"16 And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” 17 And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." 18 Then he *said to Him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not commit 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 things I have kept; what am I still lacking?" 21 Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property."
Ultimately, there are two gates; and there are two destinations. There are are only two possible ways to live that can lay claim to providing a path to God and to eternal
life. It involves something you do to please God or nothing you do to please God and there can't be any other way. Either man can, through his own effort merit the acceptance of God,
or man is utterly dependent upon the mercy and grace of God. Either we
will be saved through our own efforts, through character manifested or
through deeds we perform, or we will be delivered by the mercies of God
without any effort on our part. Ones "feelings or emotions" does not enter into the
equation, except as the heart is stirred following the genuine New Birth.
We live in a society where an entire generation is pure in their own eyes, yet they have not cleansed of their filthiness, they are unwashed by the blood of Christ. There are literally millions of people who associate themselves with Christianity, people who have no hope of entering heaven. People who in spite of their claims to know the Lord Jesus Christ, who will spend eternity in hell. There is no hope of heaven for those who do not believe the gospel, hear the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and obeys them. There is no other alternative. While Satan would have us to believe that there are many forms of so-called Christianity, there is only One true Christian gospel, and the two cannot be mixed.
Any belief that you can continue in your sin and still lay claim to Christ, still expect to enter the kingdom of God, is false and is the religion of the flesh. In 2 Corinthians 11, the Apostle Paul warned us of such false teachers, saying "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds."
The essential attack on the gospel, is to convince people to believe in "another Jesus," who says things about tolerating sin, that He didn't say. The Jesus of the Bible teaches, there are two groups of people, the many and the few, who are headed to completely two different destinations. One is eternal life and the other, is destruction. Everyone has a choice, the narrow gate or the broad way. The broad way, that allows for all kinds of religions viewpoints, though claims to be marked for heaven, is a direct path to hell. The narrow way, with the very narrow gate, is very constricted, and is the only path to heaven. Though both roads are religious, both promising heaven, there is only one true Christianity. The other sells heaven but delivers hell.
Beloved, Jesus spells that out for us so clearly, do not be deceived by false teachers promising something they cannot deliver. Jesus commands us to "Enter by the narrow gate," a command that must be obeyed, a command without an alternative. Many today teach Jesus' words as an invitation, but in the Greek, in the imperative form, it is not an invitation, it is a command. To disobey is the final act of disobedience. Hell will be full of people who misinterpret Jesus' words, who will not to enter in disobedience.
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Amen
Today's Message: A Seeking Heart
Today, many are eager to come to Christ simply by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, then there is an total abandonment of everything that is involved in genuine salvation, there's no change in their life, just a disinterest in the things of Christ and they continue to live as they did before coming to Christ, deceiving themselves, believing they are going to heaven while on the broad way leading to destruction. For those of us in ministry, it is often very difficult for us to deal with.
In Luke 14:27-28, Jesus says "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For
which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit
down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?"
As we continue to journey through the 19th chapter of Matthew, I ask you to pause for a moment as we study this passage in His Word together. Imagine that you’re walking up to this man to ask him a question about what it means to be good, only, you don’t know that this man is actually God. I've often wondered how many times Jesus comes to us in people and in ways we do not expect, only to be rejected by us.
"And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?" And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." Then he *said to Him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself." The young man *said to Him, "All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property."
The account before us tells of a rich young man who asked Jesus what was necessary to inherit eternal life, I believe this is the essence of what our Lord is teaching us through His encounter with this wealthy young man. Consequently, referred to as "the rich young ruler." Let’s begin at verse 16, "And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?"
Most of us in the ministry, study tirelessly, working diligently and praying fervently, strategizing and struggling just to bring people to the point where they want to receive eternal life. How could this be, that the world refuses to look beyond the moment to an unseen world? I do not believe that the fact that there is a life beyond the present, can be casually dismissed, even by the most ardent atheist.
I have to believe the One who gives us eternal life knows more about that than anyone one else. Therein lies the great tragedy of our day. Since God, the Creator of the universes is holy and righteous, all who will enjoy Him eternally must themselves be holy and righteous. We who genuinely are redeemed are being transformed into His likeness through sanctification. That change began for each of us at the point of the new birth, when the Holy Spirit come to live in us. Those who believe in "another Jesus," also receive a spirit, but no one of God. These truths are evident from the multiple passages presented to us in the Word of God. This rich young ruler is to be commended for knowing that there was something better, something more than the life he had known.
Verse 17, "And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." Perhaps some of you here today, like this young man, recognize that there is something more, something beyond the here and now of this life. If that's you, you too are to be commended. Much to my amazement, many have closed their eyes, and their minds, to the knowledge that there is a reality created for something more than what most people will ever achieve. They are intent on ridiculing those do not believe in the claims evolution and are simply avoiding the facts that science teaches. Yet, mankind continues to seeks is what Christians have come to know as eternal life, life after death.
God, through His Holy Spirit, is changing those whom He has redeemed from the inside so that they will no longer be sinful, preparing them for eternal life with Him. Eternal life is not so much about simply going to heaven, but God’s gift in preparing mankind for a new life, with new desires to serve Him. It is amazing that this man, a devout Jew would come and admit that he didn’t have eternal life, that he had not found the contentment that put his soul at rest. There was a restlessness, an anxiety in this man's heart. He knew that he was missing eternal life. The Jews understood the concept of eternal life. That's why we're saved, to be sensitive to God, that we can rightly respond to the divine environment of God.
Before I became an authentic Christian, I was incapable of responding to God, which is characteristic of people who live for the world rather than for God. It would be some time before I would come to realize that I did not possess the divine life, that though I was on the right track, I had not fully surrendered my life to God, living in an unending communion with Him. Like the man in this parable, who not only knew what he wanted, but deeply felt the need for eternal life, I knew there was something was missing. It was at that moment I became alive to God, and my life dramatically began to change and it hasn't stopped since. Some people are just not desperate enough to really want something they don’t have. The man in this parable was and he just blurts it out, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?" Jesus responds by giving him the last half of the Ten Commandments in reverse. We don’t know why He chooses that order. The point is, you can't understand mercy unless you understand guilt.
Look at verses 18-19, "Then he *said to Him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself." This man, being under the assumption that he can do enough good in order to inherit eternal life,
Jesus doesn’t argue that point. Instead, He presents the standard of
goodness and then tells the man what he must do to be good. Outwardly, he has lived an exemplary life, he’s moral, he’s religious, yet he's unsatisfied. He knows that it’s eternal life that he's lacking. Satan counterfeits religions, so that people won’t find eternal life, instead they will go around chasing after the wrong things. This man had obviously heard of the teaching of Jesus, Mark and Luke tell us he called Him "good," and he came to the right source. I imagine that he thought maybe He can tell me how to obtain eternal life, even though I don't believe he knew who Jesus was.
In verse 20, "The young man *said to Him, "All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?" If this were to happen today, by modern evangelical standards, Jesus would told him "Just ask Jesus into your heart, and confess Him as your Savior, you’ll be saved." Jesus didn’t do that, because this man's desire for eternal life is lacking the understanding the truth of salvation. You cannot bring people to Jesus Christ simply because of their lack, wants or needs, they must understand that salvation is for those who realize they have lived in rebellion against a holy God, and confess that and be willing to turn away from the things of this life and turn toward God. Jesus shows this young man that the real problem isn't what he feels he's lacking but that he's offending a holy God, in other words, He puts up a pre-salvation barrier, Jesus knows he’s not telling the truth, he may have dealt with the law externally, but he never dealt with the heart. In other words, he had no sense of having violated God at all. Jesus wouldn’t take him on those terms, because this young man didn’t understand the real meaning of salvation. This man’s heart was devoted to something other than God.
Mark adds he says "Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up." He probably believed he’d kept the law. That's the way self-righteousness works, it’s very self-deceiving. There’s no way that this man perfectly kept these commandments. I bet Jesus is thinking, "You didn’t listen to my sermon on the mountainside, did you?" It's like when you ask your child to wash a sink full of dishes and he comes back in less than 5 minutes and says he done.
Verse 21, "Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." So Jesus is saying if you say you love your neighbor as yourself, go and sell everything you've got and give it to your neighbor. I believe this is where modern Christianity falls short of true salvation, submission to the lordship of Christ. That's really the ultimate test. You have to be willing to do whatever the Lord asks you to do. In most cases, it may be different. Jesus didn’t ask that of other people, He put His finger on the issue with this man, because He knew what was most important to him. Unless Jesus Christ is the first priority in your life, there’s no salvation coming to you. Are you willing to forsake your perishing priorities to submit to His Lordship and follow Him? True salvation is a total commitment to leave your sin and follow Jesus Christ at all costs. Understand that Jesus doesn’t take anyone who is unwilling follow Him on those terms.
Do you remember the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl of great price? In both cases, those men sold everything they had. In other words, if that's what you tell me to do to receive salvation, I’m willing. I don't believe most people today understand the terms of true salvation. Most people want to gain eternal life, but they also want to hold onto their sin. They may fool others in the church, but Jesus knows the heart of man. Jesus wants our full commitment and He is worthy of it. That is the reality of the situation. What are you unwilling to sacrifice to follow Jesus? I believe that if the natural man were to go to Heaven, he would be absolutely miserable.If you can not enjoy worshipping God here on earth, you will not enjoy Heaven. Heaven is all about loving God and serving Him forever. The truly redeemed anticipate eternity in the presence of the Lord God.
That brings us to verse 22, "But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property." The rich young man who approached Jesus so many centuries past recognized a vital truth, there is a life that is pleasing to God; and
that life is known as "eternal life." Possessing eternal life means we are invested in preparing for the transformation that is coming. Salvation and eternal life are not a commodities to be bartered for, it is a gift to be secured. This young man asked the correct question that betrays that the questioner is focused on the individual, it assumes that some deed can be performed, rather than what must I do to be saved. In a sense, these two questions are alike, they each hope for the same result. However, the difference between them is being saved and being lost. The standard for pleasing God is that we must be holy and righteous, not occasionally, but always. On our own, none of us qualify. It is true that God’s nature to love those whom He created. However, it is equally true that God is a holy and righteous God; Who demands holiness and righteousness of those who come into
His presence.
In 1 Peter 1:15-16, Peter clearly states "But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." Whenever we speak of eternal life, we are speaking about mercy and about grace by which God reached out to fallen mankind even while man rebelled against Him, who in seeking to find his own way, was pursuing the passions of his flesh, carrying out his desires of the body and the mind, being utterly and completely lost, dead in his trespasses.
In Closing..
Salvation and eternal life are not of your own doing, on your terms; it is the gracious gift of a holy and righteous God. This young man went away sorrowful, grieving because he could not come to Christ on his own terms. Though he wanted eternal life, he was unwilling to pay the price. Similarly, today, many people still imagine that they can do some deed that will compel God to give them eternal life.If that's you, you would do well to remember the teaching of Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." One great truth that is woefully neglected in the church today is that who we are is revealed through what we do.
There is real salvation, but you must turn away from your sin and self and turn toward Jesus.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2022 All Rights Reserved
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2022 All Rights Reserved