Sometimes people try to sell us something with a catch hidden in the small print, but Jesus is not like this. When great crowds started to follow him, he didn’t leave his hard messages in the small print, rather he made it bold and clear that to follow him would come with a great cost.
WHAT IS THE COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS?
Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate… even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26). Jesus also said, ‘Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.’ (Luke 14:27).
Jesus makes it clear that following him involves counting the cost. Jesus makes it clear that following him may mean we face a new rejection from our families (Luke 14:25-26). Jesus makes it clear that if we follow him we will have a new job to do which will make great demands on our time and energy (Luke 14:28-30). Jesus also makes it clear that following him will bring a new battle in our lives which wasn’t there before (Luke 14:28-30). Jesus makes it clear that there is a price to pay for all who follow him. Have you weighed up the cost of following Jesus?
During this wintertime many people are weighing up the cost of heating, as they ask themselves, “Do I turn the heating on and pay the cost with my cash, or do I turn the heating off and pay with discomfort”. There is a cost for putting the heating on and there is cost for not putting the heating on. In the same way, there is a cost for following Jesus, but there is also a cost for not following him.
WHAT IS THE COST OF NOT FOLLOWING JESUS?
1. YOU WILL LOSE YOUR LIFE.
Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?’ (Matthew 16:24-26).
If we want to keep our life as it is, Jesus says we will lose our life. If we do not follow Jesus, we will lose our life in all eternity, but also miss out in the present in experiencing a daily relationship with God. Do we want to keep the acceptance of our family and friends in this life? If that is your heart, then you will pay with rejection from God in all eternity, and miss out on his acceptance in his kingdom. Do we want a life with no demands from God on your time? If that is you, then you will pay with an eternity of time to regret not coming to Jesus and missing out on eternity in heaven. Do you want a life with no fight against sin? If that is you, then you will pay, by having to pay the price for your sin, but if we become followers of Jesus, our Lord Jesus will freely cover that cost for us – ‘the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life’ (Romans 6:23)
2. YOU WILL NOT BE A SPIRITUAL BLESSING TO YOUR FAMILY.
“Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away.” (Luke 14:34-35).
If you do not follow Jesus, you will have no impact on those around you. Salt has a preserving effect on food, it makes it last rather than rot. Christians are like that – they have a preserving effect on those around them. As a Christian follows Jesus, they will lead others to follow Jesus too and Jesus can then make these new believers everlasting. Salt also brings out the best flavours in foods. Christians are like that – when they lead people to Jesus, those people become followers of Jesus, and Jesus brings the best out of them and leads them to live the life we are designed to live.
We may fear the fallout in our families if we follow Jesus, but we should more greatly fear the fallout for our families if we and they do not follow Jesus. Mankind is not right with God, they have fallen out with God, and that broken relationship will continue into eternity. That’s the fallout we should fear for ourselves and our family if we don’t follow Jesus. Like ‘salt that has lost its taste’ has no positive effect on those around them, someone who doesn’t follow Jesus will have no spiritual blessing on themselves or those around them.
ARE YOU HEARING THE VOICE OF JESUS? “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Luke 14:35). What will it cost me to follow Jesus? Everything! And what will I gain if I become a follower of Jesus? Everything! When you become a Christian, you trade in your life for a new life, you get eternity in heaven to look forward to, you get a new heart. The Holy Spirit lives in you and transforms your life, as you start to enjoy a new relationship with God.
Have you counted the cost of following Jesus? Have you counted the cost of not following Jesus?
© 2023 Roger Tanton
