Following Christ part 1 A Risky Business?

…THAT WE MAY LIVE PEACEFUL AND QUIET LIVES IN ALL GODLINESS AND HOLINESS. 3THIS IS GOOD, AND PLEASES GOD OUR SAVIOR, 4WHO WANTS ALL MEN TO BE SAVED AND TO COME TO A KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH. (1 TIMOTHY 2:2-4) Jesus has a call – for us all

Christ calls us to be Risk Takers, not Risk Managers.

16NOW A MAN CAME UP TO JESUS AND ASKED, "TEACHER, WHAT GOOD THING MUST I DO TO GET ETERNAL LIFE?" 17"WHY DO YOU ASK ME ABOUT WHAT IS GOOD?" JESUS REPLIED. "THERE IS ONLY ONE WHO IS GOOD. IF YOU WANT TO ENTER LIFE, OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS." 18"WHICH ONES?" THE MAN INQUIRED. JESUS REPLIED, " 'DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT GIVE FALSE TESTIMONY, Call of the Rich Young Ruler

19HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,' [D] AND 'LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' [E] "DE 20"ALL THESE I HAVE KEPT," THE YOUNG MAN SAID. "WHAT DO I STILL LACK?" 21JESUS ANSWERED, "IF YOU WANT TO BE PERFECT, GO, SELL YOUR POSSESSIONS AND GIVE TO THE POOR, AND YOU WILL HAVE TREASURE IN HEAVEN. THEN COME, FOLLOW ME." 22WHEN THE YOUNG MAN HEARD THIS, HE WENT AWAY SAD, BECAUSE HE HAD GREAT WEALTH. (MATTHEW 19:16-22) Calling of the Rich Young Ruler

The rich young ruler calculated the risk. “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.”

A calculated risk is no risk at all.

22IMMEDIATELY JESUS MADE THE DISCIPLES GET INTO THE BOAT AND GO ON AHEAD OF HIM TO THE OTHER SIDE, WHILE HE DISMISSED THE CROWD. 23AFTER HE HAD DISMISSED THEM, HE WENT UP ON A MOUNTAINSIDE BY HIMSELF TO PRAY. WHEN EVENING CAME, HE WAS THERE ALONE, 24BUT THE BOAT WAS ALREADY A CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE [A] FROM LAND, BUFFETED BY THE WAVES BECAUSE THE WIND WAS AGAINST IT. 25DURING THE FOURTH WATCH OF THE NIGHT JESUS WENT OUT TO THEM, WALKING ON THE LAKE. 26WHEN THE DISCIPLES SAW HIMA Calling of Peter on the water

WALKING ON THE LAKE, THEY WERE TERRIFIED. "IT'S A GHOST," THEY SAID, AND CRIED OUT IN FEAR. 27BUT JESUS IMMEDIATELY SAID TO THEM: "TAKE COURAGE! IT IS I. DON'T BE AFRAID." 28"LORD, IF IT'S YOU," PETER REPLIED, "TELL ME TO COME TO YOU ON THE WATER." 29"COME," HE SAID. THEN PETER GOT DOWN OUT OF THE BOAT, WALKED ON THE WATER AND CAME TOWARD JESUS. 30BUT WHEN HE SAW THE WIND, HE WAS AFRAID AND, BEGINNING TO SINK, CRIED OUT, "LORD, SAVE ME!" Calling of Peter on the water, cont.

31IMMEDIATELY JESUS REACHED OUT HIS HAND AND CAUGHT HIM. "YOU OF LITTLE FAITH," HE SAID, "WHY DID YOU DOUBT?" 32AND WHEN THEY CLIMBED INTO THE BOAT, THE WIND DIED DOWN. 33THEN THOSE WHO WERE IN THE BOAT WORSHIPED HIM, SAYING, "TRULY YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD." (MATTHEW 14:22-32) Calling of Peter, cont.

Peter proved he would risk it all. “Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”

When we have risked it all, then we are secure. WHERE CAN I GO FROM YOUR SPIRIT? WHERE CAN I FLEE FROM YOUR PRESENCE? IF I GO UP TO THE HEAVENS, YOU ARE THERE; IF I MAKE MY BED IN THE DEPTHS, YOU ARE THERE. IF I RISE ON THE WINGS OF THE DAWN, IF I SETTLE ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE SEA, 1EVEN THERE YOUR HAND WILL GUIDE ME, YOUR RIGHT HAND WILL HOLD ME FAST. (PSALM 139:7-10)

PETER ANSWERED HIM, "WE HAVE LEFT EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW YOU! WHAT THEN WILL THERE BE FOR US?" 28JESUS SAID TO THEM, "I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, AT THE RENEWAL OF ALL THINGS, WHEN THE SON OF MAN SITS ON HIS GLORIOUS THRONE, YOU WHO HAVE FOLLOWED ME WILL ALSO SIT ON TWELVE THRONES, JUDGING THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL Peter’s Greatest Risk – and yours.

29AND EVERYONE WHO HAS LEFT HOUSES OR BROTHERS OR SISTERS OR FATHER OR MOTHER OR CHILDREN OR FIELDS FOR MY SAKE WILL RECEIVE A HUNDRED TIMES AS MUCH AND WILL INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE. 30BUT MANY WHO ARE FIRST WILL BE LAST, AND MANY WHO ARE LAST WILL BE FIRST. (MATTHEW 19:27-30) Peter’s Greatest Risk – and yours.

Dr. Warren Wiersbe “Whatever good things they had forsaken for His sake would be returned to them a hundredfold. In other words, they were not making sacrifices – they were making investments.”

WHAT RISKS ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE? A Final Thought