Commitment: The Journey of Love and Faith
Summary
### Summary
Good morning, Venture! Today, we explored the parallels between falling in love and following Jesus. Just as falling in love is easy but staying in love requires effort, the initial decision to follow Jesus can be straightforward, but continuing to follow Him demands daily commitment and effort. We celebrated the return of college students and shared a personal update about my ten-year wedding anniversary, drawing lessons from my marriage to illustrate the journey of faith.
We delved into the theme of following Jesus, emphasizing that it is not a one-time decision but a continuous, daily commitment. We examined three main hindrances to following Jesus: the world, the cost, and the unknown. The world can distract us or become an idol, as seen in the story of the rich young ruler who couldn't give up his wealth to follow Jesus. The cost of following Jesus is high, requiring us to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. This means putting Jesus first in every aspect of our lives, even when it demands significant sacrifices. Lastly, the unknown can be intimidating, but like Abraham, we are called to trust God and step into the unknown, believing that He has a greater plan for us.
We concluded with practical applications to help us overcome these hindrances. If the world distracts you, identify and remove those distractions. If the cost seems too high, practice self-denial through fasting to build discipline. If the unknown scares you, take small steps of faith to grow more comfortable with trusting God. Remember, following Jesus is a journey that deepens and becomes more beautiful over time, just like a committed marriage.
### Key Takeaways
1. Falling in Love vs. Following Jesus: Falling in love is effortless, but staying in love requires intentional effort. Similarly, the initial decision to follow Jesus can be easy, but continuing to follow Him demands daily commitment and effort. This journey involves overcoming obstacles and making conscious choices to prioritize our relationship with Christ. [42:43]
2. The World as a Hindrance: The love for the world or its distractions can hinder our walk with Jesus. The story of the rich young ruler illustrates how material wealth can become an obstacle. Jesus calls us to identify and remove anything that stands between us and Him, emphasizing that our love for God must surpass our love for worldly things. [55:10]
3. The High Cost of Following Jesus: Following Jesus requires us to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. This means putting Jesus first in every aspect of our lives, even when it demands significant sacrifices. True discipleship involves a full commitment to Christ, recognizing that He alone deserves the throne of our hearts. [43:55]
4. Trusting God in the Unknown: Stepping into the unknown can be intimidating, but it is a crucial part of following Jesus. Like Abraham, we are called to trust God and move forward without knowing all the details. This trust grows as we take small steps of faith, leading to a deeper and more fulfilling relationship with God. [01:13:09]
5. Practical Steps to Overcome Hindrances: To combat the world's distractions, identify and remove them from your life. To embrace the cost of following Jesus, practice self-denial through fasting. To grow comfortable with the unknown, take small steps of faith. These practices help us build discipline and trust in God, enabling us to follow Him more closely. [01:24:03]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[40:15] - Heart for College Students
[41:08] - Personal Life Update
[41:47] - Anniversary Reflections
[42:43] - Falling in Love vs. Following Jesus
[43:55] - Staying in Love Takes Effort
[45:13] - Daily Commitment to Follow Jesus
[46:02] - What Makes Following Jesus Difficult?
[47:24] - Prayer and Scripture Introduction
[48:56] - Three Main Hindrances
[49:42] - The World as a Hindrance
[50:22] - Encounter with the Rich Young Ruler
[55:10] - Love for the World vs. Love for God
[56:23] - Jesus' Call to Follow
[01:00:01] - The Illogical "Lord, But"
[01:03:27] - The Cost of Following Jesus
[01:04:29] - Denying Yourself and Taking Up Your Cross
[01:07:17] - Commitment to the End
[01:09:01] - Full Commitment to Christ
[01:13:09] - Trusting God in the Unknown
[01:16:05] - Promise of Eternal Life
[01:20:54] - Identifying Your Hindrance
[01:24:03] - Practical Steps to Overcome Hindrances
[01:27:37] - Deepening Relationship with Christ
[01:28:18] - Closing Prayer
[01:30:05] - Worship Time
Study Guide
### Bible Reading
1. Matthew 19:16-22 - The story of the rich young ruler.
2. Luke 9:23-24 - Jesus' teaching on self-denial and taking up the cross.
3. Genesis 12:1 - God's call to Abram to leave his country and follow Him.
### Observation Questions
1. In the story of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22), what was the young man's initial question to Jesus, and how did Jesus respond? [50:22]
2. According to Luke 9:23-24, what are the two actions Jesus says are necessary for someone who wants to be His disciple?
3. What did God ask Abram to do in Genesis 12:1, and what was Abram's response?
### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think the rich young ruler found it difficult to follow Jesus' command to sell his possessions and give to the poor? How does this relate to the sermon’s point about the world being a hindrance? [51:32]
2. What does it mean to "deny yourself and take up your cross daily" as described in Luke 9:23-24? How does this concept challenge modern-day believers? [01:04:29]
3. How does Abram's willingness to leave his country and follow God's call in Genesis 12:1 illustrate the theme of trusting God in the unknown? How can this story inspire us in our own faith journeys? [01:13:09]
### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own life: Are there any "riches" or worldly distractions that are hindering your walk with Jesus? What steps can you take to remove these distractions? [55:10]
2. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. What is one specific area in your life where you can practice self-denial this week? How can fasting help you build this discipline? [01:24:03]
3. Trusting God in the unknown can be intimidating. What is one small step of faith you can take this week to grow more comfortable with trusting God? [01:13:09]
4. The sermon mentioned the importance of daily commitment in following Jesus. What daily practices can you incorporate into your routine to strengthen your relationship with Christ? [45:13]
5. Think about a time when you felt God calling you to step out of your comfort zone. How did you respond? What can you learn from that experience to help you trust God more in the future? [01:19:12]
6. The rich young ruler struggled with the cost of following Jesus. What sacrifices might God be asking you to make in your life right now? How can you prepare your heart to say "yes" to His call? [01:03:27]
7. The sermon emphasized the importance of identifying and removing hindrances to following Jesus. What is one practical step you can take this week to overcome a specific hindrance in your life? [01:24:03]
Devotional
Day 1: The Effort of Love and Faith
Following Jesus is a journey that requires daily commitment and effort, much like maintaining a loving relationship. The initial decision to follow Jesus can be straightforward, but the real challenge lies in the continuous, daily commitment to prioritize Him in every aspect of our lives. This journey involves overcoming obstacles and making conscious choices to deepen our relationship with Christ. Just as staying in love requires intentional effort, so does following Jesus. It demands that we actively choose Him every day, despite the distractions and challenges we may face. [42:43]
Bible Passage: "And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" (Luke 9:23, ESV)
Reflection: What are some daily habits you can incorporate into your routine to ensure that you are actively choosing to follow Jesus every day?
Day 2: The World as a Hindrance
The love for the world or its distractions can hinder our walk with Jesus. The story of the rich young ruler illustrates how material wealth can become an obstacle. Jesus calls us to identify and remove anything that stands between us and Him, emphasizing that our love for God must surpass our love for worldly things. This means evaluating our lives to see what might be taking precedence over our relationship with Christ and making the necessary changes to refocus our hearts on Him. [55:10]
Bible Passage: "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15, ESV)
Reflection: Identify one thing in your life that distracts you from your relationship with Jesus. How can you begin to remove or reduce this distraction starting today?
Day 3: The High Cost of Following Jesus
Following Jesus requires us to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. This means putting Jesus first in every aspect of our lives, even when it demands significant sacrifices. True discipleship involves a full commitment to Christ, recognizing that He alone deserves the throne of our hearts. This commitment may require us to give up certain comforts or make difficult choices, but it is through these sacrifices that we truly demonstrate our love and devotion to Him. [43:55]
Bible Passage: "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:27, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find it difficult to put Jesus first? What steps can you take to prioritize Him in that area?
Day 4: Trusting God in the Unknown
Stepping into the unknown can be intimidating, but it is a crucial part of following Jesus. Like Abraham, we are called to trust God and move forward without knowing all the details. This trust grows as we take small steps of faith, leading to a deeper and more fulfilling relationship with God. Embracing the unknown requires us to rely on God's promises and His faithfulness, even when we cannot see the full picture. [01:13:09]
Bible Passage: "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going." (Hebrews 11:8, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a situation in your life where you are uncertain about the future. How can you take a small step of faith today to trust God in that situation?
Day 5: Practical Steps to Overcome Hindrances
To combat the world's distractions, identify and remove them from your life. To embrace the cost of following Jesus, practice self-denial through fasting. To grow comfortable with the unknown, take small steps of faith. These practices help us build discipline and trust in God, enabling us to follow Him more closely. By intentionally addressing these hindrances, we can deepen our relationship with Christ and experience the fullness of life that He offers. [01:24:03]
Bible Passage: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1, ESV)
Reflection: What is one practical step you can take this week to remove a distraction, practice self-denial, or take a step of faith? How will this step help you grow closer to Jesus?
Quotes
1. "Falling in love is easy if you've been in love, if you're in love right now. I do a lot of premarital counseling with engaged couples and they are in love and I can see it's most of the time. And it's like it's easy to fall in love. That's why we call it falling right. Gravity does the work for you falling in love. You see everything through these rose colored glasses and it's not work to think about them, to care about them, to put them first." [42:43] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "But when you are done falling in love, staying in love takes effort, staying in love takes work. This is something I didn't understand as a young married man. I thought I don't understand this, even though every book that I ever read, every sermon I ever heard about love and marriage, every person I talked to said, hey, this is going to be something you have to work for it." [42:43] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Following Jesus is not a one-time thing. It's not a one-time thing. It's not like that old adage goes, which I despise, of like the husband tells the wife, hey, I told you I love you on our wedding day, and I'll let you know if anything changes, but don't expect me to remind you every day. If you're of that mindset, husbands, your wife doesn't appreciate that. I don't even know your relationship, but I can tell you you're doing it wrong." [45:13] (20 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "What do you find difficult about following Jesus? Not what does the world find difficult about it? Not what is the person next to you find difficult about following Jesus? Not what do you hypothetically think is difficult? But what do you wrestle with? In your continual day-to-day walking out this rhythm of your faith. What do you struggle with? What's got you hung up?" [46:41] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "If you say to someone, Lord, And then you say, But first, Whatever is on the other side, Of that sentence, Is your God. You cannot say this sentence. You cannot say, You are my Lord, But, First. Because what that implies is, You are my God, You are first in my life, But you're actually second, To this other thing. You cannot say this sentence. It is absolutely illogical, For us to think that we can say, You are my God, But, Anything that exists, On the other side of that sentence, Is the true God, That we're worshiping." [01:00:01] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "The cost is really high. If you've been around, Church, If you know the gospel, You know that the gospel, Is free. The free gift of God, Is eternal life, In Christ Jesus our Lord. That's what it says, In Romans 6, 23. So we get it for free. It doesn't cost you any money, You don't have to do, A certain amount of good works, To get into heaven. The cost, Is free. However, The demand on your life, Is extremely, High." [01:03:43] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "So following Jesus, Once again, It's a lifelong decision, That word, Daily, Really stands out. Take up our cross, Daily. But here's the thing, That I really want to encourage us to do, Is this is a phrase, That maybe you've heard before, Deny yourself, And take up your cross. And for a lot of us, This is something we've memorized, But we don't actually know, How to apply it. We don't know, What this actually means." [01:04:44] (18 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "In summary, What does it mean, To deny yourself, And take up your cross? It means, That we are not God, Jesus is God, And we are fully committed, To follow him, Through whatever, May come. That's what he's inviting us into. And I want to be really clear, About this is, As we kind of jump into like, This is what Jesus is saying, This is what Paul is saying, He's not, Like I said, He's not confused, There's no gray area, He says, You're either in, Or you're not." [01:09:01] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "If you say, I want to follow the Lord, But, But first, What's on the other side, Of that sentence for you? And I want to point out, Something here. The things that these guys, Are concerned with, Are good. And they're God's commands. He says, Honor your father and mother. He says, He's got a lot of things to say, About making sure, That you're a productive, Part of the family unit, Not abandoning your family. But, Anything that gets in the way, Between your relationship, With the Lord, That's bad." [01:02:11] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "If you've been walking, With the Lord, If you've been doing this, God, I don't know, What's next, But you do, I'm an adrenaline junkie, I like the thrill, And so for me, This is something, That's really exciting, To say, When I get out of my comfort zone, When I step out of the known, That's when God, Can work clearly in my life, Because I know, That I'm following Him, Rather than following myself, But it requires us, To give up another degree, Of control in our life, And to actually get out, Of that comfort zone." [01:20:18] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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