Experiencing God Week 6 Life Adjustments 06/21/26

Reality six insists that the call to follow Christ demands major adjustments. God does not bend to human plans. God is already at work and he invites his people into his work on his terms. Faithfulness is not aspirations but actions. The call to join God presses a person into a crisis of belief where real changes have to be made because, as the line goes, you cannot stay where you are and go with God.

Jesus stages that crisis in Matthew 19 with the rich young ruler. The young man asks, what good thing must I do, revealing a confidence in his own qualifying goodness. Jesus prods him with the commandments to surface the deeper issue, and the man says, all these I have kept. Jesus then pinpoints the idol. Go sell your possessions, give to the poor, and follow me. The man goes away sad, not because wealth itself is evil, but because his possessions possess him. Jesus names the danger. It is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom, yet with God all things are possible. The kingdom’s value is then drawn by Jesus’ pictures of a treasure hidden in a field and a pearl of great price. In those stories the man and the merchant sell everything with joy because what they gain is greater than what they give up. That is the trade the young ruler refuses to make.

The contrast between going and staying sharpens with Matthew the tax collector. Jesus says, follow me, and Matthew gets up. Staying would have meant cash, power, and protection, but also missing Jesus. Going meant surrendering the booth and reorienting his resources toward Jesus’ mission. Matthew throws a dinner where tax collectors and sinners meet the Great Physician, the one who came not to call the righteous but sinners. The difference between the two young men is not the call but the response. One pays the stupid tax of disobedience by walking away from life. The other pays the cost of obedience and finds life spilling out to his friends.

Jesus sets the pattern. Whoever wants to be his disciple must deny self, take up a cross daily, and follow. That is why the call lands like a simple but bracing sentence. You cannot stay where you are and go with God. The kingdom is worth the adjustment. Obedience redeems the cost. With God, the sacrifice becomes joy because the gain cannot be lost.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Faithfulness is actions, not aspirations [31:54] A life that says yes to God shows it in concrete changes. Desire without adjustment stalls at the edge of obedience. God’s invitations are real assignments, not mood boosters. The heart’s trust is proved by the hands’ decisions. [31:54]
• 2. Let Jesus probe hidden loyalties [42:09] Jesus puts a finger on the real god of the heart, not to shame but to free. When he targets money, control, or approval, he is naming the chain that keeps a disciple seated. Salvation is by grace, but following reorders loves. The hard ask is often the healing cut. [42:09]
• 3. Choose what is greater, with joy [48:00] The treasure and the pearl are not bargains; they are better by far. Kingdom gain dwarfs earthly loss when seen in the light of eternity. Joy rises when value is seen clearly. The calculus changes when Christ himself is the reward. [48:00]
• 4. Going costs, staying costs more [57:25] Obedience has a price tag, but disobedience writes the bigger bill, the stupid tax that comes due later. Matthew’s yes spared him a lifetime of small safety and gave him a front row seat to grace. Saying no to Jesus is never neutral. The cost of staying is missing him. [57:25]
• 5. Discipleship is daily cross bearing [59:27] Jesus frames following as steady denial, not a one-off decision. Daily adjustments keep a disciple in step with a moving Lord. The Spirit supplies courage for today’s obedience, not tomorrow’s hypotheticals. Cross-bearing is costly, but it is the path to life. [59:27]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [28:10] - Reality six introduction
• [31:54] - Crisis of belief recap
• [34:24] - You cannot stay and go
• [36:01] - Rich young ruler’s question
• [42:09] - Sell all and follow me
• [43:03] - Hard for the rich to enter
• [48:00] - Treasure and pearl stories
• [49:38] - Choose to go, not stay
• [53:25] - Matthew at the tax booth
• [54:28] - Dinner with tax collectors
• [57:25] - Avoid the stupid tax
• [59:27] - Daily cross and adjustments
• [61:37] - A costly family yes
• [63:43] - Invitation to respond

1. In Matthew 19:21, Jesus tells the rich young ruler to sell his possessions and follow Him. What immediate emotion does the young man display, and what does this reveal about his priorities?
2. How does Matthew’s response to Jesus’ call in Matthew 9:9 contrast with the rich young ruler’s reaction in Matthew 19:22? [54:28]
3. According to the sermon, what does Jesus’ parable of the treasure in the field (Matthew 13:44) teach about the value of the Kingdom compared to earthly possessions? [48:00]
4. What practical example does the sermon give about the “stupid tax” of disobedience, and how does this relate to Matthew’s choice to leave his tax booth? [57:25]

1. Why do you think Jesus focused on the rich young ruler’s wealth as the barrier to following Him, even though the man claimed to have kept all the commandments?
2. The sermon contrasts “staying” and “going” in response to God’s call. What might “staying” cost a person spiritually, even if it feels safe or comfortable? [56:37]
3. Jesus says, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). How does this statement reframe the disciples’ astonishment about the difficulty of salvation for the rich?
4. The sermon describes discipleship as “daily cross bearing.” What does this imply about the ongoing nature of adjustments in a believer’s life? [59:27]

1. Jesus pinpointed the rich young ruler’s idol (wealth). What “hidden loyalty” might God be asking you to surrender to follow Him more fully? How could you take a tangible step this week to address it? [42:09]
2. The sermon says, “Joy rises when value is seen clearly.” What earthly loss or sacrifice feels hardest to release right now? How might focusing on the eternal gain of obedience shift your perspective? [48:00]
3. Matthew used his resources to host a dinner for sinners. What relationships, time, or resources could you reorient toward Jesus’ mission this month?
4. The “stupid tax” of disobedience often comes later. Is there a recurring area of disobedience in your life where you’ve ignored consequences? What would it look like to repent and act today? [58:18]
5. The sermon emphasizes that “faithfulness is actions, not aspirations.” What specific adjustment have you delayed making, even though you know God is calling you to it? What’s one practical step to start? [31:54]
6. How can you cultivate daily habits of “denying self” (Luke 9:23) in small, consistent ways—like time, finances, or relationships—to stay aligned with God’s mission?