What Controls Your Life?
From Cradle to Cross • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewNotes
Transcript
From Now To Next Update:
As of July 30, 2026, we have raised $213,849.64
We have a Design Team who has begun working on plans
We’ve begun talking more with our contractor
Our goal is to be prepared to take some Next Steps when we hit $250,000 raised
We are currently $36,150.36 away from that point!
THANK YOU for generously giving toward the vision of moving From Now To Next!
PRAY
Let me ask you a question:
What controls your life?
We’re going to spend some time Luke 18 and Luke 19 today
We will see 2 men who — on the surface — seem very different — but in reality — are very similar — encounter Jesus…
…and they are going to make vastly different choices
And my prayer for you is that you will be SENT from this room with a conviction from the Holy Spirit this morning.
Because…your life is controlled by…
The thing you love most.
I’ve pre-selected a couple of volunteers to help me out this morning…
INVITE “RICH YOUNG RULER” TO THE STAGE — stand on my right
18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” — KNEES (GOSPEL OF MARK) —
It’s a good question…
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
It was unusual for someone to call a Jewish teacher “Good” Teacher/Master. They were typically referred to simply as “Master” or “Teacher.”
“Good” was a term the Jews reserved for God… Which is why Jesus pushed back on the man when he used the term
Between the lines, the young man quite possibly was hearing a challenge…
“Why do you call me ‘good’? Do you believe I am the Messiah (the Son of God)?”
20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”
21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. — done it —
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. — you’re so close…but still so far away — Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. — remember that word…it’ll be significant in a moment — 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Just as a final note before I invite my next volunteer to the stage…
Jesus NEVER taught that possessing wealth will keep someone out of heaven.
Jesus ALWAYS taught that being possessed by your wealth and placing your trust in your wealth will keep a person from entering the Kingdom of God.
INVITE “ZACCHAEUS” TO THE STAGE — stand on my left
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. — you might hear that and think…”wait a minute, wasn’t Jericho destroyed in the Old Testament!” … and you’re absolutely correct… Jericho was destroyed when the people of God entered the Promised Land…but then a second Jericho was built just a mile or so down the road — 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.
Two Things To Know About Zacchaeus:
He was a chief tax collector.
People HATED tax collectors and that hatred often extended to the family of the tax collector. They were thought of as no better than common robbers or thieves.
They collected money for the foreign power that occupied Israel.
They were notorious for being crooks, making personal profits off their fellow Jews.
They were routinely in contact with Gentiles (non-Jews), making them ceremonially unclean.
And Zacchaeus wasn’t just any old tax collector … he was a CHIEF TAX COLLECTOR
He was wealthy.
The exact word that Luke wrote - that has been translated as “wealthy” - was PLOUSIOS.
This matters because that exact word is only used ONE OTHER TIME in the Bible…and it happens to be in Luke 18 … (you might recall something about that)…
The crowd had already watched another WEALTHY man come to Jesus and be unable to join Jesus’ followers…WHAT WOULD THIS NEW WEALTHY TAX COLLECTOR DO???
3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. — I love the story of Zacchaeus! It gives all of us “less tall” guys a little bit of hope — 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. — LADDER —
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up
This might not seem significant to you — but it is to me…
Jesus…
the SON OF GOD
who knows what it is to be in heaven
who was present and active throughout creation
who will die on the cross and walk out of the tomb — ALIVE
…comes up to Zacchaeus and looks up at him
You might have guessed that a despised tax collector like Zacchaeus would have been groveling on his knees before Jesus, LOOKING UP AT HIS SAVIOR
But we have a King who came to earth and taught us to serve — instead of being served
He taught us that the greatest must become the least
He taught us that we are to look down on nobody — but instead we are to look upon people with love and compassion
He taught us that we are to live humbly — rejecting the pride that might come with a lifetime of success
And right here with Zacchaeus, in an ever so slight way, He demonstrated that to us but wandering under a sycamore-fig tree and being the one to look up…
And He only asks Zacchaeus to get down so that they can share a meal together
and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
Remember the other WEALTHY guy???
When that guy chose to walk away sad, the crowd’s response was — “Wow, if this guy didn’t get in, then who is going to be able to????”
With Zacchaeus though…
When Jesus went to his house, the crowd’s response was — “Why in the world would Jesus spend time with a guy like that???”
8 BUT Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Remember Luke 18:26-27 ???
26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
So…did Zacchaeus gain salvation because of how he used his money?
And…did the rich ruler miss salvation because of how he used his money?
The answer is… YES — and — NO
Remember what I said earlier…
Jesus NEVER taught that possessing wealth will keep someone out of heaven.
Jesus ALWAYS taught that being possessed by your wealth and placing your trust in your wealth will keep YOU from entering the Kingdom of God.
Jesus told the RICH RULER to sell all his possessions — BECAUSE THEY WERE THE THING HE LOVED THE MOST — and the man could not let go of them
ZACCHAEUS met Jesus and came to his own conclusion — I must let go of the THINGS THAT I USED TO LOVE THE MOST so that I can follow Jesus into a better future
ALLOW THE TWO VOLUNTEERS TO LEAVE
*****
Luke didn’t preserve the stories of these 2 men so that we could decide which guy we like better.
Luke preserved these stories so we would decide which man we most resemble…and then we would be set free to take the best Next Step
*****
Three Next Steps:
1 - Pray this prayer: “Jesus, show me what I love the most.”
Then be quiet and listen.
Ponder.
Don’t defend. Don’t make excuses.
Allow the Holy Spirit space to reveal difficult — even painful — truth.
2 - Choose Jesus as the One you love most.
For Zacchaeus, it meant releasing all his possessions, so they would no longer have a hold on him
For you…
Being generous — releasing wealth
Apologizing — releasing pride
Forgiving — releasing bitterness
Confessing sin — releasing secrecy
Deleting an app — releasing lust
Ending a relationship — releasing compromise
Getting baptized — releasing your old identity
EXPLAIN BAPTISM
3 - Move without delay.
Let Zacchaeus be your model…
He didn’t negotiate.
He didn’t take weeks — or years, even — to think it over.
He didn’t ask for installments.
He responded to Jesus IMMEDIATELY.
This week, don’t fall into the trap of asking, “What’s the minimum I have to do ‘for Jesus’?”
Instead… Invite Jesus to reveal what you love the most — and then make the space for Him to become…
Your highest priority
Your deepest devotion
Your ultimate allegiance
The RICH RULER met Jesus…
…and left with everything he came with — BUT NOT THE ETERNAL LIFE HE DESPERATELY WANTED.
ZACCHAEUS met Jesus…
…and left with almost nothing he came with — BUT HE WENT HOME RICHER THAN HE COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED.
Remember the opening question…
What controls your life?
It’s…
The thing you love the most.
And you have the power to choose what that THING — or better yet — WHO THAT KING will be.
INVITATION: Baptism
CHALLENGE: Three Next Steps
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
The rich ruler and Zacchaeus both met Jesus. What surprised you most about how Jesus treated each man?
What do you think Jesus cared about more: these men’s money or their hearts? Why?
Have you ever had to choose between something you wanted and something you knew was right? What made that decision difficult?
When you have an important decision to make, what most influences you — logic, emotion, advice from others, or something else? Why?
What does this passage teach us about the difference between possessing wealth and being possessed by wealth?
If someone observed your calendar, spending habits, conversations, and priorities, what would they conclude you love most?
Which of the two men do you most relate to right now — the rich ruler or Zacchaeus?
If you prayed, “Jesus, show me what I love the most,” what do you think He might reveal? What makes that answer difficult to face?
What is one practical way you can choose Jesus over something that is competing for your heart this week?
What questions about Jesus do you still have after today’s message?
