Last week, we dealt with the issue of counting the cost, as taught by the Lord Jesus Christ in Luke 14:28–30.
In the context of this scripture, Jesus is teaching on the cost of discipleship, the price one has to pay to succeed as a follower of Christ. In this sermon, I will start the quotation from Luke 14:26.
Here are the scriptures:
“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.” End of verse 30.
In verses 31–33, He went further to speak about the cost of going to war and the reality of salt, which must maintain its flavour to remain relevant.
As a trained journalist, words matter to me a great deal because they are the tools of my profession. So, I picked the title of this series, Counting the Cost, from this teaching on discipleship recorded in Luke 14:28–33.
In the maiden article published on this portal last week, I encouraged my readers to learn how to count the cost of undertaking projects, going into marriage, and whatever endeavours they may wish to pursue, taking a holistic view from start to finish and, ultimately, finishing well.
There is something interesting we know about God: He knows everything from the beginning to the end. In other words, God knows the end from the beginning.
As children of God, that is how we should reason. However, because we are human, we can only know in part in this present dispensation until what the Bible calls the dispensation of the fullness of time, when everything shall be revealed. At the moment, the Bible says we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
Therefore, counting the cost before embarking on anything helps us determine the reality of what we plan to do from start to finish.
Many people start a project but do not have the resources to complete it because they failed to count the cost.
In modern times, we have Quantity Surveyors. Their job is to give a precise estimate of the cost of a building by assigning a cost to every single component, sand, cement, iron rods, blocks, planks, water, labour, and the like.
The total cost of a building is therefore known before the owner embarks on the development project.
This is exactly what Jesus is talking about here. The Quantity Surveyor helps determine the cost of a building so that its owner knows the true cost of completing it.
Some people might wonder whether faith is not relevant in getting a project completed.
Let us observe that Jesus did not mention faith anywhere in this teaching on discipleship in Luke 14:26–33. Not once did He mention faith as necessary to start and finish a project, including going to war. In the context of this teaching, Jesus is dealing with objective reality.
This is how it works. Faith may help you appropriate the blessing of having money by grace to build a house. If, for instance, you trust God for $20,000 to build a house, you must still determine whether that amount is sufficient to build the kind of house you desire. Is it a bungalow, a one-storey building, a duplex, or even a mansion? Counting the cost helps you determine that.
Faith can get you the money to build, but works will get you to complete it. We know that faith and works go together.
James 2:14 says, “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?” Certainly not.
In this context, faith alone is not enough to start and finish.
Faith apprehends the blessing of building a house or getting a spouse, for instance. But works, counting the cost, understanding the implications, and identifying all the elements required to accomplish the task, which constitute the real cost, are what enable one to finish well.
I may have faith to marry a woman, but can I afford to maintain her in marriage? I could pray for a good husband, but am I good enough for him? Do I have what it takes to keep him? Faith may desire a car, but can I maintain the car I desire? Can my faith sustain the blessings I so earnestly desire and pray for?
To answer these questions, you must count the cost. Objectively examine the implications of what you desire and dream about, and you will be better positioned to determine whether you can obtain the blessing, defend it, sustain it, and manage it. This is a function of growth and maturity.
This is where I draw the curtain on this teaching. However, always remember that every scripture has a context in which it is stated. Every passage has its text, pretext, and post-text. These are necessary for the reader to understand clearly the full context of what the Word of God is saying at any given time.
Glory to God. Hallelujah.
God bless you.
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Ladi Ayodeji, author, minister of the gospel, and marriage counselor, can be reached on 09059243004 (WhatsApp only).