The Cost of Following Jesus!

Homework?

Illustration of wanting to know exactly how to pass a class or the bare minimum.

69.5 vs. 100

Oswald Chambers wrote, “If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything---it is a delight.

Context on the rich young ruler

Jesus had just finished teaching on marriage, divorce, and celibacy.

Please stand for the reading of God’s holy Word!

Matthew 19:16–24 NKJV

16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Pray!

You may be seated.

The term eternal life is used some 50 times in Scripture, and always refers primarily to quality rather than quantity.

Speak on the eternal life and what Jesus ask of the man.

He first tells him he must follow the easiest of the commandments, though the sermon on the mount tells us we all have broken them.

notice He leaves out the first 4 commandments that deal with us and God which are impossible to keep perfectly if we are being honest.

This guy was living in denial.

Commit everything to Jesus!

Goes against everything I’m learning in my evangelism class.

Matthew 16:24 NKJV

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Obedience is not optional!

James 1:22 NKJV

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NKJV

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 4:2–4 NKJV

2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

Salvation requires repentance!

Matthew, vols. 1-4 (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary) The Response to Jesus

Instead of being wounded by the law, however, the rich young ruler was self-satisfied in regard to the law. He diligently sought eternal life, but he sought it on his own terms and in his own power. He would not confess his sin and admit his spiritual poverty. Confession of sin and repentance from sin are utterly essential to salvation. John the Baptist began his ministry preaching repentance (Matt. 3:2), Jesus began His ministry preaching repentance (4:17), and both Peter and Paul began their ministries preaching repentance (Acts 2:38; 26:20). Peter even used repentance as a synonym for salvation when he wrote that “the Lord … is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

Transformation has a cost!

Pastor Johnny Hunt said Charles Spurgeon lost 80% of his vocabulary when he got saved.

Romans 12:2 NKJV

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

1 Thessalonians 4:3–8 NKJV

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.

Baptism

baptō: to be dipped (state)† — to be or become immersed briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate.

baptizō: to baptize — to momentarily dip someone into water as a cleansing, ceremonial, and initiatory rite.

niptō: to rinse — to wash off with water. (NEVER translated into baptism)

Act of obedience that Jesus gave us.

No where in Scripture were there infant baptisms.

No where in Scripture does it say that you can only be baptized once.

Every example of baptism in the Word of God follows a decision made for Christ.

It never precedes it.

That is what I mean when I say that we need to get our baptism on the correct side of our salvation or it no more than just getting wet.

We must first accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Then we follow through with baptism.

What if a 69.5 doesn’t get you in heaven.

What riches are you unwilling to let go of?

Is it worth you walking away from eternal life?

Invitation

During a call to confession on February 8, at least one hundred people fell to their knees and bowed at the altar. Since then, the campus has experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that was still continuing yesterday.