The Most Important Thing In Life

(Luke 14:25-33 KJV) And there went great multitudes with Him: and He turned, and said unto them, [26] If any [man] 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. [27] And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. [28] For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it]? [29] Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish [it], all that behold [it] begin to mock him, [30] Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. [31] Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? [32] Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an {ambassador}, and desireth conditions of peace. [33] So likewise, whosoever he be of you that FORSAKETH NOT ALL THAT HE HATH, he cannot be My disciple.

What Is The Most Important Thing In Your Life?

If Jesus were a modern day preacher, He would have the greatest thing in His life. If Jesus were a Joel Osteen or a Creflo Dollar or Benny Hinn, or one of these charismatic preachers in a modern American Church, He would have all He wanted. Did you read that?

there went GREAT MULTITUDES with Him

Jesus had a huge following. He could be a MEGACHURCH Pastor. Cities are emptying out. People hear that Jesus is coming, and they pour out to be with Him. But Jesus didn’t care about the crowd. He cared about the people, cared about their souls. But for Jesus – He was more about saving souls and growing the Kingdom of God than He was about packing stadiums.

What Jesus said next would be arrogant if someone else said it. Jesus said:

If any [man] come to Me, and HATE {miseō} not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.

What in the world is Jesus saying? There are a lot of people following Jesus. These people believe in Jesus. Ask any one of those following. They would tell you.

“We saw Jesus feed 5000 with just two little fish and five tiny loaves of bread. I believe in Him”.

“We saw Jesus heal a leper, a blind man, a cripple. I believe in Him.”

“Jesus raised a little girl from the dead. I saw it. I believe in Him”.

Crowds are following Him and every single person following says,

I BELIEVE IN JESUS! I want to see what He’s going to do next. And then Jesus tosses ice water on the whole crowd!

(Luke 14:26 KJV) If any one come to me, and HATE {miseō} not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, AND HIS OWN LIFE ALSO, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.

Word Study: Now I’ve heard preachers try to explain away what Jesus was saying. Let’s look at the word “HATE”. This is the Greek miseō, which means “to hate, pursue with hatred, detest”. In every place I find this word in the New Testament, the word means “to hate”. Look at where else the word is used:

(John 12:25 KJV) He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth {miseō} HIS LIFE IN THIS WORLD shall keep it unto life eternal.

(John 15:18-20 KJV) If the world HATE {miseō} you, ye know that it HATED {miseō} Me before [it hated] you. [19] If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world HATETH {miseō} you. [20] Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have PERSECUTED ME, they will also PERSECUTE YOU; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also.

The word miseō means simply “to HATE”. So what is Jesus doing here? He said, in effect, you must “HATE YOUR MOTHER”. Well, Jesus didn’t hate His mother. He loved her dearly. As He hung on the Cross, Jesus spoke seven times. As He hung on Calvary in terrible pain, Mary and John stood at the foot of the Cross. As Joseph had passed away, Jesus was the eldest son of the family. In agony He pulled Himself up on the nails, and we read:

John 19:26-27 (KJV) … saith unto his mother, WOMAN, BEHOLD THY SON! Then saith he to the disciple, BEHOLD THY MOTHER! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

Jesus loved His mother! So what did He mean by:

True Salvation Will Strive To Put God First

Jesus is using the word to show us that genuine salvation is marked by a Covenant Love for God, a love that supersedes all other loves. Jesus demands that we love Him more than anyone else. Jesus is NOT just another Teacher. Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is God in the flesh. To be saved, you must receive Him as FIRST in your life. We put Him first, even when we regard our own family members. In fact, we are to love Jesus more than our earthly life. What is the Prime Directive of Christianity? God told His Old Covenant believers …

(Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV) And thou shalt LOVE the LORD thy God with ALL THINE HEART, and with ALL THY SOUL, and with ALL THY MIGHT.

You cannot love God halfway. God demands primacy. When Jesus was asked, “What is the GREATEST COMMANDMENT in the Law?”, He replied:

(Mark 12:30 KJV) And thou shalt LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, and WITH ALL THY SOUL, and WITH ALL THY MIND, and WITH ALL THY STRENGTH: this [is] the first commandment.

Let’s illustrate this using the Bible that Jesus used, the Old Testament.

Abraham is approached by God, and God promises Abraham a son, a nation, and that his lineage will bless ALL THE WORLD. So Abraham follows God. God told Abraham,

Genesis 21:12 … In ISAAC shall THY SEED BE CALLED

The Apostle Paul quotes this in Romans 9:7. But Paul also explains this further in

(Galatians 3:16 LSB) Now the promises were spoken to Abraham AND TO HIS SEED. He does not say, “AND TO SEEDS,” as [referring] to many, but [rather] to one, “AND TO YOUR SEED” THAT IS, CHRIST.

What God was telling Abraham – and we should understand – that from Isaac the Christ, the Messiah would come. God would make Isaac, from Isaac would come Israel, from Israel would come the Messiah.

Illustrate: So one day God comes to Abraham and says, “Take now your son, your only one, whom you love, Isaac, and go forth to the land of Moriah, and OFFER HIM THERE AS A BURNT OFFERING on one of the mountains of which I will tell you” (Genesis 22:2). Imagine this. Abraham gets up the next morning, and has breakfast. Sarah asks Abraham, “Where are you going? I saw Isaac outside loading the wagon, and the servants getting ready to go with you.” Abraham says, “I’ve got to go to Moriah. God told me I have to sacrifice Isaac on the mountain there.” What does Sarah do? What does any mother do? “Absolutely not! You’re not going to kill my boy, I don’t care WHAT you think God said. IF YOU LOVE ME YOU WILL FORGET THIS FOOLISHNESS.”

Abraham goes anyway. Isaac must die, because Jesus said so. To Sarah, it looks like Abraham HATES her, and HATES Isaac. When Isaac is put on the altar, perhaps he thinks his daddy hates him. He doesn’t. But Abraham loves God, regardless as to how it looks.

True and saving faith doesn’t care what the world thinks or says. True and saving faith trusts in God. Abraham knew God, and loved God. God had told him that the Messiah Jesus Christ would come through Isaac. So even though he didn’t understand, Abraham obeyed. The believer in Christ trusts Christ no matter what life may bring your way.

(Luke 14:26 KJV) If any one come to me, and HATE {miseō} not his FATHER, and MOTHER, and WIFE, and CHILDREN, and BRETHREN, and SISTERS, yea, AND HIS OWN LIFE ALSO, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.

Illustrate: Or consider the man known as Job. Job loved the Lord. The Lord allowed Job’s children to die. The Lord allowed Job’s farm to suffer destruction. Job even suffered poor health because God allowed it to come into his life. After all this his wife said:

(Job 2:9 LSB) Do you still hold fast your integrity? CURSE GOD AND DIE!”

This woman – a mother who lost her children – is in effect telling her husband, “If you love me, YOU WILL HATE GOD. Curse Him! Curse Him for what we are going through. Curse Him for the pain, the suffering. Curse Him for taking my babies. Curse Him, and rest in hatred with me”. But Job told her:

(Job 2:10 LSB) You speak as one of the wickedly foolish women speaks. SHALL WE INDEED ACCEPT GOOD FROM GOD AND NOT ACCEPT CALAMITY?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Preach! Wicked people do not rest in their salvation. Wicked people speak well of God when things go their way, but doubt and curse Him when tried. Beloved, life is hard. Christians get diseases. Christians suffer loss. Being a Christian is no assurance that life will go your way. You will be hated of the world. You will suffer diseases. You will go through valleys. Yet what does the Christian do? The Christian loves God anyway. Jesus commands us to …

(Luke 14:27 KJV) And whosoever doth not BEAR HIS CROSS, and COME AFTER ME, cannot be My disciple.

The Gospel demands the primacy of Christ. Being a Christian is a free gift. Salvation is a free gift. But you cannot join hands with Jesus and join hands with Satan. Your allegiance must be with Jesus and Jesus alone. You have to “BEAR HIS CROSS”.

The Cross is HARD. The Cross is BLOODY. The Cross is LONELY. The Cross is SHAMEFUL. The Cross is HEARTBREAKING. The Cross is INCONVENIENT. You “BEAR HIS CROSS”. The world will mock you. The world will try and shame you.

There are many false Gospels out there. There are many “free gifts” offered in the guise of salvation. The Apostle Paul spoke of two free gifts, the free gift you get from Adam, and the free gift offered by Jesus. We read:

(Romans 5:15-16, 18 NKJV) But the FREE GIFT {charisma} [is] NO LIKE THE OFFENSE. For if BY ONE MAN’S OFFENSE MANY DIED, much more the grace of God and the GIFT BY THE GRACE OF ONE MAN, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. [16] And the GIFT {dōrēma} [is] not like [that which came] through the one who sinned. For the judgment [which came] from one [offense resulted] in condemnation, but the FREE GIFT {charisma} [which came] from many offenses [resulted] in justification. … [18] Therefore, as through one man’s offense [judgment came] to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act [the FREE GIFT {charisma} came] to all men, resulting in justification of life.

The “free gift” you get from Adam when you’re born is a sin nature, a nature that makes YOU god and God nothing. But the “free gift” offered by Jesus saves us from sin – but it makes Jesus first in our lives. HE IS LORD.

Once you are saved, you automatically become Jesus’ disciple, Jesus’ workmanship. God will work in you to destroy the old you. He will work in you to give you a desire for Jesus. Will God give you the “desires of your heart?” Absolutely. The desire of your heart will be a desire for Jesus, to know Him in as Paul said:

(Philippians 3:9-10 NKJV) to be found in Him, NOT HAVING MY OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, which [is] from the law, but that which [is] through faith in Christ, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS FROM GOD BY FAITH; [10] that I may KNOW HIM and THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION, and the FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERINGS, being CONFORMED to His death

True salvation does not make YOU a better YOU. True salvation kills you. It starts with the humbled heart. It starts with your collapse on Damascus Road, where you stop following YOUR agenda and begin to follow Jesus. To put HIM first in all you do. To where you will, like Paul, look up from the dirt and say,

LORD, what do YOU want ME TO DO?

If you’re not in that spot, dear friend, you may not be saved. “Work out your OWN SALVATION with FEAR AND TREMBLING” (Philippians 2:12). Is Jesus in your life? Is Jesus “working in you to will and to do OF HIS GOOD PLEASURE” (Philippians 2:13). Or are you just part of the crowd?

Dear Friend, Have You Counted The Cost?

(Luke 14:28-30 KJV) For which of you, intending to BUILD A TOWER {pyrgos}, sitteth not down first, and COUNTETH THE COST, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it]? [29] Lest haply, after HE HATH LAID THE FOUNDATION, and is NOT ABLE TO FINISH IT, all that behold [it] begin to mock him, [30] Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Word Study: The word “TOWER”, the Greek word pyrgos which means “a fortified structure high in the air, enabling someone to watch for the enemy in all directions”. Towers were placed strategically around the walls of large cities. Their function was to be a place where a watchman stood to guard the city from the enemy. If the watchman saw someone coming, an invading army, he would sound the alarm. The people would grab their weapons and rally to the walls, shutting the gates, so as to repel the enemy.

When I first read this text the Holy Spirit directed my mind to The Tower of Babel. God had told mankind to “multiple and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28; 9:1; 9:7). But sinful humanity decided they wouldn’t do that. Instead, they disobeyed the command of God (as sinners will do) and said:

(Genesis 11:4 NKJV) Come, let us BUILD OURSELVES A CITY, and a TOWER WHOSE TOP IS IN THE HEAVENS; let us make a name for ourselves, LEST WE BE SCATTERED ABROAD OVER THE FACE OF THE WHOLE EARTH.

God scattered them by confusing their languages. The reason we have 7000 known living languages in the world today is because of this place called Babel. They sought to work their way to Heaven by ignoring the most important thing.

If you love Jesus, you will do as Jesus says.

Jesus spoke of those who “LAID THE FOUNDATION, and is NOT ABLE TO FINISH IT”, how stupid they look to the world when they fail. Do you know what the FOUNDATION of Christianity is? The Bible says:

(1 Corinthians 3:11 LSB) For NO ONE CAN LAY A FOUNDATION OTHER THAN THE ONE WHICH IS LAID, WHICH IS JESUS CHRIST.

You can’t lay the foundation of the Christian way of life. You must be born again (John 3:3, 5-6; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Peter 1:23). You can’t make yourself “born again”. You must “repent, and be CONVERTED that your sins may be BLOTTED OUT” (Acts 3:19). God wants you to repent. The Bible says:

(2 Peter 3:9 LSB) The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some consider slowness, but IS PATIENT TOWARD YOU, not willing for any to perish but FOR ALL TO COME TO REPENTANCE.

God must build the tower to Heaven. God must lay the foundation. That foundation is Jesus Christ. You cannot be saved by your own power. Jesus must save you. He calls you to cast your life at His feet. To let Him be your Shepherd (John 10:10). To give Him your brokenness, and to love Him more than you love anybody or anything else. The COST of salvation is SURRENDER TO JESUS, and YOU MUST SURRENDER!

Jesus again illustrates what He means by saying:

(Luke 14:31-32 KJV) Or what king, GOING TO MAKE WAR AGAINST ANOTHER KING, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he BE ABLE WITH TEN THOUSAND to meet him that cometh AGAINST HIM WITH TWENTY THOUSAND? [32] Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an {ambassador}, and DESIRETH CONDITIONS OF PEACE.

In this illustration Jesus mentions two kings. One king has an army of 10,000. But the king he is going against has an army of 20,000. Two to one. So let’s put it this way. Life is hard. Times are tough. As you go through this life, are YOU THE KING of your life – or is JESUS THE KING? If you’re the king of your life, brother, YOU ARE OUTNUMBERED TWO TO ONE. All you false Christians who are saved by your own goodness and your own abilities, in time that which you are following will fall apart. The Apostle talks about false faith and false salvation in:

(1 Corinthians 15:1-2 NKJV) Moreover, brethren, I declare to you THE GOSPEL which I preached to you, which also YOU RECEIVED {paralambanō} and IN WHICH YOU STAND, [2] by which ALSO YOU ARE SAVED, IF YOU HOLD FAST THAT WORD which I preached to you—UNLESS YOU BELIEVED IN VAIN.

You have “BELIEVED IN VAIN” if you have put your life under the control of anything or anyone outside of Jesus. The Christian’s life is “built on the FOUNDATION of the APOSTLES and PROPHETS, JESUS CHRIST being the CHIEF CORNERSTONE”(Ephesians 2:20). If you are a Christian you love Jesus. If you are a Christian you love the Bible. Your standard of life is not based on what culture says, not on what your best friend says, not on what your “father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters” says. Your standard is complete surrender to the Lord Jesus, and what the Bible says.

And brothers and sisters, you do not try and explain the Bible away.You just DO it. Jesus said,

(John 14:15 LSB) If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

(John 8:42 LSB) Jesus said to them, “IF GOD WERE YOUR FATHER, YOU WOULD LOVE ME, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come of Myself, but He sent Me.

John 8:31 If ye CONTINUE IN MY WORD, then are ye My disciples indeed.

Count the cost before coming to Christ. Jesus demands your all, not your part. He came to “Save HIS PEOPLE from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). To receive Jesus as Savior, He must ALSO be your LORD. Count the cost. Are you saved? If not, TODAY is the day to give your life to Jesus.