Thank you very much, Sabina.
Well, good morning.
Let me add my welcome to Ian's.
My name is Alistair.
I'm on the staff here at Brunsfield.
Now, as Sabina read that passage,
I'm sure there was some stuff in there
that was pretty hard-hitting,
some things that maybe we don't like.
So let me just pray before we look at this passage
and ask for God's help.
Loving God and Heavenly Father,
we thank you so much for your word.
We thank you for what it has to say to us,
for what it has to teach us.
And Lord, I pray this morning,
as we look at a difficult passage,
that you would help us,
that you would help us learn from you.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Have you ever been in a situation
where there were hidden costs?
So when my family and I first moved to Romania,
we discovered that if you ordered food in a restaurant,
that that was all you would get.
So for example, you'd be sitting in a restaurant,
you see this menu, and you see this burger,
and you'd be like,
oh man, that looks so nice.
It looks absolutely amazing.
And then, of course, it's cheap,
so you order it.
But what we didn't realize
is that if you ordered it,
that was all you would get.
So you're sitting there,
and the waiter brings out this burger,
and you're disappointed.
There is no chips.
There's no sauce.
There's no salad.
There's no nothing.
If you wanted anything else,
if you wanted all the trimmings,
you had to order them separately.
So suddenly that cheap burger
isn't that cheap anymore.
There were hidden costs.
Well, maybe you've received an email,
or you've seen on a billboard
that you can fly away to this dream destination
for as little as 15 pounds.
You love it.
So I looked this week
to see how much a flight to Romania would cost.
My parents would love it if I went for a visit.
And I saw a flight for 15 pounds.
It's next to nothing.
But they catch you with a hidden cost,
because you realize that that flight is one way.
The taxes haven't been added on.
There's no luggage.
That you might even have to pay to check in.
You might even have to use the,
you have to pay to use the toilet on some planes.
It's insane.
So suddenly that flight,
which was 15 pounds,
or 14.99 as they like to put it,
is suddenly 150 pounds.
That cheap deal was full of hidden costs.
But we like to know exactly the price of something.
We like to know what something costs,
so that we can adjust our lives accordingly, don't we?
And I think this principle also carries
into many other areas in our lives.
So take faith, for example.
I want to know what it is that I believe.
And I want to know what implications
my beliefs will have on my life.
I want to make sure that there are no hidden costs
in the Christian faith.
And the passage that Sabina read to us earlier,
in it Jesus explicitly tells the crowd
that was around him about the cost of following Jesus.
Jesus makes sure that there are no hidden costs.
So if you have a Bible in front of you,
I'd encourage you to keep it open.
And you'll see from verse 25
that Jesus is speaking to a crowd.
So throughout the book of Luke,
there's a distinction between the crowd
and the disciples.
The disciples were a group of people
who had given up everything that they had
to follow Jesus.
They went everywhere he went.
They ate with him.
They listened to all of his teaching
and they acted on it.
These men were dedicated.
They were true disciples.
But the crowd weren't like that at all.
You see, curiosity is one thing,
but being a disciple,
being a follower of Jesus is another.
There were many people who accompanied Jesus,
but they weren't really following him
because they weren't really learning from him.
They simply wanted to benefit from his ministry.
They didn't want it to have any implications
on their lives.
So they followed Jesus at a distance in a way.
They listened to his teaching.
They might have even enjoyed it.
But at the end of the day,
they went home and carried on life
as if nothing had ever happened.
These people were not counting the cost.
And all through Luke's gospel,
they've been following Jesus.
They've heard his teaching about the kingdom of God.
They've heard his teaching about how to get there
through the narrow door.
They heard last week as Paul took us through
the free invitation of God
to this great banquet that will be heaven.
The kingdom of God is the language
that the Bible uses to describe the place
we call heaven,
where God and man dwell together.
And in the previous section,
Jesus illustrates this kingdom of God,
illustrates heaven with a banquet.
But now the crowd are going to hear a sobering truth.
And that is that there is a cost to the kingdom.
Jesus explains to them,
if they want to be in the kingdom of God,
then they have to count the cost.
If they're to be followers of Jesus,
they don't only need to listen to Jesus' teaching,
but they need to act on it.
They need to respond to it.
They need to count the cost.
Salvation is so valuable
that if receiving it as a gift
involves losing everything else,
we would be foolish not to accept the loss.
And so the big question that Jesus is asking the crowd
and asking us this morning
is are you counting the cost?
Jesus mentions three costs in this passage.
The first is that Jesus must come before yourself.
Sorry, Jesus must come before people.
Secondly, Jesus must come before yourself.
And thirdly, Jesus must come before your possessions.
So Jesus is asking this morning,
are you counting the cost?
If you want to be a follower of Jesus,
if you want to have a seat
at this great banquet that is heaven,
have you considered what it takes?
Are you counting the cost?
So let's look at these costs
and see what Jesus has to teach us.
The first cost of the kingdom
is that Jesus must come before people
in verses 25 to 26.
Jesus before people.
So here we see Jesus continuing his journey to Jerusalem.
He's on his way to the cross.
He's told the crowd about how they can be saved,
how they can be in the kingdom of God,
that heaven is like a banquet
that all people are invited to.
It's a free invitation.
Now this is an amazing truth.
That there even is a possibility,
there is a way for us to dine with the king of kings.
What a privilege.
But for that to happen,
for us to get to that great banquet,
we need to put Jesus before people.
Now the language that Jesus uses there in verse 26
is tough stuff, isn't it?
Now you might be sitting there thinking
and asking this question,
are you telling me
that for me to be a follower of Jesus,
I need to hate my family?
That I need to hate people and put Jesus
and think only about Jesus?
Is that what you're telling me?
No.
That is not what Jesus is saying.
Jesus never says,
never says that we should reject our family
or our loved ones.
But Jesus is saying that a disciple should love Jesus more
than people.
Jesus needs to be the priority.
Jesus is emphasizing that a disciple must love him
more than their family.
A disciple needs to put Jesus as their first priority
in their life.
Jesus is saying that the love that one of his disciples
should have for him is so great,
so great that love for anything else
would look like hatred.
Now that is difficult stuff.
Everyone in the room will know to some extent
just how big this cost is.
So let me ask you some questions.
If you are a son or daughter here this morning,
do you love Jesus more than you love your parents?
If you're a parent here this morning,
do you love Jesus more than you love your children?
If you have siblings,
do you love Jesus more?
If you have friends who are just as close as family,
do you love Jesus more than you love them?
And if you're a husband or a wife in this room this morning,
do you love Jesus more than you love your other half?
That is what Jesus is asking.
That is the cost of being a follower of Jesus.
Are you counting the cost?
Charles Studd was an English missionary in the 1800s
and he gives us an amazing example
of what this would look like.
Every day he encouraged his wife to say a little poem
so that she could keep her life in perspective,
so that she could have her priorities right.
So every day Priscilla Studd would say,
Dear Lord Jesus,
you are to me dearer than Charles ever could be.
Could you say that?
This really hit me this week
as I was preparing this message
and I was thinking,
can I honestly say
that I love Jesus more than I love my wife?
That I love Jesus more than I love my family?
That I love Jesus more than I love people?
If I'm honest,
probably not.
It's difficult.
Jesus says that he is to have
our absolute loyalty and commitment.
This is what kingdom people should be living like.
Jesus first,
Jesus before people.
This is one cost of the kingdom.
Jesus will not share his heart with another.
Jesus will not share the heart of a person with another.
He must come first.
If we are followers of Jesus,
then we can serve only him.
He must have our full allegiance.
And Jesus is saying to the crowd,
If you wish to be my disciples,
if you wish to be in this banquet,
in the kingdom of God,
then you must surrender all to Jesus.
So let me ask you the question this morning.
Are you counting the cost?
Have you thought and considered with seriousness
what it takes to follow Jesus?
If you haven't,
and you wouldn't say that you're a Christian,
I want you to see that there is a cost.
Life as a Christian is not a bed of roses,
but it is a life of sacrifice
and submission to the Lord Jesus Christ.
But let me make one thing crystal clear this morning.
Salvation is so valuable
that if losing everything else,
if it means losing everything else,
then we would be foolish not to accept the loss.
We would be foolish not to accept the loss
because Jesus himself gave up everything
so that we can get the most important thing,
which is the forgiveness of sins
and reconciliation with our creator.
And Jesus isn't asking us to do this
as someone who doesn't know what it's like.
In fact, Jesus knows exactly what it's like
to have God as a priority in his life.
Remember where he is.
He is on the road to Jerusalem.
He is on his way to die on a cross.
He is on his way to take the punishment
for the sins of the world,
even though he was sinless.
Jesus also isn't saying that if we live like this,
it will save us.
He has made that clear in Luke's gospel.
The only way to be saved,
the only way to be made right with God
is by believing in Jesus,
by repenting of our sins,
of our wrongdoings,
and turning to God.
Jesus isn't asking for moral people,
but he's asking for people
who understand their brokenness,
people who understand their need for forgiveness,
and people who turn to him
because only Jesus can forgive us.
Only Jesus can reconcile us with God.
He is the only way to be saved,
not by living a good moral life.
Do you see the significance of Jesus' example?
This is the Son of God.
This is the person in whom and through whom
the world was created
and who holds it together.
And he stooped down and died on a cross.
Jesus counted the cost.
Jesus knew where he was going.
Jesus saw the cost
and with absolute certainty,
he said, yes,
I am willing to pay it
so that you and I can be reconciled with God.
Now maybe you're here this morning,
you say, yes,
I believe this.
I understand it.
I have counted the cost.
And I look out this morning
and I know some of you
are in difficult circumstances.
Some of you feel this cost
so heavily weighing on your hearts.
Well, let this passage encourage you
that Jesus understands.
Jesus knows what you are going through.
He knows your struggle.
I also want you to consider
what this means
for your personal evangelism.
What does this mean for you
as you go and tell people
about Jesus and the gospel?
So often I think we try
to make the gospel more attractive.
We like to sugarcoat it.
We don't like talking about judgment and sin
because nobody likes to hear that.
But if we are to be faithful
in our witness of Jesus,
then we need to tell people
that there is a cost to following him.
And the first part of that cost
is that Jesus must come before people.
Jesus before people.
The second cost is that
Jesus must come before yourself.
Verse 26 to 27.
Jesus before yourself.
Jesus goes on and he says
that we are to hate our own lives.
Again, we need to remember
that Jesus is saying
that the love for our family
and our own life
must come secondary
to the love that we have for him.
Look at verse 27 with me.
And whoever does not carry their cross
and follow me
cannot be my disciple.
Jesus is saying
that if we are to be followers of him,
if we are to seriously
count the cost
of being in the kingdom,
then we need to pick up
our cross and follow him.
Now I don't think
the seriousness of what Jesus
is saying here
comes across in our culture today.
So when people think
of the cross nowadays,
they would usually think of Jesus.
Maybe they'd think of a church building
or something like that.
Or maybe they'd link it
with an emotional point
in their lives
where the cross was
an encouragement to them.
So they look at the cross
with fondness.
We all see things differently
based on the culture we're in.
So for example,
I would have absolutely no problem
chucking on some wellies
and some dirty trousers
and t-shirt
and jumping into a pig pen.
I used to work in a farm
which had pigs
so I'd actually quite enjoy that.
But the Jews of Jesus' day,
if they would have even heard that,
they would be appalled.
They wouldn't even go
anywhere near a pig pen
because pigs were unclean animals.
So do you see how culture changes
the way we see and hear things?
So we might look at the cross
with fondness
but the crowd,
the cross only meant
one thing to the crowd
and that thing was death.
And what Jesus says
would come as even more of a shock
because he says
that they are to carry their cross.
Now a person,
when they were to be crucified,
they had to carry their cross
until the point
where they were to be put to death.
So in the minds of the crowd,
you can imagine them
thinking and asking the question,
in order for me to be in this banquet,
are you saying that I have to die?
Well in a sense,
that is exactly what Jesus is saying.
If we are carrying our cross,
it means that we die to ourselves.
It means that you can't carry anything else
if you're carrying a cross.
You've given everything to Jesus.
If we are following Jesus wholeheartedly,
if we are to count the cost,
we must take up our cross
and follow him.
We need to put Jesus
and his kingdom first.
Jesus has mentioned this before.
If you want,
you can turn back with me
to Luke chapter 9
in verse 23.
Luke chapter 9,
beginning of verse 23.
Jesus says,
whoever wants to be my disciple
must deny themselves
and take up their cross
daily
and follow me.
For whoever wants to save
their life
will lose it.
But whoever loses their life for me
will save it.
What good is it for someone
to gain the whole world
and forfeit or lose
their very self?
If we are to be followers
of Jesus,
then we must count the cost.
This means that we have to
pick up our cross
and follow Jesus.
We need to put him
as our priority.
Now let me encourage you
this morning and say
that I am seeing so many,
I am seeing this
in so many of your lives.
You understand the cost
of the kingdom.
You have counted the cost
and you're living it out.
I know it isn't easy.
Jesus knows it isn't easy.
But it is such an encouragement
for me
to see so many of you
leading the way
as examples
of what it means
to put Jesus
before yourself.
Are you counting the cost?
Are you putting Jesus
and the kingdom of God
above everything?
This means that decisions
are no longer simply made
between myself and I.
Or decisions
are no longer made
between Sabina and I.
But instead,
putting Jesus first
means that my decisions
are evaluated
not by what is best
for myself,
not by what is best
for my comfort
or for my finances,
all of which are good things.
But all of my decisions
are made with this question
or should be made
with this question
in the back of my mind.
Will the outcome
of this decision
lead to me
leaving a comfy life?
or will it lead
to me carrying
my cross
for Jesus Christ?
We see this
so evidently
nowadays
in North Korea,
don't we?
Where if anyone
decides to follow Jesus,
they face
imprisonment,
torture,
and sometimes
death.
But still,
there are approximately
300,000 Christians
there.
Why?
Because they have
counted the cost
and they are carrying
their cross daily.
Practically,
for us in the UK,
this might mean
not accepting
a job promotion
because it would mean
that we can't serve
Jesus as much.
This might mean
that you get ridiculed
at work because
of your faith.
This might mean
that you get shunned
by your family
because you've just
become a Christian.
The cost
is real.
This sounds difficult
and that's the point.
This might sound
too difficult
but let me say
that salvation
is so valuable
that if receiving
it as a gift
involves losing
everything else,
we would be foolish
not to accept
the loss.
Maybe you aren't
a Christian this morning
and I want you to
consider
an eternity
with God.
Consider
eternal freedom.
Consider the forgiveness
of sins
and a relationship
with your creator.
What is better?
To live for an eternity,
the eternity
for which you were
created
or to live
these few years
that you have
here on earth
for yourself?
Are you willing
to count the cost
and put Jesus
before yourself?
the last cost
of the kingdom
is that Jesus
must come
before your possessions
verses 28
to 33.
Jesus
before possessions.
Now Jesus
uses two illustrations
to express
the importance
of counting
the cost
and each little
story has a
rhetorical question
in it which is used
to point to the
obvious answer.
So the first story
is a man who
wants to build
a tower.
Now obviously
if he's going
to build something
he needs to estimate
how much it's going
to cost.
So he's going
to hire himself
an architect
to draw up plans.
He's going
to see how much
planning permission
is going to cost.
He's going
to approach
different construction
companies
and contractors
to get different
quotes
and he's going
to check his bank.
He's going
to see if he has
enough money.
There is no point
him diving
into this project
because before
he realizes it
he might not
even have the
foundations down
and he's run
out of money.
Nobody builds
a mansion
when their funds
only allow them
to build a garden
shed.
No, instead
this man is going
to count the cost.
And the second
story is of a king
who's going to go
to war with another
king but he is
hugely outnumbered.
So he'll sit
down with his
army advisors.
He'll look at
war strategies.
He'll count his
men.
He'll check out
the landscape
to see if he
has the upper
hand or not.
He is not going
to simply rush
into war with
a smaller army
because he thinks
he's got it in
the bag because
he thinks he
can do it.
No, he is going
to sit down
and count the
cost.
And with these
two stories
Jesus is stressing
to the crowd
that has been
following him
for a while.
the crowd
that have
listened to
his teaching
but done
absolutely
nothing about
it.
They've benefited
from his
ministry.
They've gotten
out of it
what they
wanted but
they haven't
thought about
what it would
mean for them
to be true
followers of
Jesus.
They hadn't
counted the
cost.
And Jesus
uses these
stories to say
that they need
to sit down
and seriously
think about it.
They need to
seriously think
about whether
or not they
can handle the
cost and
whether or not
the cost
outweighs the
rewards.
And then
Jesus takes
it a step
further.
And he
says that if
they do not
give up
everything
then they
cannot be
his disciples.
Jesus is
thinking right
now of
material possessions.
Do you see
that with the
tower and the
city?
With a tower
a man is
focused on his
tower.
He's not
concerned about
anything else.
With a city
he's focused
on his city,
his property.
If he's
going to
submit to
this other
king he
needs to
probably hand
over some
of his
city.
So it's
all about
possessions.
Jesus comes
before possessions.
All of the
things that we
own need to
be as good
as lost
to us.
And we need
to put Jesus
first.
Now Jesus
isn't saying
that it's bad
to own things
because it
isn't.
But the
priority in
our lives
matters.
Now this
can affect
you if you
are rich
or if you
are poor.
Is your
constant desire
to have
more money?
To have
a nicer
car because
you've been
driving around
in a hand-me-down
for the past
few years?
Do we
constantly think
about a
desire to
own our
first home
or maybe
our second
or a
holiday home?
Now none
of these are
bad things
but if
they come
before Jesus
then we
have a
problem.
We haven't
counted the
cost.
Now this
is difficult.
This is
tough stuff.
The costs
are real
but are you
counting them?
Are you
counting the
cost?
Can you
say that
you put
Jesus
before people?
That you
put Jesus
before yourself
and that you
put Jesus
before your
possessions?
Now Jesus
doesn't ask
this of
people without
knowing what
it's like.
In fact
Jesus knows
better than
anybody what
it's like.
He put
God's kingdom
above his
family because
in his
ministry he
travelled around
Judea and
Galilee preaching
about the
kingdom of
God.
Jesus put the
kingdom above
himself because
he literally
took up his
cross and
went and
died so
that we could
be forgiven
and reconciled
with God.
Jesus put
God's kingdom
above everything
because Jesus
the son of
God who was
born in an
animal shelter
without a
bed.
The son of
God lived a
life on the
road travelling
towards Jerusalem.
He died a
criminal's death
even though he
was completely
innocent.
The only
innocent person
that ever
lived.
Jesus the son
of God became
nothing.
he gave up
everything.
Doesn't that
make our
cost seem
minimal?
Seems small?
If all I have
to do is love
Jesus more than
anything surely
that is small
in comparison to
the salvation and
forgiveness that
Jesus has offered
me.
Are you counting
the cost?
If we go
through life
counting the
cost and
following Jesus
this will lead
to us being
distinct and
being different
it will lead
to us being
salty if you
will.
That's what
verses 34 and
35 are talking
about.
They say that
a Christian,
a follower of
Jesus, if they
count the cost
and live it out
then they will
be living a
salty life.
These verses
encourage us to
be committed to
living this life.
Only then are we
salty if we are
committed and we
stick it out.
So let me ask
you this morning
as an individual
and let me ask
us this morning
as a church
family, how
are we tasting?
Are we salty?
Are we living
lives that are
distinct and
different?
Are we carrying
our cross?
Are we putting
Jesus before
people, before
ourselves and
before our
possessions?
are we
making people
aware that
there is a
cost to
following Jesus?
The cost is
huge but it
is insignificant
in comparison
to the
greatness of
an eternity
with God.
Salvation is
so valuable
that if
receiving it as
a gift means
that we lose
everything else
we would be
foolish not
to accept the
loss.
Jesus counted
the cost and
he paid it.
History is
filled of men
and women who
counted the
cost and live
lives glorifying
God.
This room is
filled with
godly men and
women who are
counting the
cost and are
living examples
of what it
means to be
salty, of
what it means
to live a
life wholeheartedly
dedicated to
God.
The challenge I
want you to
think about this
morning is can
you wholeheartedly
repeat the words
of this song?
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 thee
my blessed
saviour I
surrender all.
As I close
this morning let
me ask you
that question.
Are you
counting the
cost of the
kingdom?
Are you
counting the
cost?
Let's pray
together.
Loving God
and heavenly
father we
thank you so
much for the
free offer of
salvation.
We thank you
that you sent
your son to
die on the
cross so that
we can be
reconciled to
you.
Lord we
confess that the
cost for us
is big and
we feel it in
our lives.
Lord give us
strength to
carry our
cross.
Give us
strength to
live lives that
are wholeheartedly
dedicated to
you.
Not that we
would be glorified
Lord but that
people would see
you in us and
that they would
see that you
are a great
God.
we ask this in
your son's most
holy and
precious name.
Amen.