Matthew 19:16-26
Last week we saw an overview of the Sermon on the Mount.
There is no doubt whatsoever as to what Jesus point was in that sermon.
Jesus point was that God requires righteousness.
This is also seen in Jesus parable of the wedding banquet.
After those whom the King intended to attend had denied His invitation,
The King opened his banquet to all who would enter.
Matthew 22:9-10 “Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ “Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.”
But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He gives a second truth to this parable.
Matthew 22:11-14 “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘ Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
He came clothed in his own goodness.
Isaiah 64:6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
The point is that we in ourselves
Are not righteous enough to stand before the presence of Holy God. We in ourselves have no right to enter His wedding banquet.
This was Jesus point to the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
And Jesus went out of His way to point out that
God is not looking for man’s righteousness, but perfect righteousness.
Matthew 5:20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
So last week we learned the theology of Jesus.
But as we are concluding missions month,
It is only fitting to examine a point
In which Jesus had a witnessing opportunity.
HOW DID JESUS APPLY THE TRUTH OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT WHILE WITNESSING?
This of course does seem like a strange illustration to choose.
WHY CHOOSE A MAN THAT DIDN’T GET SAVED?
BECAUSE HERE WE RE-LEARN A VITAL TRUTH
I have shared my burden with you many times over.
There has become such a numbers push in evangelism,
That today we evaluate success by numbers.
The national campaign of the Southern Baptist Convention is:
“Witness, Win, Baptize” 1 million.
I certainly hope 1 million people truly get saved,
But the point is, you can in no way evaluate success by the number.
A person’s salvation depends upon God, not you.
But because we have become so geared to think that way,
Many times in church life,
We are tempted to lower the standard of salvation
Just so we can get another notch on our Bible.
We reduce the divine standard in order to include more people.
We tolerate sin
We let people claim Christianity while continuing to live in sin.
We let people claim Christianity even though we never see a change.
We let people claim Christianity even though we never see obedience.
We get so consumed with adding a number to our role,
That we completely throw out the standard for salvation.
The Peanuts cartoon illustrated this perfectly a few years ago.
Charlie Brown drawing a circle around his arrow.
Instead of forcing people to hit the mark,
We have been more than willing to move the target
So that we can appear to be winning the lost.
I choose the rich young ruler as an example of Jesus evangelism
Because I want you to see that Jesus never lowered the standard.
Indeed this is what He said.
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”
Jesus was passionate about righteousness.
If you were not, you didn’t get saved.
There were people Jesus witnessed to that didn’t get saved,
But that didn’t change His standard.
So this morning we examine how Jesus evangelized a person who was unwilling to submit to the standard of divine righteousness.
4 Key words we can apply to the Rich Young Ruler
#1 INSIGNIFICANT
Matthew 19:16-17
It doesn’t take long to recognize this young man’s problem.
“what good thing shall I do that may obtain eternal life?”
He had heaven down to a science.
It had to be a checklist.
And understand this man was one who had it together.
We already know he was a man who had great wealth.
Luke 18 calls him a ruler (probably a synagogue ruler)
Verse 20 reveals that this all happened at a young age.
So this man is used to success.
Financial success and religious success.
And honestly, in modern day evangelism,
If someone came to us with his credentials asking that question,
We would hand him a church membership card
And start looking for a committee for him to chair.
But Jesus didn’t.
Jesus is only concerned about the standard of righteousness.
Jesus looks at this man’s success and his desire to go to heaven and says, “That is INSIGNIFICANT”.
Verse 17, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Jesus quickly let this man know
That wanting to go to heaven is not all that it takes.
Luke 13:22-27 “And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘ Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘ I do not know where you are from.’ “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’”
Matthew 25:1-13 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. “Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. “For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. “Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. “But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ “Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. “The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ “But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ “And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. “Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘ Lord, lord, open up for us.’ “But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”
All of them wanted to go to heaven, but wanting to go to heaven won’t cut it.
IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO BE READY, YOU MUST BE PREPARED!
Here we have a person who is successful, seeking, and desiring eternal life.
We would call that a ready made convert.
Jesus didn’t.
#2 INCOMPLETE
Matthew 19:18-20
Jesus ended His first correction of the young man by saying,
“but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Now it is not strange for Jesus to say this,
And He is not advocating a works righteousness.
The Law of God is perfect righteousness.
Of course this young man is not looking for perfect righteousness,
Because he doesn’t say, “ok”.
“Which ones?”
He isn’t looking for righteousness, he wants the bare minimum
Now at this point Jesus humors him.
(18-19) “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
At this point, Jesus is setting him up.
Jesus is only outlining what this man does well.
And therefore this young man gives a hearty response.
20 “The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?”
His greatest hopes had seemingly come true.
HE WAS GOOD ENOUGH!
He had been devoted to religion, for Luke records.
Luke 18:21 “And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
But as Jesus would soon reveal,
His righteousness was still INCOMPLETE
Religious zeal is not enough.
Matthew 23:1-5 “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.”
Matthew 23:23-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
You understand the point.
We would be primed and ready to enlist a
Non murdering,
Non adulterating,
Non lying,
Non stealing,
Rich man that loved his momma.
But Jesus wasn’t.
This man was still incomplete, and even he knew it.
“what am I still lacking?”
Wanting to go to heaven is INISGNIFICANT (many in hell)
Religious Zeal is INCOMPLETE (many in hell)
#3 INADEQUATE
Matthew 19:21-24
Here is where Jesus lowers the boom on this rich young man.
“If you wish to be complete”
Now in the Greek that word “complete” is TELEIOS
“having reached it’s end, finished, complete, perfect.”
Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
It is a form of the word Jesus used on the cross.
John 19:30 “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
We are talking about one who has attained perfect righteousness.
One who has done all that is required.
So Jesus reveals how to be saved, how to be righteous, how to be perfect.
“go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
WE KNOW THE STORY
“But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.”
You see this man had spent a lifetime of gathering up accolades.
He had achieved much in his life.
He had been very dedicated to religious achievement for a very long time.
But all our past achievements are INADEQUATE for gaining righteousness
When you apply for Christ’s righteousness, you don’t come with a list of references and a list of accomplishments. You come poor in spirit.
JESUS IS LOOKING FOR THE ONE WHO COMPLETELY DENIES ALL THAT THEY ARE, AND ALL THEY WILL BE. (SACRIFICE)
Luke 9:57-62 “As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” And He said to another, ” Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, ” No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Luke 14:25-35 “Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ “Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? “Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. “Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? “It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
“Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? “It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
You have to notice the word “Therefore”. He is tying the two together.
Well, anyone who has ever eaten food knows this is the case.
Salt is what makes food worth eating.
It was also used as a preservative.
It was also highly valuable (worth his salt)
And on a more spiritual note, salt refers to true disciples.
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”
“but if salt becomes tasteless”
Or in other words, if salt refuses to do what it was intended to do.
“it is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out.”
A disciple that won’t sacrifice is like salt that won’t taste.
UESELESS TO JESUS
I don’t care what it has done in the past.
And then Jesus illustrates his point.
(23-24) “And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, 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.”
TOTAL SACRIFICE IS REQUIRED, AND THE MORE YOU HAVE,
THE BIGGER THE SACRIFICE.
Wanting to go to heaven is INSIGNIFICANT
Religious zeal is INCOMPLETE
Partial sacrifice is INADEQUATE
#4 IMPOSSIBLE
Matthew 19:25-26
In verse 23 it says, “And Jesus said to His disciples”.
This is an evangelism training session.
And verse 25 shows us that they were getting the point.
“When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?”
You get the feeling that when this fellow approached,
The disciples were already making room for him as one of the twelve.
This guy had it all, but here, he didn’t make the cut.
This guy had everything, except one thing.
GODLY RIGHTEOUSNESS
He wasn’t perfect.
The disciples picked up on this, and basically said,
“Then no one can be saved, because no one can be perfect.”
That brings Jesus answer.
“With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Jesus used the teaching of the Rich Young Ruler
To remind all of us that salvation is IMPOSSIBLE.
There is no possible way for a man to be saved on his own.
There is no possible way for you to lead a man to salvation.
All attempts to reduce the standard to let more in.
May cause church attendance to rise,
And it may cause your church to look successful,
But it is only handing out false assurance.
Man cannot save himself.
Only God can save a soul.
Only God can impart righteousness.
Ephesians 2:1-5 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ ( by grace you have been saved),”
Romans 3:19-24 “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”
God’s righteousness is only achieved through faith in Jesus Christ.
This man had everything but a relationship with Jesus.
Perhaps now we better understand that penetrating statement of Jesus back in Matthew 7.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.”
When we seek to “evangelize” a person, we only do them a severe injustice when we lower the bar of righteousness.
If you or I do anything to make it possible
For a man to be saved apart from
Completely denying self, taking up his cross, and following Jesus,
We have only succeeded in ushering him through the wide gate,
And upon the wide road that leads to destruction.
The Rich Young Ruler is an excellent example
Of the commitment it takes to carry God’s message.
We are not charged with saving anyone. Only God can do that.
We are not charged with attracting anyone. Only God can do that.
We are charged with presenting the truth.
If they come, hallelujah – all of heaven rejoices.
If they don’t, that is between them and God.
Charles Spurgeon had a quote that I love.
“Now observe, brethren, if I, or you, or any of us, or all of us, shall have spent our lives merely amusing men, or educating men, or moralizing men, when we shall come to give our account at the last great day we shall be in a very sorry condition, and we shall have but a very sorry record to render; for of what avail will it be to a man to be educated when he comes to be damned? Of what service will it be to him to have been amused when the trumpet sounds, and heaven and earth are shaking, and the pit opens wide her jaws of fire and swallows up the soul unsaved? Of what avail even to have moralized a man if still he on the left hand of the judge, and if still, “Depart, ye cursed,” shall be his portion?”
The simple point is there is only one way to be saved.
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
We must make sure that our salvation
Rests upon Jesus ability to make us righteous,
And we must make sure that our message reveals nothing less.
Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
