What Shall I Do?

Verse number 18, if you found your place, you can follow along, it'll be on the prompter there as well. The Bible says this, And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? None is good, save one that is God. Thou knowest the commandments. Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness. Honor thy father and mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing, sell all thou hast and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God? For it is easier for a camel to go through the needle's eye than a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?

And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all and followed thee. And Jesus speaking, said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house or parents or brethren or wife or children for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time and in the world to come, life everlasting. As we walk through chapter 18, we've seen a few people come. We saw a publican and a Pharisee praying. The Pharisee thought he was on the inside track, and he was on his way to heaven, and he was let everybody know. And we met this publican that was a sinner, and he said, God, be merciful to me. And then Luke introduced us to some children, and the parents were trying to bring their kids, and the disciples said, Get these kids. Stop bothering Jesus. And Jesus said, No, this is how you enter the kingdom. And now we're introduced to this man. Maybe your Bible says a rich young ruler. Seems to have it all going in his life, and yet he feels something is missing.

And so he comes to Jesus with a great question, and you think, Well, I'm not rich, so this message doesn't apply to me. No, it does. Because this message is not about money. This message is what has your heart and what you're trusting in. And Jesus is going to expose that and show us really how you enter into the kingdom of God. So let's go to him in prayer this morning, and then we'll jump right into the text. Father, thank you for this time.

Lord, thank you for the songs, and thank you for the reminder that you are nothing but good to us. Lord, sometimes life is hard, but it doesn't mean that you are not faithful. And I pray that you would just remind us of that truth. And I pray that as we open up the word here, Lord, that you would just speak to hearts. You would remind us there is one way to enter. We're thankful you are the way and the truth and the life. Lord, I pray that there's somebody here today that doesn't know that. That's maybe trusting in the wrong things except your finished work on the cross of Calvary, Lord, that today would be the day of salvation. But Lord, even for those that know you as Savior, sometimes we still get into this rut of what do I need to do? And we're working and working, Lord. And you've called us to serve, but not to gain favor. But Lord, help us just to make sure we're trusting in the right things. I pray you be with me now, Lord. I pray you would just clear my mind and give me the words to say, Lord, that it would be a help to the hearer this morning. And we ask this in Christ's name today. Amen. Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated.

Don't you love filling out online like Google forms? Nobody? The school is always sending it out and saying, hey, fill this form out. And maybe you're like me. You fill it out. You put your name and your address and your phone number and your email and your mother's maiden name and your social security.

Then you have to create a password because you can't have the same password. It's like the internet knows that you've already used this password. And it's like 14 letters, six special symbols, two hieroglyphics. And then you're like, I'm going to write this down so I don't forget it.

And if you're like me, I have to reset my password basically anytime I log on to anything ever again. And that's just kind of how it is. And you fill it all out. And then you have to prove you're not a robot. Then it says, click the boxes that have a bicycle in it. And you're like, you got a magnifying glass out. You're trying to see is the wheel actually in that next one? Maybe I'm the only one that overthinks that. But you do that. You hit the next button. It says, sorry, you've missed a box.

You're like, what in the world? And you're scrolling up and down and you're trying to find it. And and you, you, you think it's there. You think, what did I miss? And then at the very bottom in some like six point font, there's a little tiny box that you're supposed to check. You think, man, this is really difficult. So we come to chapter 18 here and we meet this rich young ruler. I want us to have that feeling about this man. Because when we come to him on the, at first glance, this man seems to have checked every box. He is super successful. He is respected in the community.

He is morally upright. He is extremely religious. And, and in those days, I mean, that was the, that was the way in. And they would have looked at him and said, I wish that I could be like him when I grow up. I mean, he's got his life together. And according to the other gospel accounts, he's a, he's a young man. We, we would say things like this. He's got his whole life in front of him.

I mean, he's got it, he's got it put together and, and he's doing pretty well. But he understood something was missing. He felt like he's checked most of the boxes, that he's filled out all the forms, that he's done everything that he's supposed to. He's, he's looked at the law that the Jewish people would have followed. He said, man, I'm, I'm nailing this.

But in his heart, he knew something wasn't there because despite everything that he had, and he had it all, and despite all the things that he's done, and he gave that testimony to Jesus, said, hey, I've done all those things. He still didn't know if he had eternal life. And he was curious about it. He was desirous of that. And so he comes to Jesus here with a question.

And it's a great question. He says, hey, good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? But tucked inside that question is the very problem that this man had.

We see the question again. He says, what shall I do? See, this is a man that believes that there must be something else he can accomplish. I mean, he's got his resume. Everybody can see it. I mean, he looks successful. He thinks there must be something that I, I need to add to this. There's just, maybe I'm missing one box to check. And if Jesus just tells me what it is, I mean, he's got his checkbook out. A checkbook is a piece of paper paper and you write on it. It's weird. It's very old. Ask your grandparents about it.

And he's ready. I mean, Jesus, just, you name the price. You tell me what it is and I'm going to, I'll get it to you today. And don't worry, it's going to clear the bank. But as Jesus shows us here in this text, and what he's teaching this man and in turn teaching us as well, that eternal life is not something that you can just add to your accomplishments. It's not something that if you're just a good person and you come to church and you treat people with kindness and you obey the golden rule, then you're just going to kind of slide right into the kingdom.

We've kind of seen that as we've walked through this chapter. And really the context of where Luke places this is, is once again, very important. The last time we were together a couple of weeks ago, he, Jesus looked at these children that they're bringing these infants to him. And, and the disciples were like, Hey, leave Jesus alone. But in verse number 17, Jesus says this, Verily or truly I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter in. And really what Jesus was driving home and he's going to drive home again today is, is this picture of helpless dependence. And he was looking at that little baby and the crowd would have been gathered around and maybe this man was in that crowd. It seems this conversation is born out of that. But Jesus just reminds us that a child comes with empty hands. A little baby has nothing to provide. They have nothing to give. They are just there and they have to receive everything.

They are helpless. They are completely dependent on their parents. A child doesn't achieve those things. He doesn't get a meal because he went to work. He gets a meal because his parents love him. He simply receives what is given. And yet the first question out of this man's mouth is, Hey, what do I need to do? Hey, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And really the big idea of this text has kind of been the big idea of chapter 18. That eternal life isn't achieved by what we do.

Salvation isn't what you do for the Lord. No, it's received by depending completely on Christ. Christ. That it is received on his finished work. So the question I want us to consider as we walk through this text this morning, this conversation Jesus has with this young ruler, is this. What keeps us from completely depending on Christ? Because he's coming. He wants to depend. He wants to do something. He wants what Jesus is offering. But there seems to be some things holding him back.

The first thing we see is this. That we can miss heaven. We can miss the kingdom because we're trusting in our own goodness. That's really what we see in the first three verses. In verse number 18, he comes and he asks the question and Jesus said to him in verse 19, Why callest thou me good? None is good, save one that is God. It's kind of a breath of fresh air with this man. Because most of the people that come to Jesus in the gospels are generally the Pharisees or the lawyers, the scribes. And they have questions, but their motives are not pure. Their questions aren't because they're seeking answers. Their questions are they're trying to trap Jesus. So there's a lot to like about this man on the surface. He's a ruler. Many scholars believe he would have been helping in the synagogue. And so the Jews would have respected him. It was kind of their center of life. And it wasn't just a place of worship, but it was a place of community. And he would have been helpful in that. And Mark tells us in his gospel account of this that when he came to Jesus, he ran to him, which is very unusual for a first century Jewish man. You think, man, I was born in the wrong century. I don't like to run.

Maybe you should have been in the first century. It was really weird to see a man run in the first century, but he runs to Jesus and he knelt down. A man of such clout, such power, obviously has extreme wealth. The Bible says he is very rich. He shows great humility here. He shows reverence to this rabbi, to this teacher where others would have thought, hey, nothing good comes out of Nazareth.

He's seen enough of Jesus to understand there's something different about this man. The way that he teaches, the way that he loves, the way that he heals, the things that is taking place, something is different about this man. And unlike the Pharisees, he's not trying to trap them.

He genuinely wants an answer. It's a great question. And when you have a question, it's important you go to the right person. And he's there. He's at the feet of Jesus. He's knelt down and he calls him good master. And Jesus responds. He says, why do you call me good? There's none good save one that is God.

Now, don't misunderstand. Jesus isn't denying that he's good. Jesus is not denying his deity. But the Jewish people had a clear understanding that God had an exclusive claim on goodness.

That you wouldn't just throw this word out there. This is not something you would just call every teacher, oh, they're a good teacher. No, there's one good teacher and it's God. And so Jesus is kind of saying, hey, listen, you know who you're coming to. You've seen it with your eyes. You have the evidence here. And really what Jesus is doing in that verse, and by asking this question to him, he's making this man think about the word that he just used. It's kind of like when the Pharisees were in chapter 17 and they said, when's the kingdom coming? And Jesus was basically saying, I'm here. You're looking at him. The king has come and it's the same thought here. But it also has a underlying meaning as well. Because this man's entire approach to God is built around his idea of his own goodness. We see it in his response, as we're going to see in just a moment. I mean, this man says things like this, well, I'm a good person. Well, I've lived a good life. I've treated people with kindness. I've done a lot of good things. I mean, look at this synagogue. Look at all these things. Look at all these people. They'll vouch for me, Jesus. And now in his mind, he has come to a good teacher to find out other good things that he has to do. His whole life revolves around just being good. Just being exactly who, what the letter of the law says. Hey, you put it on the piece of paper. I'll sign my name next to it. It's kind of this man here. So what Jesus does there in verse number 19 is he immediately raises the standard. Jesus says this, none is good save one that is God. Now he wasn't like the publican. The publicans over there praying in the beginning of this chapter. Oh Lord, I think I'm so awesome and I'm not like so-and-so and I'm definitely not like that sinner over there. I mean, what a horrible prayer. But he was comparing himself to other people. This man would have done that, but he was much kinder about it. He was much more disguised about it. But here's what Jesus is saying. You can't measure your goodness by the person standing next to you. The only measuring stick of goodness that we have is God. And so he's kind of bringing, he's elevating it. You read the Sermon on the Mount, that's what Jesus does. The whole chapter five in the Sermon on the Mount, here's what Jesus keeps saying. You've heard it said this. Well, they said, well, I haven't killed anybody. But Jesus says, but I tell you, if you hate your brother in your heart, you've killed him already. See, Jesus didn't come to destroy the law. Here's what Jesus actually did.

He raised the bar and he did it over and over again. So this man, according to the law, according to the piece of paper, according to the Torah that they would have had, he said, man, I'm doing everything I'm supposed to. But Jesus says, that's not the measuring stick. That's not what you must compare yourself on. Because when God becomes our standard, our goodness starts to look a lot different. We're not as good as we thought we were. We're not exactly as high and mighty as we might have imagined ourselves to be. And that's what Jesus does in verse number 20. He takes him to the law. He said, well, I mean, you know, thou knowest. I mean, he said, I know you went to synagogue school and you went to VBS and you went to church camp and you did all the things growing up.

I mean, because you just seem to have it all together. You know the commandments. Jesus is saying, what I'm about to tell you is nothing new to you. But I just want to remind you, the commandments say, do not commit adultery. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Honor thy father and mother. I want to make sure that we're clear that Jesus isn't telling this man and in turn telling us that keeping the commandments can save you. No, here's what the commandments are. They're a school master. That's what Paul tells us. They show us the fact that we can't keep them. Even if we might keep it on the outside, in our heart, we've already messed up. What Jesus is doing here is he's really using the law that this man loved so dearly and he's using it to expose him. See, the problem isn't that this man tried to keep the law. Those are good things to try to keep. It's a good thing that he's not out there just trying to kill people. I mean, I think we understand just the simplicity of that.

See, the problem this man had is he didn't realize how deeply the law reaches. See, the law doesn't just expose what you've done. You know, that's kind of how we would maybe view it even today. Here's what the law, here's what the word of God does. It exposes what's in our heart.

The Bible reminds us that this book is a sword. It's sharper than any two-edged sword. It gets down into the depths of our soul. That's why you can read this book and you can listen to a message and it feels like, man, the preacher's reading my mail. I'm not. I got my own mail to deal with.

You know what that is? That's the Holy Spirit of God speaking to you because it understands us. It dives in there. It exposes what needs to change. But this man's response in verse number 21, this is a crazy response. He said, yeah, I've done all those.

Since my youth, I haven't done one of those things. I haven't killed anybody. But then he hasn't lied? I don't know about that. I mean, that's what he said. Now, Jesus doesn't correct him. He just moves right on. But he's basically just saying this, hey, listen, good master, I've lived morally.

I take my religion very seriously. I'm definitely kind to the people around me. And compared to those around him, he did look probably a lot better than the majority of people. But that's the problem.

See, he's looking at the law that Jesus is reminding him again as a resume. And here's what he did. I checked that box. I checked that box. I checked that box. But you know what the law is? James tells us it's a mirror. When we look into it, you know what it does? It shows some flaws. Anybody look in the mirror this morning? Some of you did. Some of you didn't. Some of you think, well, this is the best it gets. No, you look in a mirror. It shows some things that need to change. And you fix them.

James tells us in James chapter 1, you don't go to the mirror, see all these things around and say, man, I look great. Let's just pretend like that mirror doesn't exist. But that's what Jesus is showing us here. We're not to look at the Word of God and say, well, I haven't done all. I've done all these things. Check, check, check. Listen, Christianity is not about checking boxes. That's not what Jesus has called us to. He's called us to a relationship, not all these things that we must do. And there's something very easy for us to miss. If he really believed he did all of these things, if he really believed that obedience was enough, why did he come to Jesus asking this question?

I think because he knew. It's written in our hearts. We have a conscience. We have the Holy Spirit of God. Why is he still asking, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Because he knows he doesn't have it. And he wants it. And he needs it. He understands the priority of it. He knows something's still missing. He's done all these things, but he knows this. I'm not sure I've done enough. And I ask people, I have conversations with them. I say, hey, do you know Christ is your Savior? You know heaven is your home one day? Well, I'm just hoping one day that when I get there, that all my good works will just outweigh my bad works. That is a horrible way to live.

How do we know? The question comes this, how do we know if we've ever done enough? Because who's holding the standard? Where are you getting that from? And that's the problem when you try to earn your standing before God. And maybe that's where somebody is here today. I mean, you would readily admit you're not perfect, but you're a good person. You try to treat people right, unless they cut you off in traffic, and then you ask for forgiveness. I mean, you go to church, you're here on a Sunday morning. You maybe have been baptized. Maybe you try to live a good life.

Listen, there's nothing wrong with those things, but none of those things make you right with God. That's where we have to be careful that we can't trust. We must stop evaluating ourselves against how the rest of the world lives. That's not the standard. That's what Jesus keeps saying. Hey, stop looking at this and look at me. Stop looking at what you can read and look at what I've done for you. And we need to honestly ask ourselves, am I righteous before God? Because that's what really matters. Listen, when it all comes down to it, we're not going to stand before our peers. The Bible's very clear that we're going to stand before God. That we will answer to Him. And we must give an account for our life. And it's either we're going to trust in what we've done or trust in Him. Those are the only two options that we really have. And none of us can answer that question by pointing at our resume.

Well, I did this and this and this and this. That's not going to fly. Because we know the reality is we've also done that and that and that. And that is a mesh. And that God is not going to allow that.

And here is a man that spent his entire life trying to be good. And he's done a really good job at it. Jesus doesn't balk at the idea and say, you're not telling the truth. No, He says, you've done that, but you're still missing it. And He's asking Jesus, what else do I need to do? Jesus doesn't say, man, I need you to do one more religious activity. No, what we see here is He's going to put His finger on the thing that directly is holding this man back. What he values the most.

Because when it comes to our life and it came to this man's life, the greatest problem isn't something we haven't done. No, generally it's something we won't let go of. So we ask the question again, what keeps us from completely depending on Christ. Number two, we see this, holding on to our idols.

So we see in verse number 22 and verse 23. Now when Jesus heard these things, He said unto him, yet lackest thou one thing. Sell all thou hast and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.

Now we hear this verse and it seems weird. It seems like this is not what Jesus is teaching. This doesn't sound like the gospel that I learned in Sunday school growing up, but I want to remind us, Jesus is not teaching that eternal life can be purchased.

That is not what He is saying here. He's not saying you can get it by just giving away everything you own. What He's doing in this specific conversation, because He's having a one-on-one conversation with this man, here's what He's doing. He's exposing this man's heart.

Because this man has said, hey, I have kept all the commandments. But Jesus says, you actually have another God that you're serving. Because the very first commandment is, thou shalt have no other gods before me.

And this man had a God, and here's what it was. Stuff. It's a real deep theological word. But that's what it was. This man's possessions occupied a place in his heart and his life that belonged to God.

He could do all this outward religious activity. He was moral. All of those things he said was true, but God's not after all those things. God's after our heart. That's what He's seeking.

That's what He's searching. Because this whole text, it's not about money. It's not about selling, and you have too much, and you've got to take care of the poor. No, here's what it's about. It's about worship. He was worshiping all of the material possessions.

He would have flaunted it around. It may not have been as obvious as the publican, as the Pharisee, but He was proud of His things. And see, the heart of Jesus' invitation isn't sell everything.

Listen, you don't have to go ahead and say, well, if I'm going to serve Jesus, I've got to sell everything I own. It's not what Jesus is saying. Here's Jesus' invitation. Follow me. Over.

Over and over and over in the Gospels. He constantly says that saying, follow me. See, what Jesus is offering to this man is far greater than anything He's asking him to release.

I think we struggle with that sometimes in our world. It's not that we don't love Jesus. Listen, I've had people, it's like they get right up to the door, but they think, but I've got to let go of this. This is so valuable to me.

This is my identities wrapped up in this. All of these things, and this is who I am. But listen, what Jesus asks you to release is not as valuable as what He wants to give you.

But this man did not understand that because he looked around, and it's a lot easier to check the bank account and say, well, I've got a lot of that. I've got a lot of this. And, you know, I'm not sure I can part with these things because how am I going to sustain my lifestyle?

How am I going to do these things? And he looks at them and says, listen, if you just follow me, I mean, you're going to have treasure in heaven. But this man looks around and he says, well, I'm not in heaven right now. What am I going to do until I get there?

I've got all these things. Verse 23. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

What a tragedy. What a contrast from the very beginning of the conversation. This man Mark described as running to Jesus, excited that Jesus is in his town.

He's been wanting to ask this question for a long time. Good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And now we see him walking away, sorrowful. See, the very things that he thought made him rich were the very things that were keeping him from actually being rich.

Because this life doesn't consist of the abundance of the things that we possess. It exists to serve Christ. Mark asked this question, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

I mean, that's a picture of this man. There was nothing this man lacked except one thing, giving his life to Christ. See, the issue isn't that he possessed wealth.

Wealth is not evil. Money is not evil. Some people take this and go really weird. No, the love of money is the root of all evil. It's when our heart and our life is attached to those things.

And that's where this man was. The issue was that wealth possessed his heart. And Jesus says, that's what I'm after. I want your heart. Because when God has our heart, whatever has your heart has your life.

Jesus said, wherever your heart is, there will your treasure be also. So it's not just a story about a man a long time ago. No, it's a question for us to ask today.

Who has your heart? What are you trusting in? What are you relying on? And we've got to bring that where we live. Is there anything that I want more than I want Christ?

Because, you know, sometimes we can fall in that trap as well. Because we can see all the things around us. And I want that. And I want that. And we can even know Christ our Savior, but we don't live for him. Because we're living for that next job, that next paycheck, that next car, that next house.

And we're just living for all of the things the world has. This man wanted eternal life. He was very desirous of it. But when Jesus confronted the thing that had his heart, he said, can't touch that.

Can't let that go. Lord, you can have anything else. I mean, you name the price, but let me have my things. He wanted what he already had more.

He came so excited. He felt so close. But now he's walking away. And this shocked the crowd. They couldn't believe it. If this man, this religious, successful, moral man, cannot get himself into the kingdom of heaven, they're thinking, who can?

Because if he doesn't have a chance, I definitely don't have a chance. Because that's what Jesus says in verse 24. He saw that he was very sorrowful and said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of heaven?

So what keeps us from completely depending on Christ? Number three, we'll see this as we close, depending on ourselves. Once again, Jesus is not saying in verse 24 that having money automatically keeps someone out of the kingdom of heaven.

That's not true. I mean, you read the scriptures. The Bible is full of very rich people. Abraham was very rich. Job was very rich. We're going to see other people. We're going to meet Zacchaeus.

He was very rich. And he ends up in the kingdom of heaven. Money is not a determination. Here's the danger. It's what wealth produces in the heart. Wealth can make us feel secure.

It can make us feel self-sufficient. It can make us feel independent. Sometimes we think, well, I'm not super wealthy. Listen, you live in this country. You're probably wealthier than the majority of people in this world.

We just have a very skewed view because we look at other people that have more than us. And we think, well, I'm not doing that well. No, no. We're probably more self-sufficient than we realize we are sometimes.

See, when you have enough, it's easy to start believing that you are enough. And that's where this man was. He's like, I mean, what else do I need? I have everything. And that is the opposite of dependence that Jesus has been driving home in this chapter.

And really in verse 25, he gives a picture they're not going to forget. He says, for it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Now, sometimes when I'm reading verses like this, I go to a commentary and see what they're saying. Some people make this verse very complicated. And they start talking in Jerusalem. There's a little tiny door in the wall, and it was called the camel's gate and all this.

That's not what Jesus is saying, I don't think. I think the picture is very, very clear. Jesus is talking about a camel, a giant camel with two humps on there, trying to go through an eye of a needle.

And here's what the crowd would have thought. That's impossible. Because that is the picture that he is painting. He wants them to understand that. He's not describing something difficult.

He's describing something completely impossible. And the people hear that, and they said, who then can be saved? If this guy can't make it, if it's like a camel going through an eye of a needle, nobody's going to make it.

See, now the conversation has completely changed. This man said, what shall I do? And now the question is like, can anybody even make it? Can anybody even enter in?

But that's exactly where Jesus is bringing us to. Jesus is moving this conversation from what can I accomplish to how can I be saved?

That's the question. That's what he wanted them to understand. And here's what he says in verse number 27. The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. That's the answer.

How do you make it to heaven? By God's grace. It is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. That Jesus paid the debt.

That's where he's headed. He's headed to the cross of Calvary. Listen, salvation isn't something that's supposed to be real difficult for us to accomplish. And if we just keep working, and we keep doing all the right things, and we check all the right boxes, then one day God's going to say, you did it, you made it.

No, salvation is not difficult for us to accomplish. It's impossible. You cannot save yourself. You cannot make yourself righteous. You cannot earn eternal life. See, salvation is something God does for us.

And that's the hope of this passage. Because if salvation depended on me, if salvation depended on you, you would have no hope. Because you might have a good day, but you might have a bad day too.

How are you going to know if you're having a good day or bad day? How are you going to know if you're going to make it? We cannot, what we cannot do for ourselves, God has done through Christ. And that's what he's teaching here.

In just a few verses, in verses 31 to 34, we won't read it, but Jesus tells his disciples what's about to happen. He said the Son of Man is about to go to Jerusalem. And he's going to suffer, and he's going to die, and he's going to rise again.

And he's doing all of that for our sins. See, this rule, the reason he didn't make it into the kingdom of heaven wasn't because he wasn't a good person. He was a good person.

Here's why he didn't make it. He was depending on himself. The gospel is not, you do what you can, and Jesus will get you across the finish line. No, here's the gospel. Trust in him.

It's all about what he's done. That's why Jesus said on the cross of Calvary, to tell us to die. It is finished. He didn't cry from the cross, keep working harder, you're going to make it one day.

No, he said, I've done it all. I've paid the price for you. And that's why eternal life is not something we achieve, it's something we receive. That we have to realize that we're a sinner.

The Bible says that all have sin and come short of the glory of God. And the wages, the payment of that sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Well, how do you get it? For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

That every single person, whether you're the rich young ruler, you're the publican, you're the worst sinner in the world. Here's how you come. Jesus, I'm a sinner. Would you forgive me? God, I'm sorry.

I need you in my life. Here's Peter. Peter always just pipes up at the right time. He's like, hey, Jesus, I know this.

I'm not him. What about us? Look at verse number 28. Then Peter said, lo, we have left all and follow thee. Peter's like, I just want to make sure I'm on the right track.

I just want to make sure that, Lord, like we're good. See, Jesus has been saying this whole chapter, hey, come follow me. Peter said, we have.

What's there for us? We see Jesus' response in verse 29. He said, and then, verily I say, and you truly, there is no man that hath left house or parents or brethren or wife or children for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time and in the world to come life everlasting.

Nowhere in this gospel, nowhere in the Bible does Jesus pretend following him doesn't cost anything. It does. And Peter's saying, listen, we've paid the cost.

We're willing to follow. But what Jesus reminds him here, he said, Peter, you may not have it all now, but I just want you to understand this, that nobody loses by following me.

See, the ruler could only see what he would lose instead of what he would actually gain. He was so focused on the here and now.

And sometimes that is our problem, that we spend so much time calculating obedience and what it might cost us that we forget who we're following and what's to come.

The Bible says, I have not seen nor ear hath heard nor has it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love him. Jesus told his disciples in John 14, I'm going to prepare a place for you.

And if I go prepare a place for you, I will come again. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to that day. You know, I've been to some places around this world. I've seen some beautiful things and nothing can even touch the hem of the garment.

I mean, the streets are made of gold. Reminds me of Gainesville. Maybe not, but. But so many people, they come to the door, they come right to the question.

And maybe you're here this morning, I just want to go to heaven. But what will I have to give up? It doesn't matter. Whatever you have to give up, it's going to be worth it. What do I have to change? Listen, God's going to change everything about you.

That's a good thing. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things are passed away. And behold, all things have become new. What will people think? It doesn't really matter. You're not going to stand before the Lord and the king of the universe one day and say, Well, I didn't make the decision because I was worried about what so-and-so thought.

You know what we need to be worried about? What does God think? How does God view me? Whatever following Jesus costs, it's worth it. That's what he's telling Peter.

He's like, Peter, settle down. It's going to be worth it. You're going to be okay. See, this conversation began with a question. Good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

But like any good teacher, Jesus shows us the problem first. This man wanted a quick fix. He said, you just tell me. You name the price. It's done. But Jesus says, listen, you can't do enough.

You can't earn it. You can't save yourself. But if you just trust me, you'll have this and so much more. You'll have treasure in heaven that fadeth not away.

Hey, down here, you know what? I'm sure you found this out. You buy new things, they eventually wear out. You just have to buy new and nothing ever sustains. There's coming a day where everything is going to be perfect.

He's going to make all things new. And you can have it. But the only way that you can enter into the kingdom, what shall you do? Here's what you've got to do. You've got to stop trying to achieve it and just depend completely on Christ.

That's where it's at. This man came with a great question. But my prayer is you don't walk out the same way. Well, today's not the day. No, today is the day. If you don't know Christ as your Savior, today is the day of salvation.

What are you trusting in? When you stand before the Lord one day, what are you going to say? Here's what you should say. I've come by the way of the cross. Lord, thank you for dying for me.

Thank you for paying for my sins. Because if you're trusting in anything else besides what he did, it's not going to get you there. You're going to get right up to the door and realize, I don't have the key. Jesus says, I am the door.

And if you want to enter in, you've got to enter in by him. But the Lord help us. It's not what we do. It's what he has done. Father, thank you for this time. Thank you. Thank you.