That's When You Need Him Most

III. RENOUNCE THE WORLD

A. (Luke 18:28-30) "Peter said to him, "We have left all we had to follow you!" {29} "I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God {30} will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."

1. And yet the vast majority of those who profess to follow Jesus are reluctant to take this first step. Even though we know, and may have experienced the fact that this world offers nothing that will satisfy for the long haul.

2. So many clinging to the lie that "He who dies with the most toys

wins." philosophy have found that it only produces misery. Eternal abundant life can not be experienced if the major goal of your life is to get more stuff, bigger, better, fancier.

ILLUSTRATION: Money...A wife called her husband on the phone one day and said excitedly, "Pack your bags! I just won a million dollars in the lottery!" The husband said, "That’s great! What clothes do you want me to pack? Casual? Dress? Beach? Camping?" She said, "Pack them all. I want you out of the house by 6:00!"

ILLUSTRATION: Go to any yacht basin in any place in the world. Nobody is smiling, nobody is happy, living the good life. I’ll tell you why. Something broke that morning. The generator’s out; the microwave oven doesn’t work…things just don’t mean happiness."

ILLUSTRATION: Money...Charles Ralston was the president of the Bank of California and bought several Comstock Lode mines believed to have been tapped out. The bank supplied the capital to dig deeper and the results paid off in spades when the silver veins struck were richer than any previously discovered. Ralston had a dream of building the most opulent and modern hotel in the world. It would be known as the Palace Hotel and the initial budget was estimated at $2 million but soon swelled to $5 million. The final project encompassed an entire city block in which 31 million bricks were required in its construction. The hotel was twelve stories tall and contained 28 miles of water pipes and included five elevators, the first installed west of the Mississippi. Before construction was completed, the banker purchased a brick factory, a forest and furniture plant to furnish its rooms. However, five weeks before the hotel opened its doors, Ralston’s good fortune evaporated. News spread that the Comstock Lode had petered out and the subsequent panic sparked a run on the bank. Ralston was unable to pay the depositors and the bank’s board of directors fired him. Within a matter of days, the once most powerful man in the city was on the street and penniless. A few days later, his body was found floating is San Francisco Bay where he had gone for his daily swim. Physicians on the scene attributed his death to a heart attack but those who knew him best believed that he died of a broken heart.

3. Others search for satisfaction through the pursuit of some fleshly

pleasure or lust. (Gal 6:8) "The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; " Many of you have found this truth to be undeniable through first hand experience. Let me reassure you, It will remain true no matter how many times you try to prove it false.