Counting the Cost
About this sermon
In “Counting the Cost,” Pastor Dean Odle presents a Scripture-centered message about the condition of the church, family discipleship, the authority of Scripture. Drawing especially from Matthew 4, John 6:60, Luke 14, Acts 5, the teaching emphasizes that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. Odle connects that foundation with the conviction that faithfulness in the home requires instruction, loving correction, protection, and a consistent Christian example.
Chronological teaching outline
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Odle focuses on the condition of the church while working through Matthew 4. The message argues that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. It connects this with the conviction that revival begins with repentance, renewed hunger for God, and practical obedience among His people. The practical emphasis is to trust God’s promises and refuse decisions governed by fear.
Odle focuses on costly discipleship while working through John 6:60. The message argues that following Christ requires self-denial, obedience, and perseverance rather than passive association with religion. It connects this with the conviction that faithfulness in the home requires instruction, loving correction, protection, and a consistent Christian example. The practical emphasis is to trust God’s promises and refuse decisions governed by fear.
Odle focuses on eternal life and hope. The message argues that the promise of eternal life directs believers toward hope, holiness, and perseverance in Christ. It connects this with the conviction that faithfulness in the home requires instruction, loving correction, protection, and a consistent Christian example. The practical emphasis is to test the teaching by Scripture and apply it through faithful obedience.
Odle focuses on a biblical foundation while working through Luke 14. The message argues that a durable Christian life must be built on Christ, sound doctrine, and obedient response to Scripture. It connects this with the conviction that Scripture is presented as the standard for doctrine, discernment, and daily obedience. The practical emphasis is to trust God’s promises and refuse decisions governed by fear.
Odle focuses on the authority of Scripture while working through Acts 5. The message argues that Scripture is presented as the standard for doctrine, discernment, and daily obedience. It connects this with the conviction that leaders are accountable to teach faithfully, serve the flock, and model the character they proclaim. The practical emphasis is to test the teaching by Scripture and apply it through faithful obedience.
Odle focuses on Israel in prophecy. The message argues that the sermon relates Israel’s place in Scripture to the unfolding prophetic picture. It connects this with the conviction that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on the condition of the church. The message argues that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. It connects this with the conviction that biblical love is demonstrated through truth, patience, sacrifice, and conduct toward others. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on the condition of the church. The message argues that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. It connects this with the conviction that thankfulness remembers God’s mercy and guards the heart from entitlement and complaint. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
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Lightly edited for readability while preserving the speaker’s meaning and substantive statements.
- 0:00:00
Come on. Asking you to move, Lord. Asking you to fill us, God, with your fire. God, fill us with an unquenching fire from the throne. God, from the altar of God, fill us, God, with the fire that quenches all impurities. Take out all impurities out of our lives, God, out of our God, just out of us, God. Everything that is not pleasing to you, God, needs to go from us now. Lord, we just ask you to be here this morning, God. Anoint the service. God, open our ears and open our hearts to receive you, Lord. That we might walk away changed today. Yes. God, that we might walk away and be able to share with somebody what the true gospel of Jesus is. God, we thank you this morning. God, we ask you to bless those listening by radio. God, open the ears of their hearts and to hear, God, the message this morning. God, thank you for being here this morning. God, continue to minister to us as we get into your word. Jesus' name. Amen. Well, I do have a word for you this morning. Sorry about my voice. I've been battling a cough for a few days. But, then the word I have may not be for everybody. May be for everybody. It may be just for somebody listening and nobody here in this room. I don't know. But, all I know is I had two other messages prepared and God told me to do this specifically. So, I know this is a word for somebody today. And what we're going to look at is counting the cost of being a disciple. You know, I've heard it said that back in the the early church, and I hadn't had a chance to research this, but in the early church, and even when Jesus was here, being called a Christian was really a negative sense. They called you a Christian as being a bad thing. Because back then, they called everybody disciples. You were a disciple of Jesus if you were really truly following him. And the people that hated Jesus called you Christians in a mocking way, mocking you for following Jesus. So, we're going to count the cost and look at some people that counted the cost in the Bible and what they decided. And for some of us here today, it's time to decide. It's time to count the cost and get off the fence for one way or the other. I'm telling you, in 2014, this church is going after revival. We believe it's coming. We've been
- 0:03:00
praying for it. We feel like it's coming, and it's been promised to our pastor that revival is for us, for him, for this church, for his ministry, for all of us here. So, in 2014, we're going after revival. And we're going after a move of God. And that's what we should be, you know, with all the things that are coming, there is an end-time revival coming. And we as a church in Fire and Grace Church and Dean O'Neal Ministries is we're going to be a very pivotal part of a revival for our area, our state, the Southeast, who knows what God will do. You know, he's done things with this little church that we could never dream of. I mean, we when I logged on this morning to the radio station, we had somebody in Brazil and somebody in London, listening to our message, pre-recorded message on the radio station. So, I mean that to me is pretty awesome. But there's some people that even sit in our congregation and listen to our messages that are still riding the fence of their faith. And it's time to count the cost and decide whether you want to go all the way with Jesus, or you want to go live in the world. Cuz one road leads to eternal salvation and eternal life, and one road leads Both the roads leads to eternal death and damnation. There is no fence riding with God. You You don't have one foot in the world loving the things of the world and one foot with God and loving the things of God. It's one way or the other. So, it's time for us Some time for somebody to count the cost and do something with it. Cuz you either decide to go all the way with God, or you decide to go and live in the world. And it's time to get off the fence. So, let's turn to uh Let's turn to Matthew 4 right quick, and we'll go to verse 19. We'll start here. We'll look at Jesus calling the disciples. Just a few of them first. Matthew 4 verse 19. And he saith unto them, Well, I will just back up to 18. Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee saw two brethren, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, "Follow me, I will make you fishers of men." And they straightway left their nets and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw two other brothers named James, the son of Zebedee and John his brother in a ship with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets and he called them and they immediately left the ship and their father and followed him.
- 0:06:02
Now, I want to read that in the amplified version right quick. Cuz it does give us a little bit different wording and maybe even a little better look at it. Let me get there right quick. And here, we'll go we'll go to 18 again. As he walking by the sea of Galilee, he noticed two brothers, Simon who was called Peter and Andrew his brother, throwing a dragnet into the sea for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Come after me." And this is in brackets, "As disciples, letting me be your guide. Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." And at once, they left their nets and became his disciples. Sided with his party and followed him. And that was in brackets. And going further from there, he noticed two other brothers, James, son of Zebedee and his brother John in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets and putting them right and he called them. At once, they left the boat, their father and joined Jesus as disciples. And there again, in brackets, sided with his party and followed him. So, these guys, somebody walks up and says, "Hey, hey, follow me." And they just pick up and go. How do you think they they realized who he was? I mean, I think the Holy Ghost. God put on them that the this is my son. Y'all need to go with him. As soon as Jesus spoke the words, they knew who he was by revelation of God. So, and then later on there's You know, later on uh in John Uh let's see. Later on, Jesus had all of his disciples. And there was multitudes of them at that time. And uh I think somewhere somebody says somewhere around 72 or something like that disciples. And he started preaching to them. And they started going This is too hard. I can't handle this. And they all started counting the cost of what it was going to take to follow Jesus. And they left him. They said, "We cannot handle this. We cannot take this kind of preaching." And they left and left him with the 12, the final 12, which were mostly all of those that he knew were going to be with him anyway. Plus one that he knew was going to be a
- 0:09:03
devil. So, let me see. Yes, John 6:60. If you want to turn there, we'll read that right quick. Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this said, "This is a hard saying. Who can hear it?" When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, "Does this offend you? What and if you shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth the flesh and profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. But there are some of you that have that believe not." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him. And he said, "Therefore said I unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my Father." From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then Jesus said unto the 12, "Will you also go away?" And then of course they said, "Well, where else will we go for you have eternal life?" So they started hearing his preaching. Many of them it says. Started hearing his preaching. And started going, "Woohoo, we can't handle this." And started counting what it was really going to mean for their lives to walk with him as a disciple. And apparently they decided it wasn't going to be worth it. I'm here to tell you that it is worth it to give it all up, to go away from the world. We've heard Pastor Dean's testimony. We know what he was looking for in the world. But when God got a hold of him, imagine you know his zeal today for the word of God. Imagine what his zeal was for the world if his zeal for the word of God is like it is today. I mean that's some of the greatest preachers are some of those that have come out of the darkest places in the world because their passion, I mean Steve Hill, his passion for selling drugs and drug abuse and alcohol and stuff was tremendous. And his passion for God is even bigger. You know, um So, we we got to count the cost. What is it going to mean to be a disciple? You know, Paul said, "Follow me as I follow Christ." So, why should we not apply that same principle to our spiritual fathers and spiritual mothers? If we believe that they are heading and following after Christ in the most godly way,
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