Entering the Kingdom

That's good to see you this morning. Our sermon text is Luke chapter 18 verses 15 through 34.

Luke 18:15–34

That's page 824 in the Pew Bible. Go ahead and turn there with me.

Luke chapter 18 verses 15 through 34.

Luke 18:15–34

Let me read this text for us.

And a ruler 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 commit adultery. Do not murder.

Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother.

And he said,

All these I have kept for my youth.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him,

One thing you still lack.

Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor,

and you will have treasure in heaven.

And come, follow me.

And when he heard these things, he became very sad,

for he was extremely rich.

Jesus, seeing that he becomes sad, said,

How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God.

For 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.

Those who heard it said,

Then who can be saved?

But he said,

What is impossible with man is possible with God.

And Peter said,

See, we have left our homes and followed you.

And he said to them,

Truly, I say to you,

There is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children

for the sake of the kingdom of God

who will not receive many times more in this time

and in the age to come,

eternal life.

And taking the twelve, he said to them,

See, we're going up to Jerusalem,

and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.

For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles

and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.

And after flogging him, they will kill him.

And on the third day, he will rise.

But they understood none of these things.

The saying was hidden from them,

and they did not grasp what was said.

Let's pray.

Oh, Father, how often the things in your word seem hidden to us.

We pray now in these moments this morning

that you would send your Spirit

that we might have the illumination we need,

not just in mind but in heart,

to really understand and grasp and receive

what you are speaking to us, your church, this morning.

Oh, Father, help us to understand more and more of who you are

through Christ, your Son,

by your Holy Spirit.

We pray.

Amen.

Amen.

So this passage from Luke 18

is about entering the kingdom of God.

In verses 17 and 24 and 25,

in verse 29,

we see that phrase mentioned again and again.

And in fact, the idea of inheriting eternal life

in verses 18 and 30

and of being saved in verse 26

are more or less synonyms for the same thing,

entering the kingdom of God.

But what did that mean for Jesus

and His audience of first century Jews?

Well, unlike a lot of spirituality today,

the biblical picture of redemption

is not about escaping this material world.

Rather, it's about healing and restoring the material world.

For the Bible, when God's kingdom,

that is when His sovereign, saving reign

arrives in fullness,

it would mean the joining of heaven and earth,

the end of evil, corruption, decay, and death,

and the unleashing of life and joy indescribable.

God would at last dwell with His people

and creation would be healed.

That's what the kingdom of God,

eternal life, meant to Jesus and His listeners.

And on top of that,

what Jesus has been teaching throughout Luke's gospel

is that this life of the age to come,

though it would come fully and finally one day,

Jesus was teaching that it had already begun.

It had already been launched in the present

in His own person and ministry.

God's kingdom, God's saving power

had arrived and was on the move.

So for us, the question of entering the kingdom of God

that Luke 18 puts before us

isn't some sort of pie-in-the-sky idea.

No, it actually touches down

to what we're all really longing for,

which is a world made right one day.

And we humans made right within it,

right with one another,

and most of all,

most of all,

made right with God,

our Creator.

So this passage has a lot to say

about entering the kingdom of God.

And I think we can sum it up like this.

Jesus tells us

that entering the kingdom of God

is easier than you think.

And it's harder than you think.

It's more costly than you think.

And it's more worth it than you think.

So first,

entering the kingdom of God

is easier than you think.

We see this in verses 15 through 17.

People are bringing their children.

Luke says they're even bringing

their infants to Jesus

so that He can lay His hands on them

and bless them.

That's what it means by touch them.

It was a sort of ancient Jewish practice

to sort of gently lay your hands

on a younger generation

and speak a blessing over them,

to speak a word of favor

and blessing.

Now, children in the ancient world

were not viewed

with all the sentimentality

that we have

for children today,

right?

Children are innocent and pure,

and if only we could just

get them away from the corrupting

influences of civilization,

life would be perfectly fine.

No one believed that

in the ancient world.

In fact,

the disciples think

that children are a bit

of a waste of time

for Jesus

and for His kingdom movement.

After all,

aren't they on their way,

Jesus and His disciples,

to Jerusalem?

In the minds of the disciples,

the kingdom of God is near.

Tensions are rising

on top of that

with the religious

and civil authorities.

This conflict is brewing

as Jesus and His kingdom movement

approach the capital.

These are momentous days.

God's business is at hand.

This is no time

to be wasting

on children.

They're a distraction at best,

a burden at worst.

But Jesus interrupts

the disciples,

and He calls the parents

and their children back.

And He shows a kind

of favor and openness

to children

that's almost unparalleled

in the ancient world.

You won't find it

in any other

religious leaders

or movements of the day.

And Jesus says,

the kingdom of God

belongs to such as these.

And then in verse 17,

Jesus utters this

authoritative pronouncement,

truly I say to you,

if you don't receive

the kingdom of God

like a child,

you won't enter it

at all.

You see,

entering the kingdom

isn't something

only for the qualified

and for the experienced,

for the grown-up,

for the important.

Even a child

can enter the kingdom.

It belongs

to such as these,

Jesus says.

It's easier

than you think

at first.

But if even a child

can enter the kingdom

of God,

Jesus goes one step

further in verse 17

to say,

only the childlike

can enter.

And here's where

things get interesting.

Now again,

we tend to

sentimentalize

children,

don't we?

So when we hear

Jesus say,

you have to receive

the kingdom of God

like a child,

we tend to think

of some virtue

that's inherent

in children

that Jesus is commending.

Children are so humble.

Children are so innocent.

Children are so trusting.

But I think

Jesus' point

is much more

penetrating than that.

Jesus is not commending

childlikeness

because of some

supposed virtue

that a child has,

but because of what

children don't have.

In other words,

children are weak

and vulnerable

and completely

dependent.

they can't survive

on their own.

They are utterly

helpless.

Even

infants,

Luke says.

And that means

those who enter

the kingdom

must likewise

receive the kingdom

as those who are

weak,

vulnerable,

needy,

and dependent

as those who have

nothing to bring.

Imagine a king

gathering an army

to retake

his rightful throne.

Imagine one

strong warrior

after another

coming before the king

touting their strength

and experience

hoping that they

might get the honor

of fighting

with their king.

And then as this

procession comes

through the hall,

imagine

a child,

even an infant

being brought in.

Now what might

this child have

to offer to the king

on his way to war?

Nothing.

Nothing but need.

The child will have

to be fed,

protected,

and probably carried

for most of the journey.

Children don't bring

anything to the table.

They're weak

and vulnerable

and needy

and dependent.

And Jesus says

that's how you have

to receive the kingdom

of God

if you're going

to enter it

at all

as one who is

weak

and needy

and dependent.

And that means

at a deeper level

entering the kingdom

of God

is harder

than you think.

This is our second point

and we find it

in verses 18

through 25.

enter into the story

a certain ruler.

Now Luke doesn't say

whether he's a religious ruler

like the ruler

of a synagogue

or whether he's a local

political official

but we see

as the story unfolds

that this ruler

kind of has everything.

Wealth,

position,

and according to Matthew's gospel

youth,

a rich

young

ruler

isn't that

what we dream of

to be young

and wealthy

and important.

And on top

of all that

he's seemingly

good.

I've kept the commandments

from my youth.

So he's not just young

and wealthy

and powerful

but he's morally upright.

He has integrity.

This is definitely

the guy

that you want

dating your daughter,

right?

He's the one.

But then again,

what does it mean

to be good?

That's Jesus'

first

gentle challenge

to this rich

young ruler.

Why do you call me good?

Is anyone good

but God alone?

So easily

the ruler

has used this word

good,

hasn't he?

What,

Jesus asks,

is your standard

of good?

Yes,

goodness may be

attainable

on a horizontal

axis,

comparing yourself

to others,

measuring yourself

against the external

requirements of the

commands,

but what happens

when you put

goodness on its

proper vertical

axis,

when you realize

that goodness

must be considered

ultimately in

relation to God?

good.

Then,

as Jesus says

in verse 22,

we see that

something

is lacking.

Jesus tells

this rich

young ruler

that he must

part

with the

primary source

of his

privilege

and status

and security.

That is,

in other words,

he must part

with his money.

Sell everything,

give it to the

poor,

then you'll

have treasure

in heaven

and you can

come follow

me.

You see,

Jesus perceived

the heart

of this rich

young ruler

and what Jesus

could see

is that his

functional Savior,

his functional

Lord,

the one thing

he couldn't do

without,

the one thing

he couldn't

part with

was his wealth.

So,

Jesus puts

his finger

right there.

Now,

of course,

Jesus doesn't

tell every

disciple

to sell off

all of their

belongings,

but for this

rich young

ruler,

entering the

kingdom

wasn't possible

any other

way.

You see,

though externally

he had kept

the commands,

no sex

outside of marriage,

no killing,

no stealing,

no lying against

your neighbor,

honoring your

parents,

though externally

he had kept

the commands

internally,

he was guilty

of breaking

the first

and the

greatest

commandment.

You shall

have no

other gods

before me.

His money

was his

God.

That is,

it was his

source,

his ground

of security

and identity

and hope

and purpose.

It was the

thing that

made himself

sufficient.

and hearing

that he must

part with

his money

in order to

enter the

kingdom,

he becomes

very sad.

Very sad,

Luke says,

because he is

very wealthy.

But note,

friends,

sadness

does not

equal

real repentance.

repentance.

So you see,

it's harder

than you

think to

become like

a child,

to become

weak and

vulnerable and

dependent and

enter the

kingdom of

God.

It means

having no

other gods,

no other

idols above

the one

true God,

to have

no self-

grounded

source of

your own

sufficiency.

It means

opening your

hands from

everything else

that might be

your identity

and your

trust.

In fact,

Jesus doesn't

just say

it's difficult.

He says

for humans,

it's

impossible.

It's

easier for

a camel

to go

through the

eye of a

needle than

for a rich

person to

enter the

kingdom of

God.

I was

thinking about

actually bringing

a needle from

home and

holding it

up.

If I had

done that,

you probably

wouldn't even

be able to

see the

eye of the

needle from

where you're

sitting,

would you?

You might

not even

see the

needle.

But you

wouldn't miss

the camel,

no matter

where it was

in the room,

right?

Maybe you'd

smell it before

you saw it,

but you

wouldn't miss

it.

Now imagine

that camel

squeezing

through the

needle's eye.

It would

be

impossible.

Now of

course Jesus'

words apply

to more

than just

the idol

of material

wealth.

Anything

can take

that place

in our

hearts,

can it?

That source

of self-sufficiency

and trust

and security,

that thing

we use

to battle

back

our need.

But wealth

can be

particularly

deceptive,

can't it?

Wealth

fools us

into thinking

that we are

self-sufficient

apart from

God.

It promises

security,

we'll be

okay.

We've got

enough in

the bank

account.

It promises

status,

people start

to actually

listen to

you.

It promises

influence,

people might

actually do

what you

say.

Okay.

how many

of us

honestly

would have

actually

obeyed

Jesus

and sold

everything

if we

were in

this rich

young man's

shoes?

Imagine if

that were

the requirement

Jesus laid

upon you.

And so

the crowd

say,

who can

be saved?

in the

first century

wealth was

popularly

viewed as

a sign of

God's

favor.

So they're

essentially

asking if

the successful

can't be

saved,

who can?

If the

people who

have it

together

can't be

saved,

who can?

And notice

what Jesus

says in

verse 27.

He doesn't

say,

well,

the really

spiritual

and committed

after much

practice

and years

of teaching

are able

to become

childlike,

forego their

idols,

and turn to

God.

You can do

it.

It just

takes some

practice

and some

time.

That's not

what Jesus

says.

Nor does

Jesus say,

well,

once you

really hit

bottom,

then you'll

be able to

become

childlike.

that's not

what Jesus

says.

He says,

with man,

it's

impossible.

In your

own strength,

in your

own spirituality,

you can't

get rid of

your idols.

It's

impossible.

It's not

just harder

than you

think.

It's

infinitely

harder than

you think.

But what is

impossible with

man is

possible with

God.

God and

God alone

can do

what we

cannot do.

If left to

ourselves,

we would never

be able to

enter the

kingdom of

God.

But that's

not where

God leaves

us.

And yet,

this work

of God,

this work

of God's

possibility in

the face of

our human

impossibility,

is not

something that

God just can

do with a

mere snap of

his fingers.

It doesn't

work that

way.

Entering the

kingdom of

God is

more costly

than you

think.

And that

brings us to

our third

point, which

we see in

verses 31

through 34

at the end

of our

passage.

In verse

31, Jesus

takes the

twelve

apostles aside

and tells

them what's

going to

happen when

they go and

get up to

Jerusalem.

Remember,

this whole

section of

Luke's

gospel from

chapter 9

through chapter

19 recounts

Jesus' final

journey to

the capital,

to Jerusalem,

that throbbing

center of

Jewish life and

religion, the

place where

King David

sat a thousand

years before,

ruling as

God's anointed

king, the

place where

the temple

stood and

where God's

presence

dwelled,

the place

where it was

popularly

thought the

Messiah would

show up in

glory and

overthrow idolatry

and evil,

renew the people

of God and

heal creation,

but Jesus

is teaching

us here that

it's more

costly than

you think.

Jesus refers

to himself as

the son of

man, which

is a messianic

title from the

Old Testament

book of Daniel,

and he says

that he will

be delivered

over to the

Gentiles, the

Romans, and

they'll mock

him and

they'll make

fun of him

and they'll

shame him and

they'll spit

on him and

they'll flog

him and

they'll kill

him.

And on

the third

day, he

will rise.

And the

apostles, they

don't get it.

You see, the

work of the

Messiah, the

inauguration, the

start, the

founding, the

beginning of the

kingdom of God, the

throwing opening, the

throwing open of the

doors, and what it

will take for us to

enter the kingdom of

God, it's more

costly than they

could imagine

too.

They wanted a

simple triumph.

But Jesus says

the only way to

get there is

through his own

humiliation and

defeat through the

cross.

You see, friends, it

takes nothing less

than the death and

resurrection of the

incarnate Son of God

to enable us to

enter the kingdom.

him.

Just as ancient

Israel, do you

remember the

stories in the

Old Testament?

Just as ancient

Israel was delivered

over to the Gentile

nations because of

their sin and sent

into exile, so Jesus

says right here that

he, as Israel's

Messiah, would have to

be delivered over the

Gentiles.

But not for his own

sin, rather for the

sin of his people.

people.

As the king, he

represents his people

and he stands in our

place taking the

punishment our sins

deserve and exhausting

the wrath our sins

deserve and going into

the exile that we

deserve.

And that means to

cleanse us, to give us

new hearts so that we

might become like

children and enter the

kingdom.

It takes more than just

good teaching and more

than just good examples.

It takes the complete

self-emptying of God

the Son.

You know, the other

place in Luke's

gospel where this idea

of human impossibility

and God's possibility

comes up, do you

remember?

I think it's in the

very beginning with

Mary.

How will these things

be?

What's impossible

with humans is

possible with God.

How does our

redemption begin,

friends?

The Lord of the

universe becoming a

child in the

incarnation, living a

life of complete

trust in his heavenly

father and at the

end of his ministry

becoming more weak

and vulnerable and

helpless than we

can ever imagine,

all for our sins.

And then he had to

break the bonds of

death and rise again.

Not just go through

death to sort of some

other sphere but go

down into death and

back into life again,

taking our sin with

him into the grave but

rising again to give

us new life.

And friends, now

because the king has

accomplished the work

of redemption, he's

ascended to the

father.

He's poured out the

spirit and right now

he calls us through the

proclamation of the

gospel to trust in

him.

Now we can become like

children.

No longer do we need

the false security or

the status or the

supposed influence of

money or any other

idol we might erect.

The price has been

paid and our sins are

forgiven.

And genuine repentance

and faith are being

poured out as a gift.

by the spirit through

the preaching of the

word.

What was hidden is now

revealed.

What was impossible with

man is now possible with

God.

And now we can open up

our hands to the things

we thought we couldn't

live without.

We can be spiritually

helpless, weak, and

vulnerable because our

Lord Jesus has gone

before us.

He's gone down into

weakness and been raised

in glory.

And he promises us that

entering the kingdom, no

matter what we may lose

now because of him, is

more worth it than we

could ever think.

And that's the fourth and

last point of our passage.

Let's circle back around to

verses 28 through 30.

In verse 28, hearing Jesus

say that God can do what

man cannot do, Peter says,

see, we've left our homes

and followed you.

It's hard to know what Peter

actually means in saying

this.

The commentators go all

over the place.

Who knows?

Peter's probably just saying

the first thing that came

out of his mouth.

Oh, I said that.

And this prompts Jesus to

say a second time, truly I

say to you, another

authoritative pronouncement

from the words of our Lord,

just like back in verse 17.

But this time, it's not a

requirement, it's a

promise.

Truly I say to you, there's

no one who has left house

or wife or brothers or

parents or children for the

sake of the kingdom of God

who will not receive many

times more in this time

and in the age to come

eternal life.

Is entering the kingdom of

God worth it?

Is it worth potentially

losing everything to come

follow Jesus, to be weak,

to be vulnerable, to be

dependent?

Jesus says it's more worth

it than you think.

But this isn't to say there

won't be real losses.

Jesus lists a whole range

of relational losses

related to the home here.

Wife, brothers, parents,

children.

Now Jesus is not encouraging

his disciples to abandon

their family responsibilities.

What he means is that there's

going to be real rejection

for those who follow him,

that there will be real loss

for those who follow him.

Some will have family members

disown them for becoming a

follower of Christ.

Others will have friends who

grow distant over time.

Some, in obedience to Jesus'

command to only marry, a

fellow believer will have to

delay getting married or forgo

it altogether.

So the losses are real.

But Jesus goes on to say in

verse 30, that whatever

sacrifices we make for the

kingdom, they won't compare

to what we gain.

And it's a two-fold promise,

isn't it?

First, Jesus says, you'll receive

many times more in this time,

in this age.

Now in what sense will those

who have lost their home and

lost their family gain many

times more in this age?

Jesus isn't saying that we're

all guaranteed spouses and

children.

He's certainly not promising

oodles of material wealth.

No, he's pointing here

to the new family.

He's pointing here to the

hospitality and the

generosity of our new

family in the church.

Though your road may be hard,

you won't be alone, Jesus

says.

And of course, the church won't

do this perfectly.

But imagine, what if we as a

church all opened up our hands,

not just on our money, but also

on our time?

What if we opened up our homes

and our schedules for one

another?

Would there not be more than

enough to meet the needs of one

another materially and relationally?

I mean, imagine a church where

married couples and single people

mutually loved and served and spent

time with one another.

Or where old and young.

Or where, well, you pick the

dichotomy you want.

Where we loved and served and

spent time with one another.

Where loneliness was regularly,

not perfectly, but regularly met

with the warmth and friendship of a

new family of the church.

Would that not be a tremendous

sign of God's kingdom?

Of God bringing down the barriers

that divide us, not just from Him,

but from one another in creating

one new humanity in Christ.

Would it not be a great sign that

His restorative reign was indeed

making all things new?

Just through this simple act,

of inviting someone in and

inviting someone along.

But it's not just for this age.

In the age to come, Jesus says,

eternal life.

You know, the tragedy of the rich

young ruler is that his earthly

wealth was temporary.

None of it was going to last.

None of the status, none of the

insecurity, none of the influence,

all of it would be stolen by death.

Do any of the things that we forgo

or sacrifice for the sake of the

kingdom deliver lasting and eternal joy?

Not a single one.

Spouses will die.

Children will move away.

Houses, no matter how much time I spend

fixing it, will decay.

But what does Christ offer in exchange?

What does He promise us

in exchange for these temporary

and fleeting things?

Now, we have to be careful here

because the words eternal life

might not communicate to us today

what they're meant to communicate

in the Bible.

When the Bible speaks of eternal life,

yes, it means heaven

and living with God forever.

It means that, but it means so much more.

It's talking about the resurrection

of the body.

It's talking about a new creation

where all the good pleasures of this life

are healed and restored.

And this means that there is nothing

that you forgo in this life

for the sake of the kingdom

that will not be restored to you.

There are even greater joys ahead,

greater pleasures,

greater delight.

Eternal life.

But the emphasis on the life

is what's ahead of you.

And that means even if you lose

everything now,

you've not really

lost anything.

Christ has swallowed up death

in victory,

and He promises you

eternal life.

Entering the kingdom,

no matter what it costs,

is much more worth it

than you and I think.

I wonder, friend,

what is God asking you

to give up,

to lose,

or to leave behind

this morning?

There's going to come a day

when you will see

that it was no real sacrifice

at all

compared to what's in store.

Eye has not seen

nor ear heard

what God has prepared

for those He loves.

Just imagine,

if God the Father

was willing to give

His own Son for us

when we were sinners,

what must He have

in store for us

when the Lord Jesus

returns in glory?

He who did not spare

His own Son,

but gave Him up

for us all,

how will He not also

with Him graciously

give us all things?

This is what it means

to enter the kingdom of God.

God,

we come with nothing

and He gives us everything.

It's impossible for us,

but it is more than possible

with God.

Let's pray.

Oh Lord Jesus,

as we come to Your table now,

we pray

that You would continue

to cast every idol

from its throne

in our hearts

as we commune with You

at Your table.

Lord,

help us to see

the great promise

of Your Word

that in the age to come

there is eternal life

and in this age

so much more

than we have lost

through the loving fellowship

of Your church.

Lord,

help us to live that

and be that for one another,

we pray.

Amen.