Here are the notes from David Guzik message that the Day in the Word Conference.

Previously Luke has told us that coming to God is like accepting an invitation. It is likely that he included this portion here, at this time, to demonstrate that it’s not exactly like accepting an invitation. So, Luke tells us what Jesus says about being His disciple.

“To be my disciple you must:
….. regard me as God” (verse 26)

If Jesus was not claiming to be God he was telling us to be idolators. Jesus is commanding us to place all good relationships at a lower importance than our relationship with Him. Without apology, Jesus asks that He be of first importance in our lives so that all other relationships seems as hate in comparison.

The danger of idolatry is placing good things in the best place.

…… “have the mentality that you are dead” (verse 27)

Carrying your cross always led to death on the cross. Criminals always carried their cross (or the cross beam) and only had a one way journey to the place of death.

Bearing your cross means living unto Him. It means dying to self.

…….. “Keep your eyes on me” (verse 27)

We follow Him. If we will keep Jesus at the centre it will not be a suffering that will be in vain. He carried His own cross and so must His followers
He walked to his own death and so must His followers

…… “Count the cost”

Two parables demand that we count the cost. Verse 29-30 talk about a building and counting the cost. “Do you have enough resources to be my disciple?”. Verse 31-32 talk about going to war against a much bigger enemy. The question is : “count the cost of going against me.”

Christianity is an evangelistic religion and yet it seems that Jesus is pushing people away – “you cannot be my disciple”. Jesus demands more than simple doctrinal agreement. He demands more than that we add something good to our life – He becomes our life in exchange for ours.

Chapter 15:1 – the result was that tax collectors and sinners turned to him, even though the demand was so great.

This post comes from Calvary Chapel Pastors

Anyone who asks Jesus a question—especially a loaded one—should prepare to get more of an answer than he bargained for.

A lot more.

One afternoon Jesus’ opponents sought to get Him in hot water with the Roman authorities. So they asked Him whether a pious Jew should pay taxes to Caesar. When Jesus’ answer dumbfounded them, other challengers in the crowd asked a question they considered much tougher. And when His brilliant answer silenced them, still other skittish observers said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” At that point the gospel writer Luke adds—I’m guessing with a twinkle in his eye—“after that they dared not question Him anymore” (See Luke 20:20-40).

As I said, when you ask Jesus a question, get prepared for a surprising answer!

That certainly happened the day a lawyer asked Him to name “the first commandment.” Without hesitation, Jesus gave the expected answer: “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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” (Mark 12:29-30).

So far, so good. I’m sure a lot of heads in the audience nodded in approval. But then came the “more-than-you-bargained-for” part.

And the second, like it, is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:31).

A second commandment like the first? Nobody had asked Jesus about this! Still, He gave it to them anyway. And then to top things off, He made it clear that these two commandments were really just different sides of the same, single commandment. “There is no other commandment”—singular—“greater than these,” Jesus insisted.

Jesus immediately tied love of one’s neighbor to love for God. The two actions are inseparable. Love for God has to come first, but love for neighbors must follow. You cannot love God without subsequently loving your neighbor, and you cannot love your neighbor without first loving God.

The apostle John later wrote, “And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also” (1 John 4:21). The heart of the Christian gospel is love—God loving you, you loving God supremely, and you loving your neighbor as yourself. That’s the heart and the essence of the Christian message.

Our heavenly Father calls you and me to so love Him and one another that we might clearly demonstrate what true Christianity is all about. Even the Pharisees and scribes had a hard time acknowledging this truth. The question Jesus asks us today is: If we say we love God, are we also showing love to our brother?

Never has the world more desperately needed such a demonstration. What too often passes itself off as Christianity today is only another form of hollow religion, woefully lacking in love. God calls us to love as He loves—and that’s not something we can conjure up within ourselves. It will happen only as we ask Him to plant His love in our hearts. Only then will we love as He loves.

– excerpted from Love The More Excellent Way by Chuck Smith

continue reading the views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of Calvary Southampton