Key Verse: Luke 9

Ice-breaker:

Q.  If you could listen to only one song for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

 There are many people who think following Christ is easy.  They may think all their problems will now be gone, they will have no fear, and they will be happy all of the time. 

There are those who may only want to follow Christ for what He can give them but they are not truly following with their hearts.

It is not enough to say we want to follow Christ, but we must mean it in our hearts. 

In our text, Jesus is talking to three men.  They were literally talking with Jesus and had the opportunity to follow Him, but they all had excuses not to follow Him.

Luke 9:57 – 62 (NIV) 

In Luke 9:57, this man verbally followed Christ but did not follow Christ in his heart.  He only wanted Jesus for what he could get from Him.  Jesus responds to him in a way that shows us that He knows this man’s heart.

Luke 16:15 (NIV) 

Q.  In Luke 57, this man seemed to be interested in following Jesus for personal gain. Have you ever found yourself drawn to following Christ with selfish motives or expecting personal benefits? How can we shift our focus to genuine devotion and selfless dedication to Christ?

1. GOD KNOWS MY HEART!

Luke 9:58 (NIV)

God always knows what is going on in our hearts.  Jesus knows this man’s intentions.  This man did not fully understand what it meant to follow Jesus.  He wanted this man to realize that he did not know exactly what he was asking.

Luke 9: 23-24 (NIV)

We must die to ourselves daily to find life in Him.

Q. What are some common misconceptions or misunderstandings people might have about following Jesus? How can we gain a deeper understanding of what it truly means to be His disciple?

2. I SHOULD FOLLOW CHRIST BECAUSE I CAN HAVE JOY, BE COMPLETE, AND NOT LACK ANYTHING THROUGH TRIALS.

This does not mean we are going to be happy all of the time, but we can have joy through Jesus.

 James 1:2-4 (NIV)

We can look forward to trials in Jesus’ name.

We won’t always have what we want, but we will have what we need.

We are made complete through Christ.

Q. How can we differentiate between happiness and joy in the context of following Christ? How does having joy in Jesus help us navigate through trials and difficult times?

3. GOD IS BOTH PATIENTLY WAITING FOR ME AND PURSUING ME.

Luke 9:59-60 (NIV)

This man is the only one of the three that Jesus approached. The other two men approached Jesus. 

Jesus reaches people differently, therefore, we cannot compare ourselves to others and their testimonies. 

He pursued this man as He pursues us. 

Isaiah 30:18 (NIV)

God cannot wait to show us His love!    He longs to show us His grace and mercy.  We can have a Jesus encounter whenever we want because He is always pursuing us!

Q. How does the idea of God patiently waiting for us and pursuing us impact our understanding of His love and grace? How can this truth encourage us in our relationship with Him?

We are as close to God as we want to be.  He does not move, but we sometimes move away from Him.   He is always there.

 “Lord, first let me go_________.” 

There is nothing we can fill in this blank with that is sufficient enough to bring us peace or joy.

This man in verse 9:59 wanted to go bury his father first.  It is possible he just wanted to go get his inheritance. He wanted to go do this and then he would come back.

1st commandment: You shall have no other gods before me. 

 If you are willing to put something before God then that is your god.

It does not matter what it is.  It could be a good thing, but when it comes before Christ, it is a problem.

It could also be that this man’s father was spiritually dead not physically dead. Read the same verse in the NLT:

Luke 9:59-60 (NLT)

It is possible this man’s father would have talked him out of coming back.  Therefore, Jesus is telling this man not to follow him, but to leave him. 

4. I SHOULD FOLLOW CHRIST BECAUSE HE IS CONCERNED WITH ETERNAL LIFE, NOT DEATH.

God wants us to have peace and joy here on earth, but not only is He concerned with this life, He is also concerned with eternal life.

Another reason why people may not truly follow Christ is because of their past.  They may doubt themselves because of past struggles.  Wanting to go back to what they knew before, what they knew was comfortable. 

 Luke 9: 61-62 (NIV) 

Genesis 19: 17 (NIV); Genesis 19: 26 (NIV) 

Anytime we go back, it leads to destruction.  There is nothing good back there.

Q. Why is it important to recognize that following Christ is not solely about experiencing peace and joy in this life, but also about the eternal life that God offers? How does this perspective influence our priorities and decisions?

5. I SHOULD NOT LOOK BACK AT WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY RESCUED ME FROM BECAUSE IT WILL LEAD TO DESTRUCTION. 

2 Peter 2: 21(NIV)  

If we are unknowingly doing the wrong thing, at least we think we are doing the right thing, but, once we realize this is the wrong thing and we continually do the wrong thing, this leads to destruction.

Luke 9:62 (NIV)

If we keep looking back, Jesus cannot bring us forward.  Just as we read about Lot’s wife in Genesis 19, she was already free, she was out, but she decided to look back.

We do not need to get stuck in our past.  We cannot walk forward and look back at the same time.

Q. It is crucial not to dwell on past mistakes or things God has already rescued us from.

(Leader, select from one of the following):

A. How can constantly looking back hinder our progress in following Jesus?

B. What are some examples of how looking back can hinder our progress in following Jesus?

6. LOOK FORWARD TO WHERE JESUS IS LEADING YOU.

God wants to do something in our lives.  He wants to do a work in our lives for His glory.

Coming to Christ is not about us.  He gives us love for his people.

SERMON IN A SENTENCE:

WHEN I WHOLEHEARTEDLY FOLLOW CHRIST, I RELEASE THE PAST, PURSUE ETERNAL LIFE, EXPERIENCE JOY AND PEACE IN TRIALS, AND EAGERLY ANTICIPATE GOD’S GUIDANCE.

Challenge: Differentiate between happiness and joy in your daily life. How can you cultivate joy through Jesus even during trials and difficult times? Seek to find joy in Christ’s presence and purpose, regardless of external circumstances.