Mark 10:23-31

Mark 10:23–31 KJV (WS)

23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. 28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. 31 But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

Introduction

What would it take for you to turn away from God?

Last week we learned about the rich man who went away grieved because Jesus asked him to quit trusting in his riches.

You can imagine that seeing that was bound to elicit some questions.

It might have even caused some people to feel better about themselves.

Jesus turns it into a teaching situation that shows all of his followers the danger of not trusting God.

Riches are a barrier to faith.

Explain:

Jesus comments on the difficulty of a rich person getting saved.

How could this be so?

Doesn’t the kingdom need a strong economy?

How will Jesus establish a kingdom if he discriminates against rich people.

The disciple were astonished at his words.

The poor carpenter doesn’t understand basic economic principles.

What will his kingdom deal in if not money.

Jesus answers again with an illustration.

We mentioned this last week.

The kingdom of God doesn’t deal in money, it deals in trust.

Entrance into the kingdom of God is only through faith in Jesus.

Rich people, by and large, trust their money above all others.

Getting them to trust something other than money is as difficult as leading a camel through the eye of a needle.

They were astonished out of measure.

I don’t think they caught the part about treasure.

Instead, they were thinking about all the benefits that riches bring.

I think about the centurion who told Paul he bought his Roman citizenship at great personal cost.

If a rich man couldn’t enter into the kingdom, then who could?

If you couldn’t trust money, then what could you trust?

Illustrate:

Are you familiar with the term snake oil?

Chinese immigrants working on the transcontinental railroad legitimately used snake oil to fight inflammation.

The Chinese water snake has been proven to actually aid in anti-inflammation.

But that’s not what Clark Stanley used to make his Snake Oil Liniment.

He introduced his miracle cure at the 1893 Chicago’s World Fair.

Dressed in a Cowboy get up Stanley killed a rattlesnake on the stage and boiled it’s body to extract the miracle oils.

People were impressed and demand was so strong that Stanley opened up to production plants to produce the oil.

People believed the rattlesnake oil would help them cure whatever ailed them.

Only problem is that rattlesnake oil doesn’t do anything, and even if it did, Stanley stopped using rattlesnakes as an ingredient.

He produced his snake oil until 1917 when he received a $20 fine from the government for not including snake oil in his snake oil medicine.

Stanley refused to pay the fine.

Instead he closed his business and drifted out of the public eye.

So many people trusted his product, but their trust was misplaced.

The same is true today with people who trust in something other than God.

Argue:

Many would claim they don’t trust anything more than God.

That’s a serious matter to consider.

Anything we trust more than we trust God is an obstacle to faith.

We can test that claim.

An unwillingness to part with something is a pretty good test of our trust.

The rich man from last week couldn’t do without his possessions.

Trusting God above all else really means trusting him above all others.

Apply:

What is the major barrier to your faith?

What are you unwilling to part with?

There is a pretty convicting list coming up later in the passage.

With God nothing is impossible.

Explain:

The truth of the matter is that with men, of any economic status, salvation is impossible.

No man can save himself.

Every man is susceptible to misplaced trust.

It doesn’t have to be faith in money, though money is a powerful god.

Thankfully, salvation is not up to us, it’s up to God.

With God all things are possible.

Even the salvation of a rich man.

Illustrate:

It’s kind of like movie or book quicksand.

Have you ever seen someone or read about someone that was able to save themselves from quicksand?

No!

The more they try, the more they sink and get stuck.

It’s only if someone comes along to save them that they get free of the quicksand.

Almost always it’s when just their hand is left above the surface.

Argue:

If you view your salvation as having something to do with yourself, you are missing the point of salvation.

We cannot contribute to our salvation with our own goodness.

We rely 100% on Jesus and what he did on the cross to pay the price of our sins.

How we got saved is how we are supposed to live.

The dependence that we exhibit in receiving God’s gift of forgiveness is the dependence that we need every day of our Christian life.

Apply:

If you’ve never made the decision to trust Jesus for your salvation, then maybe tonight could be the night.

Put your faith and trust only in him for the forgiveness o your sins.

Even if you are saved, we still need to recognize our dependence on HIm.

It took faith to become a Christian; it takes faith to live as one too.

This is especially true when think about a Christian might be asked to sacrifice in order to follow Jesus.

There are rewards for those who sacrifice for the sake of discipleship.

Explain:

Peter began to say to Jesus.

He and the others had left everything to follow Jesus.

They did what that man had been unable to do.

What did that mean for them?

Jesus answered.

No person that sacrifices for Christ’s sake will be left unrewarded.

Look at the cost of this sacrifice.

Jesus goes to the heart of his audience.

He makes no mention of money.

Peter didn’t have any, do you remember how he had to pay his taxes?

But Peter did have a family, a house, maybe a little bit of land passed down through his ancestry.

The reward will be in kind with the sacrifice.

If they leave family and property, they will receive family and property.

Now, they have to leave them for Christ’s sake and the gospel’s sake.

If they do, they will be rewarded 100x over.

This is not some future reward, Jesus specifically says that this reward is in this life.

How does this make any sense?

Illustrate:

Consider this.

In 2012, Alicia and I moved from Florida to Virginia.

As we packed our Uhaul and hit the road, we had nowhere to live.

We had been unable to find a good rental to move into, but we knew we were supposed to go.

On the way our realtor finally found a place we could afford, but it would be ready in time.

So, we lived in our realtor’s mother’s condo for a few days until our’s was ready.

It wasn’t my house, but God gave it to me for awhile.

I think about holidays in VA.

We had no family nearby.

But we were surrounded by family.

We spent special days with the different spiritual siblings that God gave us.

One couple, in particular, opened their home to us on a regular basis for thanksgiving and Christmas.

It was the Schwartz family.

We left our home and our family but we blessed with a bigger family than we could ever have expected.

Argue:

God looks after those who sacrifice for himself.

If we think that we don’t have anything to sacrifice because we don’t have money, we are wrong.

We all have something that we are tempted to rely on more than we rely on Jesus.

When we let go of those things, we find out that Jesus is more than enough for us.

Apply:

What would you be willing to sacrifice for Jesus’ sake?

Do you believe that he is able to reward you for your sacrifice?

Conclusion

Visualize

You hear a message like this morning’s and maybe it make you nervous.

You want to be used by God, but you’re afraid of what it will cost.

The rich man was willing to pay the price of discipleship.

Jesus tells his followers that they can trust his ability to reward them.

Reiterate

There are many barriers to faith.

With God nothing is impossible.

If you sacrifice for his sake, he is able to reward you.

Action

Some of you may need to make a commitment to sacrifice whatever is asked of you, should God require it.

Some of you already know what God is asking you to sacrifice.

Tonight you need to let go of it and trust God.

Appeal

Will you trust God tonight to be faithful in meeting your needs if you follow him?

Will you make the sacrifices required for discipleship?