"Count the Cost" By Chris Ulrich August 16th,
2015
It’s good to see everybody this
morning, and it definitely got hot. It’s
definitely summertime. I think we are
definitely feeling it, now. This month, the theme, we’re
covering the Book of Philippians, and we’ve gone through the first couple of
weeks. Our theme verse for the month is: Philippians 1:6 Being confident of
this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it
until the day of Jesus Christ: We’ve listened to a couple of
powerful messages this month. Jesse, he
delivered the message the first week, and he talked about how this gospel must
be preached. He also talked about that
there’s times we’re going to be uncomfortable.
We’re going to be uncomfortable, like Donna mentioned, getting out of
our comfort zone. Parrish, he gave the
message last week; he talked about this is something where we’re not yes-men
because we do the will of God, and we seek to do the will of God. That was a very strong point, because
sometimes people might look, and they might get a little critical, and it’s not
that at all. I mean, if we’re obedient
to do God’s will, and God seeks that in our life, that’s not being a Yes-man,
that’s being obedient to God. And,
another point that he made that really stood out was, we’re never going to
outlive God’s blessings. I appreciate
that, because it makes me think of Psalms 23:6, “Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the
LORD for ever.” And that’s something
that goes with us, that’s something that is going to outlive us. And that’s something that’s always going to
be there. This morning we’ll be taking our
text from Philippians chapter three. I want to welcome back the Jorge
family. Arman and his family had gone
down to Florida. Arman officiated the
wedding of his daughter, and this is the first wedding he’d ever done, so we
want him to share a little bit about it.
He and his family are definitely road-trip takers, so, go ahead and
share with us, Arman. Arman: A couple of years ago,
my daughter came to me, she lives in Florida, and she said, “Dad, we’re going
to get married. I want you to officiate
my wedding. I was flattered, but, at the
same time, I was like, ‘Why me? Why
can’t your Grandpa do it, or somebody else?’
I mean, that kind of thing. But,
you know, I guess she was looking at me as a minister, because, you know,
because of what we do here. So, I said,
“Yeah.” I mean, I was glad to do it, you
know, I was really happy, but, at the same time, you know, I was in prayer, the
whole two years about that, because I was, you know, I don’t know, I’ve never
done it, but I was in contact with Pastor Paine. I spoke with Parrish, you know. I got, you know, a lot of pointers from some
people. So, anyhow, I was kind of like,
two weeks ago, August eighth, that’s when the wedding took place, and, before I
did that, like I said, I was praying and saying, “God, You know, I’m not here
to put on a show, you know, but I do want to minister to people. I do want people to see me as a minister, not
as, you know, someone who just comes here to, you know. You know, there were a lot of people out
there that doesn’t know God, you know, so I have to balance that with what I
have to say. It was a blessing because I
had people come ask me, you know, about my faith. I had the chance to share. So, some people asked me, “So, how did you
become this? What gives you the
authority to?” I said, “You know, I’m a
minister of Christian Fellowship Church.
I’m not a pastor, but I’m just a minister, you know. This is what we do.” And, so, I was like, “God, thank You. When I come out of this—the wedding—not
really, you know, not bad. I was able to
talk to somebody.” But, thankfully, God
blessed the wedding. Everyone was coming
up to me, “Hey, you know, the wedding was so awesome.” I was like, “Thank you, but I was choking up
in there, but thank you.” It was,
really, it was all about sharing the faith, you know? I wasn’t there for a show, or anything. At the same time, I wanted to do a wedding, a
perfect wedding for my daughter. God is
perfect; I’m not perfect, but that’s the way it turned out, so I’m
thankful. Amen. I’m actually going to have a
little fun, right now, and I know this might be a little like an ice-breaker, I
guess you could call it. I know Jason
B., he’s our ice-breaker guy, but I’m going to do it this time. I actually—I’m going to ask a trivia
question, and I’m going to ask that anybody that’s a Bears fan, twenty-one and
under, you have to raise your hand and answer this question correctly, and
you’re going to win a prize. Okay? So, here is the question: The Bears have won one Superbowl; who did
they beat, and the year that they won it?
Raise your hand. No, Bob, you’re
not under twenty-one. Under twenty-one,
and, you have to be a Bears fan.
Anybody? Okay, under
twenty-five? (long pause) Anybody? George? George: 1985,
New England Patriots. That’s right, George, they beat
the New England Patriots. Come on up
here, George, you win a prize. I don’t know
how I wound up with this Bears pen in my car, but, because his team beat the
aforementioned, my favorite team, I’m going to present you with this pen. I also want to ask you if you could lead us
in prayer for the service? George: Oh, Heavenly Father,
we thank You that we can gather together in Your name, Lord, and, God, we give
the honor, and the glory, and he praise, Lord, for all the things that You do
for us, Lord. And, we ask that You bless
Chris as he gives the message, Lord; give him words to speak. Open our hearts and our minds and our eyes to
this, so that we can take in this daily bread, that we can be able to digest
it, and that we can go out and share it.
In the name of Jesus. Amen. So, we’re going to be covering
Philippians chapter three, and we’re going to be covering three main points
this morning: • Counting
the Cost • Pressing
toward the prize • Our
resurrection Philippians 3:1-8 Finally,
my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed
is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship
God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the
flesh. Though I might also have
confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he
might trust in the flesh, I more:
Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of
Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning
zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law,
blameless. But what things were gain to
me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea
doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, I’m not going to delve too deeply
into the background of the Apostle Paul, but a few takeaways from this passage,
as well as others that expound on his life, they prove that he was brilliant, very
zealous, and as the expression goes “On top of his game”. We don’t have to look too far to find people
in society who excel in their craft, even in this room; people in business,
people in sports, people in law, people in politics, and the list could go
on. Now, I don’t think money is always
the best barometer, as far as the measure of success, but we all need something
in order to survive, that’s true, that’s for sure. So what is it that we have had to give up, or
change, or forsake, in order to live this Christian life? As far as what beliefs that we’ve had, or
locations that we’ve lived, or maybe even a profession? Apostle Paul said that he counted all things
but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. I’m not trying to get you to think negatively,
or to have a perspective that this life is nothing but sacrifices, but my first
point today is that we must count the cost. • 1st
point – Counting the Cost And that counting the cost, that’s
not just a matter of looking at it like, “Okay, well, it’s going to take something
from me,” it’s something that, what are the other options? I mean, I look around, and this a room full
of people that are at varying ages, at varying walks with God in their life,
and, some people are at a point where they’re deciding what they want to
do. Some people are well-advanced, have
already decided, “Okay, this is how God has blessed my life; this is how my
life has gone.” I’m not saying that
there’s nothing but memories, but, they do accumulate, and there’s nothing
wrong with that. Surely goodness and
mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
That’s something to be able to look back and be very thankful for. I realize, as I grow older, I look at it
like, I don’t regret it; I don’t regret it one bit. And this isn’t to try to con anybody into
anything, but it’s more a matter of just being convincing. Luke 14:27-30 And whosoever
doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower,
sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to
finish it? Lest haply, after he hath
laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to
mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. But, back to the point about us
needing to be convincing that this is definitely a life worth living. Sometimes people need to hear that they’re
wrong; sometimes people need to hear that they’re right; and sometimes the best
thing we can tell them is God loves them.
But we all still need to count the cost. Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I
count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus. • 2nd
Point – We Must Press Toward the Prize We already talked about counting
the cost and not preaching false expectations, but true hope. I can’t say for sure but I would think most
everyone here has goals for their life.
It could be for a new job, a new home, to relocate, to make amends with
family, visit a certain place. These are
all well and good and absolutely things I suppose we all consider, but what are
our spiritual goals? Do we have a plan
to keep improving in our Bible reading, fellowship, visitation, prayer, and
fasting? I think we have to have a plan,
and sometimes those things are spontaneous.
Sometimes you start off the day and you have this plan, and, Donna,
along with the point that you shared, about you feel pretty spent when you get
to a certain point, when Pastor Paine was up here a couple of months ago, this
was an interesting point that he shared with the men, and, I actually did share
it last month, and I’m going to share it again, but he said, “You know, when
you get tired and worn out, go encourage somebody else,” and I thought, “Ugggh.” I thought, “But that’s a good thing.” And I share this: If he’d have said, “Just take a nap,” I’d
have been like, “Yeah, that makes sense.”
But, it’s spiritual thinking, and it’s a spiritual perspective. Yeah, there’s times when it’s like, you do feel—you
don’t feel regret, you don’t feel, “Oh, I’m worse off than I was in the first
place.” I’ve never had that happen. When I seriously committed to doing something
that was on the behalf of somebody else, preferring one another, bearing one
another’s burdens, that kind of thing, I didn’t come away like, “Oh, God!” So, it works.
I mean, it’s a real thing; it’s a tangible thing. What about evangelism, what about tithes and
offerings, what about teaching? And
don’t forget about making sure to manifest the fruit of the Spirit? I’m not trying to hold everyone else to the
fire without making sure I’m holding myself to the fire. We have to keep ourselves in check. Bear one another’s burdens, and bear one’s
own burdens. We’re talking about pressing towards
the prize; we’re talking about striving to enter in. We’re talking about fighting the good fight
of faith; however else you want to put it, there’s countless verses that talk
about that effort. It’s not like we just plop into salvation—I’m going to get
into that in a minute, here. Luke 13:23-25 Then said one
unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to
enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in,
and shall not be able. When once the
master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to
stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and
he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: So, only a few will be saved; that
is a fact. What about my family? What
about my friends? What percentage is a
few? Not to be cold-hearted or mean-spirited,
but the decision to live for Christ starts with us and it’s an individual
choice. We’re not going to lead anyone
to Jesus if we don’t first make that decision on our own. So, how seriously are we taking the
message? Not the message I’m giving
today, but the message that has been here for thousands of years. And I’m going to share another short story. This was about 15 years ago, and there was a
young guy who’d been baptized in Jesus’ name, probably eight months, nine
months. Just saw him at the church
building, when we had our location over on Belvidere. Just, “How you doing? How’s the day going? Have you talked to your family lately?” Just sort of chit-chatting a little bit. And this wasn’t me being a religious nut or
anything like that, or trying to be pushy, but I think there is still such a
thing as being our brother’s keeper. So,
I said, because I was off this morning, so, I was like, “Do you read the Bible
much?” He was like, “I haven’t read it
in like six months.” Sort of casually,
like that, and I was like, “Well, obviously you’re not taking your walk with
God that seriously. I mean, if this
where we have, “In Him we live and move and have our very being…” (Acts 17:28),
if Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” And, Dan, by the way, I appreciate those
verses you send out. There’s others here
that do that, too; they text out a verse each day. That shows me they’re reading. You know, I’m not trying to heap praises on
any one person, but I think that’s an encouraging thing. Keep it up; keep it up! That’s one of the things that will keep
us. There’s other components to this thing
called Christianity, but that’s certainly one of them. You can’t go wrong reading the Bible, unless
you’re trying to disprove it. “Oh, man,
there’s some loophole, here!” There
aren’t any. There are no loopholes, I
swear. Absolutely. I’m going to read a verse here
that talks about continuing to strive. Matthew 11:12 And from the days of
John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the
violent take it by force. There’s plenty of times we’re
going to have to sift through false doctrine, unbelievers, misconceptions, and
flat-out lies to get to the truth. I mean,
how much do you want to fight for it? In
other words, again, we can’t just plop into somewhere and say, “Oh, well, I’m
okay. You know, I’ll just float along
with society, and everything else.” I
just think, “What about taking step one, which is, making an effort? Is Ken A. here? I know you built your house. This was probably, like, seven, eight years
ago? Eleven. I remember, it wasn’t like a big announcement
or anything like that, but it was like, when I heard about that, it was like,
“If anybody could do it, there’s a guy that’s got the wherewithal, the ability,
and the effort, and the drive in God to do it.”
I mean, that, to me, is impressive, because I couldn’t build a
house. I’m just telling the
honest-to-God truth. I mean, I know I
fix a few things and break a few things, but the truth is, it’s like, I applaud
that. I mean, I look at something like
that, and that’s fantastic. That’s
something, but he had to take step one.
He was working a job; he owned his own business for a number of
years. So, it’s like, he deals with all
kinds of financing, titling people, that kind of thing. Again, not to heap praise on any one person,
but there’s talent here. And there’s
things like, where it takes an effort; you don’t just say, “I’m going to do
it.” Okay. Five years on, “I’m going to do it.” Okay, okay.
It’s like you want to see that happen, but, if an effort’s not made, and
the same goes with Christianity. It’s
not going to be like, we just plop into it, and, “All right. Now I’ll just take a ride with somebody else.” I know that, like what you mentioned, Jesse, a
couple of weeks ago about dealing with that occasional discomfort, there’s
going to be that on the outside, and there’s going to be that on the inside. And, what I mean by that is like, I know
before I became a Christian, there was a lot of uncomfortable moments in time
in life, like awaiting an exam, or, “I don’t know if I did something wrong on
the job,” or whatever it was. But, I
would rather be in the faith, and know that if I’m trusting in God, something
might happen that isn’t something that I wanted to happen, like a lay-off, or
the passing of a loved one, or things like that, that, sometimes we know are
coming, and sometimes blind-side us. I
mean, everything’s not always planned out, like… But, I think, being able to look back and
say, “God has blessed us.” But it has to
start with God has blessed me, for me to be able to say, “Yes, that’s
convincing.” That’s something that, even
when we get to counting the cost. I
remember our founding general pastor used to share, “God will keep us if we
want to be kept.” If you don’t want to
be kept, don’t pray, don’t read the Bible, don’t study, don’t come to… You know, there’s lots of ways to not stay in
the faith. That gets to our third point
today; third and last point: • 3rd
Point – Our Resurrection This is definitely one of my
favorite passages, just because it talks about something that’s
everlasting. I mean, it’s not something
that, “Oh, it’s an answer for today.”
It’s not a quick fix, it’s not…
It pertains to down the road; it pertains to all time. Daniel 12:1-3 And at that time
shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy
people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was
a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be
delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of
the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and
everlasting contempt. And they that be
wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to
righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. We live in a time of trouble,
turbulence, uncertainty, and violence.
Sounds a lot like the way Genesis Six describes the earth before God
brought the flood. And that’s another thing:
When you think about some of these events that—there’s proof, but, I’ve
never seen the ark; I don’t need to see the ark. I don’t need to see the bones of all these
people that have, you know, like, if you look in the Bible, it talks about,
like, when Moses passed on, God buried the body. Only God knows where the body of Moses is, to
this day. I mean, that’s something that’s
incredible, but my point is that people sometimes think, Oh, well, I don’t
believe in the flood; I never saw it happen. I don’t believe in this or that.”
And, you know, I’m going to share one other, just kind of a sidebar: I was working with a guy, this was probably
about a month ago, and we were coming back from a job that we had in Milwaukee,
and we got to talking about some different things, and, I might just share a
point: We know what a rainbow is, and we
know that there’s a group, you know, they call it the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender
group, that has kind of taken the rainbow as their symbol, or emblem, or
whatever you want to call it. Me, I take
offense to that, but I’m not hateful towards them; I’m going to just share
this: Because, here’s the thing: I was talking to this guy, and he knows a
little bit about the Bible, but I said, “”Do you know what the rainbow
represents?” He said, “No, I actually
don’t.” I said, “It’s actually, after
the flood, God put a rainbow in the sky as a covenant with man that He would
never flood the earth again.” (Genesis 9:8-14)
I mean, these are things that need to be taught; these are things that
need to be understood. It wouldn’t even
matter if it was that group or any other group; it’s God’s. It’s God’s covenant with man, plain and
simple. I didn’t write it; I didn’t make
that up; that’s just the fact. So, this,
again, isn’t about trying to be despiteful, but, again, that is where it comes
from; that is a historical fact. We also
live in a time where men’s hearts are failing them for the fear of the things
coming upon the earth. There’s another
verse; look that up in Luke 21. But, if
we think about that for a minute; men’s hearts failing them for fear of
something that hasn’t even happened yet.
So, what can they possibly think is coming that’s that dreadful? Judgment? I don’t know.
I mean, disaster? I don’t know; I
mean, there’s been so many movies in the last twenty years, I’ve lost
track. Armageddon or this disaster, or
this coming, or this whatever; you know, The Day After Tomorrow, and just on
and on and on. And it’s almost like—I just
saw a brief article, the other day, “Scientists now can predict the last day of
the earth.” I thought, “That’s a lie,”
because, here’s the thing: The Bible
says that no man knows the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man shall come. So, when you see that stuff, and, as
Christians, we can sift through it; read between the lines, as they say—and not
to go out there and start a fight with the author, “You know what? I’m sick of this!” You know, it’s not that at all. It’s just a matter of like, okay, you sort of
cast it aside; keep plugging away in life.
That’s it. This is our last passage from
Philippians; we’ve got one more verse after this. Before we read this, backing up to the
comment about men’s hearts failing them for fear of things coming on the earth: What kind of future is that to look forward
to? And I want to step back, and I want
to make a comment: I made a mistake, this
was about ten months ago, when I mentioned that we had Bible studies at the
Orelups’ for several years, and Jennifer, Nubia’s daughter, had asked for the
topic on the future, and, during a sermon, I had said, “Yeah, she asked for a
topic on the end times,” and that was false, so, I’m correcting that. But, you know what? I appreciate her asking
for that topic, because, as older people, I don’t want to say, “You’ve got nothing
to look forward to; it’s all gloom and doom.
It’s distressing, the economy’s getting worse. Everything’s going to fall apart.” That’s not the case; there’s a lot to look
forward to. This is our future, but it’s
up to us to make sure that we awake to everlasting life and not everlasting
contempt. Philippians 3:9-12 And be found
in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which
is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by
faith: That I may know him, and the
power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made
conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the
resurrection of the dead. Not as though
I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if
that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:15-21 Let
us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be
otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already
attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and
mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you
often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of
Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose
God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly
things.) For our conversation is in
heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may
be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he
is able even to subdue all things unto himself. God is going to change our body
and all that will be left is our soul. I’m
not talking about not interacting in society or becoming a recluse. But, how much is your soul worth to you
today? Is it worth more than all of the
fame, fortune, and glory that the world supposedly offers? Because that’s another trick. What’s that all really amount to in the end anyway? We’ve all heard that we can’t take it with us. There’s nothing wrong with having some
possessions, but we do have to understand that that’s not forever. Job talked about, “Naked came I into the
world, and naked shall I return thither.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) That’s something like—I’m not talking about
trying to have, like, make it any more difficult than it already is, as far as
this life, but it’s definitely worth it. Count the cost. “What Will a Man Give in Exchange for His
Soul” was almost the title of today’s message but instead the title is “Count
the Cost” Again, I’m not talking about
selling all your possessions and taking an oath of poverty, or becoming a
recluse, or a hermit, as they say. Maybe
you’ve had a rough road, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Maybe you’ve had a pretty good road. Maybe it’s somewhere in between, where, “I’ve
had some ups and downs.” I think that’s
really where most people live. To you I
say, Count the Cost. I’m going
to read one last passage, this is our last verse of the day, but I want to
share this before: If you’ve had a rough
time, Jesus is the answer. We do have to
count the cost. Even if you’ve had a
good time, you still have to count the cost.
Or somewhere in between, you still have to count the cost. I remember a sermon you preached around
Easter, I think it was Easter, Parrish, that you just—I’m going to paraphrase a
little bit—but you just kind of talked about:
“In the good times, all hail. In
the bad times, all hail Jesus name. In
the in between times, when things are looking up, all hail.” And I appreciate that, because there’s not a
time to say, “Oh, I’m just going to put my Christianity on the shelf,” or say, “Aw,
forget it, I’m going to go do this or that or the other.” I mean, people can. That happens often enough. There’s by far, more people not living a
Christian life than that really are. I
mean, I get that there’s, you know, kind of a religious country; we’re kind of
getting away from that, but I would have to say that there’s only one Lord, one
faith, and one baptism (Ephesians 4:5), and there’s only one way to come to the
knowledge of the truth, and I believe that God’s really going to show us where
we’re at; He’s not going to leave us hanging in the breeze, or just wondering, “Well,
how do I find the Truth?” If you really
want to find the Truth, you can find it.
He will find you. Mark 8:34-37 And when he had called the people unto him
with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose
it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same
shall save it. For what shall it profit
a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his
soul? Thank you for your time. God bless.
|
|
|
|
