Inroduction:
In the 50’s running shoes were designed much differently from today. Running shoes were heavy and hard made from strong leather to render it durable from the rigors of the different terrain it treads on. With such case, its like picturing a sprint/ marathon game with runners using pairs of shoes that are not very much different from what we usually wear in formal occasions, like my shoes today.
A sprint runner named Bill Bowerman who always suffer a broken ankle and realized that it is caused by the hard and heavy leader shoes that he always wear. With that he designed a comfortable running shoes that fits the countour of the feet made from light yet durable materials.
Many shoe manufacturers rejected his design because his designed shoes were branded as substandard and don’t have the enduring quality of the leader running shoes. And because of its unusual design, it is called clown’s shoes.
With such great pain in his ankle and great burden in his heart he decided to stop running and concentrated in developing and producing his own version of running shoes. But this decision confronts him with these issues.
• Because he stopped from running he is faced with financial crisis not only for him but also for his family.
• And because it affects his whole family, oppositions from loves ones arises persuading him to stop his plans.
• In producing the said shoes, he would need a big amount of money. And must persuade investors from the unbelieving and critical sports business people in his time, criticizing his clown’s shoes.
From these Bill Bowerman reckoned that it demanded him a great cost in order to pursue this burden and vision. It would mean widrawing from the financial securities of his job. It means facing the oppositions of his love ones and would mean putting all priorities and investment to this cause.
Transition:
The necessity of counting the cost for Bill as against his vision in the most appropriate manner will greatly determines his success. The crucial process of knowing the harsh and hard demands in realizing Bill’s dream in order to be successful in this story is like a picture of what a disciple of Christ confronts in following Him. Following Jesus demands nobler obedience and greater cost to pay.
Interrogative Question:
A question we might ask is What are the demands and cost that a person should reckon with in order to be a victorious disciple of Christ.
Main Idea/ Proposition:
As outstandingly stated in the Bible, The cost for our victorious Christian discipleship means valuing it beyond our personal relationship, possessions and desires.
Read passage (Luke: 14:25-35) NKJV
25. And great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them,
26. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (First point)
27. "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. (Second Point)
28. "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it
29. "Lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all who see it begin to mock him,
30. "Saying, `this man began to build and was not able to finish.’ (First Parable)
31. "Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
32. "Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of
peace. (Second Parable)
33."So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Third Point)
34. "Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?
35. "It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He, who has ears to hear, let him hear!’’
The two parables that the Lord Jesus used emphasize the importance of counting the cost for the crucial task…in building a tower and in engaging in a battle. The first parable is about counting the cost to finish the task successfully and not be mocked (vs.28-30). The second is counting the cost in order to fight the battle strategically to win and not suffer a great-lost (vs.31-32).
Jesus who gave such compelling truth had been seen to perform many miracles, had taught with great power and authority many people follow where ever he went seeking to hear more about his teaching and hungry to see more of His miracles. That’s why more and more people are crowding where ever he went. It is even stated that chief priests, scribes and the leader of the people would like to kill him but they can’t. (Luke 19: 47-48)
Now with such great number of people following and traveling with him. (Luke: 14:25) He turned to them and explicitly stated the terms and the demands for His true followers. This account straightly rebuked the self-seeking people and encouraged those who are really seekers of Christ. This concretely separates the shaft from the grains, the goats from the sheep and the pretentious crowd to the real followers of Christ. Heavy and hard they may seem to this crowd but these principles draws out the true from the fake.
Jesus is not beating around the bush He gave it them plain and simple. Looking for few but committed followers Jesus used vulgar words, no flashy advertisements, no sugar coating this is what it requires to follow Jesus. He trimmed the committed from the ranks.
Jesus Christ reiterates three principles where we can use to appropriately count the cost of following
Him and be His faithful disciples.
Following Jesus means…
I. Valuing it beyond our Personal Relationships.
II. Valuing it beyond our Personal Desires.
III. Valuing it beyond our personal Possessions.
I. Valuing it beyond our Personal Relationships.
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14: 26)
In this point, we will find some seemingly contradictions between Jesus’ statement and in other biblical principles. Examples are…
• The fifth commandment given by God in Deut. 5:16 to respect your mother and father.
• As Also in I Tim. 3:1-3 we are told that a worker should mange his family well.
• The admonition for husbands wives in submitting and in loving one another (Eph. 5:22-25).
This passage is not making a literal statement as what to it may seem. Jesus used heavy statements emphasizing the importance of following him. As Barclay puts it…
We must not take his words with cold and unimaginative literalness. Eastern language is always as vivid as the human mind can make it. When Jesus tells dearest and us to hate our nearest he does not mean that literally. He means that no love in life can compare with the love we must bear to him.
Matthew 22: 37-39 gives us a clearer picture of what is required of us.
37. Jesus said to him, " `You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38. "This is the first and great commandment.
39. "And the second is like it: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
This means that in following Jesus, required us to love Him (God) above anything else. This means that in loving Him we should also value others as Jesus values them including our family. How can we know how much Jesus value people? The cross of Calvary in his death would say it all. That because He so loved the world He sacrificially gave His life for us.
It also means that we should detach (hate) from all relationships that pull us away from Him.
Do we have relationships that instead of bringing us closer to God are pulling us away from Him?
Are we idolizing a human being and reduce God as only a subordinate to that person?
Are we positively bringing the love of God to our love ones who have not yet known His saving power and Love?
Are we valuing Him beyond anything else in the world?
II. Valuing it beyond our Personal Desires.
27. "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple”.
(Luke 14:27)
“In Luke 14:26 -Even his own life”, is an emphasis that Jesus tells his followers that to be His disciples they must be willing to sacrifice even the most personal desires (from Chucks Swindol).
Now in verse 27 Jesus is painting a familiar picture in the mind of the Roman-ruled Palestinians. As they are listening to the narration of Jesus they must have been horrored by the usual gruesome scenery. Chucks Swindol narrates,
Criminals trudging to their execution, carrying on their shoulders the very crosses on which they were to suffer. Jesus confronts His listeners with the reality that following Him could cost them their lives-literally. And He offers no padding cushion for their shoulders from the splinters of that cross and no anesthesia for the nails.
For sure these people must have realized a greater impact on seeing Him trod the path of the cross than just heard Him said it. 1 Peter 2:21 states:
21. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
The Apostle Paul used the same metaphor in Rm. 12:1-2:
1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Carrying our cross means charting a path that, every step of the way, leads to death- death to selfishness and self-centeredness.
This means that all my personal plans for my family and children, My ambitions and aspirations, decisions in choosing a career or a mate, should be always pleasing to my God. Because I know that He always wills the best for me.
That’s why I refused what my mother would like me to be, however fitted to me that would be…my mother wants me to be a dramatic actor. If I had pursued I would have the likes of Richard Gomes. I declined because I don’t like showbiz life and besides I am more of a missionary than an actor.
Illustration:
Somewhere in the middle of Western Road Christian Cemetery, there is a rather unusual statue among the thousands of gravestones and hundreds of statues. It is not the statue of a man or woman or angel, not even of Jesus or Mary or saint… but of a dog.
The story goes that one of the persons buried there had a dog, which was very dedicated and loyal to its master. When the master died, the dog followed the funeral procession to the grave and stayed there. It refused to go home until it died there. The family built a statue next to the master – in memory of that dog, that dog demonstrated such unusual/extraordinary loyalty.
This might have been a peculiar heart warming story of Dog and his dedication to his master up to the point Death. If this dog was able to give his loyalty and dedication not minding its personal desires, in the case of the dog its instincts. How much more a person like you and me created in God’s image redeemed by His blood through his sacrificial death on the cross. How will we not be able to imitate this if not exceed. If we want to commit our lives to Christ as His disciples, we have say no to our self-will, our self-determined goals, and our selfish desire.
III. Valuing it beyond our Personal Possessions
33. "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
(Luke 14:33)
Material and earthly possessions are not necessary bad in fact the Bible records that Abraham the Father of Faith and Father of Nations was blessed so he can be a blessing to many.
Too sad sometimes or many times our possessions have possessed us in our life even sometimes we thought using it in the ministry.
There is a familiar technique in caching a monkey that best describe this point. They said in order for you easily catch a very fast and agile monkey, you have to take a big green coconut fruit cut a small hole in one end of the coconut big enough only for the small hand of the monkey to go in. Then put a babana or anything that would catch the smell and interest of the monkey. Afterwards just let the coconut lying in places where monkeys usually loiter. It will not be long you will see monkeys jumping up and down in horror upon finding their hands clutching the goods inside the coconut that would not go off. Then with a heavy coconut being drugged by one of the monkey’s hand you will be able to catch the monkey without a sweat. The wonder you see is the monkeys would not want to let go of the goods inside the coconut. The more they grip the goods the more they will be held captive but once they realized to let of the goods they will be released.
Material things are just instruments to serve God and not the other way around. It is sometimes however hard for Christians to see ourselves ministering using really for God’s glory. Remember that we are all blessed so that we can bless others but if that blessing is not used and served its purpose it is no longer us who possess that possession but it is the one possessing us.
What earthly possession do we have lets have a quick inventory. Do you have a big amount of money deposited in a bank? A brand new car, you have just bought the house of you dreams? Or let see you are using the latest and fastest laptop in the whole seminary? Or just even the useful PDA you are enjoying now? Are these really been used for God’s kingdom or have just been used as a justification for your enjoyment, lust and cravings for this things.
Conclusion:
A true follower of Christ values his obedience, loyalty and dedication beyond all know personal relationships, personal desires and personal possessions.
Illustration:
According to traditions there have been a story of a faithful Christian during the time of Roman persecution prior to the fall of Jerusalem in the Early 70 AD. This faithful Christian was summoned to recant Christ or suffer to be exiled into an unknown island where no one to live with, alone and separated from his love ones. With this the faithful Christian replied, You may separate me from my love ones and friends but no one could separate Christ from me who sticks closer than a brother.
Again the he was commanded to recant his Christ or besides being exiled his house and properties will be burned down. The Faithful Christian replied, “I will not recant my Christ, you may be able to steal and burn down my house and possessions but you can’t destroy my mansion in the heavens that neither moth, nor you nor anyone can destroy.”
The interrogator becoming very angry said, For the last time my man, If you will not recant your Christ I will kill you and you will be no more. The faithful Christian replied, Sorry I will not recant my Christ, You see, you may kill my earthly body but my spirit will live forever and evermore with my Christ.
Yes, Being a follower of Christ demands a great such a cost and we must be willing to count, obey and pursue it.
Like Bill Bowerman, who took the risk of pursuing his vision after counting the great cost he triumphed in is Vision. Now his designed shoes are know no more as shoes for the clown but the NIKE shoes you are probably wearing now.
The Bible has this to say: (Mark 10: 29-31)
29. So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s,
30. "Who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions and in the age to come, eternal life.
31. "But many who are first will be last, and the last first.’’
This is because following Jesus Means valuing it beyond our Personal relationships, Desires and Possessions.
May we be all found faithful followers of Jesus Christ. To God Be the Glory. Amen.
