HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Text: Luke 14:28-33
Scripture Reading: Matthew 19:16-26
INTRODUCTION:
1. How much does it cost?
a. How many times have you said that?
b. Especially when building a house or some other large project.
c. To begin to build and run out of money can be embarrassing.
2. In Haiti it was common to start construction and not finish
a. Houses went incomplete for years.
b. Sometimes being finished by children or grandchildren of the original owner.
c. But in most places this is not acceptable.
3. That is the context in which the parable for discussion this lesson is set.
4. So the question answered in these parables is, "How much will following Christ cost me?"
5. We will notice three ways in which discipleship of Christ costs us face:
a. The Hatred we face
b. The Hardship we face
c. The Honesty we face
6. It is the aim of this lesson to help us all see the cost of following Christ and devote ourselves to that cause.
TRANSITION: Let’s look at the idea of hatred in the Christian.
I. The Hatred we face
A. Leading into this passage Jesus says that a man must hate father, mother, wife, children, brother, sister, and even his own life in order to be a true disciple.
1. Does this mean that I John 4:20 is a lie?
a. It says, "If anyone says, ’I love God,’ and hates his brother he is a liar…"
b. These passages seem to contradict each other.
2. These are not challenging questions if we look accurately at what is said.
B. Let us notice three points that shed light on this matter and clarify hating others.
1. First of all notice the general tenor of Jesus teaching.
a. He summed up the commands as Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:29-30)
b. He also said that the greatest love anyone could have was to lay down his life for his friend (John 15:13)
c. Jesus’ teaching was full of love for fellow man.
d. In fact I John 4 indicates that we show our love for God through service to others.
e. In Mark 10:13-16 Jesus warmly accepts the children into his arms showing true and pure love for them.
f. Jesus’ teaching, even his entire life, was and is about love for us and encouraging us to share that love with others.
2. The overall teaching of the New Testament would not agree with our concept of hatred for others.
a. Husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25)
b. Peter tells us in I Peter 1:22 to "Fervently love one another from the heart."
c. It is true that from time to time we can love the Lord too little, but the way to correct this is not by loving others less.
d. This concept is contradictory to the truth.
3. The words, "hate his own life", are instrumental to understanding this concept of hatred for others as a price of discipleship.
a. We are to hate others in the same sense that we are to hate ourselves.
b. Whatever I see in myself that is low and evil I am to abhor and resist.
c. Paul realized this when he penned to the Romans in 7:15, "For what I am doing I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, I do the very thing I hate."
d. What we see in ourselves that is contrary to the will and desire of God we hate.
e. What we see in others that is contrary to the will and desire of God we hate.
C. Jesus was not teaching a diminished love for others.
1. He had two main principles:
a. One was to hate the sin and love the sinner.
b. The other is that we must love others, but that love must be based on an overriding love for him.
i. Anything that draws us away from his will must be given up.
ii. If our old friends enjoy a lifestyle different from that prescribed by God then we are to separate ourselves from that lifestyle and those evil influences.
iii. We do not love them less, we love Jesus more.
2. Our hatred of others must not be greater than love for ourselves.
a. We are to love others
b. Based on love for Christ
TRANSITION: Following Christ will bring on certain challenges
II. The Hardship we face
A. Jesus was an honest recruiter.
1. Some, who have military experience, have told me that that is a contradictory statement.
a. They say that the recruiter tries to bring up glamorous aspects of life in the Army.
b. That they will not talk about the enemies rounds aimed at you or the fox holes that you may be sleeping in whether rain or snow, hot or cold
c. They only share with you the things you want to hear.
2. Jesus does not behave this way.
a. On the contrary he is brutally honest.
b. He says in Matthew 10:22 that, "You will be hated by all men because of my name."
c. And in Matthew 5:45 we see that he will cause the sun to shine on the evil and the good and the rain will fall on the righteous and unrighteous.
d. We are not promised that we will have an easy walk and that all obstacles will be removed from our path.
e. In fact James says that those challenges are there as opportunities to build our faith and make us stronger. (James 1:2-4)
f. But they are still challenges.
g. We will be hated by some and Jesus does not sugar coat the issue.
h. He wants us to know the truth and choose to follow anyway.
B. This knowledge forces us to answer three questions.
1. Am I willing to deny myself?
a. "If any one wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)
b. Not just certain aspects of life for a time to devote yourself to a certain good deed
c. The decision to put yourself aside and totally commit to Christ.
d. Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live. Yet not I but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live I live by the faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself to me."
e. Paul put himself to death so that he could live the life that the son of God would have him to live.
f. Completely abandoning personal wants to live for others.
2. The second question is am I willing to abide by his teaching?
a. He is after all the light of the world (John 8:12)
b. The supplier of living water (John 4:10)
c. The bread of life (John 6:35)
d. The way the truth and the life (John 14:6)
e. These claims make it clear that the one who lives up to them is one to be heeded.
f. The bible gives the blueprint of the Christian life.
g. I must make a definite decision to follow the plan if I wish to be called a disciple of Christ.
3. The third question is am I willing to follow him to the end?
a. It is easy to follow Jesus when things are going well in our lives.
b. It is much more difficult to follow when life brings challenges upon us.
c. Like those building a tower, many new Christians begin with a spurt of energy that dies and they sputter.
d. They begin with a sprint and cannot finish the marathon set before us.
e. The journey of a Christian lasts until the very end.
f. We must determine to finish the race and not just start strong.
C. If we truly answer yes to these three questions and follow through with our lives, we have counted the cost and determined to build the tower.
TRANSITION: This decision requires us to face some difficult facts
III. The Honesty we face
A. If a man devotes his life to service to others he faces certain realities.
1. If he does not make adjustment in his life for these realities they will become strong enemies.
a. Doctors many times give up much family time for their service to others.
b. Psychologists and counselors many times give up their own sanity in helping others.
2. Christians give up much of their own personal desires and wishes in the name of service to God.
a. John said it best in John 3:30, "He must increase and I must decrease."
b. John saw what we need to see.
c. We need to give up on our own selfishness and give in to God’s desires for our life.
B. This requires self-discipline and study
1. If a young man wants to win an Olympic medal he must train and practice.
2. If a scientist wants to win the Nobel Prize he must work and discipline himself in study and effort
3. Whatever prize you set yourself for gain requires work and effort.
C. There is no challenge that compares to the Christian life.
1. There is no thrill that exceeds the thrill of becoming a Christian and the Christian way of life.
2. But dying with him, taking up your cross, these are not easy.
3. We must forsake all.
4. We must forsake self.
5. We must decrease so that He can increase.
CONCLUSION:
1. C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity said, "The Christian way of life is different…Christ says, ’Give me all. I don’t want so much time and so much money and so much work, I want you. […] I do not want to cut off a branch here and there, I want to cut down the whole tree. […] I want the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you myself: my own will shall become yours.’"
2. The cost for discipleship is everything.
3. The reward is so much more.
