Hi Oatmeal,
The physical world has so many pulls on us, if there is ANYTHING that we could not leave behind, then we are not worthy of Him.
Luke 9:57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."
v. 58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."
v. 59 Then He said to another, "Follow Me."
But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."
v. 60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."
v. 61 And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."
v. 62 But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."Jesus Christ requires His disciples to abandon everything in this world. Does that mean you must go off by yourself and be like a hermit. No, it mean that serving and obeying God comes first above EVERYTHING else. That's what is meant by "he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
John 12:24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
v. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
You must count the cost and once you put the hand to the plow, to look back and desire anything that the world has to offer is showing total disrespect for your calling.
Luke 14:25 -33 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it-- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, "This man began to build and was not able to finish.'
Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.
So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. http://bible-truths.com/lake12.html --------------------
COUNTING THE COST
God has already outlined a training course for those who would be Sons and Daughters of God. It involves a whole lot more than just enunciating a phrase of faith in Jesus. Acknowledging Jesus as your Saviour is certainly the starting point, but it is far from the complete requirement for those who would reign with Jesus as Judge, Lord, Priest and King. Here are just a few of the things that God requires of us. There are, of course, dozens, even HUNDREDS more declarations and admonitions to those who would become manifest Sons and Daughters of our God and Father:
1."
LOVE your enemies,
BLESS them that curse you,
DO GOOD to them that hate you, and PRAY for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you [Why?]; that ye may be the children [Greek: ‘SONS’] of your Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 5:44-45)!
2."Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
DO YE EVEN SO TO THEM: for this is the law and the prophets" (Matt. 7:12).
3."For I say unto you, That except
YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALL EXCEED righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in NO CASE
NO CASE enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20).
4."Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let Him
DENY HIMSELF, and
TAKE UP HIS CROSS, and
FOLLOW ME" (Matt. 16:24).
5."Jesus said unto him, You shall LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…
YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matt. 22:37-40).
6."And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall
ENDURE UNTO THE END, the same shall be saved" (Matt. 24:12-13).
7."Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, IF YE CONTINUE IN MY WORD
IF YE CONTINUE IN MY WORD, then are ye my disciples indeed" (John 8:31).
8."Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but
HE THAT DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER which is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21).
9."
COME OUT OF HER [Mystery Babylon the Great and all of her evil teachings], My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Rev. 18:4).
10."My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him. For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.
IF YOU ENDURE CHASTENING, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastens not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye illegitimate, and not sons" (Heb. 12:5-8).
11."Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as
YE ARE PARTAKERS OF CHRIST"S SUFFERINGS; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy" (I Pet. 4:12-13).
12."That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it
BE TRIED WITH [SPIRITUAL] FIRE, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (I Pet. 1:7).
13."
LOVE NOT THE WORLD [that is the social system of this world, we are to love the people of the world], neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world" (I John 2:15-16).
14."I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a
LIVING SACRIFICE, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And
BE NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD: but be ye transformed by the
RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:1).
15."But Jesus called them unto Him and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But
IT SHALL NOT BE SO WITH YOU: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister [servant]" (Matt. 20:25-26).
16."Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each
ESTEEM OTHERS BETTER THAN THEMSELVES" (Phil. 2:3).
17."Let this
MIND BE IN YOU, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:5).
"
SUBMIT yourselves therefore to God.
RESIST the devil, and he will flee from you.
DRAW NIGH to God, and He will draw night to you.
CLEANSE your hands, ye sinners; and
PURIFY your hearts, ye double minded" (James 4:7).
18."
REPENT ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15).
19."For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but
ALSO TO SUFFER FOR HIS SAKE" (Phil. 1:29).
20."But I say unto you, That ye
RESIST NOT EVIL: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matt. 5:39).
21."Then said Jesus unto him,
PUT UP AGAIN YOUR SWORD into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword" (Matt. 26:52).
22."For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die, but if ye through the Spirit do
MORTIFY THE DEEDS OF THE BODY, ye shall live" (Rom. 8:13).
23."
WALK IN THE SPIRIT, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).
I know that it sounds overwhelming that we should actually live by all of these commandments. And actually, there are many more like commandments in God’s Word. How are we to perform all these impossible tasks? Well certainly not by our own will and power.
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mercy, peace and love
Kat
Author
Topic: What did Jesus really mean? (Read 3692 times)