I will be preaching this Sunday from Luke 9:51-62. In verses 51-56 the disciples and Jesus have two very different reactions to the lack of hospitality from the Samaritan village. In verses 57-62 Jesus addresses the cost of following Jesus. In Luke 9:23 Jesus first began addressing what it means to be a follower of Christ. “whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a pastor in Germany during World War II. He wrote the classic work on discipleship entitled, “The Cost of Discipleship”. We have a paradox it seems in the Christian faith. A paradox means that two things seem to be in contrast yet upon closer examination they are closely connected. This is the case with grace and what it means to follow Jesus. God’s grace is freely received by faith. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. We are freely extended forgiveness and eternal life merely by asking in faith. Is that all there is to the Christian life? No. After salvation the process of “sanctification” begins. What is “sanctification”? It is the growth process that happens after we become followers of Jesus. “Sanctification” means two things. 1) to be set apart.  2) to be cleansed. When we come to Jesus in saving faith we are set apart from the world for the purpose of glorifying God in all we do. We are set apart to be filled with the Holy Spirit and radiate the love of Christ to this lost, broken and confused world. The cleansing has two parts. There is cleansing that happens when we are first saved. Our sins are washed away and we are given the “righteousness of Christ”. II Cor. 5:21 Secondarily, the normal pattern it seems would be a growth in holiness as we choose to intentionally live differently then the world. So what is the “cost of discipleship”? It is costly to say “no” to myself and what I want. The world says, “indulge yourself”. Jesus says, “deny yourself”. Paul makes it clear in Romans that we are not to be dominated by our earthly, fleshly desires. They shouldn’t “rule” over us. This is part of the “cost of discipleship”. I believe this is a lifelong pursuit. I believe it is very counter cultural. Our world says, “satisfy yourself”. Jesus says live to serve God and others.
God Bless You
Pastor Drew
