Conversations With Jesus | Self-Sufficiency (November 1st, 2020) - Jordan Coros

Morning Redemption Church.

How's everybody doing?

That good, huh?

How's everybody doing?

Good.

It is uh really, really great to be back with you.

And um, it's a joy for me to be able to open up God's word with you this morning and to give your pastor Mike a break, a well-deserved break.

Amen.

And uh Mike is a treasured person to me.

He is a man of great integrity, he has been a great mentor, a great example, and a great friend uh to me throughout the years and to my family.

And so to fill the pulpit for him this week is a great blessing, and I am excited to be able to open up God's word with you, as I said already.

So if you've got your Bibles, whether the old-fashioned copy or the digital copy, open up to Matthew chapter 19 as we spend time this morning looking at a conversation between Jesus and the rich young ruler, a passage that I'm sure many of you are familiar with.

Matthew 19 · chapter mention

Well, back in 1969, the musical artist by the name of Frank Sinatra, maybe you've heard of him, recorded what many believe to be his signature song.

The song was called and is called My Way, and it is a bold declaration of a man at the end of his career, as he looks back on everything that he has accomplished, to see it and to say, all that I've done, I did it my way.

Listen to these lyrics.

He says, For what is a man?

What has he got?

If not himself, then he has not to say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels.

The record shows I took the blows and did it my way.

Yes, it was my way.

You see, the song itself is inherently humanistic.

It is a song of worship at the altar of pride and the human spirit.

And really, it's no wonder a song like that has become so popular and has remained so popular because it's exactly what we like to hear.

It's inherent in all of us is the desire to be self-sufficient, it's what prompts the toddler from an early age of understanding to brush off mom and dad's helpful hand and say, no, me do it.

And yet all of this can to be considered within the fact that our lives are so, so fragile.

Our lives can be upended in a matter of moments, days, even, by something so small we can't even see it with a naked eye.

And still we long for control.

Still we long to hold tightly to the reins of our lives and be the ones who determine the course that we take in this life and in the next.

And it's that desire that prompted a rich young man to ask the question of Jesus: what good deed must I do to inherit eternal life?

And Jesus' response to his question turned his view of the world on its head.

And it forced him to realize that there is nothing in him.

There's nothing in us that can resolve our greatest need, which is to have the relationship with the only self-sufficient one, God Himself, restored.

So as we look to his word this morning, may God work in all of our hearts as we look to what he has to say to us this morning about self-sufficiency.

Let's turn to God's word this morning, Matthew chapter 19, verses 16 to 26.

Matthew 19:16–26

Follow along with me as I read God's words to us this morning.

And behold, a man came up to him, speaking of Jesus, saying, Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?

And he said to him, Why do you ask me about what is good?

There's only one who is good.

If you would enter life, keep the commandments.

He said to him, Which ones?

And Jesus said, You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The young man said to him, All these I have kept, so what do I still lack?

And Jesus said to him, If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow me.

When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

And Jesus said to his disciples, Truly I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.

Again I tell you, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, Who then can be saved?

But Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.

Let's bow our heads and pray before we enter into a time studying God's Word this morning.

Father, we come before you humbly, recognizing, Lord, our deep need for you today.

And God, we pray and we ask that by your word you would speak powerfully to us, to challenge us this morning.

We need a word from you, God.

Would you work by your spirit to create in us a longing, a desire to know you more, to follow you more passionately, we pray.

And Father, we pray that you would be moving in this place to convict and challenge us.

The areas of self-sufficiency.

There's much for all of us to hear this morning.

So be glorified and be honored in what you see and hear in us this morning.

Move in power by your word, we pray for your glory in Jesus' precious name.

And all God's people said, Amen.

Amen.

So let's start with this.

In my life, it's a real problem when I think I'm in control.

It's a real problem when I think I'm in control.

The reason being, see this first, it puts me in the place that rightfully belongs to God.

Now, Jesus and this young man, who through Luke's account of this passage, we can understand that he was a rich young ruler.

He had some authority in some way, shape, or form.

Jesus and this man are having a conversation about salvation and specifically how one can receive eternal life.

Now, what we must establish before we really begin to break this down is first that all human beings have a void in their lives, in their hearts, placed there by God Himself, which is meant to push us to Him.

A passage you may be familiar with, Ecclesiastes 3.11, is really the proof text for us in that as we read that He, God, has put eternity into man's hearts.

You see, in the core of who we are as human beings, there is a desire for eternity.

There's a desire for something greater than this life and a sense that there is something that comes after this.

There is a longing in each of our lives to have that void filled by something.

That is put there by God ultimately to lead us to the one who is eternal, to lead us to himself.

And to understand the desperate need that each and every single one of us have to have this thing called sin, which separates us from God dealt with.

That is what brought this young man to Jesus.

Now it's evident that this rich young man knew the scriptures.

It's evident that he was seeking to live a devout life.

But even in that, he knew that there was something missing.

See, in his own personal journey to receive eternal life, this young man was right to desire the kingdom of God, but he was wrong to think that it was something that he could achieve on his own.

Teacher, he says, what good thing must I do to receive eternal life?

And so Jesus responds by going right after his misconceptions.

Take a look down, verse 17, Jesus says, Why do you ask me about what is good?

There's only one who is good, Jesus says.

God is the only good.

You, young man, you are not good.

The things that you even do in God's name aren't good if God is not the starting place here.

But again, this young man doesn't get it.

See, Jesus' teachings, the signs and wonders and miracles he performed while he was on this earth, even the way that he responded to those who opposed him, paid homage to the fact that Jesus was more than just a good teacher.

And so Jesus, in seeking to lead this man to a place of understanding, starts with the basic truth that only God is good.

No amount of good deeds can earn this man the eternal life that he desires.

You see, Jesus knew that this young man had bought into the legalistic view that in some way, shape, or form, God's favor can only be found in our performance.

You see, the law that God had given to his people, what we understand today in our Bible being the first five verses or first five chapters, I should say, of the old first five books.

Let's try that again.

The first five books of the Old Testament are the law as we have them today.

And that law given by God to his people was meant to lead them to realize that they are completely inadequate.

That they are unable to follow or fulfill all of the commands that God has given to them, revealing their inability to deliver or save themselves.

But somewhere along the line, this devastating line of thinking came in that it was in the doing of the commandments that one was saved.

See, in this young man's mind, if I can borrow a line from another humanistic poem written by the author William Henley, the poem is called Invictus, perhaps you heard of it.

In this young man's mind, whether he believed it or not, he thought that I am the master of my fate.

I am the captain of my soul.

This young man believed that he was the determining factor in his salvation.

That it was that he was in control of his eternal destiny.

You see, his obedience wasn't out of a heart for love for God, but it was out of a love for himself.

As in his mind, salvation was the next prize to be won, the next trophy on the mantle, the next achievement to conquer, as he sat on the throne of his heart.

So building off of what he's established already, Jesus continues in verse 17: have a look.

If you would enter life, keep the commandments.

Now the keeping of the commandments of God are a result of a life that has been surrendered to him.

It is the means by which we express the fact that our lives have been changed and that we believe in the one true God.

Listen now, not the other way around.

Jesus is establishing the order of things here.

He's not advocating for some sort of works-based righteousness, but instead he's saying exactly what the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2, 8 and 9.

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

It is not of your own doing.

It is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

No amount of money given to the church or other charities, no amount of weeks spent filling a seat in a church service, or sending up a meal, or sending up a prayer before mealtimes is enough to save us.

Or in this man's case, even the doing of the commandments of God won't earn you a spot in the kingdom.

See, all of this is putting me and my performance on the throne of my heart.

Cheapening God's grace.

And thinking that it can is something that can be earned.

And all of it leads us further away from Him instead of closer to Him.

How many people can grow up in the church, spend weeks and weeks and weeks hearing the truth of the gospel proclaimed, and yet still default into thinking more along the lines of works.

See, this young man in Matthew chapter 19 would have grown up going to synagogue.

Matthew 19 · chapter mention

He would have spent time reading the scriptures.

Probably would have known them inside and out.

And yet he fell into the same trap that most human beings fall into, believing that we can do enough to make our way into the kingdom of God.

The fact of the matter is, we have no claim to control in our lives in any way.

Especially when it comes to the area of salvation.

And to think that we do puts us and our own pride in the place that God deserves in our lives.

And see this next, it makes me think that I'm better than I actually am.

It's almost sad to see, but after all that Jesus has said already, this young man still doesn't get it.

He's still focused on what it is that he needs to do.

And so he asks Jesus in verse 18, which ones?

Which commandments do I still need to do?

Jesus, is this there's some some secret list that all of a sudden he can become privy to, and that's the key that unlocks the fulfillment that he so desperately desires?

To which Jesus replies with a list of six commandments, representative of the whole law.

Verse 18.

And Jesus said, You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

To which the man replies, All these I've kept.

Check, check, check, check, check.

I got it.

Six out of six, ten out of ten, I'm good.

In his eyes, he has done all that he needs to do to receive eternal life.

I've fulfilled the entire law, Jesus.

I haven't murdered anybody, I've been faithful, I haven't stolen, I've never lied to anybody.

I've honored my parents.

We play this game so often, don't we?

I think guys, guys play this game more often than others do.

Guys, I'm gonna pick on you for a second, because quite frankly, that's just safer.

Okay, how often we do we do this, guys?

I mean, think about it.

Why are there why do fish stories exist?

Right?

Man, you should have seen that fish I caught yesterday.

It was sweet.

It was like this big, it was great.

10-minute fight, it was great.

It was awesome.

Next time you tell it, you should have seen that fish.

It was this big.

I fought it for 45 minutes.

It was like my arms were dead tired.

Next time you tell it, this thing was the size of my 10-year-old.

Like I can't believe how big this was.

No kidding, I was fishing with my grandfather years ago.

One of the first things he taught me about fishing, he says, whenever you meet anybody on the side of the riverbank, tell them you caught two fish, even if you haven't caught anything.

Maybe fishing's not your thing, maybe it's golf.

Why is it that we all of a sudden forget how many strokes we've taken on the golf course?

It's because you want to look better than you actually are.

We can play this game with others and get away with it.

We can wear the mask at church, figurative mask, not the literal mask.

I'm glad you're all wearing yours today.

Thanks for doing that.

We can wear the mask at church.

Try to pull the wool over the eyes of others.

We can memorize our few verses, we can stand and sing, we can even raise our hands when in reality we did that thing, we said those words, we thought that thought on the way into church this morning.

Or we can hide the credit card statement and take care of things behind closed doors away from our spouse so they never have to figure it out.

Or we can wait till everyone's in bed and turn on that TV to that show or hop online.

We can feel like we're in control of the perceptions of others, making us think that we're better off than we actually are.

That sin really isn't a problem.

I don't need accountability, I'm good.

Why do I need to go to God?

Everything in my life is fine right now.

There's no deceiving God.

He knows the truth.

He sees into our hearts.

He knows the areas of our lives that others don't.

See, for this young man, this was all manifest in the fact that he still wasn't fulfilled.

That void was still there.

He knew something was missing.

What do I still lack?

He asks Jesus.

It may have been that he kept the whole law outwardly.

He could have done all the things that God had commanded him, but inside he still wouldn't give up control.

He wouldn't abandon himself to the one who knows the truth.

Because in his mind he thought he was better off than he actually was.

Maybe it was that his outward appearance lined up with what God called him to, but his heart was far from him.

Maybe that's you here today.

Maybe that's you here this morning.

So Jesus gives this young man a really practical outline for how to deal with this.

Verse 21.

So Jesus said to him, if you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess, and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me.

I mean, he outlines it plainly here.

If you want to be complete, if you want to be totally fulfilled in your obedience, sell it all.

Be done with it.

If you want to demonstrate that your sufficiency is in God and not in what you have, sell it all and come follow me.

So in light of that, I jotted down a few things that you can do if you sense that you are self-sufficient.

This isn't complete in any way, shape, or form.

These are the four things that stood out to me as I was preparing this.

What to do if you sense you're self-sufficient.

If you sense your self-sufficiency is in your money, give it away.

Kind of low-hanging fruit here, right?

I mean, this is exactly what Jesus says here.

But whether it's those in need, whether it's in the church, whether it's an institution in the community, if money is a problem for you, learn how to hold on to it with an open hand.

Certainly, God's word calls us to.

Steward it responsibly and care for it.

Make sure you care for your family, but don't let money rule over you.

Can't serve two masters.

If you sense your sufficiency is in your possessions, how about this one?

Serve the less fortunate.

Okay, serve the less fortunate.

If the things that you own are becoming an idol in your life, and you're thinking that based on the things that you have, you have some sort of claim to some semblance of self-sufficiency.

Go spend some time in somebody else's shoes.

Go care for the less fortunate.

It's amazing what kind of perspective you can get when you leave your bubble.

If you sense your sufficiency is in your work, look around.

Reality is we're probably not even close to the end of this pandemic and the effects of it.

We may flatten the curve, the amount of cases per day may go down.

But the economic effects of this are going to be felt for a long time.

Our jobs, our work, while they are things that we are called to glorify the Lord in, they are not evidence of any good in us.

The ability that we have is a blessing from the Lord.

The opportunity to work is a gift from God.

Don't take that for granted.

How about this last one?

If you sense that your sufficiency is in yourself, ask for help.

Ask for help.

There's something that's particularly humbling in admitting your needs to another person.

And when you do so, you get to the heart of the gospel.

Each and every single one of us were in need of a savior.

We needed help.

At the right time, Jesus came to our rescue and helped us and did for us what we could not do for ourselves.

So the opportunity that we give to others and the opportunity that we have to be that for others is a great chance to be the hands and feet of Jesus and to remember what he has done for us.

Because you see, sufficiency in anything other than Jesus Christ leads us away from him.

It leads to disappointment and discouragement every time.

Because it makes you think that you're better off than you actually are.

And then here's the third thing, which causes unnecessary pain and difficulty.

See, make no mistake, all along, Jesus knew exactly where this young man's heart was at.

And so he goes right for the foundation of all that this rich young ruler had built for himself.

Jesus reveals to him what he's lacking.

He's holding on too tightly to what he had.

His identity was in his wealth, in his possessions.

That's where he found his meaning, his purpose, his money was his God.

And so in calling this out, Jesus turned the man from looking at his outward obedience that he claimed to live by and turned him inward, revealing that in reality, his perceived obedience meant nothing because his heart was far from God.

Verse 22, when the young man heard that all that Jesus had said, he went away sorrowful.

He went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

And honestly, this isn't rocket science.

Certainly not to discount the fact that Jesus is God, but he didn't need the Holy Spirit to figure this one out.

To know that this young man was trapped by legalism and a works-based understanding of how to be in a relationship with God.

Respectfully, you and I don't need the Holy Spirit to figure this one out.

This is a basic problem for all human beings.

And every religion, aside from gospel-centered Christianity, battles with this.

It's afflicted with the same thing: the idea that I need to earn my place before God.

And so in saying all this to the young man, Jesus reveals the ultimate answer to his initial question.

How do I receive eternal life?

The man asks.

Jesus says it clearly, follow me.

Come and follow me.

But unwilling to adhere to what all that meant, the young man walks away sorrowful and turns his back on Jesus.

So as the man walks away, Jesus turns to his disciples 23 and says, Truly I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.

Now the issue that Jesus is getting at here is not wealthy versus non-wealthy.

It's not that those who are wealthy can't enter the kingdom of God and the poor can.

We'll come back to that in just a moment here.

But what Jesus is saying is to rely on yourself and to hold desperately to control of your life brings unnecessary pain and difficulty.

God is not interested in sharing his glory with others, and he will tear down idols in our lives, whether in this life and give us a chance to respond to that.

Or he'll tear them down ultimately when we stand before his judgment seat.

And by then, fates are sealed.

God is not interested in sharing his glory.

So why would we endure the hardship that comes with that process?

It's unnecessary.

Listen, Jesus gives this young man a way out here.

He's offering the same thing to us this morning.

But so consumed with his own control, the young man chose to go away filled with sorrow and make no mistake, that was his decision.

Because the choice that we have to make on who we'll find our sufficiency in.

It's the decision that we make daily.

It's a decision that we make moment by moment.

Of course, in saying all this, I don't want any of us here to think that in submitting to God and denying ourselves pain and difficulty won't come.

I mean, that's just not a biblically consistent perspective whatsoever.

John 16, 33, Jesus says it.

In this world you will have tribulation.

But when those difficulties come in our lives, to relinquish control and to have our lives completely dependent on God is a freeing thing.

To know that God has it and to know that He knows the results of it and He knows how this difficult thing in your life will end, that's a blessed place to be.

I mentioned that we come back to the point Jesus made in verse 23, and it's important to understand here, back in this time, many Jews believed that to be wealthy was evidence of God's favor.

It's not that you could, not that you could buy your way into the kingdom of heaven, but many of them believed that God blessed those who were wealthy with their riches, and so it was evidence of God's favor in their lives.

So Jesus takes that perception head on here and says it clearly.

Don't be deceived.

This is an actual camel and an actual needle.

This isn't some special gate somewhere.

I don't even know what that means.

This is an actual camel and an actual needle.

I thought it would be important for us to get this.

And so I brought with me a camel and a needle.

Believe it or not, a little tough to get a camel into the country right now.

Everything's closed.

So I brought this one.

But you can see here, can you see that?

There's the eye of a needle.

If you can't see it, you're just making my point for me.

This is a stuffed camel, roughly one three-hundredth of the size of a camel.

That was a guess.

That's not happening.

Right?

That's not happening.

This is what Jesus is saying here.

There's no self-made road into the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus is using hyperbole.

He's exaggerating to make his point.

He's revealing his disciples that salvation is not something to be earned by man.

Salvation is received sola gratia by grace alone.

Sola fide, through faith alone.

Sola christus through Christ alone.

And it doesn't matter if you're wealthy or poor.

As we continue here, verse 25, the disciples' reaction is evidence that they're starting to get this, that this point is starting to hit home.

They say, when the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, Who then can be saved?

Who can be saved?

If even the rich who we believe to have God's blessed favor in their life can't enter the kingdom of heaven, then who can?

Who can accomplish this?

Verse 26.

But Jesus looked at them.

Can you imagine the gravitas of this moment as he says, with man this is impossible.

But with God all things are possible.

Salvation is not an act done by man, it is a move of God.

Man or woman, rich or poor, young or old, it doesn't matter.

Salvation comes to our lives through a move of the hand of God alone.

And any attempt that we make to earn or validate our salvation apart from Him is useless.

Puts us in the place that belongs to God.

It makes me think that I'm better than I actually am, and it causes unnecessary pain in difficulty.

It's a real problem when we believe we are in control of any aspect of our lives.

The solution?

I choose to depend entirely on the all-sufficient one.

See, if our greatest problem, if the sin problem that we have in our lives that separates us from God and destins us to an eternity without Him, if that problem can be solved by relinquishing control and submitting to Jesus, then any of the problems that we face day to day should be dealt with in the exact same way.

You see, it comes down to a heart decision.

Will you depend entirely on God in every aspect of your life?

So the fact of the matter is, we can do nothing apart from God's grace.

Even the most basic aspects of our lives as created human beings happen by the grace of God.

Every beat of your heart, every breath you take, every firing neuron in your brain is allowed by the one in whom all things hold together.

Every day we wake up, every joy-filled moment, every pain-riddled night is allowed by God.

Don't believe me?

Just ask Job.

And the temptation that we face is to say that I did it my way.

That in some way I made it happen.

That in the moments where our lives are going well is the temptation is to think that it's because of something that we've done.

And the reality is self-sufficiency is a mirage.

It is an illusion.

It is a lie whispered into our ears by the evil one himself.

Because even in the moments where we aren't giving God much thought, and things do go well for us, that is evidence of God's grace in our lives.

Even those who pay God no mind, even those who would actively deny the existence of God experience God's grace on a daily basis.

Matthew 5, 45, Jesus says it earlier on in this book, for he, God, makes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

So to depend entirely on God is to recognize that.

And to, even in the seemingly mundane, recognize that this is a gift of God.

Every aspect of my life, every moment I'm alive is a gift of God's grace.

And it is to understand that we can do nothing of significance.

Nothing of eternal value without His working in us.

Without His strength that is available and supplied, meaning that He gets the glory in everything that we do.

I love the illustration Jesus gives in John chapter 15.

John 15 · chapter mention

He says, I am the vine, you are the branches.

Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.

For apart from me, you can do nothing.

That is the beginning of dependence on God.

A realization that there is nothing good in you and I.

In fact, the only one who walked this earth with any claim to anything good took the bad in us.

And took it to the cross and paid for it with the blood that He spilled.

And one new life for us.

Rising from the dead three days later.

She said, When we recognize that God is the source of every good that comes to us and that flows from us for his kingdom, his matchless character and generosity will shine.

Seeing our God dependence every day brings deeper humility, joy, and gratitude.

We can eagerly fight the illusion of self-sufficiency because we serve an all-sufficient Savior.

So where in your life are you not letting go of control?

What is it that you're clinging to?

See if it's anything other than complete and utter dependence on Jesus Christ, you'll never fill that God-shaped void that exists in your heart.

You'll never solve the problem of control in your life.

So cling to Him.

Surrender control.

Tear down the idols that seek to take you away from Him.

Surrender your pride.

And instead find the joy and the peace and the freedom that comes from our all-sufficient Savior.

So if I could offer a lyric change suggestion to Mr.

Frank Sinatra, I believe that the ending of that song might go something like this.

For what is a man?

What has he got?

If not Christ himself, then he has not to say the things he truly feels, but to say the words of one who kneels.

The record shows he took my blows.

So I did it his way.

Yes, it was his way.

Make it so in our lives, Lord.

Let me pray for us.

God, the longing of our hearts, I pray, is for you.

Make that so in this place, Lord.

God, I pray for any who are here this morning who are in rebellion against you, who want nothing to do with you, who, whether they know it or not, in the same way that this young man did, are seeking to live in control of their lives.

Are leaning on themselves and their efforts to save.

God, I pray for those who are beaten and broken down in this place, who are discouraged and feel like there's nowhere to turn.

I pray, God, that this would encourage them.

To know that you are a God who loves and who sees and who knows.

A God who offers his strength, his provision, his care in the time of need.

A God who does not abandon.

A God who does not forsake.

God, for every single one of us, I pray that you would forgive us today.

For holding on to the reins too tightly.

For in some way, shape, or form, thinking that any good that comes in our lives is a result of something we've done.

Open our eyes to see who you are, God.

Open our eyes to see the majesty of your name, the truth that you are God and we are not.

And to recognize the gravity of the truth, that the perfect, sinless Lamb of God became sin for us.

So we could know you.

So we could follow you.

So that we could experience your joy, your peace, and your blessing now and for all eternity.

Do the work you desire to do in this place, Father.

Break down the walls of our hearts.

For the glory and fame of your name, we pray these things.

Amen.