Worth the Risk: Plan

Introduction

Hey if it’s your first weekend at Prairie Lakes, welcome. It might be a little different than what you expected if you’re in the room with us or online—but, hopefully it’s different in a good way.

So if that’s you, here’s what you’re jumping into at this part of our service:

We’re going to conclude a series that we’ve been in for the last 4 weeks called “Worth the Risk.” Worth the risk. And as we’ve journeyed together through it these last several weeks, we’ve been talking about several different areas of our lives that God just expects us to take risks with him—to put more on the line with him:

When it comes to the people around us—what risks does God want us to take?

When it comes to our property or our stuff—what risks does God want us to take?

When it comes to our platform, even:

God wants us to take risks with him. He wants us to make investments with him.

Transition: Know vs. Do

So that’s what we’ve been talking about these last several weeks. But here’s the deal:

START TV SLIDE

It’s one thing to know what risks you should take with God,

But it’s another thing to actually do it.

END TV SLIDE

(Repeat.) Right?

Eat better, get more sleep, be more present with my kids, plan for retirement… we’ve got a long list of things that we know we should do. But doing it… that’s a different thing.

Jesus talked about this difference a lot. A lot. The difference between knowing something and doing that very thing.

Exegesis: Luke 14:25

Grab your Bibles and turn with me to Luke 14.

START TV SLIDE

Luke 14:25-35

END TV SLIDE

We’ll be starting in verse 25. (Explain where to find Luke; lots of us are on our phones, etc.).

Some of the verses will be on the screen for us so that we can follow along, but we’d love for you to look at it for yourself, to get into God’s Word for yourself.

But let’s start reading together. Luke 14, verse 25:

START TV SLIDE

Luke 14:25-26 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me...”

END TV SLIDE

We’re going to go on and read the rest of verse 26 in a second, because what Jesus says next is pretty confusing.

But before we get to that, take a look at the setting and audience here in these first couple of verses. Jesus is talking to who?

Large... crowds.

That’s important. Because:

In a large crowd there’s all kinds of people. And there were that day, too:

Some of his closest followers were there.

Some of his more committed “insiders” were there.

But also, lots of people who were probably just… there. Just in attendance. Just “fans” of Jesus.

Think about what a fan is:

A fan likes to watch.

A fan will cheer loudly when you’re doing well; maybe “boo” when you’re not.

And that’s who was mostly in the crowd that day: fans.

See:

A fan is a fan because a fan isn’t on the team. They’re spectating in the seats. The most committed of fans can make their team their most expensive hobby; that’s about it.

And I think it’s the fans in the crowds that day that Jesus was addressing specifically when he said:

START TV SLIDE

“If anyone comes to me...”

END TV SLIDE

In other words:

If anyone here today wants to go from being a fan to being a follower—

If anyone here today wants to go from being part of the crowd to being part of the team—

Or, in our language here at Prairie Lakes:

START TV SLIDE

“If anyone comes to me...”

“If anyone wants to step across the faith line…”

END TV SLIDE

This is really what Jesus was saying here. Making an invitation to take a step.

Side note:

I wonder how many people in the crowd that day, when they heard Jesus say those 5 simple words, thought to themselves:

“Um… I already have.”

I already have come to you, Jesus. I’m…. here. Sitting right here. Middle section, right side, about halfway back, Jesus. Is there a glare off the lake? Maybe that’s why you can’t see me…

Get this:

To the crowds who were already there that day, he says:

If anyone comes to me…

Not ”If anyone wants to come and listen to me, or come and watch me—because anyone can do that. And everyone was doing that. And everyone is welcome to do that.

I mean, it’s stories like this one that explain why we are a “No Matter” church. We let anyone and everyone in. The larger the crowd, the better!

But as much as we love being a “No Matter” church where no matter who you are, where you’ve been, what you’ve done, or what’s been done to you, you can come and look for God here with us—as much as we love that, we would also say this:

START TV SLIDE

There’s a real difference between being a big fan of a “No Matter” church…

And becoming a “No Matter” follower of Jesus.

There’s a real difference between coming to watch…

And coming to Jesus.

END TV SLIDE

Exegesis: Luke 14:26-27

So this is the distinction that Jesus is making when we makes this invitation to the crowd in attendance that day. Do you want to just be a fan who watches? Or a follower who… follows? It’s the beginning of his “sales pitch,” so to speak.

Now, what we’re going to see here very soon is that Jesus is a horrible salesperson. Horrible.

His sales pitch is horrible. Look at what he says next:

START TV SLIDE

Luke 14:26-27 “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. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

END TV SLIDE

Alright. Cool. Yeah. So… gotta hate my family and die. Awesome. Let me just step across that line.

Every angry teenager in the room right now is looking at their parents and saying, “See… Jesus is on my side.”

Let’s clarify this really quick before we move on. When Jesus is talking about “hating” your mom or your dad or hating your kids, this was an expression in Jesus’ day. Kinda like “cool” doesn’t really mean “cold” when we say that it’s “cool.”

What “hate” means here in the expression is more like “prefer” or “prioritize.” If you said that you “love” something and “hate” something else in Jesus’ day, it was your way of saying what’s more important.

Put that all together, and here’s Jesus’ point to those in the crowds that day thinking about stepping across that line and following him:

START TV SLIDE

You can’t “straddle” the faith line. You can’t have one foot on Jesus’ side of the line and the other on your own.

END TV SLIDE

That’s what Jesus is saying. Doesn’t work that way. You gotta be all in.

And that’s a horrible sales pitch, right? The rest of us know that it’s way more effective to do kind of a “try it before you buy it” kind of scenario. You know… first 30 days of Jesus are free of charge, low monthly charge after, cancel at any time.”

Nope. With all of these prospects in the crowd that day, here’s what Jesus says:

Before you step across that line and follow me, just know this:

It’s gonna mean you do your marriage my way, not yours.

It’s gonna mean you do your family my way, not yours.

It’s gonna mean you do your life my way, not yours.

Jesus is saying that following him is more like a cross where you “die” to your own way and you live according to his.

Illustration: Hidden Fees

Now, as I’m sure a lot of people in the crowd that day would agree: that can sound kinda harsh.

But it’s also kind of refreshing if you think about it. It’s refreshingly… honest. Straightforward. Clear.

There’s no hidden fees with Jesus. He’s not a great salesman because he’s not trying to sell you something.

I do a good bit of flying, and have learned to completely ignore any advertised or marketed fare prices from any of the airlines. Wanna know why?

They all have a little tiny asterisk next to them.

And then in really fine print either at the very bottom of the television screen, or with someone talking super fast at the end of the ad, or the very last screen before you go to click “purchase,” what gets included?

Baggage fees. Seat selection fees. Taxes.

And oh, by the way, the advertised fare is for a one-way ticket. You don’t wanna come back to where you left, do you? You do? Gotcha! Twice as much, sucker!

It’s infuriating. Because you’re being manipulated. It’s a bait and switch. We sell you on a little bit and try to take a lot.

Listen:

Jesus doesn’t want it to be a bait and switch for anyone. He wants to be clear, and he wants you to be clear:

Following him is incredible. It’s life-giving. It’s freeing. It’s transformative. It’s all of those things.

But make no mistake:

It’s all of those things because it’s on his terms. Not yours and mine.

Transition: Which Plan?

Which leads us to another question that I want to ask here in a second.

Because here’s my guess:

There’s probably more than a few of us in the crowds today who have been listening and nodding: “Amen… amen.”

That’s right, pastor. That’s right. You tell ‘em. You tell all of those shallow “Christians” what this Christian life is really all about.

Ohhh kay. Well:

Jesus has some pretty challenging things to say to the rest of us who have already stepped across that line and consider ourselves not just fans but followers of Jesus.

Because what he’s going to do is go on and tell two stories. The first is about someone doing a house project or a building project. The second is about a nation’s leader making the decision to go to war.

And both of these stories are meant to be metaphors for what following Jesus is like at times. At times, it’s like a house project. At other times, it’s like going to war.

But in either story, here’s what Jesus want his self-proclaimed followers to be thinking:

START TV SLIDE

Everyone has a plan.

The question is which plan am I following:

Jesus’ plan? Or my own?

END TV SLIDE

Because remember what we just said: you can’t straddle the faith line. You can’t straddle it. You can’t have one foot on Jesus’ side of the line and another on your own. It’s an either/or. Either it’s his way, or it’s yours.

And we might bristle at that or push back at how that’s framed up—but if you can muster the courage it takes to ask that question of yourself and your life—

Am I really following Jesus’ plan, or am I really following my own?

If I say that’s I believe and I’ve stepped across that line, then is the life I’m living on this side of the line one that matches up with Jesus’ way, and not just mine?

If you can muster up the courage it takes to really ask yourself that question, then…

The clarity on the other side that question is going to be so helpful and fruitful for you.

Because listen:

Jesus can’t help you to have both feet on his side if you and I aren’t willing to look at some of these areas of our lives where we’re kinda straddling the line.

Listen:

We’ve been talking about people. We’ve been talking about our property or our stuff. We’ve been talking about our platform.

We know, we know, we know that we should probably have both feet on his side of the line in all of these areas of our lives.

But the question now for us is this:

Do we? Are we following his plan, or are we just saying that we are | while living by our own?

So:

Two stories. As we listen to Jesus tell them, let’s be willing to ask ourselves.

Exegesis: Luke 14:28-30

First story is about the house project. Take a look with me at verse 28:

START TV SLIDE

Luke 14:28-30 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’”

END TV SLIDE

For you homeowners out there: what was the last house project you tackled?

Erin and I have owned (3) different homes; we’ve done pretty major projects on all of them, including the one we own now.

At our previous house, which was a (2) story colonial that was built in 1939 (I think), we decided that we were going to paint the exterior… ourselves. Now, we had the advice of one of our guys here at Prairie Lakes, Bill Rogers, who owns his own paint outfit. So he coached us up on how. Lent us some great gear and supplies. But we did it ourselves.

I think we had 42 shutters in total to paint; behind each of them was a different wasps nest.

We had to clear out trees and put ladders in precarious places.

When I was painting a gable vent about 25 feet in the air, I disturbed another wasps nest and almost just jumped off the ladder down to the ground.

Long story short:

Our house went from a horrible, banana yellow to a stately gray with white trim and black shutters.

And I vowed that I would never, ever, ever do that again. I’d never paint my own house again. My feet hurt for like 3 months after that from all that up and down on those stupid ladders.

And then…

We turned around and did it again when we bought our current house. (Of course.)

And I’m sure you could tell a bunch of stories of all the horrible house projects that you’ve done.

But we did them, right? We figured out how much they would cost (and then probably had to pay more that we initially planned); we put the work in to get them done (and it was way more and took way longer than thought)…

But we did it. We did what we said we were going to do.

Here’s another question for you homeowners:

Do you have any projects that you’ve said you’re going to do… but haven’t done?

Or maybe worse:

Do you have any house projects that you’ve started… a few months ago… or maybe longer… and are just sitting there unfinished?

(Don’t look at your spouse right now who’s giving you the “eye.”)

Listen:

We’ve been talking about the people around us, and our property, and our platform—just a few of the areas that Jesus is calling us to count the cost and start building into them. Investing in them. These are a few of the “project areas” (so to speak) when it comes to following Jesus.

But here’s the edge to Jesus’ first story:

START TV SLIDE

We get step across the faith line for free because Jesus paid it all.

But we get to follow Jesus only when we plan to give our all.

END TV SLIDE

How ridiculous would it be for you to tell all of your house guests for years and years and years that you made a decision to renovate your bathroom—and then you never actually do it? That’d be the running joke around the Thanksgiving table, wouldn’t it? “How’s that bathroom reno coming along, Greg?” Your decision wouldn’t be worth anything because it didn’t lead to anything.

And yet, that’s what so many of us settle into. We’ve made this “decision” to “follow” Jesus. But it’d probably be a surprise to the people around us… or our calendars (how we’re spending our time)… or our budget (how we’re spending our money).

We step across the line for free. But we follow only when we plan to give our all. To figure out what Jesus wants us to do, and then actually do it.

On to the next story. Luke 14:31-33:

START TV SLIDE

Luke 14:31-33 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?

If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”

END TV SLIDE

Here’s the point of Jesus’ story:

START TV SLIDE

When you plan to follow Jesus, plan for resistance.

END TV SLIDE

I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s. Lots of amazing sports figures from that era. And it was kind of the last era of boxing. Everything’s UFC now; that hadn’t really grown in popularity yet. Heavyweight boxing was still a pretty big draw.

And in the 80‘s and 90’s, there was one guy who dominated the heavyweights:

Iron. Mike. Tyson.

And while he went on to become a very polarizing figure who had all sorts of demons, as a young boxer, none were more feared.

Before one of his prize fights, he was being interviewed by a sports reporter. And the reporter was asking him what his plan was for the fight, because he was going to be fighting someone who was quite a bit larger with a longer reach. Mike was strong, but he was pretty stocky. He’d get in close and just as easily knock you out with a body shot as he would with a shot to your head.

But it was going to be difficult against a fighter with a much longer reach. So what are you going to do, Mike? What’s your plan?

And what Mike said was one of the all-time great sports quotes ever. He said:

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

Yep. True.

I remember being a youth pastor while I was going to seminary out in Colorado. I was pretty close to finishing my degree; about 3 years in. And some of my students asked me to go climb a 14’er with them. Kind of last minute. Middle of the summer.

And I had lived out there for 3 years. I was acclimated. I didn’t do a lot of climbing, but I was young enough and in shape enough to gut it out.

So I remember drinking a bunch of water the night before and the morning of. Getting up early. Getting up to the base. Starting the climb.

And at about 11,000 feet, I got punched in the face with altitude sickness.

And that was it. Plan didn’t account for that.

Listen:

You and I are going to get “punched in the mouth” (so to speak) when we get serious about following Jesus. We will.

You wouldn’t think it would work that way. Maybe you think it shouldn’t work that way. I mean, come on, Jesus: if I’m planning on giving my all, the least you could do is make sure it’s as seamless and successful as possible.

But that’s not how it is. We have an Enemy who will absolutely resist us. He doesn’t want you to succeed. He doesn’t want you start investing in people, or leveraging your stuff. He doesn’t want you to build a platform so that more people might know Jesus.

We’ve still got this sin living in us that will nag us and drag us down.

And the world that we live in is a wild and sometimes very broken place.

The fact of the matter is this:

We can step across that line of faith, plan to follow Jesus, and start actually doing it…

Only to meet resistance that sometimes knocks us clean off our feet.

Jesus says that it’s gonna feel like “2 on 1.” For every 10,000 soldiers you’ve got, double that are coming against you.

So… wanna enlist?

It’s true: when you plan to follow Jesus, you gotta plan for resistance.

Here’s the good news, though:

START TV SLIDE

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

END TV SLIDE

Yes. Plan to give your all.

Yes. Plan for resistance.

And yes, it’s worth it. It’s all going to be worth it.

You’re gonna fight some battles.

You’re gonna win some; you’re gonna lose some.

But go down fighting for people. Go down fighting with all your property. Go out having built a platform that makes much of Jesus. Because in the end, Jesus wins. And he wants as many people as possible on his team and in his family.