Jesus and the Billionaire

A simple discussion guide to help City Groups process the sermon together and apply it honestly this week.

Sermon

Sermon In a Sentence

Jesus shows that what keeps this rich ruler from the kingdom is not money itself but his dependence on wealth as his identity and security, and only God can free people to surrender what they trust and follow Christ.

Sermon Recap

What We Heard

In Matthew 19:16-30, Jesus exposes the rich young ruler’s real problem: though he appears moral and successful, he is still ruled by what he possesses and cannot let it go to follow Jesus. The sermon emphasized that Jesus is not giving a universal command that every believer must sell everything, but a precise diagnosis of this man’s heart—his wealth had become his safety, status, and functional savior. Because riches so easily become an object of trust, Jesus warns that it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom, yet what is impossible with man is possible with God. The call of the passage is to identify whatever we cling to most, repent where it competes with Christ, and trust that surrender to Jesus is not loss in the end but the path into the greater abundance of His kingdom.

Discuss

Questions For Your Group

What do you rely on most for your sense of safety, worth, or identity besides Jesus?
Where is generosity hard for you right now, and what might that reveal about your heart?
Is there something Jesus may be asking you to surrender because it is competing with your obedience to Him?
How does Jesus’ promise of future abundance help you loosen your grip on what feels too important to lose?

Scripture

Scripture Passage

Matthew 19:16-30

Read full passage

The Rich Young Ruler

16 Just then someone came up and asked him, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?” 17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” he said to him. “There is only one who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

“Which ones?” he asked him.

18 Jesus answered: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; 19 honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself. 20 “I have kept all these,” the young man told him. “What do I still lack?”

21 “If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard that, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

Possessions and the Kingdom

23 Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to 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 utterly astonished and asked, “Then who can be saved?”

26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter responded to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you. So what will there be for us?”

28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in 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.

29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Scripture text from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), used here for church ministry purposes.

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