CAN’T BUY YOUR WAY INTO HEAVEN

Mark 10:23-31

Mark 10:23–31 KJV 1900

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.

Intro: This passage is clearly linked with the one we studied last week.

Imagine the scene. In verses 17-22 a very wealthy man has just turned his back on the Lord Jesus and is walking away.

When this young man hears the words of the Lord Jesus, he turns around and walks away. He chose his wealth over salvation. He chose his way over God’s way. He chose eternal death over everlasting life. He chose the world over the Kingdom of God. He chose Hell over Heaven.

When he leaves, Jesus uses the moment to teach His disciples about the danger of riches in this world. He teaches them a few truths that all generations would do well to take to heart.

Today, I want to look into these verses and talk about the truths revealed here. I want you to see The Truth About Riches; The Truth About Redemption; and The Truth About Rewards. Notice these truths with me as we try to grasp everything the Lord is saying here.

I. THE TRUTH ABOUT RICHES-VS. 23-25

A. An Announcement from Jesus-vs. 23

As the Rich Young Ruler walks away, Jesus looks around at His men and makes an astonishing statement. He says that people who possess the riches of this world will have great difficulty entering into God’s kingdom.

The problem is not with a person having money. The problem is when money has the person.

1 Timothy 6:10 KJV 1900

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

The Rich Young Ruler was wealthy, but he did not possess his riches, his riches possessed him.

B. The Astonished Disciples-vs. 24

The word “astonished” has the idea of “amazement, or fright”.

What these men heard blew them out of the water!

These men were from a culture that saw financial prosperity as the blessing of God on a life.

These men had the example of rich Abraham, David, Job and Solomon. All of their religious heroes had been very wealthy men! It’s no wonder they are amazed!

Some of the old reformers equated wealth with the blessing of the Lord. Many in our day hold the same mindset. Consider the claims of the “Health and Wealth Movement”. Those preachers tell us that when we are right with God, we will have plenty of money and perfect health. Anything less than that standard proves that you are not right with the Lord.

Some people in this room think the same way. When you have plenty, you say, “The Lord sure has blessed me!” When you go through a difficult time, you say, “I wonder what I did to make the Lord chasten me?” When you think about what Jesus said, it really is an astonishing statement.

C. The Example of the Camel-vs. 24b-25

Jesus senses their amazement and clarifies what He means. Notice how He says the same thing in a very tender and clear manner. First, He calls His man, “Children”. That is a term of endearment. Then, He tells them that people who “trust in riches” will find salvation impossible. It would be like trying to stuff a camel through the eye of a sewing needle.

This is a hyperbole. It is an exaggeration used to emphasize a truth. Jesus is referring to a literal camel and a literal needle.

The key word here is “trust”. There is nothing wrong with having money, possessions and power. It is when these things become the object of our desire and worship that they become our god.

No one who trusts in money, fame, position or power will be saved. The only people who will ever leave this world saved and ready for Heaven are those who have placed their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and in Him alone.

Jesus Christ is the ONLY path to salvation!!!!

Acts 4:12 KJV 1900

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

John 14:6 KJV 1900

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus Christ is the only PATH to God the Father!!!!

1 Timothy 2:5 KJV 1900

5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

It is when we trust things instead of Jesus that we condemn our souls to Hell. Where is your trust today?)

(Note: This passage ought to speak to our hearts today. We look around today and say, “Why, preacher, there are no rich people here. There may be a few who are affluent, but most as just getting by. What does this passage have to do with us?”

This passage is relevant to all of us because the desire to “have more” that we currently have is always lurking in the heart of every person!!!!

One of the major problems with wealth is that wealth can cause us to trust the wrong things in life. Here is the problem with riches.

· Riches can become an idol in your life. Anything you ascribe “worth-ship” to, which is the meaning of the word worship, is your god. Your god is anything you give your worship to.

· Riches can tempt people to hoard up what they have. There can be a strong temptation to think what you have been given is to be used to gain even more.

· Riches can bring false trust. You might think your money can buy you anything, even salvation. It can can’t!

· Riches can bind us too tightly to earth. Having too much of this world’s wealth can cause all of our attention and affections to be focused in this world, to the exclusion of Heaven, Matt. 6:19; Col. 3:1-2.

Matthew 6:19 KJV 1900

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

Colossians 3:1–2 KJV 1900

1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

· Riches often lead to other sins. Sometimes, people with wealth come to think that there are no boundaries in their lives. They often begin to live in a way that is not pleasing to the Lord. Sins like pride, arrogance, insensitivity, indifference, self-satisfaction and worldliness feed on affluence.

1 Timothy 6:17–19 KJV 1900

17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

· Riches can destroy the qualities that are necessary for a person to enter Heaven. Childlikeness and teachability can suffer in the face of affluence.

· According to Jesus, the rich are not privileged, they are actually underprivileged!

1. The Truth about riches

II. THE TRUTH ABOUT REDEMPTION-VS. 26-27

A. The Men and Their Anxiety-vs. 26

These men heard what Jesus had to say and they understood it perfectly. If you are rich in this world’s goods and put your faith in the things you have you will not be saved and you will not go to Heaven!

When they hear this, they are “astonished out of measure”.

This means “it blew their minds”. They hear these words and they just stand there with their mouths hanging open and with their chins lying on their chests. They are dumbfounded by what they have heard Jesus say.

Their response is to ask, “Who then can be saved?”

They understand that anybody can become caught up in looking to what they possess rather than relying on the Lord in simple faith.

They hear Jesus and it seems to them that He has forever slammed the door of salvation to everyone who possesses anything.

Is that what Jesus is saying?

B. The Master and His Answer-vs. 27

Jesus lets them know that there is hope! He tells them that men may find it impossible to break the hold of their things, but that God, in His power, is well able to set them free.

Every person that hears the gospel and feels the tug of the Holy Ghost has a decision to make!!

Give example of people pausing before making decision to trust Christ as Saviour.

If that Rich Young Ruler would have obeyed the clear call of the Lord Jesus, God would have given him grace to relinquish his hold on his wealth. The Lord would have saved his soul and blessed him with heavenly and spiritual riches beyond his wildest dreams.

(Note: We have the same promise! There is no way that you and I can turn our attention from this world without the Lord’s help. That help comes with His call to come to Jesus.

When He reaches out to a lost sinner, the Lord calls that person to come to Him.

John 6:44 KJV 1900

44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

When that person responds, God gives them the faith they need to believe on Jesus alone for their soul’s salvation, Eph. 2:8-9.

Ephesians 2:8–9 KJV 1900

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

God is able to help anyone break the grip of whatever it may be that holds them captive. He can break the grip of riches. He can break the grip of drugs and alcohol. He can break the grip of sex. He can break the grip of physical addiction. If you will come to Jesus, you will find that He has the power to set you free, John 8:36.

John 8:36 KJV 1900

36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

God can bring redemption to anyone, regardless of who they are, how they have lived, or what they have done. He is able to do what no man can do for himself: save his soul!

· God is able to accomplish the impossible in any life He touches!

Ill. Some of His success stories – Saul of Tarsus; Simon Peter; me; you; etc.)

The Truth about riches

The Truth about redemption

III. THE TRUTH ABOUT REWARDS-VS. 28-31

A. A Concern from His Followers-vs. 28

When Peter hears this, he speaks up. He reminds Jesus that they had walked away from everything to follow Him.

These men had turned loose of all their earthly responsibilities to follow Jesus. They had given up money, homes, families, businesses, etc, all because Jesus had asked them too.

In Matthew’s account of these events, he tells us that Peter says, “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?” (Matt. 19:27) In other words, Peter is saying, “Lord, You are saying that if a man gives up his money and follows You he can have everlasting life. We have given up everything to follow You. What is our reward?” He’s asking, “What’s in this for us?”

(Note: A lot of people have this same attitude about serving the Lord. They see the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer and they wonder what good it does for a person to follow Jesus. Jesus is about to tell us that those who follow Him have a definite advantage both here and in the hereafter.

You might feel like you have been getting “the short end of the stick”.

Listen on my friend. The Lord has a word of encouragement for everyone who has ever chosen Jesus over the wealth, trinkets and things of this world.)

B. A Calming Word for the Faithful-vs. 29-30

Jesus responds by letting Peter know that God sees, records and rewards every sacrifice that is made for Him. He tells them that what they have walked away from might seem like a lot to them, but God has far more in their future than they left behind in their past.

They left one house; God knows how to open a hundred doors. They left one family; God has made them a part of a family that encompasses the world. They may have become separated from and earthly brother, but God has given them more brothers in Christ than they can imagine. Those who willingly turn loose of this world to follow Jesus will discover that God has far more in store for them than the sum total of all they left behind.

He also lets us know that His “hundredfold” will come to us with “persecutions”. There will be a price to pay for following Jesus. Not everyone will be excited to see you serving the Lord. Difficulties and trials will come because of your commitment, 2 Tim. 3:12, but God will bless you in spite of any trials you might face along the way.

Jesus tells us not to worry about what this world has to offer. It simply cannot compare to what the Lord has for those who trust Him.

Money can buy a lot of things, but there are some things it cannot buy.

· Money can buy a bed, but not sleep.

· Money can buy books, but not brains.

· Money can food, but not an appetite.

· Money can buy a house, but not a home.

· Money can buy medicine, but not health.

· Money can buy amusement, but not happiness.

· Money can buy finery, but not beauty.

· Money can buy a crucifix, but not a Savior.

Do you have what matters most?

Do you have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ?

In the end, it will not matter how much money you have accumulated, or what you leave behind. All that will matter is Jesus. If you have Him, you are saved and you get to go to Heaven. If you do not have Him, you are lost and you will go to Hell.

C. A Clear Warning for the Fakers-vs.31

Those who are first in this world’s accounting will finish last in the race to Heaven.

We see the celebrities and the wealthy people and there is a tendency for us to think that they are somebody’s. In God’s eyes, it is not riches that make a person somebody special; it is faith in Jesus.

There are billionaires and millionaires who do not even make a blip on God’s radar. But, there are poor, faithful saints of God who have His attention all the time. One day, when we get home, all those who reached for first place here will not even cross the finish line there. At the same time, those who faithfully lived for the Lord here will be rewarded there, Ill. Matt. 25:21.

Matthew 25:21 KJV 1900

21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

1 John 5:12 KJV 1900

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

CONCLUSION:

So, what can we take away from this message? There are several things to think about as we close.

1. Are you truly saved?

What do you trust to take you to Heaven? Anything but Jesus will ultimately fail. If you are not save, come to Jesus now.

2. What is your attitude toward your money?

Do you love it? Do you want to hang onto it? Are you doing all you can to increase what you have and to add more to it? Or,

Do you see money as a tool to be used in YOUR service of the Lord?

(Ill. That’s what money is for! The Lord gives us what He does so that we might use everything He gives us for His glory. Forget about giving just 10% to the Lord. Instead, ask God what He would have you to do with the 100%.)

(Ill. God’s plan for our wealth is two-fold. 1. Divest – Let go of what you have; and 2. Invest – Sow into God Kingdom, Luke 6:38; 2 Cor. 9:6.)

(Ill. Some people fixate on money. If that is true of you, then money is an idol in your life!)

If your attitude toward money needs work, come to Jesus and let Him straighten it out.

3. What have you given up to follow Jesus?

Has your faith ever cost you anything? Do you have any reason to expect that God would have any reason to reward you for your service?

If this message has spoken to you on any level, I invite you to come to Jesus and let Him do in your life what He desires to do.