand. When the wind and rains come it falls down. Paul said there is no other foundation that a man can lay. There is the foundation of good works but they will crumble. There is the foundation of religiousity, self righteousness but these will crumble. There is a foundation that is laid that no-one else can lay today. When we lay our all on him we will be saved and saved for all eternity. Are you on that foundation, a sure foundation?
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