One Thing Thou Lackest - Levi Baer

I'd like to say good morning to each of you, and greetings in the

name of Christ, extend Christian greetings. I don't know if we have any

visitors here or not, but if we do, your welcome to join us

this morning. If you want to turn in your bibles to mark the tenth

chapter. While you're doing that, I would just like to ask a question

to begin with, And you don't have to raise your hands, but do

any of you feel like you lack anything in your Christian walk? Just ask

yourself that question. Maybe I should just said, do you feel like you

lack one thing? Maybe if you're like me, you're thinking that would be

a good start. But I think I lack a lot more than one thing.

So here in Mark chapter ten, we have the story of Jesus in

his interaction with the rich young ruler, and here in Mark's version of this

story, he asked that question. I'm sorry, he tells the rich young

ruler. After the question was asked, what can I do to inherit eternal

life? He says, one thing that'll lackest and we'll get into that here

shortly. If you'll notice, in Matthew's Gospel this account parallel account In Matthew

nineteen twenty, the rich young ruler actually asked the question, what lackest I

yet? And I just found that interesting because to me that speaks of continuity

in scriptures and how history doesn't deny each other in scripture, for whatever that's

worth. So if you ask yourself, or you thought about here briefly,

what you might lack in your Christian life, would you be willing to ask

that Jesus place his finger on whatever maybe came to your mind, and just

pointed that out to you and said, right, there is something that you

need to work on. In fact, it's something that will keep you from

inheriting eternal life. Isn't that what happens when we lack something? Well,

we know none of us are perfect, and none of us will ever be

find our place, find a place in our life while we are here,

while we are earthly humans, that we will never lack anything. But Jesus

is making a point here, and that's what we'll look at this morning,

in this story a story of a man that Jesus did just that, and

he laid his finger on a place in this man's life. And we would

like to take some lessons from that I'll just say this morning, like so

many times happens, it feels like there's a spiritual warfare that is going on

in my heart, which makes it hard to look at an account like this,

because what so often happens is when we look at scripture and we look

at ourselves. Guess what happens. We see things that we might not have

thought about before, or just are reminded about things that we lack in our

Christian life, in our walk with the Lord. We're going to begin reading

this in verse seventeen, March, chapter ten through verse thirty one. So

this is just after Jesus had this this thing a little less any wanted to

teach the disciples on how to treat children. He said, suffer them to

come unto me. And then in verse seventeen, it says, and when

he was gone forth into the way, there came one running and kneeled to

him and ask him, good Master, what shall I do that I may

inherit eternal life? And Jesus said, unto him, why callest thou me

good? There is none good but one that is God. Thou knowest the

commandments. Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal,

Do not bear a false witness, defraud not honor thy father and mother.

And he answered and said, unto him, Master, all these have I

observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him, loved him and said unto

him one thing, thou lackest, go thy way, Sell whatsoever thou hast,

and give to the poor. And thou shalt I have treasure in heaven,

and come, take up the cross and follow me. And he was

sad at the saying, and went away, grieved, for he had great

possessions. And Jesus looked around about and saith unto his disciples, how hardly

shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God? And the disciples

were astonished at his words. But Jesus answered again and saith unto them,

children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into

the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the

eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of

God. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, who

then can be saved? And Jesus, looking up upon them, saith with

men, it is impossible, but not with God. For with God all

things are possible. Then Peter began to say unto him, lo, we

have left all and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said barely,

I said to you, there is no man that hath left house or brethren,

or sisters, or father or mother or wife, or children, or

lands for my sake and the gospels. But he shall receive one hundredfold now

in this time house and brethren and sisters and mothers and children, and lands

with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life. But many that

are first shall be last in the last. First. So just to summarize

a little bit this interaction. And as I looked at this, you know,

it's a very familiar account to all of us. But as I looked

at it, I thought, there's different things that stood out to me that

are kind of like we could imagine what was going through Jesus' mind, We

could imagine what was going through the mind of the rich, young ruler,

but we we really don't know for sure. And so I guess we need

to let our minds wonder a little bit here. So here we think we

have this, we have this man, and you may maybe you wonder where

did we ever get the term that he was a young ruler. So it

says that he was rich, and I don't believe that any of the three

gospels mentions that he was young, So that's not the point of the message.

But as I thought about that, maybe one one way would be that

he came and knelt before Jesus, as a younger man in that culture would

do to an older man out of respect. That might be one thing.

The other thing it says is that he came running. That's relatively young.

Depends what kind of shape we're in, so just for interest's sake, but

then also the ruler part, I didn't look into that real far, but

I think it has something to do with calling Jesus master and that he was

acquainted with this being in rule. So I'm not sure on all that.

But besides that, he was a fairly wealthy person. And so I think

that he was standing outside this house or wherever Jesus was doing this thing with

the children and having them brought to him and teaching the disciples about them.

And it's almost like this young man might have been lurking in the shadows outside

waiting, and pretty soon here came Jesus walking out, and it says he

ran to him and probably went around the front of him and knelt down on

the ground in front of him, and he asked him there, good master,

and Jesus is he put him through a little tests immediately and was like,

why do you call me good? What do you know about me?

Does this make understand my deity? I don't know what Jesus was thinking at

that point, but anyway, Jesus addressed an honest question and the question what

shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And you could look at

that question in two ways. Is that what we're all about is our main

goal in life to inherit eternal life. I don't think that's a bad thing

to strive for, but I get the idea here a little bit that this

man that had many possessions and obviously loved money and possessions. You know,

he uses the word inherit and it's been used other places, But I had

to think about that. People that have a lot of that are money minded

or materialistic, in inheriting something is kind of something they like to think of

about we're thinking about inheriting something someday, usually money. So I don't know.

There again, I'm putting words in his mouth or thoughts in his mind.

But the question what must I do to inherit eternal life? You know?

And Jesus really did not make a show of that question. He just

went right into just saying in verse nineteen, they'll know us the commandments,

that's what you must do. So here he named six of the ten commandments

to this young, rich, young ruler. And you can almost if you

think through that, you know. So Jesus names these commandments, and the

thought that came to that rich, young ruler's mind was that I actually have

done what it takes to inherit eternal life. That's the first thought that came

to his mind. Because Jesus said, here's what you do. He said.

You can almost see the smile break out on his face. And he

said, and he answered, and said in to him, Master, all

these I have observed from my youth. I got that taken care of.

But then Jesus he can read our minds, obviously, so he probably could

read what was happening in that man's mind, and he probably about hated to

tell him the truth I say that that's how we are as humans. Jesus

loves to tell us the truth, but it says he probably had some sad

feelings about it, and it says that Jesus beholding him. In verse twenty

one, Jesus looked at him, maybe looked him up and down a little

bit. I don't know what he saw when he looked at that man.

Maybe he noticed briefly the expensive clothing if he had it, if he was

a rich man. And he told him the thing that probably erased the smile

off his face, and that was that he says, one thing thou lackest,

one thing thou lackest. And you can just about feel his heart drop,

maybe even drop further when he heard what he's lacking. And Jesus told

him, go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor.

Now shall I have treasure in heaven? And come notice what he tells

him to do the first one, Sell whatsoever thy hast thou hast give to

the poor, Thou shoult have treasure in heaven, and come take up thy

cross and follow me. I just found it interesting there those how the words

that Jesus used to describe to this rich young ruler of how to inherit eternal

life. And I think we should, Probably we would do well to pay

attention to what he tells him, because it's the same for you and me.

Take up that cross and follow me. Did you ever think about when

you think of this concept of crucifying self, that's basically what Jesus is saying

by taking up our cross. Did you ever think about that? You cannot

crucify yourself if you just stand up against this wall on a cross and stand

against it, and you have a nail, some nails and a hammer.

If you can bend over enough to touch your toes, you can get the

nails in your toe, in your feet and in one of your hands and

the other hand. There's nothing you can do. Probably not a new concept

to you, but just think about that. It takes following him, it

takes giving up all, and it takes relying on his power in your life.

That's the only way we can be crucified, which is why we try

and try it and try to live a crucified life, but never attain it

because we don't allow Jesus to help us. Twenty two And it says he

was sad at that saying, and it went away griebed, for he had

great possessions here it was at his fingertips, and in this time, in

this era, think about how he had the opportunity to follow Jesus as one

of his disciples, and he turned it down. Can you imagine turning that

opportunity down to actually walk the streets, the roads with Jesus and be part

of his Who knows what this young man could have become. You know,

he could have been one of the apostles. He could have been a Peter,

he could have been a John. It doesn't It appears that he didn't

think roll long and hard about it, and he just walked away, didn't

even consider it very deep, for he had great possessions. And then Jesus,

after this man walks away, he looks at the twelve disciples were ofped

to one side watching this whole interaction. If I understand right, Matthew was

considered a rich man. Many of these were not rich. The disciples,

they didn't have to give up just as far as I know, a lot

to follow Jesus. There were fishermen. Matthew had some riches that he gave

up and followed, so maybe he understood the feeling this young man had.

But then Jesus goes on and he gives this little lesson to his disciples because

he could see that they were standing there in awe of this, this thing

that took place. Says later that they were astonished. And then he says,

how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God?

And the disciples were astonished, And then Jesus explains a little further to them

because he could see that they were they weren't getting this. Something wasn't getting

through because in verse twenty four he repeats it, and he says, children,

how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the

Kingdom of God? And then, like Jesus so often has done, he

uses a hyper ball here, and he says, it's easier for a camel

to go through the eye of a needle. Remember how he uses a mustard

seed to remove grain of mustard seed to remove a mountain, that same idea.

And then it says in verse twenty six, they were astonished out of

measure even further, they could hardly believe it. When Jesus actually used the

comparison of a camel going through the eye of a needle. And it says

they were astonished out of measure, which means very astonished, saying among themselves,

who then can be saved? And then Jesus, looking upon him,

say them saith. And this is the key to this. With men it

is impossible, but not with God. For without God all things are possible.

I would just like to notice a few things, that seven things to

be exact, that this rich young ruler, what he said, the questions

he asked that that looked very promising leading up to Jesus giving his judgment of

him. I shouldn't say judgment. I don't feel like Jesus judged him harshly

at all, which is a lesson for me. One of them is he

It says he ran after Jesus and knelt before him, So he went to

the right source somehow, this rich young ruler, obviously he felt that he

was lacking something. Maybe I should just say that's the first thing, and

maybe by asking the question I did at the beginning, do we feel like

we lack anything? First of all, we're gonna have to get to that

point that we admit to ourselves that we all do, at least I do

so. First of all, we feel this God sized void in our life

like this young man probably did, most likely did, and he went to

the right source. In Matthew eleven twenty eight, it says, come unto

me, all that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you

rest. That's what Jesus says to us when we have a God size hole

in our heart. Number two, he asked the right question. Now this.

I was a little bit hard on him earlier about the question he asked

about inheriting eternal life, but I really feel like he was sincere in this.

I'm not gonna I'm gonna give him the benefit of a doubt and just

say that he wanted the right thing. What must I do? What must

I do? Now? One thing that you could argue about this question,

if you wanted to pick it apart a little more and be hard on him

about something he said, what must I do? Now? We like to

preach a gospel that it's not about doing, it's not about works, but

it's about being. It's about what we are. But I think we would

all have to admit to ourselves that it takes both. Do you ever think

about that. They're called the be attitudes and not the do attitudes. I

don't think that's why, but you get the point. Self satisfaction is a

threat to asking what must I do? Remember not of works lest any man

should boast. But I think he had an honest motive. In fact,

in Acts sixteen thirty we have that account where the jailer, when Paul and

Silas escaped from prison, he said, sirs, what must I do to

be saved? It's not uncommon to ask that question. The third one,

he sensed a great urgency, and we know that because in verse seventeen it

says he came running to Jesus. Are we urgent about the thing that we

lack in our life? Number four? He showed a humble spirit by kneeling

before Jesus. Kneeling before Jesus. Number five, he had a biblical knowledge

from youth. In verse twenty it says that it says, I've done these

from my youth. I've done them all my life. That's all I ever

knew. I keep the commandments. Number six. He had a tender conscience

and Jesus touched it. He had a tender conscience. That's how he came

to the point where he said, what must I do? And notice that

according to Jesus here I would have to say that this yet rich, young

ruler a lot going for him in his life. And that's maybe the lesson

for us is we can have so much going for us, we can be

doing all the right things from a maybe a worldly standpoint. But I think

he even did more than that, because if he actually kept them commandments,

like he said, he honored his father and mother, he defrauded not you

know, he was actually very impressive. In fact, he wasn't far from

the kingdom. Did you know Jesus has used that term already, that someone

is not far from the kingdom. He only lacked one thing that It's what

Jesus said, one thing thou lackest. That's what Jesus told describe there in

Mark twelve, verse thirty four says thou art not far from the Kingdom of

God. I find that interesting because as I don't know how you would,

I would have felt like my understanding of the gospel is that if we lack

one thing, sin cannot enter heaven. And if we have one thing that

we lack, there's that great gulf that fits between us and spending eternity in

glory. We see that with the account of the rich man in Lazarus.

But nevertheless, Jesus says, this one thing lacking can rob us of life's

greatest blessings and ultimately will cause spiritual death. The Bible has a few things

that it mentions about people having one thing that kept them from enjoying the blessings

of God. One temptation costs Eve her paradise, her garden. Living in

paradise, of course, giving into the temptation even more important. One morsel

cost Esau his birthright. One wrong decision costs Lot his ruin to not remove

his family from sodom. One last look was fatal to Lot's wife. One

look was fatal. One lie robbed Anonius of his life, all because he

wanted those possessions. If we defer salvation one day or I should say one

minute, or five minutes, however long you want to put in there.

If we defer it salvation, it will one day rob us of our salvation.

And then, of course we have one thing that robbed or that separated

the rich young ruler from inheriting eternal life. We don't know what happened to

him. There's there's no more far as I know, there's no more account

or anything about this rich young ruler. What became of him? The last

words was a sad picture of walking away with his head down and sad because

it felt too big to deal with. For one instant, as he was

talking with Jesus, it seems like he held that pearl of great price,

you could say, in his hand or in his heart, just for one

moment. Remember when Jesus name six of the ten commandments and he said,

I've kept them, I've done it. But that one instant, and then

just a few moments later, it was gone, All of it was gone.

Jesus himself looking into his eyes just like imagine we don't have that today,

We only have his voice, But imagine looking into his eyes and do

his face denying that I love my possessions more than you. He counted his

possessions, went away, probably counting up his possessions, thinking about them,

and maybe wandering second guessing himself as he walked away, is it worth it.

I'm walking away, and I'm going to leave that opportunity to inherit eternal

life. I'm choosing them. Over Christ maybe this morning that if you're like

me at a time in my life when I look back and still have many

many things lacking, but I just remember where you can only dream of living

a life where I've only lacked one thing? Did you ever think about that,

like, think back to that time in your life where I'll just use

an example that we were standing in a swamp on a small piece of dry

land, and all around us as swamps, and the crocodiles and the snakes

are nibbling at our toes on this little dry island, and we're afraid to

step any direction because we're just sure that we are sunk. We are done.

We don't even know where to start, because there's too many things.

What makes us lack so many things? Well, I think we would all

we know the answer. Each one of us sitting here knows why we lack

in our life. It's because we don't surrender everything to God. You know,

we live in a very very broken society, a broken world. We're

living in the time of not on only rumors of wars, but wars and

the very thing that I talked about. We're living in a time in our

life where we feel like we're surrounded by swamp and there's no hope. Last

year, in twenty twenty three, more than fifty thousand people in America alone

took their own life by suicide. And maybe most of us can't relate to

that. How would you ever get to that point? It's called losing hope,

there's no reason to live, and also being deceived that we can still

make it through even if we take our own life. I think that is

a huge part of suicide, the deception. Some of you may remember,

but probably ten or twelve years ago, I had an uncle that took his

own life. He struggled with depression depression for a lot of his life.

It was actually my father's twin brother. He struggled with depression. He was

on depression medication for most of his life, and there came a time that

he got with the wrong doctor. I'm not sure exactly how it all went,

but he was given medication that was not the right medication for him.

And someone heard about it and told him what this can do and the side

effects that it has, and he read about it guess where, on the

internet, and it caused him. It scared him so bad that he went

cold Turkey on the medication, and guess what happens. There was some major

hallucinations that probably none of us here have ever experienced. And I'm not here

to make a judgment call on where his soul is today. It's not the

point, and I'm not even making excuse, but I'm just saying that deception

leads people to suicide. So I've talked some about riches, and that really

is maybe not my main thrust, although I think it is very much a

detriment, like Jesus said, if we put our trust in our possessions,

and Jesus put his finger on riches here, so it's not something I'm making

up, and he used it as a lesson for us today. But as

I thought about this rich young ruler, what is that the of turning and

not following Jesus and choosing our possessions? And I had to think about it.

What we lack when we do that is a love for God like we

should. That's what causes us to choose material possessions over God. And I

had to think of the chapter in one Corinthians thirteen. We call it the

love chapter. And I'll just be honest with you when I think of that

chapter about charity. I would just as soon tear that page out of the

Bible. When it comes to dealing with my own heart. I just wish

it wasn't even in there. Sometimes I don't even like to read it many

times. If you want to turn there briefly, we'll just look at a

few things. Now. If you actually look read this chapter and you're lacking

in your Christian life, it makes it very hard to not feel some pretty

serious judgment. In other words, what I'm saying is how we view our

money is only a symptom of something that's happening in here, and improper concept

of who God is and our love for him and for his people. And

basically what he does here, what Paul does is basically just cuts right to

the chase and says, you do this, it's good, but you're still

lacking this over and over and over. You're nothing but a sounding brass or

a tinkling symbol when there's not charity. And though verse three and though I

bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body

to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing Charity envieth

not charity Bonteth not itself is not popped up. This ties to our possessions

and our money. Pride goes with it almost every time. If we're not

careful, I'm not gonna read anymore in there. You know what it says.

It points a finger, at least for me, into my face every

time. What are we gonna do about it? What am I gonna do

with it? When we are just a group of autonomous individuals, when we're

out to enjoy life, and that's what we're after, That's what I'm after,

is to make myself happy. Just a collection of individuals, it doesn't

take long for us to move lose sight of what Christianity is all about.

I'll just call it a Christianity without tears. You know, when you think

I've been reading some books that have to do with the communist times and all

that that represents terrible things that happen, And when you think of those Nazi

prison camps and those Christians that diet at the executioner's bullet or the gas chamber

by the million, but the testimonies of the ones that lived through that are

something that is life changing. What is our form of communism today here in

twenty twenty four in America. You know, it's not necessarily fear of an

executioner's bullet through our forehead. In fact, there's one story of a prison

guard that could hardly live with himself, faced serious mental depression because he was

part of And I realized that this was a lot of Catholicism involved, but

obviously there was some faith in God somewhere. Where they lad this line of

priest from the prison out into the woods. Might have been in the country

of Hungary, I'm not I don't remember for sure. And they lined him

up, one right in front of the other, five feet away, and

the executioner calmly put his pistol to the first one's forehead and said, do

you believe in God? Yes? Boom, brain splatter on the forehead of

the Latin guy behind him down the line. Do you believe that there is

a God? Yes? Not one of those priests denyed him. I'm just

using that as an example where am I at? Where am I at?

And my love for God and a persecution that possibly could come someday. So

I don't. I don't. We're not facing communism, it's not right here

and now. But maybe in some ways, they're being manipulated by a people

with the love of pleasure and disdain for pain of any kind. Maybe we

just fear a mere discomfort, even not even real pain. And I realize

I'm talking more about the persecution level, that we have many painful things that

happen to us emotionally, for sure, but it's usually not death or real

pain of the body. So what do what do we do when we find

ourselves in this in this situation? What do I do when I realize I'm

lacking something? Are we afraid to come to Jesus with our lack Are we

afraid what others might think about us if we become too radical in bringing it

all to him? You know what Jesus did when that young man came to

him, says, Jesus beholding him, loved him. And that's the same

for every one of us. He loves us because of our sin. He

doesn't love the sin, but he loves us. Why did Jesus love him

so much? Well, he loves us no matter what. But maybe this

rich young ruler wasn't rich for long enough that he actually became proud or boastful

yet I don't know, But I think that people can change as they gain

possessions and money. I think I've seen that in my own life and with

others to some degree. As our financial portfolio grows and becomes healthier, we

become more dependent on ourselves, and then we trust in riches. I don't

know about you, but I tend to compartmentalize my spiritual life sometimes, where

we have our business world and society that we deal with, and we have

our Christian men in night Sunday morning side. Do you really think that's what

Jesus has in mind? I thought about what Jean said in Sunday School about

people's faces dropping when it comes to talking about family. Are you ashamed to

talk about your wife and children in front of a multi millionaire ten times over

businessman. We tend to compartmentalize it. Which compartment do we love the most?

Which one? That's where the problem lies. It's said that the highest

form of prayers do not ask God for things, but to simply rejoice in

his presence. Jesus appeal to the rich young ruler. It was to his

heart. It was to his very heart and soul, and not to his

mind. He wasn't appealing to what he thought, He's calling me and all

of us to change where our love lies if we lack and praise God.

If you're living in one hundred percent victory all the time said that there are

two kinds of Christians, those who sincerely believe in God and those who just

as sincerely believe that they believe. You can't tell You can tell them apart

by their actions and decisive moments. You could put other things in there when

you can tell them apart. There's other things that come up in life.

Self satisfaction is one of the g preventatives of good, and that's what the

rich young ruler had. He was satisfied with his riches and his possessions.

There is a glory that transfigures us and those around us when a man allows

his desire for God to condition all his other loves. May God bless you.

Thanks for your attention.