The Rich, Young Ruler

Matthew 19:16-24

Good morning, church!

Its a blessing to be with you this morning.

One more weekend in Serve September!

Again, I want to thank you for how bought in you all have been in this vision for the month. I know that you all have been a blessing to this community this month. But to God be the glory, right?

This morning, we are going to continue looking at passages of scripture that have to do with being a disciple of Jesus according to what He said.

We are looking at the things that Jesus said about those who either desired or Jesus desires to be His disciples and what Jesus said that it would cost to follow Him.

We are asking the tough questions of am I a disciple of Jesus the way that Jesus said a disciple looked and lived?

We are looking at this through the command of going and making disciples. And we ask, are we disciples worthy of be duplicated?

This week we are going to be in Matthew 19, looking at an interaction between Jesus and a man commonly called the rich young ruler.

Matthew 19:16–26 ESV

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, 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.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

We have all probably heard or read this passage before.

I knew on Tuesday that this was our passage for this Sunday. I have been thinking about this man all week trying to figure him out by this brief interaction.

I have mostly be trying to figure out why this is in 3 of the gospels. Because if they are in the gospels, they are there on purpose for us to learn from.

So, the question also on my heart this week has been how are the attitudes and difficulties of the rich young ruler reflected in potential disciples of Jesus today.

Let’s also read Mark’s account of the interaction, because it reveals a couple of other truths from the conversation.

Mark 10:17–27 ESV

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 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.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

So, what do we know about this man?

Now, what can we tell about this young man from these two gospels.

We know that he was a wealthy man. He had a great many earthly possessions.

We can tell that he knows and studies the law and has attempted to keep the law even from his young. So, he was probably raised in a religious home.

We can that even though he studies and knows the law, he does not appear to be looking out for the coming Messiah. He address Jesus as good teacher and he asks nothing about the coming Messiah.

We can tell that he is seeking out eternal life and he thinks that the law and doing good deeds will allow him to earn it.

But in the most vulnerable moment of the conversation, he reveals a deeply personal and honest truth about his heart. He thinks he has kept all of law and should have done enough to earn eternal life, but he knows in his heart that he is still missing something.

This young man comes before the “good teacher” to hear His opinion on how to earn eternal life but He didn’t know that he was walking up to the one who will sit on the judgement throne and knows the heart of a man. And that gets shown to him.

So, the final thing that we see about this young man is that though he thinks he is perfect, Jesus exposes his sin. He loves money and his possessions more that he loves God and others. Because he is unwilling to give them up to follow Jesus.

Those are all things that we can see are true from this brief interaction with Jesus.

So, trying to bring this into today’s world. What does a person that looks like the rich young ruler look like today.

As I have been praying about this and talking to the Lord about this, two phrases have been coming to mind that describes this young man in today’s life.

A religious spirit and spiritual pride.

First of all, I want to clarify what I mean by religious spirit.

I do not mean that a person with a religious spirit has a demon possessing them causing them to be super religious.

What I mean is, have to heard the phrase, the spirit of Christmas? Or the spirit of this event? or the spirit of this ministry?

What it means is the overarching theme or commonality that runs throughout it all. Or the basis of what is it all about.

So, when I use the phrase religious spirit, I mean that there is an overarching theme of the person that is based on religious rules and regulations.

Religious duties and activities are what they are all about.

We see this in this man’s life.

He knew the law. He studied the law. He was probably raised in church from a young boy for him to say that he has kept the law from his youth.

A religious spirit is often found in the mindset of someone that has been raised in church and has been taught all of the religious rules and regulations.

They have been taught all of the religious boxes to check since they were a kid.

Go to church whenever the doors are open.

Get really involved in youth group.

Don’t act up. Stay in line.

Obey the rules.

Say a prayer.

Get baptized.

Carry your bible every where.

Go to see you at the pole.

Invite a friend at Easter.

As a young person or early in life, we were slowly presented with a list of boxes to check to be a good religious person or at least look like one.

Like the rich, young ruler, a person with a religious spirit can look at all of the church boxes and say that they have checked them off even since their youth.

Or since coming to Christ, or back to Christ, they have fitted themselves into the church mold that has been presented to them.

I will say though, that not many of that have this religious spirit will, like the rich young ruler, admit that we have kept it perfectly.

A religious spirit will often faux humility and say things like, “Well, nobody’s perfect!” or the even better phrase, “Well, I’m not perfect, but.... I do this and this and this, or I have done that and that.

In today’s religious life, we know that we have to confess that we are sinner in order to be saved. So, none of us will outright say that we are perfect but in our hearts and minds, in moments of vulnerable honesty, we might see that we see our selves as better than other box checkers because we check more boxes than them.

Or we deserve more recognition or appreciation because of how long we have been checking the boxes. We see this in the rich young ruler is the way that he is almost coming to Jesus with a quest to prove himself.

A religious spirit is quick to spout out their spiritual resume.

They quickly run to or fall back on all the things they have done.

We see this in this rich young ruler and also in the sermon on the mount when Jesus said,

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

These people will point to the boxes they checked and not to Jesus!

The rich young ruler was looking at the religious boxes and was not looking for the Messiah.

Those today, who have this religious spirit that is the overarching theme and basis of all that they do, will pursue eternal life through their good deeds and miss seeing and knowing Jesus.

Because eternal life is this! Knowing God and Jesus Christ!

This religious spirit, when developed unchecked will almost always evolve into spiritual pride.

Think about this audacity of this young man. To stand before Jesus and declare “all of these commandments, I have kept since my youth.”

Spiritual pride will rely on and boast about all of the accomplishments of their past. All that they have done for God or the church.

Spiritual pride will quickly point to something that they have done in the past and give God the credits at the end on the story.

Spiritual pride is often reflected in someone quick ability to point out the flaws or faults in another but slow to see or admit their own faults.

Spiritual pride relies on their own good deeds and checked boxes and might not say that they have been perfect like this young man but is quick to point out that they have done a lot of things right in the past.

Spiritual pride closes your vision to seeing the truth. Like this young man, he was in the law and knew the law but he couldn’t see the forest for the trees. He could see Jesus in the law that points everything to Jesus.

Spiritual pride is the outgrowth of a religious spirit.

Oswald Sanders says, “Pride takes many forms, but spiritual pride is the most grievous. To become proud of spiritual gifts or a leadership position is to forget that all we have is from God, all the position we have is God’s appointment.”

Jesus addressed the potential spiritual pride of His disciples in Luke 10.

After giving the disciples power to heal the sick and cast our demons, they return on cloud nine talking about how even the demons obey, who? They said, even the demon are subject to us in your name.

A Jesus is quick to remind them that Jesus saw satan fall like lightening and that HE gave them that authority. It came from HIM!

And we warns them, do not rejoice in the fact that they are accomplishing great spiritual feats but rejoice that you have been saved from your sins and that God has given you the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ!

Its not about you, how long you have been checking boxes, or all that you have done in the past!

Its NOT ABOUT YOU!

A religious spirit and spiritual pride consistently points to yourself.

You know that old saying about pointing your finger at someone right?

Spiritual pride will point one finger at the Lord while the rest points at themselves.

A religious spirit and spiritual pride will cause you to miss the most obvious and blatant teachings and commands of Jesus because your eyes are too focus on yourself and what you have done.

This young man saw the law and the ten commandments and all of the religious boxes he checked but he missed to great two commands of all.

To love the Lord, your God with all of your heart, soul, body and mind.

And to love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus looked past the religious boxes and pride and saw to the heart of this man.

We have been looking at the heart of the man for awhile, now look at the heart of Christ here.

Mark says, Jesus, looking at him, He saw him, He looked deep into his religious and prideful heart

and loved him. His heart hurt for him. He was willing to die for him right then and there.

He saw him for who he was and loved him anyways.

And this is where Jesus made His invitation. This is where Jesus tells him how to satisfy the longing in his heart for what he lacks!

This is where Jesus answers the deepest question in this man’s heart.

The thing that you lack, the thing that you are missing is me, Jesus.

He said, give it all up, lay it all down, surrender all that you are and all that you have to me and follow me. Abide with me!

Church, the answer to a religious spirit and spiritual pride is humility and submission to Jesus. It walking daily in complete submission to Him and His commands.

This rich young ruler didn’t know Him and he loved his possessions more than he loved God.

A spiritual prideful person will look at the things they have done in the past and choose to ignore the commands of the present.

He was not willing to be a true disciple like we talked about last week.

He was not willing to surrender it all to Jesus and be willing to give it all up for Him to follow Him!

Jesus pinpointed the thing that He was lacking, his unwillingness to die to self.

Church, I don’t know where you are in all this. I don’t know if you have been a religious box checker and you hope that it will be enough good deeds to get eternal life.

I don’t know if you suffer under the weight of spiritual pride.

I don’t know if you love your life, your possessions or your money more than you love God.

But i’ll tell you this church, Jesus can see straight to your heart. He can see past your past and present.

He can look into your heart and you know what He does?

He doesn’t condemn you or shame you, He loves you with a love that is more pure and deeper than anything you can imagine.

He is offering your His hand to you right now and asking you to truly be His disciple. lay it all down for Him.

To follow Him and abide with Him.

Church, the question that is presented before you is this,

will you lay it all down in surrender to Him?

Or are you going to walk away disheartened and sorrowful because your possessions are too great for you to surrender?