THE PERFECT CHRISTIAN

Hector Mora

Jesus People • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

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LAST WEEK

We took a look at Marriage and Divorce

We looked at the Biblical Framework of Marriage

We looked at the reasoning behind Moses’ permission to divorce

We looked at the effects of divorce

We also looked at how we as parents can stumble our children through divorce and through normal rhythms that we entertain

THIS WEEK

We are going to look at two topics today

1. Our Net Worth

2. Our Identity in Christ

I want you to think about something for just a second, and ask yourself this question:

Are you poor?

Yes or No?

If you are like me, your natural reaction is . . . By what standards?

By what standards?

In the United States of America

If you are single and make less than $1,000 a month then you would be considered poor

If you are newly married and make less than $16,000 a year you would be considered poor

If you are married and have one child . . . $20K a year

Two Children . . . $24K a year

Three Children . . . . $28K a year

Four Children . . . $33K a year

In the World

The Poverty line is close to $2 a day

That means if you make more than $62 a month, you are above the poverty line.

The Reality is that almost 10% of the world lives below this line.

So, I ask the question, are you Poor?

I would guess that most of us vastly exceed that poverty line

Even though we may not feel rich, it is safe to say that most of us are not poor

Now, question #2

How does our net worth effect how we carry ourselves?

What does our bank account say about who we are?

Does what God has blessed us with draw us closer to Him?

Or does it create an obstacle?

If we were present during the conversation we are about to read about

Wealth would have been seen as God’s Blessing upon your life

Is perfection attainable?

Your Wealth would be inherently related to your relationship to the Lord.

Now, lets take a look at what is happening in .

TURN TO

Matthew 19:16–30 NKJV

16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” 28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

: 16

PRAY THAT WE WOULD HAVE OPEN HEARTS

PRAY THAT OUR TREASURE WOULD NOT BE IN OUR BANK ACCOUNTS, BUT HOW OUR BANK ACCOUNTS REFLECT OUR TREASURE IN HEAVEN.

PRAY THAT WE WOULD HAVE COURAGE TO CONFRONT THE THINGS THAT GET IN THE WAY OF FOLLOWING JESUS.

Matthew 19:16–17 NKJV

MATTHEW 19:16-

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THIS MAN THAT APPROACHED JESUS

We know that this young man was a rich ruler.

Probably dressed well

Had everything he desired

Had authority over many

Had acquired much property and possessions over his young life

Too blessed to be stressed

If he lived today

He probably owned a house in Belmont

Managed his properties in Laguna

Walked his french bulldog to a 3rd Wave Coffee Shop

Owned an iPhone X

Drove a Tesla

Dressed to impress every single day

Bachelor Life Level 9000

From the questions that this young man was asking

We can conclude that he wasn’t satisfied with his 7-8 Figure Net Worth

Lets look at this conversation a little deeper

He approaches Jesus and asks him a question that many are asking today:

“Good Teacher, what Good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life”

#1 This young man recognized that the teachings of Jesus were good

He knew Jesus’ reputation

He knew there was something about Jesus that made him the source of all things Good and all things Eternal

#2 He saw Eternal Life as a very attainable thing

In fact, he thought that Eternal Life was laid hold of through good works

Very much like todays culture

He wanted to know the key to ensuring his Eternal Life

“What Good thing shall I do, in order that I may have eternal life”

This was a good question

In fact, from how the disciples responded, we can conclude that they too were a little clueless as to how to attain such a thing.

Though this was a good question, Jesus responds with a better question

Why do you call me Good?

Jesus isn’t questioning his “Goodness”

He wants to know the “why”

He wants to know what led this man to call Him “Good”

He wants to draw a deeper statement from his core

So he follows it up with the next statement

No one is Good, but One, that is God.

Jesus, again, is not questioning whether He is God or Good

He desires this young man to call him by his Formal Title . . . God.

Why?

Because if Jesus was God, then the answer to the question matters

If Jesus was God, every word He spoke has an exponentially greater value

If Jesus truly was the Messiah, then this entire conversation has at its core the answer to the greatest question ever asked.

It is when we realize who Jesus is and what He is about, that we can function as Biblical Human Beings.

Jesus wanted to draw that truth out before He answered His question

“But, i’ll answer your question, If you want Eternal Life, keep the commandments”

What is Jesus doing here?

Is He reverting back to the law?

Is He stating that Salvation comes through the keeping of the law?

Or is he trying to draw out a greater truth?

Matthew 19:

Matthew 19:18–19 NKJV

18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

The Young Ruler responds: “Which Ones”

Let’s be clear

This is a Jewish man we are talking about

A man who would have known the commandments

So in essence, He is asking a deeper question

Maybe what he is trying to say goes something like this:

“What other commandments are there that maybe I am not keeping?”

What other commandments are there that maybe I am not keeping?

“What am I missing?”

Jesus responds with the very basics of the law

Don’t murder anybody

Don’t cheat on your wife

Don’t steal

Don’t bear False Testimony

Honor your Father and Your Mother

Love your neighbor as yourself

These are all good things

Things that we should be doing anyways

Things that “Good” People are actively doing even without knowing God

So why does Jesus bring it up?

Jesus, in His Omniscience, knows where this dude is at

He knows that He has kept these commandments

He knows what he is good at and where he is struggling

Like any one who genuinely cares

Jesus is desiring for this young man to come to grips with the reality that a Morally Good Lifestyle is only good this side of heaven

Jesus doesn’t seek to call him out, but to realize his necessity for himself.

He wants him to understand that being Morally Aligned is not the Core of Salvation, but the Byproduct of Salvation

CHECK OUT HOW THE YOUNG RULER RESPONDS:

Matthew 19:20 NKJV

20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”

Matthew 19:20

Its part of the goal

The Young Man responds: “I’ve done these things since I was a kid, What do I still lack”

But

This is the reality of most people today

They’ve kept all the rules

They’ve been working for their Salvation

They’ve been keeping the Obvious Commandments

But the Intimacy of

Yet they still have the question

“What am I still lacking?”

Now do you understand why Jesus spoke to him the way he did?

Now do you understand why He wanted him to admit who Jesus truly was?

Now do you understand why he told him to keep the commandments?

One thing remains

One thing is still hindering this young man from having a perfect relationship with the Lord

Matthew 19:

Matthew 19:21–22 NKJV

21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

JESUS SHIFTS BIBLICAL LIVING FROM FOLLOWING RULES TO FOLLOWING HIM

HE SHIFTS FROM A SALVATION CONFIRMED WITH MATERIAL BLESSING, TO A SALVATION CONFIRMED BY THE BLESSING OF WALKING WITH HIM

HE SAYS:

If you want to be perfect

That word “Perfect” is Teleios or Teleioo

It gives the sense of complete, whole, perfected, mature, Holy

Jesus is saying

If you want to feel whole

Go, sell what you have and give to the poor

In doing this, your treasure will shift from the material to the eternal

From things that moth and rust can destroy

To things that are untouchable and have no expiration date

Once you’ve sold everything, come and Follow Me.

Jesus is desiring to shift this mans net worth from earth to Heaven

He is trying to get this mans focus away from stuff that becomes outdated

He is trying to get our focus away from stuff that grow outdated in a few years

He is trying to reshape this mans whole identity

However, Following Jesus is easier said than done.

Following Jesus will always cost us something

The question is, is it worth it?

For the rich young ruler, the answer to his question left him defeated

He walked away sorrowful

SIDE NOTE: This makes this

Why?

Because He had great possessions

Possessions that he would have to put on the chopping block in order to follow Jesus

Sometimes the answer to our questions are not for us to communicate to others

But for us to grab hold of for ourselves.

Have you ever thought about this?

The only man to ever walk away from a personal invitation from Christ himself as recorded in the Gospels, is this young man.

What was on their mind?

Matthew 19:23–26 NKJV

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:23-

#1 Jesus assures them, that this shouldn’t be a surprise

I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven

Why?

Because it is hard to leave the glory you can feel to embrace the glory yet to be revealed.

I ask you the same question once again, are you rich?

When our hearts are crowded

You may not be poor, but what is causing us to have a crowded heart?

The great poet Christopher Wallace said “Mo Money, Mo Problems”

When it comes to Eternity, Jesus says “Mo Money, Mo Problems”

Why?

Matthew 6:21 NKJV

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Because were your treasure is there your heart will be also

What are we treasuring today that is preventing us from living into our truest identity?

We may be rich young rulers here on earth, but those riches have no economic value in the Kingdom of Heaven if they were not used for His Glory on Earth.

THIS JACKED UP THE DISCIPLES

Maybe because of what they had in Christ

Maybe because of their net worth

They felt convicted and wanted to desperately know if there was a possibility for anyone to enter into Heaven.

“Who then can be saved?”

If a Camel can’t go through they eye of the needle

How can we enter into Heaven with all of our baggage?

Jesus answers: “With Men it is impossible, but with God everything is Possible”

What does this even mean?

Jesus is trying to draw a greater conclusion from them

If He is God, Heaven is a possibility

If He is God, Eternal Life is attainable

If He is the Messiah, then He is the Door

If He is the Door, then there is no other way for us to Enter into Life

He is the Way to Heaven

He is the Truth that gets us into Heaven

He is the Life that was given to activate Heaven

WITH MEN, YOU CANNOT ACHIEVE WHAT GOD WANTS TO ACCOMPLISH!

Matthew 19:27–30 NKJV

27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” 28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

What is it going to cost us to follow Christ?

What are we going to do in the name of Jesus?

WE may never know what Christ has for us, if we never detach ourselves from earthly treasures.

CONCLUSION

We may not have great possessions, but what is Jesus asking us to let go of in order to see the definition of “Abundant Life”, in order to see what “Exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we can ask or think means”

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