How to Gain (or Miss) Eternal Life

we're going to use a couple of questions from the Heidelberg Catechism.

Now we're going to return to the ideas that we find here as we come to Jesus' teaching later.

But as we consider what God's law requires, and as it causes us to reflect on how we have done in terms of our obedience,

that then leads us to see the importance of confessing our sin.

And we're going to use a section of Daniel 9 to help us in that.

So again, this is a couple of questions and answers.

If I read the question then, if you're able, you can share the answer with me.

What does God's law require of us?

Christ teaches us this in summary in Matthew 22, 37 to 40.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

This is the greatest and first commandment.

And a second is like it.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

The next question.

Can you live up to all this perfectly?

No, I have a natural tendency to hate God and my neighbor.

And as we recognize that in our own hearts, let me lead us in a prayer of confession drawn from Daniel 9.

Lord God, we would confess with the prophet Daniel.

We are covered with shame because we have sinned against you.

We have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept his laws.

We have rebelled and sinned against you.

We have broken your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

We also confess that you are the Lord who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments.

You are the Lord who is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against you.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Show us favor and forgive us.

Amen.

Amen.

And then we remind ourselves of some of the wonderful promises that we have in the gospel.

John chapter 3, verse 16, speaks to us of the certain promise of forgiveness and eternal life.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Or as we have it again in Romans 8, verse 1,

Romans 8:1

And therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

And now we're going to hear God's word.

And Neil Campbell is going to come and read that for us from Luke chapter 18, beginning at verse 9.

Luke 18 · chapter mention

Thanks, Neil.

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable.

Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself.

God, I thank you that I am not like other men, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

I fast twice a week and I give a tenth of all I get.

But the tax collector stood at a distance.

He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said,

God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

People were bringing their babies to Jesus to have him touch them.

When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them.

But Jesus called the children to him and said,

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

I tell you the truth.

Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.

A certain ruler asked him,

Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

Why do you call me good?

Jesus answered.

No one is good except God alone.

You know the commandments.

Do not commit adultery.

Do not murder.

Do not steal.

Do not give false testimony.

Honor your father and mother.

All these I have kept since I was a boy, he said.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him,

You still lack one thing.

Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

Then come, follow me.

When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.

Jesus looked at him and said,

How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.

Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle

than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

Those who heard this asked,

Who then can be saved?

Jesus replied,

What is impossible with men is possible with God.

Peter said to him,

We have left all we had to follow you.

I tell you the truth,

Jesus said to them,

No one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children

for the sake of the kingdom of God

will fail to receive many times as much in this age

and in the age to come,

eternal life.

Let's come and pray to God once again.

Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you that throughout the pages of the Bible,

we hear you,

our God and Father,

we hear Jesus, the Savior,

inviting us to come to you,

come when we are weary,

come when we are burdened,

and to find rest.

Thank you for the reminder from this scripture

that anyone can come to you and find mercy,

that eternal life is not a matter of earning our way into the kingdom,

but rather it's humbly and independently receiving,

just like a child.

Lord, we thank you for your great grace

and your mercy that you show to us

in and through the Lord Jesus.

And so we would ask

that you would give us

a fresh measure and experience

of your grace and your goodness,

your kindness and your mercy today.

And we pray especially for those who are here today

with heavy hearts for different reasons,

those who are struggling physically,

those who are carrying heavy burdens

to do with families and friendships,

those who are concerned about health matters

and financial matters,

those who are burdened down in so many ways.

Lord, may each of them and each of us

be coming and laying our burdens down

and resting in the Lord Jesus

and knowing his kindness in a special way.

Lord, we pray for anybody who perhaps feels

particularly discouraged today,

finding that following Jesus is hard.

Pray for those who are giving up hope

and wondering if things will ever get better.

Lord, may the light of your glory

shine in a new way today for them,

that you would give living hope

as you remind us of Jesus, our living Savior.

Lord, we pray too for our families and our friends.

We think especially of those

who as yet are not followers of the Lord Jesus.

Lord, one of the things that causes our hearts

to feel so sad is often

to think about the people we love the most

who are far from the kingdom,

who seem to have so little concern

for their eternal well-being,

who don't seem to want to hear

the good news of the Lord Jesus.

And we recognize that what's impossible with us

is eminently possible with you,

a God of powerful, saving grace.

And so we pray to see transformation

by your grace,

that you would break down barriers,

that you would soften hearts,

that men and women, boys and girls,

young and old,

those who we pray for often,

those who we've prayed for for years,

that you might be drawing them

so that we and they

would give glory to you together.

Lord, help us to pray

and not to give up.

Help us to remember

that you are the God who loves to save.

Lord, we pray too for our city

and for our nation today.

And we pray for those

who are in authority over us

locally and nationally,

that with the burdens

and responsibilities that they carry,

Lord, with the wisdom that they need,

that you would cause them

to humble themselves

and to seek your wisdom,

to seek your faith.

Help us as your people

to support them in our prayers,

to honour them in the way

that we obey,

in the way that we speak

of those who rule over us.

And Lord, we give you thanks too

for our emergency services.

And we thank you for those

who sacrifice so much for us,

between our health service

and the police

and the fire services,

those who give of themselves,

those who take great risks

for our health

and peace and security.

Lord, we pray in particular

for those we know

who are Christians

who are serving there,

Lord, that you would keep them,

encourage them,

especially sometimes

when it's so hard

to get to church regularly

because of responsibilities at work.

Lord, give them times of rest,

times in your word,

times to pray

and to know your presence

and the joy of fellowship with you.

Lord, we pray

for the work of the gospel

in our city

and in our nation.

Lord, we pray that rich and poor

and old and young,

people who have always called

Scotland home,

people who have moved

from different parts of the world,

that together

we would discover

the joy of knowing Jesus,

that you would be at work

through your words,

you'd be at work

through your people,

Sunday by Sunday

as churches gather,

week by week

as your people scatter,

to be a blessing

in our communities.

Lord, be pleased

to point many

to hope in Jesus.

And Lord, we pray

for our world.

We recognize

there is so much darkness,

there is so much sadness,

there is so much warfare

and strife.

Lord, we pray

for the ministry

of the Prince of Peace.

And we pray

for a day

when true peace

would reign,

peace of the Lord Jesus

that passes understanding

would be formed

in people's hearts

and lives.

Lord, we recognize

lasting hope

and lasting change

is found ultimately

and only

in the Lord Jesus.

And we thank you

for the promise

in your word

that there is a day coming

when the Lord Jesus

will return,

when he will make

this world new,

when he will deal

once and for all

with all that is evil

and unjust,

when his people

will live

in a world

made perfect forever,

that we will enjoy

perfectly restored

bodies and minds,

able to worship,

able to truly love.

Lord, give us

a longing

for that day

to work,

to see

your kingdom come

and your will be done

on earth

as it is in heaven.

Hear our prayers

we ask

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Now, before we turn back

to Luke chapter 18,

Luke 18 · chapter mention

we're going to sing

another section

of a psalm,

this time from Psalm 19,

a reflection on the beauty

and the value

of the word of God.

Psalm 19 from 7 to 11,

and we'll stand together

to sing.

The perfect love

of God revives the soul

of man.

His statutes,

which are sure,

make wise the simple one.

The precepts of the Lord

are right,

God's radiant command

and shed light

on what we see.

The fear of God

is pure

and lasts eternally.

The standards

of the Lord

express

His perfect truth

and righteousness.

of far more worth

than gold,

than much pure gold

they are,

than honey

from the comb,

than honey

sweeter far.

they warn

the servant

of the Lord

in keeping

them

His great

reward.

Now,

if you have your Bibles,

perhaps,

you can have them open

so we can consider

these words together.

Page 1052

if you're using

the church Bible.

We're thinking today

about how to gain

or how to miss

eternal life.

As we begin,

I wonder

if you find yourself

this week

sparing a thought

for the man

called John Cheeks.

If you are paying

attention to some

of the more obscure

items of news

this week,

you might know

that John Cheeks

was the man

who is suing

the lottery

in America.

In January

of 2023,

the U.S.

lottery was

testing all its

machines to make

sure that they

were functioning

correctly.

In error,

it printed

some lottery

numbers online.

Guess whose numbers

came up?

Mr. John Cheeks.

On that day,

he thought he had

gained

$340 million

until

the lottery

recognized their error.

He missed out

on that jackpot.

He's suing them

for emotional distress.

He wants to get

his money.

He thought it

was his.

Turned out

he was wrong.

The story of

John Cheeks

helps us

into the story

of some of the

men we meet

on the road

with Jesus.

There's an

individual,

a rich ruler,

and there's a

group of people

who presume,

they presume

they have

ultimate gain,

a gain that

makes winning

the lottery

seem like

small change.

They presumed

they were

in God's

kingdom.

Eternal life

with God

was theirs

for sure,

but it turns

out they

were in error.

They thought

they were

measuring up

perfectly to

God's standards.

Jesus is going

to tell them

they were wrong.

They thought

God's kingdom

worked on the

basis of merit,

and they had

merited a place

at God's table.

Again,

Jesus is going

to tell them

they're wrong.

Jesus provides

a reality

check

to warn

of this

error.

He tells

a story

where the

hero of the

story,

the one who's

in the

kingdom,

is the

tax collector.

And against

those who are

trying to earn

their way into

the kingdom,

Jesus says

the kingdom

belongs to

those who are

like little

children,

those who bring

nothing to the

table,

as it were,

they are in.

It can be a

hard lesson to

learn.

Let's go back

to our

playground days.

Some of us,

they're still here.

For some of us,

we have to go a

little bit further

back.

Remember how teams

were picked in

school, how teams

probably have always

been picked in

school?

You would have

captains,

and those captains,

they would decide

who got to choose

first.

And of course,

when it comes to

team selection,

you choose

whoever you think

is the best.

And maybe

you also choose

those who you're

friends with.

So gradually,

it works its way

down until

there's just one

or two people

left at the end.

Well, as we

grow up,

we probably

realize the

pattern doesn't

always change

so much.

In our

workplaces,

typically,

it's the skilled

and the successful

who get the

special responsibilities,

who get the

promotions.

In friendships,

typically,

it's the funny

and the outgoing

who get the

party invites.

So the problem

comes if we

apply that way

of thinking

to religion.

God's kingdom

must work like

the rest of the

world works.

God will accept

me because I

am.

Well,

here is Jesus,

and He's

walking closer

to the cross,

the place where

He will die,

and He needs

us to hear

and to understand

that the greatest

of all gains,

the gain of

knowing God

and having

eternal life,

doesn't come

because we

earn it.

It comes by

God's gift.

It comes

because of

grace.

So how does

He help us

to get there?

Three questions

that we can

take from our

text.

The first

question,

ask the question,

how do we

measure?

This is

verses 9

to 14.

Look at

verse 9,

to some who

are confident

of their own

righteousness

and look down

on everyone

else,

Jesus told

this parable.

Last Sunday,

I was down

in the borders,

I was preaching

down in

Galashios,

in the community

center there,

we shared

space with a

group called

Rugby Tots.

So little

two,

three,

four year olds

learning the

basics of

rugby,

learning how

to catch

a ball,

learning how

to pass.

Some of

them,

they were all

very cute,

some of

them seemed

quite decent,

but not

any of

them were

on the

same level

as the

Six Nations

team that

played yesterday.

The best

rugby taught

in the

Scottish

borders was

not playing

for the

Scottish

national team

yesterday.

But imagine

the three year

old in

Galashios who

was feeling

particularly good

about their

ball handling

skills,

thinking,

I'm the

best rugby

player ever.

if they'd

switched on

the TV

yesterday

evening,

if they'd

watched

Gregor Townsend's

team play,

they would

have received

an important

reality check.

How we

measure

matters.

And so

Jesus uses

a parable

to deliver

a reality

check to

a man,

to a group

of men

who are

measuring

themselves

against other

people.

And they're

feeling really

good about

themselves,

and they're

despising

other people,

and they're

really confident

of being

in God's

team.

And so

Jesus tells

a parable.

He paints

a picture

of two

praying men.

Two people

come to

the same

place of

worship.

There's a

number of

different things

that are the

same,

one or two

that are

very different,

and key

is how they

measure.

Listen to

how Jesus

describes

the religious

man.

The Pharisee,

he stood

by himself.

He is

standing

apart

because of

his pride.

I don't

want to be

associated

with these

lesser

mortals

over here.

We hear

it in his

words,

God,

I thank

you

that I'm

not like

other people.

I am

so thankful

that I'm

in a

different

moral

category.

So,

interesting,

he's clearly

very sincere

and religious.

I fast

twice a

week,

I give

a tenth

of all

I get,

but his

heart is

not right

before

God.

But then,

Jesus introduces

the rebellious

man,

the tax

collector

who robs

his own

people,

who works

with the

enemy,

the tax

collector

two.

He stood

at a

distance.

He stands

apart,

but he

stands

apart

because he

feels and

he knows

he's

unworthy.

He would

not even

look up to

heaven.

Standard

way to

pray.

He doesn't

feel he

deserves it.

He beats

his breast

as a sign

of deep

grief and

repentance,

because of

his sin.

And how

does he

pray?

He

prays,

God,

have

mercy on

me,

a sinner.

Literally,

God,

be propitiated

to me,

a sinner.

God,

turn your

anger

away from

me.

I know

I am a

sinner.

I know

I deserve

your anger,

but please

have mercy.

Turn the

anger

away

from

me.

As

Jesus

tells

the story,

he's

reminding

us of

why he

is going

to the

cross.

Jesus

is going

to the

cross to

be a

substitute

so the

anger of

God against

our sin

might not

fall on

us,

but it

might fall

on

Jesus.

Now,

we get to

the sting

in the

tail,

don't

we?

This

would be

a total

shock to

Jesus'

original

hearers.

We

already know,

we've

decided,

we've

heard the

gospels

probably,

so we

know who

the good

guys and

the bad

guys are,

but in

Jesus'

day,

the Pharisees

are the

elite.

These are

God's

men.

Jesus

says,

I tell

you,

this

man,

rather

than the

other,

went home

justified

before

God.

Who

is the

one who

is declared

to be

in right

standing

with God?

Who

is the

one who

is in

the

kingdom,

who

is on

his

way

to

enjoy

eternal

life?

It's

the bad

guy.

God

because he

shows true

humility.

He confesses

his sin.

He knows

he needs

mercy and

he seeks

mercy from

God.

That would

have shocked

the crowd

in Jesus'

day.

And

actually,

this teaching

still shocks

people today.

sin.

I don't

know if

you've

ever

had

those

conversations

where you

understand

that this

sinner's

prayer can

still cause

a great

scandal

and offence.

As people

understand

that Jesus

has come

to save

anyone,

anyone who

confesses sin

and trusts in

Jesus will

be saved.

Maybe I've

conversed,

you mean the

very worst

of criminals?

They could be

saved if they

trusted in

Jesus.

You mean a

horrible tyrant

and dictator

could be

saved even

if as they

were dying

they turned

to put their

trust in

Jesus?

And the

answer is

yes.

God is

gracious.

Jesus'

grace is

wonderful and

shocking.

Jesus explains

why the

tax collector

was justified.

It's this

principle of

reversal that

Jesus keeps

introducing

end of

verse 14.

All those

who exalt

themselves

will be

humbled

and those

who humble

themselves

will be

exalted.

What goes

up must

first go

down.

Unlike the

Pharisee who

compared himself

with others,

compared himself

with the bad

guys to feel

good about

himself and

to look down

on them,

the tax

collector is

justified because

he knows how

to measure.

He has

measured himself

against God's

perfect standard

and when we do

that we see

that we need

mercy.

That's what

Jesus wants

to expose

in verse 9,

a spirit of

self-righteousness,

a mindset that

thinks I can

win or I have

won God's

favor by my

actions.

And so this

story reminds us

we need to be so

careful with the

measures that we

use, the

measure that we

use towards

God to

recognize that

God is

perfectly

holy.

He cannot

bear to

look on

sin, he

can have

nothing to

do with

sin.

We also

need to

understand that

his requirement

is perfect

obedience.

Unlike when

we sit an

exam, it's

not enough

just to

scrape a

pass.

You know,

70% is a

good grade,

but not when

it comes to

obedience towards

God.

100% love

and obedience

is the

requirement that

he sets, and

so we need to

know that

measure.

The parable

also tells us

we need to be

careful about

how we apply

measures towards

others.

First of all,

to understand

that we are

truly known

by God.

He is the

one who sees

our hearts,

our minds.

That should

humble us

before we're so

quick to judge

others, but

also to understand

we don't ever

truly know

others.

So we need to

be super careful

against pride

in a critical

spirit that can

so easily come

out.

And we also

need to be

careful with the

measure we apply

towards ourselves.

Sometimes it's

so important for

us to consider

what God's law

actually teaches,

because we know,

I think,

whenever we

measure by

the Ten

Commandments,

or we measure

ourselves up

against God's

command to

love Him

with all our

heart, soul,

mind, and

strength,

to love our

neighbor as

ourselves.

We've not

reached that

standard.

We cannot

reach that

standard.

So that

basing our

hope on

my righteousness,

pinning my

eternal future

on, well,

I think I'm

doing better

than others,

that mentality

is to miss

eternal life,

because what we

need is the

gospel.

Who we need

is Jesus.

Jesus is the

only one who

is perfectly

measured up.

If you want to

see what perfect

obedience looks

like, you see it

in Jesus.

What does perfect

love for God and

neighbor looks like?

We see it in

Jesus, and we see

it in the cross.

As we said,

Jesus will die

on the cross as

God's answer to

the human problem

of sin, to turn

away God's anger

against our sin,

and it's only as

we come to Him

that we can be

justified, that we

can find mercy, that

we can enjoy

eternal life.

So there's the

question of how we

measure.

Do we measure

against God's

standard?

Do we measure

against our own

standard?

There's another

question to ask

ourselves, how do

we come?

Do we come on the

basis of grace, or

do we come on the

basis of merit?

Again, I'm sure

many of us have

been following the

postmaster scandal

in the news since

the turn of the

year, an example

of perhaps the

greatest miscarriage

of justice in the

UK legal system.

There's a Christian

apologist by the

name of Glenn

Scrivener.

He's written a

really insightful

essay, and one of

the key problems

that he identified

that the justice

system is now

beginning to

identify is the

problem of

pretending there

are no errors.

You know, the

whole refusal of

companies and

governments to

acknowledge that

there could possibly

be any system

errors led to

tens of thousands

being unfairly

victimized and

prosecuted.

That same error,

the error of

pretending there

are no errors,

that lies at the

heart of the

human condition.

we have that

inbuilt ability to

persuade ourselves

that we are

right.

We have a

pretended goodness.

We manage to

whitewash over, you

know, the

deadliness of our

sin.

Just like Adam and

Eve in the garden,

even as they sin and

they shame, they fall

into shame because they

turn their back on

God.

We too try and cover

our sin with

pretended goodness,

just like those fig

leaves that Adam and

Eve used.

It just doesn't

cut it.

We come in verse

18 to a man,

again, who is

confident that he

can, by his own

efforts, get eternal

life.

How do we know

that?

Because he says,

good teacher, what

must I do to

inherit eternal

life?

It's already a

flaw.

It's good to

desire eternal

life.

It's folly to try

and get there on

our own strength and

merit.

And what Jesus

does as he talks

to this man is he

introduces some

systems tests.

He wants the

man to see the

error of this way

of thinking, to

throw up those

errors so that he

and we might throw

ourselves on the

mercy of God.

The first test he

introduces is the

test of goodness.

Jesus asks him in

verse 19, why do

you call me good?

No one is good

except God alone.

The main point

Jesus is wanting

to address here is,

does the man

understand that

God is the

standard of

absolute goodness

goodness and

that compared to

that absolute

standard of

goodness, none

of us can

possibly say we

are good.

Can he, can we

possibly hope to

compare with the

perfection of

God?

He doesn't seem

to have reflected

very deeply on

that because when

the second test is

introduced, the

test of love for

neighbor, Jesus

says you know the

commandments and

there's commandments

about neighbor

love, you shall

not commit

adultery, you

shall not murder,

you shall not

steal, you

shall not give

false testimony

on your father

and mother.

He effectively

says, yep,

tick that box,

all of these I've

kept since I was

a boy.

Really?

No anger,

no lust,

no cheek towards

your parents,

no impatience,

no pride,

ever.

This man has

failed to understand

that the law is

to function as

a mirror that

reveals to us

our imperfections.

As we spend

time in front of

the perfect law

of God, it

should show us

that God is

perfect and we

are not.

This man, he

likes what he

sees as he looks

in the mirror.

Why is that?

Because he only

ever really glances

at God.

He's so busy

gazing at

himself.

He needs

Romans 3.

We need

Romans 3.

Verse 20,

therefore,

no one will be

declared righteous

in God's sight

by the works

of the law.

Rather,

through the law,

we become

conscious of

our sin.

Or Romans 3,

23,

for all have

sinned and

fall short

of the glory

of God.

He needs

the Heidelberg

Catechism.

And by that,

we're called

to love God

and love our

neighbor,

but we confess

that we are

prone to hate

in the way

that we live.

By now,

he should have

been running

to Jesus

for mercy

and grace.

The third

test that

Jesus introduces,

having introduced

the test of

goodness and

love for

neighbor,

is the test

of love

for God.

Verse 22,

when Jesus

heard this,

he said to

him,

you still

lack one

thing.

Sell everything

you have

and give

to the poor

and you'll

have treasure

in heaven.

Then come

follow me.

And it

becomes clear

that the man

hasn't kept

these commands.

He loves

money ahead

of God.

He is guilty

of coveting.

Money has

become an

idol to him.

And in

verse 23,

when he heard

this,

he became

very sad.

Now he's

reading the

error report.

Now he

sees the

problem,

the idol,

in his

heart.

But,

having asked,

how do I

inherit eternal

life?

Jesus says,

do that,

give it up,

to have me,

to have treasure

in heaven.

He won't.

He doesn't

see Jesus as a

treasure worth

sacrificing for.

And so he

is left sad.

Why is he

sad?

He's sad

because his

heart is

divided.

He kind of

wants to be

religious,

but he

really wants

to love his

money.

A divided

heart is

always going

to be a

sad heart.

If Jesus

is not

our goal,

if he is

not our

controlling

center,

as

Christians,

we will

have

sadness.

A

half-hearted

faith is

a sad

faith.

We need

total

commitment

to our

wonderful

Savior.

Then Jesus

goes on

to use

that

ridiculous

picture to

make a

serious

point.

He says

in verse

24,

how hard

it is for

the rich

to enter

the kingdom

of God

and indeed

it is

easier

for a

camel

to go

through

the eye

of a

needle

than for

someone

who is

rich

to enter

the kingdom

of God.

So easy

to depend

on our

money,

so easy

to live

for our

money and

the things

that money

buys.

Well,

the crowd

are stunned

because remember

in their way

of thinking,

if you want

to know

who God

favors,

who God

is showing

His kindness

to,

it is to

the rich

people.

I thought

they had

God's

approval,

but now

Jesus is

saying

that's not

how it

works.

So if it's

not about

earning it,

if it's not

about religious

and moral

effort,

how does

anyone gain

eternal life?

They asked

the question,

verse 26,

who then

can be saved?

Jesus replied,

what is

impossible with

man is

possible with

God.

Do we hear it?

It is

impossible

by ourselves

to enter

into eternal

life.

It is

impossible

for us

to be

good enough

for God,

but what's

impossible

for us

is possible

for God.

And it's

possible

because God

has sent

His Son

Jesus,

and Jesus

has come

to make

the impossible

possible,

because Jesus

has come

as our

representative

and our

substitute,

and where

we have

disobeyed

the law,

He has

perfectly

obeyed

at all

points.

Where we

have failed

to love

God and

neighbor,

He has

perfectly

loved His

Father and

loved His

neighbor,

and He

showed us

that by

giving His

life to

make enemies

into friends.

He gave

His life as

the perfect

sacrifice to

make atonement

for our sin

and our guilt,

and His

perfect record

of perfect

righteousness

is credited

to His

people,

so that we

are saved

by grace

through faith

in Jesus.

So let's

ask our

big question,

how do we

gain or

how do we

miss

eternal life?

So far,

these two

groups,

they've

experienced a

huge shock.

They were

so confident

that God

had approved

of them,

but now

they're

discovering

from Jesus'

words that

no one is

good enough,

no one

merits life

with God.

And in

that,

there's been

a call

to honesty,

to honestly

consider,

can we

really and

truly be

good and

loving enough

for God?

Do we

think we

can meet

His

standards?

And with

that,

there comes

that need

for humility

instead of

coming with

those lists

of credentials.

Here's why

you should

accept me,

Jesus,

because of

all these

things that

I've done.

We come

like the

tax collector

and we

plead for

mercy.

But still

wonderfully,

we also need

to recognize

that hope

is offered.

It's true

for us,

if we listen

and learn,

there is

hope for us.

Last month,

rather,

we were learning

the new hymn,

Come unto Jesus.

The chorus

is wonderful.

Come unto

Jesus,

lay down

your burdens,

because He

is enough.

One of the

burdens that we

carry is the

burden of

trying to

earn our

approval.

Even as

Christians,

sometimes we

get it wrong

and we

think we

need to

earn God's

favor rather

than knowing

that He

loves us

perfectly in

Jesus.

We're

invited to

come unto

Jesus and

rest in

His love.

And to

help us to

understand this,

in between

this group who

are self-righteous

and they're

looking down on

others,

in between

them and

the rich

young man

who thought

He could

merit eternal

life,

there's another

group,

isn't there?

Who does

Jesus meet

in between?

He meets the

babies and

the little

children.

And this

little encounter

shows us

here's the

way to

gain eternal

life.

It also

tells us

some of the

struggles that

we have to

accept it.

So there's

the disciples,

verse 15.

People are

bringing babies

to Jesus for