Luke 14:25-35 (New Living Translation)
25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

34 “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? 35 Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”

I. Family and Self as Priority (vv. 25-27)
• Discipleship is a

that requires Christians to examine their priorities.
• Discipleship involves making a

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decision to prioritize Jesus above all other things.
• The opposite of love is not hate but

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.
• The shape of discipleship is

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love.
II. Building and Rebuilding Priorities (vv. 28-30)
• Finishing well for Christians is more

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than how we begin.
• If everything is a priority,

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is a priority.
• Every person has a single priority, and our

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will always reflect that priority.
• Lost priorities can be restored and

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.
III. Battling for Priorities (vv. 31-33)
• Being outmatched and outnumbered is not the

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used to determine if we should engage in battle.
• Every person

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for what he or she loves.
• It is

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to become exhausted when battling for our priorities.
• Discipleship requires a life-long battle to become

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.
• Selfless generosity

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when we trust Jesus to fight our battles.
IV. Preserving our Saltiness for Jesus as the Main Priority (vv. 34-35)
• Discipleship is a

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, not for just a moment in time.
• Disciples of Jesus need to adopt a

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of repentance.
• It costs a lot to be Jesus’ disciple, but the rewards will be

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.

1. Read Luke 14:25:27. In whose home was Jesus recently dining in (Luke 14:1) and where was he going in these verses? Why did Jesus talk about discipleship with people who were already following him?
2. In what ways can we prioritize family and relationships over Jesus? How can we prioritize ourselves over our relationship with Jesus? What does it look like to live a cruciform life with discipleship?
3. Read Luke 14:28-30. Why is it important to count the cost before becoming a disciple of Jesus? Have you ever lost Jesus as a priority due to circumstances or situations in life? Explain. Why is how we finish more important than how we start with discipleship?
4. Read Luke 14:31-33. What areas of your life are you willing to go to battle for? What does it look like to battle for your relationship with Jesus? How does trusting Jesus help us to become selfless?
5. Read Luke 14:34-35. How does living a lifestyle of repentance help preserve saltiness for Jesus? Does viewing life from an eternal - rather than temporal - perspective help to keep Jesus as the main priority?
6. What else stood out to you in the sermon that you have questions about in this passage of Scripture?