Rich Young Ruler (2)
Notes
Transcript
introduction
introduction
Good morning rivertree. It is a real joy to be with you this morning. hello to everyone watching online and everyone at cove
If you have your Bibles go ahead and open up Matthew 19 and in a moment we will start in verse
16
INTRO?? How to intro
Read
And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Jesus has just finished spending time with children. The lest of these and all of a sudden a man (who when looking at all the accounts is rich, he’s young and he is a ruler”)
comes up to him and ask a fantastic question.
It’s a question people in Jesus day wanted to know the answer to and probably a question people in our day want to know the answer to
He ask what good deed must I do to have eternal life?
He’s asking about the kingdom. He’s not just asking about how do I live forever and ever. But he is actually asking about the quality of Life
Jesus say in johns gospel I have come to give you life and abudent life
The man is asking what does it mean to be in right relatiosnhip with God?
The last few times people have come up to Jesus to ask him questions we are told they are trying to test Jesus or trap him but this man is asking a sincere quesiton
and Jesus answers his question first with a question and then a statement
He is going into the deepest regions of this mans heart
He says why do you call me good?
No one is good except God alone
He pushes in on this man. And says you know so much about God and his word
yet you call me good? What is it about Jesus, About his life about his teaching, and his presence that was good?
He doesn’t say are you calling me god, I’m not”
No hsi question is a hint. He is saying why are you just walking up to a normal human or a teaching and calling him good
your thinking when it comes to goodness and badness is flawed
and maybe you relate to that. Maybe you are quick to look at someone from outward apperacnes and say these words. That’s a good person
and then you look at others and say that’s a bad person
but Jesus came to expose more. he came to show the world there truly is no one good except God alone
and the good news is HE IS GOD
it was that Jesus came to bring us God
Jesus came to place God before us
Jesus is the imagie of the invisible God
and Jesus is truly “God with us”
and Jesus being fully human and fully God
Jesus knows this man. His type. A person who dressed a certain way. He was honored in the crowd
and comes with similar vocabulary as others before
His question is similar to what Nicadoumes would ask in John chapter 3
but instead under the cover and darkness of night this man is exposed. He is in front of everyone and in front of Jesus
and what Jesus does next will expose him even more in all the best ways.
pushes a little futher into this man. He is leading him down a road to lead him to the end of himself
and we can be sure the same will be true if we come to Jesus with soft hearts and open hands. If we ask the same kind of question to Jesus
he is so GOOD he will truly lead us to an end of ourselves
Jesus says if you want abudent life let me remind you what it means to be in right relationship with God
he brings him back to the 10 commandments
He says
Don’t murder
don’t commit adultery
dont’ stea
don’t lie
don’t defraud someone
honor your parents
Makes sense right?
If you want to be right with God
you shouldn’t kill people or lie or steal
you should obey his commands
and the man says all these I have kept.
we learn something else about him here. Not only is he finically rich but this guy is morally rich also
He doesn’t just look the part but he acts it to
and I think it’s ok to belive him. and if he is saying that in pbublic there is a good chance others belive it also
he’s a great citzen. He has integrity and he is honest
and in some ways then and know we want to belive those things go togheter.
if you do good you will do well in all of life and if you’ve done well in all of life (family, finiaces, church) then of course it’s because you did good.
and this is a dangerous way of thinking. It can lead to a false security and wrong belief about how the world really works
It’s strange at times and I don’t think anyone really wants to admit they believe this but you might think if I live a good life God is going to reward me by given me some sort of great wealth
To beleive this way is anti-gospel and really anti-Christ.
From the story of job we see someone who was living what we would call a good life and he lost everything.
so his friends come to him and said it must be something you’ve done. Failing to realize it was something that God allowed in his soveriegty for Jobs good and Gods glroy
really the only one who ever lived a truly good and perfect life. The only one who could truly say I have never sinned and never broken a command of God was Jesus and because of that truth it lead him losing everything even his life.
and I think it’s safe to say this man knew there was still something missing in his life.
In fact he says Jesus I’ve done it all
What do I still Lack?
My life is good. I am rich, I am yougn, I am a ruler
and I know something is still missing. Something is still lacking. There is an emptiness inside of me that I can’t understand or can’t explain.
He is sayign to Jesus I should be happier. I should be expiecerinc this abudent rich life the word of God holds out for me but i’m not.
I am lacking.
H’es thinking I’ve accomplished a lot in life. But if there is more. If I need to do something more or make any other dchanges I am ready. Just tell me what to do
and from our perspe tive this seems awesome. a rich person willing to come to Jesus and say I’m still missing something.
we will look at Jesus respone in matthews in a moment but Mark gives us a little note in his gosepl which is helpful
Mark 10:21 says in the first half of the verse Jesus looked at him and loved him.
This is fantasitc. and helpful
before Jesus evanglizes him, before he answers the question, before Jesus exposes him and shows him just how far off he is
Jesus LOVES him. He looks through all the stuff on the inside right into his heart and he loves him. Not for because he has great wealth.
Not because the man has lived a morally good life
no he loves him because he bears the imagie of God
He loves him because he is fearfully and wonderfully made
He loves him because he knows something this man doesn’t realize yet but is comign to realize
as good as everything seems to be in life. you are empty, you are broken, and all this stuff you are doing and accomplishing is just cover that up
but Jesus has more for him. Not more for him to do, not more for him to aquir.
Jesus is about to offer him a gift that will fill ever gap, ever void, ever emptiness this man has been trying to fill
he’s ready to give this man himself.
so he loves him. He looks into his heart and knows this guy is trying but he still misses it.
love him by showing him even though you’ve done all that you are totally outside of the kingdom of God
He says okay. You’ve been trying to Get to God and be perfect by doing all these things.
here is the last thing. here is what you lack.
Sell it all and follow me.
A few things about this idea. it’s not universal. that’s not what Jesus is doing. He is not saying, to be saved to be a christian you have to sell all your possiesons give it all to the poor and then follow me.
that’s an endless cycle. because then those poor people have your possesions then they have to sell them to really follow Jesus and your stuff just moves from person to person
but it’s also not teaching us that some shoudln’t sell all they have in order to follow Jesus
what this passage holds out for us is this. If there is something in this life we tresaure more then Jesus it will be the thing that keeps us from abudent, eternal life.
and when Jesus shows us this we must be willing to give it up.
it may be the very thing we find life, we find security, we find our everything in.
but if we trust in a thing or a person outside of Jesus to bring us life, and security we will be exposed and see just how lacking we are.
In one of the earliest stories in the Bible we are told with Abraham it was having children. so when he had a child God called him to give up Isaac. and when Abraham was willing to do this God said I now know you love me.
because God wanted something better for abraham. he wanted to show him if you put all your hopes and dreams in something or someone. You will end up crushing that person and their inability to fulfill you will crush you and it will show just how lacking we really are.
we are told in verse 22 when the man heard this he went away sorrowful for he had great possesions.
we don’t know the rest of the story. We don’t know if he went away sad becasue he wasn’t willing to let go or he was sad becasue he knew just how difficult this would be for him
but Jesus in his kindness and love for this man is faitful to bring hin to an end of himself he is leading this man down the narrow road of slavaiton and he is ready to do the same for everyone of us
we are told in romans it’s his kindness that leads to repentence
as the man walks away Jesus tells his followers
it is difficult for someo rich to enter heaven and he says it’s even harder then a camel going through the eye of a needle
some have made more of the camel and needle example then needed
In it’s simplest form Jesus is using exgarretion to show just how hard it is.
a camel can’t do it.
and the disciples seem to understand the exgerretion and the are atoninshed
and ask him “who can be saved?”{
in other words they are thinking Jesus if not this guy then who?
They probalby think this is the guy.
We’ve been waiting for him.
He can help us. He’s lived a great life. He’s respected. He’s inflence, he’s got resources that could really help our movement. He could help us overthrown rome and establish the kingdom
and maybe it’s not to far off of how you and I might think. It’s obvious by James writings the early church struggleed with this. They would give the seat of honor to someone based on their status
but Jesus has taught this is not how the kingdom works
in fact what happens just before this passage is really insightful
Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away.
Just before the rich young ruler came to Jeuss
people brought children to Jesus.
but the disciples tried to stop it. They are missing it.
The inflentuel the well put together, the morally upright they are like come on. We need people liek this
but children. What can a child do?
and sometimes if we aren’t careful we can share this way of thinking.
we can invert the gospel when we think when someone finally has it all together, has achived enough in life, udnerstands enough about God
and is keeping his commandements then we know they are “in” the kingdom
I’ve struggled with that even in my own home
about 8 years ago in novemeber. My daugher Anna who was 7 at the time came to me. It was a slow morning at home. I was working on my sermon and she was home from school
and she came up and said “daddy I want to be saved, I am ready to give my life to Jesus”
man. What a day. I wish my first response was a high five and yes.
but I was like ok I got to make sure this is real. I got make sure she udnerstands. I got to make sure she’s counting the cost
so I do what ever good dad and pastor does.
I tried to talk her our of it.
First I am like expalin what that means.
and she did. It was simple. She could’t explain her doctrine on Gods soveriegty or tell me her end times theogly but she had the basics right
so I took it a step futher. I said anna I’ll give you 100 dollars to change your mind. She looks at me confused and says no
and then I really put the pressure on. Classic youth pastor move.
I look at her and said if someone walked into our hosue with a gun and told you to deny Jesus what would you do?
she almost starts crying and her quesiton is “why is someone coming into our house with a gun?”
i realize i’m not doing great in this moment. and Elizabeth isn’t home. So I call my friend whose a pastor and say what do I do. My daughetr says she wants to be saved but I’m not sure she’s reacdy. and he says
I think the words of Jesus are helpful here. Let the little children come to me and od not hinder them
becasue the kingdom belongs to them
man I went back in to Anna said I was sorry. Asked her a few more question. She told me God was drawing her into himself and she asked Jesus to be her Lord and saviour
I take comofor tknowing even Jesus discples struglled here
so he looks at them probably with that same love and says
With man this is impossible
but with God all things are possible
in other words you are right when Humans try to do this on their own they can’t. It won’t happen
but with God anyone can be saved.
friends I take great encouragment in this.
that the people in my life who I look at and think they are to far gone, there is no way they will ever be saved I am revealing something lacking in my own understanding of the gospel
it never had anything to do with what someone does or doesn’t do
no it’s always been about jesus
his life
his death
his reseruction
his power to save
Salvation resecue is all about him.
our role. To let go of whatever we think is saving him, recive his gift of salvaiton and follow him
Peter thinks Jesus we have left it all and followed you
and Jesus response
Peter, It is not what you have left behind but it is who you love.
Peter is still wondering if he has given up enough, if he has met the requirements.
v. 29. Jesus reassures him that there will be plenty in God’s kingdom. It is a kingdom of abundance. Don’t worry about that. It is there. It is coming.
that’s proably why Jesus said the kingdom belongs to children. They are just really good at recciving gifts
Have you ever seen a young child open a gift? With open armed As adults we think, “Wait, what does this mean?” “I didn’t get anything for you”. “This is a little awkward right now.” Kids just receive. It is not a complicated interaction. Without reservation. Excitement. Joy.
This is what the rich young ruler lacked. He hoped to pursue God. Unaware that God was pursuing him.
Ross helped me think about his
The Rich Young Ruler’s Church is polite and Respectable place. “Good worship today”. “Good teaching today”. Caution – to hear about the Kingdom, talk about it in polite and respectable tones.
And as the rich young ruler leaves he is unchanged. Still holding on to what is appropriate. Trying to come to God on his terms. Instead of recklessly embracing the Kingdom life and activity. Can you characterize your life with the word “abandonment”?.
If a deep love for God and others had its way in your life today, what would that look like?
If your heart began to beat with God’s heart what would you begin to care about?
For some of you, you might start selling your possessions and ministering to the poor.
Move to plant a church.
You might forgive someone who has really hurt you.
You might show kindness to someone that continues to take you for granted.
As a child, we come with nothing to offer but ready to receive the goodness and grace of God.
and when this hapens we rest in what Christ has done on our behalf.
and what has he done. He has fufilled what’s lacking. He’s fullied what we lack.
see If we aren’t careful with think what Jesus is telling him is you lack selling all your stuff
but that doesn’t make sense. How do you lack selling stuff? that’s counterintitive
theres a phrase in vesre 20
He says once you sell it all
YOU will have/gain treasure in heaven.
what did he lack
treasure in heaven.
The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive, 1989-2011 Greed; The Case of the Rich Young Ruler
When you meet the real message of the gospel, you always find … always find … two things that are shocking. It demands more than you thought, and it offers more than you thought. When you meet the real Jesus, you’ll find he wants much more from you than you ever thought, and he offers far more to you than you ever dreamed
and what it offers is treasure in heaven
and it’s not mansions and streets of Gold. It’s not crowns
no what Jesus is saying here is when you give up everything your treasure will be ME
you will see if you have Jesus. If he’s your treasure you have everything. you truly are rich
When Jesus says you will have treasure in heaven
he is saying to the RYR
I know you have the biggest house in the whole area but it’s nothing compared to my forgivenss
It’s nothing compared to my rightoutness
i’ts nothing compared to being adopted into the family of the father
Nothing can compare to the treasure Jesus offers
anything on earth, theives can steal
moth can copprupt
but what Jesus is offering. That’s permanent.
that’s eternal life
and when you come to that place you beging to udnerstand something else
you are tresured in heaven.
it’s what Jesus taught his dsicples when he sends them out
remeber this he sends them out. They do great work.
they’ve ast and demaons and they are like we are doing it. We are doing mirciales
and Jesus tells them rejoice not that the demons are subject to you but rejocie that yoru names are written in heaven?
Why because when you make Jesus your treasure he makes you his treasure
when he sees you he sees absolute beuty
he sees the radiance of christ
his sees the rightoutsness of Christ
he gazes upon you. He sets his eye upon you
your identiy has been chagned. and that’s really what Jesus is getting at in this passage
He is saying build your life on me. Give it all up for my sake and I will build my life in you.
Christ in you the hope of glory.
Let’s pray
What do I lack?
if your asking that quesiton
and you have faith like a child
Jesus looks at you and loves you
he wants you to know all you need is him
If you’ve never put your faith in him. Do so today.
come to him like a recive him as your treasure and your life will be changed.
PRAY FOR THOSE that it seems impossible for to be saved
Thank the Lord you are his treasure.