Counting the Cost?

Thank you very much, Sabina.

Well, good morning.

Let me add my welcome to Ian's.

My name is Alistair.

I'm on the staff here at Brunsfield.

Now, as Sabina read that passage,

I'm sure there was some stuff in there

that was pretty hard-hitting,

some things that maybe we don't like.

So let me just pray before we look at this passage

and ask for God's help.

Loving God and Heavenly Father,

we thank you so much for your word.

We thank you for what it has to say to us,

for what it has to teach us.

And Lord, I pray this morning,

as we look at a difficult passage,

that you would help us,

that you would help us learn from you.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Have you ever been in a situation

where there were hidden costs?

So when my family and I first moved to Romania,

we discovered that if you ordered food in a restaurant,

that that was all you would get.

So for example, you'd be sitting in a restaurant,

you see this menu, and you see this burger,

and you'd be like,

oh man, that looks so nice.

It looks absolutely amazing.

And then, of course, it's cheap,

so you order it.

But what we didn't realize

is that if you ordered it,

that was all you would get.

So you're sitting there,

and the waiter brings out this burger,

and you're disappointed.

There is no chips.

There's no sauce.

There's no salad.

There's no nothing.

If you wanted anything else,

if you wanted all the trimmings,

you had to order them separately.

So suddenly that cheap burger

isn't that cheap anymore.

There were hidden costs.

Well, maybe you've received an email,

or you've seen on a billboard

that you can fly away to this dream destination

for as little as 15 pounds.

You love it.

So I looked this week

to see how much a flight to Romania would cost.

My parents would love it if I went for a visit.

And I saw a flight for 15 pounds.

It's next to nothing.

But they catch you with a hidden cost,

because you realize that that flight is one way.

The taxes haven't been added on.

There's no luggage.

That you might even have to pay to check in.

You might even have to use the,

you have to pay to use the toilet on some planes.

It's insane.

So suddenly that flight,

which was 15 pounds,

or 14.99 as they like to put it,

is suddenly 150 pounds.

That cheap deal was full of hidden costs.

But we like to know exactly the price of something.

We like to know what something costs,

so that we can adjust our lives accordingly, don't we?

And I think this principle also carries

into many other areas in our lives.

So take faith, for example.

I want to know what it is that I believe.

And I want to know what implications

my beliefs will have on my life.

I want to make sure that there are no hidden costs

in the Christian faith.

And the passage that Sabina read to us earlier,

in it Jesus explicitly tells the crowd

that was around him about the cost of following Jesus.

Jesus makes sure that there are no hidden costs.

So if you have a Bible in front of you,

I'd encourage you to keep it open.

And you'll see from verse 25

that Jesus is speaking to a crowd.

So throughout the book of Luke,

there's a distinction between the crowd

and the disciples.

The disciples were a group of people

who had given up everything that they had

to follow Jesus.

They went everywhere he went.

They ate with him.

They listened to all of his teaching

and they acted on it.

These men were dedicated.

They were true disciples.

But the crowd weren't like that at all.

You see, curiosity is one thing,

but being a disciple,

being a follower of Jesus is another.

There were many people who accompanied Jesus,

but they weren't really following him

because they weren't really learning from him.

They simply wanted to benefit from his ministry.

They didn't want it to have any implications

on their lives.

So they followed Jesus at a distance in a way.

They listened to his teaching.

They might have even enjoyed it.

But at the end of the day,

they went home and carried on life

as if nothing had ever happened.

These people were not counting the cost.

And all through Luke's gospel,

they've been following Jesus.

They've heard his teaching about the kingdom of God.

They've heard his teaching about how to get there

through the narrow door.

They heard last week as Paul took us through

the free invitation of God

to this great banquet that will be heaven.

The kingdom of God is the language

that the Bible uses to describe the place

we call heaven,

where God and man dwell together.

And in the previous section,

Jesus illustrates this kingdom of God,

illustrates heaven with a banquet.

But now the crowd are going to hear a sobering truth.

And that is that there is a cost to the kingdom.

Jesus explains to them,

if they want to be in the kingdom of God,

then they have to count the cost.

If they're to be followers of Jesus,

they don't only need to listen to Jesus' teaching,

but they need to act on it.

They need to respond to it.

They need to count the cost.

Salvation is so valuable

that if receiving it as a gift

involves losing everything else,

we would be foolish not to accept the loss.

And so the big question that Jesus is asking the crowd

and asking us this morning

is are you counting the cost?

Jesus mentions three costs in this passage.

The first is that Jesus must come before yourself.

Sorry, Jesus must come before people.

Secondly, Jesus must come before yourself.

And thirdly, Jesus must come before your possessions.

So Jesus is asking this morning,

are you counting the cost?

If you want to be a follower of Jesus,

if you want to have a seat

at this great banquet that is heaven,

have you considered what it takes?

Are you counting the cost?

So let's look at these costs

and see what Jesus has to teach us.

The first cost of the kingdom

is that Jesus must come before people

in verses 25 to 26.

Jesus before people.

So here we see Jesus continuing his journey to Jerusalem.

He's on his way to the cross.

He's told the crowd about how they can be saved,

how they can be in the kingdom of God,

that heaven is like a banquet

that all people are invited to.

It's a free invitation.

Now this is an amazing truth.

That there even is a possibility,

there is a way for us to dine with the king of kings.

What a privilege.

But for that to happen,

for us to get to that great banquet,

we need to put Jesus before people.

Now the language that Jesus uses there in verse 26

is tough stuff, isn't it?

Now you might be sitting there thinking

and asking this question,

are you telling me

that for me to be a follower of Jesus,

I need to hate my family?

That I need to hate people and put Jesus

and think only about Jesus?

Is that what you're telling me?

No.

That is not what Jesus is saying.

Jesus never says,

never says that we should reject our family

or our loved ones.

But Jesus is saying that a disciple should love Jesus more

than people.

Jesus needs to be the priority.

Jesus is emphasizing that a disciple must love him

more than their family.

A disciple needs to put Jesus as their first priority

in their life.

Jesus is saying that the love that one of his disciples

should have for him is so great,

so great that love for anything else

would look like hatred.

Now that is difficult stuff.

Everyone in the room will know to some extent

just how big this cost is.

So let me ask you some questions.

If you are a son or daughter here this morning,

do you love Jesus more than you love your parents?

If you're a parent here this morning,

do you love Jesus more than you love your children?

If you have siblings,

do you love Jesus more?

If you have friends who are just as close as family,

do you love Jesus more than you love them?

And if you're a husband or a wife in this room this morning,

do you love Jesus more than you love your other half?

That is what Jesus is asking.

That is the cost of being a follower of Jesus.

Are you counting the cost?

Charles Studd was an English missionary in the 1800s

and he gives us an amazing example

of what this would look like.

Every day he encouraged his wife to say a little poem

so that she could keep her life in perspective,

so that she could have her priorities right.

So every day Priscilla Studd would say,

Dear Lord Jesus,

you are to me dearer than Charles ever could be.

Could you say that?

This really hit me this week

as I was preparing this message

and I was thinking,

can I honestly say

that I love Jesus more than I love my wife?

That I love Jesus more than I love my family?

That I love Jesus more than I love people?

If I'm honest,

probably not.

It's difficult.

Jesus says that he is to have

our absolute loyalty and commitment.

This is what kingdom people should be living like.

Jesus first,

Jesus before people.

This is one cost of the kingdom.

Jesus will not share his heart with another.

Jesus will not share the heart of a person with another.

He must come first.

If we are followers of Jesus,

then we can serve only him.

He must have our full allegiance.

And Jesus is saying to the crowd,

If you wish to be my disciples,

if you wish to be in this banquet,

in the kingdom of God,

then you must surrender all to Jesus.

So let me ask you the question this morning.

Are you counting the cost?

Have you thought and considered with seriousness

what it takes to follow Jesus?

If you haven't,

and you wouldn't say that you're a Christian,

I want you to see that there is a cost.

Life as a Christian is not a bed of roses,

but it is a life of sacrifice

and submission to the Lord Jesus Christ.

But let me make one thing crystal clear this morning.

Salvation is so valuable

that if losing everything else,

if it means losing everything else,

then we would be foolish not to accept the loss.

We would be foolish not to accept the loss

because Jesus himself gave up everything

so that we can get the most important thing,

which is the forgiveness of sins

and reconciliation with our creator.

And Jesus isn't asking us to do this

as someone who doesn't know what it's like.

In fact, Jesus knows exactly what it's like

to have God as a priority in his life.

Remember where he is.

He is on the road to Jerusalem.

He is on his way to die on a cross.

He is on his way to take the punishment

for the sins of the world,

even though he was sinless.

Jesus also isn't saying that if we live like this,

it will save us.

He has made that clear in Luke's gospel.

The only way to be saved,

the only way to be made right with God

is by believing in Jesus,

by repenting of our sins,

of our wrongdoings,

and turning to God.

Jesus isn't asking for moral people,

but he's asking for people

who understand their brokenness,

people who understand their need for forgiveness,

and people who turn to him

because only Jesus can forgive us.

Only Jesus can reconcile us with God.

He is the only way to be saved,

not by living a good moral life.

Do you see the significance of Jesus' example?

This is the Son of God.

This is the person in whom and through whom

the world was created

and who holds it together.

And he stooped down and died on a cross.

Jesus counted the cost.

Jesus knew where he was going.

Jesus saw the cost

and with absolute certainty,

he said, yes,

I am willing to pay it

so that you and I can be reconciled with God.

Now maybe you're here this morning,

you say, yes,

I believe this.

I understand it.

I have counted the cost.

And I look out this morning

and I know some of you

are in difficult circumstances.

Some of you feel this cost

so heavily weighing on your hearts.

Well, let this passage encourage you

that Jesus understands.

Jesus knows what you are going through.

He knows your struggle.

I also want you to consider

what this means

for your personal evangelism.

What does this mean for you

as you go and tell people

about Jesus and the gospel?

So often I think we try

to make the gospel more attractive.

We like to sugarcoat it.

We don't like talking about judgment and sin

because nobody likes to hear that.

But if we are to be faithful

in our witness of Jesus,

then we need to tell people

that there is a cost to following him.

And the first part of that cost

is that Jesus must come before people.

Jesus before people.

The second cost is that

Jesus must come before yourself.

Verse 26 to 27.

Jesus before yourself.

Jesus goes on and he says

that we are to hate our own lives.

Again, we need to remember

that Jesus is saying

that the love for our family

and our own life

must come secondary

to the love that we have for him.

Look at verse 27 with me.

And whoever does not carry their cross

and follow me

cannot be my disciple.

Jesus is saying

that if we are to be followers of him,

if we are to seriously

count the cost

of being in the kingdom,

then we need to pick up

our cross and follow him.

Now I don't think

the seriousness of what Jesus

is saying here

comes across in our culture today.

So when people think

of the cross nowadays,

they would usually think of Jesus.

Maybe they'd think of a church building

or something like that.

Or maybe they'd link it

with an emotional point

in their lives

where the cross was

an encouragement to them.

So they look at the cross

with fondness.

We all see things differently

based on the culture we're in.

So for example,

I would have absolutely no problem

chucking on some wellies

and some dirty trousers

and t-shirt

and jumping into a pig pen.

I used to work in a farm

which had pigs

so I'd actually quite enjoy that.

But the Jews of Jesus' day,

if they would have even heard that,

they would be appalled.

They wouldn't even go

anywhere near a pig pen

because pigs were unclean animals.

So do you see how culture changes

the way we see and hear things?

So we might look at the cross

with fondness

but the crowd,

the cross only meant

one thing to the crowd

and that thing was death.

And what Jesus says

would come as even more of a shock

because he says

that they are to carry their cross.

Now a person,

when they were to be crucified,

they had to carry their cross

until the point

where they were to be put to death.

So in the minds of the crowd,

you can imagine them

thinking and asking the question,

in order for me to be in this banquet,

are you saying that I have to die?

Well in a sense,

that is exactly what Jesus is saying.

If we are carrying our cross,

it means that we die to ourselves.

It means that you can't carry anything else

if you're carrying a cross.

You've given everything to Jesus.

If we are following Jesus wholeheartedly,

if we are to count the cost,

we must take up our cross

and follow him.

We need to put Jesus

and his kingdom first.

Jesus has mentioned this before.

If you want,

you can turn back with me

to Luke chapter 9

Luke 9 · chapter mention

in verse 23.

Luke chapter 9,

Luke 9 · chapter mention

beginning of verse 23.

Jesus says,

whoever wants to be my disciple

must deny themselves

and take up their cross

daily

and follow me.

For whoever wants to save

their life

will lose it.

But whoever loses their life for me

will save it.

What good is it for someone

to gain the whole world

and forfeit or lose

their very self?

If we are to be followers

of Jesus,

then we must count the cost.

This means that we have to

pick up our cross

and follow Jesus.

We need to put him

as our priority.

Now let me encourage you

this morning and say

that I am seeing so many,

I am seeing this

in so many of your lives.

You understand the cost

of the kingdom.

You have counted the cost

and you're living it out.

I know it isn't easy.

Jesus knows it isn't easy.

But it is such an encouragement

for me

to see so many of you

leading the way

as examples

of what it means

to put Jesus

before yourself.

Are you counting the cost?

Are you putting Jesus

and the kingdom of God

above everything?

This means that decisions

are no longer simply made

between myself and I.

Or decisions

are no longer made

between Sabina and I.

But instead,

putting Jesus first

means that my decisions

are evaluated

not by what is best

for myself,

not by what is best

for my comfort

or for my finances,

all of which are good things.

But all of my decisions

are made with this question

or should be made

with this question

in the back of my mind.

Will the outcome

of this decision

lead to me

leaving a comfy life?

or will it lead

to me carrying

my cross

for Jesus Christ?

We see this

so evidently

nowadays

in North Korea,

don't we?

Where if anyone

decides to follow Jesus,

they face

imprisonment,

torture,

and sometimes

death.

But still,

there are approximately

300,000 Christians

there.

Why?

Because they have

counted the cost

and they are carrying

their cross daily.

Practically,

for us in the UK,

this might mean

not accepting

a job promotion

because it would mean

that we can't serve

Jesus as much.

This might mean

that you get ridiculed

at work because

of your faith.

This might mean

that you get shunned

by your family

because you've just

become a Christian.

The cost

is real.

This sounds difficult

and that's the point.

This might sound

too difficult

but let me say

that salvation

is so valuable

that if receiving

it as a gift

involves losing

everything else,

we would be foolish

not to accept

the loss.

Maybe you aren't

a Christian this morning

and I want you to

consider

an eternity

with God.

Consider

eternal freedom.

Consider the forgiveness

of sins

and a relationship

with your creator.

What is better?

To live for an eternity,

the eternity

for which you were

created

or to live

these few years

that you have

here on earth

for yourself?

Are you willing

to count the cost

and put Jesus

before yourself?

the last cost

of the kingdom

is that Jesus

must come

before your possessions

verses 28

to 33.

Jesus

before possessions.

Now Jesus

uses two illustrations

to express

the importance

of counting

the cost

and each little

story has a

rhetorical question

in it which is used

to point to the

obvious answer.

So the first story

is a man who

wants to build

a tower.

Now obviously

if he's going

to build something

he needs to estimate

how much it's going

to cost.

So he's going

to hire himself

an architect

to draw up plans.

He's going

to see how much

planning permission

is going to cost.

He's going

to approach

different construction

companies

and contractors

to get different

quotes

and he's going

to check his bank.

He's going

to see if he has

enough money.

There is no point

him diving

into this project

because before

he realizes it

he might not

even have the

foundations down

and he's run

out of money.

Nobody builds

a mansion

when their funds

only allow them

to build a garden

shed.

No, instead

this man is going

to count the cost.

And the second

story is of a king

who's going to go

to war with another

king but he is

hugely outnumbered.

So he'll sit

down with his

army advisors.

He'll look at

war strategies.

He'll count his

men.

He'll check out

the landscape

to see if he

has the upper

hand or not.

He is not going

to simply rush

into war with

a smaller army

because he thinks

he's got it in

the bag because

he thinks he

can do it.

No, he is going

to sit down

and count the

cost.

And with these

two stories

Jesus is stressing

to the crowd

that has been

following him

for a while.

the crowd

that have

listened to

his teaching

but done

absolutely

nothing about

it.

They've benefited

from his

ministry.

They've gotten

out of it

what they

wanted but

they haven't

thought about

what it would

mean for them

to be true

followers of

Jesus.

They hadn't

counted the

cost.

And Jesus

uses these

stories to say

that they need

to sit down

and seriously

think about it.

They need to

seriously think

about whether

or not they

can handle the

cost and

whether or not

the cost

outweighs the

rewards.

And then

Jesus takes

it a step

further.

And he

says that if

they do not

give up

everything

then they

cannot be

his disciples.

Jesus is

thinking right

now of

material possessions.

Do you see

that with the

tower and the

city?

With a tower

a man is

focused on his

tower.

He's not

concerned about

anything else.

With a city

he's focused

on his city,

his property.

If he's

going to

submit to

this other

king he

needs to

probably hand

over some

of his

city.

So it's

all about

possessions.

Jesus comes

before possessions.

All of the

things that we

own need to

be as good

as lost

to us.

And we need

to put Jesus

first.

Now Jesus

isn't saying

that it's bad

to own things

because it

isn't.

But the

priority in

our lives

matters.

Now this

can affect

you if you

are rich

or if you

are poor.

Is your

constant desire

to have

more money?

To have

a nicer

car because

you've been

driving around

in a hand-me-down

for the past

few years?

Do we

constantly think

about a

desire to

own our

first home

or maybe

our second

or a

holiday home?

Now none

of these are

bad things

but if

they come

before Jesus

then we

have a

problem.

We haven't

counted the

cost.

Now this

is difficult.

This is

tough stuff.

The costs

are real

but are you

counting them?

Are you

counting the

cost?

Can you

say that

you put

Jesus

before people?

That you

put Jesus

before yourself

and that you

put Jesus

before your

possessions?

Now Jesus

doesn't ask

this of

people without

knowing what

it's like.

In fact

Jesus knows

better than

anybody what

it's like.

He put

God's kingdom

above his

family because

in his

ministry he

travelled around

Judea and

Galilee preaching

about the

kingdom of

God.

Jesus put the

kingdom above

himself because

he literally

took up his

cross and

went and

died so

that we could

be forgiven

and reconciled

with God.

Jesus put

God's kingdom

above everything

because Jesus

the son of

God who was

born in an

animal shelter

without a

bed.

The son of

God lived a

life on the

road travelling

towards Jerusalem.

He died a

criminal's death

even though he

was completely

innocent.

The only

innocent person

that ever

lived.

Jesus the son

of God became

nothing.

he gave up

everything.

Doesn't that

make our

cost seem

minimal?

Seems small?

If all I have

to do is love

Jesus more than

anything surely

that is small

in comparison to

the salvation and

forgiveness that

Jesus has offered

me.

Are you counting

the cost?

If we go

through life

counting the

cost and

following Jesus

this will lead

to us being

distinct and

being different

it will lead

to us being

salty if you

will.

That's what

verses 34 and

35 are talking

about.

They say that

a Christian,

a follower of

Jesus, if they

count the cost

and live it out

then they will

be living a

salty life.

These verses

encourage us to

be committed to

living this life.

Only then are we

salty if we are

committed and we

stick it out.

So let me ask

you this morning

as an individual

and let me ask

us this morning

as a church

family, how

are we tasting?

Are we salty?

Are we living

lives that are

distinct and

different?

Are we carrying

our cross?

Are we putting

Jesus before

people, before

ourselves and

before our

possessions?

are we

making people

aware that

there is a

cost to

following Jesus?

The cost is

huge but it

is insignificant

in comparison

to the

greatness of

an eternity

with God.

Salvation is

so valuable

that if

receiving it as

a gift means

that we lose

everything else

we would be

foolish not

to accept the

loss.

Jesus counted

the cost and

he paid it.

History is

filled of men

and women who

counted the

cost and live

lives glorifying

God.

This room is

filled with

godly men and

women who are

counting the

cost and are

living examples

of what it

means to be

salty, of

what it means

to live a

life wholeheartedly

dedicated to

God.

The challenge I

want you to

think about this

morning is can

you wholeheartedly

repeat the words

of this song?

All to Jesus

I surrender

All to him

I freely give

I will ever

love and trust

him in his

presence daily

live.

I surrender

all.

I surrender

all.

All to thee

my blessed

saviour I

surrender all.

As I close

this morning let

me ask you

that question.

Are you

counting the

cost of the

kingdom?

Are you

counting the

cost?

Let's pray

together.

Loving God

and heavenly

father we

thank you so

much for the

free offer of

salvation.

We thank you

that you sent

your son to

die on the

cross so that

we can be

reconciled to

you.

Lord we

confess that the

cost for us

is big and

we feel it in

our lives.

Lord give us

strength to

carry our

cross.

Give us

strength to

live lives that

are wholeheartedly

dedicated to

you.

Not that we

would be glorified

Lord but that

people would see

you in us and

that they would

see that you

are a great

God.

we ask this in

your son's most

holy and

precious name.

Amen.