1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:04,100 Mark’s Gospel, chapter 10 and verse 17. 2 00:00:04,100 –> 00:00:06,660 We read there that as Jesus started on his way, 3 00:00:06,660 –> 00:00:10,380 a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. 4 00:00:10,380 –> 00:00:12,320 I want you to picture the scene. 5 00:00:12,320 –> 00:00:14,840 Jesus is moving out of this area of Judea 6 00:00:14,840 –> 00:00:16,299 where he’s been for a while, 7 00:00:16,299 –> 00:00:18,500 and he’s continuing his journey to Jerusalem. 8 00:00:18,500 –> 00:00:20,459 And as he and the disciples move out of town, 9 00:00:20,459 –> 00:00:23,180 this man comes running to catch him 10 00:00:23,180 –> 00:00:26,100 before he leaves the area. 11 00:00:26,100 –> 00:00:28,660 And this person who came to Jesus, 12 00:00:28,660 –> 00:00:31,620 we know him as the rich young ruler. 13 00:00:31,620 –> 00:00:34,900 He had much that was going for him. 14 00:00:34,900 –> 00:00:37,340 He was obviously very successful, 15 00:00:37,340 –> 00:00:39,860 verse 22, he had great wealth 16 00:00:39,860 –> 00:00:42,180 so he was financially prosperous. 17 00:00:42,180 –> 00:00:44,259 Luke tells us in his version of the story 18 00:00:44,259 –> 00:00:45,459 that the man was a ruler 19 00:00:45,459 –> 00:00:48,200 and so he had a position of great responsibility 20 00:00:48,200 –> 00:00:49,500 and influence. 21 00:00:49,500 –> 00:00:51,799 Matthew tells us in his version of the story, 22 00:00:51,799 –> 00:00:54,220 Matthew chapter 19, that he was young 23 00:00:54,220 –> 00:00:57,180 and so all this has been achieved early in his life 24 00:00:57,200 –> 00:00:59,000 and there must have been a great deal of talent 25 00:00:59,000 –> 00:01:00,980 and discipline and sheer hard work 26 00:01:00,980 –> 00:01:04,959 that went into the success for which he should be credited. 27 00:01:04,959 –> 00:01:06,379 Not only was he successful, 28 00:01:06,379 –> 00:01:09,360 he was clearly a very moral young person. 29 00:01:09,360 –> 00:01:11,900 When he speaks about keeping the commandments 30 00:01:11,900 –> 00:01:16,059 I’ve no reason to doubt his sincerity in what he says. 31 00:01:16,059 –> 00:01:19,320 He has never committed a murder or committed adultery 32 00:01:19,320 –> 00:01:22,900 or been involved in a robbery or been guilty of fraud. 33 00:01:22,900 –> 00:01:26,419 He took good care of his mother and father 34 00:01:26,459 –> 00:01:29,459 and so again, this is the kind of person 35 00:01:29,459 –> 00:01:30,820 that folks would look up to 36 00:01:30,820 –> 00:01:32,360 and mothers would say to their children, 37 00:01:32,360 –> 00:01:33,760 I hope that you’re going to grow up 38 00:01:33,760 –> 00:01:36,559 and be a nice young man like that fellow there 39 00:01:36,559 –> 00:01:39,220 and look how well he’s doing in his life. 40 00:01:39,220 –> 00:01:41,180 And not only is he successful and moral, 41 00:01:41,180 –> 00:01:42,860 but he’s also spiritual. 42 00:01:42,860 –> 00:01:45,239 He has an intense desire to meet Jesus 43 00:01:45,239 –> 00:01:46,419 and so he comes running. 44 00:01:46,419 –> 00:01:47,239 There’s urgency. 45 00:01:47,239 –> 00:01:49,320 He really wants to meet Jesus 46 00:01:49,320 –> 00:01:51,559 and he knows that the opportunity might slip away. 47 00:01:51,559 –> 00:01:53,099 He doesn’t want that to happen function. 48 00:01:53,099 –> 00:01:55,779 And he has great respect for Jesus. 49 00:01:55,800 –> 00:01:57,400 He falls at his feet. 50 00:01:57,400 –> 00:01:59,379 You wouldn’t find any of the Pharisees 51 00:01:59,379 –> 00:02:02,320 doing something like that 52 00:02:02,320 –> 00:02:05,120 and he’s concerned about eternal issues. 53 00:02:05,120 –> 00:02:07,879 In verse 17, he says what must I do 54 00:02:07,879 –> 00:02:10,679 to inherit eternal life? 55 00:02:10,679 –> 00:02:12,539 Now honestly, if even half the folks 56 00:02:12,539 –> 00:02:15,580 who are professionally and financially successful 57 00:02:15,580 –> 00:02:17,539 in our city today, 58 00:02:17,539 –> 00:02:19,100 if even half of them 59 00:02:19,100 –> 00:02:23,479 were clearly committed to biblical morality, 60 00:02:23,559 –> 00:02:25,800 seriously interested in spiritual things, 61 00:02:25,800 –> 00:02:29,059 concerned about a relationship with Jesus 62 00:02:29,059 –> 00:02:31,240 and preparing for eternal life, 63 00:02:31,240 –> 00:02:33,080 if half of all the people who are successful 64 00:02:33,080 –> 00:02:34,839 in our city had these kind of values, 65 00:02:34,839 –> 00:02:38,419 we would be very, very glad indeed. 66 00:02:38,419 –> 00:02:41,320 And not only that, this man is loved by Jesus Christ, 67 00:02:41,320 –> 00:02:42,520 verse 21. 68 00:02:42,520 –> 00:02:45,279 Jesus looked at him and loved him. 69 00:02:45,279 –> 00:02:47,960 So it seems that this man has everything going for him. 70 00:02:47,960 –> 00:02:50,539 Successful, moral, spiritual, 71 00:02:50,539 –> 00:02:52,160 loved by Jesus Christ. 72 00:02:52,199 –> 00:02:53,460 What more is there? 73 00:02:54,619 –> 00:02:57,800 And yet this story does not end well. 74 00:02:57,800 –> 00:02:59,360 Verse 22. 75 00:02:59,360 –> 00:03:03,139 The man went away from Jesus sad. 76 00:03:03,139 –> 00:03:05,339 He comes to Jesus with great enthusiasm, 77 00:03:05,339 –> 00:03:07,419 but he departs with great sadness 78 00:03:07,419 –> 00:03:12,080 and he does not become a follower of Jesus Christ. 79 00:03:12,080 –> 00:03:14,759 And in verse 23, as you follow the story there, 80 00:03:14,759 –> 00:03:16,160 you’ll see that Jesus makes it clear 81 00:03:16,160 –> 00:03:18,419 that this successful, moral, 82 00:03:18,419 –> 00:03:21,860 and spiritually minded man who was loved by Jesus Christ 83 00:03:21,860 –> 00:03:24,179 was not part of God’s kingdom. 84 00:03:24,179 –> 00:03:25,479 Jesus says it three times. 85 00:03:25,479 –> 00:03:27,960 Verse 23, how hard it is for the rich 86 00:03:27,960 –> 00:03:30,039 to enter the kingdom of God. 87 00:03:30,039 –> 00:03:33,880 Verse 24, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. 88 00:03:33,880 –> 00:03:36,160 And verse 25, it is easier for a camel 89 00:03:36,160 –> 00:03:37,559 to go through the eye of a needle 90 00:03:37,559 –> 00:03:41,440 than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. 91 00:03:41,440 –> 00:03:43,240 Now, Jesus says that three times, 92 00:03:43,240 –> 00:03:44,940 therefore, with such emphasis 93 00:03:44,940 –> 00:03:47,279 that the disciples respond, verse 26, 94 00:03:47,279 –> 00:03:48,740 by being amazed. 95 00:03:48,800 –> 00:03:52,660 They say, well, if a successful, moral, 96 00:03:52,660 –> 00:03:55,259 spiritually minded man who wants to meet Jesus 97 00:03:55,259 –> 00:03:58,080 and is serious about preparing for eternity, 98 00:03:58,080 –> 00:04:00,899 if he can’t be saved, who can be saved? 99 00:04:02,619 –> 00:04:03,559 Good question. 100 00:04:04,800 –> 00:04:07,759 And it leads Jesus to some very important teaching 101 00:04:07,759 –> 00:04:09,520 which the rich, young ruler missed 102 00:04:09,520 –> 00:04:10,960 because he went away sad. 103 00:04:11,839 –> 00:04:14,020 But we’re here, and so we have the privilege 104 00:04:14,020 –> 00:04:17,380 of learning from Jesus what the disciples learned. 105 00:04:17,420 –> 00:04:19,820 And there are five ways in which we learn 106 00:04:19,820 –> 00:04:21,779 from the teaching of Jesus that 107 00:04:21,779 –> 00:04:24,459 are of great importance for us today. 108 00:04:24,459 –> 00:04:25,480 Here’s the first. 109 00:04:27,019 –> 00:04:29,700 Jesus teaches us here that to enter heaven, 110 00:04:31,059 –> 00:04:35,839 you must be good, like God. 111 00:04:35,839 –> 00:04:39,320 Now look at verse 17 with me, please. 112 00:04:39,320 –> 00:04:40,980 The man comes up to Jesus, and he says, 113 00:04:40,980 –> 00:04:44,959 good teacher, what most I do to inherit eternal life? 114 00:04:44,959 –> 00:04:47,260 And straight away, Jesus interrupts 115 00:04:48,160 –> 00:04:50,079 the flow of his conversation. 116 00:04:50,079 –> 00:04:53,220 Wait a minute, hold on, hold on, you said good. 117 00:04:53,220 –> 00:04:56,679 Now let’s just clarify exactly what we’re talking about here 118 00:04:56,679 –> 00:04:58,320 when we’re talking about good. 119 00:04:58,320 –> 00:05:00,519 He says, verse 18, why do you call me good? 120 00:05:00,519 –> 00:05:05,160 Because no one is good except God alone. 121 00:05:06,739 –> 00:05:08,760 Now how do you measure goodness? 122 00:05:10,959 –> 00:05:15,959 All measurements are made against a particular standard. 123 00:05:17,619 –> 00:05:22,619 When we arrived in our new home nearly 12 years ago, 124 00:05:23,220 –> 00:05:24,299 there were a number of things 125 00:05:24,299 –> 00:05:27,839 helpfully left in the garage for us. 126 00:05:27,839 –> 00:05:29,100 You notice that becoming a citizen 127 00:05:29,100 –> 00:05:31,420 doesn’t automatically change a person’s accent. 128 00:05:31,420 –> 00:05:33,579 I apologize for that. 129 00:05:33,579 –> 00:05:36,420 One of the things that was left there was this yardstick, 130 00:05:36,420 –> 00:05:38,720 which I find very useful from time to time. 131 00:05:39,820 –> 00:05:42,399 How do you know that this yardstick 132 00:05:42,399 –> 00:05:47,239 actually measures a yard, three feet. 133 00:05:47,260 –> 00:05:48,619 How do you know that? 134 00:05:48,619 –> 00:05:51,000 This is a kind of fifth-grader question, isn’t it? 135 00:05:51,000 –> 00:05:54,100 You know, kids are at school with a ruler on their desk. 136 00:05:54,100 –> 00:05:56,179 How would you know that your ruler is 12 inches? 137 00:05:56,179 –> 00:05:58,200 How do you know that 12 inches is 12 inches 138 00:05:58,200 –> 00:06:00,640 and that your ruler that you’re measuring things by 139 00:06:00,640 –> 00:06:01,920 is actually accurate? 140 00:06:01,920 –> 00:06:04,279 Well, there is an answer to that question. 141 00:06:05,619 –> 00:06:10,619 In the 12th century, King Henry I decreed 142 00:06:10,619 –> 00:06:14,260 that a lawful yard was the distance 143 00:06:14,260 –> 00:06:16,239 between the tip of his tongue 144 00:06:16,260 –> 00:06:20,000 and the end of his thumb, when his arm was extended. 145 00:06:20,000 –> 00:06:20,859 12th century. 146 00:06:22,440 –> 00:06:25,640 By the way, for those of you who don’t know this, 147 00:06:25,640 –> 00:06:28,239 Henry was King of a country 148 00:06:28,239 –> 00:06:32,440 from which we gained independence in 1776 149 00:06:32,440 –> 00:06:35,420 on the 4th of July. 150 00:06:35,420 –> 00:06:40,420 Now, unfortunately, King Henry is not around for us 151 00:06:40,440 –> 00:06:45,420 to measure a true Imperial yard against his nose, 152 00:06:45,640 –> 00:06:48,779 but if you’re particularly concerned about accuracy, 153 00:06:48,779 –> 00:06:49,779 help is at hand. 154 00:06:49,779 –> 00:06:52,899 If you go to Greenwich in London, 155 00:06:52,899 –> 00:06:56,000 you can measure your own ruler 156 00:06:56,000 –> 00:07:00,579 against the ancient length of bronze, 157 00:07:00,579 –> 00:07:02,959 which is marked off in feet and inches 158 00:07:02,959 –> 00:07:05,399 and defines the Imperial yard. 159 00:07:05,399 –> 00:07:08,739 Children go on school trips there every day 160 00:07:09,420 –> 00:07:10,619 and they take their rulers 161 00:07:10,619 –> 00:07:13,079 and they measure their rulers against the Imperial yard 162 00:07:13,079 –> 00:07:14,019 just to make sure 163 00:07:14,019 –> 00:07:17,459 that their rulers are actually accurate and so forth. 164 00:07:17,459 –> 00:07:20,859 Now, all measurements are made against some standard. 165 00:07:20,859 –> 00:07:22,260 The question at stake here is, 166 00:07:22,260 –> 00:07:23,839 how do you measure goodness? 167 00:07:26,040 –> 00:07:27,320 If we measure goodness, 168 00:07:27,320 –> 00:07:28,440 say by Adolf Hitler, 169 00:07:28,440 –> 00:07:33,040 then all of us here come out looking pretty good. 170 00:07:34,220 –> 00:07:37,079 If we measure goodness by Mother Teresa, 171 00:07:37,100 –> 00:07:41,059 probably all of us here come out not looking very good. 172 00:07:42,320 –> 00:07:44,179 So which one do you choose? 173 00:07:45,279 –> 00:07:47,160 Or rather which one does God choose? 174 00:07:47,160 –> 00:07:49,720 Because that is clearly the issue that really matters. 175 00:07:49,720 –> 00:07:50,920 How do you measure goodness? 176 00:07:50,920 –> 00:07:53,940 Well, Jesus gives us the answer right here. 177 00:07:53,940 –> 00:07:58,940 Good means good like God. 178 00:07:59,040 –> 00:07:59,899 He’s saying to this person, 179 00:07:59,899 –> 00:08:03,480 look, you’re talking to me about goodness. 180 00:08:03,480 –> 00:08:05,019 Let’s be absolutely clear 181 00:08:05,019 –> 00:08:07,179 that there’s only one definition of goodness, 182 00:08:07,179 –> 00:08:10,100 one standard of goodness that is worth talking about, 183 00:08:10,100 –> 00:08:12,299 only one that really counts or that really matters. 184 00:08:12,299 –> 00:08:14,459 Good means good like God. 185 00:08:15,459 –> 00:08:16,660 You need to understand 186 00:08:16,660 –> 00:08:20,660 that no one is good except God alone. 187 00:08:20,660 –> 00:08:23,380 So when you ask, Jesus is saying in effect this question, 188 00:08:23,380 –> 00:08:25,660 what must I do to inherit eternal life? 189 00:08:25,660 –> 00:08:27,339 The answer is fairly straightforward. 190 00:08:27,339 –> 00:08:30,059 You must be good like God. 191 00:08:30,059 –> 00:08:32,020 Another way that Jesus said this 192 00:08:32,080 –> 00:08:33,200 in the Sermon on the Mount, 193 00:08:33,200 –> 00:08:35,179 Matthew chapter 5 in verse 48, 194 00:08:35,179 –> 00:08:40,179 was be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. 195 00:08:40,900 –> 00:08:42,140 That’s what Jesus said. 196 00:08:43,580 –> 00:08:46,780 Another way to say the same thing is keep the commandments. 197 00:08:46,780 –> 00:08:50,059 The only problem with saying it that way 198 00:08:50,059 –> 00:08:52,099 is that if you say keep the commandments, 199 00:08:52,099 –> 00:08:54,080 there are a whole lot of people today, 200 00:08:54,080 –> 00:08:56,099 as there were a whole lot of people then, 201 00:08:56,099 –> 00:08:58,039 who actually thought they’d done that. 202 00:08:59,419 –> 00:09:00,539 They didn’t get it. 203 00:09:02,320 –> 00:09:03,719 And this man is one of them, 204 00:09:03,719 –> 00:09:05,059 because in verse 20 he says, 205 00:09:05,059 –> 00:09:06,440 “‘Well, these commandments, 206 00:09:06,440 –> 00:09:08,280 “‘I’ve kept them all since I was a boy.’ 207 00:09:08,280 –> 00:09:10,520 And he completely misses the point 208 00:09:10,520 –> 00:09:11,820 that Jesus is making here, 209 00:09:11,820 –> 00:09:13,520 which is, that to be in heaven, 210 00:09:13,520 –> 00:09:14,900 you must be good like God. 211 00:09:14,900 –> 00:09:19,340 That’s the real standard by which we are all measured. 212 00:09:19,340 –> 00:09:20,840 And it makes sense, of course, 213 00:09:20,840 –> 00:09:23,359 because if your goodness were anything less 214 00:09:23,359 –> 00:09:25,080 than being good like God, 215 00:09:25,080 –> 00:09:28,179 then that would make heaven less good 216 00:09:28,179 –> 00:09:29,739 for you to be there. 217 00:09:29,760 –> 00:09:32,919 And God’s not going to allow that to happen. 218 00:09:33,940 –> 00:09:35,020 So here’s the first thing 219 00:09:35,020 –> 00:09:36,940 that we learned from the teaching of Jesus, 220 00:09:36,940 –> 00:09:41,119 as he straight away identifies the crucial issue 221 00:09:41,119 –> 00:09:43,119 with this man to enter heaven, 222 00:09:43,119 –> 00:09:45,880 you must be good like God. 223 00:09:45,880 –> 00:09:46,719 Here’s a second thing, 224 00:09:46,719 –> 00:09:48,400 and each of these points build 225 00:09:48,400 –> 00:09:50,340 as we learn the teaching of Jesus. 226 00:09:51,380 –> 00:09:55,760 Salvation involves a real change 227 00:09:55,760 –> 00:10:00,179 in which a person becomes good like God. 228 00:10:01,239 –> 00:10:02,400 Now I want you to notice here 229 00:10:02,400 –> 00:10:04,559 that the Bible uses different language 230 00:10:04,559 –> 00:10:09,559 to express the different dimensions of our salvation. 231 00:10:11,059 –> 00:10:15,760 The man in verse 17 asks about inheriting eternal life. 232 00:10:16,799 –> 00:10:20,039 Jesus speaks verse 23, four, and five 233 00:10:20,039 –> 00:10:21,880 about entering the kingdom. 234 00:10:22,880 –> 00:10:25,380 Verse 26, the disciples ask the question, 235 00:10:25,400 –> 00:10:27,159 who then can be saved? 236 00:10:28,700 –> 00:10:31,260 Now these three are all essentially different ways 237 00:10:31,260 –> 00:10:33,460 of speaking about the same reality. 238 00:10:34,419 –> 00:10:37,500 Being saved means entering the kingdom. 239 00:10:37,500 –> 00:10:39,140 Entering the kingdom, God’s kingdom, 240 00:10:39,140 –> 00:10:41,159 means that you have eternal life. 241 00:10:41,159 –> 00:10:43,340 Having eternal life involves 242 00:10:43,340 –> 00:10:46,219 coming under the Blessing of Christ’s rule 243 00:10:46,219 –> 00:10:48,739 and that is what happens when you are saved. 244 00:10:50,419 –> 00:10:52,799 Now a major problem that we have 245 00:10:52,919 –> 00:10:55,679 in evangelical churches today 246 00:10:55,679 –> 00:11:00,679 is that we have separated what God has joined together. 247 00:11:00,700 –> 00:11:02,760 Too often salvation has been reduced 248 00:11:02,760 –> 00:11:06,520 to a kind of formula or even a decision. 249 00:11:06,520 –> 00:11:09,159 Something that is believed without making 250 00:11:09,159 –> 00:11:11,960 a difference in a person’s life. 251 00:11:11,960 –> 00:11:13,520 So that many people have the idea 252 00:11:13,520 –> 00:11:15,539 that there can be a change in your destiny 253 00:11:15,539 –> 00:11:18,219 without there being any corresponding change 254 00:11:18,219 –> 00:11:22,080 in your identity, your soul or your behavior. 255 00:11:22,940 –> 00:11:24,239 And it needs to be said clearly 256 00:11:24,239 –> 00:11:27,320 that you don’t find that anywhere in the Bible. 257 00:11:27,320 –> 00:11:29,719 Though it is common to hear it today. 258 00:11:29,719 –> 00:11:31,679 Conversation goes like this. 259 00:11:31,679 –> 00:11:34,159 I became a Christian you know, 260 00:11:34,159 –> 00:11:39,039 I was saved at a Bible conference 10 years ago. 261 00:11:39,039 –> 00:11:39,940 Oh really? 262 00:11:39,940 –> 00:11:40,840 Wonderful. 263 00:11:40,840 –> 00:11:45,840 So you received the gift of eternal life 10 years ago. 264 00:11:46,080 –> 00:11:47,880 Yeah, marvelous. 265 00:11:47,880 –> 00:11:52,880 So your life came under the rule of King Jesus 10 years ago. 266 00:11:54,440 –> 00:11:56,200 Oh no, oh no, no no. 267 00:11:56,200 –> 00:11:57,700 That happened much later. 268 00:11:59,080 –> 00:12:02,320 Now that is to separate what God has joined together. 269 00:12:02,320 –> 00:12:05,219 By what authority do we think we can do that? 270 00:12:07,219 –> 00:12:11,460 One reason why the word evangelical 271 00:12:11,460 –> 00:12:15,559 is held in such disrepute in our time 272 00:12:16,539 –> 00:12:21,200 is that to many people, an evangelical is someone 273 00:12:21,200 –> 00:12:24,340 who thinks that they’re saved by holding certain beliefs, 274 00:12:24,340 –> 00:12:26,219 even though these beliefs make no difference 275 00:12:26,219 –> 00:12:27,520 to their actual life. 276 00:12:29,119 –> 00:12:30,599 And you won’t find that in the Bible, 277 00:12:30,599 –> 00:12:33,500 and that is not what we believe. 278 00:12:33,500 –> 00:12:35,599 We need both to see that and to demonstrate it 279 00:12:35,599 –> 00:12:38,739 by lives that are genuinely good, 280 00:12:38,739 –> 00:12:40,700 reflecting the character of God. 281 00:12:41,659 –> 00:12:44,460 Remember the hymn, There Is a Green Hill Far Away? 282 00:12:44,479 –> 00:12:45,919 We sing it at Easter. 283 00:12:45,919 –> 00:12:49,359 Jesus died that we might be forgiven. 284 00:12:49,359 –> 00:12:50,599 Remember the next line. 285 00:12:50,599 –> 00:12:53,520 He died to make us what? 286 00:12:53,520 –> 00:12:56,859 Good, that we might go at last to heaven 287 00:12:56,859 –> 00:12:58,400 saved by his precious blood. 288 00:12:58,400 –> 00:13:00,460 Now what we do too often is we take 289 00:13:00,460 –> 00:13:02,719 the first and the last, forgiveness in heaven, 290 00:13:02,719 –> 00:13:03,919 and we miss out the middle. 291 00:13:03,919 –> 00:13:05,520 By what authority do we do that? 292 00:13:05,520 –> 00:13:07,460 He died that we might be forgiven 293 00:13:07,460 –> 00:13:09,099 to make us good, and that we might go 294 00:13:09,099 –> 00:13:13,140 at last to heaven, saved by his precious blood. 295 00:13:13,179 –> 00:13:17,059 In the Bible when God justifies, he also sanctifies. 296 00:13:17,059 –> 00:13:20,280 When he forgives, he pours out his Holy Spirit. 297 00:13:21,700 –> 00:13:23,359 Never the one without the other. 298 00:13:23,359 –> 00:13:27,919 So, beware of distorting the gospel 299 00:13:27,919 –> 00:13:29,599 and taking something beautiful 300 00:13:29,599 –> 00:13:31,380 and making it something ugly. 301 00:13:33,460 –> 00:13:37,020 To enter heaven you must be good like God, 302 00:13:37,020 –> 00:13:39,340 and salvation involves a real change 303 00:13:39,340 –> 00:13:44,159 in which a person becomes good like God. 304 00:13:44,159 –> 00:13:46,580 Third, and we’re building truth 305 00:13:46,580 –> 00:13:48,960 from the text of scripture here, 306 00:13:48,960 –> 00:13:50,719 the teaching of Jesus together. 307 00:13:50,719 –> 00:13:55,719 Third, this change is impossible with man. 308 00:13:57,239 –> 00:13:59,219 Look at that very clearly in verse 26. 309 00:13:59,219 –> 00:14:00,059 The disciples say, 310 00:14:00,059 –> 00:14:01,820 who can be saved? 311 00:14:01,820 –> 00:14:04,299 And Jesus answers with man, 312 00:14:04,299 –> 00:14:07,460 this is impossible, verse 27. 313 00:14:07,979 –> 00:14:10,719 I want us to pause here. 314 00:14:10,719 –> 00:14:14,659 With man this is impossible. 315 00:14:15,880 –> 00:14:17,700 It’s impossible. 316 00:14:17,700 –> 00:14:19,640 Now here’s the nub of the issue 317 00:14:19,640 –> 00:14:21,919 between Jesus and the rich young ruler. 318 00:14:23,159 –> 00:14:25,919 Young fellow, very successful and very moral, 319 00:14:25,919 –> 00:14:28,919 feels that he can produce the goodness 320 00:14:28,919 –> 00:14:31,380 that is needed for him to enter heaven. 321 00:14:31,380 –> 00:14:32,799 He feels he can do that. 322 00:14:33,700 –> 00:14:35,559 And Jesus knows that he can’t. 323 00:14:37,700 –> 00:14:39,059 Let’s come at it this way. 324 00:14:40,359 –> 00:14:43,780 What is it that the rich young ruler 325 00:14:43,780 –> 00:14:46,840 needs to be saved from 326 00:14:46,840 –> 00:14:49,659 in order to become good? 327 00:14:51,780 –> 00:14:53,599 Now you say, well he needs to be saved from hell. 328 00:14:53,599 –> 00:14:55,020 He needs to be saved from guilt. 329 00:14:55,020 –> 00:14:57,020 He needs to be saved from condemnation. 330 00:14:57,020 –> 00:14:58,619 Well all these things are true. 331 00:14:59,940 –> 00:15:02,539 But being saved from guilt, condemnation, and hell 332 00:15:02,580 –> 00:15:04,539 won’t make him good, will it? 333 00:15:04,539 –> 00:15:05,840 That won’t make him good. 334 00:15:07,159 –> 00:15:08,799 What does he need to be saved from 335 00:15:08,799 –> 00:15:10,460 in order to be good? 336 00:15:12,299 –> 00:15:15,799 And the answer is himself. 337 00:15:17,080 –> 00:15:19,880 Because this man’s life is all about himself. 338 00:15:19,880 –> 00:15:22,239 It’s all about his success and his morality 339 00:15:22,239 –> 00:15:24,119 and his desire for a relationship with Jesus 340 00:15:24,119 –> 00:15:26,000 and his concern about eternity. 341 00:15:26,000 –> 00:15:28,440 He needs to be saved from the power 342 00:15:28,440 –> 00:15:31,059 of a self centered life. 343 00:15:32,919 –> 00:15:37,919 And Jesus exposes this in verse 21. 344 00:15:38,000 –> 00:15:40,640 One thing you lack, he says, 345 00:15:40,640 –> 00:15:42,200 go sell everything that you have 346 00:15:42,200 –> 00:15:44,359 and give to the poor. 347 00:15:44,359 –> 00:15:47,200 And then you will have treasure in heaven 348 00:15:48,140 –> 00:15:50,280 and then come and follow me. 349 00:15:51,159 –> 00:15:52,380 You see what he’s saying? 350 00:15:54,799 –> 00:15:58,000 My friend, if you want to be good like God, 351 00:15:58,979 –> 00:16:03,299 here’s a really god-like thing that you could do. 352 00:16:05,059 –> 00:16:07,780 You could be like God 353 00:16:08,979 –> 00:16:11,479 by taking everything that you have 354 00:16:11,479 –> 00:16:13,280 and selling it and giving it to the poor. 355 00:16:13,280 –> 00:16:14,460 You say, how is that like God? 356 00:16:14,460 –> 00:16:18,380 Well, God is the Creator of all wealth. 357 00:16:19,619 –> 00:16:23,140 He owns the cattle on 1,000 hills. 358 00:16:24,059 –> 00:16:28,020 All the resources of the world are God’s. 359 00:16:29,179 –> 00:16:32,979 And what does God do with all this wealth? 360 00:16:32,979 –> 00:16:37,979 Well, He gives it into the hands of folks like you and me. 361 00:16:40,900 –> 00:16:44,260 And so Jesus says to this man, you wanna be good like God, 362 00:16:44,260 –> 00:16:47,179 well, why don’t you go and do the same? 363 00:16:47,179 –> 00:16:50,500 You could easily sell all that you have 364 00:16:50,539 –> 00:16:53,960 and give to the poor and then you will be reflecting 365 00:16:53,960 –> 00:16:56,080 the kind of thing that God does. 366 00:16:57,739 –> 00:16:59,859 And the guy says, that’s exactly what I’ve always 367 00:16:59,859 –> 00:17:01,780 wanted to do, I’ll go and do it right away. 368 00:17:01,780 –> 00:17:05,819 No, of course he doesn’t do that, his face falls a mile 369 00:17:07,819 –> 00:17:12,260 because suddenly he realizes that this is beyond him 370 00:17:14,099 –> 00:17:18,000 because he is actually captivated by the power of self, 371 00:17:18,959 –> 00:17:22,760 which is why he isn’t half as good as he thinks he is 372 00:17:23,839 –> 00:17:25,739 and certainly his goodness is nothing like 373 00:17:25,739 –> 00:17:27,260 the goodness of God. 374 00:17:28,719 –> 00:17:32,339 He cannot do what Jesus has just asked him to do 375 00:17:32,339 –> 00:17:34,599 because his love for himself is way too strong 376 00:17:34,599 –> 00:17:37,880 and his love for God and for others is way too weak 377 00:17:37,880 –> 00:17:42,760 and he just doesn’t have it in him to be good like God 378 00:17:42,760 –> 00:17:46,880 and neither do you, and neither do I. 379 00:17:49,000 –> 00:17:52,880 Now let’s be clear about what Jesus is not saying 380 00:17:52,880 –> 00:17:55,560 and then what he is saying. 381 00:17:55,560 –> 00:17:57,239 First what he is not saying? 382 00:17:57,239 –> 00:17:59,920 Jesus is not saying that we all have to go 383 00:17:59,920 –> 00:18:03,060 and sell everything that we have in order to enter heaven. 384 00:18:03,060 –> 00:18:05,780 Someone has said, I think rather perceptively, 385 00:18:05,780 –> 00:18:09,339 that if that were what Jesus was saying, 386 00:18:09,339 –> 00:18:12,719 there would always be one person in the world 387 00:18:12,719 –> 00:18:15,760 who could not be saved because he would be the guy 388 00:18:15,760 –> 00:18:17,540 that would have all the stuff. 389 00:18:18,180 –> 00:18:19,579 Right? 390 00:18:19,579 –> 00:18:21,540 That’s not what Jesus is saying. 391 00:18:21,540 –> 00:18:22,719 What is He saying? 392 00:18:23,760 –> 00:18:26,719 What he is saying is simply this and it is very powerful. 393 00:18:27,579 –> 00:18:31,020 Selfishness will keep you out of heaven. 394 00:18:32,459 –> 00:18:33,739 That’s what He is saying. 395 00:18:35,060 –> 00:18:37,739 Selfishness keeps thousands, 396 00:18:37,739 –> 00:18:42,060 millions of people out of heaven 397 00:18:44,339 –> 00:18:47,380 and the reason that it is so hard for a rich man 398 00:18:47,380 –> 00:18:48,760 to enter the kingdom of God, 399 00:18:48,760 –> 00:18:51,500 notice how Jesus says that very clearly here. 400 00:18:51,500 –> 00:18:54,619 Why is it so difficult for people who have a lot 401 00:18:54,619 –> 00:18:55,800 to enter the kingdom of God? 402 00:18:55,800 –> 00:18:58,319 Simply because we have more to be selfish about. 403 00:18:59,380 –> 00:19:01,119 More to be selfish with. 404 00:19:03,699 –> 00:19:06,020 But Jesus doesn’t limit the difficulty 405 00:19:06,020 –> 00:19:08,699 of entering the kingdom of God to those who have much. 406 00:19:08,699 –> 00:19:11,280 You’ll notice that He broadens it out. 407 00:19:11,280 –> 00:19:14,099 He states that it is hard for anyone 408 00:19:14,099 –> 00:19:16,020 to enter the kingdom of God 409 00:19:16,339 –> 00:19:20,500 because selfishness is in all of us. 410 00:19:22,060 –> 00:19:25,020 When the disciples say, well then, who can be saved? 411 00:19:25,020 –> 00:19:27,579 Notice that Jesus does not say, 412 00:19:27,579 –> 00:19:29,900 Well of course, it’s much easier for the poor. 413 00:19:31,819 –> 00:19:33,000 Because it’s not. 414 00:19:33,000 –> 00:19:35,579 Selfishness is in the poor as well as in the rich. 415 00:19:37,119 –> 00:19:38,579 Nor does he say, Well of course, 416 00:19:38,579 –> 00:19:40,380 it’s much easier for those who have 417 00:19:40,380 –> 00:19:42,859 a stable Christian family background. 418 00:19:43,619 –> 00:19:46,819 See we work with that assumption 419 00:19:46,819 –> 00:19:48,739 that somehow that gets you this close 420 00:19:48,739 –> 00:19:52,520 as opposed to this close and that it’s sort of easier. 421 00:19:53,939 –> 00:19:56,900 When the disciples say who then can be saved, 422 00:19:56,900 –> 00:20:01,579 Jesus says, With man, this is impossible. 423 00:20:03,140 –> 00:20:04,479 However much money you have, 424 00:20:04,479 –> 00:20:06,160 however little money you have, 425 00:20:06,160 –> 00:20:08,479 however good a background you have, 426 00:20:08,479 –> 00:20:10,560 however bad a background you have, 427 00:20:10,599 –> 00:20:12,959 really all these distinctions don’t make any difference 428 00:20:12,959 –> 00:20:15,439 because when you boil it down, 429 00:20:15,439 –> 00:20:19,880 with man, this is impossible. 430 00:20:19,880 –> 00:20:21,099 It’s what he says. 431 00:20:23,160 –> 00:20:26,579 You cannot save yourself from your own selfishness 432 00:20:26,579 –> 00:20:28,680 because by definition your selfishness 433 00:20:28,680 –> 00:20:30,020 is the part of your own self 434 00:20:30,020 –> 00:20:33,000 and how can you yourself liberate yourself 435 00:20:33,000 –> 00:20:35,239 from your own self if you see what I mean. 436 00:20:37,339 –> 00:20:39,380 So he says with man, this is impossible. 437 00:20:41,359 –> 00:20:43,219 So let’s review what we have learned. 438 00:20:44,079 –> 00:20:46,319 To enter heaven, you must be good like God. 439 00:20:47,280 –> 00:20:49,060 Salvation involves a real change 440 00:20:49,060 –> 00:20:52,119 in which a person becomes good like God 441 00:20:52,119 –> 00:20:54,420 and this change is impossible 442 00:20:55,439 –> 00:20:56,939 with men. 443 00:20:56,939 –> 00:20:58,239 It’s the teaching of Jesus. 444 00:20:59,640 –> 00:21:01,959 But we can’t stop there because Jesus continues. 445 00:21:01,959 –> 00:21:04,359 This change is impossible with man, 446 00:21:04,359 –> 00:21:06,819 but not with God, he says. 447 00:21:06,819 –> 00:21:11,060 Verse 27, with man, this is impossible, but not with God. 448 00:21:11,060 –> 00:21:14,640 All things are possible with God. 449 00:21:15,780 –> 00:21:18,939 So the good news is that while you do not have the power 450 00:21:18,939 –> 00:21:22,420 to change the selfishness that would keep you out of heaven 451 00:21:22,420 –> 00:21:24,959 God does have the power to change 452 00:21:24,959 –> 00:21:27,540 the selfishness that would keep you out of heaven 453 00:21:27,540 –> 00:21:29,699 and the obvious answer, a question then, 454 00:21:29,699 –> 00:21:32,380 is how does God do that, how would God do that. 455 00:21:34,380 –> 00:21:36,479 And Jesus does not give us the answer here, 456 00:21:36,560 –> 00:21:39,380 but of course the rest of the New Testament does. 457 00:21:40,520 –> 00:21:43,599 And I want to give you this kind of condensed summary 458 00:21:43,599 –> 00:21:48,219 so that it is clear in our minds and to frame it this way, 459 00:21:49,579 –> 00:21:53,380 being good like God is possible 460 00:21:53,380 –> 00:21:58,380 through Christ’s life for you and Christ’s spirit in you. 461 00:22:01,280 –> 00:22:02,119 I’ll try to take that in 462 00:22:02,119 –> 00:22:05,180 and then we’ll just ponder these two things for a moment. 463 00:22:05,219 –> 00:22:07,719 Being good like God is possible, 464 00:22:07,719 –> 00:22:11,339 not possible through you, but it is possible through God 465 00:22:11,339 –> 00:22:15,719 and he does it through Christ’s life for you 466 00:22:16,699 –> 00:22:19,959 and Christ’s spirit in you. 467 00:22:21,260 –> 00:22:23,420 Now let’s think first about Christ’s life for you. 468 00:22:23,420 –> 00:22:24,579 What does that mean? 469 00:22:24,579 –> 00:22:27,880 When Jesus said to this man in verse 18, 470 00:22:27,880 –> 00:22:29,180 why do you call me good? 471 00:22:29,180 –> 00:22:31,199 No one is good except God alone. 472 00:22:32,339 –> 00:22:33,780 We know something 473 00:22:33,780 –> 00:22:35,219 that the Rich Young Ruler obviously 474 00:22:35,219 –> 00:22:36,800 didn’t realize at that time. 475 00:22:36,800 –> 00:22:38,760 We know it from our journey through Mark already 476 00:22:38,760 –> 00:22:40,219 that at that moment, 477 00:22:40,219 –> 00:22:43,319 this man was looking into the face of God in the flesh. 478 00:22:45,260 –> 00:22:46,660 Jesus is the son of God. 479 00:22:46,660 –> 00:22:48,400 Jesus is God with us. 480 00:22:48,400 –> 00:22:51,079 Jesus is God for us 481 00:22:52,660 –> 00:22:56,880 and Jesus Christ lived a life of perfect goodness. 482 00:22:57,859 –> 00:23:01,739 He was good like God, because he is God. 483 00:23:01,800 –> 00:23:04,260 God for us and God with us. 484 00:23:05,380 –> 00:23:09,140 And having lived that life of perfect goodness 485 00:23:09,140 –> 00:23:12,099 that you have not lived, that you are not living, 486 00:23:12,099 –> 00:23:15,060 that you will not live, and that you cannot live, 487 00:23:15,060 –> 00:23:18,800 he laid down that life as an offering on your behalf. 488 00:23:20,079 –> 00:23:22,479 Jesus Christ is our substitute. 489 00:23:23,260 –> 00:23:26,180 He not only died the death that you should have died, 490 00:23:26,180 –> 00:23:29,020 he lived the life that you should have lived. 491 00:23:29,160 –> 00:23:32,219 And God counts both the life of Jesus 492 00:23:32,219 –> 00:23:35,579 and the death of Jesus as if they were yours 493 00:23:35,579 –> 00:23:39,140 when you come to faith in Jesus Christ. 494 00:23:39,140 –> 00:23:40,959 Paul states this particularly clearly 495 00:23:40,959 –> 00:23:44,739 in Second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21, 496 00:23:44,739 –> 00:23:49,380 that God made him who had no sin to be sin for us 497 00:23:49,380 –> 00:23:53,459 so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 498 00:23:55,380 –> 00:23:58,260 And Paul puts it this way in Philippians chapter three 499 00:23:58,260 –> 00:24:00,660 in verse nine, he says, when he’s thinking 500 00:24:00,660 –> 00:24:03,699 about the last day, when you stand in the presence of God, 501 00:24:03,699 –> 00:24:07,699 he says, I want to be found in Christ, 502 00:24:07,699 –> 00:24:09,780 not having a righteousness of my own 503 00:24:09,780 –> 00:24:12,760 which comes from the law because 504 00:24:12,760 –> 00:24:15,660 of course that would be a very imperfect thing, 505 00:24:15,660 –> 00:24:17,640 but he says, I want to be in Christ 506 00:24:18,819 –> 00:24:21,560 and to have that righteousness which is through faith 507 00:24:21,560 –> 00:24:24,520 in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God 508 00:24:24,520 –> 00:24:28,819 and is by faith, that’s Philippians 3, verse nine. 509 00:24:30,319 –> 00:24:32,920 So this righteousness is achieved 510 00:24:32,920 –> 00:24:36,079 by the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ, 511 00:24:36,079 –> 00:24:39,099 the perfect life of Jesus Christ lived for you 512 00:24:39,099 –> 00:24:42,959 and faith is the means by which it becomes yours. 513 00:24:44,680 –> 00:24:47,719 Being good like God is possible through Christ’s life 514 00:24:47,719 –> 00:24:51,000 for you and on the last day you will stand 515 00:24:51,060 –> 00:24:55,300 before God in His perfect righteousness counted 516 00:24:55,300 –> 00:24:58,000 by God as if it was yours, counted as if you 517 00:24:58,000 –> 00:25:02,040 had lived the life that He lived on your behalf. 518 00:25:04,079 –> 00:25:06,400 When you come to faith in Jesus Christ, 519 00:25:06,400 –> 00:25:11,239 you receive forgiveness through His death for you 520 00:25:12,599 –> 00:25:15,880 but you also receive righteousness 521 00:25:15,880 –> 00:25:18,459 through His life for you. 522 00:25:19,400 –> 00:25:23,000 That’s how it’s possible to enter into heaven 523 00:25:23,859 –> 00:25:27,500 where only those who are good like God can be. 524 00:25:29,619 –> 00:25:31,219 But then there is one more thing 525 00:25:31,219 –> 00:25:34,260 that the New Testament makes plain to us. 526 00:25:35,579 –> 00:25:39,079 When you come to faith in Jesus Christ, 527 00:25:39,079 –> 00:25:41,339 you not only receive forgiveness through His death 528 00:25:41,339 –> 00:25:43,099 for you and righteousness, goodness, 529 00:25:43,099 –> 00:25:47,319 through His life for you, but there is one more thing 530 00:25:47,400 –> 00:25:51,260 and that is you receive His Holy Spirit. 531 00:25:53,680 –> 00:25:55,660 There is no such thing in the New Testament 532 00:25:55,660 –> 00:25:58,459 is a Christian who does not have the Holy Spirit of God. 533 00:25:59,540 –> 00:26:01,800 Those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ 534 00:26:01,800 –> 00:26:05,520 receive not only forgiveness and righteousness from Christ 535 00:26:05,520 –> 00:26:08,140 but receive the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. 536 00:26:08,140 –> 00:26:10,800 Paul says if you do not have the Spirit of Christ, 537 00:26:10,800 –> 00:26:12,300 you do not belong to Christ. 538 00:26:12,300 –> 00:26:16,140 It’s that essential to what it means to be a Christian. 539 00:26:18,280 –> 00:26:21,560 His death in the place of your death. 540 00:26:21,560 –> 00:26:23,140 His life in the place of your life 541 00:26:23,140 –> 00:26:27,239 and His Spirit to live in your heart. 542 00:26:27,239 –> 00:26:28,920 That’s what it means to become a Christian. 543 00:26:28,920 –> 00:26:31,219 And if we separate what God has joined together, 544 00:26:31,219 –> 00:26:36,219 we distort the gospel which happens way too often 545 00:26:37,079 –> 00:26:37,920 in our time. 546 00:26:39,520 –> 00:26:41,359 Now eeping together what God has put together, 547 00:26:41,359 –> 00:26:42,640 let’s ask this question. 548 00:26:43,640 –> 00:26:48,479 What would it look like for the Spirit of Jesus 549 00:26:50,300 –> 00:26:53,119 to live in the life of a person today? 550 00:26:55,239 –> 00:26:58,040 Well, we’ve been singing a lot 551 00:26:58,040 –> 00:27:01,560 about what the Spirit of Jesus was like 552 00:27:01,560 –> 00:27:04,280 in His earthly life. 553 00:27:05,439 –> 00:27:07,760 II Corinthians 8-9. 554 00:27:07,760 –> 00:27:11,780 He was rich. 555 00:27:11,780 –> 00:27:15,280 He was rich. 556 00:27:16,699 –> 00:27:20,619 And for our sakes He became what? 557 00:27:20,619 –> 00:27:22,160 Poor. 558 00:27:22,160 –> 00:27:25,900 So that we, through His poverty, might become rich. 559 00:27:25,900 –> 00:27:28,260 That’s what Jesus did. 560 00:27:28,260 –> 00:27:30,819 In other words, Jesus did precisely 561 00:27:30,819 –> 00:27:33,579 what He was asking the rich young ruler to do. 562 00:27:33,579 –> 00:27:36,900 We’ve been singing about it over Christmas, haven’t we? 563 00:27:37,160 –> 00:27:39,400 Now, who was rich beyond all splendour. 564 00:27:39,400 –> 00:27:41,560 All for love’s sake became as poor. 565 00:27:41,560 –> 00:27:44,000 So what would the spirit of this Jesus 566 00:27:44,000 –> 00:27:46,020 look like in your life today? 567 00:27:48,119 –> 00:27:49,680 Here’s what it would look like. 568 00:27:51,119 –> 00:27:53,119 Radical generosity. 569 00:27:54,780 –> 00:27:57,319 That’s the spirit of Jesus, isn’t it? 570 00:27:57,319 –> 00:27:59,160 Who was rich beyond all splendour, 571 00:27:59,160 –> 00:28:01,380 and all for love’s sake, became as poor. 572 00:28:01,780 –> 00:28:05,119 Extreme self-giving. 573 00:28:08,199 –> 00:28:10,119 Unusual sacrifice. 574 00:28:10,119 –> 00:28:12,359 That’s what the spirit of Jesus would look like 575 00:28:12,359 –> 00:28:14,380 in me or in you today, isn’t it? 576 00:28:16,739 –> 00:28:20,560 And that’s what becoming good like God looks like. 577 00:28:21,839 –> 00:28:24,160 That’s where the Holy Spirit will take you 578 00:28:24,160 –> 00:28:28,479 in increasing measure as you follow after Jesus Christ 579 00:28:28,479 –> 00:28:29,880 if that’s what you’re doing. 580 00:28:31,819 –> 00:28:33,459 And if Christ’s Spirit lives within you, 581 00:28:33,459 –> 00:28:35,599 you will probably find a strong desire 582 00:28:35,599 –> 00:28:39,180 even now growing within you to say, 583 00:28:40,119 –> 00:28:42,160 that’s the kind of life I want to pursue, 584 00:28:43,560 –> 00:28:45,719 a life of radical generosity 585 00:28:47,239 –> 00:28:52,239 and of extreme self-giving and of unusual sacrifice. 586 00:28:52,239 –> 00:28:55,699 And of course your flesh will shout and fight against that 587 00:28:55,699 –> 00:28:57,500 but the Spirit within you is greater 588 00:28:57,500 –> 00:28:58,900 than the power of your flesh 589 00:28:58,900 –> 00:29:00,900 and all things are possible with God. 590 00:29:02,339 –> 00:29:05,300 That’s what an authentic Christian life looks like. 591 00:29:07,319 –> 00:29:09,280 The beginning of goodness like God 592 00:29:09,280 –> 00:29:11,119 being worked out in reality 593 00:29:11,119 –> 00:29:13,800 and increasingly until one day that’s completed 594 00:29:13,800 –> 00:29:16,680 in the presence of Jesus Christ in glory. 595 00:29:16,680 –> 00:29:17,880 Real Christianity. 596 00:29:19,540 –> 00:29:23,339 Of course Peter immediately twigs to what Jesus is saying 597 00:29:23,339 –> 00:29:25,680 and so he wants to give a little gentle reminder here. 598 00:29:25,680 –> 00:29:28,900 He says to Jesus, verse 28, 599 00:29:29,040 –> 00:29:31,140 we have left everything to follow you. 600 00:29:32,239 –> 00:29:36,819 And Jesus knows that and he never forgets any sacrifice, 601 00:29:36,819 –> 00:29:38,680 any extending of self 602 00:29:38,680 –> 00:29:41,819 that is done in the Cause of Christ and in the Gospel. 603 00:29:41,819 –> 00:29:45,260 And look at what he says in verse 29 and verse 30, 604 00:29:45,260 –> 00:29:47,479 and so many of us in this congregation 605 00:29:47,479 –> 00:29:50,560 have proved through the years that this is true. 606 00:29:50,560 –> 00:29:53,400 Jesus says, verse 29, I tell you the truth, 607 00:29:54,400 –> 00:29:57,000 no one who has left home, 608 00:29:57,979 –> 00:30:01,479 or brothers, or sisters, or mother or father, 609 00:30:02,439 –> 00:30:06,660 or children or fields, for me and for the Gospel. 610 00:30:06,660 –> 00:30:11,579 You’ve extended yourself, you’ve made great sacrifice, 611 00:30:11,579 –> 00:30:14,500 radical generosity, extreme self-giving 612 00:30:14,500 –> 00:30:15,819 for me and for the Gospel. 613 00:30:15,819 –> 00:30:17,660 No one who’s done that will fail to receive 614 00:30:17,660 –> 00:30:20,400 a hundred times as much in this present age. 615 00:30:20,420 –> 00:30:24,839 Homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields. 616 00:30:24,839 –> 00:30:26,540 A hundred times as much now. 617 00:30:29,479 –> 00:30:32,760 The blessing of God poured out into the lives 618 00:30:32,760 –> 00:30:37,760 of those who extend themselves in self-giving 619 00:30:38,739 –> 00:30:40,479 for the sake of the Gospel. 620 00:30:41,839 –> 00:30:43,880 Reflected in all that you need 621 00:30:43,880 –> 00:30:46,359 to live as homes. 622 00:30:47,839 –> 00:30:50,260 The gift of wonderful relationships 623 00:30:51,079 –> 00:30:52,339 which you will find increasingly you enjoy 624 00:30:52,339 –> 00:30:55,300 as you give yourself in the service of Jesus Christ. 625 00:30:57,180 –> 00:30:58,640 And fruitfulness in ministry 626 00:30:58,640 –> 00:31:01,599 which is what I take the meaning of children to be here. 627 00:31:01,599 –> 00:31:03,979 If you’ve left children and you’ll have children, 628 00:31:03,979 –> 00:31:06,500 he must be referring to spiritual children, 629 00:31:06,500 –> 00:31:09,099 the abundance of fruit of ministry 630 00:31:09,099 –> 00:31:11,619 where God’s people extend themselves. 631 00:31:12,540 –> 00:31:13,380 And then he says, 632 00:31:13,380 –> 00:31:16,459 just so that we don’t get too carried away here Verse 30 633 00:31:16,459 –> 00:31:19,760 and with them you’ll have some persecutions as well. 634 00:31:19,760 –> 00:31:22,199 In other words, your experience in this life will be mixed. 635 00:31:22,199 –> 00:31:23,900 There will be suffering, there will be setbacks, 636 00:31:23,900 –> 00:31:25,739 there will be pain, there will be disappointments 637 00:31:25,739 –> 00:31:28,619 in with the blessing and in the age to come 638 00:31:28,619 –> 00:31:33,619 Jesus says there will still ahead of you be eternal life. 639 00:31:36,579 –> 00:31:40,699 And there are scores in this congregation 640 00:31:42,459 –> 00:31:44,780 who know that for every sacrifice 641 00:31:44,780 –> 00:31:46,560 and all the sacrifice put together 642 00:31:46,599 –> 00:31:50,380 that you have made for Christ and for the gospel 643 00:31:51,599 –> 00:31:56,000 you have received far far far far more 644 00:31:56,000 –> 00:31:58,479 than you ever have given or ever could give. 645 00:32:00,160 –> 00:32:02,239 And you find yourself with a sense of wonder 646 00:32:02,239 –> 00:32:07,239 thanking God for the richness of his blessing in your life. 647 00:32:10,319 –> 00:32:12,079 Radical generosity, 648 00:32:12,939 –> 00:32:16,060 unusual self-giving, 649 00:32:17,239 –> 00:32:21,479 extreme sacrifice for Christ and for the gospel. 650 00:32:23,079 –> 00:32:28,079 And blessing just multiplied now and for all eternity 651 00:32:30,920 –> 00:32:31,920 is what he says. 652 00:32:34,520 –> 00:32:36,619 That’s what a spirit-filled life looks like. 653 00:32:37,619 –> 00:32:42,339 That’s what the spirit of Jesus in us today looks like. 654 00:32:43,719 –> 00:32:45,199 That’s where he takes us. 655 00:32:46,819 –> 00:32:49,619 So quick summary and then just one final thing. 656 00:32:51,300 –> 00:32:53,459 To enter heaven, you must be good like God. 657 00:32:54,939 –> 00:32:57,040 Salvation involves a real change 658 00:32:57,040 –> 00:33:00,260 in which a person becomes good like God. 659 00:33:00,260 –> 00:33:02,280 This is impossible with man, 660 00:33:03,540 –> 00:33:05,420 but all things are possible with God 661 00:33:05,520 –> 00:33:08,260 and becoming good like God is possible for you 662 00:33:08,260 –> 00:33:10,500 through Christ’s life for you 663 00:33:11,560 –> 00:33:14,619 and through Christ’s spirit in you. 664 00:33:14,619 –> 00:33:18,040 We must never separate what God has joined together 665 00:33:18,040 –> 00:33:21,640 or we will distort the beauty of the gospel 666 00:33:21,640 –> 00:33:23,619 and we will turn it into something ugly 667 00:33:23,619 –> 00:33:28,160 that will be understandably despised in the world. 668 00:33:29,859 –> 00:33:32,760 Now here’s the last thing and it’s simply an application. 669 00:33:33,599 –> 00:33:38,599 Christians are people who count on God to do what we can’t. 670 00:33:39,619 –> 00:33:43,119 This is a wonderful truth that directly comes 671 00:33:43,119 –> 00:33:45,359 from the teaching of Jesus here. 672 00:33:45,359 –> 00:33:49,699 Christians count on God doing what we can’t. 673 00:33:49,699 –> 00:33:52,900 Let’s just take in one more time, verse 27, 674 00:33:52,900 –> 00:33:54,660 with man this is impossible, 675 00:33:54,660 –> 00:33:58,180 but not with God, all things are possible with God. 676 00:33:59,099 –> 00:34:02,459 So Christians are folks who count on God 677 00:34:02,459 –> 00:34:03,660 doing what we can’t. 678 00:34:03,660 –> 00:34:05,099 That’s good news. 679 00:34:06,680 –> 00:34:08,419 Perhaps you have a son or daughter, 680 00:34:08,419 –> 00:34:09,780 someone you’re really concerned about 681 00:34:09,780 –> 00:34:11,620 who is far from being good like God. 682 00:34:11,620 –> 00:34:14,280 No interest in the things of God or of eternity. 683 00:34:14,280 –> 00:34:15,939 You can’t imagine them changing, 684 00:34:15,939 –> 00:34:18,159 and Jesus would say to you today, 685 00:34:18,159 –> 00:34:20,219 yes, with man it is impossible, 686 00:34:20,219 –> 00:34:23,060 but all things are possible with God. 687 00:34:23,060 –> 00:34:24,939 Don’t forget that. 688 00:34:24,939 –> 00:34:26,139 Struggling in a marriage 689 00:34:26,139 –> 00:34:27,780 or some other difficult situation, 690 00:34:27,800 –> 00:34:30,899 the end of one year, the dawning of another soon, 691 00:34:30,899 –> 00:34:32,739 and you think, how long can I go on, 692 00:34:32,739 –> 00:34:36,199 and you’re so discouraged and change seems impossible, 693 00:34:36,199 –> 00:34:37,320 then Jesus would say to you, 694 00:34:37,320 –> 00:34:39,500 yes, it’s impossible with man, 695 00:34:39,500 –> 00:34:44,500 but all things are possible with God. 696 00:34:44,760 –> 00:34:47,600 Christians are folks who believe that. 697 00:34:47,600 –> 00:34:49,899 Christians are folks who count on God 698 00:34:49,899 –> 00:34:51,179 doing what we can’t. 699 00:34:51,179 –> 00:34:52,679 That’s what we’re learning here, 700 00:34:52,679 –> 00:34:54,080 and if you’re a Christian, 701 00:34:54,080 –> 00:34:55,820 you have staked your eternity on that. 702 00:34:55,879 –> 00:34:59,080 That is what you stake your soul on. 703 00:34:59,080 –> 00:35:01,820 I cannot be good like God, it is beyond my power, 704 00:35:01,820 –> 00:35:04,659 so I hang on the good and righteous life 705 00:35:04,659 –> 00:35:06,300 of Jesus Christ live for me. 706 00:35:06,300 –> 00:35:08,840 I depend on the gracious work and power 707 00:35:08,840 –> 00:35:10,959 of His spirit within me. 708 00:35:10,959 –> 00:35:13,560 That’s our position. 709 00:35:13,560 –> 00:35:16,500 That’s where you stand as a Christian 710 00:35:16,500 –> 00:35:19,639 in relation to eternity and in relation to your soul. 711 00:35:19,639 –> 00:35:20,600 It’s that big. 712 00:35:20,600 –> 00:35:21,840 Now, here’s the question. 713 00:35:23,600 –> 00:35:24,899 What would it be like 714 00:35:26,060 –> 00:35:28,219 to be part of a group of people 715 00:35:29,459 –> 00:35:33,260 who approach ministry in the same way 716 00:35:33,260 –> 00:35:35,820 as we believe for salvation? 717 00:35:37,179 –> 00:35:38,760 What if we were consistent 718 00:35:39,860 –> 00:35:44,379 between what we say from the Scripture about salvation 719 00:35:44,379 –> 00:35:48,540 and what we do in relation to ministry? 720 00:35:50,100 –> 00:35:54,060 Suppose that instead of having discussions about ministry 721 00:35:54,060 –> 00:35:55,739 that keep coming back to things like 722 00:35:55,739 –> 00:35:57,679 what we think we can do. 723 00:35:58,879 –> 00:36:00,879 Which is not how the kingdom of God advances 724 00:36:00,879 –> 00:36:02,280 according to Jesus here. 725 00:36:04,600 –> 00:36:07,060 Suppose we decided together 726 00:36:07,919 –> 00:36:10,560 that we would count on God doing what we can’t. 727 00:36:14,540 –> 00:36:16,280 I say this with feeling. 728 00:36:19,459 –> 00:36:22,379 Because one of the biggest dangers 729 00:36:22,459 –> 00:36:26,060 that a church as blessed as we are falls into 730 00:36:28,899 –> 00:36:33,699 is that we think of ministry in terms of what we can do, 731 00:36:33,699 –> 00:36:38,199 in terms of our forecasts of what we think we can resource. 732 00:36:38,199 –> 00:36:39,899 We evaluate everything 733 00:36:41,260 –> 00:36:44,340 by what is possible with man. 734 00:36:47,100 –> 00:36:50,699 And that is not the way in which God’s kingdom extends 735 00:36:50,739 –> 00:36:52,879 according to the teaching of Jesus here. 736 00:36:54,300 –> 00:36:55,919 Christ’s kingdom advances 737 00:36:55,919 –> 00:36:57,979 through what is impossible with man, 738 00:36:57,979 –> 00:37:00,100 he says, but possible with God. 739 00:37:02,340 –> 00:37:03,919 So in November, 740 00:37:05,199 –> 00:37:07,699 our Congregational Meeting adopted a statement 741 00:37:07,699 –> 00:37:08,540 of our mission, 742 00:37:10,060 –> 00:37:13,520 which says that we seek to glorify God by multiplying. 743 00:37:15,459 –> 00:37:17,699 God-centered, Christ-exalting, 744 00:37:17,699 –> 00:37:21,280 world-transforming believers through the gospel 745 00:37:23,260 –> 00:37:25,060 in the greater Chicago area 746 00:37:26,659 –> 00:37:28,139 and around the world. 747 00:37:29,939 –> 00:37:31,760 You say, how can we do that? 748 00:37:33,820 –> 00:37:34,820 It’s impossible. 749 00:37:36,340 –> 00:37:37,860 We can’t do that. 750 00:37:39,739 –> 00:37:42,620 All things are possible with God 751 00:37:42,620 –> 00:37:45,419 and Christians are those 752 00:37:45,419 –> 00:37:48,080 who count on God to do what we can’t. 753 00:37:49,459 –> 00:37:52,979 You’d stake your own soul on that for eternity. 754 00:37:52,979 –> 00:37:57,840 The question is, will we stake our ministry on that now? 755 00:37:59,699 –> 00:38:01,199 Or will we be the kind of people 756 00:38:01,199 –> 00:38:04,159 who simply look at things in terms of what we reckon 757 00:38:04,159 –> 00:38:06,199 on our own evaluation we are able to do 758 00:38:06,199 –> 00:38:08,800 on the basis of the past, then we project the future? 759 00:38:11,060 –> 00:38:15,239 In the gospel, God calls us to live on the impossible. 760 00:38:15,979 –> 00:38:17,840 Not only individually, but together. 761 00:38:19,219 –> 00:38:23,020 On Christ’s doing for us, in us and then through us 762 00:38:23,020 –> 00:38:25,340 what we cannot do for ourselves. 763 00:38:27,780 –> 00:38:31,340 I’m excited about us as a congregation 764 00:38:31,340 –> 00:38:35,379 growing and what it means to count on God 765 00:38:35,379 –> 00:38:36,879 to do what we can’t. 766 00:38:38,620 –> 00:38:40,979 To start actually asking God for some things 767 00:38:40,979 –> 00:38:42,020 that are not within the realm 768 00:38:42,020 –> 00:38:44,060 of what we’re confident we can do, 769 00:38:45,040 –> 00:38:47,020 but to start asking God for some things 770 00:38:47,020 –> 00:38:49,899 that are beyond what we’re confident we can do. 771 00:38:51,000 –> 00:38:53,580 Because the way that the kingdom moves forward 772 00:38:53,580 –> 00:38:55,919 in this world is not through what’s possible with man, 773 00:38:55,919 –> 00:38:58,020 but through what’s impossible with man, 774 00:38:58,959 –> 00:39:00,500 but what is possible with God. 775 00:39:00,500 –> 00:39:02,699 And I think the most important thing that I can say 776 00:39:02,699 –> 00:39:04,840 in this last message is that this is the time 777 00:39:04,840 –> 00:39:07,459 for us to get ready spiritually 778 00:39:08,419 –> 00:39:12,500 for that kind of faith and that kind of venture. 779 00:39:13,459 –> 00:39:17,020 See, that’s what 120 people were doing 780 00:39:17,020 –> 00:39:21,179 in an upper room, 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus. 781 00:39:22,860 –> 00:39:26,699 120 people, and this is all that Jesus had asked them to do. 782 00:39:28,580 –> 00:39:30,360 Make disciples of all nations. 783 00:39:31,739 –> 00:39:34,479 Go into all the world and preach the Gospel. 784 00:39:34,479 –> 00:39:38,659 How in all the world do 120 people 785 00:39:39,300 –> 00:39:41,159 in an upstairs room do that? 786 00:39:41,159 –> 00:39:45,280 How do 120 people change the Roman Empire? 787 00:39:45,280 –> 00:39:47,659 It’s impossible with man. 788 00:39:49,179 –> 00:39:53,260 But all things are possible with God. 789 00:39:54,459 –> 00:39:55,860 And this is what we believe. 790 00:39:57,060 –> 00:39:59,520 This is what we have staked our own souls 791 00:39:59,520 –> 00:40:01,760 and our own eternity on. 792 00:40:03,659 –> 00:40:05,780 And if we believe it for our souls, 793 00:40:05,780 –> 00:40:07,959 we should believe it for our church. 794 00:40:08,860 –> 00:40:10,000 For our ministry. 795 00:40:11,360 –> 00:40:13,399 And if this is truly what we believe, 796 00:40:14,320 –> 00:40:18,260 then we should pray, we should plan, 797 00:40:18,260 –> 00:40:22,120 and we should act in the light of it. 798 00:40:23,340 –> 00:40:25,340 Let’s bow together in prayer. 799 00:40:26,780 –> 00:40:31,139 Father, we feel within us a great desire 800 00:40:31,139 –> 00:40:34,219 not to be like the self-sufficient young ruler 801 00:40:34,219 –> 00:40:36,060 who walked away from Jesus 802 00:40:38,100 –> 00:40:40,139 but to be with the disciples who followed 803 00:40:40,139 –> 00:40:45,139 and were led by Your Spirit into radical generosity 804 00:40:46,179 –> 00:40:50,419 and unusual self-sacrifice and extreme self-giving 805 00:40:54,060 –> 00:40:57,100 and are now in Your presence because they stand 806 00:40:57,100 –> 00:40:59,919 in the righteousness of Your life, Lord Jesus. 807 00:40:59,919 –> 00:41:01,520 Live for them and for us. 808 00:41:02,479 –> 00:41:04,340 So settle Your word in our hearts 809 00:41:04,340 –> 00:41:06,300 and do with it as You will. 810 00:41:07,820 –> 00:41:11,739 Take us, fill us and use us. 811 00:41:12,439 –> 00:41:14,580 May it be for Your glory and for Your honor 812 00:41:14,580 –> 00:41:15,739 the advance of Your Kingdom. 813 00:41:15,739 –> 00:41:20,020 May it not be defined by what is possible with man 814 00:41:21,459 –> 00:41:25,459 but rather what is possible with God. 815 00:41:25,459 –> 00:41:28,679 For these things we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. 816 00:41:28,679 –> 00:41:29,520 Amen. 817 00:41:31,520 –> 00:41:32,479 Amen.