Counting the Cost

Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
0 ratings
· 1 view
Notes
Transcript
Counting the Cost of Following Jesus: Luke 14:25-33
INTRO:  When I arrived at William Carey to play basketball, I was unprepared for the investment I would have to make to stay on the team. In high school, we only practiced once a day after school, but in college I was introduced to two practices a day. The practices were longer and more intense. Not to mention study hall after class, missing weekday parties with friends, being out of town most weekends, and coming home exhausted every night to my dorm. During my second year at School, I got into a verbal altercation with one of the coaches and was kicked off the team. I could have appealed it but I was done. Looking back, I wonder if knowing the demands of the team would have prepared me for the challenges that awaited? The same thing can be said about our life as a Follower of Jesus. When we know what’s expected and demanded, we are more likely to endure than check out.
Today, Jesus is going to raise the bar on what’s required to follow him. He wants all of us to count the cost of what it means to be a disciple.
Luke 14:25, “25Now great crowds were traveling with him. So he turned and said to them, 26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
1. Putting Christ Above Everything (25-27)
Hatred to your Parents is Required to follow Jesus? Is that what he’s saying? This passage was one of the texts that solidified my passion for uncovering the Jewishness of Jesus and the Hebraic background of the Scriptures. Remember, the Bible is written for us but not to us. What that means is that we must uncover what it meant to the ancient audience before we can apply it to our present situation.
The first conundrum is that Jesus’s words don’t line up with the Ten commandments. The 5th Commandment says, “Honor your father and mother.” Secondly, Jesus’s message was characterized by one of love not hatred. He promoted care for the poor and outcast. Surely, he desires for us to care for our own family, spouse, and kids, so what is he saying?
This statement is incomprehensible outside of an understanding of the Hebrew context. Hate in the ancient world does not have the same meaning it does today. Hate meant “Love Less” or “put in 2nd Place.” We see this in Genesis 29:31, “When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. (ESV). The CSB translates the meaning: “When Leah was NEGLECTED.” She wasn’t hated by Jacob. He just loved her less than Rachel. Some of you may be skeptical of this. Look at the Verse right before: Jacob slept with Rachel also, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. (Gen. 29:30).
This actually helps make sense of Jacob and Esau in Romans 9:13, “As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.” Jacob was First and Esau was Second in God’s Eyes.
The Key Phrase here is: “Great Crowds.” Jesus is demonstrating for us what he is looking for in a movement. He’s not concerned with the breath of the crowd as much as he’s concerned with the Depth of his disciples. Everytime the movement is gaining traction, Jesus thins the herd. After the feeding of the 5,000 in John 6, the Crowds are at an all-time high. The disciples are fired up. Peter is high fiving the crew in celebration. Boys, we finally have some traction. Look at the People. Then Jesus turns around and says, “Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves.” (John 6:53).
What in the world are you doing? That’s not how you win friends and appeal to people Jesus.
Verse 60, “Therefore, when many of his disciples heard this, they said, “This teaching is hard. Who can accept it?” 61 Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, asked them, “Does this offend you? Verse 67, “So Jesus said to the Twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”
Why? He wants people who are committed, not casual. He wants people who pledge their allegiance to him. He wants true followers. There’s a difference between a fairweather fan and a true follower.
ILL. I’m an LSU Fan. If they are losing, I write them off. If they are winning, I’m wearing the attire. Kandi, on the other hand, is optimistic about every game. Always rooting for them when they are losing. She says, I’m not a True Fan. But with T.W. Hunter Middle School Football, I’m all in. I don’t miss a game. We study the plays after the game. We talk about the upcoming opponents. We get to the stadium early. Why? Because My Son plays. I’m connected. I’m committed. I’m Fully Engaged The same thing goes for your school as well. Win or lose you’re committed.
How many of you have that Commitment with Jesus? How many claim Christ when things are winning and ditch him when things are failing? How many act like Disciples outside of Church? At the office, at school, in your neighborhood, on the ball field?
How People Respond to the Words of Scripture reveal the Condition of their hearts. Jesus’s Words are Offensive, especially if you are living right. I would say that if you are offended, the word is working. Jesus’s words separate the Committed from the Crowd.
We need to raise our lives to the Biblical standard, rather than lower the Bible to our Preferences.  Where is your Allegiance?

2. Prepare For Your Discipleship Journey (28-30)

28“For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to ridicule him, 30saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
Jesus uses the word Disciple over and over. You Can’t be my Disciple. What Does Jesus want us to be: Christians or Disciples?
How many times is the word Christian used in the Bible?  3
The term “Christian” is used three times in the Bible (Acts 11:26; 26:28; and 1 Peter 4:16). Only recently has the label “Christian” carried a positive meaning. According to Harper’s Bible Dictionary, “Some have argued that the designation was at first a term of derision; others, that it simply denoted a group loyal to ‘Christ.’”
How many times is the word Disciple Used?  269 Times in the New Testament. 238 Times in the Gospels.
At the very core, a disciple is a learner or a student. A disciple is a person who is bent on growing and developing. If a person plays jazz music and he follows the teaching of Wynton Marsalis, then you would say he’s a disciple of Wynton Marsalis. If a psychiatrist bases his practice on the teachings of Sigmund Freud, then you would say he’s a disciple of Sigmund Freud.
We don’t use the term “disciple” in the medical field but we do use the term “residency”. When you finish medical school, you spend many years in residency learning from a senior staff member who uses his or her experience to teach you how to practice medicine. We also use the term in the electrical world. To become an electrician, you must go through an apprenticeship with somebody who has more experience than you. This is the same terminology that we must use in becoming disciples of Christ.
If you are my age and older, Making Disciples wasn’t a word you heard in church often. Instead you heard Evangelism, Reach people for Christ, or Make converts. So how have we missed Making Disciples all these years?
The Discipleship Charge was given by Jesus in Matt. 28:18-20. It’s called the Great Commission. The mandate in this verse is the actual verb phrase, “make disciples.” But that’s  not how it was translated in the Original KJV.
The Greek Word is Mathates which means Disciple or Make Disciples was translated this way: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded.”
Teaching is a part of it, but it’s more than that. Discipleship demands commitment. It demands work. It requires effort and action. Which is why Jesus says, “Calculate THE COST.”
Know what is Expected of you.
Verse 31, “Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32If not, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”
The Cost of Following Jesus is that it may cost you your life. Your Reputation. Your friendships. Your Family. Your Job. Your Security. Your Comfort. If people were told this on the front end, we may not have so much fallout on the backend.
ILL. Getting in the Ice bath in the Winter has been tougher than the summer. The Other day I got into 45 degree water when it was 30 outside. I was blowing smoke while in the tank. I know all the health benefits. I’ve experienced the blessing of better sleep, less stress, more energy, and lower inflammation in my body. But If I don’t mentally go through the pain in my mind before getting in, I won’t make it. Calculating what it cost me before getting in, helps me endure the struggle while I’m in the water.
If no one told you before, let me say: The Christian life is not Easy. When you surrender your life to Jesus, you immediately become an Enemy of Satan. You start swimming upstream in a downstream world. You may be ostracized for it. You will be ridiculed for it. You will be attacked for your faith. You may experience great loss, but what you get in return as a Disciple is Priceless.
You never walk through this life alone again. You begin seeing the world through a spiritual lens. You experience peace that is difficult to explain to someone who is not following Jesus. You witness miracles right before your eyes, starting with your life transformation. You experience hope, joy, love, and wholeness. You begin a friendship with the God of the Universe. The Rewards are out of this world, but the Cost is High.
I want to offer 2 Challenges as we Close. One to Disciples of Christ and One to those considering the Cost of Following Jesus.
If you are a Disciple of Jesus, Surrender is not just a One time thing that happens at salvation. It continues over your lifetime. When a Person gets saved, God sanctifies their Heart but it may take time to sanctify one’s habits. Don’t be overwhelmed with everything that needs total surrender, and start with what you’re convicted about now. Surrender the area where the Light is Shining brightest.
For those who would say, by the Bible's definition, I’m not a Disciple of Jesus. Jesus shows us that just because you are numbered among the crowd doesn’t mean you’re one of his disciples. Just because you attend church doesn’t guarantee you’re one of Jesus’s disciples. To be a disciple is to be a Student of Rabbi Jesus. It means to follow his teachings, spend time in his presence, and meditate on his word.
So let me ask you: What group are you walking with? The Crowd or the Disciples?
If you have counted the Cost and would like to Profess your Allegiance to Christ today for the First Time, I’m going to ask you to stand.
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more
Earn an accredited degree from Redemption Seminary with Logos.