How can YOU have Eternal Life?

“How can YOU have Eternal Life”?

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I am amazed by the things that people know;

Game shows like, Jeopardy ask, difficult random questions… and people know the answers!

? What are dollar bills made off?

Cotton and Linen.

? What does the “57” on a Heinz ketchup bottle represent?

The number of pickle types the company once had.

? How many eyelids does a Camel have?

A Camel has 3 eyelids.

People know a lot of things that really don’t matter.

Thankfully there are people who know things that really do matter:

Doctors know how to treat us when we are sick.

Scientist know how to research and develop medicines to help us.

Engineers know how to build things that make life easier for us.

There are a lot of smart people in this world that are doing things that help us in many ways. And we are thankful for their knowledge.

80% of the world’s total knowledge has come in the last decade. We have more knowledge than any other generation. 90% of all scientists who have ever lived are alive today.

We have the smart bomb, the smart phone, the smart home, the smart car, u-tube, google, and we can get the answer to any question we could ask.

But there is one question that is more important than any other question, you could ever ask. And there is only one place to get the answer to this question; and that is in the Bible.

That question is- “How can you have Eternal Life?

In the scripture this morning we meet a man that ask that very question

V:18-“What shall I do to inherit eternal life”?

That is a question that you need to know the answer to!

In this account we are given the answer to that important question.

1st to have eternal life you must:

1. Go to the Right Person.

V:18-“And, a certain ruler asked HIM…

This man had a question about eternal life and he was wise enough to go to the right person- JESUS! He called Jesus “Good master” teacher, doctor, He recognized Jesus as the one who could answer his question about how to have eternal life, how to go to heaven when he died. He by-passed the Pharisees, scribes, priest, he even by-passed peter, James and John and went straight to Jesus.

This man had a lot going for him:

· He was young.

-“And the young man…

He came to Jesus at the right time, in his youth. Youth is a wonderful time, it is wonderful to see young people seek Jesus.

Come to Jesus while you are young. I was 18 teen years old when I received eternal life! I have NEVER had any regrets for giving my heart to Jesus.

-“Remember NOW thy creator in the days of thy youth”

Young people give your life to Jesus while you are young. “Don’t burn the candle of your life for the devil, and then blow the smoke of a wasted life in Jesus face”

He came to Jesus as a young man; come to Jesus as a young person.

· He was young.

· He was wealthy.

V:23-“He was very rich”

He could have anything he wanted, lands, houses, pleasures, travels. He was very rich.

· He was morally clean.

V:21-“I have kept all these commandments”

He walked the straight and narrow; he was a clean living young man.

You would love to have had this guy as your next door neighbor. He was a fine, upstanding young man. He told Jesus he had never commit adultery, never killed anybody, never stole anything, never lied, and always obeyed his parents. WOW! He was a good kid!

· He was Eager.

Mark tells us he came running. This was no small matter to him; he wanted to know about eternal life… big time! This young man was not bored, asleep in the pew, unconcerned, with an apathy attitude. NOT THIS YOUNG MAN! He came running to Jesus!! He is not like some people who come to church fold their arms and look up here and say-“Get it over with” He eagerly wants to know the answer to the question in his soul.

He wasted no time coming to Jesus, or asking the question, how can I have eternal life?

· He was Humble.

-“He kneeled down”

He is young, rich, moral, yet he falls on his knees before Jesus. He is aware that he doesn’t have eternal life and He humbles himself before Jesus in the middle of the road, with people all around.

He is in the dust before Jesus; he doesn’t care what anyone thinks about him. He believes that Jesus has the answer to the question in his heart.

This young man had a lot going for him:

Through he was young-he didn’t procrastinate.

Through he was rich-he came to Jesus.

Through he was religious/kept the law-he knew that wasn’t enough.

He came to Jesus running and kneeling down calling Jesus “Good Master” He discerned that Jesus was the ONE who had the answer about eternal life. He was the teacher of truth; he recognized the goodness and wisdom of Jesus!

That is more than you can say for a lot of people; this young man knew that Jesus was unique and had the answer to his question. Just like Nicodemus he knew Jesus was a teacher sent from God.

To have eternal life you have to go to the right person. And that person is not the priest, pastor, rabbi, that person is Jesus Christ!

-“Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the life, no man comes to the father but by me”

If you what to know how to have eternal life there is only one person who can tell you how to have eternal life and that is Jesus!

Not only do you need to: Go to the right person.

2nd to have eternal life you must:

2. Ask the Right Question.

V:18-“what shall I do to inherit eternal life”?

Not only did he come to the right person- Jesus!

He came asking the right question- about eternal life. He didn’t come asking about physical healing, he didn’t come asking for money, food, or clothes, job, or a wife.

He’s asking the right question- “How can I have eternal life”? He was concerned about spiritual things, about his soul! Even though he was an outstanding young man, he was missing something in his heart; something that his money, morals, youth, religion could not give him. He had discovered that material things couldn’t fill the void in his heart! He had discovered that you can’t live good enough to earn eternal life! God has made you for spiritual things, God created you to have a relationship with Him, and you can’t fill that

God- shape vacuum in your heart with anything that this world has to offer. This young man has an empty spot in his heart; he knows that there’s more to life than physical and material things, he knows that there are spiritual things. He knows he has a deep need in his life, he doesn’t have eternal life, and he wants to know how to get it!

He knows all kind of things; but not the main thing- how to get to heaven!

Do you know how to get to heaven?

If someone asked you how to get to heaven what would you tell them? His question is not perfect, because he thinks that there is something he can do to have eternal life, V:18-Read.

A lot of people make that same mistake, they think they can do something to gain eternal life- live good enough, join the church, get baptized, give money, and be a moral person.

None of those things will purchase eternal life; eternal life is not something you earn, or gain by the way you live. He asks the right question it is about eternal life; Notice how Jesus answers him. Jesus answers his question with a question, V:19-“Why call me good? There is none good but one, that is God.

Don’t think for a minute that Jesus is saying he is not good; NO, Jesus is saying he is God! Jesus is showing this young man that He is good because he is God! Jesus is asking this young man, are you calling me good because you believe I am God?

This young man thought that Jesus was just a good man, and he thought he was a good man himself.

What other good thing do I need to do to have eternal life? He was comparing himself to others and felt like he was a GOOD GUY.

Jesus told him in V:19-“There is none good, but one, that is God”

Jesus already knew this guy thought he was a good. Jesus tells him “There is none good, but God”.

The standard of goodness is God’s goodness, and Jesus is God!

-“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. God is righteous and holy, perfect and good, and no one else is.

Now don’t miss this; to have eternal life you have to answer this question who is Jesus Christ?

Some people put Jesus on the same level with other so-called good people; and they say Jesus was a good teacher, a good person, and good example.

But Jesus was not just a good teacher, a good man; Jesus was God in human flesh, the perfect, holy Son of God among men. You have to answer the question who is Jesus if you’re ever going to have eternal life!

Jesus was good because he was God, and No one else is good. Jesus told this young man this because he thought he was good, he didn't realize the sinfulness, and the blackness, and the wickedness of the human heart.

The Bible says, -"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked".

If you think that you can go to Heaven without being born again, you are ignorant of two things: 1.You don't know how wicked your heart is.

2.You don't know how holy God is.

Jesus is going to give this young man, who was self-righteous, a revelation of the sinfulness of his heart.

Jesus is going to show him the rottenness and the filthiness that was in his heart.

V:20-“Jesus tells him “if you want to enter into life keep the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not lie, Honor thy father and thy mother.”

Notice that Jesus quotes the 2nd half of the ten Commandments- the commandments that are

Man-ward in nature.

? Why did Jesus bring up the Ten Commandments? The Ten Commandments were given to teach us that we are sinners, and that we cannot keep the Ten Commandments. But listen to what this young man said, V:21-“All these have I kept from my youth up…This young man thought he was in good, he was self-righteous. He is doing what a lot of people do, he is viewing his life with only a superficial, surface glance, he has a high view of himself; and he has a low view of sin.

He thinks keeping the law is only an outward matter. I have never killed anyone, I don’t cheat on my wife, and I’ve never robbed a bank, I don’t lie, and obey my parents. WOW he is a pretty good guy in his own estimation.

But Jesus said that the keeping of the law was not just an outward matter, it is a matter of the heart.

. Jesus said in those verses:

· You have heard-“Thou shall not commit adultery.

But I say unto you, if you look with lust on a woman, you’ve commitment adultery in your heart.

· You have heard-“Thou shall not kill”

But I say unto you, if you have hate in your heart toward your brother, you are guilty of murder.

This guy isn’t looking below the surface of his life to the condition of his heart. There is a goodness that is dangerous, because it is so deceptive. When you give yourself a surface glance and decide that you are a pretty good person, your outward goodness will lull you into hell!

The Ten Commandments, the law of God, was given not for us to keep them and have eternal life, but to show us that we are sinners, law-breakers, guilty and desperately need a savior!

-“By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin”

-“A man is not justified by the works of the law, by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

The law was given to teach us that we are sinners! We have all broken God’s law; sin is the transgression of the law. ()

You only have to break one of the Ten Commandments to be a lost sinner who needs a savior. The Ten Commandments are God’s mirror held up to show us how dirty, sinful and lost we are; but the mirror cannot wash away our sin, the law drives us to our knees to confess we are guilty and turns us to Jesus who can forgive us and cleanse us and give us his righteousness!

Jesus holds the mirror of the law up before this young man to show him that he was a sinner.

But he didn’t get it, he says to Jesus,V:21-“All these have I kept since I was a kid”

I want to remind you that to have eternal life, you have to understand who Jesus is- He is God!

And you have to understand who you are-A Sinner!

This young man doesn’t think he is a sinner, but Jesus is going to show him that he is!

V:22-“Jesus said to him, you lack one thing: sell all that you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Jesus as a master surgeon is going to open up his heart so he could see his true condition.

If this young man is going to depend on his goodness and keeping the Ten Commandments, then there is only one way. You have to keep the 10 commandments perfectly. -“If you will be perfect!!

The young man things he is not a law- breaker and a sinner, but he is! Jesus takes him to the first commandment and shows him that he has broken it! What is the first commandment?

-“Thou shalt have no other gods before me” Jesus is showing him that his gold is his god, it was his idol, and he loved his gold more than God.

Now please understand that no one is saved by keeping the Ten Commandments, and no one is saved by selling everything they have and giving it to the poor.

Jesus was once asked what the greatest commandment is, and Jesus answered in

-“You shalt love the Lord your God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”

The greatest commandment is to love God with every fiber of your being.

If that is the greatest command, what is the greatest sin? Is it adultery, murder, perversion? No! It is to not love God with all your heart, soul and mind!

By telling him to go and sell all he had and give it to the poor and come follow me, He was showing him that he didn’t love God like he did his money! He loved his money more than God. He was breaking the first commandment. Jesus the great physician diagnoses every case correctly.

Jesus doesn’t commandment anyone else in the Bible to give all they have to the poor. He didn’t command Zacchaeus to sell all he had and give it to the poor, he didn’t tell Nicodemus that either, or the woman at the well. But he does command everyone to repent of their sin and place their faith in him!

Jesus challenges the young man, as He challenges each one of us, to put away, and turn from anything that is an obstacle to our following Him. He could not love his wealth supremely, and Jesus supremely. One had to go! No man can serve two masters! His gold was his god; his covetous was keeping him from eternal life.

-“It is hard for them that trust in riches to enter the kingdom of heaven”

Jesus put his finger on the young man’s possessions because that‘s what he was trusting in.

There's nothing wrong with having money, but the problem with this young man is that his money had him. It meant more to him than Jesus Christ.

Jesus knew that this man had enthroned the idol of possessions in his heart. Jesus demands all you are and all you have, He is Lord of all, are not Lord at all. Jesus knows this morning what is keeping you from coming to him for salvation.

He knows what is standing between you and him, and chances are you do to! What is it that is keeping you from giving your heart to Jesus today?

Is it a sinful relationship—you're living with a person you're not married to you're going to have to make up your mind about that relationship, because you can't have God and have your sin at the same time. Is it a sinful habit- that means more to you than Jesus Christ? What is it that is keeping you from Jesus today? John Bunyan said-“You can have your sin and go to hell, or leave your sins and go to heaven”

This young man had another god in his life, and God will have no others God’s before him!

Jesus is confronting this young man with his sin, and he is calling him to surrender his life to Jesus, to be saved, to have eternal life, and eternal riches.

To have eternal life you must:

1. Go to the Right Person.

2. Ask the Right Question.

3rd to have eternal life you must:

3. Make the Right Decision.

This young man is brought to the place of decision, can you picture him? His face is serious, his eyes are narrow, his hands are sweating, and he bits his lip.

He is thinking; the angels in heaven are leaning over and watching, the recording angel has pen in hand ready to write his name in the lamb’s book of life. The demons whispered in his ear and said, don’t sell out to Jesus "That would be foolish. People will ridicule you. You deserve these things. You worked hard for these things. You can have a wonderful life. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Remember this young man had come running and kneeling down, he came to the right person- Jesus, and he had asked the right question- about eternal life, now he has to make a decision!

V:23-“When he heard this, he was very sorrowful… -“he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions”

He looked at Jesus and he looked at his possessions and chose his money over Jesus. It was a terrible decision! He walked away sorrowful- sad, grieved, unhappy. He went away with a heavy heart. He went away from Jesus, eternal life, heaven, joy, peace. The angels wept, and the demons shouted for joy.

Jesus with love watched the young man walk away, Jesus let him go. Jesus didn't run after him; Jesus let him go. I'm going to give an invitation, in a moment, to come to Jesus, but, you have the freedom to walk out of here without Jesus Christ. And, He's not going to stop you. There aren’t enough demons in Hell to keep you from coming to Jesus if you want to! But there aren’t enough angels in Heaven to drag you down this aisle, if you don't want to come. Jesus let him go.

Secondly, Jesus did not lower the standards. Jesus didn’t say come on back and we can negotiate, Jesus must be Lord. Is there anything that you love more than Jesus? You may be a member of this church. But, if there's anything you love more than Jesus Christ, you're going to Hell; you're not saved.

I wonder if this young man ever came back to Jesus and got saved. We don’t have any record that he did.

I don’t know about him, but I wonder about you this morning. What decision are you going to make for Jesus? You know you need him, you know there is something lacking in your life! You may have it all, but you don’t have Jesus, you really don’t have anything! Will you turn from whatever you’re holding onto and come to Jesus today!