On the Threshold of Salvation Final notes

Mark 12:28–34

”you are not far from the Kingdom of God.” These are the parting words that Jesus gives to this Scribe - an expert in the law, a religious lawyer.

His life is devoted to knowing the Law - studying it - defining it - applying it - teaching it to others - Yet he is only near to the KoG and not in it.

As if - peering over the walls of the kingdom - observing, studying, understanding every movement - describing to others in great detail - from outside the walls.

Perhaps just a foot away from the gates and walls that would protect him from the darkness and yet he is still outside the walls and in grave danger.

Let us carefully and humbly look at what it means to be near the kingdom but not in it.

As a reminder, Jesus is still in Jerusalem in the temple Several groups of Jewish leaders have confronted Jesus and have made attempts to disqualify him by trapping him in his own words. Now this last lone scribe comes to Jesus after hearing how he answered the others so wisely. It seems that this man comes to test Jesus but his heart is not as hostile as the rest and evens seems to warm to Jesus in the conversation.

The questions itself reveals that it is another test of sorts, perhaps mixed with some genuine curiosity - what the wise Rabbi might say?

613 laws - civil, ceremonial, moral - common argument - which one is the greatest? scholar - surely had opinion - will Jesus agree with his opinion?

Jesus gives an answer and then the Scribe responds in a way - you are not far from the kingdom

We need to understand from this short interaction what it was that cause Jesus to make such a statement, and if this man is not far from the kingdom of God, what would it look like for him to be far from it? and finally, what would it look like for him to be in the kingdom of God.

So this will our direction this morning - three conditions of the soul which propel people either to or away from the Kingdom of God

The soul that is near to the Kingdom of God

The Soul that is far from the Kingdom of God

The soul that is in the Kingdom of God

The soul that is near to the Kingdom of God

What is it about this encounter that caused Jesus to declare that this man was near the kingdom of God? We need to look at the answer - response.

The question was - what is the most important commandment?

Answer combines 2 separate Scriptures

Deuteronomy 6:5 “You shall love the Yahweh with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Leviticus 19:18 “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am Yahweh.”

By doing so, Jesus brilliantly summarizes the moral law - the ten commandments. First 4 - duty before God / next 6 - duty before image bearers of God.

All ten, summarize the moral law of God. The duty of God’s people to live with God and to remain true to the covenant that God made with them to be his people.

This summary that Jesus gives is often misunderstood and thought to be easily kept - I just need to love God and I do so I am fine. But this is not at all the case. Deuteronomy chapter six where Jesus quotes from is known as the Shema - recited as a reminder of full devotion - not having warm fuzzy feelings about a god of our own invention.

context - Israel brought out - learning to live w/ holy God - LAW given - commanded to keep it with their entire hearts.

Deut. 4 = command to obedience - 5 = 10 commandments - 6 = keep them! with your entire being

To love the Lord with all of your heart - this means that every part of the will and affections. Every desire and motive are to be set upon God - nothing is reserved or laid upon another

With all of your soul - meaning your very life is willingly subjected to God - a willingness to lose your life for the sake of God.

with all of your might or strength - meaning with all of your ability and all of your possessions - every resource you have both in yourself and under your command are to be used for the glory of God.

Leviticus 19 - is a call for Israel to imitate the holiness of God - revealed by how they treated one another - love your neighbor as yourself.

no explanation in how to love yourself - even the most evil person has never ending love for themselves - we do not need to learn to love ourselves but how to love others as greatly as we love ourselves.

Jesus has his accusers in mind here - came against him not with love but hatred - looking up at them? Soon condemn scribes - poor widow

Jesus brings the full weight of the law upon this Scribe - all of the law is required to be with God

The Scribe hears this summary of the moral law and agrees with Jesus and even expands upon what is said. “you are right teacher” - “beautifully said!”

Mark 12:32–33 ESV

And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

not only agrees - adds similar verses - He quotes from Deuteronomy 4 must love Yahweh with all of your understanding - full intellect to glorify God.

1 Samuel in agreement that this summary is greater than any burnt offering.

The passage he quotes from is 1 Samuel 15 where King Saul has conquered the Amelikites - commanded to commit everything to destruction - keeps King Agog / best sheep for himself - confronted - lies - that is for a sacrifice.

1 Samuel 15:22–23 “And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.””

It seems as if this scribe is paying attention - ears are hearing - his heart is softening to the ways of God. He seems to be realizing the depth of his inability to love God as he should and that the sacrificial system is not a means to continue to sin so that grace will abound. He seems to be realizing that he is unable to sacrifice to God because he is unworthy and does not come with the right heart.

He seems to realize that the entire Moral law is required but unattainable.

From this response Jesus replies to him - “you are not far from the Kingdom of God.”

Compliment - taking a step in loving the Lord w/ soul - risking his life - praising & agreeing w/ Jesus in front of Jews who hate him.

He is near because he takes a step away from the vain worship of his fellow scribes. He is near because he sees the vanity in his own ability to love the Lord with all of his heart.

Also a serious warning - you are near but not in the Kingdom of God.

May be nearer to the KoD than others - still outside. Astounding to him - Literally in the temple - presence of God - place of worship

This scribe, while seeming to be closer to the kingdom of God than his counterparts - he is still clearly outside of the kingdom of God - standing there in the temple -place of his presence.

there he stood literally inside the walls of the temple - your close but not inside!

Just as this was a warning for this man in the temple, it is a warning to those in the church. you may be within the walls of the church and yet be only near the kingdom.

good to encourage unbelievers when they act in righteous ways - good to encourage your children as they seem to be moving closer to God - those things do not mean they are in the KoG

encourage them in righteousness - AND teach them the law and the gospel which God uses to move souls into his kingdom - do not create whitewashed tombs.

Saints often feel condemnation - we need to be reminded often of our assurance in christ - also need to examine ourselves - Paul - Corinthians, examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith.

My Friends - Do not be afraid to examine yourself - if in Christ - you will pass the test and have greater assurance in Christ. - if you fail - Christ calls you to repent and believe in him.

Remember the parable wedding feast - those invited did not come and were condemned - there were some there w/o wedding clothes - only near KoG - cast outer darkness

When conviction comes upon us we tend to put up a defense - shut down - distracted - think of others who need to hear this - humble yourself and listen with an eager ear.

It is very possible to be in the church, even your whole life and be near, but not inside the kingdom of God. It is possible to see how the church operates, to know and be able to recite the gospel, to see and explain Scripture, to lead Sunday school, even to preach a sermon and yet be only near to the kingdom.

Kids / young people - parents being Christians does not make you one - you may be only near but not in the KoG - listen

There are many characteristics of a soul that is only near but not in the KoG - here are a few

Christ and his words do not reign over them - they have heard the Scriptures - they knowingly reject them and show no remorse for doing so - justify (my situation is unique)

There is a claim to salvation through Christ but their life shows no evidence that Christ actually reigns over them! You can not claim to belong to Christ and at the same time reject his words.

“if you loved me, you would obey me” - The person who claims Christ and has no desire to obey him - peering over the wall - in outer darkness

The person who is but near to the kingdom is offended by God’s law - they will run from the law but not from sin.

They believe that the Law is harmful to them - it troubles them - feels heavy and oppressive to them! depresses them! so they hide from it - change it - ignore it

It is not the law which is harmful to the soul , but sin. The law points out the sin and exposes it - it is your best friend who tells you that you will perish without Christ - let it cut you.

Sin does not bother the person who is only near to the Kingdom. To them - worst part of sin - consequences of it in life - worldly grief leads to death

The soul that is only near to the Kingdom will inoculate sin, make light of it and not kill it.

Allow me to describe for you the nature of sin. Sin is always working to destroy both man and God.

Ralph Venning says in his book - “the sinfulness of sin” - sin works to unman man and to ungod God. Sin is therefore exceedingly sinful and wicked. It is most immeasurably spiteful, poisonous and pernicious, because it kills men. With the natural eye, sin is not seen as bad but when seen through the lens of the law it will appear a most hideous, devilish and hellish thing, the most wicked, mischievous, virulent, villainous and deadly thing that ever was.

Sinful sin! The person who is but near to the Kingdom will justify and partake of sin and may even be ashamed of it but they will not and cannot cut it away - enslaved by it.

But the person who is in the kingdom of God is in the kingdom of light and when their dark sins appear, the saint sees them as vile and poisonous. They desire to cut it off and cast it away or put it to death because it offends the king and destroys all that he has called good. It is that very sin that Christ died for and graciously brought them into the kingdom.

Those who are only near to the kingdom will try to mix light with darkness - they seek the good things of God’s kingdom while they are in the darkness.

Was that not what the rich man did who was sent to hell? Did he not beg for a drop of water - just a drop of God’s grace and goodness!

The person who resides in the kingdom of darkness will take what pleases them from the KoG and mix them with the KoD. Christian schools - christian music - Biblical principles

Look at Jordan Peterson, he teaches many Biblical principles. He reaches in to the light and grabs the good things of God and takes them back into the darkness where he himself is. People love to hear Jordan because he brings some light to the darkness but he does not offend them by calling them out of the darkness, he only tells them how to survive better while in the dark.

This is dangerous - heals the wounds of people lightly - creates whitewashed tombs. You cannot grab the good things of God and mix them with the things of Satan.

You can not serve two kings - you can not live in two kingdoms - your life either belongs to Christ or it does not. A person may stand in church surrounded by the sights and sounds of the Kingdom of light and yet be fully in the outer darkness.

The person who is only near to the kingdom does not obey God, in fact they cannot. They may try but God’s obligations upon them become too much of a strain to them and they tire of them quickly as they attempt to carry out godly duties in their own strength apart from Christ.

But for those that are in the KoG - grace makes duty to God a delight. The saints being children of God - go about the fathers business with joy - knowing he is a good father.

Those who have been brought in to the kingdom of God show evidence of their citizenship. By grace, the heart is born again and desires to submit to Christ and his reign and this desire grows throughout their life. They are bought with a price and they delight in submitting to King Jesus and being yoked to him is easy and his burdens are light.

This passage calls us to see where we stand - my friends -calls us to examine ourselves to ensure that we are inside the KoG and not only near to it. If you have questions or doubt your salvation come talk to me. If you find yourself outside of the Kingom, do not hate the law - hate your sin that it exposed by it and which enslaves you - fly to Christ.

The Soul that is Far from the kingdom

If this man was near to the kingdom - what does the soul of a man look like that is far from the kingdom? proximity to the KoG does not save - yet some seem to be running further from

Cain was such a man. Adam and Eve were pushed outside of the garden temple of God but they desired to be near the presence of the Lord. Cain was warned by God that his offering was not accepted because it was not offered with a good heart and warned to not let sin to overcome him. But he did not listen and murdered his brother and was sent away further from the presence of the Lord.

This is the mark of a soul that is further from the kingdom and moving further still - a hardened heart that hears and sees the will of God and even the call to repent but will not. This is the soul that God gives over to sin and becomes calloused to sin and the holiness of God.

hardened hearts lead to futile thinking - foolish hearts that are darkened (rom 1). They have a darkened and calloused understanding (eph 4).

trajectory away from God - away from the light and further into darkness - futile thinking leads the deeper still - seek out approval from others who claim to be wise but are fools

They do not listen to any godly advice but seek out and cling to the advice of worldly people - anyone who will agree with them and approve of their life.

Those that have hardened hearts do not fear God and do not respond to His Word. Instead, - they walk in the way of sinners and sit in the seat of scoffers and gladly hear those same deceitful words that have been regurgitated since the fall - did God really say that? - you will be fine on your own - you can decide what is morally right and wrong without God - you do not need to repent.

Being hard hearted and flying further from the kingdom is a dangerous place to be and the warning is clear - repent before your heart is hardened further and your ears become deaf to God’s loving call.

Another mark is self-righteousness - according to Thomas Adams - it is the devil’s masterpiece. This person is also hard hearted but in a more subtle way. The rebellion is in the heart but the outward works seem good - pharisees. This person fails to see the holiness of God. He brings God down within reach and then elevates himself to be good enough to be with God. That was the life of this Scribe until his heart was opened to see that his sacrifices were in vain. Before he finally heard the depth of the law.

Self-righteousness arises partly from pride, but mainly from ignorance of God’s law. - Charles Spurgeon

The hardest to reach - blind to their situation - fully believe they are in the Kingdom but they are far from it - they are in a kingdom of their own design.

We must have this hope before us however - God is not stopped by a persons trajectory from him or the persons distance away from God, there is no person beyond the reach of God and it seems that the most darkened of hearts often to get to a place of such blackness that they finally see the light of God as hope.

But we must not misunderstand this - it is not their will to change but the Holy Spirit which removes the heart of stone and provides a heart of flesh that is easily pierced by God’s Law. God often saves the most futile of thinkers and even the most self-righteous religious person.

Praise God for his sovereign reach of grace to save sinners.

The self deception of being only near to the KoG

First, it is entirely possible to have grown up in the Church, to have consistent, godly parents, and never have come to a saving knowledge of Christ.

Second, it is also completely possible to have studied theology and have never become a true Christian. One can know the Scriptures in the original, as Wesley did, and to know more than the preacher, and be unregenerate.

Third, it is possible to have heard the grace of Christ preached all your life and still be resting on your own goodness.

Fourth, it is possible to become gospel-hardened, and so seal your damnation even within the Church. It is possible to fool everyone and have the preacher preach your funeral and assure everyone that your soul is resting in Heaven when it really is in Hell.

Fifth, it is possible to be within an inch of the Kingdom of God.

Meade - The Almost Christian Discovered - The abiding truth is: convictions not acted on, die; truths not followed, fade; lingering can become a habit; and we can either go in or go further away.

In the Kingdom

How would this scribe be moved from the threshold of the kingdom to be safely inside?

By the softening of his heart so that he may hear his own words - many a preacher have been saved by their own preaching and I hope the same happened to this man.

He proclaimed that it was indeed true that to be in the kingdom, one would need to love the Lord with all of their understanding and heart - he would need to fully realize that he was not capable of such a feat. He would need to desire and rely upon the grace of God that was promised to him - that a messiah would save him - standing before him!

To come into the KoG - Law reveals to a regenerate heart - unable to love God as we should - unable to obey as we should - need someone to do that for us - we need Jesus!

Jesus preached the Law and then fulfilled it perfectly - He alone loved the Father with his full heart - every ounce of his affections and will and desire. He loved him with his whole soul - even willing to lose his life for him. He loved him with all of his strength - every effort was solely to love, obey and glorify the Father.

Being the only one to enter into the kingdom by his own merit - Christ died as if he had none. As the Psalm declares - the gates of heaven fly open for our Lord Jesus because he alone has clean hands and a pure heart. But he allowed the corrupt of heart to lay their vile hands upon him and crucify him as a common criminal so that we might become the righteousness of God - the righteous for the unrighteous.

Ralph Venning - The father was desirous to hear the son groaning and to see him bleeding that we might not groan under his frowns and bleed under his wrath. He spared not his own son so that he might spare us. Refused not to strike him that he might be well pleased with us. Drenched his sword with the blood of his son that it might not forever be wet with ours. But that his goodness might forever triumph in our salvation.

My Friends - this is the love of our God which calls us and brings us in to be his children in His Kingdom - repent and believe and be safe forevermore.s