Walking The Road With Jesus (Mk. 10:46-52) (Part 7)

Conclusion:

Jesus doesn't want you to be disillusioned by your walk with Him. From Bartimaeus we discovered realistic expectations for walking with Jesus.  When you walk with Jesus, you can expect . . .

• Difficulty (Jn. 16:33).
• Division (Lu. 12:51-53).
• Denial (Lu. 9:23).
• Discomfort (Mt. 8:20).
• Dependence (Jn. 15:5).
• Death (Lu. 9:23).

That's not a very good sales job, is it? If I were selling cars, I'd be fired for trying to talk a potential buyer out of a deal. To some, it might seem as if I'm talking people out of following Jesus.  No, that's not the case at all.  

Since the cost of following Jesus is high, you should evaluate why you do it.  I just think you should know that walking with Jesus is not the cake walk some false prophets said it would be.  I just think that if you're going to follow Jesus, you should do it for the right reasons.

• Reason #1:  It is the natural continuation for those who have repented of their sins and asked Christ to forgive them.  Repentance is the start, not the finish. Those who receive Christ, Colossians says, should walk in Him.
• Reason #2:  Jesus heard your heart's cry, touched you, made you whole and changed you. You should follow Him because you are transformed by grace, overwhelmed by mercy, compelled by gratitude, and don't want to ever go back to your old life.