Please take your copy of God's Word out and turn to the Gospel according to Mark, chapter 10.
Let me say to those of you across the hall, thank you for your patience.
I stepped across the hall over there to see how things were going with the sound
and realized that we had forgotten to mount the camera high enough
to see what was happening on stage when everybody was standing up.
So on the TV across the hall, it was a wall of plaid.
You guys wearing plaid? Yep, your backs.
Which is no big deal. Please stand up during the singing.
But we'll get that all sorted out.
And also, it's a little warm in here.
You know, I think about that kind of thing.
We cooled the room to 68 before you guys all got here,
but apparently our BTU calculations were not quite correct.
And you guys are putting off more heat than the air conditioning is keeping up with.
So we'll cool it more next Sunday so that we can keep up with you.
Mark, chapter 10. We're continuing our verse-by-verse exposition,
and we have come to verse 17, and I'll read to you through 31,
and then we'll pray.
And as he, being Jesus, was setting out on his journey,
a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him,
Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
And Jesus said to him,
Why do you call me good?
No one is good except God alone.
You know the commandments.
Do not murder.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
Do not bear false witness.
Do not defraud.
Honor your father and mother.
And he said to him,
Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
You lack one thing.
Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
And come, follow me.
Disheartened by the saying,
he went away sorrowful,
for he had great possessions.
And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
How difficult it will be for those who have wealth
to enter the kingdom of God.
And the disciples were amazed at his words.
But Jesus said to them again,
Children, how difficult 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 person to enter the kingdom of God.
And they were exceedingly astonished
and said to him,
Then who can be saved?
Jesus looked at them and said,
With man it is impossible,
but not with God,
for all things are possible with God.
Peter began to say to him,
See, we have left everything and followed you.
Jesus said,
Truly I say to you,
there is no one who has left houses or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the gospel
who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time
houses and brothers and sisters and mothers
and children and lands.
with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life.
But many who are first will be last
and the last first.
This is God's word to us,
written for his glory and our good.
We would all do well to listen to it
in order to believe its promises
and obey its commands.
Let's pray together.
Father,
our sufficiency
at all times
comes from you.
But there are moments in our life
that are particularly marked
where we feel that need
to such a greater degree.
And this, for me,
is one of those times.
And so, Father,
I would ask that you would
work in me by your spirit
to preach your word
well to your people.
And I would also ask
on behalf of them
that you'd work
by your spirit
in their hearts
to take this word
and apply it appropriately
to their lives.
Bring about
greater degrees
of repentance
and faith
so that we will
exalt
the name of Jesus.
And it's in that precious name
I pray.
Amen.
Well, once again,
we have before us
a pericope
found in all three.
Pericope's just a biblical text.
Found in all three
of the Synoptic Gospels.
That is,
this story is recorded
here by Mark,
by Matthew
in chapter 19
of his Gospel account,
and in chapter 18
of the Lucan account.
Anytime this happens,
not that we should neglect
any other text,
but we should really pay
careful attention.
All three of these writers
felt it important,
were led by the Spirit
to record these things
for us.
We should give it
extra attention.
What can we glean
from this text
for our living
to the glory
of God?
I have to tell you
as I study the parallels,
I'm so very pleased
to be preaching
from Mark's account
as it's my favorite account.
And I'll tell you
in a little while
why his particular account
is my favorite.
He has been
so punchy so far.
He moves so quickly
through the beginning part,
up through about
the middle of chapter 8,
moving us along,
hurrying us along
in the narrative.
And here,
he begins to slow down,
and he gives us
some beautiful details
that even the other
authors do not.
And once again,
I have bitten off
more than I think
any of us can chew
on a Sunday morning
in one sitting.
So,
I'm going to deal today
with the evangelistic aspect
of this text.
And next week,
I'll deal with
the financial,
the wealth aspect of it.
And we'll see what
true wealth is
in God's economy.
So,
the evangelistic aspect,
you heard me correctly.
Remember that Jesus
was a preacher
of the gospel.
He was also
the fulfillment of it.
He was the reason for it,
but he was a preacher
of the gospel.
Mark 1.15,
he says,
the time is fulfilled
and the kingdom of God
is at hand.
Repent and believe
in the gospel.
All of the miracles
that we see recorded
all are just giving
credence to the thing
that he's saying.
It's the message
that mattered most,
not the miracles.
So,
he's a preacher
of the gospel.
And we would rightly see
the rich young ruler
as a seeker.
This is an evangelistic
encounter.
Right?
That by the young man's
estimation doesn't end
very well,
but there's much
that we can learn
from the way
that our Lord
deals with him.
Now,
we see that Jesus
is setting out
on a journey.
He has presumably
left the house.
We see in verse 10,
he's in a house
with his disciples.
So,
he has left that.
He's setting out
on a journey.
He's currently in the region
of Judea
and beyond the Jordan.
We see that in chapter 10,
verse 2.
And he's working his way
towards Jerusalem.
This is in the months
leading up to
his crucifixion.
He has largely
left his public ministry
and he's now
turned his attention,
his focus,
his sights are set
on teaching the disciples
the things they will
need to know
once he departs
from them.
He gets some
interruptions
in that process,
but through this
last half of chapter 8
and through the end
of chapter 10,
he lays down
foundational truths
that they must
receive
and understand
to continue
to follow him
after his death.
We know he's going
to be delivered.
He's said now
three times,
he'll say it again
in the coming verses,
8.31
and 9.31.
He's foretold
that he's going
to be delivered over
to his tormentors
to be crucified.
And all of this
is interrupted
by a man.
Mark's account
simply says
a man.
He is commonly
referred to
as the rich
young ruler.
And we arrive
at this by looking
at the various
accounts.
So Luke 18.18,
he's called
a ruler.
He was likely
a ruler
of a local
synagogue.
Which is a lay
position.
It wasn't a
Levitical position.
It was a lay
position.
It was the person
that managed
the storehouses.
All the provisions
being there
was an office
manager of sorts.
But it was a
highly esteemed
position
and it was
highly lucrative.
Religion was
a big business
in this day.
Much wealth
came with it.
We also know
that he was rich
because Mark's
commentary in
verse 22,
for he had
great possessions.
So here we see
the rich and
the ruler
part of that.
Matthew 19.20
says that he
was the
young man.
Now this
position that he
likely held
as a ruler
of the synagogue
was an esteemed
religious position
that was prominently
held by older
men.
They were
typically called
elders as a
result.
Not the way
we speak of
biblical elders
in a modern
church setting,
but as old
men that
held this
position.
And somehow
this young
man had
come to
be this
ruler.
Which means
that he
was probably
especially
pious.
From the
outside he
seemed to
observe the
law very
well,
which is what
granted him
this position.
He certainly
considers himself
pious as
we'll see
soon.
This man
is in the
very prime
of his
life.
He has
in this
cultural
setting
everything
he could
possibly
want.
Much
wealth.
Much
esteem.
In the
culture's
estimation,
he was
the most
right
with God.
But yet,
he knows
that he
lacks
something.
And all
humanity
knows this.
All
humanity
apart from
Christ
knows
that there
is
something
missing.
Some
people call
it,
in a kind
of trite
fashion,
a God
sized hole
in our
hearts.
All
humanity
knows that
we were
created for
something in
particular,
and that
was to
exalt
the
creator.
And when
we're not
doing that,
things just
don't go
that well.
Even when
they seem
to be by
the world's
standards.
People spend
their lives
pursuing
this thing
that they
can't quite
put their
hands on,
that they
know they
need to
be fulfilled.
He
recognizes
that it's
this concept
of eternal
life.
He comes
to Jesus
seeking.
And he
comes to
Jesus with
a great
expression
of humility.
Now keep
in mind
that this
young man
is a rich
young man,
and the
record in
Mark is
that he
ran up
and he
knelt
before him.
People
with money
in this
day did
not run
because they
could afford
to have
somebody else
run for
them.
They would
have a
servant who
would go
fetch
whatever
instrument
they may
need or
go send
a message
to somebody
else.
It was
considered
degrading
to run.
No running
for exercise
in these
days.
Running
did not
happen.
This would
have been
an expression
of humility.
And beyond
that,
he kneels
down
before him.
Jesus.
And he
says,
good teacher,
what must
I do
to inherit
eternal life?
He gets
that he
doesn't have
it.
Matthew 19
16 says,
teacher,
what good
deed must
I do
to have
eternal
life?
And in
verse 20,
Matthew 19,
what do I
still lack?
How is it
that I
get this
thing?
Now,
the Jews
of this
day,
and I
would presume
Jews of
ours as
well,
have a
proper view
of salvation
and eternal
life.
In fact,
I think in
a lot of
ways,
they get
it more
right than
we do.
Certainly,
this man
would have.
They believed
that to have
eternal life
was not simply
that they
would go on
living,
right?
That we
live this
life now,
we die,
and we
continue to
live,
although it
does mean
that,
but that it
was to have
the very
life of
God.
God
himself has
eternal life,
and therefore,
for us to have
eternal life,
what great
gain that
is to
us.
A proper
biblical
understanding of
what it means
to have
life in
Christ is
aligned with
this,
that we
have life
now and
forever
more.
In a sense,
we bring
heaven to
earth when
the Spirit
of God
comes to
dwell in
our hearts.
Joy is
restored.
The ability
to live
under the
pressures of
sin,
the ability
to stand
up under
the temptation
of sin
exists because
of what we
now have.
Now,
what the
life of
God was
exactly,
they
misunderstood.
This is
what Jesus
has been
teaching the
disciples all
along.
Chapter 8,
verse 34.
What is
he predicting?
He's predicting
his death.
And my
brain just
went blank.
31.
Yep,
that's a
typo.
And he
began to
teach them
that the
Son of
Man must
suffer many
things and
be rejected
by the
elders and
the chief
priests and
the scribes
and be
killed and
after three
days rise
again.
Nope,
it wasn't a
typo.
Verse 34.
If anyone
would come
after me,
let him
deny himself
and take
up his
cross and
follow me.
What is
it going to
look like to
be a
disciple of
Jesus Christ?
What is
it going to
mean to
have the
life of
God?
It's
going to
mean that
we
emulate
him.
Jesus,
incarnate
God,
in flesh
suffered
for our
sake.
Again,
chapter 9,
verse 35.
If anyone
will be
first,
he must
be the
last of
all and
servant of
all.
Beyond
our text,
chapter 10,
verse 31.
But many
who are
first will
be last
and the
last
first.
Look at
verse 43.
But it
shall not be
so among
you, but
whoever would
be great
among you
must be
your servant.
And whoever
will be
first among
you,
must be
slave of
all.
For even
the Son
of Man
came not
to be
served,
but to
serve,
and to
give his
life as
a ransom
for many.
This rich
wrong,
you would
have thought
he had
everything
he needed,
and what
he was
coming to
Jesus for
was that
one more
thing.
Let me
add the
bonus on
top of
all the
things I
already
have.
And he
missed
the point
that for
him to
gain
Christ,
he had
to give
up all
that he
had.
So what
answer would
you have
given such
a man who
comes to
you in
such a
humble
position,
asks such
a seemingly
heartfelt
question?
Imagine that a
man runs up to
you today after
the service,
whatever restaurant
you may go to,
kneels down before you
and says,
good teacher,
what must I do
to inherit
eternal life?
I imagine that
you would tell
them,
repent and
believe,
right?
You'd use
Bible language.
You might say,
look to Christ,
place your faith
in him,
or pray this
prayer.
In a different
setting,
one might say,
walk the aisle,
or here,
read this tract,
right?
And all these
things would be
well motivated,
of course,
right?
We want people
to respond to
the gospel.
We want people
to understand the
very essence of
what it means to
place faith in
Christ.
I believe this
is the answer
we would give
them all.
Isn't this
exactly what
Jesus did
when Nicodemus,
another ruler
of the Jews,
sought him out?
John 3,
14 and 15.
It says,
Moses lifted up
the servant
in the wilderness,
so must the
Son of Man
be lifted up,
that whoever
believes in him
may have
eternal life.
Or in John 6,
28,
when Jesus is
teaching the crowds,
they say to him,
what must we do
to be doing
the works of
God?
Jesus answered
them,
this is the
work of God,
that you believe
in him whom
he has sent.
Or you could
be taking your
cues from Paul
and Silas when
the Philippian
jailer asked
them in Acts
16,
30,
sirs,
what must I
do to be
saved?
And they
said,
believe in
the Lord
Jesus and
you will be
saved.
We see a
biblical pattern
for this type
of response
to such
a question.
So why
does Jesus'
answer vary
from this
pattern?
What can
we learn
from Jesus
about his
evangelistic
methods and
therefore the
proper evangelistic
methods?
Is it
possible
that you
have and
are presuming
that you
may have
something to
teach Jesus
about evangelism?
Is it
possible that
evangelical
Christians
have been
sharing
Christ
wrongly?
So why
does his
answer vary?
And the
key to that
is in
Jesus'
immediate
response
to the
man.
Verse
18,
he says,
why do
you call
me good?
No one
is good
except
God
alone.
Now it's
interesting,
isn't it?
Because we
could rightly
call Jesus
good,
right?
Jesus,
who lived
a sinless
life up
to this
point.
of course,
had not
sinned.
If anybody
on earth
was to be
called good,
it would
have been
Jesus.
But this
man did
not know
who he
was.
This man
did not
have a
clear
revelation
that he
was the
Christ.
He simply
comes to
him,
a man he
knows has
been traveling
and teaching
about the
kingdom of
God,
who has
done many
miracles,
and he
applies very
loosely,
he throws
a term
on him
that is
good.
He doesn't
get it,
which is why
Jesus responds
in the way
that he
does.
Further,
he should
have known
his scriptures.
This man
certainly would
have studied
them.
Romans 3,
10-12,
where Paul
quotes from
Psalm 14
and Psalm 53,
which this
young ruler
would have
had,
one of the
few copies,
he would have
had access
to it.
Paul sums
it up for
us and
says,
none is
righteous or
good,
no not one,
no one
understands,
no one
seeks for
God,
all have
turned aside,
together they
have become
worthless,
no one does
good,
not even
one.
No one
does good,
no one
is good,
except God
alone.
And Jesus'
response
redefines for
us what
goodness is.
He sets
God up as
the standard
for goodness.
He makes
goodness
objective
rather than
subjective.
If I compare
myself to
you,
I might
come out
okay.
I also
may not.
If I compare
myself to
God,
in every
case,
I will be
left with
no doubt
that I
need the
goodness
of Christ.
God
alone
is good.
Matthew
19-16
kind of
pointily
says,
Teacher,
what good
deed must
I do
to have
eternal
life?
This man
thought that
he could
amass for
himself merit
by the way
in which
he lived.
He was
incredibly
delusional.
He thinks
that he has
kept the
law.
He thinks
that he
is righteous
by his
own
doing.
Do you
remember the
parable of the
Pharisee and the
tax collector?
Peter?
In Luke,
it's recorded
just before the
telling of this
particular
story.
Let me read
that to you.
Luke 18,
beginning in
verse 9.
Jesus also
told this
parable to
some who
trusted in
themselves that
they were
righteous and
treated others
with contempt.
Two men
went up to the
temple to pray,
one a Pharisee
and the other
a tax collector.
The Pharisee
standing by
himself prayed
thus,
God, I
thank you that
I am not like
other men,
extortioners,
unjust,
adulterers,
or even like
this tax
collector.
I fast twice
a week.
I give tithes
of all that
I get.
But the
tax collector
standing far
off would not
even lift up
his eyes to
heaven,
but beat
his breast
saying,
God, be
merciful to
me, a
sinner.
I tell you,
this man went
down to his
house justified
rather than the
other.
For everyone
who exalts
himself will
be humbled,
but the one
who humbles
himself will
be exalted.
The Pharisee
compares himself
to the tax
collector and
finds himself
righteous.
The tax
collector is
honest with
who he is
before God
and says,
I am a
sinner.
Please have
mercy on me.
I cannot
merit that
on my own.
I cannot
earn it.
It must be
your gracious
extension
of mercy.
mercy.
This is the
good news
of the
gospel,
beloved.
This is the
wonderful news
of the
gospel.
That apart
from anything
we could
possibly do
to earn
God's favor,
he extends
it to us
all the
same.
But good
news isn't
good news
without bad
news,
is it?
There certainly
is bad
news.
I just
read to you
Romans 3.
10-12,
none is
righteous.
No, not
one.
No one
understands.
No one
seeks for
God.
All have
turned aside.
Together they
have become
worthless.
No one
does good.
Not even
one.
We learn in
Romans that
the wages
of sin
is death.
This is
what due
to us is
the just
punishment
for our
sin.
What has
been accounted
to us
is death
because of
our sin.
And none
of us have
escaped this.
Not a
single person
in my
hearing can
say I
am without
sin.
You're
not.
By your
nature are
sinful before
Christ.
I praise
God in
Romans 3.
Paul keeps
writing because
he could because
of the gospel.
He had so
much more to
say about
the gospel.
Verse 21
and 22,
but now the
righteousness of
God has been
manifested apart
from the law.
Although the
law and the
prophets bear
witness to it,
the righteousness
of God
through faith
in Jesus
Christ for
all who
believed.
Martin Luther
called it the
great exchange.
Jesus took
on our
sin on the
cross.
He took
the wrath
of God
that was
due us
and he
gave to
us his
righteousness.
This is how
we stand
before God.
Not by
anything that
we could
earn.
Right?
You're
deluded if
you think
that walking
an aisle
or praying
a particular
prayer is
what makes
you in a
right standing
before God.
If someone
has misled
you in
that way,
if you
hang the
surety of
your salvation
on some
experience,
some date,
let me warn
you,
urge you,
do not let
that be your
surety.
It's on the
work of
Christ in
your life.
Do you
have the
Spirit of
God?
Do you
love Him
more than
the things
of this
world?
God
the rich
young
ruler was
not truly
humble.
He
was in
exterior
fashion.
He did
not really
recognize
his
poverty.
Do you
recognize
yours?
He knew
something was
missing,
but he
did not
come to
Jesus
seeking
for God,
but rather
what he
could gain
from God.
He was
exalting
himself.
He was
self-righteous.
proud.
He possessed
this outward
appearance of
humility,
but inwardly
was totally
proud.
And Jesus
surmises all
of this from
one word,
good.
But he
probes further.
He quotes
the latter
half of the
Ten Commandments.
It's six.
I know there's
ten.
It's a little
more than the
latter half.
The latter
half of the
Ten Commandments.
Those that
deal with
relationships
between men.
You can
find that in
Exodus 20
and the
restating of
it in
Deuteronomy
chapter 5.
Verse 19.
Do not
murder.
Do not
commit
adultery.
Do not
steal.
Do not
bear false
witness.
Do not
defraud.
Honor your
father and
mother.
The young
man knew
these laws.
He didn't
scratch his
head at
these things.
He knew
these things
and we
see that
in his
response.
But he
fails to
see the
purpose of
the law.
The purpose
of the law
was that it
was meant to
teach our
need for a
Savior.
The law
sets up
God's
standard for
righteousness.
A righteous
that we
cannot
possibly
achieve.
And I'll
say it
again.
We need
the righteousness
of Christ
that is
granted to
us through
repentance
and faith.
The law
was always
meant to
point us
to this
great
reality.
Paul recorded
in Galatians
chapter 3
verse 23
through 26.
Now before
faith came
we were held
captive under
the law
and imprisoned
until the
coming faith
would be
revealed.
So then
the law
was our
guardian
until Christ
came in
order that
we might
be justified
by faith.
But now
that faith
has come
we are no
longer under
a guardian
for in
Christ Jesus
you are
all sons
of God
through faith.
Now in
Jewish
culture
young people
had very
little value.
In fact
when they
were very
young
they weren't
really even
considered
sons and
daughters.
They didn't
have the
rights
that sons
and daughters
had in
the household.
And placed
above them
was a person
that was hired
out called
a guardian.
They were
kind of a
taskmaster.
They were
the person
that made
sure that
they got
to school
that they
learned the
Torah
and they
did all
the things
that they
were meant
to do.
And they
were given
permission
to be rather
violent with
the children.
They kind
of beat
them in
to
submission.
And see
what Paul
is saying
here about
the law
being our
guardian
until
Christ
comes.
In verse 26
for in
Christ Jesus
you are
all sons
of God.
We've been
set free
from the
demands
of the
law
that none
of us
could keep.
We've been
given the
righteousness
of Christ.
The law
aims us
at Him.
Put another
way,
John Bunyan
in his
wonderful book
The Pilgrim's
Progress.
If you have
not read
The Pilgrim's
Progress,
you are
behind
most
Christianity,
you need
to pick
it up
and read
it.
And it's
the story
of a man
named
Christian
in his
journey
to the
celestial
city.
And he
meets along
this journey
a wonderful
character
that travels
with him
for quite
some time
named
Faith.
And Faith
has had
some experience
prior to
their meeting
together
and he's
recounting
that experience
here.
Faith says,
But good
brother,
hear me
out.
So soon
as the
man
overtook
me,
he's
journeying
up a
hill,
so soon
as the
man
overtook
me,
he was
but a
word
and a
blow,
for down
he knocked
me and
laid me
for dead.
But when
I was a
little come
to myself
again,
I asked
him,
wherefore
has he
served
me?
So why
did you
hit me?
He said,
because of
my secret
inclining
to Adam
the first.
And with
that,
he struck
me another
deadly blow
on the
breast and
lay at
his foot
as dead
as before.
So when
I came
to myself
again,
I cried
him mercy,
but he
said,
I know
not how
to show
mercy.
And with
that,
he knocked
me down
again.
He had
doubtless
made an
end of
me,
but that
one came
by and
bid him
forbear.
So there's
a man
faced on
his journey,
this man
keeps knocking
him out.
When he
comes to,
he has a
conversation
with him,
and he
knocks him
out again.
Show me
mercy,
I don't
know how
to show
mercy.
And then
stop.
Christian
asks,
who was
that
that bid
him
forbear
or to
stop?
And
faith
says,
I did
not know
him at
first,
but as
he went
by,
I perceived
the holes
in his
hands and
his sides,
that I
concluded
that he
was our
Lord,
so I
went up
the hill.
And
Christian
responds,
that man
that overtook
you was
Moses.
He
spareth
none,
neither
knoweth
he how
to show
mercy to
those that
transgress
his law.
And
John Bunyan
is not
saying here
that Moses
is evil
to us,
but the
law is
our
tutor.
The
law is
meant to
show us
our
failing
again and
again.
It's meant
to drive
us to
Christ.
And
the rich
young
ruler
missed
the point.
He
had missed
it.
Look at
his response
in verse
20.
He says,
Teacher,
all these
I have
kept
from
mine
youth.
I
really
want
Jesus
at this
point.
I
really
want him
to say,
no,
you
have,
have you
lost your
mind?
You have
not kept
these
things
from your
youth.
But
Jesus
presses
on in
a very
compassionate
way,
which is
why I
love
Mark's
record of
this
event
best.
It says,
verse 21,
and Jesus
looking at
him,
loved him.
The other
accounts don't
say that
about this.
He looks
at him
and he
loves him.
And
because
he
loves
him,
he
points
out
his
sinfulness.
He
doesn't
skirt
around
it.
He's
not
concerned
about
his
feelings.
He
strikes
him
right
between
the
eyes.
He
goes
straight
to the
heart
of the
issue
and
points
out
his
sin.
And
in
this
case,
he
says,
you
lack
one
thing.
Go sell
all you
have,
give
to
the
poor,
and
you
have
treasure
!
in
heaven,
and
come
follow
me.
Jesus
exposes
his
obvious
failure
to keep
the
first
half
of the
law.
Again,
the
first
four
commandments.
Deuteronomy
6.5
in a
summary
statement
of those
commands,
you shall
love the
Lord your
God
with all
your
heart,
with all
your
soul,
and with
all your
might.
Remember
Matthew
chapter
22,
the lawyer
comes and
asks him,
teacher,
what is the
greatest
commandment?
It's a
test.
He
rightly
responds
with
quoting
Deuteronomy
6.5
and
verse
39
says
in
the
second
is
like
it,
you
shall
love
your
neighbor
as
yourself.
This
is
the
summary
of
the
second
half
of
the
Ten
Commandments.
And
he
says
in
verse
40,
on
these
two
commandments
depend
all
the
law
and
the
prophets.
So
he
goes
very
straight
to
the
thing.
He
says
to
the
man,
you
love
your
wealth
more
than
you
love
God.
Your
wealth
is
an
idol.
Get
rid
of
the
idol
and
follow
me.
And
how
does
the
man
respond?
He's
disheartened.
He
goes
away
sorrowful.
And
I
love,
and
it's
in
all
the
accounts,
for
he
had
great
possessions.
His
response
gives
the
evidence
that
he
had
not
and
could
not
keep
the
law.
His
love
for
his
!
was
much
greater
than
the
promise
of
eternal
joy.
The
temporal
things
were
distracting
him
from
the
eternal
things.
Look at
the
offer
of
Jesus.
You
will
have
treasure
in
heaven
for
eternity
and
come
follow
me.
He
offers
not only
treasure,
but
he
offers
him
himself.
And
the
man
turns
away
from
this.
That's
why
Jesus
then
turns
to
his
disciples
and
say
it's
going
to
be
difficult
for
those
who
have
wealth
to
enter
the
kingdom
of
God.
He
reiterates
this
a
number
of
times
and
we're
going
to
look
at
that
at
length
next
week.
And
the
disciples
are
distraught
by
this.
Well
gosh,
if the
rich
can't
get
into
heaven,
right?
All
the
religious
of
this
day
had
a
lot
of
wealth.
If
they
can't
God,
we'll
digest
all of
that
a bit
more
next
week.
So
what's
the
application
of
this
for
our
lives?
Number
one,
we should
model
our
evangelistic
efforts
after
those
of
our
Lord.
Note,
Jesus
gives
the
law
where
there
is
pride
and
grace
as we
saw
in a
number
of
cases
where
there
is
humility.
We
ought
to
do
the
very
same.
We
live
in a
very
religiously
infected
area.
People
who
think
that
going
through
certain
motions
is
what
gains
them
access
to
God.
And
in
the
southeast
it
would
seem
that
for
most
people
we
have
to
convince
them
that
they're
not
saved
so
that
we
can
show
them
how
to
be
saved.
They
need
the
law
before
they
need
the
gospel
of
grace.
Someone
is
proud
in
that
way.
They
need
to
be
brought
low.
This
is
the
loving
thing
to
do
for
them.
We're
not
doing
anybody
any
favors
if we
avoid
teaching
that
they
fall
short
of
God's
standard.
It
is not
my
job
on a
Sunday
morning
to
make
you
feel
good
about
yourself.
Hear
that.
That
is not
my
job.
If I
were
doing
that
I
would
be
failing
miserably
at the
task
ahead of
me.
It's
my
job
to
teach
you
the
whole
counsel
of
God
which
includes
your
sinfulness.
It
includes
who
you
really
are
apart
from
Christ.
And
doing
this
exalts
Christ.
You
should
leave
our
meetings.
You
should
leave
feeling
little
about
yourself.
but
finding
that
you
have
worth
in
Jesus
Christ
and
finding
much
in
Him.
That's
why
we
get
together.
Recognize
who
we
are.
This
is
why
we
have
a
prayer
of
confession
before
the
preaching
that
we
recognize
who
we
are
as
we
come
to
the
word
of
God.
That
we
might
hear
what
it
has
to
say
to
us.
This
is
God's
word
spoken
!
to
us
for
his
glory
and
for
our
good.
Let
us
sit
under
it
humbly
because
we
are
people.
We
are
created.
He
is
creator.
There
are
many
evangelical
leaders
with
good
intentions
that
have
arranged
everything
their
churches
do
to
reach
the
seeker.
We
have
a
term
for
that.
We
call
them
seeker
friendly
churches.
Do
we
not?
And
I'll
tell you
right
now,
I
don't
like
!
the
term.
!
There's
really
what
you
need.
What
you
really
need
is
Jesus.
That's
what
we
want
to
give
you
when
you
come
here.
Seeker
friendly
churches
in so
many
ways
have
stepped
away
from
the
truth
of
the
gospel
because
they
say
to
people
you're
good
the
way
you
are
you're
just
not
quite
good
enough.
Let's
bandage
your
life
with
Jesus.
You're
sick.
You need
a
physician.
You're
dead.
You need
a
savior.
Many
churches
driving
distance
of
us
do
not
hold
congregational
meetings.
The
meeting
of
the
church
is
for
the
church.
We
might
be
built
up
and
edified.
If
a
non-believer
wanders
in
amongst
us,
praise
God
for
that.
They'll
hear
the
gospel.
But
it
is
for
us
that
we
might
go
out
and
share
the
gospel
with
everybody
that
we
encounter.
That
is
the
task
before
all
of
you
who
claim
the
name
of
Christ.
It's
why we
come
together
for the
building
up
for
good
works
that
have
been
prepared
beforehand
for
us.
Many
churches
simply
have
evangelistic
meetings.
There's
a place
and a
time
for
that.
But
it's
not
every
Sunday.
And
their
members
are
malnourished
as a
result.
We
should
model
the
sharing
of
our
faith
after
the
way
Jesus
shared.
Secondly,
you
should
consider
whether
or not
you
have
ever
placed
believing
faith
in
Christ.
If
you
are
amongst
us
today
as a
seeker
or one
who has
thought
you were
in
Christ
and have
found
that in
some
way
you have
based
that on
the
merit
of
your
own
works,
ask
the
question
of
yourself,
have
you
believed?
Is
all
of
your
salvation
found
in
Jesus?
Is
your
sufficiency
from
him?
Your
good
works
will
never
merit
your
salvation.
They
are,
however,
the
necessary
outflow
of
our
salvation
and
we
should
all
thirdly
consider
the
implications
of
this
text
for
those
of
us
who
are
believers.
Again,
we'll
develop
this
further
next
week,
but how
is
our
response
to
the
good
news
of
Jesus
Christ
evidenced
in
the
way
we
hold
on
to
the
things
of
this
world?
How is
it
evidenced?
If we
believe
that Jesus
is who
he says
that he
is,
that he
is the
exalted
son of
God,
that he
has come
on our
behalf,
he has
delivered
us from
the
eternal
torment
do
to
us
for
our
sin,
not
unjustly,
God
owes
it
to
us
for
the
way
we
treat
him.
If
that's
who
we
believe
that
Jesus
is,
and
we
placed
our
faith
in
him,
how
do
we
respond
to
that
great
truth?
We'll
talk more
about that
next
week.
We
can
consider
our
possessions
great
and
not
have
all
that
much.
So
there's
much
to be
learned
here,
and I
hope
that
you
will
work
on
applying
this
to
your
heart.
Let's
pray
together.