I believe I was never more acceptable to my Master than when I was standing to teach those hearers in the open fields. Some may censure me; but if I thus pleased men, I should not be the servent of Christ.-George Whitefield
From a sermon entitled “The Model Home Mission And The Model Home Missionary,” delivered April 14, 1870.
I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way.
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave.
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will.
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still.
But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross.
And I beheld God’s love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace.
Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life
Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me.
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose.
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You.
© 2008 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI), by Jordan Kauflin
As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. “You know the commandments, ‘ DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’”And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for 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.” But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “ How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 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! “ 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.” They were even more astonished and said to Him, “ Then who can be saved?” Looking at them, Jesus said, “ With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:17-29
We now come to a staggering scene in Scripture that teaches many great theological and evangelical truths. As Christ is on His way a man runs up to Him. We learn from other gospel accounts that this man is rich, young and a ruler. That being said, it’s striking to see such a man run. It was thought improper for a man of nobility to run in Biblical times so this no doubt shows this young mans great interest in Christ and probably a true and genuine desire to be with Him. Like many in the world today there may be many who have a genuine desire to be with Christ and even to have eternal life as this young man did. However, they want it on their terms and not Christ’s. This is the great lesson we learn from this passage and one that is so important for us to glean from today since there are so many in the world who are coming to Christ on their terms and not His. Christ makes it clear that we can come to Him only on His terms – any other way is to climb over the wall! (John 10:1)
As this rich young ruler asks the very important question on what it takes to have eternal life Christ then answers his question with a more important question. The man needs to understand two important truths. First, only God is truly good. There is none good in this world and we all fall short of His perfect glory. (Romans 3:23) In addition, Christ is also teaching this young man that he needs to understand that he is speaking with God in the flesh. If only God is good and this young ruler is addressing Christ as good he must understand that Christ is God. Only Christ is perfectly good and meets the holy requirements as the God-man to enter heaven and stand before God on our behalf. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Knowing this young man’s heart that he is trusting in himself Christ takes him through some of the commandments in the second table of the Law. These are the commandments that deal with our relationship with others and of course our relationship with others is only possible if the first table of the Law is first upheld.
The young man responds to Christ that he has kept all the commandments of the second table since he was a child. While it may be possible that he has kept them in a sense externally (although highly unlikely) the point Christ drives home is the heart condition of this man. Here we see the great love of Christ in this young man by revealing to him his true problem – idolatry.
Christ told him that he would need to sell everything he has and give it to the poor. This statement drove home the condition of his heart since it’s evident that upon this request of Christ the young man walks away sad since he owned much. His god was money and possessions. While he may have (in his own mind) kept the commandments of the second table of the Law he has in fact broken the first and highest commandment of the Law and therefore failed at all of them.
It’s important to note too that the religious leaders of the day taught that those who were rich were more blessed of God and had a greater chance of entering heaven. So the next thing Christ says to His disciples and the crowds was staggering. Looking around He says to His disciples that it is just about as possible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle as it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
This rich young ruler was trusting in himself and his works to make it into heaven and he also wanted to enter it on his own terms. When Christ demanded the relinquishing of all that he had his response was a firm no. Christ is not teaching that we must work our way to heaven by giving up all that we own. (He may very well ask us to do that and we must be willing to do so since He alone is Lord.) What we learn from this amazing account is how easy it is for idolatry to setup in the hearts of people. This young ruler thought himself to be doing quite well but he lacked the proper understanding of who Christ is, that God is perfect and requires absolute perfection and that God is a jealous God and will not allow any other gods anywhere in our lives. Sadly, we do not see the young ruler asking Christ the question the disciples ask. Instead this man walks away from Christ loving his riches and wealth more than the very One he claimed he obeyed and sought to spend eternity with!
However, there is a wonderful ending to this passage. The disciples, like we should be, are dumbfounded by this teaching and have come to the conclusion that it would be impossible to be saved! All along they believed (and were taught) that following the Law and being blessed with riches was their ticket to eternal life and here Jesus turns that entire belief upside down. Christ then reminds them and us that it truly is impossible for us to work or merit our way to heaven. But what is impossible with man is possible with God and miraculously it is made possible through the very One speaking to them!
You see, if we could obey the Law and work our way to heaven then Christ died needlessly. The cross of Jesus Christ demonstrates not only the love of God but also His perfect justice and holy requirements. On that cross Jesus bore the wrath that we deserve from God. Not only that, we have failed in keeping God’s holy Law perfectly – a requirement to stand before Him. Christ fulfilled the Law, not only prophetically but also by following it perfectly the thirty-three years He walked on this earth. So through faith and repentance in Christ we are forgiven of our sins and we are also given the perfect righteousness of Christ so that when God looks on us He sees not our sin but His Son! What glorious truth.
Sadly, like the rich young ruler, many today believe that they can work their way to heaven or do enough good things to please God. This is a lie of Satan. Let us recall the words of Christ to that young ruler that there is none good but God. That should wake us all up that only God is good and there is none who are good enough to stand before Him. All those outside of Jesus Christ will one day stand before God but only to receive the punishment, judgment and wrath that they truly deserve. Let this not be you. Repent from trusting in your own works and thinking you are good enough and instead of walking away from Christ like that young ruler run to Him and embrace Him in faith knowing that all who come to Him He will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37)
The true believer’s desire to obey the Law is not to merit anything before God but to seek to obey Him (albeit imperfectly) out of sheer gratitude for all that Christ has done.
Oh may we rejoice in the glorious truth that while we are dead in our sins and trespasses (Ephesians 2:1) and absolutely unable to come to God that He has come to us in His Son and provided the only way to eternal life and forgiveness. Christ Jesus is not a way, but the way, the truth and the life and no man can come to the Father but through Him! (John 14:6) Is this not the wonderful truth that Christ taught this young ruler and us? Don’t be like the young ruler! Relinquish all that you are and all that you have to all that He is and all that He demands – for He is worthy!
Soli Deo Gloria!
“Do you want arguments for soul winning? Look up to Heaven, and ask yourself how sinners can ever reach those harps of gold and learn their everlasting song, unless they have someone to tell them of Jesus, who is mighty to save. But the best argument of all is to be found in the wounds of Jesus. You want to honor Him, you desire to put many crowns upon His head, and this you can best do by winning souls for Him. These are the spoils that He covets, these are the trophies for which He fights, these are the jewels that shall be His best adornment.” ~C.H. Spurgeon
In preperation for a study I will be doing this summer on grace I stumbled on this hymn that I had not heard or seen before. It is truly amazing isn’t it.
O how the grace of God
Amazes me!
It loosed me from my bonds
And set me free!
What made it happen so?
’Twas His will, this much I know,
Set me, as now I show,
At liberty.
2 My God has chosen me,
Though one of nought,
To sit beside my King
In heaven’s court.
Hear what my Lord has done
O, the love that made Him run
To meet His erring son!
This has God wrought.
3 Not for my righteousness,
For I have none,
But for His mercy’s sake,
Jesus, God’s Son,
Suffered on Calvary’s tree -
Crucified with thieves was He -
Great was His grace to me,
His wayward one.
4 And when I think of how,
At Calvary,
He bore sin’s penalty
Instead of me.
Amazed, I wonder why
He, the sinless One, should die
For one so vile as I;
My Saviour He!
5 Now all my heart’s desire
Is to abide
In Him, my Saviour dear,
In Him to hide.
My shield and buckler He,
Covering and protecting me:
From Satan’s darts I’ll be
Safe at His side.
6 Lord Jesus, hear my prayer,
Your grace impart;
When evil thoughts arise
Through Satan’s art,
O, drive them all away
And do You, from day to day,
Keep me beneath Your sway,
King of my heart.
7 Come now, the whole of me
Eyes, ears and voice,
Join me, creation all,
With joyful noise:
Praise Him who broke the chain
Holding me in sin’s domain,
And set me free again!
Sing and rejoice!
Emmanuel Sibomana, b.1915
I found this list to be very challenging and I hope you will too.
From “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan:
LUKEWARM PEOPLE attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians” do, so they go. (See Isaiah 29:13)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE give money to charity and to the church … as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? (See 1 Chronicles 21:24)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives. (See Matthew 23:5-7)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one. (See Romans 6:1-2)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call “radical” what Jesus expected of all His followers. (See James 1:22 & 4:17)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion. (See Matthew 10:32-33)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE gauge their morality or “goodness” by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street. (See Luke 18:11-12)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives. (See Luke 9:57-62)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; it’s only for pastors and missionaries and radicals. (See Matthew 22:37-38)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached. (See Matthew 5:43-47).
LUKEWARM PEOPLE will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give. (See Luke 18:21-25)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is most focused on today’s to-do list. Rarely, if ever do they consider the life to come. (See Philippians 3:18-20)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. They are quick to point out, “Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the love of money is.” Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel “called” to minister to the rich; very few feel “called” to minister to the poor. (See Matthew 25:34,40)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the bare minimum, to be “good enough” without requiring too much of them. They ask, “How far I can go before it’s considered a sin?” (See 1 Chronicles 29:14)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God. (See 1 Timothy 6:17-18)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America. Just as the prophets in the Old Testament warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label Christians or because some people persist in calling us a “Christian nation.” (See Matthew 7:21)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they don’t have to. They don’t’ have to trust God if something unexpected happens – they have their savings account. They don’t need God to help them—they have their retirement plan in place. They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live—they have life figured out and mapped out. They don’t depend on God on a daily basis – their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God. (See Luke 12:16-21)
LUKEWARM PEOPLE probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong. (See Matthew 23:25-28)
