The Cost of Following Christ, Part 1a

I am so glad that you're with us this evening. I trust that over the next several weeks you will be blessed as we continue our study in the parables, specifically the parable in Luke chapter 14, verses 26 and following concerning the parable of counting the cost. This is probably the most important parable of all the parables that we're going to be discussing or already have discussed. It is the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. that is the essence of why he came, and it's important for us to understand that.

We'll move from Luke chapter 14, of course, to Luke chapter 15, about the one who particularly came to seek and to save those who were lost, and how exactly he does that. Tremendous study as we continue in the study of the parables. This past week, I was reminded once again of that pharmacist in Kansas City over a year ago, who would, in order to boost his own profits, dilute his patients, prescriptions, some of them up to nearly 99%. He made all kinds of money, while his patients suffered the effects of a medication that had little or no results in their lives.

The condition of their lives didn't improve. For some, it got worse. They coming to this pharmacist, depending upon these prescriptions to heal them, found that that wasn't taking place. Soon they realized that this was a tragedy. This was a betrayal. This was a lie. This was one man's deception for his own personal greed. Unfortunately, at least one of those patients died because they didn't receive the right medication. Here was a man, a man in medicine, committed to helping people get better by providing for them a prescription that would help them with their, physical condition.

Instead, the pills that he gave them contained little or no medicine at all. Instead of offering help, instead of offering healing, he ended up hurting them. Unfortunately, some of them permanently. You think about that and you realize how wrong that is. And all of us would have to agree if we listened to the news when this first took place that this was a great tragedy.

that someone would be so deceptive and so into their own personal welfare that they would risk the lives of other people. So they themselves would benefit. I thought about that and thought that there is a greater tragedy than even that one. A greater tragedy that happens every single week. And nobody does hardly anything at all about it. People from all over the world go to church on Sunday morning. because they have a condition that they want healing for. They want some kind of solution. They want an answer.

And instead of receiving the truth, they receive a lie. Instead of receiving that which they need, they are deceived into something else. That's not true. It's not necessarily a medical problem at all. It's a theological problem. It happens Sunday after Sunday. Instead of hearing preaching that emphasizes the demands of the gospel about denying themselves, they hear that they can come to Christ and continue to fulfill their fleshly desires, that it's okay to do those things. Instead of hearing words like surrender and submission and forsaking all that you have, they hear that Christ will make them rich, make them prosperous, famous, successful.

All across the country, a kind of fit gospel is being. being preached in churches all over the world. And Satan enjoys that. And people buy it, hook, line, and sinker. They come thinking they are receiving the proper prescription for their condition, not knowing that it leaves them terminally ill for eternity. That troubles me. Many people preach a man-centered gospel instead of a God-centered gospel. People preach a gospel that's feeling oriented instead of factually like it should be. One author, Jeffrey Wilson, in his book The Authentic Gospel, said these words, Today's Christianity is in a state of disarray and decay, and the condition is deteriorating year by year.

The truth of God's word has been watered down and compromised to reach a common denominator that will appeal to and accommodate the largest number of participants. The result is a hybrid Christianity, which is essentially man-centered, materialistic, and worldly, and shamefully disarmamenting. to the Lord Jesus Christ. This shameful degeneracy is due in large part to the erroneous gospel that is presented by many today around the world. He is right. We should have known this was going to happen. Paul told us about it in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 when he told these words to Timothy, I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead and by his appearing in his kingdom, preach the word.

Be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and instruction. For the time we'll come when they will not endure, sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves, teachers, in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. That is true that is happening today all around the world. Modern day Christianity has sold us a bill of goods when it comes to following Jesus Christ.

Biblical Christianity has almost disappeared from the American scene, according to one writer. Religion that's being preached today is nothing like what Jesus preached when he came. When you hear about people and church growth and all that's happening around our country and scores of people going to this church and to that, church and you got to wonder what's being said if you were to ask yourself the question when was the last time you heard a sermon preached on on the cross of christ and taking up your cross and following him i would venture to say it that's not preached very often and if it is it's it's misinterpreted to be said a different way we'll talk about that this evening as well but if you have a lot of people following you and you want to keep them following you you've got to dilutes the truth of the gospel And so you have to go back and see what Jesus did.

Understand the words of Jesus Christ. Remember, Jesus was the ultimate evangelists. He came to seek and say that which was lost. He came to win souls to himself. And so the message that he gave was a message that he lived. And therefore the message that he lived would be the message that he preached. And so on an occasion, there were scores. of people following Christ. We don't know how many. The Bible says there was a great multitude.

When the Bible says there's a great multitude, you can be guaranteed of one thing. It's a lot of people. It's more than what's here this evening. There was a great multitude of people. The Bible says these words in Luke chapter 14, verse number 25, now great multitudes were going along with him.

And he turned and said to them. Now we'll stop right there for a second. Scores of people following you. Christ had already set his heart in Jerusalem. He knew that he was going to die. He had one last opportunity to talk to people about what it means to follow him and serve him. What do you think he's going to say? What would you say? You knew you were going to die and you only had a couple of sermons left to preach. What would you say? This is what Jesus said. He said this. If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes.

And even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?

Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, this man began to build and was not able to finish. Or what king, when he sets out, to meet another king in battle. We'll not first sit down and take counsel whether he is strong enough with 10,000 men to encounter the one coming against him with 20,000.

Or else, while the other is still far away, he sent a delegation and ask terms of peace. So therefore, no one of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. Therefore, salt is good. But if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Those were Jesus' words. To a whole bunch of people. They were not words to encourage them in the Christian walk.

They were words to help them understand the cost of following him. He wanted them to understand that. He wanted them to get a hold of that. That's important for us to get a hold of. Walter Chantry in his book, The Shadow of the Cross, says these words. It is the most obvious aspect of our Lord's teaching, which has been forgotten or ignored by modern evangelicalism. Anxious to bring sinners to life, peace, and joy of the Lord, evangelists have failed even to mention that Christ insists upon denial of self at the outset.

Having failed to pass on our Lord's requirement and forgetting it themselves, evangelists have never questioned whether their converts with self-centered lives are true followers of Christ, assuming that it is possible for a man to be self-indulgent and yet heaven-bound. Bible teachers look for some way to bring egocentric men to a higher spiritual plain, then self-denialist taught as a requirement for a second work of grace.

Those who saved texts demanding a cross for a, quote, deeper life, have cheated their heroes than evangelism. Without a cross, there is no following Christ, and without following Christ there is no life at all. An impression has been given that many enter life through a wide gate of believing on Jesus, then a few through the narrow gate of the cross for deeper spiritual service. On the contrary, the broadway without self-denial leads to destruction. All who are saved have entered the fraternity of the cross.

What he says is so important. Why? Because for the most part, we preach a Christianity without the cross, expecting people to understand Jesus Christ without the main instrument of death. And yet the cross is the most significant event in the history of the world. It was AW Toos who said this. The cross is the most revolutionary thing ever to appear among men. The cross of Roman times knew no compromise. It never made concessions. It won all its arguments by killing its opponent and silencing him for good.

It spared not Christ, but slew him the same as the rest. He was alive when they hung him on that cross and completely dead when they took him down six hours later. That was the cross the first time it appeared in Christian history.

The cross affects its ends by destroying one established pattern, the victims, and created another pattern its own. Thus, it always has its way. It wins by defeating its opponent and imposing its will upon him. It always dominates. It never compromises, never dickers nor confers, never surrenders, never surrenders a point for the sake of peace. It cares not for peace. It cares only to end its opposition as fast as possible. With perfect knowledge of all this, Christ said these words. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

So the cross not only brings Christ's life to an end, it ends also the first life, the old life, and every one of his true followers.

It destroys the old pattern, the atom pattern, in the believer's life, and brings it to an end. Then the God who raised Christ from the dead raises a believer and new life begins. This and nothing less is true Christianity. We must do something about the cross, and one of two things only we can do. Flee it or die upon it. That's true. You either flee the cross or fall upon the cross and die. Those are the only two options. Which are you? Which do you seek? To flee the cross of Christ? Or to say as the Apostle Paul, I am crucified.

with Christ. Our outline is the same as it's been through all the parables. We'll begin with, of course, the introduction, then go toward the instruction, and then the implications. It will take us more than two weeks to get through this, probably three. But we're in no hurry. We're not going anywhere unless Jesus comes, and then we're going to go home to be with him. And then you won't need me to teach you anything about the cross. Jesus will be the teacher. But two things I want to cover with you to see me, at least in the introduction.

Number one, the crowds and their curiosity. Number two, the Christ and his comments. First of all, the crowds and their curiosity.

You've got to ask yourself the question, how come all these people are following Jesus? I mean, don't they understand? Don't they get it? Why is it there are scores of people? Why is it there are great multitudes of people following the Lord Jesus Christ at this time? Simply this. They followed him because it benefited them. It benefited them physically. Remember when Jesus fed the 5,000 back in John chapter 6? It's interesting to know that in John 6 it says something very significant about the crowd of people.

In the crowd, you know, it's 5,000 men. They only counted the men back in those days. They didn't count the women and the children. So you think there's probably at least 20,000 people there, maybe 25,000 people there that Christ fed on the hillside that day. And listen to what it says. It says in verse number 14, when therefore the people say, saw the sign which he had performed, they said, this is of a truth, the prophet who was to come into the world. Verse 15. Jesus therefore perceiving that they were intending to come and take him by force to make him king withdrew again to the mountain by himself alone.

Jesus knew what they were thinking. They wanted this guy to be their king. I mean, if he can just take a few fishes and a few loads of bread and feed this many people and make it taste good doing it. I mean, this guy's amazing. We've got to have this guy as our king. So Christ, knowing that they were going to try to take him by force and make him their king, he departed. He left. Because, you see, they did not understand his kingship. They didn't understand his kingdom. So in Luke 14, what do you have?

You have all these people, scores of them. And I'm sure that most of them had been healed. by him at some point in time. I mean, if you read through the scriptures, you realize that Jesus healed everybody who came to him. And these people were so glad to be able to see again and to walk and to talk and to run and to play and to have their life back again. And they were so excited, this guy is the best thing that's ever happened to them. And so they realized their own personal benefit. This guy's great.

Look what's happened to me. Look what he's done for me. But he knew that they had not committed themselves to him. He knew that. He knew it so very, very well. They thought he would go set up his empire. And they would be able to be a part of this great empire that would overthrow the Roman government. And yet, he wasn't on his way to build an empire the way they thought a king should build an empire. Oh, he'd build it a different way. He built it through his death. And he knew that that's not what they wanted.

But that was the only way. And so he sees them, this crowd and their curiosity. What do you do with all those people? I mean, you know, for pastors today, that's a very tempting thing, right? You start a church, and people come, and more people come, and more people come. And next thing, you know, there's so many people, you've got to build a new building, and then more people come, and man, this is exciting. What do you do? Well, you've got to keep preaching. and what they want to hear. Or they're going to stop coming.

They're going to go someplace else. Because people are going to want to have their ears tickled. And when they're all done scratching their ears, there's been no transformation. And without transformation, there is no true Christianity, right? Because Christ came to transform the lives of people to take them from the old life to the new life. And so here is Jesus, seeing these people, looking at them. I love what Calvin Miller says. He says these words. I have come to feel very badly about many church growth models.

There is often little of Jeremiah in their message. The thorny personal requirements of Amos or John the Baptist have been traded for a velvet togetherness. In fact, megachurch messages are all too often contrived to attract the largest possible crowds. The scriptural feeding of these thousands is often accomplished by keeping the soup so bland that no one is offended by the taste. If any significant content arises, it is put aside, lest anything doctrinal or demanding get in the way of building a large crowd.

In such a milu, we never talk about the quality of the soup, only how many we serve. He's right. He is so right. And so to stand and to preach the words of Christ, the way he wants them to be preached, isn't the most exciting thing in all the world. And yes, it's what Jesus did. And so Jesus sees the crowd. He understands their curiosity. He understands where they are. But you've got to realize Christ had a mission. Turn back with me, if you would, to Luke chapter 2. If you're already there in Luke, just turn back a couple of pages.

Luke chapter 2. And you realize that very early on in the life of Christ, he understood what he was about. Now, let me ask you this question.

Do you understand what you're about? Are you still looking for identity? Are you still searching for some kind of significance? Are you still searching for some kind of importance or impact in the world? You see, Jesus knew what he was about when he was 12 years of age. Before that, but we know what the Bible says when he was turned 12.

The Bible says in Luke chapter 2 that his parents used to go to Jerusalem every year at the feast for the past.

Passover. Jesus was 12. They took him with him. And they went for the Passover and Jesus and his parents got separated and he was gone for a day. And then they went off and they started to go back home. But Jesus wasn't with him. They couldn't find him. You ever been in a situation where you couldn't find your kid? It's kind of nerve-wracking, isn't it? Where's Jesus? Where did he go? Have you seen Jesus? Hey, have you seen Jesus? Hey, have you seen Jesus? Hey, anybody's seen Jesus? Come on, Mary Joseph.

What kind of parents are you? Don't you know your own kid is? No, we don't. It took a three days to find Jesus. Three days. No cops were involved. They found Jesus. Verse number 48. And when they saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, son, why have you treated us this way? Behold, your father and I have been angiously looking for you. Jesus, don't you know that we were worried about you? Don't you know that we have looked high and low for you? It's in the words of Jesus. He said to them, why is it that you were looking for me?

Did you not know that I had to be? in my father's house? Another translation says, don't you know that I had to be about my father's business? Now, that verse is interesting in and of itself, but it's the next one I want you to see. And they did not understand the statement which he had made to them. His own parents didn't get it. They didn't understand it. Jesus says, I have a purpose of life.

I have a mission in life. And I have to be about that purpose. I have to be about my purpose. I have to be about my father's business. I have to be about my father's affairs. Let me tell you something.

If your business and your mission and your affairs in life are not the same as Jesus's, you will always be searching for identity and significance in all the wrong places. And you will never find it. Never. You won't. In fact, let me say it this way.

If your business and your mission is not the same as Jesus's, you will be a failure. You might be a successful failure, but you might be a successful failure, but you'll be a failure. Why is that? Because the identity of a believer is wrapped up in understanding who Jesus Christ is, what he did, why he did it, what he's about. And the believer finds his identity, his significance in the character of Jesus Christ, and realizing that when he does what Jesus did and lives the life that Jesus lived, that that's when he makes the greatest impact in all the world.

It's not how much money you make. It's not even where you work. That's insignificant to Jesus. Where you work is really insignificant to him. It's how you work where you work, which is significant to him. And how you work all depends on how well you know Jesus Christ, says Lord and Savior. And how well you're willing to emulate his life in the environment that he calls you to live out your spiritual existence. That's identity. That's making an impact. And so Jesus, at the very early age of 12, already know his mission and purpose and life.

And he said to his parents, don't you know, don't you understand? I got a purpose here. I got a life. Mom and dad, maybe you don't have a life. I got a life. And that life is around the purpose and mission of God, my father. And I'm going to fulfill that to the very end. And nothing, nothing will thwart me from that mission. That is so important. Because you see, Jesus carried that through his whole life. So when you read Luke 14 and says, if any man come up to me and hate not father, mother, brother, sister, more than me, he cannot be one of my disciples.

God forbid that we should tell people about the saving grace of Jesus Christ our Lord without ever explained to them the essence of the cross of Christ. Let's pray. I'm