Welcome,
We’re delighted you’ve chosen to dig more deeply into the Scriptures and consider what God has for you through this sermon.
These sermon practices are ideally intended to be discussed with others, so find a friend, family member, or roommate to join you. If you haven’t yet joined a life group yet, check out our groups page or stop at the Welcome Center for more info.
Exploring Scripture: Jesus & The Rich Man
Read aloud this encounter with Jesus from Mark 10:17-27, then discuss the passage.
Review verse 17 and discuss.
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- Why do you think this man rushed to Jesus and knelt down?
- Why does he describe Jesus as ‘good’?
- What is he seeking from Jesus?
Review verses 18-20 and discuss.
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- Why does Jesus challenge being called ‘good’?
- How does the repeat of this word ‘good’ relate to the eternal life this guy is looking for?
- What does this man’s claim of following all the commandments say about him?
Review verse 21-22 and discuss.
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- Why do you think the author included the detail, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.”
- What is the “one thing” this man lacked?
- How does giving all his wealth away help him get to the one thing he lacked?
- Why would this man’s wealth make him sad?
Review verse 23-27 and discuss.
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- Why is it so difficult for the wealthy to live in the way of Jesus?
- Why were the disciples so shocked at Jesus’ perspective on this man?
- What is Jesus describing as nearly impossible for people?
- Why is this possible for God and not for the wealthy?
Reflection: Healthy Sacrifice
Defining Wealth
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- What do you think it means to be rich?
- Who do you know who qualifies as being rich?
- What does not qualify as being rich?
- What about you, are you rich?
Jesus calls this man to a very painful step of healthy sacrifice.
What Jesus asked the rich man to do was not easy, but it was not selfish either. Jesus wasn’t looking to gain the rich man’s money, but to free him from the hold money had on his life. The man was given the chance to be cured of his discontent through serving and blessing others. He knew he was missing something very significant, that’s why he so eagerly approached Jesus. But in the end, the answer he was searching for was a sacrifice he was unwilling to make. To the man’s credit, this was a huge sacrifice; he was the only one in scripture who Jesus asked so explicitly to give everything away. But we know that Jesus loved this guy and didn’t just single him out for nothing. So it’s clear his directive to this man was for his own good.
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- What does this say about God’s view of money? What does this tell us about the heart of God toward us when it comes to us handling money?
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- When it comes to your financial life, what is a healthy sacrifice Jesus is calling you to make? On a scale of 1 to 10 how painful would that be? What will that sacrifice do for God? What will it do for you?
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- What are the main barriers to you establishing a painful practice of health sacrifices?
Wrapping Up
Share an action step you want to take in response to Jesus teaching about wealth. Share also any other concerns you want to bring before the Lord. Just before praying, set a timer for at least a minute and sit in silence and quietly ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts and prayer.
Seeking His Direction as a Church
Additionally, we ask that you continue to pray for our church community as we navigate the potential sale of parts of our building to King’s Way.
As part of Vancouver Church, we’re hoping you will be praying for the property sale process. Our leadership & board are recommending the sale, but that doesn’t mean we’re done seeking God’s direction. At this stage, we're asking for God's affirmation if it is His direction; and we’re asking for his redirection if he would have us pursue this differently. If you feel so inclined, we also encourage you to join us in setting aside one day per week through the month of February to fast as a dedicated reminder to pray for this decision.
We ask that you pray this prayer along with us:
Lord, our greatest desires to bring pleasure to you and to draw attention to your love and greatness we submit this whole process of property sales to you. Our pastoral leadership and oversight board are recommending the sale of properties, and we are asking that you will give your guidance as we submit this recommendation to you. If it's what you want, it’s what we want. If there's something that we're missing, redirect us. You’ve said if anyone lacks wisdom that you will give it generously and without favoritism, so we are asking for wisdom, and if wisdom will be insufficient, give us revelation that exceeds our wisdom. We recognize that every resource is a gift from you. So, we present these properties to you and ask for your divine leadership in this decision. Lord, we ask that you make it clear throughout the entire body of Vancouver Church. We pray this all in Jesus' name.