Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-04-15
The Cost of Discipleship.
Luke 14:25-35.
Golden Text: Mt. f6:25.
by Lee W. Amcs
INTRODUCTORY

other occasion He turned TO a follow
ing multitude with similar message,
in which lie revealed His diety and
His cross. with the result that many
went back and walked no more with
Him" See John 6:26-71. Often the
message regarding the cost Of follow
ing Christ may be unwelcome, but it
is true nevertheless. And we are es-
pecially eXhorted to give heed to il
duke 1880. The outline given is
presented by q. H. Aldrich in "Our
Hope" Magazine.
LESSON DIVISIONS
|. Christ Asks for the Pre-eminent
Place i'm our Hearts. %, 26.
III. Christ Asks for Fellowship in
His Cross 27-32.
IILChrist Asks for Full Surrender
1885,
The Outline Developed.
When special meetings are being
held many go forward" and join the
visible church Because large crowds
are attending the services, because
the music is good, because the choir
is large because the speaker is fam
Gus, they come to the meetings. Be-
cause il is the popular thing. in order
that they may get into the best soci-
ETY.. or join the choir, or get a promi
mt place among men, they go for
ward" sometimes with little or no
realization of the cost. Jesus turned
to the selfish, thoughtless multitude,
and gave utterance To truths that the
world will not yet accept, but which
tha child az God and
upon. Verse 26 does not tech that
loyalty to Christ involves any mis-
treatment of loved ones. If il did
teach this, then ii would contradict
His words elsewhere, for we are told
TO love our enemies (Mt 5.All, how
much more then our friends an blood
relations: He especially rebukcd dis
loyalty 10 father and mother Ont. IL.
3-9); He indicated the dissolubiiI,V #
the marriage tie (Mt. 1875, 8 and else
Where): He eXhorts especially con
corning the love Of , man to his Wif,
Eph. 5:25-32); He eNhorts fathers
regarding the proper love for and
care of their children tEph g.; CD.
3:21). Then too, He refers in this
verse to hating his own life also
Fph. 5:29, indicate tina: He does II {
mean disloyalty To earthly ties Wnat
He means here is simply that t'c Is
before all earthly relationships ~
put the work of the cross ahead IF all
other things, leaving glory and the
presence of the Father, for US. Now
lie demands that we put Him ilsl
DR. Scofield says on this verse All
I'll rms which uefine the emotions -:
affections are comparative. M I'dl
affection is To he, as compared VIII
the believers devotedness to Oh isl.
a. if il were Fate. See Mt. xii. .5p.
where Christ illustrates this principe
n His own person Bur in the Lord
the natural objections are san s;i'.ed
and lifted to the level Of the diNiE"
love (cf. John xix. Is, 81; Eph. V. 20
2S." We must put Christ first, no
matter what the cost may be. IL may
be that relatives are not willing to
come with us and surrender to Christ
for salvation, or il may be that they
are openly opposed To our doing so.
That should not stand in the way of
our being saved. Read Matthew TO-
81. who knows but that the Lord
may use US, after being saved, TO lead
those same directors to Him? Think
not that this authorizes any quarrel
ling with unsaved relatives. or any
feeling Of superiority TO them. Nor
does il enjoin any to seek separation
from husband or wife because of un-
belief. Let the young people who be-
long TO Christ beware that they be
n 4srtYl
believers, but if you have married an
unbeliever you are to remain with
that one 81 Cor. 7:12, 49,, the only
ground for divorce being the one stat
ed by our Lord (Mt. 1870. Many
"a saint whose home life is unhappy
can testify that il is a mistake TO be
unequally yoked together with unbe-
levers, but the time To remedy this is
before marriage. Some young people
will not hear the word OF warning,
however. In making demand for
the first place i'm our lives Jesus Christ
claims 10 be divine. Who but God
would dare ask for such pre-emin-
ence? Woe unto those who give To an
other the place that belongs To the
Son of God, Are you giving Him the
first place in your life?
He next mentions the cross. To
follow Jesus Christ is To meet the
cross. The cross means death. II
meant death for Him, and 1T means
death for us. 4. We who have been
baptized by the Spirit of God into the
body of Christ, the church, have been
baptized into His death. Dying with
Him, we are also raised with Him.
We are dead unto sin, and alive unto
God (Romans 6:1-1D, in our stand
ing before God. and upon this truth
is based the exhortation 90 yield our
selves and our members to God as
instruments of righteousness CRom.
6s131. Read also Galatians $50. Let
me repeat that this truth has TO do
with our standing, not our experience;
and our experience Is to be changed
by the recognition of our standing.
There remains i'm us the sinful ma
ture which will never be removed
while we are I'm the flesh: but this we