Count The Cost

<p>Key Points</p><p>Jesus never asks us to count the benefits of following Him. He asks us to count the cost.</p><p>Following Jesus means loving Him more than family, comfort, reputation, or even our own life.</p><p>Bearing your cross is a daily decision to die to self and follow Him.</p><p>The parable of the tower teaches us to sit down and calculate whether we will finish what we start.</p><p>The parable of the king going to war shows that true peace with God requires surrender of our own kingship.</p><p>Anyone who does not renounce all that he has cannot be Jesus’ disciple.</p><p>Discipleship is costly, but the cost of not following is far greater.</p><p>The reward of finishing the race with Jesus far outweighs every temporary loss.</p><p><br></p><p>Discussion</p><p>Jesus said we must “hate” even our own family in comparison to Him. What does it look like practically to keep Jesus first in your relationships?</p><p>Where are you currently tempted to put the cross down instead of bearing it?</p><p>The builder who starts a tower but cannot finish becomes a mockery. How does this warning speak to half-hearted or unfinished discipleship?</p><p>In the parable of the king, the weaker king seeks terms of peace. What does surrendering your “kingship” to Jesus look like in your life right now?</p><p>Pastor Bob listed several costs (being misunderstood, serving unnoticed, admitting when you’re wrong, suffering for doing right). Which one feels most challenging for you?</p><p>How does Paul’s example in Acts 20 (“I do not count my life of any value… if only I may finish my course”) encourage or convict you?</p><p>What is one specific area where the Holy Spirit is inviting you to “count the cost” and fully surrender this week?</p>