Embracing Eternal Life Through Surrender to Christ

Summary

Eternal life is a profound and universal longing, yet it is often misunderstood. The Bible, however, is clear: eternal life is only attainable through Jesus Christ, His sacrifice, and His resurrection. Many people, like the comedian Bob Mortimer, express a fear of missing out on life's stories, revealing a deeper yearning for eternal significance. This longing is a reflection of our innate desire for eternal life. Yet, despite this desire, many miss the path to eternal life because they fail to receive the truth when it is presented to them. Jesus makes it clear that eternal life is not about being good enough; it is about knowing Him and the Father.

In Mark 10:13-31, Jesus addresses the misconceptions about who belongs in heaven and what truly matters. The disciples initially rebuke children from coming to Jesus, reflecting a societal view that undervalues the weak. However, Jesus elevates the children, emphasizing that the kingdom of God belongs to those who are childlike in their faith—humble, dependent, and trusting. This challenges the worldly values of strength, status, and knowledge.

The rich young ruler, despite his moral and material wealth, misses the mark because he relies on his own achievements rather than surrendering to Jesus. Jesus challenges him to give up his wealth, revealing that his heart is bound to his possessions. This encounter illustrates that salvation is not achieved through works or wealth but is a gift of grace received through faith.

Peter, representing the disciples, questions what they gain from following Jesus. Jesus assures them that sacrifices made for His sake will be rewarded a hundredfold, though not without persecution. This promise highlights that following Jesus involves both loss and gain, but the eternal reward far outweighs any earthly sacrifice.

Ultimately, the message is clear: eternal life is a gift from God, not something we can earn. It requires a heart willing to surrender all to Jesus, trusting in His grace and love. This is the only path that truly makes sense in the face of life's uncertainties and the inevitability of death.

Key Takeaways:

- Eternal life is a universal longing, but it is only attainable through Jesus Christ. Many people miss this truth because they rely on their own standards or achievements rather than receiving the truth of the Gospel. [06:58]

- Jesus teaches that the kingdom of God belongs to those who are childlike in their faith—humble, dependent, and trusting. This challenges societal values that prioritize strength, status, and knowledge. [11:52]

- The rich young ruler's encounter with Jesus illustrates that salvation is not achieved through works or wealth but is a gift of grace received through faith. His reliance on his possessions reveals the danger of valuing material wealth over spiritual truth. [21:42]

- Following Jesus involves both loss and gain. While sacrifices are required, the eternal reward promised by Jesus far outweighs any earthly sacrifice. This assurance encourages believers to trust in God's promises despite challenges. [31:28]

- The Gospel is the only message that truly makes sense in the face of life's uncertainties and the inevitability of death. It offers hope and assurance of eternal life through Jesus Christ, challenging us to surrender all to Him. [35:55]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [04:28] - The Universal Longing for Eternal Life
- [06:22] - The Danger of Missing the Truth
- [09:25] - Misjudging Who Belongs in Heaven
- [11:16] - The Childlike Faith Required for the Kingdom
- [15:11] - Mistaking What Really Matters
- [17:52] - The Rich Young Ruler's Dilemma
- [21:02] - The Challenge of Surrendering Wealth
- [24:59] - Salvation as a Gift of Grace
- [28:02] - The Call to Surrender All
- [30:03] - Misunderstanding What You Gain
- [32:41] - The Promise of Eternal Reward
- [35:19] - The Gospel: The Only Message That Makes Sense
- [37:15] - The Free Gift of Grace
- [39:48] - An Invitation to Eternal Life

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: Eternal Life Through Jesus

Bible Reading:
- Mark 10:13-31
- John 17:3
- Ephesians 2:8-9

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Observation Questions:

1. In Mark 10:13-16, why did the disciples initially rebuke the children from coming to Jesus, and how did Jesus respond to this action? [10:36]

2. What was the rich young ruler's question to Jesus, and how did Jesus challenge his understanding of eternal life? [15:48]

3. According to John 17:3, what does Jesus say is the essence of eternal life? [06:58]

4. How does Ephesians 2:8-9 describe the nature of salvation, and what does it say about human effort in achieving it? [24:59]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. Why does Jesus emphasize childlike faith as a requirement for entering the kingdom of God, and how does this challenge societal values? [11:52]

2. What does the rich young ruler's encounter with Jesus reveal about the dangers of relying on wealth and personal achievements for salvation? [21:42]

3. How does Jesus' promise of rewards for sacrifices made for His sake provide encouragement to believers facing persecution or loss? [31:28]

4. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the Gospel is the only message that makes sense in the face of life's uncertainties and the inevitability of death? [35:55]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your own life: Are there areas where you might be relying on personal achievements or standards rather than the truth of the Gospel for assurance of eternal life? How can you shift your focus to Jesus? [06:22]

2. Jesus calls for a childlike faith. What practical steps can you take to cultivate humility, dependence, and trust in your relationship with God this week? [11:52]

3. Consider the rich young ruler's dilemma. Is there something in your life that you are holding onto that might be hindering your full surrender to Jesus? What steps can you take to address this? [21:42]

4. Jesus promises rewards for sacrifices made for His sake. What sacrifices have you made or are willing to make for your faith, and how do you find encouragement in Jesus' promise of eternal reward? [31:28]

5. The sermon highlights the importance of understanding and receiving the Gospel. How can you ensure that you are not missing the truth of the Gospel in your daily life? [06:58]

6. Reflect on the societal values that prioritize strength, status, and knowledge. How can you challenge these values in your own life and community by embracing and promoting childlike faith? [11:52]

7. The Gospel offers hope and assurance of eternal life. How can you share this message with someone in your life who might be struggling with life's uncertainties? [35:55]

Devotional

Day 1: The True Path to Eternal Life
Eternal life is a profound longing shared by many, yet it is often misunderstood. The Bible teaches that eternal life is only attainable through Jesus Christ, His sacrifice, and His resurrection. Many people, like the comedian Bob Mortimer, express a fear of missing out on life's stories, revealing a deeper yearning for eternal significance. This longing reflects our innate desire for eternal life. However, despite this desire, many miss the path to eternal life because they rely on their own standards or achievements rather than receiving the truth of the Gospel. Jesus makes it clear that eternal life is not about being good enough; it is about knowing Him and the Father. [06:58]

John 17:3 (ESV): "And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

Reflection: In what ways have you been relying on your own achievements or standards to find significance? How can you shift your focus to knowing Jesus and the Father more deeply today?

Day 2: Childlike Faith in a World of Status
Jesus teaches that the kingdom of God belongs to those who are childlike in their faith—humble, dependent, and trusting. In Mark 10:13-31, the disciples initially rebuke children from coming to Jesus, reflecting a societal view that undervalues the weak. However, Jesus elevates the children, emphasizing that the kingdom of God belongs to those who are childlike in their faith. This challenges societal values that prioritize strength, status, and knowledge. In a world that often values power and prestige, Jesus calls us to embrace humility and dependence on Him. [11:52]

Matthew 18:3-4 (ESV): "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Reflection: How can you cultivate a childlike faith in your daily life? What steps can you take to prioritize humility and dependence on God over societal values of strength and status?

Day 3: The Danger of Valuing Wealth Over Faith
The rich young ruler's encounter with Jesus illustrates that salvation is not achieved through works or wealth but is a gift of grace received through faith. Despite his moral and material wealth, the rich young ruler misses the mark because he relies on his own achievements rather than surrendering to Jesus. Jesus challenges him to give up his wealth, revealing that his heart is bound to his possessions. This encounter serves as a warning about the danger of valuing material wealth over spiritual truth. [21:42]

1 Timothy 6:9-10 (ESV): "But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils."

Reflection: Is there an area in your life where you are holding onto material possessions or achievements instead of fully trusting in Jesus? What practical steps can you take to surrender these to Him today?

Day 4: The Cost and Reward of Following Jesus
Following Jesus involves both loss and gain. Peter, representing the disciples, questions what they gain from following Jesus. Jesus assures them that sacrifices made for His sake will be rewarded a hundredfold, though not without persecution. This promise highlights that following Jesus involves both loss and gain, but the eternal reward far outweighs any earthly sacrifice. This assurance encourages believers to trust in God's promises despite challenges. [31:28]

Matthew 19:29 (ESV): "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life."

Reflection: What sacrifices have you made or are you willing to make for the sake of following Jesus? How does the promise of eternal reward encourage you to persevere through challenges?

Day 5: The Gospel: A Message of Hope and Assurance
The Gospel is the only message that truly makes sense in the face of life's uncertainties and the inevitability of death. It offers hope and assurance of eternal life through Jesus Christ, challenging us to surrender all to Him. In a world filled with uncertainty, the Gospel provides a firm foundation and a promise of eternal life. This message calls us to trust in Jesus' grace and love, knowing that eternal life is a gift from God, not something we can earn. [35:55]

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV): "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen."

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to surrender to Jesus and trust in His promises? How can the hope and assurance of the Gospel guide you through life's uncertainties today?

Quotes

"See um eternal life is something that is is craved by everybody but there's a lot of confusion around eternal life There's a lot of confusion Uh yet the Bible God's word uh the holy scriptures is actually very clear It's crystal clear about uh eternal life It's only Jesus It's only through Jesus It's only through his sacrifice It's only through his resurrection And um you have a look at this This is a famous comedian uh Bob Mortima I'm actually going to get rid of that because it's not working very well So this is a famous comedian uh Bob Mortima And uh he said this quote I don't know if you can read it Yeah it's on the screen there He says 'I don't feel scared about death I feel so frustrated even sad uh when I think of how many stories I I won't see the end of I won't see the end of my children's story my wife's the football In fact I've actually done that when I was reading that I've actually thought I'm going to miss a lot of football What a thing to think Isn't that bizarre and the stories that go on in the world We won't find out what happens with Trump you know Maybe I think we can guess you know but we're not going to find out what's going to happen in the end you know And this is uh he's a very funny man and it's a heartfelt uh light-hearted uh statement but it's actually also honestly heartbreaking It's very heartbreaking You know there's a longing in all of us to obviously avoid death We don't want to miss out and we also want to know that our story matters We want to know how it ends And that longing really that hunger that we're being described here is actually eternal life It's in all of us But if you ask uh 10 people uh how do you get eternal life they're going to give you 10 answers You're going to get different answers That's why this passage is so important this morning Mark 10 13 down to 31 It's vital Jesus speaks to people just like us People who have dreams and fears who have children they've got jobs they've got wealth But then Jesus shows them something shocking If you if you want you can actually want heaven but miss it You can be focused on it You can be concerned about it You can be thinking about it all the times but you can actually miss it And it's not because you weren't good enough It's because you never received the truth When the truth was delivered you never received it And Jesus doesn't want that to carry on He doesn't want that confusion to be there He shows us this morning there is only one way to eternal life and that is through him Uh John 17:3 he says this is the life eternal that you might know the one true God and Jesus Christ whom he have sent He says you must know me and if you know me you know the father So we're looking at this morning the subject how to uh want heaven but to miss it And what we're going to develop this morning is you can deeply desire eternal life You can be super spiritual and even believe that you're on the right path but you can miss it That's tragic To receive eternal life you must be saved by grace How does that happen you must be born again So just ask yourself now before I pray you know could our confidence in eternal life be based on our own standards could it be based on something not mentioned in the word of God would you and I say that I will never walk away from Jesus i'll never walk away from him because that's what happens this morning The rich run the the rich young ruler walks away from Jesus Let's pray Our heavenly father Lord God I thank you again for your word I thank you that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God I thank you so much Lord that you've given us another opportunity to contemplate and to think about eternal life I thank you so much Lord that your son will never walk away from us when we come with an empty hand and a repentant spirit Well I thank you so much I thank you Lord that you've provided eternal life I thank you Lord for the sacrifice of your son I thank you heavenly father for all that you do for us Lord Holy Spirit we ask you now that you would uh captivate us and get a hold of us now And Lord help us to see that this is so important that we understand the stand eternal life We understand what it means We understand exactly what has been spoken This is so important not just for this room but for all those uh that are watching and may watch in the future It's very clear how to have eternal life But there's also a very clear warning from your son here that not everybody makes it Lord help us now through your spirit and through your word in Jesus name Amen Amen So just a quick recap Last week the Pharisees came to Jesus and they tried to trap him It says that they tried to tempt him They deliberately tried to cause him problems They weren't seeking the truth They weren't really seeking the truth They just wanted to trap Jesus and they wanted to catch him and they tried to use uh different things to try and catch him But here we have this morning now someone who's going to come looking for tree So how to uh want heaven and how to miss it The first thing is misjudging who belongs I'm sorry I've used game shows uh for this just just how my brain works and this is how I got a h I have to try and get a handle on the passage and this was how my brain was working this week So the first thing is how to miss heaven is misjudging who belongs in heaven And we're going to look now at the weakest link verses 13 to 16 But for time sake there's a lot of verses So I'm just going to read most of them as we go In Mark uh 10:13 it says it and they brought young children to him Jesus You know it would be very unusual You don't take your precious child to someone So you can see the love and care that they have They understand Jesus They brought young children to him that he should touch them And his disciples rebuked saying to those uh that brought him And when Jesus saw it he was displeased You know they rebuked the children And he said unto them "Suffer the little children to come unto me Forbid them not for such is the kingdom of God And verily I say unto you whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter therein." and he took them up in his arms and he put them uh upon them and he blessed them So the the disciples uh the children are brought to him they try and stop it Jesus rebukes them You know in the ancient Jewish culture children had no status They really didn't give you status until you got into your late teens because of uh the the the early death rates and things like that But the disciples here they were bringing uh they were stopping children going to Jesus and they were rebuking the people because that was what was socially acceptable at that time The children were the weakest link They were just contestants that you could vote off Weren't the strongest link but Jesus is actually saying "No they're the strongest link." Disciples see nothing to do with Jesus's mission They interpreted these children as as nothing to do with Jesus wasting his time And he completely turned it around and said "No this is the kingdom of God Children are the kingdom of God Such is the kingdom." You know the entry requirement isn't about strength and status and knowledge It's about being childlike It's about being dependent It's about coming with humility It's about having childlike trust You know a child just comes up to you just bounces up to you They don't worry about bills and things like that They just bounce up to you and say "What are you doing?" Totally different mindset So Jesus here he's elevating the lowly He's elevating the ones that they're trying to block He rebukes the proud and the lofty It's the same today in our in our in our world The things that are pushed forward are strength status knowledge you're independent These are the things that are praised And even in the church we we have a bit of an issue with that We assume that God prefers all the polished ones We assume that he prefers uh the more mature ones or the educated ones We actually disqualify anyone that has a weakness maybe in some area But Jesus doesn't do that He welcomes them He welcomes the weak He welcomes the little child He's and in fact he became weak the master of the universe In Isaiah 53 it says he was despised and rejected of men And on the cross he took that lowly position He took that lowly place so that we could be lifted up You don't qualify uh by strength You qualify uh you qualify by need That's the the key truth that we're looking at here in that that first section salvation is not received uh sorry is received it's not achieved don't achieve salvation again let's just reflect on that even this morning now that do you and I see ourselves as maybe too small too weak how can God use me how could the Lord do anything with my life is it worse still do we push people away do we exclude people which is even worse still So let's just learn from that this morning You and I truly have to become like a child We have to become totally dependent on the Lord to thrive We have to stop this idea that we have to try and prove ourselves to God Jesus wants his church to reflect just like the the as the children came uh running to him and he picked them up and there was trust from the parents He wants our church to be open He wants it to be warm He doesn't want us to be blocking people Of course there are situations where you would have to but that's not the overarching theme of the church So let's learn from that this morning We want to come like a child So how can we uh want heaven but miss it the first one was uh misjudge who belongs The disciples said that these children did not belong They were a waste of his time They were the weakest link But Jesus said "No they're the very people who will be in heaven The weakest." And then the second one this is a bit longer this one Now the second one is "Who wants to be a millionaire?" This is the way my brain was able to get around this mistake in what matters And because of the the amount of verses I'm going to read them all 17 to 27 and we'll just touch on a few of them How to miss heaven when you really want it Mistake what really matters Verse 17 down to 27 And when they had gone forth out of the way they came one running and kneelled to him and asked him "Good master what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said unto them "Why callst 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 Defraud not Honor your father and mother And he answered and said "Master all of these things I have observed from my youth." Then Jesus beholding him loved him And he said unto him "One thing that thou lackest Go thy way sell whatever thou hast and give it to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven And come take up the cross and follow me." And he was sad He was sad at the saying and went away grieved for he had great possessions And Jesus looked round about and he saith unto the disciples "How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God?" And the disciples were astonished at his words And Jesus answered 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 heaven." Kingdom of God sorry And they were astonished at the at this measure saying among themselves well who then can be saved and Jesus looking unto them saith with man it is impossible but with God for all things are possible So again this is the idea So mistake in what matters This this man comes running to Jesus So we had the the disciples blocking the children entering Now we have this man running to Jesus He's urgent He's respectful He's very serious about this subject He's asking about eternal life He drops on his knees When is the last time we dropped on our knees in front of the Lord thinking about eternal life He's thinking about it He's considering it He's a incredibly wealthy man This question mark is hanging but he thinks he can earn it He says "What shall I do?" That's his first statement So to the rich young ruler he had everything He had the morality based on his own words He had the money He had the position But he still runs to Jesus Needs to get this question sorted out How do I inherit eternal life notice he's not taking a chance He's not taking a chance on it He's not just going to go by his own uh his own views So then Jesus tests him Jesus tests him by the by the commandments the ten commandments He uses the second uh table uh of the commandments there And what does he say he says "I kept them all." He's like "Oh that's easy I've done it all." But we know that wouldn't be the case You know he's still linking it to performance That would have been because of the Old Testament that was what they considered how you got eternal life But we know from the New Testament it's very clear in Romans uh Romans 3:20 It says there "But by the deeds of the law there shall be no flesh justified." So you can try and keep the law all day and all night but it's not going to it's not going to save you You won't be justified You won't be just as if you have never sinned And and uh the apostle Paul goes on to explain it a little bit more in Galatians He says "Wherefore," and the wherefore there is talking about before you came to Christ before you understood that he died on the cross for you before you uh received him as your savior before that the law was a school master or a headmaster I mean none of us really like them unless you had an amazing angel one And the idea was that the law was supposed to bring us to our knees and supposed to show us that we can't do it We can't do it on our own And the point of the law was to take us to Christ That was the point The law was to justify us to bring us and to make sure that we seen that there is no way of completing the law You can't keep all the ten commandments You can't do it Nobody can do it That's the point It was to make us come to our knees He's already on his knees but now Jesus is going to bring him more further on his knees and he's actually going to run away So Jesus then he sees what's happening He he believes that he's uh he has eternal life based on the on the law He's never done anything wrong He's a good person Then Jesus says to him "One thing thou lackest There's just one thing missing and it's that he has great riches." Look at this verse verse 21 He looks right in his eyes Then Jesus beholding him he loved him And he said unto him "That one thing thou lackest Go thy way sell whatsoever thou hast and give it to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come take up the cross and follow me." So the first thing we see there is Jesus loves him He looks at him with eyes of grace but he says to him "Give it up Give give up everything Give it all up and follow me." And we know that the the the rich young ruler just can't do it He can't do it His wealth was too big His wealth was his heart And it's sad to say that he walks away grieving It says in verse 22 he was grieved Rich young ruler wanted eternal life but just not Jesus He wanted eternal life You know you and I we can't save ourselves no riches no morality is ever going to be able to do it Jesus mirrors this Jesus gave up everything Philippians uh chapter 2 6 and 8 we won't read it now but it talks about Jesus emptying himself of all his majesty He came down to be a servant to serve to wash feet Did that so that you and I could inherit eternal life John 3:16 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life God gave his son So it's very clear We know that that only Jesus saves The rich young ruler here he's got it totally wrong He's got it totally wrong But there's good news The gospel is good news God is merciful God is loving God is kind God is gracious to a sinner Look at the what it says here in verse 21 It says that Jesus beheld him and loved him Even though he's got it completely wrong Jesus looks at his eyes looks at him and he says "I love you." God is gracious And again uh it says in John 3 this is speaking to Nicodemus This is another man that came to Jesus by night And he came to Jesus by night and he said "Look," he said "We all know that God is with you We just can't figure you out." Then Jesus answered and said unto Nicodemus "Verily verily I I say unto you except a man or woman be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God He cannot have eternal life." This was a the a very high up Pharisee um Nicodemus and he couldn't understand eternal life another person that came to Jesus and he said except a man or woman be born again cannot see the kingdom of God And of course Nicodemus struggled to understand what he meant What did he mean about being born again how do you be born again there has to be a point in your life when you confess your sin where you understand I am a sinner I have sinned against a holy God and I repent I turn away from that sin and I believe in Christ alone And if that truly happens in your life you will be born again Why must we be b be born again because sin entered the world in the garden of Eden and sin passed on to all man and death passed on to all men And that's why the rich young ruler is on his knees asking about eternal life Because something is going to happen when we pass on There's going to be a judgment for those that won't truly believe because God is holy and he has to punish sin The sin went uh on Jesus at the cross He took our punishment that we deserved But he rose again in great victory and he gives eternal life Ephesians 2:8-9 is the clearest verses you can find in in the scriptures that tell you you cannot earn your salvation This is God's word this morning This is the Holy Spirit For by grace are you saved through faith You are saved by grace through faith and not of yourselves You cannot do anything to save yourself It is the gift of God I've used this with children many times I I'll just place a load of sweets in the middle of the floor and I'll just say any child can have them sweets Then I'll just go back and start speaking and I'll say at any time you can have them sweets And every time one kid has got up out of the thing and came into the middle and taken it because it's a free gift Their brains have been working But not all the children It's not sometimes that straightforward But to one child it's always been straightforward He said that's a free gift and they go up and they take the sweets One time they said they thought they were empty No it's a real gift the gift of God And it says there in verse 9 not of works lest any man should boast That's how we receive eternal life But don't forget Jesus is warning here in this passage He warns about riches He says uh riches will block us It's incredibly hard for someone who's incredibly wealthy It does happen of course but most of the time it doesn't because the the there's a love of money there There's a love of money We don't have time to go through all those verses but he says there's a danger there He says not everybody gets in This I borrowed this from uh brother Josh on Tuesday Deuteronomy uh 8:18 The but there is to do with the wilderness He's saying don't you remember when you were wandering in the wilderness to the children of Israel he says don't you remember that he says but thou shalt remember the Lord thy God for it is he that giveth thee power to get great wealth God is not against someone being wealthy That's not what the scriptures say at all This is just one verse of many It says the Lord is the one who's given you the wealth He has given you the wealth that you may establish the covenant with uh that he sworn to his fathers unto this day Of course the context is the children of Israel but we have the same principle God is the one who gave the wealth God is the one who uh allows someone to be wealthy So it's not as saying that just because you've got wealth you can't be saved But then the disciples are stunned here They're totally stunned They're like "Well well who can be saved then?" Because normally the rich person is the one who's successful They're the one with strength They're the one that must have God on their side And Jesus said "It's impossible for man but with God all things are possible." So if we just reflect now who wants to be a millionaire he isn't able to get eternal life But what's that one thing maybe the Holy Spirit or maybe Jesus is saying this morning that we have to lay down what's that one thing that we're lacking what's that one thing we won't surrender what's that one thing that we won't change but we must change what's that thing that we're lacking leave that to the Holy Spirit Again this is a challenge for us this morning You know are you and are you truly ready are we ready for eternal life saying there that some don't make it ready to truly sing nothing in my hands I bring simply to the cross I cling Is that going to be our final answer let's remember that now this morning So many people walk away like this man If you have time to study it during the week there's quite a lot of people you find in the scriptures that walk away from Jesus Use all their lifelines They phone their friend ask the audience they agree with every everybody else They go 50/50 I'll go to this one I'll try that one But there's a warning here Jesus is saying the camel it's easier for him to go through the eye of a needle There's a warning here He's saying look not everybody makes it Got to take this very serious How to want heaven but miss it We have the weakest link Who wants to be a millionaire this one is a slight liberty but I think it'll just about work The third one is misunderstanding what you gain Misunderstanding what you gain It's the apprentice I really mean the disciple but it's the apprentice It's the closest I could find So misunderstanding what you gain So they first they misjudged who belongs then they misunderstand uh what uh the requirements are but now lastly what you gain Let's just read verses 28-31 Then Peter began to say unto them lo we have left all and followed thee And Jesus answered and said "Verily I say unto you there is no man that have left his house or his brethren or his sister or his father or his mother or children or lands for my sake and the gospels But he shall receive a hundfold now in this time houses brethren sisters mothers children and lands with persecution and in the world to come eternal life But as many as are first shall be last and the last thirst So they come now after hearing all of this and Peter you know he's feeling a bit of pressure now Peter says "Well Lord we've given up everything You know we're we're okay surely." So Peter's the the apprentice He's the candidate He's asking the Lord not Lord Sugar but Lord Jesus He's asking him he's saying "We've given up everything." But he's actually also kind of saying "Well what do we get what do we get?" Uh again notice Jesus doesn't rebuke him He promises He gives a promise He says "You will get hundfold in return." But he but he does add this one thing He says "One of my apprentices one of my disciples will suffer persecutions." This isn't the prop uh pro prosperity gospel here He's saying that you are going to have some struggles for my name's sake for the gospel's sake But again he says this is a real genuine eternal reward What does he say in other passages jesus says "Great is your reward in heaven." So many people think that when you follow Jesus it means you're missing out You know I often tell some of my relatives you know following Jesus is exciting It's actually quite exciting You don't realize it You know I've been to places and involved in things I could never have imagined there would be But we do fear loss We feel that maybe our freedom is taken away Maybe our lifestyle is going to have to change Maybe our relationships or job But just think about it Jesus did all that He left heaven He was persecuted to the point of death and he rose again But he did it for us He did it so that we would gain He was the master apprentice He was the carpenter the apprentice He was the one that turned loss to life So again this is the great truth here this morning Following Jesus involves leaving It's a mindset There have to be things that we we realize we're going to have to leave We're going to have to leave them behind But Jesus also says "I will repay you You will be rewarded You will be blessed I'll give you far more than you ever gave up." On the apprentice show there they're tested on their ups and downs And if they fail too much what happens they get fired You're fired My mom loves that bit She waits for the whole show just for that one bit She doesn't understand any of it What's going on the rest of the show but that's her favorite bit You're fired But in God's kingdom it's the other way round Jesus doesn't fire you He hires you He says "Come be with me Come follow me." And he actually looks you in the eye and he loves you Behold you This is um Philippians uh 3:8 This is the Apostle Paul speaking again And he says "I count all these things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ." He says "All that other stuff," because Paul was an incredibly clever guy and he had all the advantages He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews Pharisee of the Pharisees He was the top top dog But he says "I count all of that as dumb All of that was rubbish because I want to know Christ." And I started with a comedian I'm going to finish with a comedian this morning This is a confused comedian just like um Bob Mortimer His name is uh Marcus Briggstock and he's a well-known atheist And I noticed one uh boxing day there was a a Christian radio they were going to do a show and he was going to be and I thought that's strange because he's an atheist quite strong So I decided to listen to it and I was shocked really by what h what I listened to What happened was he was uh a godfather for uh his best friend's son and his best friend passed away very young and his uh godson was struggling to handle the whole situation and his mother asked him can you come and just just be with the child for a while do something because he's in a terrible way and we can't control uh we can't console him so we agreed to come round and uh the the child really liked Marcus obviously because he had a bit of celebrity and and he couldn't console the child So he he he took him into one of the other rooms and he just told him the gospel He told him about Jesus and he told him about how it's going to be okay Everything is going to be okay You're going to see your father again You're going to be with your father I'll be with you We'll all be there He consoled the child with the very thing that he didn't believe in And he said that was the first time in his life where he realized that his atheism was bankrupt He was bankrupt He didn't have what he needed He knew the only thing that made sense was the gospel And I I would encourage you to pray for him because I read even this this year just in January that he was asked about eternal life And he said "I don't know." But he said he moved closer towards God because of that situation and he was on that radio station It's just a powerful for there's a lot of confusion around eternal life But the only thing that makes sense is that Jesus saves I want to encourage you this morning Let's reflect on that You know what have you truly you and I truly given up to follow Jesus when or what did we repent of it's an important question Has there been repentance in our life have we left that old life challenge here now is this week maybe write down some of the things that you've lost for Christ some of those things that have uh you've had to lose or relationships or family And then thank God for it And then trust him Trust his promises He says "I'll give you more Great things are ahead." And again let's learn from this this morning The sacrifice of Christ is not wasted That's what he's saying Never wasted Jesus is not taking anything away from you He's actually giving you He's giving you this morning the most amazing thing in the world He's giving you the opportunity of eternal life The only thing that makes sense But what happens if we ignore this we'll just chase We'll chase life We'll be like the rich young ruler He found out he was bankrupt Chase shadows In that uh passage in Deuteronomy it says the children of Israel if they don't listen to God they'll just be like a dog chasing his tail They'll just go around in circles So Jesus says heaven is not for the the the mighty It's for the weakest It's not for the proud It's a free gift It's a free gift of grace It's not about your bank balance It's not about gaining anything about following It's about fleeing sin confessing our sin When we confess our worst sin to Jesus he gives us the kingdom What a great God So let's just think about those things now as we finish now So how to miss heaven when you really want it And I don't want that to happen to anyone So just what can we learn this morning as we finish now there's a duty on us on this passage based on this passage and on many passages to take special care of children Incredible care all children You know we ought to always have our eye on the children Don't let this world destroy our children Don't let them spiritually kidnap our children Jesus says they are the very ones that fill heaven We need to be very careful We want to be just careful what they're taking in media adverts all that We want to be very careful We have a duty to be incredibly caring towards children And then we want to be the person who knows this And we spoke about it even before the service We want to be the person that knows for sure that Jesus is the way the truth and the life No man comes to the father but by him The rich young ruler ran away from Jesus because of his riches And the go uh the goal is to follow Jesus Whatever you give up he will restore in uh hundfold And he talks there about the gospel Spread the good news Spread the one thing that makes sense Marcus Briggstock wasn't able to to fully trust it but he knew it made sense And he knew that that is the only thing that could help that child is to tell him that evil does not win Evil doesn't win God wins So just think about that this morning Now and again this morning this is an opportunity this morning This is now a time to say that Jesus I want you in my life I want eternal life I understand that I can't have eternal life without you This is the time to press the golden buzzer This is the time to say "Please Lord Jesus save me." So again if the Lord has spoken to your heart please come and speak to uh to myself or anyone here If you if you're not sure that you have eternal life I want you to come and speak to us We're very open very welcome And we want to show you from the scriptures Again if you're watching it's the same Send us a message There's nothing more important There needs not be any confusion about eternal life It's very clear Jesus saves Let's pray Our heavenly father Lord God I thank you again for giving me the honor and the privilege to speak about eternal life Lord I know that I am uh not skilled enough to explain it Lord but I know your word is so clear It's crystal clear Eternal life is not earned it's received Lord I pray and ask that you would just bless this passage Help us always to remember that Lord God Help us to realize that it's not just about it making sense It's about it's really true We're bankrupt We're all crippled spiritually without your son Jesus And just like at a wedding the the riches of the king is transferred to the queen Lord it's all about you It's all about your uh son's death Lord I pray and help and ask that you would help us uh to reflect on that passage And I pray that the Holy Spirit would allow that to take root in our heart Lord I pray that all of us would know for sure I pray that we would drop to our knees if necessary and ask "How do I have eternal life?" And I pray we would all rise up in victory through Jesus Heavenly Father we ask these things in that precious name of your son Amen Amen Thank you so much Just a few quick announcements uh then we'll just sing uh one uh verse and one song there uh some again we have a a newsletter and uh a WhatsApp group if you're uh interested that's how we get our announcements out you can just let us know we can add you to that and then on Tuesday we have our Bible study and prayer meeting in the book of James and uh again that's faith that comes down to earth it's a very practical book and that's when we take our prayer requests and uh we have a a time of prayer and uh more of a Bible study it's more of a discussion uh that's at 7 p.m on Tuesdays at Grove Place And then we have our spiritual our disciplehip course If you're interested in that come and speak to us And again we want to be a church that makes disciples We want to follow the command of Jesus And again if you're interested in that or if you know anyone just let us know And then we have outreach Uh that's not going to be for um Yeah Yeah This Saturday actually this Saturday God willing if the weather's still good we'll go into Guild Hall Square and uh we'll uh be passing out leaflets and trying to speak to people We'll be trying to tell people about eternal life And again if you can't make that uh please do uh pray uh pray for that And then Easter's next week It's going to be a great time uh Easter next week So again it's a good opportunity to invite someone Uh you might be able to invite someone There's some leaflets there at the back you can take Uh it'll be a great time We'll have uh some Easter uh chocolate eggs and things like that Be a great time for the kids as well So please remember this You know this is our big event every year Easter's our big one you know So uh we're always looking forward to that And then how can we serve you we want to be able to serve you If there's anything that we can do to help you if there's any way we can uh bless you prayer requests anything just let us know We're here to serve Uh just let us know at any time You can contact us And again if you want to serve there's a signup sheet there at the back There's many different uh ministries you can get involved in We'd love you to come uh and help We want to have a church that everyone is uh playing a part And uh then uh in a few weeks from now we have a gentleman uh coming over called Michael Barnett Uh he's very uh involved with our church but from a distance He was the one that uh kept us alive at one point uh by sending an email So he's going to do a street performance of uh Luke 24 And he'll do it in uh half in Irish and half uh in English And he's going to do it on in Guil Hall Square on the 10th of May and then a Grove Place on the 13th Uh that's um And then we're also going to have a men's barbecue on the 9th Uh that's going to be at Grove Place a men's and boys barbecue at 7 PM and he's going to be the speaker there again And we're uh we're really pushing them And then uh Marianne his wife is going to do a ladies night there at Grove Place and that's on the Wednesday uh the 14th So a lot of stuff if you can remember just to pray for all this stuff as well Again we want to not just have it in-house we want uh people from the community to come as well So we're going to stand and just sing one verse of I've decided to follow Jesus And I'll have Brian if you don't mind closing us in a way of prayer Then I have decided to follow Jesus I have decided to follow Jesus I have decided to follow Jesus" [00:04:20]

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