We'll remain standing there this morning for the reading of God's Word. The reading of God's Word will continue in the Gospel of Luke, picking up at verse 25 of chapter 14. Hear now the Word of the Lord. Now great multitudes went with Him, and Jesus turned and said to them, If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, Yes, in his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you intending to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost? whether he has enough to finish it. Lest after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and now is not able to finish. But what king going to make war against another king does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear." This is the Word of the Lord. Let's pray. Our gracious Heavenly Father, we thank You for the truth of Your Scriptures. We thank You for the boldness of the teaching of Jesus. May we have ears to hear what He would teach us this day. We ask and pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. Well, this morning we continue our journey through the gospel of Luke. And once again, I've included some notes in the order of worship. that will sort of help us to understand where we have been and where we're going in Luke's orderly account. If I try to catch up every week, we don't ever get much in the way of a new message. So, it'll kind of help us keep our bearings a little bit. And I'm going to include it pretty much as it is for the next few weeks, because we're embarking now on some studies of various messages from Jesus. And I want us to notice that they are messages that Jesus has for specific groups. There's going to be two messages for his disciples. There are two for the religious leaders who are hardening their hearts against the Messiah. And what we'll consider this morning is the message for the multitudes. Those crowds who have followed Jesus And as we've seen often in the Gospel of Luke, are doing so more out of a desire to see the show than to really be disciples. Now the text in Luke tells us which of these groups that Jesus is directly addressing. And I think it's important that we remember this if we're going to learn the right lessons. that Jesus is teaching. For example, this morning we're discussing the cost of discipleship. But it is a message that Jesus delivers to the multitudes. This is a model for how we should evangelize those who show an interest in the Kingdom and in Jesus. As we go through the text this morning, I think we're going to often Consider it strange how Jesus approaches someone who is not yet born again. But this is how Jesus approached them. And so should we. In verse 25, we see clearly that Jesus is addressing the crowd. It says, Now great multitudes went with Him, and Jesus turned and said to them, What Jesus now said is not aimed directly at His disciples, but to those in the crowds who are following Him. And we must remember that Jesus has already taught many things that I'm sure most of the folks in these crowds have probably heard. So this is not an introductory statement. This is not something you would say to someone that you just met on the street. But, Jesus does point out very clearly that they must be serious about following Him if that is their desire. They must count the cost. And Jesus begins with a statement that clearly shows how high that cost really is. We need to take special note that Jesus does not soft-pedal the good news. He does not make it seeker-friendly. And neither should we. Jesus says in verse 26, if anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. Now, it's interesting that we come to this portion of Luke's Gospel on a morning when we have both a baptism and a couple that is signing our membership covenant. It gives us something to think about as these things are done. You know, we just saw the adoring parents bringing little Mitchell. And now, if what Jesus is teaching is true, if Mitchell is going to be faithful to his baptism, Jesus says that he has to hate those same parents. Ken and Carol, who many of you know, have been married for many years, and blissfully so. But Jesus says here that if they're going to be His disciples, that they must hate each other. Well, that's a little hard to take. So obviously, many have tried to find ways to explain what these verses really mean. And often, what we simply end up doing is ignoring what Jesus said, or watering it down to where it's really not relevant to what He's teaching. Now, I think we can all agree that it's not a good idea to ignore something that Jesus said, especially when it involves being His disciples. So it is here in the passage and we do have to deal with it. However, if we argue that the passage simply means that we must love Jesus more than we love a parent or spouse, this can be just as bad. Again, we miss the point of what Jesus is saying. And remember, Jesus is saying this to those that He is inviting to be His disciples. This is a conversation you can have with someone over a cup of coffee who's not yet a Christian. So what is Jesus saying? The word hate is a strong word. There's no way to water that down. It's a word that we see used very often in the Scriptures. In Psalm 5, we hear the psalmist proclaim, For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand in your sight. You hate all workers of iniquity. The Lord hates all workers of iniquity means that the Lord hates all workers of iniquity. Again, we read in Psalm 45, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness. And again, we see it in Psalm 101. We see that same attitude that we're to have. The psalmist says, I will sing of mercy and justice. To You, O Jehovah, I will sing praises. I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will you come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes. I hate the work of those who fall away. It shall not cling to me." And finally, lest someone think we're only dealing with the Old Testament, Hebrews chapter 1 says that this principle applies to Jesus. It says, but to the Son, God says, your throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Okay, so we've gone this far, and people can say, well, yeah, I can see that. God hates wickedness. We need to hate wickedness. But why does Jesus say that we must hate mother and father, or wife and children? Well, again, the answer takes us back to the book of beginnings, as do almost all things important. When Adam sinned, it not only destroyed his relationship with God, leading to his death, But his disobedience ruined all of mankind. Now, the secular humanists of our day, and even some within the church, want to highlight the importance of man's choice, or man's free will. Well, here in Genesis, we see clearly what the significance of real choice can be. Now, of course, believing that all men and women, as a result of the fall of the free choice of Adam, are born dead in trespasses and sins is probably not what they had in mind. Especially the folks within the church who want us to be able to choose God are quick to say that the doctrine of original sin is not fair. How can God hold us responsible for what someone else did? Even though it's the result of man's free will choice that they think is so important. But the Bible could not be clearer that this is the state of all men and women. Even cute little Mitchell. Paul summarizes all of the Old Testament references to man's sinful state in Romans 3 as he leads up to his presentation of the Gospel. And it's not a pretty list. Paul says, we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin, as it is written. There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none who understands. There is none who thinks after God. They have all turned aside. They have all together become unprofitable. There is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have practiced deceit. The poison of asp is upon their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Paul removes all doubt that this condition applies to all, including Christians, when he says in Romans chapter 7, For we know that the law is spiritual. But I am carnal, sold under sin. Now Paul goes on in chapter 7 to describe this conflict between his flesh and the Spirit. And then he asks an important question and immediately gives the right answer, thank goodness. He says in verse 24, a wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. And what we need to understand is that in this passage before us in Luke, Jesus draws the same conclusion as He reaches out to these multitudes. Jesus says that we must hate all sin, including the sin nature that clings to all mankind. Our fathers, Our mothers, our sisters, our brothers, spouses, children, and most importantly, us. But then Jesus says, whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Man is born under sin. But we are learning from the Gospel of Luke that Jesus has come to save His people from their sins. The cross of Christ is where the penalty for our sin was paid. And it is that cross that we must bear if we are to be the disciples of Jesus. Anyone who clings to their own sin Failing to hate what God hates cannot be the disciple of Jesus. As Jesus explains in John's Gospel, we must be born again. It's that radical. When we become born again, we are born into a new family, freed from the sin of Adam and brought into new life in Jesus. Jesus explains the new family in Matthew 12, verse 46, where it says, while He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to Him. And then one said, look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with you. But Jesus answered and said to the one who told Him, Who is My mother and who are My brothers? And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, Here are My mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." So yes, we must hate brother and sister, mother and father, husband and wife, children, as those born under Adam's curse. But in Christ, we are all brothers and sisters. In the new family. In the new creation. This is why we must be honest about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Telling those who would follow Jesus that they must hate their sin nature and their sins. Taking them only to the cross of Christ. The payment of the penalty for those sins is a very great cost. But it is a cost that was born by Jesus. As He declares in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 11, Jesus says, Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me. For I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." If someone desires to have eternal life, they must trust Jesus to accomplish all the work of salvation from beginning to end. Otherwise, the task of making ourselves righteous before God is overwhelming. And that's exactly what the examples that Jesus now gives in the text are intended to illustrate. In verse 28 in our chapter from Luke, it says, For which of you intending to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it, lest after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, All who see it begin to mock him, saying, this man began to build and is not able to finish." Now those of us that live here in the Sacramento area have certainly had a great example of this if we've noticed what's going on downtown. Do you remember those great towers that were going to be built? You know, the two condominium towers, I think they were going to be 56 stories high. They were advertised with great gusto. There were billboards all over town, advertisements in the newspaper. It was going to be the place to live in Sacramento. The old buildings were torn down, an entire city block was cleared. They drove pilings to begin the foundation, and then the money ran out. That developer and the city council that supported him are now subject to much ridicule and mocking. Now that's a great example of a tower. But what Jesus is talking about here is applying this principle to salvation. So to make it even more clear, The better example would be to have one of our young men take his box of Legos downtown with plans to finish those towers. That's a better picture of what Jesus is saying here. Because earning our own salvation is beyond the possibility of finishing. The second example drives home the same point. If we think that we can defeat Satan in our own strength, It says, what king going to make war against another king does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with 10,000 to meet him who comes against him with 20,000. Or else, while the other is still a ways off, he sends a delegation to ask conditions of peace. Now, of course, we know that Satan can offer no peace that we would want. But unfortunately, we have far too many examples around us today of people who have tried such compromise It compromises in the hope of finding peace. And there is no peace to be found. Now, Jesus, after giving these two examples, confirms that this is what the examples are intended to teach when He says in verse 33, So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Don't think about following Christ if you're not willing. to be His disciple completely. That's an important principle. We must look to Jesus and to Jesus alone. Not to ourself. Not to our family. Not to the various experts that we might find. Not even to the church. We must look to Jesus. And anyone who thinks they can bring anything to the table or play any part in their salvation, has not forsaken all. As Paul tells the Ephesians, even the faith that we are given to believe is a gift from God, so there can be no human boasting. You see, Jesus has confronted these potential followers with some pretty straightforward talk. He is demonstrating to us what it means to be salt in the proper biblical sense. Jesus says in verse 34, salt is good. Yeah? Salt is good. It brings flavor to tasteless foods, and it acts as a preservative to food that would rot if it were not present. But to do its job, salt must be salty. Having the flavor of salt. Such is the case with the Gospel. The Good News brings new life to those who are lost. It preserves those who would otherwise spend eternity in hell, paying for their sins. To serve this purpose, We must present the true gospel and not a watered down gospel or watered down Jesus who is presented as just another option for a happy life. See, I don't think Jesus had the bumper sticker on his donkey that said, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. It's not what he said. He said, you have to hate mother and father, brother and sister. You have to be willing to forsake all. Anything short of that is a false gospel. Salt that has lost its savor. And Jesus gives the warning. He says, but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? What do you salt salt with? It is neither fit for the land nor the dunghill. but men throw it out. A gospel that does not have the cross at the center is as worthless as salt that has no taste. And finally, Jesus then reminds these multitudes and us that it is important to listen to what He is teaching. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. We are to present the true gospel and trust that the Holy Spirit will open the eyes of those who are listening. If He does not, if He does not open their ears, nothing that we can add or subtract will make any difference. This is also part of the warnings and judgments that Jesus has begun to pronounce against the nation of Israel. Those who these people in the crowds are a part of. They're part of the nation of Israel. They're carrying in their flesh God's covenant sign of circumcision. They were to be the salt of the earth. Those who would be a blessing to the nations of the earth as promised to Abraham. And now Jesus is warning them not to be among those who have lost their saltiness and will face judgment in A.D. 70, being trampled underfoot by the Romans. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the light, and no one comes to the Father except through Me. I'm sure that there are many in these crowds, these multitudes that are following Jesus, who Jesus told to count the cost, who Jesus confronted with the real gospel this morning, who were also present in Jerusalem weeks later, when the Holy Spirit was poured out and Peter preached the gospel again with power. And it convicted those who were present, or thousands of them, causing them to cry out, Men and brethren, what shall we do? to which Peter answers with the great promise that we claim. He says, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." The promise of salvation, the promise of eternal life, if they're willing to forsake all in repentance, is there for them. It's there for their children. And it's there for all those whom God will call. All of those whose ears will be opened. So in closing, I want to return to the words that Mike spoke to little Mitchell after he was baptized this morning. Because that is the promise. It is words that remind us that little Mitchell is totally dependent on God. for His salvation, as are His parents, as are all of us that are gathered here today in Christ's name. And yes, as we evangelize, we must remember that it applies also to all whom God calls to respond to our preaching of the Gospel. For you, Jesus has come. He has fought. He has suffered. For you, He entered into the shadows of Gethsemane and the terror of Calvary. And for you, He uttered the cry, It is finished. For you, He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. And there for you, He intercedes. For you, Even though you do not know it, little child, but in this way, the Word of the Gospel is made true, where it says, we love Him because He first loved us. God is sending us forth into a great battle. And we need to have the confidence that we love Him because He first loved us. We'll rise and sing our hymn of response this morning from Martin Luther, the great battle song, A Mighty Fortress. But first, let's pray.