SS1O-24-04.

STUDY THEME: LOOKING FOR LIFE. 10-24-04.

“REACHING FOR REAL LIFE” MATTHEW 19:16-30.

MATTHEW 19: 16-19, 20-22, 23-24, 25-26, 27-30.

PLEASE 0PEN YOUR BIBLE TO MATTHEW 19.

The Life Question in today’s lesson is “How can I experience real life?

The Biblical Truth is people can find real life in giving wholehearted devotion to Jesus , not in self-righteous acts or in seeking possessions.

We trust the Life Impact will help us live with wholehearted devotion to Jesus.

You have heard life’s most basic questions, “Who Am I?” “Why Am I here?” “How do I live the good life?” “What is my purpose for living?” “ Where will I go when I die?” These are what we sometimes refer to as the ultimate questions of life. Everyone asks them. Everyone thinks about them. Why? Because these questions go to the very heart of what it means to be human. They address our significance, importance, and destiny. And think about this: the questions connect. How you answer one will influence how you answer the others. Hear them again-“Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “How do I live the good life?” “What is my purpose for living?” Where will I go when I die?”

One day a man respected in the community came to Jesus. He was interested specifically in the question concerning final destiny. In Matt. 19: 16 he framed the question this way, “What good must I do to have eternal life.” In the process of answering that question, Jesus also gave him insight concerning what really matters most in life. What you decide now will determine where you go later.

Who or what should have priority in your life? Jesus demands that people give Him priority, first place, in their lives. Even second place is not an option where He is concerned.

All of us need to consider an important and significant question: What must I do to have real life, eternal life? Put another way: What must I do to enter God’s kingdom? Brother Dowdell pointed out last Sunday that God’s Kingdom is right now, and right here where we are. We can enjoy citizenship in that Kingdom each and ever day by surrendering our lives to Jesus.

In vs. 1 of Matt. 19 Jesus had left Galilee and entered into Judea beyond Jordan. He is now marching to the cross. A great multitude was following Him and He healed all who were ill or had an evil spirit. There must have been many children in the crowd and the parents wanted Jesus to bless their children.

Our lesson actually begins in Matt. 19: 13-15 where the disciples rebuked those who were bringing the children to Jesus, but Jesus rebuked the disciples. He then taught the disciples about the kind of people who will be in the Kingdom; the kind of people who discover what real life is all about.

Those who attain life come to Jesus in the same way that a child comes—with complete dependence on Him. It is not who we are or what we have that really matters; it is the Person in whom we trust. Matthew provided strong contrast between the children and the young man in today’s lesson who refused to let go of his wealth to follow Jesus.

1. PLEASE READ MATTHEW 19: 16-19.

Notice that Jesus quoted only the last 6 of the 12 Commandments. He didn’t question the rich young ruler concerning his relationship to God. Instead, He questioned his relationship to his fellow man. I doubt the truth of the man’s answer given in vs. 20. Yet Jesus did not question his answer; rather He gave him the formula for being perfect.

Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem and the cross. The healing, preaching and teaching ministry in Galilee was left behind. The disciples were with Him, and Jesus was teaching them about discipleship. Jesus had told them that those who enter the kingdom of God must be like little children. No one can earn entrance into the kingdom. The requirement is the same for all. Eternal life is available to everyone, but a person receives it only by going to the right Person.

At this someone who was the antithesis of a helpless child approached Jesus. Matthew said he was young; that could refer to anyone from 20 to 40 years of age.

Luke, in Luke 18: 18 calls him a “ruler”, probably an official at a local synagogue. Matthew, Mark, and Luke indicate that he was wealthy. This is why the man is known as the rich, young ruler. Each of these characteristics marked him as a fortunate person. He was rich. He held an office of honor and respect and he was still a young man.

Evidently he had heard Jesus teach and was impressed by what he had heard. The young man was eager to talk with Jesus. Mark 16:17 says, that the man ran and kneeled before Jesus. He called Jesus Teacher, which indicates that he regarded Jesus as a rabbi. This was a tribute to the impression Jesus had made on him. If this man was interested in the question of eternal life, he had come to the right person.

The man asked Jesus one of the most important questions in life: “What good must I do to have or get eternal life?” As a Jewish ruler or religious leader, the man was almost certainly devout, honest, and morally upright. He may have thought he knew the answer, and yet there was uncertainty in his soul. His religion had given him no confidence about his eternal destiny. In fact, it seems quite certain that the one thing the man knew for certain was that he was uncertain about whether eternal life was his. He was right to seek eternal life, but he was wrong about how to get it.

This question is perhaps one of the most significant in all the Bible, and for all humanity: How does a person acquire eternal life? In our passage life in heaven is referred to as eternal life, entering the kingdom of God, as having treasure in heaven, the Messianic Age, and having eternal life. The man’s question was not a bad one, but it does imply that he believed eternal life was something one could earn. What good must I do? Eternal life, according to John 1: 12 is not achieved; it is received as a gift. “But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” The young man needed a change of theology as well as a change of heart.

This visitor came to Jesus but not because he thought Jesus might be the source of life he was seeking. He came to Jesus because he believed Jesus was a wise teacher (in the sense of a rabbi). Such a person, he thought, might be able to point him in the right direction. We learn as the encounter progresses that the young man had already tried the “do good and you will be good in God’s eyes” message preached by the conventional Judaism. Still he had found no inner assurance of real life.

Therefore, possibly as a last resort, he came to Jesus. Unfortunately, however, he came to Jesus with the same idea of many today---we can earn from God eternal life by doing what good we must…do to compensate for our spiritual deficiencies.

The word good occurs several times in Matt. 19:16-17. Jesus picked up on this word to help guide the man in the right direction. As was often the case, Jesus answered his question with a question: Why do you ask Me about what is good? However, He did not wait for an answer but provided His own: There is only One who is good.

Jesus was not denying His deity or His sinlessness. Instead, He was trying to help the man see that he was using the word good as if people could be good enough to receive eternal life. The point is that goodness is found only in God and those to whom He imparts goodness as a gift of His grace; goodness is not an achievement of human beings. There was no good thing the man, or any human, could do to get eternal life.

Jesus did not respond in kind to the young man’s gracious address. Jesus placed the focus where it must be: on God. Only He is the source and essence of goodness. The young ruler’s starting point was wrong because it was himself. What good must I do? Jesus directed him to look to God first and foremost. Any talk of eternal life must begin here.

Jesus then pressed the issue further. To explain what it means to be good, Jesus turned to the commandments. Jesus’ answer was not what a modern day evangelical would expect Him to say. Jesus did not share the gospel with him. He did not invite the man to believe in Him. He didn’t reveal who He was. Instead, Jesus just placed a wall in front of him. Strictly speaking, of course, Jesus answer was correct.

If a person keeps the law all his life and never violates a single jot or title of it, he or she will have eternal life. But no one can. Rom. 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” To suggest that the law is a means to eternal life would seem to cloud the issue of faith. So why would Jesus tell him that? Because in spite of all the young man had going for him, he completely lacked an understanding of his own sinfulness.

His desire for salvation was based on what he wanted. He had anxiety and frustration: He wanted security. But that is not the right reason to come to Jesus. It isn’t wrong: it’s just incomplete. Jesus did not offer relief for what the young man wanted. He needed to see himself as a sinner. Recognition of personal sin is a necessary element in understanding the truth about salvation. Jesus’ answer removed the focus from what the man wanted and put it on God and His standards.

Jesus attempted to lead the man from where he was (hungering for real life) to where he said he wanted to be (having real/eternal life) by challenging him to perfectly obey the Law of Moses. As the conversation developed, we understand that Jesus’ gracious intention was to help the man see his failure to keep the commandments and in fact the impossibility of his ever doing so. Acknowledging guilt and need, the man could then confess his sin and turn away from the trust in himself to trust in the One before him, the Lord Jesus Christ, the only One who is good and the giver of all good.
The young man was not satisfied with Jesus’ answer, so he asked another question. Which ones? In succession Jesus quoted the law of God against murder, against adultery, against stealing, and against bearing false witness. He then mentioned honor your father and your mother and ended with the summary law “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus preached Law to the young man. People will not understand grace until they realize that they have sinned by breaking God’s law. People have to know that they are sinners who have failed to measure up to God’s standards. Jesus’ words should have made the man realize he had fallen short, but he missed it entirely.

2. PLEASE READ MATTHEW 19: 20-22.

The man confidently claimed to have kept all these commandments. He apparently was unaware of how Jesus interpreted the commands not just as actions but also as attitudes. Murder includes uncontrolled anger. Adultery includes lust. Stealing includes withholding from those in need. Slander includes gossip. One’s neighbor includes anyone in need. If the man had seen himself in light of this understanding of the law, perhaps he would have not been so self-righteous. Instead of being convicted of his sins by the law, he said, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

The young man responded with the claim, I have kept all these. But he seemed to be aware that he still fell short somehow, for he then asked, What do I still lack?

We should not question the genuineness and sincerity of what the man said. From the age of 12 the young man likely had conducted his life according to the law of God. He had honored and obeyed it. All of it! In a sense what he said was probably true. Like the Apostle Paul he was “blameless” with respect to the outward demands of the law as taught by the religious teachers of Israel.

Jesus didn’t argue with the man. Instead, He went to the heart of the issue. Jesus began His response with the clause if thou wilt be perfect. Jesus used the word which has the idea of completeness or full maturity. He told him to sell all his possessions, give the proceeds to the poor, and follow Jesus. This would result in having treasure in heaven.

Why did Jesus make such a demand on this man? He did it because the man trusted in his wealth instead of trusting in God. His possessions had become his god.

Earlier when Jesus listed the commandments, He did not mention the four commandments having to do with relationship with God. The man had broken the First commandment in Ex. 20:3 about having no other god than the one true God.

The issue was that God was not first in this young man’s life---money was. The demand Jesus placed before the young man was not a general command for all people. His wealth occupied the place that only God should have in his life. He may have obeyed, relatively speaking, those commands that addressed human relationships, but he lived in perpetual sin when it came to the first Commandment: “Do not have other gods before me.”

The call to salvation and discipleship is to radical trust and commitment to Jesus. He challenged the young man, just as He challenges each one of us, to put away anything that is an obstacle to following Him.

The young man could not love his wealth supremely and love God supremely. One rules out the other. Jesus’ challenge to the young man to forsake his wealth and follow Him revealed the true state of the man’s heart.

One principle of seeking to win someone to Christ is to discover the point at which the person is resisting and then pressing for surrender at that crucial point. If the person is willing to surrender that treasure to the Lord, conversion usually takes place. Thus Jesus pressed the man to give up his greatest treasure in order to follow Him.

If receiving eternal life is easy, why is it also so hard? Isn’t that something of a contradiction? No, but it is one of those paradoxes we often find in the Bible. To receive you must give. To live you must die. The first will be last, and the last will be first. Inheriting eternal life is both easy and hard. Jesus revealed in this conversation with the young man that one thing cost him salvation and eternal life.

In vs. 22 the young man’s face fell when he heard this expectation Jesus stated. There is a famous painting of the scene as the rich young ruler hears Jesus’ words. The Lord’s hand is extended toward him, but the man is looking away as he hears what Jesus is saying. The account states, He went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. He could not imagine life without his possessions. They were necessary for his present needs and wants, and they were his security as he faced the future. Gold would remain his god, not Jesus.

Someone has reworded this to read: “His great possessions had him.” The priority of the man’s life would remain his money and not the Maser. He failed the test. He went away grieved. His possessions were more important than eternal life, and he would not follow Jesus if it meant giving them up.

This man was not ready to respond to the demands of suffering servant-hood and radical devotion to Jesus. Nothing can be allowed to stand between you and Jesus. Putting something ahead of Jesus is nothing less than idolatry: that something becomes your god. Putting something ahead of Jesus is the one thing that can cost you salvation and eternal life.

The rich young ruler was not the only one who was sad. Mark 10: 21 spells out what is implicit in all the biblical accounts: “Jesus beholding him loved him.” Jesus did not love him because of what he could do to help Jesus: He loved him for what Jesus could do for him. Thus Jesus was sad when the man went away. And yet Jesus let him go away. This is striking evidence that Jesus does not force anyone to follow Him. He allows each person to choose, but each must live with the consequences of the decision to turn away from Jesus.

Thus the man failed to receive eternal life because of two hindrances. For one thing, he allowed his self-righteousness to keep him from recognizing his sins. He is one of many kept from eternal life because they think it is something they can earn. Many feel they have earned it; others are looking for some great good thing they can do to ensure it.

The other obstacle was prosperity. Jesus said in Matt. 5: 3 that the poor in spirit are the ones who have the kingdom of heaven. Wealthy people have trouble being poor in spirit. This point led to the verses that follow.

3. PLEASE READ MATTHEW 19: 23-24.

These verses continue the story of the rich young ruler. The young man had come to the right Person (Jesus). He had asked the right question about how to inherit eternal life. He had received the right answer, which is to follow Jesus. Sadly, he did not respond correctly. He turned and walked away from the only true Source of eternal life.

This gave Jesus an open door to further instruct His disciples concerning entrance into the kingdom and the demands of discipleship. He told them, “I assure you: It is hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus was not condemning wealth and commending poverty. This was not a call for acetic, or monastic living. His point was that wealth often breeds self-sufficiency and self-confidence.

Furthermore, it has an addictive quality. Time and again Scripture addresses its dangerous attraction. If one is not careful, wealth and attaining more of it can become life’s priority, and the things of God will fall by the wayside.

Jesus statement surprised the disciples. So, in order to illustrate His point and to make sure they understood, Jesus said it again with greater force: “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Some people have tried to make this sound less impossible by claiming that Jesus was referring not to a real camel and a sewing needle’s eye. They claim He was speaking about a small gate in Jerusalem used by people but too small for a camel, the largest animal in their part of the world. There is no solid evidence of such a gate. Jesus meant a real camel and a real needle. Thus He was not saying it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom: He was saying it is not possible. Jesus sometimes used hyperbole or extreme exaggeration to make a point in a powerful way.

Vs. 26 shows that it is not completely impossible if God is involved, but it is impossible if only humans are involved.

4. PLEASE READ MATTHEW 19: 25-26.

Jesus probably expected the disciples to respond as they did. In that day, and this day, many people believed, and still believe, that wealth was, and is, a sign of God’s special favor. Therefore, when they heard Jesus words, they were exceedingly amazed or utterly astonished. What He said went against what they believed about rich people. They believed the rich were surely among God’s favored people, and Jesus was denying that a rich man could even be in God’s kingdom. Jesus was not surprised when they asked, “Who then can be saved?” If the favored rich man, who was so blessed by God, could not be saved, who could be saved?

“But Jesus looked at them and said,” “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Jesus corrected their bad theology. The possession of wealth was not a sign of God’s favor. Indeed, wealth can build a barrier to the one thing necessary to enter the kingdom of God. This is childlike trust in Jesus and commitment to Him. Jesus response is one of the great theological affirmations in the Bible. “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” This is a key verse, which states a basic truth about salvation and life in general.

Salvation is something a person cannot accomplish. Left alone, no one can make it into God’s kingdom and inherit eternal life. However, what people cannot do, God can do. Salvation is not through human achievement. It is, always has been, and always will be a divine accomplishment. It will always be the gift of God. Eph. 1: 8-9 says “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: It is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

One thing---just one thing---can cost a person salvation. That one thing is whatever stands between a person and Jesus.

5. PLEASE READ MATTHEW 19: 27-30.

Peter had watched and listened to all that was said and done. He was probably among those who asked, “Who then can be saved?” Now he asked a question that was probably in the minds of the other disciples also. The rich young ruler had refused to give up everything in order to follow Christ----something Peter felt that the disciples had done---“We have forsaken all, and followed thee.” Therefore, Peter asked, “What shall we have therefore?” As far as the wording is concerned, it sounds like what Judas asked the chief priests in Matt. 26: 15 “What will you give me, and I will deliver him unto you?”

The best clue to Peter’s motivation is how Jesus responded to his question. VS. 28-29 constitute Jesus’ answer to Peter’s question and vs. 30 is the warning. So Jesus considered Peter’s question a legitimate one, but He wanted Peter to consider his motives for service.

Jesus began by giving Peter a straightforward answer to his question. He promised that the rewards of the disciples would be realized in the regeneration or Messianic age that shall come when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory. At that time, Jesus told Peter that the twelve would sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

The figure is drawn from the custom of an oriental monarch sitting upon his throne in public to hear complaints and petitions and to render judgments. Alongside him sat his counselors to assist in this work. Other reference of a similar nature are found in the N.T. (in Luke 22:30 and Rev. 4: 4.) In 1 Cor. Paul says that the saints shall judge the world.

In Rev. 20:1-6 the Millennial Kingdom, Jesus was referring to the renewal of the earth. In the millennial kingdom Jesus will sit on the throne and will reign as King of kings and Lord of Lords. In. Rev. 19:16 Jesus is coming to reign in glory and power and when he does He will rule on earth for a thousand years. In Rev. 20: 4-6 the saints will reign with Him. All the redeemed of all the ages will reign with Christ when he sits on the throne of glory. At that time the nation of Israel will be restored and the 12 apostles will sit on 12 thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel.

In Matt. 19:28 Jesus main point is that the apostles who forsook everything to follow Christ would receive appropriate rewards. Vs. 29 broadens the application to include every one that has forsaken something for Jesus. Jesus listed such things as houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father or mother, or wife, or children or lands. Jesus promised that those who forsook such things for His name’s sake would receive an hundredfold. Their reward will be all that they deserve and far more.

The most important reality of what Jesus said is that they shall inherit everlasting life. This real life begins when one trusts Jesus as Savior, and it never ends. But the future experience is indeed everlasting. It is something children of God inherit as a gift of the grace of God their Father. Jesus said, “Many that are first shall be last: and the last shall be first.”

In Matt. 20: 1- 16 Jesus told a parable to illustrate what he meant in Matt. 19: 30. The next story after the parable of Matt. 20:1-16 is the coming of the mother of James and John asking that her sons receive the places of greatest honor in the coming kingdom. Thus vs. 30 may be a mild rebuke against asking what we will get for serving Christ. And Matt 19: 30 and 20: 16 probably means that “the many that are first in their ambition to seize great rewards and great prizes for themselves will be last, and many of the last who humbly yield the decision of their lives to God and to God’s choice will be first.

These verses teach us that real life is not found in self-righteousness or in possessions. It is found in a personal experience of God’s grace and in humble self-giving service for Him.

NEXT SUNDAY OCT. 31 “DESIRING DELIVERANCE” MARK 5: 1-20 CONCERNS OUR DELIVERANCE FROM EVIL. A.V. DAUGHERTY <altav@swbell.com>