Sermon: Curious, Convinced, Committed
Scripture: Matthew 19:16-30
ICE BREAKER: If you won $100,000 what would be your first purchase?
REVIEW:
This week, we asked the question, "What does it really mean to follow Jesus?"
We looked at the story of the wealthy young man who asked Jesus what he must DO to have eternal life. Quickly, Jesus helps him understand it is not about what he does, it is more about what he BELIEVES.
To understand the interaction between the wealthy man and Jesus, it is helpful to understand the three aspects of eternal life that scripture teaches us:
JUSTIFICATION - the moment of faith when you are saved from the penalty of sin
SANCTIFICATION - following Jesus and progressively defeating the power of sin
GLORIFICATION - life in eternity free from the presence of sin
The rich young man assumed he was justified, seemed willing to do whatever it took to be sanctified, because he wanted the richest experience of glorification possible. However, when Jesus told him the one thing holding him back was his wealth, the young man walked away unwilling to part with what was most precious to him.
The disciples asked Jesus whether or not they were truly following Him and what that would mean for their futures. Jesus assured them that anyone willing to do whatever it takes to follow Him will receive an eternal return so large it is unimaginable!
This story helps highlight the three KINDS of Jesus followers:
The Curious
The Convinced
The Committed
The Curious were the crowds that followed Jesus everywhere he went. They were mostly concerned about what they could GET from Jesus.
The Convinced were those who truly wanted to LEARN from Jesus. They realized that his teachings would improve their life and wanted to hear and apply what He had to say.
The Committed were those who completely organized their life around Jesus - even if it cost them greatly!
The Committed believed what Jesus often taught, "The first will be last, and the last will be first." They were willing to sacrifice anything to follow Jesus with everything they were and everything they had.
APPLY:
The world's advice is to live a "First Place" kind of life right now. The Rich young man was certainly living large, but missed out on truly following Jesus.
On the other side of this life, there will be a great reversal. Whatever we love more than Jesus will be lost in that reversal, and whatever we gave up to follow him will be returned a hundred-fold!
What kind of Jesus follower would you consider yourself? Curious, Convinced, or Committed?
Who do you really believe Jesus is? Is He good and is He God?
What do you love more than Jesus? (In other words, what might you not be able to give up if Jesus asked you to in order to follow Him?)
How/What do you need to invest in order to follow Jesus with full commitment?
PRAY:
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything you are currently putting in higher priority that Jesus. Confess that to Jesus and ask Him for strength to go all-in following after Him!
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