Mark 10:17-22 - The Idol That Kept The Rich Young Ruler From Having Eternal Life
Kids are full of excuses. They say things like, “I forgot.” “I didn’t hear you.” “It’s too hard.” “It makes me nervous.”
Christian adults have developed some excuses for not being involved in evangelism – none of them compelling.
One of them is, “I don’t have the gift of evangelism.” True evangelism is the spontaneous overflow of a glad heart in Jesus Christ, not a program, or a gift.
Another excuse is, “Well, God is sovereign in salvation. He’ll save His children, whether I speak about Him or not.” The problem with that is that God is also sovereign over the means of communicating His saving message, and that is through Christians verbalizing their faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Some have said, “I’m too busy.” These are the folks that see evangelism as an event, instead of a lifestyle of witnessing for Christ everywhere they go.
Others believe their priority is to help the poor, stop immorality, and change our government. Instead of fishing for souls, these folks want to clean up the fishbowl. But here’s the thing. What good does it do to help the poor live in a better house if they still spend eternity in Hell? Let’s share Christ first.
Some people don’t share because they “don’t know what to say.” If you know enough of the Gospel to become a Christian, then you know enough of the Gospel to share Christ with a non-Christian.
In today’s passage, we see that coming to Christ involves more than “just praying a prayer.” Jesus shows us how to share the Gospel the way God intended – the narrow gate that few find, the great struggle that few win, and the costly choice that few pay. The young man in this story failed the greatest test of his life. He was offered a choice between himself and God, between fulfillment here on this earth and fulfillment in the life to come. Sadly, the rich young ruler chose the here and now, not God and Heaven.
As you are involved in the work of evangelism here a few things to consider.
2. EXPLAIN the INGREDIENTS of the GOSPEL.
Point to the goodness of our perfect God and show the unsaved how offensive their sin is to Him. Show people where they’ve failed externally and internally in their obedience to God’s Law, which reflects His perfect character. Call the lost to repent, and to turn from their sin. Plea with them to serve, worship, and love Christ first – above all other loves or idols.
Many people (even church people) have prayed to ask Christ to be “their personal Savior,” but they have never repented of the sinful idols of their heart. These people are self-deceived, thinking they can love Christ while protecting and worshipping their idol(s) at the same time.
When calling the unsaved to Christ, explain to them that coming to Jesus means serving and submitting to Him as Lord and Master. It means to worship Him exclusively and to love Him supremely. Otherwise, they can’t be saved.
What are some of the idols unsaved people deal with? Here is a shortlist. Comfort, money, pleasure, addiction, sports, family, children, leisure, fitness, immorality, drugs, ministry, career, friends, reputation, position, control, autonomy, and self-reliance.
Jesus says to the unsaved, “If you’re going to follow Me, you have to be willing to completely give up your idols, surrender them to Me, and make them #2.” We have to hate them, sell them (in the case of the young rich ruler), turn from them, and repent of them.
Even after we are saved, we need to be killing the idols of our hearts on a daily basis so that we can grow in our progressive sanctification.
3. EXPLAIN what REPENTANCE is.
True repentance is turning 180-degrees from our sinful idols and following Christ. It’s turning from sin to righteousness, from pride to humility, from independence to dependence.
Repentance is demonstrated by a changed behavior that comes from a changed heart.
In the case of the rich young ruler, Jesus was calling him to give up his wealth which was his real “god.” Sadly, he refused.
4. LOVE the LOST as Christ did.
In the midst of all his self-righteousness, Jesus loved the rich young ruler. If Christ can love a lost sinner like him, so can you. Give gifts, write letters, express care, and serve as you share the Gospel with the unsaved. Then trust God to change their hearts in His time. He is the one who does the work of salvation, not you.
5. MAKE CERTAIN you are GENUINELY SAVED.
Do you have an idol you need to repent of? What do you worship, serve, love, or follow more than Christ? Is this idol keeping you from genuine salvation?
Do you see God as perfect, and yourself as sick with sin? Are you a massive lawbreaker? Have you turned (180 degrees) in repentance from your sin? Are you following Christ in obedience? Have you forsaken your idol(s) to worship and serve Christ alone? If the answer is no, you need to examine yourself to see if you are in the faith.
Why did the rich young ruler walk away from eternal life with Jesus? Mark 10:22 says, “for he had great possessions.” The demand Jesus placed on the rich young ruler was costly, but his response proved that the Lord’s diagnosis was correct. He preferred his present earthly possessions to God’s future spiritual rewards. He wanted God, but not at the cost of giving up his gold. He wanted life, but not at the expense of giving up his luxury. He was willing to “serve” Jesus, but not to the point of sacrificing His wealth.
Christian adults have developed some excuses for not being involved in evangelism – none of them compelling.
One of them is, “I don’t have the gift of evangelism.” True evangelism is the spontaneous overflow of a glad heart in Jesus Christ, not a program, or a gift.
Another excuse is, “Well, God is sovereign in salvation. He’ll save His children, whether I speak about Him or not.” The problem with that is that God is also sovereign over the means of communicating His saving message, and that is through Christians verbalizing their faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Some have said, “I’m too busy.” These are the folks that see evangelism as an event, instead of a lifestyle of witnessing for Christ everywhere they go.
Others believe their priority is to help the poor, stop immorality, and change our government. Instead of fishing for souls, these folks want to clean up the fishbowl. But here’s the thing. What good does it do to help the poor live in a better house if they still spend eternity in Hell? Let’s share Christ first.
Some people don’t share because they “don’t know what to say.” If you know enough of the Gospel to become a Christian, then you know enough of the Gospel to share Christ with a non-Christian.
In today’s passage, we see that coming to Christ involves more than “just praying a prayer.” Jesus shows us how to share the Gospel the way God intended – the narrow gate that few find, the great struggle that few win, and the costly choice that few pay. The young man in this story failed the greatest test of his life. He was offered a choice between himself and God, between fulfillment here on this earth and fulfillment in the life to come. Sadly, the rich young ruler chose the here and now, not God and Heaven.
As you are involved in the work of evangelism here a few things to consider.
- STOP giving BAD invitations.
2. EXPLAIN the INGREDIENTS of the GOSPEL.
Point to the goodness of our perfect God and show the unsaved how offensive their sin is to Him. Show people where they’ve failed externally and internally in their obedience to God’s Law, which reflects His perfect character. Call the lost to repent, and to turn from their sin. Plea with them to serve, worship, and love Christ first – above all other loves or idols.
Many people (even church people) have prayed to ask Christ to be “their personal Savior,” but they have never repented of the sinful idols of their heart. These people are self-deceived, thinking they can love Christ while protecting and worshipping their idol(s) at the same time.
When calling the unsaved to Christ, explain to them that coming to Jesus means serving and submitting to Him as Lord and Master. It means to worship Him exclusively and to love Him supremely. Otherwise, they can’t be saved.
What are some of the idols unsaved people deal with? Here is a shortlist. Comfort, money, pleasure, addiction, sports, family, children, leisure, fitness, immorality, drugs, ministry, career, friends, reputation, position, control, autonomy, and self-reliance.
Jesus says to the unsaved, “If you’re going to follow Me, you have to be willing to completely give up your idols, surrender them to Me, and make them #2.” We have to hate them, sell them (in the case of the young rich ruler), turn from them, and repent of them.
Even after we are saved, we need to be killing the idols of our hearts on a daily basis so that we can grow in our progressive sanctification.
3. EXPLAIN what REPENTANCE is.
True repentance is turning 180-degrees from our sinful idols and following Christ. It’s turning from sin to righteousness, from pride to humility, from independence to dependence.
Repentance is demonstrated by a changed behavior that comes from a changed heart.
In the case of the rich young ruler, Jesus was calling him to give up his wealth which was his real “god.” Sadly, he refused.
4. LOVE the LOST as Christ did.
In the midst of all his self-righteousness, Jesus loved the rich young ruler. If Christ can love a lost sinner like him, so can you. Give gifts, write letters, express care, and serve as you share the Gospel with the unsaved. Then trust God to change their hearts in His time. He is the one who does the work of salvation, not you.
5. MAKE CERTAIN you are GENUINELY SAVED.
Do you have an idol you need to repent of? What do you worship, serve, love, or follow more than Christ? Is this idol keeping you from genuine salvation?
Do you see God as perfect, and yourself as sick with sin? Are you a massive lawbreaker? Have you turned (180 degrees) in repentance from your sin? Are you following Christ in obedience? Have you forsaken your idol(s) to worship and serve Christ alone? If the answer is no, you need to examine yourself to see if you are in the faith.
Why did the rich young ruler walk away from eternal life with Jesus? Mark 10:22 says, “for he had great possessions.” The demand Jesus placed on the rich young ruler was costly, but his response proved that the Lord’s diagnosis was correct. He preferred his present earthly possessions to God’s future spiritual rewards. He wanted God, but not at the cost of giving up his gold. He wanted life, but not at the expense of giving up his luxury. He was willing to “serve” Jesus, but not to the point of sacrificing His wealth.
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