Luke 14:25-27

Now, free it is—I do not deny that! But I also think that there is a possibility that we do not understand what the Bible means by free. I am going to clarify that for you. Think of these next verses in terms of yourself as being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Brethren, is being a disciple of Christ free to us? These verses say to me that we have to give up everything! That is not cheap! And He mentions this in the context of the things that are normally the most dear to us of all things on earth—our flesh-and-blood relatives!

There is no greater price that a human being can pay than to give up his family and, yes, his own life! That is not cheap! That is not free!

Grace is the most costly thing that has ever been given to this earth. It was costly in terms of the life of the very Creator—the God who made everything! He gave His life! And in return, in order to receive that grace, He demands of us—you and me—that we give up our lives. It is not cheap. It is not free.

Then how can people say that it is free? Brethren, I do not know whether Christ could have made the cost of our obligation any clearer than He did right here. There are no relationship ties stronger than blood ties.

We have probably heard the saying, "blood is thicker than water." The origin of this saying came out of the Church of England, I believe. Blood ties are stronger than the Holy Spirit (water). They recognized that family ties would pull people away from the truth of God. They are that powerful!

Grace is not free and it is not cheap by any stretch of the imagination! Then He tells us that in addition to this we have to humbly bear any burden that comes upon us as a result of our discipleship, as a result of our having received such forgiveness. Sometimes that cost can be very great. It is pretty sweeping in terms of its consequence.

Free does not mean cheap; it means that God freely gave it—that is what it means. God was under no constraint. There was no obligation on His part to do what He did. He owes us absolutely nothing for what we have done. Grace is an aspect of His love that has no motive but itself. "God so loved the world that He gave. . ."

Luke 14:25-33

Part of counting that cost is to love family and self less than God the Father and Jesus Christ. The word "hate" means, to love less. But, that is not enough; we must also forsake all our possessions, interests, and normal human desires. We have to be less interested in these things than we are in God the Father and Jesus Christ and their giving way of life.

The costs are extremely high to follow Christ. It may cost friends and family, jobs, possessions and someday even our own lives. The price may be ridicule, rejection or persecution. We must be willing to suffer persecution with enduring patience. In following Jesus Christ's example, we are to be living sacrifices. In many ways the toughest part of living God's way of life is actually going against the world, Satan and our own human nature and sin.

It is easy to look at the negative side and say, "What if I cannot do it?" The fact is we cannot do it ourselves! That is why it takes faith to be baptized. We cannot, of and by ourselves, go God's way. But with His Spirit helping, guiding and leading us, and with Jesus Christ actually living His life over in us, God promises that we can make it.

Luke 14:25-27

This covers much the same principle of the preceding verses but in more personal relationships. This time it is right in the family. The loss of family ties, loss of family traditions—like Christmas dinner or exchanging gifts at Grandma’s house on Christmas. There could be quite a loss to extend oneself to love Christ.