Luke 9:57-62
What Stops Discipleship?
Chapter 9 is, to me, Luke’s chapter of discipleship. In the first 8
chapters, Jesus did the ministry, but in this chapter, Jesus had the
disciples doing more of the ministry. That trend will continue into
chapter 10 where Jesus appoints 70 more disciples to go out preach
the gospel.
As we saw last week, making disciples is no easy task. It is much
like trying to start a fire with wet wood. The flame is difficult to
start and easy to put out. To become a disciple, one must fight
against the devil, the world, and his own flesh. I noticed some of
the battles with the flesh in this chapter. Before we leave it,
let’s note a few.
I. A lack of spiritual discernment will stop discipleship.
Luke 9:43 And they were all amazed at the mighty
power of God. But while they wondered every one
at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his
disciples,
44 Let these sayings sink down into your ears:
for the Son of man shall be delivered into the
hands of men.
45 But they understood not this saying, and it
was hid from them, that they perceived it not:
and they feared to ask him of that saying.
A. These disciples were about to go through some tough times.
1. \\#51\\ Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem.
2. Why? To die. Jesus made that very clear:
Luke 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer
many things, and be rejected of the elders and
chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be
raised the third day.
Luke 9:44 Let these sayings sink down into your
ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into
the hands of men.
3. Much lay ahead:
a. The betrayal of Jesus by one of His own
b. Jesus’ arrest without cause
c. An unjust trial
d. Unmerciful beatings
e. The condemnation of an innocent Man
e. Then Jesus’ cruel crucifixion
f. After which, for three days the disciples would be
alone and frightened
g. Then, on the third day, events that they could not
fathom.
4. It is no wonder that we will find Peter with several
disciples saying, "I go a fishing."
5. I imagine Matthew was looking for his tax forms and Nathan
was hunting for a fig tree to lean against.
B. Yet, as Jesus was trying to prepare them for what was
to happen, they had no perception of it at all!
1. Why? They lacked spiritual discernment.
2. Without spiritual discernment, discipleship will fail!
C. What is spiritual discernment?
1. It is the ability to perceive the mind of God.
2. Discernment is not a science.
a. God does not open His will, His reason, and His ways
up like one would open an encyclopedia.
b. Discernment comes from:
(1) Knowing the Bible.
(2) Being able to hear from the Holy Spirit
concerning His intentions.
c. The key to all of this is being able to hear the Holy
Spirit.
3. These disciples were at a steep disadvantage.
a. The Holy Spirit had not yet been given so these men
were left to what the human man and reasoning could
figure out.
b. In addition, sinful flesh can refuse to process truth,
even contort truth into something that it is not.
(1) If you want to know how that works just look
around.
(2) Christians with Bibles in their hands tell their
friends, family, and co-workers the truth about
what is happening today and about who Jesus is,
but their own flesh refuses to hear their
message and instead contorts the message into
some kind of hatful cry.
(3) At this point, although the disciples were good
men, their own flesh was refusing the words that
Jesus spoke.
(4) No one will or can be a disciple of Jesus who
does lacks spiritual discernment.
II. Pride and self-promotion will stop discipleship.
Luke 9:46 Then there arose a reasoning among
them, which of them should be greatest.
A. Here we have the potential disciples trying to answer the
question, "Who is to be the greatest?"
1. Their debate shows that even God-called disciples are not
perfect.
a. They can be filled with pride, selfish ambition, self-
promotion.
b. Again, we see it in our world today.
(1) Pastors and preachers living in million dollar
houses, driving hundred thousand dollar cars
while a world starves for both spiritual and
physical food.
(2) Even on a more moderate scale, preachers bragging
about their sermons or their numbers or the
blessings that God has given to them.
2. But selfishness whether in large or small volumes have
and will destroy discipleship.
B. To combat pride, we must apply the principals of God’s Word.
1. There is no such thing as a great person, only a God who
can use people greatly.
a. God is the One who calls us, anoints, uses us.
1Cor 12:18 But now hath God set the members every
one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
b. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be our best
for God, but our best is made possible only by God’s
grace.
2. The greatest servant is not the one who leads the most
people but the one who serves the most people.
Mt 23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall
be your servant.
a. I’m not against numbers. In truths, if I had a few
good numbers, I’d probably brag on them too.
b. But most often, it is not what others hear us say but
what they see us doing that influences their lives.
III. \\#48-56\\ A lack of graciousness will stop discipleship.
Luke 9:48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall
receive this child in my name receiveth me: and
whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that
sent me: for he that is least among you all, the
same shall be great.
A. To help the disciples combat their own selfish ambition, He
drew a child close to Him and told them to receive him.
1. To receive means to accept, to take in.
2. I do not know that Jesus was advocating adoption here, but
He was indicating that the way to get over being selfish
is to focus on others.
Others, yes, others, Lord.
Let this my motto be.
Help me to live for others, Lord,
That I may life for Thee.
3. A focus on others—Perhaps not so much to change the world
but to at least change the life for another.
B. Quite often we think that discipleship is the preaching of the
right doctrine.
1. And doctrine is important.
2. But the mark of Christianity is not just our doctrine.
3. It is our love.
Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are
my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
C. Jesus had occasion to teach that to James and John as they
journey to Jerusalem.
Luke 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was
come that he should be received up, he stedfastly
set his face to go to Jerusalem,
52 And sent messengers before his face: and they
went, and entered into a village of the
Samaritans, to make ready for him.
53 And they did not receive him, because his
face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
54 And when his disciples James and John saw
this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command
fire to come down from heaven, and consume them,
even as Elias did?
55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye
know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy
men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to
another village.
IV. The love of comfort will stop discipleship.
Luke 9:57 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.
58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes,
and birds of the air have nests; but the Son
of man hath not where to lay his head.
A. By this point, Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem.
1. Some wanted to make the journey with Him, not knowing what
was going to happen.
2. Jesus steered the weak of spirit away.
a. it wasn’t difficult.
b. Jesus just told them there were no beds.
c. If these people could not endure a journey with no
pillow, they would never endure what was going to
happen in Jerusalem.
B. It is entirely logical and reasonable to desire comfort.
1. I prefer a bed to a sleeping bag.
2. I prefer to ride rather than walk.
3. …to rest than to work.
4. …to be cool than to be hot.
5. …to be warm than to be cold.
6. …to sit on something soft rather than hard.
7. …to eat something good rather than bad.
C. The problem is when we let our love and desire for comfort
Keep us from doing and enduring God’s will for us.
1. We must guard ourselves against loving the elements of
this world too much.
2. That is part of the purpose of a fast, to deliberately
deprive yourself of that which you desire.
3. So do without from time to time to see if you are willing
and able.
V. Having a first love for family will stop discipleship.
Luke 9:59 And he said unto another, Follow me.
But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and
bury my father.
60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their
dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
A. God does not want us to hate our family or to do them
injustice or a disservice.
1. That is not God.
2. But God desires and demands a love and loyalty to Him that
far excels our love and loyalty to anyone else, including
those we love the most.
B. I spoke with a preacher-friend (Leroy Curry) this week and as
we spoke, he told me about an event in his life.
1. He was called to preach as a youngster and began to
preach when he was about 12 years old.
2. At one point in his life, he meet and became engaged to a
beautiful young girl. They were making plans to be
married.
a. One day, the mother met him with a shot gun and told
him to give up preaching, plan on moving into the
town in which they lived, and get a job or the
wedding was off.
b. He loved the girl and the girl loved him but he told
the mother, the girl and her father. "Then the
wedding is off."
c. He was filling in at the local church and the girl’s
father was on the board of that church.
d. He told the father they would need to find someone
else to attend to the needs of the church, packed up,
and left.
3. My friend did not sacrifice a wife forever,
a. God gave him a bride to whom he has now been married
for around 50 years.
b. But at the time, he was willing to surrender the love
of his life for Jesus.
4. So should we all!
VI. Looking back will stop discipleship.
Luke 9:61 And another also said, Lord, I will
follow thee; but let me first go bid them
farewell, which are at home at my house.
62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put
his hand to the plough, and looking back, is
fit for the kingdom of God.
A. The idea of looking back is the idea of…
1. …counting your loses.
2. …wanting to return.
B. God gave us some examples of those who did this:
1. Lot’s wife-Looking back, counting her loses and wanting
to go back, God turned her into a pillar of salt.
2. Israel coming out of Egypt-Looking back, counting their
loses and wanting to go back, God judged them with fiery
serpents.
C. Then God gave us an example of those who did not look back.
1. Abraham and Sarah when they left their home and family for
a country they did not know.
2. No matter what the difficulties, they never looked back
nor desired to return.
D. As God’s disciples, there will be some difficult days but what
God has promised to those who follow Him is so superior to
anything this world offers.
1. At one time in my life, I took those promises entirely by
faith.
2. But now, I see how God has blessed me in this life and it
makes looking into eternity so much easier.
Discipleship-God calls every Christian to discipleship. God, the
church, the Holy Ghost—all call you to serve God with all that you
have, but the devil, the world, and the flesh fight to keep us earth-
bound. Please do not let it!
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