Treasure

Scripture

As Jesus was starting out on His way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to Him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.  But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’  “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.  Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!”  This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

Pray

Who is Jesus?

This man is wealthy and powerful, two things you and I some degree, aspire to.

“Would you like to be powerful or powerless?” I vote powerful.

“Do you want to be poor or rich?” I vote rich.

He’s the kind of man that is admired, becomes a celebrity, becomes emulated.

This conversation reveals his estimation of himself. He doesn’t ask, “what must I experience, But, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

His question is, “How can I save myself? “What religious work, what large check, what sacred pilgrimage do I need to do so that, in addition to all my achievements, I can add, He saved himself.

He starts with arrogance, not with humility.He comes with his hands full of his achievements, asking Jesus what else he could do to show how worthy he was.

Jesus says, “let’s start with the Ten Commandments.” There are 613 commandments in the first 5 books of the Old Testament alone. They are summarized in Exodus 20 in the Ten Commandments.

The guy says, “I know them. I’ve obeyed them fully since I was little.”

He’s saying, “I’m not perfect, but I’m pretty close. I’m not sinless, but some might think I am. That’s how close I have come.”

What’s his view of Jesus? Jesus is a “good teacher” Many want to put Jesus in that category. “He’s like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, or Mother Teresa.

He’s a good leader, good teacher, lived a good life, helped people.

He’s a fantastic example. Not a Savior.

Jesus rebukes him. Don’t do as he did, try to reduce Jesus to someone that He’s not. Jesus is a good teacher, the finest teacher in the history of the world. But He’s far more than just a good teacher. He’s also God become a man. Don’t call me good unless you think I’m God because God alone is truly good.

We tend to think on a scale. There are people that are really bad, pretty bad, not too bad, pretty good, really good.

God doesn’t have a sliding scale. He has two categories: sinner, sinless.

Jesus Christ alone is without sin and in a category unto himself.

Jesus is not the best among us. He’s not just a good man, He’s the God-man.

It’s not like He’s a philosophy prophet at a university. He’s here to atone for the sin of the world, not just throw out good moral truisms.”

Any other religious leader would have said “Do this, don’t do this, and you can save yourself.

What Is an Idol?

Jesus says, “One thing you still lack.”

He is getting to the heart of God’s commandments.

“I haven’t stolen.” But you become jealous when someone has something you don’t? Then you’re guilty in your heart.

“I’ve never committed adultery.” Jesus says if you lust in your heart, you’ve committed adultery by intent. God cares about our actions and motivations

Jesus sees his heart and mind as Jesus sees yours. Outwardly you’ve kept the commandments, but not the spirit of the commandments.

“I take my wife on date every week, but you don’t love her. You check the box, but you don’t have the emotional commitment.

Martin Luther - “really, there are two commandments and then implications and applications of those two commandments. And the first two commandments are these, The first commandment is there’s one God alone. The second commandment is you are to only worship that God alone.”

If this rich young ruler walked into the office of a behavioral psychologist they would ask tell me about your life. My business is going well. I don’t have any addictions, sexual sin, gambling problem. Health is good. I’m rich and powerful.

The counselor says, “I don’t think we need a follow-up appointment. You have a fantastic life. You have no addictions. You have no destructive compulsions. You’re not harming anyone. In fact, you should be the counselor.”

We evaluate people based upon their outward moral behavior. And if they’re not behaving rightly, we want to change their behavior. And the issue is Jesus isn’t trying to change the man’s behavior, he’s trying to change his God. It’s far deeper. The man doesn’t have addictions, but he worships the wrong god.

If you commit adultery, your problem is not sexual, its that you’re worshiping the wrong god. You’re worshiping pleasure. As a result you committed idolatrous worship act of adultery.

If you’re someone who overeats, your problem is not food it’s idolatry. When sad you go to food for comfort, happy you go to food to rejoice, done something good, you reward yourself with food. Worship God, you won’t worship food.

“We want to modify your behavior. So we’re going to give you principles which could be helpful. But all we do for you is change your idol.

Good, you don’t worship food anymore, now you worship control. And because We’ve exchanged idols, we found an idol that the rest of us prefer.”

John Calvin says rightly that “the human heart is an idol factory.”

We’ll give up one idol to get another or control another.

It’s not about behavior modification. It’s about worship alteration.

Jesus says, “Let’s find your idol. Let’s not look at your behavior.”

“I feel like I’m a good person. I don’t have any massive behavior problems that are out of control.” let’s lift up the rock of pride. There may be something there.

He was his own god, and that is what most of us worship. Look at my success, achievements, accomplishments, possessions. Look at all that I have done. It’s pretty fantastic. It was all for his glory, not God’s.

Idolatry is often a good thing that becomes a god thing. A good thing in a bad place. Something the Lord gives to functioning as a substitute lord.

Everyone is made as a worshiper. We pour ourselves out to someone or thing that is essential and central to us.

Worship acts are sacrifices. We sacrifice our time, health, money. We say no to things because we idolize one thing.

Idols promise something that only the kingdom can ultimately provide.

Jesus transitions to the kingdom.“If you give up your idols, I promise what you’re seeking will ultimately be satisfied in the kingdom.” This man is worshiping his possessions. Why? It gives him status.

Jesus says, “Let go of your idol, let me give you status that lasts forever.”

Idols give us an identity. “I’m pretty. I’m smart. I’m funny. I’m successful. I just don’t care.” Those are all identities.

Idols want to give us comfort, peace, security, meaning, value, purpose, fun, identity, and community. They over promise and under deliver.

He worships himself and he cares about his status, and comfort.

“You don’t think you’ve broken any of the Ten Commandments? Okay, then sell all your stuff and give it to the poor. Have me as your treasure or your stuff.

You willing to go to a simpler lifestyle, and downsize to follow me, you're homeless God? It says, The man left very sad because he was extremely rich.

Jesus found his idol.

What would you be unwilling to give up to follow Jesus?

Cling to as you walk away from Jesus?

We often do not know what our idol is until we face the prospect of losing it.

“I don’t have an idol.” Because your idol is safe and secure, you’re unaware that it’s an idol. As soon as there is the prospect of losing it everything changes.

“I don’t have any sin and I don’t have any idolatry that is motivating my sin.”Then sell your stuff and give all the money to the poor.

Today’s equivalent take your car, clothes, technology, furniture, put it all on eBay, and give all the money to someone who’s poor. Downsize your standard of living. Upgrade your standard of giving. Take the bus. Follow me.”

How many say, “Yeah, that would be hard?

Four things about your idols

Idols consume our life as we pursue them.

Idols need to be worshiped like God and they replace God.

You can’t stop working, eating, drinking, gambling, can never be single.

Many seek to manipulate God to give us our idol. Theologies that teach this.

You worship money? Come to our church. He makes people rich.

You want to be healthy? Come to Jesus, He’ll make you healthy.

You’re single, you want to be married? He’s obligated to give a spouse.

Usually an idol is a good thing that becomes a god thing, and we seek to manipulate the real God and He cannot be manipulated.

If we get our idol, we become consumed in keeping it.

You’re the student who worships your grade point average, you have to get a 4.0. You’re consumed by it. You don’t have friends. You don’t have a job. You don’t have time for church. Why? “I’m going to get a 4.0. I worship success, accomplishment, achievement.” You’re consumed by it.

If we lose our idol, we become devastated and destroyed. “How dare you?

Jesus says to the man, “Give away your treasure.” “I am grieved.” “I am grieved as well because I’m supposed to be your treasure.”

We should have a treasure. Our treasure should be Jesus.

“If you idolize one thing you demonize the other” -Jonathan Edwards

If you idolize your spouse, it’s only a matter of time before they disappoint you because your spouse is not a good god. If you idolize a job, home, car, standard of living, peace, comfort, security, fun and pleasure, eventually it’s going to fail you because idols lie. And you’ll end up demonizing them. You’ll hate everything that has disappointed you.The problem is not the thing its our heart.

This is the hard conversation Jesus is having. The man walks up smiling, my life is fantastic. You want to see my car? You want to see my house? You want to see my friends? I appreciate the life God has given me.”

“Sell your stuff.” “Well now I’m very sad, because you’re talking about me driving up in a beater car. People aren’t gonna look at me the same. If I downsize I will be with a different class of people. I really like the food that I eat and drink and it seems like you’re asking a lot. After all, I’ve worked hard, I’ve accomplished it, and I deserve it.”

Jesus says, Me or your stuff.

“Good luck with that. You’re homeless. You don’t understand.”

Is Jesus your treasure?

One of the surest ways to find your idol is to follow your money.

’Where you put your money that’s where your heart is.

“I love the Lord, I just don’t give to Him. I love my family, but I don’t feed them.

I love single mothers, but I’ve got to have a boat, a golf game, tools in my garage and a TV. I don’t have extra. Don’t judge me. You don’t know my heart.

I do know your heart because I followed your wallet.

Your wallet is an indicator of your heart.

You don’t need to be rich to have money as your idol.

You could be poor and obsessed with money, playing the Lotto, trying to get rich quick, doing things that are illegal to get more money. Always thinking about money, not being generous, and coveting others.

Jesus is not saying, “Everyone, sell everything because the less you have, the closer you are to God.”

From Platonic dualism in ancient Greek philosophy. Not teachings of the Bible.

“God gives good gifts,” What would have happened had he said, “Okay.” No idea

Then Jesus whips out sarcasm. This may be unexpected.

A Canadian researcher, Marshall McLuhan said, “The medium is the message.” Meaning, how you say something is really what people remember.

How did Jesus say this? Do you think he was angry? “Idolatry, sell all your stuff!” Was this like an IRS audit “I’m from the kingdom of God. I know you tried to hide some of your assets. And I’m here to collect,”

When Jesus says, “It’s easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle than to get you into the kingdom of heaven,” religious commentators don’t think Jesus had any sense of wit, humor, irony, sarcasm.

They all sat around. “Hmm, okay, what could this mean?”

So commentators say.“There was this wall around the city of Jerusalem and then there must have been a little doorway called the eye of the needle and the camel would shimmy through a little hole in the wall and that’s how you got your camel through the wall into the city. There’s no evidence of that. It’s like unicorns and honest politicians. How many of you have heard that? It doesn’t exist.

Jesus here is telling a joke. They would have understood it. Sometimes because of the difference between our cultures we don’t get the irony.

He wasn’t making fun, he was him inviting to take himself less seriously

2 ways to find your idols: Follow your wallet, Figure out what’s not funny to you

Conclusion

Here’s the big idea you need to get rid of whatever is between you and God

I don’t know what it is for you. For each of us, it’s something different.

Maybe Jesus would look to the guy and say, “I need you to get all your stuff, put it on craigslist, eBay, give all the money away, downsize, simplify, follow me.”

Or maybe He would have looked at him like Abraham looked at Isaac when he was gonna sacrifice him and said, “You know what? Now that we see what’s in your heart, no need to do that. It’s not about the stuff, it’s about me. I don’t know.

Jesus needs to be your treasure, and they need to be a gift that He gives

What is between you and following Jesus?