"And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." They were even more astonished and said to Him, "Then who can be saved?" Looking at them, Jesus *said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."
Peter began to say to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You." Jesus said, "Truly I say to you,
there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or
father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last, first."
Good Morning my beloved,
You will recall in our message last time, we learned about the rich young ruler who approached Jesus asking how he
could have eternal life. The young man went away sorrowful because he
was unwilling to give up everything in order to receive salvation and follow Jesus. As I've stated many times, believe we have so many false converts in the church, they think they can come to Jesus on their own terms. I’ve heard a number of professing Christians
claim, "Since God made me, He knows that I can’t change who I am, I was born this way." Any professing
Christian who clings to sin with his fists clenched and says, "I cannot
let go of this sinful life, I will not walk away from this sexual relationship
that God's Word strongly condemns, is refusing to submit to completely Christ. That's the mark of a self-deceived, false convert, and is serving the wrong lord. No true Christian will deny Jesus' ability to truly deliver us from our sins! One’s confession of faith is utterly worthless, if they have not totally and completely surrendered their will to the Lord's and trust Him explicitly for the redemption of their soul and to deliver them from sin.
Jesus emphatically proclaimed in no uncertain terms in Luke 9:23, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." Taking up one's cross is the willingness to endure shame, rejection, persecution, and even martyrdom for Christ's sake. You cannot claim to have a legitimate relationship with Christ, to truly know Him, and separate yourself from the Lordship of Jesus Christ, completely submitting to His Authority in your life. Any person who has a settled ongoing resistance to the Lordship of Christ is not a Christian, no matter what they affirm. Faith that is not lived is simply a lie.
John 8:12, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."
God only grants salvation to those who are willing to come to Christ on His terms. If we're not willing to risk our popularity to proclaim that Truth in the pulpit, it’s not going to be proclaimed anywhere. I very deeply grieved, even when I hear evangelicals boldly pervert God's Word, that by which God saves, by which God sanctifies, in order to proclaim Satan's lies to increase their own popularity and personal gain. As
a pastor, I would be an unfaithful to both God and you, if I didn't warn
you to beware of these false teachers, paying close attention to those who are affirming sin, failing
to call the congregation to repentance are teaching the doctrine of
demons, and compare it with what the Word of God actually teaches. The church has diluted God’s Word for so long, that sound preaching has begun to sound "ungodly. There can be no forgiveness without repentance of sins,
transformation is a result of salvation not a by product. Just because a church is full of people, it doesn't mean those people are filled with the Spirit of God. The problem with the church today, is they're offering people everything that Satan offers, and doing it in the name of Christ, blurring the clear lines between Truth and error. Unless you understand the truth about sin, you cannot understand the truth about salvation!
Paul's teaching in Romans 1:18-32, perfectly describes the moral character of those who don’t know the Savior and unparalleled the chaos that we see unfolding in our own nation today.
Let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, thank You for Your Word, we are grateful for the assurance that every word is true. Lord, I pray that everyone who hears Your Word, those who hearts have grown cold, who have become comfortable with their sin, would be overwhelmed by their own sinfulness and it would lead them to repentance. Help them to understand that the only reason they haven’t seen Your hand of judgment yet, is because of Your loving patience, waiting for their response, not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance, but that day will come when Your patience will run out. May we who have been blessed to escaped judgment and hell, live in constant gratitude for Your grace and mercy and loving obedience in thanksgiving for all You have already done for us through Christ. We thank You for all that You have graciously given to us and everything You have prepared for us in the future, we confess we don't deserve it. We ask and pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen
Today's Message: Then Who Can Be Saved?
The
Church exists for the glory of God, to gather and equip disciples to
live godly lives. We are commanded to lovingly confront sin sinners, helping them to growing in grace and Christ-likeness, becoming a genuine reflection of our Savior. A true church does not exist to merely entertain it's
people, affirming sin to make people feel better about doing what is detestable in the sight of God. You can’t claim to follow Christ, while doing anything that you want to do, that kind of foolishness belongs to Satan.
In our text today, Jesus once again makes it clear, that it is impossible for people to enter the kingdom of God, on their own terms. I do not believe that it is simply by coincidence that this great spiritual Truth immediately follows the very crucial lesson about the rich young ruler, who came to Jesus asking what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Tragically, this young man went away saddened and grieving because he was unwilling to recognize his own sinfulness, and submit to Jesus' Lordship when He told him that he needed to sell all his earthly and give to the poor, and come, follow me. Like most people in our world today, earthly success and material possessions has become their god.
In Mark 8:36-37, Jesus said, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" When Scripture repeats something over and over again, we would do well to pay attention. The Bible has much to say about riches and about poverty, however, nothing is as significant as our Lords teaching here in Mark chapter 10.
Open your Bibles with me, if you will, to the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark, verse 23 through 31. I invite you to follow along with me as I read to set the text in our minds.Let us open our hearts and minds and see how the Lord might use this important teaching about riches and poverty to impact our lives, as well as the lives of those around us.
"And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." They were even more astonished and said to Him, "Then who can be saved?" Looking at them, Jesus *said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."
Peter began to say to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You." Jesus said, "Truly I say to you,
there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or
father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but
that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age,
houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms,
along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last, first."
Let's look at verse 23, "And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" The first thing I'd like you to notice, is Jesus did not go chasing after the young ruler, He didn’t change the message to make it easier for him to embrace. He just let him go. And, as far as we know, he left and never came back because the Bible never mentions him again. A true disciple will count the cost and is willing to pay the price, no matter what that cost is. A false disciple has a preoccupation with his own self-indulgence, there's no interest in forsaking anything for Jesus. It isn't that they’re not interested in what Jesus offers, but there's no desire for repentance, because they're too attached to this world. We all know people like that, don't we? It’s not within the sinner’s power to repent, unless the Father grants it. In John 6:44-45, Jesus says, "No one can come unless the Father who sent Me draws him...Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me." That's where Jesus establishes His confidence, in the work of the Father.
So, after the rich young ruler went away grieving, because he had too much pride to give up his earthly possessions, Jesus looks around, probably making eye contact with others He knew were wealthy and well respected, that also miss the mark of God's holy standard of perfection to remind them of their need for the Savior. Before you can talk about salvation, people must understand they are not good because they try to live a good life. They have to understand that they’re a sinner, before they can understand that they need a Savior. Tragically, certain words within the modern evangelical communities are becoming increasingly rare, like the words "sin, repentance and Hell." I am often told that if the church is to grow, I must refrain from using such negative terms, that I should "scratch people where they itch," suggesting that I should preach sermons around peoples needs. Immediately, I thought of Paul's warning that people turning away from the truth in 2 Timothy 4:3-5, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."
I believe that if something needs to be said, then by all means say it lovingly, but say it nonetheless. Whether people know it or not, whether they want to hear it or not, they need to be saved. I find that the problem is that many seminaries today are turning out great public speakers, who practice ministry, oriented toward pleasing the congregation rather than producing great biblical pastors, with a passion for serving and pleasing God, and yes, there’s a big difference. A preacher proclaims the truth with authority, standing upon the premise that Jesus is Lord, the Word of God is to be obeyed, calling men to repentance. A public speaker is only interested in giving an inspiring message to make people feel better about themselves, while they continue to sin, which I believe is a pathetic excuse for a preacher. When sin dictates our theology, and pride dominates our sermon, our
message pollutes rather than polishes the souls of men, and the hearers are deceived, believing that salvation can be achieved on their own terms without
ever fully surrendering their lives to Christ and sin isn't really a big deal.
Jesus' statement is shocking, completely counterintuitive to the legalistic system of Judaism that said that almsgiving will atone for sin. In other words, by giving money you have virtually kept the whole law and purchased righteousness. The more wealth you had, the more God was pleased with them, and the more you would continue to be blessed. If you were wealthy, you were blessed by God, and if you were poor, you were cursed by God. That was their theology. That's why the self-righteous religious leaders thought they were going to be at the front of the line. And Jesus is saying you can't buy your way into the kingdom.
Verse 24, "The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!" So Jesus says it again, it’s hard not just for the rich, but for anyone to enter the kingdom of God. That's exactly what He had in mind when He said in Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it." It's not just hard, it's impossible! Therein lies the problem with cheap grace and easy believism, they want to enter on their own terms, as they indulge themselves while walking on the broad way, headed for eternal destruction. The point Jesus is making is you cannot do it apart from a total dependency on God. The church today is full
of people who are indulging themselves in the lusts of the flesh,
sinful lifestyles making it impossible for them to be genuinely saved. The problem with superficial Christians, they are fighting their way in, trying enter the kingdom by force. Matthew 11:12, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force."
Verse 25, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." To show them just how impossible it is, He give them an illustration to express something altogether impossible. You cannot put a camel through the eye of a needle, no matter how hard you try. If you're tied to this world, everything in this life revolves around it, rather than submitting to the Lordship of Christ to enter the kingdom, it’s going to be more than just a difficult battle, you won't be able, that's what He's saying. You can either live for this world and all that it offers but you will forfeit the kingdom, or you can live for the kingdom and forfeit everything this world offers. All of the church going, Bible quoting and tithing in the world won't get you into heaven. Only those who repent and turn away from their sin, and subject every aspect of their life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ will enter God's kingdom. A warning worth repeating, when the Gospel is rightly explained, you begin to realize there’s a lot at stake. A pastor that preaches a hard Gospel, preaches the only true Gospel, and once it's understood and believed, it falls heavy on the heart and makes for a real disciple.
Verse 26, "They were even more astonished and said to Him, "Then who can be saved?" This time they got it, it's an impossible situation, no religious sinner can buy his way in or has the power to save himself. Jesus is eliminating the possibility of all man-made salvation, because true salvation is the divine work of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is an act of God's grace by His own will, through faith. Only God can change the desires of your heart, and grant the repentance necessary to the acknowledge the Truth. All you can do as a sinner is cry out to God and beg Him for mercy and
ask Him to be be gracious enough to rescue you from eternal judgment. Listen, I realize that's not the doctrine of salvation that’s being taught in most churches today, but it should be. Notice Jesus didn’t direct Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who were both wealthy men, to sell all their possessions, because He knew they weren’t obsessed with them. When you are a faithful steward of whatever God’s given you, you use it to advance His kingdom, which is what they did, isn't it? Joseph of Arimathea, went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then, took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock. And, Nicodemus also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about one hundred litras.
Verse 27, "Looking at them, Jesus *said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." Money may buy a lot of things, but it can’t buy salvation, that’s the poverty of riches. I'm afraid there's going to be an awful lot of people who will tragically discover they've been misled by well meaning pastors. The Good News is with God, all things are possible! Jesus wants everyone everywhere to know that you cannot have eternal life unless you first let go of the world. Letting go of everything, including sin. But make no mistake, repentance is an absolutely essential. That is what makes the Gospel hard, there is no room for compromise. If you're so focused on what your losing, you can’t even begin to contemplate the gain. Jesus is not just a way, He is the only way. Giving Him complete control of our lives is not easy, but it's a decision that I've never regretted.
Verse 28, "Peter began to say to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You." Matthew adds Peter said, "What then will there be for us?" Peter has gotten a bad wrap for making such a bold statement, but I believe in all likelihood, Peter is simply contrasting their willingness to drop everything; to leave their families, their boats and their nets, to follow Jesus on His terms to the rich young ruler, who wasn't willing to let go of his earthly possessions. Peter was probably just excited about everything they've been anticipating for sometime, and, he wants to hear it directly from the source.
Verses 29-30, "Jesus said, "Truly I say to you,
there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or
father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life." When you come to Christ, you may have to give up your employment, your family, but you once you've entered the church, and become a part of the people of God, you inherit the body of Christ, a family full of mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, ready to welcome you, much larger than any family you may have come from, and there will always be homes and food provided for you by the family of God. You really don't give up anything in this life and beyond that, in the age to come, you get eternal life in heaven, with all its glories! The literal translation of eternal life is, "abundant living into the ages." The only place you’ll find that, s in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!
And in Matthew's account, "And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say
to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son
of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." The regeneration or the word "paliggenesía," pálin meaning again and génesis meaning birth. This
term refers to His thousand-year reign, when Christ inaugurates His millennial kingdom, its
only used one other time in the New Testament, in Titus 3, as it refers
to our personal new birth. We're born again now, but we have yet to enter
the final state, when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of His
glory.
These guys were always arguing about their ruthless ambitions; who’s going to be the greatest, who is going to get to sit at the right and left of Jesus, so in verse 31, He makes a very important statement that can’t be mistaken, "But many who are first will be last, and the last, first." Remember the story Jesus told in Matthew 20 about the landowner and the vineyard? "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
When evening came, the owner of the vineyard *said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’ But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’ So the last shall be first, and the first last."
It means everybody who desires truly to inherit the kingdom ends up the same. In God's kingdom things are handled the opposite of what we might expect, I believe it's fair to say, that we all deserve death and everlasting punishment. God doesn't owe us anything, I believe that alone should radically transform our thinking and our way of living. Jesus reminds us that God's grace is not an injustice, but an unmerited gift granted according to His good pleasure, therefore, we shouldn’t expect one is more worthy of His grace than anyone else. That's what it means to truly abandon everything for Christ, free of pride, free self-entitlement, self-righteousness and sinfulness, and esteem Christ more precious than anyone or anything, in exchange for forgiveness and eternal life.
As
Christians, this perishing world cannot be what motivates us, the
Christian life is is not the path of riches and popularity. We can't just read the Bible and spend the rest of our time, living lives that contradict the Scriptures. The Christian life must always be centered on Christ and the purposes of God, driven by self-restraint and righteous thinking and godly behavior.
If you are here and are not a Christian, I beg you to repent of your sin and believe the Gospel, so that you may know the joy of a life in Christ. If you are here as a believer and you have been guilty of pursuing your own pleasures, confess your shallow profession and sinfulness, and ask Him to grant you true salvation. Understand, it is all or nothing and the difference is eternal.
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 © 2019-2023 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 © 2019-2023 All Rights Reserved