Luke chapter fourteen is where
we'll be studying tonight another parable of our Lord. Luke chapter fourteen. I've only been here with you
folks. About eight months now. But I feel like it has been long
enough to get to know most of you very well. As a matter of
fact, I feel like I've known you all my life. I was thinking
the other day when Henry and Roberta were in our home last
Sunday, I was thinking back to that first night that I came
here. We were all over at Stan and
Sherry's house, the Swords and Mindy and I. I really didn't
know what to think about Henry and Roberta. I'd already met
them, I believe, but I didn't know what to think about them.
But that all seems like a dream. It just seems like a dream. I
feel like I've known you all my life. All my life. And I've been with you all and
visited with you and talked with you and eaten with you. And most
of all, I've preached to you long enough now to feel like
I know where most of you stand concerning the gospel. Now, I
do not know your hearts. No, I'm not saying that at all.
But the most revealing thing, the most revealing evidence to
me as a preacher The most revealing evidence of a person's relationship
with Christ is his or her reaction to the preaching of the gospel. I've preached, I got out all
the sermons, I showed them to Terry, there's a stack about
that high. Over 120 messages already. That's
just in eight months, and I just imagined Jim has preached well
over 2,000 messages. It's enough to conclude something
by looking out at your faces while I preach this gospel. It's
enough to conclude. 120 times is enough to conclude
when you look at people and you say the same things over and
over again, their reaction. It's enough to conclude some
things about what they think about you. Now, some of you,
I have I debated whether or not to even preach this tonight.
It's really maybe what you call a Sunday morning message. I wish,
I don't know, maybe I should have saved it for then when everybody
could hear it. But I felt impressed to bring
it. It is a parable. But some of you all, most everybody in this room is
in this thing. It's committed. I feel confident
about that. Some of you have a great deal
of confidence in your profession, not in you per se, but in your
confession of Christ, the way you react and respond, the way
you seem to be committed to the gospel. Some of you are badly,
savingly interested in Christ. I'm just certain of it. I'm not
going to call any names. I wish I could to commend you. to thank God for your faith. But there are some people, maybe
not in this room, I don't know, I want to say this with compassion,
but there are some people who are not committed. They really have not made a commitment
to Christ. So how can you tell? It's obvious. It's very evident
when somebody rarely comes. Most of you people are here on
a Wednesday night and made some effort to get here. Some people
who rarely come, it should be evident that this is not their
life. Some people miss at the drop
of a hat. almost as if they're looking
for excuses to miss. And that makes it clearly evident
that that person is not sold out, that that person has to
hear the gospel. That's clearly evident. I wish I could weep while I'm
singing. I feel kind of cold about it. And some people don't sing. You
look out singing I commend you people for the way you sing in
here. But some people don't sing. I think, I think how could this,
how could they have this whale spring springing up out of their
heart and not sing these songs? I understand that maybe some
people just can't sing. I understand that real well. Some people can't sing, but they
try. I know a man back in Asheville,
my brother Jim Eccleston. Jim, if you hear this tape, I'm
sorry. But Jim can't sing a lick. He's got a, he's hard, he wears
two hearing aids, and evidently he can't hear himself. But he
just sings, and it sounds great. I mean, it sounds awful, but
it sounds great. You know what I'm saying. A joyful
noise. That's what it is. But folks
that don't sing, I don't know what to make of that. I just
don't know. continually fall asleep during
the preaching of the gospel. I understand now, let me have
compassion once again, or try to. It's hard, but let me try
to have compassion. I understand that you're tired
and you grow weary and you're getting
old. I understand that. And there may be some people
who have some biological problems. that make them fall asleep, but
not all the time. You know, I've got to get off
of this here in a moment. Let me tell you this. If I went
over to Jean Lewis' house last night, she fixed a big meal.
It was a great meal. What would she have done? If
I sat there at the table and she served it up and I took a
couple of bites and I just Why, she'd have shook me, or
said, get out. Can you imagine? I prepared this
a lot longer than you prepared that meal. A lot longer. And there's some people that
fall asleep nearly every time. And I can really only come to
one conclusion. And then there's some folks,
I'm going to get to the good news here, but if your conscience
pricks you, we read that scripture a while ago. Let's listen. Harden not your hearts. There's
some people that don't make any comments. And I realize, too,
that you don't always feel like saying something. That's fine.
There's some people that never make any comments. And I think,
you know, Don't take, you know, getting anything. Oh, I wish
I knew that I was getting something. Just a good message or something,
you know. Or, you know, some folks are
very quick to talk about other things immediately after hearing
the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And just right
after it's over, you know, whatever. I know we're weak and all, let
me say this, let me say all this with compassion. But I'm bringing
this message in light of that funeral I preached the other
day. Because I looked out at some faces of people who were stone blind, stone blind to the gospel. I looked out there and saw some
other faces, Roberta and And I tried to preach to them. My
wife, my wife is one of the best listeners I have. And I look
at her all the time. She's a joy to preach to. And
some of you, others are too. A joy to preach to. And I looked
out there and saw Roberta and Nancy and Nancy. Just rejoicing
in what was said. Let the others, you know, might as well have
been reciting Mary Had a Little Lamb for all they were concerned.
And in light of that, and then after it was all over, I looked
at, I saw some faces, particularly in the family and all, that,
no hope. I mean no hope. Despairing looks
like, like it's all over. You know, that kind of look.
Despairing. No hope, you know. Faces like
that. And I was preaching this message
in light of that, and I say this, I don't want to preach your funeral
without some hope that you knew Christ. I don't want to do it. That was one of the toughest
things I've ever had to do. I'm going to probably preach
some messages of your lost loved ones. I don't want to do it,
but I'll probably do it at your request. And it's going to be
equally as tough, but I don't want to preach yours. I don't
have any control over those that don't hear this gospel. But you're
here, and I don't want to preach yours, thinking, did they or
did they not know Christ? You know, you look through this
book. I say it's over and over again.
It's written to believers. And you look in here for something
to say. Concerning. Well there's only warnings to
people outside of judgment and promises to believers comfort
and promises. And at a funeral you just can't
just. You know what I'm trying to get at without saying. So I ask you, how are you going
to react on your deathbed? And what am I going to say at
your funeral? Well, the scripture says you
die like you live. Doesn't it, Terry? Die like you live. So today, today, while it's said
today, let's hear it. Please, Lord, help us. Well,
let's look here at Luke 14. There's so very many nominal
Christians and so many very just professors of religion. I hope
none of you. But look at Luke 14, verse 25.
There went great multitudes with Christ. It's always been the
same. It's always been the same. Man is religious, and many people
profess to believe many things. Many people, many people, if
not most, profess to believe many things, to be religious.
Many people profess to be Christian, and that's what it's saying here.
And there went a great multitude with him, a great multitude,
a vast crowd, and he turned, Christ turned and said unto them,
He stopped in his tracks and he turned around and looked at
that multitude and he said this, look at it, verse twenty-six.
If any man come to me, he's saying, if anybody wants to be my disciple,
if anybody wants to be a Christian, anybody says that they are a
believer, says they are interested in me, following me, he say that. 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." Well, he's not saying hate in
the sense of despising someone, because any man loves not, knows
not God. Loves is from God. He's saying it in the sense of,
look at Deuteronomy chapter 13 with me. Deuteronomy 13, keep
your place there. This will clear that up. My Bible
had this reference, and this explains that fully. It's not
speaking of detesting or despising your family. No, no, no. You
love your family, and well, you should. It's talking about loving
them. It's talking about loving the
Lord more in the sense of ignoring them when it comes right down
to it. When it comes right down to this thing of your relationship
with Christ and worshiping God, be gone. That's what this is
talking about. Look at it here in Deuteronomy
13. Verse one, let's read several
verses. If there arise among you a prophet,
or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and
the sign or the wonder come to pass, it happens, whereof he
spake unto thee, saying, or even though he said unto you, Let
us go after other gods, which thou hast not known. He's saying
now, if some fellow comes along, He does some mighty works, some
wonderful works. Actually, they look real. And
he may, like we say, say some good things. But the general
tenor of his message and his methods and so forth is this,
other gods, a health and wealth gospel, a works gospel, which
you have not known, which you have not been taught. And he
says, bow to this, believe this. Another Jesus or whatever, don't
hearken unto the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams.
For the Lord your God is proving you. You see that? He's proving you. Let me read
you something. Keep your place there. Let me read you something
from over here in 1 Corinthians 11. You don't have to turn unless
you want to. 1 Corinthians 11, 19. The Apostle
Paul says this, there must be also heresies among you, that
they which are approved may be made manifest unto you. In other
words, true preachers. There's got to be heresies around,
even among you, that you hear and that you listen to and may
be a little bit confused about, that you may be that they which
are approved, or true preachers, might be made manifest unto you."
And that's the sense of what he's saying there. The Lord God
has proven you to know whether you love the Lord your God with
all your heart, whether you really know Him or not. Well, I don't
know, but he said some good things. Good, I'm glad. You know, this
is confusing at times. If you'll go over to Numbers
24 sometime and read Balaam, you know what Balaam said? Some
of you probably read that. Boy, he said some good things. John the Lord spoke through him.
But that man, God killed that man. He was an evil man, an evil
prophet. And I thank God that sometimes
these fellows do say some good things, but you ought to know,
you ought to know by listening to them constantly and watching
their methods and so forth, whether they be of God or not to be taken
up with. Verse 4, You shall walk after
the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and
obey his voice, and everybody that preaches his voice. Serve
him, and cleave unto him, and that prophet, or that dreamer
of dreams shall be put to death." Just forget about him. Put him
to death, because he's spoken to turn you away from the Lord
your God, handling the Word of God craftily and so forth. Well,
look down at verse 6. Now, here's the sense of what
he said back there in Luke 14. Now even if your brother, the
son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife
of your bosom, or your friend, which is as your own so enticed
thee, secretly saying, Let us go and serve other gods which
thou hast not known, thou know thy fathers, come to church with
me." or whatever. There's many senses in which
you can read this and interpret this. You know, we can make gods
out of our grandchildren. We can make gods out of our jobs,
our homes, or anything to do with our family. We make gods
out of these things and worship them above the Lord our God. And they don't have to so much
as say, let's go serve a false god. They can just entice you
in ways to keep you from worshiping your God. Even wanting to be in their presence.
Wanting to be with them. Let's go. Come on, we're going
here, we're going there. I ask you, what is it saying
to your family when when you'd rather be with them and worship
God. I understand that there's times when you have to be with
your family. I understand that full well. And I don't deny you
that, and I'm not going to be hard and callous. We don't live
by the law here. But, you know, more often than
not, something's wrong. When you'd rather be with your
family more often than in the worship house, According to what our Lord said, and according
to what's said right here. Right? I'm just reading what
this says. Right, Rick? I'm reading what
this says right here. Verse 7, namely, of the gods
of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee. Oh,
it won't hurt to come down to our church. Well. Or far from thee, from one end
of the earth unto the other. Verse 8, don't consent unto them. Whoever it is, nor hearken unto
them. Like I said, what is it saying
to your family when you are just willing at any time to miss the
worship service for their sake? What is it saying to them? You're
saying to them, I love you more than I love to
worship God. That's exactly what you're saying.
Whether you mean it or not, that's what you're saying. It's the
truth. Don't pity them, look at it,
verse 8, if this convicts you, please listen to it. Don't let you, not you, I pity
them. Neither shalt thou spare, neither
shalt thou conceal them, but thou shalt surely kill them,
ignore them. Now this back here, we're talking
about literally. I'm glad we are under the law,
real glad. But back to talk about literally
Henry. But he's sincere killing. He's sincerely wrong and he'll
sincerely lead you down in a sincere react real. With him said this
before if they want to go to hell that's their business. I
don't want to. Well. Stoning, verse 10, that
he died because he sought to thrust you away from the Lord
thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt from the
house of bondage. And verse 11, and all Israel
shall hear. When they see you doing this,
listen very carefully to this now, when they see you doing
this, all Israel's going to hear and they won't bother you anymore.
They'll make some other plans, make some other arrangements
around your worship when they realize This is necessary now
for our spiritual growth and our good, what I'm saying here. They're going to hear that you're
going to be there. Like I said, there's some people
here that I can... Terry's wife just had a baby.
You said she's coming home today, didn't you? Where's Terry? He's sitting here. I'm going
to get to the gospel in a minute. He's sitting here in the Word
of God. Where do you think his heart is? I'm not lifting you
up, Terry. I'm praising God for what he's done to you. Well, back on 13th Street, I
remember people would lose somebody, and the funeral perhaps would
be on a Monday or maybe even on the Saturday. They'd be in
the worship service on Sunday, those services. Let me go first bury my father.
Let the dead bury the dead. I married me a wife. She, then,
you know, likes to be with me on Wednesday night or whatever. The day's going to come when
days that had wives will be as though they had none. You're
going to get, if you get to heaven, you're going to, you're not even
going to, who is my wife? Who is my husband? Christ said,
if any man come to me and hate not his father and his mother,
he cannot be my disciple. He doesn't just say, you can
do what you want to do. It's your business. But I want
to do what I want to do. I'm going to go worship my God.
And then what time I got left over, I'll give to you. Not vice
versa. Is this right, what I'm saying?
Is this right? OK. Verse 27. And whosoever doth not bear his
cross, that is, fell out and take up the banner of Christ,
so that all know you are his disciple, even your family, and
bear up under trials and afflictions and persecutions, so that you
talk like and you walk like and you act like you say what you
say you are, a Christian, a disciple, a follower of the Lord Jesus
Christ." do that by God's mercy and grace now, and come after
me and really follow me like a disciple. Cannot be my disciple. Can do it. Well, you see, being a believer,
a disciple of Christ, a Christian, is not like this hypocritical
generation says it is. Health, wealth, And the happiness
that I need it all it's not it's just the opposite. Just the opposite
it ain't health it's poverty. Of spirit primarily but cry God
keeps his people from great riches as they forget him. And it ain't
health either oh no it's it's a sickness it's trials it's afflictions
that he tries to improve the furnace of affliction. It ain't
health. It ain't happiness all the time.
It's sadness. Let your laughter be turned to
mourning. Blessed are they that mourn. It's just the opposite
of what this generation says it is. Look at Hebrews 11 real
fast with me. Let's look at some real believers
here. Look at what the Bible says about some real believers.
See if we can stand beside them. Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11, verse
32. Look at it. Hebrews 11, 32. Paul says, What shall I more
say? The time would fail me. Hebrews 11, 32. The tale of Gideon
and Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David also, Samuel and the prophets.
These people who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness,
obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the
violence of fire, burned at the stake, escaped the sword. Out
of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant, fighting for the
truth, turned to flight armies of the aliens. Women received
their dead raised to life again. They were tortured, not accepting
deliverance or the easy way out, that they might attain a better
resurrection. Other had trial of cruel mockings
and scourging, bonds and imprisonment, stones sawn asunder, tempted,
slain with a sword, wandering about in sheepskins, goatskins,
destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy,
wandering in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth." Do we stand in that bondage? I often think, what if the Apostle
Paul walked up to me right now? Or Stephen? What would he think
about me? You say you're a Christian? You know what I mean? My goodness. Evidence to, if
being a Christian was against the law, would there be enough
evidence to convict you? Talking about the great cost
of discipleship is what we're talking about. The cost, it costs
something. Now back here at Luke 14, I'm
finally getting around to it. Luke 14, talking about the great
cost of discipleship, and this is necessary and vital. I made,
I preach as a dying man to dying men. I talked to a dying man
the other day, and it haunts me. I keep thinking, it keeps
running over and over in my mind, what did I say to him? The cost of discipleship, what
it cost was Christ's life. It cost him his life. He had
to live a perfect life for us, but we can't do it. It cost him
his death, his buried blood, the precious blood of God's Son
is what our redemption And it cost us the same thing. It cost
us our death, first of all. This cost us the vice versa. It cost us our death. We had
to be crucified with Christ. Then it cost us our life. Now, our Lord compares this thing
of Christianity to the building of a building. Look at it in
verse twenty-eight. Let's get into it. to build a tower. Which of you
intending to build a tower? Now, we have a, there's a great
illustration here our Lord gives us of God's sovereignty and our
responsibility in this passage of scripture here. Scripture teaches both. But he
said, you notice here he says a tower. He doesn't say a building. He says a tower. Which of you
intending to build a tower? I want to give you the true spiritual
meaning of this first of all. A tower is a great, high, enormous
structure. It's big. It's high. It's great.
It's of grand proportions. Who in here can build a tower?
Who would even think about it? Who would be so foolish to even
think about building the Empire State Building? I'm getting ready
to build a house. What if I up and said, I think
I'll build me a fourteen-story house over there on Scutland
Hill? I wouldn't even think of such a thing. wouldn't even dream of it, and
only fools, only a fool like those people at the Tower of
Babel, only a fool would try to do anything to try to build
a tower It's too big for us, because
it's got to reach all the way to heaven. This salvation's got
to reach all the way to the throne of God. We can't do it. We can't. People do it or trying it every
day, aren't they? Building their self-righteous
towers of the Bible to heaven. Trying. They can't get there. They're doghouses they're building.
Doghouse carpenters that think they're master builders. And
Christ said, which of you intended to build a tower? A tower. Our Lord wisely used this parable
to show us, first of all, what a great and glorious and grand
and big work salvation really is. It's a tower that must reach
all the way to heaven. We say it's the Lord's doings,
and it's marvelous. It's a tower, this salvation. And how He does this wisely to
show us that no man is sufficient for this task. Can't do it. You
know, if any man foolishly thinks that he has the wisdom and the
works and the strength and the courage to redeem his soul. He's
a fool and he hasn't sat down and look here. Verse 28 says,
which of you intended to build a tower? Sitteth not down first
and counted the cost. A man that thinks that he can
work his way to heaven, hadn't sat down to think about this
thing. He hadn't given it much thought
at all. He just sat and said, I'm going to accept Jesus as
my personal Savior, and I'm going to work my way to God. You better
sit down, man, and think about this a little bit. This thing's
too big for you. It's a tower. It's a grand and
glorious work. You better sit down and think
about this thing a little bit. It's a tiring work with a great cost. And our Lord first shows a man,
the first thing he shows a man, who sits down to consider Think
about this thing, and that's the gift of God. To make a man,
just to stop a man in his tracks and say, sit down, I'm going
to show you something. If you just shut up and sit down,
I'm going to show you something. That takes the grace of God,
the power of God to shift these old mouths and open these eyes,
these blind eyes and these deaf ears, doesn't it? Stop and listen
and consider and count the cost of salvation. That takes the
grace and the mercy of God. And our Lord first shows a man
and a woman, that's the first thing he shows them. The work's
too big. The work's too big for you. It's
God's work. Salvation is of the Lord. And
it costs a great cost. Christ said, without me, you
can do nothing. You can do nothing. But then he goes on to show us
that through Christ, I can do all things. I can do all things
through Christ, which strengthens me. Salvation, I've said this
over and over again. Salvation requires nothing from
me. Nothing. It's God's work. But
it takes, it's going to be all of me or none of me. It's going
to be a salvation of my whole person or none of me at all. It's God's work. It's God's work,
yes. And it's God's work in me. To
me. And this is, listen up. supremely
and spiritually. This passage here, this parable
is beautiful. It's talking about, I've got
to hurry, this is talking about the great and glorious picture
of our Lord's marvelous work in salvation. Now listen, let's
look at it. It gives Christ all the glory. Look at it with me. God the Son,
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, they
made a plan. Which of you, intending to build
a tower, sit us not down first and count the cost? whether you
have sufficient to finish it. Now, God, the triune God, before
time began, sat down with his Son, with the Holy Spirit, and
they said, let's think about this. Let's talk about this. They sat down to talk about this
great work. They're going to build a church.
They're going to build a house, a tower, a huge building. A building made up of people
as the stars of the sky and the sand of the seashore. And they
got together and they sat down and made a plan. They intended
what God wills, what God plans comes to pass. They intended
to build a great work, a church, a family. And they sat down and
they talked about this thing. They counted the cost. Oh yes,
they counted the cost. I don't know how long they may
have discussed this thing for 50 million years. I don't know. They may have. Working out every
little detail. I'm going to make Rick do this
and that and the other and bring him over here to bring him over
there and then to bring him over here and bring him down here,
up here, over here, and here the gospel. A day is a thousand years and
a thousand years is a day. It may have taken God may have
spent a thousand years to work out one day in your life to bring
you to some point, to bring you to another point, to bring you
to another point, to save your soul. And they sat down and talked
about it. The Father's wisdom. It took
the Father's wisdom. The Father said, well, this is
what we'll do. God the Father. Henry couldn't have been any
other way. We see the most glorious But the wisest plan ever devised. Men could, they could, you sat
down for a hundred million years and tried to come up with something
of this like, and couldn't have touched it. Couldn't. How God,
it brings glory to God's wisdom, doesn't it? And it took God's
wisdom. God said, this is what we will
do. And it took the son's, they counted the cost. Took the father's
wisdom, it took the son's life. Father said, now son, You're going to have to go down
there and be a man. That's what it's going to take. You ain't
going to do it any other way. You're going to have to go down
and be a man. It's going to cost you. It's going to cost you. Oh, you're going to have to leave
your splendor and your glory here and your happiness and become
a worm, son. Think about it. They thought
about it. Christ counted the cost. He didn't have to. He counted
the cost and thought. Hey, you can think a minute.
Not a minute. I'll do it, he said. I'll do
it. I realize what it takes. God said, it'll cost you your
blood, too, son. You're going to have to die. You're not only
going to have to live down there, but you're going to have to die
to pay the punishment that these sinners deserve. You're going
to have to die. Amen, excruciating death. And
son, I'm going to have to leave you while you're down there.
For the first time ever in eternity, I'm going to have to leave you,
turn my back on you, son. Are you willing to do it? Yes. And son, you're going to have
to lay in a grave three days. Grave. Hell, maybe. Are you willing? I'm willing.
And he turned to the Holy Spirit and said, and then after he arises,
he said, my son comes back. He's going to come back. And
you're going to have to put up with those scoundrels for no
time at all. You're going to have to woo them
and convince them and convict them and shake them and punch
them and grab them and drag them and stomp them and everything
it takes to bring those no-good bums to see what they are and
to see, to look up. You're going to have to grab
those fowls by their ears and make them look up. Quit wallowing
and look up. Look at Christ. You're going
to have to do that. It's going to take—it's hard work. It's
going to take a long time. Are you willing to do it, Spirit?
Yeah, I'll do it. I'll do it. They counted the
cost, and it's a perfect work, just like God. And it says here,
look, verse 29. They counted the cost, and you
better believe they ain't had sufficient to finish it. You
better believe it. Only God could do it. Verse 29. less happily after he has laid
the foundation. What man intends to build a tire
and doesn't sit down first and count the cost to see if he has
sufficient to finish it, less happily after he's laid the foundation? Now, they counted the cost and
they laid the foundation. Other foundations can no man
lay than that which is laid. They placed it all. The foundation
of God stands here. What is it? Who is it? Christ. They laid the foundation of this
great tower, and that foundation was none other than Christ. God
the Father and God the Spirit. They had their work, yes. And
none of the works are any less important or less than the other
work. But they did, as it were, they
laid it all on Him. The whole work. on him, the foundation. The whole thing stands or falls
on him, this great tower. The only way for God to be just
and justify was to send Christ down here to be the rock, be
the foundation, which this whole great tower rests upon. It ain't going nowhere. It ain't
going to fall. No, sir. And God wisely placed
this thing upon Christ. Why did he do this? Because Christ
was able and Christ was willing. That's why. And if we're wise,
we'll see the same thing. We'll see the same thing. He's
the only leg I've got to stand on. He's the only foundation
I've got to stand on. If we're truly wise, we'll see
that. So, after the Trinity planned
and purposed the work, counted the costs, determined they were
willing, they laid the foundation, Christ came, they began to build
the building. You say salvation's work is finished.
Yes, it is. Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning. Are you in heaven yet though?
Paul says, not as though I've already apprehended, or not as
though I've already obtained this. The work's still going
on. Yes, it is finished. Salvation
is finished. There's nothing left for us to
do. Salvation's work is completed in Christ, and God rested salvation
in His Sabbath. Christ, His Sabbath. He rested
from this work of salvation in Christ. It's finished. Just look
to Christ. It's finished. It's in Him. It's
completed in Him. But they're still working. The
Trinity's still working. Yes, they are. sovereignly receiving
people and working and moving. The Holy Spirit is moving still
in us, working, conforming us. Christ is interceding for us,
mediating for us. Yes, they are. They're still
working until that final day, until the universe and all of
God's people reach heaven, until that final day. And we read over
there in Romans chapter 9 last Sunday how it says He will finish
the work. Yes, He will. Finally, finally,
he's going to, I mean, really finish this thing. Salvation
work is finished in Christ. But the whole redemption of the
universe of creation and God's people someday is going to be
flat finished. Over. Nothing. Eternal life and
life more abundant in Christ. But it says he will finish the
work and cut it short in righteousness because a short work will the
Lord make upon the earth. Now look here at Luke 14, verse
30. Now he said, if a man intends to build a tower and doesn't
sit down first and count the costs to see if he has enough
to build with, and after he lays the foundation, he looks like
he starts pretty good, and he's not able to finish it. And everybody
that sees that begins to mock him, verse 30, and saying, this
man began to build, was not able to finish. No man will say that about Christ.
That's what they're saying today, though. That's the reason it
makes me so mad. Why is this thing of particular
redemption so important, Henry? Why this thing of universal atonement
that they're talking about? Why is that such an abomination
to us? They say he didn't finish, said he didn't get the job done.
He intended to build a tower, didn't
have enough to finish, and he takes us. That's blasphemy, isn't
it? That's blasphemy. Ain't no man
going to say that. about Christ's work. No way.
God's people, by His mercy and grace, they say, ha ha, he got
it done. He built this tower, and I'm
a brick in it. They did. No man, not Satan, not a man,
is going to be able to say Christ failed. Uh uh. And someday, every
knee is going to bow, and every tongue is going to confess, I
sure was wrong. Every tongue will confess he's
Lord, he reigns, he rules, he finishes, he works, he moves,
he does according to his will in the armies of heaven and heavens
and earth, he does it. And we ain't got nothing to say
about it. He did it. Now, in context and
back to what I started out saying to us, this is the context. I spiritualized
all that, I believe is the real meaning behind Christ's Word.
He said, my words are spirit. But in practical language here,
back in the context of what he's saying here to you and to me
about sitting down, he says, which of you intend
to build a tower? Which of you, do you really,
and I ask this question, Christ asks us this question, do you
really intend to be saved? Do you really want to be saved? a disciple of Christ. Is that
what you really want? Is that what you're intending
to do? I mean, really. Is it really discipleship you
intend or want? Is it really your heartfelt desire
to... Is this great change, this work
of regeneration, what you really want? Barnard, this is hitting
me so hard now. now that I'm where I'm at, doing
what I'm doing. I heard this a lot. My pastor
said this from preacher school. He said, quoting Barnard, Barnard
said, don't ask God to use you, because He might. He might. And when God uses you, And like
we've been talking about here, salvation, it costs us something. He might. He might use you. I
asked that for a long time. Lord, do something with me. Make
me a preacher or whatever. My, my. He did. And the same thing holds true
with a disciple of Christ. Lord, I want to be a Christian
in my heart. We sing that. You better sit down and think
about it a minute. Is that really what you want?
Because it's going to cost you. We read it. It's going to cost
you your family. It's going to cost you everything. Everything. Do you really want to be saved?
To be saved, now it's being changed. It's a new creature, isn't it?
Old things pass away. Do you really want to drop these
things and these people? Do you? That's a good question,
isn't it? The vital question. Come on now,
sit down and count the cost first. Is it really the thing that you
want? To win Christ and be found in
Him? To hate your father, your mother, your wife, your children,
your brother and your sisters? Yeah, your own life also? To
win Christ? Do you? Do I? Look at what he says here requires,
verse thirty-three. Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh
not all that he has, he cannot be my son." Terry, this thing's
a serious thing. My soul, let us take this to
heart. This thing's serious. This ain't
a walk in the park. It's walking with Christ is what
it is, and it's serious. Everybody else, I read to you
from Hebrews 11, everybody else that walked with Christ got their
head cut off for stone or something, didn't they? And Christ said
that about us. You will be hated. This and that
and the other will happen to you. Tribulation will happen
to you. Is that what we want? We've got
to be counting the cost of it. Look at this. You better see
if you have sufficient to finish it. Do you have saving faith
in Christ or not? If you die today, Charles, John,
Henry, if you die today, do you really believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ? I mean, do Stan, me, do I really have a... We're going to die. I mean, flattened
die. Who's next in here? Somebody's
body is going to be laying right here real soon. Virgie, real,
real soon, laying in a box, and you're going
to be gone somewhere. Where are you going to be, folks? Do I know Jesus Christ, or do
I not? Do I have saving faith in Christ
alone? Look at this. He says, it may
happen that you look pretty good, you lay the foundation, and you're
not able to finish, and everybody sees you and begins to mock you. There's nothing more humiliating
than to have somebody say, I told you so. Isn't that the most humiliating
thing? Yeah, I thought you was a Christian. And that's what's going to happen
to us eternally if we're not in Christ. Ha, ha, ha, ha. In hell. Ha. Said you were a Christian. Mocking
us. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Look at you now. I knew it wouldn't last. Here's
old Bill. He turned out not to be any different
than anybody else. But the Scripture says, Whosoever
believeth in Christ shall not be ashamed. Whosoever believeth in Christ
shall not ever be put to shame like that, not ever be ridiculed
and mocked eternally. And we look back here at Luke
9, and I'll finish. I'll quote this and I'll quit.
Luke chapter 9. Luke chapter 9. This kind of
thing is not pleasant, but it's... Charles, this is life and death. We're dealing with our souls
here. I'm not trying to make anybody feel good here. I'm trying
to point to Christ. If you're uncomfortable right
now, so be it. God help us to be uncomfortable
if we're resting in a false refuge, if we've never been made uncomfortable.
Boy, we need it. Luke chapter 9, look at verse
26. Whosoever shall be ashamed of
me and of my words, of him shall the Son of Man be
ashamed when he comes in his glory. and his father of the
angels. You know, in that time, we're
going to cry out to anybody. There's some people who are going
to be crying out, Lord, please, please, please. I want us to cry that now. There's
only one thief on the cross, only one. How many conversions were there
in this book? But one man on his dying bed
that I know of, that I can recount. And he said to them, Lord, would
you remember me? Let's say it now. Right now,
people. Right now. Everybody. Let's say
it now. Let's ask him now. Right now. Lord, please, remember me right
now. We better sit down right now.
right now and start counting the cost and see, ask myself,
do I know Christ? Do I love Him? The scripture
says, work out your own salvation. How? Fear, trembling. Work it out. How? They'd be looking,
you know, looking it up. Lord help us. This is about the prayer. We just share hope with you. Thank you for this work and this
knowledge, folks. We just share hope with you, that's the reason.
We thank you for assuring the service
to our nation, and we promise to do so to the best extent.