Jesus' Parables about money (4)

Counting the Cost...

Have you ever built a building and figured out what it was going to cost? Quite often if the cost has been figured out to $1,000,000, an additional 10-15% would be added for unexpected expenses. Over the last several years, the cost per square/foot has gone up substantially. I just received a quote that our house in Whitewood would cost $472,000 to rebuild if it were destroyed by fire or in a storm. That has almost doubled since we bought the house.

Last week, we looked at the Parable of the man that found a treasure in a field. Once he found it, he sold everything that he had and bought the field. Spiritually speaking, we have been called to leave our past behind us, and buy the field, follow Christ.

I have a question for each of us today:

How much are you willing to pay to be Jesus’ disciple?

My goal, this morning, is that each one of us will answer that question before we leave today.

Luke 14:25–27 NLT

A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

This week Lorne and I were talking about buying the field, last week’s message. I made a statement that hadn’t occurred to me before. “Instead of buying the field, the North American church would rather rent the field.”

The implications of this is that when we rent, we don’t have the same commitment as when we purchase the field.

I want to share a story called:

Be a Christian but don’t act like one...

Here’s a “...story of the stressed-out woman who was tailgating a man as they drove on a busy boulevard. When he slowed to a stop at a yellow light, the woman hit the horn, cussing and screaming in frustration and gesturing angrily.

As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a police officer who ordered her to exit the car with her hands up. He took her to the police station and placed her in a holding cell.

An hour later, the officer returned and said, “I’m sorry, Ma’am. This has been a big mistake. When I pulled up behind you, I noticed your ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ license plate holder and your ‘Follow Me to Sunday School’ bumper sticker. I assumed the car was stolen!”

Satan doesn’t care so much if you’re a Christian as long as you don’t act like one.” (SC Larry Petton)

The cost of discipleship...

Fasten your seat belts. Jesus is going to make a statement that will hit each of us between the eyes.

Luke 14:26 NLT

“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.

Jesus uses some strong language to catch the attention of His followers.

misei - To hate, detest, love less, esteem less. (Strong’s Concordance)

Luke 14:26 (NIV)

“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.

This could send even Jesus’ closest disciples for a loop. What is He referring to? Does Jesus want me to hate my family? Does He want me to hate myself?

Matthew 10:37 NIV

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

God loves us so much and He longs for such a strong relationship with us that He doesn’t even want us to love anyone more, including ourselves.

How much should we love God?

How much do you love yourself? How much do you love your dad or mom? How much do you love your spouse? How much do you love your children?

Words can’t even begin to describe our love for those whom we love.

Amelia Hepworth penned the words,

“I love you to the moon and back.”

How much more does Jesus desire our love? He showed His great love by laying down His life for us.

John 15:12–13 NIV

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

At Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments.

This is how they start,

Exodus 20:1–6 NIV

And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Some of these words seem hard. Jesus said,

Luke 14:26 (NLT)

...Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.

Jesus isn’t looking for half-hearted followers. He isn’t looking for somebody that only wants to go halfway and then turns back.

Luke 14:27 NLT

And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

Do you think that those who heard His voice that day knew what He meant? They had probably seen criminals taking their own cross to the place of execution. Crucifixion was a form of showing any subversive person that this is what will happen to you if you stand against the power of Rome.

Jesus was asking His disciples to take up their own cross, to die to their own desires each and every day.

Luke 9:23 NLT

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.

Are you willing to give up your own desires? Are you willing take up your cross daily and submit to the will of God?

We can’t be a disciple if we won’t do this. Jesus isn’t looking for fans. He didn’t need a cheering section at the cross. He is looking for followers.

Counting the cost...

Jesus gave two examples of counting the cost.

Let’s be careful not to soft sell a relationship with Jesus Christ.

If you come to Christ, all your problems will be over. You won’t even be able to imagine how things will start working in your life.

Sometimes, things do change in a good way. God takes addictions away. He brings hope in a hopeless situation, and life does change.

What do we say to the person, who accepts Christ and their family says, “You are no longer my son. To me, I have no son.”?

What about the person who loses their friends, or is persecuted because they have become a Christ follower?

Jesus said,

Matthew 5:11–12 NIV

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

1. Building a Tower/Building

Luke 14:28–30 NLT

“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

Many translations use tower or watchtower. The NLT chooses to use building.

Most of us can probably understand some of the effort that goes into building a house, not so much a tower.

Several years ago in Lanigan, there were some houses that were built on specs. I think that there was even a hotel.

I’m sure that some of you know the story well, how they were left unfinished so that other people had to come in and finish them.

When they started, they had good intentions to build these houses, and finish them. They had plans what they would look like. They would be houses that everybody would like to live in, but the funds ran short and the plans changed.

The second example is that of

2. A King planning for war...

Luke 14:31–33 NLT

“Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

It would seem obvious, to an army general, to weigh the cost of the war before starting it. Don’t start a war you can’t finish.

History would dictate that a King or a General would be foolish to go to war if his army was weaker than his opponent without first attempting to reconcile.

Napoleon and Hitler were both considered foolish to attempt to beat Russia in the cold of winter. They weren’t prepared for it, and neither were their soldiers. The cost for both was great.

Jesus tells His disciples to

Count the cost...

Luke 14:28 (NLT)

“But don’t begin until you count the cost...

and Luke 14:33

Luke 14:33 NLT

So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

What is the cost of following Jesus?

That answer is different for everybody.

For Paul, it cost him everything that he held his value in: His nationality (he was from the tribe of Benjamin), his religious position and political position (He was a Pharisee), and even his way of gaining God’s approval (He persecuted the church).

This is how Paul described his trials.

2 Corinthians 11:21–30 NLT

I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too “weak” to do that! But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger? If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.

He goes on in chapter 12

2 Corinthians 12:6–10 NLT

If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

So many in the early church suffered…So many of them counted the cost. Once they began following Christ, they couldn’t and wouldn’t look back.

The cost was great, but they knew that

Romans 8:18 NIV

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Don’t settle for less than the cross. Don’t settle for the pleasures that this world can afford. Satan wants you to think that the crown that you want is here and now.

1 Peter 1:3–9 NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Let’s fix our eyes on eternal life. You may be rich in this world, but there are no greater riches than salvation that is ready to be revealed.

I want to close with a story about Billy Graham as he got older.

Billy Graham

When Billy Graham was 92 years-old, he was struggling with Parkinson's disease. In January, a month before his 93rd birthday, leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina, invited their favorite son, Billy Graham to a luncheon in his honor. Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because of his struggles with Parkinson's disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, 'We don't expect a major address. Just come and let us honor you.' So he agreed. After wonderful things were said about him, Dr. Graham stepped to the podium, looked at the crowd, and said: "I'm reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train, when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn't there.He looked in his briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn't find it. "The conductor said, “Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry about it.” Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car,he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket. "The conductor rushed back and said, 'Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't worry, I know who you are; no problem. You don't need a ticket. I'm sure you bought one.'Einstein looked at him and said, “Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going." Having said that Billy Graham continued, "See the suit I'm wearing? It's a brand new suit. My children, and my grandchildren are telling me I've gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion. You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I'll be buried. But when you hear I'm dead, I don't want you to immediately remember the suit I'm wearing. I want you to remember this: "I not only know who I am. I also know where I'm going." May your troubles be less, your blessings more, and may nothing but happiness, come through your door. "Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point." May each of us have lived our lives so that when our ticket is punched we don't have to worry about where we are going. (Anglican Christian Praying)

Let’s Pray!