WEBVTT 00:00:02.160 --> 00:00:05.040 Have you ever played a game of Monopoly? 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:09.599 Growing up, it was always one of my favorites. 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:12.160 It's a pretty simple game to play. 00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:17.440 You roll the dice, buy some properties, and collect rent. 00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:32.399 And as the game goes on, maybe you build some houses and hotels, drive your opponents into bankruptcy, and stack piles of colorful money in front of you. 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:37.280 And if you're winning, it can be quite exhilarating. 00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:40.640 But then the game ends. 00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:50.320 The board is folded up, the money, the deeds, the hotels, they all go back into the box. 00:00:50.799 --> 00:00:55.759 And no matter how well you played, you don't get to keep anything. 00:00:56.159 --> 00:00:57.200 It's over. 00:00:57.759 --> 00:01:00.560 And it was never real to begin with. 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:07.439 This simple game reveals a deeper reality in our human nature. 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:18.480 Many of us live our lives chasing wealth and comfort, convinced that these things will bring security and meaning. 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:30.640 We build houses and collect our rent, hoping that more possessions, more money, and more status will protect us from the uncertainties of life. 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:37.200 We think that if we can just hold on tight enough, we'll be safe and satisfied. 00:01:38.079 --> 00:01:47.359 But just like the game of Monopoly, all the treasures that we work so hard to acquire in this life are temporary. 00:01:48.079 --> 00:01:52.319 When the game ends, everything goes back into the box. 00:01:53.120 --> 00:02:05.519 Similarly, the wealth and possessions that we accumulate can't be taken with us when we die, which is why you rarely see a U-Haul trailer hitched to a hearse. 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:16.319 In today's passage, Jesus challenges us to face this reality and consider the true cost of following him. 00:02:17.039 --> 00:02:23.199 As we get ready to continue Mark chapter 10, let's first go before the Lord in prayer. 00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:31.120 Father in heaven, you tell us to store our treasures in heaven. 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:58.560 And we're going to read this morning about a rich young ruler, and we pray that as we read this story and that you would help us to apply it in our own lives, in our own hearts, give us eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts that are willing to respond in faith and obedience on the path of discipleship. 00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:02.159 We pray this in your Holy Spirit help. 00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:04.639 In Jesus' name, Amen. 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:10.240 Mark chapter ten, beginning with verse thirteen. 00:03:11.120 --> 00:03:16.719 And they were bringing children to him, so that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:22.879 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, Permit the children to come to me. 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:27.120 Do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:34.000 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all. 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:39.039 And he took them in his arms and began blessing them, laying his hands on them. 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:44.400 Here in the text we see a beautiful scene unfolding. 00:03:44.719 --> 00:04:02.080 Parents bringing their children to Jesus, not just a handful, but likely many, and not just infants, but children of all ages, all being brought with the same desire that Jesus might receive them. 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:07.599 Parents were bringing their children for a blessing, for prayer. 00:04:08.879 --> 00:04:18.000 In Jewish tradition, it was common for respected teachers or rabbis to lay hands on children and invoke God's favor over them. 00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:20.480 But this was more than tradition. 00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:28.160 These parents believed there was something uniquely powerful, even sacred, about Jesus' touch. 00:04:28.399 --> 00:04:34.720 They recognized his authority and compassion, and this simple act speaks volumes. 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:45.839 It tells us that these parents saw Jesus not as a mere teacher, but as someone who could truly bless their children, not just physically, but spiritually. 00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:54.160 And so they brought them with reverence and trust, hoping their little ones might be touched by the hand of God Himself. 00:04:54.639 --> 00:05:02.480 And it's no accident that this scene follows immediately after Jesus' teaching on marriage, divorce, and remarriage. 00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:10.720 Mark is drawing our attention to the family, first to husbands and wives, and now to parents and children. 00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:18.000 The focus shifts naturally from the covenant of marriage to the fruit of that covenant, the children. 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:26.639 In both moments, Jesus affirms the value of relationships that the world so easily neglects or distorts. 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:43.759 The kingdom of God, he reminds us, is not built on power or status, but on faithfulness, humility, and trust, qualities so often seen in the home and especially in the hearts of children. 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:54.160 As we watch Jesus take these children into his arms here in Mark 10, we're reminded that this isn't the first time that he's done something like this. 00:05:54.560 --> 00:06:03.680 Just one chapter earlier in Mark 9, we saw a similar moment, one that helps us understand what Jesus is teaching us now. 00:06:04.480 --> 00:06:15.839 Back in verses 35 through 37, we read, And sitting down, he called the twelve and said to them, If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all. 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:30.319 And taking a child, he set him before them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, Whoever receives one child like this in my name receives me, and whoever receives me does not receive me, but him who sent me. 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:34.399 Jesus is repeating a similar lesson here. 00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:50.639 But this time, in Mark ten, he's not just teaching about children, he's using them as an illustration for the kind of posture required to enter his kingdom, humility, dependence, and trust. 00:06:51.839 --> 00:07:03.680 Just as in chapter 9, Jesus loves and happily receives children, those who are weak and lowly, who bring nothing to offer, but come ready to receive. 00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:08.639 But here in Mark 10, Jesus takes the lesson even further. 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:14.000 He doesn't just tell his disciples to receive children, he tells them to be like them. 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:21.839 To enter the kingdom, they must come as a child does, empty-handed, trusting, and dependent. 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:30.319 Children receive the kingdom with nothing to offer, and they are not to be prevented or hindered in coming to Christ. 00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:41.199 Mark uniquely notes how Jesus was moved with indignation because of the way his disciples were preventing the children from coming to him. 00:07:41.759 --> 00:07:47.199 It's a serious offense to hinder a child from coming to Christ. 00:07:48.000 --> 00:08:03.199 Think about what this means for parents today who by word or example keep their children from Jesus, whether through neglect, confusion, or even fear. 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:13.519 One day we will all stand before God and give an account for how we nurtured or hindered faith in the next generation. 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:19.120 Nothing is more urgent than pointing our children to Christ. 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:28.800 Looking again at our passage, it's also an affirmation to the parents who were bringing their children to Jesus that what they were doing was good. 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:33.519 The disciples were in the wrong for trying to hinder that effort. 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:42.240 Jesus, being the great teacher that he is, uses this as an opportunity to deliver another powerful lesson. 00:08:42.559 --> 00:08:46.320 Jesus doesn't stop at telling his disciples to welcome children. 00:08:53.039 --> 00:09:04.799 They are to receive the kingdom of God with the same kind of trust that a child has in a parent, and as one who has nothing to offer in exchange. 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:34.879 You relied on a parent or another adult for all of these things. 00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:45.600 In fact, everything you had, your clothes, your toys, your food, all of it was given to you. 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:47.840 You didn't earn it. 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:51.279 It wasn't just given to you because let me say that again. 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:56.080 You didn't earn it, it was given to you because somebody loved you. 00:09:56.720 --> 00:10:07.200 It's that kind of dependence, humble, trusting, and without self-sufficiency, that Jesus requires of those who would enter his kingdom. 00:10:07.840 --> 00:10:13.360 Jesus isn't necessarily saying that children earn the kingdom of God because they are children. 00:10:13.600 --> 00:10:27.120 He's using the relationship between a child and parent as an illustration for how we are to relate to God and receive the kingdom of God with complete trust and humility. 00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:36.240 True disciples embrace the demands of following Christ with the humble, dependent faith of a child. 00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:40.240 Let's continue with verses seventeen through twenty-seven. 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:51.919 And as he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to him and knelt before him, and began asking him, Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:55.120 And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? 00:10:55.360 --> 00:10:57.679 No one is good except God alone. 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:09.200 You know the commandments, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your mother and father. 00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:14.399 And he said to him, Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up. 00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:28.960 And looking at him Jesus loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack, go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me. 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:39.039 But at these words he was saddened, and he went away, grieving, for he was one who owned much property. 00:11:39.600 --> 00:11:49.519 And Jesus, looking around, said to his disciples, How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God. 00:11:50.159 --> 00:12:00.960 And the disciples were amazed at his words, but Jesus answered again and said to them, Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. 00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:10.399 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. 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:15.679 And they were even more astonished, saying to him, Then who can be saved? 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:26.559 Looking at them, Jesus said, With people it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God. 00:12:28.559 --> 00:12:32.799 Verse seventeen indicates a shift in the narrative. 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:41.840 Our gospel writer Mark often does this by noting some kind of movement of Jesus going from one place to another. 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:54.080 And yet it's no coincidence that Mark places this story about the rich young ruler after Jesus talks about receiving the kingdom of God like that of a child. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:59.039 Think about it, these two couldn't be any more opposite. 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:09.279 Children have no money, no possessions truly of their own, no status, and no reason to cling to what little they have. 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:20.639 But the rich young ruler has lots of money, lots of land, advanced social status, and in a sense, everything to lose. 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:37.519 So when Jesus asks the rich young ruler to follow him, it's very much a big ask because Jesus also asks the rich young ruler specifically to sell all of his possessions and to give to the poor. 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:43.519 In return, Jesus promises the rich young ruler treasures in heaven. 00:13:44.159 --> 00:13:55.519 To further complicate the matter, the rich young ruler came asking about eternal life, with no expectation that it would require him to give up anything. 00:13:56.000 --> 00:14:01.919 He simply thought that it was a matter of doing the right things, and that would be sufficient. 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:20.399 This rich young ruler even comes to Jesus with a high view of his own personal righteousness, believing that he has truly satisfied the commands of God, perhaps believing that his wealth was a reflection of God's blessing for his obedience. 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:32.159 And you might be wondering about the strange response Jesus initially gives the rich young ruler when asked about what he must do to inherit eternal life. 00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:37.039 Jesus doesn't give the Sunday school answer that we'd expect. 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:42.159 First, Jesus questions why the rich young ruler called him good. 00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:49.279 Does Jesus mean to correct this young man for calling him good because Jesus isn't worthy of being called good? 00:14:50.559 --> 00:15:04.000 I remember back in college, sitting in a religion class at a very liberal school, to be clear, and the professor tried to use this story as so-called evidence that Jesus never claimed to be God. 00:15:04.720 --> 00:15:07.600 But is that what's really going on here? 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:22.879 If we take a closer look, we'll notice that the rich young ruler addresses Jesus as good teacher, not as Lord, not as Messiah, and not as the Son of God, as we've seen elsewhere in Mark. 00:15:23.840 --> 00:15:32.320 He approaches Jesus with respect, yes, but not with faith, not with a true understanding of who Jesus is. 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:34.720 So Jesus challenges him. 00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:57.200 If this young man thinks that Jesus is just a teacher, then calling him good is careless at best and confused at worst. 00:15:57.679 --> 00:16:03.519 Because as Jesus rightly says, no one is good but God alone. 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:12.720 As we've seen again and again in Mark, Jesus refuses to let people define him on their own terms. 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:19.440 He doesn't accept titles or praise from those who don't understand who he truly is. 00:16:20.159 --> 00:16:25.360 The second part of Jesus' response is just as surprising as the first. 00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:31.360 When the rich young ruler asks, What must I do to inherit eternal life? 00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:38.879 We might expect Jesus to say something like, Believe in me, or repent of your sins and follow me. 00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:42.639 But he doesn't, at least not right away. 00:16:43.279 --> 00:16:46.159 Instead, Jesus points him to the commandments. 00:16:46.399 --> 00:16:52.559 You know the commandments, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, and so on. 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:57.840 In doing this, Jesus is turning the man's attention to God's law. 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:00.080 Now, why would he do that? 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:04.160 Jesus isn't teaching salvation by works here. 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:08.720 He's not saying just keep these commandments and you'll earn eternal life. 00:17:09.039 --> 00:17:11.920 No, this is something much deeper. 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:17.039 Jesus is exposing what's really going on in this young man's heart. 00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:22.160 The rich young ruler came to Jesus thinking he was already a pretty good person. 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:28.799 He believed he had lived a moral life, kept the commandments, and had done the right things. 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:36.880 He likely thought that he was missing just one more checkbox to guarantee his place in the kingdom of God. 00:17:37.519 --> 00:17:47.440 Maybe he expected Jesus to commend him, give him an attaboy, and affirm his goodness, sending him on his way with confidence. 00:17:47.839 --> 00:17:50.480 But that's not how salvation works. 00:17:50.880 --> 00:17:55.920 God didn't give us his law as a checklist to prove our righteousness. 00:17:56.240 --> 00:18:04.160 The law is not a ladder we climb to reach heaven, it's a mirror meant to show us our sin. 00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:14.559 It reveals how far we fall short of God's holy standard and drives us to see our need for a Savior. 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:20.960 So when Jesus points to the commandments, he's not affirming the man's self-righteousness. 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:25.519 He's gently but directly confronting it. 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:32.559 Outwardly, this young man may have kept many of the commandments, but what about inwardly? 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:37.279 Jesus is pressing deeper to the matters of the heart. 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:43.359 And there's a subtle but significant detail here when Jesus lists the commandments. 00:18:43.599 --> 00:18:48.319 He replaces do not covet with do not defraud. 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:51.039 That's not a random swap. 00:18:51.440 --> 00:19:03.039 Many scholars believe that Jesus was pointing to something specific in the rich young ruler's life, perhaps how he had acquired or maintained his wealth. 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:16.400 In that culture, it wasn't uncommon for the wealthy to exploit the poor through dishonest lending, excessive taxes, or shady business practices. 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:31.519 So it's very possible that Jesus is gently confronting an area of hidden or unconfessed sin, perhaps even the very thing that helped build this young man's fortune. 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:34.400 And then comes the defining moment. 00:19:34.640 --> 00:19:43.440 Jesus says to him, You lack one thing, go, sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. 00:19:43.680 --> 00:19:45.680 And come, follow me. 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:52.559 This isn't just a call to generosity, it's a call to repentance. 00:19:53.279 --> 00:19:58.720 Jesus is putting his finger on the one thing that this man treasures most. 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:04.799 His wealth isn't just a part of his life, it's the very thing that he depends on. 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:06.799 It's what he trusts. 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:13.279 And Jesus is asking him to lay it down, to let it go. 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:22.960 Not because giving away money earns salvation, but because clinging to it reveals where his heart truly is. 00:20:23.759 --> 00:20:28.640 And this is where the parable of the soils comes to life. 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:38.400 If you remember back in Mark 4, Jesus told a parable about a farmer who scattered seed, representing the word of God. 00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:52.559 Some of that seed fell among thorns, and those thorns, Jesus explained, represent the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things. 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:58.079 These things choke the word, so it becomes unfruitful. 00:20:58.559 --> 00:21:01.440 And that's exactly what's happening here. 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:04.319 The word has been sown. 00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:12.160 The rich young ruler, he hears it, he's interested, he even kneels before Jesus. 00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:15.039 But the thorns are already there. 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:22.480 The love of money, the desire for comfort, and the fear of giving it all up. 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:29.680 These things choke the word before it can take root and bear fruit in his life. 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:33.519 And so he walks away, sorrowful. 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:35.039 Why? 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:42.240 Because he had great possessions, and more importantly, his possessions had him. 00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:47.680 He wanted eternal life, but he wanted his wealth more. 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:52.079 And in the end, he couldn't have both. 00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:57.680 Not because he didn't love him. 00:21:58.240 --> 00:22:01.519 Mark tells us Jesus looked at Him and loved him. 00:22:02.319 --> 00:22:06.240 But Jesus never softens the call to follow him. 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:10.559 He never adjusts the cost of discipleship. 00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:14.240 There's no place for holding on to idols. 00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:22.480 He demands the throne of our hearts, and he will not share it with money or anything else. 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:29.200 This is a sobering moment, not just for the rich young ruler, but for all of us. 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:38.319 Because the thorns Jesus spoke about aren't just out there in the world, they grow in our own hearts too. 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:45.440 The love of money, the pursuit of security, the desire for comfort and control. 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:54.079 These things can creep in quietly, and if we're not watchful, they begin to choke our spiritual lives. 00:22:54.559 --> 00:23:04.720 They make us slow to obey, reluctant to surrender, and unwilling to follow Jesus wherever he leads. 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:09.440 So Jesus presents the same question to each of us. 00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:13.359 What are the thorns in your life? 00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:20.720 What are you holding on to that's choking your desire to follow Him fully? 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:28.880 For many of us in this room, it might not be wealth and possessions, like it is for this rich young ruler. 00:23:29.759 --> 00:23:32.559 But what about the cares of this world? 00:23:33.279 --> 00:23:36.480 What about the cares in your world right now? 00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:46.720 Do you get so focused on immediate needs and circumstances that you forget or set aside the things of God? 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:53.920 And looking back at the rich young ruler, he failed to see his need for God's grace. 00:23:54.559 --> 00:24:00.240 He thought he could earn his way to eternal life, but no one can. 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:06.000 Not the rich, not the moral, not the religious. 00:24:06.400 --> 00:24:09.680 None of us can keep the law perfectly. 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:15.279 None of us can cleanse our own hearts or atone for our own sin. 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:18.319 That's why Jesus came. 00:24:33.599 --> 00:24:47.759 And he rose again to offer eternal life, not as a reward for the good, but as a gift for those who are broken, humbled, and fully surrendered. 00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:52.079 So what must we do to inherit eternal life? 00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:58.000 We must come like a child with empty hands and dependent hearts. 00:24:58.480 --> 00:25:05.039 The way into the kingdom is not by achievement, but by full surrender to God. 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:18.319 As the disciples watch the rich young ruler walk away in sorrow, they are stunned, not just by the young man's decision, but by Jesus' words that follow. 00:25:18.799 --> 00:25:25.519 Mark tells us they were amazed and not in a positive or awestruck sense. 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:29.519 They were deeply disturbed, even confused. 00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:31.039 Why? 00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:40.480 Because Jesus turns to them and says how hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God. 00:25:41.839 --> 00:25:49.920 In our modern context, this might sound like a warning, but to the disciples, it sounded like a contradiction. 00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:56.559 In their culture, wealth was often seen as a sign of God's blessing and favor. 00:25:57.599 --> 00:26:05.920 A rich man, especially one who was moral, religious, and seemingly upright, was thought to be in good standing with God. 00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:13.119 So when Jesus says that it's hard for the wealthy to enter God's kingdom, the disciples are stunned. 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:17.759 If someone like that can't get in, then who can? 00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:23.440 That's why Jesus repeats himself, this time using even stronger language. 00:26:23.680 --> 00:26:27.440 Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. 00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:34.960 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. 00:26:35.759 --> 00:26:43.759 Jesus is intentionally using hyperbole, a vivid and absurd image, to make something unmistakably clear. 00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:49.200 It is humanly impossible for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God. 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:50.240 Why? 00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:54.000 Is it because having money is inherently evil? 00:26:54.480 --> 00:26:54.799 No. 00:26:55.599 --> 00:27:08.720 Scripture doesn't condemn wealth itself, but it does repeatedly warn about the love of money, the trust in riches, and the false security that it provides. 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:13.039 And that's exactly the issue Jesus is highlighting here. 00:27:13.839 --> 00:27:18.640 Wealth tends to blind people of their spiritual poverty. 00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:25.039 It gives a false sense of independence, self-sufficiency, and control. 00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:36.160 And if a person finds their identity, their security and satisfaction in their possessions, those things can become their God. 00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:43.920 And Jesus says very clearly elsewhere in Scripture, you cannot serve both God and money. 00:27:44.960 --> 00:27:52.960 So when Jesus says it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, he's not just making a point about wealth. 00:27:57.279 --> 00:28:00.079 That's exactly how the disciples understand it. 00:28:00.319 --> 00:28:06.960 Verse 26 says, and they were even more astonished, saying to him, Then who can be saved? 00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:16.400 If the rich, who seem to have everything going for them, can't be saved, then what hope is there for anyone? 00:28:17.359 --> 00:28:25.920 And that's when Jesus gives one of the most hopeful, powerful, and grace-filled statements in all of Scripture. 00:28:26.400 --> 00:28:34.160 With people it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God. 00:28:35.359 --> 00:28:36.720 That's the point. 00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:42.559 Salvation is not something we can achieve, it's something God must do. 00:28:43.359 --> 00:28:52.720 The rich can't buy it, the moral can't earn it, the religious can't work for it, and the broken can't fix it themselves. 00:28:53.359 --> 00:28:59.519 No one can enter the kingdom of God apart from divine grace and intervention. 00:29:00.319 --> 00:29:11.279 We must come to Jesus, not with our hands full of achievements, but empty and open like a child, ready to receive what only God can give. 00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:14.799 Let's close out with verses twenty-eight through thirty one. 00:29:16.559 --> 00:29:22.079 Peter began to say to him, Behold, we have left everything and followed you. 00:29:22.480 --> 00:29:55.039 Jesus said, Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father, or children, or farms, for my sake and for the gospel's sake, except one who will receive one hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions, and in the age to come, eternal life. 00:29:56.079 --> 00:30:01.200 But many who are first will be last, and the last first. 00:30:03.680 --> 00:30:06.559 Following Jesus comes at a cost. 00:30:07.519 --> 00:30:13.440 It may cost us everything, just as Peter points out in verse twenty eight. 00:30:13.920 --> 00:30:16.799 And Peter wasn't exaggerating. 00:30:17.119 --> 00:30:26.880 He and the other disciples had literally walked away from their livelihoods, their homes, and the lives that they had always known. 00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:39.599 In essence, they had done what the rich young ruler was unwilling to do, to let go of what was worldly and familiar in order to follow Jesus into the unknown. 00:30:39.920 --> 00:30:43.279 And Jesus doesn't correct Peter for saying this. 00:30:43.599 --> 00:30:48.960 Instead, he affirms the cost and promises the reward. 00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:56.559 In the economy of God, nothing we give up for the sake of Christ is truly lost. 00:30:57.359 --> 00:31:00.880 No act of sacrifice goes unnoticed. 00:31:01.519 --> 00:31:04.000 No surrender is wasted. 00:31:04.960 --> 00:31:08.559 God returns far more than we release. 00:31:09.200 --> 00:31:19.519 Not always in material things, but in the deeper blessings of belonging to his family and promise of eternal life. 00:31:20.079 --> 00:31:28.240 As Jim Elliott famously wrote, he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. 00:31:29.279 --> 00:31:32.960 It's the greatest trade a person can ever make. 00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:36.640 But make no mistake, it is a trade. 00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:39.119 It requires full surrender. 00:31:39.440 --> 00:31:41.119 It demands trust. 00:31:41.920 --> 00:31:49.200 The early disciples left jobs, homes, and in many cases, even families to follow Jesus. 00:31:49.440 --> 00:31:51.519 And Jesus is honest about that. 00:31:51.759 --> 00:32:08.000 He includes some very personal and costly things in this list house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, lands, and yet, notably, he does not mention spouse. 00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:09.359 Why? 00:32:10.079 --> 00:32:11.759 It's not accidental. 00:32:12.240 --> 00:32:22.400 Going back to our passage from last week, Jesus has already shown us how seriously he takes the one flesh union of husband and wife. 00:32:22.960 --> 00:32:32.079 Marriage and God's design isn't an obstacle to discipleship, it's a joint calling within discipleship. 00:32:32.799 --> 00:32:41.920 When two believers are united in marriage, their following of Jesus isn't meant to be divided, it's meant to be shared. 00:32:42.480 --> 00:32:47.680 So Jesus doesn't ask a spouse to walk away from that covenant to follow him. 00:32:48.160 --> 00:32:54.640 Instead, that covenant becomes the context in which both spouses live out their faith. 00:32:55.279 --> 00:33:00.640 And if you're wondering about children, I don't believe he has young children in mind. 00:33:00.960 --> 00:33:08.000 Parents are still obligated to raise and care for their children, training them up in the ways of the Lord. 00:33:08.400 --> 00:33:16.960 It's likely that adult children are in mind, perhaps in cases where there is a conflict in faith. 00:33:17.599 --> 00:33:21.759 But beyond that, notice the promise in verse 30. 00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:25.759 Jesus doesn't just speak of rewards in the age to come. 00:33:26.000 --> 00:33:33.680 He says those who follow him will receive a hundredfold now in this time, in the present. 00:33:34.640 --> 00:33:37.680 Yes, there will be persecutions. 00:33:38.160 --> 00:34:04.160 Jesus doesn't shy away from that reality, but there will also be the deep joys of belonging to a new spiritual family, the church, a community of brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, homes and support, purpose and joy, far more abundantly than we could ask for or imagine. 00:34:04.880 --> 00:34:13.519 So yes, following Jesus is costly, but it's not loss, it's gain, eternal gain. 00:34:14.239 --> 00:34:24.960 And Jesus closes this section with a final word that flips the world's values upside down, but many who are first will be last, and the last first. 00:34:26.320 --> 00:34:36.239 The rich young ruler certainly looked like a first, morally upright, outwardly blessed, seemingly secure, but he walked away. 00:34:36.639 --> 00:34:46.400 And the disciples looked very much like one of the last, fishermen, tax collectors, ordinary men with nothing impressive to offer. 00:34:46.719 --> 00:34:50.159 But they stayed, they followed. 00:34:50.880 --> 00:34:57.440 And in the kingdom of God, those who seem last in this world may be the first in the next. 00:34:58.159 --> 00:35:01.119 This is the great reversal of the gospel. 00:35:01.840 --> 00:35:15.119 This is the kingdom of God, where the humble are exalted, the poor in spirit are made rich, and the ones who lose everything for Jesus end up gaining more than they ever imagined. 00:35:15.840 --> 00:35:25.119 So as you consider your own life today, ask yourself, what might Jesus be asking me to let go of? 00:35:26.480 --> 00:35:32.159 What am I tempted to hold on to thinking it's too much to give up? 00:35:33.760 --> 00:35:46.000 And most importantly, do I trust him enough to believe that whatever I surrender, he will replace with something better, both now and forever. 00:35:47.039 --> 00:35:53.039 Because in the end, the call to follow Jesus is not a call to poverty. 00:35:53.280 --> 00:36:02.719 It's a call to true treasure, the kind that neither moth nor rust can destroy, and no thief can steal. 00:36:03.519 --> 00:36:09.199 It's the treasure of knowing Christ and having eternal life in Him. 00:36:09.920 --> 00:36:20.639 But that kind of treasure challenges everything the world teaches us to value, flips the scoreboard, it redefines what it means to win. 00:36:21.519 --> 00:36:25.920 So let's revisit that monopoly game we talked about earlier this morning. 00:36:26.719 --> 00:36:28.000 Imagine this. 00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:31.039 You're winning the game by a landslide. 00:36:31.199 --> 00:36:40.400 You're flush with monopoly money, you own most of the valuable properties, and hotels line your streets. 00:36:40.719 --> 00:36:43.440 You can make any deal that you want. 00:36:44.559 --> 00:36:47.519 And then one of the other players approaches you. 00:36:48.239 --> 00:36:56.880 At this point in the game, they're nearly bankrupt, and they have nothing of value to offer you, at least nothing in monopoly terms. 00:36:57.519 --> 00:37:05.039 But outside the game, this person is incredibly wealthy, and they offer you a deal unlike any other. 00:37:06.000 --> 00:37:18.320 They promise you a vast estate in the real world, fully furnished homes, steady rental income, and even a mansion for your family to live in. 00:37:18.800 --> 00:37:23.599 All they ask in return is everything you have in the game. 00:37:23.840 --> 00:37:28.239 The money, the properties, the hotels, all of it. 00:37:28.800 --> 00:37:30.880 But there's just one condition. 00:37:32.239 --> 00:37:34.800 You won't receive the estate right away. 00:37:35.280 --> 00:37:37.440 You'll have to wait several years. 00:37:37.679 --> 00:37:46.480 And during that time, you'll work for this person, sometimes facing difficulty, discomfort, or even danger. 00:37:47.360 --> 00:37:50.000 But you're guaranteed the reward. 00:37:50.320 --> 00:37:55.760 It's real, it's coming, and it's worth every bit of the waiting. 00:37:56.559 --> 00:37:58.400 Would you make that deal? 00:37:59.360 --> 00:38:03.039 This is the kind of moment we saw in our passage today. 00:38:03.360 --> 00:38:18.239 The rich young ruler had to decide would he cling to what was temporary, his worldly wealth, or would he trust Jesus and follow him into eternal life? 00:38:18.880 --> 00:38:23.119 It's the same invitation Jesus extends to each of us. 00:38:23.440 --> 00:38:26.079 Yes, it's a costly call. 00:38:26.480 --> 00:38:32.239 True discipleship asks us to let go of comfort, security, and control. 00:38:33.199 --> 00:38:40.800 But Jesus never asks us to give up anything without offering us something infinitely greater in return. 00:38:41.519 --> 00:38:49.440 Because what he offers isn't fading, fleeting, and ultimately worthless like monopoly money. 00:38:49.760 --> 00:39:00.320 What Jesus offers is treasure that lasts, joy that endures, life that death can't take away. 00:39:00.800 --> 00:39:05.360 So the question isn't just for the rich young ruler, it's for all of us. 00:39:05.679 --> 00:39:13.599 Are you holding on to what you cannot keep, or are you ready to follow Jesus and receive what you cannot lose? 00:39:13.920 --> 00:39:15.119 Let's pray. 00:39:17.840 --> 00:39:27.840 Father in heaven, our hearts are deceitful and we often cling to the things of this world. 00:39:28.320 --> 00:39:32.000 But God, you offer us something even greater, far greater. 00:39:33.760 --> 00:39:40.000 We know that apart from your work in our hearts, we would have no hope. 00:39:41.119 --> 00:39:46.000 We could not possibly earn eternal life. 00:39:47.280 --> 00:39:51.599 God, you give it as a gift for those who believe. 00:39:52.239 --> 00:40:02.320 And so, God, even for us who do believe, would you help us to live as those whose treasures are in heaven? 00:40:04.800 --> 00:40:07.280 This only comes through your Holy Spirit. 00:40:07.760 --> 00:40:09.519 We pray in Jesus' name. 00:40:09.840 --> 00:40:10.480 Amen.