B-Side - Mark 10:23-31
B-Side: Mark 10:23-31
Recapping v17-22... The rich young ruler was wrapped up in his possessions. In 2 Timothy 3... people will be lovers of self and of money. The love of money is the root of evil; money itself is not the problem, but our relationship to it is. It can become an idol. This is what Jesus was dealing with in this man. He tells the man he needs to make himself (Jesus) his treasure, and he walks away.
v23-24... Jesus says twice it's difficult to enter the Kingdom of God! Not because we have a lot of works to perform, but because we have to die to ourselves. You can do nothing to inherit the Kingdom; it is given freely to those who will lose themselves in favor of God himself. We must know our spiritual bankruptness!
v25... to enter the Kingdom, you have to renounce this world. In Galatians, we had sects forming, dividing people by class, etc. In God's Kingdom, the president and the plumber are on equal footing. It's easy to feel you're special if you're wealthy and successful, to have pride in one's own identity. To receive the Kingdom is to identify in Christ; that is our entire identity!
Our finances must come under the authority of God! This is especially difficult if you've worked so hard to become wealthy and successful. Though you did the work, he gave the increase, and it comes under his authority like all other aspects of our lives must.
v26-27... No man can do this, but all things are possible with God! John 15:4... apart from me you can do nothing! Romans 8:8: those in the flesh cannot please God. Apart from God's Spirit, we cannot receive God's Word into our hearts.
Only God can change hearts, so we must rely on him in our evangelism! We should share Christ with the unsaved whenever we can, but it's God who softens hearts and makes it possible for people to receive him.
So before our evangelistic efforts, we should give ourselves to pre-evangelism: prayer! Pray for them before we ever speak to them. If they get converted, it'll only be because of the grace and mercy of God!
v28... a disciple holds nothing back from his Lord; we must go where he sends us, and he'll provide.
The rich young ruler doesn't understand yet that even if he keeps his possessions, his land, for himself, it'll all be taken anyway (in this case, by the Romans years later).