"Consider the Cost"
Luke 14:25-35
Have you ever got involved in something, only to realize afterwards that it wasn¡¦t what you thought? Even though they told you what was required, for some reason it just didn¡¦t sink in¡Kand so you found yourself feeling like an unhappy camper just halfway into your endeavor. Such was the case at Bridger Wilderness Area. Though it is called a ¡§wilderness¡¨ area, and though the word ¡§hike¡¨ is used in the trail instructions and guides, here¡¦s what people wrote after their experience. That¡¦s right ¡V these are actual responses from comment cards given to the staff members:
¡§Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill.¡¨
¡§Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the areas of these pests.¡¨
¡§Please pave the trails¡KChair lifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views without having to hike to them.¡¨
¡§The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annoying animals.¡¨
¡§A small deer came into my camp and stole my jar of pickles. Is there a way I can get reimbursed? Please call.¡¨
¡§Escalators would help on steep uphill sections.¡¨
¡§A MacDonald¡¦s would be nice at the trailhead.¡¨
¡§Too many rocks in the mountains.¡¨
Amazing eh? These comments and complaints indicate that the people who made them do not really understand what it means to stay in a "wilderness area." They were looking for something convenient and comfortable ¡V ¡§wilderness¡¨ on their terms ¡V but not truly a genuine wilderness experience. In a similar way, many people today do not understand what it means to be a genuine follower of Jesus Christ. There are multitudes that often follow Jesus or claim to be a Christian but they want to do it on their terms and not his. They do not truly comprehend the biblical definition of discipleship as laid out in Luke 14:24-35. Would you take you Bible and turn to that passage and let¡¦s look at what Jesus says it takes to really follow him¡K
Wile you¡¦re turning to that section of Scripture, I want to dispel a myth for you ¡V this is not an optional step for those who call themselves Christian. No, this is an essential step in the process for all believers! Let me explain¡K
In Matthew 28 we are called to ¡§make disciples¡¨ ¡K to develop devoted followers/learners of Jesus¡¦ lifestyle! That¡¦s one thing we are called to do! It¡¦s not a two-phased program consisting of evangelism and discipleship, as many view. No, I don¡¦t buy into that dichotomy of the Great Commission. Instead, I see our mandate as one call ¡V to make disciples. We¡¦re not called to evangelize, then disciple. No, that¡¦s a false dichotomy that leaves many believers thinking they have the option of following God after they believe in God. I couldn¡¦t disagree more! Those that believe follow. Period! And that¡¦s what we, his followers, are called to engage others in ¡V following him! You see, I believe discipleship is the one process of spiritual birth, growth and reproduction.
In fact, I believe the Bible sees the terms ¡§Christian¡¨ (used 3 times in the NT) and ¡§disciple¡¨ (used 269 times in the NT) as interchangeable. For instance, in the Book of Acts we¡¦re told that, "The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch¡¨ (Acts 11:26). Do you see that? The terms are interchangeable! So as we unpack this passage, don¡¦t make the mistake of thinking this is optional ¡V not at all! This is ¡§required reading¡¨ for all who desire to follow God as a Christian.
First, Jesus makes a statement about being a disciple. We could say it like this ¡V ¡§To follow Jesus we must be willing to say goodbye to anyone and anything.¡¨
A few explanations here will be helpful...
...The word "hate" here is not meant to be taken literally but is rather used figuratively to express a point. It is hyperbole or exaggeration, similar to what I used last week in my message about expectations. I realized I caused a little tension in many of you as you thought through the implications of ¡§no expectation¡¨ humility. But I intentionally exaggerated so that you would understand the importance Christ¡¦s teaching on humility. We even do this often in normal conversation, like when we say, "I laughed my head off!¡¨ It¡¦s using hyperbole to make a point. And the point here is this ¡V to be a disciple, no one can be more important to you than Jesus. No one ¡V not even yourself! When you compare your commitment, all other commitments seem like hate ¡V that¡¦s how much you love and are committed to Jesus!
The imagery of ¡§carrying your ¡§cross¡¨ was meant to signal a journey to goodbye! You see, the cross was a cruel form of punishment used by the Romans, and, humanly speaking, no one came back from a crucifixion. It was a no-return journey to death. Jesus uses this vivid illustration with the intent of showing us that following him requires that same kind of saying "goodbye" to our own will and desires because of our commitment to Him. We must be willing to say goodbye to whatever is more important than Christ. He re-emphasizes this point in 14:33 when he says, ¡§If you do not give up everything, you cannot be my disciple.¡¨
And so I say it once again: ¡§To follow Jesus we must be willing to say goodbye to anyone and anything.¡¨
That seems foreign to most believers/followers today. In fact, I¡¦d say you are struggling with that a little today as well, aren¡¦t you? I am! I find that too many times I¡¦m more interested in the kind of discipleship and commitment described by a recent cartoon in Leadership magazine that showed a church building with a billboard in front that said: ¡§The LITE CHURCH: 24% fewer commitments, home of the 7.5% tithe, 15 minute sermons, 45 minute worship service; we have only 8 commandments¡Xyour choice. We use just 3 spiritual laws and have an 800 year millennium. Everything you¡¦ve wanted in a church ¡K and less!¡¨
We laugh, but it hits home doesn¡¦t it. The thought of saying good bye and being willing to sacrifice is not our first choice. But that¡¦s exactly what following Jesus is all about ¡V sacrifice!
Think about that ¡V Jesus is saying that we must love him much more than we love our closest family relationships or even our own lives. We must love him more than our hobbies, more than our goals in life, more than our careers, and more that our self interest. There¡¦s nothing ¡§lite¡¨ about that, is there? And don¡¦t think this is hypothetical. On the contrary! For many, following Jesus results in problems or interferes with their closest relationships and personal possessions, especially for those in other countries. Yes, for lots of people, being a Christian brings much tension to their life.
I recently read ¡§The Heavenly Man¡¨, the life story of Brother Yun ¡V WOW! [hold up book] Beaten, persecuted, poor, destitute, starved¡Kyet faithful! In all of his destitution, he never turned back from following.
Does persecution give us grounds for spiritual divorce? Not at all! Does strife and tension mean we can put our faith on hold, even give up or go back? A thousand times NO! Following Jesus will many times mean making such sacrifices, and knowing up front that sacrifice and goodbye may be part of the equation is a smart thing to do. That¡¦s exactly what it takes to be a disciple!
Now some of you may think that this requirement of total commitment to be a follower of Jesus is contradictory to scriptural truth that salvation is a free gift of God. An illustration may help to clarify this issue
Suppose I had a desire to sky dive. That¡¦s right ¡V to jump out of a plane and depend on a parachute to save me. (Crazy I know, but let¡¦s imagine, okay?) However, I discover that it costs about $20,000 to do it, and since I don¡¦t have that kind of money, I decide not to pursue it. But out of the blue a wealthy businessman hears of my desire and offers to pay for the entire experience. He buys all the expensive gear, pays for the plane and pilot, underwrites the training ¡V It¡¦s totally free for me. But if I accept his free offer, I have just committed myself to months of difficult training and arduous effort. It could even cost me my very life, because many good sky divers have died in their best efforts to jump out of planes. You see ¡V It is free and yet very costly.
So it is with following Jesus/being a Christian (i.e., becoming a disciple) is a free gift and yet very costly.
That¡¦s why careful consideration is required. We must consider the cost of this free offer. And Jesus illustrates this by telling two stories in the next few verses: (14:28-32)
1.) The tower builder shows me that I should consider the cost of following.
Since following Jesus means we must be willing to say goodbye to anyone and anything, we should not enter this journey lightly. Or else, halfway through we may be like the hikers in the Bridger Wilderness Area who thought they got a raw deal.ƒº Truth is, when people turn back from following, the world laughs and scoffs, wondering to themselves what we should have known all along ¡V ¡§What did you think it was gong to be like?¡¨
There was a commercial on TV a few years back that showed a man sitting in the chair at a tattoo parlor expressing his love to Donna by getting her name tattooed on his arm. Halfway through the procedure he asks how much it will cost ¡V ¡§$50.00¡¨ the artist says. He pulls out his cash, and says, ¡§Ooops, I only have $41.¡¨ The scene then cuts to the couple on the sidewalk with Donna storming off and the guy yelling after her, "I¡¦ll get it fixed, I promise!" Why was she storming off? The commercial then zooms in on the tattoo which reads, "I love Don!¡¨
While we laugh at that lack of planning, what do you think the world does when we do much the same thing spiritually? For instance¡K
„X Saying ¡¥Yes¡¦ to missions may mean leaving our families for long periods of time
„X Leading a LH may mean taking a stand for issues that aren¡¦t culturally popular
„X Giving your money towards eternal purposes may mean not having the biggest house or nicest car
„X Staying pure may mean being ridiculed as a ¡§virgin¡¨
When that happens, are you going to give up? Stop? Give in? May I suggest you realize up font what¡¦s in store so that you don¡¦t quit halfway through ¡V that¡¦s considering the cost of following.
But look at the next illustration Jesus uses to show us about considering the cost¡K
1.) The king shows me that I should consider the cost of fighting.
Many scholars have seen this second story as a repeat of the fist one, and while that is true in some ways, I think there may be an additional meaning in the text that I don¡¦t want you to overlook. In this story the king is advised to consider the cost of defeat. Think about it ¡V why go to war when you know you can¡¦t win? That¡¦s exactly what those who oppose discipleship need to do ¡V evaluate the final cost of fighting against God in his call upon your life! There is no way you can win ¡V so why not seek peace with God!
In both stories, careful consideration is the action we should take ¡V count the costs of following Christ and fighting Christ.
This is exactly what he urged us to do in his previous teaching in Luke 13:24 when he said, ¡§Make every effort (agonize) to enter the narrow door.¡¨ In other words, count the cost¡Kconsider the truth¡Kagonize about things of this importance!
Why does this matter so much? Why think so deeply about it? Because following Jesus is really the essence of life. It is what makes life tick. And that¡¦s what Jesus does in the last few verses of Luke 14 as he wraps up this message (14:34-35).
He says in no uncertain terms, "Unless we are following Jesus as a disciple, we are like salt that has no saltiness ¡V useless." In that culture, salt was routinely used as a preservative, as flavoring, and as a fertilizer. But if it lost its saltiness, it only had the appearance of salt with none of the benefits. As Jesus says, "It is fit neither for the soil or the manure pile." In other words it was useless in every respect.
That may sound harsh, but it sends the call to discipleship to the top of the radar and shows us that it is the key to a life of purpose and usefulness. Did you hear that ¡V following Jesus is the key to a life of meaning and purpose! Yes, it costs, yes, it is hard, yes, it is difficult, yes, it means sacrifice. But it the only thing that brings usefulness to our existence.
That¡¦s why, after considering the costs, the only truthful answer that fits is, ¡§Yes, I¡¦ll follow Jesus! I want my life to count, to make a difference, to matter¡Kso Jesus, here I am. Use me as your disciple.¡¨
That¡¦s exactly what Christ Tomlin told the Lord at age 14 when he came face to face with God¡¦s call upon his life¡K.watch this short video clip and let it stir you to answer the same way.
CHRIS TOMLIN’S VIDEO TESTIMONY
Who here will answer God¡¦s call and say ¡§I have decided to follow Jesus!¡¨ That¡¦s right ¡V an intentional consideration of his claims upon your life that leads you to a definite and committed YES! I¡¦m in¡Kwon¡¦t you join me?
I¡¦m going to ask you to stand with your heads bowed and sing with me an old song that reflects the heartbeat of this text¡K ¡§I have decided to follow Jesus¡Kno tuning back!¡¨
[sing together as God leads¡Koffer opportunity to respond ¡K then pray]
