"Is it worth: The cost of discipleship"

Luke 14:25-33

     Dear Friends in Christ,   

Introduction

            Is it worth it? Every one of us has asked this question, haven’t we? I have even pondered that question recently when I debated whether to have a fourth piece of fried chicken at the Leaky Bucket.  And of course I decided to eat the fourth piece of chicken. We ask this question in all areas of life. I am sure many of you may have asked this question when purchasing a new car or house. Some of you may have asked this question when quitting a job or starting a new one.  Maybe when deciding to move from one city to another. And is even asked when making hard and personal decisions like whether or not to stay with your spouse? Or file for bankruptcy.

So when faced with these decisions, how do we determine the path that we need to take?  We begin by counting the cost. The process of ‘counting the cost’ helps us to see what will be gained and lost as a result of a decision. Counting the cost makes clear the sacrifices needed including: the physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual burdens you will carry. There are so many things to keep in mind when counting the cost. The process is difficult and is often laden with fears, doubts and many more questions. But it is a process that we must go through so that we fully know and understand the cost of what we are faced with.  

Text

As we turn to our text today we see Jesus challenging the crowd to think through the process of counting the cost. He challenges those following Him to think through the harsh reality of being His disciple. There were some in the crowd who were only following Jesus because they wanted a blessing. Jesus was looking for genuine, unconditionally devoted followers.  Jesus wants those following Him to consider and understand the huge cost to be His disciple.

Jesus starts off His encounter with the large crowd by challenging them to count the cost where it really hurts: At home.  He turns to the crowd and says “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, ‘yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Now this is pretty strong language! But we must understand that when Jesus uses this word ‘hate,’ He was using the term as a Hebrew idiom. Now a Hebrew idiom is a Hebrew word that can mean something different, in the context it is in, than the original meaning of the word.  Those following Jesus would have understood the word ‘hate’ as needing to love Jesus more than their families and even themselves. In other words, to be Christ’s disciple, those in the crowd needed to have Jesus as the main priority in their life.  This could possibly mean that they even had to leave their families, just like the sons of Zebedee, who left their father in a boat, to follow Jesus.

 Do you think there were some in that crowd who started to question whether or not this discipleship thing was worth it?

Jesus then ups the ante when he said, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” The cost now is not just the possibility of giving up family but also giving up ones own life unto death. Jesus expected those following Him, if they desired to be His disciples, to be fully prepared to experience the things He experienced. That means they needed to be prepared and willing to be ridiculed, persecuted, hated and even willing to bear their crosses to the point of death.

How about now? Do you think more people started to question whether or not it was worth it to be His disciple?

            Jesus then shifts the discussion from conditions of discipleship to parables that drive home the point that one must count the cost of discipleship before embarking on a life long journey with Him. In the first parable, Jesus uses the example of building a tower. Whoever desires to build a tower first sits down and counts the cost before they build. If one does not count the cost before they begin the building process, his funds could diminish and he would look foolish when the job is not complete and only the foundation stands.

Jesus then tells those following Him a second parable about a king going to war. Before going to battle the king must first decide if it is possible to fight with 10 thousand men against an army who is 20 thousand strong. And if he is not able to fight with 10 thousand, he sends delegation to ask for terms of peace. See what Jesus does? He speaks to them in terms that they can understand. He uses imagery that they are used to.  He does this because He wants those in the crowd to fully understand the cost of discipleship that he had just explained to them.  He wanted those following Him to understand that discipleship is nothing to take lightly.

             After speaking the two parables to the crowd, Jesus gives a third condition of discipleship. Jesus said, “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” For those who desired to be Jesus’ disciple, they needed to be willing to give up everything they have to follow Him. Jesus wanted His disciples to be fully surrendered to Him, willing to take on the cost. He wanted them to be willing to give up all their possessions, their family and even their life.   

What harsh conditions of discipleship! I am sure that there were many in the crowd who thought long and hard about the cost. And I am sure that they wrestled with the question: Is it ‘worth it’ to be His disciple.

The reality is that the same conditions of discipleship which Jesus spoke to the crowd apply to us today.  Jesus desires us to fully understand what it truly costs to follow Him. He wants us to be genuine and willing to follow Him at all costs. We are expected to have Him as our main priority in life, even a higher priority than our families. We are also expected to be willing to give up everything and be unconditionally devoted to Christ.  If necessary, we are to bear our crosses even unto death.

            Yet the majority of us here are Christ’s disciples. We have been following Jesus for many years. Some here have been following Jesus a very long time. So when I ask you if the cost is worth it I am a hundred percent sure I know your answer. I believe you would say ‘yes’ it is worth it. You would say yes because you have endured the cost of discipleship. You have experience the sacrifice and have clung to Christ through the toughest of times.

Law

            However, each and every one of us struggles with our discipleship. The struggles we face constantly have us question whether or not it is worth it to keep going. These struggles come in many different forms.

            Some of you find yourselves facing health problems right now or faced with potential health issues. The tests have been done and the time you’re having to spend waiting for the results is nothing short of agonizing.

            Others of you are struggling with your finances. The economic downturn has hit hard and there are days and many sleepless nights where you find yourself wondering how you’re going to pay your bills.

Still others of you have experienced the loss of a loved one this year, in some cases quite unexpectedly. And the burden of grief that you carry in you heart right now at times seems unbearable. A simple song on the radio or hymn in church, a scene from a movie, even a certain smell can trigger that grief and open up the floodgates to those tears that flow all too easily these days.

And then there are those questions that Satan loves to plat in our minds when life gets tough: Are you sure this is worth it? If God really loved you as much as he says he does, then why are you having to go through all of this? Are you sure this discipleship thing is all it’s cracked up to be?

So what struggle are you dealing with in your discipleship today? Each and every day we struggle with issues that affect our discipleship one way or another. It becomes easy to find ourselves in a position where we are at a loss of what to do. The cost seems too high and the struggle seems too great.

Gospel

As we all know life is extremely difficult. It is filled with one struggle or another. But we must not forget about the One who we are following after, Jesus. We must remember that Christ whole heartily desires us to be His disciple. He wants you to be His disciple so much that He even gave up His heavenly home for it. He left the side of His father, humbled Himself, and took on flesh. He did not stop there. He even bore His cross unto death. He did this because He loves you and wants you to be His disciples.

As His disciples, He then comes along side you when you are struggling. He is right there next to you when the burdens of your cross seem too much to bear. He is there with you when you are struggling with heath issues or are having difficulty pay bills. Jesus is even with you in the midst of your grief to comfort you and wipe every tear from your eye.

Then when the struggles of life are coming to an end and death is knocking at your door. Jesus comes along side of you, takes you by the hand and walks you through death into the resurrection where you will be with God for all eternity.

Close

So is the cost of discipleship worth it? O Yes it is!!! We have a savior who is right there with us so we do not have to struggle alone. So as you depart from this place today please heed these words that come from the prophet Isaiah, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” Amen

     Amen.