When I shop for an item I need, one of the first things I do is look at the price. I have an idea of how much I’m prepared to spend. I sometimes think about how long it took me to earn the money. Is what I want to buy worth the effort needed to purchase it? If the item I want costs more than I want to pay, it stays in the store. That’s counting the cost.
We need to count the cost in spiritual matters, too. The Scriptures teach us that every person must realize their need for a Savior. The Gospel message is simple, but accepting it is not easy. Unfortunately, many today have embraced what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace.” This concept of ‘cheap grace’ is urgent and needs to be addressed.
Bonhoeffer wrote, “Cheap Grace is the deadly enemy of our church. It is grace without price: grace without cost! … Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine … an intellectual assent … Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner … Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is preaching forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession … Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” (Part I, Chapter 1)
People are often given the impression that if they accept Jesus as Savior, all their troubles will be over. They’re not informed of His lordship or that discipleship and cross-bearing are part of what it means to be a follower of Christ. They were counting on adding Jesus to their lives and going on in their way. Then, they find out that Jesus demands total surrender! Is it any wonder they become disillusioned?
Professor Robbie Castleman writes, “The message of cheap grace is flourishing in many churches today. Salvation is sold as fire insurance, Jesus is reduced to correct propositional formulas, and worship is all about us and how we like it, no matter how many times we sing, ‘It’s all about you, Jesus’.
Cheap grace substitutes the fear of the Lord for a fear of the world. Cheap grace hides our light under wonderfully pious lampshades, and cheap grace renders the salt of the earth as just so much tasteless landfill.” He concludes by adding, “Every semester, I tell 36 wonderful students in this class: ‘Salvation is a free gift of God’s grace earned by the work of Jesus Christ alone. And this gift will cost you everything.’”[1]
Jesus told his disciples in Luke 14 about a man who wanted to build a tower. He didn’t want to start and not finish because people would mock him for his poor planning. So, he sat down and carefully figured out what it would cost to complete the project. We, too, need to seriously consider any project we take on, especially when considering “The Cost of Discipleship.”
In our text, Mark 8:34 to 38, Jesus informs His disciples about the cost of following Him. Listen now as I read the Word of God.
In this text, Jesus explains the several ACTIONS you and I must take to accept “The Cost of Discipleship.”
The First ACTION is:
Give Up Your Identity
Every person born into the world has an identity. We identify by name, nationality, race, or physical characteristics. We cannot change most of these things; God decides for us.
As we grow into adulthood, our identity is partly established by what we do. I can say a name to you, for example, Osama bin Laden, and immediately, your mind goes back to the destruction of the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001. A completely different picture comes to mind if I say Willia...
