What're you Getting Into?

Luke 14:25-33

Hello everyone, my name is Larry Ritterbeck. I am a student at Mount Vernon Nazarene University and I hope to be a pastor one day. But first, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I grew up in Akron Ohio and I went to Arlington Church of the Nazarene for my whole life. I have a mom and a dad and 3 younger sisters and 1 suer awesome younger brother. I also have two awesome Australian Shepherds. I grew up as a Christian and I have a passion for Jesus and for preaching his word. I’m grateful for the opportunity to preach and I’ll be here for the next four weeks preaching what God has laid on my heart.

Today, Inflation is a huge issue. I’m sure that we all have probably heard something about how much more expensive things are today from even just a year earlier. Can you remember earlier this summer when gas prices were at 5 dollars a gallon? It seems like everything is more expensive now than it used to be. I went into Taco Bell the other day and I was shocked to see that their dollar menu is basically gone now! They have like 4 things on there now, and all the good stuff costs more. They used to have a meal deal sort of thing that was 5 dollars and just a year and a half later, it is not 7.50. I’m sure that all of us have experienced this in some way or another. Things just cost more now than they used to. And it seems like everything is expensive now.

We seem to run our lives around how much things will cost. After all, the more that things cost, the less resources that we have to spend elsewhere. Think about taxes. The more money you make, the more money that you have to pay in taxes. And no one likes paying taxes. We like our tax returns, but we hate paying for taxes. Or think outside of money terms. Think about time. We all have to be careful what we take on. We can only work so much, we can only watch TV so much, we can only spend time with people so much. If you’re not careful, your schedule can become so busy that you have no time for yourself, to do the things that you need to do. Stuff costs time. Or maybe think about yourself physically and mentally. Doing things takes a toll on your body. There’s only so many miles you can walk in a day before your legs get really tired. There’s only so much that your muscles can lift before they give out. And mentally, you can’t just read all day or think all day. Trust me, I know. With what I do at school, all that I do is read, take notes, and write papers. I have to get up and do something to give my mind a break once in a while, otherwise, I can’t function. What I want you to picture, though, is this idea of cost. Doing stuff costs money, time, energy, etc.

To continue painting this picture of cost, I have a few little stories from my time being a runner in cross country. In each of these stories, I underestimated something about running, and I paid for it. The first day at cross country was, well, let’s just say that it was interesting. I remember showing up and being intimidated by all the seniors, juniors, and sophomores that I was running with. That day, I remember that we only ran probably 3 miles. I know, to some people, that may seem like a lot, but it is totally nothing compared to some of the other days where we would run 5 or 6 miles. I remember finishing that day, determined that this running thing was a waste of time and that I was going to quit. Who runs just for fun anyway? It’s madness! I thought that running wasn’t going to be that bad. Boy, did I underestimate myself and what 3 miles really felt like when you’re out of shape. Let’s just say that it hurt that day.

Anyway, I didn’t end up quitting cross country that first year. I decided to stick with it, and I am glad I did. But there were still some times that I felt some pain. Later, about a month or so later, we had to do a speed day. The practices are split between speed days and distance days. The distance days all we did was run a few miles. But the speed days were the killer days. It was one of these speed days where we had to run up the hill we had there as fast as we could, then jog back down. But the thing was, we had to keep doing this. It was going to be the death of me. Now, I must’ve drank too much water before this practice, because I just remember that when it was all done, I wasn’t feeling too hot. Actually, I was really hot, but I mean that I wasn’t feeling all that well. There was this queasiness in my stomach, and I knew what was going to happen. The coach took me aside and I threw up, and I felt so embarrassed. Everyone knew what happened. But hey, throwing up showed the coaches that I tried my hardest and it got me out of doing our cool down mile. Who does cool down miles? Those crazy running people. I suppose that looking back, it was pretty funny. But I totally underestimated the toll that the workout took on me and I underestimated what I could do that day.

Later that year, I was at one of my first races of the season. You see, in a race, you often wear spikes, shoes with metal spikes on the bottom, so that you can grip the ground easier. Being a young guy, I was a growing boy. Little did I know that my feet were growing, and that meant that my shoes weren’t going to fit either. I put on the spikes at one of the races, and I knew that it was not going to end well. My toes were all scrunched up inside. But I needed for them to last just for one race and then I would be good. I ran the race, and I did well. But to my horror, when I took the shoes off, massive blisters formed on the backs of my heels. For the next few weeks, every step I took was painful. I severely underestimated the toll those spikes took on my feet.

Now I have a ton more stories about times I underestimated something in my life. It seems that I spend a lot of my life calculating risk. I try to weigh the options, to see what something will cost. I try to find out what the outcome will be. I’m sure that a lot of us have some stories like mine. You may have thought that something wasn’t going to cost as much as it did or maybe something just costed more than it was worth. The truth is that basically everything in life has some sort of cost analysis that goes along with it.

But what about being a Christian? Does being a Christian actually cost us anything? Should it cost us anything? Well, yeah, What I’m here to say today is that being a Christian is costly. We all want to learn to be good disciples. But the truth is that it is a lot easier to think about being a good disciple than it is to actually be a good disciple. It is not just an abstract concept, but it is a hard reality. Being a disciple of Jesus should be hard. He tells us multiple times in the gospels. But I think that we tend to reduce being a Christian to thinking that it’s just a piece of cake. Because it doesn’t seem to cost us anything, it sometimes becomes not really that valuable to us. Christianity is not like a cheap throwaway gift or a gag gift that you might receive at a Christmas party, but it’s more like an engagement ring, a special gift. Accepting an engagement ring means that you are saying yes to a deep commitment. I think that when we lose this sense of costly Christianity, we begin to forget how important out faith really is to us. So, my question for us today is: Do you know what you’re getting yourself into? Do you know what it takes to get involved in being a disciple? This brings us to our sermon text for today. The passage we will be looking at is from Luke 14:25-33. Jesus teaches the crowds the nature of true discipleship. If you have your Bible and would like to follow along, turn to Luke 14:25. Luke writes,

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “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. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28 “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? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31 “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? 32 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. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

So, picture this: You see one of those TV commercials trying to get you to buy their revolutionary new product. You’ve probably seen something like this before. Maybe it’s a special nonstick pan that stays good forever. Or maybe it’s a world class air fryer that seems to be able to cook anything. Or maybe it’s like a new cleaning product that removes any sort of stain. Whatever the case, you see this TV commercial, and they really seem to try to sell it to you. They show you all the amazing things that their product can do, they show you why your current method is not cutting it, and they show you all that you could be getting for your purchase. But wait, there’s more! They’ll throw in all these extras and accessories as well, just to sweeten the deal. At that point, who wouldn’t want their item? And it’s all for the low low price of something like 29.95! Something like that is definitely worth the cost, right!

And then we look at what Jesus tells the crowds here, and it’s basically the opposite of what those TV commercials are like. He’s not just telling his few closest disciples, he’s telling everyone who is following him. Everyone who might be even slightly interested in being a disciple. But Jesus doesn’t seem to do what those commercials do. He doesn’t show all the perks of being a disciple. He instead shows all the downsides it seems. Instead of telling the people all the good things about being a disciple, he shows them all the bad. Rather then showing them all kinds of accessories that they will get with their purchase, he shows them all that it will cost. Simply put, Jesus tells them that it will cost each of them everything.

It is interesting here that Jesus says that a disciple must hate their whole family: Parents, siblings, spouse, and children. It is very easy to misinterpret this phrase. We think of something different by the word hate. But when they thought of the word hate, it was in a relational sense. The issue was about loyalty. Jesus was saying that their loyalty had to lie with him to be a true disciple. In addition to saying that, Jesus says that a person must be willing to take up their cross and follow him. Back in Jesus day, that was not just some ordinary statement. To carry a cross meant death. It was a one way journey. And it was the same to follow Jesus. It was a one way journey and there was no looking back. This is the question that Jesus was asking the crowd: Do you know what you’re getting yourself into?

Jesus gives them 2 parables to look at to further show them what it will cost. First, Jesus shows them an unfinished house. Have you ever seen the house building process? It starts with digging a hole. Then the foundation goes in, creating the base for the house. Next the framing takes place, creating the skeleton of the house. After this the roof goes on and the siding, giving it some protection from outside. Then the house has drywall, heating and cooling, electricity, and plumbing all put into it. And finally the finishing touches are put on before the house is finally done. Now imagine stopping at any point during the building process. It’s hard to imagine stopping at any point, because then there’s no point. At any time during the building process, if you stop, you’re still not going to be able to live in it. It is foolish to not see it to completion. Building a house also takes time. It is a pretty slow process and it won’t be done for at least several months. Like building a house, discipleship also takes time. And you can’t stop halfway through discipleship, just like you can’t stop halfway through building a house.

And then Jesus uses another parable. Discipleship is like a king who is about to fight another king. But first, he needs to make sure that he has enough men to fight and win. Think about the civil war. In the civil war, the South was constantly outnumbered in manpower and resources. There were nearly 3.5 men in the North for every 1 man in the South. The North also had the vast majority of the steel and textile production, all necessary for good fighting men. The North had all the factories, all the resources, and all the money. The South was pretty much broke compared to the North. All that they really had was a whole lot of farms. In the end, the downfall of the South was pretty much inevitable. That is like what Jesus was describing here, with two kingdoms fighting each other. It ended badly for the South. In the end, they lost the Civil War. Jesus says that discipleship, being a Christian, is like that. It is important to know what you’re getting yourself into before you blindly get involved in it.

And Jesus finally concludes his message with the words that unless you give up everything you have, you cannot be his disciple. Again, this is a hard teaching. But I like how The Message bible translates this part. Eugene Peteson writes, “Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.” I like that. If you’re not willing to kiss it goodbye, then you can’t be my disciple. Again, it’s being willing to lose it all, not actually losing it all. It’s about where your loyalty lies. To us, our money and resources cannot come in the way of our commitment to Jesus. We cannot afford to become attached to material things so much that it gets in the way of Jesus.

Jesus says some really radical stuff here. He says you must love him more than your family, you must be willing to follow him to the cross, and you must be willing to give it all up for his sake. Through everything that Jesus says, it is clear that discipleship is costly. It’s not just something that you can be occasionally a part of. It’s not something where you get all these extras and accessories and perks of being a disciple. It actually seems that it costs more than it’s worth. So why would anyone want to be a disciple. Is it actually worth the cost I’ve been asking the question, Do you know what you’re getting yourself into? So, what are we actually getting ourselves into? We’re getting into a relationship with the one, true creator of everything, who made a way for us to all know him forever and live in relationship with him. And living in relationship with Jesus changes our priorities, but in a beautiful way.

In the Bible there’s a book Paul wrote called Philemon, and It shows us some of the nature of discipleship. There once was a slave named Onesimus. He ran away from his master, Philemon. Slavery to us today is such a terrible thing, but back then, it was just a part of life. People who were somewhat important in their culture owned slaves, like owning a car or owning a house. We can’t understand this, but that is the culture that they were all immersed in. Anyway, Onesimus ran away from Philemon, and in their day, that was an offense worthy of death. But Onesimus seems to have run into Paul on his way, and Paul knew Philemon. Paul told Philemon all about the gospel, and Philemon became a believer in Christ. When Onesimus found Paul, Paul also told him about Jesus, and he became a believer. But there was on problem. Onesimus still had to return to his master, and Paul knew this. But he also knew that Onesimus could be killed for running away. So Paul sent a letter to Philemon, along with Onesimus, urging Philemon to accept Onesimus back. But he wasn’t to accept Onesimus again as a just a piece of property, but as a brother in Christ. We don’t know if Onesimus got his freedom, but we do know this: Paul urged both Philemon and Onesimus, master and slave, to learn forgiveness. They were not to view each other in terms of how they wronged each other, but rather in terms of the faith they shared. They were to see each other as fellow believers who shared the same faith and who both loved Jesus.

If Philemon wasn’t a believer, he could have done whatever he wanted with Onesimus. After all, according to the world’s customs, Philemon had a right and a duty to punish his slave. Why should a slave be rewarded with running away? That would only prompt more slaves to try to run away! But Philemon was a Christian, and along with that came a responsibility to live as Jesus would. Philemon was a disciple, and that meant that his life was changed. It also meant that all other responsibilities in his life must come secondary to his call to follow Jesus. And that meant that he needed to forgive his slave Onesimus and accept him back. Like Phimelon, we need to recognize that being a disciple is costly, but it is for our benefit. Following Jesus enables us to live in a right way!

So what is it like being a disciple? Well, Discipleship is kinda like gambling. Let me explain. If you’ve ever seen a game of poker, you know haw risky it is. It is gambling and so you have to know what you’re willing to lose. It could go wither way though. You have to be able to read your opponents to know when to fold and when to bet more. But the more you put in, the more you might lose. It is very much so risky. But when you get that one hand that you know is the best hand, you go all in. Why would you not go all in when you know that you’re going to win? Discipleship is like having that high hand, that ultimate winning hand. You won’t ultimately lose because you have the best hand. So go all in.

Or maybe discipleship is like getting to know a potential romantic partner. At first, you don’t want to ask them straight out on a date because then your chances of scoring a date are pretty low. But eventually, you get to know them better. You know some of the awesome, attractive features about them and you want to go on a date with them. But the thing is, you have that one friend who has been on the inside. They know that you’re interested in that guy or girl, but they also find out and tell you that that guy or girl is also interested in you. So you have two choices. You can ask them out on a date or you can keep putting it off because you’re scared about what might happen. But why would you not ask them out on a date? You already know that they will say yes, so only going half way would not cut it. And waiting too long wouldn’t help either. If the date is really important to you, then you have to be willing to go for it. Take the risk!

Or maybe discipleship I like skydiving. Just think about this. You’re about to jump a few thousand feet from up in the air. Normally, that kind of drop should kill you. There shouldn’t be anything exciting about it. As you go to jump out of the plane, you can’t help but shake from terror. It’s supposed to be scary jumping out of a plane! In fact, I would probably be more worried if you weren’t at least a little timid or nervous going out of a plane the first time. But in the end, you’ve got that parachute on your back, so there’s really no reason to fear. You can go all in because you know that that parachute will slow your fall. In the end, you won’t get hurt. Go for it!

These analogies really help us to understand what being a follower of Jesus is. You may think that it cost too much and that it’s too risky playing a game of poker, but when you have the high hand, you can’t lose. And you may have reservations going and asking that person you’re interested in on a date, but when you already know that they like you, you can be certain that it’s worth the risk. And even jumping out of a plane. You would normally be scared falling from that height, but with your parachute, there’s something to catch your fall. It’s the same thing with discipleship. We may be overwhelmed by what Jesus is telling us about what discipleship costs, but ultimately, it’s worth it. He wants us to learn that as his disciples, we can live without certain things. In fact, we should live without certain things. It may seem harsh what Jesus is saying here, but he wants us to take the call of discipleship seriously. He wants us to be thoughtful and understand. Before we even get started, Jesus wants us to be aware of what it will be like to be a disciple. Because no matter how much it hurts some times, no matter the fact that it’ll cost you something, no matter the fact that it’s a journey to the cross and that there is no looking back, a life with Jesus is always worth it. Because our savior came down to rescue us. He didn’t leave us stuck where we are. No, he came down to show us the right way to live and what that life will look like for us. Salvation is with Jesus, and we each have the opportunity to follow him! And by follow him, I mean really, truly follow him! I mean that we see discipleship for what it is. We understand the costs and the risks, but we decide that ultimately we’re going all in. We’re taking the risk and we’re going for it. The call to be a disciple is a hard one, but there’s nothing better than getting to know our God. And as we get to know our God, our lives are changed and we start to everyday become more like Jesus.

This whole time, I’ve been asking you a question. Do you know what you’re getting yourself into? And I’ve been asking that for a reason. Do you understand the cost of discipleship? Jesus doesn’t want us to become attached to things. He doesn’t want stuff to become a leech on our spiritual life, sucking the life out of us. Remember, it’s a one way journey to the cross. So, what are we getting ourselves into? We’re getting into Jesus, into a relationship with our lover, and there’s nothing sweeter, nothing more valuable, nothing better than to know God and be loved by him.