Sermon Tone Analysis

Sermon text Sacrifice Luke 18

*Sacrifice - Luke 18:18-30*

Have you ever asked yourself – what do I need to do to please God?

Or what do I need to do to ensure that I will go to heaven?

These are important questions.

But sometimes we are scared to ask the question because we are scared of the answer we might hear from God.

What might he ask us to do or stop doing?

Are we really ready to do what it takes to follow Christ?

What keeps you from following Jesus Christ fully?

What would you find hard to let go of, if God asked you to give it up?

Sometimes I think we are like the trapped monkey.

PROP – bird cage I’m told that you can trap a monkey by putting a shiny object behind metal bars.

The monkey can slip his hand between the metal bars and grab the shiny toy, but then he cannot pull his hand back through the bars with it clenched around the toy.

He is trapped.

What are you clenched around that you can’t let go of?

If God asked you to let you go, would you?

Money is one of humanity’s most common shiny toys.

Money can keep us from following Christ fully.

Why?

Why is money so powerful?

What is the danger of money?

The more money you have the more difficult it is to let go of it.

It begins to possess you.

It’s not wrong to have money, but it’s bad for money to have you.

Why is wealth such a potential hindrance to following Jesus?

Maybe it tempts us to trust in money rather than God?

Maybe we think it will give us security?

Maybe we fear that God will ask us to give it away?

Maybe we view money as our version of heaven?

We have arrived.

Maybe money tempts us to self-sufficiency?

Maybe for you money is not a big deal.

It might be something else that you have your fingers clenched around.

A long time ago, God tested the faith of Abraham.

God asked him to unclench his fingers from his one and only son, Isaac.

God asked Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.

I can hardly imagine what Abraham must have thought as a dad, especially older in life having waited so long and prayed so hard.

Isaac is the son God promised him.

Abraham must have questioned, now God wants me to sacrifice the son he gave me, the son he promised me?

Sometimes God asks us to unclench our fingers around a prized possession to see what we really believe, to test who we really love the most.

I wonder what God might be asking you today.

What are you hanging on to, unwilling to sacrifice to God?

In our story today we see a man challenged by Jesus to give up what mattered most to him.

It is a tragic story.

The responses to the encounter are fascinating and encouraging.

Turn in your Bible to Luke chapter 18 and verse 18.

This text echoes with contrast: God and money; possible and impossible, wealth on earth and treasure in heaven, an unnamed wealthy man and Peter.

Three questions structure our passage: one from an unnamed wealthy man, one from the crowd and an implied question from Peter.

Jesus answers each one, but not all in the way we might expect.

His first answer is especially shocking.

His last answer to Peter is wonderfully encouraging.

Please stand for the reading of God’s Word.

/18 //Now a certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”// //19 //Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good?

No one is good except God alone.//

//20 //You know the commandments: ‘*Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother*.’”//

//21 //The man replied, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws since my youth.”//

//22 //When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack.

Sell all that you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

Then come, follow me.”//

//23 //But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was extremely wealthy.//

//24 //When Jesus noticed this, he said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!// //25 //In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”// //26 //Those who heard this said, “Then who can be saved?”//

//27 //He replied, “What is impossible for mere humans is possible for God.”// //28 //And Peter said, “Look, we have left everything we own to follow you!”// //29 //Then Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, there is no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of God’s kingdom// //30 //who will not receive many times more in this age – and in the age to come, eternal life.”/

Luke 18:18-30 (NET) \\ The Scripture is telling us: Give up what keeps you from following Jesus and God will give you so much more.

Give up what keeps you from following Jesus and God will give you so much more than money.

Who is this man who approaches Jesus?

He is probably an influential wealthy man or civic leader who may have been known for his piety.

He was like many people in Collin County, an upstanding citizen with some financial means.

His rationalizing question invites Jesus to open up the heart of the matter.

*/A rationalizing question from a rich man /*

*The call to sacrifice – the heart of the matter*

/          /He calls Jesus, “/Good teacher.”

/We are not sure of his motives in using this title, but Jesus will probe them.

He asks, “/what must I do to inherit eternal life?”/ Do you think his question is sincere?

We are not told.

Perhaps it was sincere on a surface level, but he was not prepared to do whatever it takes.

Perhaps it was a question of interest?

A question of what it takes to be well-regarded by Jesus?

Perhaps this is another achievement for this man?

How does Jesus respond?

Rather than answering the question, he questions the way the man has addressed him: /Why do you call me good?

No one is good except God alone./

I imagine Jesus’ response shocked this guy.

Why do you think the guy called Jesus, “good teacher?”

Maybe he was just trying to be nice?

Maybe he was flattering Jesus?

Jesus drives the issue deeper.

He wants the man to reflect on how he really views Jesus.

Since only God is really good is the man acknowledging that Jesus is God?

If the man really believes Jesus is good, then is he willing to listen to what Jesus has to say?

Many people today call Jesus a good man, a good teacher, but then they are not willing to listen to Jesus’ teachings.

Since we know that in a few minutes the man will walk away, it appears that his address of Jesus as “good teacher” is empty.

By raising the issue of goodness, Jesus also anticipates the man’s attempt to validate his own goodness.

No human being is good enough to go to heaven.

No amount of good works can earn you a ticket to heaven.

Only God can grant eternal life.

God alone is truly good.

But Jesus allows the man to display his confidence in his own goodness to the crowd.

He says you know the commands and begins to list five of them for the gentleman.

The man replies, /I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws since I was a child./

He is convinced that he is a good guy.