Sermons

When You Feel Like Something is Missing: Matthew 19:13-30 – 3/9/25 (Week 56)

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Sermon Series: We are currently going through a sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we’re talking about a moment where Jesus teaches us an important lesson on fulfilment. 

Let the Children Come to Me

13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.

The Rich Young Man

16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world,[a] when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold[b] and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Have you ever felt like something is missing in your life? Maybe it’s a feeling of unfulfillment, or dissatisfaction. Maybe you just feel like there’s something missing. In this part of God’s Word, we see a man who is in that very situation. He has all of the worldly goods that anyone could want, but he is still left feeling like something is missing. By taking a look at Jesus’ answer in this part of God’s Word, we see…

What to do when you feel like something is missing:

 

  1. Go to God

Matt. 19:16, 7:7-8, Deut 4:29, Jer. 29:13, 1 Chron. 16:11, Ps. 34:10

  1. Realize that you can’t earn your salvation

Matt. 19:16-21, Eph. 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, Gal. 2:16, Rom. 11:6, John 3:16

  1. Ask God to examine your heart

Matt. 19:18-20, Rom. 12:1-2, Ps. 139:23-24, 1 Sam. 16:7, Jer. 17:9

  1. Ask God what He’s calling you to

Matt. 19:21, James 1:5, Eph. 5:15-17, 1 Thess. 4:1-3, Col. 4:5

  1. Think through what is stopping you from doing what God has called you to do

Matt. 19:22-24, 6:19-21, 33, 26:39, 1 Tim. 6:17-19

  1. Remember that with God, all things are possible

Matt. 19:25-26, Prov. 3:4-6, Rom. 8:28, Phil. 4:13, Luke 1:37

  1. Have an eternal perspective

Matt. 19:27-30, 1 Pet. 4:12, Col. 3:2, 2 Cor. 4:18, Luke 11:34, Heb. 12:2

 

Reflecting on God’s Word

Getting Started

  • Take some time to read over Matthew 19:13-30 and pray. 
  • Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it? 
  • What surprised you as we talked about it?
  • What thoughts might have been going through the young, rich man’s head that led him to go talk to Jesus?
  • Take a look again at Jesus’ answer to the man in verses 17-19. Why do you think that Jesus answered him the way He did, instead of first inviting him to follow Himself? 
  • Have you ever felt like something was just missing in your life? Take some time to think through that season of your life. 
  • Do you feel like something is missing in your life now? How long has that been going on? 

 

Diving In 

  1. Don’t overlook the fact that the rich young man went to Jesus. So often, when we feel like something is missing in our lives, we turn to everything and everyone except Jesus. How can you be sure that your first step is always spending time in prayer? 

 

  1. Jesus calls this young rich man to a specific step. What specific step has God called you to, and what step is He calling you to during this season of your life? 

 

  1. Read Matthew 19:22. The rich young man’s possessions held him back from immediately doing what Jesus had called him to do. Is there anything that is holding you back from doing what God has called you to do?

 

  1. Read Matthew 19:27-30. Jesus points His disciples towards having an eternal perspective. How can you have the same perspective in your own life?

 

Applying the Scripture

What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word? 

  • What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture? 
  • How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord? 
  • Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?



Small Group Guide:

Open with prayer.

Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?

If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.

Prayer Time:

Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.

Staying Missional:

Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:

Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?

What’s next?

Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?