Counting the Cost of Discipleship; Luke 14:28-35

Delivered during the Sunday Morning Worship Service, 5/12/2024. Jesus concludes His teaching segment on the terms of discipleship with a revealing discussion of the costs involved. With two very practical illustrations, He emphasizes the importance of taking the time to consider the cost of what it means to be His disciple, and therefore what it means to be a Christian. A man who desires to build a tower must first consider the funds required to finish it. A king facing a more powerful enemy must evaluate the cost of war verses peace. Jesus then summarizes the two with a third term of discipleship, in which all possessions, whether material or volitional, must be secondary to the Christian's love and loyalty to Christ. Yet a fourth term of discipleship takes the form of a familiar proverb of the worthlessness of salt when diluted with impurities. Likewise the true Christian's separation from the world and its entanglements must be radical to be effective. Ultimately we will realize that these terms of discipleship and the costs involved are a scathing commentary on the modern concepts of "easy believism" and "nominal Christianity". Jesus makes it clear that grace is not cheap and the cost of discipleship is total commitment to Him as both Savior and Lord.