Matthew 8:18-22 - It's not about us - Youth lesson

What are some ways that we can be selfish?

Is it possible to be selfish and hurt ourselves?

You see, sometimes we can do things, or we can make decisions that will

Matthew 8:18–22 ESV

Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

To follow Jesus the way he has called us to we must be selfless and not selfish.

Can anyone tell me the difference between being selfish and being selfless?

Being selfless is the act of giving up ones self for someone or something

Being selfless for Jesus would be us removing our wants and desires and replacing them with God.

Following God isn’t always easy and it isn’t always what we may want

In the case of verses 21 and 22 we learn this (repeat verses 21-22)

Now what this disciple desired was to wait on his father to pass. The belief is that this man’s father was not presently ill but that he wanted to wait on his father to pass before he began to follow Jesus.

What do you think about this desire? (was it selfish or selfless? why?)

The desire in itself sound’s pretty good right, I want to wait on my father to pass.

Though the desire sounds fine and would be fine it becomes selfish when this man seeks this over Jesus.

Here is the reality, no matter the good intentions you or I may have if it is against what Jesus has called us to they are selfish decisions.

For example, a pastor decides that he wants to minister at his family church even though God has told him to become the pastor of a church on the other end of the country. If he decides to minister at his home church that is comfortable and doesn’t listen to God is he being selfish or selfless? why?

Now let’s look at what jesus had said

Matthew 8:20 ESV

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

the reason that Jesus said this is because in all seriousness he did not have a home.

He went from place to place doing God’s work.

The reality is simple, We are called to follow God wherever that is.

For Jesus that was going from place to place and doing nothing but God’s work.

Though he may or may not call us to not have home in his calling he will call us.

It is our choice to listen.

So I will ask you this, what are you going to choose?

To live for Jesus or to live for yourself?

We can make the world believe that we are following Jesus when in reality we are doing what we want.

Make sure each day we make that decision.

In the important decisions and the small ones.