Untitled Episode

In this episode of On the Road with Pastor Anthony Lucas, we walk through Luke chapter 9 and see how Jesus prepares His disciples for what’s coming next.

Just like finals in school test what you’ve learned, Luke 9 shows us a turning point where the disciples move from watching Jesus… to stepping out in faith and living it out.

In this message, we explore:

• What it means to go from watching to doing (Luke 9:1–6)
• How Jesus meets both physical and spiritual needs (Luke 9:10–17)
• The question that changes everything: Who do you say that I am? (Luke 9:18–20)
• Why following Jesus requires surrender and sacrifice (Luke 9:21–23)
• And the moment Jesus sets His face toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51)

This episode is a powerful reminder that discipleship isn’t passive—it’s a life of growth, obedience, and commitment. Jesus didn’t call us to be spectators… He called us to follow Him.

If we’re going to be ready for what God has next, we need to be in His Word, spend time in prayer, and stay connected to the church—because if we don’t attend the class, we won’t be ready for the test.

👉 Are you just watching… or are you following?

🎧 Subscribe for more episodes each week
👍 Like & Share to help spread the message

contact.pastorontheroad@gmail.com

https://sharingjesusandlife.printful.me/ 

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2521614

https://rumble.com/user/travelingPastor334

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bwfaz5P1f/

buymeacoffee.com/contactpasq

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Hey, welcome back to On the Road with Pastor Anthony, and I am your host, Pastor Anthony. And well, I'm super glad that you're here with us today. If this is your first time uh listening, or maybe you've been hanging around for a while and haven't done it yet, please consider hitting the subscribe button to the uh the podcast on whatever plat favorite platforms you may be listening to us on. You know, we are uh on YouTube, we're on Rumble, and we're also post to Buzzprout, which you can actually help support the channel through there. Uh, but you know, once I post it there, it actually goes out to several different places, like, you know, Audible and you know, iTunes and uh Spotify and you know, places like that. So go check us out, um, download, you know, hit the review, all that kind of stuff. But make sure you hit the thumbs up and the little bell so you make sure that you never miss another episode. And by joining us each week, you will discover practical ways to live out your faith and connect with others as we share Jesus and life one mile at a time. Well, now again, I'm just super glad you're here and thank you for your support and your prayers. They are much appreciated. In today's episode, we will look through the book of Luke, uh, primarily in chapter nine. And this episode is titled Finals Inbound: Jesus Prepares His Disciples. You know, this I started thinking about this. We've already been through a couple of other episodes. This is actually the third week, and I started thinking this is kind of a sermon series leading into, well, maybe not a sermon, but yeah, you know, sermon series, messages, podcasts, you know, however you want to look at it. But anyway, it's a series that I think I've taught and you know I started thinking about, and I want to title it um the journey to the empty tomb, because this is going to this is actually leading us up to Easter, to resurrection morning. And again, I'm thankful that you are here along for the journey. And I really hope that you're getting challenged and you're learning and you know, and and encouraged you know, just by what is being taught, you know, with the messages that God has placed on my heart. But anyway, today's title again is finals inbound, Jesus Prepares His Disciples. Again, this is week three of this little series. We got three more to go. But when we think about finals, most of us probably immediately go to you know thinking about school. You know, picture that in your brain for a moment because you're some of us are like, no, we don't want to go ever go back to school. But anyway, when we hear finals, that's usually what comes to mind is we think about school. And the moment when everything that you've learned for that semester is now about to be tested on the finals. In many ways, that same idea is happening here in Luke 9. The disciples' uh season of simply following Jesus and watching him work is beginning to change. Jesus begins preparing them for the moment when they will have to put into practice everything that they have been learning when their faith and their understanding will be tested in the real world. You know, that's kind of what school does, it prepares us. Well, it used to, you know, maybe not so much now, but it used to really prepare us for the real world, you know, and getting us ready to deal with real life circumstances. And that's what we're seeing here in today's episode. And so today we're going to walk through this chapter and see how Jesus prepares his disciples step by step. You know, I want to, as always, begin with the word of prayer and ask God's blessing on this episode, and then we will dive into today's episode and see the disciples go from you know that transformation from move uh you know that move from watching to doing. So again, let's go ahead and dive into prayer before we dive into this uh message. Father God, uh, again, we just we come to you and we just thank you so much for all that you do in our lives. Uh Lord, we thank you for uh this platform and that you have given us to uh share your message, the gospel. And Lord, we want to continue to teach scripture, show us how to be used in a practical way so that we can relate and uh you know and challenge ourselves, Lord, and how we're doing and learn and grow and you know, and just build our relationship with you uh just closer and closer each and every day. So, Father, now we ask your blessing upon this time as we go through the scripture and discuss some things. And then, Lord, again, as always, I hope that uh you know if there's anyone here that's listening to this today that they're you know that doesn't know you, that their hearts will be open, their minds will be clear, and they will be receptive to the message that you have for them. Lord, again, we thank you and we love you in Jesus' name, amen. All right, so we're gonna be in Luke uh chapter nine. If you you know, if you're not driving and you got a Bible, you know, and you want to take some notes, you know, do that. But and so you can follow along with us. I am using the uh Christian Standard Bible uh version in the text, and so you can follow along with whatever Bible you you know you like, whatever version you like to read. So Luke 9, 1 through 6 says, Summoning the twelve, he gave them power and authority over all demons and to heal diseases. Then he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He said, Take nothing for the road, he told them, no staff, no traveling bag, no bread, no money, and don't even take an extra shirt, or you know, some versions say tunic, whatever verse four, whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. If they do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. So they went out and traveled from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere. And may God add a blessing to the reading of his word. So here we have Jesus, you know, he sends out the twelve to go out to preach the kingdom of God. You know, he's they're they're preaching the gospel, is what they're doing, and they're also healing the sick. You know, there's so many of this coming around, and and so now Jesus has given them the authority to go and do this. And I mean, this is a major step in their discipleship, you know. Up until this point, most of what they had done was well, really, they just watched Jesus' work, they observed his teaching, they saw the miracles, and they followed him from place to place. And so now things are beginning to do a little different, you know, want to challenge on them just a little bit. And so we see Jesus sends them out to participate in the mission themselves. They are now out in the mission field, they're doing the work. Training is just about over. This shows us something crucial about discipleship, and it is so vital that Jesus doesn't call people to just sit and listen, he calls people to grow and to serve and to actively participate in what God is doing. You know, Christianity isn't simply about gathering information, it's about transformation and action. You know, I know a lot of people who, I mean, they dive into books and they learn all kinds of theological stuff, and I mean they're studying, and I'm they can quote scripture and you know, but it it's but they don't really have a strong relationship with Jesus. You know, so it's not just about learning about who Jesus is, and learning about the Greek and the Hebrew, and it's not about all that. I mean, that's fine. If that's your cup of tea, not mine. I'm tell people all the time I'm not a theologian, you know. Uh, you know, I like to read and and study for what I'm preparing for, but I'm not much of a reader. Uh I just I never have been. But doing this podcasting uh and and preparing preaching and stuff, I've definitely gotten way better at it because I used to be terrible at reading. But uh, but anyhow, that's neither here nor there. But the the point is, is it's not about just gathering information and having head knowledge, it's about you know allowing God to transform us and to and then use what he has taught us into action because I tell people when you do a message, whether you know just a you know a Sunday school Bible lesson or you're preaching a message or doing an episode on podcast, you should be able to take the scriptures, teach what it means, and then show a practical application. And so, and you know, that way we can use it in our own lives, you know, because a lot of the you know, we could get into the whole thing that you know, a lot of the scriptures and stuff was written for them, especially in the old testament, but yet it's very applicable for us today, and that will be an episode I got coming up sometime. I'm not sure when, whenever God says, you know, we're gonna be talking about the moral law, ceremonial law, and judicial law, and you know, get into all kinds of good stuff that way. But then anyway, we don't want to just build up all this head knowledge and then not use any of it. And so you see what I'm saying, that you know, it's about that transformation and action. So many believers, you know, are comfortable watching others do ministry. Well, you know, we're comfortable sitting in the pew, you know, listening to sermons, you know, maybe putting some money in the offering plate and watching others serve. You know, I've seen some even come up with ministry ideas, and I mean they're good ministry ideas, but they bring it to the pastor. Hey, you know what you ought to do? Whatever it is. And that's one of the things I loved about when I was at Genesis Fellowship, the senior pastor, and you know, and I, you know, and I would learn to do it, handle it that way too. But when they would come up and come up with this idea, he'd be like, you know what? That's a great idea. You should run with that and go ahead and do that, and I'll be supportive and in any way I can, but you go ahead. And a lot of times those ministry ideas kind of went by the wayside when it came to you know putting their faith and their action to test and to you know put some feet on it. And you know, they weren't really too interested, and they wanted someone else to do it, and that's not what we're called to do at all. And so we need to realize at some point, you know, Jesus calls every follower to step out in faith and be a part of the work. I remember when I first started into uh volunteering with the youth ministry. I mean, you all have heard me talk about it, meeting with the pastor, telling him I felt like I was being called into ministry and working with students. And so he's like, Yeah, sure, we got one spot left on our team. This is gonna be great. Come on in, hang out with us. But at the beginning, the only thing I did was, you know, I showed up on youth night and I just hung out with the students, just played games, acting silly, watching the the the adult leaders and and the uh well Mark Pastor Mark, the senior pastor, was actually uh the youth pastor too, I guess you could say. But I but that's what I just watched and learned of what they were doing. But I didn't stay there, I didn't continually do that. After a while, you know, we were planning a a weekend retreat, and I was asked to teach my first lesson and do a PowerPoint. And I'm like, what's PowerPoint? I mean, you know, I was completely clueless about any of that stuff, but it was time to put what I had learned into action and begin to start interacting with the students and teaching. And so that's what I did. And then, as you know, eventually, as I've talked about many times, I ended up being the shepherd or the youth pastor of the youth ministry. You know, and I was uh you know in charge of these students, I was the shepherd over that flock for almost 10 years until God decided that it was time to step up my game and to move on to doing something else. But it was a process of growth, and that's how discipleship works. You know, we start by watching and learning, but eventually we are called to step forward and serve. And this is one of the things something people need to realize too, that as followers of Christ, people are watching you, and they want to see what's different between you and the way that they behave, you know, and and also young Christians, they're gonna want to imitate that. And we even hear Paul talk about it, you know, imitate his following, the way he's doing things, you know, to as he grows closer to Christ. You know, don't just come up and do whatever you want. You know, we gotta learn, we gotta move forward, we gotta be challenged, you know, held accountable. And yeah, it's it's a teaching, teaching, teaching. And and and then we start moving, and eventually we are called to step forward to serve. You know, that's one of the yeah, I've had people going, I don't even know what the purpose of church membership is. Well, that's part of it, because now you're saying you're a part of the this body of believers that builds up this particular church, and you're going to arm in arm serve alongside of them. And something else I want to point out in this message, it's kind of a little bit of a squirrel side note down the rabbit trail type thing, but it's a very important point in verse five. Jesus tells them that if a town does not welcome them, they should shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against it. And so when we think about serving and doing things for Christ and sharing the gospel and doing this stuff, you know, and I used to teach this to my students because they would be like, Well, I invite such and such in my school to go to church, and and they just like sometimes I get made fun of, and you know, and this type of stuff. And some people's like, I'm just not comfortable because people look at me different, and uh and it was like, listen, something we need to understand. You know, and same thing is pointed out here in verse five that Jesus is talking about when we are called, we are called to be obedient and to be faithfully, you know, share the message. However, if someone rejects that message that you're trying to proclaim, or they make fun of you, or they you know they're not we gotta understand something. It's that's really important. They're not rejecting you, they're not making fun of you. You're being obedient, you're sharing the gospel. What they are doing uh essentially is rejecting Jesus and the gospel message. The only responsibility we have is obedience, and that is to do what God has called us to do and go do that. And so if they and if they reject that, then you just move on. You know, the results belong to God. You know, a great example of this is something that I had to deal with. I mean, I I was pretty strong in my faith. I was already, you know, in the youth ministry, I was in my schooling and and all that, and there was a guy that would been coming to G, you know, GF uh pretty faithfully for a while, and then he kind of steered away and started doing his own thing. And uh he's then his marriage started being in trouble, and um, and he even called me with a scripture one time you know, asking me what it meant, because he said, and he said uh he was taking a nap and he woke up with this in his you know his thought process, this scripture in Revelations. I can't remember exactly where it is, but I remember kind of what it's about. You know, he talks about uh turn to your first love or I'm gonna remove your lampstand. And I was like, Well, dude, I was like, God's telling you something. You need to turn to your first love, which is him. He should be your first love, your top, I mean, top central zenith. I mean, he should be the most important thing in your life. But if you don't, it sounds like he's gonna start, he's gonna take things away from you, is exactly what that sounds like. And he didn't heed the warning, he just kept going, going, doing the way he is. He ended up with a DUI, lost his license, his wife left him and ended up in a divorce, and you know, lost the house that they were uh they were buying. And I mean, it was just turned his whole world upside down. And to the and you know, God placed it on my heart to try to, you know, to help him, try to guide him and back into repentance and you know, try to get him to come back to what he was supposed to be doing, and and it was just you know rejection or turning away or excuses, on and on. And finally, God was just like, enough. You've done what I ask, it's time to move on. Try to it's time to walk away. And I did, and I had full peace about it. And so that's something we need to understand. There are times when people that we try to reach for the with the gospel that just don't want to hear it, they have tuned it out completely, and we need to understand it's nothing that we have done. We just gotta be obedient, and when it's enough is enough of the rejection, we dust knock the dust off our sandals as a testimony against them and let God have them. He will deal with them in his own way. It's not for us to decide or to do. And so that's the takeaway here. The discipleship moves us from watching to doing, and then it sets the stage for the next moment in the chapter of Luke 9. When you think about those finals when you used to be in school, pop quiz, you know, remember that? Yeah, I just I still get chills thinking about it. But I think about you know, two weeks ago on the episode where we did uh who do you say that I am? You know, we talked about the question. Jesus asked his disciples, and well, really every one of us. In Luke 99, 18 through 20, Jesus asked them, Who do the crowd say that I am? After hearing their answers, he asked them directly, but who do you say that I am? In many ways, this moment is well, it's like a pop quiz. And then, you know, Jesus or the the disciples have been watching Jesus all this whole time. They've heard his teaching, they've seen his miracles, they've you know, they've also been sent out to minister to do the job that Jesus has been doing and has been teaching them to do. And so Jesus asks the question that reveals whether they truly understand who he is. And Peter, of course, you know, I love Peter, he's bold, yeah. I mean, he's right in there. He boldly answers in Luke 9:20. You know, you are the Messiah, you know, the Son of God. You are the Christ. I mean, you I mean, he just like out with it, blunt, no holes back. I mean, he's just on it. And this isn't just the correct answer to the question, but it shows that the disciples are beginning to recognize Jesus' true identity and his mission. I mean, Peter's confession is a pivotal moment because it leads directly into the next lesson. Jesus teaches them about the cost of discipleship. Recognizing who Jesus is leads to a response. If he truly is the Messiah, then following him will require commitment. And so when we think about Jesus meeting the physical and the spiritual needs, and as we continue through Luke uh 9, we come to another important moment in the disciples' training. Luke 9, uh 10 through 17. We see an account of Jesus feeding the 5,000. So I want to start here in verse 10. If you're following along in your Bible, you know, only if you're you know you're not driving. You know, don't you know don't try to follow along in your Bible if you're driving, please. But anyway, Luke 9 and 10, or Luke 9, verse 10 through 17. When the apostles returned and reported to Jesus all that they had done, he took them and withdrew privately to a town called Bashida. And when the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God and healed those who needed healing. Late in the day the twelve approached and said to him, Send the crowd away so they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a deserted place. And verse thirteen, you give them something to eat, he told them. This is Jesus speaking. For about five thousand men were there. That didn't include the women and children. And he told his disciples, have them sit down into groups of about fifty each. And they did what he said and had them all sit down. And then he took the five loaves and the two fish, looking up into heaven, he blessed and broke them, and he kept giving them to the disciples to set out before the crowd, and everyone ate and was filled. And they picked up the twelve baskets of leftover pieces. Instead of turning them away, Jesus welcomed them. And Luke 911, Jesus, I love this. And so people's like, hey, Jesus is over here. Let's go. You know, and so all these people show up. I mean, it says 5,000 men. That doesn't include all the women and children. So I mean, you're talking, you know, I'm talking like a civic center, you know, municipal auditorium packed to the ceiling. People all over the place. And Jesus doesn't go, like, listen, I've done been teaching y'all get on home. Get on. He doesn't do that. He's he's like, all right, these people are hungry for some more. Let's teach on them, you know. So it says they continue to speak about the kingdom of God and healed those who needed healing. And notice something important. You know, as Jesus is caring for them spiritually, but now he's also caring for them physically. He's providing for their needs, which is something that we need to hang on to with both hands. He doesn't always give us what we want, but he will provide for our needs. But it says, as the and as the day began to come to an end, the disciples saw a problem. They're like, all right, these people are hungry. We're hungry. You know, it's way past dinner time here. We got to do something. We got to get rid of these people so we can eat. You know, so here we're looking at this massive crowd, and they were in a remote place. I mean, it wasn't like there was a McDonald's or Burger King on in Taco Bell in every corner. You know, there was no food. Their solution was simple. They told Jesus, hey, you go over and tell these people to get out of here, they'll listen to you. They they they probably won't listen to us. And I love that response that Jesus gives them in Luke 9, 13. He says, You feed them, you give them something to eat. Could you imagine how that must have sounded to those disciples? I mean, they're they're probably I mean, they're like, what in the world? Uh how are we gonna, guys? Do you get did you did you bring your fishing poles? What I'm trying to ask you. You know, they're I mean, it's I can't imagine what was going through their heads. Um, how much how much money you got? Do you think we can call over each or something here? I mean, you know, something well guys, uh, we're in trouble here. How are we supposed to feed all these people, Jesus? I mean, I I mean, I could only imagine the jaws dropping, you know, eyes kind of big around and going, what we're supposed to do, what? But Jesus was teaching them something important, and something we need to understand that ministry isn't just about identifying problems, it's about trusting God and stepping forward in obedience. You know, Jesus took what little they had and blessed it and broke it and fed the entire crowd. You know, I can remember back when we were uh when we first moved into the building in South Charleston Genesis Fellowship, um, you know, there was we found asbestos tile on the floor, and some of it we had to have some people come and professionally remove some stuff out of the ceiling, but the tiles and the f on the floor could be you know just concealed, covered over, whatever, because there was some broken and missing or whatever. Um and so we were trying to figure out what to do. The cost was going to be you know enormous to put hardwoods down and you know, or or what it was going to be expensive. But it was one of those things we just went to God, we started praying, and I mean, through the whole process of us moving in this church, because we took out pews and and I mean God just provided somebody just uh I mean, just ordered some chairs that we needed for the the uh activities building. And I mean, just to watch God work. We would have cards taped to the front door with a check in there, you know, God wanted me to bless you. And I it was just it was mind-blowing to watch God provide for his people to bless them. And this is not about a money prosperity thing, but it's about when you're being obedient and you're doing what God asks you to do. We even when you get into those tough spots, if we go in above and beyond, and we're continuing to be faithful and we're doing what we're supposed to be doing. I mean, things just fall into place. God will deal with it, especially when it's his house or his people, guarantees going to take care of you. And that's why I love about what you know, Jesus took what little they had and blessed it and broke it and fed the entire crowd. Yeah, we could turn that into a giving message, you know. Uh tight on bills, you know, but yet you see a need and uh, or you see something that you know God's directing you to give or to step out into faith on, you might as well do it because he's going to bless your socks off. You know, don't expect it, just do it out of obedience, but do it, step forward. I you know, I really think that's one of the biggest things that I have uh issues with nowadays is you know, and watching so many people who are saying they're they're followers of Christ, and I watch the churches and you know different things, just you know, is the obedience where it should be? And so, you know, I really I really think about that. And God's got a thing going on about being obedient, you know, over here lately with us. But as we continue to look at this, this moment as we look through this part of the scripture shows us something uh about the ministry that we are called to today. You know, Jesus cares about people's physical needs, but he never stops there. And I think this is very important, he always points people to the something greater, their spiritual need and their relationship with God. You know, we can give money and food and go to homeless shelters and you know, donate clothes and uh all that all day long. But are we sharing the gospel with these people? Are we praying for them with them? Not just going, well, I'll pray for you and then you know, forget about it before you can get to your car. Do we just pray for them right there? I mean, you know, I can do better in that aspect. I you know, because sometimes we're just like we're so busy, we'll just you know, we'll we'll pray for you instead of just going, yay, let me pray with you. Is what we should be doing. But our main concern, even above their physical needs, is their spiritual, because that's far more important eternity with Christ or eternity without Christ. I mean, that's huge. And that should be the you know, something that should be on our mind, and that is still the role of the church today, is to preach the gospel message boldly. Preach the truth, the scriptures, preach it boldly, be obedient, don't sugarcoat it, tell it like it is. Something we need to understand, and so many people get this, you know, don't think about this as much, but you know, the church is not a building. The church building is where we meet, where we get energized, we get taught, we get, you know, we do things there that serves others and you know, plants, whatever, but it's not that's not the the church. We the people, the body of Christ, we you know, those who are you know been saved by Jesus, we are the church, we are the body of Christ. The hands and feet is supposed to be the ones who go into the world and do the ministry that God has called us to do. And just like the disciples in Luke's gospel, we are called to care for people, serve people, and share the message of the kingdom. You know, Jesus often calls us to step forward with what we have, even when it doesn't seem like it's enough. And that don't have to be just money. So I'm talking about our talents, any of that stuff. When we place what we have in his hands, God can do far more than we ever imagined. You know, this the thought just popped in my head. I remember driving the special needs bus work program, and there was a girl on the bus who loved Jesus, and she had Down syndrome. And there was a teacher that was been going through some stuff, and she was just, you know, she'd been talking with me, and I guess the girl might have overheard her a little bit or something, but you could tell she was a little bit upset. And she just put her hand on her, didn't say a word, just started praying. And I'm like, ha ha, you go, girl, you know, and I and it's that little thing. I mean, maybe she's not able to do much other than, you know what, someone's hurting, so I'm gonna pray for them and make them feel better because that you know anytime you may or attitude check, you know, praising Jesus, uh it's gonna make somebody feel better. And it's moments like this, what we see the disciples doing, also prepare the disciples and us for something deeper that Jesus is about to teach them and what he's teaching us here today. Again, up to this point, they have seen the miracles, they have watched Jesus provide, heal, and teach. But now Jesus is about to give them a wake-up call about what it truly means to follow him, and this is something that a lot of us need to pay attention to. Jesus, following Jesus is not just about witnessing the blessings or the joy or enjoying the benefits, it requires surrender, it requires that repentance, it will requires putting aside our own wants and desires and choosing to live for the Father's will. You know, in other words, the discipleship means dying to ourselves so that we can truly live for Christ. Sometimes that means may mean letting go of things in our lives, relationships, habits, situations that pulls us away from God. I mean, it may even mean leaving behind sinful patterns or walking away from things that wants to find us. You know, I hear so many people, you know, especially you know, podcasters, celebrities, you know, claiming to be Christ followers, but yet they cuss and drink and just, you know, and I think about you know, a um a good friend of mine, he said one time and he was teaching, he's like, look, he said, nowhere in scripture are you gonna find that you cannot drink, you cannot cuss, you cannot, you know, sleep with somebody before marriage, you can't do this, you can't do that, can't do, can't whatever. He's like, you're not gonna find it, you cannot do. But what it's gonna tell you is Jesus doesn't want you to do those things. And if our love and if our love for him is so great, if we only want to please the Father, we won't want to do any of those things. We only want to do what he wants us to do and live for him, go all out for Jesus, and that's exactly where Jesus is takes the conversation next. After Peter recognizes who Jesus truly is, Jesus makes it clear what following him requires. And we'll see this in uh when we read Luke 9, 21 through uh 22. It says, but he strictly warned them and instructed them to tell this to no one, you know, what Peter has called him. He is a Christ, he is the Messiah. He's like, look, don't tell anybody, all right, you know, right now. He said, It is necessary that the Son of Man may suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chiefs of priests and the scribes and be killed and raised on the third day. So Jesus has given them the insight that look, hey, it's coming up pretty soon, I'm about to die. Okay, you know, I'm gonna be crucified, I'm gonna be nailed at the cross, you know, I'm gonna do, I'm gonna suffer this horrendous, you know, beatings. It's coming. See, y'all get ready. And Jesus gives them these instructions and explains why the cross is in his future. And at first, you know, it might seem a little strange. Why would Jesus tell them not to spread the news that he is the messiah? I mean, isn't that the isn't that the plan here? We're supposed to tell everybody you're the messiah. But the reason is that many people had the wrong idea about what the Messiah would do. They were expecting uh this political leader who would overthrow Rome and establish and establish this earthly kingdom. I mean, there one time that you know they were going to try to force Jesus to be king or something, and he was like, that's not my role here, you know, take a step back. But Jesus wanted the uh the disciples to understand something way deeper. This mission was not first about power, it was about sacrifice. Before there could be a crown, there would be a cross. Before there was the resurrection, there will be suffering. So Jesus begins preparing them for what lies ahead. He tells them plainly that he will suffer, be rejected, and killed, but that he will rise again on the third day. So he's like, listen, they're gonna kill me, but I yeah, we'll see who's gonna have the last laugh because I'm gonna walk up out of that tomb. You know, of course, you know, they didn't realize what was you know happening or what's going on, and so but Jesus tells them this next little bit here, explains, you know, that following him, you know, what it's going to require. Okay, and this is taking up the cross. You know, after Jesus' bold confession, Jesus begins to reveal what following him really looks like. And this is one of my favorite verses, Luke 9.23. If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. So, I mean, imagine that cross is something where you go to die, right? Yeah, okay. Well, this is what we got to die to ourselves. This is where the disciples learn that faith isn't just about recognition or admiration, it is about action, commitment, and sometimes it means suffering. And if we take another look back at the episode of who do you say that I am? Now Jesus shows them that their answer to that question carries real implications. If he is truly the Messiah, then following him requires sacrifice and obedience. You know, I heard this quote and I've kept it around and used it a couple of times in different sermons, but uh Thomas Akimpus, he once wrote, says, Jesus has many who love the kingdom of God, but few who bear a cross. He has many who desire his comfort, but few who desire his suffering. All want to rejoice with him, but few are willing to suffer for him. There are many who admire his miracles, but there are few who follow in the humiliation of the cross. It's pretty powerful. You know, that quote reminds us that following Jesus requires more than admiration. It requires daily surrender. It means not walking in aisle, signing a card thinking, yep, I'm good. I'm not ever going to hell now. But no, it means daily surrender, courage, a willingness to take up the challenges he places before us. And I think this is where many believers struggle. We love those blessings, we love the comfort and even the miracles. But Jesus calls us to something deeper. Every day presents an opportunity to deny ourselves and to follow him even when it's difficult or humbling. That is the heart of true discipleship. You know, after Jesus teaches about taking up the cross and following him, Luke records several uh moments where Jesus continues to teaching his disciples about true discipleship and what that truly looks like. I mean, he challenges their priorities, their commitment, and their willingness to follow him completely. And in these moments, Jesus makes it clear that following him is not a casual or convenient, you know, it's it's not either one of those things. It requires dedication, a heart that is fully surrendered to God. You know, and I think about you know, these uh well, we're you know, we're doing an Easter series. You know, we hear those people called creasers, you know what I mean? They go to church on Christmas and they go on Easter, and that's it. Are they truly surrendered to God? If you ain't got no time for God or going, you know, go time or no time to spend with him in his house. I mean, what are you even doing? I mean, you want to spend eternity in heaven with him, but you ain't don't want to spend no time with him here. We should want to go to church, we should want to be around other believers, we should want to serve. And if we truly love God the way that we say that we. Do then we will. Again, it's one of those things, it's a decision that's up to us. You know, all these teachings are part of Jesus preparing the disciples for what lies ahead. The time is drawing closer for his earthly mission to reach his climax. The disciples may not fully understand it yet, but everything Jesus is teaching is preparing them for the cross and the events that will soon unfold. And then Luke makes a major turning point at you know in the gospel message when we look at Luke 9.51. Says, when the time approached for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. In other words, things were beginning to become full circle. Jesus knows exactly what lies ahead. He knows the suffering, the rejection, and the cross that awaits him in Jerusalem, and yet he moves forward with the purpose and determination, continuing to teach his disciples about the true cost of following him. So just like the disciples, you know, we are being prepared in stages. And this is something we need to understand. First, we watch and learn, then we begin to participate, then we understand the cost of discipleship, and finally we begin to focus our lives on the mission of God He has given us. Following Jesus means keeping our eyes on the ultimate goal when the journey is difficult. The path isn't always easy, but it's always purposeful. Seeing Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem reminds us that God's plan has a direction and intentionality, and our role as followers is to align our lives with his purpose. You know, many times we want the easy parts of following Jesus while avoiding the hard ones. Guilty, but Jesus also calls us to stay focused on the mission when the road is challenging. And you all have heard me talk for several months, you know, of the challenges and things that I've had to face, you know, as God's preparing me for those next steps to move into the next steps, you know. And we're still not done moving. We're continuing to go forward. And you all are just now getting to hang out, be a part of it. And it's awesome. So as we begin to wrap this up, as we see in Luke 9, the discipleship is a process. The disciples move from watching Jesus to participating in his work to recognizing who he truly is and to understand and to the understanding of the cost of following him. And finally, focusing on God's ultimate purpose. This is why it is so important for us to read our Bibles, spend time with Jesus in prayer, and actively attend church and participate in the church. Think about it like this. If we don't attend the class and we can't learn what's on the test, if we don't prepare, we won't be ready for the exams that life puts in front of us. And that sets us up for failure. But Jesus has already shown us the path. But following Him requires more than admiration. It requires preparation, practice, and commitment. You know, each step watching and doing, confessing, carrying our own cross, and setting our hearts on God's purpose prepares us for the next challenges. Just like studying for finals prepares a student for the test. So the question is: will we be ready to take what we've learned and live it out in faith? Remember, discipleship is not passive. God calls us to participate, to grow, and to follow Him wholeheartedly every single day, not just when we feel like it. That's something we have got to really understand and keep you know focused on. Just go ahead and pray. Father God, again, you know, we thank you for this. I mean, this awesome message is Lord Father. We thank you so much for all that you do in our lives and continue to challenge us and teach us and give us new ways to look, you know, and just understand. And you teach us, and you know, and sometimes it opens our eyes. And you know, a lot of times you many people have heard me say it, the messages for me, and they just get to listen because, well, they're here, and that's pretty cool. So, Father, continue to teach us and challenge us and move us forward and keep us safe. And Lord, maybe one of these days we'll get to meet and hang out and do some stuff, and whatever it is at your will, whatever you're doing with this channel, Lord, we ask you continue to bless it and each one that listens and uh participates in the Father and just you know show support through prayer or however they may do it. Lord, bless them, bless them good. Lord, we love you. Thank you. Jesus' name, amen. All right, so if this message has encouraged you, don't forget it again, you know, to like, share, and with a friend, and hit that subscribe button, you know, so you never miss what's next. And again, if you like to help you know others find this message, leaving a five-star review on our you know, your podcast platform really helps us reach more people with the gospel because it does something with the algorithms you know, above my pay grade. But if you would like to stay connected and be a part of what God is doing through this ministry, you will find all the links below. And if you feel led to help support the ministry, whether through prayer or sharing an episode or, you know, well giving, you know, I want to thank you so much for your support and tell you that your prayers be more than you know, and your generosity helps us stay on the road, sharing the gospel and reaching more lives with hope. Again, all the links are in the description below, and thank you for being a part of this journey. And remember, as always, keep sharing Jesus in life one mile at a time, and well, we will see you on the next one.