Willing To Pay The Price

We are used to buying and selling our homes.  I saw a home on Zillow that had 4 bedrooms and 5 baths and about 3,750 SF.  This home sits on about ¼ of an acre.  I was surprised to see that the HOA fees were $1,500 per month!  It does have a waterfront view and beautiful sandy white beaches.  If you wanted to purchase this home it would only cost you about $4.5 million!  It’s in Key West Florida but I bet if you would pay in cash you could negotiate an even better price!

But, maybe you’re not shopping for a new home.  But, maybe you’d like a new TV.  Samsung sells the 98” Neo QLED 8K TV that would be wonderful to have.  It would only cost you $35,000 dollars!  That would be a great TV to have to watch football games, wouldn’t it!

But, yes, there is this thing called money.  If money wasn’t an issue there are so many wonderful things that you could enjoy.  But, money is an issue when it comes to purchasing homes in Florida, or huge TVs or even the simple things like tools, clothing and groceries.  So, when we go shopping we have to ask the question: “How much am I willing to pay?”  Then the next question will be what benefits will I have purchasing one thing over another?  Or maybe purchasing three cheaper pieces of clothing is smarter than purchasing one expensive piece of clothing for the same price?  Is the expensive tool I purchase really worth the price when I’m using it to drill furniture together, or could I get by with a cheaper model? Is organic food worth the price, or am I okay with plain tomatoes?  Some things you’ll leave on the shelf and other things you’ll put into your cart after you have determined whether or not it was worth it.

In today’s gospel Jesus wants us to consider the price of following him.  There is no doubt that there is a price to pay to follow Jesus Christ.  Today may the Holy Spirit motivate us to

Be Willing To Pay The Price

As You Consider The Cost

Let’s begin with the easy example Jesus gives to us.

“²⁸ For which of you, if he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, everyone who sees it will begin to ridicule him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This fellow began to build, but was not able to finish. ³¹ Or what king, as he goes out to confront another king in war, will not first sit down and consider if he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³² And if he is not able, he sends out a delegation and asks for terms of peace while his opponent is still far away.”

If it is unwise to build a tower or go to war without first stopping to consider the cost, so also it is foolish to start a project of any kind without first considering what it will take to finish the project.  May I give you an example.  Today let’s go to San Diego.  Let’s say you don’t have a car, but you would like to walk there.  You know that you can start walking west and eventually you’ll get there even if you’re not sure of the best route.  But, there’s another problem.  It is 1,384 miles to get there according to Google Maps.  Do you know what else Google Maps tells us? Explain this picture.

You could go by these means, but what are you going to eat, and sleep and what about the wild animals, climbing the Rocky Mountains and dealing with the desert?  So, if you have determined that you wouldn’t Be Willing To Pay The Price to walk to San Diego, why would you even begin the trip on foot?  What about following Jesus?  Are you Willing To Pay the Price?

Jesus helps us think about this cost.  He said,

“²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

Once again Jesus’ Words cause wounds! That is because he is serious about people following him.  Jesus wants us to be the most important thing in our lives!  Closer than family!  Please understand that Jesus isn’t asking us to be unloving toward our family members, but he is explaining to us to Count the Costs of being more willing to listen and live for him more than anyone else.  You know these are easy words to say, but hard to do.  Simply look at your schedule and ask yourself how much time you give to everyone else and how much time you give to Jesus.  As you Count The Cost may you be Willing To Pay The Price.

But, it gets even more difficult when we zero in on these words from Jesus.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate…even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

To be willing to follow Jesus requires that we choose him instead of ourselves. This can be a problem!  For we are sinfully selfish people.  I know I am far more likely to live the way I want to way before I live the way someone else wants me to live.  I want to stand up for my own freedoms way before I want to have to answer to anyone else.  This shows itself in our attitudes and our actions.  Hearing Jesus’ words, we like to save our lives and in the process, end up losing them. Let us heed Jesus’ warning and Consider the Cost and be found Willing To Pay The Price!  For the rejection of Jesus results in eternal death.  Rather may we be Willing To Pay The Price  

Avoiding the Lost

Jesus once again uses very strong language that causes wounds in our hearts and souls.  He speaks to warn us about becoming people who won’t pay the price of discipleship.  

“³³ So then, any one of you who does not say farewell to all his own possessions cannot be my disciple. ³⁴ Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its flavor, how will it become salty again? ³⁵ It is not fit for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away.”

Salt is only good when it has the nature of salt.  A disciples is only good with the nature of Christ.  Being honest with ourselves we deserve to be tossed out and lost in hell away from God’s love forever.  So, today we once again join together to repent of our sins and turn in faith to Jesus Christ for forgiveness.  Then raise our eyes to heaven and Be Willing To Pay The Price and Avoid the Lost.  Oh, the burden!

Praise be to God that he doesn’t leave us to do this on our own!  Jesus said, “The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  This is sweet gospel!  There is one who avoided all sin and offered his life on the cross in our place to give us his holiness and perfection and glory!  We know this from hearing his WORD!  And how did Jesus do that?  He humbled himself and Willing Paid the Price and Avoid Losing you! Jesus paid the price of his holy precious blood that was accepted on your behalf by our heavenly Father!  God proved it by raising Jesus from the dead.  Jesus did it all and we are empowered by his love, forgiveness and mercy to live our lives for him, yes, to Be Willing to Pay The Price of Following Jesus to Avoid being Lost as all cost!

With Jesus in our lives and his Spirit living in our hearts, live out your faith and celebrate his love in all your thoughts, words and actions.  With Jesus face all the trouble that this world will bring.  With Jesus’ strength carry the crosses you bear as the Willing Price to Pay to be his disciples.  Yes, with Jesus do what was impossible to do without him!  Be Willing To Pay The Price as you Consider the Cost Avoiding the Lost.  Jesus loves you and always will.  It won’t cost you 4.5 million dollars.  It won’t cost you the heartache like shopping for tools, clothes or food.  No!  Jesus loves us and always will.  Jesus paid the eternal cost for you.  The time, effort and energy we spend for this short time on earth pales in comparison to the joy that awaits us in heaven!  So, leave here today alert for the temptations that ruin the lives of the lost, and consider the eternal cost paid by Jesus and with thankful joy in your hearts, leave here Willing to Pay The Price to follow Jesus.  Amen!