In 'Count the Cost,' Douglas Campbell discusses the profound implications of following Jesus, emphasizing the need to fully understand and accept the sacrifices involved. The sermon explores Matthew 8:19-20, where a scribe expresses a desire to follow Jesus, and Jesus responds by highlighting the homelessness and hardship intrinsic to His mission. Campbell emphasizes that the Law of God reveals humanity's inherent sinfulness and need for a Savior. He explains that true belief in Christ is more than an intellectual acknowledgment; it requires a commitment to follow Him, even at great personal cost. The speaker stresses that accepting the free gift of salvation involves renouncing all possessions and desires for Christ. He highlights that Jesus must be both Savior and Lord, calling for complete surrender and devotion. As Christmas approaches, Campbell invites the congregation to reflect on the significance of Jesus' birth, life, and sacrifice, urging those who have not yet done so to turn to Christ for salvation, which is available to all who truly seek Him.

Good morning. What a blessing our children and all those who participated have been for us this morning. This morning I'd like to, if you have your Bibles, if you would turn with me to Matthew chapter 8. I'd like to briefly look at verses 19 and 20. Matthew chapter 8 verses 19 and 20.

The word of God tells us, it says, In a scribe came up and said to him, Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come to you this morning thankful to remember, thankful to remember your Son taking upon the flesh and dwelling among us, your son being born in not as a king but in humility, but a humble king. Father this morning as we come to your word we pray that you would give light to our hearts, that you would give us understanding.

Father, for each person that's here, Father, that we might not just hear, but we might take in, that we might ponder, that we might be changed by your word. Father, your word says, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So, Father, this morning we cast ourselves into your hands. Father, we pray, change us to be more like you, we pray, in Jesus name, amen. Amen.

Well, in the reenactment or as you might call it that we just had before us Mr. Ryan the young guy who is the last innkeeper he said he replied to Joseph's request for somewhere to stay. He said, I have no room for you to stay, but I do have a stable that you might stay, at least have some shelter from the outside. And we find that same idea just a little bit later in Christ's ministry in Matthew chapter 8 19 through 20. Let me read it once more.

It says, and a scribe came up and said to him, teacher I will follow you wherever you go and Jesus said to him foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head it's interesting that a scribe is the one coming to him telling Jesus, Jesus I will follow you wherever you go. This scribe would have known well the law of the Lord. He would have known well the Old Testament because the scribes job was to copy the scripts. If any of you have ever tried to memorize something, you'll know very quickly if you just write it down, it helps you in memorizing significantly. The more you write something down, the more you remember it.

And the scribe had this job where he wrote down the Word of God. He would have known well what the Old Testament demonstrates about you and I, what's true about you and I. He would have known well the law of God. The law of God isn't something that you and I can live up to. It wasn't even designed for you and I to be able to live up to, but the law of the Lord was designed that would point us and to show us our desperate need for a Savior.

In fact, if we go to the very basics, the moral law of God or the Ten Commandments, if we would just look at two of those commandments, The ninth one, thou shall not lie. Who in here has ever or has can can raise their hand and say I've never told a lie? In fact, we would giggle if someone raised their hand, but it's worse than that. It's not that I haven't told a lie, it's that I've spent a lifetime of amassing lie after lie after lie. It's truly and rightly said of you and I that we are liars at heart.

And the book of Revelation makes it very clear that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire. That if you and I compared ourselves to God, we are completely contrary. The God who can tell no lie, who only tells truth, we are the opposite. We rightly are liars. Or who has never stolen something.

Or to go even deeper, Jesus says that Jesus, the Word of God, says that God doesn't only judge our deeds, but He also judges our thoughts and our words. This scribe knew well that he deserved God's judgment. And you, as you compare yourself to God's law, you would have to know that held to a perfect standard, to the perfect God of Scripture, you deserve His wrath, and rightly so. One only has to look at the simple commandments to see that, but then to even go to the first commandment to put God first and everything. It's so often that we fail on a daily basis to live up to that commandment.

So the scribe knew well. He understood this rightly. And he comes to the one who can deliver him from his problem. And he says to him, teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. I will follow you.

He was breaking tradition with the other scribes at this point. He understood that there was something different about Jesus Christ. That this may be the Son of God. This may be His deliverance. This may be Emmanuel or God with us.

We look to John 3 16 that says, For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. As we come to Christmas, we see the free gift that was in the manger to anyone who would turn to Christ for their salvation. It is a free gift that can't be earned, that can only be accepted in repentance and faith. Matthew 8 demonstrates us as to what does this mean that whoever believes in Him, this belief, this true belief in Christ prompts us to follow Him. And that's what Jesus is demonstrating in this verse, because He clarifies.

The scribe came up to Him and said, Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. And this is an interesting reply. Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. In fact, it has come almost from his birth to this point, has come to a same understanding, that Jesus was born homeless. He wasn't born as a king in a castle.

He wasn't born in a fancy building, but born homeless in a stable with animals. And Jesus, replying to the scribe, is essentially saying, is essentially telling the scribe, you need to count the cost. This is a free gift. Salvation is a free gift, but you must count the cost. He says to the scribe, do you know what you're saying?

When you say that you will follow me, do you know what you're saying? Because I am a homeless man. I've given up everything. And this morning, that's the reminder of Christmas. One that it's an incredible gift.

It's a gift that you can't comprehend. It's a gift of forgiveness of my past, of forgiveness of my sin against God. It's the gift of a promise that God would change my heart, that I might become more and more like him. But the reply of Christ is, count the cost. Because with this gift comes a transfer of ownership.

Look in Luke chapter 14, 26 through 33. He warns us further, he says, If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brother and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 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? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all will see it and begin to mock him, saying, this man began to build and was not able to finish or what king going out to encounter another king in war will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able to able with 10, 000 to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand.

And if not, while the other is a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. Therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." Let me read verse 33. I really want you to hear this. Jesus Christ Himself in red says, So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." In Luke 9 23, again it says, and he said to all, if anyone who would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." And in Galatians 5 24, it says, And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. See, this morning, as we think about the birth story, without Easter, it's nothing to celebrate.

Without Christ dying upon the cross and taking the punishment for my sin and all those who would trust in Him, without Him raising on the third day and proving that He was the Son of God, that He had the ability to take the punishment for your sin, without him proving that he has defeated death, that all who trust in him are risen to life, eternal life. Without that, it's just another story. But today, we stand excited that our Savior, God in the flesh, came to dwell among us, to experience what you and I experience, but to do it without sin and take the punishment on the cross for all who would turn from their sin and trust in Him. The Bible says that it's more than just a belief in Christ. In the book of James, it says if you believe in God, great, the demons even do that.

But the Bible says to partake of this free gift, you must turn from your sin and turn to Christ and put your trust in Him. And in fact, that's the cost. It's a free gift that costs you everything. But no matter what the cost, it's a gift that we can't comprehend. Today, if you haven't turned from your sin and put your trust in Christ, it's available to you.

No matter what your past is, no matter what you've done, today is the day of salvation. Trust in Jesus Christ. But this morning, if you've bought into a man-centered gospel that says, well, all you have to do is believe in God, today is the day of salvation for you as well. See, the Bible doesn't say that He can be your Savior without being your Lord. If He is your Savior, He is your Lord.

You are sold out to Him, not in perfection, but growing day by day by day. Everything that you have, everything that you possess, everything you freely lay down at the feet of Christ. The three wise men bring their gifts, and they look like such simple gifts because they're in these little containers. But if you actually looked at the value, these gifts were of immense value. It wasn't just small things.

These wise men were giving great gifts. And this morning, Whatever we have, God has given us anyway. It should be easy for us to lay them at His feet and call Him Savior and Lord. James Montgomery Boy said, If we could reject all lesser views of what it means to be a Christian and produce a generation of those who are genuinely committed to Christ and obeying Him. By the power of God's Spirit, that generation of believers could radically change the world.

And this morning, That's what the Word of God proclaims. If you're in Christ, you've accepted a wonderful and incomprehensible free gift. But if you're in Christ, That free gift costs you everything. Because He becomes King, He becomes Lord. And this morning, if He is not King in your life, if He's not Lord, the Word of God commands you to repent, turn to Christ for your salvation.

Amen. Again, let's look at one last time, Matthew 8, 19 through 20. It says, And a scribe came up and said to him, Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. This morning as you count the cost, are you willing to be homeless for Christ?

Are you willing to sell all that you have and then follow Him? It doesn't mean that He commands everyone to do that. But the question is, are you willing? Are you willing to sacrifice your schedule, to sacrifice culture, to sacrifice entertainment? Are you willing to give up all to follow this King of Kings?

That's the question of Scripture. That's the question of salvation. It's not have you prayed a prayer. It's is He your Lord? This warning if He's not, turn to Him.

The Bible says if you turn to Him, He will in no way cast you out. Seek Him until you find Him. Seek Him until He is your Lord. That's what makes the Christmas story so special. For those who turn to Him, He rescues them from their sin.

He rescues them from the rightful punishment of hell and rewards them for all eternity, for being His people. Amen? Amen. Let's pray. Father, thank you for this day.

Father, thank you for these children and workers in this church who have glorified you, Father, in remembering that night over 2, 000 years ago. Father, I pray if there are those here who Christ is not their Lord, who is not their King. Father, I pray today that you would draw them until they come to know you. And Father, for those who do know you, I pray this would be a time of remembrance, not only of our Savior dwelling among us, but giving us a gift no man could give us. Salvation from our sin, setting us free from the slavery of sin, free to serve our King.

Father, we thank you in Jesus name, amen. Amen. This morning, do we have any...