Counting the Cost

Sunday Sermons

Mark Dunagan
02/12/06 - Sunday Morning

Counting the Cost

The cost of bearing fruit with perseverance: Luke 8:11-15

“And those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved. And those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. And the seed that fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. And the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance”

I like to start with this story because it clearly outlines the possibilities and choices that we have when it comes to the gospel message. An honest heart takes work. Being a faithful Christian is not an easy or effortless task for anyone, including the “good” heart. This person has to hold on to the gospel, and bear fruit with “perseverance”. It is going to take work and effort to live the Christian life. There are no shortcuts or easy paths to spiritual growth (“Applying all diligence” 2 Peter 1:5).

· As honest heart prevents choosing to ignore it, be too busy for it or refuse to listen because the message is demanding us to change and it does not flatter us in our present condition.

· An honest heart prevents becoming a Christian without really having listened to the actual cost and commitment required, and it keeps us from having a selective hearing that is only willing to listen to what serves self.

· An honest heart prevents becoming a Christian and then becoming sidetracked and consumed by the things of this life.

The cost of full commitment: Luke 9:57-62

“And as they were going along the road, someone said to Him, ‘I will follow You wherever You go’. And Jesus said to him, ‘The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head’. And He said to another, ‘Follow Me’. But he said, ‘Permit me first to go and bury my father’. But He said to him, ‘Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God’. And another also said, ‘I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home’. But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God’”

These next two accounts are valuable because they set God’s expectations in contrast with the expectations that are often expressed in the secular and religious world:

· There is a danger of being vocal about our commitment to Christ without understanding what “following Him” will involve (9:57-58). “The Savior calls attention to the naked reality of His life of extreme privation. He calls attention to it so as to make the prospective follower realize the implications of his swearing allegiance, so that he may be able to decide with open eyes whether he will indeed follow Him” (Geldenhuys pp. 295-296).

· Here we find an unexpected obstacle that many new converts have not anticipated. Some have been under the impression that it is okay to place important family occasions or the demands of a career ahead of following Christ.

· Remember the setting, Jesus has asked someone to follow Him, and an excuse has been given of some unfinished business. On such occasions, God must come first, for following Jesus will never be convenient. There is a warning here to people who always seem to be putting off either becoming a Christian or growing spiritually because of something that they have to do. If following Jesus takes precedence over a family funeral, then following Jesus takes precedence over all other matters as well.

· “This request sounds reasonable and innocent, yet when this man gets back among his people, tells them of his intention to follow Jesus, and starts to bid them all farewell, will he be able to resist their pleading to stay with them and to give up Jesus? All honor to friendship and love, but humanly noble affections may prevent us from entering the kingdom (Matthew 10:37)” (Lenski p. 563). There is nothing wrong with saying goodbye, yet it appears that Jesus expected this man to do that before he approached Jesus.

· The present participle “looking” indicates, not an occasional glance backward, but constant looking. Looking back means looking to past joys, and setting the heart on the things of this world. “It makes little difference to what part of the worldly life the heart looks back with longing and is unable to tear itself away, the effect is always the same: not fit for the kingdom”(Lenski p. 564).

The cost of straight priorities, forward thinking: Luke 14:26-30

“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. Whosever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’”

· God is not desperate for followers and the terms of being a disciple are not negotiable.

· Compared to the love we are to have for God, all lesser “loves” (family, friends, self), are as hatred. Remember, the same Bible that has this verse equally says to honor father and mother (Ephesians 6:2).

· Jesus expects us to follow Him while carrying our cross at the same time. He expects us to follow Him even while being persecuted, ridiculed, tempted and then life is difficult.

· Starting the Christian life and then quitting only will bring ridicule to self and the cause of Christ. It gives the impression that Christianity is just a phase that people enter and then out grow out.

The cost of high moral standards: Galatians 5:19-21

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God”

· The expression and things like these reveals that this is not a complete list of sins. These are more categories of sin that include all sorts of ancient and modern practices.

· Here the term “immorality” means sexual immorality includes all sexual sins, including adultery, homosexuality, fornication, incest and pornography. The word “impurity” covers much of the same ground, except it condemns the impurity that leads up to the actual act itself.

· “Sensuality” is defined as “unbridled lust, excess, shamelessness, as in filthy words, indecent bodily movements (modern dancing), unchaste handling of males and females (Thayer, p. 258). “It is defined as meaning ‘readiness to indulge in any pleasure and sin so open and blatant that it has ceased to have any regard for what anyone may think, feel or say. The terrible thing about sensuality is that it is the act of a character which has lost that which ought to be its greatest defense,its self-respect, and its sense of shame” (Flesh and Spirit pp. 32-33). Immodest apparel would certainly be condemned by this category.

· In respect to “idolatry”, “A man's God may rightly be said to be that to which he dedicates his time, his substance, and his talents, that to which he gives himself” (Flesh and Spirit p. 34). Thus, we are committing idolatry any time we place any thing or any one before God. Pleasures, hobbies, careers, material possessions and people can all before “idols”.

· Concerning “drunkenness” we need to remind people that this category equally condemns all forms of drug abuse--not just alcohol.

The cost of diligence and self control: Ephesians 4:25-30

“Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God”

· Notice how the morality presented in the Bible is not merely the removal of a negative act. God always has a moral replacement for an immoral thought or deed.

· Yes, being a Christian is not easy or effortless, yet look at what we are seeking to accomplish (4:23-24). At the same time, being a non-Christian has never been easy, it does take effort to remain an unbeliever, and even the earthly consequences of living in rebellion to God are not pleasant.

· We need to get rid of the old self because the old self is not getting any better (4:22).

· True change must come from the inside (4:23). Unless the mind or spirit is truly convinced, there will be no change in what the body says or does.

· God built “anger” into us, thus it does have a proper usage, yet when dealing with anger we need to realize that we are handling dynamite. It can be very useful yet it can equally destroy us and others.

· The devil cannot “possess” one or move one to do something against their will. Yielding any sinful thought gives the devil a base of operations in our life. He will exploit any weakness, selfishness, or carelessness on our part.

· Our choice of words is now to be guided by a higher standard. Even in our speech we need to consider the spiritual needs of others, rather than simply venting how we presently feel.

· When we sin, not only are we hurting ourselves and often others around us, but far more importantly we are grieving God (4:30; Psalm 51:4).

· Notice that God does not “understand” or sympathize with us when we sin. While the world often feels that certain circumstances, like having a bad day at work, often gives us the right to swear or manifest a sinful attitude. God says otherwise. Especially consider the realm of sexual immorality: “But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you” (Ephesians 5:3). God has a zero tolerance policy concerning sin and rebellion.

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017