“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it” (Lk. 14:28)

Have You Counted The Cost?

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it” (Lk. 14:28)

We work with costs every day Calculated costs of running a business

Cost of not running your business

Cost of working too little Cost of working too much

Cost of clothing, gas, food, house, car, insurance, etc. Cost of having children

cost of not having children

Cannot live life responsibility without being sensitive to cost

LUKE14:28-32 28 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down

first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it — 29 "lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all

who see it begin to mock him, 30 "saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish?’ 31 "Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not

sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?

32 "Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.

Jesus Taught On Cost Managment

Not Counting The Cost?

“intending to build a tower” Good intentions without cost consideration and a plan

formulation is foolishness How many people buy and build without cost

consideration

“all who begin to see it begin to mock him” Starting a project without finishing it makes you look

foolish to God and men

Is it tower building that God is concerned with? It’s character and commitment building!

Paul Understood This

“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:8; 2 Cor. 11:22ff)

Christians & Non-Christians Need To Count The Cost

1. Have You Counted The Cost To “Get” Into The Kingdom Of Heaven?

Cost and the Kingdom “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant

seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45, 46) Obviously considered the cost of what was to be gained/lost Perceived the difference of beautiful pearls Pearl “of great price” has a “great cost/reward”

Do those view the kingdom of heaven this way when they “willfully” miss worship on the Lord’s Day to do other things Have you counted the cost when you said, “I will” to Christ in

Baptism?

Has He Ever Thought This About You And Me?

“Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Mk. 8:33) Where is my mind throughout the week? What am I mindful of on Sunday’s and Wednesdays? Count the cost!

1. Have You Counted The Cost To “Get” Into The Kingdom Of Heaven?

Have you counted the cost to engage in the fight of faith? The cost of earthly time

Heaven’s business demands your time Time to worship, study, edify, teach, lead, upkeep, etc.

The cost of earthly gain “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has

cannot be My disciple” (Lk. 14:33) Matthew 19:21, 22 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2

The cost of going to war to defend the truth (Lk. 14:31, 32; Josh. 11:18)

Strong in grace; live it; defend it (2 Tim. 2:1-4)

2. Have You Counted The Cost To “Lose” The Kingdom Of Heaven?

The Rich Young Ruler didn’t count the cost at what he walked away from A personal invitation from the King of kings to be a

fellow disciple Perhaps he could have ended up writing a book in God’s

Holy word; name written in heaven, a friend of God…

Time to spend with the greatest person on earth Time to spend with God on earth Opportunity to converse with God directly Opportunity to witness firsthand the power of Christ Eternity

Mark 8:34-37

34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

35 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

37 "Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Cost/Profit (Mk. 8:33-37)

Cost

Deny self (v. 34) Turn your mind from the

things of men to God (v. 33)

Take up cross (v. 34) Willingness to die

Follow (v. 34)

Profit

Save soul

Cost/Profit (Mk. 8:33-37)

ChoiceDesire to save LifeLose life for gospel sake

CostLose LifeSaves life

WHAT IS PROFITABLE EXCHANGE?

GAIN WHOLE WORLD LOSES HIS OWN SOUL

Do you have a price?

What will a man give in exchange

for his soul?

Eternal Regret (Lk. 16:24; 27, 28; 2 Pet. 2:20, 21)

The Example of Christ Is To Overcome, not Succumb!

8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (Matt. 4:8-10)

Related: 1 Corinthians 10:13, 14

3. Have You Counted The Cost To Sin?

There is a cost associate with the choice to sin

Hebrews 4:4-6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened,

and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,

5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,

6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

When You Sin, You Crucify Again The Son of God

Sin and righteousness are choices (Heb. 11:25; Josh. 24:15)

Sin is a choice to rebel against heaven’s law (Rom. 4:15; 1 Jn. 3:4)

Which means Sin is hostile against Jesus The sinner essentially stands with the crowd chanting

“crucify Him” The sinner puts Him to “open shame” Any sin is serious!

“Open Shame”

Open shame – disgrace/dishonor Children can bring honor or “open shame” upon their

parents (Prov. 19:26; Col. 3:20) Wife can bring honor or “open shame” upon her husband

(Prov. 12:4) “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who

causes shame is like rottenness in his bones” (Prov. 12:4.)

The transgressing Christian brings “open shame” upon his Lord (Heb. 4:6)

When we sin we declare “open season” upon the Christ and bring rottenness in his bones (Eph. 5:30)

The Cost To SinLet’s Move A Little Closer To Specific Examples Of

The Cost To $in

The Sin

Anger Without Just Cause

The Cost

Murder Cain & Abel Crucifixion of Christ

Danger of judgment “But I say to you that

whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment…” (Matt. 5:22)

Voids worship (Matt. 5:23, 24)

The Cost To $in

The Sin

Adultery/Fornication

The Cost

Your wife/husband (Matt. 19:9) Your life (Prov. 7:9-23)

“Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life” (Prov. 7:23)

Your conscience Guilty, etc (Prov. 7:14-19) Uses what is right for unlawful

indulgence (pay vows to break vows!)

Your purity (1 Cor. 6:16) Judgment (Heb. 13:4) Happiness (David)

The Cost To $in

The Sin

False Worship (Jn. 4:24)

The Cost

Rendered useless worship (Matt. 15:9)

Disapproval of God (Matt. 15:13)

Insults God Death (Nadab and Abihu) Exchanges the

commands of God with the commandments of men (Matt. 15:2, 3)

The Cost To $in

The Sin

Join together with erring Christians

The Cost

Corrupts good habits (1 Cor. 15:33)

Disobeys God’s command (2 Thess. 3:14)

Does not help the one in error

Shares in his sin (2 Jn. 9-11)

The Cost To $in

The Sin

Gossip, Whispering,Slander (1 Tim. 5:13) Intent is to destroy and

defame another by: Repeating a matter to

justify own error Twisting a truth to make

another look bad

The Cost

Separates friends (Prov. 16:28; 17:9)

Causes strife (Prov. 26:20)

Destroyed by God (Ps. 101:5)

Slander (defamation)

“Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, And whoever spreads slander is a fool” (Prov. 10:18) Slander has lying lips and

a heart of hatred Slander intends to defame

another with a false, misleading report or accusation

“the act or offense of saying something false or malicious that damages somebody's reputation” (Encarta)

“…Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Has David not rather sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?” (2 Sam. 10:3)

“Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, ‘Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words’” (Amos 7:10)

“For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon’” (Lk. 7:33)

“But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” (Job 1:11)

Biblical ExamplesMisleading Impressions

“Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, And whoever spreads slander is a fool” (Prov. 10:18) Slander has lying lips and

a heart of hatred Slander intends to defame

another with a false, misleading report or accusation

“the act or offense of saying something false or malicious that damages somebody's reputation” (Encarta)

Accuse someone for being a busybody when he pointed out sin

Charge a church for believing in witchcraft because some read Harry Potter books

Charge a church with “no love” because they discipline the unruly

Leave church falsely accusing gospel preacher as being too abrasive (such was really a 5th reason)

Justifies children’s unfaithfulness and bad behavior by asserting the poor conduct of another

Modern ExamplesMisleading Impressions

Slander (defamation)

Question About Slander

Can a member of the church, who believes he was wronged by another member of the church, tell others about an alleged wrong without first telling the accused and be acceptable to Christ? Matthew 18:15, 16 “Moreover if your brother sins

against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”

“Brother A” is supposedly privately wronged by “Brother B” “Brother A” should make a public scene of it and go to

another church until brethren start calling him to find out what is wrong

“Brother A” should get mad and stand aloof from “Brother B”

won’t talk with him on the phone, e-mail or in person? “Brother A” should tell “Brother C” about “B”

which may cause distancing between “C” and “B” “Brother A” should reveal to a group of Brethren (D, E, F,

G) about “Brother B” Which may cause a distancing of brethren from “B”

“Brother A” should vent on Facebook to draw others in “Brother A” should go to “Brother B” to tell him his fault

alone

What is Lord’s Prescribed Course of Action In The First Step (Matt. 18:15, 16)?

Slander (Defamation)

“The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous will be delivered” (Prov. 11:9)

Heavenly support of the falsely accused… “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute

you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake” (Matt. 5:11)

“having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed” (1 Pet. 3:16)

There is Something To Be Said About Honesty

“A righteous man hates lying, but a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame” (Prov. 13:5)

“Let me be weighed on honest scales, that God may know my integrity” (Job 31:6)

“Providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men” (2 Cor. 8:21)

4. Have You Counted The Cost To Not Repent? What is repentance?

“to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins” (Online Bible Greek Lexicon)

Repentance is a beautiful but hard thing (pride) We go from being enemies of God to friends of God Wear ashes before you wear a white robe (Job 42:6)

There is a tremendous cost involved in refusing to repent in humility Makes it harder on family/friends relationships Held accountable for crucifying the Son of God afresh

How Jesus Looks At Those Who Refuse To Repent

21 "And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.

22 "Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.

23 "I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

REVELATION 2:21-23

How Jesus Looks At Those Who Refuse To Repent

13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

“GOD BE MERCIFUL TO ME A SINNER!”

AN APPROVED PRAYER CLOTHED WITH REPENTANCE: