["Pomp and Circumstance"]
being the link of easter i'm going to go ahead and preach a sermon on that this morning or this
evening so we'll get the first king's 14 either sunday night or next week i'm not sure yet but
that's what you can expect tonight and then of course we've got the salvation of baptisms
listed below that we'll go ahead and count up the salvation going back to monday or tuesday
is there anything for today
tune for today and then anybody having a wednesday i don't know about the time but just check and
then we've got a couple notes there regarding the church please be sure to sign your cell phones
homeschool field trip is coming up very quickly so that's tomorrow i don't see anybody signed up but
if you wanted to go you still could but i even know what they said below that we've got the
hopi reservation mission trip coming up they got the first trip on this friday that's still open
available with anybody again there's gonna be more in these trips i spoke with brother
ramin last night he's probably gonna do what about one a month so if that's something you
want to do i'll try to do this much uh much leeway that are much advanced notice and then
if you ever wanted to go if people wanted to go i would be more willing to shut up at least shuttle
you up there and get you back get you to tempe and maybe take from there but if you want to
participate in one of these just speak with me and work out those details don't forget if you
complete the 90 day new testament challenge go ahead and sign up back there on that sheet if
you have already done so we got the weekly vital memory passage in the back as well as the
announcement regarding the pizza party for those who completed the 90 day new testament challenge
that's gonna be on friday april 29th at 7 p.m so come on out for that we'll probably we'll just have
pizza ping pong and maybe we'll even push some of these chairs out of the way and play some
cornhole too while we're at it let's let some of the older guys get the cornhole all right
that ping pong's for kids and for children the man's game is cornhole
and then we've got the mother mother daughter tea party on our Monday schedule for saturday may 14th
so the date has changed on that yours says the seventh but it's actually going to be a week
after that so we can accommodate more folks and then we've got the meds preaching night from the
end of the month and don't forget the church camp that's going to do it for announcements
let's sing one more song
we're going to preach inside
that's song number 207
only a synth
is
my heart
say
is
my grace
say
my grace
is
hopefully as the plate goes around let's turn our bodies to hebrews chapter 12 that's hebrews
chapter 12 as always we'll read the entire chapter please follow along silently as we read from hebrews
chapter 12
hebrews chapter 12
hebrews
is
what son is he
is
but they dare me for a few days chasing us after their own pleasure
to keep our own heart and we might be partakers of this holiness
and i'm chasing into the present scene joy is
so previous nevertheless afterward
they yield the peace and the fruit of righteousness
from the lamb which are exercising right
therefore lift up the hand which hangs down and a few means make straight paths with feet
and establish his land he turned out of the way whether you rather heal
oh peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the lord
who can deal with him as any man fail and grace and god
listen to the bitterness of you and thereby many be defiled
a serene orator or a profane person and he saw
or a more show of breath meat for his birthright for you know how that afterward when you would
have inherited the blessing who was rejected for he found the face of repentance though he saw
the character of the tears he did not come to the mount that may be touched with that burn with fire
blackness and darkness and tempest and the sound of trumpet and the voice of words which voice they
that heard and treated that the word should not be spoken for them in the north that it cannot
endure if that was his command and if so much as a beast touched the mountain he shall be stoned
and thrust through with the dark and so terrible was the sight and what was said exceeding the
fear wait here comes the mountainside come outside into the city of the living god of the heavenly
Jerusalem and to the normal company of angels assembly and church of the first one which are
written in heaven and to god the judge of all and the two spirits of just man in perfect which
jesus the mediator of the new covenant into the blood of sprinkling that speak of better things
and that of acres see that you refuse not him not speaking birthday escape not to refuse him
that's fake on earth much more shall we not escape and we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven
whose voice that shook the earth and now he had promised saying yeah once more i have shaken out
the earth only but also heaven in this word and once more signify the removal of those things
that are shaken and the things that are being that those things cannot be shaken they remain
therefore we are receiving the kingdom which cannot be moved let's have grace
whereby we may serve god acceptively with reverence and godly fear for our godly consuming fire
brother adams pray for us your father just thank you for receiving service lord thank you for all
the goodness in your life we're going to just pray that you bless those souls that were safe
today and just uh be with them and just walk with them work out and just allow them to grow
spiritually lord and that's going to bless the rest of the service and the program spirit and just
give us ears of understanding lord in jesus name we pray amen amen amen so of course this is the
time of year where we think about the resurrection of christ of course you can't have the resurrection
without the crucifixion so i wanted to preach a sermon tonight entitled consider the cross
consider the cross and there's several things that we would probably consider when we think
about the cross i'm just going to point out three thoughts this this evening about what
i believe we should consider when we consider the cross and i get that title from hebrews
chapter 12 where it says there in verse one wherefore seeing we also are compassed about
with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight in the sin which does easily so
beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us so of course this is a
very familiar passage but i'll remind us again that paul is telling us that there is a race that
we have to run that our christian life is not just we don't just get saved and then live passively as
christians that god wants us to work that god wants us to do as he did and to serve to serve him
and to make sacrifices for him that's why he's saying look you need to lay aside every weight
you know the things that would slow us down the things that would hinder us from running this race
well we need to lay aside every weight and the sins as well so even the things that aren't
necessarily sins in our life could still slow us down they could prevent us from living the
christian life from serving god the way that he would have us to serve him so there's that
admonition there in the beginning to lay aside those weights to lay aside that sin and to run
that race with patience and he goes on and says looking unto jesus the author and finisher of our
faith of course he's the author and finisher how did he finish that by dying on the cross
he says he's the author and finisher of our faith for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of god
for consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself lest you be wearied in
your minds and faint so he's saying as you're running this race as you're living the christian
life and as you're as you're serving god if you begin to be weary if you begin to faint in your
minds one thing you need to learn to do in the in order to endure in order to continue to serve god
and not wash up and not wash out in the christian life is to consider him okay and of course we
understand that the him there is jesus and not just consider him in the sense that you know one
day we're going to see him one day we'll give an account to him one day we'll be rewarded by him
or not rewarded by him one day we will stand in his presence but specifically consider him and
what he did and it's there that it says that he endured such contradiction of sinners against
himself and he's referring of course to the crucifixion that's the context of this passenger
he's saying look consider what jesus did for for you when the christian life gets hard and it will
get hard when it gets difficult when the the temptations are there when the persecution comes
when the when the desire to quit comes and it will when the flesh doesn't want you to serve anymore
and you feel like quitting you need to consider him and what christ went through got to consider
him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself lest you be wearied in your
minds and faint look if you don't learn to think about what christ went through for us if we don't
stop and consider you know we will become weary we will faint in our minds there is a possibility
that we will uh quit serving christ you know those that don't let uh don't don't consider for at
least from time to time and really this is something we should think about you know often
daily really what christ did for us and of course you know that's something i can preach every
single service you know but if we're reading our bibles regularly you know we'll we'll be reminded
of the sacrifice that christ made for us it's interesting that you know the birth of christ
isn't mentioned in all four gospels but the death is the resurrection is it's there it says you know
i'm not by no means am i de-emphasizing the birth of christ i'm just saying there's an emphasis on
the death burial and resurrection of christ it's as if god wants us to consider him he wants us
to think about these things and all throughout the new testament and all throughout the old
testament we see pictures of christ we're reminded and we're told to consider him and to consider
specifically the cross and what he went through and if we do that if we consider him that endured
such contradictions we won't be wearied we won't faint in our minds it will renew us it will cause
us to push forward and continue to serve god and stick by the stuff it says in verse four you've
not resisted on the blood striving against sin that's the conclusion that we come to when we
consider what he endured for us when we consider the contradiction we say yeah i'm going through
a lot yeah it's difficult yeah this isn't easy but you know what they haven't uh beat me they
haven't spat upon me they haven't beat me they haven't mocked me and ridiculed me and humiliated
me and pulled out my beard and nailed me to a cross they haven't pierced my side they haven't
whipped me like they whipped christ you've not resisted unto blood striving against sin and
that's what christ did you know he was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin
and we often think oh it must have been easy for him he must have just you know but it wasn't you
know we haven't you know he did strive against sin he even prayed father if it'd be possible
you know let this cut pass for me nevertheless thy will be done you know there was a part of
him that had that he had to force himself to go through that okay so that's the thing that's what
i want us to consider here i want us to consider a few things about the cross tonight consider
first of all the sacrifice i've already been talking about that consider the cost or the
sacrifice that's what we have to consider if you would you can leave hebrews and go over to luke
chapter 14 luke chapter 14 and just keep something in luke for the rest of the night we'll be in luke
and right around luke but go to luke chapter 14 the first thing you have to consider when you
consider the cross is the cost of it the sacrifice that came with it that's the probably the first
thing that most people think about is the sacrifice that christ made that there was a
cost there that it cost him his life that he had to go through that humiliation that he had to go
through that pain that suffering there was a cost to it look at luke chapter 14 and verse
26 he said if any man come to me and hate not his father and his mother and his wife and his
children and his brethren and his sisters yet in his own life also he cannot be my disciple
and just as christ you know when we consider his cross we consider the the cost that he paid the
sacrifice that he made we also need to consider the fact that we have a cross to bear that there
is a cost to the christian life not only did it cost christ his blood not it always cost his life
but it also cost something of us now of course to be saved we understand is a free gift
but to serve god to be his disciple as jesus is saying here you know there is a cost to discipleship
salvation is free and look we go out we knock doors and people get saved all the time
but that's all the further they go in the christian life and one day they'll regret it
one day when they stand before and they'll say i i know i should have gone to church i know i
should have gotten involved i know i should have served god but that's not us you know we're here
on a midweek to acknowledge the the crucifixion to to be in the house of god with god's people
we have to understand that that comes at a cost i mean it didn't come at a cost tonight to come
down here it cost you your time it cost you your gas which is getting steep right it costs you
something to serve god that's what jesus is saying here obviously the sacrifices you made
tonight to be here are very small in comparison to the things that jesus actually requires of us if
if needs be and you know it might be that a relate it might cost us a relationship it might cost us
a friendship it might cost us you know some from some familial bonds that might cost us these things
but you know what you have to consider that and you say well i don't know if i'm willing
to pay that price well consider him that endured such contradiction against of sinners against
himself he says in verse 27 and whosoever does not bear his cross they come after me cannot be
my disciple so consider the cross tonight consider the cost that it comes to be a disciple of christ
to follow him and to walk with him look at verse 28 he said for which of you intending to build a
tower sitteth not down first and counteth the cost what he's saying here look if you really
want to be my disciple if you really want to live for me if you really want to serve god you need to
sit down and count the cost of what it's really going to take because so many people today think
that they you know they think that serving god and serving jesus and living for the lord is going to
be easy and and look he did say you know my yoke is easy and my burden is light you know the way
of the transgressor is hard you know it's a lot it's a lot easier to serve god than it is to go
out and serve the devil it's more far more rewarding there's no there's no grief there's
no shame there's no regret that comes with serving god but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy
that doesn't mean that it's not going to come at some kind of a cost to you and he's saying that's
what he's saying he's laying it out say look you want to follow me you need to count the cost and
it might and you need to learn to be willing to bear your cross count the cost whether he has
sufficient to build it less happily after he laid the foundation is not able to finish it
all that behold it begin to mock him you know in the world and people you know and your family and
your friends you know if you washed out of the christian life i guarantee there'd be somebody
that that just might mock i mean i remember being told after i got saved and got in church and
started living for god saying oh i give you a few more months you'll be out of this by the end
of a year and i know some people in my life that if i were to you know crash and burn they would
they would mock they would ridicule they would scorn and it would be reproach in the name of
christ verse 30 saying this man began to build and was not able to finish oh what happened i
thought you were christian i thought you got saved i thought you were gonna you loved the bible i
thought you loved going to church and winning souls i thought you were this big christian now
what happened consider the cost you know consider the cost of what it will cost you if you quit
if you don't endure if you if you don't uh you know if you don't uh uh if you be if you do weary
in your mind if you do faint you know there's it's not that it's gonna not cost you anything then
either you're still gonna have to deal with the mocking and the ridicule of others the shame that
you're gonna have before god it's gonna cost you something verse 31 oh what king goeth to war
go going to make war against another king seteth not down first to consulteth whether he be able
ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand or else while the other is
a great way off he senteth an ambassage and desires conditions of peace so likewise whosoever
he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath he cannot be my disciple you know that's
that's a hard saying now i believe that in the specifically at this time this was a much more
applicable when jesus is literally on the earth and his and conducting his earthly ministry
that's not the time to say oh you know but my my father you know let me do this let me go bury my
dad let me go whatever all the things that the people came up with an excuses he's saying look
i'm only here for three three years you better if you want to get on board my ministry it's now or
never but there's still this principle that that lays over for us today and you know jesus at this
time is saying forsaken all that he hath you know it'll be pretty i i think most of us hopefully
would probably have a pretty easy time of doing that if jesus were here if we were alive back
then during the earthly ministry i mean that'd be a pretty easy decision to make i would think
if we truly understood who he was and we believed and we saw those miracles i mean what would you
give to go see to be an eyewitness to christ i mean whatever you want it's yours let me see this
once in a lifetime opportunity
and yet people get stopped from serving god by so much less today don't they
well it's it's just too far it's a 45-minute drive
we hear it all the time we're 15 minutes away from the building oh you're way up there
it's like good night i'm not asking you to walk you got a car we'll pick you up if you want to come
but people let so much less stop them from serving god i want you to say oh but if jesus with
i was alive in jesus day i'd have forsaken all i wonder i wonder when we can't make even the
smallest sacrifices to serve him today go to luke uh chapter nine just go back a few pages there luke
chapter nine he said and jesus said unto him foxes have holes and the birds of the air have
nests but the son of man have not to wear where to lay his head here's the thing you know jesus
saying look at that time you had to forsake everything you should be willing to give up
everything no relationship no earthly possession should stop you from being my disciple well that
sounds kind of steep yeah but you know what consider him he's not asking you to do anything
that he himself has not done he had nowhere to lay his head he left everything he left father
he left mother he left kindred he left home he left all the comforts and went and ministered
to those that could give him nothing go to john chapter 15 john chapter 15
he said in matthew 10 the disciple is not above his master why should we think it's going to be
any easier for us even though when in comparison it is easier as i said earlier no one's chasing us
down no one's trying to arrest us yet the disciples not above his master another servant but of his
lord it is enough for the disciple to be as his master and the servant as his lord if they have
called the master of the house beelzebub how much more should they call them of his household
well you know i i'd go to that church but you guys got a reputation i go to that church but
i saw that your pastor was in the news you know i read an article on an atheist blog about your
pastor you know my my you know my relatives know who your pastor is i'd go there but man i don't
know i don't want people to find out they might hate me they might not like me as much well you
know what the disciples not above his master he said in john 15 i had you go there verse 18 if
the world hate you you know that it hated me before i hated you so consider that when we
consider the cross tonight when we consider the things that that christ was willing to go through
in order to obtain our salvation to purchase us the price that was paid the cost of it all
it and consider this that there is a cost to being his disciple to serving christ today and
as the world gets worse and worse and worse that cost is going to go up and up and up
he said in verse 19 if you were of the world the world would love his own but because you're not
of the world but i have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you remember
the word that i said unto you the servant is not greater than his lord if they have persecuted me
they will also persecute you if they have kept my saying they will keep yours also go to philippians
chapter 3 philippians chapter number 3 look we have to consider the fact that there is a cost
to serving christ real christianity comes at a price especially these days and even these days
we still got it pretty good i mean i know we've got brethren that and you know fellow churches
that have gone through things and and have suffered persecution but really you know and
i don't mean to make light of it but they would probably be the first ones to tell you it's a
light affliction compared to some of the things that others have gone through not just christ
i mean other christians you know even with everything that they that they've suffered
anything that we might suffer in the future here you know it it's it's not striving on the blood
and they hate us well so what they hated christ why should that surprise us it's going to come
at a cost that's the point i'm making we all know second timothy 3 verse 12 yay all that and all
that live godly in christ jesus shall suffer persecution it's guaranteed that's a cost that's
going to come for living for christ philippians chapter 3 verse 7 where you are but these things
which what things were count were gained to me those i counted lost for christ i mean paul looked
at it and said i'll pay that price he said i'll count that all lost for christ yay doubtless i
count all things but loss isn't that what jesus said forsaken all that he hath he cannot be my
disciple paul heard that paul realized that and said oh i'll pay that price anything else that
was the price he was willing to pay he considered that cost and said that's a that's a good deal
that's a bargain to be used in the way that he was used yay doubtless i count all things for
the excellency of the knowledge of christ jesus my lord whom i have suffered the loss of all things
he said i paid the price and do count them but dung that i might win christ
i mean we like to talk about everything that paul did we we read all the things that paul
wrote and all the things that paul did we say what a powerful preacher what a great soul winner
what a great leaner what a great example to look to you know we read about paul we're inspired
but do we consider this that that all came at a cost that that all came at a price
and it was a price that paul was willing to pay and it was it's the cost that jesus
asks he says this is the cost of discipleship it could cost you everything
but again it's not it's a it's a cost that he was willing to pay so when we consider the cross
and when we consider him consider that's a price that he paid he he went even beyond that
we can't even match the price that he paid we can't even come close
he said i am the good shepherd the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep i mean he paid he
gave everything and i wanted to bring i wanted to begin rather with the cost that's the first thing
that needs to be considered when you consider the cross because the next thing you need to consider
is commitment you need to consider the cost first you can't consider the commitment say oh i'm going
to be committed i'm going to i'm going to live for the lord i'm going to serve him all my days
i'm going to be a disciple i'm going to commit to the christian life well you have to consider the
cost first once we've considered the cost then we could talk about considering being committed
only then can you be committed go are you still in luke go to luke 9 luke 9
we're going to be in luke 9 several times
luke 9 verse 20 he said unto them but whom say ye that i am peter answering said the christ of god
and he straightly charged them and commanded them to tell no man that thing saying the son of man
must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders and priests and scribes and be slain and
be raised the third day that's i mean he's predicting his own death he's telling them
this is what's going to happen he's not he didn't say you know this is what i'm supposed to do
you know the the this is what my father wants me to do but i'm
i don't know i'm on the fence what do you guys think you know christ was committed from day one
when he stood up and he left he left glory when he left heaven's throne and came down here
he was committed it wasn't something he had to think about wasn't something he had to
wonder if he was going to go through with it again we understand that in his flesh his
humanity there was a struggle but he was committed nevertheless thy will be done
you know and and i'm not going to sit get up here and say that you're never going to be tempted to
quit on the christian life but if you're committed you won't and you'll only be committed when you've
counted the cost and you won't be willing to do all that when you consider him be committed christ
was committed and he's saying look this is what's going to happen i'm going to go through with it
i'm going to be slain and i'll be raised the third day look at verse 51 it came to pass when the time
was come there was a an appointment there was it was there was a time to come it was set there was
a date that he had when the time was come that he should be received he steadfastly set his face to
go to jerusalem i love the the way it phrases he set his face to go to jerusalem and he said
that's where i'm going that's the direction i'm headed nothing's going to stop me it's commitment
that's what you're seeing here and he sent messengers before his face and they went and
entered into a village of the samaritans to make ready for him and they did not receive him because
his face as was as though he would go to jerusalem and he was so committed people looked at him
they're like you're not going to stop by here you're going to jerusalem you look like you got
somewhere to be you look like you got somewhere to go you look like you have a prior commitment
jesus that's because he did and that commitment we know that was with the cross so consider that
this easter consider that that if you're going to live the christian life you have to be committed
you have to be committed
go over to acts 21 acts 21 you know paul was somebody also that was committed
it says in acts 21 verse 10 as we tarried there many days there came down from judea
a certain prophet named agabus and he was come unto us he took paul's girdle and bound him
hands and feet and said thus saith the holy ghost so shall the jews at jerusalem bind the
man that owneth this girdle and shall deliver him into the hands of the gentiles
and when we heard those things both we and they have that place besought him that he would not
go up to jerusalem kind of reminds you of somebody doesn't it somebody would set their face to go to
jerusalem to be somewhere at a set time at a set place that had made a commitment and he's got
these people here is trying to stop him he's got someone coming saying look this is what's
going to happen to you you're going to be bound then paul answered why i mean you to weep and to
break mine heart for i'm ready not to be bound only but also to die at jerusalem for the name
of the lord jesus i mean that's commitment and he would not be persuaded when he would not be
persuaded we ceased i mean i hope we can all say that about ourselves that we're not going to be
not do what we need to do to serve christ did you know the world's going to try and persuade you to
not serve christ there's going to be people in your life that are going to try and persuade you
to stop you to say don't go there don't go do that don't go to that church don't read that bible
don't say that don't believe that they're going to try and persuade you and hopefully we can say
like paul i will not be persuaded i'm ready to die for this i'm ready to go and bleed and die
for this and when you would not be persuaded we see saying the will of the lord be done
in isaiah 50 i'll just read to you go back to luke 9 is a isaiah chapter 50 it says in verse
five the lord god hath opened mine ears and i was not rebellious neither turned away back
you know isaiah speaking isaiah had to go deliver a hard message didn't he had to go talk to you know
go preach and rip a bunch of faces of a bunch of hard-hearted and stiff-necked people and just
preach gloom and doom and destruction he said the lord open my hath opened mine ears and i was not
rebellious meaning i didn't say well i can't say that i'm not going to preach that neither uh
neither turned away back he said i was committed that's what he's saying i gave my back to the
sminers of course this is prophetic of christ and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair
i hid not my face from shame and spitting
you know i believe isaiah did went through the same things but it was also prophetic of christ
i mean that's that's some pretty intense stuff
i mean i've got my little julie when i hold her man you know before i got the haircut it was
getting kind of shaggy around here she was grabbing a handful you wonder why i got that
haircut she was just pull and i just say how much can i take you know fortunately she never
came out with a handful you know but man that's what they're doing it wasn't just a little you
know one-year-old pulling at him it was grown men grabbing a handful of you know your beard
and ripping it out of your face but you know why he hid not his face from shame and spitting
but i wonder if we'd be persuaded you know to to not go through something we might find
uncomfortable well i'd go soulwitting but i don't know how that person's going to react at the door
i'd go knock on that door but you know there's a star of david on the front
it's going to be awkward so what it's not going to come out and spit in your face well they might
that's not going to come out and you know smite you pluck off the hair for the lord god will
help me therefore i shall not be for counted therefore have i set my face like a flint
like a stone like a rock i know that i shall not be ashamed you're there in luke chapter 9 verse 23
look when we consider the cross we need to consider the cost of it the sacrifice that
needs to be made the sacrifice that he made the sacrifice that we need to make in order
to be his disciple and understand that once you you know once you've done that once you've
considered the cost only then can you decide whether or not you're going to be committed
you can't put one before the other say yeah i'm going to serve god all the days of my life you
haven't even considered the cost yet consider the cost first luke 9 verse 23 and he said
taught them all if any man will come after him let him deny himself and take up his cross daily
and follow me for whosoever will save his life shall lose it but whosoever will lose his life
for my sake the same shall save it for what is a man advantaged if he gained the whole world and
lose himself or be cast away oh i'm committed but you know i don't want to give up these worldly
pleasures i you know i would i would do this or that but then that means i wouldn't be able to
enjoy this you know that's par for the course and i wonder if you've really you know if that if
you're that easily persuaded and not serve christ because of just some earthly vain thing have you
really considered the cost if you gain the world and lose it himself or be shall be cast away
what is the man advantaged if you gain all these things you know there's a there's a cost that
comes to serving christ that's what i've learned in the last three years and i'm not bemoaning my
position believe me i'm grateful it's an it's a great privilege to be up here and to just be
involved in the work of christ to every my whole life revolves around it it's a huge privilege
but that doesn't mean it doesn't come without some some sacrifice go look at my front yard
there's a list of things that i would like to do that just just gotta get put off gotta you know
gotta be there gotta get down there gotta get prepared gotta do the work gotta get after it
right and that's a very small thing obviously that's no great sacrifice
but you know what there are some things that maybe we would say well i'm not going to serve god
because i'd rather do this this career is going to pull me away from serving god
this you know this potential relationship this spouse this person's going to pull me away from
serving god he said in first timothy chapter four verse nine this is a faithful saying
and worthy of all acceptation for therefore we both labor and suffer reproach we labor
and suffer reproach because we trust the living god who's the savior of all men because we trust
in the living god because we trust in the savior that's why we labor we've considered the cost
that there is reproach that comes with it but paul is committed saying we do this
you say well what in the world why would anyone sit down and count the cost did we
count the cost tonight did we look at it yeah it could cost you everything i'm not saying it's gonna
not saying you're gonna have to forsake all forsake everything but maybe one day you might i
don't know but don't sit there and tell me you're gonna be willing to do that if you can't give up
a sunday morning or you can't find some time to go soul winning you can't find time to read your
bible you can't time find to pray you can't find time to for the preaching the word of god you
can't find time for the things of god you know what then you're not willing to pay the price
to be the disciple the smallest tiniest little price well i'd preach i'd go down there and i'd
lead that church but you know i want to make sure my yard's looking nice what a joke what
advantage would that be you know what that's so cheap to sell out on the christian life
over something so cheap and worthless over just worldly ambitions over just worldly things
the people do it all the time we've cut but we we looked at the cost didn't we
you say well that's kind of a steep cost i mean that that's that could get up there
and then we looked at the commitment well that's you know if you want to be committed
you got to consider the cost i mean who in their right mind why in the world why did anybody
want to pay that price and commit to something like that and serving god i mean what what what
is it paul why did you say uh you know that you counted all things but loss and you count them
by dung that you might win christ what in the world makes a man say that what compels him
to say something like that well it's the last thing i want us to consider this is what compels
us i believe at least it ought to be is compassion when you when you consider the cross you know we
consider the sacrifice the cost that was made the commitment that christ made but let's not forget
the compassion because that's really what it was all about wasn't it his love for us for god so
loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that's what should compel us as well you're
there in luke nine look again at verse 53 speaking and they the samaritans who were not friends
of the jews and they did not receive him because his face was as though he would go to jerusalem
and his disciples james and john saw this they said lord wilt thou that we command fire to come
down from heaven and consume them even as elias did but he turned and rebuked them and said you
know not what manner of spirit you're of for the son of man has not come to destroy men's lives
but to save them that's what compelled christ it's compassion and we don't ever want to lose that
and look you might look at the cost and say it's high you might look at the cost and say that's
steep you might look at the commitment and say i don't know if i can do that but you know it'll
make it a lot easier to do that to commit and to pay that cost is compassion i'll go ahead and give
up my saturday and go out soul winning i'll go ahead and give up my sunday afternoon and go out
soul winning i'll go ahead and go out give up my hour or two or whatever it is that you do a week
and go out and preach christ to somebody that doesn't know me because of compassion i'll go
out there and potentially embarrass myself or get some awkward situation or make somebody mad or
maybe even get somebody saved because of compassion that's what's going to compel you
that's what we need to consider when you consider the cross tonight is the compassion that christ
had look at luke 23 and go there to luke 23 and we don't ever want to end up like the disciples
and get in the flesh like they did here like like james and john let's call down fire from heaven and
burn them turn them into some crispy critters let's have uh some samaritan s'mores
and people get in the flesh and there's zeal and they think they're just so gung ho they're just so
hardcore for christ and they forget compassion
first corinthians chapter 13 verse 3 you're in luke 23 you said until i bestow all my goods
to feed the poor though i give my body to be burned and have not charity it profit me nothing
you know you gotta have compassion you gotta have love that's the only thing
that's going to cause you to be committed and be willing to pay the cost is compassion
luke 23 verse 23 or 33 excuse me it says and when they were come to the place which is called calvary
there they crucified him and the malefactors one on the right hand and on the excuse me and the
other on the left then said jesus father forgive them for they know not what they do
and they parted his raiment and cast lots you know when he when he prayed that prayer when he
said god father forgive them i mean these guys are right there they hear it they said oh do you hear
that he's asking god to forgive us let's cast lots and see who gets his coat it was like nothing to
them but did that stop jesus from having that that compassion for them i mean we we get some
door slammed on our face by time where the curb like probably a reprobate i'm gonna split hell
wide open buddy if you get in the flesh that's how you can be they've got him hanging from the cross
about to die and go to hell to pay for our sins when he's done nothing wrong and he still has
compassion go to effusions chapter four effusions chapter four
we can never lose compassion for the lost
and it's easy to do especially these days when people are so selfish and rude and dismissive
and uninterested and cold it'd be real easy for us to just get hard hard and say what's the point
no one wants to hear it anyway you have to understand second corinthians 4 it says but
if our gospel be hid it is hidden to them that are lost in whom the god of this world
hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious gospel of christ
who is the image of god should shine unto them you know when we're preaching to some
rough looking character you know somebody maybe that that we wouldn't otherwise want anything to
do with rather than being you know if we feel ourselves getting a little perturbed or upset
or short or impatient or uncompassionate towards them because of the way they are you have to
understand the the reason they are the way they are is because the god of this world has blinded
their minds they're just being led of the devil
effusions 4 where you are verse 17 this i say therefore and testify in the lord
that he henceforth walk not as other gentiles walk so he's saying don't walk like these other
gentiles but how is it that the gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind and we see that don't we
i mean just the vanity of their mind just the things they just
are obsessed with are so vain all these worldly things it's just the vanity of their mind having
the understanding darkened so why don't they get it they can't being alienated from the life of
god why can't they just live a godly life they're alienated from it why is their life just wracked
with sin why is their life just falling apart why are why are they the way they are why can't
they figure it out because they're alienated from it it's like there's a barrier there
through the ignorance that is in them because the blindness of their heart
say why don't you get it it's like telling a blind man hey what color is this
they're blind they can't they don't know they can't see who being past feeling have given
themselves over into lasciviousness to work all cleanness with greediness yeah they get pretty
wicked don't they but you have not so learned christ you know the truth is is a lot of us
were the same way and if we never were we all have the potential to be the same way
because he says there you have not so what learned christ
we had to learn not to do all these things we had to learn oh i'm like that i need to get saved
oh i need to quit doing this sin oh i need to start doing this and quit doing that that's
stuff that we learned and you know knowledge puff puffeth up but charity edifies yeah i've
learned a lot of things about the christian life and i've really got it together and you know what
i'm glad you do but you know what charity edifies charity's not gonna lose compassion for the lost
and start to look down on others go to titus chapter three i'm almost done titus chapter
number three i'll begin reading in verse one of titus chapter three we're considering compassion
because compassion is what's going to compel us to stay committed even after we've counted the cost
and seeing that it can get pretty steep titus chapter three verse one put them in mind to be
subject to principalities and powers to obey magistrates to be ready to every good work to
speak evil of no man to be no brawlers but gentle showing all me showing all meekness unto the guys
that you like to the people that don't rub you the wrong way the people that treat you nicely
and aren't jerks no it says to all men and look he says put them in mind to do this this is
something we have to be reminded of and reminded of and reminded of someone i have to remind myself
of all the time don't tailgate that person don't don't call them that name hold that door open
don't yeah they're a little funny yeah she's got a purple streak in her hair and and yeah she's got
two piercings here and two right here and another one in the tongue and she's not dressed right
but god wants her saved just the same so maybe i could just look past all that and ask compassion
just go ahead and preach the gospel speak evil of no man showing all meekness unto all men
verse three for we ourselves also were sometimes the same way the same way
man i'd preach this guy but he's just look at the place just beer bottles everywhere
coffee can full of cigarette butts smell just pouring over
but by the grace of god that's me and there's nothing saying that can't be me tomorrow i could
start down that same path for we ourselves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived
serving diverse lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another
i mean the world's got it bad enough the lost have got it bad enough don't they
hateful and hating one another they're just cantankerous and angry and they don't know why
it's because they need to get saved and if we don't have some compassion who's gonna tell them
nobody but after that the kindness of love and love of god our savior toward man appeared
that's the only reason you learned christ it's the only reason you got saved is because of god's
kindness because of his love because of his compassion because the fact that he was willing
to pay that cost because the fact that he was willing to stay committed to that cause and
that's the only reason we know anything about the compassion of christ
um go to mark 10 mark 10 we'll end there i read mark 10 today and my devotion said well you know
i gotta add this on there because it's just it's such a great story and it just shows us the
compassion of our lord i mean as if it wasn't evident enough when he's praying for the very
people that put him on the cross to be forgiven he says in mark 10 verse 17 when he's gone forth
and away there came one running and kneeled to him and asked good master what shall i do that
it may inherit eternal life and jesus said unto him why call us thou me god there is none good
but one that is god thou knowest the commandments do not commit adultery do not kill do not steal
do not bear false witness defraud not honor thy father and mother he answered and said to them
master all these i observe for my youth saying perfect i got it check i'm a good person
and he answered i've i've observed all these things for my youth
then jesus beholding him loved him
you know some people really are trying out there aren't they
and they're just spinning their wheels trying to get to heaven
so you know i don't know what's worse the guy that's just a wicked sinner and he knows it and
and just like yeah i'm on my way to hell or the person who thinks that they're on their way
because they've observed all these things because they haven't killed anybody because they haven't
committed adultery i don't know what's worse but jesus it says there verse 20 then jesus beholding
loved him and said one thing thou lackest go thy way sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come take up the cross
and follow me and he was sad at that saying and he went away grieved for he had great possessions
you know we we need to have the same attitude that christ has here
then when we behold people who are puffed up they think they're good enough or if they're
you know just just really down in the dumps either way we gotta we have to behold these people and
love them when we behold the lost we should we should have compassion because i'm telling you
it's compassion that's going to compel you to stay committed it's compassion that's going to
cause you to be willing to pay the cost of discipleship without compassion without a love
for the lost you'll say what's the point because what is the point i mean what are we here for
i mean what are we here for if not to preach christ
i mean if that's not what we're here for i i don't know what is i just i've been thinking i
just don't know what it is i mean yeah there's a lot of things we get to enjoy along the way
we've got other responsibilities but it's it's like well lord i'd pass and all that if we could
just go to heaven right now i mean there's a lot of things i'd like to see but they're not
going to compare to christ well i'm gonna keep you there well why because there's people that
we need to reach and we won't do it without compassion we won't stay committed to that
cause without compassion so consider the cross tonight you know when we're thinking about
the cross and the resurrection this easter season you know yes we often think about the the cost
that christ paid for us but consider also that there's a cost that he asked us to pay to be his
disciple we think about how committed he was to going through everything that he went through
but consider also that you know we need to commit to christ after we've counted the cross commit to
being a disciple commit to serving him in the face of hardship in the face of difficulty in
the face of persecution and suffering and mocking and ridicule and yea even physical torment and
death that came to that we're committed consider that and you'll be able to do all that if you
consider the compassion that christ had for us and hopefully we can you know display that same
compassion towards other others who desperately need it just as we desperately needed it let's go
ahead and pray dear lord again thank you for the great price that was paid for our salvation lord
i pray you'd help us to think about it every day lord that this wouldn't just be something that
we think about once a year but that we would daily consider that great price that was prayed
the precious blood of christ for our salvation lord i prayed help us to preach it and lord that
we'd be able to see many souls saved and lord that you would build this church and help us to
be your disciples lord that you would fill this church with people who love you
who love your word and who want to serve you with their lives we ask in christ's name amen
all right we'll go ahead and sing one more song before we go
amen
song number 147 leaning on the upper last
we
are from all
me
the everlasting
of all
the everlasting
everlasting
so