Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction:
When I was around the ages of 9-11 - pretty random, I know - my grandma enrolled me in karate.
Does anyone in here know karate?
I was psyched at the idea of learning karate.
I would learn to do the cool fighting techniques that I had grown up seeing on tv and in movies.
Movies like “The Matrix”.
When I was a kid, Neo was the coolest movie character that there was.
He looked cool, he dressed cool, he walked cool, he fought cool, and he had a cool way with the ladies.
One of the coolest scenes of the movie is when Neo begins to believe that he was The One.
He woke up from death and began fighting the agents single handedly.
That is exactly what I thought I would turn into from my karate lessons.
Unfortunately, karate lessons were too hard for me.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t athletic or didn’t want to learn karate, it was my teacher.
A mean old white woman that walked around hitting students on the shins and feet for messing up.
What kind of grandma signs up her baby to be beat on by another grandma?
Karate was too difficult for me, so after one practice I walked away.
My grandma’s money and my pride were down the drain.
Transition: Fallen human nature is seemingly wired to walk away from difficult things.
We walk away from difficult sports like karate.
We walk away from difficult jobs.
We walk away from difficult relationships.
We walk away from difficult habits like strict diets and workout regimes.
The easier something is, the more likely we will stay.
The tougher something is, the more likely we will leave.
Unfortunately, this shows up in Christianity all the time.
Following Jesus isn’t easy, and because it isn’t easy, it is abandoned frequently.
This evening when I speak of following Jesus, I am not speaking of making a decision at a camp or church service.
I am not speaking about praying a prayer once never to return to Jesus again.
I am speaking about the nitty gritty repenting and believing in Jesus that is to go on every day in the life of every believer.
BO:
As we have already read, the man in our story found following Jesus to be difficult.
He came to Jesus to add comfort to more comfort.
The man already had everything that he could have ever wanted on this earth.
He had money.
He had notoriety.
He had an abundance of food.
He no doubt had friends in high places.
He was the type of guy that could walk into a fancy restaurant that had no more reservations and could end up with a reservation.
This man was a shot caller.
He was likely included in town financial decisions.
He was well favored at the temple, being one of the highest givers to the Lord’s work.
He was a friend to the Romans.
He never missed a tax deadline and always had the money to be paid.
It makes sense that he would come to Jesus.
Who wouldn’t want comfort now and comfort in eternity?
Who wouldn’t want to live like a king now and like a king in eternity?
Only a food wouldn’t want their cake and eat it too.
But as it so often is with Jesus, you can’t always have your cake and eat it too.
Sometimes you might have to give up the cake altogether.
That is what he called this young man to do.
Give up not just a slice of his cake, but the entire sheet.
Transition: In our story the main is faced with something to gain, something to lose, and a choice he would have to make.
So, what was there to gain?
What is there to gain?
The thing to be gained was eternal life.
Eternal life is just that.
Life that is unending.
Now it kind of makes sense why he would ask for such a thing.
Perhaps he was thinking that he could take his current life with him to the great unknown of life after death.
We can be like this at time.
I have heard people ask…
“Will I be married to the same person in heaven?”
“Will I have my dream house in heaven?”
“Will I be reunited with all of my dead and gone pets in heaven?”
Perhaps he was actually inquiring about the eternal life in the kingdom of heaven Jesus frequently spoke of.
It makes sense that he would want that.
This we have already discussed.
Illustration: To this man, reserving a spot in eternal life was like buying your movie tickets online before the movie comes out.
It gurantees you access to the movie before it is ever even released.
When movie time comes you don’t even have to wait in line with the rest of the schmucks.
You walk in the door, hand over your ticket, grab a snack, and take a seat.
Yes, this man was essentially asking Jesus for the link to eternal life so that he could reserve his spot.
Master, give me something to do.
Where can I go?
How can I secure my spot in your kingdom eternally?
That is what is to gain here: eternal life.
Life unending.
Life that never stops.
Life that keeps going and going and going.
It has the potential to sound boring if you don’t have a very good understanding of what heaven is going to be like.
That is what is to gain here for you: eternal life.
Some of you will receiving the blessing of eternal life while some of you will receive the cursing of eternal damnation.
Not because God has hand picked some of you for life and some for death, but because of what you do with the gospel.
Transition: Eternal life is what we stand to gain.
What do we stand to lose?
What is there to lose?
In almost everything you do, something has to be given up.
Good grades - less time in front of a screen for entertainment.
A healthy body - less late nights, sugar, and the sedentary lifestyle must go.
Purity - the chance to date.
Great in a sport - more time in the gym than time with friends.
Following Jesus is no different.
Something will be lost.
It comes with a price.
Their is a price that God paid, and their is a price that we pay.
The price that God paid was the death of His Son.
This is the ultimate price.
No price on earth has ever been greater.
God knew that if he was ever going to give man a chance to reclaim their original humanity and identity, some price would have to be paid.
That price was his son.
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