Transcription
The followers were even more amazed and said to each other, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "That is something people cannot do." Hello. Yes.
Some of these things ordinarily we may not be able to do them, but with the grace of God we can do all things. He said, "But God can. He can do anything." So if God gives us the grace then we can do it.
You are in an environment where you know character is a major factor as to who goes higher. When you begin to pray Lord give me the grace to conduct myself well in agreement with their with their code and conduct. Give me the grace to submit to my husband. Give me the grace to love and care at all times for my spouse. Give me the grace, oh God, to be honest as a staff. Give me the grace. That's a prayer that must be answered. And so when God hears that kind of prayer from you, he will answer the prayer. Can somebody say amen? Amen.
The prize talks about sacrifice. the sacrifice you need to make in order to get something you desire. And I quickly break it down on the prize. So this this issue of the prize will be clear.
One, the prize is what it will cost you to realize your desire. what it will cost you, the amount of time you must give to it. The what it will cost you, the amount of time you must give to it, the energy when you you know some people have energy but there is no ambition. There is no there's no great goal or target ahead of them. So the energy is wasting. And some have ambition but there's no energy. They have a great goal ahead of them but there is no drive. There is no serious effort. There is no determination to get to achieve to get to that to do what is necessary to achieve that great goal. You know focus generates momentum. Focus generates momentum. And when momentum is extremely high, it you you become unstoppable. That thing becomes unstoppable. What it will cost you involves the the money you would have to spend in the process of obtaining that thing. The money you will have to they see sometimes it's not the money you have to spend to obtain it, but the money you have to spend to maintain it.
Number two, talking about the prize. The prize talks about certain things you must do in order to attain the goal. Certain things you must do. There's no, it's not optional. It's an indispensable key, an indispensable step you must. And if you are not going to do it, you are out of the race. You are out of the race. certain things you must keep on doing in order to maintain that particular thing.
Number three, the price has to do with certain things that you must avoid doing. Certain things you must avoid doing in order to attain the goal. You get involved is over. You get involved is over. Certain things you must avoid doing in order to maintain or preserve that particular thing you have. That's the prize.
Number four, the price talks about the things you have to give up. Things you have to give up.
Number five, the price talks about certain terms and conditions. Terms and conditions that must be fulfilled in order to receive or maintain a particular thing that you desire. Yes. The requirements. The requirements. The code and conduct. So certain terms and conditions that must be fulfilled, certain terms and conditions that you must continue to abide with in order to keep that thing going. In 1 Timothy 3:1-13, 1 Timothy 3 1-13, you see the conditions, you know, being set out for people that are going to be chosen and ordained as ministers of God, as deacons, as deaconesses, as pastors in the church of God.
Number six, what you the price is talking about what you may suffer or lose as a result of your choice. what you may suffer or lose as a result of your choice or your decision.
Number seven, the prize talks about the discomfort you must go through in the process. The discomfort, the disadvantages of your choice and dis and decision.
And number eight, the price talks about the persecution, the shame and the ridicule. the persecution, the shame and the ridicule.
Number nine, the price is the longer period of waiting, the longer period of waiting. The you know the this generation in fact it's part of human tendency. They want it now. They want everybody wants results now.
And then number 10, the duration of the price. Now uh the duration of the prize or paying the price sometimes could be temporal, it could be occasional or in some cases permanent. Like the story we read in Mark chapter 10, that man was just going to pay that price once and for all. Once and for all. The Lord was not even saying that everything you will ever make in life in terms of wealth and money, you will keep on giving it to the poor. He was just talking about what he had already, what he already had. Sometimes it could be just a oneoff thing. Sometimes it's for it's occasional that you have to do it and but some is permanent. It's permanent. So you need to be aware of this. So this man obviously failed to fulfill this this uh condition.
So the closing word is that we should pray for the grace to pay the price. Pray for the grace to pay the price. Pray for the grace to pay the price. Ask God for the grace to do whatever it is that you must do in order to achieve that goal. And in some other instances, we will need to pray for the grace to keep on paying the price. God, there are some things we need to keep on doing. It's not a oneoff assignment. You need to keep on doing that thing. So we need to ask God to give us the grace to keep on doing those things and God will in his faithfulness always give you the grace.