The fourteen chapter of the Gospel according to Luke. Chapter fourteen in the Gospel according to Luke. We have a wonderful chapter before us that consists of two great truths. You'll find in the early part of the chapter that feasting seems to be the prominent truth. when the Lord Jesus was invited by some Pharisees to go to his house where there were many guests. The Lord himself watched very carefully the entrance of the guests to that feast, and very faithfully the Lord Jesus spoke to many of them, reminding them that they were seeking the chief place of the feast. Instead of taking the low place. And gave them that truth. Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased. And whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted. But it was not only faithful to those who came in that particular condition. He was faithful also to mention to the ruler and to the one who gave the feet. the one who had invited him, that it would have been far better not to have invited his rich neighbors, his relatives, his close friends, his acquaintances, but rather to give a feast to the poor who had nothing instead of to those whom he expected would reciprocate and invite him to their homes too. And so the Lord was very faithful in his ministry when he was upon the earth. And after thus speaking, the Lord Jesus heard a remark from another man. And in regard to feasting, the man made the statement, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. One of the blessed facts regarding the Lord Jesus He was the true faithful man. Not only the very Son of God, but every character of manliness, nobleness, and beauty that should be in man was present with him. Faithful when he spoke, faithful in his deeds. Let me give you this thought before we read our scripture before us today. Read the Gospel of Luke. If you want to know what it's all about, you'll have to turn to Acts chapter one and verse one. When Luke wrote two great portions of Scripture, the Gospel according to his name and the book of the Acts, he wrote them to the same person by the name of Theophilus. And in the book of the Acts, as he begins writing that, he declares that he had declared in the former treatise the gospel that he wrote he had declared all that Jesus began both to do and to teach now may I emphasize the Lord put the doing before the teaching but what a joy to realize and may I give you the thought and the encouragement and the exhortation if you want to know more of the Lord Jesus read the gospel see him moving see him doing and listen to him teaching and then on the verse that the man gave blessed is he who shall he grant in the kingdom of God the Lord Jesus took that theme up and you may read it for yourself he gave the parable of the great supper. How a certain Lord made a great feast and invited many, and said to them, when the feast was ready, come for all things are now ready, who have been bidden. But they refused to come to the feast. And what a picture it is of the world today, the many that are invited to the feast of the gospel supper refusing because of their earthly, their worldly interests of life to come and partake of the table of salvation that God has provided. But the master of the house sent his servant out to the lanes, the streets of the city, and bring in ever the poor, the hulk, the maim, the blinds. And then when there were still rooms, he sent the servant out, go out in the highways and the byways, compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. May I give you the thought that if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit is here today seeking to compel you to come to the Savior. For without any shadow of doubt, I humbly submit the statement, but confidently, without the work of the Holy Spirit, no one comes to the Savior. He is present in the world to compel men and women, boys and girls, to come to the Lord Jesus. And thank God for His presence still today. in this world seeking to convict the sin of righteousness and of judgment of sin because they believe none on me said the Lord Jesus of righteousness because I go to my Father and of judgment because the judgment of this world is at hand this world is just my beloved may I say again the Lord Jesus in that opening part of the chapter in the first part of it is occupied with feasting. And out of that feast to which he was invited, he gave the great parable of the great supper. May I raise the question, have you accepted the invitation? Come, for all things are now ready. Many years ago, as one dear lady whose husband I had just led to the Lord Jesus, And he pleaded with her to come to Christ at the same time. And she refused. And she said to me, What if you're not ready? Well, I said, My dear lady, God is ready whenever you are. My friend, if you've never come to the Lord Jesus, may you be ready today to come. But following the feasting, and this is important, Beginning at verse twenty-five, from which we're going to read, down through verse thirty-three, the Lord Jesus does not speak of these things. He speaks of following. Let me read from verse twenty-five to verse thirty-three. There went great multitudes with him, and he turned and said unto them, If any come to me, and hate not his father. and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters yea and his own life also he cannot be my disciple and whosoever does not bear his cross and come after me may I pause for a moment and note something special with you note in verse twenty The introductory words, if any man walks, come to me. Then note in verse twenty-seven, let him come after me. There's a great distinction and difference between coming to him and then coming after him. Now know what he goes on to say, whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after me. cannot be my disciple. For which of you intending to build a tower sitteth not down first and counter the cost, whether he has sufficient to finish it, less happily after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold, it begin to mock him, saying this man began to build, was not able to finish. or what king going to make war against another king? Sit it not down first and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand, or else while the other is yet a great way off he sendeth an envisage and desirous conditions of peace. So likewise whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath. He cannot be my disciple. May God bless the reading and the hearing of this portion from his word. The thing that we have chosen by the help of God to speak of is Christian discipleship. May I humbly and faithfully say, don't look to me as being the perfect example of it. I would not wish to boast about it. For one often wonders, who today is a worthy exponent of Christian discipleship as the Lord teaches it here? First of all, will you note with me in verse twenty-six, the call of discipleship A great multitude was following the Lord. You please know this in verse twenty five. It was a great multitude. Many people were following him. Not saying that they were all his disciples. Though they may have been professing to be his disciples. How many genuine ones, how many born again ones may be among them. We may not know. But please note. to whom he addresses the call for discipleship. If any man come to me. Now may I raise the question, have you come to him? He's not calling anyone else to follow him. Please. Don't think for one moment that you can follow the Lord Jesus and be a follower before you've been saved. Impossible. Have you come to him? In the parable before us, in the preceding part of the chapter, the invitation went out to the whole world. Come, for all things are now ready. Have you come to the Lord Jesus? Let me remind you of his invitation in Matthew eleven twenty eight. Come unto me, all ye that labor in the heavy laden. I will give you rest. Do you have rest? Do you have that peace in your heart and in your soul from having your sins forgiven? I tell you it's a great deal. I rejoiced in that moment many years ago when I came to him. That night, my burdened heart with its sin and guilt, the condemnation my soul felt, the recognition from God's word it was true. I was a lost sinner on the road to hell. but oh the great joy of coming to him and finding my sins taken away forgiven now let me make a statement that's not often made today first John one seven the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all past present future sins May I repeat it? I don't care if you don't agree with me, it's your own fault. But when I took the Lord Jesus, Christ was my Savior, but since my whole life came under His precious blood. And if that is in salvation, tell me what is. Have you come to Him? Thus you can recognize, amidst the multitudes, if anyone has come to Me, Now note what he goes on to say. And this is a strange statement, but you cannot minimize the importance of it. He goes on to say in verse twenty-six, and take not his father, mother, wife, children, brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also. He cannot be my disciple. Now let me please say very kindly and carefully, don't minimize the meaning of the word hate. You cannot minimize it in the Greek text. It's really there. But take it in the meaning of it in its setting. It's a comparative explanation. It's a comparative condition. And I'm sure you realize this. Let me raise the question. Can you name any father, any mother, any husband, any wife, any son, any daughter, any sister, any brother who should come before the Lord Jesus when you know Him as your Savior? That's the test of true discipleship. And let me humbly say, if every father, if every mother, if every wife, if every husband, if every sister, if every brother, if every son and daughter, for the Lord's sake, we'd all be better for it. May I say lovingly, we sang some solemn hymns this morning. I didn't plan it, but the Lord reigned there. But those hymns were true if we mean it. The Lord heard. Now, will you please notice something? All the way down through that twenty-sixth verse, the Lord cuts right along, right down along just some of the most dearest relationships. And I say lovingly, as well as from Solomon experience, It's not easy to give them up for him. Because that's what he asked. And you know the last one that's the hardest to give up? The last one that's mentioned, yourself. Father, mother, wife, children, brother, sister, gave his own life also. May I say again, the call of discipleship, or to those who are saved, the cost of discipleship is something to pay. And you know what the Lord goes on to say? When you obey that call and are willing to pay the cost, notice what he says in verse twenty-seven. Whosoever does not bear his, this is not the Lord's cross, his own cross, her own cross. I say it lovingly. I say it with a heavy heart. You can't follow the Lord Jesus without paying the price. Because The cost of discipleship. We sing that we do it, but I wonder many times are we doing it. There's a cost to me. There's a cross to there. And my beloved, let me please say it frankly. From true experience. Let me give you the thought from the book of Proverbs when the writer said, My son, give me thy heart. You may not agree with me. You might agree with me, but you may not do it. But I believe if it's anyone deserves our heart above all others, it's the Lord Jesus Christ when he saved us. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. And there'll be a cross. And that cross has to be borne. And then you know what the Lord Jesus said. Whosoever does not bear its cross. And no. Come after me. My beloved Luke. How precious. For salvation you come to him. For discipleship. You follow who? Him. Hear old hymn that we often sing. Where he leads me, I will follow. I'll tell you, it's got some hard words in it. And I recall many years ago, as a young man, one dear oldest sister in the Lord said to me, you know, I have a hard time singing those verses, but I can sing the last one. I said, yes, I'm sure you can. He will give me grace and glory and go with me all the way. You don't know where it's going to lead you. I speak to you young people. You know the Lord. Have you ever given the thought, the responsibility of the call of discipleship? He wants you to be a follower. You've come to the feast. And may I say, when you come to the Savior, to be saved is a feast, forever and ever. The greatness of that feast, and it's going to last through eternity. And all he asks is you to just follow him through life. In this scene, come after me. Oh, may we be reminded. He wants us to follow him. Now what is the responsibility of following? You know two things that follow. You'll find the responsibility of building. And you'll find the responsibility of fighting. Know with me in verse twenty-eight, twenty-nine and thirty. The Lord goes on to say, For which of you intending to build a tower? Sit is not down first and counteth the cost. Whether he has sufficient to finish it. May I say again frankly, it's a great joy to preach salvation free without money and without price. But to follow the Lord Jesus as a true disciple, count the cost. Count the cost. A dear young Jewish girl many, many years ago, I recall, took the Lord Jesus as her Savior. And in her love and devotion to the Lord Jesus, she witnessed to her family who very bitterly opposed her and tried to persuade her to give up her Christian testimony, which she refused. I don't know how many of you may be acquainted with the fact that often so many I've met some of my fellow servants who were Jewish believers, preachers of the Word of God and teachers, who paid a great price in taking Christ as their Savior. As this girl did, she was told to get out of the house and leave. They completely disowned her. She sat down at the piano and sang that hymn that we have been singing, Jesus, I, my cross of patience, all I leave the following, and left her home. May I give you the thought, and this is true, many times when such a Christian, a Christian Jew, a Christian girl or man, takes the Lord Jesus as his and her saving is banished from the home, the family have a funeral. They're just as good as those of you. I remember a dear brother by name of Joseph, I converted you, tremendous teacher of the Word of God, paid the same cost, but went on. count the cost. You're to be building. Now know what the Lord goes on to say in verse twenty nine and thirty. Let's happily after he has laid the foundation, he's not able to finish it. All that behold, it began to mark him, saying this man began to build, but he was not able to finish it. Please let me remind you from first Corinthians chapter three. When Paul preached to the Corinthians, he wrote to them later saying, I've laid the foundation. And what foundation did he lay? No other foundation can be laid than that is Jesus Christ. But he added, Let every man take heed how he built us thereupon. My beloved what? Responsibility is there in building. May I say this lovingly? Faithfully? If you want to build your Christian testimony, you better do it on the Word of God. The Word of God. Let me give you some suggestions. When Paul said farewell to the elders of Ephesus in chapter twenty of the book of the Acts, he said, on that farewell occasion, I commend you to the Word of God which is able to build you up. Read First Corinthians chapter two. And he mentions that the Christian should be building. Let me go with you to Second Timothy chapter three and quote verses sixteen and seventeen. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. And it's profitable for doctrine. For reproof. For correction. For instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be complete. truly furnished and equipped to every good word. May I say this very pertinently and briefly. If you're going to follow Christ, you better study the Word of God to do what Jews says at the end of the epistles. Build yourselves up in your most holy faith. and through the word of God. Let me quote the words of dear Peter, St. Peter, St. Peter, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Count the car. If you're going to follow the law, you've got to study your Bible. As Paul exhorted Timothy, study to show thyself approved unto God. A workman that need is not to be ashamed. Please let me say, look, you've got a tower to build, a Christian testimony, Christian character, Christian conduct, Christian testimony of sufficiency. You cannot do it without the word of God. Are you studying your Bible? Does that come first? A dear servant of God that I well knew years ago, visited a young man at the university in England where the young brother was attending school, and a young brother showed him all of his study books and textbooks of the subjects that he was studying at the university. After he had finished showing them, my friend said, Now he said, Show me your Bible study book. Oh, he said, I'm sorry. I don't have one. My beloved, let me ask you, are you studying your Bible? Your best education that will serve you for time and eternity must come from the Word of God. But know the second thing is you go to verse thirty-one. Not only the foundation we should be building upon the Word of God, but also there's a warfare involved. Verse thirty-one and thirty-two. What king going to make war against another king, sit us not down first? Consult us whether he be able to with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand, or else while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an end decision, desirous conditions of things. One recognizes, and I say this, from bitter experience. When one makes such a commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, the devil will soon appear with his attacks. He does not mind a Christian that's not busy and living for the Lord and following the Lord. But he does oppose one who is paying the cost. and the Christ. And who realizes the conflict is the warfare? Not with flesh and blood, if you please. We wrestle not as we read in our reading. We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with principalities, with powers, with the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against wicked spirits, all spiritual wickedness in high or heavenly places. The enemy... Satan and of all of his hosts. But he that is greater, he that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. If God be for us, who can be against us? And the joy of knowing. There's victory. Who is he that overcomes the world? Even he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. My beloved, let me say this. When you and I took Christ as our Savior, we not only had salvation, but he gave us victory over the sin and the devil, provided at the same time. Jude writes at the end of his epistle, an epistle of apostasy, saying at the end, He is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before that blessed God himself. I say again, let me quote what Paul wrote to Timothy in First Timothy chapter six. He told him to flee. He told him to follow. And he told him to fight. Three things he told him. Fleeve. The love of money and all its dangers. Follow after Christ. Fight. What? Not with your faith. Fight the good fight of the faith. Hold true to the word of God. Had Jude writes in his epistle. Contending earnestly for the faith. Once and for all delivered to this thing. My beloved discipleship. Close the chapter in verse thirty three with what the Lord Jesus goes on to say. So likewise whosoever he be of you that forsakers not all that he has. He cannot remind you. My beloved, the whole point, an issue with them. He should be first. I'm very confident, though I don't have the confidence that it's true, if every believer was doing what the Lord does, implying in this wonderful lesson on Christian discipleship, you'd get more people saved, and the Lord would have a better testimony. A dear friend of mine was a missionary to Hong Kong recently. Asked a dear old Chinese brother who had been persecuted for thirty or more years in China because of his Christian testimony. He said, Brother, what would you like our people in the homeland to pray for on behalf of you Christians in China? The dear old man looked at him and said, Tell them to pray that we'll continue getting persecutions. Because it's kept us close to Christ. I think it would be a good thing for us to have some here. We may get it someday. But if you put Christ first, you'll pay the price. So let me close by saying, take the two thoughts. Have you come to Him? And if never you have, come to Him today. and in when we who have come to him let's say Lord help me to come after you shall we pray before we sing our closing hymn father we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus speak to our heart speak to our consciences speak to our inner being oh blessed Lord time will soon pass away and will be in eternity. And as one as well said, what's done for eternity only will last. And we just pray thee today, if anyone has never come to Christ, may this be their moment at the time they will. And we who are come, Lord, help us to listen, hear thy voice saying to us, come after me. no matter the price. We ask it in thy name, Lord Jesus, for thy glory. Amen. Number five-sixty-two, verse one only, shall we sing. Him number five-sixty-two, our closing hymn. One of an invitation that certainly would remind us if we are not saved. A charge I have to keep, a God to glorify, a never-dying soul to save, and fit it for the sky. The first and last verses only shall we stand and see them.