The Cost: Have You Counted it?
Luke 14:26-33
I want to thank Jordan for getting us started on series of messages every believer should take into consideration. A few weeks ago we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus, but as we learned last week, this event of salvation is truly just the starting point in our lives!
Ephesians 4:4 (NKJV)
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling
Once we have received Christ as our Lord and Savior, everything changes! Not only are we washed clean, but we now have purpose—a true Calling to serve Him!
Today, we want to examine what Christ has asked us to take into account before jumping right into this calling, and that is “The Cost of Being a Disciple of Christ”.
Luke 14:28-33 (NIV)
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
31″Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
It’s important to understand the context from which Jesus is speaking in regards to this passage. It says that there was “a large crowd” following Jesus. And at this point in time, Jesus was the trendy celebrity to be seen around, and everybody wanted to be His disciple.
But as you can see by what we just read, Jesus is not into popularity contests. Jesus wants followers, not fans. And so he lays it out simply: If you want to truly be one of my disciples, you better first understand what that means!
What’s truly incredible about God’s Word, is how it is still relevant today. This passage in particular serves to purposes for us now:
- An “Are You Sure” warning label of what the Christian Walk means
- A reminder to His disciples that you were asked to count the cost
-Prayer
1. Die to Self
Luke 14:26 (NIV)
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.
Before we step further, let’s examine this word “Disciple”.
We have seen that, as references to the twelve, the words “apostle” and “disciple” could be synonymous. However, just as the term “disciple” could mean other followers of Jesus than the twelve in the time of His ministry, so also after His resurrection the term “disciple” had a wider meaning as well, being clearly applied to all His followers.
The common bond of meaning for the various applications of the word “disciple” was allegiance to Jesus .
Robert Sloan (Holman Bible Dictionary)
So to say we are Christ’s Disciples is to pledge our total allegiance to Jesus. But if we look back at vs. 26, that cost seems kind of harsh- “Hate everybody but Jesus!?”
Jesus is not saying hate your family and friends in the literal sense here. Jesus is telling us that we must not place anything (even our own life) above him. It has to be God first, and everything else falls in line under that.
Folks, that’s a huge cost isn’t it? It flies right in the face of what society tells you to do. But Jesus says, “You want to be my Disciple, this is what is required of you.”
Romans 12:1 (NLT)
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
The word sacrifice is a giving up of something valuable, and often it’s a painful thing to do. Most people place high value on themselves, and their life. Jesus wants you to give it to him.
The life lived as a living sacrifice says, “I have my plans and way of going about things, but I recognize God that your love is better than my life, and so I give it freely to you.”
Jordan showed us last week what that looks like. We all have the capacity to be used by God in unique ways. It is up to us to seek out God’s will in how to make that happen.
2. Carry Your Own Cross
Luke 14: 27 (NIV)
27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
A. Be ready to stand out
At first glance, this verse can almost read like, “Bear your own cross, I have enough to bear on my own!” But upon further review, Jesus is not turning down more work, but rather stating that when you follow after Him and proclaim to be his disciple you will incur all that Jesus gets.
Following Jesus as a disciple comes at a cost. It involves sacrifice. No servant is above His Master. If Jesus was rejected and harassed and criticized and even killed, the followers of Christ should expect no better treatment.
But carrying your cross is not just about persecution, but it’s also the habits of sin we’ve shouldered the weight of for years. Now that I recognize the higher call, I must endure and overcome through His power!
Romans 12:2 (NLT)
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
B. Get out of your comfort zone
When Jesus, tells us to carry our cross, he’s basically saying, “Expect the worst, plan for the best!”
There’s a story in Matthew 8 of Jesus and his disciples in a boat, and they’ve found themselves in the middle of a huge storm. The disciples are freaking out, and Jesus is sound asleep in the bottom of the boat. Jesus then comes up and calms the storm, and saves the day.
There are two points of importance that I want to highlight. The first is what the disciples did first:
Matthew 8:23 (NASB)
23 When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.
I know Jesus’ disciples didn’t have a weather forecast, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t take a meteorologist to see that a storm like this one was on the horizon. They could probably see the dark clouds in the distance and direction they were heading, but they got in the boat anyway! Step out of the comfort of what you know and think you control, and let God lead.
That’s the simplest way any of us can step out of our comfort zone. This is in turn leads to other areas (Ministry, Service, Missions)
The second point of importance is what the disciples did in the midst of the storm: They panicked! Doesn’t it make you feel good, that even after counting the cost, the disciples still struggled when things got tough?!
But look what Jesus did:
Matthew 8:26 (NASB)
He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.
Jesus does some of His greatest miracles and work when we follow him out of our comfort zone. Why? Because when we’re in that place, Jesus is all we have to rely on, and we allow him to do what he does best.
3. Never Stop Moving!
Becoming a Disciple of Christ means understanding that the job is not done until we are done here.
A. Move to Further Personal Growth
Headlight Story: I was driving home from an evening event in Vegas earlier this week. I saw something that caught my attention differently than it had before. Driving along the well lit streets there was a car that didn’t have its headlights on. Then as glanced over into traffic going the opposite way there was another one!
This might not seem like a big deal, but out here in Pahrump, you would almost never see this kind of thing, because if you don’t have your headlights on, you’re in danger, because it’s just not as well lit.
Then I felt like God was revealing something to me. How many of us get so comfortable in the church, that we ignore letting our light shine? We might be in a place where the church is well lit, a beacon into the dark world, and we figure since we’re here, our lights are on too, but in fact we’re shining forth nothing!
2 Timothy 1:6-7 (NIV)
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
Don’t misunderstand; God is not saying you can’t be comfortable. God is saying, don’t get so comfortable that you become complacent. Never stop fanning the flames of spiritual discipline. Always be looking for ways to grow spiritually, mentally and faithfully.
This applies to everyone, leadership included! It’s easy to sit back on success, but we must never stop!
“Only by doing will our capacity to serve grow.”
– Jordan Klatt
B. Move to Further Growth in Others
We are all called to a spirit of unity. We are all on the same team. If we neglect each other, we are neglecting God’s Family.
Philippians 2:1-2 (NLT)
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
C. Always remember whom you are following!
Remember, that counting the cost of dying to self means forfeiting the right to receive the glory. It is all for God’s Glory, and his Kingdom Come, not yours.
James 4:14-17 (NLT)
How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. 17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
Jesus is calling all of us, and it will cost us, but the blessings and eternal rewards far outweigh these temporal times we live in now.
-Prayer
