The Price for Purpose | three. short. years. Week 2

Introduction

The speaker introduces the concept of paying a higher price for certain things in life and how we often fail to pay the price for things that are important to us.

Willingness to Pay

• People are willing to pay more for certain things in life, such as gadgets, nice clothes, vacations, or grandkids.

• The speaker confesses his willingness to pay any price for Girl Scout cookies.

• Despite this, people often fail to pay the price for things that are important to them, such as physical health or good grades.

Three Short Years

The speaker introduces a series called "Three Short Years" and discusses how Jesus changed the world in just three years.

Jesus' Impact

• Jesus spent 30 years living anonymously before bursting onto the scene and changing human history in just three short years.

• The speaker acknowledges that some may attribute Jesus' impact solely to his divinity but believes there were other factors at play.

• By examining what Jesus did during those three years, we can learn how to have an impact on our own lives.

How Did Jesus Do It?

The speaker explores what Jesus did during his three short years that allowed him to have such an incredible impact on the world.

Fulfilling Purpose

• Ultimately, it's not the length of your life that matters but whether you fulfill God's purposes for your life.

• Many people wonder if they're truly fulfilling their purpose and doing what God put them here to do.

• By examining what Jesus did during his three short years, we can learn how to fulfill our own purposes.

Understanding the Purpose of Your Life

In this section, the speaker discusses how Jesus had a clear understanding of his purpose in life and how we can learn from him.

Clarity of Purpose

• Jesus knew his purpose down to the detail.

• His conviction was so strong that he knew there were no detours or alternative routes.

• We may not always have such clarity, but we can learn from Jesus' example.

Misguided Thinking

• Peter rebukes Jesus for saying he must suffer and die.

• Peter's thinking is similar to ours: if it hurts or requires sacrifice, it can't be God's plan.

• If Peter was right, Jesus would not have responded as he did.

Satan's Agenda

• When Jesus says "get behind me Satan," he recognizes an agenda aligned with Satan's.

• During 40 days in the wilderness, Satan tempted Jesus with ideas like "you can be king without a cross."

• Peter unknowingly pushes an agenda that aligns with Satan himself.

The Cost of Living in Colorado

In this section, the speaker talks about the high cost of living in Colorado and how it can be a stumbling block to God's purposes in our lives.

Human Concerns vs. God's Concerns

• Our concerns for safety, control, success, and comfort can conflict with God's concerns for our lives.

• Sometimes the people who love us the most are unknowingly pushing us away from God's purposes in our lives by trying to protect us.

• We need to make sure that our own concern for our safety does not cause us to miss out on what God actually wants for our life.

The Price of Purpose

• There is a price for following Jesus and fulfilling His purpose in our lives.

• To be a disciple of Jesus, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.

A Personal Story About Sacrifice

In this section, the speaker shares a personal story about sacrifice and how it relates to taking up our cross and following Jesus.

A Birthday Party Story

• At a birthday party for a one-year-old boy, his mom gently pushed his face into his first cake experience. He didn't know what it was at first but eventually enjoyed it.

Taking Up Our Cross

• Taking up our cross means sacrificing something that we value or enjoy for the sake of following Jesus.

• Just like the little boy had to sacrifice his clean face for the joy of eating cake, we too must be willing to sacrifice something for the joy of following Jesus.

Self-Denial is a Baseline Requirement

Jesus presses against our natural desires and says that self-denial is a baseline requirement for being a genuine follower. He clarifies that self-denial does not mean absolute Navy SEAL intense spirituality, but rather denying ourselves when our desires conflict with what God wants.

Understanding Self-Denial

• Self-denial is a baseline requirement for being a genuine follower.

• Self-denial does not mean absolute Navy SEAL intense spirituality.

• Deny yourself when your human concerns conflict with God's purposes for your life.

The Cost of Following Jesus

• Fulfilling God's purpose for your life comes at a price.

• Following Jesus means taking up a cross, which can be painful and inconvenient.

• Being willing to follow to the point of maximum inconvenience is required.

Salvation Costs You Nothing, But Discipleship Costs Everything

Salvation costs nothing because Jesus paid the total price for our sins. However, discipleship requires us to deny ourselves and take up our cross.

The Price of Discipleship

• Total access to God is free through salvation by grace.

• Discipleship requires us to pay the cost of denying ourselves and taking up our cross.

The Cost of Following Jesus

In this section, the speaker talks about how following Jesus comes at a high price and that many people misunderstand this concept. He explains that if you want to fulfill God's purposes for your life, it will cost you something.

The Price Tag of Following Jesus

• Following Jesus comes at a high price.

• This may mean giving up certain things in your life, such as sleeping with your boyfriend or moving out.

• It may also mean making sacrifices in your career or personal life to follow God's plan for you.

• Many Christians get saved but do not fulfill their purpose and destiny because they are not willing to pay the price.

What Price Are You Willing to Pay?

• We all have moments where we struggle with the cost of following Jesus.

• If there is any obvious disobedience or habits that contradict God's nature in our lives, it signals that we are not willing to pay the price.

• We need to ask ourselves what price tag is too high when it comes to following Jesus in our own lives.

The Reward Outweighs the Price

• Although following Jesus may seem unappealing, he promises that whoever loses their life for him will find it.

• What good is it to gain the whole world yet forfeit your soul?

• Our human concerns do not work out the way we think they do. Reality does not operate as we expect it to.

Kicking the Ball in the Wrong Goal

In this section, the speaker talks about how people often prioritize their own preferences over God's purposes for their lives. He warns that this can lead to a life that is not fulfilling and encourages listeners to consider whether they are trying to save their own lives.

The Problem with Prioritizing Personal Preferences

• People often prioritize their own preferences over God's purposes for their lives.

• This can lead to a life that is not fulfilling, even if it appears successful on the surface.

• Jesus warns against prioritizing personal preferences over God's purposes, as it can result in "kicking the ball in the wrong goal" and racking up the wrong points in life.

Losing Your Life to Find It

• Jesus offers an alternative: losing yourself for Him in order to find true fulfillment.

• This may require giving up things that you think your life should look like and trusting God for what comes next.

• While this may sound counterintuitive, it is a common theme throughout the Bible, such as when Abraham was asked to give up his son or when Jesus asked a rich man to give away all of his possessions.

Conclusion

• The speaker emphasizes that following God's purposes for your life may require sacrifice and going against personal preferences, but ultimately leads to true fulfillment.

Rewards in Heaven

In this section, the speaker talks about how athletes cry after winning a game and how it is a result of all the hard work they put in. He then relates this to rewards in heaven and how Jesus promises rewards for those who follow him.

Athletes' Tears

• Professional athletes cry after winning because it represents all the hard work they have put in.

• Examples of athletes crying after winning: Roger Federer, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Russell Wilson.

• Athletes' tears represent the hours, days, weeks, months, years and decades of sacrifice and total devotion to their sport.

Rewards in Heaven

• Jesus promises rewards for those who follow him.

• The awards ceremony will be glorious with angels and rewards that far outweigh any cost or sacrifice made on earth.

• Following Jesus requires courage to end relationships sometimes, pass up opportunities when convicted by God, make moves when led by God and say no to temptation. It may not always feel worth it but there is something coming that will far outweigh whatever you have had to go through on earth.

Denying Yourself and Taking Up Your Cross

In this section, the speaker talks about how Christians need to deny themselves and take up their cross in order to tap into God's purposes for their lives. The speaker emphasizes that Jesus already did this for us and that we can have confidence in following his example.

Jesus' Ultimate Self-Denial

• Jesus left heaven and came to Earth, taking on human flesh without any of the respect or honor he was entitled to.

• He took up a literal cross towards certain death, enduring every swing of the hammer and nail on our behalf.

• Through losing everything, Jesus gained everything. His death led to life and an absolute victory.

Following Jesus' Example

• Whatever sacrifices are required in our lives, whatever costs or price tags we need to pay, we can have confidence in following Jesus' example because he has already done it for us.

• Whatever losses we experience in this life will lead to the life God has promised for us if we deny ourselves and take up our cross.

Praying for Courage

• The speaker prays that listeners would be set free from concerns that weigh them down so they can live out God's concerns for their lives.

• The speaker asks God to give listeners eternal hope so they can endure anything with courage knowing there is a finish line at the end.