Sunday, September 23, 2018 am
LESSONS FROM THE RICH, YOUNG
RULER (1)
Luke 18:18-23
This morning I want to talk about another well-known event in the life
of Jesus – the rich, young ruler.
Like is another account that is recorded in all 3 synoptic
gospels. Each account has
unique details that give us a fuller picture of what happened.
We will notice these in this lesson.
We
find that as Jesus was traveling on the road, that this young ruler came
running, knelt down before Him (Mark 10:17).
He called Jesus “Good Teacher” as he asked the question we all
need to ask. Jesus began
with a challenging thought – Why do you call me good?
None is good except God.
Then He proceeded to describe some of the commandments from the
LOM. To this, the young
ruler replied that he had kept all of these from his youth.
Jesus loved him and told him, “One thing you lack…” and told him
to sell what he owned and give it to the poor and to follow after Jesus.
If he did this he would have treasure in heaven – true and
lasting reward. Sadly, the
ruler went away sorrowful because he was very rich.
There are many lessons for us to glean from this account.
Today we are going to address some of them.
This morning we want to examine
the actual account and then tonight we will look closer at what stood in
the ruler’s way – his wealth.
a.
Consider the respect
this young ruler showed to Jesus.
Mark tells us he was running to Jesus.
He also knelt down before Him (Mark 10:17).
This shows an understanding of who Jesus was.
b.
But why did Jesus
respond that way?
There COULD be an
allusion to His deity – He knew who He was.
Colossians 2:9, in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily. Jesus on many
occasions demonstrated His deity – ultimately before the High Priest, He
said, “Yes” (Luke 22:70).
He certainly was good – John 10:11 – the good Shepherd.
Acts 10:38, He went about doing good.
He was without sin – Hebrews 4:15 – tempted in all points yet without
sin
Hebrews 7:26 – He is our High Priest – holy, harmless, undefiled and
separate from sinners…
2 Corinthians 5:21 – it was this fact that made it possible for Him to
die for our sins.
c.
But the way it is worded
was with contrast. Why DO
you call Me good?
Perhaps he saw something
and wanted to emphasize a point – goodness will not save you (though you
are expected to try and be good).
Ephesians 2:8-9 – saved by grace, not of works, lest we boast.
Titus 3:4-5 notes that it is by His mercy, and not by works of
righteousness.
While there are things we must do, we can NEVER earn our salvation!
a.
A very good question.
One we need to all ask.
And one that is challenging in that we realize that it is a free gift
available to all, YET it comes at a high cost – He must be first
(Matthew 6:33) and we must be willing to forsake all that we have – Luke
14:26-27, 33; 9:23 we must be willing to deny ourselves and take up His
cross as we follow Him.
b.
But could it be asked
with wrong motives?
We are not told the motives of the rich, young ruler.
But we know he had a serious problem and Jesus knew his heart and
what that problem was.
Could it be asked by someone who knows they are not right in a specific
area and are seeking validation?
Maybe they are doing many things right, even most – BUT there’s
that ONE THING that deep down they know needs changing and they don’t
want to give that up. Maybe
they are in an unscriptural relationship, they have some “guilty
pleasure”, a questionable job or a character flaw that they just want to
let go of. Maybe
like this rich ruler, they have stuff they love too much and are
unwilling to part with it.
OFTEN, such will seek validation for what they are doing right
and someone who will “tickle their ear” and tell them they are fine.
SADLY, they don’t have to look very far to find someone today!
BUT remember that when we follow
our Lord, we must give Him our ALL – Matthew 6:24, James 2:10.
Jesus would tell this young ruler, “You lack ONE THING”.
How many “things” does it take to keep us from inheriting eternal
life?
c.
Do we REALLY want the
answer to that question? Are
we willing to accept that answer?
a.
He appealed to the law
of God as the standard.
We cannot appeal to man’s laws. Consider
John 5:39 – Jesus noted that in scriptures you find eternal life (though
He was dealing with LOM then).
James 1:21-22 – we must receive with meekness the implanted word which
is able to save our souls.
Romans 1:16 – the gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
b.
He built from a common
foundation
– knowing the hearts of men, Jesus knew what this man had done and who
he was. Jesus began with
common ground. There were
commands that he was keeping – Jesus began with those.
This is something we must do as we try to win souls.
Find out where they are and what common ground there is.
Examples: Acts 17:22 – I perceive that you are religious.
Acts 8:35 Peter began with the scripture the eunuch was reading and
proceeded to preach Jesus to him.
Acts 16:30-32 – Paul began right where the jailer was with an
introductory statement that he proceeded to explain.
It resulted in his conversion.
c.
He loved Him – Mark 10:21 – Jesus had time for this man, even with his worldliness.
Jesus cared as He always does.
He told him what he needed to hear.
It is the love of souls that will prompt us to look for and try and
reach others – 2 Corinthians 5:10-11.
The response of Jesus after the ruler’s rejection seems to imply this as
well. We can infer that
Jesus was disappointed in the reaction of this ruler as He noted, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God.”
Luke 18:24
d.
He pointed out his error
- we are not doing anyone a favor by leaving the impression that they
are ok with Christ when they are not.
Jesus did not focus on his strengths.
He mentioned them, but He addressed his weakness – a desire for
wealth and his love of his possessions.
When one is in error – we need to deal with that (but in a loving way).
Many of Paul’s letters addressed their flaws.
Acts 20:26-27 – Paul had taught “the whole counsel of God” to
them.
NOTE: Even someone who has numerous good qualities still needs to hear
what he lacks.
Keeping most of the commandments is not good enough.
Some interesting observations about this account.
Jesus appealed to keeping the Law and quoted several of the 10
commandments – those relating to how we treat each other.
Matthew 19:19 adds, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (cf. Matthew
22:39-40) and Mark adds, “Do not defraud” (Mark 10:19).
The young ruler gladly declared He had kept these from His youth.
There is NO reason to think that he was not telling the truth.
He likely was what we would call a “pretty good” person.
One source noted that in America, this is likely the type of person
we are going to come across and study with – mostly good (from man’s
interpretation) but with sin that needs to be addressed.
WE do someone a disservice when we tell them that they don’t need to
change much to become a Christian.
It calls for that complete commitment, INCLUDING exposing and
repenting of errors.
e.
Jesus put the
responsibility on him
- “You still lack one thing…; When this ruler walked away, it was not
Jesus’ fault. The man had to
answer for himself – Hebrews 9:27.
Galatians 6:5 tells us that we each have our load to bear.
Romans 2:6 notes that when we stand before God He will “render to each
one according to his deeds.”
We must learn that we cannot force anyone to obey.
If we guilt them into obedience, have they really obeyed the
gospel?
f.
Jesus let him walk away – the ruler went away sorrowful, because he had great
possessions.
Jesus let him walk away, though sadly.
No one will force you to obey God.
God will not force you to obey Him (one of the problems with true
Calvinism). He gave each
of us free will (Luke 9:23 – if ANYONE desires to come after Me) and He
desires that we all be saved (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9)
Never in scripture do you find an example of forced obedience associated
with one’s salvation.
While a challenge, sometimes all we can do is let them walk away.
WE may part with a warning (cf. Acts 28:25-29), but we CANNOT
force obedience. Nor should
we try (and this doesn’t mean we won’t try again in the future).
Thus we see the rich man as he spoke with Jesus.
Someone summarized this account with these 4 points about this
rich, young ruler:
1)
He came to the right source – Jesus
2)
He asked the right question – What shall I do…?
3)
He received the right answer – keep the commandments (of God), give up
the world
4)
In the end, he made the wrong decision – and it had a bearing on his
eternal destiny.
Like this ruler, we are faced with the question, “What shall I do
to inherit eternal life”.
And like Him, we have been given the answer.
Will we obey the gospel, or will we like this ruler, walk away?
Whatever you choose, be prepared to live with the consequences.
Sunday, September 23, 2018 pm
LESSONS FROM THE RICH, YOUNG
RULER (2)
Luke 18:18-30
This morning we began a study of the rich, young ruler who came
to Jesus asking the ever important question, “What shall I do to inherit
eternal life?” We talked
about this account noting that Jesus knew his heart, yet He still spoke
to Him the truth (God’s Law).
He loved him and told him both what he was doing right AND what
he needed to change. When
the ruler rejected His final admonition, he walked away sorrowful
because he had great wealth that he was unwilling to depart with.
Jesus let him walk away.
That is where we ended this morning.
Tonight I want to notice specifically what Jesus saw as the
ruler’s problem – his love of wealth.
We have heard lessons dealing with wealth and need to be
continually reminded what the Bible tells us about his.
This evening’s lesson will be one such reminder, BASED upon this
account and the response of Jesus to what happened (Luke 18:24-30).
a.
An interesting
observation to be made about what Jesus said to this ruler, is what He
didn’t say.
The 10 commandments can typically be summarized in 2 categories – man’s
response to God (1-4, cf. Matthew 22:37-38), and man’s response to
mankind (5-10, cf. Matthew 22:39-40 – we noted this morning that
Matthew’s account actually mentions this second greatest command –
Matthew 19:19).
Mark also adds one instruction – “do not defraud” (a type of stealing).
b.
Covetousness
- BUT absent from all accounts is the command, “You shall not covet…”
(cf. Exodus 20:17). Why this
was left out we don’t know, but is it possible that it was a part of the
problem this young ruler had?
Covetousness is often associated with wealth and the love of
money. Ephesians 5:3-5,
Colossians 3:5 both associate with idolatry.
Luke 12:15 warns, “Take
heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the
abundance of the things he possesses.”
Clearly this ruler had abundance
and it affected his standing with God.
It actually stood in his way.
c.
Note how Jesus responded as the ruler went away sorrowful
(cf. Mark 10:22)
He said to His
disciples, “How hard it is for
those who have riches to enter 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 the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:24-25).
I am convinced Jesus was speaking of a sewing needle, as that is the
word in Greek.
Clearly Jesus is using exaggeration here to make a point (much like the
10,000 talents) – material wealth is dangerous.
Some have contended there was an entrance into Jerusalem called “the eye
of the needle” that would have required a camel to unmount and squat
down to get through it (with difficulty), while others have said that
instead of camel it is reference to a thick rope.
Both make the analogy less supernatural.
BUT, the point Jesus was making was how we need God’s help to be
saved.
Note how the disciples asked, “Who then can be saved?”
(This would not make sense if the illustration were not
impossible naturally).
Jesus then replies, “the things
which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
(Luke 1:37 – speaking to Mary about bearing Jesus; Romans 4:21 –
what He has promised He is able to perform.
We need His grace and we need to be willing to surrender to Him.
There’s not a price tag on that, just a serious commitment.
d.
Why is wealth dangerous?
i.
Note: It is NOT wrong to
be wealthy.
There are plenty of examples of the wealthy who faithfully served God –
Abraham, Moses, David, Barnabas, Joseph of Arimathea, etc.
There are benefits to have plenty – security in time of losses, the
ability to take care of yourself and your family, the ability to help
others, protection for family, the freedom from worries about a single
setback, the ability to support the Lord’s work to a greater degree,
etc. These are things that
are good and helpful.
Conversely, those who are poor are limited in many things that can make
like more difficult and more severely limit what one can do.
It is not the fact that one has wealth (or poverty), but HOW does one
use what he has. Realize
there is no virtue in poverty.
Solomon observed, The rich
man’s wealth is his strong city; The destruction of the poor is their
poverty. (Proverbs 10:15) Is
Solomon simply stating a reality, that is neither good nor bad within
itself?
Proverbs 30:8-9, Give me neither
poverty nor riches – feed me with the food allotted to me, Let I be full
and deny You, and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or lest I be poor and steal,
and [profane the name of my God.”
ii.
But the DESIRE to be rich is dangerous.
Covetousness is a sin as we have seen. With
wealth often comes a failure to put your trust in the Lord, etc.
Jesus gave parables illustrating
this – Luke 12:13-21 -the rich fool;
James 4:13-17 – don’t boast in your arrogance and forget the Lord in
your plans!
1 Timothy 6:6-10 speaks of contentment and WARNS against the desire to
be rich.
iii.
Why is it dangerous to be rich?
1.
You may forget about
God, it can lead to traps
2.
You may become selfish,
greedy and prideful
3.
You may become
materialistic
4.
You may fail to be
content
5.
You may look down on
those who are not in your social class
6.
They may give you FALSE
security
Matthew 16:26 – what
profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world…
iv.
Those with wealth are entrusted with great responsibility
–
1 Timothy 6:17-19 – the rich are commanded not to trust in uncertain
riches – but to do good and be willing to share.
e.
Peter responded to
Jesus, “See we have left all to
follow you…” And they
had (or they would)
But again Jesus responded - “Assuredly,
I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers
or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not
receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come
eternal life.”
(18:29-30)
Consider Matthew 10:34-38 – Jesus came to bring a sword, Luke 14:26-27 –
we must be willing to leave family to follow Him – this is part of
counting the cost.
WHEN we walk away from the wealth of this world, we receive a greater
wealth. A wealth that the world cannot take from us – eternal life.
BUT, even in this life, we receive a spiritual family who is
there for us no matter what the struggle.
I am convinced this is the point that Jesus is making here.
a.
Why did this ruler go
away sorrowful? He was very
rich and was not willing to give that up.
What a sadness to think someone loved the things of this world
more than securing eternal life.
BUT it is more common than we care to admit.
b.
Are we wealthy?
i.
This is a thought
provoking question we must ask ourselves.
ii.
We live in an extremely
affluent society. WE have so many
luxuries that we take for granted.
Even our “poor” have access to resources that are the envy of the
majority of the world (and I am NOT being dismissive of the problem of
poverty – which is VERY real).
But typically, they have resources available to them.
c.
Is there some other
barrier standing between you and complete obedience?
We have addressed wealth in this lesson, but what about ANYTHING
else that stands in our way – family, fun, our job, our power, worldly
wisdom, etc.
Jeremiah 9:23-24, Thus says the
Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man
glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let
him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I
am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in
the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.
d.
IF we had come to the
Lord and He told us, “You lack one thing” (and most of know what that
“one thing” is), would you be willing to walk away from it?
There are many things to learn from the rich, young ruler.
This morning we concluded noting:
1)
He came to the right source – Jesus
2)
He asked the right question – What shall I do…?
3)
He received the right answer – keep the commandments (of God), give up
the world
4)
In the end, he made the wrong decision.
One
day we are going to stand before God and answer for the life we lived.
An invitation has been extended (for most of us, multitudes of
times). We have heard the
answer to the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
How have you answered that?
What will you stay as you face God on the edge of eternity?
How can we help you make yourself right with Him?
Think about it!