Introduction: USA TODAY recently gave the cost for rearing a child from birth to 18 years of age. The cost is $234,000; the breakdown is quite amazing;
$89,000 for food
$55,000 for clothing add $15,000 if it is a girl
$35,000 for medical cost including over the counter medicine
$29,000 for education – prior to college
$26,000 for entertainment, parties and gifts
Yet with the cost at 234,000 – people continue to have children – in fact, one of the busiest places in the hospital is the maternity ward.
WHY?
Each child is full of potential – Walt Disney said, “Children are our nations #1 natural resource.”
Children bring joy to our heart and home, just ask any grandparent
Children remind us we have a future and there is someone to whom we will pass on our traditions and memories.
Therefore, we look at $234,000, and say children are worth the cost – for the blessings of children far outweigh the cost they incur.
If your children are with you this morning turn to them and tell them “You are worth the cost” If your children are not with you today, when you get home call them up tell them “They were worth the cost” Then hang up and wait for them to call back!
Counting the cost
Jesus himself spoke of counting the cost and it was always in connection with ministry. In three of the four gospels, he calls his followers to Count the Cost to be a part of his mission and ministry.
During the month of July, we have looked at the theme of answering the call concerning our children and student ministries. Next Sunday we will be asking for a commitment from people to step up and serve in this vital area. But before we ask for a commitment – I want to talk to you about counting the cost.
Understand we are not asking you to fill a spot or to do a job we are asking you to make an investment in the lives of children. For that to happen, you must be willing to count the cost.
To count the cost means we have some good news and some bad news – the good news when it comes to counting the cost is it will not cost you $234,000 to work in our children’s ministry. The bad news is to count the cost we must be willing to pay a price. While it is not $234,000, it is costly.
Jesus explains the cost in Luke 9:23-27…
23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.
25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?
26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
27 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."
Three price tags must be paid if we are going to Count the Cost
Price Tag #1, Jesus calls us to deny oneself
Biblical Scholar, F.F. Bruce calls this one of the most difficult statements in all of scripture
To deny oneself and take up ones cross daily
Conjures up images of monasteries and vows of poverty – it carries the idea of doing without and having a life with very little freedom or fun.
We find it difficult to diet – to go without certain types of food, let alone denying ourselves for Christ’s sake.
What makes it more difficult is the root meaning of the word – To Deny, To Forget we exist
Jesus is teaching his followers the concept of self-sacrifice. Self-sacrifice is the key to ministry. We understand the concept of self-sacrifice in many areas of life.
In marriages, we realize we must die to self so that two can become one.
In parenting, we sacrifice our wants so our children can have a good education and better opportunities then what we had growing up.
Parents sacrifice daily when they stay up all night with a sick child or stay up late slaving over homework they hardly understand.
If we understand self-sacrifice in marriage and in parenting, then we should understand self-sacrifice in ministry as well.
Jesus said if you are going to be a Christ follower, if you are going to be a part of my mission and my ministry you must be willing to pay the price to count the cost.
How does this happen?
We put aside our agenda – for God’s agenda
We put aside our values for what god values; What does God value? PEOPLE
We put away our ways for his way.
What must we do to deny ourselves?
UNDERSTAND Because of our two natures the spiritual and the carnal we war against ourselves to do what Jesus asks us to do. The Spiritual side of our life says you know I should help; I can make a difference in the life of a child. Someone made a difference in my life and now I am going to flow into the life of another. The carnal side says there is no need to be involved there are always others who will pick up the slack. Now because our two natures struggle against one another we need to practice self-discipline - Denying oneself requires discipline – One idea of Discipline is to choose to do the right or best thing. As a Christ follower, the right or best thing to do is to be involved in ministry! How do I do the right or best thing?
Start early – Many of our habits are hard to break because we simply picked up the habit at a young age with very little formal training.
I enjoy golf – BUT I AM AWFUL
I picked up some bad habits early on when I was paling without any assistance from others. I have a softball swing, my grip is twisted, I pull my head up to soon – in short, it is a mess. People have tried to help me, but it does not feel right – the bad habits are comfortable.
The same is true in our Christian service – if we do not serve early on in our Christian walk we will get in the habit of becoming a spectator rather than a participant in the ministry of Christ. We purposely want to involve new people in ministry, we have some guidelines we want you to be a member of our church and we will put you beside some more seasoned members so you can learn the joy of ministry. The older we are in our Christian walk and you have not learned to serve the more difficult it becomes to see service not as an extra thing to do but a part of being a Christ follower.
Start Small – Small steps lead to giant leaps in ministry. 6 years ago Craig Szeman was asked by his neighbor to come to church, Craig agreed soon he gave his life to Christ – soon he was part of men’s mentoring Bible Study at the home of Pablo Ambat. He learned he needed a ministry, he found one, he and his wife, Cindy lead the baptism ministry, preparing people for their baptisms. Craig then led our 40 days of Purpose campaign, then Elder in training last May he became an Elder in our church – He began with a small ministry and was blessed to grow in that ministry.
Start Today – The key to discipline is to start and to start now. The following words were written on a tomb of an Anglican Bishop in the Crypts of Westminster Abbey…
Start Today!
Price Tag #2, Jesus calls us to take up our Cross
For Jesus the cross was an instrument of redemption and salvation
What is your Cross today? What is my cross?
What the cross is not!
Our cross is not the ordinary troubles of life, the disappointments, the hassles, the hassles we all face. Some people will say, “This is my cross to bear” referring to an affliction or sorrow in their life. That is not a cross that is a thorn, remember Paul had to deal with thorns in his life. Thorns remind us we live in an imperfect world. Thorns remind us we are part of fallen creation. Thorns will be with us until we get to heaven, there we will exchange our thorns for a crow of glory.
What is the cross we are to carry?
When Jesus said to take up ones cross, he was speaking of the meaningful and purposeful service to Christ and his Kingdom.
It may mean self sacrifice
It may mean persecution, suffering and death
It always means the meaning and purposeful service to Christ.
The Cross is the difficult item we carry for the love of Christ, Ask yourself, “What is the difficult thing you are doing for the cause of Christ today?” If you cannot find an answer then you simply are not carrying a cross for Christ.
B. There is one more word we need to look at before we leave this point – we are to carry our cross DAILY
There is to be a continual effort to carry our cross.
I am 17 years away from retirement, according to our society; I will be able to quit working – but I will never finish taking up my cross – I must do it daily!
Why?
Jesus forgives me daily
God blesses me daily
The Holy Spirit guides me daily
I MUST CARRY MY CROSS DAILY!
This leases us to a third price tag
Price Tag #3, Jesus calls us to follow him
Have there ever been two more difficult words to hear from the lips of Jesus. Jesus looks at his disciples and says follow me, and they leave their nets their tax tables and their former lives and follow him, but at the end of this chapter Jesus approaches three more men with the same request – Follow me, yet each man comes up with an excuse on why he cannot follow Jesus. The result these three unnamed men never knew the joy of being a part of his mission and ministry. I wonder if these men ever regretted their conversation with Christ that day.
To be able to follow Christ we have to understand the faith factor of service
Faith is not a blind hope but a trust in God to bring out his will in our lives.
I heard about a preacher who decided to skip church one day and go bear hunting. As he entered the woods he came face to face with bear, he was so startled; he fell backwards off a cliff into a ravine where he broke both of his legs. When he looked up, he saw the bear charging toward him, unfortunately in the fall his gun was out of reach. Being a man of faith, the preacher realized his only option was to pray. He began his prayer saying, Oh Lord, I am sorry for skipping out on church today, please forgive me and grant me just one last wish. Please make a Christian out of that bear that is coming toward me. Please Lord Amen. Immediately the Bear skidded to a halt, clasp his paws together and began to pray out loud as the preacher’s feet, “Dear God, bless this food which I am about to receive”
Sometimes we do not get our prayers answered the way we desire – but faith always brings about God’s desires. True faith begins when we choose to follow Him.
Faith teaches us when we give up – we go up
Faith says I will give up my rights, my desires – what I feel is important, so that I may have the greater good, Hebrews 11:6, Without Faith it is impossible to please God.
Faith gives us the ability to answer the call. For the moment I let go and begin to trust God. He begins to move in my life in ways I never expected.
On May 21, 1998, Marie Allen went to be with the Lord, she was 88 years of age.
For us today that name means very little. Nevertheless, let me tell you about her. She was married in 1929 to Roy Allen, he died in a tragic accident in 1948, leaving her a widow with 5 children ranging from 6 months to 17 years of age. That could have been devastating for the young Marie Allen. However, she answered the call. Over the next 35 years she was foster mother to 75 children who lived in her home for a period of months to a period of several years. Prior to her husband’s death the Allen’s purchased a bus that they used to transport neighboring children to church, youth rallies and summer camp. Just before Roy Allen’s death he expressed a desire to donate off of his 50 acre farm for a church camp in Indiana. Despite her limited resources Marie Allen followed through with her husband’s plan – Today Camp Allendale is ministering to hundreds of children in Indiana. Hundreds of kids have been baptized, many men and women have chosen to missionaries and ministers, all because one widow listened to the words, follow me and by faith, she did, and god has used her obedience to change the world.
I wonder where God is calling you today to step out in faith and simply follow him.
I wonder if God is calling you today to step out in faith and carry a cross for his today
I wonder if Christ is calling you today and asking you to deny yourself and faithfully answer the call.
You know I do not wonder if he is calling you today, because I know He is. God is always looking for people who will step up and answer the call of faithful service
The cost to raise a child today…
$89,000 for food
$55,000 for clothing add $15,000 if it is a girl
$35,000 for medical cost including over the counter medicine
$29,000 for education – prior to college
$26,000 for entertainment, parties and gifts
The cost to answer the call – PRICELESS
Why not today let the Master be in charge of your life and answer the call to serve him. It may be something as small as bringing a child to church it may be as great as giving away property and possessions, whatever it is I can guarantee it will make a difference for eternity – Answer the call!
Prayer
