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This Week's Sermon The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost 09 September 2007 "At What Cost?" Luke 14:25-35 LSB Series C Vicar Heath Trampe Soli Deo Gloria!

What does it mean to commit to something? For some of you, this word probably brings up images of dieting or exercise, which is a commitment to health and fitness. For others, it means standing by a family member or a friend as they go through a trying time. Committing to something means staying with it when circumstances seem unbearable. It means looking beyond the struggles to the end result. Committing is one of the hardest things we ever have to do in this life, because it forces us to sacrifice part of ourselves. Oftentimes, as with diet and exercise, we can't succeed without help. We have proof of that in all of the weight loss and exercise gimmicks saturating our media.

Fortunately for us, help is readily available in most circumstances if we'll only ask. While we've conditioned ourselves to do this in our occupations and hobbies, it's more difficult to apply this to our relationship with Jesus Christ. Things couldn't be better when life seems fine and Church is something we do on Sunday, but everything falls apart when life gets really hard and we wonder where God is. Jesus says each of us will have to take up our cross, so why are we so surprised when tragedies befall us? Why are we so surprised to learn that the

(I. The cost of discipleship is the way of the cross, and we are singled out at baptism. (vv. 25-32) )
(II. The cost of discipleship is the way of the cross, but Jesus carries it for us. (vv. 25-35))

Young people are starting serious relationships earlier and earlier nowadays, and the media's influence is driving them deeper and deeper into temptation. Even though most of them don't really want to have sex or try drugs for fear of the consequences, they feel an opposite and equally strong urge to do what society tells them is pleasurable and acceptable. Since the Bible speaks against such abuses, these kids feel an even greater strain on themselves to be a good Christian while trying to fit in with their peers. It would be so much less troubling to simply give in to the temptation, or so our society would have us believe.

Our world tells us that if we'll all just get along, then we can achieve world peace, which society claims to be its chief goal. If all of us Christians would just compromise on our beliefs here and there, we could have one denomination, one belief system, and harmony would ensue. This is Satan's influence, and we as Lutherans are torn by the fact that we don't agree with our Baptist, Methodist, and Catholic friends and family. As hard as it is to disagree with them, we know that the Bible makes very precise statements about who Christ is and what the sacraments are, and we don't want to change those truths to suit our fancy. If we were all blissfully ignorant, we might not have to go through such heartache, but that's not the reality. We're all too familiar with our particular beliefs and how they contrast with those of the world, making it difficult to be faithful Christians in our society.

Why does it seem like it's harder to be a Christian than to be a non-Christian? Not only do we have the pressures and strains of the non-Christian, and not only do we have just as much tragedy in our lives, but we also hold ourselves to a higher standard. This is what Jesus preaches to His disciples and to us today. Using the account of St. Luke, we hear Jesus saying, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple". But aren't we supposed to love our families?

Lest we take this phrase out of context, we have to look at this statement in light of Jesus' overall message. Surely Christ doesn't want us to abandon our families, but what if our families are pushing us to unbelief? Society tells us that nothing is more important that our relationships with our children, spouses, and parents. Jesus is taking a radical stance here by saying that our relationship with Him trumps even those of our families.

I had a friend in college who started dating a Mormon girl before he came to Concordia University. He was a strong Missouri-Synod Lutheran, and had convinced her, by Scripture, that Lutheranism was much more faithful to the Word of God than Mormonism. How do you suppose her family reacted to this? They kicked her out of the house. They wouldn't have any contact with her after that; she was no longer their daughter. Some of us take for granted the fact that most of the people we know either don't care what we believe or they believe as we do. When faced with a situation like this Mormon girl, are we willing to give up the love and security of our families to follow Jesus? It's not just Mormons who react this way, either. Many families face strife and turmoil because a Baptist marries a Catholic, or a Methodist marries a Lutheran. Even within Christianity there is a great amount of tension over differences between the denominations, but why?

When we're baptized, more happens to us than just getting wet, there is a spiritual element present. Luther states in the Small Catechism that when the Word of God is added to water at baptism, it becomes "a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit". Soon after, he states that in baptism "our Old Adam is daily drowned and dies with all our sins and that a new man daily arises". This is good news for us, but horrible news for Satan, who loves for us to live in the comfort of our sins.

Getting baptized is sort of like having a bulls-eye painted on your rear end. Whether or not you feel different after it happens, Satan feels differently about you. He has no need to tempt and persuade the unbaptized and unfaithful of the world, because he already has them right where he wants them, comfortable in their sins. While they worry about morality and saving this planet in various ways outside of Christ, Satan patiently awaits their descent into hell. Baptized Christians, however, aren't on their way to hell, and so Satan has to work overtime to change that situation. Thus, the lives of Christians are very often harder and more grievous than those of the non Christian, which is why Christ warns all Christians that "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple". However, as hard as our lives may be, there is a great reward in Christian discipleship that completely overshadows the danger we encounter by Satan's hand.

Discipleship, as previously stated, comes through the waters of baptism. Although you understand how you became disciples, how do you remain disciples? Jesus gives a strong warning in today's Gospel, both with the account of a builder who starts a project only to find that he's not up to finishing it and also with a king who goes to war with too small an army, only to be vanquished. But how does this apply to you?

When you zealously embrace your faith, enjoying worship with your fellow Christians and appreciating these life-giving activities in your lives, you're building a foundation. However, when tragedy strikes, such as Hurricane Katrina, which is celebrating an anniversary; or perhaps the death of a loved one, your building is in danger of crumbling. If the foundation is built on your own works and abilities to be a good Christian, the building will fall and your discipleship will be crushed. Likewise, when your works and ambitions precede you into war against your greatest adversary, Satan, you're guaranteed to be defeated in battle.

In light of this, we see that being a disciple of Christ is a dangerous proposition, not to be taken lightly. Images of Satan as a lion waiting to devour us meld together with Christ's words that all who hated Him will surely hate us and we despair of our enmity with sin, Satan, and the world. With such a formidable enemy, how can we possibly win the battle?

Remember the wisdom of Luther when describing the sixth petition of the Lord's Prayer, which is "and lead us not into temptation". He says that therein we pray that God would guard and keep us from sin, death and the Devil, so that although we are continually attacked by these things, we finally overcome them and win the victory". You have One who fights in your stead. Jesus states at the end of Matthew that "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many". When God builds a foundation on the Words and works of Jesus Christ, it's a building that won't fall in the face of even the fiercest storm. When Christ leads you into battle, you won't be defeated by the enemy, for you're protected from eternal harm. This doesn't mean that you won't be wounded in battle, but it means that you can be and should be confident in the victory that is already won for you through Jesus Christ.

Jesus informs us in the Sermon on the Mount that we "must be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect". Only perfect obedience will allow a sinful human being to truly become a disciple of Christ. Unfortunately, even when you put everything you have into this effort, you fall far short of becoming a true disciple. Satan is a powerful enemy, and you can't defeat him. No matter what you do, you're destined for the gates of hell. This is the extreme cost of discipleship, which Christ paid with His holy, precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. Christ lived perfectly, obeying God without exception, and dying for the sins of the world.

In His eternal mercy, He came down from heaven, took on human flesh, and bore the brunt of the attack. He instituted Baptism and the Lord's Supper as a means of receiving this gift continuously in your Christian lives. Battle makes even the strongest individuals grow weary, and Satan's constant attacks upon you are more than you can handle. This is why the Holy Spirit daily strengthens you by killing your sinful nature through baptism. This strength also comes through the wonderful gift of Christ's body and blood that sustains you until that day when the battle is over, on the day when you stand at the gates of heaven and are greeted by your Savior, Comforter, and Brother at the eternal feast. On that day, you'll no longer have to deal with the influences of Satan, and your discipleship will be made perfect in the image of Christ.

Fellow redeemed, the cost of discipleship is truly the way of the cross, and this is a difficult journey for each of us as Christians. However, Christ has paid the cost of your sins and continues to lift you up through His sacraments each and every day. In light of this awesome truth, you can proclaim with the Apostle Paul "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 and be found in Him". Amen.