Counting The Cost

COUNTING THE COST

Text: Luke 9:57 -62

Luke 9:57  As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 59  To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60  But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61  Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62  Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." 

Can anyone get rich following Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? Of course that would depend on how we define wealth! Following Jesus is not about material things, its about serving Jesus as our Lord in complete surrender! Foxes have holes, birds have nests and Jesus had nowhere to lay His head (Luke 9:58). Jesus did not sugarcoat it when He was pointing out that following Him would not be a bed of roses! Being a disciple could not and cannot be taken lightly because being a disciple is to be totally committed!

This morning, we will explore opportunity, cost and commitment.

OPPORTUNITY

If someone offered you tickets to go see you favorite team what would you do?

1) Wishy-washy: Would you say, “Let me think about it, and I’ll get back to you?” Or, would you alter your schedule so you could go?

2) Procrastination: Does it always go well when we procrastinate?

Gloria Pitzer has written this clever little poem:

Procrastination is my sin

It brings me naught but sorrow.

I know that I should stop it

In fact, I will…tomorrow.

Galaxie Software. (2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press. [original source: Today in the Word, MBI, April, 1990, p. 41

Waiting till tomorrow is never a good idea when we are expected to be on time for something.

One time I was on a bus trip when the driver took a stopping break and told everyone we leave in twenty minutes. The twenty minutes were up and the bus driver could not wait for the passenger who had procrastinated so he moved on, I asked the bus driver what will happen to the man? The bus driver said, “He’ll have to catch the next bus that will be stopping by withing the next hour. I’ll bet he won’t miss that one!”

What do opportunities teach us?

1) Priorities: Opportunities teach us to get our priorities in order!

2) Last call: How will we know that the next call is the last call?

How many of you knew the late Enoch Finklea, Jr., (1926 - 1995) who served Pelion UMC for over twenty years? Enoch was a dear friend of mine. He was preaching a revival in Oak Grove UMC in 1978 for my father. I felt a spiritually magnetic pull to go to the altar even though I was already saved. Enoch prayed for me that night and told my mother that God had some special purpose for me. Over the course of eleven years later in 1989, I felt the undeniable call to ministry. It was the same feeling I had in 1978.

In 1995, I saw Enoch at one of our continuing education events. I asked him if he would come preach a revival for me in my next appointment. He agreed to come and do it. That was in March and he died at the age of 69 in April of that same year.

It was at that continuing ed event that he told the following story. He had a truck driver that he knew in his community. He took three days off to go on the road with him. Due to the engine noise Enoch had to sit in the back and talk close enough to the driver’s ears so the driver could hear him. At every truck stop, the driver would get out ahead of Enoch and warn everyone that he had his preacher with him. Of course this was their cue to straighten up and speak with stained glass voices.

The three days were up and it appeared that he had not been able to reach the truck driver. Later, Enoch was having some difficulty with his health related to his heart and a kidney infection. But, then that truck driver heard about it, and he got paranoid. He did not even knock on Enoch’s door but came barging in Enoch’s house begging him not to die because “You are my only chance to get to heaven!” This truck driver got right with the Lord Jesus Christ!