Summary
Pastor Jon Noyes preaches out of Luke 18:18–30, where Jesus challenges a rich young ruler to surrender his wealth and follow Him, revealing that entry into the kingdom of God is not earned by status or morality but received through childlike dependence and grace. This sermon calls us to examine the idols we cling to and reminds us that what is impossible with man is possible with God.
Transcript
We are going to be picking up in Luke 18. But before we dive into our passage this morning directly, you guys seem really far back. I feel alone up here, like everybody's looking at me. I think it's important that what we do is before we dive into the message and the passage is to kind of pull back the lens and can kind of consider the broader context of Luke 18. Because I think it's really interesting. We find ourselves at a very interesting part of the Scriptures. And Luke 18, it's not just a collage of collected stories, fables, myths, things that are made up. It's actually a puzzle of real life true episodes of pieces that fit perfectly together to reveal a theme. And I think sometimes as we go week in and week out preaching, and I think we do it right here by going verse by verse through the Bible, but I think that we lose sight of the overarching theme sometimes. At least that's a risk that we run. And the theme here is one of division. And I think there's a contrast that runs through every one of our true episodes that we've looked at. We see a contrast between the unjust judge and the persistent widow. We see the self-righteous Pharisee and the humble tax collector, the disciples who shoo away children and the Savior who welcomes them. And then now we come to a ruler and a kingdom. And once again we face a division. Those who rely on themselves versus those who come empty handed like a child to Jesus and into the kingdom of God. So this morning the question that we all need to wrestle with, at least I hope, that we're all willing to wrestle with is who's fit for the kingdom of God? On what basis will entry into God's kingdom be granted? The question echoes throughout this chapter. Verse 17 speaks of the entering of the kingdom like a child. Verse 24 laments how hard it is for the rich man to enter it. And the section that we're going to be in today ends in verse 30 with a promise of eternal life in age to come, a future hope. So Luke, he wants us to kind of, the way I'm looking at it is it's a song. He wants us to hear the music of the kingdom. It's upside down values where the proud are brought low, the humble lifted up, and the entry comes not by the accomplished, but by the dependent. And our theme through all of Luke from chapter one verse one to the very end has been where gifted Jesus, whose friendship and hospitality welcomes the least of these to his table of companionship and rest. So have these things on mind as I read the scriptures and then we'll pray and then we'll see what God chooses to do. So picking up in verse 18 of chapter 18 in Luke, a ruler questions him, this is Jesus, a ruler questions Jesus saying, "Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit the eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good?" No one's good except God alone. You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not murder your mother. And he said, "All these things I've kept from my youth." And when Jesus heard this, he said to him, "One thing you still lack, sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come, follow me." But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. And Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God, for it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter God's kingdom. They who heard it said, then who could be saved?" But he said, "The things that are impossible with people are possible with God." And then Peter, I love Peter, and then Peter said, "Behold, we've left our own homes to follow you." And then Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there's no one who's left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come in eternal life." Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we're going to Jerusalem." And all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For we'll be handed over to the Gentiles and we'll be mocked and mistreated and spit upon. And after they've scorched him, they will kill him. And the third day, who will rise again, and the disciples understood none of these things. And the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said. The Holy Father in heaven, I go before us in this time, it's a time that we wish to be transformative, that we would just look a little bit more like Jesus through your Word, hold me faithful to the text, and guide our time. In Christ's name, amen. And just for clarity's sake guys, I've read a little bit further in the passage just for context, so we're not going through the very end, we're just going through verse thirty, I think. We'll see, we'll see where I get. Okay, every summer, Rihanna and I, we get the opportunity to take our family up to Manatee Springs, or out to Manatee Springs, Colorado, to teach at this place called Summit Ministries. It's a place that I absolutely love. I go, usually I go like five or six different times during the summer, and one or two of those times we get to bring the whole family, they pay for our whole family to come out, and then I get to spend two, soluble ten days with the students teaching them. And Manatee Springs is a really interesting place. It's like, if you were to close your eyes and picture like a hippie village in the middle of the mountains, this is where it's at. It's the place where you walk down Manatee Ave, their main street, and you've got the crystal shop, you've got the shop where you can buy mushrooms, you've got the weed shop, you've got restaurants that are not that great, but they have a really great pizza place, but it's a small little town. And one night when we were in Manatee, they put us in a house up on top of the main street and right across from this old Victorian hotel where all the students stay, and then they have an awesome classroom in the bottom of it where we get to teach. And I'm in the hotel teaching, and Rihanna and the girls, they're out on the porch. There's a porch swing, it's idyllic, it's amazing, and they're on the porch, and one of the, we call them the local yokels, one of the Manatee locals is found himself wandering up around the Summit Hotel in the house, and they come over to Rihanna, he comes over to Rihanna and the girls, and the question he asks him is the question that I dream of getting. Can you tell me how to get to heaven? I'm in the other, I'm in the next building teaching on evangelism, and this guy comes up perfect, and what does my wife say? Kids, get in the house! And runs, and now she's the kids into the house, and she tells me a story, I'm thinking, "What? Like, he's teeing it up for you. How do you get into heaven?" This is the question that we all need to be wrestling with, and this is the question that should concern us most. I mean, there's few questions more revealing than that. How do we get to heaven? And if you've given the opportunity, how do you guys respond? You know, I'm hoping that my family learned something. I understand, because like, he probably wasn't in his right mind, but I still probably would, I would have talked to him. You know, and like I said, there's few questions more revealing than that, and that's exactly the question that the rich man asks in Luke 18, "Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" It's a noble question, the kinds I wish more people would be asking more often, and even so as the story unfolds, we learn that this question, though it comes from a sincere hat, I feel like in the rich ruler, it's laden with assumptions that it has to be dismantled before Jesus can build anything lasting on this man's soul or on our souls this morning. So we're entering into a deeply personal encounter, and this is our true life account. Remember how Luke stats his gospel. I have taken it upon myself to write an orderly account, most excellent theophilus, so that you may know with certainty the things that have transpired. So this is a real life account about a real man, and this account is one that presses us on the idols we hide in the security blankets we cling to. So Luke, he's always so careful, and I love reading Luke because he's a theologian, he's precise, he's a doctor, he's a historian, and he sets this account in the middle of a string of teachings on humility and childlike faith and kingdom values, and it's no accident that this story follows Jesus' welcoming of the children. You see the contrast is stacked, right? I said the theme of division is here, the contrast is stacked, helpless dependence versus respectable independence. So Luke tells us that a certain ruler approaches Jesus, and he was a man of influence, moral clarity, and religious seriousness. Matthew, Luke, and Mac all tell the same account, and each one tells us something maybe a little bit different about who this young man was. Matthew tells us that he was young, Mac tells us that he was rich, and Luke, he adds that he's a ruler. So this man, if you think about it, according to the cultural matrix, according to the cultural standards, social media influence, this man had everything going for him. He had it all. He was young, he was in a position of authority, he had money, he was crushing it. And his question is a weighty one, I think probably the most important one. "Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" This is the question that all of us are asking at some level, all of us. But notice the way that the question is phrased in it is a hidden assumption. It's a hidden assumption of works. The ruler, in asking the question the way that he asks it, is assuming that eternal life is something that has to be earned. What must I do to inherit eternal life? And then what I love about Jesus is he never responds, I feel like, the way that I would respond, which is a good thing, because Jesus' responses are always perfect. And we learn from Jesus' response, because Jesus here, he skips over the hidden assumption and he doesn't even answer really the question immediately. Instead, Jesus just gently presses, "Why do you call me good?" No one's good except for God. And oftentimes, at least in my experience, my traveling and talking to people, people point to this story to kind of combat the idea that Jesus was God. Well, isn't this Jesus denying his divinity? And I don't think that's right, obviously. We don't think that's right here at Solti, because we believe that Jesus is God. Because Jesus here, he isn't denying his divinity. It's Jesus here pressing the man's assumptions about what goodness really is. You see, we have to place ourselves in not just the textual context of the passage, but also the cultural context of the passage. And in Jewish culture, no rabbi would ever be called good, because that term, that title of good would have been reserved for God and God alone. So what's this man really believe about Jesus? That's the question that I'm asking. What's he think? Because he's calling Jesus good, so that means there's another hidden assumption. Is he hidden assumption that maybe he understands that Jesus is God? Is it just merely flattery? Or maybe he's closer to that truth than he realizes? We don't know. We don't get the answer. But Jesus, he then goes on to list five commandments from the law. Notice that they're the latter commandments having to do with relationships and community. And he leaves out, Jesus leaves out the commandments having to do with our relationship with God. And you see, that omission I think is the point. The commandments that he leaves out are just as important as the commandments that he mentions. So this man, he responds, "All of these things I've kept from my youth." And then we get the sense that he's kind of hoping to impress this Jesus. And why is he seeking to impress Jesus? Well, it's because he wants assurance. You see this man, this ruler, this rich young ruler, in telling Jesus, "Well, I've kept all these commandments as far as community and earthly relationships go. He's looking for validation." But then Jesus, being Jesus, he doesn't let him off so easily. So Jesus, he noticed he doesn't hammer this young man for saying that he's actually kept the law because, "Do any of us actually keep the law?" You guys can talk to me. It's okay. No, thank you. No, we don't. But Jesus doesn't even bring that back to him. He doesn't like Ray comfort him. Right? He just, he moves on. Instead, Jesus, he offers him the very thing that he lacks. He says, "One thing you still lack. Sell all your possessions and distribute it to the poor. Then you'll have treasures in heaven. And come follow me." You see, this is the crux. This is the pivotal moment in our account this morning. Jesus, he doesn't ask this of everyone. He doesn't ask every one of his disciples to do the exact same thing that he's asking this rich young man. But he does ask this rich young man to do something. Why? Well, because he knows the hat of the rich young ruler. He knows that the man's wealth isn't just a possession for him. It's an identity. It's a refuge. It's a God. And through the question, Jesus, he finds the man's idol. And friends, loved ones, if you all search, if we all were to, gosh, just spend 10 minutes of thorough and honest introspection. And if we were all to be asked the right questions, whether of ourselves or of another, we all have idols to be exposed. I wonder what yours are. I know what some of mine are. This study for this passage helped to reveal that for me. And the response is important. And what's this man's response? Well, he doesn't storm off in anger. He doesn't argue. I mean, did you notice he doesn't even reject what Jesus is saying outright? What happens? He becomes sad. He becomes deeply sad. You see, I think he becomes sad because this rich young ruler, he knows what he wants. But it costs too much. He wants eternal life, but he doesn't want to give up the kingdom that he's already built here and now. So the man, he could have become glad. He could have, but he became sad. And when Jesus puts his finger on the one thing keeping him from the kingdom, the ruler decides that that wealth in that moment matters more. So he leaves. And I want us to keep in mind, because I think pastors can sometimes abuse this passage, that Jesus, he's not condemning wealth outright. He's not calling this rich young ruler to universal poverty, but to universal surrender. He's calling for a single-mindedness. Seek first the kingdom. Not second. Not third. Not after you bury your dead. Not after you say goodbye to your loved ones, as Luke said in chapter 9. Seek first the kingdom of God. And then, no, this is not a rejection or a condemnation of wealth. What Jesus is doing is he's exposing wealth's spiritual danger. This has been something, it shouldn't surprise us, because this has been something that Jesus has been coming back to time and time again throughout the entire Gospel. And here we go. Jesus, he now turns to the disciples. And listen to these words, "thishap," sharp, sharp. See, there is a God in heaven. I can say my eyes, ours. How hard is it for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God? And then he offers the image that all of us are familiar with, no matter if you've read the Bible through or through or not. It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. What in the world is Jesus talking about here? Well, I know a few things. This wasn't hyperbole. Jesus said these words for a purpose and with meaning, and he knows what he's saying, and he knows the audience that he's saying them to. This was intentional because it was intended to shock, and it worked. The disciples, as they listened to the teaching, stood stunned. In Jewish culture, again, contextual context, cultural context matters. On Judaism, guys, wealth was often a sign of divine favor, blessing. It still is to a certain extent. I mean, God blesses us. We're going to talk about that in a minute, but it would have been a radical idea for a Jewish man who's seeking to obey the law, who has seemed to be blessed by God in every way with power, influence, and money to somehow now be assumed that he wouldn't be able to enter the kingdom of God. It begs the question, if the rich can't be saved, who can? And then Jesus answers. The things that are impossible with people are possible with God. And then friends, this is the gospel right here before us. You see, salvation. Salvation is not about human achievement. It's not about moral performance or religious effort. It's about grace, pure unmerited grace, unmerited favor, getting what you don't deserve, and then rewarding that what you don't deserve, rewarded that what you don't deserve. It's an unbelievable thing when we think about the God of the universe, the creator and sustainer of all things. He requires nothing of you. Do you know that? It's amazing when I get to go to these places and I get to speak, I wish you guys could come with me because I've been missing church for a month this year and I feel bad about that. I'm saved by grace though, so huh. But I do feel bad because I miss you guys, but when I'm at these places and I'm sharing with students and parents alike or adults or on college campuses or whatever, you have no idea how often. When I'm giving in the context of my talk on suicide, there's a huge, it's basically all gospel. It's an hour of gospel and I love it. And how many times afterwards I get people that come up to me in tears, not necessarily because they're suicidal or they've wrestled with suicide, but do you want to know why? Because they never heard that God forgives them without anything on their behalf. I literally have people come to me all the time, the Christians. They've been lifelong Christians, Christians for longer than I have, Christians for 30 years, and they tell me, "I have never been told that God loves me no matter what." That's an incredible thing that God loves us, no matter what. This is the gospel. It's not about human effort, it's about grace. And here in our account here, the life of the new kingdom, it's breaking in through Jesus, but to enter it, folks had to abandon the symbols of security of the old kingdom and this man, this man, he just couldn't. You see money is in the universal, if you think about it, money is the universal passport to everything except heaven. The universal introduction to every pleasure except for grace. You can't buy these things. And then Peter, I love Peter, and I'm learning to give Peter more of the benefit of the doubt where before I thought he was, I'd read it, and do you guys ever read this and you're like, "Peter, you're such a knucklehead, man." I'm an idiot, but I think Peter's complex and he jumps in, as Peter always jumps in, he says, "Behold. We've left our own homes to follow you." Right? He's like, "I think he's excited." He's like, "Wait a second, we've done this, Jesus, because that's what Jesus is telling this rich young ruler to go." And then let me say, I want to say that my perspective on Peter as it's changing, I don't think Peter's prideful here. I think he's hopeful. Right? Peter, he wants to know, is the cost worth it? We've left everything. Is it going to be worth it? And then Jesus, he replies with a breathtaking promise. "Truly, I say to you, there's no one who's left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not receive many times much more and in the age to come eternal life." Now, brothers and sisters, what Jesus offers here is not merely future reward, but he offers to you and to me, just like he's doing to Peter here, and he's offering it the rich young ruler as well, he's offering present joy. Life in the kingdom brings with it new community, new family, and a new kind of wealth. I mean, who would have thought that one of my favorite philosophers, Tyler Durden, from Fight Club, was right when he said, "The things that you own end up owning you. It's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything." See, God, he wants to bless us. He does. But he wants to make sure that our blessings, the things that he gives us, don't own us. The way to avoid being drowned by our blessings is to give them away. This is like so scary for my family, because oftentimes I have moments where I, in all sincerity, you can ask, "I just want to give it all away." We have so much. And in our so muchedness, I feel like we lose sight of so much. That every true and beautiful gift is of God, and that God perhaps gives us these blessings so that we can bless others. And then Rihanna makes me come back down the earth, which is good. I am so thankful for you. I'd be floating way up in the outer regions of the universe without Rihanna. You see, but this thinking, and what Jesus is calling us to, it's counterintuitive wisdom. It's the counterintuitive wisdom that comes with kingdom thinking. You see, generosity is how we loosen the grip of greed. It's how we remind ourselves that everything we have is from God, and everything we have is for God. And if we hold tight to our stuff, then our stuff will end up holding tight to us. But then when we live open-handed like this, when we live like this, we begin to live in the freedom that only surrender brings. And Jesus, He's not trying to rob us here of anything. He's trying to rescue us. He's trying to rescue us from the illusion of control and the idolatry of comfort. And in Jesus, like I said, I'm not saying what I'm not saying. I'm not saying that Jesus is calling every believer to poverty. Thank God, I like my stuff. I'm very fortunate. But Jesus, He's calling every believer to surrender, to hold loosely what the world clutches tightly. Matthew's Gospel, when he concludes this pericope, this story, this account, he ends it with Jesus' famous words. "Those who are first will be last, and the last first." You know, this is the upside-down rationale of the kingdom of God. The currency isn't dollars and cents, but grace. The path isn't striving but surrender. The reward isn't temporal but eternal. And the rich ruler, on this day, he went away sad because he couldn't imagine a life without wealth. The tragedy is that he missed the very thing, the life, the life that he was longing for. Remember, it's the rich young ruler who came to Jesus with the question. And that question came from a longing in his soul, the longing that we all share. How do we inherit eternal life? We all want life eternal. This man, he realizes that he doesn't have what it takes. You see, Jesus doesn't just offer us eternal life, though, either. He offers us himself. But to receive him, we have to let go of what we've trusted in, sometimes trusted in most. So my question is, what do you and I mean you, what do we need to surrender today? What's Jesus asking you and me, what's he asking us to lay down so that we can follow him more freely? This isn't normally my MO offering these types of, what are these called, imperatives? Are these imperatives? I'm not trying to guilt you. I feel bad. But it's on my mind. I think God put it on my mind. I'm wrestling with it, so I might as well draw you into my wrestling. You see, friends, salvation is impossible for us. It's impossible for us. It's not impossible for Jesus. In the life of the age to come, full of joy, renewal, purpose, and glory, belongs to those who receive it like children and follow the King. So unlike the rich young ruler in our account this morning, let us not walk away sad. Let us come to Jesus in the foot of His cross, in recognition of what's been done for us, and then follow Him. And this morning, as we do every week, we come to the table, and we don't come to prove anything. Do you know that? We don't come to this table to prove our worth, but to proclaim our dependence. At this table, we remember that the one who gave up the riches of heaven to make us the heirs of heaven presides with us now. You see, in these simple things, the bread and the cup, we don't bring anything in our hands like children. We simply receive. And as we pass the peace of Christ to one another, we remind each other that our hope, our security, and our salvation, they aren't found in what we've done, but in what Jesus has done for us. So in a moment, friends, I invite you, and Jeremy is going to invite you to come to the table, not because you're strong, but because you're weak, not because you're worthy, but because Christ is worthy. Let's pray. Father, I thank you for the opportunity to share from your word and for everything that's going on here and at solely through us and hopefully unto you and for your glory, Lord. Continue to grow us and change us. Help us be strong enough to loosen the grip of the things that have us that ought not. You are an amazing God, and we thank you for all that you've done, for all that you're doing, and all that you will do. In Christ's name, amen.