"Counting the Cost"

Hi, this is John Ozanting, lead pastor of Evolved Church, and this is the Evolved Church Podcast.

Thanks so much for tuning in.

We hope that you find today's message encouraging and full of hope for wherever you're at.

If you brought a Bible with you, would you do me a favor and just open it up to Luke, the Gospel of Luke, one of these amazing of four eyewitness accounts to the life of Jesus?

We're going to be in Luke chapter 9, starting in verse 57.

Luke 9 · chapter mention

I'll get there in a little bit.

Before I do, I just wanted to talk today.

This is a one-off.

This isn't a series.

We we often teach in series of messages here.

We'll work our way through a text, or uh, you know, we just finished a series on the Sermon on the Mount.

Um, but this is kind of a one-off today, um, kind of coming out of Matthew 7, reading Matthew 8 a couple weeks ago.

Uh, this text from Luke is kind of a parallel to Matthew 8.

It's it's Luke's perspective on the same thing that we read in Matthew chapter 8.

Matthew 8 · chapter mention

And as I was reading it a couple weeks ago, just in my own quiet time, um, I took some notes and I asked a few questions and I just sat in it and I was like kind of really curious, like, Lord, what are you trying to communicate?

And then over the last couple weeks, I've really felt like I think this is a message for us, not just for me.

And so I want to I just something to consider as uh as I teach today.

One of the themes of Jesus' life and teaching that he references in lots of different ways throughout his time and ministry on earth uh is an invitation for us as disciples of Christ or followers of Jesus to count the cost, to count the cost associated with our surrender.

And there's lots of different ways.

It shows up uh Luke 14 as a great example.

A large crowd was following Jesus, and Jesus turns to this crowd and says, If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else.

Some people use this verse as an opportunity to actually walk in hate towards other human beings.

That's not what Jesus is teaching here.

He's not saying be a people of hate.

He's saying, by comparison, prefer me.

By comparison, choose my ways, my life, my kingdom, my truth, over your relationship with mother and father, over your relationship with wife and children, brothers, sisters, even your own life.

Otherwise, you can't be my disciple.

This is a prolific and even a little bit confrontational teaching from Jesus.

If you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

There's a cost attached to our faith.

There's meant to be.

This is not a faith of convenience or ease.

If you were led into the room today under the guise that Christianity is like all bubbles, giggles, rainbows, unicorns, and ponies, someone lied to you.

There is a cost.

Teenagers, there's a cost for you to follow Jesus.

In your high school campuses, in your homes, in your families, to unapologetically say, I want to be tethered to Jesus.

I want to be, I want to abide in Christ means I'm gonna have to say no to some other things.

There's a cost attached to following the Lord.

Verse 28, but don't begin until you count the cost.

And the example, who'd begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there's enough money to finish?

Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone's gonna laugh at you.

They're gonna say, there's the person who started the building and couldn't afford to finish it.

Um and and so this this teaching from Christ, this is just one example where Jesus is like, don't just start, finish well.

Don't just build a foundation, build the whole house.

Trust me in the long haul.

This is a a long obedience in the same direction of surrender.

Will you count the cost of what it's gonna if you're if you're in in your 30s?

Do you know what?

The next season ahead of you, your 40s and your 50s, there's gonna be a different price to pay, a different cost required in your surrender to Jesus.

If you're if you're 20 years old in the room and you're like, man, I've counted the cost of following the Lord, guess what?

The season that's ahead of you, new battles, new cost, new price to pay.

And so this is an ongoing question.

Think about a time in your life where you had to count the cost.

Do you remember if you own a home, do you remember the first time you had to buy a house or got to buy a house?

Like there was probably some counting of cost involved in saving up a down payment so that you could own a home.

It cost you something.

And it probably meant you sacrificed in other ways.

Maybe there was a two or three year stretch where you didn't go on a vacation or didn't pay it for any trips or didn't eat out that much.

You counted the cost.

Why?

I gotta I gotta lock some money away so that I can save up and own a home one day.

Uh, do you remember the first car you bought?

You know, I was I was raised in a in a like pay cash for cars.

Cars depreciate, they're they're not a great investment.

Um, and so save up some money.

You you if you need a car, you you're gonna have to buy a car.

It's gonna cost you to own a car.

How many of you say, like, oh my goodness, cars cost money?

Sending a child to university as a parent, you probably had to count the cost and sacrifice to figure that out.

Moving to a new city, starting a business, beginning a new hobby.

My goodness, I started golfing this summer.

I'm 49 years old, and I finally decided in my 49th year to stop saying I hate golf and start saying I like golf.

Turns out I've started to say I love golf, but there's a cost attached to golf.

My wife reminded me of that cost as we were redoing our budget in August.

She's like, hey, look, man, I love it that you've got a new hobby, but this is expensive.

And I'm like, I know, right, I know, maybe.

Uh we gotta figure this out.

And uh so the idea of counting a cost, man, in a practical way, it applies to so many facets of our lives.

But I wanted to slow down and and just invite you to consider when it comes to your faith, when it comes to how you're living yielded to Christ and surrendered to Jesus, there's a cost.

And are you counting it?

Luke 9, Matthew 16, Mark 8, uh, three perspectives of the same teaching from Jesus.

Here's another way that Jesus said, you're gonna have to count the cost.

Jesus says to the crowd, if any of you wants to be my follower, listen to this language.

You must give up your own way, take up your cross daily.

Follow me.

If you try to hang on to your life, you'll lose it.

If you give up your life for my sake, you'll save it.

That's powerful words from our Redeemer, from our Savior King.

Matthew reports the exact same.

Jesus said to his disciples, if any of you wants to be my follower, give up your own way, take up your cross, follow me, give up your life.

Mark 8, Mark reports the exact same calling upon the crowd to join his disciples.

He's like, if you want to be one of my disciples, if you want to join my disciples, if you want to be my follower, give up your way, take up your cross, follow me.

Uh if you hang on to your life, you lose it.

If you give up your life, you'll save it.

There's four thoughts give up your own way, daily take up your cross, follow Jesus, give up your life.

Man, those are those are weighty words.

Another way of saying those four statements is will you count the cost of your surrender to Jesus?

It's meant to cost you something.

This is not this is not a surrender of convenience, this is a surrender with a price attached to it.

Not your salvation, that price was paid in full.

Past tense, Jesus paid it all.

That's been looked after.

But your surrender, your Christian witness, your effectiveness as a follower of Jesus, you walking in the anointing and the power of the Holy Spirit, operating in the gifts that you've been uniquely gifted to contribute to Jesus' kingdom.

That's all gonna cost you something.

Now, if you've been a part of this church or this community for any length of time, you will know with all certainty that as your pastor, I'm always trying to shoot for the kingdom.

Jesus was always painting pictures about heaven's kingdom.

And as your pastor, I just feel like that's my lane.

I'm gonna I'm gonna shoot for the kingdom.

What can we learn about heaven's kingdom being made known here on earth?

That's our mission, right?

To pray, Lord, your kingdom come, your will be done here on earth as it is in heaven.

What's it gonna cost me to prioritize heaven's kingdom being made known here on this earth?

And because I shoot for the kingdom, that means I'm not shooting for the left or for the right.

If you know me, you know this to be true.

I am never going to cheapen my calling as a pastor and as a shepherd and as an apostolic leader in Jesus' church for that of a political commentator.

I'm just not gonna do it.

If you're looking for that in your pastor, I love you too much to tell you to hold on.

I'm never gonna be that guy.

Why?

Because we are gonna shoot for the kingdom.

Because Jesus' kingdom matters more than the principalities and the strongholds and the powers and the authorities of this earth's kingdom.

It just matters more.

Jesus came to teach, template, and usher in a brand new kingdom.

And then he invites us to contribute to that work with obedience and surrender.

How?

Give up your own way, take up your cross, follow Jesus, give up your own life.

Another way that Jesus talked about this is in Matthew 24.

Man, I was reading this and I was like, this could have been written this week.

Jesus told his disciples, Don't let anyone mislead you.

Many will come in my name, claiming, I'm oh no, I'm the Messiah.

They'll deceive many.

You'll hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic.

These things must take place, but the end won't follow a meeting.

Nation will go to war against nation, kingdom against kingdom.

There'll be famines, there'll be earthquakes in many parts of the world.

All this is just the first of more to come.

You'll be arrested, you'll be persecuted, you'll be killed.

Somebody's like, Yeah, let's go, signed up, sign me up, let's follow Jesus, right?

This is hard.

You'll be hated all over the world because you're my followers.

Many will turn away and betray and hate each other.

Does this feel like planet Earth?

A little bit.

False prophets will appear, deceive many people, sin rampant everywhere.

This statement: the love of many will grow cold.

Man, has love for other people ever grown cold in our world?

But this, the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Maybe like me, you've you've felt the weight of this world in the last couple of weeks.

Stuff going on on planet Earth.

Here's a few things.

This this is just the last two weeks.

September 8th, the Japanese Prime Minister resigned.

September 8th and 9th, the French government, there was a collapse, the Prime Minister resigned.

September 9th, the the Supreme Court in Thailand sentenced its former Prime Minister to prison.

September 9th through 12th, there was a youth-led uprising and a government overthrow in Nepal.

Did you hear about that in the news?

September 10th, there was a Russian drone incursion over Polish airspace.

September 8th through 10th, Israeli strikes in Qatar, a potential escalation with Iran, Iraq.

September 17th, the Israeli military ordered uh evacuations out of northern Gaza.

In the middle of September, here joint military exercises between China, Russia, and Mongolia.

Did you hear about that?

September 4th, ongoing multiple airstrikes, violence in Myanmar and Sudan.

Again, September 10th, the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Middle of September, the school shooting, another school shooting in Denver.

That beheading in Dallas.

My goodness, the world is a mess.

September 4th, the 6.2 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan.

Right now, currently in the U.S.

again, they're reporting high COVID-19 activity.

Here we go again, right?

I will exalt you, Lord.

No other name be lifted high.

There's no one like you, no one beside you.

That was just the last two weeks.

Gosh.

Anybody else felt that?

Ecclesiastes 1.9.

History merely repeats itself.

It's all been done before.

Nothing new under the sun.

Turns out there's nothing new under the sun.

And I don't say that today to be senseless or callous or cold or indifferent.

I say that to remind you, as a follower of Jesus, as a disciplined follower of Christ, we're meant to shoot for the kingdom.

Stuff's happening.

Shoot for the kingdom.

Why?

Because Jesus came to teach, template, and empower us to contribute to the ushering in of heaven's kingdom on earth.

And during a cultural moment like the one that we're sitting in today, Jesus' words from Matthew 24 feel strangely present and strangely weighty and strangely true.

And one of the ways we can become misled is by not enduring in how we prioritize and shoot for the kingdom.

We can neglect a priority for that in our life and trade it instead for things that we think we can control: opinions, ideologies, politics.

So coming out of the Sermon on the Mount Ceres and in reading Matthew 8 and its parallel telling in Luke 9, I just thought here's a powerful teaching from Jesus on the cost of following him that I want to invite us into as we consider what is it gonna cost me to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

And so would you read with me our text for today, Luke 9, starting in verse 7?

The cost of following Jesus.

As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, I'll follow you wherever you go.

But Jesus replied, Foxes have dens to live in, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.

And Jesus said to another person, Come follow me.

And the man agreed, but he said, Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.

But Jesus told him, Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.

Your duty is to go and preach about the kingdom of God.

And another said, Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say goodbye to my family.

But Jesus told him, anyone who puts a hand on the plow and then looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.

As I read that, subtitled The Cost of Following Jesus.

Does it jump out at you?

Is it clear?

Foxes have dens and birds have nests.

That's the cost of following Jesus.

Yeah, but what does that mean?

Like, what does that really mean?

You got your hand on the plow, but you want to look back to your family.

Okay, but how do we apply that to our life and our world today?

There's a cost of following Jesus.

And so, coupled with the very real and present power of the Holy Spirit, I want to challenge every single one of us to ask this question: how am I shooting for the kingdom right now?

How am I counting the cost of following Christ?

And this text out of Matthew, or sorry, Luke 9 is three different people with three different stories, and Jesus' three different responses.

So that's what I'd like to look at.

Number one, the bold one.

As they're walking along, someone said to Jesus, I'll follow you wherever you go.

And that might be your story in the room today.

Maybe you've been following Christ for a while.

When you think about that moment where your life was changed, there was like a boldness in you.

Just like, if I have to, I'll die for the cause of Christ.

And then Matthew actually reports this same story in Matthew 8.

But he tells us a little bit more about this guy, this bold guy.

He says, then one of the teachers of religious law said to Jesus, Teacher, I'll follow you wherever you go.

So there's a little bit of context.

This is a religious leader.

And religious leaders in Jesus' day were rule followers.

They had all the external metrics of what it meant to be religious.

They checked all of the boxes.

And so this religious leader who's like, Examine my life.

I've got it all figured out.

Jesus' pushback and challenge is this foxes have dens, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.

Some of us came in bold with our faith.

I'll follow Jesus anywhere.

And quite literally, the unpacking of this verse and Jesus saying, the foxes have a home, the birds have a nest, but the Son of Man has no place.

Quite literally, a lot of Bible scholars would say Jesus was saying to this religious leader, the cost of following me means that you might not have a home.

You might not have a place to lay your head.

And that's a quite literal teaching on this.

But as I was preparing for today, I came across a deeper symbolic message that perhaps applies to us today.

I was reading St.

Augustine of Hippo and his kind of reporting on this passage.

What then did Jesus answer?

Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head.

But where hath he not?

Or where in your life of bold confession does Jesus not have room to lay his head?

In in your faith, that's where.

For in your heart foxes have holes, you're full of guile.

And in your heart birds have nests, you are lifted up.

Full of guile and self-elation as thou art, thou shalt not follow me.

How can a guile man follow simplicity?

Where in your life are you not creating space for Jesus to lay his head?

Read it this way.

To each one of us in the room, Jesus is saying, listen, when it comes to your faith, when it comes to your discipleship, when it comes to your obedience, in your life right now, foxes have a home in your life right now, birds have a nest, but in your life right now, I don't have a place to even lay my head.

There's a deeper meaning that Jesus was implying.

Have you ever laid your head on someone's lap?

Something's like, it just got uncomfortable.

That's a very intimate question, Pastor.

That's the point.

To lay your head on someone, on someone's shoulder, to have a child crawl up and lay their head on your lap and fall asleep.

It's very intimate.

And I want you to hear your Savior asking you this question.

Where in your life do we lack intimacy?

Where have you left no room for me to come in close and lay my head?

In the laying of someone's head, there's like there's like a sense of like feeling, feeling breath, looking in each other's eyes, feeling known, feeling truly loved.

Jesus is saying more to this religious leader than just like you might not own a home.

What he's saying is, you think religion and doing all the right things is gonna save you.

But I want to lay my head on your life with intimacy and with intention and with closeness.

But you've got holes and you've got nests.

Guile, holes like a fox's den.

Self-elation, nest like a bird's nest.

That's an interesting picture.

Where are my holes?

Where are my dens?

What's my guile?

What does guile even mean?

Well, it's being dishonest and not fully truthful in your thoughts and in your intentions.

Let me ask it this way you might have a den of guile in your life, and that's why you haven't said yes to Jesus coming in close.

That den of guile means you're trying to trick him.

Maybe you're not consistent, maybe you're not the same person in private that you claim to be in public.

And that was certainly this religious man's journey.

Jesus was always ripping on the religious leaders that, like, they had good talk and they checked all the boxes, but their hearts were deceived.

And guile is, I'm trying to trick you to think that I'm something other than what I actually am.

In my thoughts and in my intentions.

Where do I need to trust the Lord?

But my lack of faith and courage to do so has me lying about this.

When will he come through?

Will he actually provide?

Is he as good as Jesus says he is?

I've got a den of guile in my life and I'm ashamed.

Or where are my nests?

Where have I lifted myself up in place of Jesus?

Where have I exalted my own ego or my own strategies or my own gifts or my own intentions or my own needs?

Where have I exalted myself rather than Christ?

The high places of pride and ego that we build for ourselves.

Why?

Because there's some kind of control in that.

And don't we love to be in control?

Man, there's a sense of accomplishment when I when I'm the gatekeeper of my own exaltation, but will you let Christ take his rightful place?

Where have you edged the Lord out with deception and self-exaltion?

Where have you stopped praying because you believe that you have to go it alone?

Dens of guile, nests of self exaltation, and Christ is saying, Let me lay my head on your life.

Let me come in close.

Will we submit and surrender to the humility and the simplicity of following Jesus?

It's gonna cost you something.

The second idea, here's the invited but reluctant one.

The first guy says to Jesus, I'll follow you anywhere.

The second guy, Jesus speaks to him, and there's like an invitation.

He says, Come, follow me.

That might be your story in the room today.

You haven't landed yet.

You're uncertain about your faith.

You haven't yielded and surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Why?

Because you have questions, you've got doubts, you've got fears, you're uncertain.

But that doesn't change this truth.

The Holy Spirit's still small voice, if you listen today, is behold, I stand at the door, I knock, and I'll just be really patient.

At some point, I trust you're gonna let me in.

And that's the heartbeat for Jesus here to say, Would you come follow me?

I see you.

Come follow me.

Come on, come follow me.

Let me invite you, come follow me.

And the man agrees.

He's like, Oh, oh, okay, all right, Lord, I I want to follow you, but but first, let me return home and bury my father.

And then Jesus says to this guy, let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.

You your duty is to go and preach about the kingdom of God.

Does anybody else read that and go, Jesus is not very nice?

Like anybody?

It's just me.

Like I read that and I'm like, if somebody is like, hey, Pastor, I need a minute, my dad died, and there's a funeral, I'm not gonna be like, let the spiritually dead bury the dead.

You got work to do.

I man, I got stuck in this.

How do you spell?

How do you spell that?

Do you know that sound?

Like, hey man, uh I'm coming into Yeg on a late flight.

I land at like midnight.

Could you come pick me up?

Um, hey, my wife and I are moving next weekend.

You've got a pickup truck, right?

I was wondering if maybe.

How do you spell that?

I I wrote T S S S S S question mark sound effect in brackets.

That's how I spelt it.

I don't I don't know how to spell that.

But just me making that noise, you you know what it means.

Uh that's not a price I'm willing to pay.

There's a cost.

Late night airport pickup.

I'm I'm 49.

I've helped a lot of people move.

Call a mover.

Like, I could pitch in for that, like, but I'm I'm trying to take good care of my back.

Like, I want to.

Do you know what I mean?

Like, I'm I'm interested in following Jesus, but I got some things I need to sort out.

I want to follow Christ, but I should probably get my act together first.

There's some things I need to bury.

And if I don't bury those things first, I wonder if like if Jesus is gonna accept me.

I I would love to be obedient and become a disciplined follower of Jesus, Pastor, but like there's some things that I'm kind of like tied up with right now, a little obligated to do.

All those statements, better said, I'm just not ready to count the cost.

Let's be honest.

I'm just not ready to count the cost.

So you've got this guy who's invited to follow Jesus, and then this this really pressing need.

He's grieving, he's mourning, his dad died, he wants to go to the funeral.

Here's an interesting thought a father must be honored, but God must be obeyed.

He that begat us must be loved.

Like my father contributed in starting me, but he that created me must be preferred.

That's the heart of Jesus here.

I hear you.

I'm not I'm not dissing your grief and pain, but I I want to just say obedience and preference to my kingdom, Jesus is saying.

Obedience and preference to my ways, my truth, my life.

Are you gonna count the cost?

And and Jesus' words actually sound callous and mean.

Lord, I'm sad, I'm grieving.

Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.

Another way to read that is you're focusing on the wrong funeral.

The invitation for Jesus to say, Come follow me, is actually the heart of the Father saying, You need to die.

It's your funeral that matters.

You need to lay down your life, die to your old sin nature, die to your old self, and be raised to life in Christ.

There's a kingdom.

Will you shoot for it?

Let's let's get your intentions and your thoughts and your actions all in line with like the right funeral.

And we we bring all of the things that we think that Jesus is uncomfortable with.

Maybe there's something that you're looking backwards at right now.

Maybe you're sort of kicking the tires at Christianity and following Jesus, but you're like, man, there's some shame in my past that I need to bury before I follow Christ.

There's a failure that I can't afford for Jesus to expose.

There's a failed relationship, there's brokenness in my past.

Can you just give me a minute to like cover that and bury that?

There's addiction, Pastor.

I can't bring that into my uh attention to Jesus' kingdom.

No, no, you can.

You can bring all of those things.

You can bring your shame and bring your failure and bring your failed relationships and bring your brokenness and bring your addiction right to the foot of the cross and hear the heart of Jesus still.

It's just come follow me.

Shoot for the kingdom.

So who or what are you preferring right now?

Under the guise of honor.

I gotta give honor to my story, I gotta give honor to my pain, I gotta give honor to my past, I gotta give honor to my dead dad in place of your obedience to Christ.

Jesus isn't being mean, he's just helping you address your priorities.

No reluctance, no hesitation, no second guessing, no left glances, no right glances, no looking back.

Shoot for the kingdom.

I like the message paraphrase.

This guy that's like, I kind of want to follow you, but there's a funeral, and Jesus, Eugene Peterson says it this way Jesus refused.

He's like, um, no, you don't have a funeral.

Jesus refused.

First things first, your business is life, not death.

And life is urgent.

Announce God's kingdom.

Anybody else sense the urgency in this season, that heaven's kingdom?

I was with a few pastors this week, and and sometimes I go to physical places.

I was at I was at a retreat a year ago with the same group of pastors at a place called Barnabas Landing on Keats Island.

And one of the pastors I was with, like on the ferry ride, she said to me, She says, I just can't wait to get to Keats.

It's a thin space.

I was like, what the heck does that mean?

She's like, you know, like a thin space.

I'm like, I I'm so sorry.

I've been following Jesus a long time.

I've never heard anybody use that language before.

Uh she's like, really?

I'm like, yeah.

I don't think I've read it.

I don't think I've read it in the Bible.

Like, I and I actually I've looked, thin, thin space.

But what it what it the the reference is is like the veil's been torn open.

And it's like it's like heavens come a little closer to earth.

And that's the description.

It's a th there's a thin space, heavens like a little closer to earth.

And I was reflecting on it, like that's Jesus' ask.

I need you to be a thin space for people that don't know me.

I know it's hard, but that doesn't mean you disqualify yourself from walking in kingdom purpose.

The very same spirit that raised Christ from the dead has made himself a home in you.

You're a part of a royal priesthood, a holy nation.

You're being built up brick by brick into a living temple to express God's presence here on earth.

Stop grieving, step into purpose.

Stop ruminating in your past, step into purpose.

That's the heartbeat, but it's gonna cost you something.

And we say, Well, I don't want to discredit.

Well, okay, but but if in if in crediting all that stuff back there, you're discrediting your obedience to Jesus, we miss the mark.

So Jesus isn't being mean or callous.

I actually hear the love of the Savior saying, I love you so much.

I want to sit in that pain with you, but let's do it while we're going somewhere on mission together.

You don't have to wait to announce heaven's kingdom if you're grieving, you don't have to wait to announce heaven's kingdom if you want brokenness to be buried.

Start walking, shoot for the kingdom.

And the third and final, what I call the curious but conditional one.

So the first guy's like, I'll follow you anywhere.

And the second guy hears Jesus say, Come follow me.

And then the third guy, yes, Lord, uh, I I will follow you, but first, um, let me say goodbye to my family.

And then Jesus' response to this guy here's the cost of surrender.

Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.

Not fit.

What?

Jesus is like, there's a harvest.

He actually told his disciples 2,000 years ago, the harvest is white.

That means like people are ready to hear the good news about Jesus.

People are primed.

In 2025, there's a there's a generation that's more curious about Christ than any other generation I've ever seen.

We're beginning to hear stories of young people having dreams and visions and and picking up a Bible in their atheist parents' home and reading it and encountering the Lord and finding their way to a church.

Like there's a move of God, not just revival, but renewal taking place in Jesus' church across the world, and certainly moves of that here in Western Canada.

And so, all that to say, this third example is someone who's started the work but fallen away.

And Jesus is like, keep your hand on the plow, keep your eyes on the fields, the harvest is white, the laborers are few, there's kingdom to advance.

Shoot for the kingdom.

In 2021, I preached a message called Burning Plows and Grilling Cows.

Anybody in the room for that?

Who remembers that message?

And I taught from 1 Kings 19.

It's one of the coolest stories in the Bible.

It's actually one of my favorite Old Testament Bible stories.

Because it's about the prophet Elijah shoulder tapping Elisha and saying, Look, man, I'm almost done.

I need you to pick up where I leave off.

Okay?

So Elijah invites Elisha to join him in the work and kind of pass the baton of that prophetic gift.

And the story goes that Elisha's in the field plowing.

He's got a team of oxen and he's that there's work to be done.

And and attached to that work is Elisha sort of second-guessing like, can I leave my family?

Can I leave this sure thing?

Because this family business and being with my people represents safety and security.

And can I leave it?

And there's like, if you read the story, you can you can feel his tension.

But there's this critical turning point that I just love.

And that's why I called the message Burn and Plows and Grilling Cows.

Because Elisha, as if to say, I'm done with this, I'm gonna go embrace my calling.

I'm done with this safe, sure thing, and I'm gonna step boldly into the unknown and trust that God has gone before me, and he's leading me to a place of purpose and promise, even though I can't see it, even though I can't do the math, even though it doesn't make sense, even though I can only see the next step to take, I'm still gonna trust him.

And so what does he do?

He slaughters the oxen, he burns the plows, he grills the meat, he serves it to his family.

Read it.

As if to say, this has been great, but I'm done.

There's a kingdom.

I gotta shoot for the kingdom.

I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna surrender to the safety and security of this sheer thing anymore.

And that's what Jesus is saying to this follower.

You wanna follow me?

If you put your hand on the plow but then look back, you're not fit for the kingdom.

There's work to be done.

Man, I some of you know, like our middle son Riley, he's 18.

He's just moved to Victoria to go to Bible college.

And Riley's entire life, he came out of the womb wanting to shoot stuff.

I don't I'm not a hunter, I'm just not, I'm just not that guy.

I play the piano.

I did musical theater, okay?

Like I sang opera.

Like, and my son came out of the womb wanting to shoot things, and his whole life, all he said is, Dad, one day I'm gonna I'm gonna teach people how to hunt, and I'm gonna teach people how to fish, and I'll use that business to share share Jesus with people.

And we've been like, cool.

Like I've like, I can bless that.

I don't I don't have any expectations of you to do anything other than obey God and live out your calling and your purpose.

But over the month of August, right?

I had this like profound encounter with the Lord, and he said to me one day, he, my 18-year-old, he sidled up and he grabbed my hand and he said, Dad, I've been thinking.

I'm like, what's up, buddy?

He's like, My whole life, all I've wanted to do is hunt and fish and teach people how to hunt hunt and fish.

I'm like, Yeah, man, that's pretty true.

He says, I have to be honest, I'm not convinced that that's what the Lord wants me to do.

What are we gonna do with this?

He's like, I think you know, you told me about this new Bible college starting in Victoria.

I think I have to go.

I think I need to sit in it with God for the year and just say, Lord, what is it you want of me?

And and it was really last minute.

We had like literally four weeks to figure out like how are we paying for school, where's he gonna live, all this stuff.

And and two weeks into that four-week process, he called me.

He said, Hey dad, just so you know, I'm gonna be home a little bit later.

And I was like, What's up, dude?

He goes, Well, I gotta go meet a guy.

Every parent wants to hear your kid say, I gotta go meet a guy.

I'm like, Where where are you meeting him?

Why are you meeting him?

Are you safe?

And he's like, Yeah, I sold my bow.

And uh I was like, Wait, what?

You got and you gotta understand.

We bought Riley his first like compound hunting bow for Christmas a couple years ago, and he used it, and then he sold that.

He actually sold it for more than we because he's that kid.

He like he sold it for more than we'd paid for it, and then he saved up and he bought himself like a better hunting bow, like compound bow.

And if you ask Riley when it comes to hunting, he'd way rather use a bow than a rifle because he wants to give the deer a sporting chance.

And this isn't an ethical or moral question about hunting, this is just me holding space with my kid's heart.

Um I sold my bow because I'm like, I'm gonna have lots of time to hunt, but I need, I need, I need to pay for Bible college.

That kid burned his plow and grilled his cow.

That kid said, I'm not gonna look back to the safe, secure thing that I've always wanted.

I'm gonna, with eyes of curiosity, look ahead, put my hand on the plow, and shoot for the kingdom.

Listen, there's so much about following Jesus that is uncertain.

Anyone else feel that?

Like there's lots about being a Christian that's just like trust and faith will cost us certainty.

There's a cost.

There's a cost to your surrender.

And this guy taking his hand off the plow and turning back to family was actually an embrace of the sure thing, an embrace of safety.

Man, what conditions have I attached to my surrender to Jesus?

Because I'm just afraid.

What excuses am I making for getting my hand off the plow and not following through on my commitment to Christ because I can't see the future clearly?

It's unknown, it's uncertain.

I like how Augustine says, the East calls thee, and thou art looking toward the West.

Jesus calls you, but you're looking back with trepidation and fear at the safe, sure thing.

Family is the example here.

I better put my people at home or that place where I feel safe or that place where I feel secure.

So who or what sits opposite to you running your your race, you putting your hand on the plow?

Master, first, could you excuse me while I get things straightened out at home?

No, not gonna excuse you.

The harvest is white.

Shoot for the kingdom.

Is this hard today?

I want to close with this uh commentary from Warren Wearsby about these three guys.

These three men called Jesus Lord, but they did not do what Jesus told them to do.

The first one, when he heard of possible hardships, foxes have guiled holes, and birds have self-elated nests.

The first man would not deny himself.

The second man was concerned about the wrong funeral.

He should have taken up his cross, died to self, and obeyed God's will.

The third man had his eyes in the wrong direction and could not follow Christ.

See, the conditions for discipleship are given in 923.

And I've already read it today.

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own.

Take up your cross daily.

Follow me.

If you try to hang on to your life, you're gonna lose it.

If you give up your life, you'll save it.

The conditions for discipleship, these three men failed to meet.

Because their emphasis was me first.

My security, my past, other people's expectations of me, the stuff that I need to bury, me, me, me.

No wonder the laborers are few.

And I just want you to know as your pastor, I did the work.

I did the work to invite us into this text today to find ourselves in Christ.

And it exposed some things in me where I'm like, I don't fully trust God the way I did seven years ago when we planted this church.

When we had nothing and no one and no place, I was like, God, if it's all you, man.

If you don't do it, we're hooped.

Seven years in, when it comes to faith and shooting for the kingdom, and helping plant new churches and helping disciple the lost and serving university.

Like I'm I don't fully trust him like I did seven years ago.

And I I want you to know I I repented of that before the Lord this week.

I confessed that.

I said it to the Holy Spirit's face.

And I said, Not anymore.

I want to shoot for the kingdom.

I don't want to be selfish.

I don't be trapped in fear.

I want to reject the me first inclination of my old sin nature that that I buried when I was 17.

I need him to stay dead.

I want to keep my eyes forward.

I want to run with perseverance.

The race marked out for me.

I want to count the cost, keep my hand on the plow.

The harvest is white.

Shoot for the kingdom.

What has your yes right now?

Because defining your best like kingdom yes is gonna make it a lot easier to say no to all the earthly, messy things.

What's your yes?

Count the cost.

What's it gonna cost you?

For a young person in the room, it might mean you you play one less sport at high school this year so that you could start an alpha with your friends.

Launch alpha in your high school campus.

NC 10, 18, 27.

I just met a kid who launched alpha two years ago.

He's got 75 teenagers in the gym learning about Christ.

Because he counted the cost.

I had a friend this week in another province say, can we talk?

I was like, Yeah.

He's like, I just need you to know.

I've been addicted to pornography for 18 years.

It's taken its toll.

I've paid the price.

I'm done.

I've taken it out of darkness and bringing it into light.

Can I can you sit in?

Can you can you call me?

Can you champion me back to the kingdom?

This thing that's that I was taken advantage of when I was 12, and ever since it's had its claws in me, and I'm done.

I want to count the cost of freedom.

I want to count the cost of being made whole.

I'm done.

This week.

There's a price to pay to live surrender to Jesus.

This week, one of our incredible volunteers.

A woman that my wife and I just cherish and love deeply.

Said, I want you to know I did it.

I counted the cost.

All of my all of my paraphernalia, all of my product connected to using marijuana, I flushed it all.

It's all gone.

I'm done with the counterfeit.

I'm done with relying on a substance to find my peace.

When the prince of peace calls me his own, I'm done.

She counted the cost.

For some of you, you're gonna leave here today and you're gonna say, How are we as a family, how are we gonna shoot for the kingdom?

Well, maybe that means once a month, you actually invite your neighbors who live right beside you into your home to break bread, share a meal, and in so doing, celebrate the risen Lord.

You know, every time we break bread and drink of the cup, we proclaim Christ's resurrection.

There's something about the table.

Your neighbors don't know the Lord yet, and and God put you right beside them.

And I just I feel like someone's gonna feel like that's that's the cost.

I we need to we need to leverage one dinner a month to have our neighbors who don't know Christ to come sit at our table in the hopes that we might share of the good hope that we have in Jesus.

You're gonna you're gonna count the cost.

Somebody in the room is gonna count the cost.

You've been picking up extra shift after extra shift after I need more money, I need more money, I need more money.

And and if you're honest, it's taking a toll.

It's taking a toll on your marriage, on your relationship with your family, on your relationship with your friends, on your relationship with your kids.

You've given that your best yes.

Mammon, money, make more, save more.

And the Lord's like, enough is enough, count the cost.

And so maybe for somebody you're like, well, instead of picking up that extra shift, I'm actually gonna join a small group.

I'm gonna be known in Christian community.

I'm gonna be challenged to grow in my faith.

I don't need one more trip with my family.

A vacation isn't necessarily gonna move me closer to the heart of God, but real Christian community will sure challenge me.

I'm gonna count the cost.

Some of you are, maybe for me, one or two less rounds of golf.

I'm gonna count the cost.

I love it now.

That's the thing.

It's actually gonna cost me something.

But how do I create margin of those four hours and that chunk of money?

And then what could I do with it to shoot for the kingdom?

What could you?

Would you stand in your feet?

Thank you so much for listening to today's message.

If you're ever in the Edmonton area, pop by for a visit.

And if you need any more information, visit EvolveChurch.com.

We hope to see you soon.