The Cost and Crown of Following Jesus - August 31 2025

Turn over in your Bible to the Gospel of Mark chapter number 10.

Mark chapter number 10.

I've titled this message, The Cost and Crown of Following Jesus.

We're back in our series in the Gospel of Mark, Walking with Jesus.

And today we're gonna look at the rich young ruler.

He's coming to Jesus and he wants to know how he what he needs to do to get eternal life.

And his answer from Christ, I think, really shocks him and causes him to be staggered and walk away.

And then we see, of course, Peter, as his fashion is, say, hey, what about us?

We did this, and uh it's just gonna be a great message uh because it's from the Bible.

Any message that's coming from the Bible, that's gonna be a great message, amen.

I always get leery of preachers when they want to preach and they're not in the Bible.

And uh, how many guys ever been there before?

You're sitting in church, you're like, when's this dude gonna get into the Bible?

Right?

Like, you got all these flowery stories and all this other stuff, and it's like, just get into the book, friend.

You guys ever do that, or is that just me?

Yeah, I get like that.

I'm like, tell him to turn to the Bible, God, you know.

Mark chapter number 10.

Let's jump right in, verse number 17.

And when he was gone forth, that's Jesus, when he had gone forth into the way, there came one running and kneeled to him and asked him, Good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good?

There is none good but one, that is God.

Thou knowest the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not, uh he says, Defraud not, honor thy father and mother.

And he answered and said unto him, Well, master, all these have I observed or kept from my youth.

It's almost like the guy says, Hey, I've done all that.

I kept all those latter six commandments, uh, or latter five commandments Jesus mentioned in verse number 19 out of the ten commandments.

Jesus looks at him, beholding him in verse 21.

The Bible says, loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest.

Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and take up the cross and follow me.

And he was sad at the saying and went away.

What's that next word say?

Grieved, for he had great possessions.

And Jesus looked round about and said unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God?

And the disciples were astonished at his words.

But Jesus answereth again and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God?

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?

And Jesus, looking upon them, saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God.

For with God all things are possible.

Amen.

Then Peter began to say unto him, Well, lo, we we have left all and followed thee.

And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake and the gospels, but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life.

But many that are first shall be last, and the last first.

But it is a sincere question.

But it reveals his confusion.

And Jesus points him to God's goodness, exposing his shallow understanding of righteousness.

And it's just like the heart of man.

Our heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.

Who can know it?

The scripture tells us, as it is written, there's none righteous, no, not one.

We see this man sincerely inquiring.

And Jesus says, Why are you calling me good?

There's only one good, and it's God.

Now we know that Jesus is God, right?

God was manifest in the flesh, and we understand that there are three that bear record in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one.

We understand in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

We understand that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

We understand that Jesus is God.

We know this.

He is deity.

But we also see that Jesus is speaking to this man, and what does he do with this question?

He gives him the law.

And remember this it's the law of God that's perfect, converting the soul.

The law of God is the schoolmaster, it highlights for us our sins.

And this man, he Jesus uh he reveals to him, number two, a selective obedience.

So we saw a sincere question, but we see a selective obedience.

See, Jesus gives him the law and he says, Well, you know the commandments.

Don't commit adultery, that's the seventh commandment.

Do not kill, that's the sixth commandment.

Do not steal, that's the eighth commandment.

Do not bear false witness, that's the ninth commandment.

Defraud not.

I had to kind of look that up.

That's actually the tenth commandment, taking what doesn't belong to you, that's covetousness.

Honor thy father and mother, that's the fifth commandment.

And so what is Jesus doing?

He's giving him the man-to-man commandments, the horizontal commandments, knowing that this man and how he's gonna answer.

See, this man's looking around and he thinks, you know what, I'm a pretty good person.

From my youth, I've honored my father and my mother.

I've I've I don't steal, I don't cheat, I'm not defrauding, I'm not committing adultery, I've done all those things.

But Jesus, he sees that this man has his selective obedience, and he's only focused on the outward obedience.

But I want to remind you, I want to remind you today that God's looking at your heart.

He's not just looking at how you stack up against other fellow humans.

He's looking at how you stack up against his holiness and his righteousness, and is your heart with him?

And the scripture tells us in Isaiah 29, 13, wherefore the Lord saith, For as much as this people draw near me with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart from me.

Matthew 23, 27, Jesus says, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness.

You know, this is like a child who cleans his room.

The mom and dad told him to clean his room, but he hides all of his mess under his bed.

Outwardly he looks right, but inwardly it's a cover-up.

Or we can get real practical for us.

We come to church, we look good, we smell good, we talk like a Christian, but we live like the devil all week long.

See, it's selective obedience, and Jesus sees through this.

You say, Well, what's the issue?

Well, number three, we see a serious challenge.

A serious challenge in verse 21.

After this man says, I've done all these things, I am a good person.

You ever known somebody that says they're a good person?

I want to remind you this that there is none good, no, not one.

A lot of times I give people the good test because people think, well, I'm a pretty good person.

As long as my good outweighs my bad, then God's gonna let me into heaven.

Ern, you're not a good person.

All of your righteousness is as filthy rags.

You may be good compared to other human beings, but you're not good compared to God.

See, we wonder why do good things, why do bad things happen to good people?

And we assume or presume that we're good people.

But since the fall of Adam and Eve, that sin curse is passed upon all men.

We are not inherently good, we're inherently evil that occasionally do good things.

Don't get it backwards, friend, because if you do, it's hell to pay without Christ.

And so Jesus now sees that this man's willing to justify himself in the eyes of others.

He's rich, he's religious, I mean, he's he's he's doing what he thinks is right.

And in the world's eyes, oh man, this guy must be blessed by God.

Because we associate riches with the blessing of God.

But I want to remind you the devil can can give you increase, the devil can give you wealth, the devil can can elevate you.

And so Jesus uses the law of God, and that's what I use when I'm leading sinners to Christ.

I give them the good test, and I and I take the word of God with the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20, in order to show them that they are guilty sinners on their way to hell without a Savior.

And you too must be born again.

For without Christ you'll never see the kingdom of God.

And so Jesus, we see number three a serious challenge in verse number 21.

Then Jesus, beholding him, look at the tenderness of Jesus' heart, loved him and said unto him, Yeah, okay, I see you have done all those horizontal commandments, but one thing thou lackest.

Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven.

And come, take up the cross and follow me.

And the man was sad at the saying and went away, grieved.

Why?

For he had great possessions.

Here's what Jesus is pinpointing.

He's pinpointing this man has committed the sin of idolatry.

He has put money over the maker, he has put wealth over the creator of everything.

He's made money his idol, his possessions his king, and now those possessions control him.

And so Jesus, you look here, as he pinpoints this man's sin, tells him, Go sell everything that you have and give to the poor, and you'll have treasure in heaven and take up your cross and follow me.

It's a serious challenge.

Now, we understand this today.

By you going and selling all of your possessions does not necessarily mean that you're getting into heaven.

You can go sell your house, sell your vehicles, uh, cash in your 401k and get rid of your stocks and your bonds and give it all to the church.

That does not mean you're going to heaven.

You'll just become a very poor person.

Right?

So you say, what is Jesus getting at?

He's getting at the same thing like the Sermon on the Mount, where those who were willing to justify themselves that say, Well, I've never murdered.

And then Jesus says, Okay, yeah, but have you have you have you been angry with your brother without a cause?

Have you I've never committed adultery?

Yeah, but have you lusted after a woman that's not your wife?

Jesus is pinpointing the heart of the matter, and the heart of the matter is there is idolatry and sin on the inside that must be dealt with.

And so the reason he tells this man, go sell all that you have is to show him those possessions, those are in the way of your salvation.

The stuff you don't, you don't, you don't have the stuff, the stuff has you, it's controlling you.

You have put your possessions and your wealth over your walk with God.

And so that's why he's telling him, sell everything.

But it's to highlight the fact that he's made his identity rooted in his wealth.

And I fear that many of us do the same thing.

We think, oh, I'm a good Christian because I have a house, or I'm a good Christian because I go to church all the time, I'm a good Christian because my business is doing so well.

Listen, you could be a good Christian and not have a house and not have a car and not have a business doing well by walking with God and doing right.

I know it's a challenging thought, but we must strip away this identity of thinking that the summation of my value as a Christian hasn't has to do with the accumulation of stuff.

This man, he, after hearing this serious challenge, he walks away grieved.

Very sad because he didn't want to get rid of all of his stuff.

I want to remind you today that Jesus said this in Matthew chapter 6, 24 no man can serve two masters.

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.

Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Listen, choose you this day who your God is.

Is your God stuff, or is your God the Savior, Jesus Christ?

Because whichever one is your God, that's the one you're gonna make time for.

That's the one you're gonna sacrifice for, that's the one you're gonna follow, that's the one that you're gonna give your devotion to.

This man, he's confronted with this serious challenge of the cost of discipleship.

See, we don't believe in easy believism, though it is very easy to be saved because Jesus did all the work, but it's not as simple as you just adding Jesus to the collection of your stuff or adding your religious Sunday experience to your schedule.

No, no, no, no.

We don't believe in prosperity gospel, in that, you know, I'll just do nice things and and and and and and as I walk with God, I'm just gonna add Jesus and I'm just gonna be super rich, and Jesus is by walking with Jesus, he's gonna make my whole physical life so uh prosperous.

Go ask how that worked with all the apostles.

Most of them died of martyr's death, with the exception of the apostle John.

If they tried to boil him and then they uh abandoned him on the Isle of Patmos.

He's the only one, from what I can see, that didn't die from a martyr's death, but died from natural causes.

All the rest were persecuted and martyred and sawn asunder.

So we don't believe in the easy believism and the prosperity gospel, though it is easy to be saved because Jesus does the work, and yes, Jesus can give us prosperity, but that's not why we're here.

That's not why we serve God.

It's not about doing more, it's about receiving Christ.

It's about surrendering everything you have to God and say, God, you're my savior, you're my Lord, I can't make it on my own.

You do the saving, you do the healing, oh God.

Let it be you, my Lord and Master.

I abandon all to come to you.

Don't let anything get in the way of God.

Nothing.

Nothing, no one, no possession, no thing.

And so we see a serious challenge where Jesus is confronting him with the love of money.

And I want to remind you that in 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 10, for the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the truth and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

1 Timothy 6:10

You can always tell when money starts to become your idol, your God, because then you start negotiating on church, you start negotiating on your Bible reading, you stop going a small group, you stop going soul winning, you stop discipling, you stop doing the things that God has called you to do.

And all of a sudden you start going after vain jangling and the things of this world, and you, like Demas, will go after the things that that that can never fulfill.

It's the root of all evil that many people plunge themselves through, thinking that more wealth is the answer.

More money is not the answer to your problems.

Jesus is the answer to your problems.

Amen.

Walking with God, surrendering your life to Him, letting Him fill you.

So this is a serious challenge.

And the man walks away grieved because he was confronted with the reality that you don't get to just add Jesus to your life and have salvation.

You don't get to keep your stuff and keep your life and keep your schedule and do whatever you want and think that just by adding a little bit of extra work, extra religion, that you get to inherit eternal life.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

That's not how this works, friend.

There is a cost to following Jesus.

And whoever comes to Christ must must believe that he is the Christ, the God, the Savior of the world, the Alpha and Omega, the light.

Amen.

And we must die to self and say, God, I come to you empty-handed, broken.

I have nothing to offer you, the great King.

Do for me what I can't do for myself.

I cannot save myself.

I cannot quit sinning.

I can't undo the sin that I've committed.

While I may look good with my contemporaries and I may do a lot of good things, I still have a sin problem that can only be met by you, God.

And so please do for me what I can't do for myself.

It's a serious challenge.

He's confronting this man over his idolatry.

What?

A truth here.

Number four, we see a startling truth.

It's very interesting.

As Jesus is teaching how hard it is for rich men to get into the kingdom.

In verse 23, it says, And Jesus looked round about and saith unto the disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God?

Why is that?

Because we think we're good.

You know, I noticed yesterday when I was out soul winning a distinct difference when I was out knocking doors from uh going into homes which were probably about maybe a million-dollar homes, but uh, versus going into apartments.

See, when you get a home, and I'm not saying there's anything uh wrong with wealth by itself, but the problem is this.

When I went knocking doors yesterday, people think they're good.

They think that they accomplished it all on their own.

They think they don't need God.

They don't need to walk with God, they don't need to hear the Bible, they don't need prayer, they don't need God.

They did it all themselves.

What foolish people! For they too will perish one day.

Then whose things shall those things be?

You're gonna lose it all.

Versus when I go knock doors in apartments or slums and I see hurting broken people that know that they need help.

Oh, a big difference.

Be careful that you don't trust in your riches.

Riches fade, riches fly, riches can freeze your devotion to God.

And we see here, Jesus says how hardly that they that have riches shall enter into the kingdom of God.

The disciples were astonished at his words.

And Jesus says again, children, disciples, listen, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God?

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Some commentators think that the camel would go through this spot called the eye of a needle, where it'd have to bend all the way down, and the camel was one of the biggest animals in that geographic area, and it was an illustration that they'd have to go through this little spot to get super low to come through this small little spot and a picture of humility and bowing and reverence.

That's just one interpretation from one commentator.

Another talks about the massiveness of the creature going through the eye of a needle, if you would.

It's not gonna happen.

It's too big, it's impossible.

And so we see Jesus is saying there's gonna be a lot of people that are trusting in their riches, they're not gonna get to heaven, they're gonna end up burning in hell because the Bible says the wages of sin is death.

And all liars shall have their part in a lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

And so you may keep all of the law, but yet offend in one point, and now you're still guilty as a lawbreaker.

And it only takes one sin.

For you to be cast into hell.

One sin.

And by the way, who in here has sinned?

All of us.

Which means there's already a judgment for you.

You're already condemned on your way to hell.

You must needs turn to Christ and don't let anything block you or hinder you from being born again, from not doing more, not adding religion, but simply humbly begging and coming low and saying, God, I can't save myself.

You save me.

That's why He came.

He came to do for us what we can never do for ourselves.

And so Jesus is saying, there's going to be, it's impossible for the rich people.

It's not that it's impossible for the poor people, too.

It's just there's there's more of a challenge there because they think that their stuff equals blessings.

So they're astonished with this saying, and they say to him in verse 26, well, then who then can be saved?

Who then can be saved?

And Jesus says, with men, it's impossible.

Understand this religion can't save you, good works can't save you, stopping sinning can't save you.

Well, what can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

There is no other savior, there is no other God, there is no other way, there is no other truth, there is no other life.

It's Jesus and Jesus alone.

And so we see Jesus saying, with men it's impossible, but not with God.

How many are thankful that God came for you?

God gave you a solution.

God is the answer.

Jesus came, he lived a perfect holy life, never sinned once, and willingly went to Calvary and died on that old rugged cross.

And he said, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.

God commends his love toward you in that while you are yet a sinner, he didn't wait for you to be religious, he didn't wait for you to be good, he didn't wait for you to get rid of everything.

He died while you were a sinner and did for you and for me what we could not do for ourselves.

And now those who believe in him and believe that he rose again from the grave and call upon his name shall be born again.

How many are born again?

Good night, hallelujah, I'm born again.

You go ask a Mormon what it means to be born again, they don't know.

You ask a JW, they don't know.

You ask a Catholic, they don't know.

Why?

Because the natural things, the spiritual things don't make any sense to the natural carnal man.

They're spiritually discerned, they don't understand the power of the Holy Ghost.

That were born again, not by works of righteousness, not by the will of the flesh, not by not by blood.

You don't get grandfather claws in.

You don't get, if you would, your parents gifting it to you through an inheritance.

You must be born again by the power of the Holy Ghost.

I'm glad I got born again.

And I didn't get born again because I'm religious, and I didn't get born again because I stopped doing drugs, I didn't get born again because I quit cussing, I didn't get born again for any of those things.

I got born again because I simply prayed and said, Jesus, I can't save myself.

I believe in you.

Please save me, save me.

And God did for me what I couldn't do for myself.

And now I'm singing yippity-doo-daw every single day.

Glory, hallelujah.

Man, I've won the lottery and more.

I'm highly blessed.

People I say, Preacher, how are you doing?

And I say, I'm blessed and highly favored.

My name's written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Man, I'm so blessed.

Hallelujah, I'm blessed.

But that's all because of God.

Amen.

It's not because of me, it's because of God.

And so as we we look here, Jesus is teaching about salvation, for he says it's in Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, for by grace are ye saved through faith.

And that not of yourselves.

It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should what?

I can't boast about how good I am.

I'm a wretch.

You're a wretch.

And listen, when people speak bad about you, listen, you should be like, Yep, I'm probably a whole lot worse than that, too.

Amen.

How many of you are thankful the people around you don't know all the crazy, wicked thoughts that you think on a 24-7 daily basis?

Praise God for that.

But you know who does see those?

Jesus sees those.

And that's why we can't, we're not gonna be boasting up in heaven, I did so good.

No, no.

We're gonna be boasting about Christ and his goodness and his righteousness and how he imputed and imparted his holiness to us and he took our sin nature off of us.

Praise be to the Lord for this startling truth.

Then we see number five, a surprising reward.

I love Peter because he he speaks a lot.

He asks questions that most people don't ever bring up.

And he began to say in verse number 28, Well, hey Jesus, I heard what you said to that uh rich young ruler.

Um he had to sell it all, and you know, we kind of we kind of we kind of like abandon everything.

Well, how are we gonna get hooked up?

We left all and followed thee, he says in 28.

Verse 29, Jesus answered, I love Jesus' answer here.

He says, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house or bret uh or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake and the gospels, but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life.

But many that are first shall be last, and the last first.

We see a sub number five, a surprising reward.

Peter reminds Jesus that they did leave all.

And Jesus promises blessings now and in the future.

Now let me ask y'all a question.

How many of y'all have gone through some persecution?

How many of you had a mom turn on you, a dad turn on you, a sister turn on you, a brother turn on you, a wife turn on you, a husband turn on you for the gospel's sake.

It happens.

And this is why we don't believe in a prosperity, health, wealth gospel where it's like I just say a little prayer and I follow Jesus, and everybody's gonna love me and everything's gonna go great.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

People are gonna revile you, they're gonna persecute you, they're gonna be against you, they can't understand why you go to church and why you read your Bible and why you give and why you serve and why you do small groups and why you take your kids to Iwanas and why you go on mission trips.

They can't understand it.

And worse than that, they'll speak ill of you, they'll gossip about you, they'll backbite on you, they'll they'll they'll slander you both behind your back and to your face.

And this is why you don't make your biblical Christianity based on your mama or your daddy or your sister or your brother or your money or anything.

Because all of those things can choose to come against you and block you and hinder you.

And how about this?

Become an idol in your life.

Listen, I love my wife, but my wife does not come before my God.

I love my mama, but there's no way my mama's coming before my God.

I love my church, but there's no way my church is coming before my walk with God.

Because if I let any of those wonderful things take priority and preeminence over my Savior, I commit the sin of idolatry, just like that rich young ruler.

I don't want to have any idols before God.

And so what Jesus will do is he'll test your heart.

He'll say, Do you love me?

Do you love me still, even while your mom's against you and while your brother's against you, and while you lost a house and you lost a business and you lost things because you're a Christian?

Yes, Lord.

Yes, yes, I still love you, Jesus.

I count it all joy when I fall into diverse temptations, knowing that the trying of my faith worketh patience.

Conform me more and more to your image, God.

While they're cussing me, while they're reviling me, while they're slandering me, let me bless, oh God.

Let me do good, let me overcome with the sweetness and the grace and the light of you, God.

Please don't let me respond the way they respond.

Let me respond the way you respond, God.

Oh, yeah, now we're talking about biblical Christianity, aren't we?

And so Jesus says, There's no man that left their house, their family, their siblings, left their lands for my sake and the gospel, but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time.

Houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children's and lands with persecutions and the world to come eternal life.

We see a surprising reward.

How many of y'all are hooked up now because you've been saved?

How many of y'all got a better family now because you're born again?

How many of y'all got more because you start decided to follow Jesus?

Listen, I got more mamas, I got more sisters, I got more daddies, I got more brothers, I got more houses.

You say, how?

Because of the family of God.

Thank God I'm a part of the family of God.

I can go to Papua New Guinea, I can go to China, I can go to Russia, I can go all over the world and find my family.

Amen.

Remember the first time I discovered that when I took a preaching trip to Australia and somebody said, Here's the keys.

It's your house, you go and stay there while you're preaching.

I thought, praise the Lord, I don't even own this house, but I got a brother here that does.

And that house is mine while I'm here.

What a blessing.

And that such is the case for every child of God.

So if your mama's against you, look for the other mamas that God has given to you.

If your daddy's against you, look for the other daddies, if you would, the spiritual daddies that are for you.

If your son walks away and your daughter walks away, or you get fired from your business, you find the family of God because God promises, hey, listen, I'm gonna bless you a hundredfold.

And it's not just waiting for for for when we get to heaven.

See, sometimes we think, well, I'm just holding on until Jesus comes.

No, listen, he says hundredfold now.

God will hook you up now, God will bless you now, God will be an encouragement to you now.

But also notice what it says with persecutions.

So if you're waiting for your biblical Christianity to come to a place, well, man, I'm just, I just can't wait until people stop cussing me out, slamming doors on me, talking bad about me.

Man, I had some guy freak out on me this week, follow me around, slander me, all kinds of stuff.

I thought, man, my flesh just wants to just bop you real quick.

You know, I learned a few moves in jujitsu, I'd love to show you.

But it's the gentle art, we're only doing defense.

But the Holy Spirit helped me.

No, no.

He's railing, you don't rail back.

You be sweet, you be kind, you be patient, you be like me, you be like, like I prayed, forgive them.

They know not what they do, lay not this sin to their charge.

You be like me, son.

I'm making you more like you, like me through this.

I said, All right, Lord, this is hard though.

This is this is hard.

But go ahead, crucify the flesh, crucify it, get every wicked iniquity off of me, kill the old man, crucified.

I don't want it on me, God.

I want to walk in the spirit, I want to walk with you, God.

And sure enough, through that process of crucifixion and being in the fiery trial, he exposes more truth and more awareness and more likeness to him.

It's a surprising reward, isn't it?

Hundredfold, all the blessings now, but also everlasting life, eternal life.

I got to thinking about how this is God's payback plan, how God gives you people, how God gives you provision, how God gives you purpose, and God gives you paradise.

How many of y'all know you're super blessed?

How many of y'all are born again?

Raise your hand if you're born again.

You've been saved by the grace of God.

Hey, listen, don't you feel like you're just so blessed?

I mean, you got you're hooked up big time.

And I got to thinking how the Bible says, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

You know, if you just wait a little bit, you're gonna go through light affliction.

But the apostle Paul said this our light affliction, which is but for a moment, it's just a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

Hey, listen, you may be going through it, but God's working in you.

And God has blessed you so, so much.

So in this message, we see the rich young ruler walked away sorrowful because he wanted heaven without surrender.

He wanted eternal life without a cross.

But Jesus says, one thing thou lackest.

Every one of us must face the same question.

What stands between you and wholehearted devotion to Christ?

You cannot buy, earn, or hold on to worldly idols and still enter into the kingdom.

Salvation and blessing comes only through Christ.

Today, will you go away sad like the rich ruler or will you follow him fully like the disciples of Christ?

Give up the temporary gain for the long-term eternal life.

God's payback plan ensures that those who surrender everything to him receive blessings.

The blessing of more family, more people, more provision, more purpose and paradise with God.

How many of you realize you're super blessed as a Christian?

Amen.

Let's give our hearts to him now.