FOLLOWING JESUS IS WHAT LIFE WAS MEANT FOR!

The Gospel of Mark #34

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

(Mark 10:17–22, NLT) “Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”

1. I AM SAVED BECAUSE OF GOD’S GRACE.

(Mark 10:18, NLT) “Only God is truly good.”

(Ephesians 2:8–9, NLT) “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

a. I am not saved because I have been good.

b. I am saved not because of what I have given.

c. I am saved because of what God has given.

(John 3:16, NLT) “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal

2. JESUS INVITATION TO FOLLOW HIM IS WHAT LIFE WAS MEANT FOR.

(1 John 2:24–25, NLT) “Remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.”

a. Jesus always looks at my heart.

   i. God gave Adam and Eve sex.

   ii. God gave Adam and Eve the world.

b. Jesus challenges my life.

(Mark 10:21, NLT) “Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

c. What is slowly killing my soul?

d. I need more and better love.

e. Love is the more excellent way.

f. I should prayerfully examine my life if I am not giving sacrificially to follow Jesus.

g. What keeps me from seeing the beauty, the joy, the thrill of following Jesus?

3. FOLLOWING JESUS TAKES A MIRACLE.

(Mark 10:22–27, NLT) “At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

a. Do I care about the poor?

b. The measure of generosity is the cross.

GROWTHWORK

(Mark 10:28–31, NLT) “Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said. “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”

1. I am blessed in this life.

(Matthew 6:33, NLT) “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

“The present world yields its full riches only to the man who surrenders all to Jesus” Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, 9:144

2. I am blessed in eternity.

(Colossians 3:24, NLT) “Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”

3.  Who or what controls my life?

At some point in the past decade, the suburbs went quietly berserk. As if under the influence of some bizarre form of radiation, everything got huge. The cars got huge, so heads don’t even spin when a mountainous Hummer comes rolling down the street. The houses got huge. The drinks at 7-Eleven got huge, as did the fry containers at McDonald’s. The stores turned into massive, sprawling category-killer megaboxes with their own climatic zones. Suburbia is no longer the land of ticky-tacky boxes on a hillside where everything looks the same. It’s the land of the gargantuoids.” – David Brooks

4. What is the one thing that Jesus would challenge in my life?

5. What distractions or distortions do I need to separate from to have the margin open in my life to experience Jesus’ love better?

6. What do I need to sell, subtract, or simplify to follow Jesus to experience His love better?