Counting the Cost: Surrendering Dreams to Follow Jesus

Devotional

Day 1: The Cost of True Discipleship

Following Jesus requires a complete and honest assessment of the commitment. It is not a casual decision but a call to total surrender, where He must become the central authority in one's life. This journey demands that we let go of our own plans and dreams, understanding that His way is ultimately greater. The path of discipleship is one of transformation, moving from our own limited vision to His eternal purpose. [38:53]

“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.” (Luke 14:26, ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific dream or plan for your life that you sense Jesus might be asking you to lay down so you can more fully follow Him?

Day 2: From Mountaintop Experience to Daily Obedience

The euphoria of a spiritual high eventually gives way to the ordinary routines of life. It is in these everyday moments that the true test of faith occurs, moving from feeling inspired to living out the teachings of Jesus. The challenge is to apply the sermon when the coffee is cold and the emails are piling up. Faithfulness is found in the consistent, often difficult, choices made when no one is watching. [14:35]

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22, ESV)

Reflection: Where is the gap between what you believe and how you live most apparent in your current daily routine?

Day 3: Identifying the Blocks to Surrender

Various obstacles can prevent a person from fully yielding their life to Christ. These blocks may be fear, pride, a cherished identity, or a desire for control. Naming these specific hindrances is the first step toward inviting God to remove them. It is an act of honesty and trust to bring these things into the light. [50:30]

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific ‘block’—a fear, a prideful attitude, or a controlling desire—that currently keeps you from surrendering more fully to Jesus?

Day 4: The Invitation to a Grander Vision

God’s purpose for each life is far greater than any personal ambition. He seeks to deconstruct limited, worldly identities to build something of eternal significance and nobility. This process involves releasing the negative narratives others have placed upon us. We are invited to become royal sons and daughters, agents of His redeeming work in the world. [42:33]

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,” (Ephesians 3:20, ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life is God inviting you to exchange your small vision for His grander, eternal purpose?

Day 5: Living as Agents of Reconciliation

Following Jesus directly impacts relationships and calls believers to be peacemakers. This often means swallowing pride and taking initiative to mend what is broken, even when it is difficult. It involves letting go of the right to be offended for the sake of Christ’s love. This practical obedience is a powerful testimony of the gospel in action. [45:23]

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;” (2 Corinthians 5:18, ESV)

Reflection: Is there a relationship in your life where God is prompting you to take a concrete, humble step toward reconciliation this week?

Sermon Summary

Lent begins with an invitation to move from mountaintop inspiration into costly, daily obedience. The chosen series frames the disciples hearing the Sermon on the Mount and then confronting what it means to live those words amid ordinary pressures. Mountaintop moments stir longing and conviction, but the real test comes when routine life, relationships, and ambitions demand a choice. Jesus insists on total lordship: following him requires counting the cost, dismantling idols, and surrendering private dreams to a larger kingdom purpose.

Personal ambition and cherished plans often resist God’s reshaping; the narrative shares a concrete story of a dream for influence that finally yields to a call to ministry. The call to follow will unsettle identity, asking some to relinquish the roles and narratives that have defined them. Jesus uses stark images—hating family in the Semitic sense of renouncing rival loyalties, calculating the expense of building a tower, and a king sizing up an army—to press the reality that discipleship carries tangible demands.

Reconciliation emerges as one of those costs. Turning from the right to remain offended, seeking repair where pride stands in the way, and risking awkwardness for the sake of peace become marks of the kingdom life. The mission will often send followers out with nothing, trusting God’s provision as they embody good news to hungry people. Practical steps include naming the specific block—pride, fear, or limited imagination—that prevents surrender and then asking God to remove it so kingdom work can flow through ordinary lives.

The vision God offers proves larger than personal plans: by yielding, ordinary people become conduits of healing and practical transformation in communities. The call comes paired with provision and empowerment; surrender does not leave one abandoned but opens a different kind of flourishing that advances God’s purposes on earth. The season challenges hearers to move from sentimental admiration of Jesus’ words to costly, steady obedience that changes identity, relationships, and mission.

Key Takeaways

1. Surrender every dream to Christ Surrendering dreams exposes where ultimate trust actually lies. When personal ambitions compete with Christ’s call, true discipleship requires a decisive reordering of desires so that God’s purposes shape vocation and identity. That surrender does not nullify gifts; it redirects them toward eternal fruit. [25:37]
2. Count the cost of discipleship Following Jesus demands sober calculation, not sentimental enthusiasm. The tower and king illustrations underline that commitment involves foreseeable sacrifices and strategic resolve, not occasional feelings. A deliberate accounting helps avoid half-built spiritual projects and readies the heart for sustained obedience. [40:27]
3. Let go of old identities God often calls people to shed roles and narratives that limit transformation. Replacing a scarred identity—outsider, offender, abandoned child—with the status of redeemed son or daughter requires humility and intentional repentance. This reformation liberates capacity for reconciliation and mission. [42:04]
4. Relinquish the right to offense Kingdom life trades the defensive posture of offended entitlement for active pursuit of peace. Choosing to swallow pride and initiate repair opens channels for grace to work in relationships and communities. Such relinquishment removes a major barrier to authentic witness and deepened communion with God. [45:23]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[13:27] - The Chosen Season Three
[14:35] - From Sermon to Service
[15:45] - Judas Meets Jesus (Clip)
[18:12] - Confession and Mercy
[22:16] - Longing and Conversion
[23:18] - Surrendering Personal Dreams
[34:35] - Mountaintop to Monday
[38:53] - Cost of Discipleship Explained
[42:04] - Identity & Reconciliation
[46:16] - Sent Out With Nothing
[51:36] - Name Your Block (Brick Offering)
[59:24] - Vision and Provision Prayer
[60:04] - Blessing and Fellowship

Bible Study Guide

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.”*

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Observation questions

What two illustrations does Jesus use to explain the importance of counting the cost of following Him?
According to the passage, what relationships and attachments must a person be willing to “hate” in order to be a disciple?
What does Jesus say about someone who begins to build a tower but isn’t able to finish it?
In the sermon, what specific personal dream was surrendered in response to Jesus’ call? [25:37]

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Interpretation questions

Why do you think Jesus uses such strong language about “hating” family and one’s own life? What is He really asking for?
How does the idea of “counting the cost” contrast with a view of faith that is only about comfort or inspiration?
What might it look like for someone to have a “half-built spiritual tower” in their life? [38:07]
How does surrendering a personal dream actually redirect a person’s gifts rather than cancel them? [25:37]

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Application questions

What is one dream or plan you’re holding onto that Jesus may be asking you to surrender? What makes that difficult?
Where is Jesus calling you to let go of an old identity—like “outsider,” “offender,” or “abandoned”—and embrace being His redeemed son or daughter? [42:04]
Is there a relationship where you’ve held onto the “right to be offended”? What would it look like to initiate repair this week? [45:23]
What’s one practical “block” (fear, pride, self-will) that keeps you from fully following Jesus? How can you invite Him to remove it? [51:36]
How might God be inviting you to join Him in something bigger than your own plans—something that brings healing or hope to others?
In what area of your life do you find it hardest to trust God’s provision instead of your own control?
What would it look like this week to take one step of “costly obedience” in your workplace, family, or community?

Sermon Clips

And and that's what god is doing. He's he's trying to say that that this vision that you're making of your life is far too small for the vision that your good father in heaven has for you. He's got a a vision to get you out of yourself and to be a son and daughter of incredible nobility through and through. And some of the visions that we have are rooted in the world and the cares of the world, and he's saying, you gotta let me deconstruct it so that I can make something of you that you would be proud of and I would be proud of and that the whole heavenly kingdom will be proud of. [00:42:19] (43 seconds) #VisionBeyondSelf

Jesus is saying that follow him means we gotta let go of our right to be offended. Jesus is saying that when you follow him, you have an invitation to transfer the title of your life, an invitation to stop building your own tower with your own limited bricks and mindset. Jesus is asking that you would sign off on the bottom of the page so that he can do the work he longs to do that's greater and grander than anything that you could ever have imagined about your life. [00:45:23] (39 seconds) #SignOverYourLife

You know, Jesus is calling us to a great dream dream, and and we as Canadians live in in a way that where where we are such nice people, and we like our spirituality to be nice. Self contained, easy containers. We want a Jesus who makes us feel great when we leave the sanctuary Sunday morning, but doesn't necessarily change our bank account or our family dynamics on Monday morning. We love the Sermon on the Mount especially we wanna nudge someone when we hear blessed are the peacemakers or the need to forgive. [00:35:53] (48 seconds) #NotJustSunday

Jesus will soon send the 12 out with nothing. No extra tunic, no money, nothing. And he said, this is the mission I have for you. You'll be the bearers of great news to a people who are hungry for hope and healing. And you'll go with empty hands, and yet you can trust me. That's the hard part. Lord, if I do follow you, if I let go of my dream to become a lawyer, politician, and money, can I trust you? Will you lead me down the right paths for your name's sake? [00:46:02] (47 seconds) #GoWithEmptyHands

Name the thing that's blocking me from listening and following you, Lord. Is it my own pride? Is it fear? Is it my limited understanding of who you are and your power and your love? What is that thing? What is that block? Would you name that so that I and follow you? And maybe you're will be like me, oh lord, I think you wanna do this in my life. And there's a wrestling. Just ask the lord what you need in order that you can follow him. [00:50:12] (49 seconds) #NameYourRoadblock

Are you willing to let go of your narrow, small vision of who you're are so you can become who I'm calling you to be? Will you follow me to a pathway of transformation and greatness? Will you follow me? A king doesn't just ask for a place in your life. He demands that he become the throne in your life. And Jesus is asking and looking at the towers in our life, the things that we've constructed about ourselves. [00:43:02] (41 seconds) #ThroneOfYourLife

But somehow we got shackled with blocks. We get stuff that gets in us. It's our fears and our doubts and our anxiety and we said, are are you big enough for me, lord? And he understands that and and and so sometimes the best thing you can do is just name the the roadblock. The thing that's keeping you from following him. From listening to him, from surrendering everything to him, from signing off on the title of your life and saying, not my will, but your will be done. [00:48:31] (46 seconds) #UnshackleYourFaith

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Counting the Cost: Surrendering Dreams to Follow Jesus

Devotional

Day 1: The Cost of True Discipleship

Day 2: From Mountaintop Experience to Daily Obedience

Day 3: Identifying the Blocks to Surrender

Day 4: The Invitation to a Grander Vision

Day 5: Living as Agents of Reconciliation

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Counting the Cost: Surrendering Dreams to Follow Jesus

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