It Will Be SO Worth It! Part 1 (cont'd)

Imagine that. Rich, young, in charge. That's who comes to Jesus. He's rich, he's young, he's a baller. That's what his Instagram says, his Facebook says, his Twitter says.

Just a picture with him grinning. Rich, young, baller. So he comes to Jesus and an impressive man, rich, young, ruler comes to Jesus in what I consider a very impressive way. He runs to Jesus. He ran to Jesus, but ultimately he walked away. His story comes your way next on this Thursday edition of Destined for Victory. Hello and thanks for joining us for another day of teaching with Pastor Paul Shepherd, Senior Pastor at Destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California.

We're so glad you stopped by. When you come to faith in Christ, you remember some of the things you wanted to give up? A bad habit?

An unhealthy relationship? Today you'll meet a man who was asked to give up everything he had. You may already know his answer, but there's more to the story than meets the eye. So stay right here or visit pastorpaul.net to hear any recent Destined for Victory message on demand. That's pastorpaul.net. Now, here is Pastor Paul with today's message.

It will be so worth it. I came to tell somebody, you need to run to Jesus. You need to get your thinking straight. This is not about you in a church. This is not about you in a pastor. This is not about you in a radio ministry.

This is not about you and supporting what a man does. This is you running to Jesus. Jesus is the one that we must surrender our lives to.

He's the one who has the words of life in his mouth. Don't try to impress me. I got no heaven or hell for you. I got no blessings for you. Jesus is the one you need.

I came to tell you, this young man got what some of us need to get. This is about Jesus. This is not about the church. I'm tired of folk throwing off on the church. The church is this and the church is that and church make me sick and all that.

I get all of that. But let's start with Jesus. Jesus had made anybody sick. Jesus came to take you when you're already sick of sin and came to deliver you into his life. He came to bless you, not curse you. He came to give you hope and a future. How dare you throw off on Jesus?

He's the one we need. And an impressive man, rich, young baller comes to Jesus and he knows what some of us better hurry up and learn. He ran to him.

You can't be casual about the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He ran to catch up to where Jesus was. And when he got there, he fell on his knees.

Rich, young baller. But there's a baller standing in front of me now that I can't even measure up to. No need of fronting. I bow before this guy. Y'all better figure out there's somebody worth bowing to. I know in your world you want to believe you are it. But I came to tell somebody you are not it.

You need to run to it and kneel before it. And its name is Jesus. How dare we treat Jesus like he's somebody down the street? How dare we treat Jesus like he's Jesus from the block?

In fact, some us would treat Jenny from the block better than Jesus. So this man who is impressive cause his Facebook profile says rich, young baller and he's grinning. But when he knows that Jesus is in the neighborhood, he runs. When you're trying to be a baller, you don't run to somebody.

He runs. I got to get to him. And he kneels, meaning you're in charge. I might be in charge of my little world, but you're in charge of the universe. You're in charge of my world and everybody else's world. And he comes to him and when he kneels before him, he says, good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? What's he coming to him doing? He's asking for what nobody else on the planet can give him except the one he's kneeling in front of all of my baller friends can't give me eternal life.

In fact, they needed as much as I need it. All of my baller friends cannot help me with eternity. They might drop my name and get me a seat. They might get me in front of the line, but I can't get eternal life from anybody else. So I'm going to him. And when I get there, the rich young ruler says, good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

No doubt. What does that tell me? That tells me he has been moved by what he has seen and heard of Jesus.

He has been profoundly impacted brothers and sisters. That's what we in the church are supposed to be. We're supposed to have enough Jesus living in us, living big in us, where when people run into us, they get the afterglow of the fact that we live our life with Jesus. In fact, it is God in me who is the hope of glory.

It's not me. I'm not the hope of glory, but God in me is the hope of glory. Your goal ought to be to get so much Jesus active in your life that other people can't hang around you without experiencing Jesus. They experienced Jesus through you. You weren't trying to witness you weren't trying to do anything, quote unquote, directly religious or spiritual, just the way you live your life in the presence of God.

When they run into you, they run into Jesus. And that's what this man wants. He wants from him what only he can give. He says, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

He's been impacted. He's convinced that Jesus has been with God. You don't ask somebody how can I get eternal life if you don't believe they're in touch with God. This guy is in direct contact with God himself. So I need to find out from him what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

That's the question. But before answering the young man's question, Jesus asked a question of his own. Look at the next verse. It says, Why do you call me good? No one is good, but one that is God. Why do you call me good?

Young man, do you know what you just implied? If you call me good, and the only one good is God, guess what? You're recognizing that I'm not just a dude walking around. He wants the young man to be aware that I am not the founder of a religion. I am God walking around in the flesh. I came to tell you as we explore this passage, the first thing I need you to understand is that you need to reverence Jesus as who he is. And he's already shown reverence.

He's run to him and he's kneeled to him. And now he's being confronted with the fact that I am not good because of me. I am good because there's only one who is good and that is God. I am the direct representation of God in this world and in your life. I came to tell you, we got to understand this. This is not about religion. This is about direct relationship with God. That's what will change our lives. That is what will make us the people we need to be. That is what will cause us to stand in full assurance one day in the presence of God.

It is that we have a direct relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Still ahead, the second half of Pastor Paul Shepherd's message, it will be so worth it. But first, we want to thank all of you who support Destined for Victory with your prayers and financial support. Destined for Victory is a listener support of ministry. And as we move ahead to a brand new year, still walking through some of the challenging times, your support is even more critical today because in seasons of crisis, people are looking for a reason to have hope. Prayerfully consider making a generous gift to Destined for Victory today. Give online safely and securely from our website, pastorpaul.net. Or give us a call at 855-339-5500.

Again, our number 855-339-5500. Well, being a Christian is not about keeping a set of rules. It's about having a relationship with Jesus Christ. But God gave us some rules anyway, and for a very good reason. Here's Pastor Paul with the rest of today's message.

It will be so worth it. That's why I don't argue with people about religion, because religion is not the issue. It is relationship with God through Jesus that is the issue. I don't even like to refer to myself as a Christian publicly anymore, because when a lot of people hear Christian, they think of all kinds of stuff that I am not.

So it's not that the term is wrong, but it is what people have experienced in the name of the term that gives me problems. So when people ask me, sometime I'm on a plane or something, and I'm reading my Bible, and I've been asked, oh, are you a Christian? Well, I'm a follower of Christ. I'm a follower of Christ, because y'all don't know what to do with that.

Kristen, you can tell me about your mean aunt. No, no, no, no, no, I'm not that. I'm a follower of Christ. See, because you can be yourself as a follower of Christ, because the witnessing point is, by following him, I'm learning as I go where he tells me to go, as I do what he's teaching me to do.

He's transforming my life. No, I am not perfect. No, I am not a person who has all the answers.

I got as many questions as you have, but I'm following the one who has the answers. And so, Jesus says, before I give you the question, I got a question of my own. Why are you calling me good? No one's good but one, that is God. The inference is, so if you're prepared to call me good, go on and be prepared to call me God, because that's exactly who I am.

Then, he goes into the direct answer to the question. Jesus said to the young man, verse 19 of Mark 10, you know the commandments, and then he just gives him a little sprinkling of them. It's really not about the commandments, so he just mentions a few things. Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not defraud.

Honor your father and your mother. By the way, do not defraud is not actually one of the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments. The formal title is the Decalogue that was given to Moses on the mountain.

Do not defraud is one of the things that came along in Jewish tradition of the do's and don'ts, because you know, there were books, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, all of them got laws in them. So it wasn't about the ten. The ten was just a unique commandment that was given on tables, but to get all the commandments, you've got to cover all those books. You ever read through Numbers, Deuteronomy?

But his point is, I'm not trying to recite to you the commandments. He says, you know all the things that you've heard you're not supposed to do, but a lot of folks think that's the bottom line. There's a whole lot of do not.

Little bit of do. That's because they don't get why Jesus came. The Bible says the law was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.

Why? Because when we get to Christ, the one thing we've learned before we get to him is, I can't do all that by myself. You're tripping if you think I can do all of that successfully. By the time I get to Jesus, and Jesus says, you have heard it said, but here's what I need to say to you. And what Jesus did was not denounce the law.

He just said, I'm giving you what the law was pointing you to. He said, y'all think it's about adultery. I came to tell you it's about lust. You think it's about do not murder. I came to tell you it's about hatred. Cause murder comes from hate. Adultery comes from lust.

Come on somebody. And so when you get to Jesus, he said, I must show you that what you need is a relationship with me because I can go into your heart and transform the stuff that's in your heart. So that rather than you being tempted to murder somebody, I can pull out the hatred. So when somebody does your wrong, there's no hatred for you to react out of. You can pity folks. You can pray for folks, but you don't have to come back on them cause you already have a relationship with God and God already told you to finish his mind. Don't even go after them. And that's what we have to learn.

It's not your job to go after people. They're going to run into your daddy and he's an old fashioned daddy. Y'all remember back in the old days, you didn't run up on somebody because of their daddy.

Sometimes cause of their older brothers. And then in the kingdom is cause of daddy himself. And so don't fool with me and think you're going to get away with it cause you're going to answer the God cause I'm one of his kids. And so Jesus says, here are the things you're familiar with. And while Jesus has just given him this little sampling, look at what happens.

The young man cuts him off and says, teacher, all these things I've kept from my youth. I got all that covered. You ain't have to work through the rest of the list. I've been living right. I've been doing your will. Nobody can spot my life. That's what the old folks used to say.

Nobody can spot my life. Living right. Do you know you're not going to heaven cause you live in right? The Pharisees lived right than you. And so he tells Jesus, don't worry about it.

I got those covered. He didn't realize that the law was just bringing them to Christ. Now he's with Christ.

So no need of you bragging about how successfully you've kept the decalogue. Jesus looked at him, verse 21, and loved him. Jesus looked at him and loved him.

Before I get into, I'm almost out of time so you're going to have to come to the next message to hear the rest of this. But let me tell you what the significance of what we just read is. Jesus loved him before he responded and answered the question. Jesus loved him while he was still ignorant. Jesus loved him while he still didn't get it. Jesus loved him before he understood this is not about you and your law keeping. Jesus looked at him and he loved him. Jesus wasn't a hater. Oh, look at you, rich young ruler.

You think you're somebody. Jesus didn't have that attitude. Y'all got to stop having attitude with folk because the first thing you want to do as a follower of Christ is learn to love like he loves. He loved people while they ignorant.

Y'all want people to understand everything before you decide whether they're good enough for your love. Jesus loved him just by looking at him. Jesus loved him before he knew a thing.

Jesus loved him when he still didn't get it. How well are you loving the people in your sphere of influence who don't yet get it? Who don't yet understand? Who are living in ignorance? Who are doing all kinds of stuff? Now this guy was bragging on how well he's living. Some of the people in your life are seriously trifling.

Come on, let's just tell the truth. Some of them, you look at them and you just shake your head and you're like, I do not believe. Some of y'all look at your kids and you say, I don't believe I raised something like this. I came to tell you, ask God to baptize you in the love that Christ had for this young man. Love them because God loves them. Love them because there is a word of life that you can speak to them, but the best way to speak it to them is speaking to them in the context of love. Jesus loves him first before he answers them. Sometimes you're mad at folk and you answer them. Sometimes you resent folk and you answer them. Sometimes you are sick of folk and you answer them.

You are through with folks and you answer them. They're not going to hear God in your hateful answer. They're not going to hear God when you speak words that are condemning and judgmental. You can't help somebody while cursing them and judging them and condemning them to hell.

That's not what changes people's lives for the better. The only way we can change people's lives for the better is Jesus has to love them through us. For God so loved the world. I'm glad that he so loved us and if he so loved you, how dare you not so love other people. Not only love them, love them so. I love you so and there is nothing you can do about it. When I love you, I'm not saying I enjoy how ignorant you are, how stupid you act. I'm not enjoying any of that, but I have enough love to cover. Your love has got to be a covering love. Your love has got to be an enveloping love.

Your love has got to be able to say to them, I love you. I want the best for you and I will continue to pray and work to the end that I can help entice you into a better life. Do you know you can't condemn people into living better? Think about everybody you've condemned.

How well has that worked out? How many of them are on the right road because of your condemnation? Imagine where I could be if she hadn't condemned me so. If he had not told me I'm going straight to hell, do not pass gold, do not collect $200 and when he told me that, it changed my life for the better.

Of course not. We don't condemn people into the plan of God for their lives. In fact, the Bible says in one place, it is the goodness of God that leads people to repentance.

Thanks so much for joining us for today's Destined for Victory message from Pastor Paul Sheppard. You know God has a unique purpose for all who have put their faith in Christ, but he also has a plan for those who haven't. Consider 2 Peter 3 verse 9.

God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. This is our primary calling as Christians to go out into all the world and share our faith with others. There's no better time than now to help Pastor Paul do just that. As we continue to walk together through a challenging season in our history, now is a great time to partner with Destined for Victory in an effort to lead as many people to Christ as we can. And as our way of saying thanks for your partnership, we'll send you a few thank you gifts, including one of Pastor Paul's most popular CDs, the best of Let My People Smile. So call 855-339-5500 and find out more about how to become a Destined for Victory partner for as little as $20 a month. You can make your pledge over the phone or mail your gift letting us know you wish to become a partner.

Our address is Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. You can also become a partner through our website, pastorpaul.net. Now if you can't become a partner but would like to make a donation today, we'd love to send you Pastor Paul Sheppard's booklet, It Pays to Serve Jesus, a great resource that goes hand in hand with a message you heard today and one that will remind you that following Christ is always more than worth the sacrifice. That's Pastor Paul's booklet, It Pays to Serve Jesus, our gift to you by request for your generous donation to Destined for Victory.

So whether you're rich or poor, young or old, no matter what your ethnicity, no matter what your lifestyle choices have been, Jesus demands the same thing of all of us. And it falls into four categories. Number one, your assets. Number two, your associations. Number three, your actions. And number four, your attitude. That's tomorrow when Pastor Paul shares his message, It Will Be So Worth It. Until then remember, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory. you