A Tale Of Two Hearts-Part 2-Mark 10:13-31

As we begin this morning, please turn in your copies of God’s Word to the Gospel of Mark 10:17-31. We will be reading these verses shortly, so go ahead and have these verse ready for that time.

Two Sundays ago in the Gospel of Mark, in part 1 of a message entitled; A Tale of Two Hearts, taken from Mark 10:13-16, we saw the first part of a contrast between two hearts. The heart of a child, a child trusts those who love them implicitly, without reserve. Children have an unswerving faith in their parents or guardians. That is the way we are to trust God. Trusting in His wisdom and goodness. What children feel towards their parents, we should feel towards God.

We also saw, in Jesus discussions with the Disciples, how we as believers are to Live Counter Culture to the society in which we live. The religious leaders of the day had patterned for the Nation of Israel, one picture of what spiritual leaders were to be, Jesus had patterned something quite different. His challenge to the Disciples was to ignore what had been patterned in the religious leaders of the day, and instead, imitate Jesus and His counter culture, servant leadership. Imitating the religious leaders of the day, brought about the righteous anger of the Lord. Whereas imitating the faith of a child brought blessing from Jesus.

This brings us to the second of the 2 hearts in this message on The Tale of Two Hearts.

But before we look at this morning’s passage, let go before the Lord in prayer.

Heavenly Father,

We come before You this morning, understanding that the world we live in is truly broken, the deep shadows of a world in the grips of satan darken each day, but as dark as it may be, it can never be so dark that the light of Your love can’t break through, like the sun rising on the horizon each day. Your glory is the light within our midst , and it shines brightly because You, our gracious heavenly Father truly love us. You are the Lion of Judah, You are stem from David’s root and the Lamb Who died to conquer the grave. You are an Awesome God. You reign from heaven above, with wisdom power and love. At the cross You gave us mercy and grace.

You are so unlimited in power that You can light the fire of a thousand burning suns. As the sovereign God, You command the Nations, building up and tearing down. You, and You alone are Holy, matchless in Your glory. Though we oftentimes turn away from You, even so, You descended from Your throne in heaven to come and save us, conquering us with kindness. You are the King on the throne, Who was and is to come, the Lamb Who was slain, and because of all these things we say “Holy, You alone are holy, matchless in Your glory. Worthy, You alone are worthy, we adore You only, You are the worthy God.

You, our God are a Mighty fortress, a bulwark never failing, and while we sang “on earth is not Your equal”, the truth is, there is nothing in all of creation that is Your equal. You are Lord Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts. At Your disposal are a whole host of heavenly angels, whose reason for existence is to do Your bidding. Whether it be calling Holy, Holy Holy, is the Lord God almighty, giving You the praise due Your Name, or serving as Your heavenly messengers. Whether it be providing protection to Your chosen servants, or going to battle in Your Name, as Lord Sabaoth, You rule supreme. We worship You the king. What a mighty God we serve.

Heavenly Father, we sang earlier this morning, “And when I think, that God His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in. That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died, to take away my sin. Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Father, though there be an insurmountable chasm between Your greatness, and our frailty, You bridged that chasm, when You sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross, and as if that wasn’t enough, You also provided for us a love-letter, the Holy Scriptures, which we can literally hold in our hands. And now, omnipotent, all powerful God, as we look into the pages of Your Word, I pray that You would open our eyes to the unchanging truths of Your Word, help us not to miss the life-changing truths You have for us this morning. Open the eyes of our minds that we would understand Your Word, and Father, we commit to taking these truths and applying them to our lives, that we might be transformed as a result of our time together this morning.

These things we pray, in the matchless Name of Jesus, Amen.

Now, would you please stand, in honor of the reading of God’s Word?

Mark 10:17–31 (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?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 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.’ ” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”

21 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.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 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!”

24 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! 25 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.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

28 Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left everything and followed You.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for My sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Word, please be seated.

As we begin looking at the second of the two hearts this morning, we now look at:

The Self-Righteous Heart of The Rich Young Ruler. Vs. 17-22

Look at your copy of God’s Word. Based solely on verse 17, what are your initial impressions of the rich young ruler? What noble characteristics are on display in verse 17?

Well first we see that;

He was determined-He ran to Jesus.

Middle Eastern men of status did not run. Running meant that one needed to lift up his long robe, exposing the individuals legs, which was considered undignified, even shameful.

Second, we see that;

He was humble-He knelt before Jesus.

This was a worshipful posture, he was a man of status in the religious community and he was kneeling before One, most he affiliated with, considered to be a false prophet.

Third, we see that;

He knew Who to approach.

He didn’t seek out one of the religious leaders he knew well, he sought out One, those he knew well hated.

Fourth, we see;

He had great respect for Jesus-He paid Jesus a significant compliment in calling Him “Good Teacher”.

This signified he had a great deal of respect for Jesus.

And fifth;

He asked the right question- “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

While this young man had kept the law fastidiously since he was a young boy, he knew there was still something he lacked.

With these five characteristics, had this rich young ruler come up to virtually any evangelical with heart to reach others for Christ, we’d have had him on his knees within seconds praying the sinners prayer. But God has never sought nor been impressed with emotional decisions made in moments of high emotions. His desire is transformed hearts. Just as we saw Jesus do a few weeks ago with the questioning Pharisees, before Jesus answers his question, He questions the inquiring mind. Then He brings the young man to the Scripture.

As we look at Jesus question to the rich young ruler, we need to recognize that Jesus was approaching him from the mindset of omniscience. In other words, Jesus understood what was in the heart and mind of this man. He knew that when he called Jesus “good teacher”. He was placing Jesus on equal footing with other respected teachers. That is why Jesus added “No one is good but God Alone.” He was establishing to this young man that God, and as a result the One Whom he knelt before, was never to be placed on equal footing as anyone else in his life.

Jesus then takes him to the second half of the 10 Commandments, the Commandments that dealt with human relationships. This young man’s immediate response was to let Jesus know he had faithfully checked off all of those boxes since he was a young man. His self-righteousness had blinded him to the law’s revelation of sin. In Jeremiah 17:9 we read “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” This wasn’t written by a man mired in sin, it was written by a man most would have considered above reproach, yet he includes himself when he writes “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Like Saul of Tarsus, before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, this rich young ruler took great pride in his accomplishments in regard to obedience of the Law.

After the young man pridefully pointed out the righteous mask he proudly wore in the presence of other people, Jesus gets to the heart of the issue in verse 22. Here, Jesus brings out the young mans disregard for the first half of the 10 Commandments. The half of the Commandments that deals with man’s relationship to God. Jesus challenging the young man to “sell all that you have…give to the poor…and come follow Me.” was not a challenge of poverty to any who desires to be His disciples. It was a challenge to this rich young man that he had “other gods before” the God of the Universe. That god was his riches, and while it may not have appeared to be a graven image, he had carved his love for money and possessions into the recesses of his heart.

Reading on we find out;

Mark 10:22 (ESV)

Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Contrary to Jesus challenge to the crowd in Mark 8:36, this man was more concerned that he “gain the whole world” even if it meant that he “forfeit his soul”! Unlike the child-like faith Jesus spoke about in verse 13-16, this man’s faith was in himself and that which he could accomplish. While those with a child-like faith, live in complete dependence on what Jesus accomplished on the cross, this man lived in complete dependence on what he could accomplish on his own. Again, he was following in the footsteps of Saul of Tarsus, rather than what Saul became later, when as the Apostle Paul he wrote; “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” Paul came to realize that God didn’t look on the outside, but on the heart. That external obedience to the Law never brought about righteousness, instead it revealed unrighteousness. In other words;

Faith in self buys one way ticket the hell.

Up to this point in time during this encounter, Jesus had focused completely on the rich young ruler. Now that the rich young ruler was gone, He turned His attention to the bewildered disciples, when He said in verse 23 & 25

“How difficult it will be for those who have wealth 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.”

This did anything but quell their bewilderment. You see, most of the Nation of Israel saw wealth and status, as a reward for righteousness. This man not only had wealth, but status in the religious community. He was likely a ruler of a local synagogue, yet here Jesus is stating that this man was headed for hell, they were baffled, astonished and asked Jesus; “Then who can be saved?” Read in their voices panic. If this rich young ruler was headed for hell, what did this mean for them?

I remember in the 70’s that there were many that taught that when Jesus said; “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.” that Jesus was referring to a small gate in the walls of Jerusalem that was called an “eye of the needle” and that while it was a difficult for a camel to pass through that gate, it was possible if the camel stooped low, like a humble bow, and crawled through on its knees. There are a couple major issues with this teaching. One: no such gate has ever been found. Second: in Luke’s account of this discussion with the disciples, He uses the Greek word for “surgical needle”. Jesus whole point was that, on our own, it is impossible to earn our way to heaven. We can’t be good enough. That is why Jesus went on to say in verse 27; “With man it is impossible”. Notice He didn’t say difficult, didn’t say if we humbly bow low, like a camel trying to get through a small gate, that heaven is attainable. He stated very clearly; “With man it is impossible”. Thankfully, He didn’t stop there, He went on to add; “but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

What is impossible for man, is made possible through God, Who opened the impossible door to heaven, by the blood of His own Son, Who became our sacrificial Lamb.

Which was exactly the purpose for their journey to Jerusalem. That Jesus Himself, the spotless Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world, would be presented on the Altar of sacrifice, once and for all, to provide atonement for our sins. That which is impossible for man, is possible for God!

Having their spirits lifted, knowing God would provide a way for their redemption, their minds now go back to what Jesus asked of the rich young ruler. He asked him to abandon everything and follow Him. Peter spoke up; “See, we have left everything and followed You.” Matthew records that Peter added; “What then will be there for us?” In my mind, I picture a smile on Jesus face, as He reassures the disciples;

Mark 10:29–31 (ESV)

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for My sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

While there was a selfish undertone to Peter’s question, Jesus reassures him rather than rebuking him. Reassures him that while they had given up everything to follow Him, their rewards would, without question, dwarf their sacrifices. Not only in this life, but in eternity as well. He does add that they would also experience persecutions, but in the end, their rewards would last throughout all eternity.

He promises the same thing to us.

You know, that has been Pam and my experience. When God led us to into the ministry, we left behind the home we raised our children in, we said good bye to a number of friends. Said goodbye to my sister and her family, my parents, our daughter. Now, here we are, 6 1/2 years later, surrounded by you folks, who have welcomed us into your families, and treat us as if we’d known each other for years. And while there have been some trials over the last 6 1/2 years, God has blessed us beyond measure.

Just as He promised the 12 that day.

As we close out this morning, let me give you about 5 action points.

Action Points:

1. We need to do our best to treasure the truths of God’s Word in our hearts, that we would diligently follow His truths in a transformative way.

2. Jesus has called us to live Counter-Culture to society.

3. Child-like Faith brings about the blessing of God.

4. Faith in self buys a one way ticket to hell.

5. While it is impossible for us to earn a ticket to heaven, simply by putting our faith and trust in Jesus, Christ Himself paid for our ticket with His Own blood. But He is not looking for an emotional decision that costs us nothing, He didn’t just come to save, He came to save and transform. And while the decision to follow Him may come with a temporal cost, the rewards, both now and in eternity, are immeasurable.

Have you come to the point where you have put your faith and trust in Him? Come to the point where you moved past trying to earn your way to heaven for good works, by seeking to tip the scales in your favor by doing more good deeds than bad? That didn’t work for the rich your ruler, and it won’t work for you either.

Don’t let another day pass by, before moving to the point of surrendering the controls of your life to Jesus. If that is you, come find me after the service, or one of the other Elders, it would be our privilege to help you. If you’re watching or listening online and would like to surrender your life to Jesus, just send a private message through the churches facebook page, and I will get back to you as quick as I can.

Let’s close our time in prayer.