In Luke 14:26 Jesus said, “If anyone comes after me and does not…” and then he listed things that make it seem like He tried to discourage people from following Him. In this sermon we looked at a few other examples of this happening. Because if Jesus said these things in His day and they’re recorded for us, then we should hear the same thing in our day so that we know what is involved in following Him.

Table of ContentsFamily Worship GuideSermon NotesJesus said, “If anyone comes after me,” they must (lesson one) sacrifice.Jesus said, “If anyone comes after me,” they must (lesson two) repent.Jesus said, “If anyone comes after me,” they must (lesson three) spiritually understand.Jesus said, “If anyone comes after me,” they must (lesson four) take the hard way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I-0ZGkjO_4
In Luke 14:26 Jesus said, “If anyone comes after me and does not…” and then listed things that seem like He didn't want people following Him.

Family Worship Guide

Directions: Read the verses and then answer the questions:

Day 1: Luke 14:25-27—How is Jesus NOT like military recruiters? How might you expect Jesus to address large crowds? How does it seem like Jesus did address large crowds? What are the different reasons people followed Jesus? Why should people follow Jesus? Describe some of the sacrifices we are expected to make to follow Christ.Day 2: Mark 10:17-23—Describe the rich young ruler’s attitude toward Jesus. Why did Jesus say that nobody is good except God? Why did Jesus share the 10 Commandments with the rich young ruler? Why did Jesus tell the rich young ruler to sell all his possessions? Do we have to sell all our possessions? Why or why not? Why do you think Jesus didn’t go after him?Day 3: John 6:2-66, 1 Corinthians 2:14, Matthew 7:14—Why was such a large crowd following Jesus? What did Jesus mean when he said that people didn’t see the sign? Why did Jesus say he was the bread that came down from heaven? Why didn’t the people understand what Jesus was talking about? Why do you think Jesus didn’t try to clarify things for everyone? Why do you think Jesus so graphically described eating his flesh and drinking his blood WITHOUT saying that he was speaking spiritually? Why did Jesus say, “The way is hard that leads to life”?

Sermon Notes

The title of this morning’s sermon is, “If Anyone Comes After Me.”

On Sunday mornings we’re working our way through Luke’s gospel verse by verse and we find ourselves at chapter 14, verse 25.

Please stand with me for the reading of God’s Word.

Luke 14:25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

You may be seated. Let’s pray.

In college I went through Army ROTC, and after graduation I served as an officer. My military experience allowed me to have some familiarity with recruiters.

Used car salesmen have the reputation for being dishonest and saying whatever’s necessary to make a sale. SOME military recruiters are a close second. Please notice I said some because I do think there are also some honest recruiters.

Military recruiters must satisfy what’s known as “commission mission.” Their performance is determined by the number of people they’re able to recruit. As a result, they strive to make the military sound as attractive as possible, which creates a strong temptation for them to lie.

After looking at a few articles, here are the top lies I could find that military recruiters tell people:

There’s a great chance you’ll be stationed wherever you want.There’s almost no chance of you being sent to a combat zone.You’ll receive a large signing bonus.They don’t yell at you in boot camp anymore.You can quit any time if you don’t like it.