LifePoint Church

Sometimes we keep our distance from someone in need—not because we don’t care, but because we don’t know what to do. Besides, we're really busy, and "we can't fix all their problems" anyway. But the reality is that God doesn't ask us to fix people's problems. He asks us to care. And we find that compassion grows when we get close. In this message, we’ll explore what Jesus modeled through His life: serving others sacrificially. For us, that can mean stepping out of our comfort zones and moving toward people in need--not with solutions, but with our presence, empathy, and love. 

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Sometimes we look for a significant life in all the wrong places—our achievement, our comfort, our status, our unassailable strength. Whenever our search for meaning and for the good life begins with ourselves, we are looking in the wrong place. Jesus repeatedly teaches that a life full of purpose begins with others rather than ourselves and that a Jesus-following life is a Jesus-serving life. This weekend we remember what serving Jesus looks like from his teaching in Mark 10.

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As Jesus-followers, our mission centers around introducing people to Jesus. Unfortunately, one of the big barriers preventing people from believing in Jesus is often Christians. Jesus developed and emphasized in his first followers, characteristics to prevent them blocking people from reaching him. As we join Jesus and his disciples on their walk home, we can also develop these vital qualities.

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When Jesus calls us to follow him, he is clear about what he demands of us and what our path will include. However, it's just as hard for us to hear and receive as it was for the first group of Jesus-followers. Jesus calls us to a truly significant life, but that path leads through pain and self-denial. Although contrary to what we might expect, Jesus calls us to a life that is truly significant through following him.

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Even people who are committed to Jesus can become unresponsive to him. The disciples who left everything to follow Jesus—jobs, family and friends, and familiar routines—drifted away in their hearts until they were unable to hear and see Jesus accurately. Jesus persistently and patiently pursued their hearts—just as he desires to draw you back to himself.

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Our heart represents the essence of who we are and the core of our character. Other people only see the parts of our heart that we reveal, but God sees our heart in its entirety. Jesus worked to change the hearts of his first followers and calls us into the same transformative process. He skips over the external parts of our lives and focuses directly on what is most important—our heart. Together, let’s align our hearts to follow Jesus.

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Jesus intentionally prepared his disciples to lead as he anticipated his death, resurrection, and ascension. He began this training process with two miracles designed to teach vital truths about expanding influence. Through Jesus’ actions and teaching, we can discover key principles to play our part in Jesus’ mission and give him freedom to work in our hearts.

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The Resurrection caught everyone by surprise—even Jesus’ closest followers. Throughout John chapter 20, Jesus gave each person exactly what they needed to believe in him. His tender interaction with Mary Magdalene at his tomb reveals Mary’s broken heart as well as her faith and Jesus’ compassion. Today, Jesus still gives us what we need to believe him. Each Easter provided a new opportunity for us to be surprised by Jesus’ resurrection life!

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With simple words and a painfully straightforward description, John delivered his first-hand account of the crucifixion of the friend he loved and the King he served. Jesus’ sacrifice of himself by being crucified demonstrates the fullest expression of God’s love for us and the most complete demonstration of God’s character. Together, we pause to consider the reality and the implications of Jesus’s death.

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Friedrich Nietzsche claimed, “There are more idols in the world than there are realities.” As we conclude Jacob’s story, we find God claiming the central place in his life after a lifetime of Jacob’s struggle to trust God more than he trusted himself. Following a tragic series of events, Jacob finally leads himself and his family to replace their idols with the one true God-Almighty and worship him. Let’s follow Jacob through the mess and mystery of life to recognize Jesus’ authority and worship him.

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