The Secret of Salvation
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Kids & Thankfulness
Kids & Thankfulness
One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son,
"How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to
protect us, they have friends to protect them."
The boy’s father was speechless.
Then his son added,
"Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."
Isn’t perspective a wonderful thing?
Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don’t have.
Scriptures: Luke 18:22, Revelation 2:9
Father, help these children and all of us to be thankful for what we have.
Help us not to focus on what we don’t have. Amen.
Eternal Life
Eternal Life
We are about heard two bible stories:
First, where children are receiving eternal life
Second, where a rich man
a man blessed of God
does not receive eternal life.
Why is that?
Give that some thought as we look at these stories
Children Receiving Eternal Life
Children Receiving Eternal Life
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them.
The disciples were with Jesus.
They were doing important work for God
Why let these little children interrupt His work?
How easy it is of us to fall into self important thinking, but how did Jesus react?
14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Jesus was indignant!
The idea that his disciples could be so self important
as to keep children from coming near Him
because they had more important things to do
was repugnant to Jesus and
it offended Him.
How often are we
too self important, to talk with children about Jesus
about how He loves then
about their need to be saved
about Jesus free salvation
about receiving Him in their hearts
and about living for Him.
Jesus after being stirred up, said
“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them.....”
But that is not all He said
For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Wow,
Little children, in Christ belong to the kingdom of God
Why does it belong to them?
15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
They belong to the kingdom
Not because they are perfect
Not because they have memorized the Torah
But because
In their receptive little hearts,
these children have received the kingdom,
whatever Jesus had for them.
And then Jesus goes on and shows them how important these children are
16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
What did Jesus just teach about eternal life?
It has to be received!
The Rich Man’s poverty of faith
The Rich Man’s poverty of faith
Now let’s look at the story of the rich man,
who wanted to obtain eternal life
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
So in the last story, Jesus brings up eternal life as something you only get by receiving it like a child.
Eternal Life comes from a loving relationship with Jesus.
The children freely enter into that, but this man
His question seems like:
a transaction
a purchase
a once and done thing.
like paying your dues and becoming a lifetime member of National Geographic Society.
In those days, Rich people were known to give large amounts to the temple treasury with trumpets and fan fair
If this scene was in the Newspaper the picture might have looked like this
Can you imagine the heavenly throne room
suddenly a parade comes in with trumpets and plays a big fan fare
and then the rich man loudly sings out
I am hear, because I gave a large sum of money to your son!
Think he’s staying in heaven?
Not a change with that attitude.
Jesus begins to address the man’s issues by pointing out only God is Good.
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
The rich young man, wants this good teacher to tell him how to win God’s favor.
what must he do?
First he needs to understand who Jesus is
Jesus is not a mere teacher,
He is the Christ,
the Son of God
the Messiah.
When Jesus challenges the mans greeting
He is causing the man to re-think who Jesus is.
Then Jesus takes the Rich guy to the 10 commandments
but not all of them
just the 5 related to other people
Jesus leaves out the 5 commandments in relation to God.
19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
The young man says
20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Over in Matthew 19:20 the young man says
20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
What do I still lack?
He knew there was still something wrong with him
Something coming between himself and God
He asked the serious question,
I’m doing all that but
what do I still lack?
The sincerity of the young man must have touched Jesus
Mark tells us two things that follow, first how Jesus reacted to this earnest young man,
and then his advice
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Jesus loved this young man
Jesus loved this sinner who could sense
there was something wrong with him
something interfering with his relationship to God
The young man couldn’t see it, but Jesus could see it
This young ruller loved his money
loved his security
more than he loved God.
So Jesus said,
Sell all your stuff, give it away and follow me?
And the rich man couldn’t do it
22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
The disciples had left all,
risked all and followed Jesus
but this man who thought he wanted heaven
would not pay the price.
I wonder, how many in church today
think they want Jesus
think they want to go to heaven
but they want it on their terms.
Jesus doesn’t call everyone to give all they have to the poor before following Him.
To the theif on the cross who expressed faith in him, Jesus said
Today you shall be with me in paradise.
What is the difference?
The thief had faith in Jesus
This rich man had faith in what his money could buy
He was not willing to trust in God
he wanted to trust in his riches
that is what he knew how to do.
So he went way sad.
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
Popular thinking said
People have to be blessed by God
to be Rich
So rich people are the most likely to get to heaven
This news that it’s hard for rich people to get to heaven
was very shocking to the disciples.
24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
Having mixed up theology, it would have appeared to the disciples
that their chances of getting into heaven were very slim
if the guys they expected in heaven are not likely to make it
what chance to they have?
What a fearful thought!
It would seems,
if the cream of the crop don’t get into heaven
what chance to us average people have of getting in there?
But the world doesn’t work like that
As it says in 1 Corinthians 1:26-30
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
The world got it wrong.
It’s the average people that get in
Its the poor people that get in because
it’s the children and those with child like faith that get in
because they are ok with trusting what they have to God.
They are used to relying on God to get through:
the hard times
and the tight times,
and the scary times.
Can I get an Amen?
Amen!
In answer to the disciples question in verse 26
Who then can be saved
Jesus said
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Man along can be good enough, to
inherit eternal life
But we can receive it from God!
Now Peter, may not have been listening very well,
because he was focused on
where they stand
if the rich will have trouble getting into heaven
He says
28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
Wow.
Do you realize the disciples did
what the rich man couldn’t do
they did give up everything, more or less
to walk with Jesus
29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
What did Jesus just say
There is going to be rewards here
along with suffering
and also eternal life.
But the social order of things just may be flipped around,
like if the rich, who have trusted little are the least
and the poor who had to trust much in God are the greater people.
No wonder Jesus said in the beatitudes
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Because the poor in spirit,
who just might also be financially poor,
the poor in spirit,
are the ones who
have had the most experience
receiving from God
instead of trying to rely on their own strength.
What is your approach to eternal life?
You know I stress right behavior
right living
because
it’s best for you AND
Jesus stressed obeying his commandments
But our lesson today reminds us that working harder
never earns us our place in heaven
our money and how we use it never
earns our place in heaven
Our place is haven is never earned
It’s something we receive
it’s something we get
when we rely on Jesus
for His gift of salvation.
Even a rich man,
wasn’t rich enough to purchase it.
Let’s pray and then I want to tell you one more story, a quick one about another rich man.
Father, we want heaven and all the rewards,
thank you for the promises that there are great rewards in this life
and the next.
Help us to be accepting of the hardships and persecutions that also come
help us to fix are eyes on eternal life with you in heaven.
You want to hear a story about another rich man, it fits the season?
BE THANKFUL
BE THANKFUL
Back in 1988,
a Polish railway worker named Jan Grzebski was hit by a train.
He lived ...
but only barely.
For the next 19 years (until the year 2007),
Grzebski was in a coma.
He awoke in 2007 to a whole new world.
Nineteen years earlier,
Poland was a communist state.
Grzebski noted that back then meat was rationed and
there were huge lines at nearly every gas station.
And, "there was only tea and vinegar in the shops."
But 19 years later,
he awoke to a free nation where he said
there were "people on the streets with cell phones and
there are so many goods in the shops it makes my head spin."
But something puzzled him.
"What amazes me is all these people who
walk around with their mobile phones and yet
they never stop moaning."
These people had freedom,
and food
and wealth greater than Poland had had for decades ... and yet
Grzebski woke from his coma to find that
ALL they seemed to want to do was grumble!
If you don’t get into the habit of thanking God for what you DO have,
you’ll soon become ungrateful because what you DON’T have.