Sermon

You need a miracle. Luke 18:18-30.

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  1. father again we pray that we would hear

  2. you speak this

  3. morning Lord we thank you that we do not

  4. follow a dead religion a man-made

  5. religion but this is

  6. truth this is real so Lord help us to

  7. hear and may you speak we ask in Jesus

  8. name amen

  9. amen well how do you

  10. get into the kingdom of God

  11. in other words how can you be saved how

  12. can you

  13. inherit eternal life last doesn't get

  14. you right with God the only answer we

  15. saw last week was to get on your knees

  16. like that tax

  17. collector and ask for

  18. Mercy now obviously as we thought about

  19. that last week uh we can understand a

  20. contemptible person like a tax collector

  21. who everyone despised and looked down on

  22. we understand how they would need

  23. mercy and fair enough no one likes a

  24. self-righteous religious legalist but

  25. what about someone else someone sort of

  26. in the middle someone who is pretty good

  27. a good person you know like a normal

  28. person someone not like the tax

  29. collector not like the self-righteous

  30. Pharisee but someone who is just a good

  31. person Luke introduces us to a prime

  32. example if if anyone was going to be

  33. eligible to enter the kingdom of God is

  34. this guy Matthew's account tells us he's

  35. young Mark's account tells us he he

  36. kneels before Jesus so there's a bit of

  37. humility there he's willing to kneel in

  38. public Luke tells us in verse 18 he's a

  39. ruler what he rules isn't specified but

  40. he's important he's a powerful man he

  41. has status and recognition in the

  42. community and verse 23 tells us he is

  43. not just a little bit Rich he is

  44. extremely rich so he's

  45. young he's Rich he's important and he's

  46. not even too full of himself because he

  47. he kneels in public before Jesus this

  48. sounds like an eligible bachelor from

  49. sort of a Jane Austin novel doesn't it I

  50. mean what a guy you can imagine the

  51. parents queuing up eyeing him for for

  52. their daughters like if you met my

  53. daughter this is a good

  54. catch he has at all he's he's lawke

  55. keeping he's wealthy he's important he's

  56. a powerful young man he's a good but

  57. despite all of his obvious advantages

  58. despite having what most people would

  59. just dream about

  60. something is

  61. missing and he's not

  62. happy now it wasn't uncommon for the

  63. Jews of that era to believe that uh they

  64. needed to do some special Good Deed

  65. something over and above the law in in

  66. order to achieve or earn their

  67. salvation but the trouble is for this

  68. guy he doesn't know what to do what is

  69. required for me for me to get my

  70. salvation he's got no peace he's got no

  71. Assurance about the future there's

  72. something Goring at his soul because

  73. despite everything that he has all the

  74. advantages the good things he

  75. has he aware deep down that he hasn't

  76. quite made it there's something missing

  77. something he still

  78. lacks so it is that we meet this good

  79. man with a good question and that's our

  80. first point a good man with a good

  81. question throughout history um many

  82. cultures most cultures perhaps have been

  83. concerned with the afterlife perhaps you

  84. can remember back way back to your

  85. primary uh school years I'm sure you

  86. would have been taught about the ancient

  87. Egyptians and how they mummify their

  88. that they're dead and the rich could

  89. could afford that they would fill their

  90. tombs with food and drink and tools and

  91. the Book of the Dead a guid to to guide

  92. them through the

  93. afterlife similarly a grieving Chinese

  94. family would traditionally burn paper

  95. houses or paper cars or other objects to

  96. ensure that their deceased loved ones

  97. had Provisions in the afterlife that was

  98. a way of providing for your loved ones

  99. in the afterlife you'd burn paper models

  100. of them

  101. again the Aztecs and Maya Maya people

  102. would bury their dead with weapons and

  103. jewelry and food and all sorts to help

  104. the deceased on their way in the

  105. afterlife so belief in the afterlife is

  106. is not an unusual thing it's not

  107. uncommon it's been with us for for most

  108. of the history of of mankind many people

  109. believe that this what we have

  110. now that's not it there's something more

  111. coming afterwards and this rich Young

  112. Ruler he feels that way too but as a

  113. Jew he has the Old Testament he has the

  114. word of God to inform him so it's not

  115. just informed by people's imaginations

  116. or what they might wish is the case he

  117. has the actual word of God to tell him

  118. and he understands from the Old

  119. Testament that there is some kind of

  120. afterlife the term he uses is eternal

  121. life and so he's aware that there's more

  122. to life and this good man then asks a

  123. good question verse 18 good teacher what

  124. must I do to inherit eternal

  125. life isn't that an excellent

  126. question because if there is some kind

  127. of afterlife don't we want to know how

  128. to inherit it don't we want to know how

  129. to put ourselves in in line for this

  130. eternal life it's brilliant question

  131. isn't

  132. it

  133. surprisingly Jesus seems to have an

  134. issue with the way the uh question is

  135. phrased Jesus inquires is why the young

  136. man calls him

  137. good this was an unheard of way of

  138. addressing a rabbi in that that day

  139. perhaps the young man's just trying to

  140. flatter Jesus maybe he's just being

  141. hyper courteous who knows but Jesus sees

  142. this as a good opportunity to make a

  143. point he says no one is good except for

  144. God Alone Now Jesus there isn't denying

  145. that he himself is

  146. good he's just saying why are you

  147. calling me good what's your reason

  148. what's your thinking

  149. there what's LED this young man to apply

  150. this term to Jesus in reality it's

  151. dramatic irony isn't it where the

  152. speaker speaks more uh than they know

  153. young man have you even thought about

  154. the implications about what you're

  155. saying when you say I am good he is

  156. right to call Jesus good because Jesus

  157. is God he is good he's the only good man

  158. there but have you thought about that

  159. have you really worked that through and

  160. what that means for who Jesus is

  161. Jesus wants to make explicit who is in

  162. fact good and he says no one is good

  163. except God

  164. alone so if Jesus is in fact

  165. good who does that make

  166. him makes him

  167. God if this this young man this Rich

  168. Young Ruler if he would dwell upon this

  169. for a moment perhaps he would come to

  170. some idea about what he's just said but

  171. but more more than that if he takes on

  172. board whates Jesus just just said that

  173. no one is good except for God

  174. Alone that has an impact for him doesn't

  175. it that would give us and this young man

  176. good reason to pause if if no one is

  177. good in the fullest sense except for

  178. God then that challenges the assumption

  179. that we so often have when we come to

  180. God that I am basically a good kind of

  181. person you know I do my best I try not

  182. to hurt people I'm a pretty nice guy or

  183. girl if you got to know me underneath it

  184. or actually I'm I'm a pretty reasonably

  185. good person that's the assumption that

  186. so many of us have when we come to good

  187. I'm one of the good ones

  188. God and that's how this young man viewed

  189. himself yeah I'm I'm a pretty good guy

  190. so when Jesus challenges him with the

  191. Ten

  192. Commandments this young man J genuinely

  193. is able to say well I think I've I've

  194. kept them from my

  195. youth do you see the thinking there I'm

  196. a I'm I'm good Jesus I'm a good person I

  197. keep the law of

  198. God isn't that really like our

  199. estimation of

  200. ourselves when we measure ourselves by

  201. our own standards of course we end up

  202. looking quite

  203. good when we take a superficial view of

  204. God's law it's not hard to fool yourself

  205. and think I am I'm pretty good compared

  206. to those people compared to that and

  207. that law up there I haven't broken that

  208. one so I must be quite good but Jesus's

  209. understanding about the law is much

  210. deeper than

  211. ours for example in Matthew 5 Jesus says

  212. you've heard that it was said You shall

  213. not commit

  214. adultery but I tell you that anyone who

  215. looks at a woman lustfully is already

  216. committed adultery whether in his heart

  217. so we usually take God's law and we drag

  218. it down to a level that we can managed

  219. to do and think well that must be what

  220. Jesus says and I can do that or we

  221. surround it by legalistic little rules

  222. that we can obey and then we go well

  223. there we are I've obeyed God's law but

  224. Jesus elevates God's law to its highest

  225. points to what it really means it says

  226. that's what it

  227. means and when Jesus shows us what God's

  228. law is like that it is so

  229. good that we can't possibly keep it

  230. that is

  231. humbling I think that's why Jesus

  232. quibbles over this good label that this

  233. young man has dispensed out he's

  234. orientating the direction of the

  235. conversation from the start don't you

  236. know young man don't you know only God

  237. is good the implication of that is you

  238. young man despite all your goodness and

  239. how people see you and think you're a

  240. great guy you yourself are not in fact

  241. good not by the definition of

  242. God but this young man isn't doesn't

  243. quite pick up on that and so when Jesus

  244. points out what he must do to inherit

  245. eternal life um and that is to to keep

  246. the commands this young man believes

  247. yeah I think I've done that I've kept

  248. those commands since I was young that's

  249. okay but you know I think the fact that

  250. he's there seeking Jesus asking what he

  251. can do to inherit eternal life that

  252. betrays the fact he

  253. knows deep in his heart he hasn't made

  254. it there's something more this he hasn't

  255. he hasn't made the grade there's

  256. something else that needs to

  257. happen now interestingly at this point

  258. Jesus doesn't challenge him with it he

  259. doesn't argue about that and say well

  260. rich young man I know you're pretty good

  261. compared to other people but do you

  262. remember that time you did that Jesus

  263. doesn't push back on him I think I would

  264. be tempted if someone said I've kept all

  265. of God's commands I would be like well

  266. hang on a second have you never lied

  267. you've never told a half truth you've

  268. always honored your mom and dad

  269. every moment of your your your life even

  270. in your F full life you've never stolen

  271. anything you've never knocked off work 5

  272. minutes early you really you've kept

  273. these perfectly have you but Jesus

  274. doesn't do that Jesus being Jesus is's

  275. able to go to the heart of the this

  276. man's problem for all the blessings that

  277. this rich young man has the blessings

  278. that other people might actually eye

  279. with the eye of Envy it's these

  280. blessings his vast wealth that actually

  281. become a snare to him and will be his

  282. downfall so Jesus moves to reveal this

  283. man's heart to himself this is what you

  284. lack this is where you're going wrong

  285. this is your problem this is what's

  286. stopping you from inheriting eternal

  287. life this man doesn't need a few tweaks

  288. and then he'll just just about make it

  289. his whole life is centered on the wrong

  290. thing he Treasures the wrong thing the

  291. wrong treasure and we're going to look

  292. at that in our second point the danger

  293. of

  294. riches um put your hands up if you watch

  295. one of the Lord of the Rings films

  296. anyone watching the Lord some of you

  297. okay the rest of you won't have a clue

  298. what I'm talking about but in The Lord

  299. of the Rings films apparently they

  300. differ to the books in certain areas but

  301. Aaron will be able to you know instruct

  302. you on that he's the expert here I

  303. believe but in the sort of final of the

  304. Lord of the Rings uh films in the

  305. climatic scene overlooking the fires of

  306. Mount Doom Frodo he the goody and Gollum

  307. he the is the B they're they're locked

  308. in a battle for this this precious Ring

  309. The Ring Golden Ring it symbolizes um

  310. money and power and materialism and it

  311. it it has a powerful controlling

  312. influence on on anyone who owns it or

  313. puts it

  314. on and just as the the the wearer wants

  315. to own this ring more than anything else

  316. so the ring wants to own the person who

  317. puts it on so anyway there's this big

  318. fight going on there's fire and all this

  319. sorts of stuff you can imagine that and

  320. golum the nasty one bites off Roo's

  321. finger with the ring on and he gets the

  322. ring and he's got his prize and he's

  323. celebrating going oh my ring my precious

  324. and in that in that tussle he eventually

  325. Falls over the the the um Edge and into

  326. this fiery Lake below and the last image

  327. we see of him in the film is he's

  328. holding up this ring as he himself sinks

  329. into the the fiery pit and he's burned

  330. up and this ring is the last thing we

  331. see and it's interesting isn't it

  332. because owning that ring to him was more

  333. precious than anything else even his own

  334. life that was what he held up even as he

  335. died and we might think well that's just

  336. fiction that sounds a bit dared but

  337. actually it's not too far removed from

  338. what happens to this rich young

  339. man he has something that is so precious

  340. to him in his life right now he's

  341. willing to Forfeit he very eternal

  342. life Jesus puts his finger on it in

  343. verses 22 to

  344. 23 one thing you still lack sell all

  345. that you have and distribute to the poor

  346. and you will have treasure in heaven and

  347. come and follow me but when he heard

  348. these things he became very sad for he

  349. was extremely rich his riches his ring

  350. if you like he's precious he's God that

  351. is what he lived for he may have been

  352. under the impression that he's been

  353. keeping the Ten Commandments and he's a

  354. really good guy but actually Jesus shows

  355. him you haven't even kept the first one

  356. you see that you shall have no other

  357. gods before me nothing should be of

  358. higher priority in this man's life of

  359. more importance to him than

  360. God but to this Rich Young Ruler wealth

  361. was his God wealth was what he was

  362. trusting in it's what he relied on what

  363. he looked on to make him

  364. happy now some of you might be thinking

  365. well it's all very well Matt but you

  366. know I'm not actually very wealthy so

  367. this doesn't really apply to me some of

  368. us might be wealthy some of us might be

  369. on the bread line but do you know money

  370. being what money is is always going to

  371. be an issue for

  372. us we all know that money actually does

  373. help um it gets you to the front of the

  374. queue doesn't it you can access better

  375. healthare better holidays better houses

  376. better education uh money does generally

  377. give you a better quality of life I mean

  378. it's hard to argue with that it it does

  379. and that's why it's so powerful whatever

  380. our situation is if we haven't got it we

  381. want it if we have got it we're worried

  382. about losing it it it's a controlling

  383. thing on us Joseph of ARA they were all

  384. wealthy there's others too so so being

  385. rich isn't actually the crime that's not

  386. the

  387. problem in fact God didn't actually ask

  388. them to sell all their stuff and give it

  389. to the poor so he doesn't do this to

  390. everyone in fact for Abraham that the

  391. challenge was different it was kill your

  392. son offer your son to me he might have

  393. wished well can I just give you all my

  394. money

  395. instead but you see the challenge is

  396. different for all of us for many it

  397. might be riches are the problem but it's

  398. it's not automatically we all have to

  399. sell everything that we have I'm not

  400. going to apply that this way this

  401. morning calling all believers to sell

  402. everything and give everything to the

  403. poor and perhaps you're relieved about

  404. that perhaps you are I wonder how you'd

  405. feel if I said right now everyone to

  406. apply this everyone you need to go out

  407. from here sell all your stuff empty your

  408. bank accounts give it to the

  409. poor that would be difficult wouldn't it

  410. but I'm not going to tell you to do

  411. that how would you feel about that do

  412. you feel

  413. relieved think we probably do don't

  414. we why do we feel relieved that I'm not

  415. going to tell us all we need to sell

  416. everything and give it all the way to

  417. the

  418. poor I

  419. wonder could it

  420. be that there is a little bit of us that

  421. is like this Rich Young

  422. Ruler I know we all need a bit of money

  423. don't we and we need that and we

  424. understand

  425. that is there a part of us that go I'm

  426. so relieved because I really love my

  427. money I love all my stuff you know I

  428. don't want to part with

  429. it I wonder if someone some of us need

  430. to examine ourselves in this

  431. matter how much do we rely on our money

  432. to make us

  433. happy how much are we living for it how

  434. much do we just love it and we just want

  435. more and more and

  436. more you don't have to be wealthy to

  437. have an unhealthy Love of Money I

  438. wouldn't be surprised if this didn't

  439. actually feel quite uncomfortable for

  440. pretty much every person here

  441. but maybe I'm doing you a disservice

  442. maybe for you money isn't really the

  443. issue you know you've got some it's fine

  444. it's it's not a major issue for you

  445. maybe for

  446. you there is another issue that you just

  447. you've got before God maybe there's a

  448. certain sin that you so

  449. cherish and you're

  450. refusing God's call on your life to give

  451. it up you know he's been talking to you

  452. about this sin for a while you know you

  453. need to lay it down lay it aside but you

  454. just just won't because you love it too

  455. much you put it above God I wonder if

  456. that's

  457. you or may maybe there's some area of

  458. your life and you you want to have

  459. control of that you don't want to fully

  460. submit yourself to the Lord perhaps it's

  461. it's your career and you think this is

  462. what I want to do God and and and and if

  463. it's not working out I'm just I'm just

  464. going to fight you all the way because I

  465. want it this way I want it now maybe

  466. there's just something in your life you

  467. just you you're not willing to let God

  468. have his way in your life and you say no

  469. it's mine it's me my

  470. way maybe there's a

  471. relationship some

  472. friendship someone you're texting that

  473. you shouldn't be sinful it started off a

  474. good thing a blessing and and that's

  475. okay you're enjoying it but then

  476. sometimes we make good things to be the

  477. main thing and it becomes too important

  478. and then it's become an ID it's

  479. controlling us and we can make good

  480. things bad things

  481. sometimes now God isn't calling us all

  482. to give up everything that's vaguely

  483. enjoyable God's intention for us is not

  484. to be completely miserable and like oh

  485. I'm enjoying that too much I've got to

  486. you know forget that that that's not

  487. what God is

  488. saying but it is worth taking a moment

  489. isn't it to consider is there something

  490. that has become more important to you

  491. than

  492. God is there something that has come

  493. between you and your walk with the Lord

  494. and you know he's there and you know you

  495. need to deal with

  496. it just consider that for a moment is

  497. this something the Lord is calling you

  498. to to lay down to put

  499. aside you know I've noticed um as my age

  500. increases so it appears my waist size

  501. increases too um a few month mons ago I

  502. decided to do something about it you

  503. probably looking at my waist don't look

  504. don't look U but a few months ago I

  505. decided I'm going to have a diet I'm

  506. going to go on a diet um I'm it's not I

  507. don't know anything about diets really U

  508. but I I'm taking the long-term sort of

  509. relaxed approach to dieting my theory is

  510. quite simple you just eat slightly less

  511. you have smaller portions you don't have

  512. all the treats unless Aaron comes around

  513. in the middle of a week and says should

  514. we have a McDonald's for lunch I'm like

  515. no I can't okay then and um and uh yeah

  516. so so it's just the idea that you just

  517. you know it's not rocket science is it

  518. you eat slightly less than you need and

  519. then you you burn more and then you're

  520. not putting on what you're not putting

  521. in it's quite simple just don't eat lots

  522. of bad stuff um and and as I sort of

  523. undertaken this diet uh that's quite

  524. relaxed be honest with you but that it

  525. does mean at some points you have to say

  526. I want that piece of cake but I'm not

  527. going to have it I want that second

  528. portion but I'm not going to have it and

  529. it is just making those choices

  530. depending on what is important to you so

  531. he makes his

  532. choice he knows what's important to him

  533. he can't face parting with his

  534. wealth and so he Parts with Jesus

  535. instead he goes away sad he recognizes

  536. the cost if I if I want that then I have

  537. to do that I'm not prepared to do that

  538. so I'm going to walk

  539. away you won't pay it he's like Gollum

  540. refusing to let go of that ring even as

  541. he dies

  542. on the 24th of August 79 ad Mount vuia

  543. erupted destroying the Roman city of

  544. Pompei the eruption lasted about two

  545. days and um so I'm told if they hadn't

  546. gone back and tried to get all of their

  547. valuables out of their homes the love of

  548. their stuff cost them their

  549. lives and it's the same with this rich

  550. young man he he trusts his wealth to

  551. provide what he needs he trusts it more

  552. than he trusts Jesus he can't let go of

  553. it because I need this stuff it's what I

  554. rely

  555. on his wealth his

  556. Blessing it became a snare to

  557. him I wonder if you've

  558. ever felt a bit frustrated that God

  559. doesn't give you a little bit more

  560. you're not asking for that much are you

  561. just a little bit more a bit more

  562. comfortable you don't want to be Filthy

  563. Rich like this guy but just a little bit

  564. more wouldn't herur you know God could

  565. you just you know

  566. I wonder if you've ever

  567. considered it might be a

  568. mercy that God has not made you richer

  569. than you

  570. are when this Rich Young Ruler becomes

  571. sad look at what Jesus says in verse 24

  572. how difficult it is for those who have

  573. wealth to enter the kingdom of God and

  574. so for some of

  575. us perhaps at this point in our life if

  576. our humble estate is a sign of God's

  577. mercy in not giving us more than we

  578. could handle Perhaps it is a sign of

  579. God's mercy Proverbs 11:28 says Those

    Proverbs 11:28

  580. Who trust in their riches will

  581. fall but the righteous will Thrive like

  582. the green

  583. leaf this man has got so much going for

  584. him but he lost everything because he

  585. tried to hold on to the wrong thing I

  586. wonder if there's some treasure some sin

  587. some Idol that you know of that you know

  588. you need to lay aside but you are

  589. struggling to lay that aside is there

  590. something that is more important to you

  591. than following

  592. Jesus to be honest it is a bit of a

  593. concern isn't that if we're we're honest

  594. brutally honest with ourselves because

  595. we're not really sure how we would

  596. do if God challenged us to do what he

  597. challenged this Rich Young Ruler to

  598. do it is hard one isn't it would we

  599. actually be willing to really do

  600. this and that's a bit of a worry perhaps

  601. as we think about this we're

  602. think do I really have to it's it's a

  603. tough one perhaps we think I can't I

  604. can't let my thoughts go there because

  605. I'm not sure how well I would be able to

  606. do in

  607. this perhaps you think it's impossible

  608. perhaps well let's think about that and

  609. our final Point God can do the

  610. impossible

  611. time to engage your imaginations with me

  612. imagine you're on a boat you don't have

  613. to feel seasick or anything but you're

  614. on a big boat and that that boat begins

  615. to develop a leak there's Panic there's

  616. worry there's shouting it's starting to

  617. go down and everyone's looking to how

  618. how are we going to get off this boat

  619. how are we going to save ourselves

  620. you're in the middle of the ocean there

  621. no obvious way to go but there just

  622. happens to be an Olympic swimmer on the

  623. boat and she sees the danger she's decid

  624. she's she's going to leave that sinking

  625. ship and she's going to swim for safety

  626. and she does she says right you're on

  627. your own and she's off she's in the

  628. water she's swimming away and as you

  629. watch in horror you see uh the the the

  630. Seas begin to overwhelm her and she

  631. hasn't really got far but then she

  632. sinks and

  633. rounds and that's

  634. it I wonder how those the rest of you on

  635. that ship would

  636. feel if that Olympic champion swimmer

  637. couldn't even make it to

  638. safety what hope have we

  639. got and that's a little bit like what

  640. happens here to show how hard it is for

  641. the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God

  642. in other words to be saved Jesus gives

  643. this impossible scenario verse 25 for it

  644. is easier for a camel to go through the

  645. eye of an needle than for a rich person

  646. to enter the kingdom of God now you may

  647. have heard well-meaning preachers

  648. explain this away by saying well of

  649. course in Jerusalem there was was a a

  650. gate called the needle gate and they

  651. have a camel the camels to get through

  652. it have to go on their knees you take

  653. off all the stuff and then you just

  654. about squeeze them through this small

  655. little gate and that sounds okay well

  656. that sounds quite interesting except

  657. it's not based on

  658. fact there evidence to support that it's

  659. just someone's like trying to think of

  660. how to explain this but I don't think we

  661. need to explain this is a wonderful

  662. thing actually Jesus is saying um it's

  663. not just saying oh it's a little bit

  664. tricky to get your camel through it's

  665. it's a little bit tricky for wealthy

  666. people to be saved

  667. Jesus is making an exaggeration here

  668. he's taking the largest animal known in

  669. Palestine at that time right what do I

  670. know what big camel big camel and it's

  671. taking the smallest hole that you can

  672. imagine he's saying right take big camel

  673. put it through small hole does it work

  674. no okay so that's the point he's trying

  675. to make he's not saying well if you push

  676. really hard and you take everything off

  677. you can finally get them through you can

  678. shred the camel up maybe feed that's not

  679. the point

  680. Jesus isn't saying that the wealthy can

  681. be saved if they try really hard it's

  682. saying it's no more possible than if you

  683. get a literal camel and try and squeeze

  684. it through a literal um eye of a needle

  685. that's why they exclaim in verse 26 who

  686. could be saved this is impossible that's

  687. never going to

  688. happen and you see um they're thinking

  689. in that in their their day was that

  690. riches was obviously a sign of blessing

  691. from God and and so what they're

  692. thinking at this moment is this rich man

  693. he's really blessed by God by by all

  694. this blessing if he can't be saved if

  695. the wealthy can't be saved if it's

  696. impossible for them to be saved who

  697. could be saved that's the point Jesus is

  698. making

  699. here if it's impossible for the one God

  700. favors with wealth to be saved who on

  701. Earth can be saved and you know money it

  702. might be able to open many doors in this

  703. life but as it transpires money can lock

  704. and close the door to the

  705. kingdom it's actually not always the

  706. sign of great

  707. favor so having flawed us with

  708. this Jesus then gives us hope he gives

  709. us hope verse

  710. 27 what is impossible with men so the

  711. eye through the no the camel through the

  712. eye what's impossible with man is

  713. possible with God there it is standing

  714. like a gleaming jawel and the wreckage

  715. of human pride and human effort and all

  716. our failed idols and all our ideas and

  717. weird ideas about the the afterlife and

  718. everything what our riches what our best

  719. efforts what our clever schemes what our

  720. moral morality what our religious Works

  721. cannot do what what it's impossible for

  722. all of these things to

  723. do God

  724. can but it takes a miracle of

  725. God elsewhere where in the New Testament

  726. Jesus speaks about the need to be born

  727. again you can't make that happen for

  728. yourself can you you can't plan your own

  729. birth we can't bring ourselves to birth

  730. that's

  731. impossible similarly can we change our

  732. Sinful Nature by ourselves no can we

  733. live up to God's Great towering perfect

  734. standard of

  735. righteousness no can we generate in

  736. ourselves the desire for God can we

  737. generate in ourselves the desire to obey

  738. God to love God to treasure god

  739. no can we really break those chains of

  740. sin that we cherish those things that

  741. we're holding on to can we break them by

  742. ourselves by ourselves these things are

  743. impossible for lasting internal change

  744. to take place we need the work and the

  745. power of the Holy Spirit to be in us we

  746. need a miracle we need him to bring us

  747. to life we need the Holy Spirit to open

  748. our eyes to our need of the Savior we

  749. need God to do what he promised he was

  750. going to do back in Ezekiel 36 to give

  751. us his Spirit to give us a new heart to

  752. cause us to walk in his ways and we need

  753. the ongoing work and power of the Holy

  754. Spirit In Our Lives to to change us to

  755. transform us day by day to break those

  756. things that we're so in love with we

  757. need that we need him to to to bring

  758. about our conversion we need him to

  759. continue to save us to continue to work

  760. in us we need God's power to set us

  761. free and we need God to open our eyes to

  762. the beauty of Jesus so that we treasure

  763. him this is a miracle this is

  764. Supernatural stuff this is not something

  765. we can work up in ourselves this is a

  766. work of God in this is why this this

  767. isn't just religion do this that and the

  768. other and you will be saved this is this

  769. is a work of God transforming changing

  770. bringing us to life so that we realize

  771. this is the thing this is the most

  772. precious thing in life this is it this

  773. is where it's at Jesus in Matthew 13

  774. tells um says this about the kingdom of

  775. God it says uh Matthew 13 the Kingdom of

  776. Heaven is like a merchant in search of

  777. fine pearls who on finding one pearl of

  778. Great Value went and sold all all that

  779. he had and brought

  780. it so when the Spirits by the spirit's

  781. power we behold the beauty of the Lord

  782. uh that he becomes our treasure and we

  783. go that's it that's where I need to be

  784. that's the one I need to have and so

  785. that then we're able to lay aside all

  786. the other things that we're holding on

  787. to as our Treasures this is what being

  788. saved is is is all about it's not about

  789. us trying to keep some laws or doing

  790. some great good work to somehow earn our

  791. position uh into to to to eternal life

  792. it's about having Jesus has already done

  793. what is required he did it on the

  794. cross and it's about the Holy Spirit

  795. applying what Jesus has done on the

  796. cross to us to us in us we can only

  797. inherit eternal life because of what

  798. Jesus has done not because of what we

  799. do and when God has done a new thing in

  800. us he will begin to slowly and steadily

  801. perhaps probably over many years

  802. continue to prize away all those things

  803. that we're holding on to those bits of

  804. detrus those things that we hadn't

  805. realized actually I I was loving that

  806. too much actually that was a really

  807. sinful attitude that was a wrong thing

  808. and God goes to work priz back and I

  809. give thanks because he's been at work in

  810. me it's a it's a it's a sign of the Holy

  811. Spirit changing me and that's a joy it's

  812. a great joy for us as Believers it's one

  813. of the assurances of Salvation I can see

  814. what he's doing in me transforming us

  815. bit by bit day by day that's what

  816. happens for those who surrender

  817. ourselves to him and it might be costly

  818. in the short term we might miss out on

  819. certain things that was Peter's concern

  820. actually wasn't that did you you notice

  821. the disciples they left much for Jesus

  822. and and perhaps they thinking ways was

  823. was that a wise

  824. thing are we going to get paid back in

  825. some way was it a good thing to follow

  826. Jesus was it good to go all in with

  827. Jesus was that a bit bit of a mistake

  828. could Peter can we give ourselves fully

  829. to following Jesus or should we

  830. desperately hold on to everything that

  831. we've got in this world just in case can

  832. we trust Jesus with with ourselves with

  833. our lives Jesus assures him Whoever has

  834. left property or family for him will

  835. receive many times more now and in the

  836. age to come

  837. so this isn't a promise for blessings

  838. like for like so so it's not like if you

  839. work for the Lord takes you away from

  840. your family for long periods of time and

  841. you don't get to see your wife the

  842. promise is is is not that you're going

  843. to get hundreds of wives um in this life

  844. that would just be awkward and not

  845. helpful at all would it um but it is in

  846. the Kingdom you are blessed in all sorts

  847. of ways with friends with mother figures

  848. with sisters and brothers and all sorts

  849. of blessing blings and Jesus point is is

  850. not to say right you do this you get

  851. that that and that he's saying the the

  852. blessings of God far outweigh any

  853. sacrifices that we might make and it

  854. begins in this life and it it comes into

  855. its fullness in in in the later life so

  856. when you take into account the blessings

  857. that

  858. us that's ultimately what Jesus is

  859. asking this rich young

  860. man are you willing to forsake the

  861. security the happiness The Prestige that

  862. your wealth gives you are you willing to

  863. leave out and follow me do do you trust

  864. me that I'll look after you I'll provide

  865. for you that this is the

  866. way and it's the same for for each one

  867. of us really isn't it are we willing to

  868. put aside whatever it is that we're

  869. trusting in to bring us security or

  870. happiness or Comfort or whatever it is

  871. and we think I can't let go of that

  872. because I need that are we willing to

  873. let go of that and go no I'm going to

  874. I'm going to follow Jesus I'm going to

  875. trust in

  876. Jesus the question is do you think Jesus

  877. is worth giving up everything to

  878. follow the answer is he is enough he is

  879. enough do you struggle with that do you

  880. feel the tension the pull the

  881. fight and don't try and do it alone

  882. you

  883. can't ask the Lord to help you by his

  884. holy spirit power to work in you to do

  885. what is impossible for man God can do

  886. can do that even in you to give you

  887. those new desires the rich young man was

  888. asked what he must do to inherit eternal

  889. life the answer is to trust fully in

  890. what Jesus has done for you to follow

  891. him because even though that path isn't

  892. always easy it's a path that leads to

  893. glory and it's a path that leads to the

  894. fullness

  895. of

  896. life let's be quiet before the Lord

  897. perhaps you need to do some business

  898. with the Lord right now