Then Who Can Be Saved?
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
Normally the flight from Nassau to Miami took Walter Wyatt, Jr., only 65 minutes.
But on December 5, 1986, he attempted it after thieves had looted the navigational equipment in his Beechcraft.
With only a compass and a hand-held radio, Walter flew into skies blackened by storm clouds.
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When his compass began to gyrate, Walter concluded he was headed in the wrong direction.
He flew his plane below the clouds, hoping to spot something, but soon he knew he was lost.
He put out a mayday call, which brought a Coast Guard Falcon search plane to lead him to an emergency landing strip only six miles away.
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Suddenly Watt’s right engine coughed its last and died.
The fuel tank had run dry.
Around 8 pm Wyatt could do little more than glide the plane into the water.
Wyatt survived the crash, but his plane disappeared quickly, leaving him bobbing on the water in a leaky life vest.
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With blood on his forehead, Wyatt floated on his back.
Suddenly he felt a hard bump against his body.
A shark had found him.
Wyatt kicked the intruder and wondered if he would survive the night. He managed to stay afloat for the next ten hours.
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In the morning, Wyatt saw no airplanes, but in the water a dorsal fin was headed for him. Twisting, he felt the hide of a shark brush against him.
In a moment, two more bull sharks sliced through the water toward him.
Again he kicked the sharks, and they veered away, but he was nearing exhaustion.
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Then he heard the hum of a distant aircraft.
When it was within a half mile, he waved his orange vest.
The pilot dropped a smoke canister and radioed the cutter Cape York, which was 12 minutes away.
“Get moving, cutter!
There’s a shark targeting this guy!”
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As the Cape York pulled alongside Wyatt, a Jacob’s ladder was dropped over the side.
Wyatt climbed wearily out of the water and onto the ship, where he fell to his knees and kissed the deck.
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He’d been saved.
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Now, Wyatt couldn’t on his own save himself...
He was in an impossible situation...
Nothing less than outside intervention from above could have rescued him from sure death.
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The same is true for all of us...
We cannot be saved by our own best efforts and works.
We need God to make the impossible possible and save us form the punishment we so rightly deserve.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 18 and focus on verses 24 through 30.
Our message this morning is titled “Then Who Can Be Saved?”
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As you are turning to our passage today, please keep in mind this fact:
Last Sunday, we talked about the interaction between the young rich ruler and Jesus...
It was a tragic story of a man with some much sincerity but a lack of humility...
Today, we will look at Jesus’s important commentary He gives related to this encounter.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The Impossible Situation
2) The Impossible Made Possible
And...
3) The Promises of God
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are our Mighty Fortress...
You are the Rock of Ages...
And You are the Ancient of Days.
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We look forward to the return of Your Son...
He is our precious Redeemer...
And He is our Sovereign Savior.
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Help us in our spiritual battles we engage in everyday...
Help us to properly discern Your truth...
And help us to live according to Your good statutes.
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Thank You for not abandoning us...
Thank You for not leaving us where You found us...
And thank You for accepting us into Your royal family.
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And it is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!
25 For 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 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”
27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
28 And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.”
29 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,
30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Impossible Situation
1) The Impossible Situation
Verses 24-25: Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For 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.”
So, Luke start off this section by mentioning that Jesus saw that the rich young ruler had left their encounter very sad and disappointed...
That encounter in covered in Luke 18:18-23, which says:
18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’ ”
21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.”
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.
So, the rich young man genuinely wanted to know how he could inherit eternal life...
And when Jesus told him that the cost of eternal life is to be willing to give up the things we love most...
And surrender to Him...
He could not do it...
For he had an idolatrous love for his vast possessions and wealth.
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He truly traded away the eternal for the temporary...
All because money and greed had become this young man’s god.
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You see, Beloved, wealth tends to breed self-sufficiency...
And wealth tends to breed a false sense of security...
And that ultimately leads to an unhealth attitude that one does not need divine resources.
As 1 Timothy 6:17 says:
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
Likewise, let us also consider passages like Luke 12:16–21, which says:
16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully,
17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’
18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’
20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
That is why Jesus says that “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.”
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Now to understand what Jesus intends with this illustration...
We need to consider some historical context.
You see, the Persians expressed impossibility by saying it would be easier to put an elephant through the eye of a needle.
So, Jesus’ statement was a Jewish colloquial adaptation of that expression denoting impossibility.
The reason for the change from elephant to camel has to do with the fact that the largest animal in Israel was a camel.
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This illustration that Jesus presents perfectly communicates the impossibility for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God...
But that is not all...
The impossibility of someone entering the Kingdom of God was not limited to the rich...
Jesus was actually saying it is impossible for anyone to make it into the Kingdom of God on the basis of their works...
The MacArthur Study Bible puts it this way:
“Jesus’ use of this illustration was to explicitly say that salvation by human effort is impossible; it is wholly by God’s grace.
The Jews believed that with alms a man purchased salvation (as recorded in the Talmud), so the more wealth one had, the more alms he could give, the more sacrifices and offerings he could offer, thus purchasing redemption.
The disciples’ question makes it clear that they understood what Jesus meant—that not even the rich could buy salvation.”
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Now, Beloved, some, unwilling to face the stark reality that the saying implies, have attempted to soften the true meaning of the illustration of the impossibility of a camel going through the eye of the needle.
Noting the similarity between the Greek words kamelos (camel) and kamilos (a large rope or cable), some suggest that a copyist erred by substituting the former for the latter.
It is unlikely, however, that all three Synoptic Gospels would have been changed in the same way.
Nor would a scribe make the statement harder rather than easier.
He might change the wording from “camel” to “cord,” but not from “cord” to “camel.”
But even a rope could no more go through the eye of a needle than a camel could.
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Others imagine that the reference is to a small gate in Jerusalem’s wall that camels could only enter with great difficulty.
But there is no evidence that such a gate ever existed.
Nor would any person with common sense have attempted to force a camel through such a small gate even if one had existed; they would simply have brought their camel into the city through a larger gate.
The obvious point of that picturesque expression of hyperbole is not that salvation is difficult, but rather that it is humanly impossible for everyone by any means, including the wealthy.
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That is when the disciples were so blown away by Jesus’s words...
As Mark 10:24 says, which is a parallel of our passage:
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!
Since riches were supposedly a sign of God’s favor, Jesus’ listeners must have wondered:
If a rich man who could freely offer alms and sacrifices could not be saved, who could be?
So, Beloved, it was clear that the disciples understood what Jesus was saying...
He was not talking about the difficultly to enter the Kingdom of God...
He was talking about the impossibility for anyone one to enter the Kingdom of God by their own merits.
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But I must remind you, Beloved...
We serve the God who is able to do the impossible...
And that takes us to our next point.
2) The Impossible Made Possible
2) The Impossible Made Possible
Verses 26-27: Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Mark’s account again provides us with some helpful additional details...
So, look with me at Mark 10:26, which says:
26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?”
Again, Jesus was underscoring the impossibility of anyone’s being saved by merit...
However, God is able to overcome the things that are impossible for us...
Because of God’s power and grace, repenting and following Jesus is possible, even for a rich man.
Salvation is the work of the Lord, who does Himself what would otherwise be impossible.
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You see, Beloved, Jesus’ teaching ran counter to the prevailing rabbinical teaching, which gave the wealthy a clear advantage for salvation.
It was commonly thought that rich people were the most likely candidates for heaven.
Jesus’ emphatic teaching that even the rich could not be saved by their own efforts left the bewildered disciples wondering what chance the poor stood...
But Jesus quickly reassures them...
God is able to breathe life into dead dry bones....
God is able to knock down any wall...
God is able to split in two any obstacle...
Or as Job 42:2 says:
2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
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Beloved, recall with me the impossible situation that Sarah and Abraham where in...
No children and very advanced in age...
A medical impossibility is nothing to hard for our God...
As Genesis 18:10-14 says:
10 The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.
12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”
13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’
14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
Furthermore, in the New Testament, God did it again...
Providing an old couple with a child...
And even greater we see that God uses a virgin to give birth to God in the flesh...
Or as Luke 1:34-37 says:
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
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So, without God, we will fail...
It is impossible for anyone to be saved by his own efforts since salvation is entirely a gracious, sovereign work of God.
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Salvation is possible only through divine grace...
Only God can do the impossible...
And that is the message that Jesus wants His followers to never forget.
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Next, the disciples want to be reassured that they are in right standing with God after they realize how impossible entering the Kingdom of God will be for those whom they thought would easily make it to heaven...
And that takes us to our third and final point.
3) The Promises of God
3) The Promises of God
Verses 28-30: And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Peter, representing the rest of the disciples wants to receive some kind of reassurance from Jesus...
He saw that the young rich ruler refused follow Jesus as he was not willing to give up what meant most to him...
But Peter and the rest of the disciples (except for Judas) where willing to sacrifice whatever was necessary in order to follow Jesus.
That is why he says, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.”
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Our Lord hears Peter and assurance him and all his followers that “there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Jesus’s answer to Peter means that God’s gifts surpass anything we can give up for Him.
It does not mean that we should make sacrifices merely as a means of getting a better reward.
So, Christ is not encouraging his disciples to abandon familial responsibilities.
But sometimes family members turn against a believer, or there may be times of temporary separation due to Christian ministry.
As Luke 14:26 says:
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
Theologian James R. Edwards puts it this way:
“Once again, Jesus declares that life’s network of natural relationships and allegiances cannot be given precedence over the call of Christ.
The church in the modern West often compromises the gospel by proclaiming an ‘inviting’ faith, without costs or demands.
Jesus respects both the integrity of the gospel and his hearers by declaring from the outset the demands of discipleship—demands, in fact, that deterred would-be followers in his day.
Ironically, these demands do not deprive and deplete those who accept them.
In the second mission journey, the disciples are sent out in want, but they return in joy and empowerment.
Likewise, those who forsake homes and family for Christ receive from Christ many times more than what they forsake.
Many Christians have experienced in Christian fellowship and churches the families they never experienced in their birth homes.”
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If it comes down to it...
Are you willing to give up your relationship with your friends for God?
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If it comes down to it...
Are you willing to give up your relationship with your family for God?
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If it comes down to it...
Are you willing to give up your relationship with your parents for God?
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If it comes down to it...
Are you willing to give up your relationship with your children for God?
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If it comes down to it...
Are you willing to give up your relationship with your spouse for God?
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Anything less than a total commitment and surrender to God will not do!
Christ must rule on the throne of your heart...
He will not accept second place...
He wants unconditional allegiance.
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Our Lord must be seen as a wonderful treasure...
A treasure that is so wonderful that one would give up anything and everything to have it.
A perfect illustration of this is found in Matthew 13:44, which says:
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Likewise, equally serving as a perfect illustration is the picture painted in Matthew 13:45–46, which says:
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
This is the great exchange...
Believers receive the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great value when they willingly give up the right to all that they possess.
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While salvation cannot be earned, allegiance to Christ entails surrendering to Him control of one’s life, including possessions and relationships.
Eternal life (which is a gift) is an inheritance, not an earned reward.
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I love how the apostle Paul says it in Philippians 3:8–10:
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
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Only through a saving relationship with Christ will anyone inherit eternal life...
And the fruit of having a saving relationship with Christ is a life defined by righteousness...
So, we must genuinely follow Him and it can’t just be lip service.
As John 12:26 says:
26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
Likewise, 1 John 5:11 puts it like this:
11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
In The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority there is an account of a conversation between the late Adrian Rogers and Josef Tson, the Romanian pastor, author, and president of the Romanian Missionary Society who survived years of persecution and exile under cruel Communist rule.
Rogers asked Tson for his perception of American Christianity.
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Josef said the key word in American Christianity is commitment.
This is not good.
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“As a matter of fact, the word commitment did not come into great usage in the English language until about the 1960s.
In Romania we do not even have a word to translate the English word commitment.
If you were to use commitment in your message tonight, I would not have a proper word to translate it with.
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When a new word comes into usage, it generally pushes an old word out.
I began to study and found the old word that commitment replaced - the word surrender.”
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What is the difference between commitment and surrender?
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“When you make a commitment, you are still in control, no matter how noble the thing you commit to.
One can commit to pray, to study the Bible, to give his money, or to commit to automobile payments, or to lose weight.
Whatever he chooses to do, he commits to.
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But surrender is different.
If someone holds a gun and asks you to lift your hands in the air as a token of surrender, you don’t tell that person what you are committed to.
You simply surrender and do as you are told… Americans love commitment because they are still in control.
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But the key word is surrender.
We are to be slaves to the Lord Jesus Christ.”
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So, Beloved...
Are you all in for Christ?
Are you ready and willing to give up anything and everything for Him is that is what you are called upon to do?
Is Christ your pearl of great value?
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Yes, yes, and yes is the only answers that will do!
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
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Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way:
Then remove their horse blinders so they can see who You really are for the very first time in their lives.
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I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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For those hearing this message who already know You:
Give us opportunities to tell others about the incalculable value of a relationship with Christ.
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Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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It is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
