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390 N 400 E

Bountiful, UT 84010

https://flourishinggrace.org/plan-your-visit

This sermon from Flourishing Grace Church centers on Luke 18:18–30 and the encounter between Jesus and the rich young ruler, a passage that confronts one of the most common spiritual questions people carry beneath the surface of everyday life: Am I okay. Preaching from the Gospel of Luke, Josh Brown explores how this question often drives us toward self validation, performance, and control rather than toward true surrender and faith in Jesus Christ. The message challenges listeners to examine the subtle ways we seek reassurance through morality, success, comfort, wealth, or religious activity instead of trusting fully in God’s grace.

The rich young ruler approaches Jesus with what sounds like a sincere spiritual question about inheriting eternal life, yet Jesus exposes a deeper issue of the heart. Rather than asking how to be saved, the ruler is seeking confirmation that he is already good enough. Jesus responds not by offering affirmation but by calling for allegiance. This sermon explains how Jesus lovingly disrupts self confidence and exposes whatever sits on the throne of our lives, whether money, control, family, identity, or comfort. The call to sell possessions and follow Christ is not a universal command to poverty, but a targeted invitation to release false saviors and trust Jesus as Lord.

Throughout the message, the sermon highlights the difference between wanting Jesus to reassure us and wanting Jesus to rule us. Drawing from Luke’s narrative, it shows how wealth and self sufficiency can function as rival saviors that promise security but leave us spiritually bound. Jesus’ words about the camel and the eye of the needle are not meant to offer a clever solution, but to shut the door on pride and self reliance. Salvation is impossible through human effort, moral achievement, or religious performance, yet it is fully possible through God’s power and grace.

The heart of the gospel is clearly presented as a gift, not a wage. Eternal life is not earned by those who perform well, but given freely to those who come empty handed, repentant, and dependent on Christ. This sermon emphasizes that Jesus not only calls for surrender but also pays for our rebellion through the cross and resurrection. The statement that what is impossible with man is possible with God is presented as a declaration of salvation, not motivational advice.

The message also addresses the cost and reward of following Jesus. While allegiance to Christ may involve real losses in comfort, approval, or control, Jesus promises a greater gain both now and in the age to come. Following Jesus brings a new family, a new identity, a new purpose, and participation in the kingdom of God. This is not a call to misery, but an invitation into freedom, life, and lasting joy.

This sermon invites listeners to reflect honestly on what they run to when Jesus feels insufficient and to allow God to expose and heal misplaced trust. It is a call away from striving and performance and toward repentance, faith, and rest in the grace of God. Whether you are new to church, exploring Christianity, or have been following Jesus for years, this message from Luke 18 challenges and encourages believers to lay down false kings and trust fully in Christ, the only one who can save, heal, and give eternal life.