Could we turn, please, in Luke's Gospel to chapter 9, and those verses at the end, 57 to 62. In these verses at the end of Luke chapter 9, we find described three different temperaments. What they are indeed are brief sketches, and they are brief, of course, of three men who came into contact with the Lord Jesus Christ. They all of them came with, or sought, shall I say, a permanent and close relationship with the Lord. And as we see the Lord's response to these three individuals, what we see revealed is the Lord Jesus Christ's absolute marvelous insight into the human temperament. Of course, based on eternal principles. And basically this morning, briefly, we're going to look at and consider these three types. And the first two verses, 57 and 58, and it came to pass that as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head. Here comes a man who would be described as impulsive, And Matthew chapter 8 verse 19 tells us that he is indeed a scribe. Now, look at what he said. Lord or master. That's a good way to start, isn't it? To address the Lord. Master. He is, isn't he? He's our master. He is our Lord. So it's a good way to start. And what does he say? I'll follow you whithersoever. In other words, I'll go anywhere. You name it, I'll go. Wouldn't we love to have people like that in our churches, eh? You want me to go out there and do some opening? I'll do it. Do you want me to go? I'll do that. willing it seems to throw his whole lot in with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I'm sure as he approached and as he came and he spoke, he would come across as quite a charming man, warm, hearty, magnanimous, I'll go anywhere, so enthusiastic, so confident, Everything just seemed to appear so easily to him. But how does the Lord respond? Now, He doesn't show disapproval. Tells us what He said there in verse 58. No disapproval there. But what the Lord Jesus Christ does see is beneath the surface, and of course he knows everything. Jesus knew this man was impulsive, and so he tests him. And just on sort of looking at that verse, think how we can consider the Lord's humility. The man calls him lord or master, which of course he is, as we know. And yet Haley was shunned. Foxes have got somewhere to live. And the birds have got their nest to sit in. But the son of man has nowhere to lie his head. Haley the lord was shunned, particularly and sadly by the religious people. But this man, of course, as we know, is a scribe. And what the Lord sees in this man underneath the claims is his egotism, even his self-deceit, his instability, and blind confidence in his own strength. I will follow you. I will follow you. Not I'll follow you with all that you will give me. I'll follow you and I'll go wherever you go. You see, the result of this encounter is silence. Because it tells us in the next verse, and he said to another, did this man follow Christ? I would be very dateful if he did. So what is the Lord Jesus Christ saying here? Beware of just having excited feelings. Beware of wanting just glory and advancement. What he's saying is, I don't want superficial devotion, I want the real thing. This man was fascinated by the Lord Jesus Christ. Many people are. But he was not convinced. It was impulse versus the will. I'm sure you've had people in your own lives, or in the fellowship, or maybe in other situations, we certainly have, where people come to faith in Christ, and they seem to be so on fire, and they seem to be so much for the Lord, and they want to do this, and they want to do that, and you think, wow, is this just what we need? And then, sin gets to get grip with them. Discouragement comes in. They turn away. Broken promises. How many people made wonderful promises at their baptism and have since broken them? It's heartbreaking, isn't it? Heartbreaking. You see, what Jesus is saying, count the cost. There's need for that before any resolution and self-sacrifice. Count the cost. Because becoming a follower of Jesus will include separation. It will include hardship. And we could look at someone that was quite... how the Lord changes impulsive people. Think of Peter, the apostle, shortly before the Lord was arrested. Don't worry about that lot. They may run away. I won't. I'll stay with you. I'll stay with you until death." And Jesus says, you know, this night you'll betray me three times. And what did the Peter do? He betrayed him three times and wept bitterly. But then we read and most of us probably would have given up on Peter. But we read in 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 9, who resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who has called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. And in 2 Peter 3 and verse 17, Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things, before lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. Isn't it a wonderful thing there's a person like Peter in the scriptures? Those of us that might be a bit impulsive, hey, the Lord changed him and he can do the same for us. You see, this man needed, this man, in verse 57, needed to consider. He was too quick. So we move to verse 59 and verse 60. And he said unto another, follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, let the dead bury their dead. Beget thou and preach the kingdom of God. Here's somebody who's Certainly not impulsive, he's cautious. He's the opposite really to the first character. He's willing, but he's not, he's unready, he's not ready. And he receives a call, doesn't he? He said unto another, follow me. That should have been sufficient. Follow me. Now when the Lord says that, to someone, to us, it involves two things. It involves trust and obedience. We obediently follow him and we trust him that wherever he leads us will be in his will and his purposes for us in the best impossible way. And it's not, it just says follow me. It doesn't say follow me when you've done this or done that or done the other. And that's the message of the Gospel today. It's follow me. It's turn to Christ. It's repent of your sins. Not when things may be a bit different, when this happens, when that happens, or the other happens. It's immediate. Fully. And it's continual. Now what was his response? He said, Lord, suffer me for us to go and bury my father. Now, we have to remember this, that in those days, when someone died, like this man's father, who he says here, the funerals would be held on the same day. So, this is not literal, the sense that this man's father has just died and he wants to go and bury him. because the funeral will be held the same day as the death and the family involved could not emerge until it was over. What the Lord Jesus Christ is seeing in this man's problem is his home toy's problem. Let me stay at home until the death of my father. Now when he's gone, I'm free. I'll follow you. I want, first of all, to be free from my filial duty to my father. A man doesn't, he seems to be wary and reflective, even to excess. Now, notice, he's not despising and he's not scoffing at the claims of Christ. What he's doing, he's putting other things, in this case his family, before him. He was, in a sense, procrastinating. What he wants is the best of both worlds. He wants the material bit and the spiritual bit. Oh yes, his intention is to serve, serve the Gospel. But a bit later on, not just right now. And Christ saw through this man perfectly. Yes, he saw a measure of devotion in this man's life. So the way that the Lord Jesus Christ responds is with the intention of correcting him and stimulating him in that devotion that he's already shown. And we need to recognise the relative values in conflicting duties. But the Lord said, let the spiritually dead do the work that needs no spiritual life. And we must always give precedence to primary duty. And there's only being spiritually alive can save us from being spiritually dead. And so we move to the third one, verses 61 and 62. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but first let me go bid them farewell, which are in my house. And Jesus said unto him, no man having put his hand to the plow, looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. This man is not impulsive, he's not cautious, he's vacillating. Look at his decision. I will follow thee. Now again, it's very good in itself. We are, are we not, as the hymn says, we are to trust and obey, for there is no other way. And is it not true, as believers, we would say that the Lord Jesus Christ is to have disposal of our lives, to use us as he sees fit. This man's intentions in 61, verse 61, they were sincere. And they meant them at the time. It could be an apparent determination, but in truth, it's just irresolution. because his offer was temporised. I'll follow you, but first, let me go home and say farewell in my home. He had a desire, but in reality, he was weak. Possibly he might be afraid of losing some of his friends. What will people say if I become a Christian? What will they think if I talk about Jesus? Maybe he was a problem causing upsets in the family. This can be a very severe problem for many people. People who follow another religion, who are converted and come out of that religion. It's very, very, very hard, isn't it? I'm sure we've all read testimonies in the magazines that come up from the persecuted church of what happens to people who become believers in a Muslim household, or in a Buddhist household, or a Hindu household, or an atheistic household, or even, dare I say, a religious household. What this man needs to do, and any would-be follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, They need to examine themselves. He needed to examine himself and come to a definite decision. Possibly the home ties were too strong. But look at the danger this man was in. What Jesus says, no man, not just some, not most, but no man having put his hand to the play and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. You see, if the Lord has said to him, yeah, okay, off you go, go off home, have a good time, or whatever it may be, come back sometime when you're ready. So easy to forget the cause, isn't it? How many people have said to you in the last six months, I'll give you a ring, and you still haven't heard from them? You know, so easy, isn't it? Put things on. I'll do this, and you never get rained to doing it. And maybe this man would go back home and have a nice dinner, watch a big match on TV, well not even then, but today. I wonder how many Christians will come out tonight and sacrifice the unenviable joy of seeing England play in the World Cup. Heavenly will give in to temptation and watch that match instead of being in the Lord's house. You see, Jesus doesn't want superficial, half-hearted followers, does he? So easy to forget these things and not return. And feelings always change when you look back. And sometimes there is a need for complete severance from things of the past. He talks about the plough. It needs undivided tension. I've never done any ploughing. I know if you don't keep your eye on the ball, you go all over the place. I know they've got machines to do it today, which are all done by satellites, but in these days, you needed straight to keep your eye fixed, so you were going straight. You need to keep your eyes looking front. What's ahead? That way you make a straight furrow. And this man, he needed concentration. He was too soft. So, you have three types here. You could call one speedy, slow and soft. And I have to ask myself, where am I in this list? Probably in all three. But, by the grace of God, we can be moved and gracefully helped. Those who are impulsive can become steadfast. On the outside, by deliberation and dedication. On the Lord's side, by reception and transformation. Those that are cautious can become consecrated. There is always a great danger in delay. How can a person be so sure their good desires will continue? There is unworthiness and indecision. We cannot, in any area of our lives, put the Lord Jesus Christ last. We cannot ever act as a time server. there is a necessity for decision. And we must never postpone or delay in view of the future. Because we are told, are we not, that now is the accepted time, not only for salvation, but also for consecration. And the vacillating becomes wholehearted. So, summing up, The warm-hearted may be too speedy. The cold-hearted may be too slow. The half-hearted may be too soft. But the whole-hearted is straight and staunch and sincere. You see, first comes conversion, doesn't it? And then comes consecration and sanctification. as we grow in service for the Lord. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ has infinite wisdom to deal with the diverse excuses and causes, cases of human aspiration. And indeed, of course, there are many. But he knows perfectly what is in man. And this passage of Scripture is a warning. It's a warning to us that we stay fixed on Christ. Those of us who are believers, we stay fixed on Christ, that he is to be our true Lord, our true Master. And nothing, not even the most dearest person in this world should be able to keep us from the Lord Jesus Christ. And what a comfort it is as we would look around here this morning and realize that no one is beyond the Lord's reach and calling. We're only here this morning, those of us who are believers, because the Lord stepped into our lives and called us to himself. And what the Lord has done for us, he can do for so many, many other people, people that we may think they would never It would never happen, but it can. No one is beyond the Lord's reach and calling. That's one of the blessings of doing open air ministry, knocking on doors. No one is beyond the Lord's reach and you never know, He might be just using you or somebody else to reach that individual. What a blessing it is. to live for Christ. What an encouragement in the days in which we live to know that the Lord Jesus Christ is not just in control of our lives, but is in control, full stop. What a joy it is to know that we're close to Him, or rather, should I say, He's close to us. There's nowhere we go, He doesn't go with us. No situation we go into, He doesn't go in with us. It'll take us out as well. And it's not just for now. It's forever. One day, every one of us here is going to cross over the river. And who'll be there to welcome us? The Lord Jesus Christ. Well done, our good and faithful servant. And surely, when we think of those things, the things of this earth surely go strangely dim. as we look in his glorious face. Let's pray for a moment, shall we? Our dear, gracious Lord and Heavenly Father, we thank you for this short passage of Scripture. It's hard teaching, but Lord, it's there. And we pray, Lord, you would minister to each and every one of us this morning. May we indeed know not only the blessing of being a believer in Christ, but we would know the enabling power of the Holy Spirit in our service for him. And we thank you, Lord, for graciously choosing us and for graciously using us. And we pray your continued blessing upon each and every one of us. For we ask this in the most precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our last hymn is number 541. I am trusting thee, Lord Jesus, trusting only thee, trusting thee for full salvation, great and free. Number 541. I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, trusting only Thee, trusting Thee for full salvation, great and free. I am trusting thee, forbidden, at thy feet we bow. All thy grace and tender mercy trusting now. I am trusting Thee for cleansing in the crimson flood, trusting Thee to make me holy by Thy blood. I am trusting Thee to save me. And I may be and ever be. I am trusting thee for power thine can never fail. Words which thou thyself shall give me must prevail. I am trusting thee, Lord Jesus, never let me fall. I am trusting thee forever. And they unto him that is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty to a million in power, both now and for ever. Amen.