Hello brothers and sisters, my name is Ronny Shelton. 00:00:31.85\00:00:34.25 I hope you've got your Bibles with you today. 00:00:34.28\00:00:37.57 You know, we're fighting a spiritual battle, and we have to 00:00:37.60\00:00:41.08 use a spiritual tool; the word of God. 00:00:41.11\00:00:44.03 I'm hoping you'll open your Bibles with me to Luke 14. 00:00:44.06\00:00:48.49 In Luke 14 Jesus sets up a test of discipleship. 00:00:48.52\00:00:54.69 I want to start reading at about verse 16 of chapter 14. 00:00:54.72\00:01:05.20 There it says: 00:01:05.23\00:01:06.65 As I'm analyzing this parable the first thing I'm thinking 00:01:29.10\00:01:32.93 about is: How many of you have bought a piece of property 00:01:32.96\00:01:35.98 and you've never seen it? 00:01:36.01\00:01:37.20 I recently moved, just a couple of months ago, 00:01:37.23\00:01:40.01 from one place to another. 00:01:40.04\00:01:41.52 I saw this piece of property, and I went out and I began to 00:01:41.55\00:01:44.40 walk across this property. 00:01:44.43\00:01:46.12 Then I stepped it off. 00:01:46.15\00:01:48.15 I wanted to make sure that it was what it was supposed to be. 00:01:48.18\00:01:51.23 Then I wasn't satisfied with that. 00:01:51.26\00:01:53.27 I walked every square foot of it that I could get on. 00:01:53.30\00:01:56.32 I took my tape measure and I measured across the frontage. 00:01:56.35\00:01:58.88 You know, I'm glad that I did. 00:01:58.91\00:02:00.82 It was twenty feet short! 00:02:00.85\00:02:01.97 I brought that to the attention of the realtor, and he grabbed 00:02:02.00\00:02:05.53 up the stake and he moved it twenty feet, 00:02:05.56\00:02:07.51 and he sat it back down. 00:02:07.54\00:02:08.51 You see, so I'm thinking, what an excuse for not going to 00:02:08.52\00:02:12.01 the great supper. 00:02:12.04\00:02:13.01 A man's bought a piece of property without seeing it. 00:02:13.02\00:02:15.05 I'm just not buying that! 00:02:15.08\00:02:16.38 Let's read on. 00:02:16.41\00:02:17.41 Verse 19: 00:02:17.44\00:02:19.19 Now, once again, usually when I give this sermon I'll ask, 00:02:26.12\00:02:30.90 Has anyone bought any oxen lately? 00:02:30.93\00:02:33.09 Well, you know, I never get any hands going up on that one. 00:02:33.12\00:02:35.33 Nobody seems to be buying oxen these days. 00:02:35.36\00:02:37.54 But in Jesus' day it was very prevalent. 00:02:37.57\00:02:40.78 The oxen then did all the work. 00:02:40.81\00:02:42.75 There were no tractors and things that we use now; 00:02:42.78\00:02:45.73 no garden tillers. 00:02:45.76\00:02:46.81 The oxen did all of the work. 00:02:46.84\00:02:48.72 I was in India this past February, and I saw oxen, 00:02:48.75\00:02:52.42 just row, after row, after row of oxen, going down the road 00:02:52.45\00:02:55.68 pulling plows, pulling big wagons, covered wagons, 00:02:55.71\00:02:58.68 doing all of the work. 00:02:58.71\00:02:59.74 I can't imagine in Jesus' day that someone had bought 00:02:59.77\00:03:03.49 five yoke of oxen, and they hadn't proved them yet. 00:03:03.52\00:03:07.21 So, to me again, another flimsy excuse for not attending 00:03:07.24\00:03:11.79 the great supper. 00:03:11.82\00:03:12.79 Let's look on to verse 20. 00:03:12.80\00:03:14.55 As I looked at this I thought, You know, this has got to be 00:03:19.01\00:03:22.43 the worst excuse of them all! 00:03:22.46\00:03:24.13 It's got to be the worst excuse of them all! 00:03:24.16\00:03:27.10 Back to the way I am, and a lot of men are, at our home 00:03:27.13\00:03:30.78 if there's a big supper being planned, or a party, 00:03:30.81\00:03:33.53 or something, and we get an invitation, it will be my wife 00:03:33.56\00:03:37.63 who wants to go to the party, you see. 00:03:37.66\00:03:40.20 Myself, I'll be saying, Ah, honey, 00:03:40.23\00:03:42.89 are you sure that we have to go? 00:03:42.92\00:03:43.89 Do I have to go, or can I stay? 00:03:43.90\00:03:45.60 So this man said, I have just married a wife, 00:03:45.63\00:03:48.18 and therefore I cannot come. 00:03:48.21\00:03:49.25 That's probably the flimsiest excuse of them all. 00:03:49.28\00:03:52.76 Let's read on then in verse 21. 00:03:52.79\00:03:56.57 You see, Jesus had made an exclusive invitation. 00:04:16.35\00:04:20.85 He bid certain people that He wanted there, and He said, 00:04:20.88\00:04:24.71 I want you to come to my great feast. 00:04:24.74\00:04:26.27 I'm preparing something special for you. 00:04:26.30\00:04:28.00 I want you to come to the great feast. 00:04:28.03\00:04:30.04 When they began to make excuses he broadens the spectrum. 00:04:30.07\00:04:35.47 He says, Okay, if My people won't come, let's take it 00:04:35.50\00:04:39.06 a little farther out. 00:04:39.09\00:04:40.36 So then in that verse He said, Let's take it now into the 00:04:40.39\00:04:43.98 streets and the lanes of the city. 00:04:44.01\00:04:46.28 So now we're leaving this certain place, and we're going 00:04:46.31\00:04:49.85 out, and we're bringing the invitation 00:04:49.88\00:04:51.20 to the rest of the city. 00:04:51.23\00:04:53.00 Then in verse 22 and 23: 00:04:53.03\00:04:55.36 You see, once again He has extended the territory. 00:05:11.70\00:05:15.43 So I like to put it this way: He invites us, and we find excuses 00:05:15.46\00:05:20.20 for why we can't go. 00:05:20.23\00:05:21.36 We find excuses for why we can't be in His service. 00:05:21.39\00:05:24.78 We find excuses, just in the day to day humdrum, the rut that 00:05:24.81\00:05:28.88 we live in, our day to day duties. 00:05:28.91\00:05:31.33 We find excuses for why we can't be a participant in this; why we 00:05:31.36\00:05:36.28 can't work for God. 00:05:36.31\00:05:37.54 So the invitation goes farther out. 00:05:37.57\00:05:40.15 Now it goes out of this house, and it goes out to the streets. 00:05:40.18\00:05:44.55 So some people respond, some do not. 00:05:44.58\00:05:47.91 Then the invitation goes out even farther, beyond the streets 00:05:47.94\00:05:52.21 of this town, of your town. 00:05:52.24\00:05:53.61 It now goes out to the rest of the territory; to the county, 00:05:53.64\00:05:57.16 to the state, to North America, to South America, and finally to 00:05:57.19\00:06:02.41 encompass the entire globe. 00:06:02.44\00:06:03.74 The invitation goes out, and still people will find excuses. 00:06:03.77\00:06:10.18 Many will respond, but many will not. 00:06:10.21\00:06:13.24 Let's look at verse 24. 00:06:13.27\00:06:14.58 Verse 24 says: 00:06:14.61\00:06:17.27 Very serious! 00:06:23.56\00:06:26.26 None of those men which were bidden shall taste of My supper, 00:06:26.29\00:06:29.44 Jesus says. 00:06:29.47\00:06:30.97 You see, He calls us to action. 00:06:31.00\00:06:32.80 He calls us out of our pews, out of our chairs, 00:06:32.83\00:06:36.55 and out of our homes. 00:06:36.58\00:06:37.71 He calls us to action. 00:06:37.74\00:06:39.27 When we refuse; when we begin to make excuses for why we can't 00:06:39.30\00:06:44.18 go, we can't do, and we can't serve, pretty soon the 00:06:44.21\00:06:49.05 invitation has left us; left us desolate. 00:06:49.08\00:06:53.03 Verse 24 is a very serious thing. 00:06:53.06\00:06:56.36 You see, to refuse God's call on our lives is a very 00:06:56.39\00:07:00.20 serious matter. 00:07:00.23\00:07:01.56 Jesus then lays out a test of discipleship, starting in 00:07:01.59\00:07:06.40 verse 26. 00:07:06.43\00:07:07.40 Let's read about that. 00:07:07.41\00:07:08.73 You know, I began to look at this. 00:07:38.78\00:07:41.06 I began to look at this text, and I thought, What? 00:07:41.09\00:07:44.64 Does Jesus actually want me to hate my father and my mother, 00:07:45.31\00:07:48.60 my brother and my sister? 00:07:48.63\00:07:49.68 I can't believe that! 00:07:49.71\00:07:51.46 God is a God of love, and I can't believe that He's 00:07:51.49\00:07:53.62 expecting me to hate my father and my brother, 00:07:53.65\00:07:57.01 my mother and my sister. 00:07:57.04\00:07:58.01 So I began to dig a little deeper. 00:07:58.02\00:08:00.01 As I dug deeper it took me to Genesis 29. 00:08:00.04\00:08:04.54 Go with me there to Genesis 29. 00:08:04.57\00:08:07.85 There in Genesis 29; I want to read verse 30 and 31. 00:08:07.88\00:08:14.66 Do you see this right here? 00:08:31.48\00:08:33.37 Now this kind of helped a little bit. 00:08:33.40\00:08:35.39 I thought God is making a comparison. 00:08:35.42\00:08:38.78 Jacob did not say that he hated Leah. 00:08:38.81\00:08:42.14 He said he loved Rachel more. 00:08:42.17\00:08:44.71 He loved Rachel more than Leah. 00:08:44.74\00:08:47.51 So Jesus is making the comparison that anything less 00:08:47.54\00:08:54.18 than 100% is no good at all. 00:08:54.21\00:08:57.10 You see, He's either God of all, or He's not God at all. 00:08:57.13\00:09:01.01 He's either God of all, or not God at all. 00:09:01.04\00:09:06.73 Anything less than 100% is insufficient and will not do. 00:09:06.76\00:09:13.21 So Jesus is not asking us to hate our father and our mother, 00:09:13.24\00:09:16.11 but He's putting a comparison on them. 00:09:16.14\00:09:18.16 Compare your feelings with your close family, 00:09:18.19\00:09:20.39 and your comparison of your feelings with Him. 00:09:20.42\00:09:23.53 So that helped. 00:09:23.56\00:09:25.07 I wanted more, so I turned in the Bible to Matthew 10. 00:09:25.10\00:09:29.97 Turn with me to Matthew 10:34-36. 00:09:30.00\00:09:39.90 There it says: 00:09:39.93\00:09:41.54 See, again Jesus is drawing a picture. 00:09:59.40\00:10:02.90 Will you serve Me? 00:10:02.93\00:10:05.03 Will you put Me first? 00:10:05.06\00:10:06.32 Will I be the only one in your life? 00:10:06.35\00:10:08.50 Here He says, I'm bringing a sword; a sword that will cut 00:10:08.53\00:10:13.01 right down the middle. 00:10:13.04\00:10:14.24 The sheep will be on one side, and the goats 00:10:16.02\00:10:18.55 will be on the other. 00:10:18.58\00:10:19.55 He says that test is coming to you. 00:10:19.58\00:10:22.55 He said, I didn't come to bring peace. 00:10:22.58\00:10:24.24 I didn't come to bring you peace, but a sword, to make you 00:10:24.27\00:10:29.63 make a decision for Christ or against Him. 00:10:29.66\00:10:33.38 For Christ or against Him. 00:10:33.41\00:10:35.88 Let's read on in verses 37 and 38. 00:10:35.91\00:10:38.74 Now see, that helps. 00:10:56.54\00:10:58.20 That helps. 00:10:58.23\00:10:59.41 Once again, Jesus is saying, Not that I want you to hate your 00:10:59.45\00:11:02.32 father and your mother, your brother and your sister, 00:11:02.35\00:11:04.38 your family, your closely associated people. 00:11:04.41\00:11:07.29 He's saying, I must come first. 00:11:07.32\00:11:10.38 I must be first, He said. 00:11:10.41\00:11:13.72 If you love father or mother more than Me, He says, 00:11:13.75\00:11:17.54 if you love brother or sister, or family, or spouse, 00:11:17.57\00:11:21.16 or your job, or your friends, or your bank account, 00:11:21.19\00:11:24.73 or the cares of this world more than Me, He says, You are not 00:11:24.76\00:11:28.59 worthy of Me. 00:11:28.62\00:11:30.55 You are not worthy of Me. 00:11:30.58\00:11:34.37 Verse 39: 00:11:34.40\00:11:36.51 Young people used to say, Let's get a life! 00:11:48.18\00:11:50.99 Get a life! they would say. 00:11:51.02\00:11:52.82 I must find out who I am. 00:11:52.85\00:11:54.21 Who am I? 00:11:54.24\00:11:55.38 I need to find out who I am before I can do 00:11:55.41\00:11:57.27 anything for God. 00:11:57.30\00:11:58.35 I want to get a life! 00:11:58.38\00:12:00.70 That's what they said. 00:12:00.73\00:12:02.68 What does God say about being friends with the world? 00:12:02.71\00:12:06.11 There he says: 00:12:11.11\00:12:12.08 You see, anyone that wants to find their life; any man, 00:12:37.04\00:12:41.51 any woman, any child that wants to find their life, and says, 00:12:41.54\00:12:44.42 I must find out who I am, Jesus says that in the end 00:12:44.45\00:12:47.37 you will lose your life. 00:12:47.41\00:12:49.63 You may find it now. 00:12:49.66\00:12:50.96 You may find out who you are here and now, but in the end 00:12:50.99\00:12:54.28 you forfeit eternal life. 00:12:54.31\00:12:56.00 In the end you will forfeit eternal life. 00:12:56.03\00:13:02.78 Jesus says if we find our life we will lose it. 00:13:02.81\00:13:07.16 But he that loses his life... 00:13:07.19\00:13:08.97 In other words, if I am not going to find myself, 00:13:09.00\00:13:12.57 if I'm not going to be my own person, I'm going to allow God 00:13:12.60\00:13:14.84 to take over my life, then in the end I shall find it, 00:13:14.87\00:13:19.26 and shall find eternal life. 00:13:19.29\00:13:21.92 We must count the cost brothers and sisters. 00:13:21.95\00:13:26.12 Count the cost of living the Christian way. 00:13:26.15\00:13:29.21 County the cost of living the Christian way. 00:13:29.24\00:13:33.48 But I can hear someone say, now wait just a minute! 00:13:33.51\00:13:36.67 Isn't heaven free? 00:13:36.70\00:13:38.13 The Bible says it's a gift of God. 00:13:38.16\00:13:41.83 Yes, it does. 00:13:41.86\00:13:43.75 The Bible does say it's a gift of God, not of works, 00:13:43.78\00:13:46.78 lest any should boast, you see. 00:13:46.81\00:13:48.44 But let's look at that text then in Ephesians 2:8. 00:13:48.47\00:13:52.84 You see, it is a gift of God, and a gift is something that 00:14:01.35\00:14:05.35 comes totally unattached; no strings attached. 00:14:05.38\00:14:07.85 It is a gift of God with nothing further required. 00:14:07.88\00:14:11.79 That sounds free! 00:14:12.92\00:14:14.29 That sounds free enough. 00:14:14.32\00:14:15.92 No strings attached. 00:14:15.95\00:14:17.11 But I'm going to surprise you today and say it is not 00:14:17.14\00:14:22.20 entirely free. 00:14:22.23\00:14:23.20 It comes with a cost. 00:14:23.21\00:14:26.57 You see, salvation has a cost to it. 00:14:26.60\00:14:29.97 It comes with a cost. 00:14:30.00\00:14:32.70 Jesus gives us a tremendous illustration of 00:14:32.73\00:14:36.96 the cost of heaven. 00:14:36.99\00:14:38.04 Let's look at that in Matthew 13:44. 00:14:38.07\00:14:48.62 A very simple illustration. 00:15:05.66\00:15:07.41 A very simple illustration where Jesus is comparing 00:15:07.44\00:15:11.43 the cost of heaven. 00:15:11.46\00:15:12.43 I'd like to use my imagination a little bit, if I could, on that. 00:15:12.44\00:15:18.46 You know people back then took their gold, silver, 00:15:18.49\00:15:23.81 their valuables, and their jewels, and they went out and 00:15:23.84\00:15:26.54 they dug a hole in the ground and buried their valuables. 00:15:26.57\00:15:30.45 You see there was no 1st Bank, 2nd Bank, and 1st 3rd Bank, 00:15:30.48\00:15:33.94 and all of that. 00:15:33.97\00:15:34.94 So a man went out and he dug a little hole, and he put in his 00:15:34.95\00:15:38.06 valuables, and he covered them over. 00:15:38.09\00:15:39.90 Well, often the man would die; forgot where he put them. 00:15:39.93\00:15:44.38 So the man in this illustration, this parable that 00:15:44.41\00:15:49.68 Jesus has laid out, says that this man finds one in a field. 00:15:49.71\00:15:52.50 I can imagine him one day going out into a field. 00:15:52.53\00:15:54.98 He's walking across, and maybe he stubs his toe 00:15:55.01\00:15:58.31 on some little something. 00:15:58.34\00:15:59.35 He reaches down, and he picks it up, and he brushes off the top. 00:15:59.38\00:16:04.72 He says, Wow, what is this I found here? 00:16:04.75\00:16:07.22 What have I found? 00:16:07.25\00:16:08.24 He opens up the lid, and looks inside. and he says, Oh my, 00:16:08.27\00:16:13.25 there is a treasure there; inestimable treasure. 00:16:13.28\00:16:17.56 Wow! 00:16:17.59\00:16:20.03 Being an honest man he puts the lid back on it and puts it 00:16:20.06\00:16:23.02 back down in the ground. 00:16:23.05\00:16:24.02 He puts it back down in the ground and covers it over. 00:16:26.53\00:16:29.15 I can imagine, if it were me, I'd probably grab a little extra 00:16:29.18\00:16:32.95 dirt and throw it in, and make sure that it is covered, 00:16:32.98\00:16:35.85 and maybe drag up a few branches and cover this treasure over. 00:16:35.88\00:16:39.39 Then I make my way into the realtor's office. 00:16:39.42\00:16:42.45 In the realtors office, I go to the realtor and I say, 00:16:42.48\00:16:49.69 You know, there's a piece of property out on the 00:16:49.72\00:16:51.05 north side of town. 00:16:51.08\00:16:52.91 I describe it to him, and I say, I want to buy that property. 00:16:52.94\00:16:55.24 You see, knowing that I know there's a hidden treasure there. 00:16:55.27\00:16:58.21 The realtor doesn't know it. 00:16:58.24\00:17:00.17 The people of the world don't know it. 00:17:00.20\00:17:02.33 But I have found a valuable treasure, and I'm going to do 00:17:02.36\00:17:06.93 all I can to obtain that treasure. 00:17:06.96\00:17:08.80 So I go out and I ask the realtor, How much is it? 00:17:08.83\00:17:16.39 He goes to the back and he brings out the contract, 00:17:16.42\00:17:18.99 and the deed. 00:17:19.02\00:17:20.71 It has the price tag on it like I've never seen before. 00:17:20.75\00:17:23.53 Wow, I think, that's a lot! 00:17:23.56\00:17:26.97 I don't know if I can raise that much money. 00:17:27.00\00:17:28.81 So I go back to my house, and I go out into the yard. 00:17:28.84\00:17:33.42 I take my shovel and I dig up my treasures, and I bring them 00:17:33.45\00:17:38.35 in the house, and I put them on the table. 00:17:38.38\00:17:40.00 On the table I count them, and I say, Oh, that's way short! 00:17:40.03\00:17:43.83 That won't do! 00:17:43.86\00:17:44.83 That won't do at all! 00:17:44.84\00:17:46.58 So I make a for sale sign and I go out and stick it 00:17:46.61\00:17:50.86 in front of the house. 00:17:50.89\00:17:52.33 It says, Live Stock for Sale, Clearance, 00:17:52.36\00:17:55.69 Everything has got to go! 00:17:55.72\00:17:56.89 I sell all of my sheep, my goats, my cattle, my horses, 00:17:56.92\00:18:01.61 my stock, and my camels. 00:18:01.64\00:18:03.07 I sell it all. 00:18:03.10\00:18:04.07 I bring that money and I put it on the table with the other. 00:18:04.08\00:18:08.01 I count it, and I say, That's still short! 00:18:08.04\00:18:10.45 That won't be enough. 00:18:10.48\00:18:12.11 That's not enough. 00:18:12.14\00:18:14.08 What am I going to do? 00:18:14.11\00:18:15.08 Then I take that sign, and I turn it around. 00:18:15.09\00:18:17.73 Now I write on it: House for Sale. 00:18:17.76\00:18:21.19 I'm going to sell the whole place. 00:18:21.22\00:18:22.91 So I sell my house, my cars, my trucks, 00:18:22.94\00:18:26.49 and everything that I have. 00:18:26.52\00:18:29.43 I cashed in my bonds, and I bring it all together. 00:18:29.46\00:18:33.38 Now I put it in one place, and I say, That's everything I have. 00:18:33.41\00:18:37.88 I have nothing else. 00:18:37.91\00:18:40.40 So I go into the realtors office, and I bring all of my 00:18:40.43\00:18:47.05 valuables, everything that I have, and I put it 00:18:47.08\00:18:50.19 up on his desk. 00:18:50.22\00:18:51.35 I say, Is that enough right there? 00:18:51.38\00:18:53.47 Is that enough? 00:18:53.50\00:18:55.38 He begins to count it out. 00:18:55.41\00:18:58.46 He counts it out, and finally we get to the bottom line. 00:18:58.49\00:19:04.52 The bottom line is, Yes! 00:19:04.55\00:19:05.72 That is exactly the price of this piece of property. 00:19:05.75\00:19:12.62 You see, I want to ask you today, What did it cost? 00:19:12.65\00:19:17.92 How much was it? 00:19:17.95\00:19:19.43 The kingdom of God is free. 00:19:19.46\00:19:21.66 But how much did it cost this man? 00:19:21.69\00:19:24.11 How much did it cost him? 00:19:24.14\00:19:27.12 The text says that he sold all that he could; all that he had. 00:19:27.15\00:19:32.30 He brought it all together and bought that property. 00:19:32.33\00:19:36.03 You see, the bottom line is it will cost us all that we 00:19:36.06\00:19:40.59 have ever been. 00:19:40.62\00:19:41.94 And Praise God, what I have been, I want to give to Him. 00:19:41.97\00:19:46.35 How about you? 00:19:46.38\00:19:47.65 I want to give Him my past. 00:19:47.68\00:19:50.42 I willingly turn that over to Him. 00:19:50.45\00:19:53.42 I say, Lord, take it! 00:19:53.45\00:19:54.93 I'll give this for heaven. 00:19:54.96\00:19:55.95 But you see, it doesn't stop there. 00:19:55.98\00:19:59.01 God accepts our past, but now He wants our present. 00:19:59.04\00:20:05.00 He wants our present. 00:20:05.03\00:20:07.32 Our day to day will has to be submitted to Him. 00:20:07.35\00:20:10.73 He says, I want your present, but I also want your tomorrow, 00:20:10.76\00:20:15.94 and the next day. 00:20:15.97\00:20:17.71 Finally, I want all of your life, for the rest of your life, 00:20:17.74\00:20:22.24 as long as you live. 00:20:22.27\00:20:23.40 You see, the price of that Kingdom is everything that I 00:20:23.43\00:20:30.71 used to be. 00:20:30.74\00:20:31.71 It's everything that I am today, and it's everything that I ever 00:20:32.47\00:20:37.67 hope to be. 00:20:37.70\00:20:38.67 Everything that I aspire to be must be surrendered to Him. 00:20:38.68\00:20:42.43 Nothing else will work. 00:20:42.46\00:20:45.00 Let's look again at chapter 13 of Matthew and verse 45. 00:20:47.45\00:20:53.95 You see, once again, brothers and sisters, 00:21:08.23\00:21:09.98 The price was the same. 00:21:10.02\00:21:11.65 The price is the same for all of us. 00:21:11.68\00:21:13.49 We all pay the same price for the Kingdom, and that price is 00:21:13.52\00:21:18.86 everything that we have. 00:21:18.89\00:21:20.99 Everything that we are, everything that we ever aspire 00:21:21.02\00:21:25.29 to be must be turned over to Him. 00:21:25.32\00:21:27.62 I like the way that Ellen White quotes. 00:21:27.65\00:21:29.65 I'm going to quote Ellen White in her book, 00:21:29.68\00:21:31.87 Christ's Object Lessons, page 116. 00:21:31.90\00:21:35.02 And there it says: 00:21:35.05\00:21:36.52 I want to ask you, brothers and sisters, How much did it cost 00:21:56.44\00:22:00.56 for that pearl of great price? 00:22:00.59\00:22:01.99 You see, it cost this man also everything that he ever was. 00:22:02.02\00:22:07.26 We want to give Him our past, Amen? 00:22:07.29\00:22:09.78 We want to give Him our past, but yet we get hesitant about 00:22:09.81\00:22:14.94 giving Him our today. 00:22:14.97\00:22:15.94 He requires our day, today, and tomorrow, and the next. 00:22:15.95\00:22:22.16 He requires service every day for the rest of our lives. 00:22:22.19\00:22:26.71 You see, all that we possess belongs to Him anyway. 00:22:26.74\00:22:31.75 Our talents; that's where we got them! 00:22:31.78\00:22:33.80 We must consecrate them to His service. 00:22:33.83\00:22:37.22 You see, there is a cost of heaven. 00:22:37.25\00:22:40.06 There's a cost. 00:22:41.43\00:22:42.85 That cost is a total, unreserved, consecrated 00:22:42.88\00:22:47.08 surrender to Jesus Christ. 00:22:47.11\00:22:48.92 In short, we are called to live a holy life. 00:22:48.95\00:22:51.72 We are called to live a holy life. 00:22:53.17\00:22:56.22 We are a peculiar people; a royal priesthood, you see. 00:22:58.48\00:23:03.32 We are to be set aside from the rest of the world 00:23:03.35\00:23:06.84 and consecrate our lives to Him, totally and completely, 00:23:06.87\00:23:10.81 living a holy life, and not clinging on to the things 00:23:10.84\00:23:14.27 of this world. 00:23:14.30\00:23:15.27 You may say, but that sounds like a great price to pay. 00:23:15.28\00:23:19.78 That's a lot: my father, my mother, 00:23:19.81\00:23:23.09 whatever stands in the way. 00:23:23.13\00:23:25.41 For our final verse let's look at Matthew 19. 00:23:25.45\00:23:29.37 In Matthew chapter 19, verse 29: 00:23:29.40\00:23:36.60 You see, Jesus says there's a time that's coming when 00:23:53.70\00:23:57.15 He brings that sword to you and to your household. 00:23:57.18\00:24:00.10 That sword is going to cause you to make a decision for Him, 00:24:00.13\00:24:05.61 or against Him. 00:24:05.64\00:24:06.99 Will I stick with my husband, or my wife, or my children? 00:24:07.02\00:24:10.57 Some have said, well, you know, I can't be a Christian. 00:24:10.60\00:24:13.69 I can't join your faith; your denomination. 00:24:13.72\00:24:16.19 Why my son or daughter would just disown me. 00:24:16.22\00:24:18.69 My parents will just have a fit! 00:24:18.72\00:24:21.60 Jesus says that that sword is going to come and divide, 00:24:21.63\00:24:26.14 and you will make a decision. 00:24:26.17\00:24:28.14 Will you be with His sheep, or will you go with the goats? 00:24:28.17\00:24:32.85 You see, it's coming decision time. 00:24:32.88\00:24:35.54 We all must count the cost of living the Christian way. 00:24:35.57\00:24:41.16 Yes, salvation is free, but it will cost you everything, 00:24:41.19\00:24:45.13 everything that you could put together. 00:24:45.16\00:24:48.07 It will cost everything in your life to follow Him, 00:24:48.10\00:24:54.01 because He will not be second to anything. 00:24:54.04\00:24:57.32 He will not be second to our bank accounts, to our jobs. 00:24:57.35\00:25:01.84 You know, some may say, but I can't give up that. 00:25:01.87\00:25:04.67 Does He know that I must eat? 00:25:04.70\00:25:06.60 I must keep my job. 00:25:06.63\00:25:07.93 Doesn't He realize that? 00:25:07.96\00:25:09.04 I must work on the Sabbath. 00:25:09.07\00:25:10.54 Doesn't He know I've got car payments, and house payments? 00:25:10.57\00:25:13.94 He said, I know about all of that stuff. 00:25:13.97\00:25:15.47 It comes down to the text of, Seek ye first the kingdom of God 00:25:15.50\00:25:20.54 and his righteousness, and all these other things, He said, 00:25:20.57\00:25:24.28 will be added unto you. 00:25:24.31\00:25:25.71 All of these others things will be added to you, 00:25:26.91\00:25:29.07 because He knows. 00:25:29.11\00:25:30.28 You put Him first, and you'll not go without food, 00:25:30.32\00:25:32.93 you'll not go without raiment, you'll not go without a 00:25:32.96\00:25:36.17 place to stay. 00:25:36.20\00:25:37.20 If we've had to give up houses, brothers or sisters, 00:25:37.23\00:25:43.33 for the kingdom, He said, they shall be restored unto us 00:25:43.36\00:25:47.46 one hundred fold. 00:25:47.49\00:25:48.62 It shall be restored a hundred fold, He says, and then in the 00:25:48.65\00:25:52.22 end eternal life. 00:25:52.25\00:25:53.81 As I always like to say, that's kind of the icing on the cake, 00:25:53.84\00:25:57.02 you see, eternal life as well! 00:25:57.05\00:25:59.62 You see, we serve a loving God, but a God that 00:25:59.65\00:26:04.13 calls for obedience, and a God that calls us to be 00:26:04.16\00:26:08.63 separated from the world. 00:26:08.67\00:26:10.35 So the cost involved today, brothers and sisters, 00:26:10.38\00:26:14.21 is, Will you put Him first? 00:26:14.24\00:26:16.75 Will you put Him number one? because He will not take second 00:26:16.78\00:26:21.01 to anyone or anything. 00:26:21.04\00:26:22.91 It will be Jesus, and Jesus, and Jesus. 00:26:22.94\00:26:27.16 That's all there is. 00:26:27.19\00:26:28.25 He calls us to that occasion today. 00:26:28.28\00:26:32.11 Put Me first, He says. 00:26:32.14\00:26:33.96 All of these other things will be added unto you. 00:26:33.99\00:26:37.45 So we have to be consecrated, surrendered totally 00:26:37.48\00:26:43.80 to Jesus Christ. 00:26:43.83\00:26:45.17 Nothing else will do, nothing else. 00:26:45.20\00:26:48.00 There's a time coming, brothers and sisters, when you will make 00:26:51.22\00:26:55.57 that decision. 00:26:55.60\00:26:56.57 If you haven't already, and some have. 00:26:56.58\00:26:59.03 Praise God He's been there for you. 00:26:59.06\00:27:01.45 It may look dark right now. 00:27:01.48\00:27:03.17 You may have stepped out in faith and said, Lord, 00:27:03.20\00:27:06.91 I'm going to follow You. 00:27:06.94\00:27:07.91 I'm going to follow Your commandments. 00:27:07.92\00:27:09.29 I'm going to keep them all. 00:27:09.32\00:27:10.39 You may have suffered some persecution, but know that in 00:27:10.42\00:27:14.43 the end you have made the right decision. 00:27:14.46\00:27:18.00 You shall be rewarded a hundred fold, Jesus said, 00:27:18.03\00:27:21.92 and eternal life in the end. 00:27:21.95\00:27:24.83 You see, God is just calling us all away from this world. 00:27:24.86\00:27:28.70 Choose you this day whom you will serve. 00:27:28.73\00:27:31.46 Will you serve God, or will you serve this world? 00:27:31.49\00:27:35.33 You know, I want to pray that each of us will drawn closer 00:27:35.36\00:27:39.06 to His side every day. 00:27:39.09\00:27:40.52 May He give us strength. 00:27:40.55\00:27:42.69 Heavenly Father, again Lord we ask You: Give us strength 00:27:42.72\00:27:46.66 today to follow Your will and Your way. 00:27:46.69\00:27:48.60 We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. 00:27:48.63\00:27:52.22 Amen. 00:27:52.25\00:27:53.68