Each week, these sermon discussion guides are made available to help you engage the sermon text more fully. For those in a small group, this is what your group will use as its jumping-off point. You are also encouraged to use this in the context of your own home, whether personally or as a family, as you seek to apply the message to your life.
Sermon Summary: Luke 9:23-27
Main Ideas
I. There are conditions that must be met to be a disciple of Christ.
II. There are consequences for those who choose not to follow after Christ.
Application Points
I. Self-denial is the first condition of discipleship
II. A disciple must choose death daily to follow Jesus.
III. To follow Jesus, we must be willing to deviate from our natural inclinations.
IV. Know the consequences for not following after Jesus.
Quotes
"Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?" — Luke 14:27-28
"Following Jesus does indeed lead through suffering and death. But the path is luminous with life and truth. Jesus promised, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). And where Jesus is present there is joy - joy in sorrow for now, but joy nevertheless." — John Piper, What Jesus Demands from the World.
Questions for Personal Response
How has following Jesus cost you? In relationships? In possessions? In vocation?
In what ways do we view discipleship as an optional part of the Christian life?
How does the paradox that Jesus presents in v.24 affect our decisions and perspective (i.e., temporary vs eternal)?
Discipleship is not a stagnant process but one of movement. How have you seen yourself moving toward following Jesus in your life?
Where are we often tempted to place our trust rather than following the commands of Jesus?
Which of the conditions of discipleship (denial, death, deviate) are the hardest for you to regularly meet?