The Main Thing Is Keeping The Main Thing, The Main 2).

2). Why did Jesus quiz the man about goodness and refer him back to the law?
Why did he question him about calling him “good?” What were the man’s
Thing! assumptions about Jesus?

Discipline has never come easy for me. I was the first in my family to enter a 3). How did Jesus turn this man away? What did the man miss about the
four-year degree granting institution and never considered myself an academic. greatness of Jesus kingdom? What keeps us from selling all for the kingdom
By the first mid-term semester of my freshman year I had a .075 GPA. I today?
suddenly woke to the reality that unless I made some drastic changes I was
going to be a college drop out. How important was it that I attend college?
Learning and making the grade had to become a greater priority if I was ever 4). Why were the disciples now fearful of loosing out on the kingdom as well?
going to make it. How can anyone obtain the kingdom?

Obviously things had to be different. At the time I was working a part time job 5). Who are you most like in this story: The rich man, Jesus, or the disciples
and living off campus with my brother and his wife who were not yet relocated and why?
to the area. Basically I was living alone with few boundaries or accountability. I
was also busy making new friends and becoming more and more involved with 6). What is your main priority in life?
a charming young freshman. However, after the startling GPA I assessed my
priorities and decided that I did feel called to ministry and wanted to pursue a 7). How can this group pray for you?
college degree that would lead into full time service for Christ so I found a
stable balanced roommate, moved into the dorm, quit my job and actually
stopped seeing the girl friend – for awhile anyway. My Journey: For further study read Matthew 6:33.

Jesus said we have to know our priorities. On many occasions he reminded the Note: Have you ever wanted someone or something so bad that you go to bed
disciples that the kingdom of God was the most important thing of all. In Luke and wake up thinking about them. You can’t get it out of your mind. You
14 Jesus emphasized the cost of being a disciple. He never made discipleship imagine what it would be like to be with that person or to have that thing.
seem easy, just full of grace. In Luke 9 he talked about gaining the whole world
while loosing our soul. He said the kingdom was the greatest priority – that it Maybe it’s a new car, a new outfit or a special person you are falling in love
was like finding treasure hidden in a field that upon discovery a person sells all with. Jesus likens the kingdom to our most prized possession – the greatest
he has to own the field and the treasure in it - or like a man in search of fine dream or desire we could have for ourselves. In Matthew here, he advises us –
pearls and when he finds the precious pearl sells all to have it. The emphasis is no commands us to seek the kingdom first and in finding the kingdom we will
on selling all because the treasure or pearl is worth more than the sum total of find everything else along with it. So you see the kingdom is not a replacement
all he possesses. of our basic needs. It is the key to them and everything we need. For when we
possess the kingdom, we become a king, and the king lacks for nothing. In
Journey Together giving us the kingdom. Jesus is reinstating us with the dominion lost in Adam’s
fall that we learn to rule our lives again in Jesus name.
1). List three important things in your life.
1). Where have you seen evidence of God’s kingdom this week?
2). Which two of the three would you be willing to give up to have the other?
2). In what way has the kingdom become the main thing in your life?
3). What important sacrifice has someone made for you or you for someone
else?
3). What is your greatest distraction in seeking first the kingdom?

Road Map: Matthew 19:16-30

4). How do you see yourself advancing the kingdom among your friends, at work or at
home?
1). What did the rich man have? What did he want? Why was he coming to
Jesus? What did Jesus have that he wanted?
5). How has God used the Journey in your life over the past few months?
Back Story: We have come a long way since the start of our journey with Jesus. The life we live in a whole new paradigm of God’s forgiving grace. We live in the truth of
invitation to “come and see” has taken us on quite a ride. One of the most impressive eternal life. We live in the assurance of God’s authority over every power and dominion.
things about Jesus is how sure He is of Himself. He is so confidant of who He is and There is no sin that He has not forgiven. No weakness He has not overcome. No
certain of His mission that He is completely comfortable with us seeing for ourselves sickness He has not cured. No fear He has not vanquished. No death He has not restored
and coming to our own conclusions. Besides, He seems to know us better than we know to life. This is the greatest message of hope and life the world will ever know and we
ourselves. have the privilege of not only of swimming in it and drinking it in ourselves. We have
the joy of proclaiming it to others. Continuing Paul’s delight in II Corinthians 5,
Another surprising thing is how much of His teaching and preaching center around the
main theme of reestablishing God’s rule on earth. The mission of our personal salvation “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
is secondary to the broader purpose of overcoming evil and victory over sin and the come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the
Devil. Personal salvation is almost a by-product to this larger mission and message of ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not
Jesus. Jesus’ vision for the world and humanity in general is breathtaking. He will stop counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of
at nothing less than a complete and total reversal of the Prince of This World and the reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his
glory of his Father. Jesus is committed to the kingdom of God because Jesus is appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made
committed to God. He knows that only complete surrender to God’s will and purpose him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of
will effect the change and transformation needed in the world. He is committed to the God.”
point of Roman crucifixion to accomplish this mission. II Corinthians 5:17-21

The challenge in this final weeks Journey is to clarify what we have seen in our
Following Jesus and surrendering our lives to Jesus will mean the end of our own will journey with Jesus. The back story here will help you, the leader, reflect again on all we
and way. Embracing the kingdom of God involves a cross of our own. It means that have seen and heard in our journey along with the disciples to see what they have seen
nothing will keep us from the mission and message of Jesus. It is our last and final hope and to embrace what they have embraced. But, it is important to draw out the
for ourselves and the world. It means that like Jesus, we will lay down our life in His observations and lessons that each one has gained in their own discovery of Jesus
death and resurrection to embrace God’s vision for ourselves and the world. We want mission and message. Here is where the five S’s of Seek, Soak, Script, Sign and Share
nothing less than what Jesus wants. We aspire to the same hopes and dreams that Jesus will be most important. Have participants take the time to look over what they have
has. We long and pray for the glory of God on earth, for God’s love in our hearts and for written in their own journey with Jesus to reflect on how God has used Journey in their
unity between ourselves, God, and one another. It means that we have embraced the own life. The closing questions of lesson 12 will be most important to draw out the
forgiveness of Jesus first for ourselves and for others. We seek His justice for the message of God to each one.
oppressed and we claim the authority of God that has already been given to Him. In fact
we live our lives under this new authority announcing the end of the present evil age in In the end, Journey is a precursor to an even deeper walk of discipleship with Jesus.
the freedom and victory of the cross of Christ. Jesus has brought about a new world Journey only asks us to come and see, and to make up our own minds about what we see
order and we are a part of this new thing that God is doing through Him. and hear. The next step that Jesus took to invite those who understood His mission and
message was to invite them to follow. Greater Things bible study is a lesson on
The victory of Jesus over death gives us a whole new perspective of the world and for discipleship from the gospel of Matthew that invites us to a whole new level of
everyone in it. We now know that no one is beyond the hope that springs from Jesus relationship and commitment to Jesus. For those who understand the mission and
resurrection life. Paul reflects on this in his second letter to the Corinthians, message of Jesus and want to follow Him, you are invited to pick up your cross and
follow Jesus in the new life of discipleship where we learn as Eugene Petersen phrased
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and the words of Jesus own description of “doing life” with Him by “learning the unforced
therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for rhythms of grace.” Matthew 11:28.
themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we
regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this We have come so far with Jesus. We have seen too much now to ever be happy with
way, we do so no longer.” the world again outside of Jesus’ own vision and purpose for it and ourselves. Like the
II Corinthians 5:14-16 disciples in John 6 when many of those in the crowd who had been following Him
turned and walked away - “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the
In Jesus victory and His vision of the world we see endless possibilities. No one is Twelve. But, Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the
beyond hope and we are limited only by our own confidence in Jesus victory over sin words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” John
and death. We know without a doubt that God is for us and because of Jesus nothing 6:67-69
will be able to separate us from God’s infinite love for us. Even death itself is not strong And we too have come to see and know that He is the Christ – the Savior of the
enough to keep us apart from God since Jesus broke the chains of death. Through Jesus world. All there is left to do, like Peter and the rest of the twelve is to follow!