But if I accept his free offer, I have just committed myself to months of difficult training and arduous effort. He would buy all the expensive clothing and gear, he would pay for my transportation, the guides, and the training. Suppose a wealthy businessman heard of my desire and offered to pay for the entire expedition. But it costs about $70,000 to do it and I don’t have that kind of money. (I don’t have such a desire and I think that those who do are lacking in common sense.) But suppose that I did desire to climb Everest. Suppose I had a desire to climb Mount Everest. You may protest, “That’s a contradiction! How can something be both free and costly at the same time?” You receive it freely at no expense to you, but once you receive it, you have just committed everything you are and have to Jesus Christ. Salvation is both absolutely free and yet it costs you your very life. To truly follow Jesus Christ, we must consider the cost and put Him above everything else. Our text this week makes what seems like an abrupt shift and shows us the cost of following Christ. You cannot bring anything nor do anything to deserve an invitation. He has provided everything at His expense and He invites sinners to come to His great dinner. Our text last week presented God’s free invitation of the gospel. George Barna found that almost half (46%) of evangelicals read their Bible only once a week or not at all. Most of those who profess Christianity don’t know basic teachings and don’t act differently because of their Christian experience. Pollster George Gallup contends that fewer than ten percent of evangelical Christians could be called deeply committed.
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