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Pioneer Girls Sunday 2009

Message: Considering the Cost Text: Luke 14:25-32

Introduction: While you may not know him, your parents might remember a Russian comedian named Yakov Smirnoff. He once talked about when he first moved to America. He said that he was amazed at the variety of instant products he could buy in the store.

·       There’s powdered milk: just add water and you have milk.

·       There’s powdered orange juice: just add water and you have orange juice.

·       Then he saw Baby Powder and thought, “What a great country! If you want a baby, just add water!”

Some people think that’s how being a Christian works. You take someone who asked Jesus into their hearts, add a little baptism water, and “poof” you have a fully-devoted follower of Jesus Christ. But it takes more than water to make a committed Christian. (David Dykes)

Transition: During Pioneer Club this past year, you’ve been learning to ‘Consider the Cost’ of following Jesus.  Well, Jesus talks about that the Book of Luke. So, lets see what he has to say.

Open your Bibles to Luke 14:25 (pg. 798 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you.)

I. Luke 14:25-27          Consider the Call

Read: Luke 14:25

I believe Jesus is asking us in this verse to ‘Consider the Call.’ What call? To follow Jesus. But according to the text, there were a lot of people who were following Jesus wherever he went. While that’s true, Jesus wanted them to consider why they were following him.

·       Some were following Jesus because he did miracles they thought were cool.

·       Some were following Jesus because he was popular and they wanted to be seen with him.

·       Some were following Jesus because he was telling them about how to go to heaven.

They were all called by something that impressed them about Jesus. But not every one considered the cost of that calling. They didn’t think about what the choice to follow Jesus would mean. And he tells them that in the next verse.

Read: Luke 14:26

That’s asking too much of us…right? Well, before we come to that conclusion, let’s look at what Jesus meant by what he said.

Jesus doesn’t really mean we have to hate our family in order to follow him. It is a literary term called hyperbole…perhaps you’ve heard that word in English class? It is an exaggeration to make a point. Like:

·       Pastor Bob was so funny I laughed my head off.

You really didn’t laugh your head off…did you? It just means you laughed a lot.

What Jesus is saying, is no one should be more important to you than him. He’s saying you should be fully committed to following him…not just following him because he does cool stuff or he’s popular.

Well, next Jesus says something that is kinda strange.

Read: Luke 14:27

 

Let me tell you what this would have meant to the people who heard it in Jesus’ day.

To ‘carry your cross’ meant to say good bye. The cross was how the Romans executed prisoners. It was not only very painful, it was also a sure thing. There were no pardons, no last minute changing of the minds. Once you started to carry your cross…you were walking to your death.

What Jesus is saying to us today is that when we consider the call to follow him, we need to know it’s a one way trip, there’s no turning back. It means saying goodbye to many of the choices we could make that would not help us on our journey to heaven.

Transition: There were a lot of people in the crowd that followed Jesus who weren’t following him for the right reasons… because they failed to consider the call and later most of them desert Jesus and want nothing to do with him.

II. Luke 14:28-30          Consider the Cost

Read: Luke 14:28-30

Not only does Jesus want us to consider the call to follow him, we need to consider the cost of following him. That’s why he tells the story of the man who built a tower, which is kind of like a real tall garage. But there was a problem, the man ran out of money before he finished the tower and he was embarrassed because everyone made fun of him.

ILL: Ever go to Asbury Park? Down by the ocean is a steel frame of a building that was started a long time ago but was never finished because the builders ran out of money. They didn’t consider the cost…did they? And it is an embarrassment to them and to the city.

I think what Jesus is trying to do with his story is to encourage us to consider the cost of following him;

·       what will we need to do,

·       what kind of choices we will we need to make,

in order to finish well. I think Jesus wants to make sure we build our tower, that we finish the race as the Apostle Paul puts it in:

Read: Acts 20:24 ‘However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me…’

Read: 2 Timothy 4:7 ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.’

Transition: Jesus wants all those who have considered the call to follow him… to finish well.

III. Luke 14:31-32 Consider the Consequences

Read: Luke 14:31-32

Did you ever do something and not consider the consequences of doing it? Yes…me too. Here are some true comments made by people after they went on a hike at a camp ground.

·       Please avoid building trails that go uphill.

·       Too many bugs and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the areas of these pests.

·       The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please remove these annoying animals.

·       Escalators would help on steep uphill sections.

·       There are too many rocks in the mountains.

Obviously these people didn’t consider the consequences of their choice to camp out and hike through the woods. I know that when the Pioneer Girls go on their Kid’s for Kids Hike, they would never say anything like that.

Well, what’s this got to do with the text I just read about the two kings and their armies? A lot.

The king with only 10,000 soldiers has to consider the consequences of going to war with the king that has 20,000 soldiers. He has two choices to consider:

·       Fight and loose

·       Surrender and live in peace

I think what Jesus is trying to say is, consider the consequences of not following him. He’s much stronger than you and you will lose. Or, you can surrender to him and live in peace with God.

It means taking yourself off the throne of your life and letting Jesus sit there. Let him and his Word rule and reign in your life. When we sing the last song this morning, I want you to remember what I just said about surrendering to God and letting Him reign in your life.

Conclusion

ILL: One day, a young follower of Jesus wanting to become all that God had for him visited the home of an elderly Christian. He had heard that this old man had never lost his first love for Christ in all the years he had known Him. The young man asked this question:

"Why is it, brother, that most Christians passionately chase after God during the first year or two after they are saved, but then fall into a complacent ritual of church twice a month and end up not looking any different than their neighbors who aren’t even Christians? The old man smiled and replied, Let me tell you a story.

One day I was sitting here quietly in the sun with my dog. Suddenly a large white rabbit ran across in front of us. Well, my dog jumped up, and took off after that big rabbit. He chased the rabbit over the hills with a passion.

Soon, other dogs joined him, attracted by his barking. What a sight it was, as the pack of dogs ran barking across the creeks, up stony embankments and through thickets and thorns! Gradually, however, one by one, the other dogs dropped out of the pursuit, discouraged by the course and frustrated by the chase. Only my dog continued to hotly pursue the white rabbit. In that story, young man, is the answer to your question.

The young man sat in confused silence. Finally, he said, Brother, I don’t understand. What is the connection between the rabbit chase and the quest for God? You fail to understand, answered the well-seasoned old man, because you failed to ask the obvious question. Why didn’t the other dogs continue on the chase? And the answer to that question is that they had not seen the rabbit. Unless you see the prey, the chase is just too difficult. You will lack the passion and determination necessary to keep up the chase."

Have you seen the Lord? Has he touched your heart? Are you willing to consider the cost to follow the Lord by keeping your eye on the prize. Not the prize of heaven, but the prize of the one who will get you there Jesus Christ. (Tim Zingale)

 

Keep your eyes on Jesus. But you Pioneer Clubs students already know that.

Read: Hebrews 12:2a ‘Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…’