Holiness, Godliness, Usefulness
07/13/2014, by John Kincaid
Lesson 296: Leaving Everything
Even our best works are tainted with sinful motives, deserving of God’s judgment.
God does not need our money or our help, yet He graciously allows us to serve His purposes.
He receives & uses the gifts we give Him, not because they are good, but because He is good.
No matter how good we think we are, we still need Jesus. He is the only way. John 14:6
What is the one thing that the rich young man lacked? Jesus requires everything.
When we say “I gave my heart to Jesus”, we seldom think about what that means: all of me. My resources, my time and energy, my devotion, my thoughts, my dreams and desires – He wants it all.
Luke 14:26, 33 If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple… any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Luke 5:11 when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Matt.19:27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you.
Matthew would have been a very wealthy man if he remained in his job as tax collector. Luke records 2 words that Matthew was too modest to mention.
Luke 5:27-28 (vs. Matt.9:9) After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
Matthew left everything to follow Jesus; Matthew was willing to do what the rich young man would not.
About This Series
The goal of this series is to become more useful in serving the Lord Jesus Christ, as an instrument in the Redeemer's hand. The theme verses for the series are Ephesians 4:22-24, Philemon 11, 2 Timothy 2:21
- to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
- and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
- Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.
- Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.