Count the Cost, Part 2

A fitting song based on the context of Luke chapter 14 and the resurrection of the righteous and will you be a part of the resurrection of the righteous will you be a part of the great banquet of God because of his great love for you in your commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you have your Bible turn with me to Luke chapter 14 we're gonna read four verses this morning out of this passage four verses that hopefully we'll be able to get to today if not well we'll get to next week that's just the way it is here at Christ Community Church Luke 14 verse 25 now great multitudes were going along with him and he turned and said to them 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 verse number 33 so therefore no one of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions these are the words of Jesus to a multitude of people explaining to them the essence of the gospel in what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ Christ called people to follow him no less than 13 times in the gospel is that invitation given come and follow me those who gave their life to Christ were characterized by being followers of Christ and so when Christ presented the gospel he wanted people to understand the implications of what it meant to be a follower of him years ago a W Tozer had preached through the book of first and second Peter when he was done he decided to write a book that book was on first Peter it was entitled some call it heresy or I call it heresy excuse me in it he said these words years ago no one would ever dare to rise in the media and say I am a Christian if he had not surrendered his whole being to God and had taken Jesus Christ as his Lord as well as the Savior and had brought himself under obedience to the will of the Lord it was only then that he could actually say I am saved today we let them say they are saved no matter how imperfect and incomplete the transaction with the provisional that the deeper Christian life can be tacked on at some time in the future can it be that we really think that we do not owe Jesus Christ our obedience we have owed him our obedience ever since the second we cried out to him for salvation and if we do not give him that obedience I have reason to wonder if we are really converted I see things and I hear of things that Christian people are doing and as I watch them operate within the profession of Christianity I do raise the question of whether they have been truly converted brethren I believe it is the assault or the excuse me the result of faulty teaching to begin with they thought of the Lord as a hospital and Jesus as chief of staff to fix up poor sinners that had gotten into trouble fix me up Lord they have insisted so that I can go on my own way my brethren that is bad teaching what he wrote 60 70 years ago is true today people approach the gospel and they they think it's somehow a way for Jesus to fix up their marriage or to fix up their financial situation or fix up the relationships or fix up whatever is ailing them not understanding the implications of God's call upon someone's life to save them from their sin in our self-indulgent self-absorbed society that's consumed only with what I can receive we have diluted the gospel so that we can keep people coming to the church and somehow attracting them to something that they will like instead of giving them the truth of the gospel Jesus as he approached the cross and he was going there based on Luke chapter 13 he says I must go to Jerusalem because that's where all the prophets of God die I must go there he's on his way to Jerusalem to die and as he was making this journey the messages that he gave were very intense very strong in fact his indictment against the religious establishment grows in severity as time gets closer to the cross his indictment against them becomes more harsh becomes more pointed because time is drawing to an end his time is and he must communicate to them the absolute essential aspects of the gospel and would it be that we would have that same kind of passion that same kind of drive that same kind of desire when we present the gospel to people Jesus made it very clear when he quoted the book of Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse number 4 you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart with all of your soul with all of your might he would add with all of your mind it's with everything you have see we forget that Jesus wants everything he doesn't want a part of you he wants all of you that's why the Lord God said in the book of Jeremiah you will find me only when you seek me with all your heart not if you seek me with a half a heart not if you seek me with a with three-fourths of your heart you got to seek me with everything that you have when you do you'll find me if you don't do that you'll never find me he wants everything that you have he wants all that you are and that's what Luke 14 25 and following is all about let's get to the introduction this morning because we didn't get there last week we'll get to the introduction this morning and look at the crowd and their curiosity and then we'll look at the Christ and his commands I'm not sure we'll get much further past that but it's important to understand what Jesus is saying here that's why he gives a parable about counting the cost you need to count the cost this is the most important decision you'll ever make so make sure you evaluate it thoroughly make sure you know what you're getting yourself into make sure you understand it as much as possible because it demands everything you have and everything you are that's Christianity you can't dilute that and so Jesus says to this great multitude why was there a great multitude why well let me give you several reasons one in the in the passage that we're in Luke chapter 14 Christ has already talked about the fact in Luke 13 that he has left Israel desolate he's abandoned them and he talks about that in Luke 14 about the religious establishment that they won't be a part of the resurrection of the righteous they won't be a part of that great banquet of God in glory because they have refused to believe in Jesus as Messiah they have refused to accept that he is from God and they attributed everything he is to Satan and so he gives this parable about the excuses those pre-invited guests gave as to why they wouldn't come to the banquet and then he says go out into the highways to the byways compel them to come in bring in the lame bring in the poor bring in the crippled and so if we're going to do that and we're going to go out and preach the gospel to the Gentiles preach the gospel to those who are blind and lame and crippled and are in the utter edges of the of the world okay we understand that through the parable of the sower the soil that when you throw the seed out and and people respond not everybody who responds is truly born again right people jump on the Jesus bandwagon and a lot of these people who were a part of this great multitude were a part of the curious and the casual who wanted to be a part of the Jesus bandwagon Jesus was the most amazing individual who ever walked the earth go with me to John 6 for a moment let me explain something to you to help you understand this crowd in their curiosity you know the story in John 6 about the feeding of the 5,000 it literally was around 25,000 people because they only counted the men in those days so the women and children were not counted so if you count up all the the women and the children along with the men you're gonna have somewhere between 20 and 25,000 people not just 5,000 men okay and so Christ when he multiplied the fishes and he multiplied the loaves at the end of that there were 12 baskets full of food for the disciples so they would understand the overwhelming sufficiency that the Lord God would provide for those who trust him and believe in him and then it says in John 6 these words verse number 14 when therefore the people saw the sign which he had performed they said this is of a truth the prophet who was to come to the world 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 he knew they wanted to make him king so what did he do he left they would take him by force this guy is amazing look what he can do this guy can be our king he can be our ruler if he can feed all these people with this miracle he must be the prophet let's take him by force and make him our king but see the problem is is that they wanted Christ for their benefit they wanted Christ for their own selfish ends so Christ goes up into the mountain to pray he sends his men out to a boat there's a great storm he walks in the water calms the storm it's a great story okay when it's all said and done he comes back on shore and this is what it says in verse number 22 the next day the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there except one and that Jesus had not entered with his disciples into the boat but that his disciples had gone away alone there came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks when the multitudes therefore saw that Jesus was not there nor his disciples they themselves got into small boats and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus and when they found him on the other side of the sea they said to him rabbi when did you get here so the very next day they get up they realize that Jesus is gone they got to figure out where he is so they go from Bethsaida to Capernaum if you've been to Israel it's not that far of a journey you can walk there or you can take the boat around the the sea to get there as well either way is fine but but they get there rabbi where have you been we woke up and you were gone and Jesus said these words truly truly I say to you you seek me not because you saw signs but because you ate of the loaves and were filled because I know why you're here you're hungry you want breakfast you had dinner now you want breakfast and and you want me to do something for you again and so he goes in this long dissertation about how he is the bread of life how he's come down from heaven and it's in this chapter where he talks about eating my flesh and drinking my blood that most of his disciples walk with him no more because what he said was too stringent it was too difficult they wanted Jesus for their own selfish benefit they wanted Jesus to fix their problem their hunger problem we have a hunger problem Jesus can fix it let's have him do a miracle and we'll have breakfast and then we'll see him for lunch we'll see him for dinner and this is the greatest thing going who needs to go to McDonald's when we have Jesus at our disposal he's right there and that was their attitude but this was the way it always was to turn back with Matthew chapter 4 with me for a moment Matthew chapter 4 you need to understand the crowd and their curiosity this is why there were so many people there Jesus would do for them and because he was kind and compassionate and loving and merciful he did do for people because he had to demonstrate his messianic credentials right because he was the Messiah in order to fulfill Old Testament prophecy the messianic credentials had to be clearly seen on display through the life of Jesus Christ our Lord and so in Matthew 4 verse number 23 it says and Jesus was going about in all Galilee teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people and the news about it went out into all Syria and they brought to him all who are ill taken with various diseases and pains demoniacs epileptics paralytics and he healed them and great multitudes followed him from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan now this is early on in his ministry in Luke 14 it's later on in ministry there are still multitudes following him this is at the outset of his ministry he's healing everybody if you're blind you go to Jesus you can see if you're paralyzed you go to Jesus and you can walk if you have some kind of disease you go to Jesus and guess what everything is going to be better that's why they were there that's why they were so curious that's why they were so captivated by the Christ he did everything for them so what does he do well if you've been to Israel you know where this location is he sits down on a mount and he begins to teach them and what does he say he says blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven and he goes on and talks about those famous Beatitudes because all this is the gospel presentation everything about Matthew 5 6 & 7 is about the gospel he talks about the attitude of those people in the kingdom of God and and the impact of those people because of the attitude they possess because of what the Lord God has done in their hearts and then he goes on through chapter 5 and he says you know you've heard that it was said this way but this is the way it really is I know you've been taught this but this is the absolute truth talks about murder he talks about love he talks about adultery he talks about all the those things that they have heard one way but now he wants to clarify everything for them he goes into chapter 6 and talks about their prayer life because those who pray pray God's way in his kingdom talks about how they give all those kind of things and then it concludes in Matthew chapter 7 with that infamous invitation narrow is the way straight as the gate few there be that find it because it's a gospel presentation it's a gospel presentation he talks about being aware of false prophets because they're gonna come in and they're gonna deter you away from that narrow gate and those false prophets will be characterized on the last day when they will come to me and say well Lord did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many marvelous deeds in your name and I will say depart from me I never knew you and then he gives that whole ending illustration about the man who built his house upon the rock and the man who built his house upon the sand and they both experienced the same rains and the same floods but the one on the rock stood and the wrong on the stand fell and how great was that fall sermon ends that's it that's it sermon ends and there's no response from anybody in the crowd that's what I need I need what you have Jesus I need all that you there's no response no recorded response to the invitation that Christ gives narrows the way straight as the gate few there be that find it have you found it because I am that way I am that door I am that gate but there's no response but the text says in the book Gospel of Matthew chapter 7 the result was that when Jesus had finished his words the multitudes were amazed at his teaching for he was teaching them as one having authority and not as their scribes they were amazed at his teaching they loved they loved his teaching but but there was no response to the gospel invitation that Jesus gave and maybe there wasn't enough verses of just as I am or maybe there wasn't enough music there on the on the side of the hill for for for to spur people's emotions to get them to respond but Jesus wasn't interested in that he was interested in people's true heart commitment people didn't respond but this crowd and their curiosity is easily explained that Jesus was amazing how he said it what he said what he did but to take the step that says you know what I want my life to be your life I want you to take over my life they weren't there and folks most people today aren't there either they're just not there they don't want to relinquish control of their life they don't want to relinquish control of their possessions they don't want to relinquish control of anything that they have they want to own it all and God says if you come to me I must be the priority over every person in your life even your own life in over every possession that you have I want everything and if you're not willing to give it to Jesus you'll never see the kingdom of God you just won't because that's what Jesus said but but notice this it wasn't just the crowds in their curiosity even the disciples had difficulty with what Jesus said because maybe here today you say man I'm having a real struggle with this I'm I'm having a hard time with this well you're not don't feel like the Lone Ranger the disciples boy they had they had trouble to go with me in your Bible to Mark chapter 8 Mark chapter 8 folks this is all foundational to what's happening Luke chapter 14 this is this is a very crucial passage of scripture to understand the gospel as Jesus presented it and God's call upon people's lives you need to grasp this because because most people in the church are tares not wheat they're goats not sheep not not the true church the Church of Jesus Christ I'm talking about the the church building the people to go to church most of them are the tares among the wheat we don't understand who they are because you won't know to the end of the harvest Christ says in Matthew chapter 13 but it's imperative that people are called into account to recognize the truth of God's holy word so the disciples you know we know the story we've gone over many times it's that place in Caesarea Philippi where Christ says who do men say that I am well some say you're Jeremiah some say you're John the Baptist some say you're Elijah you're great but you're not God but you are great they're gonna give that to you and Christ said well but who do you say that I am Peter says thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God and you know Matthew's account says you know oh blessed are you son of our Jonah from flesh and blood have not revealed to you by my father who is in heaven and based on that confession Peter I'm gonna give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven because the way into the kingdom is through the identity of the Messiah who he is and what he did and then the text says this in Mark's account after Peter says thou art the Christ verse 30 and he warned them to tell no one about him why well you saw what happened in John 6 right they want breakfast they want lunch they want dinner don't tell them that I'm the Messiah because they have a misconception as to the identity of the Messiah they don't understand Jesus they don't understand God in the flesh they don't they have a an understanding based on what they want to happen not based on what actually is going to happen so don't tell them that I'm the Messiah and then we have in Mark 8 a scenario that takes place again in Mark 9 and then again in Mark chapter 10 a conversation about the cross in Mark 8 it talks about the necessity of the cross in Mark 9 it speaks of the certainty of the cross and in Mark 10 it speaks of the severity of the cross but within the context of the cross's necessity and the cross's certainty and the cross's severity Christ always talks about the cross's victory the victory of the cross but the disciples never hear that part it's like you go to church and the pastor says something and you just turn him off because he said something that went against what you thought was right and you don't hear the rest of the story that was the disciples listen to what it says verse 31 and he began to teach them the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed that's the necessity of the cross then comes the victory of the cross and after three days rise again and he was stating the matter plainly in other words he says okay this is what you tell people he states this openly openly declare this openly declare that the Christ must suffer necessity of the cross he must die but he will rise again this is what you tell people the Messiah came to die because in their minds the Messiah was the king he would do everything for them he would give them a kingdom they would rule they would reign with him in the land of promise and it was all about fulfillment of Abrahamic promise all about for the fulfillment of Davidic promise and that's they wanted Christ as you tell this plain to them I'm gonna die but I'll rise again you know the story but turning around and seeing his disciples I'm sorry and after stating the matter plainly Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him no no you didn't get it Jesus somehow you missed why you came somehow you don't know why you're here I know why you're here you are the Christ the son of the living God he had been you know commended for his statement about the Christ and so now he he wants to fill his oats and says you know Lord you know what let me tell you why you're here you're not here to die and the Bible says and turning around and seeing his disciples he rebuked Peter and said get behind me Satan for you are not studying your mind on God's interests but on man's he summoned the multitudes with his disciples this is important you don't have in mind God's interest see that's the problem with the crowd and their curiosity they don't have in mind God's mission they have in mind their own ambitions their own desires and that's why the majority of people are go to church they're curious about Christ that they have their own agenda Peter had his own agenda he was a disciple a follower of Christ he had left everything to follow the Messiah and even he had his own agenda he had a hard time grasping this whole cross thing and Jesus says to him look Peter get behind me Satan Wow here was Peter the chief apostle being rebuked by our Lord saying that he's being used of Satan why because anytime listen carefully you don't have in mind God's purposes you have Satan's purposes in mind selfish ambition purposes in mind see and that's exactly what Peter had it wasn't about the Lord it wasn't about his glory it was about Peter in his glory and what he wanted and so Christ summons the multitude along with his disciples and what does he tell them same thing he always tells them if anyone wishes to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me for whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel shall save it for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his own soul for what shall a man give in exchange for his soul for whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the Holy Angels since Peter you got to preach the cross you got to tell him what's gonna happen because the central theme of Christianity is the cross and my call to people is to deny themselves and take up their cross they must be willing to suffer for me as I have suffered for them they must be willing to give their lives away for me or they won't be able to be a part of the kingdom of God you've got to give this matter to them plainly Peter you got to explain to them truth Peter they've got to get the essence of the gospel they need to know the truth so when you come to Mark 9 same thing happens Mark chapter 9 it says verse 30 and from there they went out and began to go through Galilee and he was unwilling for anyone to know about it for he was teaching his disciples and telling them the Son of Man is to be delivered this is the certainty of the cross into the hands of men and they will kill him and when he has been killed he will rise three days later that's the victory of the cross he always gives the victory along with the necessity the certainty and the severity of the cross verse 32 but they did not understand the statement and they were afraid to ask him why because the last time they said something Jesus went off on this whole thing about denying self and take up the cross and following him and they didn't want to hear that anymore they don't want to hear it again it was a reminder of reality I don't want to hear that anymore we're not gonna ask him this time just let him speak let him say what he's going to say don't ask him any questions why?

read on says these words and they came to Capernaum and when he was in the house he began to question them what were you discussing on the way but they kept silent for on the way they discussed with one another which of them was the greatest? see that? why would they not ask him about the whole self-denial cross bearing not being ashamed of Christ not denying why would why would they not ask him that because they had their own ambitions their own desires and that's what they were talking about just don't talk about the cross thing let's talk about who's the greatest in the kingdom that's just more appetizing that's just more appealing people will come hear that message they'll want to know about that message so Jesus says by the way what were you guys discussing on the way as if he didn't know he already knew and they were afraid to tell him because they knew exactly what they were talking about so you go to Mark 10 Mark chapter 10 verse 32 when they were on the road going up to Jerusalem and Jesus was walking on ahead of them and they were amazed and those who had followed were fearful and again he took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to him saying behold you are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes and they will condemn him to death and will deliver him to the Gentiles they will mock him they will spit upon him scourge him and kill him the severity of the cross three days later he'll rise again the victory of the cross three days later he'll rise again verse 35 and James and John the two sons of Zebedee came to him saying teacher we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you see that and what was it that one would sit on the right and one would sit on the left in the kingdom of heaven and that little phrase teacher we want you to do for us is concluded with verse 45 for the even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many you see they wanted him to do for them and he came to give his life away he came to sacrifice his life for them and that was the conversation that would take place and then even again on the eve of the crucifixion same thing happened Luke's account here they are getting ready to be a part of the last Passover and they begin to argue among themselves about who's the greatest in the kingdom and that's when Jesus gets up and takes a slave's apron and wraps himself in it begins to wash the disciples feet you can read about it in John chapter 13 it was a dominant aspect of their thinking how can we be great how can we be greater how can we be the best see so now you understand the crowd and their curiosity Jesus was amazing and what he did was absolutely out of this world and they were so curious that they followed him wherever he went so Jesus says to them listen you want to come after me here's the deal four things this is Christ and his commands number one you must be willing to serve me you must be willing to stand for me you must be willing to suffer for me and you must be willing to surrender everything to me or you cannot be my disciple you can't you must be willing number one to serve me because that will convey your priorities to everyone second you must be willing to stand for me because that will confirm your loyalty to everyone thirdly you must be willing to suffer for me because that will clarify your identity to everyone and fourthly you must be willing to surrender to me and that will communicate your authority to everyone here's the deal you must be willing to serve me I must be the priority if any man come after me and hate not his father mother brother sister yay his wife even his own life he cannot be my disciple you must serve me I am the priority I am number one there cannot be another person more important to you than me or you cannot be my disciple that's harsh but that's the truth if there's somebody more important to you than me guess what you're gonna do what they say and not what I say you must follow me you must do what I say and we told you last week very important that you understand that this word is a word of preference right Jacob I have loved Esau I've hated okay there wasn't a loathing for Esau there was just a preference over Jacob over Esau the whole story of Rachel and Leah right Jacob loved Leah but he really loved Rachel okay that's who he really wanted although the text says that he hated Leah it's a translation that means that she was unloved she wasn't the preferred one let me say to you this way if we look at this and we know that Jesus says husbands love your wives in Ephesians 5 and says in Luke 14 if you don't hate your wife you can't be my disciple how do you reconcile that if you're to honor your father and mother right and yet in Luke 14 it says if you honor father or mother more than me or Luke 14 if you don't hate them then you can't be my disciple and we took you back to Matthew chapter 10 where it says if you love them more than me that that's really the essence of it if they're the priority over me you can't be my disciple I must be number one in all things over all people you must serve me I must be the priority or you can't be my disciple let me ask you a question do you think that Jesus hated his own mother you think that Jesus hated his own mother if he says if any man came up to me and hate not his own mother father brother sir he can't be a part of mine but did Jesus hate his own mother well remember and in John chapter 19 at the foot of the cross as Christ is hanging there the foot of the cross is his own mother right what did he say to his mother he says woman behold your son to John he says behold your mother even in the midst of his agonizing agonizing experience because he he showed his preference that he was going to die he came to die right he would provide for his own mother he would not come down from the cross to take care of his mother because the priority was to do the will of his father and yet he would provide for his mother oh by the way never called her mother he always called her woman right and so he was able to provide for her in a loving kind caring way because it's about preference it's about priorities it's about am I number one that's what it's about I must be the absolute priority of your life if not you cannot be my disciple way back in in Luke chapter 2 remember when Jesus was 12 years old he was at Passover his parents left and they left Jesus behind and we explained back in Luke chapter 2 how all that can happen with all the the multitudes of people who went into to Jerusalem for Passover they left and by the time they got a day's journey out they realized that Jesus wasn't with them so they had to take a day's journey back okay and then the next day three days later they found him talking to the leaders there in the temple and Mary comes to Jesus and says where you been we've been looking for you and what did Jesus say don't you know that I had to be about my father's business priorities I have to do what I've been sent to do this is what it's all about I must be about my father's business now he would leave there remember he would subject himself to his parents right but they never became the priority of his life the will of his father did and that's the way Jesus was he modeled that to us and so you must be willing to serve Christ no matter what that conveys your priorities to everybody else he is never whatever he says is what I will do no matter what anybody else says in other words whatever the Word of God says for me to do is what I will do no matter what my experience says or what somebody else says it's all about the authority of God in my life where he is a priority I will follow him I will serve him no matter what because God wants all of you not just part of you he demands everything about you that's what he wants it was George Eldon Ladd who said these words the most radical form of renunciation includes a man's very life unless he hates his own life he cannot be a disciple obviously this does not mean that every disciple must die he must however be ready to do so he no longer lives for himself but for the kingdom of God what happens to him is unimportant for the fate of the kingdom is all important this is the meaning of the words if any man comes after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me this does not mean self-denial that is denying oneself of life's enjoyments and pleasures self-denial can have a selfish end by practicing self-denial men have sought selfish advantage denial of self is the opposite it means the renunciation of one's own will that the kingdom of God may become that all-important concern of life taking up one's cross does not mean assuming burdens the cross is not a burden but an instrument of death the taking of the cross means the death of self a personal ambition and self-centered purpose in the place of selfish attainment however altruistic and noble one is to desire alone the rule of God that's Christianity that's a follower of Christ that's the disciple of Jesus someone who wants nothing but what God wants is that you?

is that what you want? is that your desire today? because that's Christ's call upon our life we must be willing to serve him two we must be willing to stand for him three you must be willing to suffer for him and four you must be willing to surrender everything to him doesn't mean you have to but you must be willing to do whatever he asks with a heart that's completely his because you love the Lord your God with all of your heart all of your soul all of your mind all of your strength you will find me only when you seek me with all of your heart God says and Christ says this is all of your heart I want everything I'm going to take over your life I'm going to rule your life I'm going to be in absolute control of your life and you will be submissive to me because I am the master and you are the slave that's Christianity anything less than that is a diluted gospel and not the truth let's pray Father we thank you Lord for today and your word and the opportunity we have to examine our lives in light of it our prayer is that we be followers of your truth committed wholeheartedly to all that you say and do I pray for every person in this room today they would understand the implications of the gospel as it pertains to their life and that Lord you would cause them to to want to follow you and serve you with all their hearts none would leave today Lord with half-hearted commitments but they would leave fully committed to following the words of Jesus Christ our Lord we pray in Jesus name Amen