Who’s Number One? Putting Christ Before All

Devotional

Day 1: When Decorations Fade, Where Does God Go?

After the confetti settles and routines return, faith faces its real test. The glow of mountaintop experiences—like Vacation Bible School’s laughter and paper-stuffed ants—inevitably dims. Life’s ordinary rhythms replace songs and crafts, leaving us wondering if God’s presence lingers when the excitement fades. Jesus’ disciples faced this tension too, wanting to build tents on the transfiguration mountain rather than descend into daily discipleship. True faith isn’t measured by emotional highs but by who holds first place when the spotlight shifts. [32:34]

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19–21, ESV)

Reflection: What ordinary moment this week can become a “treasure in heaven” by intentionally inviting Christ into it? How might your daily routines shift if you saw them as sacred ground?

Day 2: Jesus or Laverne and Shirley?

Christ’s claim to first place clashes with a world of competing priorities. Surveys reduce the American dream to education, homes, and success—no mention of God. Like a radio DJ joking about Jesus losing ratings to a sitcom, we often relegate faith to a side act. Yet Jesus insists loving Him more than family or comfort isn’t harshness—it’s an invitation to anchor our chaos in something eternal. The question isn’t “Is God in your life?” but “Is He your life’s compass?” [38:41]

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24, ESV)

Reflection: What “shows” or pursuits currently have higher ratings than Christ in your schedule? How might realigning them deepen your peace?

Day 3: The Hog’s Dilemma: Partial or All-In?

Faith isn’t a garnish—it’s the main dish. Like the hog resisting the chicken’s suggestion of ham and eggs, Jesus calls for total surrender, not convenient contributions. The cross isn’t a decorative pendant but a call to lose our self-focused agendas. When we treat faith as an additive—“just a little Jesus here”—we miss the paradox: giving everything to Christ fills us with more than we sacrificed. [44:02]

“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’” (Matthew 16:24–25, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you still negotiating with God about “how much” to give? What would full surrender look like in one area you’ve kept guarded?

Day 4: The Triangle’s Geometry of Love

Relationships thrive not by staring at each other but by fixing eyes upward. The triangle analogy reveals a counterintuitive truth: as we move closer to Christ individually, we’re drawn nearer to others. Like two points ascending toward the apex, shared devotion to Jesus tightens bonds more than forced effort. Love multiplies when Christ is the source, not the supplement. [45:36]

“A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12, ESV)

Reflection: How might focusing less on fixing a relationship and more on pursuing Christ together strengthen it? Who in your life needs to journey upward with you?

Day 5: When Jesus Feels Like a Homewrecker

Christ’s demand for supremacy unsettles, especially when it disrupts family norms or comfort. He isn’t downgrading love for parents or children but reorienting all loves around His eternal purpose. Like housing the homeless or inviting a difficult boss to dinner, radical obedience often looks like foolishness—until it becomes the gateway to deeper joy. [42:49]

“He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37–38, ESV)

Reflection: What relationship or tradition might God be asking you to reorder—not abandon—for His kingdom? How could this obedience become a blessing in disguise?

Sermon Summary

Matthew’s gospel gives a hard word from Jesus, and it lands right in the middle of comfortable religion. Jesus says, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,” and the line does not soften itself just because it sounds rough on Father’s Day. The text comes like a disturbance, because the comfortable picture of Jesus usually has shepherd, love, mercy, grace, children, and maybe a little lamb in his arms. That picture is true, but it is not the whole picture.

The Bug Safari vacation bible school memory raises the same question in a different way. God was number one for five evenings, and it was amazing. God is love, God is a big big God, God is an awesome God, God is a best friend. But the descent from the mountaintop brings the real question: where does God go after the decorations are put away, after the Bibles collect dust, and after the songs fade away?

Jesus presses that question with no room for pretending. The gospel text does not attack fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, jobs, possessions, or ordinary responsibilities. Jesus does not say to make those things unimportant. Jesus says to make him first. Christ’s priority does not shrink love for family. Christ’s priority orders every love under the one love that gives life.

The “just add Jesus” syndrome names the easy temptation. Jesus becomes one more piece in a successful life, somewhere after education, financial security, schedules, preferences, and convenience. The American dream list can include home, school, money, and children, while faith never even makes the survey. That is the real question underneath the hard word: who or what is most important?

The cross shows what discipleship actually means. Jesus calls for an all in, jump in the deep end commitment, not a partial commitment like the chicken offering eggs while the hog is asked for ham. Following Christ means giving of oneself for the sake of others, going the extra mile, bending over backwards to share the love of God wherever possible. That kind of life will bring conflict, criticism, and ridicule, because the world does not understand losing life in order to find it.

The triangle picture makes the promise plain. Christ stands at the top, and as each person draws closer to Christ, the line between them also draws closer. The more love is given away, the more love there is. Placing Christ first loses nothing and gains everything, and the question remains: who is number one?

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Key Takeaways

1. Mountaintops must come back down. The VBS joy was real, but the real test came when the decorations were boxed up and the songs faded. Spiritual high points are gifts, not permanent shelters. The question after every holy moment is whether God remains first when ordinary life resumes. [32:06]
2. Jesus will not be added on. The “just add Jesus” syndrome treats Christ like one more helpful accessory for a well-managed life. Jesus refuses to become a convenience item tucked into available space. His call exposes every schedule, dream, and preference that wants his blessing without his lordship. [39:50]
3. Christ first does not diminish family. Jesus’ demand is not an attack on father, mother, son, daughter, work, or possessions. The issue is not making other loves smaller, but placing Christ above them so those loves can be rightly ordered. When Christ is first, family is not despised, but loved with a love that is less possessive and more faithful. [43:15]
4. Full commitment enters the deep end. The hog and chicken story makes discipleship uncomfortably clear. Eggs are a partial commitment, but ham costs the whole life. Jesus calls disciples beyond safe religious participation into a life given for the kingdom. [44:02]
5. Love increases when given away. The triangle shows that nearness to Christ changes nearness to others. Love is not a limited supply that disappears when shared. In Christ, the strange paradox holds true: the more love is given away, the more love is there.

## [46:27]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:02] - Jesus’ Hard Word on Loyalty
[29:55] - Bug Safari and a Leap of Faith
[32:06] - Coming Down From the Mountaintop
[33:21] - A Tough Gospel for Father’s Day
[34:25] - Comfortable Jesus Gets Disturbed
[36:06] - Worthy Disciples Take Up the Cross
[37:25] - Who Is Number One?
[39:50] - The Just Add Jesus Syndrome
[42:49] - Christ First, Not Family Last
[44:02] - Ham, Eggs, and Full Commitment
[45:12] - The Marriage Triangle With Christ
[46:27] - Love Grows When Given Away
[46:59] - The Final Question

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 10:37-39 (ESV)
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Observation questions

What does Jesus say about the relationship between loving family and being "worthy" of Him?
The sermon mentions the "hog and chicken" story to contrast partial vs. full commitment. What does the hog’s sacrifice represent compared to the chicken’s eggs? [44:02]
How does the "triangle" illustration explain the connection between closeness to Christ and closeness to others? [45:12]
What example was given in the sermon of treating Jesus as a "convenience item" rather than a priority? [39:50]

Interpretation questions

Why does Jesus frame loyalty to Him as a matter of being "worthy"? How does this challenge cultural ideas about faith as a "bonus" to life?
The sermon claims placing Christ first "orders every love under the one love that gives life." How might prioritizing Christ actually deepen love for family or work instead of competing with it?
What does it mean to "lose your life" in a modern context where self-care and personal success are highly valued?
How does the "mountaintop" experience (like VBS) test whether God remains first when ordinary life resumes? [32:06]

Application questions

What practical step could you take this week to intentionally place Christ above a specific responsibility or relationship (e.g., work, hobbies, family plans)?
When have you experienced a "descent from the mountaintop" after a spiritual high (retreat, worship event, etc.)? How did your priorities shift, and what would you do differently next time? [32:06]
The "just add Jesus" syndrome treats faith as a checkbox. What area of your life (schedule, finances, relationships) most often resists Christ’s lordship?
How could the "triangle" model change the way you approach a strained relationship? What would drawing closer to Christ first look like in that situation? [45:12]
The hog’s full commitment costs everything. What does "jumping into the deep end" of discipleship look like for you right now—even if it feels risky? [44:02]
When has choosing to "give love away" (time, forgiveness, service) unexpectedly multiplied your capacity to love? How could you lean into that paradox this month?

Sermon Clips

58s

“``They're not an attack on the family. They're not an attack on careers and possessions and and people. We are not asked in anything Jesus says here to lower the importance of anything in our lives. This is important. Jesus is not saying you need to lower the importance of your mom, dad, brother, sister. You need to lower the importance of your possessions. You need to lower the importance of your favorite sports team. You need to lower the importance of your your occupation. He's not saying He's saying, keep those where they are. He's simply saying, make me first. Make me the top priority. You wanna be my disciple. Make that commitment. And it is an all in, jump in the deep end commitment.”

71s

“Remember the story about the the hog and the chicken who were in the farm house and they were talking and they saw the farmer walking across the way. It was early in the morning and they started talking and the chicken said, oh, I wonder what he wants for breakfast. And the hog said, I don't know. What are you thinking? She said, the chicken goes, you know, I think you should have ham and eggs. And the hog looks at the chicken and said, well, that's easy for you. That's only a partial commitment. Jesus is calling on us as his followers to step into the deep end and to make a full commitment of giving our lives in service to the kingdom, and that is not easy. We live in a world where giving self to others seems like nonsense. Putting Christ first and foremost is gonna put us in conflict with the world. He talks about that. He lets them know this ain't gonna be easy. It'll often bring criticism. It'll bring ridicule, But Christ calls us and promises us. Whoever loses their life for my sake will find life and will share in the kingdom of God.”

46s

“Jesus is calling on us as his followers to step into the deep end and to make a full commitment of giving our lives in service to the kingdom, and that is not easy. We live in a world where giving self to others seems like nonsense. Putting Christ first and foremost is gonna put us in conflict with the world. He talks about that. He lets them know this ain't gonna be easy. It'll often bring criticism. It'll bring ridicule, But Christ calls us and promises us. Whoever loses their life for my sake will find life and will share in the kingdom of God. It's all about sharing the love of Christ in the world.”

65s

“A disturbance that comes into our lives that lights some fires. He states in a way that cannot be misunderstood. I wish we could say, well, he was just not thinking when he said that or or the gospel readers, you know, weren't listening well and they just misinterpreted. No. Jesus literally said that if we love father, mother, son, or daughter more than we love him, we're not fit to be his disciples. You all feel good about that one? And it gets better. Then he follows that up with, oh, and then. Not only that, you wanna be my disciple, you need to take up your cross. You need to follow me. I'm about to go to the cross to be crucified. You wanna be my disciple, you're gonna give of yourself for the sake of others. You're gonna go that extra mile. You're gonna bend over backwards to share the love of God in every situation that you possibly can. And when you do so, you won't lose your life, you'll find it.”

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Where is God after mountaintop spiritual experiences?

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Who’s Number One? Putting Christ Before All

Devotional

Day 1: When Decorations Fade, Where Does God Go?

Day 2: Jesus or Laverne and Shirley?

Day 3: The Hog’s Dilemma: Partial or All-In?

Day 4: The Triangle’s Geometry of Love

Day 5: When Jesus Feels Like a Homewrecker

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Who’s Number One? Putting Christ Before All

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