Where Your Treasure Is, There Is Your Heart

In one paragraph

Pastor Blake walked through Mark 10:17-31, the encounter between Jesus and the rich young man, and traced a single question underneath the whole passage: is God's will the treasure of your heart? The verses just before this story set the frame. Jesus told his disciples that the kingdom of God belongs to those who receive it like a child, with no status, no achievements, and total dependence on...

Read together

1. Mark 10:17-31 the main passage read and expounded through the entire sermon
2. Matthew 6 quoted to explain storing treasure in heaven versus earth, and on serving two masters versus money
3. Romans quoted at length on how no one is made right with God by the law, but by faith in Jesus

Talk about it

1. The pastor described children as having no status, no achievements, and being totally dependent on others, and said Jesus holds that up as the model for entering the kingdom. What do you find hardest about approaching God with that kind of dependence?
2. When Jesus looked at the rich young man, the text says He felt genuine love for him and saw him at a soul level. What does it mean to you personally that Jesus sees you that way, not just as someone checking off a good list?
3. The rich young man walked away sad because he had many possessions he did not want to part with. The pastor said Jesus was asking him whether he was willing to surrender the trust he had placed in his wealth and good works. Is there something in your own life, whether pride, possessions or something else, that you sense God is asking you to loosen your grip on?
4. The pastor read from Romans that no one can be made right with God by doing what the law commands, and that the law simply shows us how sinful we are. How does that change the way you think about the effort the rich young man was making to earn his place in the kingdom?
5. The sermon closed with the question: is God's will the treasure of your heart? The pastor said honestly that he has a long way to go himself. Where do you feel that tension most in your own life right now?