Expository Systematic Teachings of Christ According to Saint Luke

Lesson 16 Theme: Obedience to Christ’s Commands in Order to Be His Disciple Text: Luke 14:25-27, 33 Anticipatory Set: What can help you keep the gift of eternal salvation? Lesson Introduction: Salvation into the Kingdom of God is priceless. In other words, Salvation can never be measured monetarily or replaced with anything of valuable in this world (Matthew 13:44-46). Salvation is a freely given gift from God to anyone who will receive it (Isaiah 55:1-3). “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37-38). The Grace of God that brings salvation to mankind beckons all humans to turn to God for the salvation of their souls (Titus 2:11). Those who have been saved have a fundamental responsibility to safeguard their salvation in order not to lose it (Jude 3). It is a common knowledge that people place little value on those things that they acquired for free or with little effort. Therefore, Jesus Christ emphasizes what Christians should do to keep the salvation they have been freely given (Luke 14:25-27 and 33). In Matthew 12:46-50, Jesus Christ indicates that only those who do the will of His Heavenly Father are His true family members. Christians must not sacrifice their salvation for the sake of family members who do not have a relationship with God. Those who have obtained the gift of salvation in Christ, must be willing to identify with their Savior in their sufferings and persecutions (2 Timothy 2:12; Romans 8:17). Finally, John the Beloved cautions Christ’s followers not to love the world, “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” (1 John 2:15). Breakdown of the Study: 1. Prioritizing Christ above Self and Family 2. Partaking in Christ’s Suffering 3. Preferring Christ to Earthly Possessions Prioritizing Christ above Self and Family Luke 14:25-26; John 12:25; Philippians 3:8; Acts 20:24; 21:13; Revelation 12:11 The love for God must overwhelm believers at the expense of anything and everything in the world. “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood” (Galatians 1:15-16). Apostle Paul indicates that the moment Jesus Christ saved him, he separated from his family to focus on the commission Jesus Christ assigned to him. Apostle Paul’s separation from his family was due to his family members not being followers of Jesus Christ. For example, Jesus Christ’s family members did not believe Him as the Savior of the world (John 7:1-10). Therefore, when someone told Jesus Christ that His family members would like to speak with Him during His ministration to the people, Jesus Christ responded that His brothers, mothers and sisters are those who listen and obey the Word of God (Matthew 12:46-50). Jesus Christ states clearly that anyone who wants to follow Him must love Him more than they love themselves or their families (Luke 14:26). Loving Jesus Christ must become the foremost priority of anyone who wishes to follow Him in the world. Partaking in Christ’s Suffering Luke 14:25, 27; Romans 8:35, 39; 5:3-5; John 16:33; 2 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Peter 4:12-14; 2 Timothy 1:12; 1 Corinthians 4:11; Matthew 10:28-31; James 1:2-4 Living a godly life, as the Scriptures command and as Jesus Christ taught, often puts believers in Christ at loggerheads with the people of the world. Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world, because it has always emphasized following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of the Christian’s faith. It is this persecution that Apostle Paul is referring to when he says: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). This means that living for Christ in the world includes the willingness to embrace persecution as part of the price that Christians must pay. However, Paul also encourages those who are persecuted when he asks the rhetorical question, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword” (Romans 8:35)? Apostle Paul was ready to lose everything, including his life, for the sake of Christ, even though he had been warned by the Prophet Agabus. “And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles” (Acts 21:10-13). In Luke 14:25 and 27, Jesus Christ boldly tells His disciples and the multitudes that to be His disciples means taking up their crosses to follow Him. Carrying one’s cross means living for and embracing Jesus Christ, regardless of whatever harm the people of the world inflict upon a person. Preferring Christ to Earthly Possessions Luke 14:33; 5:28; 18:28-30; Philippians 3:7-8; 1 John 2:15-16; Matthew 6:11; Proverbs 30:8-9 The Scriptures teach that believers must be single-minded in their pursuit of Heaven (Psalm 119:10; Luke 9:62; Jeremiah 29:13). Christians cannot be of God and be of the world at the same time. Many non-Christians labor hard to be rich; however, the Scriptures command Christ’s followers not to labor for riches (Proverbs 23:4). “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. 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” (1 John 2:15-16). Christians will do well to always remind themselves of the Word of God that says “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content” (1 Timothy 6:8). This means that after acquiring the basic needs of life, Christians should focus their attention on God and how to inherit His Kingdom. Without God, non-believers have nothing to live for. In Luke 14:33, Jesus Christ states clearly and without apology, “…whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” Questions: 1. How can non-believers in your family hinder you from walking closely with God? 2. What is to be gained by enduring persecutions for Christ in the world? 3. What should be the attitude of Christians towards material possessions?