"And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? " (Luke 14:25-28).
"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33).

There were those who loved Jesus and His work, but there were also those who opposed Him. His enemies tried to trap Him in His words and deeds.

Jesus turned and spoke these words to the crowd that followed Him. He explained to them what kind of a person can follow Him and what is required of such a person. There is a certain type and calibre of person who is a true follower of Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus touched the crux of the matter here - our mother and father, wife and children, brothers and sisters - our families.
What does it mean? Does it mean we must have hatred towards other people and fight against them?

No, He emphasises the seriousness of the matter if you want to be His disciple. There are certain things you have to part with if you want to be His disciple.

Maybe some simply come to church as a habit. They don't mean business with God.

Are you simply like one of the crowd? Will you leave today again without anything happening in your life to show that you are a true follower of the Lord?

The Lord wasn't satisfied with the crowd following Him. We might rejoice, thinking God is at work, but Jesus looks deeper and sees the heart of the people who follow Him. He speaks these words so that we might understand what it really means to follow Him.

If Jesus shows you the direction you should go and any of your family should try to take you into another direction, then your ways must part.
If your own children reject the Gospel and go after the world, then you cannot please your children. Your ways must part. The end will show which way was the right way.

It might be harsh but that is what the Lord Jesus requires of any who wants to be His disciple.

It would be good for you today to stop and reflect on your life whether you yourself are still on the right way. Are you still following the Lord Jesus in the way He requires or have you lowered the standard because of your family? Have you compromised, and the Lord Jesus is no longer precious to you?

A person who follows the Lord Jesus must make an open stand and be separate from the crowd. Many of us are simply in the crowd.

Finally the Lord said that you must "hate even your own life". What will it profit you if you're hard on all your family, but you pamper your own life and personally take it easy? This goes very deep, even deeper than what went before. This penetrates to the heart - yourself.

Your intellect, your will, your way of doing things and seeing things is very important to you.

Many cannot accept the mysteries of God if they cannot understand it first with their mind.

We must die to ourselves so that that which is of God can grow in our life.
Young people it is easier when you receive the Word of God while still young, so that His Word can change and form you.
It's more difficult for older people who are used to their ways. It is difficult to change from their old ways and even if they change they easily slip back into their old ways.

Don't wait until you're old but grab hold of the opportunity while you are young.

The Lord Jesus also said, "anyone who doesn't take up his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple".
The people to whom He spoke knew what He meant. To carry the cross was a shame and meant death.

Nowadays people carry a cross around their neck etc., but this has nothing to do with the cross Jesus spoke of here. He was speaking about the same Cross He was about to carry for our sins.

This cross refers to dying to your own will and your own ways.

The cross is heavy and causes you to bow. You cannot do what you like and go where you like, but you do His will and go where He wants you to go and do what He wants.

Has your own views been submitted to the will of God. The cross speaks of self-denial. It symbolises to part and forsake everything else and hold fast to the Lord Jesus; where you are dead to the world and its desires but alive to God and what He wants - the old have passed away and everything has become new.

Often we fail to carry the cross continually. Very often when things don't go the way we want it to go we hit out and kick.

You must walk closely to your Saviour and continually identify His will in every situation, even the difficult ones.

Don't give up or grow weary but continually take up your cross and follow Him. Surrender your whole life and do not cling onto things of this world else you will fail to serve God as you ought.

Remember the rich young ruler. He did more than many would do, but he was unwilling to give up the one thing the Lord Jesus put His finger on. It was too much and he went away disappointed.

If you are disappointed with Christianity and feel that it is making you miserable, the problem doesn't lie with Christianity but with yourself. You are unwilling to fully surrender yourself and give up that one thing the Lord points out. You will never experience the joy of the Lord unless you obey Him fully, take up your cross and follow Him.

Paul says that which was gain to him he considered dung and rubbish for the sake of Christ. He cherished the Cross of Christ and considered all else as rubbish in comparison. He received that revelation where he understood that denying himself and taking up his cross is worth so much more than going on in his own way.

Peter said to Jesus "we have forsaken everything and followed You". Jesus replied "no one forsakes father, mother, wife or children or lands for My sake and will not receive many fold in this life and eternal life to come".

Here is Heaven before you. You won't enter Heaven in your own way and following your own will. It requires you to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Him.

Many people like to further the Gospel and it is good but the place to which they need to go to be equipped for power they are not willing to go. God won't use you while you follow your own way. You must do it His way.