Total Surrender: The True Cost of Discipleship

Devotional

Day 1: Full Surrender Is Required to Follow Jesus

To truly follow Jesus, one must be willing to surrender everything—possessions, status, and even personal ambitions—placing Him above all else in life. The story of the rich young ruler shows that even a life marked by good deeds and moral living is not enough if the heart is not fully yielded to Christ. Jesus does not call us to a half-hearted commitment or a comfortable faith, but to a radical surrender that holds nothing back. When we cling to anything more tightly than to Him, we risk missing out on the fullness of life He offers. Ask yourself honestly: is there anything you are unwilling to lay down for Jesus? [11:48]

Matthew 19:16-22 (ESV)
And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Reflection: What is one thing in your life you are holding back from surrendering to Jesus, and what would it look like to lay it down before Him today?

Day 2: Counting the Cost of Discipleship

Jesus calls His followers to count the cost before committing to Him, making it clear that discipleship may require sacrificing relationships, comfort, and even personal dreams. He does not sugarcoat the reality that following Him is demanding, and He wants us to be honest with ourselves about what it will take. Just as a builder or a king must plan and prepare before starting a project or going to war, so too must we consider what it means to truly follow Christ. This is not a call to perfection, but to a willingness to let Jesus be Lord over every area of our lives, no matter the cost. [16:12]

Luke 14:25-35 (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. Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Reflection: What specific “cost” is Jesus asking you to consider in your life right now, and how can you take a step toward surrendering it to Him?

Day 3: True Discipleship Means Ongoing Surrender, Not Just a One-Time Decision

Following Jesus is not about a one-time act or a checklist of good deeds, but about continually allowing Him to transform every part of your life. Like the analogy of the lawn or the toothache, it’s easy to want God to fix only the obvious problems and then take back control, but true discipleship means letting Him do the deep, ongoing work in your heart. This process can be uncomfortable and may require giving up things you once thought were essential, but it leads to lasting change and a life that bears fruit for God’s kingdom. Don’t settle for surface-level change—invite Jesus to have His way in every area. [22:34]

Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Reflection: In what area of your life have you been asking God to “fix” only what’s obvious, and how can you invite Him to do a deeper work in you today?

Day 4: Confessing Jesus as Lord Means Making Him Master Over All

Salvation is a free gift, but it is not just about believing in Jesus—it is about confessing Him as Lord and giving Him authority over your life. Many may believe in Jesus, but true salvation comes when you make Him Lord, surrendering your will and desires to His leadership. This is not about earning God’s favor, but about responding to His grace with a heart that says, “Jesus, You are in charge.” When you do this, you are no longer for sale to the world or the enemy, because your life belongs fully to Christ. [30:16]

Romans 10:9 (ESV)
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Reflection: Is there an area of your life where you have believed in Jesus but not truly made Him Lord? What would it look like to give Him full authority in that area today?

Day 5: Be a Warrior for Christ in a Shifting Culture

As the culture changes and it becomes less comfortable or popular to be a follower of Jesus, God is calling His people—especially men—to rise up as warriors who are fully surrendered and ready to stand firm. It is easy to become complacent or distracted by good things that take priority over Christ, but now is the time to take inventory and ensure that nothing comes before Him. When you are fully surrendered, the enemy has no hold on you, and you can stand strong no matter what comes. Will you be a good person by the world’s standards, or a true disciple and warrior for Jesus? [28:07]

Ephesians 6:10-13 (ESV)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Reflection: What is one practical way you can stand as a warrior for Christ in your home, workplace, or community this week, even if it means going against the tide of culture?

Sermon Summary

Today’s reflection centers on the call to authentic discipleship and the necessity of fully surrendering our lives to Christ. In a time when the cultural climate is shifting and the cost of following Jesus is becoming more apparent, it’s vital to examine whether our faith is built on convenience or true commitment. The tragic loss of Charlie Kirk prompted many to ask themselves, “Am I truly willing to die for my faith?”—a question that has rarely confronted the American church so directly. For generations, Christianity in America has been largely free of real cost, but that is changing. As more people, especially young seekers, come searching for truth, we must resist the temptation to offer a watered-down version of the gospel. Instead, we are called to speak the truth in love, just as Jesus did.

Looking at the story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19, we see that Jesus doesn’t settle for surface-level obedience or good intentions. The young man had kept the commandments, but he still sensed something was missing. Jesus’ challenge—to sell all he had and follow—was not about money, but about total surrender. Jesus loved him too much to let him remain double-minded. Similarly, in Luke 14, Jesus tells the crowds to count the cost of discipleship, using strong language about loving Him above all else and bearing our own cross. He warns against starting the journey without being willing to finish, likening it to building a tower or going to war without preparation.

True discipleship means letting God do a complete work in us, not just fixing the obvious problems but transforming us into new creations. It’s easy to want God to address only the parts of our lives we’re comfortable surrendering, but He desires all of us. The analogy of lawn care illustrates this: if we stop the process once things look good, the underlying issues will return. Likewise, if we only partially surrender, we risk losing our effectiveness and becoming “lukewarm.”

The challenge is especially acute for men, who often feel the weight of providing and leading. Yet, the call is not just to be “good guys,” but to be warriors—fully surrendered and ready to stand firm as the culture shifts. If our price is anything less than our life, we are for sale. Salvation is a free gift, but it requires making Jesus Lord, not just believing in Him. Full surrender leaves no room for the enemy and allows God to do His transforming work in us.

Key Takeaways

1. The Cost of Discipleship Is Real and Increasing For much of American history, following Jesus has come with little personal cost, but that era is ending. As the culture shifts, we must be prepared to face real challenges and even opposition for our faith. This is a time to examine whether our commitment is rooted in comfort or in true surrender to Christ. [06:14]
2. Jesus Calls for Total Surrender, Not Partial Obedience The story of the rich young ruler reveals that Jesus is not satisfied with outward compliance or good intentions. He asks for everything—our priorities, possessions, and ultimately our hearts. Anything less than full surrender leaves us double-minded and unable to experience the fullness of life He offers. [11:48]
3. Speaking Truth in Love Is Essential for a Seeking Generation As more people, especially young seekers, come looking for answers, we must resist the urge to sugarcoat the gospel. True love means telling the hard truths about what it means to follow Jesus, even if it’s uncomfortable. Only by being honest about the cost can we help others build a faith that endures. [13:50]
4. God Desires to Transform Every Part of Our Lives Like the analogy of the lawn or the toothache, God wants to address not just the visible issues but the root causes in our lives. Partial surrender leads to temporary change, but full surrender allows God to make us new creations. We must continually invite Him to do the deep, sometimes painful work of transformation. [20:33]
5. Warriors Are Needed—Not Just Good People Especially in this cultural moment, God is calling for warriors who are fully surrendered, not just “good guys” by worldly standards. If our price is anything less than our life, we are for sale to comfort, popularity, or other idols. Making Jesus Lord means there is nothing left for the enemy to buy; we belong wholly to Christ. [28:59]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:40] - Introduction and Church Family Update
[01:33] - Opening Prayer
[02:25] - Humor and Setting the Tone
[02:55] - Building on a Firm Foundation
[03:47] - The Challenge of Counting the Cost
[04:23] - The Impact of Charlie Kirk’s Witness
[05:15] - Why Does It Take Tragedy to Wake Us Up?
[06:14] - The American Church and the Cost of Faith
[08:51] - Responding to a Generation Seeking Truth
[09:51] - The Rich Young Ruler: What Do I Still Lack?
[12:21] - Jesus’ Standard: Full Surrender
[13:50] - Telling the Truth About Discipleship
[14:49] - Have We Counted the Cost Ourselves?
[15:38] - Luke 14: Counting the Cost
[17:15] - Priorities: Loving God Above All
[18:46] - C.S. Lewis and the Full Treatment
[20:33] - The Lawn Care Analogy: Ongoing Surrender
[23:02] - Spiritual Battles and Endurance
[24:56] - Salt, Light, and Losing Effectiveness
[25:40] - Are We Good People or True Disciples?
[26:49] - The Call to Be Warriors
[28:59] - If Your Price Isn’t Your Life, You’re for Sale
[29:57] - Salvation: Free Gift, Full Surrender
[31:00] - Prayer of Full Surrender

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 19:16-22 (ESV) — > And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Luke 14:25-35 (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. Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Romans 10:9 (ESV) — > Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Observation Questions

In the story of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19), what did Jesus ask the young man to do, and how did the young man respond?
According to Luke 14, what kind of commitment does Jesus say is required to be His disciple? What are some of the strong words Jesus uses to describe this commitment?
What analogies does Jesus use in Luke 14 to help people understand the importance of “counting the cost” before following Him?
In the sermon, what was the main reason given for why the American church has rarely had to “count the cost” of following Jesus? ([06:14])

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything and follow Him, instead of just congratulating him for keeping the commandments? What does this reveal about what Jesus values most in a disciple? ([11:48])
When Jesus says we must “hate” our family and even our own life to be His disciple, what do you think He means? How does this challenge our understanding of priorities? ([16:36])
The sermon mentions that partial surrender is like only treating the surface of a problem, like lawn care or a toothache. Why is partial surrender not enough for true transformation? ([20:33])
The pastor said, “If your price is not your life, you are for sale.” What does this mean in the context of discipleship, and how does it relate to the idea of being “lukewarm” or losing our saltiness? ([28:59])

Application Questions

The sermon challenged us to ask, “Am I truly willing to die for my faith?” Have you ever seriously considered this question? What emotions or thoughts come up when you do? ([04:23])
Are there areas of your life that you have not fully surrendered to Jesus? What are they, and what holds you back from giving them over to Him? ([20:33])
The rich young ruler walked away sad because the cost was too high for him. Is there something in your life that, if Jesus asked you to give it up, you would struggle to surrender? How can you take a step toward surrendering it? ([11:48])
The sermon used the analogy of lawn care—sometimes we want God to just fix the obvious problems and then leave the rest alone. Can you think of a time when you only wanted God to address certain issues in your life? What happened as a result? ([21:37])
The pastor said that especially for men, it’s easy to get caught up in providing and leading, but God is calling for “warriors” who are fully surrendered. For men in the group: What does it look like for you to be a “warrior” for Christ in your family, work, or community? For women: How can you encourage the men in your life to be warriors, and how can you also live out full surrender? ([27:21])
The sermon warned against offering a “sugarcoated” version of the gospel to seekers. When you talk to others about faith, do you tend to soften the message to make it more comfortable? Why or why not? How can you speak the truth in love? ([13:50])
Romans 10:9 says we must confess Jesus as Lord, not just believe in Him. What is the difference between believing in Jesus and making Him Lord of your life? How can you move from one to the other? ([29:57])

Sermon Clips

The rich young ruler is asking Jesus. What he's asking him really is, how much, how much do I have to give, how much money, how much time, what can I do? Is what he's really saying, right? He has it together, he's disciplined, right? By all accounts, he should be able to handle whatever the cost. But when the answer is everything, that's too much for him. The answer is that he needed to fully surrender. [00:11:46] (36 seconds) #TotalSurrenderRequired

The next question is, then, if we want to tell the others the truth, have we been honest with ourselves? Have we counted the cost? Have we surrendered our whole heart? Are we ready to tell others what it truly takes right now? Jesus himself told us to count the cost first if we want to become a disciple for the rich young ruler. The cost was too high. [00:14:40] (25 seconds) #PrioritizeJesusFirst

There's so many situations where you accept Jesus, fully surrender, and there are going to be people around you, family, friends, that give you a hard time, that do reject you. Now, are you going to cave and keep one foot in, or are you going to put Jesus first? And that term they actually say with that word, it's not hate as in a hatred, but I love less. You have to love them less and get our priorities straight. [00:17:19] (33 seconds) #NewCreationJourney

We have to let God do the whole work in us. He doesn't want to just come in and fix some of the obvious things and make you a good person in the eyes of the world. He wants to make you a new creation, a disciple. That's why he said you have to count the cost, because you do have free will. [00:18:08] (20 seconds) #NoHalfMeasures

It's not something we could just fix and looks good and then move on. But sometimes we do that, don't we? Just God just fix the obvious things. And then I got it from here. I'm feeling pretty good. I can handle it. Don't go any farther. [00:22:20] (16 seconds) #FollowerNotJustGood

The interesting thing about salt is that it will never go bad if it's kept from contaminants and from moisture. So if we're. We're keeping it dry, we're not getting water down and we're keeping the contaminants out, keeping the stuff out of our lives, fully surrounding our entire life. That salt doesn't go bad, but once it loses its taste, once we become lukewarm, we get thrown on. We don't get thrown on, we lose our effectiveness. And when we're not of value at that point. [00:24:19] (43 seconds) #TooMuchToGive

You might be saying, you know, don't tell me I need to do more. I'm a good person. And yeah, by the world standards, everyone in here is a great person. But we're not talking about the world standard. I think we need to ask ourselves, and I'm asking myself this too. Am I a good person or am I a follower of Jesus, a disciple of Jesus? It's not about what we do. That's what the ruler figured out, right? Found out. It's not about what we do. It's full surrender first and then it's not again. Even though it's not about what we do, it's not about fully surrendering and then the sitting around as a result. Once we fully surrender, then we get put into action through God's gratitude for what he's doing. We get put into action under his control. [00:25:19] (57 seconds) #WarriorsForChrist

You might say, yeah, but surrender and everything is just way too much. I'll give a lot, but surrendering everything. There's parts of my life I am not willing to surrender everything is too much. But remember, that's what the rich young ruler said and Jesus let him walk away. [00:26:16] (19 seconds) #FullySurrenderOrForSale

I do believe we have warriors in this church. Many warriors red, ready to stand firm. The tide of culture is shifting. I truly believe that we're going to see a lot of good happening with people coming in and seeking. But with the tide of culture, I don't think as we move forward, it may become where it's not comfortable. It's not a social positive to call yourself a Christian, at least a true follower. There's a lot of watered down stuff out there, right? Just calling yourself a Christian doesn't necessarily mean you're talking about truth anymore. But are we truly a follower and are we ready to stand as a warrior? [00:26:42] (40 seconds) #LordOfYourLife

If your price is not your life, you are for sale. And that. I'm be honest, that one hit me like a ton of bricks. If your price is not your life, you are for sale. Ultimately, if you're not fully willing to give up everything, including all the way up to your own life, physical life, then you can be bought. The question is, which can you be bought with? Not necessarily money. Maybe it's comfort, maybe it's lifestyle, maybe it's popularity. But if you haven't fully surrendered and already, excuse me, if you have fully surrendered, given your life to Jesus, it leaves no room for the enemy. Nothing he tries to entice you with will take hold. Whatever offer he makes, he won't interest you. You were already bought. [00:29:01] (56 seconds)

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