September 13, 2026: How Far Are You Willing to Go with God? - Luke 9:57-62

Join us Sundays at 10:30am ET for more gospel messages! https://www.churchofchristeastside.org/ Sermon - How Far Are You Willing to Go with God? (Luke 9:57-62) by Gary Coles WILL YOU ONLY GO WITH GOD UNTIL: • You become bored • It is inconvenient • You get distracted • It becomes uncomfortable • It becomes dangerous FOLLOWING JESUS IS OFTEN AN UPHILL ISSUE: • Jesus told His disciples that it wouldn’t be easy to follow Him – Luke 9:57-58 • Paul indicated that following God would require sacrifice – Romans 12:1 • Following Jesus will always cost you something. There is no such thing as a “no-cost" salvation! • Following Jesus requires difficult choices – Luke 9:59-60 • Christians must love Jesus with every ounce of their being – Matthew 22:37-38 • Following Jesus requires us to stop looking at our past – Luke 9:61-62 • 1 Kings 19:19-21 — Elisha was called to be a prophet right in the middle of plowing a field — and he never looked back. In fact, he slaughtered the oxen so they would not even be a temptation to return. • What does Jesus want from his followers? Total dedication, not halfhearted commitment. Luke 10:2 CHRISTIANS MUST NOT ALLOW THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP TO CAUSE THEM TO HOLD BACK: • Christ’s underlying question is, “How far are you willing to go?” (Luke 14:25-26; John 12:25-26) • Following Christ means total submission to Him — perhaps even to the point of death. (Luke 14:27; 1 Peter 2:21) • There is a cost in following Jesus. It is not a joyride, nor is it a passage to health and wealth! (Luke 14:28-33; Acts 21:13-14) CHRISTIANS MUST NOT ALLOW INSULTS, PERSECUTIONS AND LIES TO KEEP THEM FROM FOLLOWING JESUS: • Matthew 5:11-12; 1 Peter 2:23; 1 Peter 5:14 • Christians should rather focus on joy and blessings. • “Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.” (Romans 12:14) • “Love your enemies… bless those who curse you.” (Luke 6:27–28) • Let your conduct silence lies: “Keep a good conscience so that… those who slander you may be put to shame.” (1 Peter 3:16) • Retaliation feels justified, but Scripture forbids it: “Never take your own revenge… ‘Vengeance is Mine,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)