Do You Want What Comes With It

Good morning, church!

I hope you are all in good spirits. Before I dive into our message for today, I want to share a light-hearted anecdote. A young boy was visiting a large, majestic cathedral with his mother. As he was marveling at the grandeur of the building, his eyes fell on a plaque with various names and small flags next to it.

He turned to his mother and asked, "Mom, what are these names and flags for?" His mother explained, "These flags represent the members of our church who gave their lives in the service." The boy's eyes widened in awe, but after a moment of silence, he said, "Which one, the 9:30 or the 11:00 service?"

Now, laughter aside, that young boy's question carries more weight than we might first acknowledge. This brings us to our focal point today. I want to talk to you about the subject - 'Do You Want What Comes With It?' Our opening scripture comes from the book of Luke, chapter 14, verses 27 to 28:

"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?"

Our dreams, aspirations, and desires are often like that tower. We yearn for the finished product, the height, and the view from the top. But the pertinent question remains: Are we prepared to bear the costs that come with it?

Consider the life of Joseph, son of Jacob, in Genesis. A young man with dreams of greatness - dreams that his family would one day bow down to him. Joseph wanted what came with his dreams - leadership, influence, and power. But what he didn't anticipate were the trials that came along the journey. Sold into slavery by his own brothers, wrongfully accused, and thrown into prison, Joseph found that the path to his destiny was laden with hardship and tribulation.

And yet, Joseph bore his cross. He understood the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who said, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." Joseph's dreams did come to pass, but it wasn't without cost.

Similarly, Paul, the Apostle, also knew about bearing the cross. Paul was a man of stature, a Pharisee, well respected and revered among his people. But when he met Christ on the road to Damascus, everything changed. He said in Philippians 3:8:

"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ"

Paul desired to know Christ, but he was also willing to accept what came with it - persecution, shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonment. He counted the cost and considered it worth it. The reward of knowing Christ surpassed all he had to give up or endure.

We all have our own "it", our own tower to build. It could be a flourishing career, a peaceful family life, or a closer walk with God. But we must understand that there is a cost. As A.W. Tozer once said, "The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One." The real question is, are we willing to bear the cross that comes with the treasure?

You see, bearing our cross is not just about enduring hardships. It is about surrendering our will, it's about complete obedience to God's plans. Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me