9/28 - The Cost

Good morning. Shout out to Pastor Ben & Four Corners Church. I finally visited after planning to for over a year and it turns out I waited far too long. I really enjoyed the service & especially the message. It was a refreshing dose of truth I needed to hear. Couple that with my own pastor's sermon later that day (which fell right in line with what Ben talked about) and I'm feeling especially challenged today.

Ben's main point was that salvation is free and costs us nothing. But following Jesus will cost us something. This is a very important truth, a foundational one in fact, that believers should hold on to. Oftentimes the gospel is presented in a way that might lead one to believe that salvation and everything after it is free. When we don't reveal the cost, we set people up for failure when they realize that following Jesus isn't the cakewalk it was presented to be. Ben gave the analogy of "sticker shock" and I've seen it happen, particularly to someone very close to me. My friend came to our church, joined and wanted to live for Jesus. It wasn't until afterwards he realized the cost - losing friends, a complete change in lifestyle, trading the world's pleasures for God's pleasure. I'm sad to say he's not been back for a while. Please lift up a prayer for my friend & I'll continue to do so. I'm confident in what God is able to do.

One thing that stuck out to me from the sermon was the Ben described following Jesus as beginning a process of cooperation with God. The invitation was free. Now begins this process which for us feels like pulling teeth sometimes because its so contrary to what our flesh desires --> the cost. I'd rather tell this person off for how they treated me but I'll forgive them & hold my tongue instead. The cost. I'd rather use my money toward some things I really want or even bills and savings, but God requires a tenth. The cost. I really want to physically express my love with that special person but I'm not sure I'm ready for marriage. We all know the cost there. What it comes down to is a key word Ben pointed out - obedience. Simply put, following Jesus means doing what He tells us to do. Not agreeing with it or even understanding it. It's in the doing that God is pleased. We must determine, then, is it really worth it? (Matt 25:23, 2 Tim 2:12, 4:8, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4)

We understand that there's a great cost to following Jesus but the beauty of it is the underlying principle that we're all aware of as consumers - you get what you pay for. The verses I just listed are some good examples of that. Even more are the practical benefits of doing what Jesus says. We must trust that He knows whats best for us. Ben walked through the parable of the wise and foolish builders (read here - Matt 7:24-29). Building the house on the rock was much harder than building it on the sand, but the practical benefits were tremendous and became evident when the storms came.

Jesus compared two types of people in this story and there were a lot of similarities. Both heard the words of Jesus. Both built houses. In both situations, the storms came. The key difference to remember is that one put Jesus' words into practice and we see the benefit he received. The key similarity to remember is that the storms came for both. Following Jesus doesn't protect us from the storms, it sustains us during them.

Thanks Ben for teaching this & if you're reading this, thanks for the blog material today!