When Success Doesn't Satisfy, Part 2

Everywhere He goes now there’s crowds. The crowds are leaving and pretty soon some parents are bringing their little children and they want them to be blessed.  The disciples want to get the kids out.  Kids aren’t important. Only important people. This is the rabbi. He does miracles.

He says to the disciples, stop it. You let those children come.  The children came and He prayed for them and He blessed them.  Then Jesus makes this amazing statement, “Unless you become like a little child, you’ll never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The kingdom of heaven is synonymous, in this time, for eternal life and for having a relationship with God and having your sins forgiven.  Unless you become like a little child?  What’s He mean by that? Little children are dependent.  Little children are trusting. Little children are naïve and gullible.

You know, when their parents say, we’re going to go out for ice cream they don’t think they’re going to take them in the back yard and whip them.  We’re going to go for ice cream. Great! They just jump in the car. We’re going to celebrate your birthday tomorrow. Great!  Kids believe what you tell them.

Also recognize that they’re dependent. Little kids come and ask. When they get hurt, they don’t go, I can handle this myself. They just run, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy. Right?  Unless you become like a little child, the emphasis is humility. Children are humble, dependent and they recognize their need.

I want you to get the context. There’s mushrooming crowds. He’s spoken about the fidelity and importance of marriage and then He talks about humility.

Something happens. He’s ready to walk away and as He walks away a very aristocratic, smart, educated, moral man who’s been listening.  We pick up the story in verse 17 of Mark chapter 10.

It says, As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up and fell on his knees before him. Good teacher, he said, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

He’s been listening and he says, how do you get in on what you’ve been talking about? Jesus asks “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”

Now, very interesting point here. There’s two words in Greek for “good.” One means intrinsically good or all-together good. It’s about the character or nature of someone.  The other good means it’s beautiful, it’s nice, and it’s winsome. This man who walked up to Jesus uses the first word. In essence, what he’s saying to Jesus after watching him, the Scriptures are true only God is good inherently.

Jesus is saying, so do you really believe that I’m the Messiah?  You believe I’m God? You’re coming and is that where you’re coming from?  Now, make sure you’re clear on what you’re calling Me because there is only one who is good.

Jesus gives him a little test. He says, you know the commandments. Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not give false testimony; do not defraud; honor your father and mother.

His response, Teacher! All of these I’ve kept since I was a boy. If you have your Bible and you have a pen, underline this next line. Jesus looked at him and loved him.

Whatever Jesus is going to say and whatever Jesus is going to do, He’s motivated because He deeply loves this man. “One thing you lack, He said, go and sell all that you have and give to the poor.”

Why?  Jesus explains, “And you’ll have treasure in heaven.  Here is the invitation. “Then come, follow me.”

At this, the man’s face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth. And then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at His words.  But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”  The disciples were even more amazed and they said to each other, well, then who can be saved? And Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Peter is listening to this realizing, you know, we have done what you’ve asked. There’s almost this unspoken question, what’s in it for us? The price tag’s pretty high.

Peter said to him, we’ve left everything to follow You. Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, no one who’s left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for Me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age.  (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields-and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.”

You might underline this because we want to skip this one, persecutions.

“But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”  Many who have big standings in this life and in this day, like the rich young ruler, will be last.  Many who are last and who don’t have the standing will be first.

Jesus offers hope. I want you to notice that when we look at those three stories, the issue with divorce, the issue with the children, and the issue of idolatry.

The Bible is never negative about people that have money. The Bible never speaks negatively about someone who happens to be rich.

But the Bible is very clear that money and stuff has the propensity to take root in our heart in the place of God.

The story is present in all three synoptic, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Success in the world’s value system happens three ways: sex, power, and money.

When He talked about divorce what it was really addressing is fidelity.  People were divorcing and remarrying because of sex.

When He talked about humility, He was talking about the opposite of power. And when He talked about idolatry, the idol was money.

Sometimes, when this story is told of this rich young ruler, I think he gets a little bit of a bad rap. Jesus offers hope to a man.

He’s wealthy, successful, moral, powerful, sincere, and intelligent. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind that description for me. Would you?  The man was listening to Jesus teach. He watched Him with the children and he was aware something’s missing.

It’s not money. I’ve got money. It’s not religion. I’ve kept it from my youth. But something’s missing.  He had the self awareness and the humility to ask Jesus.

Jesus just got done teaching. He just blessed the children.  He is walking away.

This man in his Armani suit with all these peasants running after Jesus, slides in and falls at his feet.  He humbles himself in front of all these peasants and says, “What do I need to do to inherit eternal life?”

It says he ran. He fell at His feet. You know, we read that over real quickly. This is a guy who’s not embarrassed. This a guy who says, this Jesus has something that I need. Something’s missing and it’s not religion; and it’s not money; and it’s not intelligence; and it’s not power; and it’s not wealth.

But He’s got something I need. He recognizes his success has left him empty. Anybody here feel a little bit that way?

Let’s take a deeper look. Let’s look at the passage a little more carefully and see what was behind this. The successful man’s question reveals his perceived need when he asked the question, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

As I studied this passage, I noticed there’s a couple of assumptions that this young, rich, intelligent, moral man had.

Assumption number one:  he realizes something’s missing. Assumption number two: the means to achieve it was something you do. There’s something, I got to do more. I’ve got to perform. Any of us buy into that? The way you get ahead or the way you get anything from anyone--even God—is you got to do something.

Jesus gave a little test.  He begins to help him understand relationships aren’t about doing. They’re about being and loving that flow out into doing.

Jesus’ answer reveals his need in verses 18-21. First, it’s with a question. “Why do you call Me good? There’s only one who is good.”

You might jot in your notes, Exodus chapter 34. Remember when Moses said, show me Your glory. I want to see who You really are. And God says, no one can see My glory and live.

Moses, I’ll tell you what, there’s a place in this rock, you get in and I’ll pass by you and I’ll let you get a glimpse of My back and then as he did that, He declared who He was.

This is the LORD who is good.  He is slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness. When God uses one word to describe Himself, it is good.

When this man says good teacher Jesus says don’t use that word lightly because in the truest sense of the word there’s only one who is good. And now’s He’s testing. Is that who you believe I am?

Is this a declaration?  You’ve humbled yourself in front of these people. You’re a wealthy, intelligent, rich man who’s self-aware and who doesn’t mind being embarrassed.  You think you have the answer.  Are you really saying I’m the Messiah?

He’s going to get more than he bargains.  He takes him to the law.  When I was a kid, I always thought the Ten Commandments like in the cartoons with two big stone tablets listing five on one side and five on the other. But, actually, there are four on the first one and six on the other. The first set is about your relationship with God that’s vertical.

The first commandment is have no other gods besides me. The issue is idolatry.  The next one is you can’t have any graven images. In other words, you can’t worship anything that reduces God.  You don’t take the name of the Lord in vain.  The first four are all about your relationship with him. The next six are all about the relationships with people.

If you study this carefully, Jesus rattles off all six of the second set of commandments.  Jesus asks him how are you doing when it comes to relating to people?

The guy says, basically, hey if you’re giving out As, I’m an A student on the second tablet.  I’ve done all those.

Then He goes from there because He looks at his heart.  Please don’t miss this. Everything He asked him to do from this point on, He loves this man.  Sell everything that you have. If I’m really good and I’m the Messiah then let’s test this.

Sell everything that you have. Let go of what you’re hanging on to. Give to the poor. He wanted him to experience joy. Have you ever given to the poor?  Have you ever given maybe a single mom who couldn’t pay her rent and you secretly paid for it?  You experience this joy. Or, have you been in a situation you’ve been on a mission trip and you’ve been able to give some money to someone and it just changes the course of their life.

I remember going on one mission trip in the Philippines.  For $70-$80 over there, we could buy enough penicillin to saved six kids’ lives.  It was like, “Whoa!”

When people learn to give, you start living to give. Jesus wanted him to understand, it’s not religion and it’s not about all the things you don’t do.

Then and now so many people think following God is: I don’t do this; I don’t do this; I don’t do that; and I don’t do that.  I got news for you. People that are dead don’t do that either.

A lot of is what you do.  It’s loving and caring.  Jesus wanted him to experience what it’s like to release what holds you in and bring life to other people--the joy that would swell his heart.

We tend to think that life is this little tiny thing called time, and Jesus gave him an assignment that would change all of his eternity.

Jesus said when you sell and when you give you’ll have what?  You’ll have treasure in heaven!

This is real stuff. This is real reward. This is something that would pay out for him forever and ever and ever.

Then Jesus gives this personal, amazing invitation to “Come, follow me.”  You know these twelve guys that hang with me? You want in on the inner circle?  I want you to come.  I want to be close to you.  I want to do life with you.  I want to bless you.

But, there’s this obstacle. You can’t see it.  The fact that you could sense that something is missing; the fact that you responded to My teaching; the fact that you saw how I treated children; the fact that you know better than using women; the fact is, you are getting it. Now, let’s do some spiritual surgery so you can get the life that’s really life. Let Me cut out the idol in your heart. Great act of love.

The rich man’s response revealed the condition. The true condition of his heart and the god that he served. His face fell.  It was like, I want help; show me what I need to do! I don’t want that much help.

My security is my money. My god is my money. Money defines my success. This is a guy that made the list on the front of Forbes. This is a guy that people knew who he was when he walked in the room because of how many zeroes behind his portfolio

He goes wait a second. I want what You have.  See that sex, money, power mantra. He said, I can’t give up what I can see for what I can’t see.

So, his face fell and he went away sad. This man was a test. Jesus was testing him. God has unlimited resources. He could have given his money back to him the next day or the next week or the next year.

What we know for sure is that he would have had joy that his money could never bring. He would have security that his money could never bring. He would have a relationship with God and peace and rest in his soul that his money could never bring.

Isn’t that why he was running over and saying, Jesus. See, his money revealed his heart. Okay, now, lean back with your pencil or pen down.

Your money reveals your heart. Sometimes, when this is taught people are so careful to say, this doesn’t mean that every Christian needs to sell everything they have in order to come to Jesus for eternal life. That is very true, but let me tell you something. Jesus does ask that of some people. What if He asks it of you?

What if He actually asks it of you? You think he’s the only rich young ruler who’s ever been born?

What if money is such an idol in your life that gets played out by the hours that you work and where you spend it and the prestige and the pride?  The problem with money is the deceitfulness of riches.

When it has you, you don’t even know it. You just think it’s normal. What if God loved you enough to say, I want you to sell everything you have and follow me. Would you do it?  If the answer is no, you clearly understand where you’re at in your relationship with God.

We all want to know where we are with people, right.  When you’re dating and if he smiles at you, you think this is going pretty well.  Or, she reaches and puts her hand on your arm, you think this is going pretty well.

We all think how am I doing with God? Oh, I had a neat ooey-gooey feeling when we sang that one song. Well, I must be doing pretty good with God.  I prayed a little prayer and this got answered. I must be doing pretty good with God.  I look at other people see they sure struggling in this and this and everybody does.  So, I must be doing pretty good with God.

You want to know how you’re doing with God? You take your 2010 financial statement for your taxes and see how much money was spent on hobbies, stuff, house, food and clothes compared to how much money went to God and the people of God and helping other people.

That will tell you because Jesus said, wherever your treasure goes, that’s where your heart is.

In America, we have nine out of ten people who say, I’m born again, I love Jesus, I follow Him and we have the average giving of an American Christian at 2.7% of their income.

If I took this literally, I would say God I just want you to know, as the CEO and master of the universe, I want you to know that 2.7% of my life is totally committed to You.

What we know is actually that percentage is about 1 out of 10 Christians gives a tithe.  Tithe means a tenth which happened before the law. It happened during the law and it happens after.

It’s not really like a law. It is a beginning point that frees us from our money and gets you to grow.  People who understand the more generous you are, the more joy you have and the more you understand it’s His.  When you want your heart to go somewhere, what you do is send your money there.

I’ve actually had people that I didn’t like, I started giving them money. I’m dead serious.  They didn’t know it was me.  I actually gave money to people I didn’t like because I realized, I need to change my heart, and I know my heart always goes to where my money goes.

So, Jesus wanted to free this man.  He warns about the dangers of wealth.  Before I go on and talk about the warning here, I just really want to remind you that you never graduate from growing.

About four years ago, I was involved with Walk Thru the Bible and it was probably the greatest privilege.

It is an international ministry of people all around the world that are teaching God’s word.  The ministry would have these conferences, couple times a year, where we would raise money and donors would come.  We had one particularly wealthy and generous donor that during the midst of this conference--I taught it but different brothers and sisters from all around the world would share different things—said anyone who would give a six-figured gift or above, I’ll match it dollar for dollar up to I forget how much.  He says if two people do I’ll match two of them; if three, three; five, five. You know?  He was very wealthy.

These nationals just captured Theresa and my heart we wanted to help them and you knew that every dollar you gave would just really multiply.  I was thinking about them as I was getting ready to teach that morning.  I got up early to review my notes and I was praying through it.  I mean this doesn’t happen all that often, but it was one of those times.  Chip, I want you to give a six figure gift that will be matched for those people that you love.  It was like, surely thou jests arguments. You know?

I mean, we can’t give that out of our income. Lord, the only place that could come would be our retirement and we don’t have a lot of retirement.  I mean this is like a major portion of all that we have, God.  God, you are aware of that, right?

Theresa and I learned to tithe early and we’ve been learning to grow our percentage not because we got to but we want to.  We just love to get to do that.  God has always blessed us greatly.  I knew God was asking me to declare this by the next meeting.  Here’s the deal, it was a test. I’m preaching on all this stuff.  I get tests.  You get tests.  Never think you graduate

So, Theresa’s up in the hotel and in the room because I went out to study and I come back.  By the way, this is not how to do life. The process that you’re about to hear is dumb and stupid, but I didn’t know how to get around it.

I remember going up to Theresa saying, I really believe God wants us to do that match.  She said, where would we get it?  I said, well, our retirement. She said, Honey, that’s for retiring.  She was very straightforward as she is in many things.  She continues with I don’t think this is the right process. I feel out of the loop. I understand why you think what you think and ends with if you believe this is what God wants us to do, I will just trust you in this.  We did.

All I want to say that was a big one for me, for us, trusting our retirement.  Are you trusting your 401k? Have you figured out little ways where God gets this much so you feel okay about yourself?

Or, is it all that I have and all that I am is yours, God.  I want my heart where You want it. I believe You created the universe. I want the things that money can’t buy and I’m going to trust that whenever You tap me on the shoulder and You want me to give more time or more energy or more money to honor and love You, I will trust You to take care of me.

That’s what’s that guy couldn’t get rid of. See, he didn’t worship God. He had an idol.

Jesus makes this statement--we make it softer than it should be--how dangerous money is.  Hey, by the way, if you’ve got a lot of it and you’re rich, the Lord bless you. God’s not down on you and don’t walk out of here feeling guilty.

I don’t find any passages where God’s down on wealthy people. In fact, I’ve got some friends that are super wealthy.  I pray, give them more, give them more, give them more because it doesn’t have them.  They’re super generous with it.  They have very nice houses and drive very nice cars. Solomon had a nice house. David had a nice house. Barnabas had a nice house.

This isn’t about that. The issue is does money have you?  Across America, as is true in this church, half the people don’t give anything.  Zip. Zero. We become consumers.  It means your heart’s locked up. For others, it’s legalistic to give 9% or 11% so they can at least slide in some direction in a good way.

It’s relationship. Jesus says, how hard, literally, it is for someone with things to enter God’s kingdom.  When you have stuff you trust in it, He says, it’s harder for a camel to go through the eye.  The word for “needle” is a surgical needle.

You may have heard that interpretation that the needle is the wall of a city and the camel had to kneel down in order to take the loads off.  That’s a very pretty story but it didn’t happen until the 9^th century. It’s not what Jesus taught.  Jesus isn’t teaching, it’s hard.; He’s saying it’s impossible. It’s impossible!  No amount of good works or no amount of what you can do will ever get you eternal life.

What He’s saying: Stuff and hanging onto it keeps you from realizing you are desperately dependent like a child.  You need to come to God stripped away and say I have nothing. Will You forgive me?  I’m basing my salvation not on what I can do. I’m trusting that the second person of the Trinity, who’s perfectly human and perfectly divine, came and lived a perfect life and hung upon a cross.   And, when He hung upon that cross, He paid for your sin and my sin and the sins of all people of all time.  He covered for it.  That is why, when He was hanging on the cross with my sins, past, present, and future, and all of yours and all the people, the Father turned away because He’s holy.

Jesus said, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Because your sins were placed on him, He rose from the dead to prove that it’s true.  The only way to have eternal life is a gift.  It’s God’s grace.  The hardest thing for people to receive is a gift.  You know what keeps you not like a child?  You’re proud.

I was in Costco about three months ago and there was a young family.  I saw all the different things they had in their cart.  I had traveled somewhere, earlier, and some people had given me some money.  Sometimes when people give me some money, I just stick it in my pocket and think, God, I know it’s not for me. I was supposed to give it to someone.

I looked and they were talking about what they should we keep or take this out.  I was ahead of them and I just waited and when it was their turn I walked over to give them a couple of hundred dollar bills.
I said, “Excuse me. I just couldn’t help overhear you all. God gave this to me and I’m just to pass it on. Would this will take care of your groceries?”
They answer no, no, no, no, no. I’m, serious. It’s not mine. It’s from God. No!  He explains they could not receive that, and I took my two hundred and put it back in my pocket.  I remember walking out of Costco thinking I now know how God feels.

He wanted to earn his keep. He can’t recognize he has need. I just met a very proud man and that pride kept his kids from getting what God wanted to give them.  There are some of you in this room that your money is keeping you from God. Your pride keeps you from God.  And for some, it’s an idol.  God brought you in this room on this day to say, I’ve got better for you. I love you. I’m for you. Wealth is dangerous.

Notice the promise; we heard it in the testimonies. The promise is great reward for those who trust and follow him.

In this world, more homes, more brothers, more sisters, more riches. Jesus said to come into this family that is all around the world.

Theresa and I can’t imagine going through what we’re going through with her cancer if we weren’t part of a family.  I’ve got so many more brothers and sisters and family and love and encouragement and emails and food.  Why? Because I’m not doing life on my own. I’m a part of the supernatural family.

So, you give away a six figure gift once because your heart. I’m assuming that God had me do that because He saw some things in my heart I didn’t see.  He wanted me to say, so, do you still…Chip, you kind of like preaching on this stuff. How you doing?  Okay? Hey, bud, step up and out of your comfort zone. Alright?  What’s it worth to have people that love you, care for you, stand with you, share with you, and do life, and give you what no amount of money could ever buy?

I’ve written out what I think is a, a paraphrase of Jesus’ invitation to you this morning.

I’d like you to fill in the words because it starts with what He said to this young ruler.

Come unto Me all of you who are exhausted with the weight and the burdens of life and I’ll give you rest.  Wouldn’t you like rest with the pace we live?  Take My yoke upon you and learn to follow me.  What’s a yoke?  It is, typically a wooden thing, used for connecting two oxen and if one moves this way, they have to move that way.  A yoke is saying, God, I’m going to not control my life. You turn this way, I follow. I’m going to do relationships Your way.  I’m going to do life Your way.  I’m going to do singleness Your way.  I’m going to do finances Your way.

I’m going to be yoked up and it will be a process.  I’m going to learn to follow You-not be religious or legalistic, but to follow You.  Why? Because I’m gentle and I want what is best for every aspect of your life.

This rich young ruler stayed materially rich and spiritually, emotionally, and relationally, and eternally poor.

God wants better for you.