“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher,
what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what
is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter
life, obey the commandments.” “Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “Do
not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,
honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.” “All these I
have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Matthew
19:16-20
As we study the
story of the rich young ruler we make an alarming discovery. You can be 80%
right and still be 100% wrong. The young man in this story did a lot of things
right. First, he was asking the right question. He realized that there had to
be more to his spiritual life than a bunch of do’s and don’ts. Second, he approached the right person with
his question. If anyone would be able to answer the question of eternal life,
it would be Jesus. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End! He,
obviously, led a very moral life. The fact he could claim to have never
murdered, committed adultery, stolen, or lied coupled with his commitment to
honor his father, mother and neighbors placed this man on a high moral plain. This
adherence to the Law also indicates that he was a religious man familiar with
God, the Word of God and the people of God. Overall, most of us would have been
pleased to have this man live next door to us. Surely, this man was “in the
kingdom?”
What
happened next, however, goes to show just how easy it is to be near the kingdom
of God, yet not be in it:
“Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect,
go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in
heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad,
because he had great wealth.”
Matthew
19:21-22
The young
man was unwilling to give up everything to follow Jesus. He had his hand on the
threshold of the entrance of God’s Kingdom, but never entered it. He had
something in his life he loved more than God. How about you? Are you “in God’s
Kingdom?” Have you repented of your sins and received Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior? Moral goodness, good deeds, church attendance, and serving others will
bring you near, but you must be willing to give up everything to follow Christ
in order to enter in.
Pastor Scott Burr
http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment