God’s Little Instruction Book contains a saying, which goes like this: The heart of a man cannot be determined by the size of his pocketbook. Take, for example, the rich young ruler who asked Jesus what he could do to inherit eternal life. From reading the passage in Mark 10:17-22 much is learned about the young man.
When he spotted Jesus he came running. He certainly knew who Jesus was and moved to take action. He was sincere. The young man knelt. He was reverent. The young man confessed he did not know how to inherit eternal life. He was eager to learn more and wanted to obtain eternal life. The young man was well aware of the commandments and had known them from his youth. He had religious training and had been taught well. The young man stated that he had kept the commandments. He was a moral person. The young man was likeable. When Jesus looked on him, he felt compassion for him.
So, what’s the problem? Here is a fine young man who, by anyone’s standards, has many fine qualities. Jesus said that he lacked one thing to obtain eternal life. He should go and sell all he had and ‘take up the cross and follow me.’ Now, if the young man had really believed that Jesus was God, surely he would have gone and done just as Jesus had instructed him. And, when Jesus had told the young man that no one was good but God, the man through his behavior acknowledged that he agreed. He really did not believe that Jesus was God in the flesh. Even though the man had lived an exemplary life, he really did lack the one thing for eternal life. This was the subject of today’s sermon.
Copies of the sermon are always available and we would love to send you a CD of it. They are free. Call (417)543-6219 to get a copy. However, if you would rather just pick one up, they are available at Strong’s Watch Shop in Barnes Shopping Center, Ava.
