Opening Discussion

• How did someone help you in your faith journey when you were a child?

Read and Discuss

Matthew 19:13-15

13 Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.14 Jesus said, “Leave the little children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 After placing his hands on them, he went on from there.

• Why did parents bring their kids to Jesus?
• What did the response of the disciples show about their worldview towards children?
• What does Jesus mean when He says about children that the “kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these?”
  • What are some qualities of children that people tend to overlook?
  • How did Jesus’ view of children differ from the disciples’ view of children?
• What’s something you’ve learned about your faith from observing kids?
• How is a kid’s faith in God sometimes different from an adult’s faith in God?
• What are some ways you can help children experience Jesus?

Matthew 19:16-22

16 Just then someone came up and asked him, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”

17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” he said to him. “There is only one who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

18 “Which ones?” he asked him.

Jesus answered: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; 19 honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself.

20 “I have kept all these,” the young man told him. “What do I still lack?”

21 “If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 When the young man heard that, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

• What is the young man asking Jesus?
• Why does Jesus tell him that there is only one who is good?
• What can you learn about the worldview of the man based on his questions?
• Why does Jesus only list half of the ten commandments and not all of them?
  • Jesus also only lists the commandments that deal with our relationship with others and not our relationship with God? Why does He do this?
• How does the young man’s question, “What do I still lack?” show that he felt something was still off in his life?
• What are some things people do to try to earn their way into heaven?
• Why can’t we earn our way to heaven?
• If you have a worldview that lets you earn your way to heaven, who is your life centered around?
• How does Jesus’ command to the rich young man to sell his possessions, give to the poor, then follow Jesus, point out his lack of following the commandments to not have other gods and not to make idols?
• What are some ways people make idols or have other gods today?
• How can doing good deeds be worshiping a false god?
• What was the young man’s response to Jesus?

Apply it!

• What might Jesus ask you to give up in order to follow Him better?
• What holds you back from giving that thing up?

Memorize it!

Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Leave the little children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Prayer TACOS

Thank the Lord for not making us earn our way into heaven

Adoration- Worship the Lord for doing the work for us so we don’t have to earn our way into heaven

Confess to those times when you thought your good works gave you a higher standing with God, or that He owed you something for the good things you had done for Him

Others- Pray for someone you know who is struggling with earning their way into heaven. Ask the Lord to give you an opportunity to talk to them this week.

Self- Ask the Lord to help you die to yourself daily. Pray against the things you do to try to give yourself a better standing with God. Ask Him to help you let go of those things that are keeping Him from being the center of your life.

Closing Thoughts

Everything pushes a worldview. From the products you buy, to the movies you watch, and the church that you attend, an underlying worldview is being presented. Your worldview is shaping how you interact with the people around you, and how you view yourself. A worldview is the lens through which you view the world around you, and the actions you take based on what you believe.

At One Life, we teach a Christ-centered worldview because the Christian faith is total truth, not just “personal truth.” If I claim to have a Christ-centered worldview, that means all my decisions, my interactions with others, and how I spend my time is all dictated by my desire to keep Christ at the center of my life. When I make choices that contradict that (sin!), then I have to reevaluate my worldview. Do I actually believe that Christ at the center of my life is the best way to live?

This is not an easy task. The rich young man was faced with that choice. Do I give up everything that I thought was making me happy and secure to follow Jesus? His answer was no. My hope is that one day, he turned away from the wealth and money to pursue Jesus, but the Bible never says what happened. So is there anything that God is asking you to give over to Him? Anything that is holding you back from true surrender? If so, what would it take to make a step towards giving that over to the Lord?