Disciple First | Pr. Matthew Chang

You're listening to a message to go from acts church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

Okay, let's turn with me to Luke chapter fourteen. Okay,

from verse twenty five. Okay, all the way until verse

thirty five. Okay, Luke, Chapter fourteen, Verse twenty five, Verse

thirty five. Now, I want you to have an open

mindset when you read the scripture, because when you first

read it, you feel like, wow, it's so strong. You

know it can be very some very strong. But I

will teach you. I will also guide you, guys in

a way how to interpret it as well. And then

I will see will I will not just use one story.

I will use the story after and the story before

as well. And then when we weave it together, you

will understand the full meaning of it. Okay, Luke Chapter fourteen, Okay,

verse twenty five to versy three. Now it says here

now a great crowd accompanied him, gain a great colt

was following Jesus. And he turned and said to them,

if anyone comes to me and does not hate his

own father and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers

and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot

be my disciple off to a group, start radio. Okay,

whoever does not bear his own cross and come after

me cannot be my disciple. Wow, why do I choose

this verse to preach today? Okay, it's like it's not easy. Okay. Then,

for which of you desiring to build a tower does

not first sit down and count the cause whether he

is enough to complete it? Otherwise, where he has laid

a foundation and is not able to finish, all who

see begin to mock him, saying, this man began to

build and was not able to finish, Or what came

going out to encounter another king in the war, will

not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able

with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him

with twenty thousand. And if not, while the other is

yet a great way of he sends a delegation and

asks for terms of peace. So, therefore, any one of

you who does not renounce all that he has cannot

be my disciple. Then you need to proceed on. Salt

is good, But if salt has lost its taste, how

shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use

either for the soil or the manure power. It is

thrown away he who has ears to hear, and let

him hear. Okay, now a lot of times for me

read the scripture right, we read the salt part, Oh,

Jesus is about saltiness, But we never connected with the

scripture before, which is talking about, Hey, if you want

to be my disciple, you need to love me more

than your father, your mother, even your own lives as well.

How do we actually connect it as well? So today

that's my job to connect it with discipleship. Okay, so

what's our theme for this year in your church? Disciples?

What disciples first? Okay, I'm sure Pastor Steven and all

different pastors have done a really, really a fantastic job

to minister to you guys. Okay, about another theme to emphasize,

and it's true, disciples is the first thing that we uh,

you know in church that we emphasize. And so I'm

just gonna know what I'm going to do here is

more like reinforcing and maybe coming from slightly a different

perspective from me as well. Okay, So what is uh

the you know? Okay, let me start with this. Jesus says,

let's start with the bag instead of forward, we start

from reverse. I know, like watching moving forward, Let's watch

from reverse. Let's start with salt first. Okay, Jesus ends

by saying it's good. But if salt has lots this taste,

how shall its saltiness be restored? Okay? What distinguishes salt

from any other ingredient that looks white or pink tastes good?

If I give you MSG and salt, can you differentiate

how by looking it tastes? Isn't it? It's the only

thing I is. I give you salt, sugar, MSG, I

give you baking powder, making powder a bit easier, but

you know other things are How do you differentiate? Oh, look, white,

isn't it? I would look fine? How do you differentiate

by tastes? Isn't it? You take MSG and you're like,

you know, your hair immediately recedes to white? Okay, so

you go by saltiness. Okay. So saltiness is the essence,

the direct identification of what a salt really is, more

than anything else, not by color, not by anything but

the taste. Okay. And would you use anything else but

salt for for your household, for the thing, for the

specific thing you do if you're meant to add salt

and you add MSG. What happens? You young tastes even better?

You know, you upgrade your cooking skills like whoa, then

your poor grandmother who cannot take MSG. You know, like

you know, ah, you know. But if you're supposed to

add salt and then you add the baking powder, what happens? Ah?

Then your bread wooden wooden rice is in it. You

have unleavened bread. Ready. I tell you, huh, what happens

if you add sugar when you're supposed to add salt? Uh?

Into your half boy egg? It's like, oh, you supposed

to add salt or you can't eat you add sugar

into your half boy egg? You know, I tell you

you'd be like, oh, my goodness, isn't it? Then? And

then one of the things you use with salt you

sort to cure things. You know. But did you know

that in the ancient time zone, salt is the main preservative. Okay,

I'm sure you're learning, but you have no idea how

important salt was actually because salt was you so heavily

in all in in in we're talking in the Dark ages,

you know, in Roman times, even all the way to

Egyptian time. Every every civilization, every generation of what they

call it human civilization, have known that salt is the

key to survival. Salt is key why because salt removes moisture,

and when we remove the more moisture you read, you what,

they could delay the process of rotting, of degradation. Okay,

And so what's so important that people have huge silos

of salt? One? It know, huge silos of salt so

much so that you know, it's so important that when people,

you know the Romans who just when they want to

get paid, right, they don't you don't give them gold

coin on they want to get paid in salt. One,

you know, because what's the point of salt if you

give to me? But when my whole family cannot preserve

our meat. You know, So you can have a big farm,

you can have ten golds, twenty cows, whatever it is are,

but if you do not have salt, and you if

you butcher them, they are of no use. They have

to eat it immediately. And so how they survive the

winter the long times? Is salt so so important? Okay?

So you know it able to kill and you people

use a lot of salt to heal different wounds, as well.

You know, salt even sometimes can be used for war

as well. You know, if you take the salt. Sometimes

if you see the some movies when they maybe they

destroy a city and then you never want the city

to be revived again. And what you do. You take

salt and you spread salt all over the land so

that no vegetation can grow as well. So salt has

many users and it's actually very very very powerful. So

like I said, again, saltiness is the essence of salt.

Let me ask you again, then, what is the essence

of discipleship? Okay? The two scriptures are about salt and

about following Jesus are connected. Wnot, What is the essence

of discipleship? If saltiness is the essence, what is the

essence of discipleship? What makes you different from any other

disciples or any just any follower? What is the essence

of discipleship? Huh? Follow all the way? Okay? Who else

be like crimes? Okay? What else? Maybe maybe summarizes a word, okay,

The essence of salt of discipleship okay, is devotion wholeheartedness.

It's like we talk about why is the essence of marriage?

Is it your holiday. Is it your wedding? Is your

devotion to one another? True? Now, it's your devotion? Even

even the church is merriage to Christ. What is the

devotion of Christ to the church. Christis devotion to the Church.

No matter what you do. You may be clean, you

may be unclean, you may fall away. Christ is still

devoted to the Church, and the church is called to

be devoted to Christ as well. You know I'm saying

now it is your devotion. What is devotion? Devotion is

not by but study, you know, but the people miss that.

And devotion means your heart, what you treasure, what you

think about, what you dream, you know, what desire the

most of all things is your devotion. You get me

like that's where your heart resides. Your heart is like

a bank. You know your bank and also your You know,

you know where you store the most treasured things. Okay,

your heart is your bank. Okay. So devotion is the

saltiness of a disciple. Okay, devotion can no matter what

it is. Whether Jesus is performing miracles, are you devoted

to him? Whether Jesus is going on trial? Are you

devoted to him? When everybody has left him? Are you

still devoted to him. When Jesus is not on the cross,

are you devoted to him? You can mean right being

devoted fully? The same thing with your spouse as well.

You know. That's why when you come to the altar,

do you say that will you marry me if we

go to London, you know, or Hawaii for holiday? You know?

But what what do we claim on the on the

altar of the wedding? Why? Through rich, through poor, sickness

and in health? What is in there we will know?

I know, I choose you, I will stick with you,

isn't it corna? That is that? That that's the key.

But now we go online, now we watch all these

some of these funny, funny Instagram short videos are people said, oh,

I know some of our guys and girls always said,

oh I want someone who is this tall, you know,

to be able to earn half a million, you know this,

and there if it cannot, he doesn't deserve me or

she doesn't deserve me. Really, oh, it's like a transaction,

you know, and then you know the moment you don't

qualify you, you know, you leave all already, you know.

I was like, oh, now the world has gone to

the place where everybody did what was right in their

own eyes. You know, that's what the world has gone into.

But this is the essence of discipleship, the vultion. Okay, devotion.

Without devotion, a disciple lose their saltiness and they become worthless. Okay,

So now I want to add another thing here. Also,

our theme is disciples first. Okay, we talk about saltiness,

talk about disciples. When you talk about disciples first, what

does disciples first mean? After? As a Stephen preach this

one so quiet, what does disciple first mean? Okay? Your

soul is going to be twice as long radio. Yeah,

that's why it's going to be twice as long. Okay,

what does disciples first mean? Okay? I wonder disciple first mean?

In my mind, one of the things is there. You

are first a disciple. Okay, I repeat that. Disciples first

mean you are first a disciple before you are a

husband or a wife. Means you are a disciple first,

before you are a business owner or a professional. Disciple

first means you are a first a disciple before you

are a parent or a child. It is your first

identity before anything else. It starts with identity. It's not

what you do it's an identity. You get mean right.

When you are married. It's not just what you do,

it is who you are. I'm a husband, you get

me right. You are a husband. Really, You're not just

married to someone. You're a husband. Okay. I stick with

my mind because I'm a husband, no matter. It doesn't

matter what I feel, doesn't matter what the world say.

I am a husband. I am a father, no matter

what I feel like, whether my child does right or wrong,

I am a father. It is who you are, what

you're called to be. You get mean right. It's a

very important understanding that people don't get so. Disciples first

means you must establish first your identity. Let me give

you an example why this is important. Okay, I give

you a very real life example. I have a friend

who has a business problem. He started a business with

a partner and the agreement when they negotiated was not equal.

His partner got seventy and he got thirty percent. And

as he wered, you know, the business group may became

very successful, but then he felt he was not treated fairly.

He felt he brought more business, he felt he contributed more.

You know, he gave up his salary so that the

company could do better cash flow. He gave up so

much as well, and he felt like the boss was

maybe sometimes don't give him the respect and your honor

because he's just a bit younger. So maybe you know,

look said and then sometimes he even speeds the staff

to side with the other partner rare than with him.

So in every part when you, even though you are

as a partner, you contributed that he felt he felt

very slight, and he came up to me and said

that I'm so affected by it, and I been praying

that maybe I should pray about how to renegotiate my terms.

Maybe I want to instead get thirty, I want to

forty nine percent? You get mean right? How many? If

you know what I'm talking about, you will feel like

that isn't it? You want to fight for what is right,

but what is yours? Sometimes you feel like you want

to fight for your promotion as well. Hey, that guy

didn't do it as much. I did that much as well. Oh,

you mean right, it's not fair. Sometimes siblings happened with

it as well. So he came up to me and

said that I was like, okay, but I told him also, like,

you know, you got to be prepared that in the business,

and people will say a deal is a deal. You

get me, right, I mean, you'll know what the word

is like that. I'm saying the word would A deal

is a deal. Don't care you give more and then more.

A deal is a deal. It's very cruel inside. It's

not like, oh, look at my heart, look at my intention,

and then because of that you I'm morally a blash

to do that. It doesn't work that way. I want

the world. Maybe your family members and your you know,

will do but the world is straight cut like that.

I'm not saying they other that, but they are very

likely to be like that. Okay. And I went back

and one day I was doing my devotion and one

of the things I do is that sometimes go into

the gym and I'll just walk and then you know,

I'll just leave nothing out pray and then as I

do something, I just felt a very strong prompting to

pray for him in a direction for him, and I

was so shocked. Then after that I came to him

and I say, hey, I need to meet out with you.

I feel like now there is something I need to

advise you about, you know, And that's what I caught. Okay,

whether you believe it's the world or God is up

to you. But I'm going to share with you because

I thought about it. And sometimes when I get something,

I won't immediately share it. I will even share it

with my wife, and I'll pray for it about a

week or two, and then when I'm very certain, really,

then I release you get me a because not about me.

I want to make sure that it's really refined from God.

And after that, when I marry with him, and I said,

I remember you asked me to pray for you. You

know how to what's the way you go about negotiating better?

And God, I really felt like you know this world

was meant for you. It is that if you Okay,

if you think about if you see yourself, if you

identify yourself as a business partner and that you are

the founder, you will fight for what is yours. But

if you identify yourself as a steward of God and

that everything you have, even though it's lesser, even though

it's thirty percent and not forty nine, you will pray

a different prayer and you will not ask for that

because you know that everything that came to you, whether

it was one, two, three, or five came from your job.

There is not what fight is what is fair for you,

but your job is to serve me. So your perspective,

your behavior hinges on your identity. You fight for what

is fair because you have a different identity, and it's

not wrong. You can choose. But I'm telling you right

now that you are there not because you were smarter,

you were better, you were richer, or your partner brought

you there. You were there because I brought you there.

And the key thing right now for you is do

you believe that it is God who broad you there?

You gee what I'm saying? You know? So when I

show it to him, he was like shot man. Because

it's true because I've been there before. I've been in

business negotiation where I felt, you know, change it before,

And I can tell you there are times I feel

like I really want to fight for what is right

and why it's fair, and the way I even come

to God and ask for prayer, asking God minister to

that guys and make him change you cant I mean right?

So your identity changes the way you approach God, changes

the way you approach people, and changes the way you pray.

You can. I'm saying no, in anything that you do.

If you think that you are a business owner, you've

done it. You will always fight with pray. The prayer

you ask God will be a different No, you carry

a different head money. No you can, I'm saying no.

That is why. But when you are a disciples first

different and a when disciples were in the business, I

miss her. I'm not an owner, I'm just a steward.

And my job is not a fair way's fair. My

job is to be able to do God's will here.

And I being an example, you can, I'm saying all,

even my boss, my partner who is unfeurishing me. Am

I being an example? You can? I mean right, because

he changes your whole entire agenda, your whole entire mission.

If you are a husband and a wife and your

spouse hurt, you said very bad things and you know

say you do didn't do this? And then if you

are a husband first okay, if you are first a husband, okay,

what would you do? If you are a wife's what

would you do? Someone said to you you would start

to open the receipts, isn't it? Remember? Oh you wonder

go back right now? Let me open the ledger of marriage.

This ledger all the browser history. You know. Oh, remember

when you said this, Remember when you borrow money from this?

Remember you needed this, Remember you said this? What you imply?

Boom boom boom boom poom. Now you are using a

bad Oh then she took out home or book? Was no, no, no,

no no, We like you know marriage, just like you know,

we tend to like to keep receipts one, you know,

very good keeping receipts one. You know you don't say

what I'm saying. We love to keep receipts one and

on one another a because that's what we do. Ma,

why is why? Was fair? But then it because it's

like that the fight will never end one, you know,

because we always remember receipts. You know it's true, isn't it?

How many or your husbands and wife here hands up? Huh?

And the now the husband and whatever I don't want

already you'll keep receipds one. I tell you a true

marriage doesn't work based on you are firstly a husband. No,

that is why we say that a husband and a

wife needs to be disciples of Christ. First. You need

to have your own relationship if you are hurt or

you hurt someone, your first response, of course, yes, you

need to make sense. Sorry. But sometimes when you can't

meet together or you can't meet halfway, you you know,

that's why you're thank God that you are not unequally yoke.

You know that that person can go and say, God,

did I do anything wrong? My job is not to

fight with my wife and disciple my wife first. My

job is to be discipled by God first, you know,

I mean right? A lot of times a husband wanted

the disciple the wife, and the wife a yeah, you want

a disciple, let's do it the husband. You know what

I mean? We think, why do that? No, I'm first

a disciple for not a discipler first. You know I'm

a disciple first. You know what I'm saying. You know,

husbands and wives agree or not true or not. It's

so important, you know, because you can't change your husband

and wife you can never change and then your husband

you can never change your wife. How may you have

tried changing one another before? Successful? Ah? Huh? Successful? Your

husband never closed the toilet door. You think he's close

the door. I tell you this, never close the toilet

w I tell you hen they are true or now

forty to fifty sixty years, haven't changed. I tell you

haven't changed a single thing as see the water, the water,

the what the garden? Has he changed? Has she changed? Never?

I I tell you he said you get their marriage

not to change one another, one and all. It's who

you are to change. It doesn't mean that people cannot change.

We always say they in marriage. One on one. You

know you can never change your partner. But it does

not mean that the person cannot change. It just means

that the person will never ever change because of you.

So stop changing your spouse. That's why when you before

you get married, you need to open your eyespeat beginner.

If your spouse has a temper issue and abusive, they

will not change for you. Oh I like this guy.

Oh he's so cool. It's okay, Yeah, I know it's temper.

But I'm gonna come into his life and be the

savior of his life and because of me, he's gonna change.

I'll be the one to know to tame this guy. Right,

that's that's your disillusion money. You know you're never gonna

change a guy, but does not mean that guy and

girl cannot change. Guys and girl can change. You know

what are the two reasons they change from They change

to succeed and they change to survive. These two things

on me when they are forced to change. They are

always forced to change to succeed. When your business fails

and you realize that, oh, because every day you play game,

only then you realize, oh, my goodness, I cannot do this.

It's not because my wife said it. It's because my

business is failing. I got no money already. You realize

to survive and to succeed, you need to change. You

get me. I suddenly you've been eating like so bad

and suddenly you get a heart attack. People change their diet.

Is it because of the wye? Is it because the sun?

Nor it's because suddenly they are instincting I need to

do because I need to survive. You get. I mean

to succeed and to survive. It's the biggest catalyst for

a person's change. You get. I mean, right, this is

the most important care. But not because of the spouse. Okay,

I'm going into marriage one on one ready. It's very

important and all so so there are things now I

tell you. I remember last time when I came for

get away. You know, I said before someone asked me

one other big science. Don't look when you look at

someone who has abusive and temperamental tendency, open your eyes, big, big,

there's a big red flag, big red flag, you know,

big the way the person treats their parents and then

their siblings or their friends, big red flag. You know

you're never going to change who they are. You're never. Okay,

there is the disillusionment and people, oh because I know, No,

you cannot blame him anymore. You have you yourself, had to

take responsibility because you chose under the false assumption and

pretense you think you can change that. No, And I

can tell you the most marriages are you don't listen

to your friends and listen to those who are married

for a long time. You listen from them. True or not,

it's true. You don't be married for long maybe one

year enough idea you already it's true? True enough? Okay?

So where am maya disciples? First? Means we are first

a disciple? Okay, So now let's move on. So Jesus

goes on to say very interestingly that says that it

is of no how shall salt? You know? Sorry, salt

is good, but if salt loses its taste, how shall

it's saltiness be restored? Have you ever bought salt this

is not saltio? Huh? Have you bought salt before that's

not saltio? Maybe like maybe you maybe it's not salt

at all, or you bought sugar, I know, but have

you bought actual salt there's not saltio? Then in that case,

how does salt actually lose it saltiness chemical reaction? Is

it possible that you do salt become salt? Is what

the product of what? As it and alkaline? Okay, go

back to your chemistry. Okay, go back to your chemistry. Okay.

So basically I say alkaline commind together and then the

byproduct is song. Okay, I can't exact nature and whatever

oa basically, but there are very different versions of it. Okay,

But can song lose its saltiness the same pure salt

lose it saltiness? The answer is no. But then if

sort on his own cannot lose it sorting and what

is Jesus talking about here talking about sort losing saltiness? Okay?

Most of the time we take it for granted. When

you go and buy salt, what you're buying is pure salt.

But so in the real world does not exist in

a pure form. You're not saying what I'm saying. No,

you go suddenly, oh, no way, oh there is salt,

white color, and no you get mean right. So in

the natural world is it's it's included. It's permeated with

many contaminants, sandstone, and a lot of times with gypsum, powder, wood, whatever.

It is included salt. We take it for granted because

we always get pure salt. But in last time, pure

salt is very hard to get. I tell you, if

I just mix a bit of salt with baking powder,

will you use it with other things? Else, with chalk?

Will you use it with a bit of sand? Will

you use it? No? Isn't it? But sometimes it gets

permeated so much that salt doesn't taste like salt anymore.

It tastes with something else. It tastes a bit like salt,

but you get these grain and things like that, and

then you get other effects as well. It's dirty and everything.

That is why we're talking about salt that is not

salty at all. And now let's read backwards. Okay, let's

read backwards. So when we talk about salt, what did

Jesus talk about? He sub to tell people that if

you do not hate your own father and mother, you

do not hate your own brother and sister. If you

are not, don't hate your even your children, first, you

cannot love me. Why is Jesus talking about Is he

asking you to hate your father and mother purposely? It's

obere because I'm a Christ for a Christ. People who

take it literally will be nadella. But why is Jesus

saying first? Then you are not first a father, a mother,

a son, or a brother. If you want to follow me,

you have to be first a follower. That is how

people will know that you are my disciple. You cannot

be sugar, you cannot be msg, you cannot be a child,

you cannot be anything else. You are first sort and

you must be pure salt. You will not any one

of you will cook with anything less than pure salt. No,

I will not cook with your sot. I will only

go because you know exactly how much you use. There

is the function if you have half. So if you

go and cure a me, your mate will spoil because

it's not the right proportion. It cannot be done with anything,

it must be pure. You're gonna say what I'm saying.

Not now, if you don't believe what I'm saying, we

go back another story again. You see, if you go

back to the earlier verses from verse twelve, you start

to see Jesus talking about another story. What is the

parable about the parable of the Great banquet? Okay, so

that you will know that I'm not telling you based

on my own interpretation. Always interpret scripture with scripture. Understander scripture,

interpret scripture. Okay, let's see what Jesus talks about in

the Parable of the Great Banquet. He said also to

one of them, to the men who had invited him

by the give your context. Jesus came into a party. Okay,

Jesus came into a party. Okay. If you started to

notice the people start to see in different tables okay,

different chairs, and the people who are what they call

it so called teachers, a great renown start to take

the best seats sitting with the VIP said the front rows.

And Jesus said, hey, when you come, you don't see

at the front seat because unless someone the main vertic

horser asked you to sit at the back, and you'll

be ashamed. Instead, you choose the least one, so that

the first will be the last, and the last with

the first. And when you start a business, when you

open what they call it a feast as well, don't

invite your friends. Don't invite those people who are rich

and powerful, because you know you they will repair you back.

But invite those who are blind, lame, who are poor,

and those who cannot help you. Invite them because they

can't repair you. But God will repair you in the heavens.

And when he said that he offended someone, okay, that

there is where it takes off. He says. There he

said also to the men who invited him. When you

give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your

friends or your brothers, or your relatives or rich neighbors,

lest they also invite you in return, and you'll be repaid.

But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the cripple,

the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed because

they cannot repair you, for you will be repaid at

the resurrect at the resurrection of the just. When okay

he said this, huh, they notice, okay, notice the reaction

of one person. Then one of those who reclined at

table with him heard these things, said this to him,

blessed is everyone who would eat bread in the Kingdom

of God. Now why did that guy say that? Why

did the guy say, blessed is everyone who would eat

break in the Kingdom of God? Because this guy was

offended because they considered those who were poor, blind man,

and all these things, they were sinners. They say that

you existed, you started this life as this because your father,

your mother, your household, your generations before you sin. And

you are born as sinner. That is why you are

like that. And to eat with you is to what contaminate,

and to myself with you. So when Jesus asked them

to invite these people, they were offended. And he said

that blessed the other one who will eat bread. He's

talking about himself. You know, we will be the one

who eat bread, and we will be blessed. He was

offended when he heard that. Then what did Jesus say, Ah,

this is the poet. But Jesus said to him, gave

him a parable. A man once gave a bad great

banquet and invited many, and at that time of the

banquet he sent his servants to say, to those who

have been invited, come for everything is now ready, and

they all began to make excuses. Okay, all the first

group of people, the VIPA, began to make excuses. The

first said to him, I have bought a field, okay,

and I must go out and see it. Please have

me excuse. Maybe I will read this version okay, while

I like this one because my verse I you want.

But they all began with want a call, began to

make excuses. First of all, I just want to highlight

this very important now, when your heart is not with God,

you gether with people who are like minded. You get

the people because you know why. Every one of us

wants to be validated. You know what I mean, right,

every one of us. One doesn't mean that you connect

with someone means it's right. You know, you can connect

with anyone almost with anything, you know, but it depends

on the agenda. I want to know. You can complain

about anyone, okay, and you will start to find people

who will agree with you. It's like that one to know.

It's always I don't want. They used to say that

it's kind of funny, but they say that you know

who is guiltier. When you stir things up and you

keep quiet. The first people who gather us to be group,

they are likely the ones who are corporates. It's true,

you know it's trying not okay, okay, when something happening,

when maybe money is tolen, something happened. Now you keep

quiet and you make an announcement. You keep quiet, and

you see who starts to form group first. Those are

the ones that you have to be very very careful of.

The ones they make a lot of noise, the ones

that gather a lot of people watch them. Okay, but

they all began began to make excuses. The first said

to him, okay, I bought a piece of ground. I

must go and see it. I asked you to have

me excuse. I may ask you. It's buying a land wrong.

It's buying a land wrong. Why is it not wrong?

Because we need land? God gave Abraham land, Soma give

this one also give them by God? Isn't there these

or not list? We got gifts? That is it wrong?

Not wrong? But yeah, this guy to what was good

and made an excuse out of it. He is first

a landowner before he is a next one next night,

and another one said, I bought five years aux and

I'm going to test them. I have to ask. I

asked you to have me excuse. Is it wrong to

have auction? Is it wrong to buy good investments? You

test one man, they give you a good return, but

using good to replace what is God? Is it wrong?

Because you're not first an investor, You're not first a farmer,

you're a first disciple? Third one still another say I

married a wife. Wow, I marry and therefore I cannot

come this one. I don't know my excuse me. I

think he's blaming the wife. I just want to I

won't like blaming the wife more than anything else. Or

know he's having a wife? Wrong? I wrong, ma, even

in the garden, even God was the one? Why Adam? Emo?

You know in the garden either Emo? Day? You know Emo?

You don't anymos to Emo and don't give you at

them even not no more Emo already you know? Okay,

so it was a good thing. But yet what happens

he is a husband first before he is a disciple.

You see, when you carry the wrong identity, what happens?

You see what happens you? So then the servant came

and reported these things to his master. Then the master

of the house, being angry, said to his servant, go

out quickly in the streets and the lands of the city,

and bring in the poor, the main, the lame, and

the blind as sort stopped being assault because of all

the good things. That is how you lose your saltiness.

You a'm saying, you know, when you start to have

oxen instead of the land. Even why so am I

asking you not to get married. I'm not saying it

cannot at all, but you must is your first identity,

you know, I'm saying, No, I don't care what work

you do, how much money you have in the bank

for what is your spouse? I don't care what PhD

you do as well. That's not your identity. I mean,

these are good things, but make no mistake, that's not

your first identity. Okay, So what did you just do?

The people who were first called to be sought refused

to become sought. Then you start to looking at the people. Hey,

these other people. Are they willing to be my disciples?

Do they have oxen wives? And more? Do they first

rather be a disciple more than anything else? But the

next night, the next one, And the servant said, Master,

it is done as your commanded, and there is still room.

Next one. Then the Master said to a servant, go

out into the highways and the hedges and compel them

to come in, that my house may be feeled. You

know this, What did you learn from here? That God, oh,

that God is more interested into looking for disciples more

than anything else. You know, he sees a lot of

people who are working, professionals, who are rich, who have

around responsibility, but he only cares for one main thing

on your life. Everything is important, but one main thing.

When he calls, will you come. There are many Christians

who hold a lot of good things, but when God calls,

there will not come. So sometimes it's better for you

had nothing and to respond to God. That's what being

a disciple. First messing. You can't mean right because you'd

rather be salt. There nothing else and all he malayan salt,

garlics ort, chicken salt, whatever sort you want to be,

and rarely just be as salt. You can't mean right.

Let me make sure you come to salt. Okay ha

ha a next one, for I say to you none, no,

those men who were invited shall taste my supper. So

when you link this son to what is Jesus saying?

When you say that you cannot love for being my

disciple if you you love your mother and father and

mother everything else. You know what I'm saying? Or not

you're not talking to me. You say what is first?

When you lose that, even when God calls you, you

will be drawn away. It's for your own sake. You know,

you mean right. It is for our own sake. You

know that God is doing that to us. You know

you mean right. You cannot come to me when you

have not understood the cost. It not because when you

come and you do all these things, when the bell rings,

you will not be able to respond to it. It's

to our own detreatment and all. So how do we

how shall I read this? How shall we wrap this up?

How shall we respond to God? Okay? First of all,

get our identity right? Okay, get our identity right? Keep

it simple, okay, keep it simple. Sometimes when we come

to church we have this very complicated theology. You know,

he say, God, you know what should I pray for?

You know I really need you to help me with

this problem. But my life not exactly that, right, you know,

and you start this bargaining processing. Ah, you know, God,

I will do this, I will do that, And if

you show up like this, I will do that. You know,

we bargain. We've got a bargain and bagain and bargain

and bargain. Bargain. When you are a child of God,

you don't bargain? Why? No, No, you see my son,

and I'm bargaining all the time. You have the bargain

with me before I give you lunch. I had to

bargain with me before I let you sleep in your

room tonight. That one does it? And if your parents

do that, No, you're the bargain with me. Before you

use my surname. No, I don't you are my son.

You are my son. You mean, but there are things

you do that pleases me. There are things that you

don't but but but it's very funny when you have

to bargain with me every single thing. Don't you don't

act like a son. You act like a servant. You know,

you get me, But we a lot of times we

bargain because we carry a wrong identity, you know, and

you carry the wrong prayer request as well. I'm going

to stay straight out some of you are. It's not

because God is not answering a prayer. It's because you

ask for the wrong things in your life, because you

wear the wrong identity. So we sometimes when say you

gotta change a prayer, it's not changing your prayer. Change

who you are? Change who you? What? What? What? What?

Who am I? First? And when? Sometimes when you find

a heart light, I know this is right, but I'm not,

and you realize why, it's because your heart is somewhere else.

Heart is somewhere else. You'll find fasting very difficult. You'll

find prayer very difficult. You'll find reading the Bible difficult.

You'll find doing anything for God very difficult, because simply

your heart is not You are not a full disciple.

First you come say you know you're not that, And

so we gotta look to God and say, to God,

I acknowledge all my weaknesses. I'm sorry. Give me a

new heart, Give me a new heart. Let me see

life what it is and simplifying things. And then from there, Lord,

put a prayer in me. It's still me. Give me

a prayer to you. Put a new prayer in me.

You know what I'm saying. Give me a new heart.

Help me to pray, Teach me how to pray, Teach

me how I ought to pray, that you'll be good

for my soul and that it will please you. You

know what I'm saying. No, that is the way we

ought to approach God. You're still coming to hear Ah.

You're bearing with guilt burden, and you're trying to bargain,

you know, And sometimes you come with the worship song

doesn't sing right, the preacher doesn't pray the rite message,

you cannot. It gets you out your fun currity. You know,

when you are disciple, it doesn't matter what the preacher preach,

doesn't matter what song they say. God is there, you

know I'm saying. You know, it doesn't affect anymore. When

you read the Bible, you're not looking where am i?

Where am i this scripture? Where? Where is God's work

for me? Where is God's work for me? Here? About

my situation, about my need and everything? You keep looking

for yourself, and you find the Bible very dry, very

difficult to read. But the Bible is not about looking

for you. The Bible is about looking for God. You

know what I'm saying. What I'm saying, it's like instill

where am I? Where am ine? This is about passage

about me? But he said, where is God? Where is God?

Where is God? Where is God? And you realize God

is everywhere? God is constant, and you start to realize, Wow,

God is glorified and becomes less of you and more

of God, and your situations and your problems becomes lesser

and lesser. You know what I mean. I'm saying, because

you're first disciple, change a perspective, change your mind, I'm saying,

or not, how you think, how you pray, how you

read everything in this world as well. It's not about you.

Oh God, Come, let's stand together.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on church, please visit aschurch dot org. We are

also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that this

week is going to be a good week, a hit

for you. God bless