Mark 10:17-31

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Introduction:

Last Week Pastor Jon// Jesus wants all to come to him.

A String of Pearls

Snapshots into Jesus Journey

Key Moments, that the listener identifies with on their faith Journey

I know this is true for me… My wife and I found ourselves reflected on this very passage as we were driving to Holiday world Last weekend.

A slow walk through the Gospel // These stories intersect with our lives.

They help us be more faithful in pursuing Jesus.

Today we interact with another one of these stories that couldn’t be more important for us in our culture to wrestle with.

This morning we will address questions like: How do we get to Heaven and How do we handle our money and what does that say about our faith?

Read/Pray

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?” 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.” Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 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, 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. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Three Truths: Only God is truly good. Dependence on wealth distracts from dependence on God. God’s grace alone can save.

Truth 1: Only God Is Truly Good (vv. 17–20)

Mark 10:17–18 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.

This mans posture before Jesus :

This mans posture and emotions tell us so much about his heart.

The Very way this man approaches Jesus shows his excitement to meet him.

He ran up…. he kneeled down.

It is not socially acceptable for anyone of status or wealth to sprint with such excitetment.

He Then approaches Jesus and ask a qustions….

A. Good Teacher

B. How does anyone inherit eternal life?

Good Teacher:

Jesus responds: “No one is good except God alone.”

forces the man to wrestle with the truth: If Jesus is truly good, He must be God.

If He is truly good, He is more than a moral teacher—He is God (John 8:58; 10:30).

John 8:58 ESV

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

John 10:30 ESV

I and the Father are one.”

Transition: It will then also lead the man to wrestle with his own goodness… and should cause us to do the same this morning.

Exploring Man’s Goodness:

Mark 10:19–20 ESV

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.”

Jesus :

God establishes the Law: Exodus 20 & Deut 5

A. The 10 commandments (Law) on the surface provide a standard of righteous living before God.

You shall have no other gods before Me.

You shall not make idols.

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Honor your father and your mother.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet.

Whats really interesting: Jesus doesn’t bring us the 4 commandments… which in some since would be more relevant to a discussion of Jesus as a God.. but rather he jumps into 5-10… THe second half which all deal with how we interact with others….

To which this man reply’s I have kept them all…

How many in the room believe this man?

No one can do this…

While on the surface the 10 commandments appear to provide a path towards righteousness..

What they really reveal is our inability to achieve goodness in our self.

Romans 3:10 ESV

as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;

Transition: The man has yet to see this so Jesus pushes in father…

Truth 2: Dependence on Wealth Distracts from Dependence on God (vv. 21–25)

Mark 10:21–25 ESV

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.”

Jesus looks at him, loves him please dont miss that…. it sets the tone for all Jeuss is doing

and says: “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have… and follow me.”

Jesus is not adding an additional commandment.

However, Jesus recognizes that His wealth is his god; his possessions are his security.

Sadly this is likely a struggle for many of us in this room today as well…

Our Wealth:

We live in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world.

by Global standards we are all wealthy…

How we handle our wealth… Commandment #1 (No other gods) and Commandment #10 (You shall not covet).

Wealth makes it harder – not because money is evil, but because it tempts us toward self-sufficiency (Luke 16:9–13).

Luke 16:9–13 ESV

And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

This is why in our text this morning Jesus says it is “very difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God…

The more you have… the more to distract… the more your chase… the more you want…

In a conversation about eternity we must remind ourselves that none of these “worldly” possessions will go with you.

How we handle our wealth says something about how we relate to God.

We cannot separate these things.

Application: What is your dependence on? Where are you building up treasures?

Transition: He walks away sorrowful—not because Jesus was unclear, but because he loved something more than God. The story doesn’t stop there… as usual the Disciples are still wrestling with what Jesus is teaching.

Truth 3: God’s Grace Alone Gives Salvation (vv. 26–31)

Mark 10:26–27 ESV

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.”

Jesus now answers part B. of this mans questions….

How can one inherit eternal life?

If it’s not by how well we keep the Law then what is it?….

Imagine if your the disciples.. they are astonished—if this man can’t get in, who can?

Jesus: “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

How Does man inherit eternal life?

Salvation is a miracle of grace—if it depended on us, no one could be saved.

No one is righteous

It is a gift from God.

Ephesians 2:4–5 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Romans 10:9 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Salvation is only possible with God.

Now as we close out this chapter the disciples faith is contrasted with the rich young ruler.

Chapter 10 of Mark ends with this?

Mark 10:28–31 ESV

Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 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, 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. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Contrast – The ruler refuses to leave his wealth; the disciples left everything to follow.

Jesus promises blessings now (with persecution) and eternal life in the age to come.

“The first will be last, and the last first.” – God’s kingdom flips the world’s values.

Application: Rest in grace, not performance. Eternal life isn’t earned—it’s received.

Prayer Prompts

Admit you are not good enough – The Law shows we all fall short of God’s standard.

Confess any self-reliance – Ask: Is my stuff, comfort, or position keeping me from Jesus?

Surrender what would be hardest to give up – Let Jesus be worth more than anything else in your life.

Rest in grace – Eternal life is impossible for man, but possible with God.