Our key text is found in Luke 14:26-33. We’re going to briefly analyze these verses. These verses are actually Jesus Christ’s statement toward the great multitudes that followed Him considering Luke 14:25. In the following verses we see Jesus Christ giving the requirements one should take to follow Him, if he or she decides or choose to follow Him. We’re going to take a detail look individually at each verse before summarizing each verse.
Firstly, the conditions to follow Jesus Christ are clearly portrayed basically in Luke 14:26. Let’s recite or read it… Luke 14:26 reads, “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.” Our key word here within this verse is the verb ‘hate!” God is Love in 1 John 4:8, His Character and Principality! He in-fact instructs us to “love” one another according to 1 John 4:7 & 8! Reading from 1 John 4:7 & 8, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is Love.” Why would Jesus Christ (the Word in John 1:1-4) instruct us to hate our fathers and mothers, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even ourselves, when He also instructs us to love one another? Well our answer is found in 1 John 2:15-17! Reading from 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” A simple summary to these verses answering our question would say that, we should put God first in our hearts (lives), “NOT” our father, mother, wife, children, or ourselves (including our jobs, wealth, soccer, etc…) if we want to follow Him in His footsteps and become His disciples! Or in other words, we should love the Lord our God with all our hearts, first of all, considering Deuteronomy 14:5; 19:1,13,&22; 26:9; Mark 5:30, etc… Deuteronomy 14:5 reads, “You shall Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” In fact Jesus Christ said it is the first commandment! Reading from Mark 5:30, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.”
Secondly, Jesus Christ added onto the conditions the burden of following Him and becoming His disciples. Luke 14:27 reads, “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple.” In simple explanation, the cross during the time of Jesus Christ during the antiquity period of the European history, symbolizes a shameful, painful, slow and horrible death! Remember, Jesus Christ went through “this type of death” on the cross considering Mathew 27:24-54, all because He loves the fallen human race-all because He is Love in 1 John 4:8: and through it all, He remain consistent (in Love His Principality) and never gave up on us (gave into selfishness and quit) His mission (to seek and to save that which was lost considering Luke 19:10)! “It was indeed in a huge burden to bear in which only Christ Jesus could bear on our behalf all because He loves us!” Or in other words, He fulfilled His (the Word’s) promise to our great ancestors in Genesis 3:15, crushing the serpent on the head metaphorically speaking (symbolizing Love’s victory over satan within this Great Controversy)! So what does it mean to “carry his cross” in Luke 14:27? Carrying the cross symbolizes the burden of following Jesus Christ! The Holy Bible doesn’t say following Jesus Christ would be easy! In fact, The Holy Bible clearly states how narrow or difficult it would be in the path to follow Christ Jesus in Mathew 7:13-14, which reads, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Furthermore, it is an everyday thing! Luke 9:23 reads, ‘Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” That is how it is an everyday thing!
Thirdly, verse 28 states the costs adding onto the burden and condition of following Jesus Christ. Luke 14:28 reads, “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-“ The simple definition of cost in this context is the amount in value of our lives that we undergo to acquire what we desire! Specifically speaking, the cost here within this scenario is found in John 3:5, which reads, ‘Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Here water symbolizes water baptism (which represents baptism of repentance) while, the Spirit symbolizes the baptism of The Holy Spirit, in which both makes up what it means to “be born again!” Or in other words, “BORN AGAIN = WATER BAPTISM OR BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE + BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!” You cannot have one without the other! In fact, water baptism or baptism of repentance must always go first before the baptism of the Holy Spirit-we need to be cleansed and forgiven from our sins which separates’ us from God before seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit through prayer! Even Jesus Christ went through baptism of repentance or water baptism first before the baptism of The Holy Spirit as our perfect example in Mathew 3, before entering the wilderness to be tempted by satan in Mathew 4! In fact, that is the only way we connect and maintain our relationship (connection) to the True Vine (in John 15), Who is in heaven right now interceeding on our behalf *(that is how important the Holy Spirit is within the context of John 15, Who connects us to the True Vine in heaven right now as we await His Second Coming)! Furthermore, it is an everyday thing like the burden and the condition of following Jesus Christ! The cost of following Jesus Christ (value in terms of our seeking God’s forgiveness, repent and baptism of the Holy Spirit everyday in our lives)!
Fourthly, verse 29 and 30 states the regret and shame of the consequences of “not applying the above paragraphs that we have previously discussed!” Luke 14:29 & 30 reads, “-least, 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.” It would be sad for us, Christians, people who have claimed to accept Jesus Christ and to be followers of Jesus Christ to not actually “follow” Him according to The Word The Holy Bible on that very day when He comes again in His Second Coming to this planet earth! When we become part of the Church of God, we automatically have a mission according to Mathew 28:19 which was His Commission to the early disciples, assuming that we are already connected to the True Vine in John 15! In fact, Jesus Christ, instructed His disciples to wait in the upper room “for the Day of Pentecost” (baptism of The Holy Spirit) before they could carry out their mission during their time here on earth considering Acts 1:4-5!
To conclude, that is how important it is for anyone who considers himself or herself a Christian! If we want to become a Christian according to what we have just analyzed with The Holy Bible, we must abide by the “Condition” (which is to put God first in our hearts), bear the “Burden” (carry our cross), and incur the “Cost” (water baptism or baptism of repentance and baptism of the Holy Spirit) daily (everyday here on earth)! All three should go together hand-in-hand every day in our lives-you cannot have one without the other two! That is the only way we will be able to connect and maintain our relationship or connection to the True Vine in John 15 Who is in heaven right now interceeding on our behalf as the heavenly High Priest in the heavenly Sanctuary! “Remember, God is Love in 1 John 4:8! Even though He is already victorious within this Great Controversy according to Mathew 27:24-54, He will never force you to believe or accept Him into your life because He is Love! The power of choice is yours-every choice has a consequence-eternal life or death will be determined by your personal choice!”
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