Sermon – “For the Sake of the Kingdom”

Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. 24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For 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.” 26 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?” 27 But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” 28 Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.” 29 So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Greet you this morning. Great those that may be watching online we welcome you if you’re watching online into our church family this morning. Greet you in a name for the word savior Jesus Christ. It’s morning my message is titled For the sake of the kingdom going to be speaking from last from Luke Chapter eighteen and it’s where Jesus had the conversation with the rich young ruler and I’m confident this morning that I think that all of us in here can say that one point or other in our lives or some time in our lives that we have felt or since store heard God speaking to us God calling us maybe not calling us to go here but calling us to him and that is why we’re here because I’m confident you’ve all heard God’s call on your life. His call to come to him follow him to be faithful to him to serve him. That’s why we’re here today because you’ve answered that that’s why you’re here. Luke Chapter eighteen verses eighteen to thirty. Hear the word of the Lord now I certain ruler asked him as Jesus saying good teacher what shall I do to inherit eternal life so Jesus said to him Why do you call me good. No one is good but one that is God and all my research in this and that day the term good was reserved for God only God So he says why do you call me good. There is only one that is good and that is God He says you know the commandments do not commit adultery do not murder do not steal do not bear false witness honor your father and your mother and he said all these things I have kept from my youth. So when Jesus heard these things he said to him you still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor and you will have traitors in Heaven and come follow me. But when he heard this he became very sorrowful for he was very rich and when Jesus saw that he became very sore for he said how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God For it is easier for a camel to go through the I have a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God and those who heard it said Who then can be saved but he said the things which are impossible with men are possible with God I want to pause again it is possible with God. He’s speaking of the eye of the needle he’s speaking of a gate and if they were coming into a city and needed to go through there and they had their camel loaded down with the goods of the world they had unload the camel the camels had to squat down the go through the gate it can be done but it’s with much difficulty that they can get through there. Then Peter said See we have left all and followed you so he said to them. Assuredly I say to you there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children for the sake of the Kingdom of God who shall not receive many times more in this present time and in the age to come eternal life a man got out his blessings to the hear it in the reading of His Holy Word let us go to the Lord in prayer. Gracious Heavenly Father we do thank you praise you for your presence in our lives we thank you for your word lord it is a Living Word and we believe that every word in errors inspired by you and Father I pray that you would open the mysteries of your word to us. God that you would reveal to our hearts and our minds which you would have us to receive from this passage. Father may you be glorified and honored through it in Jesus’ name amen. How many people have pondered that question in their hearts have asked someone that question What shall I do to inherit eternal life how can I be say we just recently. The jailer said to Paul what must I do to be saved. How can I live for eternity. Everyone wants to live forever right. Nobody. OK Both you’ve got all the what nobody wants a liver turn into well do right not in this body right right but it is amazing the answers you will get the answers that you will hear when you ask someone if they know where the where they’ll spend eternity you know we spend eternity with the Lord it is amazing the variation of answers you get you’ll get was hope so. Well I think I will. Well I’ve been a good person. Well I’m better than my neighbor. You’ll get I mean so many different answers. Won’t you. Patty we’ve experienced it. So many different answers you’ll hear will this young man in our passage today have a nice conversation with Jesus He had been taught all these life that people were saved by doing something good by their own works is what he’s been taught and he apparently had been a pretty good guy had named me Jesus said Do not commit adultery do not steal the murder do not bear false witness this honor your father mother and he’s like I have kept all of them for as long as I can remember from my youth. He’s a good guy and I am sure that you know his peers looked up to him is family was proud of him he was a wonderful God kept them all but here’s the main thing we must learn from this discussion that he had with Jesus he was a good man he bade all the commandments. Mention But Jesus knew his heart but here’s the main thing he still felt empty didn’t he still felt and to because he said What must I do to and her eternal life he was unsure of his internal destination he came up empty. Why because when we rely on our own efforts when we rely on our own good works. You’re always going to come up empty. Never have done enough if you want to rely on your own good works. You’re always going to come up short because our rice miss is as filthy rags. Amen. There was a survey done and they ask seven thousand Protestant youth from many different denominations not just won the nomination for many different nominations and they asked them if they agreed with the following statements they said the way to be accepted by God is to try to sincerely live a good life. More than sixty percent agreed with that statement they said that God is satisfied if a person lives the best life that he can. Seventy percent agreed with that. Yes God loves when we are good they said the main emphasis of the Gospel is on God’s rules for right living. More than half agreed with that despite the efforts of evangelist character its ministries and local churches the percentage of adult American adults or a born again Christian there is no different now than it was in one thousand nine hundred two The study found that thirty four percent of all Americans can be identified as born again that is that they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and say that they will go to heaven because they have confess their sins and accepted Christ as their savior but among those surveyed of the seven thousand and sixty two said that they had made a personal commitment to Jesus however among those who have made a commitment to Christ only fifty five percent believe that they will go to heaven because they’ve accepted Christ as a personal savior and that’s the basic belief of the born again movement right. Most of those surveyed said they would go to heaven because of living a good life or because they think that all people go to heaven. That’s sad they were on a unsure of what would happen to them after they die. Romans three twenty says Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge of sin the law is good it reveals our say it reveals our sins it reveals our need for a savior. It gives us guidelines to live by but we’re not saved by them. Glaciers to sixteen says knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. Period. By faith in Jesus Christ we are justified even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law for by the works of the wall no flesh shall be justified a man is by what he has done not what we have done I can sum up eternity I can sum up salvation in one word and that word is Jesus Jesus is what he has done. Jesus knew the heart of this young ruler he knew that there was one area where he was being dishonest with Jesus and that was covetousness he coveted his wealth he was not willing to let go of the things of the world to follow Jesus Jesus said sell all that you have been distribute to the poor and come follow me the Greek main a follow as it used in this passage means to be in the same way with Jesus was saying come and be joined together with me be as I am that’s what it means to follow. Be as he is if we are going to be as he is and follow Him that we will obey them the commandments Well Bay has laws not because we’re going to be saved by them because we love him because we want to serve him. Efficient five want to says therefore be imitators of God as dear children act like Jesus a man imitating love like him says and walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us an offering in a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma my friends possessions will not keep one out of heaven you know there were many wealthy men in the bible Abraham was very wealthy. Job was wealthy. Solomon was the richest man probably ever if you do the math and he’s probably the richest man ever in his time. David was very wealthy. It’s not possessing riches that’s the problem is when they pose this us. That that becomes a problem Amen. When they pose us us is when one is one willing to let loose of the riches when God asked them to. I’m not asking you to but have got to ask you to are you willing to let go. If one truly loves God supreme Lee and love his neighbor as and self than they would be willing to give up the riches to serve God and man. Peter said See we have left all and followed you. Peter as well as the other disciples left everything to follow Jesus. A number of them were fishermen they were in business with their fathers. There was a physician many they left their businesses they dropped everything to follow Jesus he said Come and follow me and they just drop their nests left their father follow Jesus can you imagine the conversation when they told their wives hunting we have found the Messiah he’s asked me to come and follow him on going when you come back I don’t know what were you going to say I don’t know that either were you going to a you want me to cook for you I don’t know but I’m going. He’s asked me to follow him. I’m going can you imagine the conversation now we know that they didn’t lose everything they had because we know that Jesus went into Peter’s house to heal healed his mother in law but they were willing to say yes we’re you call me I will go where you say I will follow him wherever you say. Today we’ve come to thank a special person who has answered the call that God has placed on her life she was willing to say Yes Lord I will go through is when you say Yes Lord I think it was you can correct my math is not right Patty I want those who I’m talking about I think it was about three years ago maybe approximately about three years ago how do you sense the Lord leading her to sell her house and most of her possessions to rid of most of her possessions and to go and help plant churches to go and help evangelize help equipped churches to do the work evangelism to just help churches grow and she said yes she said yes so sold off most everything she had just sold her house everything but the bare necessities that would fit into that little silver car hers a little more in a grudge but she gave up most of her stuff. She first went off to Kingman Arizona tell planet church there was there for a year and a half to two years. Here not quite a year but after she finished her her work there that church was a stablished and she felt it was time to move on well about a year and three months ago she arrived in Cumberland Maryland in that little silver car unloaded everything and he’s been here and she’s blessed us for the last year plus it’s been a blessing to have or verse twenty nine and thirty again said so he said to them a Shortly I say to you there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children for the sake of the kingdom who shall not receive many times more in this present time and in the age to come you’re going to say well they don’t always receive the blessings in this present time but yes they do because if they leave her father and her mother the children move in if their families reject them for that. Guess what they’re going to be blessed with the family of God the day to come in to write but I know in her case for family still loves him. They haven’t rejected her but we do receive blessings in this present age. Because when we are willing to say yes and we go out and we help people we are more blessed than the ones we help when we see the joy that it brings into their hearts when you go I want to work mission and you down and you help build a church for little death I’m blind children the joy that the love that you see in their hearts. You go thinking you’re going to really try to bless these people you come away be in the blessing wherever God calls you to go you’re going to receive a blessing you’ll be blessed in this present age when you were faithful to say Yes Lord I will go and we all know that we receive great blessings and that age to come to terms of life Amen.