Dear Christian friends:
There are many chapters and verses in the Bible
that warn us Christians to let nothing hinder us in
following Jesus. Jesus knows that we are tempted daily
to copy the sinful world, the way of unbelievers! So He
admonishes us and urges us to be true, faithful, to Him!
In our text Jesus does the same. He warns us and
urges us to:
Let Nothing Separate Us From Him
In our text Jesus talks to three different men who
were interested in following Him. The first man appeared
very eager and seemed to have very strong faith. He boldly
said to Jesus, "I will follow You anywhere You go." But
Jesus could see that he was too eager. He thought it was
easy to follow Jesus, lots of excitement and pleasure and
little or no trouble. So Jesus tells him that its very
hard to follow Me. He said to the eager man, "Foxes have
holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man does not
have a place to lay His head."
Jesus wants him to stop and think: "If you follow
me, you must give up much worldly comfort and pleasures.
You will suffer many things if you want to be My disciple."
You better sit down and think and judge the cost. It will
cost you very much to follow Me. See how much I suffer
to do God's will. I do not even have a place to sleep.
Now, here it does not say what that man decided to
do. Did he decide to pay the cost and follow Jesus? Or
did he leave sadly, like the rich young man? We don't
know. Luke does not tell us. Why? Because Jesus wants
each one of us to stand in that mans place this morning and
attend carefully to His words of warning. Each one of us
has said that we want to follow Jesus. We have joined His
Church. Maybe we think it is easy to follow Jesus. Maybe
we have joined His Church many years ago, but have suffered
little or nothing. Maybe we think that we are following
Him, but maybe we are not really following Him. Because if
we really follow Him and obey His commandments, we will
suffer many things. It is very hard work and much cost to
follow Him. Have you been following Jesus?
If true, where are your scars of battle? What have
you lost because of him? Have you lost a friend? Have you
lost a job? Did someone mock you or say false things against
you? Have you suffered much criticism and persecution from
others? Have you really followed Jesus? Will you?
Jesus said to the second man, "Follow Me." But he
answered, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But
Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their dead. But you
go and tell about God's kingdom.
Perhaps we think, "Jesus is very hard and cruel. He
refuses to let the man first go to his fathers funeral."
We think that's the son's duty and responsibility. He
should go to his father's funeral." But his father was an
unbeliever, spiritually dead. So Jesus says, "Let the dead
bury their dead," let other unbelievers bury unbelievers.
Don't waste your time going there. You can't save your
father now anyway. "You go and tell others about God's
Kingdom." Go preach! Go witness that is the one important
work for you. Let no earthly duty or responsibility bother
your duties and work for Me."
Did the man go to his father's funeral? Or did he
stay with Jesus and tell others the Good News of God's
Kingdom? Again, we don't know. The Bible does not tell us
what he decided to do.
But how about you? What would you do if you were
that man? Do you let worldly duties bother your work for
Jesus? Do you waste your time doing many things that
unbelievers do? Work, work, work, busy busy, busy trying
to get rich and higher status? Do you invent many beautiful
excuses and postpone your duties to witness for Jesus?
A third man said to Jesus, "I will follow You, Lord,
but first let me say good-bye to my people at home." Did
Jesus let him go? No! Jesus said, "Anyone who lays his
hand on a plow and keeps looking back isn't fit for Gods'
kingdom."
It appears that his people at home were unbelievers.
If he had asked Jesus to go and preach to them or witness to
them about sin and forgiveness of sins then Jesus would have
let him go home. But he only wanted to go home and have a
big farewell party,social with his old friends. Jesus says,
"No! if you want to follow me, then you must break with
your old sinner friends."
You can't be a friend of sinners and join in their
sinful pleasures and celebrations and serve Me, too. They
will bother you and tempt you and you will fail to follow Me
and serve Me. "If you stay with friends and socialize with
unbelievers you are like a man who tries to plow looking
backwards." Did the man break with his family and friends
at home? We don't know. Again the Bible does not say.
But how about you? You say that you are Jesus'
disciple. His friend. Have you broke up with your sinful,
unbelieving friends? Or do you try to be a friend of God
and a friend of the devil, too? If you do, you can't be
His disciples. Jesus says, "You are not fit for God's
kingdom. Jesus says, "He that loves father or mother more
than Me is not worthy of Me and He that loves son or
daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. "If a man come
to Me and hate not his father and his mother, yes and his
own life he cannot be My disciple."
Have you been following Jesus? Will you now decide
to follow Him? Really follow Him? Again we go to the
Lord's Supper let us confess our sins and be sorry if we
have failed to follow Him. He has forgiven all our sins by
His death on the cross and here in the Lord's Supper. He
gives us His body and blood with the bread and wine as a
proof and seal of His continued love and forgiveness. If
we come with faith and trust in His mercy He will forgive
us and strengthen us. By His help and Holy Spirit we will
let nothing separate us from Him. We will really follow
Jesus and win the heavenly prize.
Amen.