How Bad Do You Want Him?
Scripture: Matthew 19:16-22
This young ruler had everything that he could imagine! Cars! Clothes! Money! Maids & Butlers! Cooks & Chefs! Someone that would drive him from point A and point B and get out and open up his door for him and announce his name before he entered into rooms; so the people would know that they were in the presence of royalty!
But he was obviously lacking in some areas because he approached Jesus and asked him: “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life ?” This lets us know that his life wasn’t all peachy! He wasn’t completely whole and there was some areas in his life; where he knew he could do better!
I don’t know about y’all; but I know I’m nowhere near perfect and I could use a lot more Jesus in my life! Matter fact I’m always praying for God to have complete control! One of my prayers is make me over God!! Renew in me a clean heart; I know I am nothing without you at the forefront of my life!!
With everything thing that is going on in this world; it still amazes me that so many people still don’t believe and still deny the one and only true Living God!!
Is there anyone in here today that will touch and agree with me? I need a whole lot more Jesus in my life! Let me say it a little bit louder; so the people in the back and the passerby’s can hear me: I NEED A WHOLE LOT MORE JESUS IN MY LIFE!!
So many people walk around like they don’t need Jesus or God! They are good all by themselves! They wake up on their own! They are their own personal alarm clock!! They breathe on their own! They stand up on their own! They run the race alone! They need no help from no one! But if you venture back to your bible and go to the book of Genesis we are reminded that God created Heaven and Earth and everything and everyone in it! He is the reason why we can open our eyes! Clap our hands! Stomp our feet and hear the sound of rain!! That’s all God! It isn’t science and it never will be science; I don’t care who told you that!! We got black and white to back it up all they have are made up theories..
They believe that Everything they have is because they have worked overtime to get it! But many of them are sadly mistaken and it’s time to set the record straight! Many of them are enjoying the fruits of someone else’s labor! They have inherited the blessings that they are claiming to have got on their own! They are walking around all bad and boogie and they haven’t even lifted one finger to gain anything they got and they won’t even acknowledge it wasn’t them but someone that came before them is the reason why they have been blessed!
“Comedian and actor Robin Williams was one of the most well-known and successful comedians of his time. His life followed the textbook path to stardom for an up-and-coming comedian – from local bars to a major TV role (Mork and Mindy) to HBO specials, and finally to becoming a major movie star. He had suffered from depression in the later years of his life, and there were reports he was suffering from a mental disorder in addition to depression that led to him hanging himself at his California home in Paradise Gay in 2014. The tragedy is that a man who spent most of his life making people laugh was filled with a sadness we could not see or understand.” At his time of death sources state that he was worth an estimated $50 million. Now I also want to share that during his career he had been married 3 x someone say 3 x all I want to be married is once!! 1x is all I need cause when I do get married my husband is stuck ain’t no getting no divorce!! Whatever come up! We working that thing out!! But Robin Williams was divorced 2x somebody say 2x and both times he had to pay each of his ex wives $30 million dollars…somebody say dang!!! Both times 30 million dollars this is why you have to make sure you’re marrying the right person. Consult with God; shoot even the Holy Spirit can offer some insight into making life changing decisions!! Everybody repeat after me: God Am I making the right decision? Holy Spirit Am I doing the right thing? I told God years ago that he was going to have to send me my husband! I was giving up looking for one. I was tired of being a pawn in the dating game and when my husband was ready he would know how to find me.
Anthony Bourdain:
“Died June 8, 2018, age 61, by hanging himself.
He Was a celebrity chef, travel show host, and New York Times bestselling author. Won 8 Emmy Awards!
He battled drug addiction in the past, and had openly discussed his struggles with depression
His mother said, “He is absolutely the last person in the world I would have ever dreamed would do something like this. He had everything.” His net worth is said to be somewhere around $16 million.
What won’t you give up to follow Jesus? He gave His life so that we can live and you aren’t willing to sacrifice anything? You won’t give up eating one day a week to fast and pray to get a breakthrough in your life?
You won’t stop spending on shoes and bags that you can’t even put in your closet; because it’s already stuffed? You don’t even want to be a blessing to someone else with that money you’re using to fund these world systems!
The homeless person that you pass on the street holding up the sign asking for food; you won’t give to them because you think they’re going to do something else with the money?
But what are these corporations doing with the money that you give them faithfully when you’re spending your whole paycheck with them? They are aiding terrorists and the KKK but you’re not complaining about that; but soon as the church ask you for a donation you ready to flip out and curse somebody out? It doesn’t make sense!
Many of us want surface Jesus!! I’ve said this before: we want just enough of Him to get by. We don’t want to give our lives completely over to him because we know we would have to change and give up some stuff! How can stuff be more important than God, than your inheritance, than your salvation, than the life of those connected to you! This isn’t just about you! It’s about the generations after you! Your child! Their children and you’re more focused on stuff! Stuff that you can’t take with you when you leave this earth!! I’m not that person I want to go deep sea diving take me to greater depths God so your name can be magnified!! Remove anything and anyone that isn’t of you and doesn’t have your soul and your spirit connected to them! Let those that don’t believe see the greatness you’ve done in my life so that they will want more of you and less of them!!
If you got to dress it up and make it all pretty I don’t want it!! God never said it was going to be easy! He said he would never leave us nor forsake us! We are going to go through those dark valleys; those murky waters; etc but if we allow Him to guide us then why are we afraid? Why? You trust everyone else but not Him? The creator of Heaven and Earth!! He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and you need a sign to know if He is real or not? Let me be the first to say: God I want all of You!! Take me as I am and Change Me! Make me over! Whatever is in me that’s not of you; take it away!!
What has the enemy promised you if you hold out a little while longer? You know God has prepared everything that you’ve been praying for; all He needs you to do is follow His lead! But you got your cousin still in your ear causing you delay and distracting you with everything and everyone that God hasn’t designed or created for you; none of it is what you’ve prayed for but it’s shiny and the enemy keeps dangling it in front of you! What has he whispered in your ear?
This young ruler walked away from Jesus! He walked away from God! He walked away from his future inheritance!! He thought he had all he needed and he was good; but guess what? He walked away from eternal life; that isn’t promised without God! You don’t get that when you decide to turn your back on God! God isn’t obligated to save you a spot just because! Oh he is doing everything else besides giving up his riches for me; let me save him a spot! No that’s not how it works!! God requires total submission! All worldly things must cease when God steps on the scene!!
This young ruler loved his possessions more than he loved God! While he was keeping the commandments he still hadn’t given his life over to God. You can’t come to God straddling the fence! You can’t have one foot in heaven and the other in hell. You can’t claim to be a lover of God and love money at the same time. One is going to eventually become more important than the other. Most people go for the money. 1 Timothy 6:10 says this: “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (KJV)
Jesus knew when he came to earth that everyone wasn’t going to love him and accept Him. He chose certain people to walk with him; were they perfect? No. Did they have it all together? No. But They dropped everything to follow him. They gave up their family, they gave up their livelihood. Jesus was offering eternal life, the opportunity to change the world and to become fishers of men. In John 21:15 Jesus asks the question of the hour: “Do you love me more than these”? This question was posed to Simon Peter as he and Jesus and some of the disciples sat down for breakfast. What I love about the question that was posed to Simon Peter is how did the question come about. Jesus had been crucified and had risen from the dead but before he was crucified he spent time with his disciples teaching them and training them to be fishers of men; to go out into the world and proclaim the good news to all who would listen and receive and heal the sick; but on this particular day; Jesus found some of his disciples on the boat fishing!
The same question is being posed to you today: Do you love God more than these? What are the “these” in your life? Kids? Parents? Siblings? Your Boy Toy; that you know don’t want you? That chick that you call in the late night hour? That liquor bottle that you keep hidden under your kitchen sink? Those smokes that you keep hidden in your car? That blunt you hit before you came to church this morning? That needle that you keep using to ease the pain? That department store that you run to each and every payday? Those friends that keep pulling you in the wrong directions? Those pills that you keep popping because they take you to cloud 9? Those evil spirits that you allow to reside in your soul; because you think they make you better? What are your These? There should Be Nothing and Nobody that should take you away from having a personal relationship with God; or your personal journey to become a better child of God.
My boys get on me every single week because they know that most weekends they aren’t going to see me; there are some Saturdays I leave home at 6am and I dont get back home until 8-9 pm that night; why? Cause I am out there bettering myself for the Kingdom of God; it benefits not only me but them too. When God blesses me those blessings are going to follow them. When those Generational Curses get broken that blesses them and their children!!
I wanted God so bad that I gave up 12 years of my life to concentrate on Him and how I needed him in every area of my life! I stopped dating! I stopped sleeping around!! People on the outside looking in thought I was the perfect mom but they didn’t know in my early days I would leave my kids at home to go to the local bar to get drunk and get picked up by someone to soothe away my pain.
People on the outside looking in thought and would tell me all the time that you’re pretty or you’re beautiful and have beautiful eyes but they never knew when I looked in the mirror I hated the person looking back at me and couldn’t stand to look at myself because I had been destroyed from the inside out so many times that I began to believe all the negative that I heard.
Let me close by saying this:
If I had time I would tell you that many of us; are like the young ruler and have already walked away from God!! They won’t fully trust Him with their life! They won’t give up those people, places & things that are pleasing to God!
If I had time I would tell you that you can’t straddle the fence between lightness and darkness and claim to be a disciple of Jesus!
If I had time I would tell you that you need to pick up your Bible each and every single day and find a scripture that resonates with your soul and let it marinate throughout the day!
If I had time I would tell you that it’s highly important that you thank God in your wins and in your losses! Praise Him every chance you get!
If I had time I would tell you that you should pray without ceasing every single day! Pray in the morning, afternoon and at night! But most importantly pray in the spirit!!
If I had time I would tell you that certain stuff only goes away with praying and fasting! Those soul ties those strongholds; those generational curses; aren’t leaving just because you don’t talk about them! You’re going to have to pray & fast!
If I had time I would tell you to love your neighbor as well as your enemy because God is watching and whatever we put out it will always come right back around!
If I had time I would tell you that God is better than anything this world can ever offer you! Money! Car! & Clothes!! Nothing can compare to Him; the Alpha & the Omega!!
If I had time I would ask you do you love money more than you love God? Money can’t hold you close at night when someone has literally stomped your heart in the ground; but God can..
If I had time I would ask you why are you really here? Do you want to be healed & delivered? Or are you still afraid to take up your mat and walk?
If I had time I would ask you what would it take for you to completely be all in for God?
If I had time I would tell you to never let go of God’s unchanging hand; no matter how it looks; no matter how it feels!!
The same question posed to Simon Peter by Jesus is the same question I have been sent to ask you all today: Do you love God more than these? What are your these?
Sermon message preached 1-19-2020
Written and published by Tamara McCarthy
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