Radical Discipleship: Following Jesus Wholeheartedly

Devotional

Day 1: True Devotion Requires Total Surrender

Description: True devotion to Jesus requires more than just outward expressions of faith; it demands a complete surrender of everything that defines us. In Mark 10, the wealthy young man showed outward signs of devotion but was unwilling to give up his possessions to follow Jesus. This story illustrates that true discipleship involves a radical reorientation of our lives around Jesus' teachings and example. Surrendering everything to Jesus is the gateway to a transformative relationship with Him, where we receive the inexhaustible wealth of heaven. [43:08]

Bible Passage: "And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, '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 and the gospel's will save it.'" (Mark 8:34-35, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?

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Day 2: Being Formed by Jesus

Description: In a world where we are constantly influenced by various forces such as social media, work, and politics, Jesus calls us to be formed by Him. This involves making a personal decision to follow Him, not just intellectually but in every aspect of our lives. Being formed by Jesus means actively choosing to be with Him, learn from Him, and adopt His way of life. This transformative process requires intentionality and commitment, as we allow Jesus to shape our thoughts, actions, and character. [50:16]

Bible Passage: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways are you currently being influenced by the world around you? How can you intentionally choose to be formed by Jesus in those areas?

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Day 3: The Importance of Spiritual Practices

Description: Spiritual practices like prayer, Bible study, and community are not optional extras but essential components of our faith. These practices help us to be with Jesus, to become like Him, and to do as He did. They are the means by which we grow and mature in our faith, allowing us to deepen our relationship with Jesus and align our lives with His teachings. Engaging in these practices regularly helps us to stay connected to Jesus and be continually transformed by His presence. [01:09:01]

Bible Passage: "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." (Psalm 1:2-3, ESV)

Reflection: Which spiritual practice do you find most challenging to maintain regularly? How can you incorporate this practice into your daily routine to grow closer to Jesus?

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Day 4: Becoming a Person of Love

Description: The ultimate goal of discipleship is to become a person of love in Christ. This love is the defining characteristic of the kingdom of heaven and is what sets us apart from the world. By being with Jesus and striving to be like Him, we are transformed into people who reflect His love to the world. This transformation involves allowing Jesus' love to permeate every aspect of our lives, influencing how we interact with others and how we live out our faith. [01:30:33]

Bible Passage: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35, ESV)

Reflection: Think of someone in your life you need to forgive. Can you ask God to help you begin to extend His love and forgiveness to them today?

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Day 5: The Call is for Everyone

Description: Jesus' invitation to follow Him is for everyone, regardless of their background or past. He calls fishermen, tax collectors, zealots, and even those who have betrayed Him. This inclusive call means that no one is beyond the reach of His love and grace. Jesus' call to follow Him is a reminder that His love is available to all, and He desires for everyone to experience the transformative power of a relationship with Him. [01:39:28]

Bible Passage: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age." (Titus 2:11-12, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life might feel excluded or unworthy of Jesus' love? How can you share the inclusive call of Jesus with them today?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

In Mark chapter 10, we encounter a wealthy young man who approaches Jesus with a question about eternal life. Despite his outward expressions of humility and devotion, Jesus sees through to his heart and challenges him to give up everything and follow Him. This story resonates deeply with my own journey of faith, which began in earnest at the age of 17. Despite being raised in the church and participating in numerous religious activities, I realized that my devotion was superficial. It wasn't until a personal tragedy struck—my grandfather's sudden death—that I truly understood the call to follow Jesus wholeheartedly.

This call to follow Jesus is not just about outward actions but about a deep, transformative relationship. Jesus invites us to be with Him, to become like Him, and to do as He did. This involves a radical reorientation of our lives around His teachings and example. In today's world, we are constantly being formed by various influences—social media, work, politics—but Jesus calls us to be formed by Him. This means making a personal decision to follow Him, not just intellectually agreeing with certain doctrines.

Jesus was a rabbi, a master teacher, whose primary method of teaching was through His life. His invitation to follow Him was not just about believing in Him but about adopting His way of life. This involves being with Him, learning from Him, and ultimately doing the works that He did. The early disciples left everything to follow Jesus because they recognized the unparalleled value of being in fellowship with Him.

In our modern context, being a disciple of Jesus means more than just attending church or participating in religious activities. It means actively seeking to be with Jesus, to become like Him, and to do as He did. This involves a commitment to spiritual practices like prayer, Bible study, and community, not as extra credit but as essential components of our faith. The ultimate goal is to become a person of love in Christ, reflecting His love to the world.

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Key Takeaways

1. True Devotion Requires Total Surrender: The wealthy young man in Mark 10 showed outward signs of devotion but was unwilling to surrender everything to follow Jesus. True discipleship requires us to give up not just our possessions but everything that defines us, to receive the inexhaustible wealth of heaven. This surrender is the gateway to a transformative relationship with Jesus. [43:08]
2. Being Formed by Jesus: In a world where we are constantly being influenced by various forces, Jesus calls us to be formed by Him. This involves a personal decision to follow Him, not just intellectually but in every aspect of our lives. We must actively choose to be with Jesus, learn from Him, and adopt His way of life. [50:16]
3. The Importance of Spiritual Practices: Spiritual practices like prayer, Bible study, and community are not optional extras but essential components of our faith. These practices help us to be with Jesus, to become like Him, and to do as He did. They are the means by which we grow and mature in our faith. [69:01]
4. Becoming a Person of Love: The ultimate goal of discipleship is to become a person of love in Christ. This love is the defining characteristic of the kingdom of heaven and is what sets us apart from the world. By being with Jesus and striving to be like Him, we are transformed into people who reflect His love to the world. [90:33]
5. The Call is for Everyone: Jesus' invitation to follow Him is for everyone, regardless of their background or past. He calls fishermen, tax collectors, zealots, and even those who have betrayed Him. This inclusive call means that no one is beyond the reach of His love and grace. [01:39:28]
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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Introduction: The Wealthy Young Man
[03:45] - Jesus' Challenge to the Young Man
[07:20] - Personal Testimony: My Journey of Faith
[12:00] - The Call to Follow Jesus
[15:30] - Who Are You Following?
[20:00] - Jesus as Rabbi
[25:00] - The Nature of Discipleship
[30:00] - Being Formed by Jesus
[35:00] - Spiritual Practices
[40:00] - Becoming a Person of Love
[45:00] - The Inclusive Call of Jesus
[50:00] - Conclusion: Responding to the Call
[55:00] - Prayer and Worship

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What did Jesus ask the wealthy young man to do in Mark 10:21, and what was the young man's reaction? [43:08]
In John 15:4, what does Jesus mean by "remain in me" and how does this relate to the concept of discipleship?
According to Matthew 7:24-27, what distinguishes the wise builder from the foolish builder?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus asked the wealthy young man to give up everything he had? What does this teach us about true devotion and surrender? [43:08]
How does the concept of "remaining" or "abiding" in Jesus (John 15:4) influence our daily spiritual practices and relationship with Him?
What practical steps can we take to ensure that we are building our lives on the "rock" as described in Matthew 7:24-27?

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you felt called to surrender something significant in your life to follow Jesus. How did you respond, and what was the outcome? [43:08]
In today's world, we are constantly influenced by various forces. What are some specific ways you can actively choose to be formed by Jesus rather than by social media, work, or politics? [50:16]
Spiritual practices like prayer, Bible study, and community are essential components of our faith. How can you incorporate these practices more consistently into your daily routine? [01:09:01]
The ultimate goal of discipleship is to become a person of love in Christ. Identify one person in your life who needs to experience Christ's love through you. What specific action can you take this week to show them that love? [01:30:33]
Jesus' invitation to follow Him is for everyone, regardless of their background or past. How can you extend this inclusive call to someone in your community who might feel unworthy or excluded? [01:39:28]
Think about the influences in your life that shape your thoughts and actions. What is one practical step you can take this week to ensure that Jesus is the primary influence in your life? [50:16]
Reflect on the importance of community in your spiritual journey. How can you contribute to building a supportive and loving community within your small group or church? [01:09:01]

Sermon Clips

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "Everyone is following someone or something. You can't get around it. It's the way we were designed. Some Christians call this worship. This is the way that we as humans were designed and created by God to operate. We follow someone, whether it's your boss, an Instagram account, your friends that you want to impress, YouTube personalities, or your political party. Everyone is being discipled. Everyone is being formed. Everyone is following something or someone." [50:16] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Jesus wants to spend time with you. By the way, this is the whole point of everything. The whole point of the universe, the whole point of this planet, you, the whole point of me, the whole point of you, this right here, this truth that Jesus wants to be with you is the point of everything from the garden of Eden to the new heavens and the new earth at the end of all things. The point of everything is that he just wants to be with us." [01:10:24] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Jesus says this, he says, are you tired, worn out, burned out on religion? Come to me, get away with me and you will recover your life. I'll show you how to have a real rest. Walk with me and work with me. Watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy on you or ill-fitting. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." [01:13:10] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Who would pass up the call to be in eternal fellowship, the loving community of the Trinity? Who would say no to learning the ways of life from the supernatural rabbi? That you can be formed into a person not wracked by doubt and insecurity, anger and frustration, but that you can be formed into a person that is full of peace and love and hope and joy, even in the midst of suffering." [01:41:08] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "Jesus invited all people to follow him. To a priest who sneaks his questions in at midnight, Jesus says, follow me. To a man making funeral arrangements for his father, Jesus says, follow me. To a man that betrayed him and to a man that would betray him and to a man that had just betrayed him, Jesus says, follow me. And nothing has changed. To this day, we are all still invited. No matter who we are or what we've done, oppressed or oppressor, rich or poor, we are all still invited." [01:41:08] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

### Quotes for Members

1. "The fundamental question that we have to ask ourselves is this, is am I becoming a person of love in Christ? You're going to church every week. Praise God. Seriously. It's awesome. You're reading your Bible. You're memorizing scripture. You're, you're doing word studies. Sweet. You have regular prayer time. Awesome. That's, that is 99% of the time going to turn out for your good. But the question you have to ask yourself is, is am I becoming a person of love in Christ?" [01:29:00] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Salvation is only accomplished by God's grace. Let me make that very clear. You cannot do anything to make God love you more and you can't do anything by the way to make God love you less. He loves you just the same just as you are right now. You can't clean yourself up enough to get the gift of grace. But this life that we receive from God as a free gift of grace obviously assumes that we should grow and mature." [01:22:43] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "The kingdom of heaven advances because people gather in community to worship his glory and his majesty and to encourage one another and bear one another's burdens. They seek to gaze upon his beauty revealed in his word and spend time with him in prayer to walk with him as he walks with a friend. They give cheerfully and fast joyfully to deny their earthly desires, to align their souls more closely, with the gifts and treasures of the kingdom." [01:37:55] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Jesus's invitation was to follow him and they did. They immediately dropped their nets, their livelihood, left behind their homes with their families in them, and they went and followed Jesus. What would cause Peter, Andrew, and the others throughout Jesus's ministry to drop everything and follow Jesus? Was this a reckless decision by Peter and Andrew? Did Jesus use his supernatural ability of mind control to change their minds instantaneously because he really needed to get this movement going?" [54:31] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "Jesus will teach you everything that you need to know about living life in God's perfect world. He will call and commission us to go and spread his gospel and if we are willing, he will send us out to herald the good news of the kingdom to every corner of the earth, cast out demons, do miracles in his name. But before, during, and after all of that, he calls us to simply be with him, just to be with him." [01:09:01] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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