Count the Cost – Part 3 – Terms of Peace

Count the Cost – Part 3 – Terms of Peace

Luke 14:31 – Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 – If he cannot succeed, he will send a representative while the other is still a long way off and ask for terms of peace. 33 – In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions.

This is an odd scenario of warfare that Jesus has painted for us. Two kings opposing each other. One is vastly outnumbered by the other. If we are meant to be one of the kings then which one would you identify as? I believe Jesus meant this to be obvious. We are outnumbered. We are outmatched. We are certainly the weaker party. Who are we in opposition to? According to Romans 8:7 – “… the mind of the flesh is opposite to God; it it not under the law of God, and is not able to be: 8 – So that those who are in the flesh are not able to give pleasure to God.

So, then, who is our representative who will ask for terms of peace so that we are not overwhelmed and destroyed? Check out these verses in Ephesians 2 starting with 15 – Having in his flesh put an end to that which made the division between us, even the law with its rules and orders, so that he might make in himself, of the two, one new man, so making peace; 16 – And that the two might come into agreement with God in one body through the cross, so putting an end to that division. 17 – And he came preaching peace to you who were far off, and to those who were near; 18 – Because through him the two us are able to come near in one Spirit to the Father, 19 – So then you are no longer as those who have no part or place in the kingdom of God, but you are numbered among the saints, and of the family of God, 20 – Resting on the base of the Apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief keystone….

We are opposed to God. Jesus has offered to be our representative to ask for terms of peace through the cross. The terms of peace is death – the death of Jesus Christ. We are offered life and peace through His death! If we want this – If we want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and teach others the good news of the terms of peace He secured at the cross for the whole world then we must realize that everything tied to our previous allegiance has to be renounced. You see, the terms of peace, is also the terms of our surrender – which means renouncing everything to do with our old life in order to receive the new.

There has never been a story of two opposing kings in which the greater king dies for the lesser king in order for the lesser king to have a place with the greater king. The world does not operate like this! The latest war between Russia and Ukraine is certainly not operating like this. None of the wars that have ever been fought by worldly kingdoms have ever been resolved like this. Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords wants to bring peace – and He did it by dying on the cross! He wants to bring resolution to the war that is going on for your eternal life – the war that has been fought by humanity every day since sin entered our world. And He wants us to understand what it is going to cost us if we want to be His disciple. It will cost us everything. Let’s follow Jesus today!