Setting: Contemporary Worship
Length: 36:18
Audio starts automatically. You can follow along with the notes.
Downloading instructions are below.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Title: Quick and Slows Responses to Discipleship, part 1 of 2
Main Scripture: Matthew 8:18-22
Main Topics: Discipleship, commitment, quick response, falling away, teacher of the law
As you listen, select, copy, and paste the following outline:
-in the book of Matthew, we are in a section on the miracles of Jesus and the various responses of the people to those miracles and to Jesus Himself
-this section is Matthew 8:1 – 9:38
-a section that has 10 miracles listed…..
-here, we find that the miracles are divided into sections
-section of 3…3…4
-and in between the sections are the various response of the
people to Jesus
* we have finished the first set of 3 miracles…and we will encounter responses to Jesus
-now, these responses to Jesus center around a key issue
-the issue is discipleship
-and so, we could say….
These responses are about discipleship
-about following Jesus
-“follow” is a key word in this section
The NIV actually puts a title on this section: the cost of following
Jesus
-that NIV title is not the word of God, but it’s helpful
-I believe it’s accurate
-these 2 men that approach Jesus in 8:18-22….Jesus talks to them
about the cost of discipleship
Remember where Jesus is….
-He is ministering around the Sea of Galilee
-almost his entire ministry is in the North….in Galilee
Remember also that people were constantly around Him
-to the crowd, Jesus is a sensation
-no one spoke with such authority
-no one performed miracles with such authority
-and so the crowds were always pressed against Him wherever He went
Remember also that the demands of the ministry were quite taxing on Jesus
-yes, He is God
-but He is also fully man, and so he experiences all the human emotions
and physical needs such has hunger and fatigue
-there will come times when He has to withdraw from the crowd to
pray or to rest
-When Jesus saw the crowd around him (v.18), he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.
-though we are not told why….my hunch is that Jesus needed to
rest
-I get that by reading v.24 when he gets into the boat, he will
sleep
And so, he is about to cross the lake
-now whenever he separates himself like that…he takes his inner circle
of disciples with him
-the ones who have made a serious commit to be his disciple
-and the rest of the crowd…those that follow him but only from a distance are left behind
Suddenly out of that crowd come 2 people who have followed Jesus from a distance but are now ready to reveal themselves…ready to respond to Jesus
* a teacher of the law or scribe
* an someone else…referred to as…. “another disciple”
* 2 people, 2 different responses…
…Let’s use 2 words to describe their response….quick & slow
-now, there are many kinds of responses to Jesus, these 2 men represent
polar opposites….one is quick, the other is slow
-hence the title of today’s sermon….not catchy but to the point: Quick and Slow Responses to Discipleship
Today is part 1
-today will be the quick response
-next week, Lord willing, will be the slow response to discipleship
19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
* I am going to use teacher of the law and scribe interchangeably…
-same person….
-he comes to Jesus and says, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
-This is huge….
-that a teacher would commit to follow another teacher….
-he is a teacher of the law
-an expert in the law
-the Bible sometimes call him a “lawyer”
-for his job was to create and expound the laws of Israel
-to create the traditions of Israel
* to get to that level…you had to start studying full time at the age of 14 until age 40 when you are then ordained as a teacher of the law
-this is huge…that an ordained teacher or scribe would make this kind of commitment to another teacher
-this would mean, he would have to give up his career and circle of colleagues….the other scribes and follow Jesus
-not only this, but there is something else that makes this huge
-What makes this huge is the fact that Jesus constantly attacked the teachers of the law for being hypocritical and self-righteousness
-they were Jesus’ enemies
-the great sermon on the mount made it clear that Jesus and the
teachers of the laws were at odds
-the crowd was well aware the teachers/scribes did not endorse
Jesus because of his constant criticism of them
-here comes a scribe who wants to commit to Jesus
-I’m sure the crowd was in shock…..
* one scholar called this a miracle….that a teacher of the law would want to be Jesus’ disciple
-this scholar lists this as miracle #4: you know, leper,
servant of centurion, Peter’s mother in law, scribe…
-nice try, but I don’t think so…
-it is surprising, but it is not a miracle
-this is a story about discipleship…
-anyway….the scribe is ready to be Jesus’ disciple
-some in the crowd might think that that is exactly what Jesus needs
-that this is the big break Jesus needs…..
-ENDORSEMENT from the spiritual leadership of Israel
-I don’t think so…
-hey, if Jesus wanted their endorsement, he would have spent his time in Jerusalem down south
-he could get plenty of converts from the leaders of Israel
-but He is not interested in their endorsement
-He would deliberately stay away from Jerusalem until the FINAL WEEK of his life…he would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey ready to give his life
-the kingdom of heaven does not need the endorsement of people
-the spiritual leadership rejected Him and so Jesus stays up
north
* remember the great forerunner of Jesus? John the Baptist
-he didn’t exactly hang out in Jerusalem either
-he was a voice crying out in the wilderness….
-neither the forerunner nor Jesus himself sought the approval of
the leaders of Israel
-so, Jesus stays away….the teachers of the law hate him….but here comes this one teacher of the law, almost miraculously, saying….
"Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
-wherever you go
-lit: wherever you are departing
-like saying: Jesus, I don’t know where you are going right now
-if you are departing to the other side…I want to go too…
-that sounds pretty good doesn’t it?
-what he says is the essence of discipleship
-to follow Jesus everywhere
-but Jesus is able to look into our hearts
-he is able to look beyond our words and see what is behind the words
-and so, looking beyond the words of the teacher of the law, Jesus replies…
20 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
-almost out of the blue, Jesus speaks about foxes and birds
-typical of Jesus to dip into animal kingdom to make his point
-Foxes dig holes
-complex underground homes where they live
-ever see them on those animals shows?
-then, foxes go out and hunt….but they always have a den to
come back to
-Birds have nests….no matter how far they fly
-they always have a home to come back to….
-but Jesus….
-he has no place to lay his head
-in other words, he doesn’t have his own home
-when I was in junior high at Pennbrook Junior High School in North
Wales, PA
-I learned in Social Studies with Mr. Roebuck…who was also my football coach….that a human needs 3 things to live: food, clothing, and shelter
-3 basic things we need to live
-not having one of them would make life very difficult
-if you did not have a permanent shelter, think of how hard life would be
-not having a home…being homeless…that is a difficult life
-now, Jesus probably came from a middle class upbringing,
scholars believe that his family owned a home
-but, Jesus chose a lifestyle of not owning a home
-no place to lay his head
-was a figure of speech for not owning a home
-not that Jesus is against owning a home,
-his disciples owned homes
-but….Jesus truly chose a difficult life
-and Jesus is not against having money and material things either
-his own disciples had money
-Judas was even the treasurer in charge of their funds
-funds they often distributed to the poor
-they must have had enough….cause, Judas kept stealing from
it…!
-so, Jesus is not against material things…
-but his life was a difficult one
-though he is God
-though he existed in heaven in all glory and majesty, He willingly humbles Himself…becoming a man
-the king of kings who owns all things lives a life of owning nothing
-nothing except the clothes on his back
-and even those were divided among the Roman soldiers who
cast lots for them when He died on the cross
-and as He hung on that cross, the Apostle John was there witnessing the event; Jesus cries out – “it is finished”
-John hears those final words…and writes down… “with that, he laid his head”
-as if to say….Jesus had no place to lay his head while he lived…now on the cross and in His death, he finally lays his head
-Truly, Jesus lived a hard life
-back in Matthew 8…
* to mention foxes and birds is to talk about how humble and difficult the life of Jesus is…..that even animals have it better than Jesus !
* Jesus truly had NO TIES to this material world
-Plummer: Jesus’ life began in a borrowed stable and ended in a borrowed tomb.
[the phrase “son of man” is very important….I will deal with it in the near future]
-the scribes wants to follow Jesus, but Jesus speaks of how hard his life
is
-what is going on here?
-why does not Jesus just let the scribe come along?
-could it be that the scribe does not know how hard following Jesus is?
-could it be that the scribe did not count the cost of discipleship
* could it be that this scribe responded TOO QUICKLY ?
-without counting the cost
-Jesus is able to READ HEARTS and what he sees inside is a heart that does not really understand how hard it is follow Jesus
-to talk about foxes and birds and how Jesus himself has it hard is to say: listen, you speak too quickly…..count the cost first….
Notice, Jesus does not criticizes the words of the scribe…
-there is nothing wrong with his words
-they are awesome words
-but we can say AWESOME WORDS and really mean it….but still
not understand what it takes TO BACK THOSE WORDS
-for example…
-you might say: I am going to exercise everyday….and really mean it, but still not understand the commitment and sacrifice it takes
-you might mean every new year’s resolution you made, but still not understand what it takes to do them
-Peter in Matt. 26:33
"Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will."
-he really meant it
-but, he did not count the cost
-in the Garden of Gethsemane
-I’m sure they really meant to pray
-but they did not understand what it costs….
When Jesus returns and finds them sleeping, he says in
Matthew 26:41
“…the spirit is willing but the body is weak…”
Matthew 8:19, the scribe says….
"Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
-I’m sure the scribe meant it with all his heart
his spirit is willing….but….he did not understand the cost
of such a commitment to follow Jesus
* Strong words do not automatically mean a strong commitment
* funny how in today’s church….if some one says the right thing, we get all excited
-if anyone spoke strong words about following Jesus like the scribe did, the church would jump all over that guy and make him an elder
-if someone said strong words about following Jesus, we’d be sharing about him with others
-“did you hear what so and so said…I was soooo blessed
by what he said….”
-Jesus is not sooo blessed by what the scribe says….Jesus sees the heart
John 2:23-24
23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.
24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men.
-wow, people believed in his name?
-but Jesus still does not trust them?
-is there such a thing as shallow faith that will eventually fizzle out?
Matthew 13:3-6, 20-21
3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
[v.20]
20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
Back to Matthew 8….
-so, the scribe wants to follow Jesus
-Jesus explains how hard it is to be His disciple
-and what happens to the scribe?
-look at the Bible…what happens to the scribe….how does he respond
to Jesus’ answer?
-Matthew does not tell us….
-I find that striking.
-striking that the end result is not mentioned
* I want to know what happened to the scribe, don’t you?
-did he get in the boat with Jesus and cross over?
-did he walk away?
* I want to know what happened to the scribe….
-but Matthew does not tell us
-now, that’s unusual since in all the other stories, the end result is
always mentioned
-we know what happened to the leper, the centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother in law, etc.
-but here, we don’t know
* it’s like what happens to the scribe is not the point
* that somehow, this is NOT a story about a scribe that wants to follow
Jesus
* if it was, we would have the end result
* this is really not a story….it is really an object lesson about
discipleship
* the problem of people making quick decisions for Jesus and then falling away…not counting the cost
Today’s church must take the lesson to heart
-because the story about the scribe is not really a story about a scribe…it is a lesson for all us who commit to follow Jesus
-that it IS a hard life
-that it does require big time discipline and lasting commitment
-that it does require picking up the cross, denying yourself and following Him
-all that Jesus requires from us…..it’s hard
* you and I know that in today’s church…one of the biggest problems is flaking
-flakes are OK in cereal and pie crusts but not in our
commitment
-quick decisions that flake away….we need to stop and count
the cost
let’s confirm that…
Jesus does not want a quick response, He wants a lasting commitment.
After hearing the words of Jesus, you may get a picture of Jesus being this tough guy
-a military drill sergeant who has no feeling
-like: OK…commit or get out…..
* and you know that is not the case
-even last week we saw how sensitive and caring and compassionate Jesus was in healing all those in need
* Jesus is a balance of toughness and compassion
Following Jesus, if your commitment is genuine, then your life will get difficult….it will be tough
-but when you fail….Jesus will show you His mercy
-Let’s end part 1…with the story of Mark
-John Mark….was his full name…
-the writer of the Gospel of Mark
-when he was young, he was an intern with Paul and Barnabas
-in Acts 15:36-40 Paul and Barnabus are ready to start another missions trip
-Barnabus wants to take Mark
-but Paul is tough…he does not think taking Mark is a good idea because Mark’s commitment was too quick….he quickly
committed but later he deserted them
-Paul didn’t like that….to Paul, Mark did not count the cost of
discipleship
-the Bible says in v.39, they had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company….Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,
40 but Paul chose Silas and left
-who is right?
-Paul was tough….if you flake….go home
-Barnabus says NO…..Mark is genuine…he just made a mistake, give him a second chance…we all fail…so many times…
-who is right?
-Time passes….
-Paul writes much later in 2 Timothy 4:11
-there he speaks of all the people who deserted him
-in other words…people who made quick commitments but flaked in the end
-then he tells Timothy….in v.11
11 …Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.
-I guess…Barnabus was right
-even when our commitment is real…we still fail so many
times
-even the very best….turn away at times…
-but He is the giver of a second chance….
-to those who genuinely love Him
-to those He calls His own….He will hold on to…to the very end
Click for part 2:
Part 1 mentions the quick response found in the parable of the sower. Click:
For the complete collection of recorded audios on Matthew, click:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
To download
RIGHT click over the headphones and click "save target as"
Click back to sermons & presentations:
For more topics, click PT Writings:
For new releases, click the jukebox
