Jesus never promised us a "rose-garden.” He did not guarantee good health or wealth to those who would follow Him. Though there are unimaginable benefits to being a disciple, he did not woo crowds to become his followers with notions of utopia and eternal bliss.
Rather, Jesus stresses that discipleship costs a lot. If you are not willing to give up everything, you are not worthy to be Christ's disciple (Luke 14:33). Sounds harsh, but it’s true and you had best deal with that reality before you make a commitment you can’t keep. A life in Christ is much more than one or two hours on Sunday.
Consider these challenges: If you will not take up a cross daily and follow him, you cannot be his disciple (Luke 9:23). If you won't love Jesus more than you love your family, more than you love yourself, you cannot follow him (Matthew 10:37-39).
The great issue facing those of us who would be Christ's disciples is not where grace can be had for the cheapest cost but whether we are willing to pay the high price that Jesus himself has demanded. No deals can be made to secure a limited non-participation version of His grace. The elements of His plan and the cost are non-negotiable. The only question is whether or not we are willing to pay it.
We would do well to consider and understand the passage recorded at Luke 14:25-33. It is the “words of Jesus” as he speaks to a large crowd about cost of following Him. Notice how he begins, (vs 25) "Turning to [the crowds] ..." This is spoken to the crowds who are making up their minds about whether or not to follow Jesus. He is not just talking to future leaders or elders or preachers. He is not laying down conditions for "super-discipleship." He speaks to people, none of them more special or extraordinary than another. What follows, is what is required of anyone who would follow Jesus.
He addresses right up front the matter of Cost (vss 26-27) - “...this treasure will cost [us] everything...” Jesus is not demanding that we despise our life or engage in extreme self-denial in order to follow Him. He is insisting that there is no such thing as casual discipleship. You cannot be his disciple unless you are prepared to lay everything that is precious to you at His feet. You have to be willing to “go all in.”
Jesus gives the crowd good Advice (vss 28-33) - “...know what you are getting into...” Jesus does this by giving two examples that demonstrate the essential necessity of counting the cost. “...don't build a tower unless you have the means to finish it...” and “...don't pick a fight unless you have the resources to win it...” The point of “His advice” was designed to say, "Here is what following me costs. Decide now whether you are willing to pay the price. Don't start with me unless you can finish what you start. And the only way to finish is to give up everything in order to be my disciple."
John R. W. Stott, from his book titled Basic Christianity, says this about counting the cost of discipleship... "The Christian landscape is strewn with the wreckage of derelict, half-built towers – the ruins of those who began to build and were unable to finish. For thousands of people, they still ignore Christ's warning and undertake to follow him without first pausing to reflect on the cost of doing so. The result is the great scandal of Christendom today, so-called 'nominal Christianity.' In countries to which Christian civilization has spread, large numbers of people have covered themselves with a decent, but thin, veneer of Christianity. They have allowed themselves to become somewhat involved; enough to be respectable but not enough to be uncomfortable."
The bottom line of discipleship means “dying to self.” Admitting the ugly truth about ourselves in never easy. The world stresses the importance of self-esteem, success defined by man, but discipleship can only begin when we learn to be self-loathing. That doesn’t sound very appealing does it?
Let’s not loose sight of the fact that we are sinners. We are prodigals still reeking of the pigpen. We, but for the grace of God, are lost, dead, broken men and women, trapped in the gripe of sin. From God’s perspective we have failed at life and can never succeed without Him and His provision of redemption. Remember, the only standards of life success that matter, are God’s. You may object to that debased, self-loathing picture of yourself, but if you do, you cannot be one of Christ's disciples.
Resigning control of our lives to a power we cannot see is very difficult. True discipleship begins when we admit that we are incapable of governing our lives. What we need is not a fresh start or better directions or stronger will-power. What we need is someone else to take charge.
Learning to live our lives without self-delusions is nearly impossible if our only resource to change our orientation comes from within ourselves. We won't get better with time, training, more education, more socialization, more opportunity or more of whatever it is we think will make us better. Only God can transform us into creatures acceptable for His will and purposes.
What we are very capable of... is the worst sort of mutiny and rebellion. We must constantly be vigilant, guarding against “ourselves” lest we rebel and try to reestablish our control, thereby pushing God to the sideline.
Like God has told us... our minds must be transformed, enabling a new leader to control us and our passion for His leadership to emanate through our every though and action. Call that simply... Living for Jesus.
This life has never been about us! Maybe it started out that way.. but that all stopped when two people in a beautiful garden home rejected the headship and leadership of God. Two people who believed the lie of all lies and willfully sinned.
Jesus is Lord. The "Lord" has the right to command His subjects. The Lord does not need to explain or reason or cajole or coerce His subjects into submitting to His authority. The "Lord" commands... the "servant" obeys, or not. We are powerless to change the circumstances of humanities condition. Only Jesus, the one who has the power to enforce his commands, can do that.
In His final words to the eleven disciples just before He ascended to heaven, Jesus said “...all authority was given to Him in heaven and on earth...” (Matthew 28:18) Jesus is “the” Lord, the only Lord... the one who can and will hold us and all humans accountable for our obedience to his wishes.
Jesus is "Lord". We do not make him Lord; we do not let him be Lord. He is... “Lord” of heaven and earth. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that fact. I suspect that for those who have resisted His Lordship, that acknowledgement will be an emotionally painful experience, if not a physical one.
We have the opportunity to make a living commitment his Lordship now. Yielding to Jesus as Lord, inviting him to take his rightful place as the master of your life, giving Him your total obedience will produce eternal rewards.
One way or the other... Jesus will be the Lord of your life. Either He will welcome you to eternal life as a “good and faithful servant”... or cast you aside as one He never knew, thereby leaving you outside of His eternal blessings to be bestowed on His true Disciples.
The choice is yours! Remember this... You only have two choices... accept Him or reject Him... no others exist. Sorta gives a whole new meaning to the expression “do or die” doesn't it?
