Letting Go of the “One Thing”
Sermon Notes
Mark 10:17-31:
Henri Nouwen’s 3 Lies:
1.
2.
3.

10:17, 18 – We are about to find out that this man believes that inheriting life is somehow related to his ___________________ and he wants to be ___________________.

10:20 – Maybe he is _______________. Maybe he is ______________. He is seeking identity in “I am what I ______” and “I am what others _________ or ________ about me.”

10:21 – _________ thing you lack – what was it for this young man?
What is your ________ thing? I would argue that it is probably rooted in one of those ________ ________ from Henri Nouwen. Which of the 3 lies am I believing?

10:22 – He is not willing to _________ ________.

10:27 – You can’t overcome what is holding you back on your __________. It is only _____________ though God.

Steps/Challenges/Thoughts:

Connect Group Guide – 3-3-19

3 Lies

Henri Nouwen’s 3 human lies: 1. I am what I have; 2. I am what I do; 3. I am what others say or think about me

Do you think these “3 lies” are accurate statements when it comes to what we believe about ourselves?

How have you seen evidence of this in your own life or in the lives of others?

Read Matt. 4:1-11 or Luke 4:1-13 – How do these “3 lies” correlate with Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness?

Rich Young Ruler

Read Mark 10:17-31 (or Luke 18:18-30 or Matthew 19:16-30) – How does the rich young ruler get caught up in these 3 human lies?

Why do you think Jesus tells him to sell everything and give it to the poor? Do you think that is advice for all Christians, or just for this one person? (see also Mark 4:18,19; Luke 12:33, 34)

What do you think about the rest of the conversation with the disciples? What does he mean by the “eye of the needle” or “possible with God” or “who will not receive a hundred times as much,” etc.?

Self-Reflection

If Jesus were to look at us and say “you lack one thing,” what do you think that would be?

Which of the “3 lies” do you think you are most prone to mistakenly believe about your own identity?

How do we let that go? How do we determine what our “one thing” might be and how do we leave that behind so we can follow Jesus into deeper places?

What is Lent? Is this something you have heard of or ever tried to practice? How could participating in this be a helpful practice in letting go of something so we can open more of ourselves up to Christ?

Pray

Spend some time praying together