Count the Cost First

Transcript

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[0:00] Thank you, Adele. And our sermon text today is from Luke chapter 14. We'll read verses 25 through 33. This is a little bit of an introduction here. This section of Luke, starting from the end of chapter 9 until sort of the beginning of the week of the Passion, is about Jesus's journey to Jerusalem. So all of this kind of takes place while he's walking. He's kind of ambulatory at this stage. And when we say he's headed to Jerusalem, he's headed to the cross, and he's headed to his own death. So Jesus knows this. And I think everything that Jesus says on the way is sort of overshadowed by his realization that he's walking to his own death. And in a certain sense, when he says things then, he really doesn't have too much time for sort of small talk. He just kind of gets straight to the point. He's very sort of very direct, very strong. And so the teaching, I would say, is that he's walking to his own death. And he's walking to his own death. And I would say intensifies as he gets closer. If you look back at Luke 9.51, it says this, as the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven or to be taken up, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Some translations say he set his face towards Jerusalem. And it gives us really great

[1:13] visual image that he was whatever he was doing here, he stopped that and he faced Jerusalem. And from there on, he was really only walking in one direction. Luke 13.22 says, Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, so he did have some work along the way. But it says, always pressing on towards Jerusalem. So you get the sense of urgency of purpose as Jesus is going. And so Jesus is even at this point is going to make a point about discipleship that even feels sort of counterintuitive and very strong. So I'm sure you're going to catch, I'm going to ask you to listen for the really strong sayings of Jesus in this passage. They're going to hit you over the head. So I know you're going to catch them. And then we'll talk about them. But listen for Jesus to make a point with exaggeration. Okay. So let's read Luke chapter 14, verses 25 through 33. A large crowd was following Jesus.

[2:06] He turned around and said to them, if you want to be my disciple, you must by comparison, hate everyone else. Your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters. Yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.

[2:28] And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there's enough money to finish it. Otherwise you might complete only the foundation before running out of money. And then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, there's the person who started that. Right? building and couldn't afford to finish it?

[3:00] Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can't, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away.

[3:19] So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. Let's pray. Father, we pray you teach us the cost of discipleship and that you would bless the words that you've given us. In Jesus' name, amen.

[3:38] Well, you're a little shocked to hear. You know, we're at different levels of Bible knowledge here today, and that, I think, is so good to kind of explain this. Some of you are shocked to hear that Jesus says that we should hate anyone, right? Because Jesus talks about love all the time. In fact, and this is that exaggeration that I mentioned earlier. So I'll just set the record straight. Jesus is not telling you to hate anyone. Jesus never tells anyone to actually hate anyone. He tells people to love people. So for example, Jesus at the Last Supper says, this is my commandment, that you love one another. Or in 1 John 4, 7, some of you have memorized this. It's also a song. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God, right? So why should we hate? Why should we hate people? Father, mother, wife, and children, brothers and sisters. And I'm going to point out an issue with the New Living Translation, the NLT, which is our translation we read most of the time. And I'll ask Andres to bring it back up, verse 29.

[4:41] Because I'm going to call it an issue. It's not a problem. It's a little too strong to call it a mistranslation. It's an embellishment, which the New Living Translation does sometimes. And it's kind of interesting to know. So.

[4:56] Oh, did I say verse 29? Verse 26. Thank you, Andres. Verse 26. There we go. So it says, if you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else. Did you see the by comparison section there? That's not in the original text. That's not in there. And the New Living Translation is kind of helping people. And I think. The New Living Translation is geared towards people who don't know the Christian faith that well. So in that sense, it's doing a really good job. But the word by comparison isn't in that, isn't in the original Greek text from which we translate the Bible. So they took some liberty here. I think it's OK because they got it right. It's the correct understanding of this passage. Jesus is not saying you must hate your family. Jesus is saying, if you follow me, the devotion you bring to me must look. It must be so. It's so great that it makes the love which you should absolutely have for your family look so bad that it's almost like hate. Do you get? You all get that. I think this is the comparison of the exaggeration. So yes, absolutely love your family. But love me and be devoted to me so much more that it's really on a quantum level different and higher, your devotion to me. So by comparison, I think is a useful thing

[6:20] that the NLT does, though it's not technically correct. That's OK. So it's the correct sentiment. Right? And I guess you could say that Jesus is saying devotion to himself should be infinite, which is kind of an interesting idea. Your devotion to him could be infinite. So what does that look like? So this is really, I would say this is strong medicine. Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem. He doesn't mince words. Right? But I want to slow down here because I think we can read passages like this too quickly.

[6:56] And we can read them too many times in a casual way. Maybe we're reading it together and we don't think we should stop there. Maybe we're reading the Bible through in a year, which is great, and you're always trying to get to the next stage. But this is a really great place to stop. OK? This is a really great place to stop. Right? So Jesus is saying our commitment to him, our discipleship, and that's what discipleship means. It's the desire and decision to become his disciples, which means his students. And his followers, people who follow after Jesus in his life and the way we live our lives. That our commitment to him, our discipleship, should be greater than any other attachment in this world. To the people he was talking to then, the attachment to mother and father was the highest attachment. It was the most important commitment that anyone had, higher than except for to God. Right? And that's the same here. Whatever it is, and our culture is like this. It's a little bit different, but I think family is still way near the top, very much near the top. But not every family. There are some other commitments that other people could make that were higher than family. Jesus is saying whatever those commitments are,

[8:08] are commitment to God and to him, actually. To him. I keep saying God, but it's to him. He's talking about himself. Your commitment to me must be greater than any other attachment in this world. Right? And in case there's any doubt about it, he adds this final clause to it, and we'll go back to that. Not just should you hate your father and mother, brother and sister, wife and children, but you should hate, yes, very bottom row, the know you had it right. There you go. Yes.

[8:39] Even your own life. You should love yourself. You should. You absolutely should love yourself. But evidently, you should love Jesus more. Wow. So that's a great place to slow down, because we ask ourselves, is following Jesus a very casual thing? Or we can kind of do it one day a week? Or it's just a part of our life that we give to Jesus? And there's no doubt that people understand Christianity in that way. And that's understandable, because the cost of discipleship is actually extremely high when we look at it, at least in this passage. OK? So Jesus says, if you can't love me more than all these other things, even your own life, then you cannot be my disciple.

[9:23] Why this absolute language from Jesus? Why doesn't Jesus say, 50-50. I'll make you a deal. 50-50. You love the world 50%, you love me 50%. You know what I'm saying? Like, let's make a deal. 70-30, 80-20, what is it? No, it's like, it's 100-0. That's where the infinite comes from. Because if you divide by 0, you get infinity. You don't, actually. But you kind of think you would. As you get closer to 0, as the divisor gets closer to 0, then the answer gets higher. Taller and taller.

[9:58] So yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And he goes on. He says, if you do not carry your own cross, you cannot be my disciple. What does he mean when he says, carry your own cross?

[10:14] He means go to the cross with him. He's talking about being willing to follow him. So he's walking to Jerusalem. He's telling people. You have to follow me there. And he's telling us, sort of in a metaphorical way, but it's really real, we have to follow him to Jerusalem. Because what's at Jerusalem? Our own death. Our own death to serve others. The loss of our own life in obedience to God. So unless you're willing to follow him all the way to Jerusalem, to the top of the hill where he's killed, so that you can die alongside him, then we cannot really be called his disciples. That's why I say it's a great place to stop and slow down. This is what Jesus is asking. This is the cost of discipleship. It's not a small amount. It's not the change you have in your pocket by any stretch. It's not even the entire contents of your bank account. It's much more than that. It's your whole life. It's everything. It's higher than any commitment you can make. And I think Jesus is saying to this crowd, yeah, you're following me, great. But save yourself the steps. You can get them at the gym. But save yourself the steps, because you should really know what it costs. If you're going to keep following me, I'm going to Jerusalem. I'm going to the cross.

[11:28] If you're going to follow me, you're going to follow me all the way there. You can't follow me halfway. There's no halfway commitments. So and then, as you see, there's two things that almost seem like parables. But I would put them in the category of what we would call a truism. There's two little truisms that he tells to get people to think about the cost. He says, count the cost before you choose this. And here's an example of how you could count the cost. Because you're pledging your entire life. Your whole life is at stake. So you really should slow down and say, how much is it going to cost me to follow Jesus? My whole life is at stake. Take some time to think about it. And so I can relate to the first one about the building. He gives the example, well, what if you start building, but you didn't really think about what it costs? And then you're only halfway done, and you have to stop because you run out of money. And that would be the source. You would be the source. You'd be like the butt of everybody's joke in the neighborhood. There's a half-built building, and it just sits there.

[12:25] And so like I said to the kids, I've had a few projects where I've planned in advance. I made a list of all the tools I need, all the hardware I need. We live across the street from a hardware store. I love that. Because actually, that has saved me from my own freestyling. Because if the hardware store was like 30 minutes away, I probably would plan more. But part of my planning is, oh, I could just walk to the hardware store. If it's open, it closes at 6. It closes really early, the one near us. I can walk there in a minute. It's really great. It's true value. Nice people there. Anyways.

[12:55] But it's a bit like you walk around, and you're like, is something going to come out and bite me? It's kind of an interesting place. And there's a little dog there. It might be him. But no, he's really sweet. It's a really sweet little dog. And our dogs like that dog. You bring your dog into that store, which you're allowed to do, and they give him treats. It's a really nice little store. Anyways, part of my planning is, oh, I can just go to the hardware store. But if the hardware store was an hour away, I would think this through. But like I said to the kids, the other time, I freestyle it halfway through. I need to be right. I need to run and get a tool, or I have to go to the hardware store. And the same thing in war. And you know what's really interesting is Jesus doesn't talk about war too much, but he talks about it here. I think that's fascinating.

[13:36] But I think it's obvious also that he understood war, and he didn't like it. But he says, if you start a war, but you don't have the resources to actually win the war, then don't start the war. Because you should really sue for peace. You should come to some of this. It would be a real compromise. So there's people like Vladimir Putin, and you know this, right? He started a war in Ukraine more than three years ago, and they planned for a three-day campaign. This was going to be a three-day war. It's been three years now, so it's been 365 times longer than they thought. They thought the Ukrainians would fold up. They didn't plan for resistance.

[14:16] And to say that they were embarrassed is really an understatement. It's going to go into textbooks as one of the worst planned invasions ever. Some of the people in the tanks were told to pack their parade uniforms instead of their warm winter gear. This was in February of 2022 because they said, you're going to be in a victory parade down the streets of Kiev. So you need to have your best uniform. So they brought their best uniforms with them, but they didn't bring their winter boots or their winter jackets and they were mired down in the cold. Some of them froze, you know. Planning. Plan for what it costs. Now, they they did plan, of course, but they they vastly overestimated the the their own military strength and they underestimated the resistance. Right. So that's going to that's when you talk about, you know, a poorly planned thing. It's disastrous. It's been disastrous for Russia, no doubt.

[15:10] So building a building or waging a war, they require planning, they require foresight, they require thinking. This sort of a cognitive process here. The Bible actually, you know, something that's written in the Bible, sometimes the Bible is about feeling, sometimes the Bible is about thinking.

[15:23] It's a cognitive process to sit down and plan for something. Right. Making a list. Should I commit to this project? And if I commit to it, what will it cost me? Do I can I budget for it? Right. Can I make it work? And if it doesn't work, I shouldn't even start it. I mean, that's really some thinking there, right? It's very simple thinking, but it's very logical and real thinking. We talk about following Jesus as a person. We talk about following Jesus as a decision we make in a moment. Right. And that sometimes happens. And that in a way that's true because the truth of the gospel seems clear to us in a moment. And we're overwhelmed with the love of God for us, forgiving our sin. And in that moment, we can give our lives to Christ. But if we read passages like this, it says it could also be a longer decision than just a moment. It's because you're giving your whole life to Jesus. Right. So it's okay to slow down to make this decision and think about what it will cost you to make this decision. So I think if things can be intention, following Jesus could be a quick decision, but following Jesus could be a slow decision. And I don't know how they could be both at the same time. Right. But it's a decision that counts the cost that says I might lose my family.

[16:35] I might lose my friends. I might lose my life for this. And, you know, I know people who have lost friends and family because they became Christians. Their family didn't like it. Family didn't like it. Family cut them off. Right. And that's tragic. And I wish that would have happened. I wish they wouldn't have to choose between Jesus and their family. But they chose Jesus. And I have hope that in time the family will come around. Right. The family will those those broken relationships can be healed and even the family can come to know Jesus. Right. But it has cost them family and sometimes friends. If some of our covenant people in the covenant church, there's several missionaries in our covenant denomination. Most famously, Paul Carlson, who literally lost his life while serving Jesus in the gospel. He was killed in the Congo. So that can happen. It doesn't happen a lot. The odds are low that you're going to actually lose your physical life. But it's not out of the question unless you take up your cross and follow me, whatever that may mean in your particular life. And it may mean your own death. You cannot be called my disciples. Count the cost. But I don't want to only be on count the cost. I want to think about counting the alternative.

[17:47] What's the cost of not being called my disciples? What's the cost of not doing it? What's the opportunity lost cost? If you want to think about it that way. In John chapter six, Jesus teaches some really challenging things about his own body and blood. Right. And that's a sermon for another time. But the point is that what he's telling people is really hard for them to take. Either it's hard to understand or hard for them to like or hard. This is hard for them to get their minds around. And it's really challenging them. So he has crowds of thousands of people following him and around maybe crowds of hundreds actually calling themselves his disciples. Like it was more than 12 disciples, probably hundreds or so people that are really kind of committed to the core thing of what was happening.

[18:33] In John chapter six, starting in verse 66, it says, Because of this, the things he was saying, many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. His following shrunk from hundreds to just 12. So Jesus asked the 12, Do you also wish to go away? Do you also want to leave me? And this is the human side of Jesus. I think this really gets at the incarnation. Because I think Jesus is a little hurt.

[19:04] Say there's a hundred people and 88 of them leave. You're in a room with a hundred people and 88 walk out the door. They're like, we don't want this. And there's 12 left. I would look at the 12 as a hurt human and go, Are you going to leave too? Like, don't we act that way as humans? We're like, aren't you? Are you still with me? Like you're kind of stung by it, you know? And so Jesus says, what about you? You know, and so was Jesus feeling sorry for himself? Maybe. But Jesus was the teacher, so he was always testing his students. And this was an opportunity. This was an opportunity for them to say something really smart. And in this case, Peter says something really smart. Rare. Happens. Jesus, Peter got one right this time. Right? What does Peter say? Verse 68, Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom can we go? Basically saying we have nowhere else to go. Lord, to whom can we go?

[20:08] You have the words of eternal life. So Peter and the other 11 figured out at least we might be able to go somewhere else, but they're not offering you. We're not offering us what you're offering us. Where else can we go? Only you have the words of eternal life. So what's the alternative to the life of discipleship? Where else can we go? Only Jesus offers eternal life that we can count on. The alternative is a life lived for the self, right? Not the one that dies to the self. It's a life that's not for the soul. It's a life pursuing my own happiness. That all sounds great, of course, but I'm trapped in my own bubble and I'm living for myself. I don't love that.

[20:49] But the life of discipleship pulls me out of myself, out of my own bubble, out of my own making of the world. And it sets me loose in the real world, in this great world. And it makes me attentive to the needs of others.

[21:06] So following Jesus pulls me out of myself in such a healthy and amazing way. And sets me at work in the kingdom where I'm needed. So that's the alternative. The alternative is not having that stuff. Not having eternal life in the future, but not having a life that actually matters in the present.

[21:26] So when you think about it, sit down and think about the cost. You can also think about the benefit. The benefit is there. The cost of discipleship is great, but the benefit of discipleship is probably even greater.

[21:41] Because you'll end up with a life that preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ and preaches the cross of Jesus Christ. And brings hope to the hopeless and comfort to the afflicted, right? That's the life that we're called into. So I would say this.

[21:59] You've made your decisions maybe, and that's great. Maybe it was quick, maybe it was slow. Maybe it's dawning on you today that this is a bigger deal than you... Have you been in that? Like... You're getting into some financial arrangement or something. You're about to buy a car and you're like, wait a second. This is a bigger deal than I thought it was going to be. You mean I'm going to have to make payments? Wait, I need insurance? This is when you're younger, you know. I need insurance?

[22:23] I need to register the car? And you go to buy the car and the car's like, you know, $40,000, which is not even... You can't even buy a car for that now, probably. And you're like, so you're seeing the car's $40,000, but then... You're not going to leave there without $50,000, are you? You can't leave there without some kind of money. You're going to have to make a commitment, right? And you're like, this is a bigger commitment than I thought it was.

[22:43] So, what I'd say is it's never too late. Even if you started this life, this journey to Jerusalem with Jesus without planning it all out, it's okay. It's never too late to start planning for the final segment of the journey. So, even in the middle of one of my freestyle projects at home, every now and then... This is rare, but in the middle of a freestyle project, I'll get frustrated enough with all my lack of planning. And I'll go, okay. I better make a list now. So, even in the middle of a project, I can plan what's left of the project. Instead of going to the tool chest five more times, I can write down, okay, I'm going to go get five tools right now in one trip. And I'll go make one trip to the hardware store, even though it's just across the street, and I'll come back. So, even in the middle of the journey, if you haven't planned up until then, you can stop, take a beat, and plan for the rest of it. So, if you're in the middle of the Christian life and you haven't thought all this through, it's okay. You can stop right here and go, this is a big commitment.

[23:42] But it's a great reward. Can I do this? Do I have enough to make the rest of this journey? Have I got all the supplies I need? Do I have all the soldiers I need? Right? But you can. It's not too late to stop and count the cost. And counting the cost is really what it's about. This is the passage for today. There's other passages that are a lot more about grace and hope. And we'll get there. We'll get to those. But today, this is about Jesus being kind of strong, being kind of direct, and saying it's going to cost. This is the cost of discipleship. I sometimes bring out this book. It's called The Cost of Discipleship. It's by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was a German theologian. He spoke out against the Nazis, and he was executed by Hitler.

[24:27] And that's the name of the book. That's the name of the sermon, The Cost. What does it cost to be a disciple? Jesus tells you, unless you give up your own life, walk with me to the cross. You can't be called my disciple.

[24:41] And that cost is something Bonhoeffer knew about in part, but then he knew about it in full. He wrote this book in 1937. This was before the war began, but it was definitely during the time when Hitler and the Nazis were taking over every aspect of life in Germany, including the church.

[24:57] And he had been teaching in America. He had a job in America teaching. He was safe. But he told his colleagues, he says, I have to move back to Germany. And they said, you're crazy. Why would you do that? You can speak against Nazism from the safety of America. And he says, if I'm not there on the ground fighting it there, then I will have no place when it's all over in rebuilding the country and rebuilding the church in Germany. He had to be there on the ground. He became a martyr. He saw the coming clouds of Nazism. He said, I have to be there. And so he went. He was arrested in time. And he was executed just a few weeks before the war. And he was executed just a few weeks before the war was over.

[25:38] He didn't know his own fate when he wrote it, but I think he saw it from afar, the cost of discipleship. Here are just two things he wrote in this book. If you want to borrow it, you can borrow it. The first thing is, Bonhoeffer writes, when we are called to follow Christ, we are summoned to an exclusive attachment to his person.

[26:03] I'm going to read that again because I think it's great. When we are called to follow Christ, we are summoned to an exclusive attachment to his person. Wow. I love that. And the other one is a little more simple but very powerful. When Christ calls a man, but I'll change that to person. When Christ calls a person, he bids them come and die. It's as simple as that. Simple sentence. When Christ calls a person, he bids them come and die. That's the cost in advance. Count the cost before you go. Make a list of what you need to give up and what you will gain. Take your time and ask yourself, is this a commitment I can make? And as challenging as that sounds, that's the message of this passage of Scripture for today. Let's pray.

[26:55] Father, not that I have achieved these things, but that you are calling me into it. Remind me again of the great cost of discipleship. Help me to plan. Help me to count that cost and help me to commit to it. In Jesus' name, amen.