The Young Rich Ruler - Pastor Danial Banna

Good morning. Good to be here. Let's turn our Bibles to the gospel of Mark chapter 10. We'll be reading from verse 17. The same story is also mentioned in the gospel of Matthew chapter 19 and in the gospel of Luke chapter 18.

We would be referring to those passages also. Mark chapter 10 verse 17. Now as he was going out on the road, that is Jesus, one came running, knelt before him, and asked him, good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? So Jesus said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good but one that is God.

You know the commandments? Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and your mother. And he answered and said to him, teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth. The Jesus looking at him loved him and said to him, one thing you lack, go your way, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come take up the cross and follow me. But he was sad at this word, and winter was sorrowful for he had great positions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God. And the disciples were astonished at these words. But Jesus answered again and said to him, say to them, children how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter 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 the kingdom of God. And they were astonished greatly, saying among themselves, who then can be saved?

But he has looked at them and said, with men it is impossible, but not with God, for with God all things are possible. Now if you have a title there, Bible with titles, you would probably read there the rich young ruler. The gospel of Matthew tell us this man was rich, young. The gospel of Luke has something else. He was a ruler.

That's not a rabbi, but he was an administrator of a synagogue. So, Looking at him from one perspective, a worldly perspective, this guy had it all. He's young, he's rich, and he is a ruler, a man with a great position. Young. I mean, everybody wants to be young.

They want to feel young. They want to stay young. And I say that before, at my job people often, especially old ladies, come to me and tell me, don't get old. And I always always answered them the same thing, what is the alternative? They want to stay young.

People spend millions, billions of dollar dollars a year to look youthful, to look young. He was rich. Riches in this world is power, right? And he was a man with some authority. I think this man would be probably a very good and ideal candidate for a son-in-law to many parents.

I mean, if a a daughter comes to her dad today and and tells him, I think I found the right man. Probably the first question he asks, what does he do? Right? And maybe the second question, how old is he? This man had it all.

Seems to be he was young, he was rich, he was a ruler, but that's not all. Just look at him and see verse 17. Now as he was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before him. He seems to be humble. He came to the Lord Jesus and he knelt before him.

At least from the outside, he seemed to be humble. Adding to that, look at this. Knelt before him and asked him, good teacher. He was respectful. Wow!

He was young, rich, high position, he was humble, he was respectful. Let's continue. Good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? He want He knew what he wanted. Many people today don't know what they want.

Young people don't know what they want. They're confused. They finish high school, they finish college, they still don't know what they want. This man knew what he wanted, but more than that, he desired the right thing. What what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

He desired the right thing. He desired eternal life. He didn't desire more prestige. He didn't desire more more riches. He desired eternal life.

God asked Solomon, what do you want? He said, I want wisdom. And God said to him, because you had not asked for more riches, more honor, more prestige, the life of your enemies, I'm going to give you wisdom and riches. This man seems to be on the right path so far. But not just that, he came to the right place.

He came running to whom? To Jesus. The right person. He came running to Jesus. That he acknowledges Jesus being an authority.

So he came to the right place. He came to the right person to Jesus. He acknowledged he was the authority, but that was also the problem. He acknowledged as being an authority but not the highest authority. He acknowledged as the authority but not God.

You might look at Jesus as being a good teacher. Oh, that's not enough. He is a good teacher, but He is God. You might look at Jesus as being a prophet. He is a prophet.

That's the right He is He's a prophet. Oh, but He's also God. You might leave wanting, you might leave sad and sorrowful, and you will if you know Jesus only as a good teacher, if you know Jesus only as a prophet, unless you recognize Jesus as God himself, you can never ever have eternal life. This man seemed to have it all superficially. He desired eternal life.

Now, to the Jews, by the way, eternal life did not just mean long life. It meant really quality of life. This man had riches, had good position. You see, he had it all, but yet he lacked quality of life. He lacked quality of life.

He didn't have that, and we know all of us that money can never give you quality of life. They give you something superficial, but never give you a real satisfaction. He felt maybe that he still needed something, and yes, he did need something. He also sought it diligently. He came to Jesus running.

He didn't want to miss the opportunity. And he missed the opportunity, by the way, as we see later. Now let us look at the man's question and look also at how he addressed Jesus and Jesus' response. Good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

Put these two words together, do and inherit. Now I have inherited a land and a house from my parents. You're still too young to have inherited probably most of you, anything from your parents. But what did I do to inherit my parents' inheritance? What did I do?

Nothing. What do you have to do to inherit your parents? Nothing. You don't do anything to inherit. You get it.

Why do you receive it? Because you are a child. Because you are a son or a daughter. This man is coming first with the wrong question. What do I do?

What do I have to do to inherit it? You don't you don't inherit the entire life by doing anything. You receive an inheritance of the eternal life. And then Jesus, tell him why do you call me good? There is no one good but God.

And this seems to be a problematic question, and some have taken this out of context. And men men in their ignorance often take a word from the scripture that might have the appearance to mean something that does not really mean and hold to it to defend their own false doctrine or wrong views. They might say, listen. Jesus is saying here He's not good. Where does Jesus say He is not good in this text?

This man is approaching the Lord Jesus Christ telling him, good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal love? He just responds to him, why do you call me good? He asked me, why do you understand what goodness means? Why do you call me good? There is no one good but God.

He's telling him, if I am only a good teacher, why in the world you are calling me good? If I'm only a teacher, why you are calling me good? There is no one good but God. Now we know what the scripture teaches about goodness. That there is no one is good.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No one, no human has lived and kept 100% the commandments of God. No one is good. Now is Jesus good? Is Jesus good?

I believe everybody would read the Scripture. Believer and unbeliever cannot conclude but one thing from the Scripture, that e. G. Says is good. Jesus is perfect, never sinned.

Can anyone of you prove me guilty of sin? This is what Jesus said in John chapter eight verse verse 46. No one. I am the good shepherd. John chapter 10.

He has exclaimed again and again that He is good and He is God manifested in the flesh. Before Abraham was, I am. I am and the father is one who has seen me has seen the father. Thomas cried and told him my lord and my God. Jesus did not rebuke him.

If he wasn't a lord and a god, he would have to rebuke Him, wouldn't He? This will be a blasphemy. But He was a Lord and a God. Is God good? You just say that here.

There is no one good but God. Is God good? You're saying God is good, and He has has proved Himself that He is good, then He is what? Then He is God. What I believe this Jesus is telling this man, listen, this is how it works.

This is how it works. You come to me as a teacher only, don't call me good. If you think me of a teacher only, of a prophet only, of a priest only, of anything other than God, don't call me good. But if you know that I am really God, then I want you to come to me that way, and you have to come to me only that way as God. Nothing else.

And then let's continue and see what happens. You know the commandments? In Matthew, the gospel of Matthew, we ask, what commandments? I mean there are six thirteen commandments to keep. Which one?

Which one? Do you know the commandments? And Jesus tells them about the commandments. Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, and are your father and your mother. And the gospel of Matthew, Jesus adds another commandment.

Love your neighbor as yourself. He summarized these are commandments from five to nine, and just summarize all of them by one word. Love your neighbor as yourself. Just tell him, keep the commandments. That's what we see we read in Matthew.

Keep the commandments. What I do to have eternal life? He has answers, keep the commandments. That sounds very strange. I'm sure those the Pharisees are hearing these words of Jesus, they might say, amen.

Preach it, brother. They like salvation by works. It's what it seems to be, but it is not teaching salvation by works. If he is still teaching here salvation by work, it will be the first time ever he taught that. It would be against everything Jesus taught and everything the Bible teaches.

He has never taught salvation by work. The righteous shall live by faith. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the gift of of God, not by work that no man shall boast. Why then Jesus telling him, keep the commandments, and he lists his commandments, and then he ends it with this commandment, love your neighbor as yourself.

And look at the answer of this man. Verse 20. And he answered and said to him, teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth. All these things I have kept from my youth. Wow.

Since Bar Mitzvah, at the age of 13, I have kept all of them. Really? How much understanding this man had of God's law? How much? Leviticus eighteen:five, we read this verse.

God says, keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord. Now I believe if anyone is able to keep all the commandments 100%, he will have eternal life. In fact, the Jews believed that. The Jews believed that people can keep all the commandments, and some have kept all the commandments.

Of course, superficially, they did. Truthfully, no one ever did. No one ever can. It is impossible. That's why Jesus died on the cross.

If it were possible to keep all the commandments without breaking any one of them, Jesus did not have to die on the cross. Jesus died because no one could keep the commandments. But if they could, hypothetically speaking, they could have eternal life, but that's impossible. Only Jesus did keep all the commandments. Keep the commandments, you are telling him.

To prove to him that he cannot, that this man's answer is I have kept him all. I guess he never heard the Sermon on the Mount, on the Mount, on the Mount, on the mountain, on the mount. If he heard the sermon on the mount, he would have known what don't murder means. He would have known what don't commit adultery means. Oh, you see, I have never robbed the bank, so I'm not a thief.

I've never committed someone. I've never killed somebody literally, so I'm not a murderer. I've never slept with a woman, so I'm not an adulterer. I'm very moral. I've kept superficially everything.

I've kept all of them. And remember all these commandments Jesus is mentioning here from five to nine are relating man to man, not with God to man or man to God. He didn't tell him to believe in God, he believed in God. He believed in the scripture. I've kimped him all since my youth.

The years looking at him loved him. Wow. He loved him. Some people say this man might be John Mark, the young man who was the writer of the gospel of Mark, who was the helper of Paul and Barnabas in their first missionary journey. We don't have proof of that, but since Mark wrote this gospel and he writes here, looking at him, loved him, they would say, who who would know that but the writer of the gospel, Mark himself?

But again, there is no proof. Just looking at him, loved him. I feel I I believe he even felt maybe sorry for him. That he's such he's so much deceived. He's sincere, but he is what?

Deceived. You know how many people talk to they are sincere, but they are sincerely deceived? I mean, I look at at college students today how sincerely deceived they are. So deceived. All the values they believe in, so deceived.

They believe it sincerely that it's right. It's so wrong. This man was sincerely deceived. He believed he's good. He kept it all.

And then Jesus said to him, after he said loved him and said to him, one thing you lack. Give it Lord Jesus, give it Jesus, give it. Let me know what else. I've kept all this. What else?

One more. I keep what else? If there are 613 commandments, give me another one six fourteen. What is the problem? I have to keep them all.

Go your way. Sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come take up the cross and follow me. But he was sad at this word and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Wow. Wow.

Now you say you have kept all the commandments, mister. You said that you love your neighbor as yourselves, right? Let us examine. Let's put you to the test and see. You love your neighbor as you love yourself?

Go sell everything and give to your neighbor. What about that? Go sell everything you have and give to the poor. Let me tell you something, you don't love yourself, your neighbor as much as yourself, in fact you love money more than your neighbor. Money is your God.

Money is the obstacle that stand before you and eternal life. It pierced to his heart. He knew that he does not keep the commandments. Love your neighbor as yourself. I hope at this moment he recognized that he's also a thief and a robber and a murderer and an adulterer too because he's all of it together.

He is an each one of us. But we were washed by the blood of Christ and we were sanctified. Go sell everything you have. If you love your neighbor as yourself, you will have no problem with that, would you? You will not have your problem with that with you.

Go sell everything you have and give to the poor. But he was sad at this word and went away sorrowful. I remember the eunuch in Acts chapter eight. After receiving the word of God and getting baptized, the Bible says he went on his way joyful, rejoicing. This man went on his way.

What? Sorrowful. He came to the right place. He came to the Lord Jesus. He asked for the right thing.

He thought he was good. We thought that everything is good about him. Everything we mentioned in the beginning was good seems to be superficially, yet he was so deceived. That is the cause of discipleship. That's the cause of following Jesus.

We say today about it a lot, giving him all. He's not asking for little, he's asking for everything. But the principle here, by the way, is not that we have to sell everything and and give it to the poor and follow Jesus. It's not the principle. I remember Zacchaeus.

Remember Zacchaeus? He was a rich man. He was a very rich man. He was not just a rich man, he cheated people. This man, I don't think he cheated people, this young young man.

I think he worked very hard, very diligently, and he made his money probably all legally. Zacchaeus was on the opposite side. He was a tax collector. He was a cheater. He was a liar.

He was a robber. He cheated people. He abused his authority. He did all the bad things. But when the Holy Spirit touched his heart, you know what did he say?

He see right now. He said, look, Lord. Here and now, I give half of my positions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody of anything, I will pay back four times the amount. You know what he just said? He said, today's salvation has come to this house.

He didn't tell him, oh, it's not enough to give half of it. You need to give it all. No. He did not. Because he knew Zacchaeus money was not an obstacle between Zacchaeus and eternal life.

He could have some of the money and still have God first. But this young man had a problem with the money. Money was his God. The pressure is not to sell everything and give to the poor. Maybe in one of us case or two or three or five.

I don't know. But maybe something else. What is the God that holds you between you and eternal life? Is it money? Is it something is it position?

Is it prestige? Is it your work? Is it your hobby? Is it a woman or a man? I don't know what is it.

And Jesus is asking that you must crucify everything. You must die when He said carry your cross. You must die for everything else and follow Me. You must die for everything else and follow Me. That's the cause of discipleship.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God or otherwise, or in other words have eternal life. And the disciples were astonished. What? We thought riches were a sign of blessing. That's what the Jews thought.

I mean, Abraham was rich. Job was rich. David was rich. Solomon was riches is a sign of God's blessing. Oh, not always.

It could be a curse. Do you know that? For this man rushes were a curse, what was holding him back from God. And the disciples were astonished at his words, but Jesus answered again and said to them he's clarifying his words to them. Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches.

Trust in riches. Put riches first. Trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God. How hard it is, Lord. How hard it is, you think.

How difficult it is. You know how difficult? You know how hard? It's impossible. It's impossible.

Listen to what you just continue to say, It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. This is impossible. Now some people, some interpreters, it makes me laugh, of course, when I read that. Some interpreters say, what Yeah is saying here, or in Jerusalem there was a gate that was called the Eye Of The Needle. In order for someone to enter from it on a camel, you have to take the camel in, you have to take everything, all the loads from the camel in order for the camel to go through the gate that was called the Eye Of The Needle.

There was no such thing in history. That's a lie. That's not true. He is talking literal sense here. You see, it is easier for a camel the camel to go through the eye of a needle, a camel that's so big, than a rich man the kingdom of him.

It is what it is impossible. This is what he's teaching. It is impossible for the man who trusts in riches to enter the kingdom of heaven. I might add, it's impossible for any man to enter the kingdom of heaven on his own merit. And they were greatly astonished.

First, it says they were astonished, but then Jesus made even more difficult. Not just hard, it's impossible. And they were greatly astonished. And they asked the question, who then can be saved? Oh, and that is the answer.

Yes, Sid, but He has looked at them and said, with men it is impossible. Men cannot see a camel going through the eye of the needle. It is impossible. But with God or for God, all things are possible even a camel to go through the eye of the needle. With God, everything is possible even for a camel to go through the eye of the needle.

If that person just if this person trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ and his accomplished work on the cross, if he believes in the sufficiency of the atonement work of Christ, if he put everything down and looks at Christ and Christ alone, not on his own merit but on Christ, Doesn't matter how far he was. Doesn't matter how far he is in right now. He will go through the eye of the needle. He will enter the kingdom of heaven. He will enter the kingdom of God.

He will have eternal life. That's grace. That nothing is impossible for God. This man came thinking he had it all. He knew it all.

He came running toward Jesus, probably with some expectation, but he left, I believe, his head down, sad and sorrowful because because the cost of following Jesus was what? Was very high. He was not ready to pay the price. Final thought. If that was a story, not with the Lord Jesus, but with someone else other than Jesus.

If this man approached the Apostle Paul or the Apostle Peter or any one of us today, and we get this result, you would have said Peter was a failure. Paul was a failure. I am a failure. Do you know why? I mean this man, he believed the Bible.

He's coming to you, approaching you. He wants to have the right thing, eternal life, and now you lose him. He's gone. Jesus, what in the world you're doing? He's gone.

You failed. No, He did not. That is how when people look at you today, if this happens to you. In fact, I tell you how people would respond today to such a man. He's coming to you, He asking you the good right question and you notice, look at his shoes, he's rich, he's young, He's powerful.

Right away you think about opportunity. He'll be a good member of my church. The ministry needs a lot of money. Right? Good opportunity.

We cannot lose him. It's an easy target. What do I do to inherit eternal life? And the right answer is what? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.

That's the right answer. We'll not tell him keep the commandment because this is the wrong answer, and he has said that just to prove to him that he did not, could not keep the 10 commandments or any of the commandments, really. Raise your hand. Repeat after me. You are saved.

Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Come. You're a member of our church. And right away, we're going to give you a position on the first committee.

We don't want to lose him. We don't want to lose him. He's rich. He's you young. He's diligent.

I mean, he's young. He has the money. I guess he is a diligent person, unless he got all his money from his parents. Otherwise, how did he get all the money? Unless he won the lottery, he could not do that.

So he's diligent. We need people like that in the church. But Jesus wants it first, and he wants us all to make it clear to anybody. There is a cost for discipleship, and the cost is high. Yes.

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, but also make sure there is repentance. Make sure that Christ is first and last, the beginning and the end. He is everything. And if He is not everything, He is nothing. Jesus reached to this man in the way he needed to reach him.

This man was not ready to follow Jesus at the cost that he, Christ, presented to him of giving everything to follow him. What about us? I believe most of us are following Jesus, are followers of the Lord. But are we following him? Are we giving him all?

Did what we sing today really speaks of the truthfulness of our hearts? I give you all, do we? If I examine my heart today, if you examine your heart today, do you? Do we? Is He the first and the last, the beginning and the end?

All in all, are we ready to put there on the altar everything for him? Give me Jesus. You can take the whole world, but give me Jesus and Jesus alone. Is He the desire of our hearts? Is He what we seek?

Is He what we want? Are we ready? Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we thank you that You have opened our Your arms to receive us, and we are the children of God. We have a Father who loves us, and Jesus who died for us on the cross to save us and guarantee for us eternal life with Himself.

We praise You God. We praise You Lord Jesus for the work of the cross. Lord we know that following You is costly, but there is much reward on this earth. Brothers and sisters and things, and then also eternal life. Life without end with our Savior and Lord.

Lord help us, give you all, sacrifice it all for your sake and the sake of the gospel. Help us Lord reach the lost, show them your love but also not hesitate to speak to them the truthfulness of the cost of following Christ. Help us have one desire to reach people for the kingdom of God. Not just to add to the membership of the church but to add to the number of the saints who will spend eternity with Christ. Lord, we thank you for this gathering, for this assembly.

We pray you will continue to bless them, enlighten them, strengthen them, and provide for though, for all their needs. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.