Counting the Cost of Following Jesus

Philippians 3:4-15

Introduction (Family, My Story, My Family’s Story)

ME (Testimony)

FAMILY (GOD’S CALL)

For me—there was the initial “counting of the cost” in January 2016 and the continual & daily decisions to count the cost of following Jesus Christ

For our family—there was the initial “counting of the cost” in putting our “yes” on the altar and moving to SD & the daily decisions we had to make to count the cost of what God has called us to do.

In Philippians 3, Paul is writing to the church in Philippi about his counting the cost of following Jesus. In these verses, we the see the imperative that one must count the cost of following Christ both in salvation and sanctification.

(READ Philippians 3:4-16)

Feelings. Every person in this room has them and they experience them. Feelings can fluctuate and they can change, day to day and at times at different times throughout our day. Feelings can bring joy and happiness, they can bring us sadness and disappointment, and everywhere in between. Man, whether or not they recognize it or admit it, feels as though something is missing—that there’s a void deep inside their soul.

Feelings, however, get man in trouble. Why? Feelings, more times than not, are based on theories rather than truth, man’s imperfect wisdom rather than God’s inerrant (perfect) wisdom, and are biased b/c of man’s emotions, rather than the faithfulness of God’s character and His nature

Spiritually speaking, feelings have created the various religions of the world. Man, whether or not they recognize it or admit it, feels as though something is missing—that there’s a void deep inside their soul. Therefore, b/c of “feelings,” mankind, in their desire to be accepted and approved by God, have set out to find their own way and their own means to seek after and find God’s acceptance—we call this religion or religious activity.

The problem is, that none of our ways (man’s ways) do enough to make them perfect. Why? Because each of us is born imperfect and once perfection is lost—it’s lost. Imperfection can never be made perfection, not by the efforts of man, of what “WE DO.”

The point: No person can ever earn/merit the right to live in God’s presence, to be called a child of God. If man is to be counted as perfect, counted as righteous, counted as being born again, it would have to be through the means of God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ.

This is what Paul missed. Paul missed the gospel. It’s what so many in the world miss and up until January of 2016, what I missed. It’s what any person outside of a born-again relationship with Jesus Christ is missing. All our efforts, all my “efforting” could not bring peace with God, living in the assurance of eternity with God was still lacking.

Through Paul’s personal testimony, we see the great lesson in this passage: We must reject self-righteousness and turn to the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

I. (v.4-6) Paul achieved the Height of Self-Righteousness (Before Christ)

Philippians 3:4–6 (READ)

Note that Paul is stating if anyone could trust in works for God’s approval, it would be him. That he could trust/boast in the goodness, morality, and works of the flesh as much as anyone else

(CONTEXT) Paul’s before Christ:

Paul lists seven (7) privileges and achievements which reveal the inadequacy of a person to save himself and be accepted by God; they include inadequacies in “the privileges of birth,” and the inadequacies found in, “Achievements of Self-Effort.”)

Paul’s “privileges of birth”

“Circumcised the eighth day”: Paul is saying he had the “right birth”

True Jewish families always circumcised their male children when they were 8 days old

Circumcision was the sign a person believed in God’s promises—specifically that the Jews were the promised and covenant people of God

Paul, therefore was saying was a true Jewish believer, who had the privilege of believing parents

“Of the stock of Israel”: Paul is saying he had the “right national heritage,” and therefore a unique and special relationship with God

“Israel” dates back to when God changed Jacob’s name to Israel;

Jacob had a special need and God met this need in a special/unique way (through a dream) and changed his name (see Genesis 32:28)

Jews then, when wanting to express or stress their special relationship with God, would refer to themselves as an Israelite—that they were of the nation & descent of Israel

“Of the tribe of Benjamin”: Paul was saying he was of the highest, noblest, and most respectable tribes of Israel, and therefore so was he the highest, noblest, and respectable person

The tribe of Benjamin was considered the “aristocratic” tribe

The tribe of Benjamin was the loyal tribe when so many others were disloyal (1 Kings 12:1)

The tribe of Benjamin was courageous in their actions during Israel’s history (Judges 5:14)

What do Paul’s statements of his “privileges of birth,” teach us?

Goodness and righteousness are NOT and NEVER found in birth or in religious rituals and ceremonies

Regarding birth--Each person is born in iniquity and sin, born with a sinful/imperfect nature; note Psalm 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” Therefore, not one person can claim acceptance by God b/c of our horizontal relationships;

“I grew up in a Christian home,” does not bring God’s acceptance

“My spouse is a believer,” does not bring God’s acceptance

“My friend(s) are believers,” does not bring God’s acceptance

You cannot base your salvation and God’s acceptance on the coattails of your parent’s faith, your spouse's faith, or the faith of your friends.

Regarding religious activity or ceremony: The doctrine of salvation is straightforward and emphatic:

Salvation is the grace gift of God, gifted to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,”

1 Corinthians 2:2 “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Salvation, therefore, has nothing to do with religious ceremonies, such as

Baptism

Baby/child dedications

Confirmations/Catachisms

Confessionals (as paying penance to see/confess to a priest).

Goodness and righteousness are NOT and NEVER found in your family history or your status in society or the church

There are those who believe because they were born into and live in a so-called, “Christian nation,” or region, they have earned merit with God.

EX: The South Most people refer to, “the South” is called the “Bible belt.”

There are those who believer they have a “Christian name” they have merit with God

There are those who believe b/c they were born and live in the USA, that God has accepted them, blessed them, and approved them—NATIONALISM or THE GOSPEL OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

Goodness and righteousness are NOT and NEVER found in social status or religious status

There are those who feel they are more acceptable to God and have earned favor/merit with God b/c they:

Belong to an upper class

Belong to an elite or “mega-church”

Belong to a more dynamic church or ministry

Have achieved status/position/recognition

Paul’s achievements by self-effort:

“A Hebrew of the Hebrews”—Paul was claiming to have the right language and the right customs

When Jews were conquered and scattered, those who believed refused to give up their Jewish language and customs

Though every Jew did not keep with this, Paul is saying he and his family did and did so deliberately refusing to forget it, despite how difficult it was in his day—that he was loyal to the elect race of God

“A Pharisee”Paul was claiming to have the right religion—to have been a Pharisee

Pharisees were strict religionists, so strict their very name “Pharisee” meant “The Separated Ones”

Paul then was saying he was of the strictest religious sect ever known and devoted his whole life to the most separated and demanding religion ever known to man

“Zeal”-Paul is saying he zealously (great energy and enthusiasm) fought for and stood for his religion (Judaism)

Paul had such a passion that he persecuted and pursued the church, b/c it stood so vastly different from his

“Blameless”—Paul claimed he had sought to keep the law and had done so—completely and fully

Paul claimed obedience to ALL the commandments, rituals, and ceremonies as laid out in Scripture

Paul claimed adherence to ALL the laws and instructions of the Scripture

Paul, therefore, was claiming he was blameless—ritually and ceremonially

What is Paul’s statements about achievements of self-effort teach us?

Goodness and righteousness are NOT and NEVER found in religious faithfulness, spiritual language, nor the ability to know and speak religious terms/words; people are deceived if they think they are acceptable to God b/c they:

Do good and are faithful in being good

Are faithful in studying their “religion,” the Bible, and the doctrines

Talk about and share “spiritual things.”

Have knowledge of and use religious terms and language

Goodness and righteousness are NOT and NEVER found in religion, yet

How many people think the very opposite:

Goodness and righteousness are NOT and NEVER found in one’s zeal (energy and enthusiasm) for religion’s

Activities

Worship services

Ordinances/rituals/ceremonies

Goodness and righteousness are NOT and NEVER found in “keeping”

All the rituals & ceremonies of religion

All the commandments of the Scripture

What does Christ say regarding this:

Matthew 7:21–23““Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

Matthew 23:24–26“Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.”

II. (v.7-11) Paul sought to win Christ—His righteousness, His perfection (At Christ)

Philippians 3:7–11 (READ)

Paul realized that all of his work, his religiousness, his striving, and his meriting; how he was regarded as one of the greatest men who’ve ever attempted to work/merit/earn God’s acceptance—meant nothing compared, “to the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord...”

(CONTEXT)

Paul’s past experience with Christ—

This refers to Paul’s conversion (Acts 9:3-9) and points to a time when

Paul came to realize his self-righteous heart could not attain the approval and acceptance of God

Paul came to accept the truth he could no become perfect—he could not gain righteousness, he could not make himself acceptable to God

This teaches that his conversion is a “past experience” or a “once-for-all-experience, meaning

Paul made a definite and defined decision to trust in the love of God and no longer in himself

Paul made a definite and defined decision that God loved him enough to count him as righteous b/c of Jesus Christ

Ephesians 3:16–19 “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

This also teaches that Paul did not quit trying to live for God;

Paul became more and more

Diligent to live for God,

Committed to God

Paul’s pursuit of God was no longer a pursuit of self-righteousness, b/c Paul counted it all as loss and his pursuit was now rooted in the

Position of justificaiton (Romans 5:1)

Position of liberty (Galatians 5)

Position of being in Christ (Colossians 3:1-4)

Position/place of victory (Romans 8:31-39)

Paul’s continuous experience with Christ—Paul constantly counted all things as loss/waste in order to “win Christ” (v.8)

“Count”—used in the present tense, it denotes a continuous action; in Paul’s decision to follow Christ, he also committed to

Seek after Christ, continually

Seek after the knowledge of Christ, continually

Seek after the righteousness of Christ, continually

Paul sought a future experience with Christ

Paul desired that either in the coming of Christ or in his death,

He would be found, “in Christ” and His righteousness—not his own self-righteousness

Note: The righteousness of God has NOTHING to DO with works/behaviors/deeds, but everything to do with trusting in the righteousness of Christ Himself---in Christ’s work and accomplishment(s)

Paul sought a victorious experience with Christ—all of Paul’s life after his conversion was dedicated to knowing as much of Christ as he could, it was his new life’s pursuit…here’s what is meant in this verse (v.10)

To know Christ is to:

Know the power of Christ’s resurrection; just what is this? When God raised Christ from the dead, He demonstrated three things:

God has the power to conquer ALL the trials/temptations of life, b/c He conquered the most powerful one man faces—death!

God has the power to give man new life and the power/strength to live out this new life in and before Him

God has the power to raise men from the dead—as believers we shall experience the great resurrection power of God

John 6:40 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.””

Know the fellowship of His sufferings

There is nothing pleasant about suffering; in fact most are willing to share in the blessings of Christ but want nothing to do with the sufferings/persecution of following Christ

Note however Jesus teaches in the Beatitudes

Matthew 5:10–12 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Be made conformable to His death—Paul desired to be totally subjected to God; to put his own flesh/desires to death. He sought to:

Deny himself and take up the cross of Christ daily

Luke 9:23 “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Crucify his old man with Christ

Romans 6:6 “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”

Count himself dead to sin but alive to God

Romans 6:11 “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Die daily

1 Corinthians 15:31“I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”

Be crucified with Christ

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

(BIBLICAL APPLICATION—YOU AND ME)

Counting the cost (cost/counted)—in context means “to evaluate,” or “to consider;”

We are to evaluate all things in one’s life and when compared to Christ, count them as liabilities—as rubbish.

Counting the cost of following Christ must begin with a person’s own defined and determined decision to follow Christ

A person must come to realize their own self-righteousness cannot and does not make them acceptable to God

A person must come to realize their sin has left them separated and apart from a relationship with Christ

A person must come to realize their repentance of sin and confession of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, IS THE ONLY MEANS OF GOD’S ACCEPTANCE and SALVATION

John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

What is the application of what it means to “count the cost” of following Jesus?

We must count the cost and “lay aside every weight and the sin(s) that so easily ensnare,” (Hebrews 12:1) and be willing to count them ALL as rubbish

Weights: these are things, which may not be considered “bad,” but threaten to hinder one’s pursuit of Christ:

Sin(s): We cannot be married to Christ while we are married to our sin

1 John 1:6 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

1 John 1:10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

We must count repentance as necessary:

Repentance is the first step in following Jesus

Acts 2:37–38 “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 3:18–19 “But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,”

Ruth 1:7 “Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.”

Repentance is to be the spiritual discipline of the believer’s life:

Luke 3:8 “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.”

Must count the cost of self-sufficiency:

Religiosity/religious activity

Your unmatched church attendance doesn’t save you

Your unrivaled tithing history cannot save you

Your unparalleled service record cannot merit you salvation

Your innate ability to memorize Scripture cannot save you

Morality/self-righteousness

Romans 3:9-12 “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.””

Works

Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.”

Rules/law

Comparison to others

Heritage/family name

If these things are the barometer you are using to measure God’s acceptance, merit God’s acceptance, or earn God’s acceptance, all you’ve measured out is a Pharisitical life

God’s acceptance of you is NOT/NEVER determined by what you’ve accomplished, but squarley on your surrender to what Christ accomplished for you

Counting the cost of following Christ involves a life of

Self-denial (Luke 9:23)—I believe the discipline of self-denial is the single hardest struggle of a believer’s life—b/c in self-denial we are ALWAYS confronted with our pride.

Being content with being uncomfortable (Acts 9-tell the story of Ananias and Paul)

Maybe God’s not leading you to share the gospel with a known terrorist, however,

What about the person who looks different than you

What about the person who speaks a different language than you

What about the single mom who comes into your church?

What about the drug addict/the homeless/the less fortunate

Every person, regardless of their background, history, or decisions, needs to know Who’s image & likeness they are created in.

Spiritual disciplines (1 Timothy 4:7-11)

Running the race with endurance (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Counting the cost of following Jesus is to be continuous in the life of a believer, this means each day

We know what our convictions should be and we decide ahead of time we will honor God each day/moment of our lives

Daniel 1:8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself...”

Philippians 2:17 “Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.”

We should delight and meditate on God’s Word

Psalm 1:2–3 “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”

We should be people characterized by prayer

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray without ceasing,”

Exodus 17:11-12 (Account of Moses praying on the mountain top)

Counting the cost of following Jesus requires us to examine EVERY area of our lives, EVERY thing we associate with, EVERY habit, tendency, or behavior of our lives, and if it’s not counted as loss for the sake of Christ, its time to DTR one has with Christ

III. (v.12-16) Paul did not count himself as having arrived—he was not yet perfect (Since Christ)

Philippians 3:12–16 (READ)

(CONTEXT)—Paul did not count/consider himself “of having yet attained.”

Paul was always emphasizing how far short he came

Romans 7:18–19“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.”

2 Corinthians 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,”

Ephesians 3:8 “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,”

So, what is it we can learn from Paul?

Paul followed after perfection—his conversion on the road to Damascus was only the beginning for him; he had been saved to “follow after” Christ

“Follow after” (DIOKO) means to press; to pursue just like a runner in a race and gives no room for

Walking

Sitting or lying around in comfort, complacency, and apathy

Paul worked at forgetting his past

What Paul faced what so many of us face:

Failure and shortcoming

Struggle to forget his past and move on

Paul focused on in dealing with his past

Concentrating and controlling his mind to reach forth to what lay ahead of him

Concentrating and controlling his mind to focus his mind on the things of Christ, the promises of Christ, and the promise of living in glory with Christ

Romans 8:18–19 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.”

Paul pressed on toward the goal, God’s purpose in Christ Jesus

Paul understood his primary purpose as a believer was to be conformed more and more into the image of Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:29 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

1 Thessalonians 4:3a “For this is the will of God, your sanctification...”

Paul understood that one day, he would

Incorruptible and eternal

Live in honor and glory

Live in God’s perfect presence and power

Live in perfect righteousness and purity

Paul then lived in the way Peter commanded in 1 Peter 1:13–15

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,”

Paul kept his mind growing and maturing in Christ

Paul “kept”—he was consistent and sincere in keeping his mind focused on Christ and being perfected (matured)

Paul maintained the growth he already achieved

Paul’s faith was consistent faith—he desired to maintain the growth he already achieved

(BIBLICAL APPLICATION—YOU and ME)

God has, in His infinite desire for man, a two-fold will: Salvation and Sanctification

In sanctification, we must understand, “There’s no such thing as graduating the gospel, if you think you have, you’ve proven you’ve never known it” (Jonathan Land-Connection Church Sioux Falls)

As with Paul, there’s no such thing as a genuine believer sitting still after salvation; a believer must not

Become comfortable/complacent/apathetic/lazy

Waste time and lose opportunity

Begin to live under license, rather they must maintain a life of living in liberty

License says I’ve been freed to live how I choose

Liberty says my freedom came at a cost and I’m to honor the body as a temple

Romans 6:1–2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

As with Paul, we must work at surrendering/forgetting our past, for this is the bait of our great enemy and the hindrance to a believer’s growth.

As believers

We must know

We have all failed and fallen short;

We will, at times in our walk of faith, fail and fall short

Failing and falling short can/will bring feelings of

Disappointment

Deceit and despair

Doubt and uncertainty

Loneliness/helplessness

Conviction

Failures & shortcomings

Can seem too difficult to do forget

Can be what the enemy uses to hold us back, keep us from moving forward

Can be what we define ourselves by

As believers

We must know how to deal with the past

It begins with surrendering and relinquishing our past to the cross of Christ

It continues with concentrating and controlling our minds to

Seek the things of Christ

Colossians 3:1–4 “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

Seek the promises of Christ

2 Peter 1:3–4“as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Seek the things that lie ahead

Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

1 Peter 1:13 “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”

Where can we see an example of this?

Matthew 14:22-33 (Account of Peter walking on water)

After feeding the 5000 at Bethsaida, the disciples began to cross the sea to Gennesarat (Matthew 14:34)

The disciples encounter a storm—then encounter Jesus

What about Peter?

They didn’t turn around b/c Peter failed---Jesus kept him and the disciples moving to where they were going

They, especially Peter learned the valued of “serving soaking wet.”

As with Paul, we must know are goal/aim as believers: to be conformed more and more into the image of Jesus Christ

As with Paul, we must keep our minds growing and maturing in Christ

Romans 12:1–2“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. 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.”

As with Paul, we must possess a consistent faith, a sincere faith

So many people live up and down lives, gaining some discipline and strength, but before too long they slip back into bondage/apathy/slack spiritual disciplines, such

Lying/cheating/cheating

Addictions/strongholds

Smoldering devotion/prayer life

Lack of control of thoughts & mind

Slack in disciplines of the body and habits

So many people experience growth—but when some circumstances/situations arise—growth is forsaken for the old man and old habits

What we must learn—to take what we’ve learned and attained b/c of Christ and keep walking in those things

Daniel 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”

Galatians 5:16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

“Be filled” means to yield

1 John 2:6 “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

(CLOSING/WORSHIP TEAM)

Counting the cost—to evaluate and consider what it Biblically means to follow Christ and “press on” towards Christ can & is challenging, b/c it requires us to

Inquire of God what David inquired of God

Psalm 139:23–24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”

Be “doers of the Word, not hearers only...”

James 1:22–25 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

Count things as rubbish, when compared with Christ:

Our plans/desires

Our finances/job/status

Our religious activity and ceremony

Our sins, failures, and shortcomings

For me, it was a defined point where I had to count the cost, in order for Christ to become my Lord and Savior and its a daily decision I have to continue to make so that I may more faithfully pursue God’s will for my life (Sanctification)

For our family, it was a defined point where we had to count the cost, in order that we might be on mission for Jesus Christ, so that others may know the sweet salvation of Jesus Christ

What about you? What’s the cost that you need to count in order

That Christ might become your Lord & Savior

That Christ might draw you out of apathy and comfort

That Christ might continue to conform you more and more into His image

It’s difficult, be you have a holy and divine promise seen through Romans 8:29 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

As a believer, God has promised to do whatever it takes to conform you into the image of His Son. A believer may/will encounter hard/difficult/unpleasant seasons in life, but we must remember what Paul says just one verse prior

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”