1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,500 And we are glad you're here as well. 2 00:00:02,500 --> 00:00:04,560 Hey, that is a promo for our new sermon series. 3 00:00:04,560 --> 00:00:05,400 It's coming up in two weeks. 4 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:06,800 It's called Blind Spot. 5 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,480 And it takes place in Luke chapter 18 and 19. 6 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,200 Now it's all about vision and can you see 7 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:13,640 what God wants you to see? 8 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:16,680 But today we conclude a four week sermon series 9 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:18,880 entitled Tools of the Carpenter. 10 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:22,180 And I begin by asking this big question. 11 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:28,040 What is it that God is wanting you to sacrifice? 12 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:29,240 To sacrifice. 13 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:32,080 What is it that God is wanting you to give up? 14 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:33,840 What is it that is in your life right now 15 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:36,840 that God doesn't want to be in your life? 16 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:39,440 For some of you it's something that is not good for you 17 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:41,360 and God is like, get rid of it. 18 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:43,480 For some of you it's something that is good 19 00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:44,760 but it's not best. 20 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:47,840 And so God is saying it's time to give it up. 21 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:49,680 And that's what the passage is all about. 22 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,760 In Luke chapter number 18, we're gonna see one of 23 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:54,560 my favorite stories in the Bible. 24 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:57,960 Honestly, a very funny story about Jesus' death 25 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:00,600 is interaction with an individual. 26 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,000 I am excited of course about the 90 day trust challenge. 27 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,640 It begins next, actually it begins just in a few days. 28 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,280 And many of us are turning in our 90 day trust challenge 29 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:12,040 card today at the end of the service. 30 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,640 My wife and I, we have hours, it's already filled out. 31 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:17,240 I'm ready to turn, not at this service 32 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:19,680 because I'm here for all three. 33 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:21,960 I'm turning my card in at the end of the third service. 34 00:01:21,960 --> 00:01:23,640 And I put my name here, you know. 35 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:26,520 And it says cell phone number, I put you already have it. 36 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:30,280 And under email address it says see above. 37 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:31,640 So they already have that. 38 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:33,280 But I'm turning my card in along with you 39 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:34,760 at the end of the third service to be part 40 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:35,760 of the trust challenge. 41 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:38,720 And I gotta tell you, I'm very excited about next Sunday. 42 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:43,560 Next Sunday is August 6th, which means there's a special, 43 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,640 does anybody know what the first Sunday of August is 44 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:47,920 at Southern Hills every year? 45 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:48,760 Does anybody know? 46 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:49,600 Do you know what it is? 47 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:50,440 What is it? 48 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:52,120 Yeah, it's our anniversary service. 49 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:57,120 Next Sunday is our 19 year anniversary service as a church 50 00:01:57,640 --> 00:01:59,480 and we're very excited about it. 51 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:01,440 So if you're here, I hope you're able to be here 52 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:03,960 next Sunday to celebrate with us. 53 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:06,960 In the sermon series, tools of a carpenter, 54 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,560 we're saying that Jesus has used some of the same tools 55 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:12,920 that he used to carve out blocks of wood 56 00:02:12,920 --> 00:02:15,560 into creations that he made while a carpenter on earth. 57 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:17,520 He uses the same with us. 58 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:19,640 We talked the first week about a chisel. 59 00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:23,760 And sometimes God has to chisel away aspects of our life 60 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:26,640 that are not conducive to our growth and our beauty. 61 00:02:26,640 --> 00:02:28,480 He chisels us away. 62 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:29,920 Then we talked about the measuring stick 63 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:32,240 that sometimes God has to measure us, 64 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,240 not according to the weakest measurement, 65 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:36,840 but according to the largest measurement. 66 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:40,600 And it all matters to whom we are measuring ourselves against. 67 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:42,920 The following week, we talked about the hand plane, 68 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:45,440 that there are certain things that God is trying to strip 69 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:47,800 away from your life so that he can see you, 70 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:50,680 when he does this, by showing you beauty and troubles. 71 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:54,000 And today, the final sermon in this sermon series, 72 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:55,000 it's called the hammer. 73 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:00,320 The carpenter often uses the hammer 74 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:05,880 to carefully chip away aspects of our life. 75 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:10,600 But sometimes, just like every leader, 76 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:14,440 he has to bring the hammer down. 77 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:16,840 Today's sermon is entitled, 78 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:19,040 The Hammer Delivering the Hard Truths, 79 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:22,480 and this is a story of where Jesus lowers the hammer. 80 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:23,320 Let's pray. 81 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:25,680 Father in heaven, as we talk through this passage today, 82 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,280 I pray that you would allow us to see the beauty of it. 83 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:30,640 I pray that you'd help us to see the humor of it. 84 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:33,320 I pray that you would help us to see the power of it. 85 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:35,400 And most importantly, I pray that you would help us 86 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:37,040 to see the love in it. 87 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:41,480 That you, the God of heaven, loves us so much 88 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:46,240 that you are brutally honest with us when you need to be. 89 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:48,560 God, I ask that you'd be brutally honest with me 90 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:50,400 and with our friends today. 91 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:52,280 As you were with this young man in the story, 92 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,480 in Jesus' name we pray, amen. 93 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:56,840 Let's go ahead and look right into it. 94 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:59,000 Luke chapter 18 and verse number 18, 95 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,120 it says once there was a religious leader 96 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:02,720 asked Jesus this question, 97 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:07,720 Good teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life? 98 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:13,560 Now, let me walk you through the opening of this passage 99 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:17,200 because each word actually has a lot of fascination to it. 100 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:19,200 It says that once there was a religious ruler, 101 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:20,400 but we know that this man is more 102 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:22,120 than just a religious ruler. 103 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:24,840 He's not just a leader in a local synagogue, 104 00:04:24,840 --> 00:04:27,680 he is probably the chief ruler of a local synagogue. 105 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:29,600 Not only a chief ruler of a local synagogue, 106 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,320 he may have been one of the members of the Sanhedrin 107 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:33,560 down in Jerusalem, 108 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:36,720 which was a collection of the most important 109 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:39,600 religious people of the society. 110 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:41,480 We not only know he was a religious leader, 111 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:42,920 he was a political leader, 112 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:44,680 because in that day and age, 113 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:47,000 religious leaders and political leaders 114 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:48,480 were one and the same. 115 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:51,040 He was not just a religious leader and a political leader, 116 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:52,680 which made him a powerful ruler. 117 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:54,480 He was also very wealthy. 118 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:56,120 You're gonna see that down in the text. 119 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:58,240 He was a rich man, 120 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:01,800 but he wasn't just a religious and political powerful rich man. 121 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:05,120 He was a religious, political and powerful rich man 122 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:07,240 who was very young. 123 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,480 We see that in the Gospel of Matthews account of this story. 124 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:15,480 He was a rich, young, powerful, 125 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:20,000 politically connected ruler of the community, 126 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,160 but he was also interested in Jesus. 127 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:24,880 And so he approaches Jesus with a question. 128 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:27,240 And as he approaches Jesus with a question, 129 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:29,400 I want you to see the, 130 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:35,760 I want you to see the bit of arrogance 131 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:37,400 that this young man has. 132 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:39,800 Yes, he admired Jesus, 133 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:40,840 but we're gonna see in the passage, 134 00:05:40,840 --> 00:05:42,880 he also really admires himself. 135 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,680 Have you ever known somebody who genuinely admired Jesus, 136 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:49,280 but also pretty much admired themselves as well? 137 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:52,520 So let's look at the passage. 138 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:55,680 Once a religious leader came to Jesus 139 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:56,960 and asked this question, 140 00:05:56,960 --> 00:05:58,280 good teacher, 141 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:05,200 what should I do to inherit eternal life? 142 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:07,280 Eart eternal life. 143 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:09,360 Jesus replies, why do you call me good? 144 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,080 There's only God who is truly good, 145 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,360 but to answer the question, 146 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:18,760 you know that you must follow the commandments. 147 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:20,280 You must not commit adultery, 148 00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:21,320 you must not murder, 149 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:22,240 you must not steal, 150 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:24,240 you must not testify falsely 151 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:25,680 honor your father and mother. 152 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:27,040 And the man replied, 153 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:31,200 I have obeyed all of these commandments 154 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:32,960 since I was very young. 155 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:37,160 And when Jesus heard this answer, he said, 156 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:42,240 there is still one thing that you have to do. 157 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:46,920 I wonder what that one thing is. 158 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:51,000 What is the one thing that is keeping you 159 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:53,120 from truly following Jesus? 160 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:56,920 What is the one thing that he wants you to give up for him? 161 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:00,040 What is the one thing that you are needing 162 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,240 to sacrifice to God? 163 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:03,320 For this young man, 164 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:04,760 we're going to see his one thing, 165 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:07,200 but I want you to ask the question to yourself, 166 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:10,480 what is the one thing that is keeping me from God? 167 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:11,720 It wasn't the phone, 168 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:12,920 or it wasn't the alarm clock, 169 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:14,880 it was the phone. 170 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:17,200 It was the phone that woke me up that day, 171 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:22,000 which is problematic because I was supposed to be awakened 172 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:25,280 by my alarm clock at about 5.45 that morning. 173 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:27,560 And this was the days before cell phones. 174 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:30,400 I was in college and the dorm room phone 175 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:35,400 on the side of my wall rung at 7.02, 176 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:38,640 which is a problem because I was supposed to be at work 177 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:41,800 32 minutes before this moment. 178 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,360 How many of you have ever shown up late to work? 179 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:45,320 Would you raise your hand? 180 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:47,480 This makes me feel a lot better. 181 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:49,280 How many of you shown up late to work this week? 182 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:52,360 Confess it later on, not right now, all right, very good. 183 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:54,080 And it's embarrassing, it's embarrassing, 184 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:55,800 especially for me at that point, 185 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:57,400 because when I picked up the phone, 186 00:07:57,400 --> 00:07:59,840 I immediately thought, oh no, 187 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:03,120 it was my responsibility in the college I was attending 188 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,840 to enter into the administration building 189 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:09,360 and open the entire building so that the administrators, 190 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:11,280 the faculty members, and the students 191 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:14,160 could get to their classes on time. 192 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:17,720 I was supposed to open everything at 6.30 in the morning, 193 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:21,040 but now it was 7.02 and there were hundreds of people 194 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:23,680 waiting outside of the building for their classes. 195 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:25,800 There were all the executives and faculty members 196 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:27,840 and administration who were waiting to get in. 197 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:30,920 And I got a phone call from my boss on the phone, 198 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:32,680 I picked it up and I said, hello? 199 00:08:32,680 --> 00:08:35,720 And he said, are you coming into work today? 200 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:38,280 I said, yeah, I'm on my way. 201 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:41,200 He said, I'll see you when you get here. 202 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:43,000 Have you ever had this conversation? 203 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:46,960 So I ran into work as quickly as possible, 204 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:49,160 had my suit and tie on, I'm running, 205 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:52,040 I'm sweating in the floor to sun in early September, 206 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:54,400 and I ran into the place, I opened the door, 207 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:55,960 and there my boss was. 208 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:59,200 The building was open, everybody was running to classes, 209 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:02,160 and there my boss was, Dennis Wilkeny. 210 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,800 Dennis said to me, come on, let's go have a conversation. 211 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:09,840 Have you ever had one of these conversations? 212 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:12,080 He sat me down across the table for me, 213 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:14,320 I was 19 years at the time. 214 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:16,720 He sat down, he looked at me and said, Joshua, 215 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:19,600 I just wanna begin by saying, 216 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:26,240 if you're not right for this job, that's okay. 217 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:29,760 Have you ever had somebody say something very mean, 218 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:31,240 but in a very nice way? 219 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:36,840 If you're not right for this job, that's completely okay. 220 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,520 Josh, you need to understand that this job 221 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:42,920 is for the type of person who takes their life very seriously, 222 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:48,000 who wants to go somewhere and do something with their life. 223 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:49,960 I understand there are a lot of jobs 224 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:51,640 that you can participate in. 225 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:54,240 In fact, I can help you find a job 226 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:56,440 that is appropriate for somebody like you. 227 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:03,080 But this job is for somebody who has responsibility 228 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:05,760 and believes themselves to be important enough 229 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:08,840 to lead in life and actually succeed, 230 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:12,120 and I completely understand if this is a job 231 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:13,720 you don't think you should have. 232 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:18,720 And I wasn't sure if he was being nice or mean, 233 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:24,440 but now that I'm 43, I look back 234 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:26,040 and I realize how nice that was. 235 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:32,000 He was very kindly saying to me, 236 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:33,440 we're not putting up with this 237 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:35,400 and the world will not put up with this, 238 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:37,320 and there's a certain life you can live 239 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:39,280 if this is what you think life is, 240 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:41,400 but if you wanna elevate your life, 241 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:44,080 what you think life is, but if you wanna elevate, 242 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:46,200 if you wanna go to the next level, 243 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:51,200 this is the kind of behavior that will not be tolerated. 244 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:55,040 I gotta tell you, at 19 years old, 245 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:59,880 I needed Dennis Wilkening to bring down the hammer in my life. 246 00:10:59,880 --> 00:11:02,640 I needed somebody to be brutally honest with me 247 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:04,280 and not coddle me. 248 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:06,160 I needed somebody to bring me along 249 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:07,640 and not pat me on the head and say, 250 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:09,880 every thought you've ever thought is right, 251 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:11,840 every aspect of your life is perfect. 252 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:14,160 You are a perfect person from the birth 253 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:15,560 all the way through death. 254 00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:19,080 I needed somebody to be brutally honest with me. 255 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:23,760 Can I just stop and say that God does love you? 256 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:24,800 How many of you believe God loves you? 257 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:26,680 If you do, say amen. 258 00:11:26,680 --> 00:11:28,360 God loves you so much, 259 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:32,520 so he's brutally honest with you. 260 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:38,880 And for some of you, this sermon will be brutally honest. 261 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:41,040 It'll be the hammer that's coming down 262 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:43,320 that prepares you for the rest of your life, 263 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:45,720 not just this life, but the afterlife. 264 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:50,200 There's precedent in the scripture for this truth. 265 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:51,160 Do you know this? 266 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:54,680 That the Bible says in the book of Jude verse 22 and 23, 267 00:11:54,680 --> 00:11:57,560 it says that God saves some through fear 268 00:11:57,560 --> 00:11:59,720 and God saves other through mercy. 269 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:01,640 You say, what does that mean? 270 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:03,440 It means that sometimes God has to come 271 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:05,200 and this sermon for some of you, 272 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:06,680 it's not needed for you. 273 00:12:06,680 --> 00:12:08,160 You don't need the hammer to come down. 274 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:09,560 The hammer's already come down. 275 00:12:09,560 --> 00:12:12,480 All you need to be told is God loves me and he likes me 276 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:14,240 and he's willing to save me. 277 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:17,040 Some of you, that's the message you've needed 278 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:19,320 and I preach that message all the time, 279 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:21,400 but that's not what this text is. 280 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:23,440 This text is the text that is saying, 281 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:26,160 some of you are so built up with pride in your own life, 282 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:29,120 you need a hammer to come down and say, no, 283 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:31,360 just like I needed Dennis Wilkening, 284 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:33,320 just like this man needs Jesus, 285 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:35,560 so you need this passage today. 286 00:12:35,560 --> 00:12:38,320 And so because God loves us so much, 287 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:40,760 he has to be brutally honest with us. 288 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:42,000 So how is it? 289 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:43,360 This is the question of the day. 290 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:48,360 How does Jesus save and rescue a stubborn soul? 291 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:55,000 Anybody here self identify as stubborn? 292 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:55,840 I do. 293 00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:58,120 How many of you self identify as stubborn? 294 00:12:58,120 --> 00:12:59,640 Don't raise your hand if it's not true. 295 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:01,720 Some of you are so stubborn, you will not raise your hand. 296 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:04,280 How many of you, how many of you truly are 297 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:07,000 you self identify as a stubborn person? 298 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:07,840 How many of you are like me? 299 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:10,000 Okay, this message is not for everybody, 300 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,000 but this message is for you. 301 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:13,280 It's for me. 302 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:16,360 It's the type of person who has to be told bluntly 303 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:18,360 and clearly what the problem is, 304 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:19,960 so I take care of the problem. 305 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:22,000 How does Jesus rescue the stubborn soul? 306 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:24,760 In this passage, we see that he addresses, 307 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:29,760 he begins by addressing your idolatry. 308 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:33,680 This is how Jesus rescues a stubborn person. 309 00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:37,320 The first thing he does is he addresses your idolatry. 310 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:40,560 Say this with me, he addresses your idolatry. 311 00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:43,760 Say it with me, he addresses your idolatry. 312 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:45,600 You know what religious people like to do? 313 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:48,720 Religious people like to point out other people's sins. 314 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:53,360 Jesus likes to point out your sins to you. 315 00:13:54,680 --> 00:13:56,400 And then when he points out your sins to you, 316 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:58,200 you like to change the subject like I do 317 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:01,000 and say let's talk about everybody else's sins. 318 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,640 And Jesus says, no, I wanna talk about your, 319 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:05,760 idolatry and that's what happens with this man. 320 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:07,600 Man comes up to Jesus and Jesus, 321 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:11,640 what must I do to inherit eternal life? 322 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:14,160 How can I earn salvation? 323 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:16,920 Jesus says, you know what to do, obey the commandments. 324 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:22,280 I need you never to commit adultery, don't murder people. 325 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:25,040 So far he's like, I haven't killed anybody recently. 326 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:29,560 You're not allowed to lie, honor your father and mother. 327 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:31,680 What do you mean by lie? 328 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:33,880 What do you mean by honor? 329 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:36,640 And so now Jesus is telling this man, 330 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:38,240 just obey the commandments. 331 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:39,320 Isn't it interesting? 332 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:40,800 All you have to do to get to heaven 333 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:42,800 is obey all the commandments all of the time forever 334 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:43,640 in your life. 335 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:46,280 Okay, if you're new to church 336 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:47,600 and you haven't heard anything I've said, 337 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:49,520 let me just spell it out for you. 338 00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:50,720 You say, how do I go to heaven? 339 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:52,000 Here's how you go to heaven. 340 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,680 Obey all of the commandments, all of the time, 341 00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:58,200 never break one, stand before God perfect 342 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:02,920 and God will let you into heaven, good luck. 343 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:06,880 Like you might be really good with those five right there, 344 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:08,800 like the five on the screen, you might be really good. 345 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:12,240 But did you know there's over 500 commandments in the Torah? 346 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:14,920 And you gotta make every single one, 347 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:16,560 every single time without fail. 348 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:17,880 You say, well what if I broke a few? 349 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:19,720 Well you're in trouble. 350 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:21,320 It means you're a sinner. 351 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:24,480 And now Jesus says to the man, obey all the commandments 352 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:27,000 and you will have earned eternal life 353 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:29,520 and you'll love the response of this young man, 354 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:32,200 the young rich young ruler, he looks at Jesus and says, 355 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:36,480 I have since my youth, I've obeyed them all. 356 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:38,760 Can you imagine looking Jesus in the eye 357 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:42,840 and saying Bible check, I've done the Bible, what else? 358 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:46,480 Like are there any other rules outside 359 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:48,720 of all the ones in the Bible? 360 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:51,720 And Jesus says, okay, okay, so you're that good? 361 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:53,120 There's one thing you need to do. 362 00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:54,960 And if you do this one thing, you got it, 363 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:57,520 you're for sure into heaven. 364 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:00,200 What is the one thing for this man? 365 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:02,160 The man replied, I've obeyed all of these commandments 366 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:03,520 since I was very young. 367 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:06,680 And when Jesus heard the answer, he said, okay, 368 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:08,720 there is still one thing that you haven't done. 369 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:11,520 Sell all of your possessions 370 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:14,400 and give all the money to the poor. 371 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:17,480 And then you'll have treasure in heaven 372 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:19,280 and then you can come and follow me. 373 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:23,360 Can you imagine being the rich young ruler, 374 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:27,960 you're like, gulp, I'll take door number two. 375 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:31,040 Sell everything you have, give it to the poor, 376 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:32,280 then you can come and follow me. 377 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:35,560 Now some have inappropriately and incorrectly interpreted 378 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:38,240 this passage to mean that if you give all your money 379 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:41,040 to the poor and you die, you'll go to heaven regardless, 380 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:42,800 which according to that interpretation, 381 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:45,240 what that means is all you can do anything you want. 382 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:46,760 You can murder people, you can steal, 383 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:47,840 you can dishonor your parents, 384 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:49,800 you can just be the worst person that's ever lived. 385 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:51,760 And then at the end of your life, take all your money, 386 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:54,000 sell it, give it to the poor and heaven is yours. 387 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:55,160 That's it, that's all it takes. 388 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:57,640 Do you think that's what Jesus is saying, yes or no? 389 00:16:57,640 --> 00:16:58,920 No, that's not what Jesus is saying. 390 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:03,040 Jesus is identifying this individual's God. 391 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,880 This individual's God is money. 392 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,360 And Jesus says, if you wanna follow God, you can, 393 00:17:11,360 --> 00:17:13,360 but you first have to give up your God. 394 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:20,400 I know some of you are interested in Jesus, 395 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:22,400 which is awesome and admirable. 396 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:24,480 You say, what do I need to do to follow Jesus? 397 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:25,440 Okay, cool. 398 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:28,200 All you need to do is be perfect. 399 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:29,120 You say, I'm not perfect. 400 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:30,800 Okay, option number two. 401 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:35,040 All you need to do is give up your God to follow him as God. 402 00:17:36,360 --> 00:17:38,400 That's all you gotta do. 403 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:40,480 So what is the God you struggle with? 404 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:42,280 For this man, it was obviously money. 405 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:44,280 Look at what it says in verse 24. 406 00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:46,880 Verse 24, when Jesus saw this, he said, 407 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:48,920 no, no, no, verse 23, excuse me. 408 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:51,880 But when the man heard this, he became very sad, 409 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:54,680 for he was very rich. 410 00:17:57,480 --> 00:17:58,960 It's not so hard to give away all your money 411 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:00,120 if you are very poor. 412 00:18:00,120 --> 00:18:01,160 God's like, give away all your money. 413 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:03,360 You're like, check, done, got it, next. 414 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:06,640 You know what I mean? 415 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:07,840 But this guy had a lot of money, 416 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:09,280 and God's like, give it all away, 417 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:11,520 because not only do you have money, you worship money. 418 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:12,920 Having money is not a problem. 419 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:15,520 Loving money is, and this guy loved his money. 420 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:18,160 Verse 24, so he walks away and he's sad, 421 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:19,840 and Jesus saw this, and this is what he said 422 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:21,640 to those who could still hear, 423 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:25,600 how hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. 424 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:28,400 Why? 425 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:31,720 Because for a rich man who loves their money, 426 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:34,400 they have to give up their idol to get God. 427 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:40,320 It's nearly impossible for people to give up 428 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:43,160 their false gods because they love their false gods. 429 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:44,960 What false god are you in love with? 430 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,040 What is it in your life? 431 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:48,840 It's not necessarily a bad thing, 432 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:51,080 but that thing has become so important to you, 433 00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:52,640 it's become a God in your life. 434 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:57,600 Jesus goes on, in fact, it's easier for a camel 435 00:18:57,600 --> 00:18:59,960 to go through the eye of a needle 436 00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:02,160 than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. 437 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:03,880 Jesus gives a metaphor. 438 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:06,040 He says, let me tell you how hard it is for rich people 439 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:07,760 to give up their money to follow God. 440 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:11,760 It's harder, it's as hard as a camel going through an eye, 441 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:12,840 can you picture this? 442 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:14,160 Picture a big camel. 443 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:15,200 Picture a big camel, don't look him in the eye, 444 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:16,400 he's spitting at you, all right? 445 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:18,880 He's sitting there, that camel is now gonna shrink 446 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:21,920 down to the side and go through the eye of a needle, 447 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:24,400 and it's easier for the camel to go through an eye of a needle 448 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:26,480 for them for a rich man to go to heaven. 449 00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:29,920 Jesus' point is this, it's really difficult 450 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:32,840 for humans to give up God other than God. 451 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:36,600 Because we all have things in our life 452 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:39,600 that are so important to us. 453 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:44,600 When God comes and says give that up, we say, or what? 454 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:45,440 Or what? 455 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:51,960 God says that's not good for you, don't sin, 456 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:53,840 give up that sin, you say, or what? 457 00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:56,960 Or God comes to you and says, I know that's good, 458 00:19:56,960 --> 00:19:59,000 but it's not the best, so I'm gonna tell you 459 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:01,360 to get rid of the good so I can give you the best. 460 00:20:01,360 --> 00:20:04,120 Give it up, and you say, no, it's mine. 461 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:06,640 And God says, well, good luck. 462 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:08,640 Good luck. 463 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:13,680 I tried to think about what it means to sacrifice, 464 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:16,080 the good for the better. 465 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:19,600 And I thought about being single. 466 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:24,600 I was single for, how many of you remember being single? 467 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:26,080 You remember being single? 468 00:20:26,080 --> 00:20:27,560 How many of you say pastor, I don't have to remember 469 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,320 very far, I am right now, thank you for the reminder. 470 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:34,920 I remember being single, I liked being single, I did, 471 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:37,720 I really enjoyed being single, singlehood was not bad. 472 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:39,560 I mean, I could do anything I want when I wanted, 473 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:41,800 how I wanted, nobody told me what to do. 474 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:43,760 It was pretty awesome, you remember being single? 475 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:45,520 How awesome was that, amen? 476 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:48,600 Some of you men just said, that was an unwise decision. 477 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:53,640 Caesar's up here, he's like, yeah, that was awesome. 478 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:56,040 Not cool, man, not cool, in church and everything, 479 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:58,240 yeah, yeah, I apologize on behalf of all men. 480 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:01,840 But I remember, I remember you go where you want, 481 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:04,600 did what you want, get up when you want, right? 482 00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:06,800 I could spend the entire night playing Zelda, 483 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:07,800 nobody said anything. 484 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:11,240 Yeah, I'm a nerd, yeah, deal with it, all right, 485 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:13,640 that's what I did, ocarina of time, anybody? 486 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:15,720 No, all right, let's move on. 487 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:18,600 Two people, okay, we'll have a nerd convention later, all right. 488 00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:22,160 Yeah, Batman is there too, yeah, yeah, fishy, 489 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,800 I could spend every Saturday going out to the pier 490 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:28,960 at Pensacola Beach and fish all day long, nobody said nothing. 491 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:31,560 I could say my summer is gonna be spent in Mexico, 492 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:32,960 I'm gonna go to Mexico for the summer 493 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:34,880 and spend it on a mission strip, nobody would say anything. 494 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:37,840 You know why, because I was free, I was free. 495 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:41,560 Freedom. 496 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:45,560 Amazing time in my life. 497 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:51,800 And you say, why did you get married? 498 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:54,680 And the answer is because though I had something I loved 499 00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:58,680 and I liked, I was willing to sacrifice it 500 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:00,400 to get something that was better. 501 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:02,680 And for me, that was Heather. 502 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:07,680 And I knew if I got Heather, I would lose some of these things 503 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:09,880 but I would prefer to get Heather 504 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:11,880 so I was willing to sacrifice my old life. 505 00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:15,840 See, some people think they can get married 506 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:17,280 and hold on to their own life 507 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:19,280 and that's why their marriage doesn't work. 508 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:20,400 Can I get an amen? 509 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:23,200 Some people think they can come to God 510 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:26,240 and hold on to their own life, it doesn't work that way. 511 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,600 You can't come to God and hold on to your old gods, 512 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:32,880 God says, nope, no, no, why? 513 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:36,520 Because I will not share you. 514 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:39,000 I will not share you. 515 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:42,280 If you wanna hold on to that God, go back to that God. 516 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:44,080 If you want money, go back to money. 517 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:48,200 If you want your identity, go back to your identity. 518 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:51,080 You say, but I'm really interested in Jesus. 519 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:53,440 You can't have Jesus and your old God. 520 00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:55,960 You can't have them both. 521 00:22:55,960 --> 00:23:00,960 What is the God that God himself is telling you 522 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:03,320 you must sacrifice? 523 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:04,840 You see, the people of this time 524 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:06,960 would have totally understood the concept of sacrifice, 525 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:08,200 even the Jewish community, 526 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:11,520 because they were used to taking their animals 527 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:16,240 and they would sacrifice them on an altar to their God. 528 00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:18,400 That's what they would do. 529 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:20,240 And so when he says, I want you to sacrifice, 530 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:22,200 that's exactly what he's saying. 531 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:25,440 He's saying, instead of sacrificing to your God, 532 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:29,200 I want you to take your God and sacrifice your God to me. 533 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:33,880 So what God does he want you to sacrifice? 534 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:36,080 Perhaps it's money for some of you, yes. 535 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:40,200 Perhaps for some of you, it's an addiction. 536 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:45,960 Maybe it's even an addiction to something 537 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:48,040 that other people would say is not that big of a deal. 538 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:50,960 But for you, you know it is not healthy in your life. 539 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:53,080 And God says, the reason I can't be God in your life 540 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:54,680 is because that's God in your life. 541 00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:55,520 Give it up. 542 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:56,800 And you think, well, just decrease. 543 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,000 And God says, no decrease, no decrease. 544 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:00,880 You don't bow to that God once a month. 545 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:03,360 You're done with that God because I'm your God. 546 00:24:03,360 --> 00:24:05,080 And he's saying, come to me. 547 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:05,920 You see? 548 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:08,320 For some of you, it may be money. 549 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:09,560 For some of you, it may be addiction. 550 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:12,400 For some of you, it might be your career. 551 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:13,420 Like genuinely. 552 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:17,600 For some of you, God might be calling you out of Las Vegas, 553 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:20,800 out of Southern Hills, out of your career 554 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:25,800 to be a missionary on a foreign field, sacrifice. 555 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:28,240 You say, pastor, I think you're talking 556 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:29,480 about giving up bad things. 557 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:31,920 I'm talking about giving up bad things for the God thing, 558 00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:33,760 but I'm also talking about giving up good things 559 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:34,760 for the God thing. 560 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:39,720 For some of you, it might be your opinion. 561 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:40,560 You say what? 562 00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:43,800 Yes, for some of us, we might have to sacrifice our opinion 563 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:45,760 so that we can get God because your opinion 564 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:47,380 has become God in your life. 565 00:24:47,380 --> 00:24:49,740 I'm talking to the stubborn people. 566 00:24:49,740 --> 00:24:51,900 How many stubborn people can I get an amen? 567 00:24:51,900 --> 00:24:52,740 Right? 568 00:24:52,740 --> 00:24:54,100 You don't just have an opinion about some things. 569 00:24:54,100 --> 00:24:56,340 You've got a strong opinion about everything. 570 00:24:57,700 --> 00:24:59,660 And the reason why people are distanced from you, 571 00:24:59,660 --> 00:25:02,460 your pride is killing you, it's stopping you, 572 00:25:02,460 --> 00:25:05,300 it's hurting you, and you've got to stop acting 573 00:25:05,300 --> 00:25:06,860 like your opinion is God. 574 00:25:06,860 --> 00:25:09,020 God can't be God if your opinion is God. 575 00:25:09,020 --> 00:25:14,020 So what does God do to save the stubborn people, like Josh, 576 00:25:14,900 --> 00:25:18,100 like this rich, young, powerful, amazing ruler? 577 00:25:18,100 --> 00:25:22,140 God, number one, he addresses your idolatry. 578 00:25:22,140 --> 00:25:27,140 Number two, he asks you to sacrifice your God. 579 00:25:27,420 --> 00:25:31,380 Number three, he rewards your sacrifice. 580 00:25:31,380 --> 00:25:34,020 Number three, he rewards your sacrifice. 581 00:25:34,020 --> 00:25:37,020 Okay, so what does God do to save the stubborn people 582 00:25:37,020 --> 00:25:39,020 and the people of God? 583 00:25:39,020 --> 00:25:41,020 Number three, he rewards your sacrifice. 584 00:25:41,020 --> 00:25:43,020 Okay, here's the question. 585 00:25:43,020 --> 00:25:48,020 If I sacrifice my God to God, what do I get out of it? 586 00:25:48,020 --> 00:25:49,020 Now I know some of you are like, 587 00:25:49,020 --> 00:25:51,020 you shouldn't even ask that question. 588 00:25:51,020 --> 00:25:53,020 I would say it's a fair question. 589 00:25:54,020 --> 00:25:57,020 You say, okay, if I give this up to follow God, 590 00:25:57,020 --> 00:26:00,020 what do I get? 591 00:26:00,020 --> 00:26:01,020 That's not a fair question to ask. 592 00:26:01,020 --> 00:26:02,020 You shouldn't ask that, just give it up for, 593 00:26:02,020 --> 00:26:04,020 no, I think it's a very fair question. 594 00:26:04,020 --> 00:26:06,020 I think you're going to be answered right here. 595 00:26:06,020 --> 00:26:09,020 Question number 26, those who heard this said, 596 00:26:09,020 --> 00:26:11,020 then who in the world can be saved? 597 00:26:11,020 --> 00:26:12,020 That's a good question, right? 598 00:26:12,020 --> 00:26:13,020 Remember the story? 599 00:26:13,020 --> 00:26:16,020 The guy says, what shall I do to end her eternal life? 600 00:26:16,020 --> 00:26:18,020 And Jesus says, sell all you have and give it to the poor. 601 00:26:18,020 --> 00:26:20,020 And the guy goes away sad because he had much money. 602 00:26:20,020 --> 00:26:21,020 And then Jesus says, Jesus says, 603 00:26:21,020 --> 00:26:23,020 how hard is it for rich people to get to heaven? 604 00:26:23,020 --> 00:26:25,020 It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle 605 00:26:25,020 --> 00:26:27,020 than a rich man to get into heaven and give up his idolatry. 606 00:26:27,020 --> 00:26:32,020 And then somebody said, well, then who in the world 607 00:26:32,020 --> 00:26:37,020 can be saved? If rich, powerful, young, 608 00:26:37,020 --> 00:26:40,020 everything going for them, type of people, 609 00:26:40,020 --> 00:26:44,020 can't get into heaven, then who can get into heaven? 610 00:26:44,020 --> 00:26:48,020 And Jesus said, what is impossible for people 611 00:26:48,020 --> 00:26:52,020 is possible with God. 612 00:26:52,020 --> 00:26:55,020 Jesus did not say, well, it's not technically impossible. 613 00:26:55,020 --> 00:26:56,020 He says, yeah, guess what? 614 00:26:56,020 --> 00:26:58,020 It is impossible, but guess what? 615 00:26:58,020 --> 00:27:01,020 I'm the God of the impossible. 616 00:27:01,020 --> 00:27:05,020 So anybody can get saved no matter who you are 617 00:27:05,020 --> 00:27:09,020 as long as you sacrifice your God to the God of heaven. 618 00:27:09,020 --> 00:27:14,020 Repent of your sin and receive Jesus Christ as your savior. 619 00:27:14,020 --> 00:27:19,020 Now, what about those who have given up everything for God? 620 00:27:19,020 --> 00:27:21,020 I love this. Look at what happens. 621 00:27:21,020 --> 00:27:25,020 Verse 28, okay, verse 28, my favorite part. 622 00:27:25,020 --> 00:27:29,020 Peter said, now I love this because Peter finally speaks up. 623 00:27:29,020 --> 00:27:31,020 How many of you love Peter in the Bible? 624 00:27:31,020 --> 00:27:32,020 Can you get an amen right there? 625 00:27:32,020 --> 00:27:33,020 I love Peter too. 626 00:27:33,020 --> 00:27:35,020 Peter's been silent this entire time. 627 00:27:35,020 --> 00:27:38,020 For Peter, not easy. 628 00:27:38,020 --> 00:27:40,020 Peter's always talking. 629 00:27:40,020 --> 00:27:42,020 And Peter's been watching this whole thing go down. 630 00:27:42,020 --> 00:27:44,020 And Peter has a very good question. 631 00:27:44,020 --> 00:27:48,020 He says, okay, Jesus, what about those of us 632 00:27:48,020 --> 00:27:52,020 who have left everything? 633 00:27:52,020 --> 00:27:54,020 What about those of us who are not perfect 634 00:27:54,020 --> 00:27:56,020 but we've left everything to follow you? 635 00:27:56,020 --> 00:27:58,020 Look what he says in verse 28. 636 00:27:58,020 --> 00:28:02,020 We've left our homes to follow you, Jesus. 637 00:28:02,020 --> 00:28:04,020 And Jesus doesn't deny it. 638 00:28:04,020 --> 00:28:06,020 Jesus doesn't say, come on, Peter, relax. 639 00:28:06,020 --> 00:28:08,020 Come on, Peter, it's a small sacrifice. 640 00:28:08,020 --> 00:28:10,020 Come on, Peter, just follow me. 641 00:28:10,020 --> 00:28:12,020 Jesus looks at him and says, yes, Peter, you have. 642 00:28:12,020 --> 00:28:17,020 And I promise you that everyone who has given up house 643 00:28:17,020 --> 00:28:21,020 or wife or brothers or parents or children 644 00:28:21,020 --> 00:28:23,020 for the sake of the kingdom of God. 645 00:28:23,020 --> 00:28:26,020 Now, hear this because some of you have given up these things. 646 00:28:26,020 --> 00:28:29,020 Jesus says, anyone who has given up wife or husband 647 00:28:29,020 --> 00:28:33,020 or brothers or sisters or parents or children 648 00:28:33,020 --> 00:28:39,020 for the sake of the kingdom of God will be repaid many times over 649 00:28:39,020 --> 00:28:45,020 in this life and will have eternal life in the kingdom to come. 650 00:28:45,020 --> 00:28:49,020 Jesus says, hey, if you've given up your kingdom for me, 651 00:28:49,020 --> 00:28:51,020 I will give you my kingdom. 652 00:28:51,020 --> 00:28:53,020 That's what he's saying. 653 00:28:53,020 --> 00:28:55,020 I know it feels wrong to ask God, 654 00:28:55,020 --> 00:28:57,020 okay, God, I'll give it up all for you. 655 00:28:59,020 --> 00:29:01,020 What do I get for giving it up? 656 00:29:01,020 --> 00:29:03,020 God says you get everything. 657 00:29:03,020 --> 00:29:05,020 You get everything. 658 00:29:05,020 --> 00:29:07,020 If you get me, you get everything. 659 00:29:07,020 --> 00:29:09,020 And you're like, that's right in heaven one day, 660 00:29:09,020 --> 00:29:11,020 but that's not what the Bible says. 661 00:29:11,020 --> 00:29:13,020 The Bible doesn't say in heaven one day, you'll get everything. 662 00:29:13,020 --> 00:29:15,020 He says, in this life, I will repay you. 663 00:29:15,020 --> 00:29:19,020 And in the eternal life, you'll have the kingdom itself. 664 00:29:19,020 --> 00:29:27,020 It is never a bad idea to sacrifice more to the God of heaven. 665 00:29:27,020 --> 00:29:29,020 That's what he's saying. 666 00:29:31,020 --> 00:29:34,020 So often when we teach this passage, Mike, 667 00:29:34,020 --> 00:29:37,020 what people do, Adam, what they do, 668 00:29:37,020 --> 00:29:39,020 and what they do, you know what they do? 669 00:29:39,020 --> 00:29:43,020 Is they focus on the guy who needs to give up the money in the passage. 670 00:29:43,020 --> 00:29:45,020 That's not the point of the passage. 671 00:29:45,020 --> 00:29:48,020 It's not about the rich young ruler who did not give up for Jesus. 672 00:29:48,020 --> 00:29:52,020 It's about you and I and what we're supposed to give up for Jesus. 673 00:29:54,020 --> 00:29:56,020 It's about you and me. 674 00:29:56,020 --> 00:29:58,020 What would you say? 675 00:29:58,020 --> 00:29:59,020 So I thought about it. 676 00:29:59,020 --> 00:30:01,020 God, how can I close out this sermon? 677 00:30:09,020 --> 00:30:12,020 I remember when Heather and I first started the church. 678 00:30:13,020 --> 00:30:15,020 I really wrestled with whether or not I would share this, 679 00:30:15,020 --> 00:30:17,020 and I really feel like it's the way I'm supposed to end the sermon. 680 00:30:17,020 --> 00:30:19,020 I remember when we first started the church, 681 00:30:19,020 --> 00:30:25,020 and when we first started Southern Hills 19 years ago next Sunday, 682 00:30:25,020 --> 00:30:26,020 there was nobody here. 683 00:30:26,020 --> 00:30:27,020 There was no church. 684 00:30:27,020 --> 00:30:28,020 You understand? 685 00:30:28,020 --> 00:30:29,020 There was no building. 686 00:30:29,020 --> 00:30:30,020 There was no people. 687 00:30:30,020 --> 00:30:31,020 There was no offerings. 688 00:30:31,020 --> 00:30:32,020 There was no nothing. 689 00:30:34,020 --> 00:30:36,020 We sacrificed everything. 690 00:30:39,020 --> 00:30:41,020 We sacrificed sleep. 691 00:30:43,020 --> 00:30:46,020 We would stay up late into the evening, 692 00:30:46,020 --> 00:30:48,020 just to serve God. 693 00:30:48,020 --> 00:30:50,020 We would sacrifice security. 694 00:30:50,020 --> 00:30:56,020 We left two high paying jobs just to be able to start this church. 695 00:30:56,020 --> 00:30:58,020 We sacrificed financially. 696 00:31:00,020 --> 00:31:01,020 For the first 10 years of the church, 697 00:31:01,020 --> 00:31:04,020 we were among the top 10 givers of the church. 698 00:31:05,020 --> 00:31:07,020 What does that sound like whenever you're a small church? 699 00:31:07,020 --> 00:31:10,020 Not much, but it means we gave up the guacamole quite a bit 700 00:31:10,020 --> 00:31:12,020 whenever we went to Chipotle. 701 00:31:12,020 --> 00:31:13,020 Like no guac for us. 702 00:31:13,020 --> 00:31:15,020 That's an extra 79 cents. 703 00:31:15,020 --> 00:31:16,020 We can't afford it. 704 00:31:18,020 --> 00:31:19,020 We sacrificed friends. 705 00:31:21,020 --> 00:31:24,020 When our church started to grow and it began to shift, 706 00:31:24,020 --> 00:31:29,020 necessarily, our entire denomination walked away from us. 707 00:31:33,020 --> 00:31:36,020 You say, well pastor, if you gave up that much to follow Christ, 708 00:31:36,020 --> 00:31:39,020 if you sacrificed that much to follow Jesus, 709 00:31:39,020 --> 00:31:40,020 was it worth it? 710 00:31:40,020 --> 00:31:43,020 And here's what I'll say along with Peter. 711 00:31:43,020 --> 00:31:46,020 At this point in our lives, he has given us more rest, 712 00:31:46,020 --> 00:31:51,020 more peace, more prosperity, more friends than we could ever need. 713 00:31:55,020 --> 00:31:58,020 This is the promise of Christ. 714 00:31:58,020 --> 00:32:00,020 Now I get it friend. 715 00:32:00,020 --> 00:32:03,020 I understand there's some of you, man, you're not stubborn, 716 00:32:03,020 --> 00:32:06,020 but for me and for my friends who are stubborn, 717 00:32:06,020 --> 00:32:09,020 we need somebody coming in and sharing the hard truths 718 00:32:09,020 --> 00:32:12,020 and just hitting it over the head with it. 719 00:32:12,020 --> 00:32:14,020 And that's what Jesus might be doing with you today. 720 00:32:14,020 --> 00:32:15,020 Why? 721 00:32:15,020 --> 00:32:16,020 Why do we sacrifice so much? 722 00:32:16,020 --> 00:32:19,020 Here's why we sacrifice so much. 723 00:32:19,020 --> 00:32:23,020 Because Jesus Christ has sacrificed himself for us. 724 00:32:23,020 --> 00:32:26,020 We are willing and ready to sacrifice 725 00:32:26,020 --> 00:32:29,020 because of what Christ has done for us. 726 00:32:29,020 --> 00:32:31,020 What is it that God wants you to sacrifice? 727 00:32:31,020 --> 00:32:33,020 Let's close in prayer. 728 00:32:33,020 --> 00:32:35,020 Father in heaven, 729 00:32:36,020 --> 00:32:40,020 we are amazed at your grace in our lives 730 00:32:40,020 --> 00:32:42,020 that you would bring us thus far. 731 00:32:42,020 --> 00:32:46,020 And I truly understand how hard it is to make a decision 732 00:32:46,020 --> 00:32:50,020 to give up that which is good, to receive that which is best. 733 00:32:50,020 --> 00:32:53,020 For some in this room, you are asking them to sacrifice a sin. 734 00:32:53,020 --> 00:32:55,020 That thing is just hurting them anyway. 735 00:32:55,020 --> 00:32:58,020 I pray, Father, that they would willingly give it to you. 736 00:32:58,020 --> 00:33:01,020 For some of them, Lord, it's not something that is a sin, 737 00:33:01,020 --> 00:33:04,020 but it's something that is good, but it's not best in their life. 738 00:33:04,020 --> 00:33:07,020 I pray that right now today, you would make it very clear in their hearts 739 00:33:07,020 --> 00:33:11,020 to sacrifice that on the altar to you, to you. 740 00:33:11,020 --> 00:33:14,020 And then I pray, Father, that they would be filled with a peace 741 00:33:14,020 --> 00:33:17,020 that passes understanding, trusting you, 742 00:33:17,020 --> 00:33:20,020 that you, God, would provide for them far more 743 00:33:20,020 --> 00:33:23,020 than anything they sacrificed to you. 744 00:33:23,020 --> 00:33:37,020 Oh God in heaven, break our hearts with this truth.