'Following Jesus in the 21st Century

Speaker 1 0:30

Pastor Larry , thanks , awesome . Well , you guys can turn on your Bible , if that's what you do , or you can open it up If you're with us online . So glad to be with you . My name's Larry . As Jeff said , I'm the lead pastor here . We've been walking through the book of Matthew . It's in the New Testament . This is written by the disciple Matthew , who was a follower of Jesus , and we've just been going through really slowly , just chewing on verse by verse , story by story , unpacking what that looked like then for followers of Jesus at that time and that culture in that area , and then what that looks like for us now is 21st century followers of Jesus . Before I hop in , though , as you're kind of turning that stuff on , getting ready For those of you who are online , I want to invite you , because you can't see this out here , but we're going to be doing baptisms this Easter .

Speaker 1 1:15

Easter is actually like a month away it's in March this year and we would love to celebrate with you . If baptism is the right and the next and it doesn't have to be the first step for you , this could be something that you've put off or thought that you had to get to a point and check something out . That is not it . This is a great starting point and kind of working out those things we would love to celebrate with you . We think it's so much fun to do it on Easter Resurrection Sunday and going through the process of being buried in water , being raised again , this new life that we have . So if you're here with us in person , you guys can sign up on that connection card . You can go at the lobby . You guys can see the tub that has balloons in it . If you're online , you can let somebody know in the chat room or feel like connect card online . We'd love to get you connected in that way . We're gonna do three services . We're gonna do seven o'clock , which we're calling our Sunrise service , and then nine and 11 , so just as a heads up .

Speaker 1 2:10

Other thing I just wanted to tell you about real quick is today typically I teach out of the NIV . This is a translation of the Bible . Today I'm gonna be sharing with you , just so you're like trying to match up scripture , the NASB . This is a more scholarly , like what you would use in school and kind of digging in that way . So just a heads up . If you're seeing some of the words that are a little different . You know , because I didn't put it up there on the screen what my translation was . And speaking of translations , just for fun , those of you who are in community group , a great translation maybe to use that even gives some more breath to the conversation when you're in like a group and you're not just studying on your own would be the message version by Eugene Peterson . It's called a paraphrase , but can make it so much more practical in a group setting . So sorry , there's a little Bible geek side thing .

Speaker 1 2:55

Now let's move into this . So , getting in couple questions for today . Start off . If you're ages 22 to 35 and you're in the room or you're online with this , how many of you would like to be entrusted by God with huge sums of money ? Why are you laughing about it Like you're like I don't wanna say okay , how about this ? Older than 35 , how many of you would like to be entrusted by God with huge sums of money ? Okay , a couple of you guys are like , yeah , I'll throw a buck at it . Like , I know you're talking about the Powerball or something like that , right , okay ? So here for those of you who are like man , I would love to be entrusted by God by huge sums of money . Answer this question why ? This is for yourself now . Why ? Why would you like God to entrust you with large chunks of money and then hang on to that , as it reveals some things that we might see in a minute . So let me go ahead and read . I'm gonna read you 10 verses .

Speaker 1 3:54

Some of this summarizes what Jeff started last week and then is gonna tackle what we're talking about this week , said chapter 19 , starting in verse 16 . And someone came to him this is Jesus and said teacher , what good thing shall I do so that I may obtain , do and obtain eternal life ? And he said to him why are you asking me about what is good ? There is only one who is good . But if you want to enter life , keep the commandments . Then he said to him which ones ? Jesus said well , you shall not commit murder , you shall not commit adultery , you shall not steal , you shall not give false testimony , honor your father and your mother and you shall love your neighbor as yourself . The young man said to him all of these things I have kept . What am I still lacking ? Jesus said to him if you want to be complete , go and sell your possessions and give to the poor , and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me .

Speaker 1 5:00

But when he heard this , the young man heard this statement , he went away grieving , for he was one who owned much property . And so Jesus sees this like teaching moment . Right here , that guy's left and he says to the disciples truly , I say to you , it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven . And again , I say to you , 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 . And when the disciples heard this , they were very astonished . It said , and it said then who could be saved ? And looking at them , jesus said to them with people this is impossible , but with God all things are possible .

Speaker 1 5:48

So , like I said earlier , jeff covered part of this story last week about how things in our life can become idols in our lives , because we know this , there's like a million things that are vying for our attention and our affections , and the things that society offers to us in our senses is actually quite alluring the ways that technology has infiltrated every aspect of our lives . We now have at our disposal the ability , through social media and other means , to keep ourselves at the center of our universes . We're distracting people . We lead lives of quiet desperation . You know , the longer that we live , the more that we have , the more pursuit of happiness actually seems like a total and absolute impossibility . We have more health , we have more life spans , longer life spans . We have more material possessions than we literally know what to do with .

Obsessions of the Rich Young Ruler

Speaker 1 6:44

And as we read through this text , our natural tendency is to read that the young rich ruler is something that I am not . We sit there and go well like well , he's rich . I'm not Glad I'm not rich . Now , if we look at the title that's given of this man that approaches Jesus , we draw that title actually from the three different , from three different gospel accounts . That's where we get the title young , rich and ruler . And these right here are three obsessions that have captivated the imagination of the West and left us distracted and despairing .

Speaker 1 7:24

In Matthew 19 , we're told that he was a young man , his prosperity actually , all the accounts speak of his wealth , but in Mark it said he had great wealth . Luke gives us this interesting insight . In Luke 18 , where it says he had recognition or fame . It calls him a certain ruler , which means he was a man of prominence in his society . In all of these things , youth , wealth and fame are three things that drive our culture and our society . This is what we've been told will bring value to our lives .

Speaker 1 8:00

Think about it . Is there any idolatry around old age in our culture ? I mean outside of the golden bachelor or something like that . It's newer right . There's this like worship of youth in our culture . That's like deep desire to actually ignore our own mortality and we don't value anymore much often wisdom with experience . We value beauty . Scripture honors the silver hair . We ignore our elderly . Youth is this thing that our culture worships . It also comes with vitality , but it also comes with incredible immaturity . Second is that he had great wealth . Youth with wealth is really terrifying if you think about it . So I'm gonna say about that . And third , being young , being wealthy , being a certain ruler , a certain ruler , a man of importance , fame these are three gods . This is literally the trinity of our Western culture .

Speaker 1 9:02

So now you're gonna ask , well , like , is there anything wrong with being young ? No , frankly , I've never seen a movement begin or read about a movement beginning that did not include young people . It is so important . Is there anything wrong with desiring the needs necessary for existence . Money ? Absolutely not . Is there anything wrong with the desire to be known ? No , that is a fundamental desire of every human heart is to be known and to be loved . But all of these desires the reason that they can become so unhealthy is because they become obsessions . They're things that become the source of our idolatry , the things that we think that we can't live without and that if we had them we wouldn't need anything , including Jesus .

Speaker 1 9:54

The problem that the rich young ruler had was the same problem that we continue to have as believers . That plagues the church at large , and it's what creates the shallowness and the lack of authenticity that does not convince the world out there that what we have is something that they actually need . What I think should convict us is something that he did . Do you know ? We can say like oh , this is what he didn't do . This is where he's bad . There was something that he did do that I think is convicting If you read in other accounts . We're told in Mark that he ran to Jesus and he knelt before him .

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There's this sense of urgency and reverence in this man's pursuit that is often lacking amongst Christians . I think that we would all be horrified by how natural it is for a church to be full on a Sunday but to have many within its midst with not a large contingency , take spiritual disciplines very lightly , very little pursuit , because , like the rich young ruler , your Christian life or your church life is just one more compartment that's compartmentalized , and you're already very busy full life . But we have this responsibility to work it out , to work out our salvation , with fear and trembling them that I don't wanna lose this , this closeness , this intimacy , this aspect . We've gotta actually then pursue him . We have to actually go and seek him . We actually have to follow him .

Speaker 1 11:29

And one of the fundamental problems of this young man was he doesn't see Jesus as the answer . He sees Jesus as a means to the answer . And Jesus will not be our means . He will be our Lord or he will be nothing . We are not called to try to acquire more . We are called to surrender all friends . And that's what this young man doesn't realize . And this is what the key to the Christian life is . It's actually giving Jesus the ability to be responsible for us , to take care of us and friends .

Speaker 1 12:01

That's the great delusion that we live in the midst of that . We've been told again and again to believe more in ourselves , to trust in our own goodness , to surrender nothing at all costs , and what that creates is too much confidence in our own ability to take care of self , to build self up . And we do this a lot of times through comparing ourselves to others . Right ? We use other people as our gauge . We start to feel like I'm confident , I'm actually okay , I'm really good at taking care of myself , I'm taking care of me and my house and what this is , because I look to others to see how I'm doing . That's the gauge in which we use .

Speaker 1 12:39

Let me give you an illustration . If I was going to the airport to catch a plane and I miss my plane by five minutes , and you come to the airport as well and you miss the plane by 30 minutes , I'm not gonna look at you and go sucker , I only missed it by five , right ? No , because what are we both there doing ? Staring there , staring at a plane that's gone . We both missed the ride . We're both in the same spot and , like , our natural tendency is to say I'm not like that junkie in the alley , I'm not like that prostitute I drive by in Sonoma Boulevard . I'm not like that person , I'm good , oh , really Well , compared to Jesus , you're much closer to that person than you think , and all that shows is our natural tendency towards selective sanctification . I don't do those things , therefore I must be good . Well , I think sometimes , to figure that out , you have to define first what is bad .

Speaker 1 13:37

Sin is this word that we use , for that Sin is not a measurement of how bad you are . It's actually a measurement of how good you are not . And if we don't understand that , this text will not help us . This is what the young man did not understand . In his mind , his view of righteousness was something that could be obtained . What must I do to obtain through self effort in this fundamental problems , driven by a misunderstanding that the gift that he needed was not something but someone , and so he left .

Speaker 1 14:11

Sad Notice , there's a direct call to surrender , total surrender . So why did this man go away sad ? Well , simply because he was blown away by the cost In Mark . I love that Mark gives us this depiction when Jesus and he's in the midst of saying a lot of hard things , because everybody's got the wrong idea about what this new kingdom ethic looks like and the cost of it , and when a lot of us . When we have something that's hard said to us , like when people say hard things , we have an image of a tone or a face and what that would look like and for a lot of us we could close our eyes . And when Jesus was giving us the thing , we could see him as like he's being strict , like he's given them law , like you get yourself together . I'm disappointed in you . You're not good enough . You know exactly the face that I'm talking about . You pick up and I love that .

Speaker 1 15:07

Mark , through Peter , says Peter's view Mark's a scribe , by the way gives us like what his face looks like . And Mark says that Jesus looked at him when he was saying this stuff and he loved him . And to understand , like that changes significantly the way that you can view that moment , that exchange , like there's some correction in there and there's some like you're not quite understanding it . I want this for you . But in love , and the man became more obsessed with the word spoken than the one who spoke them , and so he leaves . And so Jesus . Then he decides well , that was awkward , I'm gonna use this as a teaching moment with the disciples .

Speaker 1 15:55

And he shifts Verse 23, . This is what the rest were gonna unpack today . And Jesus said to his disciples truly , I say to you , it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven . And again I say to you that it's actually easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven . And when the disciples heard this , they were very astonished and said then who can be saved ? And looking at them , jesus said to them with people this is impossible , but with God all things are possible .

Challenges of Wealth and the Kingdom

Speaker 1 16:38

So a few questions . As we read that and as you're taking this in that I had this week , I'm gonna kind of unpack for us . It is why were the disciples so surprised ? Like , why were they astonished ? Secondly , who is Jesus actually talking to and about in this passage ? Like what's he saying ? And then , third , why is it so hard ? Like why is it so hard for the rich to enter into the kingdom of heaven ? And lastly , how does God actually want us to respond Today ? Like how does God want us to respond this morning ? So the first question why were the disciples so astonished ? Well , I think it's simply because Jesus just upended their subliminal and our subliminal belief that reward and prosperity are signs of God's blessing .

Speaker 1 17:23

That link to reward and God's approval is a concept of more . More reward , more blessing , more , not less . More salary . We understand this . More salary , more perks , more opportunity , more vacation , a larger office , more comfort . We actually believe this because we live in North America . We believe that that's a sign of God's blessing .

Speaker 1 17:47

I mean , just imagine the opposite . Can you imagine your boss reviews the last quarter or your goals , your smart stuff , and comes to you and is like man , wow , wow , congratulations , you know the leadership . We've noticed this stuff . We actually got together and we were discussing and we would like to actually decrease your salary . We're gonna give you a smaller office , we're gonna move you around and , by the way , you're gonna lose one week's of vacation . You are killing it . Keep up the good work . Come on , you are bringing in the thunder , right .

Speaker 1 18:19

How would we respond ? We're like what happened to you , right ? Why would we think that's so bizarre ? It's because we link blessing with prosperity , the concept of more , and the problem is that is not how God or Jesus reviews , views , reward or promotion . I mean , look at his most trusted servants , the disciples . Most of them were on their way to a martyr's death . They're not getting a corner office or a suite . And I'm not saying that God never rewards or he never promotes by giving us more . I'm not saying that at all . What I am saying is that money is never A key factor or a motivator or a sign or indicator of God's approval or blessing . And yes , I am like trying to slash this whole prosperity gospel thing and he's beating it up right now .

Speaker 1 19:10

If you just wanna like get right to that point , you know what I think is the key indicator . He's saying it's presence , it's him , it's the invitation to live life with meaning . It's the invitation to live life with , like , no guilt , to experience his love . Can you imagine those of you who carried that in today living with no guilt , no shame ? Can you imagine like actually taking that off and like actually living your life that way ? It's the presence , it's the power , it's the communion and communication with the Holy Spirit , it's the spiritual authority when you pray .

Speaker 1 19:48

It's not money . Money is merely a commodity in the natural realm . It actually says if you look at any dollar bill or bill , this legal note is what it is . It literally says a note is legal tender . That's all that money is and the reward that Jesus offers if you're a skeptic or you're unchurched or de-churched or re-churched or whatever the term .

Speaker 1 20:10

But if you don't know Jesus personally , I want you to just imagine for a moment living a life with no guilt , no shame , hope and healing and meaning , and even if you screw up that , you still have intrinsic value , and that's what the gospel offers . And so you have to ask what are you willing to trade for that ? The disciples were astonished by the cost . Why are we not astonished when we hear this passage ? You thought about that .

Speaker 1 20:47

I think , honestly , it's familiarity . Like we've just heard this story a bunch of times . You're like , oh , that's sweet , I'm not that guy . Like we're not really sure who he's talking to . Like , who is he talking to ? I don't know . He's the name Right . What is he saying ? I'm not really sure . It's like code Right .

Speaker 1 21:03

So let's go ahead and dig in . Who is Jesus talking to ? Let's get right down to it the rich , it's us . We have been given large chunks of money . Friends . I am the rich . Every passage of scripture where Jesus refers to the rich , he is referring directly to me and to you . I have an American passport , I've got change in my pocket , I've got a lock on my door to protect me and I've got enough money to buy groceries for the next week and I bathe in drinking water . We are the rich , you know who . This story has absolutely no challenge for the poor . It's a challenge for you and I . That's why it's so hard to preach the gospel in a city where we have people that have everything . Let me tell you this , friends Hard times is the best time for a preacher . Tell you that . So now that we know where we me fits into the story .

Speaker 1 22:03

Jesus' words suddenly become a word , suddenly become way more personal . So what is he actually saying in all of this ? Well , it says in Jesus said to his disciples truly , I say to you , it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven . So he's saying it's only with difficulty , like it's only with difficulty , that you will enter the kingdom of heaven . And the original word here is stronger than our English localism and it doesn't mean like difficulty or hard in the sense of like technical difficulty . It means difficulty or hard within regards to the painfulness of the process . It means that only by pain will the rich enter the kingdom of heaven .

Speaker 1 22:48

I can picture Jesus seeing the disciples and their like stunned look in this moment they're trying to figure out like whoa , wow , like it's gonna be difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven . I mean , like do we have to give everything up ? I mean , that's like Zacchaeus only had to give like half . Like what's the formula ? And we do this all the time Like , can you give me like the exact answer , like what the formula is ? Like we already gave up our boats . Like is that enough ? Like do I qualify ? And they're trying to figure out what this formula is . How much wealthy people have to give up , how much surrender ? And that's exactly , friends , what you and I do . That's how much you know . It's like how much exactly do I have to give ? You know , like how much ? How much do I really need to bring God into my finances ?

Speaker 1 23:30

And Jesus is like stop , you're missing the point , verse 24 , it's not only difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven , but also impossible , it says . I say to you again , it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven . Now , for years , christian scholars and pastors , they've been trying to like civilize Jesus' declaration here . They're trying to be like he couldn't really mean what he's saying , because that would be impossible and that sounds really difficult . That makes this teaching much more hard for us to digest . So you'll actually find some writings or commentary out there that will say that Jesus is actually referring to what is this very narrow low gate in Jerusalem , called the needle gate . Now , the only way that you could get a camel through it was that you have to strip the camel of all of its cargo and all of its burdens and it would have to go through the gate then hunched in this humbled position . Now I'm gonna tell you , that makes for great preaching . The only problem is there is no evidence anywhere , archeologically or historically , in literature , to give any evidence that this gate ever existed .

Speaker 1 24:45

See , jesus was using a common phrase that meant impossible , and the camel , for Israel , was the largest animal of the time , and so that's why he picked the camel . Similar to what he's talking about , really small things . He used examples like as small as a mustard seed . Now is that the smallest of all seeds ? No , we know that , but in that region , in that area , they would have known that's the smallest seed that they know of . So if he was speaking to you and I today , or if I was saying it , he would have said it's easier for Larry to fit into his eight year old T-shirt than it is for you and I to enter into the kingdom of heaven . And that's exactly what his audience would have done , exactly what he did . He's using it in exaggeration , it's humor , it's funny , it's bizarre , and that's the point , because it's impossible , right ?

Speaker 1 25:36

So what does that mean for us ? Like , what do we do with this ? What does it mean for us , those who have changed in our pockets , running water , at home , more than one change of clothes ? And actually , this is one of the beauties of this passage it actually puts the longtime believer , the longtime church person and the brand new Christian or the skeptic all on the equal playing ground . It means this that it is impossible for you and I , by a mere act of our own will , to override the selfishness of our hearts , our thirst for independence , our fears and insecurities enough to actually surrender our lives to Jesus Christ to the extent that he is actually asking us , because Jesus asked for full everything surrender . And that is tough , and that's what makes it tough to enter the kingdom and that's why it makes entering the kingdom of heaven a miracle .

Speaker 1 26:28

Remaining in the kingdom of heaven requires a miracle and the beauty of the gospel is it's impossible , but with God all things are possible . You know why this stuff causes so much like fear in us . It's because we know if , like we want a new heart and we actually ask God like , hey , would you make in me a new heart , would you change my heart , would you change the way I think , the way I see things , would you actually do this new thing in me and turn me upside down too , like the fear in us , he might actually do it . That terrifies some of us because then that means I lose control . I don't decide where I'm gonna live anymore , that I'm gonna move to another country and translate the Bible , that I'm going to lose control of my independence , my retirement , my vacation . I might even have to sell one of my cars . I lose control , and Jesus understands it's not easy . It's easier for an elephant to fit into my car than to surrender my life to that level . But it is possible with God . But it requires a little bit of cooperation .

Speaker 1 27:40

So why is it so difficult for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven . I mean , when you're thinking about this , why is it so difficult ? Why is it so tough ? It's actually a simple formula . See money and wealth equals power , right Power to buy things . I can buy my own independence . Money and wealth for most people gives us a longer life . Money and possessions actually can lift and reduce stress and worry , but it can also increase it . Money is morally neutral . It's used for good and can be used for evil . And it's difficult for the wealthy and for you and I to enter into the kingdom of heaven . And the kingdom of heaven is what is that ? It's the reign and the rule of Christ in our lives , in our homes , in our businesses . That's what it is . But money can deceive us into believing that we don't need God . So maybe here's a question this week do you actually need God , like in the next seven days , if you were to think about it , and what situation do you actually need God to come through ? Do you have to , like , make something up ?

Speaker 1 28:54

It's difficult to enter the kingdom of heaven because we're unwilling so often to surrender our independence and our comfort . Because you know we want both , we love both , both feel so much more comfortable to us . We wanna feel close to God and we wanna stay in control of how we spend our wealth and our money . Think about it for a minute If you could only have one or the other a vibrant relationship with the Holy Spirit or the salary that you currently enjoy you have to pick one . Some of you guys are like , why are you doing this to me right now , Larry ? Like stop it right . If you could only pick one the house you own or a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ , a meaningful purpose relationship we're exposing some stuff . This is exactly what he's doing . He's exposing some things in this . We just kind of read by it . We're like God , that is about me . Which one ? Your retirement or a relationship with Jesus ? You see what that reveals . We wanted all , but here's the reality . We can only have one . I can't have competing loyalties .

Speaker 1 30:10

Jesus says no one can serve two masters , for you will either hate one and love the other , or you will be devoted to one and despise the other . You cannot serve God and money and possessions . He's not saying like it's a bad idea to try that . You probably shouldn't try that . He's saying it's impossible , like he's just giving us . It's impossible . You can't serve both and that's just to get in . But I think it's also difficult for us to remain in the kingdom of heaven because wealth is distracting , even after I've surrendered everything like the more you have , the harder it is , because you just have more to lose . And yes , some of you guys are still hanging on to my last statement . I want you to chew on that , that remaining aspect

Surrendering to Jesus

Speaker 1 30:53

.

Speaker 1 30:53

So what does Jesus want us to do ? If this is true and I believe that it is what does Jesus actually want us to do ? Ironically , he doesn't tell us exactly In this passage specifically . In fact , he's been preaching the answer to this throughout the whole book of Matthew , just as we've been preaching for the last 33 years here at Northgate . What does Jesus want us to do ? He wants to be the Lord of your entire life . That's it . Jesus actually wants to be the Lord of your entire life . He wants to be Lord of your money , your wealth , your cars , your relationships , your vacations , your retirement , your pain , your dreams , your future , your grief . He wants to be Lord of everything .

Speaker 1 31:41

He actually says to those of us who are rich in this present world to not be arrogant and put our hope in those things , which is uncertain , but put our hope in God , who richly then provides everything for our enjoyment , asking you and I to be good , to do good , to be rich in good deeds and be generous and then willing to share . To get into the kingdom of heaven , you have to surrender your whole life , but then , once you're in , he says what you do , have the wealth that you have , do something good with it . And I think that this is actually where the Christian life is about to become exciting . Just imagine this . It means that God wants you to think and be a part of , and be in communion with , about everything you've got and to begin spending it on purpose . Being a gardener , that's in the garden , collectively , as a whole , that you get to be a participant .

Speaker 1 32:37

Can you just imagine of those of us who've got lots of money or some money or a little money , if you just put it all out on the chopping block and began to ask God , what do you actually want me to do with this ? And actually began investing in and spending your money in a way that you actually needed to rely on God , that you needed him to see you through this next year where you don't actually rely on your wealth , and that's the great challenge because that's the challenge of money Is that becomes the thing that we put all of our reliance in . That's why it's hard to remain in the kingdom of God , because we can rely on our own abilities , we begin to rely on our savings account , we begin to rely on our bosses . It's hard , it's like trying to fit an elephant in my car , and it's easier to put that elephant in my car than it is for us to remain , but it is possible with God , but not easy . I think another way to sum it up , for this remain idea once you're in is I think it's this I think Jesus is not interested in being like our special blankie or that stuffed animal that is our comfort , like when you're a kid or maybe when you're an adult .

Speaker 1 33:59

You pick , but you know that that like fond stuffed animal that you had , or that blankie that got you through those dark nights , that gave you comfort and therapy , and you had that , and then , as you got older and then you just look back and , like fond memories that are , finds itself in a plastic bag so it doesn't get damaged , or in the closet and you're like , oh , that was really sweet . I mean , that literally got me through my life . For a season it was everything to me . And then what happened ? Like I started figuring out how to take care of myself . I started , I put my big boy pants on and I went to work and I took care of me and I got stronger and I didn't need that anymore .

Speaker 1 34:41

I think Jesus is saying look it , I'm really not interested in being your special blankie or that animal that just gets stuff off to the side . I'm actually not your means , I'm your Lord , and that's all I want to be in your life . So how do we actually do this Like ? Let's put ourselves into the picture . So I think the best way to look at it is this how do you view generosity ? I think that our natural tendency for us in generosity is to look and think what little amount Lord like ? What amount do you want me to give away ? And please say it's a little right . We're so worried about the amount that he wants us to get away that I think often we just don't give at all . We're thinking like do I really have to love Jesus and be marked by generosity ? Friends , you should be marked by generosity in every facet of your life , because you don't understand the gospel .

Speaker 1 35:41

If you're not Generous with your time , generous with your energy , generous with your care for another , for the sake of other and not self , generous with your money and I think that God would what he'd want us to do even today , right now , in these moments , this next week , is to settle the ownership issue . Settle the ownership issue with the other 90% . Now , that would be assuming that you give 10% of your money to the Lord , that Jesus is the Lord of your finances . Now , if you're only giving 5% , settle the ownership of the 95% . If you're giving 25% of your income to the kingdom purpose , then settle the ownership of the 75% . And if you're not giving anything to the kingdom , first of all

Surrendering All to Jesus

Speaker 1 36:24

there's an issue .

Speaker 1 36:25

Jesus is not Lord of your entire life , especially Lord of your finances . But if you're giving nothing , then settle the ownership of the 100% . Who owns it ? And Jesus says this is why it's hard . But then he gives us the great hope and he says the impossibility for man is possible with God . Jesus will not be our means , he will be our Lord , the end and hope and healing , because God's scale always tips towards mercy . He's a God of grace because he knows that it's his kindness , his goodness , his love and his continual pursuit , relentless pursuit , of broken , rebellious people . That reminds us that the gospel is so good and he has come to set us free from those things . So we are not called to acquire more , we are called to surrender all . I'll tell you right now that is not the end of this story . Next week we'll wrap it up as we see .

Speaker 1 37:41

Peter begs for more clarity , as some of us may be doing right now . We'll see what that all means next week . You're not going to want to miss it , but for now , before we respond , we should pray for us . Father , thank you for the challenge that today's brought . As you turn things upside down on us , bring more clarity about what it means to follow you , I want to confess May we all confess where we've depended on ourselves and our own abilities , our own strength , our own independence , rather than to being dependent on you . Would your Holy Spirit , just in this place as it moves around , just comfort us , challenge us , encourage us , give us faith , hope , peace , joy , love , kindness , gentleness , conviction again , as we surrender and confess that we want you to be our Lord and that's the end , and because of that , enjoy the means in which you so richly provide . You're a good father , we love you . Your name we pray , amen .