Live with Lon - Counting the Cost

Well hello every body welcome to log with longer so glad you're with us today and we have all very challenging passage of Scripture today for all of our lives, but I hope you're doing well and let's pray before we dig into the word of God with power or Jesus, we ask you to call my hearts from all of the vicissitudes and frenetic activity of our world and Lord forgive our sins and connect us vitally in our hearts with the Holy Spirit so that he can share his illumination on our hearts so that we can understand and we can grasp the impact Horton's and the meaning of the word of God for our lives more. We commit our time in the Scripture to you right now speak to our hearts and our lives. In Jesus name we pray, and everybody said a man all right well I remember that were studying the Gospels. And right now we're in Luke's gospel picking up some passages that Matthew and Mark's gospel do not have.

Meanwhile, the whole context is Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to the cross and the resurrection. Remember the cross purchased our salvation and the resurrection proved it to please purchased, proved the cross and resurrection. God, it okay now today were going to pick up in Luke chapter 14 and I want you to remember that I'm using the new King James version of the Bible and working to pick up. Let's do it together. In verse 25.

Now remember the context Jesus has been verse one of this chapter with a very prominent rabbi at a large dinner were a lot of scribes and Pharisees and religious leaders have been invited and he just last week warned them that they were not going to eat in the banquet in the kingdom of God in heaven unless they came way that the Lord Jesus Christ was offering them and that is by trusting him so having finished that Jesus leaves the just banquet goes back out into the street and as we pick up in verse 25. Let's do that.

Look, and there went great multitudes with him and he turned and said to them, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple and whoever does not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. I believe that the Lord Jesus when he walked out of that dinner had in his mind this whole idea of people trying to connect themselves to him and to heaven and the great banquet in heaven like those rabbis and and Pharisees in the banquet. He tried to do without being properly prepare.

I think this is on his mind and this whole idea of the cost to become a follower of his which these rabbis had not been willing to pay. Remember, if you confess Christ we know this from John chapter 9 in the time that Jesus was here on earth of John chapter 9 tells us you were thrown out of your Senate up and the Jewish people whole community was their synagogue in the friends and the relationships they had their so you are essentially excommunicated lap all of a DAD fellowship if you will, are disfellowshipped from everybody in the community that you live do so. There was a price to pay for believing in Jesus and Jesus in talking about that now talks to people out in the street about the price they're going to have to pay notice is referred clearly the he said. Verse 26 that person without paying this price.

Look, he cannot be my disciple. In verse 27 cannot be my disciple. Now it's my understanding here that Jesus is making a distinction between being a follower of his and being a disciple of his.

And while I say that well because the price that he's talking to us about here.

You don't have to pay that price in order to trust what Christ did for you on the cross and be granted eternal life of the Bible is very clear about that. The Philippian jailer asked chapter 16 service to Paul and Silas, what must I do to be say the answer believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved you and your whole house: fatally the were not talking salvation here in my understanding, we are talking discipleship. There is a difference between a follower of Jesus and a disciple of Jesus. A disciple of Jesus is a deeper commitment if the deeper connection and walk with the Lord is just like hey you don't have to be a Marine to be an American citizen. The Marines are the few, the proud Marines that got television commercials running on television again allotted few proud Marines are not every American citizen is Marie Marine takes an extra level of commitment and extra level of dedication to be a Marine dog or to be probably in any other part of the armed services, but I love the Marines for that saying the few proud of the Marines will disciple is the few proud of disciple of Christ is a deeper walk a deeper level. And Jesus said to be at that level.

There is a cost that you have to pay okay you trust it with Jesus on the cross. Great to be a disciple is an additional cost. And if you want to be a follower, you want to pay that cost you won't have to you'll still go to heaven if you trusted what Jesus did for you on the cross. What extra special rewards and honor that goes to being a disciple will not be yours. So I hope you want to be a disciple.

I hope that's in your heart, you're not content just trust Christ and go to heaven and not go the further distance to being a Marine, spiritually, for the Lord Jesus Christ. Now if you don't want to be a Marine.

For the Lord Jesus Christ my suggestion is you turn the message off right now and go do something else if because I want to talk now to those people who want to be a spiritual Marine okay now what is Jesus saying here.

He said to be a spiritual Marine to be a disciple number one we have to hate our father or mother or wife or children are brothers and sisters and even our own life now to see Nini really wants me to hate my father hate my brother.

Now of course not you want to love and honor your parents and your brother and well, but he saying in contrast to the love you have for me the love you have for all these other people, including your own life has to look like hate young Sam of your love for me is got to be superlative and superseding any, other love that you have. If you want to be a disciple.

I must have your complete loyalty and love and the number two if you want to be a spiritual Marine and a disciple.

You've got to pick up your cross and bear if that's what he says and come after Jesus. Now what is that mean well, the cross was suffering, the cross was pain of the cross was a burden that the Lord Jesus took on himself for us, and this is what he says that your cross and my cross may be very different.

Everybody's cross is not to say about what Jesus is saying is when I asked you for that level of commitment that you gotta step up and carry extra weight for me.

You got to be except pain and suffering on my behalf on behalf of Christ, then a disciple does okay so this is what it cost to be a disciple and will come back and talk about that in a minute.

Were talking about an absolute and utter commitment to Jesus Christ, where he is above everything and anything else including our own life now.

Jesus goes on to say, however, before you say that before you tell me and that you want to be a disciple. I just want to remind you of one thing.

Here's what he says look at verse 28 for which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and hello three words tell cost, whether he has enough money to finish it last after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish it all to see and begin the market saying this man began to build, but was not able to finish what kingdom going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with 10,000 soldiers to meet him who comes against him with 20,000 or else while the other king is still a great way all he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace so likewise whoever you does not forsake all he has. He cannot be my disciple. Now Jesus is saying you need to count the cross my friend before you say you want to be my disciple and you want to be a Marine. For Jesus, you better count the cost, it means one anyway. Jesus says you have to first say all that you have and Jesus has to become your highest priority in your highest love and your highest loyalty and you better count the cost as to whether or not you and I are willing to do that. Lester, we start and can't finish. You know, I just always tell my boys. It has nothing if not how you start the race details is how you finish everybody looks good at the start of the race in the Olympics there all their they're all in the starting blocks. They all agree is not having that's that that's why they don't hand out the metals at the start of the race. The matter how you look at the start, it matters how you finish. That's where the metals are handed out and is the same thing is true in our lives as followers of Christ in general.

It matters how we finish our Christian life but is more specifically you want to be a disciple, you better make sure that you understand what you're saying and the commitment you're making so that you can finish what you start now.

That's the end of our passage and that's a great warning from the Lord Jesus to count the cost, but we want to ask our most important question else were you ready right. Come on now nice and loud.

Come on 1 to 3 days.

So what you and I just had a lady called me on the phone a few minutes ago and we were talking about something and she said I listen every week to live lawn and she said I just want to say how we yes I think yes ma'am house we it is to be able to share the word of God with you like this so when it comes to counting the cost.

I wrote down some things this week that are part of the cost of being a disciple, not a follower of Jesus.

Okay, but a disciple and I have 80 say all my God fellows. This can be only do real quick. I just want to make sure that you and I think the cost okay. Our number one is willing to be a disciple means number one that we are going to have to go public for Jesus, that we can't be a CIA Christian we have to go public for Jesus to be a disciple and is what baptism is all ballots are public profession that we believe in Jesus and we are connected to him. This is why every believer is told to be baptized and to go public for the Lord.

I knew when I got baptized as a Jewish person.

There was no turning back. After that, and and this is the whole point now of Paul says in Romans 116 for I am not ashamed of of the gospel. He tells Timothy in second Timothy chapter 1 verse eight therefore do not be ashamed of of the testimony of our Lord and first Peter chapter 3, Peter says, be always ready to give an account of for the hope that is in you and tell people about Christ is part of being a disciple. We go public. There's no hiding it or keeping it a secret. No matter what the price is.

We go public Jesus. That's the first thing to being a disciple number two. The cost of being a disciple is often our closest friends are girlfriend or boyfriend because they don't want to live the lifestyle that a disciple of Jesus lives in very often, those relationships have to be broken so that they don't drag us back into a life of sinful behavior about a disciple of wants to escape them and live godly in Christ Jesus.

Okay, first Corinthians chapter 15 Paul says in verse 33. He says do not be deceived evil company corrupts good habits, evil company corrupts good habits and it does. This is why Bob Eckardt told me that I get out of Chapel Hill when I first came to Christ because all my old friends were going to corrupt my attempts to try to live for Christ and and this is why in second Corinthians. The apostle Paul says do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness and what communion has light with darkness. This is often used to evaluate numeric and that certainly qualifies, but it's more than that. It's about our closest friendships. In our closest human contacts that if a person doesn't know the Lord and the monolith of the Lord in document you talking program up there and pull you down so don't be yoked with them on the picture here is to animals pulling on a yoke pulling a plow or two mules work fine to horses work fine to oxen work fine, but you put a mule and an ox on the same yoke and you is not going to work fine. So he's trying to tell us you know your spiritual being.

Now don't be on the same yoke with someone who is not a spiritual being and they think you're crazy about you know your friends. Okay, so it's going to put in the cost can often be your girlfriend across me by girlfriend. When I came to Christ and your closest friends cost me all my friends when I came to Christ. Okay. Number three the cost of being a disciple is going to radically affect what you allow to come out of your mouth. I love Colossians chapter 4 verse six when you read that to you. Colossians chapter 4 verse six let your speech always be with grace season. The width salt. What is that mean well, so what assaultive salt kills the germs and rottenness and the decay in me and other things. And when you say that your speech should be seasoned with salt, Paul is telling us of that stuff that is rotten and putrid and decaying, has no business coming out of my mouth. You know you say well I don't cuss, that's good. You shorten as a disciple, but being a disciple means we have to watch everything else that comes out of my mouth. It's wrong. Gossip, slander, judgment of other people partially just unkind words of every time Luda comments sexual comments dirty jokes all that stuff has to be ended and and and look at Ephesians chapter 4 which says let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, only that which is good for edification. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit by that stuff coming out of your mouth. Verse 30 verse 31 let all bitterness and wrath and anger, clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you and be kind to one another, tenderhearted towards one another, all that evil speaking all that stuff.

Hey, a disciple that's part of the cost of being a disciple whom we we have to agree to change what comes out of our mouth and to discipline it so it doesn't number four if you want to be a disciple of Jesus and let's talk about your sexual behavior and mine first Corinthians chapter 6 talks to us about this and it says flee sexual immorality.

Every sin Amanda is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own. You were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body as well as in your spirit, which are God's hey when we come to Christ are sexual mores have to change radically dramatically not just whether we have sexual relations before marriage. That's part of the body of the way we look at other people. Paul, I mean the Lord Jesus said if you look on a woman or man lustfully. You've already committed adultery in your heart with them so we have to deal with that and as we said earlier, sexual things that come out of your mouth like dirty jokes and and inappropriate comments about people, sexual, and all that stuff got a get cleaned up if you want to be a disciple of Christ disciples of Christ.

See, to be holy in the way they look and members of the other sex. We don't always get it right. This is what we aspire to, and not to look at them and deal with them in a way that is rotten and degenerate and immoral. Okay. Number five, giving other people who've hurt you say all brother you now you going from preaching the Medlin.

I am but you know what disciples forgive everyone everything because that's what the Lord Jesus tells us to do in the Bible. I don't care how bad a virtue, we forgive them and why will listen if you would Ephesians 432 and be kind to one another, tenderhearted now. The rest of the birth forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Why we forgive others.

Because Jesus forgave us and he gave us a lot more than anybody else was ever done to loss now about Colossians. I was telling us the very same thing. Colossians chapter 3 verse 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you do also. As Paul says in Romans chapter 12 verse 18 as much as it lies with you. Be at peace with all men and women, which means we have forgiven them. We have put everything they've done to us under the blood and we leave it on the blood and we don't resurrected and deal with it and hold grudges and and and say nasty things about people or feel malice towards them. It is ancient history nailed to the cross and we leave it there. This is what a disciple does. Peace with all men know matter what all men have done with them, and this leaves the number six which is making things right. Not only do we forgive but if we've offended somebody else we make that right. Why because Jesus tells us to Matthew chapter 5. Look what he says. Therefore, you're bringing your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.

First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift to God. Friends listen to me disciples don't always get it right but disciples always make it right your fiancé and you don't always get it right but we always make it right with people. Just the other day I somebody call me on the phone and while I was driving about some ridiculous thing was a like a sales call and and I and I was you know how I knew I shouldn't be on the phone so I just said no, no, thank you and please don't call me again and I hung up and then my conscience started bothering me and I I said you know that was wrong you. You were rude and so I called him up and I said hey this is Mr. Solomon, the guy you just call and go there. The guy on the phone was a little long guarded goes yeah I said look, I just want to call and apologize to you I was rude to you. I didn't mean to be rude. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me and and why did I do that because I'm trying to be a disciple of Christ and I understand that I didn't get it right, but I needed to make the right and this is hard for us forgiveness is hard for us. We can really hurt and making it right with people that we've done things to hurt them. Sometimes it's really hard for us to see a disciple listens to Jesus more than they do their own feelings their own hesitations, their own humiliation or embarrassment was a little bit humiliating to call that person back know if I want to be a disciple. It's too bad Jesus is number one in what he says in the Bible. Finally a money. I knew you were going to get to that well I'm sorry about.

A disciple handles his or her money differently than the rest of the world wrestling world spends all her money on themselves and the people they love.

A disciple gives to the work of God significantly from his or her resources. Jesus said it, you cannot serve God and Mammon material things.

One of them has got to be more important to you than the other. And if it's God you will use and I will are material things to support the work of God, and you can tell a lot about how much of a disciple someone really is by looking at their bank account and their checkbook and how they give to the work of God, I mean we can fake it with praise the Lord I learned singing hymns and raising my hand and going day.

I thank you Jesus. Listen, if you will, real barometer of who was a disciple and who isn't look at their checkbook, and it'll tell you, you know, I'm serious. That's where the rubber really meets the road is how people handle their money and if their money is not surrender to the Lord that I'm telling you their life is not surrendered fully to the Lord of the bar. That's why the woman who came and put two mites to get to that sort got in the temple offering Jesus that she put in more than everybody else. She gave all she had everybody else to screw and token amounts from their well and the Bible calls us to this you know many of us know by heart. Proverbs 3516 trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

But we don't go on for another couple of verses we get the verse nine will get this was put on the screen it says honor the Lord from your well and from the first of all of your produce. So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. Honor the Lord from your well okay trusting in the Lord and acknowledging him is important, but so was honoring him with her will. A disciple sees all the money he or she has is coming from God all belonging to God and meant to be used not only to meet our needs. Yes, but also to give generously to support the work of God, Your Honor, and a disciple understands that in a disciple does okay, let's summarize what's the bottom line here. Bottom line is Romans 12 one of the CC brethren, by the mercies of God to for that you present your cell a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. What is a living sacrifice. Well, it's exactly what Jesus said in Luke chapter 14 let's go back to Luke chapter 14 and let's look at what Jesus said at the very end of the passage we have here is love verse 33 so likewise whoever of you does not forsake all that he has for my sake, he cannot be my disciple. Being a living sacrifice Romans 12 one being Julia yourself on the altar you're not dead, you're still living but you completely sacrifice everything to the Lord Jesus. He is number one what he says is number one obedience to him as number one.

That's our goal in every area of life and nothing compares to the loyalty we have for him that is being a disciple and Jesus said that's what I want you to be.

But I want to make sure you count the cost cost may be punishment of some kind that people inflict on you for going public for the Lord. The cost may be your friends your boyfriend your girlfriend.

The cost may be having to radically change what comes out of your mouth because may be having to radically change your sexual behavior and and and perhaps having to change some habits that are going on right now like living with your boyfriend or your girlfriend before marriage or whatever you understand what I'm saying. A. The cost may be of that you have to forgive somebody who's really hurt you everybody who's ever going to hurt you because may be that you gotta go right back to make things right with people you hurt and not just now but for the rest of your life. It has to be our our our our habit pattern because may be money for us. Thousands and thousands of dollars. Considering the salaries that are here in Washington DC that should be given by us to the work of God instead of consumed on ourselves as cost of the site and is more these are just the ones I picked out at first when he close and say this, Jesus want to be his disciple and I want to be his disciple.

I hope you do that there is a cost and Jesus said just make sure you know what it is that you're prepared. Before you come and say Lord Jesus, I want to be your disciple. I want to walk with you like a spiritual Marine. You can count on me if you proud. The disciples, and you know being a disciple is something we aspire to is not something that we reach in and we never we never fail. I would never let God down.

We never have a bad day as a disciple. No, I'm sorry we we aspire to be a disciple but sometimes we have a good day.

Yes, and we were happy to come home and presented to the Lord. Sometimes we have a not so good day and we come home and we have to say Lord Jesus, please forgive me. I didn't do so well today, but Lord, tomorrow I'm going back out there by the grace of God and I'm going to try again with everything I God to be your disciple and to live that way and in Sunday's friends.

We just have a disaster of the day.

I mean where we're just ashamed of ourselves for something we do something we said of the way we behave just before the Lord would just ashamed of ourselves that helps all of us terrible day will thank God for strong 19 we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Thank you thank you thank you God. We are in their beating on our breasts like the tax collector just we got nothing to say were so ashamed of God's mercy on please Lord, please just consumers. We always give an disciples have those days sometime like Peter when he denied the Lord they have those days sometimes well it's okay we get the forgiveness of God.

We go back out and we aspire to do better the next. So just understand the spine. The disciples are not people who reach a static level like the angels, and then they never have a bad day, but having a bad day doesn't mean you stop being a disciple just means we try harder. The next day with the help of the Holy Spirit. Okay, let's pray for Jesus, thank you so much for reminding us that there is a cost to being your disciple, Lord, I pray that those of us who are followers of Christ would all aspire to be disciples and not be satisfied just to be believers, Lord Jesus, then help us be willing to count that cost pay that price and show up reporting for duty standing there attention say more. Jesus, I'm here like a spiritual Marine just Lord Jesus, help me to carry out everything that you commanded me to do and I pray this in Jesus name.

Everybody said a man okay brother arrived that is printed. It is well join us next week for the Bible the holy Bible.

Nothing but the Bible and then we apply to our life as we continue going on in our study of the gospel say God bless you and the mythologies