Christianity today is the popular "fashion tag" for many people. It seems just about everybody is "Christian" today and no matter what how you live, how you think, as long as you believe that Jesus was God, you are a Christian. Churches of 10,000 of believers stand today and embrace other faiths as "they are entitled to their opinion" but "since we all worship the same God, then we are all going to heaven together." The Roman Catholic Church has recently gone so far as to consider making Mary part of the Godhead and has recognized that "because Muslims believe in a God" then they must too be saved. Churches today are more focused it seems on justifying their words more than teaching the words of Jesus. Somehow they have found a way to twist the words of Jesus, and to dampen the harshness of His teaching, but Jesus never preached a crowd-pleasing sermon, in fact too many times, His sermons went against the strict religiosity of the Pharisees and "the saved." In our text, He openly rebuked Peter who was to be the spokesperson of His church, and the Rock upon which He would build. Once, because of his teachings, many believers left Him, because they considered His demands much too difficult to even try to live.

Somehow Christianity today has somehow smoothed the edges of the Gospel. The emphasis today is "accepting Christ." To be saved, they say, we must "accept Christ in our hearts, and believe that He was the Son of God and died for our sins." Anyone doing this is "saved" even if their life continues to directly contradict or not fulfill the words of Jesus. This watered down message has caused America to become Spiritually dead and nothing resembling the powerful, Apostolic church. Any church preaching something contrary to the popular, public notion of "Accepting Christ," is labeled heretic or as a cult.

But I have news for the church world today. Jesus or His disciples never one time mentioned "Accepting Christ" as our personal saviour. Jesus never one time said just believe on me and accept me and you are saved. In fact, every time Jesus called someone, He commanded them with the following call: "Follow me." What does this call mean: "Follow me." That means whatever road that I walk down, you must walk down also if you expect to inherit eternal life. Jesus never said that millions would make it to heaven down a large road of easy believism, but instead said that His way was straight and narrow, and "few be there that find it." It is not a matter of us "Accepting Jesus" we better be concerned whether or not Jesus Accepts us!

You and I are sinners. Yes, saved by Grace. But how do we obtain Grace? It is freely given by God, but does it not cost us anything. Today I want you to listen to the words of Jesus and history and tell me whether the true Grace of God is cheap grace or costly grace.

Today most people teach a doctrine of cheap grace. The price has been paid, they suppose, so everyone has easily obtained salvation. Because Jesus paid a horrible price for the world's sin, then everyone is automatically covered. Because everything has been paid in advance, then everything can be had for nothing. But this is cheap grace, and not a costly grace!

Cheap grace is grace preached as a principle of living and not as the end result. Cheap grace is when preachers preach "forgiveness of sins" as a general truth, and the love of God taught as the conception of God, and "God wouldn't send anybody good to Hell" so we are all saved. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness of sins without true repentance, baptism without the blood of Jesus, and new life without the new birth. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, "living for God" without giving anything up for Him, and focus on intellect rather than the words of Jesus. Cheap grace is destroying America, because without the blood of Jesus applied at Baptism, there is no remission of sins. And without the infilling of the Holy Spirit, we cannot overcome sin. Cheap Grace justifies the sin without justifying the sinner. It preaches a resurrection lifestyle without a cross experience, communication with God without the relationship, prayer without power, and has left people empty and wondering if Christianity is real at all! Cheap Grace it costs you nothing but does nothing for you either. And it does not save you!

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Cheap Grace frowns upon a deeper walk with Jesus and in fact drives us away from it. If I am already saved, and it cost me nothing, then why would I try to obey any of Jesus' commandments? Why would I try on my own to get closer to God? Cheap Grace has lulled people to a contented sleep, not realizing that they have missed the point.

Costly grace is a result of discipleship. The first words that Peter ever heard from Jesus Christ was "follow me." The last words that Peter heard spoken to Him by Jesus was "follow me." Between those times were a lifetime of events, and for the next few moments I would like to talk about what it means to really answer Jesus' call of "follow me."

When Peter heard the call of Jesus to "follow me," he had to forsake all to go. He had to immediately take action. Empty nets laying at the water side symbolized that Peter was giving up his way of life, his way of doing things, his personal freedom, and his comfort zone to "follow Jesus." He did not understand what all it would entail, but He left because of His faith. He did not say I believe that you are the Christ and return to His normal life. He believed because He followed, and He followed because He believed. This is why Ephesians 2 teaches us that we are saved "by grace through faith" and James tells that "faith without works are dead." Grace is not the process by which we obtain salvation, it is the salvation that we receive. It is the end result not the process of getting the end result. We are saved "through faith" and faith without works are dead. Peter could not have believed in Jesus call "follow me" and not acted upon the call. He who believes obeys and He who obeys believes. There is no other answer to the call of Jesus. Jesus does not ask people to "accept Him" because a person can do that in their mind and never take action. Jesus always in scripture tells people to "follow me." If you believe in me, then obey me and act upon it. Peter had to give up some things and allow the words of Jesus to move Him to action.

This is Costly Grace, a grace that answers the call of Jesus "follow me." Jesus has not changed His call today, but still is calling each of you "follow me." If you believe, then obey my words! That is costly grace a grace that costs us everything, a grace that requires a cross in our lives, but also a grace that gives us everything!

{Read versed 34(italized) on in the text and elaborate on how that is was not just the twelve disciples that Jesus was calling, but it was everyone.}

Peter did not realize that He would be called a rebel. He did not realize that Jesus would be killed for "starting a revolt and a cult." The Jews killed Jesus because He insisted that they not just speak of God, but that their lifestyles should glorify God! Peter did not realize that "following Jesus" meant following in the footsteps of Jesus. He was here to pay the price for sin, but to also be our example. When you answer the call to "follow me," you are agreeing to endure some persecution. You are agreeing to have your own family and friends to turn their back upon you and betray you. You are agreeing to deny yourself and take up a cross of your own! And you are agreeing to live your life for Jesus' goals and in obedience to His commands. You are agreeing to pray "not my will but thine be done." And the death of our will is always painful for us!

Costly Grace emphasizes discipleship and answering Jesus' call of "follow me." Jesus paid an awful price on Calvary. But we must do more than just accept what He did in our minds and believe that He did it because He loved us. No person on earth can deny such a great love, but believing in that love does not obey Jesus commandments of "follow me." He said that we must "take up our own cross." That means that we must go through our own crucifixion. That means that we die out to our own wills!

Let me remind you of what Jesus Christ did as our example. Remember that you are to "follow me."

[story of the cross and death of Jesus]

That is costly grace but only when we follow in His footsteps.

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Some people get nervous when we preach the words of Jesus that we must be baptized to be saved!

[quote Mark 16:16]

Most churches shy away from these words of Jesus because it contradicts their doctrine of cheap grace. If all who have made a mental decision to accept Jesus as their personal saviour, then how dare Jesus command us to be baptized. How dare Phillip tell the Ethiopian that He needed to be baptized in water. How dare Peter command the household of Cornelius to be baptized in the name of Jesus! That goes against their doctrine of cheap grace.

But it is costly grace, it is answering the call to "follow me."

1. Jesus was the Lamb of God fulfilling the requirements of the Passover sacrifice but the blood had to be applied before the sacrifice did any good. Exodus 12

2. Jesus stated that the kingdom of God is like a marriage feast and one man did not come to the wedding feast with His garment on, and He was cast out. It was the man's fault that He did not wear the proper garments. Matthew 22

3. John saw a vision of the church in heaven after the rapture and they were dressed in white robes. When the angel told Him their identity, He stated that they "have made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb."

4. Peter said that we are buried with Christ in baptism:

Baptism does not justify the sin, it justifies the sinner. For someone to answer Jesus' call and "follow me," we must be buried with Him in baptism! When you bury someone, you do not sprinkle some dirt upon them, and you do not write their titles and professions on the headstone. Baptism applies the blood of Jesus Christ to our lives and that is why we must have His NAME called out over us in baptism. We must obey the words of Jesus when He said you must be baptized "in the name."

If you have "accepted Christ" but have not responded to the call to "follow me" in dying to your sins by repentance, or to being buried with Him in Baptism in Jesus' name, then you have experienced "cheap grace" and have not really believed in Jesus.

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Jesus commanded us that we "follow me" He died, He was buried, but He also rose again! Many people teach the gift of the Holy Ghost as an extra gift and not really necessary for salvation, but that is cheap grace and does not obey the words of Jesus. When a person surrenders His life to God and begins to truly worship Him, God fills them with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. And it is essential for salvation! Notice:

1. Jesus not only commanded water baptism, but spiritual baptism of the Holy Spirit as well. [quote Mark 16:16 AND 17]

2. Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:5 that you must be born "of the water and of the Spirit to enter into the kingdom of God.

3. To go in the Rapture of the Church to the Wedding Supper in Heaven, we must have the Holy Ghost living inside of us. Romans 8:11

4. Jesus paid an awful price for us to receive the Holy Spirit

Jesus had to be raised up from the dead for the Holy Ghost to be given! Receiving the Holy Spirit is the new life in Christ Jesus.

Why follow Jesus Christ through death and burial and stop before the resurrection? It is not something that you HAVE to do, it is the promise of new life and something we must do and get to do! Jesus said "follow me" and we must also follow Him through the resurrection of new life.

That is why Jesus told Nicodemus that you MUST be born of the Water and the Spirit. Being born of the water means following in Jesus' footsteps when He was buried. You must first die through Repentance. Jesus doesn't bury anybody alive! He is saying to you today "follow me." Will you respond and leave your nets?

Being born of the Spirit means receiving the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. It means following in the footsteps of Jesus' resurrection. Will you answer the call to a new life and answer Jesus? He is saying "follow me."

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Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, He was really saying "Follow Jesus."

His sermon was on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When He told them to Repent, be baptized, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, He was saying Jesus is still saying "follow me."

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Paul wrote the church in Corinth and said that He had preached the testimony of God that is Jesus Christ and him crucified

yet in Acts 19, we find Paul preaching to the twelve disciples of John Repentance, Water Baptism in Jesus' name, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

"believe on the Christ who was to come."

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