Message From August 2001 The True Cost of Discipleship Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple."The underlying thought implicated in the passage surrounding this verse is a call to undivided devotion to the kingdom of God, the living Christ, and our responsibilities in our relationship with the Father. We cannot have a divided heart when it comes to our life in Christ. Nothing can stand between our life in Him and our service to Him. Often, we get so caught up in living our lives that we forget we have a duty to the one we call Lord. May we be ever mindful that we were bought with a price, our lives ought to be lived mindful of that debt. Truly, we can only be seeking to count the cost in every area of our lives.Luke 14:25-35

"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate..." (Verse 26) When Jesus calls us into His family, when we come, we are asked to turn our devotion from all earthly ties of family and relationship to our eternal family. We are, then, required to "hate" our kin and our familial bonds in preference of serving our Lord Jesus Christ. When we think of "hate" we think of "disliking a great deal", however, the biblical understanding in the Aramaic is to convey a comparative. To hate in relation to love. The idea verse 26 conveys is that as a follower of Jesus Christ, our devotion to God, the Kingdom, and our love of Jesus Christ needs to far outweigh our devotion to anyone or anything else. For, when push comes to shove, the choice to either serve Christ, or abdicate to the wants of our family (biological or relational), Christ must triumph for any disciple. This thought is actually the premise for his next few statements. For, following Christ comes with great sacrifice. "Saying this man began to build and was not able to finish." (Verse 30) Verse 27-30 gives analogies of following Christ. In verse 27, he uses His example of taking the cross, as He followed the will of God to the ultimate sacrifice of His own life. In verse 28 and 29, Jesus uses the illustration of an architect. In building, the cost of supplies, labor, and time are all factored into the equation of the end result. Notice that in verse 29 Jesus points out that the foundation being laid is not sufficient. The whole construction must be complete in order for the project to be successful. In salvation, we have the foundation. But, it is not enough just to have the relationship. Following Christ requires that we must finish from the blueprints of God's will our "tower". The final example is of a king at war. How fitting an illustration for the Christian who is constantly striving against "forces of the darkness" and against "spiritual wickedness" [Ephesians 4:12]. Wherefore the admonition for unyielding devotion to the Lord of the Universe. For, through the power of God in the Holy Spirit, we are able to carry our cross within this life, build to completion upon the foundation of our reconciliation through Christ, and successfully war against the prince of darkness. Matthew 10:37-42 Jesus' proclamation of discipleship is retold in this passage. In these verses, Jesus makes a demanding statement. "He who does not...is not worthy of me." He claims that anyone who has divided allegiance (verse 37) and one who is not willing to submit to serving out God's will for their lives (verse 38) is not "worthy" of Christ. There is a hymn that echoes the thoughts of these two passages, "All to Jesus I surrender...all to Him I freely give...I will ever love and trust Him...in His presence daily live...I surrender all...I surrender all...All to Jesus, precious savior...I surrender all." Additional References to topic

The Cost of Discipleship

"Discipleship is not repayment for Christ's sacrifice. It is truly the only way to demonstrate our gratitude for God's incredible grace. Our unmitigated devotion is such a small sacrifice in comparison to eternal redemption." P.K.Day

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