Rabi: “Rich in Faith”

Mark 10:17–31 ESV

17 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.”

Prayer: Encourage the heavy lift. Go deeper, lift a little more, push a little hearder: open up some more to the poitential for the Lord of your soul to empty out the baggage of yoru spiritual life and add to the dimension of your current season walking with him. He is a good shepherd. You can trust where he is leading today. Amen.

ANOTHER HARD TEACHING FROM THE RABBI: for all intents and purposes this is a hard one!

“He had a excited arrival and a sorrowful departure”

he was rich. he was young. he was a ruler.

the Story is found in all the synoptics. Not found in John. The closest encounter Jesus had to someone of this profile was with nicodemus in John 3 and this is also a severe encounter with a heady teaching also. The Rabbi Verses the Ruler.

What do we know about this man:

he was rich; which means he was a wealthy man. A man who had possessions. Now we don’t have this guys Bio or LinkedIn Who had assets. Who has access in life. Who likely felt very little restriction in his earlthy life in terms of wants. He was

he was young: Which really means that he wasnt OLD yet. But what this could signify to us is that he didnt have the kind of life lived experience yet that makes you consider what is most important. I have a blief that you shouldnt write a book before your 40. Because until you get to 40 your just doing research. Your just learning. you havent made the turn yet. He was young.

he was a ruler: in other words, he had influence, given what we know it was likely ruler in the context of the synagoue and thats significant.

YOU COULD eASILY HAVE THOUGHT THIS WAS THE GUY JESUS WAS LOOKING FOr! “Finally God, I’ve found someone who’s not a bozo!” Someone with a decent background, a smart guy, someone who’s a decent giver, a tither, would be a great fit for kingdom builders right”

Wrong. Outside was good.. but the inside was rotting out.

What do we know about Jesus teaching:

We know he was recognized as a rabbi, a teacher, a man of authority. He was keen, He rushed up to Jesus and he knelt at His feet. How many times in your life have you done that to someone you wanted a serious answer to?

Jesus reaches into his life and addresses the very thing that he needed to confront: His confidence in life.

Jesus doesnt command this kind of teaching towards many others, He brings a severe teaching to this guy.

He doesnt say to others: SELL ALL THAT YOU HAVE THEN FOLLOW ME.

When Jesus invited himself to a meal with Zaccheus the chief tax collector, no pressure was put on him to do the same…

Luke 19:8 “8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.””

Jesus didnt say, sell the other half also, He didnt say quit your tax collecting job and follow me. It was unqualy different.

So does JESUS then have double standards, or whats the deal here?

This was still the same Jesus, the same rabbi, the same line of teaching we see in the gospels: When Jesus teaches the sermon on the mount, we see this coming through:

Matthew 6:19–21 ESV

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

What was Jesus getting at?

The man didn’t need a knee replacement, He needed a new heart.

The HEART OF THE MATTER / Where your treasure is… inevitable… thats where Jesus will find your heart.

TRUE FAITH IS ABOUT REAL CONFIDENCE:

WHAT WAS JESUS CONFRONTING IN THE YOUNG MAN: HIS CONFIDENCE

Where is your confidence? Where is your certainty? Where is your ultimate trust….?

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance (Confidence) of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

What are you holding onto so tightly in life that means you cant really grab a hold of God fully?

It’s a good question to ask:

What idol, what relationship, What possession… what confidence outside of God do you have that is simply greater than a confidence that says: God is all that i need.

Can you CONFIDENTLY say that in your own life. that if i have JESUS, im going to be OK.

1.CONFIDENCE IS KEY

I.e WHERE IS YOUR CONFIDENCE? is it in God, or what you HAVE?

THIS MAN COULDNT SAY THAT. He was holding onto something other than God for his treasure.

The New Bible Commentary 9:14–10:52 The Cost to Others

Jesus taught that the result of giving money to the poor, or of any sacrifice we might make for the kingdom of God, will be treasure not on earth but in heaven; the more we give, the more we gain. This does not mean that if we give money to God’s work, we get more back, as some ‘prosperity cults’ teach. It does mean that the spiritual rewards will far outweigh any sacrifices that we may have made for Christ, even if persecution comes along with them (30).

JESUS CARED SO MUCH ABOUT THIS MAN THAT HE WANTED TO RELEASE HIM FROM THE BURDEN HE WAS CARRYING: HIS BURDEN WAS THAT IN FACT IT WAS THE RICHES THAT WERE KILLING HIM.

This ONE THING YOU LACK.

He probably thought people only like him because of his position

He probably valued other people based on their position and wealth.

He probably was unable to clearly see the kingdom because of th FOG of earthly wealth.

In a spiritual sense, he was a leper and he needed healing.

What about you?

What’s your confidence in today? Is it in the NASDAQ, The Paycheck, the portfolio….Your 401K,

What about other things?: your Relationships?, Your stuff? People.

EXAMINE YOUR CONFIDENCE… ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO IS IN FIRST PLACE HERE?

2.RICHES CAN BLIND US, JESUS BRINGS CLEAR SIGHT.

Mark 10:22 “Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

…..

Mark 10:23–25 ESV

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.”

It’s interesting to me that Jesus looked around…. God brings the perfect sight into our lives: We get to see the right things

When Jesus shares the that he know this man kept in a sense he was kind of biting him

Because he addresses the Commandments that were leading to relationships with other people, family, friends, parents, etc.

But what did he actually know what did he actually need?

He intentionally made the focus the commandments that he left out

Exodus 20:3 ESV

“You shall have no other gods before me.

Exodus 20:4 ESV

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Exodus 20:5 ESV

You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,

You cant get into heaven with one open hand towards the Lord….and the other holding onto your stuff here on earth. It’s BOTH HANDS UP LIKE A LITTLE CHILD ASKING FOR DAD TO LIFT YOU UP.

There is no other way its gonna happen…..

Jesus saw the WEIGHT HE WAS CARRYING: THE TRUST HE HAD: THE BURDEN HE WAS CARRYING.

That weight will hold you back from entering into the kings presence, the Lord of heaven

Jesus is making, what appears to be, one FINAL APPEAL to this man. WHO knows what he ended up doing when He got home. But what we know is that he is now part of a special group of people who never inherit the kingdom of God because of Wealth, Position, Status… which is IDOLATry.

Is God mad about money? No…. He’s made if Money has first place in your life tho:

ITS NOT ABOUT HAVING WEALTH, ITS ABOUT WEALTH HAVING YOU. WHERE IS YOUR CONFIDENCE. in what is SEEN …

or in what is UNSEEN>?

What you can hold in your hand

or what you can sense firmly in your HEART,,, and your SPIRIT thats alive in HIM.

JESUS WAS AND IS IN THE BUSINESS OF RELEASING BURDENS IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE.

HERE IS THE TEACHING: Whatever the heart issue is, we need to BREAK THE IDOL, Let Jesus release us from our great and small burdens AND WALK INTO YOUR FREEDOM.

What is an IDOL YOUR HOLDING ONTO TODAY, THAT JESUS GENTLY, FIRMLY AND LOVINGLY IS LEADING YOU TO DROP AND LEAVE TODAY and in DOING SO.. RELEASE THE BURDEN THAT YOU CAN CARRY

noteS

Jesus Doesnt LOWER his standards.

He But he applies the kingdom to earth.

God comes first…. Then everything else will be added.

Proverbs 14:20 ESV

The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends.

Proverbs 19:4 ESV

Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend.