Luke 9:57-62

Luke 9:57-62

1. The first of these sayings was addressed to one who offered to be a disciple unconditionally, and of his own accord.
2. The second of our Lord's sayings is addressed to one whom Jesus invited to follow Him.
3. The third of our Lord's sayings in this passage was addressed to one who volunteered to follow Him, but marred the grace of His offer by interposing a request.

"Salvation He is ready to bestow, without money and without price. Grace by the way, and glory in the end, shall be given to every sinner who comes to Him. But He would not have us ignorant that we shall have deadly enemies--the world, the flesh, and the devil, and that many will hate us, slander us, and persecute us, if we become His disciples. He does not wish to discourage us, but He does wish us to know the truth."

"Funerals, and marriages, and visits of courtesy, and the like, unquestionably are not in themselves sinful. But when they are allowed to absorb a believer's time, and keep him back from any plain religious duty, they become a snare to his soul."

"No doubt we are to honor father and mother, and love all around us. But when love to Christ and love to relatives come in collision, Christ must have the preference. We must be ready, like Abraham, if needs be, to come out from kindred and father's house for Christ's sake. We must be prepared in case of necessity, like Moses, to turn our backs even on those who have brought us up, if God calls us, and the path is plain."

Questions:

1. Dear brother or sister, have we counted the cost of following Jesus? Does suffering for Christ surprise or discourage us? What are areas you have paid this cost?

2. Ryle says that, although funerals and the such are unquestionably not sinful, the Christian has a priority to serve the Kingdom of God. What has the priority in our lives? Are our days taken up with the pleasures or trials of the world, or with God’s kingdom work?

3. “We might not be faced with making the same sacrifices as in Christ’s day,” says Ryle, “but the heart of man never changes.” If faced with a decision between Christ and family, how quick would we be to choose Christ?