INTRODUCTION
Sermonic Theme
Opening Statement: I came across a story this week that all the farmers will appreciate, especially Marvin Abplanalp. A hen and a pig approached a church and read the advertised sermon topic: “What can we do to help the poor?” Immediately the hen suggested they feed them bacon and eggs. The pig thought for a moment and said, “There is only one thing wrong with feeding bacon and eggs to the poor. For you it requires only a contribution, but for me it requires total commitment.” That story also serves to illustrate a key point that we will be emphasizing from the Scripture today: Counting the Cost.
Observation: That is something that we don’t like to think about too often. But, everything comes at a cost. For an athlete, they must decide early in life just how serious he/she wants to become in their sport and train accordingly. I was watching some of the Olympians recently. Some of those people have been training for 6-10 years just to qualify to participate in the Olympic games. What dedication to sport. What a price to pay. They will train and condition themselves for years just for the chance to compete.
Key Word: The parables in front of us today are simple story parables in which Jesus illustrates the importance of fully devoted discipleship. One story is taken from the agricultural world of that day and deals with construction or building; the other is taken from a political situation and deals with destruction or fighting. But Jesus used both parables to teach the same lesson.
Title: We’ll continue today by looking at The Unfinished Tower and a Kings Rash War – Counting the Cost of Discipleship
Proposition: Jesus told these stories in Luke’s Gospel to teach us to count what it would cost us to fully follow Jesus and what it would cost us if we choose a different path.
Text: Luke 14:28-33
Recitation: 14:27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 14:28 For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t sit down first and compute the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 14:29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish the tower, all who see it will begin to make fun of him. 14:30 They will say, ‘This man began to build and
was not able to finish!’ 14:31 Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to face the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 14:32 If he cannot succeed, he will send a representative while the other is still a long way off and ask for terms of peace. 14:33 In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions. The Message: Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple. “Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: ‘He started something he couldn’t finish.’ Or can you imagine a king going into battle against another king without first deciding whether it is possible with his ten thousand troops to face the twenty thousand troops of the other? And if he decides he can’t, won’t he send an emissary and work out a truce? Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it goodbye, you can’t be my disciple.”
Background: The historical setting for these stories was during the time large crowds accompanied Jesus on the way from Galilee to Jerusalem. Within the crowd, there were “spiritual window-shoppers”, “tire-kickers”, and the curious who were hangin’ around for the miraculous. They loved following him so long as the miracles were being performed and the crowds were satisfied. They were ready to make him King and his closest friends wanted positions within his kingdom (they even argued over it). But Jesus knew things were going to get really rough in Jerusalem. He knew that following him was not going to be an easy thing to do. So he told this story to prepare them for what was ahead.
Application: Living the Christian life is not always an easy thing to do. The Christian life as we see it on a Sunday morning is pretty easy. But the Christian life out there in our families and relationships can be extremely difficult, costly.
Sermon
Opening Statement: In a chapter about rethinking discipleship one author states: “Some of you may remember comedian Yakov Smirnoff. He said when he first came to the United States from Russia; he wasn’t prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in American grocery stores. He says, "On my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk--you just add water, and you get milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice--you just add water, and you get orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to my self, what a country!" If life was only this easy…
Transition: We’re going to be talking today about something that’s a little more costly than just adding water. Following Jesus will cost you something. He told two stories that involve counting the cost on two fronts: what it will cost to be one of His followers and what it will cost us if we refuse to follow Him.
OUTLINE
The Stories
The Tower – Count the Cost Before Following
Explanation: The tower story is pretty straightforward. A farmer needs a place to keep his implements and produce secure from potential thieves or some kind of harm. A nice, new shiny tower would do a several things for him.
First, if he builds this thing, he will gain respect in the community. Anybody who sets out to build a nice looking building and does a great job has my utmost respect. I recently attended a leadership conference in the Crystal Cathedral. Before I went, I was really mediocre on how I felt about that particular building. But once I was there and heard the largest pipe organ in the United States and was able to look at the sky while the pastor was speaking, my respect jumped off the chart for what Robert Schuller has done in Garden Grove, CA. That’s what would happen if this farmer could somehow build this new tower. He would gain the people’s respect. Second, his property value would probably rise. Take a vacant lot, put a snazzy tower on it and presto – the vacant lot is now worth twice the money. Donald Trump could tell us all about that. Third, he would finally have a place to store everything. There’s nothing like being cramped for space. Amen! Finally, the tower would provide security. He would have a better vantage point of any attacks or life-threatening situation. He would have a place to hide or make a stand.
Observation: So he undoubtedly established all of the reasons for constructing this facility. But there was one thing that he overlooked. The cost. He failed to factor into his plans what material and labor was going to cost him. Midway through his project, he runs out of money. And there’s nothing more humiliating than having half of a tower setting on your property! I see Jesus smiling and laughing at this point.
Conclusion: Unfortunately, because the farmer failed to count the cost, he has lost what money he did have in an unfinished building that he cannot use in its unfinished state. Not only that, he has lost prestige in the community. They poke fun at his “half-tower” which now stands as a monument of his own foolishness. For some reason, I think this guy’s name is probably “Duffus Wienstein”.
The War – Count the Cost of Not Following
Exposition: For his second story, Jesus used something that has commonly occurred down through history – war. Jesus noted that this particular king was being attached by a rival king and was outnumbered two-to-one on the battlefield. It would not take a long meeting with my military advisers to calculate the risks of waging a war with an enemy that had two soldiers for my every one soldier. Jesus said, if the king is wise, he’ll send out a delegation to discuss terms of peace. Jesus is saying “I have come to take back enemy held territory. To not follow me is to set yourself up against me. If you don’t make peace with who I am and what I demand, the forces of righteousness that will storm against those who oppose God’s work will overwhelm you.”
Explanation: Jesus is right. To not follow Jesus in fully devoted discipleship is choosing to fight against Him and His cause. Think about it. If you’re not following Him and His way of thinking, then you’re following someone else’s way of thinking. You could be setting yourself up to fight against Jesus and His teachings. And you cannot win that fight! Instead of resisting Him, make peace with him.
Illustration: You will pay dearly for choosing any other path besides the Jesus path and what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt.5-7). The Sermon on the Mount in reverse… murder and hate, revenge and getting even, consumed by pornography and lust, divorce and broken families, being evasive and deceptive, judging and being suspicious of others, leveraging things to your favor and manipulating people to get what you want, and dedicating your entire life to the accumulation of personal wealth. Sin-wages are death wages.
Summarization: The two parables are similar but they are teaching slightly different points. The builder of the tower is free to build or not. It’s his choice if he wants to count the cost and go for it. Following Jesus is your choice. However, the story of the king being invaded is in a situation where he must do something or face incredible consequences. You must calculate what it might cost you to not follow Him.
The Application
Explanation: I see two tragic applications, three main points, and one implication that come from these parables.
The Two Applications
Is there anything more tragic than an unfinished life, a life that had a great foundation, but that never was brought to completion? There have been so many people who have started strong into the faith. They were impacted by the gospel, convicted of their sinfulness, and wanted to start brand new with God. God gave them that start, but somewhere along the way, they became sidetracked and the spiritual life that they could have had, the possibilities in their walk with God, their family, and their career, sits unfinished in a vacant field, as it were.
Application: I have one word for each of you. “Finish.” Billy Sunday was a pro Baseball player in the early 1900’s who became one of the most famous preachers of his day and laid the groundwork for Billy Graham in Crusade Evangelism. Billy Sunday said “Stopping at third adds no more to the score than striking out.” It doesn’t matter how well you start if you fail to finish.
Illustration: In basketball, we often hear the announcers say regarding a great play, “Look at the finish.” Perhaps, a player just made a great defensive steal and sprints down the court and then finishes the play with a thunder, tomahawk dunk! He is said to have “finished” the play. If the player would have stole the ball, went the distance of the court, and then clanged his dunk off of the back of the rim, they would have said, “Great steal, but he never finished.”
Application: “Finish.” I know there are times when we all feel like a “spiritual drop-out.” But don’t stay there long. Get back into the game.
Illustration: It was the first day of basketball practice at Wingate High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Coach handed a ball to each player. “Boys,” he said, “I want you to practice shooting from the spots you might expect to be in during the game.” One of the boys (who was pretty much there as a substitute for the star players - in fact he was substitute #12) immediately sat down on the bench and began shoot the ball toward the basket from there. Get off the bench and into the game.
Is there anything more tragic than spending your entire life fighting all of the wrong battles, leaving the most important battle of all unresolved – the battle of who is going to rule and reign over your heart?
Illustration: This was the problem that the religious leaders had in Jesus’ day. They were so busy fighting battles of tradition, trying to win an argument, or trying to pull Jesus down so that the people would not follow Him, that they missed the greatest opportunity of a lifetime. They were willing to make great sacrifices for things of no lasting value.
Application: Some of you will be tempted to go to battle over peripheral issues. Don’t do it. You’ll be tempted to give yourself to lesser, even destructive things, rather than fully devoting yourself to following Jesus. So many people, even Christians, have destroyed their lives because they chose to engage in the wrong things.
The Three Main Points
The parables stress three main points…
First, Jesus is stressing discipleship, not necessarily salvation. I think it’s possible to be a believer and not follow Jesus and his teachings. I know because I’ve been there. My faith in Jesus as Savior is rock solid as it is for many people. But my dedication to His Lordship, that is, to what he taught and the lifestyle he advocated has flagged at times. Jesus talked earlier in Luke 14 about how everyone is invited to come to the banquet of salvation. It’s freely offered and freely received. We don’t have to count the cost for salvation because Jesus already did that. But discipleship is a different matter. It is costly. Discipleship is not an invitation to a Sunday School picnic. It is an invitation to spiritual warfare over a long period of time. And the good news is that we’ve got the resources to do the job. Our job is reflected in the vision statement… To be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ and make disciples of all people.
Second, a disciple of Jesus must think things out very carefully before deciding to follow Jesus and his teachings. Discipleship is not based on sham emotions and shallow enthusiasm or what I would call “Pep-Rally” Christianity. These come and go. But genuine commitment is the basis on which the disciple of Jesus builds. Be ready to fight, endure, and battle with the forces of darkness if you commit yourself to following Jesus and His teachings for the long haul.
Third, a disciple of Jesus must be willing to give up things that get in the way of discipleship. I’m not necessarily talking about sinful things here, though that may be included; it can be good things that become the enemy of the best things. Jesus said something really radical in Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Jesus is not advocating hatred of these special people in our lives. That would have been a violation of the Law, something that Jesus was very careful to keep and fulfill. His point is that if you allow a very close human relationship to stand between you and fully following His words that lead to eternal life, then you cannot be His disciple.
The One Implication
To be a fully devoted disciple of Jesus, you must start, continue, and finish. I want to put emphasis on the first of these…making a start.
You need to make a start. An Old Chinese proverb says “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” The first step that you need to take is salvation. I don’t know who Carl Bard is but he said “Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” Have you started your Christian life? Then why not now? You must continue after making the start. You must finish. The time is now. The person concerned is you, just as you are. The discipleship demand is everything.
CONCLUSION
Illustration: Back when communism reigned in Russia, stories from the underground church would surface from time to time. On Sunday, one particular group of believers would gather for worship. They would arrive throughout the day so as to not arouse suspicion by KGB informants. By dark, they were all inside, windows closed, doors locked. They began by singing a hymn quietly, when suddenly the door was pushed open and in walked two solders with automatic weapons, demanding that they all line up on the wall. One shouted, “If you wish to renounce your commitment to Jesus Christ, leave now!” Two or three left quickly. After a few more seconds, two more. Finally, a couple more slipped out into the anonymity of the night. After a few moments of complete silence, the soldiers closed and locked the door. They said, “Keep your hands up…but in praise to God. We too are Christians and we have learned to not trust anyone who is not willing to die for their faith.”
Questions: First, have you honestly and objectively taken your life’s goals before the Lord for His approval? Second, do your goals feed your ego more than they honor the Lord? Third, are you really willing to change your goals if God were to show you that you should?
Quotation: Robert Frost wrote: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
