A Tragic Moment
Series Sermon #2
A TRAGIC MOMENT
DATE JANUARY 13, 2013
17As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” 20He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” 21Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Introduction
We are continuing to look at the personal encounters the Lord Jesus
had while He walked here on the earth. Most of the personal encounters
Jesus had while He was on this earth ended gloriously. Most often, the
people who met Jesus were healed, saved and eternally changed.
However, not every meeting ended so gloriously! In our text today, we are
presented with a man who had a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus
Christ that ended tragically.
I would like for us to look into this encounter today, because I fear that
there are many people attending our Pentecostal churches who are in the same
condition as this young man. They want to be saved and they may even
feel that they are saved, but they have no understanding of what genuine,
biblical salvation is all about.
Sermon
Well, in this passage, the Lord Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms just
what it takes to be saved. I do not know where you stand with the Lord
today, but I do know that if you are not saved, you need to be and you will
hear how you can be today. If, for some reason, you have been mislead
about your salvation, then you will hear how you can come to know Jesus
today. All I ask is that you let the Lord speak to your heart, and if He calls
you to come to Him, then I want you to come. Let’s look together at another
moment with the Master and consider A Tragic Moment.
I. V. 17 THE MAN AND HIS DESIRE
(Ill. This particular encounter is mentioned by Matthew (Matt. 19:16-22),
Luke (Luke 18:18-23) and of course here, in our text, by Mark. All three
of the Gospel writers add additional detail concerning this man who has
come to be known as The Rich Young Ruler. For the sake of our
study, it would be time well spent to get to know him just a little bit
better.)
A. The Person Who Came - All three evangelists tell us that he was a
rich man. Matthew tells us that he was young (19:22) and Luke
tells us that he was a ruler (18:18). This probably means that he
was a ruler in the synagogue. When all the facts concerning this
man are considered, it becomes clear that this young man had many
things going for him in his life.
1. He has Youth - Youth is a wonderful thing! There is no better
time to give one’s life to the Lord, Ecc. 12:1. If you are young
and unsaved, let me challenge you to come to Jesus today!
Don’t waste your life! Don’t burn the candle for the devil and
then blow the smoke of a wasted life in the face of God
someday. Come to Jesus now, while He can use you for His
glory and make something special out of your life!
2. He has Wealth - This young man has plenty of this world’s
goods, v. 22. Now, there is nothing wrong with having money!
Money itself isn’t evil, it is when money has you that problems
begin to creep in, 1 Tim. 6:10.
3. He has Morality and Religion - This man is living a clean, moral
life. Notice that Jesus did not rebuke him when he claimed to
have kept the commandments. Outwardly, this man’s life was
clean and pure. That is a wonderful thing! It ought to be true
about every person in this room.
4. He has Position - Luke says that he is a ruler, (18:18). As I said
a moment ago, this probably means that he is a leader in the
synagogue. He is a man of some influence in local religious
circles. That too is a good thing!
5. From every outward appearance, this man was the ideal young
person. He was everything a mother might want her son to be.
He was clean cut, religious, industrious and morally clean. He
was the envy of everyone!
B. The Problem He Carried - In spite of all he has going for him, this
man had one mighty big skeleton in his closet! In spite of all that he
had, he still had an itch he could not scratch! He had found that his
youth left him unsatisfied. His money had left him feeling unfulfilled.
His morality, his clean living and his religious activity had not been
able to satisfy the deepest longing of his soul. His swift climb up the
rungs of the social ladder had failed to give him what he wanted
most: peace with God. So, he comes with haste to Jesus. He falls
down before the Lord and he cries out to Christ.
(Note: Maybe there are people in this room in the same shape as
this young men. From every outward appearance, you have it
made. Life has been good to you. You have a little money. Maybe
you have climbed up the social ladder a little ways. Maybe your
name is well known and you are well thought of in the community.
Maybe you are a good person, who has lived a clean, moral life.
Maybe you are a church member, a leader, a teacher, and everyone
thinks your life is complete.
But, in spite of all you have, there is still something missing in
your life. You know you have what it takes to live, but you also know
that you are unprepared to die. You have everything you want and
need materially, but you do not have spiritual peace with God.
Everything looks good on the outside, but the insides are all messed
up. If that describes you, then keep listening, because Jesus has a
word of hope for you!)
II. V. 17-21 THE MAN AND HIS DECEPTION
A. V. 17 The Confusion - As this young man comes to Jesus, he gets
several things right. Notice:
1. He comes to the right Person - He had evidently heard of
Jesus and knows that if anyone can help him, Jesus can. We
will say more about that in a moment.
2. He comes in the right way - He comes running, because he
knows the urgency of the situation. (Note: Nothing in life is as
urgent as your salvation! Life could end at any moment and you
need to be sure that you are saved! Ill. James 4:14; Psa. 90:5-6; Psa. 144:4) He also came kneeling. This shows that he
recognized that fact that Jesus is worthy and he is not. (Note:
When you do come to Him, you will come as a broken person.
It won’t be fun and games, but there will be an understanding
that you are a sinner and He is holy. There will be a desire to
become low before Him, 1 Pet. 5:6!)
3. He comes for the right purpose - This young man came to
Jesus pondering the issues of eternity. He had the most
important things on his heart. Here is a man who has it all, yet
with all his power, his possessions and his privileges, he still
does not know that answer to the greatest of all questions. He
knows a lot of things, but he is forced to admit that he does not
know the way to Heaven! (Note: We live in the midst of one of
the most sophisticated and intellectually advanced cultures the
world has ever known, yet people still do not know the answer to
the most basic and important question of all. People do not
know how to be saved. Man can split atoms, put men on the
moon, harness the power of the sun, wind and rain, but he does
not know how to get to Heaven! Thankfully, Jesus had the
answer for this young man and He still has the answer you need
today. We will come to that in just a moment. So, if thoughts of
eternity and Heaven and how to get there are bothering you,
then hang on, because Jesus tells us exactly what we need to
know in this passage!)
4. He comes at the right time - He came when Jesus was nearby!
That is a mistake many make. They think they can come to
Jesus at anytime. They think they can come whenever it fits into
their schedule. The truth of the matter is somewhat different.
Man doesn’t come to the Lord whenever he wants, he comes to
Jesus when Jesus is passing close to him. That is why the Bible
says what it does in Isa. 55:6 and John 6:44. You never come
to Him when you want. You comes when He is calling you. You
come when He is passing by!
While this man gets several things right, he gets the main thing
terribly wrong. Notice his question in verse 17. “Good Master,
what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Matthew’s account
puts it this way, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I
may have eternal life?”, Matt. 19:16. This man knows he has a lot
of good things stacked up in his corner. He seems to think that if he
can just add some other good thing, then he can have salvation as
a reward. There are two basic problems with his question:
1. He thinks salvation can be earned - In other words, he is
looking for a “Do” oriented salvation. He wants to have a hand
in it. He wants to be involved. He wants to get his salvation like
he has gotten everything else in his life: he wants to earn it for
himself. (Note: Many people still believe that salvation is based
on “do”. They’ve got to do something to get it. Be it join a
church, get baptized, teach Sunday School, preach, give,
become a moral person and stop sinning and the list could go on
forever! The Bible tells us in no uncertain terms that salvation is
never about “Do”, Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5. Salvation, through
Jesus Christ, is always about “Done!” When Jesus died on the
cross, He said “It is finished!” He did it all and there is nothing
you and I can do you to add to it or to get it on our own.
Salvation is was achieved by Jesus when died on the cross and
rose again. It is received by us when we accepted what He did
by faith! Salvation has never been about what we can do, but it
has always been about what He did! (Ill. The Philippian Jailer
had the same questions for Paul and Silas in Acts 16:30, “Sirs,
what must I do to be saved?” Paul’s answer to him was that
there was nothing more to do but to believe, “Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ”, Acts 16:31!) Nothing has changed! If you
want to be saved, you must rest in “Done!” and forget about
“Do!”)
2. He thinks salvation is a reward - He seems to think that if he can just do enough good things, then God will give him eternal life
as a reward. Friend, salvation is not a reward for faithful service, it
is the free gift of God’s grace! We could never do enough to reach
a place where God would reward us with salvation. Heaven does
not have a “Green Stamps” plan! Salvation is not a reward for
service, but it is the gift of grace, John 10:28! More will be said
about that in a moment!
B. V. 18-20 The Confrontation - When Jesus hears what this man
wants, He responds in an unusual manner. He confronts this young
man in two specific areas.
1.
He confronts him regarding the Person
of the Savior - When this young man called Jesus Good. Jesus
reminded this young man that no one was good but God. This was designed
to make this young man consider how he viewed Jesus Christ. Was Jesus
just an elevated “teacher”
as the words “good Master”
imply, or did this young man say that he believed Jesus to be God in
the flesh? Obviously, this man only believed that Jesus was a great
teacher.
That
is one of this man’s problems! Before he, or anyone, for that
matter, can be saved, they must come to the place where they have a
correct understanding of Who Jesus Christ is. He is not just a good
moral man, a teacher sent to show us the way. No! He is far more than
that! He is God in the flesh! He is not a way-shower, He is the Way.
He is not a true dispenser, He is the Truth. He does not point out the
path to life, but He Himself is the Life! (John
14:6) Friend, do you know Who Jesus is? He isn’t just another
stop on the scenic road to Heaven. He is the only hope you have of salvation,
1 John 5:11-15; John 8:24. Finding
out Who Jesus is, is one of the primary, elementary steps in coming
to know Him!
2. He confronts him regarding the Problem of Sin - When Jesus
reminds this young man that only God is good, he is trying to get
this moral young man to see that he is a sinner. When Jesus
rattles off this list of commands, it isn’t to imply that salvation
comes by keeping them. Jesus is trying to get this man to see
that he is a sinner. He wants to extract a response from this
young man that shows he understands what salvation is all
about.
Apparently, this young man believed that salvation was just
something else he could add to his resume. But, Jesus wants
him to see that he is a sinner and as a sinner he has no ground
upon which to stand before the face of God. Jesus wants him to
see that regardless of what he may possess materially, he is
morally and spiritually bankrupt.
When this man responds to Jesus, he declares that he has
kept the Law and has not broken it. It is interesting that Jesus
doesn’t disagree with him. It may be that he is clean outwardly,
but Jesus is trying to get him to see the condition of his heart!
And, this young man never does! As far as he is concerned, he
has arrived spiritually.
(Note: This is where most people are isn’t it? They take an
external, superficial, inventory of their lives and think they are
alright. They say, “I don’t beat my wife. I don’t abuse my
children. I don’t run around. I don’t drink. I provide for my
family. I am a pretty good person. And, after all, compared
to some people, why, I am almost a saint!” Do you know
what’s wrong with that? The problem with people and their
relationship with God is not what they are outwardly, it’s what
they are inwardly! The heart of the problem is a problem with
the heart! Man is a sinner, Rom. 3:10-12, 18, 23. He can clean
up the outside all he wants to, but he is still a sinner! You can
wash a pig, perfume him and put a ribbon around his neck and
he looks clean. But, you turn him loose and he’ll head straight
to the wallow. Why? He is a pig and that is what pigs do! You
can take a corpse and comb its hair, put makeup on it, perfume
it and it looks pretty good, but it will still rot and decay. Why? It
is a dead corpse and that what corpses do! A sinner may turn
over a new leaf and look good outwardly. He may be a moral,
clean, hard working person, but he is still a sinner at heart and
he needs a Savior. That is what Jesus wanted this young man
to know and that is what He wants you to know as well.)
C.
V. 21 The
Clarification - Notice the love and compassion in the
heart of Jesus for this young man. Jesus still loved this young man
regardless of his sins and regardless of his improper understanding
of the things of God. And, friend, no matter where you are today, He
loves you too. As proof of His love, Jesus tells this young man how
to be saved. It is this message that we all need to hear today.
Jesus tells him to do three things.
1. Sell his possessions and give the money to the poor -
Jesus isn’t implying that salvation is earned by giving away
our material possessions. He is merely placing His finger on
the root of this man’s problem. He loved his money more
that he wanted God in his life. Jesus is saying, “If you want
Me, you can place nothing else ahead of Me!” By the
way, that is still the message of the Gospel today! While
many are preaching “easy believism” and telling lost
sinners, “You can come to Jesus and hang onto
everything you love in the world too.” Jesus says, “If you
aren’t willing to turn your back on everything for me,
then you can’t come to me to be saved!”, Matt. 6:24;
Matt. 16:24. That sounds harsh, and it is, but it is still
message of the Gospel. Nothing else will save!
2. Take up the cross - The cross was symbolic of death. To
take up one’s cross was to go to one’s death. Jesus is
saying, “If you want me, then you have to die to yourself!”
In other words, your loves, your goals, your desires, your
plans, everything you have, must be given up if you want to
come to Jesus! That is a message you don’t hear much
today. Preachers tell people to come to Jesus just as they
are. They say, “You don’t have to change a thing! Dress
like you want to, live like you want to, do whatever you
want to do, just pray a little prayer and everything will be
alright!” What a damnable lie! What treachery of Satan!
What foolishness! The modern church says, “Come to
Jesus on your terms and live as you please.” Jesus
says, “If you want to come to me you have to die to
yourself, and if you will do that, then I will live through
you!” Which describes the salvation you have today?
3. Follow Jesus - Here is the crux of the matter! This young
man has been following power, prestige, position and
possessions. Jesus says, “You turn your back on all that
and you follow me. That is how you get eternal life!”
This I still the call of the Gospel. God says, “Look unto me,
and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God
and there is none else”, Isa. 45:22.
The demands of the Gospel are clear. You must forsake
your sins through genuine repentance and embrace the
Savior by faith. This, and this alone, will save your soul, Ill.
Rom. 10:9! Some will say, “But pastor, if we make it
sound so hard, people won’t come! We have to make it
easy for people to get saved.” My answer is this: “We
cannot make it any easier than God has already made it,
Rom. 10:13; John 6:37. But, we must also tell the truth
about the matter. If you think you can have Jesus on the
one hand and hold to the world with the other, then you
are dead wrong. If that is what you have. Then you don’t
have salvation, you have nothing more than religion, and
you need to be saved! Our duty to this generation is not to
make the Gospel easier to swallow, but it is to tell the world
the truth. I still believe that when God speaks to hearts,
shows them their condition and draws them to Himself, they
will come to Him by faith!
III. V. 22 THE MAN AND HIS DECISION
(Ill. Here is the saddest part of this entire encounter. This young
man makes his decision, but it is a tragic decision. Let’s notice what
he did.)
A. He Made An Earthly Decision - He chose his possessions over
Jesus! He loved his money more than he wanted to be saved.
(Note: Jesus will allow you to make the same choice. It may not be
money. It may be pleasure, some sin, your family, your
independence, etc. If you want it, He will let you keep it! But, ask
yourself this question: “Is it really worth more than my soul?”
Friend, nothing is worth your soul, Mark 8:36-37!
B. He Made An Eternal Decision - One day, this man’s youth faded
and was gone. He retired from his prestigious position down at the
synagogue. Finally, age and disease overtook him and even his
vast wealth couldn’t prolong the inevitable, and he died. When he
did, he found out that his religion and his moral lifestyle were not
enough. When he died, he found himself in Hell, lost forever,
because he had walked away from the only hope he had ever had:
Jesus Christ.
Friends,
what you do with Jesus in this life, will determine what He will do
with you in the afterlife! Has He called you to follow Him? What was
your response? Did you forsake all to go after Jesus, regardless of
the cost? Is He calling you now? What will you say? Will you come to
Him and be saved, or will you go away from Him to continue to live without
Him and maybe one day to die without Him? It is decision time, what
will you do?
Invitation and Final Challenge
In verse 21, Jesus summed up this young man’s dilemma with these
words, “One thing thou lackest.” This man had everything, but the most
important thing. He had everything but he lacked Jesus! Does that describe
you? Do you have money? Position? Youth? Beauty? Health? Education?
Or anything else you can name, but still lack Jesus? Friend, you don’t have
to go another minute without Him. Today is a time of personal encounters.
Jesus is speaking to hearts right now. Don’t let you encounter with Him
become a tragic one day. Don’t walk away from Jesus, come to Him now!
--
The Rev. Lenin Kumar
The Potter's Home International Church
The Christian Living
Preparing the Bride of Christ for His arrival...
www.pottershomeinternational.
www.pottershomeinternational.
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