Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

This is the second installment in our Decibels series. In this series, we’re exploring how to live out loud. How to crank up the volume of our faith so that everyone can hear it.

Last week God called us to shout with our friendships.

This week, his challenge to us is to shout with our priorities.

In Luke 9, Jesus lays down a gauntlet to people who want to follow him. His challenge to all of his followers is to realign their priorities with his priorities. This will mean bucking against cultural trends and traditions. Aligning our priorities with those of Jesus will set us apart from the crowd and it will crank the volume of the faith we have in our lives.

Let’s get into God’s Word. “As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.”

Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62, NIV)

Wow. Kind of sounds like Jesus took his grumpy pill that morning, doesn’t it? There is a movement today that is trying to relegate Jesus to nothing more than a good teacher and a nice guy. Let me ask you, does a nice guy prohibit a son from going to his father’s funeral? Was it nice of Jesus to tell another guy, “No, you can’t go back and say goodbye to your family before you come with me”?

By our standards, that really makes Jesus sound like more of a jerk than a nice guy. So what do we do with these demands of Jesus? We dig in and find the core principles that he wants us to learn. Jesus didn’t say these things because he was in a bad mood. He said them because he wants us to count the cost. This passage is all about the cost of following Jesus.

The paradox of being a Christ-follower is that God’s grace is free, but following Jesus costs me everything. That’s deep, so let me say it again. God’s grace is free, but following Jesus costs me everything.

There is nothing we can do to earn God’s grace and forgiveness. We can never be good enough to deserve it. It’s a gift that’s free given.

But after we accept that grace gift, there is something that we must offer God in response: our lives. Nothing held back. The cost is that we live for God’s purposes instead of our own. We sacrifice the priorities we have for our lives and instead pursue the priorities that God has for our lives.

There were three guys that came to Jesus in our text. And through each one of these men, Jesus reveals a hard priority for those of us who call ourselves Christ-followers.

Let’s look at the first man’s encounter with Jesus. “As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man [which is a title Jesus used to describe himself] has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:57-58, NIV)

This guy comes to Jesus and said, “Jesus, I’m yours. Wherever you go, I’ll follow you.”

But Jesus wants to be sure this man has counted the cost of his commitment. Jesus says, “You want to follow me? Ok, great. I don’t have a home. No warm bed to climb into at night. Nothing. I’m a homeless nomad. Are you sure you want to follow me?”

It’s not that Jesus didn’t want this man as a follower. It’s that Jesus wanted him to count the cost upfront. Jesus wanted this fellow to know that his priorities would have to change.

He would have to be willing to live uncomfortably. This is the first priority of someone who wants to follow Christ. We’ve got to be willing to sacrifice our comfort.

Jesus told this guy, “Hey, I’d love to have you as a disciple of mine, but I just want you to know it’s not going to be an easy ride. You may not even have a bed to sleep in at night. Are you willing to live uncomfortably for me?”

And Jesus asks us that very same question. “Are you willing to sacrifice your comfort for my sake?”

It’s easy to see how this priority flies in the face of what our culture believes is important. Think about some of these advertising slogans that we’ve seen over the years.

“Everyone deserves nice stuff.” (Rent-a-Center)

“Because you’re worth it.” (L’Oreal)

“Have it your way.” (Burger King)

What’s the bottom line message in these slogans? It’s all about you. Your comfort, your convenience, your pleasure, your satisfaction, that’s what counts. That’s the priority of our lives. Our comfort.

But then here comes Jesus, saying the exact opposite. His call is for us to live uncomfortably for his sake. To sacrifice comfort and convenience because we follow Jesus.

Mike Foster is the founder of the Junky Car Club. These are a couple of the sweet rides driven by members of the club. You can see more on their website, junkycarclub.com.

The Junky Car Club’s slogan is “a car club committed to living with less so we can give more.”

Club members purposely drive old, beat up, junky cars so that they can have more money to give. Instead of having money tied up in car payments, some of them use that money to sponsor children in impoverished countries. Others give it to their churches.

Instead of pursuing their own comfort with a new car, they sacrifice their comfort so that they can be generous as God has commanded. Isn’t that awesome? I’m sure people make fun of them and their junky cars all the time. But they don’t care. They’re following Jesus’ call to live uncomfortably for his sake.

This is a legitimate question that every Christ-follower needs to ask: When was the last time I did something uncomfortable for Jesus?

Some of you are doing something uncomfortable for him right now. The church really hasn’t been a part of your life before, but now you’re here, checking it all out…and you’re uncomfortable. What I want you to hear is that Jesus is worth it. Your quest for God is worth it. It’s worth being uncomfortable for. Keep going.

But for others of us, the church has gotten as comfortable as a pair of old sweatpants. You’ve been part of it for so long that there’s nothing uncomfortable about it. Jesus has been part of your life for so long that there is a great comfort level there. And it’s possible that you never do anything uncomfortable for him anymore.

There is a consistent pattern in the Bible when it comes to being a follower of Jesus. It’s a pattern of always stretching beyond what’s comfortable. Always taking that next step outside your comfort zone.

What is God calling you to do that makes you really uncomfortable? What tough assignment has he laid in front of you? What risk is he calling you to take?

When we pursue our comfort, and convenience, and pleasure, then we really fit in very nicely with our “Have It Your Way” culture. But when we sacrifice our comfort, when we’re willing to live on less so that we can give more, when we’re willing to accept the uncomfortable assignments God gives us, we stand out from the crowd…and the decibels of our faith get cranked up. A true disciple of Jesus makes it a priority to live uncomfortably.

Now let’s go back to our text and check out a second man’s encounter with Jesus.

[Jesus] said to another man, “Follow me.”

But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:59-60, NIV)

There are a few possible scenarios here. It’s possible that this man’s father could have just passed away, therefore the man is returning home to make funeral arrangements. A Jewish funeral in this time period could last up to seven days.

It’s possible that the man’s father isn’t dead, but he is dying. And he wants to return to be with his father before his imminent death.

Or, it’s possible that dad is just getting along in years. He’s going to die someday, but this man has family responsibilities to tend to until that happens.

The text isn’t clear whether dad is dead, dying, or just getting older. But any way you slice it, it was going to take some time before this man could follow Jesus. Maybe a week, maybe years, depending on the scenario.

And, at first glance, it seems that this is another example of Jesus being a big meanie. Look at what he says to this guy. “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Jesus often spoke in hyperbole. It was a consistent tool he used in his teaching. He would often overstate the case to make his point.

As Mark C. Black wrote, “It is very unlikely that Jesus actually does not want his disciples to bury their parents. There was scarcely anything considered more sacred among first-century Jews than showing respect and honor by burying them properly…however, [we] must hear Jesus’ demand for the most radical possible discipleship. Even if Jesus uses hyperbole, he does so in order to teach that following him takes precedence over every other need and obligation.”

This is another example of Jesus laying out the cost of being one of his disciples.

A true Christ-follower will live immediately.

This guy comes to Jesus and says, “Jesus, I want to follow you. But I have things to tend to with my dad, so I can’t follow you right now. Later on, I’ll catch up to you.”

Jesus’ harsh response was, “No, I have called you to follow now. Nothing else, not even the death of a family member, is as important as this. Follow me now.”

The call is to live immediately. We would probably like to rewrite this priority. Jesus says, “Live immediately.” He didn’t say, “Live conveniently.” He said, “Live immediately.”

Readiness is a priority in the life of a Christ-follower. A disciple of Jesus goes at each day like it’s an opportunity. They live ready so when an opportunity presents itself, they can seize it.

Colossians 4 tells us, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” (Colossians 4:5, NIV)

Be wise when you are around people who aren’t Christians. Make the most of every opportunity you have with them. The only way you can do that is to be ready. To be ready to pounce on an opportunity when it comes your way. Most of our missed opportunities are missed simply because we weren’t ready for them.

Much of the problem lies in the fact that a lot of us see following Jesus as a religion instead of a mission. There’s nothing immediate about a religion. You can just jump through all the right religious hoops and you’re good to go.

But if following Jesus is a mission, then there’s an immediacy to it. You begin every day praying for God to show you opportunities to crank up your faith decibels. You’re constantly watching for opportunities with your non-Christian friends. You’re always looking for a way to impact them with the gospel. It’s an immediate mission in your life.

In our story, Jesus was preparing to send his followers out to the surrounding villages to preach his message. He was looking for followers who would live immediately, who were ready for the opportunity…even though he hadn’t even announced the mission yet.

That’s how God works. We don’t often get the details of the mission until we commit to being ready for it. That seems counterintuitive. Just flat backwards. But it’s how God works. Following Jesus requires faith. Faith that says, “I have no idea where you want me to go, but I’m willing to go anyway.” Faith that says, “I have no idea when you want me to go, but I’m ready to go now.”

How many missions for God, how many opportunities from God have you missed because you weren’t ready? If we want a loud faith, then we have to have a ready faith. A faith that is ready to seize every opportunity and accept every mission. A faith that doesn’t make excuses.

The man in our text had what I would call a pretty darn good excuse for not following Jesus immediately. His father’s funeral. As excuses go, that’s a pretty good one. And Jesus didn’t accept it. And if he didn’t accept this excuse, what makes us think that he’ll accept ours?

“I can’t forgive him, Jesus. Do you know how much he has hurt me?”

“I can’t be generous in my giving, Jesus. You know I can’t afford it.”

“Yeah, I’d like to serve more in the church, but I just don’t have the time. Maybe later.”

“God, you know I can’t be baptized into Christ now. What would my family think?”

Understand this…following Jesus is a NOW thing. Jesus is looking for people who will live immediately, who will follow now. Not when it’s easier. Not when it’s more convenient. Not later. Now. Immediately. As Christ-followers, Jesus sets the timetable, not us. And his call is a call of readiness. A call to seize opportunities when they come. A call to live immediately.

Now let’s look at one more fellow’s encounter with Jesus in Luke 9.

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.”

Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:61-62, NIV)

Just when it seems that Jesus can’t get any crankier, he does. A guy is willing to follow Jesus, and all he asks is the chance to go back home and say goodbye to his family.

Jesus says, “Nope. You’re coming with me, you can’t look back.”

Jesus was calling the man to live undividedly.

Jesus was preparing to launch his followers out on mission trips through the towns and villages of Judea. To do that, he would need followers who would live undividedly. Who would commit their lives to a single master: him.

And this fellow was torn. He wanted to follow Jesus, but at the same time he wanted to keep everybody else in his family happy. Jesus told him that he couldn’t have it both ways. He had to decide that following Jesus was the single purpose of his life.

For most of us, we don’t have to physically leave our family behind to follow Jesus. But we do have to make sure that our allegiance to Jesus is undivided. And if it comes down to following family or following Jesus, we follow Jesus. If it comes down to following anything else or following Jesus, we follow Jesus.

One day my friend Kevin came to my office with a problem. Kevin had been laid off from a job that he had had for years. Because of this, his family had been through some pretty tough times financially. But he had finally landed a new job as a salesman for a car dealership. Here’s where the problem came in. As he was sitting in my office, Kevin said, “My boss at the dealership is putting pressure on me to do some pretty unethical things. They want me to lie to customers, overcharge for certain things, push customers into vehicles they can’t afford, etc. If I don’t do those things, they’ll make sure that I don’t make any commission.”

The problem was that Kevin’s family really needed this income. He couldn’t afford to give up this job, but keeping the job meant compromising his faith. His allegiance would be divided between following Jesus and keeping his job.

It wasn’t long after our conversation that Kevin walked into his boss’ office and slapped down his resignation on his desk. He didn’t know what he or his family was going to do, but he did know that Jesus had called him to live undividedly. He wasn’t going to compromise anymore. And the decibels of his faith were cranking.

If the volume of your faith is low, could it be because you are trying to live a divided life? Look at the request that the third man in our story made to Jesus. He said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back…” (Luke 9:61, NIV)

As we make progress in our walk with Jesus, something is always going to call us to “go back.” That old habit, that same old temptation is always there, calling you back. Honestly, most of the sins we fall into…aren’t they just retreads? They’re generally not new. The temptations that you have today are the same ones you had yesterday. They’re always there, calling you to come back for a visit.

But listen to the words of Jesus. Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62, NIV)

If you try to plow while looking backwards, you’re going to have some pretty crooked furrows in your field. The only way to plow is to fix your vision on a point at the far end of the field and then move toward it.

Once we commit ourselves to following Jesus, once our hand is on the plow, there’s no looking back. It’s the cost of following Jesus. We live undivided lives. Following Jesus isn’t our first priority. It’s our only priority.

As Christ-followers, we live our lives with monomania. Monomania means to have an obsession with one idea or subject. In a very real sense, we are called to be monomaniacs. People who are obsessed with one thing: following Jesus.

We are monomaniacs in our families. Monomaniacs at work and at school. Monomaniacs in our finances. Monomaniacs in our downtime. Anytime or anywhere, we live with monomania. We are consumed with following Jesus in every facet of our lives.

If we live our lives undividedly, if we truly live with monomania, our world will hear it. You can’t keep a life like that quiet.

In a culture whose priorities are skewed toward selfishness, self-preservation, and self-promotion, we can live with a loud faith when we intentionally choose to live differently. People around you notice what’s important to you. They take note of your priorities. Especially if you’re living out the upside-down priorities of Jesus. If you’re living uncomfortably, living immediately, and living undividedly, your faith is going to be heard…loud and proud.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: convenience, decibels, discipleship, evangelism, Luke 9, mission, priorities