OUR MISSION IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT GOD

ILLUSTRATION

How common is it to win sweepstakes?

Generally speaking, the more sweepstakes you enter, the more probability there is of you winning. If you were to enter once in the Publisher's Clearing House (PCH) sweepstakes, your odds are about 1 in 1.7 billion [4].

55 million participate in sweepstakes yearly.17 Jun 2024

Over 340 people have died attempting to reach-or return from-the summit of Mount Everest which, at 29,031 ft 8½ in, is Earth's highest mountain

Over the years ten swimmers have died while attempting to swim across the English Channel.

Now those were some major challenges where the odds were your chances of winning or finishing were very slim. But here is an easier challenge. Can you pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time?

Phillipians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Paul's comment is specifically referring to the ability of a Christian to endure under hardship and persecution. Despite well-meaning use of the words, this text does not teach that a Christian is empowered to accomplish any task simply because they are saved.

WHAT IS OUR MISSION?

To take the Good News (Gospel) to the ends of the earth. In fact like the early Disciples, God has called us to be fishers of Men.

IS IT ACHIEVABLE?

Yes, but not without the help of the Holy Spirit

Main Point

No matter what trials or tests come your way, God provides a way to overcome them all (I Corinthians 10:13

John 14:26 KJVBut the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

MESSAGE:

THE RICH YOUNG RULER

Matthew 19:16-26 Theme: The story of the rich young ruler teaches us that not even the best of us can be saved except by God's grace through faith.

First of all, we know that he was "young". He is referred to as a "young man" twice in this morning's passage (Matthew 19:20, 22). And that fact alone makes the other things that we learn about him even more impressive.

We also know that this young man was an important and powerful person in society. He is described as a "ruler". In fact, he was called "a certain ruler" (Luke 18:18), which may indicate that he was a particularly important community leader. Some scholars believe that he may have been a ruler of a local synagogue; which would have made him an extremely respected and important community leader. For a young man to have achieved such a level of status in that culture as to be called “a ruler” was a considerable accomplishment!

We're also made to understand that he was very wealthy. Our passage tells us that he was so financially and materially successful that he was referred to as "rich"; and that he was said to have "great possessions". Put it all together; and you find that this was a young, powerful, and wealthy man. He was everything that even our own culture values as the very picture of "success". If they had magazines in those days, his face would have been found on a few covers.

And there's one more thing that you need to know about him. He apparently didn't achieve these great accomplishments, or reach this remarkable level of success, through any unscrupulous or immoral means. He appears to have been an outstandingly moral man. He was able to make a rather bold claim—a claim that we don't see in any way contradicted, even by the Lord Jesus. He was able to say that, from his youth, he kept the law of God with respect to right treatment of other people.

1. "WHAT GOOD THING SHALL I DO THAT I MAY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE?" (vv. 16-19)

2. "WHAT DO I STILL LACK?" (vv. 20-22)

3. "WHO THEN CAN BE SAVED?" (vv. 23-26)