Today is the Super Bowl Sunday. The 2 teams Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears are battling to become the NFL Champion tonight. Both teams are "putting all on the line" to win the championship. For many people (the NFL fans), this might be the most anticipated Sunday of the year. For me, this will be a great opportunity to share the wonderful message that my Teaching Pastor Dr. David McKinley delivered this afternoon. The wonderful message that even a non-NFL fan like me can relate to.
Most of you must have heard of the story about the rich young man who asked Jesus about the way to inherit eternal life (Mark 10:17-22). We know that this man is young, rich, and definitely has power. Some people speculate that he's a prince. When he asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him the Ten Commandments. This rich young man replied to Jesus by saying that he'd done all those since he's little. However, out of this young man's expectation, Jesus asked him to sell everything that he has and follow Him. In verse 22, it's written that the young man decided not to do what Jesus instructed him to rather he left in a great grief. Just like the NFL game tonight. The 2 teams come all prepared and ready to be a winner; but only one team deserves the title while the other team leaves the game with sadness.
So what are the things that we need to put on the line to follow Him?
1) Interference
For most parents, kids are the greatest example of interference. Kids are distracting (needing your attention), direct (doing what they want to do at the time), and dependent (relying on their parents to provide their needs). However, just like how Mark 10:13-16 describes that God loves children's heart as they are pure. So have the heart as pure as kids and follow Him!
2) Interception
Five fallacies of fulfillment, you can:
- have a successful life and not have a satisfied life
- experience everything and enjoy nothing (Ecclesiates 12:1)
- have a commended life and not have a completed life
- assume quantity in life will bring quality in life
- be sincere & be sincerely wrong (just how the rich you man was sincere, but he was sincerely wrong to not make the right decision to follow Christ)
You may have everything that anyone can possibly imagine. But if you don't have God, your life is worthless.
3) Instruction
In football, the first half doesn't really matter. The second half is what really matters. The coaches will put the tactics into the play. The second half really determines the destiny of those 2 teams and their players. Just like how Jesus instructed the rich young man to "come and follow Him." Jesus instructed the man to do what really matters to inherit the eternal life. Unfortunately, the rich young man decided to follow what he had felt comfortable with which was to follow his old path.
Another illustration would be when one goes to a service on Sunday and found that the service isn't like the regular ones. No choir, no Pastor Graham, and no worship team. And then one says, "I'm not used to it." Realizing that we need to come to God in His term, not in ours. We might feel comfortable with the choir and the worship team that normally lead us in praise & worship. But in His term, your heart is what really matters.
4) Interpretation
All those time, the disciples believed in the interpretation that following the Ten Commandments was the ultimate guarantee for the eternal life (Mark 10:23). But Jesus boldly proclaimed that following Him with all your heart was what really matters.
So give all your life to Him and don't make a decision that you will regret. Don't be like the rich young man! Put all on the line and follow Him!
Most of you must have heard of the story about the rich young man who asked Jesus about the way to inherit eternal life (Mark 10:17-22). We know that this man is young, rich, and definitely has power. Some people speculate that he's a prince. When he asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him the Ten Commandments. This rich young man replied to Jesus by saying that he'd done all those since he's little. However, out of this young man's expectation, Jesus asked him to sell everything that he has and follow Him. In verse 22, it's written that the young man decided not to do what Jesus instructed him to rather he left in a great grief. Just like the NFL game tonight. The 2 teams come all prepared and ready to be a winner; but only one team deserves the title while the other team leaves the game with sadness.
So what are the things that we need to put on the line to follow Him?
1) Interference
For most parents, kids are the greatest example of interference. Kids are distracting (needing your attention), direct (doing what they want to do at the time), and dependent (relying on their parents to provide their needs). However, just like how Mark 10:13-16 describes that God loves children's heart as they are pure. So have the heart as pure as kids and follow Him!
2) Interception
Five fallacies of fulfillment, you can:
- have a successful life and not have a satisfied life
- experience everything and enjoy nothing (Ecclesiates 12:1)
- have a commended life and not have a completed life
- assume quantity in life will bring quality in life
- be sincere & be sincerely wrong (just how the rich you man was sincere, but he was sincerely wrong to not make the right decision to follow Christ)
You may have everything that anyone can possibly imagine. But if you don't have God, your life is worthless.
3) Instruction
In football, the first half doesn't really matter. The second half is what really matters. The coaches will put the tactics into the play. The second half really determines the destiny of those 2 teams and their players. Just like how Jesus instructed the rich young man to "come and follow Him." Jesus instructed the man to do what really matters to inherit the eternal life. Unfortunately, the rich young man decided to follow what he had felt comfortable with which was to follow his old path.
Another illustration would be when one goes to a service on Sunday and found that the service isn't like the regular ones. No choir, no Pastor Graham, and no worship team. And then one says, "I'm not used to it." Realizing that we need to come to God in His term, not in ours. We might feel comfortable with the choir and the worship team that normally lead us in praise & worship. But in His term, your heart is what really matters.
4) Interpretation
All those time, the disciples believed in the interpretation that following the Ten Commandments was the ultimate guarantee for the eternal life (Mark 10:23). But Jesus boldly proclaimed that following Him with all your heart was what really matters.
So give all your life to Him and don't make a decision that you will regret. Don't be like the rich young man! Put all on the line and follow Him!
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