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We could turn to Matthew chapter 
8. I figure we would just finish this section tonight. I don't 
think I promised it would be next Sunday morning. I think 
I mentioned it may be. So things have changed. We'll 
look at this section tonight. Remember this morning we considered 
the first lesson on discipleship in verses 18 to 22. Remember 
the specific context. Jesus has said, let us go to 
the other side, meaning the Sea of Galilee. He wants to take 
his disciples, separate from the crowd, and ultimately he 
will end up in the region of the Gadarenes. Verses 23 to 27 
narrate or give us the particular details concerning that boat 
ride. And then when Jesus gets to the 
other side, he meets the men among the tombs in the Gadarenes 
from whom he casts out demons. But this section wedged in here 
between in chapter 8 verses 18 to 22 is about discipleship. 
So I'll just pick up reading in verse 18 and then we'll pray 
and look at this second man. And when Jesus saw great multitudes 
about him, he gave a command to depart to the other side. 
Then a certain scribe came and said to him, teacher, I will 
follow you wherever you go. 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. Then another 
of his disciples said to him, Lord, let me first go and bury 
my father. But Jesus said to him, follow 
me and let the dead bury their own dead. Amen. Let us pray. Our blessed God and our Father, 
we thank you again for this section of Holy Scripture. We thank you 
for what Matthew is doing in terms of shining the light upon 
Jesus and his authority, his authority to heal, his authority 
to cast out demons and deal with all manner of sickness, but as 
well the lesson concerning discipleship. May we realize it's not enough 
to be amazed at what Christ does. We must bow before Him. We must 
follow Him wherever He bids us. We just pray now that You would 
guide our study, that You would fill us with Your Holy Spirit, 
and that by Your grace and for Your glory, we would be faithful 
disciples of our living Lord. And we pray in Jesus' holy name, 
Amen. Well, as I said this morning, 
the first man is very quick to mention that he wants to follow 
Jesus wherever Christ goes. So he's quick in terms of his 
statement. but he doesn't count the cost. That's the emphasis in that first 
section, that case study in discipleship, if you will. Jesus highlights 
the necessity for this man to consider the nature of what it 
is he has said. Teacher, I will follow you wherever 
you go. Jesus says, foxes have holes 
and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere 
to lay his head. So Christ calls this man, Christ 
cautions this man Christ calls him to consider the cost involved 
in following Jesus. So if the cost of discipleship 
is what is in view in this first man, the second deals with priority. It deals with priority and ultimate 
allegiance. You see, we do not profess saving 
faith in Jesus Christ and then put things before him, but rather 
Christ comes first. And that is specifically what 
is illustrated in verses 21 to 22. Now again, this man is called 
another disciple, which would indicate that this scribe was 
a disciple. But remember that in the gospel 
accounts, the word disciple does not always mean somebody who 
has savingly believed the gospel. But rather, in this instance, 
it's a follower, it's one who's interested in the Lord Jesus. 
We have no understanding, we have nothing to shine the light 
upon what happened to these two men, whether they did take up 
the cross, whether they did follow Him. That's not the specific 
point in view. The specific point in view are 
the lessons concerning discipleship. that the Lord Jesus sets before 
us. So let's look first of all with 
reference to the second lesson on discipleship, the other disciples' 
request. Verse 21, Then another of his 
disciples said to him, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. We need to understand that there 
are two approaches to this particular verse. One means the way it reads. The man's father just died, and 
he wants to go and bury him. But there is an alternate understanding. One man has rightly said or has 
said that if this man's father had just died, he certainly wouldn't 
be out with the multitudes following Jesus. He would be with his father, 
or he would be with the family at this particular instance. 
So what that man interprets it to mean as let me first bury 
my father means let me tarry at home until such a time that 
my father dies and I receive his inheritance and then I'll 
be better poised to follow you. MacArthur seems to prefer that 
understanding in his study Bible. So the idea being his father 
just died and he has an obligation, and that he would of course have 
an obligation to do this, or that his father will die in the 
future and the man wants to remain at home, get his inheritance, 
and then follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I can't say with 
certainty what the specific interpretation is. I tend to favor the first, 
that the man's father died and that he wants to bury him. And 
I realize that that makes what Jesus says quite shocking, which 
we'll deal with in just a moment. But the idea or the request for 
a son to want to bury his father is legit. That's a good thing. Do not interpret this as Jesus 
being anti-family. Do not think that Jesus is against 
filial obligation. Back in the book of Genesis with 
the patriarchs, when the fathers died, the sons would bury them. This is a good thing. This is 
a wonderful thing. In fact, go back to 1 Kings chapter 
19 for just a moment. This isn't an instance of burial 
per se, but it is an instance of filial respect paid by one 
man to his parents. In 1 Kings chapter 19, when Elijah 
calls Elisha to follow him, we learn in verse 19, so he departed 
from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing 
with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelve. 
Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. And 
he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, please let me 
kiss my father and my mother and then I will follow you. And 
he said to him, go back again for what have I done to you? 
So Elisha turned back from him and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered 
them and boiled their flesh using the oxen's equipment and gave 
it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah 
and became his servant. Now, there are some similarities 
between what we find here and in Matthew 8. But there are some 
dissimilarities as well. And the thing that I want us 
to observe, though, is that Elijah gives him leave to do this. I 
think that's the straightforward reading of the text. Elisha makes 
this request. Elijah grants this permission. And in the Old Testament as a 
whole, and in Jewish life in general, it was the common form 
of filial family respect for the firstborn or for the sons 
to make sure their dead father got a proper burial. So going 
back to Matthew chapter 8, when we read this statement concerning 
this particular man, when he says, Lord, let me first go and 
bury my father. The idea, the concept, the reality 
is not wicked in and of itself to want to bury one's father. 
It'd be akin to if your father died. Of course you would go 
to the funeral. Of course you would assist with 
the will. You would assist with the estate 
or whatever would be involved. So let's now look at the Savior's 
demand in verse 22. So this man says, Lord, let me 
first go and bury my father. But Jesus said to him, follow 
me and let the dead bury their own dead. Follow me and let the 
dead bury their own dead." Again, it's not a wrong thing for a 
man to want to bury his father. There's a few different ways 
that this passage has been understood. The first is, let the spiritually 
dead look after their physically dead. In other words, let the 
unconverted deal with their own affairs. You are a disciple. 
I have called you to preach, which the parallel passage in 
Luke chapter 9 indicates. This disciple was supposed to 
preach. And then, so Jesus says, let 
the spiritually dead look after their physically dead. Or it 
could be just a general sort of a statement like, let those 
matters look after themselves. Or, In the parallel account, as I've 
already mentioned, the man had been given a specific task. In 
Luke chapter 9 at verse 60, it says, Let the dead bury their 
own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God. You see, 
there's a priority going on here. What is most important? What 
is most crucial? Spurgeon comments here, I don't 
know if he intended the pun, but he certainly got one. It 
was a grave fault to put the sepulcher before the Savior. It was a grave fault to put the 
sepulcher of his father before the Savior. And then he makes 
this statement. Soldiers cannot be excused from 
war on account of domestic claims. If a man is engaged in battle, 
he has to carry on. You're not in the heat of battle, 
you're not in the front of combat where you get to say, you know 
guys, I've got to first go home and take care of a particular 
activity and then I'll come back and I'll shoot you. No, when 
you're engaged in the heat of battle, you must be faithful 
in terms of your responsibility as a soldier. I think all of 
those, to some degree or other, shine some light upon this passage. But I personally think the parallel 
is found in Matthew's Gospel, specifically in Matthew chapter 
10 and verse 37. Later on in Matthew chapter 10 
at verse 37, the Lord Jesus Christ is going to emphasize allegiance 
to himself. He's going to say, he who loves 
father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. That's the 
point in 8.22. The idea is one of priority. The one is the idea of discipleship. Christ is not warring against 
filial obligation, but rather He is heightening and highlighting 
the reality of what Christian discipleship looks like. He who 
loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he 
who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Christ is not disregarding what 
is Jewish piety, what has its taproots in the Old Covenant 
Scriptures, which is the common decency among the sons of men 
that they bury their dearly departed fathers. What Christ's point 
is, on the heels of telling this first disciple that he must count 
the cost, he is now telling this man there is nothing that comes 
before himself. In other words, you are to seek 
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other 
things will be added unto you. Christ is highlighting the reality 
that with reference to discipleship, there is nothing that is supposed 
to come between the disciple and the master. We are not to 
say, let me first, let me go, let me do, let me first. No, 
no, no, no, no. We are to give allegiance and 
allegiance alone to the Lord Jesus. Now, in terms of a few 
implications, the first I would say, and I've already alluded 
to this, is this seems a bit shocking, doesn't it? If, as 
I've argued, and you can check the passages for yourself, it's 
in Genesis 25, I think 36, 35, 25, 35, 50, there are instances 
where the patriarch's sons bury their fathers. We've seen Elijah give leave 
to Elisha so that he can go give a big smack on his parents cheek 
before he follows Elijah the prophet. Jesus Christ doesn't 
allow him this. Jesus Christ doesn't afford him 
this. This is shocking information, 
isn't it? It was designed for that reason 
and designed for that purpose to indicate this most essential 
truth. Jesus is far greater than Elijah. Jesus is far greater than the 
patriarchs. Jesus far exceeds any sort of 
normal obligation that you and I might have to one another. 
In other words, what Jesus demands here, if it offends us and our 
delicate sensitivities, it was intended to. Christ wants you 
to realize that discipleship is not supposed to be a divided 
activity. Discipleship is not supposed 
to be a pick-and-choose sort of an approach. Discipleship 
with the Lord Jesus means that He is everything, He is worthy 
of our all, and we will pursue Him even if it means that it 
disrupts normal social convention. France says it this way, whether 
the metaphor is immediately grasped or not, this idea of let the 
dead bury the dead. He says whether the metaphor 
is immediately grasped or not, Jesus' reply is a stark refusal 
to allow filial duty to take priority over discipleship. He says no rabbi would have been 
so cavalier. No rabbi in the first century 
would have ever told a man, let the spiritually dead bury their 
physically dead, you follow me. No rabbi would do that. He says, 
and normal Jewish piety would find such an attitude incomprehensible. Normal Jewish piety would have 
said, but Jesus, even Elijah, allowed leave to Elisha in order 
for him to go smooch his parents before he followed. The patriarchs, when they died, 
their sons were dutifully there to make sure they received proper 
burial. You see what's going on here? 
The demand of Christ, discipleship to Christ, involves everything. It is whole, it is complete, 
it is absolute. France continues, if this is 
what authority not like their scribes, chapter 7, verse 29, 
involved, most people would not want to have anything to do with 
it. You see, Jesus puts total demand. Who wants that? Those born again by the Spirit 
of God, right? The natural man doesn't want 
this. The natural man says, are you crazy? I'm gonna go bury 
my dead father. Are you crazy? I'm gonna go kiss 
my parents. Are you crazy? I'm gonna go tend 
to my fields. Are you crazy? I'm gonna go make 
my money. Are you crazy? I've got other obligations that 
vie for my time that are equally important. It is the Spirit of 
God causing men to be born again to see Christ as he is set forth 
in the scriptures that make men willing to engage in this manner 
of discipleship. It isn't a 70-30 proposition. 
It isn't an 80-20 proposition. It isn't a 99.99% proposition. It is all or nothing with our 
Lord Jesus. He goes on to say, for instance, 
the kingdom of heaven apparently involves a degree of fanaticism 
which is willing to disrupt the normal rhythms of social life. That's where the stress falls 
in the passage. If the first man was too quick 
and didn't count the cost, the second man is too slow and doesn't 
follow the Lord. There ought never to be a, let 
me first, Lord. As a general rule, when the God 
who made this world and everything in it, the God who upholds it 
by the word of His power, when the Danielic son of man says, 
follow me, you don't say, let me first. You don't bargain, 
you don't barter, you don't try to trade, and you don't try to 
apply. You simply drop everything and follow Him. Later on, Matthew 
includes his conversion. Where is Matthew sitting when 
the Lord Jesus says, follow me? He's sitting at his tax table 
with all of his money. You don't hear Matthew say, Lord, 
let me first put this money away. Lord, let me first make sure 
my pockets are full. Lord, let me make sure that it's 
all deposited properly. He follows Him. You see, far 
too often, in far too many instances, people say they're followers 
of Jesus, but they're divided. Their attention is divided. They 
want it to be an 80-20. They want to give Jesus this 
much, but they want to secure that much for themselves. A second 
implication is simply this, the demand of Jesus highlights the 
priority associated with the kingdom. It is the necessity 
of allegiance to Jesus Christ. If Christ is who he says he is, 
and we have every reason to believe that, if Christ is who the scripture 
sets him forth to be, his command, let the dead bury their own dead, 
you follow me, makes perfect sense. It makes absolutely perfect 
sense. He far exceeds Elijah. He far 
exceeds the patriarchs. He far exceeds the prophets. 
He far exceeds anybody and everybody. Even your dead father. Thirdly, the demand of Jesus 
shows the folly of saying, let me first. Turn to the parallel 
for a moment in Luke 9. These words of Jesus show the 
folly of saying, let me first. Remember I said that in Luke's 
account, he includes one other instance. Again, no contradiction. It's what they have in terms 
of purpose and theological intention. It seems to me that this third 
account basically repeats the second. And so Matthew does not 
find it necessary to include it in his narrative. But notice, 
we have that first man that comes to him in verse 57, I will follow 
you wherever you go. Foxes have holes, birds have 
nests, son of man has nowhere to lay his head. Then he said 
to another, follow me. But he said, Lord, let me first 
go and bury my father. Jesus said to him, let the dead 
bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of 
God. That's the emphasis. That's where your allegiance 
lies. That's what you've been placed into service to do. And 
then verse 61, and another also said, Lord, I will follow you, 
but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house. Just think about it here. This 
Jesus, in Matthew 8, as we continue, God willing, next week, and I 
won't promise that, something may happen and we might not study 
that section in the morning, but God willing, we continue 
in the narrative. This is the man who tells the 
wind to stop blowing and it stops blowing. This is the man who 
tells the waves to stop their tumult and they stop. I was kind 
of thinking about the flow in Matthew chapter 8. We have a 
lot of people today, or there are a group of people that claim 
they have healing ability. They can heal people. Now, whether 
that's empirically verifiable, I definitely have my skeptical 
thoughts and doubts to be sure. I believe God can heal. I just 
don't know that he's going to do it through a guy who's got 
big hair, preaches big cars, and big butts. But can these guys go tell the 
snow to stop falling? Can they stand in Chilliwack 
on any day but today and tell the rain to stop descending? Could you go to Waimea Bay in 
Hawaii and tell those great big waves not to do that anymore? You see, when a man is the ruler 
over the waves, when a man speaks to the wind and it stops blowing, 
when a man heals the sick, when a man casts out demons, when 
a man is vested with the authority of God Most High in himself, 
when he calls you to follow, you do not say, let me first. Let me go do this first. Because what does that indicate? 
That whatever it is you want to do first is more important 
for that moment than is the Son of Man. You see, these lessons 
on discipleship may strike us a bit shocking. That's only because 
we're not thinking biblically. We're not thinking theologically. 
We're not thinking the way we ought to. When God Almighty tells 
the cedars of Lebanon to split, they do it. When Jesus Christ 
bids Lazarus to come forth from the grave, he does it. We have 
no right, we have no prerogative, we have no authority when the 
call of Christ comes upon us to say, but let me first. In 
this instance, Christ says, verse 62, no one, having put his hand 
to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Christ demands, Christ deserves, 
and it is the privilege of those who are born again to give Christ 
absolute allegiance. He calls us to follow Him, we 
are to follow Him. He calls us to put Him before 
others, we put Him before others. He calls us to put Him before 
our work, or our rest, or our ease, or our sin, or our self-righteousness, 
or our fathers, or our mothers, or our wives, or our children, 
we put Him first. I have long thought, parents, 
that the best thing you can do for your children is to continually 
communicate to them that Christ is more important than they are. 
You say, oh, that'll hurt their delicate little psyche. No, it 
will teach them something concerning the kingdom of Jesus Christ. 
It will teach them something concerning priority, and it will 
teach them that there is something outside of themselves that is 
far more important. You see, man's fundamental problem 
is that we're selfish and we're proud and we're arrogant. We 
think the world revolves around us. As parents, we can break 
that vicious cycle in our children by saying, Jesus comes first. 
Read John G. Payton's account about how he 
was brought up and how he describes his father going into his sanctuary 
to pray and to meet the Lord God. John G. Payton wasn't harmed. John G. Payton wasn't hurt. John 
G. Payton wasn't desensitized. John G. Payton realized that 
Jesus Christ is everything. Not only with our children, but 
in our dealings with others. What's the priority structure 
in our lives? Is it work first? Is it family 
first? You know, these are legitimate 
concerns. Again, the idea to bury one's 
father, that's not a heinous thing. That's not wicked. This 
guy's not evil. He's not vile. He's not wretched. Jesus doesn't say, how in the 
world could you ever want to bury your father? No. You see, 
the idea is, though, is that we take lawful things, we take 
legitimate things, we take good things, and we make that the 
priority. Well, I've got to be a hard worker. 
You absolutely do have to be a hard worker. But it's for the 
glory of God. You've got to be a good husband 
for the glory of God. You've got to be a good wife 
for the glory of God. There's a priority structure 
in life. Right? What are you first and 
foremost? You're a man or a woman before 
God. That's where your identity is. 
You are complete in Him, the Apostle Paul says to the Colossians. Before you're a worker, before 
you're a merchant, before you're a whatever, you are a man or 
a woman before your God. And then you're a husband or 
a wife. And then you're a father or you're 
a mother. And then you're a worker, an 
employee, or an employer. There's a priority structure 
in life. This is what Jesus is enjoining upon this particular 
man. When this man comes into contact 
with the Lord Jesus, and he ushers that particular call, that demand, 
follow me, the wrong answer, and I hope you'll agree, is not, 
or is to say, Lord, let me first go do something else. Imagine 
coming home to give your kids some wonderful thing. Well, let 
me first go do this. What are you talking about? Now, 
if it's the bathroom or brush their teeth, there might be some 
legitimate things in that analogy. Oh, hang on, dad. Or what about 
that thing when you're having family time? You're talking to 
somebody. Not even by family time. You're 
talking to somebody, and you're pouring out their heart, and 
they're on their phone texting. Let me first see what my friend 
has to say, LOL. That comes before any interaction 
with their parents. You kind of want to just smack 
the phone right from their hands. Not that my kids have ever done 
this. They're angels. They're perfect. You get the 
drift, right? This let me first attitude. That's 
our problem. Jesus wants to wean us. Jesus 
comes to wean us from this let-me-first attitude. The Lord Christ teaches 
that allegiance to Him, devotion to Him, discipleship in His service 
is the priority in the believer's life. What is most important 
in your life? It ought to be Christ. If you 
profess faith in the Redeemer, it ought not to be an 80-20. 
It ought not to be a 70-30. It ought not to be a 50-50. It 
ought to be Christ is my all in all. I want the Lord Jesus. I want to follow Him. I want 
to serve Him. I don't want to be divided in 
my attention. I don't want to be texting while 
I'm supposed to be worshiping. I want to give Him my heart, 
my soul, my mind, my strength. I want to glorify my Savior. So that's the second lesson. 
The first needed to count the cost. The second needed to learn 
something concerning priority and allegiance to the Lord Jesus 
Christ with reference to kingdom life. We've already looked at 
the necessity to count the cost this morning. Just a couple of 
observations with reference to prioritizing with reference to 
Jesus Christ. The first thing I'd like to say 
is that this demand to place Christ first is not new in biblical 
religion. Right? 822 shouldn't make us 
go, wow. The Decalogue specifies what's 
most important. You shall have no other gods 
before me. All Christ is saying in 822 is 
the first commandment. The structure of the Decalogue 
itself impresses this reality upon us. What do the first four 
commandments have to do with? Not our happiness, not our joy, 
not our benefit, but it first has to do with God. You shall 
have no other gods before Him. You shall not make for yourself 
idols. You shall not take the name of 
the Lord your God in vain. And you shall remember the Sabbath 
day to keep it holy. What is the priority structure 
that Sinai breathes down upon us? It's that God comes first 
in your life. Remember in Deuteronomy chapter 
6, verse 4, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with 
all your soul, with all your strength. Beautiful, isn't it? God comes first. Deuteronomy 
13, what's the counsel if a prophet comes and even does mighty deeds 
and miraculous things, but he preaches false gods to you? What's 
the antidote to such a man? You kill him. What happens when 
your own family tries to entice you away from Yahweh? What happens 
when there's seduction to idolatry that arises perhaps in your own 
marriage bed from your wife or from your husband? You follow 
procedure, you turn him over, you do all that the law specifies, 
but if the man or the woman is guilty for seducing their spouse 
to apostasy, then death is their portion. You see, what's God 
teaching Israel? I'm first. Joshua 24. I know when we first 
got saved, we got one of those little door knockers with Joshua 
24 15 on it. As for me and my house, we will 
serve the Lord. I hope it's not a sign of apostasy 
that we no longer have that door knocker. I think people can use 
their hands just as well. But you remember, that's a covenant 
ratification ceremony at Shechem. Joshua is about a few things. Enter the land, conquer the land, 
divide the land. The last few chapters of Joshua 
is Joshua exhorting Israel on how to retain the land. How do 
you keep it now that you're there? You like that dirt. It yields. You're prospering. There's milk, 
there's honey, there's good things. It's a goodly land. How do you 
keep hold of that land? Joshua 24 is covenant ratification. And Joshua essentially says, 
choose whom you will serve. the gods over there, or the Lord 
God of Israel. So when he makes that declaration, 
as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. You see, this 
isn't new in biblical religion. When the Son of Man says, let 
the spiritually dead bury their physically dead, you follow me, 
the born-again disciple of God does not balk at that. He doesn't 
say, well, that's not fair. That doesn't seem right. That's 
not legit. Elijah himself spoke this principle 
at Carmel. What was the point of that battle? It was choose or how long will 
you hold between two options? If Baal is God, serve him. If 
Yahweh is God, serve him. You don't serve a little Yahweh 
and a little Baal. As Spurgeon says, you don't entertain 
Jesus in the parlor and Satan in the basement. It's either 
all of Christ or it's none of Christ. This is an emphasis as 
well. We see the demand to place Christ 
first is not new in biblical religion. Second, the demand 
to place Christ is prevalent in Matthew's gospel. Any reader 
of Matthew's gospel, by the time they get to Matthew chapter 8, 
realizes that God comes first. Doesn't he? Is this a strange 
lesson? Is this a, wow, I can't believe 
I can't go bury my dead father first. Matthew chapter 6, verse 
33. Seek first the kingdom of God 
and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to 
you. Similar to the Decalogue, doesn't the Lord's Prayer in 
its basic format indicate who comes first? The first petitions 
are God-word, and then comes man. You pray for God's name 
to be hallowed, you pray for God's kingdom to come, you pray 
for God's will to be done before you ask for food, before you 
ask for forgiveness, and before you ask for protection. There's 
a conspicuous order in the Lord's Prayer, and it teaches us and 
tells us that we are not first. God is. Matthew 12, 30, Jesus 
will say, he who is not with me is against me. That's an indicting 
passage, because I fear today, and probably in all generations 
of the church, we want enough Jesus to get us into heaven, 
but we really don't want to change our ways. We want enough Jesus 
to provide some fire insurance for the eschaton, but we really 
don't want to give up this particular thing. We quite like this group 
of friends. We quite like this kind of entertainment. 
We quite like this illicit sex. We quite like this particular 
practice. So give us a little Jesus, enough 
to protect us, but we really don't want to follow him. Jesus 
says it's an all or nothing thing. It is he who is not with me, 
he's against me. Thirdly, the demand to place 
Christ first is necessary over legitimate concerns. Right? I think I showed you, I hope 
I've showed you, that what this man asks, apart from this particular 
context, is a legitimate concern. Think about that. Jesus Christ 
has priority over your legitimate concerns. If you are pursuing 
legitimate concerns to the exclusion of Christ, repent. If your family is more important, 
if your private time is more important, by that I don't mean 
you're in your Bible in prayer, or your work is more important, 
again, I'm not condemning seasons where there's hard work. I actually 
think we could probably all stand to work a lot harder. But you 
know, there's a difference between hard work that glorifies God 
and a hard work that glorifies self. And if that's the problem, 
we need to reorder. We need to restructure. Sometimes 
people are so busy with so many things that are legitimate. Running 
kids here, running this there, running this there. It's like, 
man, all these legitimate things and we don't have time to pray 
together as a family. Right? Do you follow me? Are 
you with me? Do you get this? Christ has priority 
over our legitimate pursuits. But then fourthly, the demand 
to place Christ first is necessary over illegitimate concerns. Most 
certainly, we shouldn't even have to amplify this, but most 
certainly, if Christ takes priority over a man burying his father, 
certainly Christ takes priority over your desire to sin. But let me first know you don't 
get to sin, and then follow me. Or what about reputation? I want to follow you, Jesus, 
insofar as it doesn't affect me in terms of other people. No, Christ has priority over 
your reputation. Christ has priority over your 
ease, over your comfort, over your desires, over your whatever. If He has priority over legitimate 
concerns, He certainly has priority over illegitimate concerns. The 
common denominator between sin, reputation, comfort, and ease 
is self. Christ takes priority over you. You ought to seek Him first, 
not you first. It's not, seek Jim first and 
his righteousness. I mean, I might want it to say 
that at times. You might want it to say whatever 
your name is. Fill in the blanks. Seek this 
first. That's not Bible. That's not Christianity. That's 
not what Christ calls us to. So the necessity to prioritize 
with reference to Christ is that second lesson. And then I hinted 
at this this morning. I just want to end on this note. 
The exceedingly great value of the kingdom of Christ. You know, this morning we looked 
at that one fellow teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. Jesus 
speaks about the afflictions and the difficulties and the 
trials of the Christian life. On the one hand, we're not to 
preach health, wealth, and prosperity. Everything's always rosy, everything's 
always great, everything's always money, money, money. But on the 
other hand, it's not all misery. It's not all pain. You know, 
those Christians that never are happy. I mean, really, you're 
that miserable? You don't have anything to smile 
about? Ever? Your sins are forgiven? Can that 
make you smile a little bit? Does that make you happy a little? 
You're not going to hell? I mean, just think about that. 
Contemplate that reality. I am not going to go to hell. 
That should make you jump up and down. It's one of the brothers' 
prayers. Put a spring in our step. The 
thought of not going to hell ought to put a spring in our 
step. There's always something to rejoice in as a Christian. 
So on the one hand, it's not health, wealth, prosperity. There 
are trials. There are difficulties. There 
are tribulations. But that's not all it is. We need to understand 
that. There is exceedingly great joy 
even in the midst of trials, difficulties, and tribulations 
because of the value of the kingdom. The cost is high because the 
value is high. The cost is demanding because 
the value is exceeding. When you understand that reality, 
when Christ demands everything, it's because He's worth it. Isn't that beautiful? You're 
not going to lose giving up everything to follow Jesus. You're not going 
to be defeated. You're not going to be the one 
that comes up short. You've got everything in the 
Lord of glory. What makes sense, I quoted Knox 
Chamberlain this morning, what makes sense of the cost of discipleship 
is the value of God's kingdom and God's Messiah. Ryle says 
a religion that costs nothing is worth nothing. Ryle elsewhere 
says there are enemies to be overcome, battles to be fought, 
sacrifices to be made, and Egypt to be forsaken, a wilderness 
to be passed through, a cross to be carried, a race to be run. It's a great statement on Christian 
discipleship, isn't it? Something that the Church most 
desperately needs to hear today. We've reversed this. We don't 
think about enemies to overcome, or battles to fight, or sacrifices 
to be made, or an Egypt to be forsaken, a wilderness to be 
passed through, a cross to be carried, a race to be run. That's 
an emphasis that needs to be laid upon our hearts. But all 
of that for the sake of the surpassing glory of knowing Christ Jesus 
as Lord. This is not the end in itself. It's not enemies to be overcome, 
battles to fight, sacrifices to be made, and Egypt to be forsaken, 
a wilderness to be passed through, a cross to be carried, a race 
to be run for nothing. It's for Christ and His Kingdom. Let that get into your heart 
and let that spur you on to Christian discipleship. count the cost 
and realize there is a priority structure involved in the kingdom 
of heaven. And it's Jesus Christ who comes 
first. That is his teaching to the scribe 
and to this other disciple. Well, may God indeed give us 
a fresh appreciation for Christian discipleship, and may we run 
with endurance the race that is set before us. Well, let us 
pray. Our Father, we thank You for 
this, Your Word. We thank You for the instruction 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray that You would help 
us to receive these things, help us to pray them in, and help 
us, God, to pursue what is well-pleasing in Your sight. We cry out to 
You for Your help. The Lord Christ said, apart from 
Him, we can do nothing. And as we consider discipleship, 
as we consider sanctification, we desperately cry out. for Christ 
to help and to aid and to assist his people. May you cause us 
to be in the word and may you cause us to know the presence 
and the power of your Holy Spirit. And we pray that you would go 
with each one of us now and we ask through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen.