"What Will It Cost Me" Luke 14:28

“Which of you, intending to build a house, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost?”

The text which heads this page is one of great importance. Few people who are not often inclined to ask themselves,—“What does it cost?”

In a popular cartoon, a dog enthusiastically runs after a moving car, only to ponder what he would do if he actually caught it! It’s a comedic moment, but it

resembles our own lives—chasing after faith without counting the cost. Jesus emphasized this in Luke 14, reminding us to reflect on what it means to be His follower. Laughter ensues from the dog’s folly, yet it opens the door for us to reassess our chase for Him.

In Matthew 10:16, Jesus tells us to be wise and discerning. Our faith requires us to not only charge ahead but to also think about the challenges we might face. Counting the costs means understanding the battlefield and picking our battles wisely.

Matthew 10:16 MSG

“Stay alert. This is hazardous work I’m assigning you. You’re going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don’t call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.

Matthew 10:16 KJV 1900

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

As I ponder the way, I should ask what will this bring my way get me? I know plenty of people wish they had children, started a family, gotten a carreer job. You can’t hustle all your life, what will you do when youre too old to hustle. need medical insurance, a pension plan. not purchasing a home and rent keep going up every year.

In buying property, in building houses, in buying cars, in forming plans, in getting married, in educating children, it is wise and prudent to look forward and consider the cost. Many would save themselves much sorrow and trouble if they would only remember the question,—“What does it cost?” We see classic cars in driveways, that were never finished, room additions on homes never completed, only because someone did not count the cost.

But there is one subject on which it is specially important to “count the cost.” That subject is the salvation of our souls. What does it cost to be a true Christian? This, after all, is the grand question. After seeming to begin well, turn away from the road to heaven, and are lost for ever in hell. Let me try to say a few words which may throw light on the subject.

I. I will show, firstly, what it costs to be a true Christian.

II. I will explain, secondly, why it is of such great importance to count the cost.

III. I will give, in the last place, some hints which may help men to count the cost rightly.

We are living in strange times. Events are hurrying on. We never know “what a day may bring forth;” how much less do we know what may happen in a year!—Were living in a day of great religious profession!!!

Profession: an act of declaring that one has a particular quality, especially when this is not the case.

Many professing Christians in every part of the country are expressing a desire for more holiness and a higher degree of spiritual life. Yet nothing is more common than to see people receiving the Word with joy, and then after two or three years falling away, and going back to their sins.

They had not considered “what it costs” to be a really consistent believer and holy Christian. Surely these are times when we ought often to sit down and “count the cost,” and to consider the state of our souls. We must mind what we are about. If we desire to be truly holy, it is a good sign. We may thank God for putting the desire into our hearts. But still the cost ought to be counted.

No doubt Christ’s way to eternal life is a way of pleasantness. It alt not be the same as the way to destruction. But it is foolish to shut our eyes to the fact that His way is narrow, and the cross comes before the crown. Boy was caring a box of chickens, a man asked him what are you going to do with them? I’m going to have some fun with them then kill them.

I. what it costs to be a true Christian.

Let there be no mistake about my meaning. I am not examining what it costs to save a Christian’s soul. I know well that it costs nothing less than the blood of the Son of God to provide an atonement, and to redeem man from hell. The price paid for our redemption was nothing less than the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary. We “are bought with a price.” “Christ gave Himself a ransom for all.”

1 Timothy 2:6 KJV 1900

Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

The point I want to consider is another one altogether. It is what a man must be ready to give up if he wishes to be saved. It is the amount of sacrifice a man must submit to if he intends to serve Christ.

too many people want to shack and still preach, sleep with married people and call themselves Christian.

Matthew 5:20 KJV 1900

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

I grant freely that it costs little to be a mere outward Christian. A man has only got to attend a place of worship twice a week, and to be tolerably moral during the week, and he has gone as far as thousands around him ever go in religion. All this is cheap and easy work: it entails no self-denial or self-sacrifice. If this is saving Christianity, and will take us to heaven when we die, we must alter the description of the way of life, and write, “Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to heaven!”

Matthew 7:13–14 KJV 1900

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

But it does cost something to be a real Christian, according to the standard of the Bible. There are enemies to be overcome, battles to be fought, sacrifices to be made, a past to be forsaken, a wilderness to be passed through, a cross to be carried, a race to be run. Conversion is not putting a man in an arm-chair and taking him easily to heaven. It is the beginning of a mighty conflict, in which it costs much to win the victory. Hence arises the unspeakable importance of “counting the cost.”

1 Peter 4:1 KJV 1900

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

(2) For another thing, it will cost a man his sins.

He must be willing to give up every habit lifestyle and practice which is wrong in God’s sight.

He must set his face against it, quarrel with it, break off from it, fight with it, crucify it, and labour to keep it under.

whatever the world around him may say or think. He must do this honestly and fairly.

There must be no separate truce with any special sin which he loves.

ceasefire suspension of hostilities cessation of hostilities peace break moratorium treaty peace treaty letup He must count all sins as his deadly enemies, and hate every false way. Whether little or great, whether open or secret, all his sins must be thoroughly renounced. They may struggle hard with him every day, and sometimes almost get the mastery over him. But he must never give way to them. He must keep up a perpetual war with his sins. It is written,—“Cast away from you all your transgressions.”—“Break off thy sins and iniquities.”—“Cease to do evil.”

For another thing, it will cost a man his love of ease.

Proverbs 13:4 KJV 1900

The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

(4) In the last place, it will cost a man the favour of the world.

He must be content to be thought ill of by man if he pleases God.

He must count it no strange thing to be mocked, ridiculed, slandered, persecuted, and even hated.

John 15:20 KJV 1900

Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

II. why “counting the cost” is of such great importance to man’s soul.

I might easily settle this question by laying down the principle, that no duty enjoined by Christ can ever be neglected without damage.

Too often they have picked up their knowledge second hand,

from being in religious families, or from being trained in religious ways,

but have never worked it out by their own inward experience.

Too often they have hastily taken up a profession of religion under the pressure of circumstances,

from sentimental feelings,

or from a vague desire to do like others around them,

but without any solid work of grace in their hearts.

Persons like these are in a position of immense danger.

They are precisely those, if Bible examples are worth anything, who need to be exhorted “to count the cost.”

For want of “counting the cost” the children of Israel Moses generation perished miserably in the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan.

They left Egypt full of zeal and fervour, as if nothing could stop them.

But when they found dangers and difficulties in the way, their courage soon cooled down.

They had never reckoned on trouble.

They had thought the promised land would be all before them in a few days.

And so, when enemies, privations, things neccessary for life sustaining hunger, and thirst began to try them, they murmured against Moses and God,

and would (fain) under the circumstances. have gone back to Egypt. all because they had “not counted the cost,” and so lost everything, and died in their sins.

III. The third and last thing which I proposed to do, is to give some hints which may help you to “count the cost” rightly

(a) Count up and compare, for one thing, the profit and the loss,

if you are a true-hearted and holy Christian.

You may possibly lose something in this world, but you will gain the salvation of your ever living soul. Friends, what we use to call a good time.

It is written,—“What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

Mark 8:36 KJV 1900

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

b) Count up and compare, for another thing, the praise and the blame, if you are a true-hearted and holy Christian.

You may possibly be blamed by man, but you will have the praise of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.

Your blame will come from the lips of a few erring, blind, fallible men and women. Your praise will come from the King of kings and Judge of all the earth. It

On the one side of you is the enmity of the devil and the wicked.

On the other, you have the favour and friendship of the Lord Jesus Christ. Your enemies, at most, can only bruise your heel.

Building a Strong Foundation: Lessons from Luke 14:28

Bible Passage: Luke 14:28

Summary: Luke 14:28 emphasizes the importance of counting the cost before starting a project, to ensure that one can follow through to completion.

Application: This passage challenges Christians to carefully consider the commitment required to follow Christ and to live out their faith. It reminds believers to be intentional and steadfast in their walk with God, avoiding superficial or half-hearted devotion.

Teaching: The passage teaches us the value of being intentional and committed in our relationship with God and in fulfilling His purposes for our lives. It reminds us that following Christ requires dedication and sacrifice.

How this passage could point to Christ: Jesus, as the ultimate example of commitment and sacrifice, exemplifies this passage in His own life. He counted the cost of saving humanity and was willing to endure the cross for our sake.

Big Idea: Counting the cost of discipleship is essential for a strong foundation in our faith and walk with God, following the example of Christ in commitment and sacrifice.

Recommended Study: In preparing this sermon, delve deeper into the concept of 'counting the cost' in Luke's Gospel within the context of the broader theme of discipleship. Use Logos to study the cultural background of the time to understand the significance of this teaching in Jesus' ministry. Explore commentaries on Luke 14 to gain a more in-depth understanding of the passage's implications for Christian living today.

1. Counting the Cost Carefully

Luke 14:28

You could start by highlighting how Jesus emphasized the importance of understanding the full commitment required in discipleship, much like one must do before embarking on any significant project. Maybe reflect on how this mirrors Jesus' own journey, fully aware and willing to pay the ultimate price for humanity. This point can encourage the congregation to consider their own commitment levels and the depth of their foundation in faith.

They may rage loudly, and compass sea and land to work your ruin; but they cannot destroy you.

Genesis 3:15 KJV 1900

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.