|
Luke
14:25-33
There
is
no
other
place
like
America.
In
America
you
can
make
a
profession
of
faith
and
not
worry
about
consequences.
If
we
were
in
any
other
place
in
the
world
we
would
never
even
think
about
saying
we
were
Christians
unless
we
were
willing
to
die
for
that
faith.
Having
said
that,
I’m
aware
that
talking
about
discipleship
may
not
seem
that
important
to
you
because
we’re
not
discussing
a
subject
that
is
close
to
our
hearts.
However,
if
we
were
in
a
land
where
Christian
persecution
was
rampant,
we
would
be
discussing
a
subject
that
is
very
close
to
our
hearts.
No
one
in
a
country
where
you
pay
a
price
for
naming
the
name
of
Jesus
Christ
is
going
to
do
that
unless
they
are
willing
to
pay
that
price.
There
are
no
shallow
uncommitted
believers.
Yet
in
our
society
here,
we
have
developed
this
incredible
view
of
God
that
says
you
can
be
a
Christian
and
not
worry
about
being
committed.
In
fact
some
teach
that
you
can
be
a
Christian
without
being
a
disciple.
I’m
here
to
tell
you
today
that
there
is
no
question
that
the
only
message
Jesus
ever
proclaimed
was
a
message
of
discipleship.
The
call
that
Jesus
gave
was
a
call
to
follow
Him,
a
call
to
submission,
and
a
call
to
obedience.
Jesus
never
preached
a
message
that
was
a
plea
to
make
some
kind
of
momentary
decision
to
acquire
forgiveness
and
peace
and
heaven
and
then
go
on
living
anyway
you
wanted.
The
invitations
of
Jesus
to
the
lost
were
always
direct
calls
to
a
costly
commitment.
If
you
follow
Jesus
you
will
lose
your
life.
American
president
Theodore
Roosevelt
once
said,
“There
has
never
yet
been
a
man
who
led
a
life
of
ease
whose
name
is
worth
remembering.”
The
same
with
Jesus,
He
does
not
call
us
to
a
life
of
ease.
The
instructions
in
the
Bible
call
for
self-denial,
and
self-sacrifice-a
commitment
to
obey
the
divine
will
at
any
cost.
In
our
day
many
claim
to
follow
Jesus.
But
our
Lord
often
spoke
of
the
marks
of
a
genuine
disciple
to
expose
those
whose
discipleship
was
only
a
façade.
That
distinction
is
often
overlooked
in
contemporary
Christianity.
There
is
a
cost
to
discipleship!!
Matthew
Henry
says
that
Jesus’
disciples
as
well
as
many
in
our
days
think
that
Christ
should
say,
“If
any
man
come
to
me
and
be
my
disciple,
he
shall
have
wealth
and
honor
in
abundance.”
However,
this
is
not
the
case.
We
must
be
willing
to
quit
that
which
is
dear
to
us.
We
should
cheerfully
depart
from
a
life
of
comfort
rather
than
quit
our
interest
in
Christ.
Following
Jesus
has
consequences.
Dedication
to
Jesus
means
rejection
of
any
who
are
not
dedicated
to
Him.
Dedication
to
Jesus
means
rejecting
self-interest
and
personal
fortunes.
Most
importantly
discipleship
is
a
full-time
commitment.
Nothing
should
modify,
interrupt,
or
compete
with
it.
In
verses
28-32
Jesus
gives
two
illustrations,
one
of
a
person
building
a
tower,
the
other
of
a
king
going
to
war.
"28
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?
"29
Otherwise,
when
he
has
laid
a
foundation
and
is
not
able
to
finish,
all
who
observe
it
begin
to
ridicule
him,
30
saying,
`This
man
began
to
build
and
was
not
able
to
finish.'
31
"Or
what
king,
when
he
sets
out
to
meet
another
king
in
battle,
will
not
first
sit
down
and
consider
whether
he
is
strong
enough
with
ten
thousand
men
to
encounter
the
one
coming
against
him
with
twenty
thousand?
32
Or
else,
while
the
other
is
still
far
away,
he
sends
a
delegation
and
asks
for
terms
of
peace.
Pretty
simple:
You
don’t
want
to
be
the
guy
or
girl
who
wanted
to
build
the
tower,
get
half
way
in
and
couldn’t
finish.
You
don’t
want
to
be
the
one
who
goes
to
war
and
wasn’t
ready
for
what
you
were
about
to
encounter.
In
other
words,
there’s
a
sense
in
which
you
recognize
the
total
cost
of
giving
up
your
life
for
Christ.
The
point
of
the
story
is:
count
the
cost!
Discipleship
is
not
a
hasty
decision.
You
become
a
disciple
only
after
you
have
carefully
analyzed
the
changes
it
will
bring
in
your
life.
The
way
it
is
today
is
just
as
it
was
in
Jesus’
days.
Many
were
positive
thinkers.
Many
said
they
were
followers,
but
as
is
the
case
today
very
few
are
committed.
Jesus
had
to
separate
the
wheat
from
the
tares,
and
He
didn’t
want
to
make
it
easy
for
them
to
respond,
so
He
set
the
cost
of
discipleship
as
high
as
possible.
While
it
is
very
important
to
preach
the
Gospel
of
Jesus
Christ,
let
us
not
forget
to
include
the
high
cost
that
is
included.
by:
Finite |
