"And there went great multitudes with him: and he
turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and
mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life
also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and
come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to
build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to
finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not
able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This
man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going
to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether
he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty
thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth
ambassadors, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever
he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:25-33).
Introduction
Our churches are filled with people who have never counted the cost of
true discipleship, and when the time of persecution arrives, they will be found
in the false security of the world. Notice in our text that Jesus purposely
turns around to put off certain ones from following Him. "It is a dramatic
act on the part of Jesus, a deliberate effort to check the wild and unthinking
enthusiasm of the crowds who followed just to be following" (Robinson's
Word Pictures).
Counting the cost too late
How many nominal believers think that they can get right with God towards
the end of their lives? How do they know if they will get the chance to do so?
What assurance have they got that they are saved anyway? Many are going to
discover that they will leave this world hopeless, graceless and unfit to stand
before a thrice holy God. They may open their spiritual eyes as the world, with
its attractions, begins to fade away, but it might be too late to change their
heart toward God.
The great danger
Few realise the great danger they are in while they ignore the voice of
the Holy Spirit calling them to truly follow Christ. They may know much about
the doctrines of Christianity, but they are not "rooted and
grounded" in Christ (Ephesians 3:18). They have learned to talk like a
citizen of Heaven, but they have never experienced the inward change that saving
grace brings. Unless such count the cost they are in great danger of losing
everything.
Over the last few decades we have heard about powerful preachers of the
gospel who have ruined their lives and ministries because the world had not been
forsaken.
Scriptural examples
God delivered the Israelites from Egypt by His mighty hand, but very soon
they lost their faith and wanted to return to slavery instead of going to the
Promised Land. They thought that the Lord would carry them to safety on beds of
ease. They did not count the cost and so perished in the wilderness.
The Lord Jesus Christ attracted a big following, but few of them were
willing to suffer the hardships of discipleship, so turned back and "walked
no more with Him" (John 6:66). They enjoyed the spectacle of the
miracles and the discussions about the Kingdom of Heaven, but when it came to
the true cost of faith and commitment, their so-called profession was destroyed.
Demas failed to count the cost also. At one time he was a faithful
companion of the apostle Paul and was a "fellow labourer" in
preaching the gospel (Philemon 1:24). It seems that Demas had never broken the
chains which bound him to the world. How sad it must have been for Paul to
write, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world"
(2 Timothy 4:10).
The cost
We are far too quick to believe that a new convert is truly saved because
he has said a prayer, appears to have joy, and is very enthusiastic. We forget
that many come to Christ as stony-ground hearers, who when discipleship starts
getting tough, flee for their lives. "Yet hath he not root in himself,
but endureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of
the word, by and by he is offended" (Matthew 13:21). Too many think
that salvation consists in coming to Christ and feeling joy and lightness in
their hearts. Where are the converts today? They have returned to their old ways
because the cost of following Christ was to great too bear'
The one who has counted the cost has realised that their lives must be
laid down, the cross must be taken up, and Christ must be followed wherever He
leads. How can the words of our opening text be reconciled with the easy-believism
style gospel touted today?
Conclusion
© 1/1/2009