Counting the Cost of True Discipleship

Sep 08, 2025

Devotional

Day 1: The Cost of Discipleship Requires Sacrifice

Jesus calls His followers to a radical commitment, asking them to be willing to give up all their possessions and even their closest relationships for His sake. This is not merely a metaphorical statement but a challenge to examine what truly holds our hearts. The call to discipleship means that there may come a time when following Jesus will cost us something significant—comfort, security, or even relationships. The question is not whether we can reinterpret Jesus’ words to fit our lifestyles, but whether we are truly willing to surrender everything if He asks. [01:05]

Luke 14:25-33 (ESV)
Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”

Reflection: What is one possession or relationship you sense God might be asking you to hold more loosely or even surrender for the sake of following Jesus more fully?

Day 2: True Discipleship Involves Real Loss and Inconvenience

Following Jesus is not always comfortable or easy; it often leads to real inconvenience, pain, or loss as a direct result of our commitment to Him. If our faith has never cost us anything, we may need to ask whether we are truly following in His footsteps. Jesus expects that there will be moments when we are excluded, misunderstood, or even rejected because of our allegiance to Him. Yet, He also promises resurrection, eternal life, and joy along the way, reminding us that the cost is always worth it. [05:27]

Matthew 16:24-25 (ESV)
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Reflection: When was the last time your faith in Jesus led you to make a difficult choice or experience loss? How did you respond, and what might God be inviting you to do next?

Day 3: Generosity as a Measure of the Heart

Our relationship with possessions reveals much about where our true treasure lies. Jesus knows how easily wealth can capture our hearts, and He challenges us to examine whether we are truly generous toward God or holding back. The way we give—whether it’s our money, time, or resources—reflects our priorities and our willingness to trust God with everything we have. Generosity is not just about numbers but about a heart that is open and surrendered to God’s purposes. [03:49]

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (ESV)
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Reflection: In what area of your life—finances, time, or talents—do you sense God inviting you to be more generous this week?

Day 4: Bearing Witness Without Fear

Jesus commands His followers to bear witness to Him, to testify and share the good news openly, even when it feels uncomfortable or risky. Too often, fear of offending others or being misunderstood keeps us silent about our faith. Yet, if those who know the love and grace of Christ remain quiet, the world will only hear distorted versions of Christianity. Courageously living out loud as a Christian means being willing to identify with Jesus in public ways, trusting that God can use even small acts of witness to make a difference. [08:13]

Acts 1:8 (ESV)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Reflection: What is one specific way you can “live out loud” as a Christian this week—perhaps by sharing your faith, wearing a symbol, or offering to pray for someone?

Day 5: Faith Expressed Through Visible Action

It is not enough to secretly treasure Jesus in our hearts; our faith must be visible in our actions and choices. Living as a follower of Jesus means letting our commitment show in tangible ways—through generosity, public witness, and daily decisions that reflect our allegiance to Him. When we hide our faith, we miss opportunities to point others to Christ and to grow in our own discipleship. Let your life be a clear and loving testimony to the One you follow. [09:43]

James 2:17-18 (ESV)
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Reflection: What is one visible action you can take today to demonstrate your faith in Jesus to those around you?

Sermon Summary

Jesus’ words about discipleship are some of the most challenging in all of scripture. When he says, “None of you can be my disciple unless you give up all your possessions,” or that we must “hate” our closest family members, it’s tempting to soften or spiritualize these commands. Yet, even if we agree they aren’t always meant to be taken literally, we must not ignore the radical call they represent. Jesus knows how deeply our hearts are attached to our possessions and our loved ones. He names these attachments because he understands the real cost of following him—sometimes, it will mean letting go of what we hold most dear.

There may come a time when faithfulness to Christ requires us to walk away from comfort, security, or even relationships. In some parts of the world, Christians lose everything for their faith. Even in our own context, following Jesus should cost us something. If our discipleship has never brought us to a point of discomfort, loss, or sacrifice, we must ask whether we are truly following him. Jesus uses the examples of the builder and the general to remind us that discipleship is not a casual commitment; it demands that we count the cost and be prepared for the challenges ahead.

One area where this challenge is especially evident is in our willingness to bear witness to Christ. Too often, we shy away from evangelism, afraid of offending others or being misunderstood. Yet, if those who seek to follow Jesus more faithfully remain silent, the public image of Christianity is shaped by others. We are called to live our faith out loud—not just in words, but in visible, tangible ways. Whether it’s through generosity, public witness, or simply letting others know we are Christians, our lives should reflect the reality that Jesus is our greatest treasure.

The call is not to a life of constant suffering, but to a life of authentic discipleship—one that is willing to risk, to lose, and to love boldly for the sake of Christ. Let us be Christians who are not afraid to be known as such, who are willing to pay the cost, and who live out loud for the sake of the gospel.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus’ Radical Demands Expose Our Attachments When Jesus calls us to give up all our possessions or to “hate” even our closest family, he is naming the things that most easily capture our hearts. These commands are not about literal hatred or mandated poverty, but about recognizing that our deepest loyalties often compete with our loyalty to Christ. The challenge is to examine what truly holds our affections and to be willing to surrender even good things if they stand in the way of following Jesus. [01:05]
2. Discipleship Always Involves Cost and Sacrifice True discipleship is not a path of convenience or comfort. Jesus’ examples of the builder and the general remind us that following him will inevitably bring us to moments where we must choose between ease and faithfulness. If our faith has never cost us anything—be it reputation, relationships, or resources—we may need to reconsider whether we are truly following in his footsteps. [03:49]
3. The Pain of Discipleship Is Met with the Promise of Resurrection Jesus does not call us to suffering for its own sake, but to a life that is willing to endure loss for the sake of something greater. The cross is not the end of the story; resurrection, joy, and eternal life are promised to those who follow. The willingness to embrace discomfort for Christ’s sake is met with the assurance that God’s purposes will ultimately bring life out of loss. [05:27]
4. Fear Silences Our Witness—But the World Needs Our Voice Many Christians hesitate to share their faith publicly, fearing judgment, misunderstanding, or social discomfort. Yet, when those who seek to follow Jesus faithfully remain silent, the public witness of Christianity is left to others who may not represent its heart. Courageous, humble, and authentic witness is needed—not to win arguments, but to share the good news that has changed our lives. [08:13]
5. Living Out Loud as Christians Is Essential to Authentic Faith Faith that is hidden or private alone cannot fulfill Jesus’ call to discipleship. Whether through acts of generosity, public witness, or simply letting others know we are Christians, our lives must visibly reflect our allegiance to Christ. Living out loud is not about self-promotion, but about letting the reality of Jesus’ love and lordship be seen in every aspect of our lives.

** [09:43]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:20] - Wrestling with Jesus’ Hardest Words
[01:05] - The Challenge of Possessions and Priorities
[02:10] - Real-Life Struggles with Discipleship
[03:49] - Counting the Cost: The Builder and the General
[04:45] - The Inevitable Cost of Following Jesus
[05:27] - Pain, Loss, and the Promise of Resurrection
[06:10] - The Call to Bear Witness
[07:00] - Evangelism: Overcoming Fear and Resistance
[08:13] - The Surprising Power of Fear
[08:51] - Becoming Out Loud Christians
[09:43] - Practical Ways to Live Out Loud
[10:10] - The Call to Visible Discipleship
[10:30] - Closing and Sending Forth

Bible Study Guide

Small Group Bible Study Guide: The Cost and Call of Discipleship

Bible Reading

Luke 14:25-33 (ESV)
> Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”

Observation Questions

What are the two examples Jesus uses to illustrate the cost of discipleship in Luke 14:25-33?
According to the sermon, what are some things Jesus says we must be willing to give up to follow him? [01:05]
What does the phrase “bear his own cross” mean in the context of this passage and sermon? [05:27]
In the sermon, what reasons are given for why people might hesitate to share their faith publicly? [08:13]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus uses such strong language (“hate” your family, “give up all your possessions”) when talking about following him? What is he trying to communicate about our attachments? [01:05]
The sermon suggests that if our faith has never cost us anything, we may not be truly following Jesus. What kinds of “costs” might Jesus be referring to in our context? [03:49]
How does the promise of resurrection and joy balance out the pain and loss that can come with discipleship? [05:27]
Why might fear keep Christians from bearing witness to their faith, and what are the consequences of remaining silent? [08:13]

Application Questions

Jesus names possessions and family as things that can compete for our loyalty. Is there something in your life—possessions, relationships, comfort—that you sense might be holding you back from following Jesus more fully? What would it look like to surrender that to him? [01:05]
Can you recall a time when following Jesus cost you something—maybe a relationship, an opportunity, or your comfort? How did you respond, and what did you learn from that experience? [03:49]
The sermon mentions that sometimes we try to “soften” Jesus’ hard words. Are there commands or teachings of Jesus that you tend to explain away or avoid? Why do you think that is? [01:05]
When was the last time you felt uncomfortable or inconvenienced because of your faith? If you haven’t, what might that say about your discipleship? [03:49]
The pastor shared stories about people being afraid to publicly identify as Christians. What fears do you have about being open with your faith? What is one small step you could take this week to “live out loud” as a Christian? [08:13]
The sermon suggests practical ways to be visible in your faith—wearing a cross, praying for someone, or simply letting others know you’re a Christian. Which of these (or another idea) could you try this week? What might be challenging about it? [09:43]
How can our group encourage each other to be more courageous and authentic in our witness, both in words and actions? [08:51]

Closing Prayer Suggestion:
Ask God for courage to follow Jesus wherever he leads, to surrender what holds your heart, and to live your faith out loud for the sake of the gospel.

Sermon Clips

“I think the reason that Jesus gives us that one of the examples is that he knows how much possessions have our heart. I'm first in line. Possessions have our heart and he knows that about us and our loved ones have our hearts and he knows that about us too. What he's doing is he's giving us these two things to say do you see what I mean there may come a time when you do have to walk away from everything you have when you stand up to your unethical boss and lose your job and you have to sell your house and move into an apartment it happens in this world and there are other places in the world where christians do lose their lives for being christian or all their possessions so he's clearly kind of wanting to shake us and get us to pay attention to what he's saying to us right?”

“What Jesus is talking about is the cost of discipleship and that there ought to be a point in our following Jesus in which we come up against something where we say, no, that's too hard and I want to quit. If we haven't ever reached that point in our walk with Jesus, we're probably not following him. It is part of following him that we are inconvenienced, that we experience pain and loss as a result, as a direct consequence of following him, not just in the normal course of life where people have misfortune, but as a direct consequence of following him.”

“There ought to be some cost in even an hour easy lives to following Jesus what he's saying is you have to pick up your cross and follow me so there's going to be pain and loss and of course there's going to be resurrection eternal life and joy along the way he doesn't assume that we're always going to be suffering.”

“To me, one of the weaknesses of certainly the churches I've belonged to is its inability or unwillingness to follow one of the other commands Jesus frequently gives us, which is to bear witness to him, to be a witness to me, to testify to me, to go forth and tell people.”

“When people say i i don't want to tell people i'm a christian because of what they think about christians out there well that's the problem if the supposedly better kind of christians which which is what's going on in our heads right if the better kind of christians or the right kind of christians are sitting and being very subtle and saying i'm not going to talk to anybody about being a christian well then the other ones have all the airwaves.”

“People are afraid in that other church I said ah we're forging ahead with evangelism so we created t -shirts that says God cares so do we goodsamchurch .org and I made a bunch of church gave them out to people and they would only wear them at like where we were doing stuff with among ourselves you know a little picnic at the church it said no go out there and wear them at your picnics you know in your neighborhoods and then we created thought you know those foam signs that have little metal things you can put them in lawns or like political signs same big green god cares so do we goodsamchurch .org and i said everybody put them in your yards you would not imagine the amount of resistance i got.”

“And this one surprised me we had several retired naval officers in our congregation in san diego one of them was a heroic captain in vietnam war and he went on to be a leader in other industries a well -known person had won medals for bravery. And I said, hey, can I get you to take a sign home and put it in your lawn? He goes, absolutely not. And I said, well, why is that? He said, I'm afraid it will offend people or that it will get people upset. And I think, you mean like what, they're gonna throw eggs at your house or something? Or like, what are you worried about? And he said, just don't wanna ruffle the feathers. And I thought, a war hero doesn't wanna ruffle the feathers. Fear. He was afraid of being seen as a Christian.”

“So here's the thing. I think we have to stop cringing about evangelism. Yes? Is my sermon up already? We have to stop being afraid of it. We have to live out loud as Christians. Be out loud Christians.”

“Now, how might you do that? Well, we could get God cares, so do we. St. John's Boco, right? We could do that. We could put signs in our yards. You could actually tell somebody you're a Christian, you know, somebody who doesn't know that about you. You could wear a cross to work. When you go out with your friends, you could pray for them when somebody tells you about something going on in their lives. You could say, oh, and you know they're an atheist or whatever, and you say, I'm really sorry. I'll pray for you. That's what you could do. You could go to a protest with a Christian -themed T -shirt on.”

“So many ways to live out loud as a christian maybe it is giving up a lot of what you own saying you know what i'm giving up many of my possessions because i'm following jesus and he says to do this okay go for it if you are called to do that but unless we are living out loud as a christian how can we possibly be said to be following jesus are we it's kind of like secretly saying well i do secretly treasure jesus more than money i'm just not going to show that in any way do you see how that doesn't quite work we have to show that we're following him.”

“So let's be out loud, Christians. Amen.”

“If we want to be generous towards God and be less tight -fisted with our possessions, why is our generosity? levels lower. But we'll leave that for a sermon a few weeks from now, when we get to the stewardship season.”

“He gives two non -literal examples. One is somebody who hasn't counted the cost quite of building a tower, and starts to build the tower, but didn't realize how expensive it was going to be, how hard it was going to be, and they've laid the foundation, but now they don't have enough for the rest of it, and so they have to leave it. They quit. They say, I can't do it. They probably lose all the money they put into it. And another example is a general who thinks with his 10 ,000 soldiers, he can win that battle until he gets to the battlefield and he sees 20 ,000. And he says, oh, that's not going to go well. So I quit.”

“If we haven't ever reached that point in our walk with Jesus, we're probably not following him. It is part of following him that we are inconvenienced, that we experience pain and loss as a result, as a direct consequence of following him, not just in the normal course of life where people have misfortune, but as a direct consequence of following him.”

“You're not invited to the Friday poker game, because they don't want the churchy guy, right? Nobody wants...play with you at school because you go to church on Sundays or your parents say I'm sorry you can't play in the soccer team because all the matches are on Sundays and we're gonna go to church there ought to be some cost in even an hour easy lives to following Jesus.”

“What he's saying is you have to pick up your cross and follow me so there's going to be pain and loss and of course there's going to be resurrection eternal life and joy along the way he doesn't assume that we're always going to be suffering.”

“We have to stop being afraid of it. We have to live out loud as Christians. Be out loud Christians.”

“Unless we are living out loud as a christian how can we possibly be said to be following jesus are we it's kind of like secretly saying well i do secretly treasure jesus more than money i'm just not going to show that in any way do you see how that doesn't quite work we have to show that we're following him.”

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