In Luke 14:28, Jesus said to count the cost when He talked to the crowd about a man, who was building a tower and a king who was going to war. But what did Jesus mean by counting the cost? Why do you have to count the cost according to the Bible?
Why did Jesus say to count the cost?
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:28-33)
Jesus said to count the cost to the large crowds traveling with Him. Jesus had many followers, but in the end, there were only 120 followers left. This shows, that many people wanted to follow Jesus, but only a few were able to really follow Jesus.
Those thousands of people had not counted the cost before they decided to follow Jesus. Only 120 were prepared to give up their own lives and follow Jesus.
Jesus knew that many were called, but only a few were willing and able to pay the price.
Jesus knew, that only a few were able to give up their own lives, their own will, lusts, and desires, and to live after His will.
That’s why Jesus said to count the cost before you decide to follow Jesus Christ and become His disciple.
Many people love their own lives and this world more than they love Jesus. Therefore they are not able to lay down their own lives and follow Jesus wholeheartedly.
“Whosoever does not carry his cross, and come after Me, can’t be My disciples”
If you really want to follow Jesus, it means that you have to pick up your cross daily. It means to give up your own life.
Jesus said, that if a person comes to Him and doesn’t hate his father, his mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yes even his own lives, he can’t be a disciple of Jesus.
Jesus not only said to count the cost, but Jesus even made it harder, by saying to the crowds: “Whosoever does not carry his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciples.” Wow, those were hard words, which Jesus spoke!
The large crowd that followed Jesus had to give up everything to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Who was willing and prepared to give up everything for Jesus?
What does it mean to hate your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and your own life?
What did Jesus mean, when He said, that you have to hate your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even your own lives? Did the disciples of Jesus have to treat their family members hatefully and disrespectfully?
No, that wasn’t what Jesus meant. Jesus meant that no one and nothing might become an obstacle in your life to follow Jesus and to do the will of the Father and represent, preach, and bring the Kingdom of God on earth.
You can’t follow Jesus and serve Jesus and be His disciple, if you are not willing and prepared, to lay down your current life. If you don’t hate your life as a sinner, you can’t give up that life (style). Therefore you have to count the cost first before you decide to follow Jesus.
Jesus laid down His life for you, will you lay down your life for Jesus?
Only when you believe and become born again in Christ and become a son of God (this applies to both males and females) and walk as a son of God, you are delivered from the power of the devil, sin, and death, and are saved from the judgment of God and eternal death. If you want to become born again in Christ and walk after the Spirit then you have to lay down your flesh and kill the works of your flesh.
No relationship, no desire, not even your own will, desires, and your own life may become hindrances to fulfilling the will of God in your life.
As long as you stay carnal, you can’t follow Jesus. If you don’t put off the old man, you can’t fulfill His will for your life.
That’s why Jesus required a total surrender to Him. He required true repentance of someone’s life and a full immersion in Him. So that the new creation could arise and be His witness and fulfill His will upon this earth. (Read also: God has a plan for your life).
Jesus laid down His life to fulfill His Father’s will
Jesus left everything behind to fulfill the will of His Father on earth. He had given up everything: His life in heaven with God and His life as a carpenter with his earthly family.
Jesus preached and brought the Kingdom of God unto the house of Israel and called the people to repentance; to turn away from sin. Through His redemptive work at the cross, Jesus reconciled man back to God. That was the mission of Jesus Christ and nothing stood in His way to fulfill His mission.
Were there no hindrances? Of course, there were many hindrances. But Jesus was single-minded and focused on the Kingdom and doing the will of His Father. The devil not only tempted Jesus directly but also through people. But because Jesus didn’t live after the flesh but after the Spirit, Jesus saw their evil intentions and didn’t give in.
Jesus had laid down His life through baptism (symbolically) and in the wilderness (practice). His flesh didn’t reign in His life anymore but was subjected to the Spirit.
Wasn’t Jesus able to sin? Of course, Jesus was able to sin, because Jesus was fully human.
Jesus could have obeyed the voice of the devil and the will and lust of the flesh and feed His flesh, but Jesus didn’t.
Not even, when fear tried to tempt Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane.
The fear, that Jesus would be delivered into the hands of sinners and become a Partaker of sin and be separated from His Father, and the devil becoming His master, was so intense, that Jesus sweat drops of blood. But even this fear couldn’t stop Jesus from fulfilling the mission of His Father.
Jesus loved His Father above all. The love for His Father was bigger than any temptation in the flesh.
Is the message of the cost of following Christ preached?
There are not many preachers, who speak the same words as Jesus and preach the same message as Jesus preached. Many preachers don’t preach the message of the cost of following Jesus. They don’t inform the people about the cost of discipleship; to give up your own life, dying to ‘self’, and to count the cost before deciding to follow Jesus and become His disciple.
They’d rather preach about false love and hyper-grace and tell you that you may live the way you want to live. They tell you that you don’t have to change and can do the works of the flesh, because you can’t help it. They say that God understands your decisions and approves of it. But that’s of course a big lie from the pit of hell.
Why do so many preachers rather tell lies than the truth of God? Why do they preach carnal sermons about carnal prosperity, riches, wealth, success, blessings, etc? The answer is, that these ‘feel good’ and motivational sermons attract many people. Who doesn’t want to receive a ‘magic word’ to pay the bills to get out of debt or get what you want and become prosperous, successful, and wealthy in the world? (Read also: Many pastors are leading the sheep into the abyss‘)
Carnal messages please the flesh
The carnal messages focus on the flesh and the world instead of the Spirit and the Kingdom of God. Therefore, in many churches, the flesh of man is fed instead of the spirit of man.
Since the flesh is fed, the flesh remains alive and the senses, emotions, and feelings rule and the church has to please and entertain the senses, feelings, and emotions of the people.
They preach feel-good and motivational sermons, that sound pleasant in the ears of carnal believers.
They’ve replaced the ordinary white lights by ambiance neon lights in all kinds of colors to create a warm and inviting atmosphere for the people, who are sense-ruled.
Not only do these lights get the people in a certain mood but also the loud music. By playing loud music and by repeating the words of the chorus over and over again, people enter some kind of trance. They think they have a spiritual encounter with the Holy Spirit. But the truth is, that their own feelings mislead them.
When people enter the spiritual realm out of their souls, the devil will enter and work through them. The devil will give them exactly what they want: carnal manifestations, pleasant feelings, etc. and so they are deceived by the devil.
Because of the fact, that most people remain carnal and live after the flesh, the feelings and emotions of people are stirred up during church service, and many people, who are led by their feelings, make a thoughtless choice for Jesus Christ.
On what basis does someone decide to follow Jesus
Because on what basis, does a person make a personal choice to believe and accept Jesus as their Saviour and Lord and follow Him?
- Based on prosperity?
- A promise of physical or mental healing?
- A promise that God will pay all your bills?
- Based on prosperity in love and that God will give you a partner?
- A social aspect, because in the church you are not a loner anymore, but you are surrounded by people and fellowship with them.
- On the basis of fear of hell?
On what basis, have you made a choice to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord and follow and serve Him?
Many preachers provide too little or the wrong information
The choices are often made on basis of too little or wrong information. Many people choose Jesus, without being well-informed about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and before they count the cost. Because of this, many choices are made out of a wrong conception, or a wrong idea of what the gospel is truly about. Therefore many choices are made out of the flesh; out of a feeling or an emotion.
It often happens, that people only walk partially with Jesus. They are not willing to put away their sins and lay down their own will, lusts, and desires. What happens is, that after a while they quit, leave the faith, and pick up their old lives as a sinner.
Maybe they keep going to church, but during the week they live like the world. (Read also: ‘Why the faith of many suffer shipwreck?‘)
Their conviction and their love for Jesus were not strong enough to follow Jesus and to live after His will.
They had not counted the cost before they started building. Therefore they were not able to finish the work. Because of that, they mocked the gospel of Jesus Christ.
They showed people, that the power of the world is stronger than the power of God. And that the temporary deceptive pleasures of the world are more satisfying than Jesus Christ and the life in Him and the spiritual blessings of the Kingdom of God.
What does it mean to be the salt of the earth?
In Matthew 5:13, Jesus said, you are the salt of the earth, but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is neither fit for the land nor yet for the dunghill, but men cast it out.
Unfortunately, many people will be lost, due to false doctrines. Because how can people count the cost, if they don’t get the right information? (Read also: ‘False doctrines that are an insult to God‘ and ‘Doctrines of devil are killing the church‘)
As long as the message of the cross, Christ’s redemptive work, dying to self, putting away the sins from your life, regeneration, sanctification, the new creation, the persecution(s) in life, how to resist evil and temptation, etc. is not preached, people don’t get a clear view of what true discipleship really means. They don’t get a clear view of what you must give up, to become a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ and what the new life, as a son of God, will be like.
In other words, the messages that Jesus and the apostles preached, have to be preached again. The message of Jesus, the cross, His blood, His resurrection, sanctification, exposing and destroying the works of darkness, must be preached in the churches again.
What is the essence of true Christianity?
The essence of true Christianity and the Word is not preached the way God intended the gospel to be. The gospel of Jesus Christ has been changed into a man-made gospel. It is being torn out of its context. The Christians don’t build upon the Rock, but on doctrines and experiences of man. Therefore they are ‘blown away,’ by the first little breeze. (Read also: Jesus, a precious corner Stone or a Stone of stumbling?, and Hearers vs doers)
Let us return to the Word. Let us follow Jesus Christ with our whole hearts and let us remove every obstacle in our lives, that can become a hindrance to following Jesus.
Count the cost, before you decide to follow Jesus Christ. Only then will you be able to submit yourself to Jesus and devote your life completely to Jesus. When you submit and devote your life to Him, you will be able to build His Kingdom upon this earth.
“Be the salt of the earth”
