Tragedy in the Question
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Intro
Intro
Who thinks they are good? A good person?
The rich young ruler in our text this morning thought that he was pretty good.
give background of why he thought he was good (rich/higher status in Jewish religious system)
talk about his sincerity at approaching Jesus
runs to Jesus (rich people never did that)
kneels before Jesus (people of his status didn’t do that)
This man had almost everything, but was missing something… something in his life wasn’t complete.
So he runs to Jesus (who he has never met before) because he has heard that Jesus can help him.
So he asks the question: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Do you see the issue in that question?
It is an oxymoron!
(flesh this out) - you can’t do anything to inherit something - it is gift
He should have asked “what must I do to earn eternal life?” There’s a lot wrong with asking that question, because we can’t earn salvation… it is gift, but at least it would have made sense.
But I want us to notice that Jesus doesn’t respond to His question.
In typical Jesus fashion, He responds with a question.
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
The young man is using the term good in a relative manner and Jesus is telling him that being good is not relative but absolute.
doesn’t know Jesus, but says he is good
we use good as relative term also
good has become relative to where we decide who is good and who is not.
the rich young ruler in approaching Jesus thinks he is good.
he has kept the commands, lived righteously (in Jewish standards) he thinks he is good and so calls Jesus good.
But we learn from the psalms that no one is good, we learn from the Apostle Paul that no one is good.
They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
Psalm 53 says the same thing: there is no one who does good, not even one
as it is written: “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.”
Jesus is calling him out
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.”
The problem here is that the ruler has a simplistic view of the law. Because he has a simplistic view, he doesn’t see his need for repentance, his dire need for the savior right in front of him. He asks “What must I do” because in His simplistic view of the law he is good.
I feel today that we have fallen into the simplistic view of the law of God like this rich young ruler
Simplistic View of the Law
Simplistic View of the Law
In the simplistic view of the law there is no repentance
I haven’t murdered, I haven’t committed adultery, I haven’t stolen anything, I haven’t coveted, defrauded, I’ve honored my parents.
Therefore, I am good.
We end up with the same response as the young ruler: “Teacher I have kept these.”
We think we are good.
Problem with this
it is too simplistic
Sermon on the Mount (explain the deepening that Jesus has done)
Transition: Jesus exposes the this view and corrects our misguided thinking in that we are good.
What the Law Says
What the Law Says
We are not good… in fact… we are sinful dreadful people… we are dead!
That God is good… He is absolute goodness (He’s perfect, holy, righteous)
Since God is good and the law says He is good, therefore we cannot be good. There is no “I’m pretty good” the law exposes us.
The law shows us our sin, our sinfulness as fallen human beings.
The law slaughters us… kills us in our sin…
Read Romans 7
What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.
I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died.
The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.
For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.
So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
The law says “you are not good and cannot be good… YOU ARE DEAD IN SIN… repent and turn to Him who is absolute good, holy, righteous… alive.”
What the Law Does
What the Law Does
The law shows us our sin and slaughters us to drive us to Christ
without the law there is no need for the gospel
we do not know sin apart from the law
Through the Law the Holy Spirit exposes us for who we are and drives us to the one thing Jesus says we lack.
Jesus points out to us and this ruler that we lack one thing
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.”
You lack one thing… repentance
Turn from your sin (not just get rid of your stuff)
come, follow me
He is calling this man to the Gospel
To salvation - follow me, I am going to the cross for you
You can’t keep the commandments; you break the first one everyday
YOU ARE NOT GOOD BUT CHRIST IS!
Christ died for you
Christ rose for you
Eternal life is a gift by our good good Father through the good good Son. It is not to be earned but inherited.
In and of ourselves we are no good.
But in Jesus, we are clothed in His goodness.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We are going to celebrate the gift of Holy Baptism this morning.
It is a special gift from God not to make us good in and of ourselves.
Baptism doesn’t automatically make you good. You will never be good.
In baptism you die. You die to yourself.
You die with Christ and are buried with Christ.
You also rise with Christ not just with Christ but in Christ.
You are clothed in Christ… washed in His blood and covered in His goodness. Marked with His seal, filled with the Holy Spirit to live a life of repentance of our non-goodness, but rest in His goodness. To be guided by His Spirit to die in the law, and to turn and follow Him.
You’re not good, but Christ is. It is His righteousness, His Holiness and His goodness.
When we realize this… when we realize this through the work of His Spirit in our lives, we can do nothing but repent of our sinfulness.
The young ruler hung his head in sorrow because he couldn’t keep that which he thought he kept. He lacked one thing… repentance.
Repentance is a turning. A turning from the old self to the new in Christ. This can only be done by the work of the Spirit through the law which kills us and drives us to the Cross where we meet the only One who can save us from eternal death and clothe us in His Absolute… Complete… GOODNESS.
Amen.