Choose Your Path? (Luke 9:21-27)

CHOOSE YOUR PATH?

(Luke 9:21-27)

We live in a culture that glorifies those whom draw a crowd. Many of us live for the sake of others liking us. We love the feeling when people celebrate us. We get our worth from having lot's of friends on facebook and people wanting to hear us or be entertained by us. It is the American Idol syndrome. The hardest thing of becoming popular is maintaining it. The pressure that comes and the things that must be done to continue to be liked is unbearable for most. Stars don't shine for long before they fall.

We see here in Luke 9:22-27, Jesus was not concerned with maintaining the crowd, He spoke the bold truth of what it really meant to follow Him, because of that many left Him, to the point where He had few followers when He died. Most Preachers do whatever it takes today to keep the crowd, watering down the truth, presenting a gospel that Jesus did not preach. People like to hear messages that tickle the ears, where it is all about what is in it for them, few are those who like hearing what sacrifices they must make to truly follow Jesus.

We have all been made to believe something good was free to later find out we didn't read between the lines and a cost followed. The saying goes; "nothing comes free and good benefits come with a price." Well the bible says we receive salvation by grace, which is God riches at Christ expense, meaning we cannot earn it.  Yet we see here Christ telling the crowd, you must turn from your selfish ways and live a sacrificial life in order to follow Him, and that alone is the only way to be saved, if you try to save your life you will lose it.  Hard to swallow!  So this means we cannot enjoy healing, deliverance, prosperity, etc. without a hefty price.  Salvation is not free, it costs everything, our entire life.  All of our money, time, gifts, talents, relationships, etc., now become His.  So do you still want to follow Him? That is why it says "many are called but few are chosen."  

So we must choose which path we are going to follow, the crowd going through the wide gate, or the few going the narrow way?  If we choose the latter it means we will be going against the crowd resulting in humiliation, isolation, hatred, and pain.  We must embrace this call, no longer ashamed of the Son of Man, but living boldly in the face of opposition that some may leave the crowd wi and also take up their cross and follow Him.