FIRST READING Deuteronomy 30:15–20
15 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16 If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20 loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
PSALM Psalm 1
1 Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful! 2 Their delight is in the law of the LORD, and they meditate on God’s teaching day and night. 3 They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; everything they do shall prosper. 4 It is not so with the wicked; they are like chaff which the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, nor the sinner in the council of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall be destroyed.
SECOND READING Philemon 1:1–21
1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, 2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God 5 because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. 7 I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother. 8 For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, 9 yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love — and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 10 I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. 12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13 I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. 15 Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother — especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
GOSPEL Luke 14:25–33
25 Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, 26 “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33 So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.
THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP
I recently heard the story about a guy named Bob who was single and lived with his father. Bob worked in the family business, and years of hard work and commitment made it a very successful family business. When it became apparent that his father wouldn’t live much longer, and that he would soon inherit quite a fortune, Bob decided to find a wife with whom to share his soon-to-be abundant wealth. One evening, at an investment meeting, Bob spotted the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away. He decided to approach her and start a conversation with a statement he was sure would win her favor.
After checking to ensure he was presentable in a mirror, he smiled and approached this stunning woman with confidence. “I may look like just an ordinary guy,” he said to her, “but in just a few years, my father will die and I will inherit $200 million.” Impressed, the woman smiled and asked for his business card. Three days later, this beautiful woman became Bob’s stepmother. Now that’s what I call calculating the costs.
The mark of any great leader is the demands they place upon their followers. The Italian freedom fighter Garibaldi offered his men only hunger and death to free Italy. Winston Churchill told the British people that he had nothing to offer them but “blood, sweat, toil, and tears” in their fight against their enemies. As a 28-year veteran of our armed forces, I was given an opportunity every 4 to 6 years to “re-up” or recommit myself to the defense of this country.
Throughout my Air Force career, I went through various forms of training that was intended to prepare me to survive and operate in several types of hostile environments. We went through firearms training; combat training and chemical, biological and nuclear warfare training. The purpose of this intense preparation was to inform and prepare us for all types of enemies and wartime situations. However, for this training to be effective, it took commitment, complete commitment, if one expected to be prepared for that possibility. Another objective of this training was to inform the member about the possibility that serving might mean death. And that possibility became all too real to me during Desert Storm. Jesus knew the cost of discipleship and spoke of the necessity of total commitment – even to the point of death.
Jesus conveyed this in no uncertain terms when He said to His disciples, “You must take up your cross and follow me.” But why make such a harsh statement? The answer, of course, is simple, He knew what lay ahead: Andrew died on a cross. Simon was crucified and Bartholomew was flayed alive. James, the son of Zebedee, and Paul were both beheaded and the other James, the son of Alphaeus, was beaten to death. Thomas was run through with a lance and Matthias was stoned and then beheaded. Matthew was slain by the sword and Peter was crucified upside down. Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows and Philip was hanged. Of the original disciples, excluding Judas and including Bartholomew and Paul, only John made it through alive, but he was exiled to a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. These examples and many others show us that the demands that Jesus makes upon those who would follow Him can be, and are, extreme.
It goes without saying then that Christianity is not a Sunday morning religion. It’s a hungering after God to the point of death if need be. It’s a demand that should shake our foundations, topple our priorities, pit us against friend and family, and make us strangers in this world. Jesus was constantly telling the disciples, and anyone who would listen for that matter, that following Him came at a price. It’s a cost that asks for our full devotion. Yet some just want to be along for the ride. They want the benefits, but not the effort. They want the perks, without the dedication. In our text for this morning we learn that a large crowd was traveling with Jesus.
Now in any large crowd you’ll have many motives. Some, in this crowd, are following because they’ve seen Jesus feed a multitude of people and they’re waiting to be fed themselves. Some are following because they’ve heard of Jesus’ ability to cast out demons, restore hearing and sight, cause the lame to walk and cure leprosy and they’re waiting for an opportunity to approach Him and to be healed as well. Still others are following for the excitement. It’s safe to say that only a few are truly committed to this itinerant preacher’s teaching. Aware of their multiplicity of motives, Jesus turns to the crowd and tells them what’s involved in a true commitment; what the cost is of being His disciple truly is. At this moment the crowd learns, and we also, that to follow Jesus means we first must establish our priorities.
Too often we allow things to stand in the way of that which we consider important. And so, hobbies interest us more than our children. A job takes precedent over a marriage. Television displaces family conversations over dinner. Sports or recreation become more important on Sunday that attending worship. We have the best of intentions, but the priorities we know to be vital to a good and happy life never get carried out in our day to day living. Someone has calculated how a typical life span of 70 years is spent. I found these to be some interesting numbers:
Sleep……………..23 years………32.9% Work……………..16 years……….22.8%, TV…………………8 years……….11.4% Eating…………….6 years………..8.6%,
Travel…………….6 years………..8.6% Leisure……………4.5 years………6.5%,
Illness…………….4 years………..5.7% Dressing…………..2 years………..2.8%,
Religion………….0.5 years………..0.7% (Total…………….70 years………..100%)
When put in these terms, we see how little a priority spiritual matters occupy in our lives. But Jesus is a demanding leader. He’s a thousand times more demanding than any us will ever know. Jesus said, “So, therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” Possessions and personal desires cannot stand between you and the Lord. Jesus went so far as to say, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own mother and father, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters, he cannot be my disciple.” Even something as noble as the love of family, as good and right as that is, cannot stand in the way of commitment to the Kingdom of God.
Jesus said, “If any man would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Laziness, fear, selfishness, greed, avarice, pride, envy, family, nothing can stand between us and the call to discipleship. Jesus Christ demands our complete obedience. Jesus isn’t some wishy-washy little fellow coming up to us, hat in hand, hoping to win our favor, saying softly: Please sir/ma’am, might I have a word with you. He comes to us as the Lord of History and makes demands: “Take up your cross and follow me.” He comes to us as one to be obeyed. To follow Jesus we must first establish our priorities and second, we must count the cost.
Look with me at how Jesus illustrates this point. Suppose, Jesus says, one of you wants to build a tower over your vineyard so you can keep a lookout for thieves who might want to steal your harvest. Before you build, what’s the first thing you will do? Will you not, He says, first sit down and estimate how much it will cost you to build the tower? It’s a rhetorical question and the answer is: “Yes! Of course we’d first count the cost.” No one would want to appear to be a fool by laying the foundation, running out of money, abandoning the project, and becoming the laughing stock of the community. Look at all we went through to begin work on the Fellowship hall. We planned, looked at income and expenses, secured financing, awarded bids and even tried to anticipate the unexpected. But as we learned, even with all that planning, there can be surprises.
When Jesus told this story He was on His way to Jerusalem. All around Him the crowds followed; they were thinking they were on their way to an empire; He knowing the path led to a cross. It’s quite the contrast. I used to think that the crowds in the Bible followed Jesus because He was so wonderful. I later learned the tragic truth; so many followed for terribly shallow reasons. What they must then do, and so us, is sit down and take stock. Do we have the stamina to go the distance even if the finish line is death itself? That’s the heart of the matter.
Jesus wants the crowd to answer that question—each and every person must personally respond to that question. We must never let it be said of us: He began to build but he wasn’t able to finish. She followed the teacher, but she didn’t learn the lesson. He followed the Lord but he didn’t carry his cross. To follow Jesus we must establish our priorities; we must count the cost and third, we must be willing to pay the price. In no uncertain terms Jesus told the crowd, “Any of you who is not willing to give up everything cannot be my disciple.” I’m not sure Jesus could be any clearer than that.
In this passage He spells, out the extremely high cost of discipleship. It will cost you all that you have. If you choose to follow, there is no part of life immune to that call. Consider examples from scripture: Abraham was asked to give up his son. Moses gave up life in Pharaoh’s court. Peter, James and John gave up their family and their fishing business. Matthew gave up the lucrative profession of a tax collector. Paul gave up his prestigious position as a Pharisee. And the list goes on. Understandably, unless you’re called into full time Christian ministry you probably won’t be asked to do as these men have done. But it’s important for us to understand, none of us, clergy and laity alike, can escape the need to establish our priorities, to count the cost, and to pay the price.
I’ve often wondered what would have come of the church if Jesus’ disciples hadn’t made those ultimate sacrifices. If they hadn’t paid the price of discipleship, with their very lives, where would the church be? Geographically speaking, Christianity is the most widely diffused of all faiths, and a third of the earth’s 6 billion people, claim Christ as their Lord. What kind of church would we be if those who Jesus originally called, or Paul for that matter, had put down their crosses?
Several centuries ago in a mountain village in Europe, a wealthy nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to his townspeople. After some deliberation, he decided to build them a church. It was a good decision. No one was permitted to see the plans or the inside of the church until it was finished. At its grand opening, the people gathered and marveled at the beauty of the new church. Everything, it seems, had been thought of and included. It was a masterpiece.
But then someone said, “Wait a minute! Where are the lamps? It’s really quite dark in here. How will the church be lighted?” The nobleman pointed to some brackets in the walls, and then he gave each family a lamp, which they were to bring with them every time they came to worship. “Each time you’re here'” the nobleman said, “the place where you are seated will be lighted. Anytime you’re not here, that place will be dark. This is to remind you that whenever you fail to come to church, some part of God’s house will be dark.” It’s an interesting idea and very poignant I might add.
It makes a very significant point about the importance of our commitment and loyalty to God and the church. Poet Edward Everett Hale put it like this: I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something I can do. The cost of discipleship may not require you to give your life, but it still comes at a cost. It costs us our time, our commitment, our resources and our undivided attention. I read a statement the other day that caused me to stop and think. It’s a series of questions that I think each and every one of us needs to really stop and consider.
What if every member of our church supported the church just as I do? What kind of church would we have? What if every single member served God, attended church, loved the church, shared the church, and gave to the church exactly as I do? What kind of disciple would I be? How committed are we to God’s call in our lives? These are some pretty tough questions; but they’re ones that really tell the story, when honestly answered.
Amen