Cost of Being a Disciple
Luke 14:25-35
ME
Last week Maria and I went back to Parkview Christian Church in Sedalia, MO. It is always good to go back there because we have so many friends there. Parkview is the church were we were before I went into the ministry. I served in many different areas in that church as did Maria.
The elders of Parkview ordained me into the ministry of Jesus Christ. I am their Timothy and they are my Paul. Every time we return there it is a joyful experience because of our many friends. Even though we enjoy going back there, every time we go back to visit we are reminded of how blessed we are here at MVC.
Matter of fact during the service I texted Michael just to tell him how thankful I am to have him here at MVC and to thank him for using his talents for the Lord here. I didn’t text Mike because I knew we was preaching, but I thank the Lord for him being here as well. And I’m thankful for you all too.
The people of Parkview Christian are dear to us, and the people here are so very dear to us too. I don’t think I could ever fully express how much we dearly love everyone of MVC. Maria and I are truly blessed to be able to minister here and we hope that we can continue to grow together as we seek to do the will of God here in Mt. Vernon and elsewhere.
There was one thing that I took note of last week in the Sunday school class we went to. The teacher in the class is an elder and has been a friend for many years. In the class he said many times how easy we have it today as Christians. He was saying this in comparison to the way the Christians had it back in the first century, but he is right isn’t he.
Let me ask you, when was the last time your life was made difficult because you are a Christian? I thought about that this week as it relates to my life. In my life I have had hard times and as you know last year was a difficult year for me because of having ITP. But really having a hard or difficult time in my life because I am a Christian. I would have to say no. It is really easy to be a Christian today in America.
?WE
I wonder about everyone here? Really from the outside looking in, because I don’t know what is going on behind the scenes in most of your lives, it looks like we all have it made. As far as having a difficult time in this world because we are Christian.
However when I read the Bible and look at Jesus’ life, the apostles live’s and the lives of those who became Christian I see a lot of difficulty and hardship. There was persecution and people scattered from their homes. Jesus didn’t have a place to lay His head and was run out of towns. The apostles were all persecuted, and all but John were killed because they were Christian. However John suffered too as an outcast.
And there is more than that you read in the Bible about the difficult times the Christians went through. Not only do we see what the Christians went through in the Bible, but we know there early Christians as well were thrown into the lions dens, others were tarred and feathered. Some were tarred and put on stakes and lit on fire.
When I read of how bad it was for Jesus, the apostles and the Christians back then and know who easy it is for us today it just does not correlate to me. Now I’m not asking for difficult times, but Jesus said if they persecute Me, and they did, they will persecute you. If they hate Me, and they did, they will hate you too. The student is not above his master.
So if we are living out our lives in the way Jesus did by doing God’s will, as we should be, shouldn’t we have difficulty in the world because we are Christian? I don’t know, maybe my thinking is way off here, because I will admit to you that I don’t understand everything in the Bible. And this is one of those things I think about.
One of my biggest fears in this world is that I’m not doing everything I could be doing for the Lord. Another big fear is getting comfortable in this world as a Christian and then when judgement comes I hear away from me you evil doer. In recent times I have come to understand more clearly what it is to live in the fear of the Lord.
I do what I do because I love the Lord, but also because I fear Him. I fear firstly that I will disappoint Him, but I also fear Him because He is the one who can throw me into the eternal fire where body and soul are destroyed. God has given me this ministry and all of you to care for — teaching and training for God’s works of service.
And what I see from reading the Bible of those who were serving the Lord they had difficulty because they were Christians doing the will of God.
I have talked a lot about discipling and disciple making in the past. A few weeks ago I defined a disciple so we would know what exactly a disciple is. One thing we have to understand is that the word disciple is synonymous with Christian. So when I say Christian I am also saying disciple.
Disciple making is something we all should be doing, but as I have said in the past it is the one thing that is basic to the church that most Christians do not do. The biggest reason I believe it is not done by most Christians is because there is cost to it and we are so comfortable in our easy Christian lives that we are just not willing to pay the cost.
Over the years Christians have made a mode of Christianity that I just don’t see in Scripture. I’ve read the Bible many times over, especially the New Testament and I have never derived from Scripture a setting such as we have here today. Where a service is put on trying to draw a big crowd.
Matter of fact Jesus spent most of His time with just Him and His disciples and when the big crowds were around — Jesus would tell them things that were very hard and very difficult to do. It’s as though Jesus didn’t want the large crowds. I think the reason we see this in Scripture is because Jesus knew in large crowds true Christian relationships couldn’t happen.
Also when large crowds exist there becomes a crowd mentality and the most important thing becomes the crowd. And the leaders of the crowd begin to try to satisfy the crowd — they want to please the crowd, because if they cannot please the crowd they will loose the crowd.
Paul warned Timothy that there will be a time when the people will gather teachers around them who will tell them what their itching ears want to hear and they will not put up with sound doctrine, but only with what they desire. This is happening today and has happened for a long time now.
Crowds of people surrounding a teacher or preacher who have a form of godliness, who teaches partial truths. They talk about how God wants them to have a good life. God wants them healthy and wealthy and no hardships. But this is not true. Not that God doesn’t want us to be healthy and successful, I think He does.
But Jesus said, Do you think I have come to bring peace? No, I tell you but division, son against father, father against son, mother against daughter, daughter against mother. And guess what, when Jesus said this He was speaking to the crowds in Luke 12. Listen not only to Luke 12 but listen to Luke 14.
GOD
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:25-27
Let me ask, do you hate your own life? Do you hate your father? Do you hate your mother? Your wife? Your children? Jesus just said if you do not hate them you cannot be my disciple. This is a hard and difficult teaching, is it not?
I love my wife with all of my heart and Paul tells me to love my wife like Jesus loves the church. Peter tells me that if I don’t love my wife and treat her well that my prayers to God will be hindered, but here Jesus says I have to hate my wife. How can we handle this?
I love my children and grandchildren. My grandchildren when they were born, especially the girls, nothing against Kelby, I thought were the most beautiful things on the face of the earth. I love my family tremendously! I don’t know how I could love them more and I believe Jesus wants me to love my family and take care of them.
Matter of fact Paul says that if we don’t take care of our family that we are worse than the pagans. But Jesus says here that we have to hate them? How can I handle this? How can I do that? Talk about something that would disperse the crowd.
And look at the way the world is today. Parents will do anything and everything for their children. Their lives are consumed with their activities. Some parents travel the whole country to take their kids to sporting events and their children’s other activities. And it makes no difference if the whole family misses church for a month as long as the kids make it to their activities.
How does that correlate to the Scripture? How does that fit into what Jesus said that if you don’t hate your children, you cannot be my disciple? Listen I don't speak without knowledge on this. Maria and I took Josh all over the place so he could play baseball and at the time the only reason I missed some games on church days was because I’m the preacher and I had to be here. Otherwise I would have been there.
For years I was more concerned about myself rather than doing God’s will or being in church. Many times I missed church as did my family because I was playing in a softball tournament. But Jesus says here that if I don’t hate my life, I cannot be His disciple.
Just talk here about Jesus being above everything else in your life.
You see being a disciple of Jesus does cost us something. And it will make our life difficult. I’m not picking on anyone here, but this does come very close to home for us. What if we a a disciple of Jesus told the coach of our sports teams that your children will not participate in sports on the weekends because we will not miss church on Sunday.
Or what if there is a church activity planned such as a work day, or a mission trip, or a CIY trip, and so on, and you tell our coach that your kids will not be at the game because the churches activity is more important. I bet then some difficulty would come into our lives. I bet then some people would be upset with you. And why would they be mad or upset? Because you are a Christian and you are choosing the godly thing over the worldly thing.
But this type of thing does not happen in our lives does it. Yet Jesus says if you don’t hate your children you cannot be my disciple and if they persecute Me they will persecute you, if they hate Me, they will hate you. This illustration hits us close at home as it would in every church in America.
It hits us close to home because this is just the way it is. It is the way so many Christians are today. Christianity in America today is easy. Because of what Jesus says though, you have to ask if what we see of most Christians today is it truly Christianity. Because being a Christian, a disciple of Jesus — cost us something.
Look as Jesus continues to talk to the crowd. He says —
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ Luke 14:28-30
There is a house in Richmond, MO that has been a building project for years and years. When I lived there it what always only partially built and for a long time after I have been gone from there I think it is still the same way. The house sticks out and it doesn’t speak well of its owner. It makes it seem that the owner doesn’t really care about the house or ever finishing it.
I’m not picking on you Jason, but Jason Prater is a contractor who builds houses and I’m sure many other things. Do you make it a practice to begin building a house without first having plans drawn up and know the cost before you build? No, right?
If a contractor made it his practice to do that sort of thing the contractor would not be in business very long. Matter of fact he would probably be made fun of by other contractors and ridiculed by those he did work for. For someone not to count how much it cost before beginning a project would be a very foolish thing to do.
In the same way Jesus is saying a person needs to count the cost of being His disciple and if the person is not willing to pay the price, that person cannot be His disciple. I talk quite a bit about growing up in spiritual maturity. The Christian is suppose to make progress in the their spiritual growth. Starting our a baby, the child, then young adult, then a spiritual parent.
However, it is a very common practice among Christianity today just to tell a person to say a prayer and then they are saved. A big problem with that is that prayer nor instruction to say that prayer is not found in the Bible. But it is easy to say that prayer. Another big problem is those who condone that prayer also say that once you are saved you are always saved so whatever you do after you say that prayer is ok because your salvation can never be taken from you.
And it’s all about being easy, being a Christian is easy. But Jesus, once again doesn’t say that does He? No — it’s hard! There is a cost and if one is to be successful in living a Christian life one must consider how much it will cost them before they say they will follow Jesus. Look again at Luke 14 —
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If 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. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. Luke 14:31-33
Kim Jung-un, the dictator of North Korea come to mind. I think the guy is crazy. He may be able to send a missile to the United States and it might get to us, but if he actually does do that, do you think he will have actually considered how much it will cost him or his armies. If the United States chose to we could annihilate him and his country from the planet.
He doesn’t seem to be a very smart person and we know that he could never defeat us in battle. To his country and to the rest of the world he would look silly. Matter of fact even with the threats he is making he is looking silly. If only he would talk peace rather than war, then he could save himself and his country.
Do you know that we are in a war? And it’s the biggest war, there is no war bigger than the war we are in. But so many people don’t recognize the war. When a person is not a Christian they are on the side of the Devil, however once they become a Christian they change sides, to God’s side.
When they are on the Devil’s side there really isn’t much to do. Just live your life, as long as the devil has you he really doesn’t care what you do. You could be a mass murderer, a rapist, a thief, a druggy. You could be living a good moral life and even go to church and still be on his side and he’ll leave you alone.
However, once you publicly claim Jesus the Lord of your life and join God’s side the Devil will seek to make your life miserable. He will war against you like never before and he has plenty of people on his side. People who will try to stop you from being committed to doing the will of God. People who will draw you away from God’s will to participate in worldly activities.
He has people all over the world to with a word here and a word there. People who say God did not create, or to say, go ahead one little sin won’t hurt you. People who will give you worldly advice rather than Godly advice. There will be many people who look Christian and are good people, but really have no true commitment to the Lord all to draw you away from God so you can be back on the Devil’s side.
This is why it is so very important to know your enemy before you go into battle, before you give your life to Jesus. And it’s also why it is so very important to know the power of God and His people. If you live your life without knowing the full power of God and the power of His people you will never be able to defeat the Devil.
Just like Jesus says, “those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” When a person is not willing to give up everything, they will always have a battle within themselves. They will always care about what others think of them, more than what God thinks of them.
But once you give up yourself completely to God you will no longer care what others think of you. And they might hate you and persecute you for making a stand for Jesus and for doing God’s will. But how in the world will we ever win the lost world if we just go along with the world and not stand up for Jesus?
Once again if you are going to be a disciple of Jesus you must count the cost, and it does cost. There will be difficulty in your life if you are His disciple. Jesus doesn’t want us saying we are committed to Him only to stop building up ourselves in our spiritual maturity when the times get a hard.
Neither does He want us going into battle and turning around half way through the battle. And running back to our old ways of life and the world’s way with our tail between our legs.
Jesus says if that is what you are going to do then you are like salt that lost its saltiness. Look at what Jesus says next.
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. Luke 14:34-35a
If you are committed to Jesus even above your family and above your own life, if you are doing God’s will, if you are building and you are committed to what it takes to complete the build, if you are going into battle and you know you will defeat the enemy because you are living in the power of God then you are salty and that is good.
However if you put family, wife, son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister, or your own life before and above Jesus then you have lost your saltiness. If you begin to build, but stop because the cost is too great, you have lost your saltiness. If you begin the battle for the Lord, but when the battle gets hard you turn around and go back to your old ways and worldly way, you have lost our saltiness.
I wonder when will we read the Bible and take it for the true Word of God and then do the true Word of God. There are so many churches across America who have lost their saltiness. They gather in services like this, but there are no strong Christian relationships.
There is no admonishing and teaching with all wisdom as the scriptures calls us to. Because that cannot be done in the large crowd. That takes relationship, that takes knowing each other deeply, that takes being emotionally involved in each others lives.
It is way more involved than coming to a service and having surface level relationships. It is more involved than sitting in a pew looking at the back of someone’s head and listening to a message. It takes total commitment to Jesus, to God’s will, and to growing up in our spiritual maturity so that we bring others to become spiritual babies so the process can be started all over again.
Do you see what it says about salt that has lost its saltiness? It says it is neither fit for soil nor for manure and it is thrown out. Can you grasp this application? (Take salt and pour a pile of it on something). This is like a crowd of people who come together who are not doing God’s will and have lost their saltiness.
If this salt that has lost it’s saltiness is poured on good soil it make that good soil no good and the soil will be contaminated. Not only that, but even manure, which is used to fertilize the soil, if the un-salty salt is poured on that it contaminates the the manure as well. It is good for nothing and is thrown out. And Jesus says —
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Luke 14:35b
YOU
Do you hear what Jesus is saying this morning? Not everyone heard and understood back then. Do you hear and understand this morning? If you do, if you do hear and understand - your life will change. Your commitment level will rise and it will continue to rise.
If you hear and understand you will begin to be un-liked and possibly hatted by others who are committed to this world, rather than God. If you have ears to hear and understanding of what Jesus said there will be nothing to stop you in your spiritual growth. There will nothing to keep you from serving the Lord — doing God’s will.
Not mother, father, brother, sister, wife, or children. No cost will be too high and no battle will be too hard because you are living in the power of God. This is what Jesus is look for from us. It is truly putting Him first, Him truly being the Lord of our life.
WE
This is a hard teaching this morning. Do you know why Jesus gave us these hard teachings? Because He loves us so dearly. And He wants to save us and He wants to be able to use us to help reconcile more people to God. I don’t shy away from these hard teachings because I love you and want to do everything I can to help you be presented to God fully mature in Christ.
Here is my challenge to you this week. I did this and thought it was great. Read the red text of the Bible. Read what Jesus said this week. It will take you several hours, but it will enlighten you. And I believe it will convict you and draw you closer to Jesus.
If you haven’t made Jesus Lord of your life, I implore you this morning to do so.
