1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:04,000 Why aren't you investing in tax liens? 2 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:09,920 All passive, no effort, double digit returns guaranteed. 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:13,360 Outperforms the stock market by a wide margin. 4 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:16,720 That's from an ad I heard this week. 5 00:00:18,080 --> 00:00:20,640 Why am I not investing in tax liens? 6 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:24,080 Well, for one thing, because I have never heard of them. 7 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:29,200 For another, if you're out there selling it to me on the 8 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:33,400 Internet, it probably isn't as much of A slam dunk as you're 9 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:37,000 making it out to be. My guess is those returns are 10 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:39,560 not nearly as guaranteed as you say they are. 11 00:00:40,160 --> 00:00:44,560 That zero effort probably involves more effort than you're 12 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,320 telling me. It's probably a lot more hidden 13 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:50,560 risk than your tidy advertisement and the class 14 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:53,520 you're trying to sell is going to acknowledge. 15 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:59,360 Lots of us want wealth. Sometimes we want it fast. 16 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:06,640 We often want it to come easy. Not only do we want more money, 17 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:10,440 sometimes we want lots more. We want lots more. 18 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:14,680 We want it now, and we want to get it without having to work 19 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:19,440 hard for it. Best of all, it's a guaranteed 20 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:22,960 payout. All you have to do is put in X 21 00:01:22,960 --> 00:01:29,920 amount of cash upfront. Do you want more money? 22 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:34,560 If you do, how do you plan to get it? 23 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:40,600 How you relate to money is one of the most revealing tests of 24 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:43,120 your character. What would you do to get more 25 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:47,720 money? What do you do with the money 26 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,360 you have? How do you respond when you lose 27 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:55,000 money? We don't like to admit it, but 28 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:58,800 money has a way of burrowing its roots deep into our hearts. 29 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:01,760 There's a lot we're willing to give up in order to gain money, 30 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:07,840 and money is often very hard to give up. 31 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:12,280 This morning we're continuing our series in Mark's Gospel with 32 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:16,000 chapter 10, verses 13 to 31. If you don't have a Bible, you 33 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,240 can raise your hand and someone will bring you one right now. 34 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:20,400 And if you don't have a Bible, because like you don't have one, 35 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:23,080 you can read at home, you can keep it, take it home with you, 36 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:25,000 read it. We'd be delighted for that to be 37 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,640 our gift to you. In our passage for this morning, 38 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:33,440 Jesus continues teaching on the demands of discipleship and what 39 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:37,440 being His follower means for your daily life. 40 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:39,760 What does it take to be His follower? 41 00:02:40,920 --> 00:02:44,280 What do you have to give up in order to become His follower? 42 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:51,640 And what do you stand to gain if you want to follow Jesus? 43 00:02:51,640 --> 00:02:57,160 What do you get to demand? And what is following Jesus 44 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:01,160 demand of you? Consider those questions as I 45 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:05,520 read Mark chapter 10 verses 13 to 31. 46 00:03:11,310 --> 00:03:14,550 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them. 47 00:03:15,670 --> 00:03:20,030 And the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was 48 00:03:20,030 --> 00:03:24,120 indignant and said to them, Let the children come to me, do not 49 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,800 hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of God. 50 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:31,640 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God 51 00:03:31,640 --> 00:03:36,200 like a child shall not enter it. And he took them in his hand. 52 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:39,480 He took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands 53 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:42,920 on them. And as he was setting out on his 54 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:45,680 journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, Good 55 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,200 teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? 56 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,480 And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? 57 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:56,880 No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments. 58 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:04,560 Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not 59 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:10,200 bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and 60 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:15,120 mother. And he said to him, Teacher, all 61 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:21,600 these I have kept from my youth. And Jesus looking at him, loved 62 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:29,360 him and said to him, You lack one thing, go sell all that you 63 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,840 have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in 64 00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:41,880 heaven, and come follow me. Disheartened by the saying, he 65 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:46,160 went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 66 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,000 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, How difficult 67 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:55,200 it will be for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of 68 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:58,760 God. And the disciples were amazed at 69 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,440 his words. But Jesus said to them again, 70 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,920 children, how difficult it is to enter the Kingdom of God. 71 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:12,520 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than 72 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:15,320 for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. 73 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:21,440 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, 74 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:27,280 Then who can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said, 75 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:33,080 With man it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are 76 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:40,280 possible with God. Peter began to say to him, See, 77 00:05:40,280 --> 00:05:42,240 we have left everything and followed you. 78 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:48,640 Jesus said, truly. I say to you, there is no one 79 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:55,240 who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father 80 00:05:55,520 --> 00:06:02,000 or children or lands, for my sake and for the Gospel, who 81 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:05,880 will not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and 82 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:10,280 brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with 83 00:06:10,280 --> 00:06:15,120 persecutions and in the age to come, eternal life. 84 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:25,560 But many who are first will be last, and the last first. 85 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:30,920 Here's the point of our passage in one sentence. 86 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:39,600 A follower of Jesus gives up everything for Jesus, then gains 87 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:46,280 everything from Jesus. A follower of Jesus gives up 88 00:06:46,280 --> 00:06:53,720 everything for Jesus, then gains everything from Jesus. 89 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:57,200 We'll unfold that truth in three steps as we walk through the 90 00:06:57,200 --> 00:06:59,720 passage. What does a follower of Jesus 91 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:05,000 give up and then gain? To be a follower of Jesus is 92 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:09,680 2.1. Demand nothing. 93 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:14,800 Demand nothing. That's the main point of Jesus's 94 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:18,440 interaction with children in verses 13 to 16. 95 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:22,520 To be a follower of Jesus is to make no demands, to assert no 96 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:23,920 rights. Why? 97 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:28,600 Because you have none. You have no status or standing 98 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:31,400 before God. You can make no claim on Him. 99 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:37,560 Instead, you can only receive His salvation as an act of His 100 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:41,280 sheer grace. Look first with me at verses 13 101 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,680 and 14. And they were bringing children 102 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:46,160 to him, that he might touch them. 103 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:49,840 And the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was 104 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:53,240 indignant and said to them, Let the children come to me, do not 105 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:58,080 hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of God. 106 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,080 Verse 3 doesn't specify who was bringing children to Jesus. 107 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:05,640 Presumably it was mostly parents, but it could have 108 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:07,560 included other friends or family members. 109 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:10,560 They wanted him to lay his hands on the children and pray for 110 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:12,600 them to pray a blessing over them. 111 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:15,520 Just a quick encouragement to parents here. 112 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:21,800 Parents, what can you do to bring your children to Jesus? 113 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:24,800 Let me encourage you to practice regular family worship. 114 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:29,080 Read scripture and pray and sing with your kids. 115 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:32,280 Bring them to Jesus by preaching the gospel to them over and over 116 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:36,159 again. Your highest priority as a 117 00:08:36,159 --> 00:08:40,919 parent should be to bring your kids to Jesus. 118 00:08:42,159 --> 00:08:44,080 But the disciples didn't understand that. 119 00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:47,320 They rebuked the people who were bringing their kids to Jesus. 120 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:50,160 Why? The text doesn't say so 121 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,960 explicitly, but whatever the reason, the disciples clearly 122 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:58,000 thought Jesus had more important things to do than spend time 123 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:00,400 with children. The disciples clearly thought 124 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:04,240 there were more important people for Jesus to pay attention to 125 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:08,080 than children. But that's not what Jesus 126 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:10,720 thought. Verse 14 tells us Jesus was 127 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:14,840 indignant with the disciples. He was angry with them. 128 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:18,200 And so he rebukes them for rebuking others. 129 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:20,680 He commands them to let children come to him. 130 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:24,800 And what reason does he give? He says, For to such belongs the 131 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:28,880 Kingdom of God. So Jesus receives and welcomes 132 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:31,520 children, kids in the congregation. 133 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:37,000 Jesus embraces you. Will you embrace him? 134 00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:42,720 Jesus welcomes you. Will you welcome him? 135 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,800 Now, Jesus doesn't exactly say that the Kingdom belongs to 136 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:49,680 children. Instead, when he says the 137 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:53,400 Kingdom belongs to such, he means the Kingdom of heaven 138 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:55,920 belongs to people who are like children. 139 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:59,840 Jesus embraces children, and he uses those children to teach his 140 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:02,160 disciples a lesson about how to receive the Kingdom. 141 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:06,440 What is that lesson? Here's verses 15 and 16. 142 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:11,560 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of 143 00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:14,240 God like a child shall not enter it. 144 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:17,680 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands 145 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:20,880 on them. So what does it mean to receive 146 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:25,040 the Kingdom of God like a child or in a childlike way? 147 00:10:25,560 --> 00:10:27,960 Again, the crucial thing to remember, as we saw a few weeks 148 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:32,680 ago, is that in Jesus day, children had no status. 149 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:35,880 They were totally subject to the will of others. 150 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:39,920 They had no legal or social standing to make claims or 151 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:44,120 demands on anyone. So Jesus is not appealing to 152 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:48,320 some allegedly innate quality in children like that. 153 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:51,600 They're innocent or trusting or humble. 154 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:56,840 Instead, he's pointing out that children can make no demands 155 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:02,280 because they have no status. They can make no claims. 156 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:07,760 In other words, to receive the Kingdom, to enter into a right 157 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:11,480 relationship with God, to receive the salvation Jesus is 158 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:15,720 offering, you have to die to yourself. 159 00:11:16,560 --> 00:11:19,840 To receive the Kingdom, you have to lower yourself, lower 160 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:23,120 yourself down to the level where you will make no demands 161 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:29,320 whatsoever. To receive the Kingdom, you have 162 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:33,920 to realize that what you bring to the table is only lack, only 163 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:39,920 need, only emptiness. When you realize that, you 164 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:43,000 realize that you have no standing by which to make 165 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,960 demands. Every parent knows the 166 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:49,680 difference between a request and a demand. 167 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:53,640 Not every child seems to know the difference, so parents have 168 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:56,120 to teach them. Mom, dad, Gimme. 169 00:11:57,560 --> 00:12:04,920 No, you say, Mom, Dad, may I please have You don't demand you 170 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:09,480 ask politely. That simple lesson is at the 171 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:13,720 heart of what Jesus is teaching here in order to get right with 172 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,040 God. You may not say Gimme. 173 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,120 You may not bring a list of demands. 174 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:22,280 You can't say to God, all right, I'll sign up and play for your 175 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:26,960 team if you give me XYZ, if you make the deal sweet enough, if 176 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:29,280 you make a better offer than some of these other teams that 177 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,680 are out there competing with your team, I'll trust you and 178 00:12:32,680 --> 00:12:35,000 keep your word. If you promise you give me this 179 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,920 and let me keep that and I get to hold on to this other. 180 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:45,640 You do not get to negotiate favorable terms for your signing 181 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:52,000 with God. Total self surrender is the only 182 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:57,640 way to become a Christian. To follow Jesus is to demand 183 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:03,640 nothing. Self negation is the shape of 184 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:06,760 the Christian life. The less you assert yourself 185 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:10,520 before God, the more your heart and will will align with God's 186 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:15,000 heart and will. The Christian life is no demands 187 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:18,360 all dependence. The Christian life is no 188 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:23,760 assertion of rights, all reception of grace. 189 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:28,800 You can't come to God and say I deserve that, because all you 190 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:32,640 can do is cast yourself totally on his mercy and on his care. 191 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:36,480 The central dynamic of the Christian life is that you have 192 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:40,440 no claim on God, and yet he gives to you with infinite 193 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:44,240 generosity. You have no demands. 194 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:48,600 He has all abundance. Recognizing that should lead you 195 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:51,520 to be loving and generous toward those who have no claim on you, 196 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:55,160 those who can make no demands on you, those who do not stand to 197 00:13:55,320 --> 00:13:59,880 enrich you or elevate your status in any way. 198 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:05,080 Jesus illustrates his point about the Kingdom by his own 199 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:08,840 compassion and kindness toward children. 200 00:14:09,560 --> 00:14:13,440 So the main point is that we should become like children and 201 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:17,000 having no demands, making no status claims before God. 202 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:20,720 But Jesus illustrates that by his own kind, compassionate 203 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:23,440 embrace of children. So how should we emulate that 204 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:27,000 attitude where Jesus welcomes and embraces those who are 205 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:30,480 least, including children? A few practical encouragements. 206 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:35,280 Married couples, if you don't yet have children and you've 207 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:39,280 been intentionally seeking to avoid conception, let me 208 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:41,840 encourage you to embrace the gift of children. 209 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:46,160 Children are certainly a burden, but even more than that, they 210 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:50,160 are a blessing. Children change you in ways you 211 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:51,720 didn't know you needed to be changed. 212 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:55,600 Children bless you in ways you didn't know you needed to be 213 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:58,840 blessed. Children are the natural fruit 214 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:03,600 and fulfillment of marriage. They're part of what marriage is 215 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:05,600 for. They're a gift to be embraced 216 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:09,800 with open arms. If you don't want children, what 217 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:13,680 do you want more, and what does that say about your heart? 218 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:17,680 For all of us in the church, whether married or single 219 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:21,840 parents or otherwise, let's embrace the children of our 220 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:24,400 church. God has blessed us richly by 221 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:28,080 blessing us with almost as many children as we have members. 222 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:30,360 That's a gift. That's a blessing. 223 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:33,640 It's something to be celebrated and thank the Lord for. 224 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:37,200 It's a blessing that we have so many kids and it seems we have 225 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:42,120 more kids coming by the week. Talk with kids at church. 226 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:44,840 Engage them in spiritual conversation. 227 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:49,160 Get to know them and their families patiently, cheerfully. 228 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:52,560 Bear with the distraction that children bring. 229 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:56,560 A church that's noisy because it's full of children is a whole 230 00:15:56,560 --> 00:16:00,200 lot better than a church that is quiet because there are none. 231 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:05,160 The noise is a sign God's blessing. 232 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:09,280 Consider how you can serve the children of the church. 233 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:12,680 Engage them in spiritual conversations, ask them 234 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:15,800 spiritual questions. Or you could even consider 235 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:17,920 volunteering to teach in our children's ministry. 236 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:21,640 Jesus welcomes children, and so should we. 237 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:25,720 But again, the main point is not what to do with children, but 238 00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:27,440 the way in which we have to become like children. 239 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:30,720 Have no status. Make no demands. 240 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:37,520 If you demand nothing, that means you will be willing to 241 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:44,200 point #2 give up everything. Give up everything. 242 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:49,360 We see this in verses 17 to 27. To be a follower of Jesus is to 243 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:54,280 be willing in principle to give up everything in order to gain 244 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:57,440 Him. It's to be willing to part with 245 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:04,480 anything in order to obey Him. To be a Christian is to forever 246 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:09,079 give away the right to say no. Jesus, you can't take that. 247 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:15,440 Jesus teaches us this in his encounter with the rich man that 248 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:18,599 begins in verse 17. Look first to verse 17. 249 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:22,119 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt 250 00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:25,400 before him and asked him, Good teacher, what must I do to 251 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:28,200 inherit eternal life? We'll only learn later in the 252 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:31,840 passage that the man is wealthy. The Gospel of Luke adds that 253 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:34,560 he's a ruler, meaning a leader in the synagogue. 254 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:37,960 And Matthew tells us that he's young, so he's often called the 255 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:42,280 rich young ruler. But this man doesn't just have 256 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:47,840 wealth and social standing. He's also earnest and zealous in 257 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:51,160 his approach to Jesus. He he kneels before him, he 258 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:54,320 implores him, indicating humility and a genuine desire to 259 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:56,200 hear Jesus answer to his question. 260 00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:59,000 The question he asks is sober and serious. 261 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:02,240 What must I do to inherit eternal life? 262 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:07,480 That is the best question anyone has asked Jesus in the entire 263 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:11,120 gospel so far. He's off to a good start. 264 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:16,880 This is a crucial question. Most Jews of Jesus's day 265 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:20,880 believed in a coming resurrection and new creation on 266 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:23,480 the far side of God's final act of judgement. 267 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:27,800 So that naturally raises the question, who will make it 268 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:30,800 through that judgement into the resurrection and the new 269 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:33,760 creation? What do I have to do to inherit 270 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:37,240 that eternal life? If you're not a believer in 271 00:18:37,360 --> 00:18:40,080 Jesus, we're glad you're here. We're delighted you would come. 272 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:43,080 We hope you'll make friends with others in the church, find 273 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:45,560 people you can talk to about whatever spiritual questions you 274 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:47,920 have. I would encourage you that the 275 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:50,120 most important question you could ask this morning is this. 276 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:54,440 What must I do to inherit eternal life? 277 00:18:56,120 --> 00:18:59,840 That's a better question than any of the dozens of questions 278 00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:01,760 that might be jostling around your head right now, competing 279 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:03,480 for your attention while I'm preaching this sermon. 280 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:08,080 What must I do to inherit eternal life? 281 00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:11,680 Notice also how this man addresses Jesus. 282 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:15,560 He calls him good teacher. That's an unusual way to address 283 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:17,840 a rabbi. We don't really find that in 284 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:23,040 Jewish literature. It's more than usually polite 285 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:27,840 and Jesus answer seems abrupt. Verse 18 And Jesus said to him, 286 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:31,600 Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 287 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:36,480 I think Jesus is acknowledging that the man has at least a 288 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:42,080 partly right understanding of who he is, but he's testing him 289 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:48,400 to see just how right. Note that Jesus doesn't strictly 290 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:53,520 issue a denial. He asks the question, then he 291 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:57,680 adds A theological truth to put the question in context. 292 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:02,560 Why do you call me good? It's as if he's asking, just how 293 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:07,800 good do you think I am? What kind of goodness do you 294 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:10,960 think I have? And he reminds him, no one is 295 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:13,800 good except God alone. So Jesus raising the stakes. 296 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:18,120 His wording alludes to Deuteronomy 64, the Shema, the 297 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:21,480 central confession of Israel. You could bring out that 298 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:25,000 illusion by translating Jesus reply as no one is good except 299 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:30,040 the one God, or no one is good except God who is 1. 300 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:34,120 There is a goodness that belongs to God alone. 301 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:39,200 Only God is infinitely good, only God is good without limit 302 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:44,360 or defect. Only God is perfectly good, and 303 00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:49,120 only God is the source of all the other goodness that exists. 304 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:53,920 All creaturely goodness, whether goodness in a human being or 305 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:58,480 goodness in this world, is a participation in God's goodness 306 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:07,280 and reflects God's goodness. So, rich young ruler, how good 307 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:10,320 do you think Jesus is? What kind of goodness is it? 308 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:13,360 Then Jesus begins to answer the man's question. 309 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:16,320 How can I inherit eternal life? Verse 19, You know, the 310 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:19,840 commandments do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not 311 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:23,160 steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor 312 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:26,600 your father and mother. Here Jesus quotes the 313 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:28,960 second-half of the 10 commandments, often called the 314 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:31,600 second table of the law. These are the commandments that 315 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:33,800 have to do with how we treat other people, and they're 316 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:37,760 summarized in Leviticus 1918 As you shall love your neighbor as 317 00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:40,360 yourself. Jesus quotes them out of order 318 00:21:40,360 --> 00:21:43,120 because he's just summarizing. It's just kind of a short, 319 00:21:43,120 --> 00:21:45,760 casual reference to shared common knowledge. 320 00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:49,360 And also instead of the 10th Commandment, you shall not 321 00:21:49,360 --> 00:21:52,840 covet, he puts in you shall not defraud. 322 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:56,680 I think what's going on there is that defrauding is a concrete 323 00:21:56,680 --> 00:22:01,000 application of coveting. If you have an inward inordinate 324 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,040 desire for something you shouldn't have or something that 325 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:08,000 doesn't belong to you, if that goes unchecked, it will lead you 326 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:11,680 to do harmful things toward others to get that thing you 327 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:14,080 want. So I think it's an application 328 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:18,160 of coveting. It's important to recognize that 329 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:21,760 from the very beginning of his response to this man's question, 330 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:28,400 Jesus is setting out a test. First, he tests how well the man 331 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:30,520 knows Jesus. That's verse 18. 332 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:36,800 Now in verse 19, he begins to test how well the man knows 333 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:39,840 himself. The man asked him a question. 334 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:44,840 Jesus pings it back to him as a test of his self knowledge. 335 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:52,960 Now in verse 19, Jesus holds up God's law as a mirror. 336 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:56,280 That's one of the purposes of God's law is to serve as a 337 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:59,920 mirror for all of us. You will learn more about 338 00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:04,920 yourself by staring into the mirror of God's law then you 339 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:07,520 will by just gazing into your own thoughts. 340 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:12,320 If you want to know yourself better, gaze into the mirror of 341 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:15,800 the law and then look at yourself, and then look back at 342 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:17,760 the law and then look at yourself. 343 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:23,240 By comparing yourself to God's law, you will gain a kind of 344 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:25,520 self knowledge you will not have any other way. 345 00:23:26,120 --> 00:23:29,160 So Jesus holds up the mirror of the law and asks the man to tell 346 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:32,280 him what he sees. Verse 20. 347 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:38,040 And he said to him, Teacher, all these I've kept from my youth. 348 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:41,640 Now, it's important not to jump to the conclusion that the man 349 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:43,840 is a hypocrite. I don't think we're meant to 350 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:46,360 think that he's lying. He's sincere. 351 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:48,800 He's a very moral person. He's upstanding. 352 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:50,640 He's a religious leader in the community. 353 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,480 He knows the law. And as far as he knows, he's 354 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:55,680 kept the law. He hasn't murdered anybody. 355 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:58,880 He hasn't stolen anything. He hasn't committed adultery. 356 00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:01,720 He hasn't defrauded anybody. Jesus. 357 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:03,960 Yeah, I know the commandments. I love the commandments. 358 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:06,080 I do the commandments. I've kept them my whole life. 359 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:13,120 So he's very upright. He's sincere, but he's also 360 00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:16,880 ignorant. He doesn't know God's law like 361 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:21,040 he should, and so he doesn't know his own heart as he should. 362 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:26,680 He doesn't understand that God's law addresses not only outward 363 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:32,680 action, but inward desire. The law is not only outward and 364 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:38,960 moral, it's also spiritual. By implication, the command not 365 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:42,400 to murder prohibits sinful anger. 366 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:45,960 By implication, the commandment not to commit adultery prohibits 367 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:48,480 lust. That's exactly what Jesus 368 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:50,920 teaches in a sermon on the mound in Matthew 5. 369 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:54,480 And when Jesus does that, he's not like coming up with some 370 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:56,880 magical spiritual insight that nobody ever could have had 371 00:24:56,880 --> 00:24:58,760 before. He's just teaching the true 372 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:02,840 meaning of the law. God's law prohibits murder, and 373 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:05,200 so it prohibits everything that could possibly lead to or 374 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:08,840 contribute to murder. If murder's prohibited, anything 375 00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:10,480 that sets you on the path is prohibited. 376 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:14,440 God's law prohibits adultery. So anything that would set you 377 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:17,040 on the path, anything that would weaken your defense, anything 378 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:20,080 that would begin to pull you in that direction is also 379 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:23,240 prohibited. That's the true meaning of God's 380 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:27,120 law. If the man knew the true 381 00:25:27,120 --> 00:25:29,360 spiritual reach of the law, he'd have a whole different knowledge 382 00:25:29,360 --> 00:25:32,320 of his own heart. He'd know that even if he's kept 383 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:36,360 all the commandments outwardly, he has not kept them inwardly. 384 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,560 If he knew the law better, he'd know that sin is everywhere in 385 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:41,240 his heart. It's in his thoughts. 386 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:44,480 It's in his reflexes. It's in how he responds to an 387 00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:49,480 insult. It's in how he feels when 388 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:53,400 someone gets something he really wants but doesn't have. 389 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:57,680 He may not have defrauded, but he has coveted. 390 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:01,280 We all have. I have, You have. 391 00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:06,840 Do you know God's law? Do you know your own heart? 392 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:14,160 In verse 21, Jesus continues the test and he ratchets it up to 393 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:17,600 the next level. He continues to test not whether 394 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:21,040 the man is lying, but whether he knows the truth about himself in 395 00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:27,320 the 1st place, verse 21. And Jesus looking at him, loved 396 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:32,200 him and said to him, you lack one thing, go sell all that you 397 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:35,000 have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven 398 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:41,280 and come follow me. Jesus looks at the man lovingly 399 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:45,960 because the man is earnest but ignorant. 400 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:51,240 He's sincere but he's self deceived. 401 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:55,120 So Jesus pities him. He has compassion on him and he 402 00:26:55,120 --> 00:27:00,640 expresses that compassion in the form of an insanely demanding 403 00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:04,400 command. The command is meant to shock 404 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:12,320 this man into spiritual life. Jesus challenge is as loving as 405 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:17,040 his look. Jesus is testing how badly this 406 00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:19,880 man really wants eternal life. Do you want it so badly you're 407 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:22,000 willing to give up all your earthly wealth now? 408 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:26,240 Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is? 409 00:27:26,360 --> 00:27:29,640 Literally, you say you want eternal life. 410 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:33,520 OK, give up all your money in such a way that it'll only pay 411 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:37,320 off in eternity. You want eternal life? 412 00:27:38,120 --> 00:27:44,960 I'm showing you how Jesus has divinely discerned the single 413 00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:51,080 point on which the fate of this man's soul will turn his wealth. 414 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:59,240 How does man respond? Verse 21 Disheartened by the 415 00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:05,480 saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 416 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:07,960 What's the one thing this man lacked? 417 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:13,360 He lacked the willingness to give up everything in order to 418 00:28:13,360 --> 00:28:16,320 follow Christ. He lacked a heart fully 419 00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:21,000 surrendered to God in Christ. You might say he lacked the 420 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:24,760 willingness and the ability to put to death his love of money. 421 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:29,880 What does a man response show? It shows that he hasn't kept 422 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:33,840 God's law at all. For one thing, he sure hasn't 423 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:39,520 kept the command not to covet. If he chooses to keep his wealth 424 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:44,120 at the cost of his own eternal soul, that shows he's in bondage 425 00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:50,120 to covetousness. He loves wealth so much he would 426 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:55,840 rather die forever with it than live forever without it. 427 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:01,000 So he's broken the 10th commandment for sure, but he's 428 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:03,120 also broken the very first commandment. 429 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:06,200 The first commandment and the 10th commandment go together. 430 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:11,240 You shall have no other gods before me. 431 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:13,960 What God has he put before the true God? 432 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:17,400 Money. Jesus's command to sell 433 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:20,200 everything and give all the proceeds to the poor is not a 434 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:23,120 command that he gives to all people, but a specifically 435 00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:27,120 tailored command to meet this one man's spiritual need. 436 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:31,280 This command alone could expose the man's heart to himself. 437 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:34,600 Why? Because he had made wealth an 438 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:36,240 idol. He'd made wealth something he 439 00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:38,360 worshipped. He was unwilling to part with 440 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:43,360 his wealth even it cost him eternal life with Jesus. 441 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:50,160 This man saw enough good in Jesus to come to him and fall 442 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:56,880 before him and ask him an earnest question, but he did not 443 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:01,960 see the fullness of Jesus goodness, otherwise he never 444 00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:09,320 would have left him. If he knew how good Jesus is, he 445 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:13,720 would have known. Jesus is worth giving up 446 00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:16,720 everything for. This is not arbitrary. 447 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:20,200 This is not some like bizarre spiritual game where the rules 448 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:22,280 just change around in ways you can't predict. 449 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:27,880 Jesus is worth giving up everything for. 450 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:29,680 That's what Jesus teaching this man. 451 00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:32,120 That's what he's teaching all of us. 452 00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:38,240 To be a follower of Jesus is to be willing and principle to give 453 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:41,120 up everything for him. It's to decide in advance that 454 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:45,040 following Jesus word that even if it costs you everything, if 455 00:30:45,280 --> 00:30:50,680 being a Christian isn't costing you something, you're doing it 456 00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:55,720 wrong. If being a Christian isn't hard, 457 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:01,200 you're doing it wrong. This man made a tragic choice. 458 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:06,200 He chose wealth over Jesus, money in this life over infinite 459 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:08,960 bliss in the world to come. He chose the treasure that will 460 00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:11,720 disappear over treasure that will never fade. 461 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:17,600 He chose uncertain joy for a short time over certain joy 462 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:22,760 forever. Why should you give up 463 00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:27,080 everything to gain Jesus? Because Jesus gave up everything 464 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:30,760 to purchase you. God is our Creator. 465 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:33,800 We owe Him everything. We owe him our lives, our 466 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:36,640 hearts, ourselves. And the essence of sin is 467 00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:38,320 putting other things in God's place. 468 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:42,400 The essence of sin is living for what we want and making it 469 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:46,080 something other than God. That racks up an infinite debt 470 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:49,640 that we can never repay. It's an infinite offense. 471 00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:54,680 It's not like the traffic toll I have to pay that only cost $0.92 472 00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:57,840 and just somehow it's taking me like 1/2 hour to try to get 473 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:02,320 through the system and pay. Our sin is not like a 92 cent 474 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:05,160 traffic toll. Our sin wrecks up an infinite 475 00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:08,440 debt. And Jesus became Incarnate and 476 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:12,520 lived a perfect life and endured hardship, had nowhere to lay His 477 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:15,240 head, had no permanent possessions of His own, gave up 478 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:20,000 everything and gave his very life to pay the debt of the sin 479 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:22,440 of all those who had turned from sin and trust in Him. 480 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:25,080 And then he rose from the dead, entering into glory, entering 481 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:28,600 into a whole new mode of life that'll never lose anything, 482 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:31,680 that'll never be threatened by death, entering into glory to 483 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:34,960 say this is what glory you'll have if you turn from sin and 484 00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:37,400 trust in me. If you've never turned from sin 485 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:41,920 and trusted in Jesus, he's worth giving up everything for. 486 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:46,200 All you have to do to get right with God and inherit His Kingdom 487 00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:49,280 is turn from sin and believe in Him. 488 00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:57,000 The gospel is a promise of endless gain, infinite gain, and 489 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:03,800 it's based on a great exchange. Jesus took on our sins so that 490 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:07,640 we could have His righteousness. Jesus took on our poverty so 491 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:10,960 that we could have His infinite wealth. 492 00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:17,120 If you're not a believer in Jesus, put yourself in the shoes 493 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:21,000 of this rich young ruler. If you came to Him, said, Hey, 494 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:22,680 what does it take for me to get right with you? 495 00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:27,680 What question would he ask you? What would he ask you to give 496 00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:30,120 up? Here's another way to get at 497 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:33,520 that question. What would you find hardest to 498 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:37,920 give up in order to start following Christ? 499 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:42,040 What would you least want Jesus to demand? 500 00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:44,600 No Jesus, please, not that. How about something else, 501 00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:49,240 Anything else, but not this? However you'd answer that 502 00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:51,040 question, you need to hear Jesus's call. 503 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:58,440 Give it up, sell it off, give it away, kill it, die to it and 504 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:03,960 come follow Him. If you are a believer in Jesus, 505 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:06,320 what's your most dangerous temptation? 506 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:09,880 What's your desire, your attachment, your value, your 507 00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:14,000 commitment that is most in danger of turning you away from 508 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:19,440 following Him. In verses 23 to 25, Jesus begins 509 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:22,520 to teach his disciples the lesson that they should learn 510 00:34:22,639 --> 00:34:26,840 from this man's tragic choice. And Jesus looked around and said 511 00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:29,960 to his disciples, how difficult it will be for those who have 512 00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:31,920 wealth to enter the Kingdom of God. 513 00:34:32,639 --> 00:34:35,000 And the disciples were amazed at his words. 514 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:38,360 But Jesus said to them again, children, how difficult it is to 515 00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:42,080 enter the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go 516 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:46,120 through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the 517 00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:53,239 Kingdom of God. For hundreds of years people 518 00:34:53,239 --> 00:34:56,679 have attempted to make Jesus's saying in verse 25 seem more 519 00:34:56,679 --> 00:34:59,040 reasonable. If you've come to church for a 520 00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:02,440 while, you've probably heard a story along the lines of there's 521 00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:05,560 this gate outside Jerusalem and it's called the needle gates. 522 00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:08,200 And it was very narrow and animals that would pass through 523 00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:10,440 it had to take off all their baggage in order to fit through. 524 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:13,600 And so it kind of symbolizes that a rich person has to humble 525 00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:16,320 themselves and get rid of the baggage of their wealth in order 526 00:35:16,320 --> 00:35:20,960 to enter God's Kingdom. Problem is, that interpretation 527 00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:23,760 only began to arise 1000 years after the time of Jesus. 528 00:35:24,520 --> 00:35:29,800 Somebody just made it up. There is no gate called the 529 00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:34,200 needle. When Jesus says it is easier for 530 00:35:34,200 --> 00:35:37,680 a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person 531 00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:41,520 to enter the Kingdom of God, he is inviting you to imagine this 532 00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:45,320 teeny tiny space and large animal. 533 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:50,400 He is inviting you to draw the conclusion that is impossible. 534 00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:55,440 He is not saying it's hard for a rich person to enter the 535 00:35:55,440 --> 00:36:00,440 Kingdom. He is saying it's impossible. 536 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:03,720 And if that sounds crazy, you got to know that's how the 537 00:36:03,720 --> 00:36:07,680 disciples heard it essentially. That's crazy is what they said 538 00:36:07,680 --> 00:36:09,480 to him. So we got to sit here for a 539 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:11,120 minute. We're we're going to see some 540 00:36:11,120 --> 00:36:13,520 resolution. The pictures going to clarify. 541 00:36:13,920 --> 00:36:17,840 But first you have to hear Jesus says it's impossible. 542 00:36:21,640 --> 00:36:24,800 There are plenty of religions, some even they call themselves 543 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:30,600 Christian, that treat wealth as an infallible sign of God's 544 00:36:30,600 --> 00:36:34,080 blessing. The world assumes wealth and 545 00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:39,480 possessions are only an asset. Jesus here declares that in 546 00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:44,320 spiritual terms, wealth is a massive liability. 547 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:47,600 He treats wealth not as a blessing, but an obstacle. 548 00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:51,000 If wealth keeps you from entering God's Kingdom, then it 549 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:54,000 is no better for you than a millstone around your neck. 550 00:36:56,080 --> 00:36:57,440 So we need to sit with this warning. 551 00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:02,800 How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter 552 00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:04,880 the Kingdom of God. Why? 553 00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:08,480 Why is it difficult for those with wealth to enter the Kingdom 554 00:37:08,480 --> 00:37:12,080 of God? It's because wealth is an 555 00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:19,480 all-purpose God substitute. Money is a uniquely versatile 556 00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:22,480 idol. Some idols can only play one 557 00:37:22,480 --> 00:37:25,520 position. Wealth can play them all. 558 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:32,000 Power, pleasure, prestige, protection on their own. 559 00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:38,520 Each has its limits, but money can get you power, pleasure, 560 00:37:38,520 --> 00:37:42,000 prestige, protection, and whatever else you want. 561 00:37:42,320 --> 00:37:46,120 Money's an idol that can grant you access to whatever idol your 562 00:37:46,120 --> 00:37:49,840 heart serves. Money's like a genie that can 563 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:53,440 get you whatever it is your heart is enslaved to. 564 00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:57,880 Money's like a shape shifting superhero idol. 565 00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:02,760 It can turn itself into whatever it is you most want. 566 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:09,680 Money is hard to get out of your hands and hard to get out of 567 00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:14,120 your heart. If you do have wealth, leave it 568 00:38:14,120 --> 00:38:16,320 to your own conscience to answer for yourself. 569 00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:21,280 If you do have wealth, don't set your heart on it. 570 00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:26,120 Beware the temptation to give it ever greater time and effort, 571 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:30,320 ever greater attention, ever greater affection. 572 00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:36,000 Beware of lifestyle creep every time your pay raises, so do the 573 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:38,600 price tags on all the stuff that you need to have just to have a 574 00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:43,040 normal life. Beware of appetites that grow 575 00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:47,400 with or that grow faster than your paycheck. 576 00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:51,520 If you do have wealth, what should you do with it? 577 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:56,520 Give it away generously. Use it to bless and serve 578 00:38:56,520 --> 00:38:59,480 others. Whether it's a nice car or a 579 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:04,680 nice house, only buy something you'd be glad to let others use 580 00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:08,880 or borrow. Only buy something that in good 581 00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:13,520 conscience you can use openly and give generously. 582 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:17,920 You can also consider imposing a cap on how much your family will 583 00:39:17,920 --> 00:39:20,360 live on and save and then give the rest away. 584 00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:24,160 Or you could consider steadily increasing the percentage of 585 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:29,520 your income that you give away. The point is this, money wants 586 00:39:29,720 --> 00:39:35,000 your heart. Don't let money get a hold of 587 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:40,080 your heart. Instead, show Jesus you love Him 588 00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:43,280 more than you love money by what you do with money. 589 00:39:44,240 --> 00:39:46,560 So does Jesus here single out wealth? 590 00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:50,440 It's kind of a yes and no. He points to the unique 591 00:39:50,440 --> 00:39:55,000 temptations of wealth to teach us all a lesson about what we 592 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:58,760 have to give up to follow him. To be Jesus follower is to be 593 00:39:58,760 --> 00:40:03,200 willing to give up everything. And the disciples are shocked. 594 00:40:03,360 --> 00:40:06,040 They're stunned. A rich person barred from the 595 00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:09,080 Kingdom isn't that backward. Isn't wealth a sign of God's 596 00:40:09,080 --> 00:40:11,720 blessing? Look at verses 26 and 27. 597 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:15,560 They were exceedingly astonished and said to him, then, who can 598 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:18,480 be saved? Jesus looked at them and said 599 00:40:19,480 --> 00:40:28,200 With man it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are 600 00:40:28,200 --> 00:40:32,680 possible with God. The disciples thought the rich 601 00:40:32,680 --> 00:40:34,400 young ruler would have been a prime recruit. 602 00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:36,960 He's got standing in the community, he's got a good 603 00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:41,000 reputation, He's got plenty of resources we can leverage for 604 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:45,320 Kingdom purposes. Surely Jesus, this is a keeper. 605 00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:48,680 This is not time for catch and release. 606 00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:51,520 Why are you turning this dude away? 607 00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:56,080 Think about how much good he could do for us. 608 00:40:58,160 --> 00:41:03,000 But Jesus turns worldly values on their heads like Mary sings 609 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:07,240 in Luke 153. He has filled the hungry with 610 00:41:07,240 --> 00:41:11,680 good things, but has sent the rich away empty. 611 00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:17,120 Beware of thinking that someone is a prime recruit for the 612 00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:22,920 Kingdom because of any wealth or status or resources that they 613 00:41:22,920 --> 00:41:27,600 have. Beware of paying insufficient 614 00:41:27,720 --> 00:41:31,840 attention to somebody who might be in spiritual need or might be 615 00:41:31,840 --> 00:41:36,440 spiritually open because they seem to have nothing in worldly 616 00:41:36,440 --> 00:41:40,640 terms. Verse 27 is really a key to the 617 00:41:40,640 --> 00:41:43,760 whole passage. With man it is impossible, but 618 00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:46,280 not with God, for all things are possible with God. 619 00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:53,120 Salvation is humanly impossible and divinely possible. 620 00:41:53,760 --> 00:41:57,880 Only God can give eternal life. Only God can grant someone faith 621 00:41:57,880 --> 00:42:00,600 and repentance. Only God can grant someone's 622 00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:02,880 heart to break free from the love of money. 623 00:42:03,640 --> 00:42:07,120 Only God can make someone willing to give up everything in 624 00:42:07,120 --> 00:42:10,320 order to gain him. Eternal life not only has God as 625 00:42:10,320 --> 00:42:16,440 its goal, it has God as its beginning, its source. 626 00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:21,160 The salvation of a rich person is a miracle. 627 00:42:22,680 --> 00:42:31,600 The salvation of any person is a miracle, and God specializes in 628 00:42:31,600 --> 00:42:36,400 miracles. No one can save themselves and 629 00:42:36,400 --> 00:42:38,200 no one is beyond the reach of God's grace. 630 00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:41,640 So what should you do? To paraphrase our church 631 00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:47,160 covenant, Evangelize boldly, pray fervently, and leave the 632 00:42:47,160 --> 00:42:54,120 results to God. Point #3 Gain everything. 633 00:42:55,000 --> 00:43:00,840 To be a follower of Jesus is to gain everything. 634 00:43:02,080 --> 00:43:05,560 That's what Jesus promises will happen to every believer in 635 00:43:05,560 --> 00:43:11,920 verses 28 to 31. Every sacrifice you make in 636 00:43:11,920 --> 00:43:16,360 order to follow Jesus and help others follow Jesus will be more 637 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:23,320 than repaid both now and in eternity. 638 00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:27,640 Prompted by Jesus encounter with the rich man, Peter begins to 639 00:43:27,640 --> 00:43:31,560 reflect on the sacrifices the disciples have already made in 640 00:43:31,560 --> 00:43:36,120 order to follow Jesus. Verse 28 Peter began to say to 641 00:43:36,120 --> 00:43:38,240 him, see, we have left everything and followed you. 642 00:43:38,840 --> 00:43:42,840 In other words, hey Jesus, we, we've pretty much already done 643 00:43:42,840 --> 00:43:44,440 what you just told that rich guy to do. 644 00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:46,720 What's going to happen to us? What do you we've left 645 00:43:46,720 --> 00:43:49,560 everything. What do you have for us now? 646 00:43:50,600 --> 00:43:53,200 The fact that Peter and the other disciples have left 647 00:43:53,200 --> 00:43:57,080 everything doesn't necessarily mean they've sold everything. 648 00:43:57,440 --> 00:44:00,680 They were fishermen. Some of them still had boats. 649 00:44:01,040 --> 00:44:03,560 That's how they travelled around the Sea of Galilee. 650 00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:06,360 Another evidence that they didn't necessarily sell 651 00:44:06,360 --> 00:44:08,760 everything is that the house Jesus used for ministry in 652 00:44:08,760 --> 00:44:11,920 Capernaum over and over again was very likely Peter's family 653 00:44:11,920 --> 00:44:15,600 home. So not all his disciples sold 654 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:19,640 everything, but all 12 who were travelling with Him throughout 655 00:44:19,640 --> 00:44:22,320 his earthly ministry had turned their backs on their whole 656 00:44:22,320 --> 00:44:25,040 previous life. They'd left homes and jobs. 657 00:44:25,640 --> 00:44:29,000 They had no security beyond what came direct from God's hand. 658 00:44:29,160 --> 00:44:32,800 Whatever Jesus would eat is what they would eat. 659 00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:36,160 However Jesus got provided for is how they would get provided 660 00:44:36,160 --> 00:44:38,400 for. Wherever Jesus was able to sleep 661 00:44:38,720 --> 00:44:40,520 is where they would be able to sleep. 662 00:44:41,280 --> 00:44:44,120 They left their jobs, their income, and the use of whatever 663 00:44:44,120 --> 00:44:48,040 possessions they had in order to follow Jesus and join him on his 664 00:44:48,040 --> 00:44:50,680 mission. Jesus here essentially 665 00:44:50,680 --> 00:44:55,280 interrupts Peter verse 28. Peter began to say if he had the 666 00:44:55,280 --> 00:44:56,800 chance to finish his thought, it probably would have been 667 00:44:56,800 --> 00:44:59,760 something like, what about us? What is there for us now? 668 00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:03,480 What do we get who've given up everything? 669 00:45:04,560 --> 00:45:13,640 Jesus says, I know Peter, I know what you've given up and I know 670 00:45:13,640 --> 00:45:19,400 what you're about to ask. Verses 29 and 30, Jesus said, 671 00:45:24,990 --> 00:45:28,190 truly, I say to you, there's no one who has left house or 672 00:45:28,190 --> 00:45:37,950 brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for 673 00:45:37,950 --> 00:45:44,350 my sake and for the Gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold 674 00:45:45,030 --> 00:45:52,120 now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers 675 00:45:52,120 --> 00:45:58,040 and children and lands with persecutions, and in the age to 676 00:45:58,040 --> 00:46:04,640 come, eternal life. When I read those words, it's 677 00:46:04,640 --> 00:46:09,720 hard not to think about specific people, specific names and 678 00:46:09,720 --> 00:46:12,560 stories. A dear sister who came to faith 679 00:46:12,560 --> 00:46:15,240 as an adult, whose dad's a militant atheist, and she is 680 00:46:15,240 --> 00:46:18,920 wondering what her conversion's going to do to her relationship 681 00:46:18,920 --> 00:46:22,240 with her dad. A dear brother whose parents 682 00:46:22,240 --> 00:46:25,720 were missionaries, who grew up on the mission field, and who in 683 00:46:25,720 --> 00:46:31,000 8th grade, survived a terrorist attack on his Christian School. 684 00:46:32,200 --> 00:46:37,240 A dear family who have served in very hard places in the Middle 685 00:46:37,240 --> 00:46:43,880 East for 10 years, who survived an explosive being thrown into 686 00:46:43,880 --> 00:46:47,360 the home where they were staying because the people there knew 687 00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:52,800 they were Christians. What's the cause of this leaving 688 00:46:54,440 --> 00:47:02,720 for my sake and for the gospel? It's to become a Christian and 689 00:47:02,720 --> 00:47:05,160 to help others become Christians. 690 00:47:05,160 --> 00:47:09,640 That's why Jesus gives 2 causes, for my sake and for the gospel. 691 00:47:11,440 --> 00:47:15,960 Jesus has in view the sacrifices we make in order to follow Him 692 00:47:17,600 --> 00:47:24,080 and to help others follow Him. Sometimes becoming a Christian 693 00:47:24,920 --> 00:47:27,080 will jeopardize your relationship to your family. 694 00:47:28,280 --> 00:47:31,400 Sometimes becoming a Christian will cost you your job or even 695 00:47:31,400 --> 00:47:34,240 make you unhireable in the entire city where you live. 696 00:47:35,480 --> 00:47:37,440 Becoming a Christian can cost you financially. 697 00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:42,480 It can cost you your reputation. It can cost you your friends. 698 00:47:43,600 --> 00:47:46,160 And there are even more sacrifices we make in order to 699 00:47:46,160 --> 00:47:50,560 proclaim and advance the gospel. Some of those are sacrifices we 700 00:47:50,560 --> 00:47:53,000 make or risks we run. Whenever we share the gospel 701 00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:54,280 with somebody, how are they going to respond? 702 00:47:54,280 --> 00:47:56,280 What are they going to do to us? What are they going to think of 703 00:47:56,280 --> 00:47:59,120 us? But there are some sacrifices 704 00:47:59,120 --> 00:48:03,280 that are uniquely made by those who devote their lives to making 705 00:48:03,320 --> 00:48:06,880 Jesus known where he is not known or little known. 706 00:48:08,080 --> 00:48:11,880 What do those Christians give up who in our terminology become 707 00:48:11,880 --> 00:48:15,800 missionaries? Often they give up a career, 708 00:48:17,320 --> 00:48:22,160 financial security, a house and a home, a way of life they may 709 00:48:22,160 --> 00:48:28,720 have known for decades, a sense of stability and security, often 710 00:48:28,720 --> 00:48:32,440 times relationships with extended family at least making 711 00:48:32,440 --> 00:48:40,040 them a whole lot harder. What have you given up for Jesus 712 00:48:40,040 --> 00:48:46,000 sake and for the gospel's sake? Whatever those sacrifices are, 713 00:48:47,280 --> 00:48:49,880 Jesus promises to repay them in two ways. 714 00:48:51,280 --> 00:48:54,560 At 2 times. He promises to provide 715 00:48:54,560 --> 00:48:58,920 abundantly in this life and to satisfy you perfectly in the 716 00:48:58,920 --> 00:49:01,800 next life. Look at the phrase in verse 30. 717 00:49:02,200 --> 00:49:08,200 Now in this time again, verses 29 and 34 context, truly I say 718 00:49:08,200 --> 00:49:11,920 to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or 719 00:49:11,920 --> 00:49:15,840 sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake 720 00:49:15,840 --> 00:49:18,920 and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold. 721 00:49:18,920 --> 00:49:23,080 Now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers 722 00:49:23,080 --> 00:49:26,160 and children and lands with persecutions. 723 00:49:27,520 --> 00:49:31,680 How do you receive all this? First and foremost, every 724 00:49:31,680 --> 00:49:36,240 believer in Jesus receives this hundredfold of family members 725 00:49:36,240 --> 00:49:41,080 and houses and physical provision in the local church. 726 00:49:41,560 --> 00:49:45,600 Whatever family you lose for Christ's sake, you gain even 727 00:49:45,600 --> 00:49:49,440 more of in the local church. The local church is where we 728 00:49:49,440 --> 00:49:53,040 find 100 brothers and sisters and mothers. 729 00:49:53,560 --> 00:49:58,320 The local church is how we receive 100 houses and lands, 730 00:49:59,000 --> 00:50:02,000 which means that as a church, we should share all that we have 731 00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:06,080 with our fellow church members. We should share our very lives. 732 00:50:06,160 --> 00:50:09,280 We should be family to each other. 733 00:50:09,840 --> 00:50:14,400 We should be family for each other, especially for those who 734 00:50:14,400 --> 00:50:18,720 have in any sense left their natural families in order to 735 00:50:18,720 --> 00:50:23,080 follow Christ. These words of Jesus are also 736 00:50:23,080 --> 00:50:26,000 fulfilled in how churches care for those who are sent out to 737 00:50:26,000 --> 00:50:28,880 proclaim Christ's name. They're fulfilled in how we 738 00:50:28,880 --> 00:50:32,720 support missionaries. But the list is not all 739 00:50:32,720 --> 00:50:36,000 positive. You might have noticed one of 740 00:50:36,000 --> 00:50:38,760 these things is not like the others in Jesus list. 741 00:50:38,760 --> 00:50:45,320 There's also with persecutions. In this life we should not 742 00:50:45,320 --> 00:50:50,560 expect paradise, but wise and loving Providence. 743 00:50:51,400 --> 00:50:56,480 Providence that mixes blessing with suffering. 744 00:50:58,080 --> 00:51:03,800 What should you do if you feel like you have given up 745 00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:10,080 relationships and riches for the sake of the gospel, but you 746 00:51:10,080 --> 00:51:13,440 haven't experienced this hundredfold provision? 747 00:51:14,040 --> 00:51:17,000 Lord, you know how much I've given up for Jesus sake and for 748 00:51:17,000 --> 00:51:19,120 the gospel. Where's my 100? 749 00:51:20,960 --> 00:51:26,320 I don't see it. If that's you trust the Lord, 750 00:51:27,880 --> 00:51:31,840 Ask Him to open your eyes wider to what He's already provided. 751 00:51:33,040 --> 00:51:38,800 Ask him to provide still more and trust that Jesus will keep 752 00:51:38,800 --> 00:51:43,520 his promise. Whatever lacks we endure in this 753 00:51:43,520 --> 00:51:47,080 present age, remind us that ultimately Jesus will keep his 754 00:51:47,080 --> 00:51:49,600 promise in the new creation. Looking at the the end of verse 755 00:51:49,600 --> 00:51:55,160 30, in the age to come, eternal life, every, every sacrifice you 756 00:51:55,160 --> 00:51:58,760 make now is ultimately worth it because of what you'll receive 757 00:51:58,760 --> 00:52:01,280 then. When Jesus comes, when he raises 758 00:52:01,280 --> 00:52:04,400 you from the dead, when he gives you a glorified body to live in 759 00:52:04,400 --> 00:52:08,200 a glorified universe, Jesus promises provision and 760 00:52:08,200 --> 00:52:12,400 consolation now and infinite reward later. 761 00:52:13,240 --> 00:52:17,640 God will care for you now and he will reward you then. 762 00:52:18,560 --> 00:52:22,800 God will sustain you now and he will satisfy you beyond 763 00:52:22,800 --> 00:52:31,600 imagining then. No one has ever lost by giving 764 00:52:31,600 --> 00:52:39,840 up everything for Jesus. What principle orders your 765 00:52:39,840 --> 00:52:45,440 priorities? Is it for Jesus sake and for the 766 00:52:45,440 --> 00:52:48,480 Gospel? Or is it to have a stable, 767 00:52:48,480 --> 00:52:52,360 comfortable life? Or is it to put family first? 768 00:52:53,560 --> 00:52:55,920 Or is it to have a fulfilling career? 769 00:52:57,760 --> 00:53:02,800 What would it look like to make for Jesus sake and the gospel 770 00:53:03,240 --> 00:53:08,240 your highest priority? What Kingdom good might God do 771 00:53:08,240 --> 00:53:15,320 through you if you were willing to give up more for his sake and 772 00:53:15,320 --> 00:53:18,880 the gospels? Is there something you've never 773 00:53:18,880 --> 00:53:25,320 thought about giving up that if you did, might open up a whole 774 00:53:25,320 --> 00:53:28,600 new venue to glorify God? Is there something you could 775 00:53:28,600 --> 00:53:33,080 sacrifice, some offering you could hand over to the Lord that 776 00:53:33,080 --> 00:53:37,400 might make sense for Jesus sake and for the Gospels and for no 777 00:53:37,640 --> 00:53:44,240 earthly reason. To be a follower of Jesus is to 778 00:53:44,240 --> 00:53:49,920 demand nothing, give up everything, and gain everything. 779 00:53:51,960 --> 00:53:53,800 There's one last little part of the passage we haven't 780 00:53:53,800 --> 00:53:57,000 considered, and we'll close with this verse 31. 781 00:53:58,680 --> 00:54:02,640 But many who are first will be last and the last first. 782 00:54:04,400 --> 00:54:11,680 Jesus saying don't judge final outcomes by present positions. 783 00:54:12,480 --> 00:54:14,960 Don't take your bearings by who's got the most now. 784 00:54:16,240 --> 00:54:17,880 Don't live for wealth, it'll disappear. 785 00:54:19,200 --> 00:54:27,160 Live for wealth that will last. What wealth are you investing 786 00:54:27,160 --> 00:54:32,040 in? When do you hope for that 787 00:54:32,040 --> 00:54:38,240 investment to mature? Are you investing more for 788 00:54:38,240 --> 00:54:47,360 retirement or for eternal life? Minor keys to Zion City, where 789 00:54:47,360 --> 00:54:54,320 beside the King I walk, For there my heart has found its 790 00:54:54,320 --> 00:54:56,720 treasure. Let's pray. 791 00:55:02,520 --> 00:55:07,160 Heavenly Father, we thank you for the promise that the first 792 00:55:07,160 --> 00:55:12,200 will be last and the last first. May we all be willing to be last 793 00:55:12,760 --> 00:55:20,040 in whatever ways we need to in order to gain Christ and eternal 794 00:55:20,040 --> 00:55:25,520 happiness in Him. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.