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Sunday, June 22, 2014

Bible Lesson:Parables-Our Lord's: The Tower.

Bible Lesson:Parables-Our Lord's: The Tower.

Occasion: Addressing The Following Crowds.

Lesson: Counting The Cost.

Bible Text: Luke 14:25-30 NLT (The cost of discipleship.)
25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them,
26 “If you want to be My disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple.
27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple.
28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?
29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.
30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

To be a follower of The Lord Jesus Christ, one must be willing to pay the cost.
“Pastor, isn't salvation free?”
Yes, but that does not mean that we may follow our Master at no personal cost!

26 “If you want to be My disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple.

This does not mean a Christian goes around hating their father, mother or other siblings, of course not, it means that our love for them pales, in comparison to our love and servitude to our Master, The Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 9:57-62 MSG
57 On the road someone asked if he could go along. “I’ll go with you, wherever,” he said.
58 Jesus was curt: “Are you ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know.” Jesus said to another, “Follow me.”
59 He said, “Certainly, but first excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my father’s funeral.”
60 Jesus refused. “First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God’s kingdom!”
61 Then another said, “I’m ready to follow you, Master, but first excuse me while I get things straightened out at home.”
62 Jesus said, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.

27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple.

Matthew 16:24 KJV
Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Mark 8:34 KJV
And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Luke 9:23 KJV
And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

The cross is a symbol of pain and suffering, self-denial, rejection and ridicule.
The Christian must be willing to suffer for Jesus' sake.

OK, so in America (because that is where this blog originates.), how are we doing spiritually?
We can tell by how our country itself is doing!

Morality is at an all time low, other countries refusing our books, magazines and movies!
Crime rates, abortions (Now totaling some 57 million.), white collar crimes, godless education, drugs, alcohol, and not to mention political chicanery, all tell us we are a people awaiting judgment.

How can this all be, of the most “religious,” nation in the world?

Matthew 7:21-23 KJV
21 Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.

Workers of iniquity, because their “private-lives,” were not, obedient to The Lord Jesus Christ!

Religious leaders, that do not “deny themselves,” do not carry their cross of “self-denial,” and yet lead others.

Many, many of them millionaires, boasting “among themselves, ” their portfolios of gold, silver and diamond mine stock etc. etc.

What sin is this?
It is the sin of hypocrisy.

Matthew 23:28 KJV
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Luke 12:1-3 NLT
1 Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands were milling about and stepping on each other. Jesus turned first to His disciples and warned them, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy. 2 The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all.
3 Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in The Light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!

James 3:17 KJV
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Hypocrite:
a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.

It is the sin of refusing the cross of self-denial.

Psalm 52:5-7 KJV
5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, He shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.

Proverbs 11:28 KJV
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall;

Proverbs 13:7 KJV
There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

Ecclesiastes 5:13 KJV
There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

Ezekiel 28:4 KJV (Description of Lucifer.)
4 With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:
5 By thy great wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:

Matthew 13:22 KJV
He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth The Word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke The Word, and he becometh unfruitful.

Mark 10:23 KJV
And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto His disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

Luke 8:14 KJV
And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

Luke 18:24 KJV
And when Jesus saw that He was very sorrowful, He said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

James 5:1-3,5 NLT
1 Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you.
2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags.
3 Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment.
5 You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire.

If you can't know your pastor's salary, if you can't know the salary of your Superintendent, or denomination head's salary (For whatever reason!), then its time to move on!

This is why so many churches try to hide their denominational affiliation, by not putting it into their church names, as they “once,” did!

This is why there is such a huge exodus from denominational churches to independent churches, where everything is open and transparent!

Thank God, this doesn't apply to all, but to many, yes!

I Peter 4:17 KJV
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?


28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?
29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.
30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

Heralds of the gospel, time to count the cost. Time to realize the cost of true discipleship, which is total consecration and complete surrender.

We do know the financial holdings of our founder, The Lord Jesus Christ, The Man, who could have been the most wealthy of all who ever lived!

Matthew 8:20 KJV
And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but The Son Of Han hath not where to lay His head.

Matthew 17:24-27 KJV (No money for taxes.)
24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your Master pay tribute?
25 He saith, Yes. And when He was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
26 Peter saith unto Him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.
27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for Me and thee.

To follow The Lord Jesus, one does not have to be a pauper, but one does have to live in such a fashion, as to make his life totally transparent! Then one and all may judge, if indeed our life is a life of self-denial!

This is taking up ones cross and following The Lord Jesus!
This is the life of honesty and self-denial!
It is time to seek The Lord, and to hear His voice again!

John 12:24-26 KJV
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
26 If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honor.