The world is full of unfinished projects, some for reason of defects. Some from lack of funds. Some because of changing needs. Szkieletor is the unofficial name of a 91 metre high highrise building in Krakow, Poland, originally intended to become headquarters of Naczelna Organizacja Techniczna. The construction of the building was started in 1975, but was stopped in 1981, because of economic reasons. Due to the unfinished building's resemblance to a skeleton, it was nicknamed after Skeletor, arch-villain in a 1980s cartoon, He-Man. In recent years, several investors were interested with the building, but they became discouraged with complicated legal status of the parcel it stands on, as well as high cost of its demolition or adaptation. It is located near the Rondo Mogilskie and Cracow University of Economics. At present it is the tallest building in the city. This is not just a problem in the financial world In the city of Siena Italy is a beautiful cathedral. This great cathedral was begun in the 12th century in the Romanesque style, but was transformed in the 13th century into one of the finest examples of Italian Gothic. The walls and columns of the church's interior are covered with a striking black and white marble pattern, and its marble floors have decorative inlays by Domenico Beccafumi. About this time a huge extension was planned and work started in the year 1285. The extension was to be much bigger than the original cathedral. But they have not got around to completing it as of today, 700 years later. Financial problems, and labor shortages caused by the black death were some of the factors in the suspension of the project. Some of the external walls were completed and one of the side aisles was roofed over (and later walled in to provide a museum). The foundations for the rest of the extension are visible, but that's it. We may be amused at the foolish person (or entity) whose reach exceeds his abilities, and no we are not talking about personal finances today. That is for another day. We are particularly amused when the result is so public and so grandiose. But each of us deals with the same issue every day in our spiritual lives. Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it; 29 "lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 "saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' TOWER The tower had great significance to the ancients. In a day when most warfare was conducted face to face, hand to hand, a tower was a place of refuge. From there the enemy could be detected from a distance. From there a rock falling down was more deadly than an arrow. A child with a stone was as effective as a strong warrier in a tower. Is it any wonder that over and over there are references to God as a tower. 1 Samuel 22:50 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name. 51 He is the tower of salvation to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore." Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. But in this parable it is not the Lord that is building the tower, it is a human being. Is this merely about planning ahead? That would be good advice for anyone. Although Jesus gave good advice for the worldly from time to time, is that really what this is about? If not, where do we find the key that unlocks the meaning of the parable? We find the key in verse 25..... Now great multitudes went with Him. There were several times when Jesus' ministry seemed to the verge of taking off. Each time that it did, He had a way of bringing the expectations crashing back to earth. Once again people were finding his ministry compelling. But rather than seizing the moment, as many would do, he gives this parable to dampen enthusiasm. He wants the follower to be aware of three things. 1. True religion is a costly thing. 2. If we are wise, we should enter into this relationship with our eyes open, we should be aware of the cost, and determine if we can follow through. 3. Whatever the cost, it is worth it. Where a nation, or a company, or church, or an individual does not consider the cost of its plans and actions, there is always a chance of dramatic collapse. Jesus did not want followers, He desired converts. And there is a difference. He was concerned with quality rather than quantity. He rejoiced over one sinner that repented more than 99 who merely professed. He desired heart change, not talk change. You see, He is making an effort to find out who the real dedicated ones are. When the young man said he wanted to be a follower, and would come as soon as he buried his father, Jesus gave a similar response. If you are going to follow me, you are going to have to make some tough choices. This isn't a parade, it is a march, which is reflected in the next part of this parable. Luke 14:31 "Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 "Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. 34 "Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 "It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" So in a sentence, building a tower is building Christian life. However, there is another part to this. As any practicing Christian knows, building a Christian life involves a 2-fold battle. First is the battle of self. Secondly is the battle of the enemy, Satan. So, we need to have a plan that covers this also. This part of the parable deals with planning in another way. In building the tower the issue is "Do you have enough money to finish the project." In this part of the parable the question is: " Do you have enough resources (men) to conquer a foe?" Here we see a step up in escalation of the energy needed. Do we have the strength to fight a foe that outnumbers, outpowers us? Now we need to remember that having a foe that outnumbers us may not be a hopeless situation. There have been many armies who have conqered foes who had greater manpower. They became famous. The Continental Army of the revolutionary war was one. The army of Alexander the Great was another. What are the issues. Discipline Determination Desire Destination (goals) To illustrate these, let us use the example of Gideon and his army. I am sure that you remember the story. It begins in Judges 6 where Gideon was hiding from the enemy while he was working. An angel comes to Gideon and gives him instructions. in verse 15 he says to the angel "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." Gideon shows discipline when he does what the angel tells him to do. We read: 25 Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, "Take your father's young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; 26 "and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down." 27 So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father's household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night. 28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built. Then Gideon shows some determination. He calls for the warriors to join him to free the land. Then he hesitates a bit and asks for the sign of the fleeces. God gives him the signs that he requested, and then tells Gideon that his army is too large. Judges 7:2 And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.' The Lord wanted it to be clear where the army's victory came from. So he sends home those without determination. Send home the fearful. All of a sudden the army is a fraction of what it was before. I can imagine Gideon giving a big gasp as he sees the cowards leaving the camp. But he looks around and still sees some valiant looking men around him. The Lord talks to Gideon again. Still too many. 4 But the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' the same shall not go."say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' the same shall not go." 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink." 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. In essence, God told Gideon, "I want those with a strong desire to stay and those who are just lukewarm to leave." The issue here is simple. Those who got down on hands and knees to drink were exposing themselves to the enemy. Those who waded into the water and brought the water to their mouths could keep one hand on their sword, and get a drink with the other. They were eager, dedicated, anxious to fight, and cautious at the same time. In short they desired the fight, and they believed that they could win it. The next thing is that they had a destination, a goal. Those who did not fall to their knees to drink knew who their enemy was, and they did not take a chance, even in the midst of the warriors. They lived, and breathed to take on the enemy. That had become their goal, their focus, their life. Even with all that, there was one thing that was even more important. Judges 7:7 Then the LORD said to Gideon, "By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place." 8 So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley. 9 It happened on the same night that the LORD said to him, "Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. ...................... 19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers; they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing; and they cried, "The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!" 21 And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. 22 When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the LORD set every man's sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled In the parable of going to war the Christian sees what it takes to go to war with Satan. (or self) We need to take inventory and see if we are ready for the battle. Now at this point I must remind you of the advice of the Apostle Paul "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." So how do we stand? The story of Gideon tells us. God is with the weak if the weak are with God. God scoffs at human strength. Joshua 23:10 "One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you. In Hezekiah's time, one angel killed 185,000 by himself while his children slept. In Jehoshaphat's time the angels of the Lord destroyed 4 armies while his faithful children sang. Isaiah 60;19 "... But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory. 20 Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the LORD will be your everlasting light, And the days of your mourning shall be ended. 21 Also your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified. 22 A little one shall become a thousand, And a small one a strong nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time." But we need to remember: 1. True religion is a costly thing. 2. If we are wise, we should enter into this relationship with our eyes open, we should be aware of the cost, and determine if we can follow through. 3. Whatever the cost, it is worth it. That which costs nothing is worth nothing. If you plan to go nowhere you will surely get there. Christ is calling us to a life of glorious victory in Him. However, if he is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. The parable of the tower calls us to deliberation and adequate preparation. The parable of the army calls us to exercise stamana and strenght to face a foe that is way more than twice as strong as we are. Are enemies are too strong for us, but they are not too strong for the King under whom we have enlisted. Let's go badk to Luke 14:24,35 34 "Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 "It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" And when we fight under His banner and in His strength, WHEN He wins, we will take part in the victory. A new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Today, I ask you to re-evaluate. Are you in it for the long haul? Are you determined to hold fast? Have you put yourself under the banner of King Jesus? He fought through the gates of Hell. He faced demons who beat Him and taunted Him. His friends forsook Him. He endured the greatest mockery of a trial ever. He was beaten, spit on, mocked, and finally crucified. But He arose!! He counted the cost. He evaluated the enemy. And He won. For Me. For you.