THE COST OF FOLLOWING YESHUA HAMSHIACH (MESSIAH/CHRIST)

LUKE 14:25-28; "Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 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."

Everybody wants to go to Heaven…but nobody wants to die…I’ve found out that folks are ready to be called Believers and they really do want to obtain Eternal Life, but they aren’t willing to die…die to sin…die to folks, things, places, or possessions…folks aren’t willing to count up the cost because counting up the cost in essence is unshakable and unrelenting faith…It’s a commitment, having a goal and purpose…letting nothing or no one get in your way to achieve it…

1. Mark 8:34-38 says: “And when HE had called the people unto HIM with HIS disciples also, HE said to them, ‘Whosoever desires to come after ME, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow ME. For whoever loses his life for MY sake and the Gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul? For whoever is ashamed of ME and MY Words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him, the SON of MAN also will be ashamed when HE comes in the Glory of HIS FATHER with the Holy Angels.’”

If the truth be told… some folks don’t have a clue of the real cost of being a Disciple of Christ…in Luke Chap. 14 there are two things I will be pointing out…1st counting up the cost and 2nd, do it before you begin…because everything in this life has a price tag…but you know, some folks have a tendency to buy cheap or whatever is on sale…and I know that I do that at times myself, depending on what I’m buying…and sometimes we get what we paid for…so we need to count up the cost and decide right here, right now what kind of walk we want with Christ…because salvation is free, but it ain’t cheap…

Counting up the cost takes total worship, praise, and a total commitment to Christ…and in verse 33 HE tells us that no one can become HIS disciple without giving up something…The Greek word for giving up is "Apotasse pas," which literally means, "to renounce," "to bid farewell" or "to take leave of"…but what I find interesting about verse 33 is that it is written in the present tense…and it’s the present tense that signifies that you have to give something up…and say bye-bye to the ways of the world…

As Yeshua is addressing the crowd, HE says this… ‘Those of you who are wondering what the cost is to be one of MY disciples…well, if anyone comes to ME, and does not hate his father, mother, his wife, children, his brothers, and sisters…yes, even his own wife…he cannot be MY disciple"…but let ME clear something up…although we hear and see the word hate in the Scriptures, Yeshua is not telling anyone to literally hate their family, friends or loved ones…no, what HE’s saying is that you must love HIM more than all these things…your job, money, family, friends, possessions, positions, titles or whatever we put before Yeshua…

Now in the 8th Chap of Mark, we read that we must deny ourselves if we want to follow Yeshua…this is not some cheap form of Christianity that will leave you void or leave you feeling empty…in Luke when Yeshua is telling the crowd and HIS disciples that they must hate those to follow HIM…I would like to believe that before HE could get that statement out of HIS mouth…you could hear a pin drop…however, I would like to put this particular Scripture in the context of its First Century setting of time…because when a Jewish person made a choice to follow Yeshua they would be alienated from his or her family…and if someone desired their family more than having a relationship with YAHWEH...one might never come to know HIS SON, Yeshua Hamshiah (Messiah/Christ)!

As it was in the First Century, it is now in the Twenty-First Century…it’s all or nothing…in other words…there can be no casual devotion to Yeshua…given the rejection that would come in serving Christ…it would automatically come with a cost, because it would make that person a target for righteousness…I believe that somebody in that crowd of people probably said that HE must be crazy to say that…or HE must be joking because if that’s what it takes to be one of HIS disciples, I’m outta here…or maybe someone in the crowd didn’t hear HIM right…HE probably was referring to one of HIS already sold-out disciples…not us, ordinary, common, everyday folk…I know HE doesn’t expect us to do that…But someone else may have been thinking… ‘Wow, that was really deep…I am really going to have to make some changes in my life if I really want to follow Christ and if it costs that much, then that’s what I got to do…’ Following Christ will cost us something… Following HIM means there are going to be some relationship changes in our lives and on every level of our lives…

Some people in our inner circles aren’t going to be understanding, supportive or happy about some of the changes that Yeshua is going to be making in our lives…it’s amazing how the LORD brings thins back to our memory…because I remember my “Paul” experience coming to Yeshua and how the LORD whipped me until I surrendered my all to HIM…Mind, Body, and Spirit…I didn’t realize that it was going to cost me my life... My marriage, friendships, and even separation from some of my family members…the world that I knew and lived in was now a stranger to me…and I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt, that as soon as you start living for the LORD…the world that once respected you…will hate you for it…folks will not understand when you tell them, ‘I’ve got to cut you loose…’

Some of the responses you get will probably sound like this… ‘But, I thought you liked me…Oh, now that you have Jesus in your life and going to that church…now you don’t have time for me…’

They might even call you out of your name…Counting up the cost is when you find yourself telling your friends that you can no longer hang with them if your walk with Yeshua makes them feel uncomfortable…but if it doesn’t…check yourself and your walk…Not everyone is willing to pay the price to follow Yeshua…and in HIS statement, the LORD said that if you want to follow ME, you must love ME more than you love family and friends, this was not to discourage, but to encourage all those who were superficial…those that were only following HIM on the surface, from a distance or those who were imposters…HE was telling them either to go deeper or turn back…

Following Yeshua takes determination…and perhaps even to the point of death…but we who come to Yeshua must realize that YAHWEH’s standards are much more different than our own…and much too often, too many church folks want to play tag alone on the church roll as stagnant, uncommitted dead weight…

Following Yeshua is not just going to church on Sunday, wearing you new outfit you brought, or just going through the motions of service…following Yeshua Hamshiach (Messiah/Christ) goes far beyond the four walls of the church…Do you want a cheap Gospel?

Are you willing to make a sacrifice to accept Yeshua’s sacrifice?

HIS sacrifice was not cheap…it came with a great price…Here’s what Webster says about cheap… “Cheap means to achieve with little or no effort"…"of poor quality"…"worthy of no respect"…

Folks want to be called Believers…but don’t want to pay the price to be a Believer…they want salvation with little or no effort…without any fuss or muss because they want the easy road…but the Scriptures tell us in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who go in by it, because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it.”

Cheap Christians want to hear, ‘Don’t worry, it will be alright…’

These kinds of folks are looking for a fast-talking, smooth-walking, Johnny come lately preacher who will tell them whatever they want to hear…or teach them some new things about the Scriptures that no one else has ever taught…Yeah, right!... I’ve found out that these kinds of folk want a cheap Gospel and cheap preachers that allow anything and everything…and don’t care whether they save a soul or not…The old folks used to say… “Some were called, some came and some just went…but those that came and those that went didn’t sit down to count up the cost to follow Yeshua…”

These kinds of folks don’t even have the power or anointing to move anything…let alone YAHWEH…But there are folks out there that want to hear a watered-down version of the Gospel…they are looking for a church where people rein…where there’s no connection and no encounter with the Holy Spirit…

Cheap Christians are looking for a church where they can hear a few good words and have a feel-good moment in the midst of sinning without being convicted in their hearts and souls…

Cheap Christians only want enough spiritual food to get them to next Sunday…enough watering of the Word to quench their thirst for the next hour or so…enough to ease their conscience to allow them a peaceful night of sleep…There are folks all through the Body of Christ who attend church on a regular basis with no connection, no encounter living as cheap Christians just getting by with little or no effort…no commitment to the ministry of the Gospel…and with little or no concern for the Fellowship or the Brethren…There are even some folk in the church that want to go to Heaven, but don’t want to die…die to their sins…they don’t want to pay the price…James 1:8 calls these kinds of folks “double-minded” and he says they are unstable in all their ways…

The Church is in need of deliverance from their worldly mentality and worldly ways…there are some churches that are more interested in entertaining folks rather than saving souls…somehow, someway, the world has gotten into YAHWEH’S House…but I tell you today, the Devil is a liar…because the House of YAHWEH is not a place to come and watch a variety show, but a place to come worship and glorify the LORD for WHO HE is and to lift up HIS name, for HE is GOD and GOD alone!!

Now if you want to follow Yeshua…If you are willing to count up the cost…If you have decided to make Yeshua Hamshiach (Messiah/Christ) your choice…If you have made up your mind to run this race for Yeshua and no matter what your friends or family may say or think…the Word tells us that with YAHWEH, all things are possible because there is nothing too hard for GOD…Most importantly though, it is possible…promising, and profitable to follow Yeshua…Hebrews 11:6 tells us the HE (Yeshua) is a rewarder of those that diligently seek HIM…You shall receive your just reward if you have a made-up mind and take up your cross and follow Yeshua…for HE is the only one WHO is a solid, unshakable, and unmovable force in our lives…I want to ask a question… ‘Is there anything or anyone that you love more than Yeshua Hamshiach (Messiah/Christ)?

Is there anything that you will not give up for HIM?

Is there anything that you won’t do for HIS namesake?

If you answered yes to any of these questions…then I have to tell you that you cannot be one of HIS disciples…because it comes with sacrifices…What makes you think that if Yeshua sacrificed HIS Life for us that you wouldn’t have to make some sacrifices for HIS namesake?

How much does it cost to follow Christ?

It may cost you crying some nights…you might have to force yourself to pay the cost…it’s not cheap…you might have to make yourself get out of bed and pick yourself up when you’re sick and hurting…when your body’s tired or when you just don’t feel like it…counting the cost is not cheap when you have to cry all by yourself…when you have to go when no-one else will go…when you have to take a stand alone…when you have to force a smile on your face when you’re going through hell and high water…when you’ve got to pray for your enemies…when you’ve got to let someone that you love to go…and it may cost you getting upset by being ridiculed or laughed at…it may even cost you your job that you so desperately needed to take care of you and your family….it may even cost you not being apart of some social group(s) or activities because you may have to give more of your time in serving the Kingdom of YAHWEH…and in order to follow Yeshua, we must sit down and count up the cost…BB King had a song out a long time ago called… ‘You got to pay the cost if you want to be the boss…’

Counting the cost…Yeshua tells us that to be HIS disciples…our very lives may have to be laid down for HIM…following Yeshua takes more than coming to church on Sunday morning singing a few songs…hearing a message and going back home to live the same old kind of way…

Following Yeshua is about counting the cost and being obedient to HIS Word…If we were to search the Scriptures about counting up the cost…

Brother Andrew died on a cross…

Brother Simon was crucified and Bartholomew was flayed alive, which means his skin was stripped off his flesh while he was still breathing…

James son of Zebedee was beheaded…

Thomas was run through with a sword…

Matthias was stoned and then beheaded…

Matthew was slain by the sword…

Peter was crucified upside down…

Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows and Phillip was hung and Paul was beheaded….

When Yeshua called HIS disciples, HE called them out of the world that they were living in…HE called them to lay down their fish nets…their tax collecting ways…their medical practices…HE told them to take up their cross and follow me…they could not be HIS disciples without leaving all the extra, unnecessary stuff behind…and HE is still calling us today…to lay down every weight...What would you do to follow Yeshua?

Would you lay down your life for HIM?

Would you walk away from everything you know and love to serve Yeshua knowing that it is a very high price to pay?

HE required all of these things from HIS disciples…and HE requires all of us to be willing to do all of these things if HE asked us to…Are you willing to count up the cost?

I understand that it can be a very high price to pay…but your reward is much greater…I understand that we all have jobs and lives…but to be a follower of Yeshua means you must count up the cost…you must be willing to let some stuff go if HE asked you to…to follow Christ, you must be obedient to HIS Word…What do you have to gain?

What do you have to lose?

The Word tells us what good is it for a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul…What is the cost of victory or defeat?

Is the price too high for Eternal Life or Eternal Death?

You do the math…and while you’re doing the math, ask yourself how much it costs to follow Yeshua…better yet, ask yourself how much will cost not to follow Yeshua?!

The LORD is asking for 100% from us because HE will give back much more than you lost…Yeshua said in Mark 10 verse 29: “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no-one who has left house or brothers or sisters or fathers or mothers or wives or children or lands for MY name sake and the Gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time…houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions…and in the age to come…eternal life…but many who are first will be last and the last first…”

Here in America, we may not get hung…we may not be stoned…even though some folks will take your head off, with words…family might walk away…friendships may turn cold…but to follow Yeshua leads to Eternal Life…HE will make you the head and not the tail…you will be the first and not the last…you will receive a hundredfold for your troubles…for the Word says that one died for many and when HE went to the cross, HE carried the sins of the world…Yeshua carried our sins, pains, and sufferings all on HIS shoulders when HE went to Cavalries Cross…HE was bruised for our transgressions…HE was wounded for our iniquities…HE counted up the cost…HE laid down HIS life because while we were still yet sinners and deep in sin…HE cared for us…HE counted up the cost to save a wretch like you and me…WHO is HE…The Creator of the Universe…WHO is HE…The Giver of Life…WHO is He…The ONE and only True and Living GOD…WHO is HE…The Only Begotten SON of the FATHER, WHO sits and reins on the throne…HE WHO sits high and looks low…HE WHO sits on the right hand of ALMIGHTY GOD…HE WHO holds the keys to Eternal Life and HE WHO holds the keys to Heaven and Hell…

I don’t know about you today…but Yeshua Hamshiach (Messiah/Christ) is my master and I am HIS Servant…HE is the VINE and I am the branch….HE is the POTTER and I am the clay…HE is KING of Kings and LORD of Lords…HE is the SUPREME RULER of the Universe…for I heard HIM say in HIS Word that my reward for following HIM is Eternal Life…so one of these days I want to go to a place not made by human hands…where they tell me there’s no more sickness…no more drama…no more worries…where I can just worship, praise and glorify Yeshua all day long….GLORY…GLORY…GLORY…GLORY!!!

I WOULD RATHER BE UNCOMFORTABLE IN YESHUA...THEN COMFORTABLE WITH SATAN!!

"IF YOU'RE NOT WINNING SOULS FOR YESHUA...YOU DON'T WORK FOR YAHWEH...YOU'RE SELF-EMPLOYED!!"