Gospel Quest #7: Christ and Commitment
Text: Mark 10:17-31
Key verse Mark 10:28
Introduction: The
commitment of John Harper
In the 1900s, John Harper, was the newly-called pastor of
Moody Bible Church. He was a Scottish Baptist Preacher who was returning to
Chicago after serving there the previous fall as a guest preacher. To make the
crossing, in April of 1912 he booked passage on the newest, largest and safest
ship that had ever been built, the Titanic and he and his 6 year old daughter
set sail across the Atlantic. When the Titanic struck the iceberg that ripped
open the unsinkable ship, John Harper got his young daughter into a lifeboat
and then began helping others. It is said, he asked one young man if he was
saved and when the man told him no, he gave him the lifejacket he wore, because
he said, “I know where I’m going if I die and you don’t.” Later he was seen leaning
against the rail as the ship sunk, pleading with another young man to come to
Christ. - Ministers' Research Service -Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations:
Signs of the Times.
Four years after the Titanic went down, a young Scotsman stood
up in a church testimony meeting in Hamilton, Canada and told this story,
"I am a survivor of the Titanic. When I was drifting alone on a spar that
awful night, the tide brought Mr. John Harper, of Glasgow, on a piece of wreck
near me. 'Man,' he said, 'are you saved?' 'No,' I said, 'I am not.' He replied,
'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.'
"The waves bore him away; but, strange to say brought
him back a little later, and he said, 'Are you saved now?' 'No,' I said, 'I
cannot honestly say that I am.' He said again, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved,' and shortly after he went down; and there,
alone in the night, and with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am John
Harper's last convert." - Aquilla Webb - Encyclopedia of 15,000
Illustrations: Signs of the Times.
John Harper was a man who was committed to Jesus Christ, in
his life and in his death. He held to that commitment. As we continue our
Gospel Quest series, it is Christ and commitment that I want us to look at this
morning in Mark 10:17.
What Must I Do? Mark 10:17-20
And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one
running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I
may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good?
there is none good but one, [that is], God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do
not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness,
Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him,
Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Keeping Commandments
In Luke’s Gospel, we learn that this was a ruler of the
Jews, probably a member of a local council in the synagogue. In Mark’s account
we are just told, there came one running. He comes running to Jesus and falls
at his feet. He was eager to hear the Lord, and he was humble before the Lord.
He even calls Jesus “good master” a flattering title which nevertheless showed
his respect for the famous teacher. Then the Bible tells us that he asks a very
specific question, “what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” He is
asking what he himself, in his own power, morality and legalism can do, to earn
or deserve eternal life.
Jesus now questions the questioner, “Why callest thou me
good? there is none good but one, [that is], God.” Two things are happening
with this answer first the Jewish Rabbis did not allow themselves to be called
“good.” For only God was truly good. But more important Jesus correcting this
young man’s attitude, his almost flippant use of the term which even though
Jesus truly was good and truly was God, this young man did not know this and
Jesus needed him to be brought up short so that He could show this man the
truth about Himself. It meant nothing to this man to used the description and
Jesus would not allow such shallowness. He did much the same thing when He
talked to another rich ruler named Nicodemus in John 3. Nicodemes came in and
said, “We know thou art art a teacher come from God” Jesus said, “Except a man
be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” In other words, Nicodemus you
don’t even know what your talking about. The same principle applies here. Jesus
needed this young ruler to understand, he didn’t have the answers.
Some people used this passage to claim that Jesus was not
God, for if He was He would have claimed the title the young ruler used. But
notice Jesus did not say, “I am not good or I am not God”
The question was aimed at leading the young man to consider
the true identity of Jesus. It was an indirect assertion of His deity, since
goodness or sinlessness is a quality of God alone. - The Wycliffe Bible
Commentary.
Truly Jesus was good, and truly He was God, but Jesus needed
this seeker to believe it not just state it like so much flattery.
Next Jesus answers the question about earning eternal life,
and He answers it in a purely legal way.
He tells the man, “Keep the commandments.”
Earning the Eternal
Many people today still do ask the same question. What must
I do? How can I get to heaven on my
strength and goodness? What’s worse is that many people don’t even ask, they
already think they know the answer. They believe that God is keeping a list of
the good and bad they do and then like Santa Claus will use that list to save
for condemn them.
How do you reach people like that? What did Jesus do? He
brought up the law of God. When we understand the purpose of the law and we use
it lawfully, as Paul says, then the law bring people to the understanding that
they can’t keep it and they must seek mercy not justice, forgiveness not
judgment.
The purpose of the law was to show our inability to match God's
standard of absolute holiness.
Galatians 3:19-24 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was
added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise
was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but
God is one. Is the law then against the
promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have
given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under
sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that
believe. But before faith came, we were
kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be
revealed. Wherefore the law was our
schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
When God’s law works in us then we come to the same
conclusion that Paul does in Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none
righteous, no, not one: and Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Illustration: Jumping to Galveston.
If we all lined up at the edge of the mainland and looked toward Galveston Island and somone said jump, would anyone of us reach island almost a mile away? Some may jump further than others but none can jump all the way. In the same way, the law
brings us before a Holy and Righteous God and makes us understand that it is His
holiness that I am unable to keep. I cannot compare myself with another person
but by God's law and the conviction of the Holy Spirit I must understand that I
cannot meet the holy standard of God. I can't jump to Galveston and I sure cant jump to heaven.
Transition
Not watch as Jesus uses the law to show this young man the
truth about himself.
What You Lack. Mark 10:21-22
Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One
thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the
poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and
follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had
great possessions.
The Law and the Lawbreaker
Isn’t is interesting that Mark mentions that Jesus looked on
the young ruler and loved him. It is an intimate moment that makes this story
more than just a narrative about Jesus as Rabbi. The Bible says He looked at
him, must have seen his sincerity and He loved Him. Yet in spite of that love,
or perhaps because of that love Jesus tell the young man, there is a real
problem with your idea of earning eternal life.
When Jesus gives the commandments there are two that He does
not mentions. He reminds the young man, “Thou knowest the commandments, Do not
commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud
not, Honour thy father and mother.” And the rich ruler says, “Master, all these
have I observed from my youth.”
Jesus does not tell him, no you haven’t, instead he says,
One thing you lack. Just one thing and you’ve got this made. Then Jesus tells
him, “Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou
shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.”
Do you see the two commandment Jesus didn’t ask about? They
are actually the two most important commands of all the ten. This answer is a
direct application of the two commandments, “Thou shalt have no other God's
before me and Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
Jesus brings the two most important law right into this
man’s well-constructed moral façade and shatters it into gravel and dust. Sell everything
you have and give the money to the poor, is the commandment “Love you neighbor
as yourself.” Come follow me is the commandment, “Love the Lord thy God with
all your heart, soul, strength and mind.”
Jesus who could see this man’s heart, knew this was the true
test of the law and he could not pass. We read that the young man walked away
in grief, now convicted by the law, of his sin, of his inability to keep the
law, but unwilling to repent and call out to Jesus the only one who truly was
good, that could save him.
Crushed by Commandments
If I was there that day, how would I have measured up to
these two commandments? How would I measure up to any of the commandments, if I
fully understand them?
The answer for us as it was for the young ruler is no! The
answer for anyone who is confronted with the law of God is that we can’t keep
it, we can’t measure up, instead just like the man in Mark 10, trying to keep
the law will bring me to grief and broken heartedness. We will be crushed by
the commandments.
Romans 3:19-20 Now we know that what things soever the law
saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped,
and all the world may become guilty before God.
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in
his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Never let anyone tell you that the law of God isn’t for the
Church Age. We need the law and the world needs the law for without the law. We
cannot see how far away from God we truly are and we will not seek mercy and
grace.
Transition:
The young ruler, convicted by the law, saw all this and he
turned and walked away. He wanted to keep his riches and his own rules for
salvation. Jesus then turns to his disciples and has an even tougher lesson for
them.
What Only God Can Do Mark 10:23-27
And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples,
How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the
disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith
unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into
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 into the
kingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among
themselves, Who then can be saved? And
Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for
with God all things are possible.
Impossible With Man
Jesus makes this incredible statement, “How hard it will be
for the rich to enter into heaven.” The disciples are astonished by this
statement and by what they have just seen and so Jesus reemphasizes what He
just said, “Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter
into 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 into
the kingdom of God.”
He says it is as hard as hard as a camel going through the
eye of a needle. He is speaking literally here. Though in medevil times threw
was a gate in Jerusalem called the eye of the needle, they built it because of
this passage of scripture. It did not exist during Jesus time. He is speaking
about a real needle and a real camel. That is why the disciple a so astonished
and ask the next question.
Vs. 26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among
themselves, Who then can be saved?
Just like the young ruler Jesus had to bring the disciple to
a truth, to a spiritual reality beyond what they thought they knew. He uses a
shocking illustration a statement and you better believe they are paying
attention. They know that what Jesus is saying is impossible and Jesus knows
that is what they are thinking and then He brings them to the wonderful truth
of salvation.
V.27 Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is
impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
Possible With God
Shouldn’t you be shocked this morning at the words of Jesus?
Shouldn’t you hear what He is saying and then in utter bewilderment and
astonishment ask the same question, “Who then can be saved?” Shouldn’t we all
come to the extremes of what I thought I knew and at the end of myself, my good
works, my knowledge listen as the Lord tells me the only truth that matters.
Salvation is impossible with man, but all things are possible with God.
It’s impossible for me to save myself, but God made it possible
though His love. Its impossible for me to cleanse my own sin, but God made it
possible through the blood of Jesus. Its impossible for me to live after I die,
but God made it possible through the resurrection of His Son.In my power nothing is possible but in God’s power all
things are possible.
What We Left - Mark 10:28-31
Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and
have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There
is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother,
or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall
receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and
mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come
eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
Commitment and Care
Peter then says, “we have left all, and have followed thee.”
It is a question that natural flows from Jesus’ answer about the rich and
salvation. I don’t see it as selfish or as Peter seeking favor from the Lord.
It seems to me to just be a simple and deeply felt confession of Peter’s
devotion to his Lord and Savior. We have left all and followed thee.”
Indeed they had, they had left their jobs, their homes,
their possessions and even their family to travel with Jesus. Little could he
know how true his confession would be in the years that would follow Jesus
ascension. Peter would even leave his own life’s breath behind as he followed
Jesus in death.
I believe Peter’s statement is a hearfelt confession because
of the way Jesus responds to it. There is no reprimand, but only encouragement.
Jesus says that, “Vss. 29-30 Verily I say unto you,
There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or
mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But
he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and
sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the
world to come eternal life.”
Jesus promises that God will bless 100 times over the
sacrifices His disciple will make. A reward that begins while they were still
on the earth and would continue into eternity.
As the disciples traveled from place to place, as they gave
up jobs and family and home, you know what they found? You know what God
blessed them with everywhere they went. Everyplace the Gospel was preached,
they found people who believed in God's word were saved and became the family, they
had left behind. People they never knew
became brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers in Christ.
They also would find persecutions and pain, but through it
all God's promise would be proven true over and over again.
Quality of Commitment
The final application of this passage I would ask you to
make today, is to consider the quality of you own commitment. Peter truthfully
looked to the Lord and said, “We have left all and followed you.” What of us?
What have I left? What am I willing to walk away from if called? How committed
am I to following Jesus?
Oh there is a cost. Jesus never hid that cost to those who
sought him out and he doesn’t hide ti today.
Luke 9:57-62. And it came to pass, that, as they went in the
way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou
goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have
nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another,
Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus
said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom
of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go
bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No
man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the
kingdom of God.
The Lord is not being harsh, He is being the Lord. If He is
our Lord, Our Savior, Our King then it is His right to have our devotion, our
loyalty, our commitment, our wealth and even our lives if necessary.
But never forget that in His role as Lord, he is also our
rewarder. He has promised us so much, right now in this life and in eternity to
come.
Romans 8:18 For I
reckon (I have counted, computed and calculated) that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us.
Personal illustration.
Over 40 years ago, LeeOra and I left our homes and families
in Arizona to go where the Spirit led and to follow Jesus Christ. Whatever may
have been seen as a sacrifice then has been reward a hundred times over today.
God has given us so much, so very, very much. No not riches but brothers,
sisters, mothers, fathers, and so many wonderful members of the family of God.
People we never would have known, people who have blessed and enriched us
beyond our imagination and we would never have even met them if we hadn’t been
willing to leave all and follow Him.
Conclusion
The Captain of the Life Saving Station
The story is told of a lighthouse along a rocky coastline in
New England. So terrible were the rocks and currents along this shore that they
built not only a lighthouse to warn the ships but also a lifesaving station in
case the ships did get caught on the rocks.
One night during a terrible storm with wind that was blowing
directly toward the shore a ship was driven onto the rocks. They sent up flares
and rockets and the lifesaving crew from the station manned their open row
boats and prepared to launch into the raging see. The youngest member of the
crew looked out at the wind and the waves crashing all around them and he
called out to his captain, “Sir if we go out me may not make it back.” The
captain looked out at the storm and at the ship caught in it fury and he said
to the fearful young man, “Its not our job to worry about making it back our
job is to rescue those who are dying.”
When it comes to making a commitment to Christ, its not our job to worry about how its all
going to work out. Our calling is simply to follow Him. Don’t worry about what
comes tomorrow or next year, just follow Jesus today. Trust Him, believe His
Word, claim His promises and go whereever He will leads. It will be worth it
every day you live on this earth and only eternity can contain the blessings and
glory that await us who have committed ourselves to follow Him
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