All Things Possible

Your Bibles with you tonight. Turn with me if you would to Mark chapter 10 and will be looking versus 23 through 31. Today Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how difficult it will be those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples were amazed at his word that Jesus said to them again children how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God is easier for a camel to go to the Avenida Lynn for rich person into the kingdom of God. They were exceedingly astonished and said to him, and who can be saved.

Jesus looked at them and said with man.

It is impossible not with God for all things are possible with God. Peter again began to say to him see we have left everything and followed Jeevan Jesus said, truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions in the age to come eternal life of many who are first will be last in the last verse that with me as we got our Lord in prayer. Heavenly father. We love you we desire to please you. We hunger to know Jesus better.

We confess that money is too often an idol and a distraction. Give us insight into the rich young ruler's heart. He seemed to be humanly speaking, a good man is Marley was respectful to Jesus was kind others when push came to shove he cannot give up his wealth, his heart wanted acceptance from Christ, but his mind and will convinced him that his wealth is more important than Jesus. Father, help us to have a childlike faith.

Help us to not put our trust in riches that we might love you more than anywhere else person, or anything else. We are to be persecuted.

Give us the faith and the courage to stand, even if it means loss of stuff or friends or this life may what I just said not be just words, but the reality for it is the precious holy name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. You may be seated on the rich young ruler turned his back on Jesus.

What was he doing when he walked away he was rejecting the pearl of great price and the reason was because his love wealth had become an idol to him. In verse 21 we are and we are told this is his beholding him, Jesus loved him.

Now why would he do that because this man was genuine. He was honest. He was a moral man. He showed great respect to Jesus. He came to Jesus and he knelt down before him and then he called him good teacher before he asked the question, Lord, what must I do to inherit eternal life. Jesus said, keep the commandments engaging the commandments is a lot done that I've done all that I'm good. And then Jesus said I is one thing you needed to go sell everything you got take that money distributed among the poor and then and then come and follow me. And what did the man do. He turned his back. He walked away from Jesus because his wealth was an idol Jesus watched this man. He was forlorn he was depressed.

He was sorrowful and he what Jesus watched him walk away and then he turned around to the disciples, knowing this was a very powerful teaching moment and he used the S to teach the disciples some very important things about the dangers of material wealth onus to look at verses 23 and 24 again Jesus said something here that was an absolute shock to the disciples and Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God and the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again children how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God in the King James version. There's a statement that is added. Now I don't think that was in the original Greek.

I think it was a footnote that probably got copied and by scribe later own, but I love the footnote because it is a great player for A clarifying statement and wooded.

Jesus saying and in the King James of sales and the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answered again and said to them children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God. The statement that is not in the ESV that is in the King James version that I believe is just a footnote is this for those who trust in riches will not enter the kingdom of God. In other words is possible to have wealth without making wealth and idol is possible to have wealth and and not trust in wealth. Look at Abraham and Job and David. These were very wealthy men, but their wealth didn't control them.

They love God more than they love their wealth. I've got great friends who are wealthy people and yet they love the Lord with all their heart when God says give. There's no question about it.

They give this was a huge shock to the disciples because many in Old Testament times looked at the wealthy as being the favored by God and looked at the poor as being the unfavored by God, so is this rich young ruler walked away. Sadly, Jesus said to his disciples. Those who have wealth are those who trust in wealth will have difficulty entering into the kingdom of heaven. The disciples were shocked that they were absolutely perplexed.

They were confounded at what Jesus said and so they say Jesus.

What do you mean by audience got four points and will share with you this morning .1 is the categories of the poor again. Verse 23 and 24 and Jesus looked around and he said to his disciples how difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God disciples were amazed at his word. Jesus said to them again. Children how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God before we look at these four categories let me point out something that I think is easy to overlook here. Once you notice what Jesus called the disciples to call them children.

You member and last week's message back in earlier portion of this 10th chapter, the parents will bring in the little children to Jesus. He would take a little children in his arms and he would hold them and put them up on his lap.

He would hug them. He put his hand on their head and he would pray a blessing over them and he would just hug them to it to his heart. It was a beautiful thing but with the disciples thought it was a waste of time. Just so they started telling the parents a move on, move on. Jesus didn't have time to mess with children. He's got other stuff important stuff to do. Now get out of the way parents started walking away. The Scripture says that Jesus was indignant and he said the disciples suffer the little children to come in to me, and forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of heaven. Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child shall not enter the kingdom of God. Children don't care about riches. I care about relationships.

They are dependent on their parents. They are not wealthy and the independent they are deep pendant helplessly dependent. So Jesus reminds the disciples who they are, that they are children right now is to look at these four ways the Bible describes people in poverty. These are very very different to listen to these carefully number one is cause for poverty is laziness of people who are poor because they won't work or because they're just irresponsible. Paul had a good way to deal with them in second Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 10, when he said you don't work you delete the book of Proverbs.

There are several places where the Scripture refers to the disc on a lazy person as a sluggard and every one of those places where the sluggard is mentioned, it is not positive at all.

It's always very negative. Proverbs 6 tells us that the sluggard of the lazy person is a procrastinator.

He just spells his hands and he says all we can wait till later in Proverbs chapter 20 we are told that sluggard is one who will not go out and succeed in his field, but he'll just wait till harvest time comes in and bag to to eat someone else's brain and not someone else's harvest because he hadn't sold his own. See his lazy Proverbs 18, nine cents. Whoever slackened his work is a brother to him who destroys so laziness produces poverty and we are not to feel pity or compassion for people who are just lazy. All right then there's a second calls some rapport because of calamity or illness, or natural disaster.

Now these people are poor because of things that are beyond their control. I think of people that have been in a situation where tornadoes come through and just destroyed their house or hurricane and they don't they're not well insured and so everything that God is gone and there's nothing they can do about.

I think in the fifth chapter of Mark about the woman who had the issue of blood.

She had it for 12 years. She went from one doctor to another to another to another. The doctors couldn't help her, but I took all her money. She had absolutely nothing. Why was she poor not because she was lazy because she was sick and Jesus said for these kinds of people that we are not to care for them that we are to be compassionate for them and that we are to help them in their need and then thirdly some rapport because of exploitation by the rich and the powerful. Thinking back in the Old Testament of the Pharaoh of Egypt during Moses time and of King Ahab during the largest time and what they did. They put people under slavery. They made them work that kept them from collecting wealth them sales that they use them to make them sales rich. Jesus told us in the Scripture tells us explicitly that we are to to take care of those who been exploited. We are to minister to them give you a couple verses from verse 31 verse eight open your mail for the mute for the rights of all who are destitute.

I use that person a lot of times what when I'm talking to somebody a Christian about how important it is for us to take a stand for women who are take a stand against women and against people who were standard for abortion. We are not to allow that we are to try everything we can to stop it and stand against it were also to do that for those who are exploiting people. James chapter 1 verse 27 says pure and undefiled religion before God and the father's this to visit orphans and widows in their trouble. Part number for some rapport for righteousness sake I may be kept from making a good living. Because the government can't stand their faith in Christ. We see this in communist countries. We sent in Islamic countries. Countries like Russia or China or ran or rack Saudi Arabia list, countries that their governments hate the Christian faith so they do everything they can to keep the Christian down to keeping poor and this is companies that do that secular companies that may have low moral ethics and and so they don't want to hire Christians because the Christian has higher standards than they do, and they're afraid that if they let the Christian the end and the Christian might be jumping on them because her standards are so low in their doing things that are not ethical. I said all that, because we need to understand people who are poor, some rapport because of their godliness summer rich because of their ungodliness.

So as we look at this passage. Let's keep in mind what Jesus said in the sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter 6 verse 19 to 21.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also high point number two is the needles. I look at verse 25 it is easier for a camel to go through the hybrid beetle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God in first John chapter 2 verse 15 to 16. We have a great passage that goes along with this, I the needle passage. John said this love not the world, neither the things in the world any man love the world love the father's not meaning for all that is in the world, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life is not of the father that is of the world around the ninth century, a legend started about what Jesus meant when he talked about the eyes of the needle in the legend was that I the needle was a a gate in this wall that went around Jerusalem and it was a very narrow gate was very low gate or big Y dates in the city around the city wall. The dung gate, Eastgate, Westgate. These gates were so big that you could run a camel through a human enough to lower your head were so wide that two carts with driven by horses could go right in the same time the story goes that this the needle gate was very low and it was very narrow, so they wanted to try to get a camel through it camel would have to get down on his knees in the camel owner would have to push himself push that camel right through. That's a pretty cool story and it does state that a rich man can only enter the kingdom of heaven on his knees and that sounds pretty good but there's a problem with the story.

There is no mention of such a gate in Jerusalem until centuries after Jesus walked the earth, so the story is iffy at best. I think Jesus is just speaking here and operably. I think Jesus is just trying to get us to understand how impossible it is for people who are very very wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven because they don't want to let go of their wealth. I think Jesus is using shock value. The point Jesus is making is this the majority of the super wealthy are so caught up in their wealth that the idea of denying sale, taking up the cross daily and following Jesus is almost an impossibility. McCoy Darcy's role. He said we who are Americans need to feed our Lord's warning at this point because we are the most prosperous people in the history of the world, even some who would be classified as poor in America have a better standard of living than some kings had 200 years ago the wealth which which we have been blessed by God can become a snare to us. We need to think about the needle and take stock. Every now and the end of where our hearts are like that takes us to .3 and that is the great question. Look at verse 26 and 27 and they were exceedingly astonished and said to him, who can be saved. Jesus looked at them and said with man. It is impossible, but not with God for all things are possible with God. The great question, then who can be saved. The disciples were just reflecting the Jewish belief that the rich were the ones who are favored by God, and I thought if those who are favored by God. If it's hard for them to enter into the kingdom of heaven, then who in the world can be say and Jesus said to them with man is impossible is that not what Paul is telling us in Romans chapter 3 I went. When Paul said there is none righteous, no not one is none who understands, is none who seeks God. And then he said I said this. It is said that all who are ours are lost are people that don't know him don't know Christ.

He said East made this statement that the who in the world can be say Jesus answered with me and is is impossible said we've all sinned and come short of the glory of God and important it is Paul that was very issued and Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1 to 10. If you're gonna witness. I would really encourage you to use Ephesians chapter 2 it gives you just about everything you need and that in that particular 10 versus he starts off by telling us what were like he said before we were saved were dead in trespasses and sins. There was no hope for us whatsoever. We were dead in our trespasses and sins.

And so our only hope was this to be born again to be regenerated by the power of God and then after we were regenerated, the Lord would do a mighty work in our in our heart and give us the ability to express faith so that we are saved by grace through faith plus nothing we read you visions two verses one through 10 and you were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power the a or the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh carried out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind, but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you been saved through faith. That's not our own doing is the gift of God not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. So both Jesus and Paul are saying we are hopeless, but God with God all things are possible.

God can bring a camel through the eyes of the sewing needle, but God can save a drunkard, you can save a prostitute he can save a a murder they can save an adult for he can save a liar. How do I know that because a look at a God saved in the Scripture. No one drank and got drunk. Rahab was a prostitute. Moses was a murder. David was a murder and an adulterer. Peter was a liar so God saved Peter God saved him for all of eternity saved all of these male it may be difficult. But when the Holy Spirit intervenes in the lives of people. God breaks through the hardness of the heart and so to speak. We see camels go with the guy the needle in the Scripture we see examples of men who are wealthy and faithful man who trusted God and not their riches man who didn't let riches rule over them and be their idol but use riches for the glory of God. I think of Abraham. Abraham was the wealthiest man in his day and that he was the father of faith. I think of Job wealthiest man in his day review from Joe chapter 1 says, there was a man in the land of us whose name was Job and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. There were born him seven sons and three daughters. He possessed 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys and very many sermons so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East and the Lord said to Satan, if you considered my servant Job, if there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fears God and turns away from evil. Job was a wealthiest man on earth.

And what did Joe say he said Lord gave the you slay me, yet will I trust you and and then he said this and I know that my Redeemer lives. I know that my Redeemer lives, and I will see him again in my flesh. In the last day of think of Joseph of Arimathea very wealthy man.

He was a councilman.

He was a belong to the Sanhedrin, a member of the Sanhedrin. Joseph is 11 of the men who climbed up to the cross on the latter, along with with Nick and Nicodemus, and he climbed up there and he took Jesus down from the cross after you died, and he brought me back. He donated his own tune and took Jesus, and laid him in his time. Isaiah the prophet prophesied that Jesus would be laid with the rich, he would be buried with the rich, and he was in Joseph affair Matthias own tune. I think of Philemon.

Philemon was a very wealthy man. Paul leading to Christ.

Philemon had us slave's name was Vanessa Miss Nessim stole money from Philemon and he took off running. Try to run away got called a dream in prison just so happened that the prison he was in was the same prison that Paul was in for preaching the gospel.

Paul shared the gospel with Vanessa Miss Nessim was kind of Christ, and he wanted to go back and apologize and ask his balls Philemon to forgiving the pulse of the letter to Philemon and said your ears, your slave, Vanessa Mrs. coming back to you. He is saved now and then. He's a Christian, then the key. Ask your forgiveness is that I want you to forgiving the taking back not just as a slave. That's her brother glorious but there are many instances in Scripture where God save wealthy men and women and use them for his glory.

But we need to plaster the statement on our wall. We need to plaster on our mind.

We need to plaster it on our hearts with God all things are possible like that means the us, don't give up on lost people as long as there is breath. There's hope.

I think most people that knew Paul would've said about him.

He's hopeless is no way in the world he'll ever come to Christ. Paul said that he was the chief of all sinners and yet God safety a witness to a man 40 years ago and that man cursed me. He swore he told me that if I ever mention Jesus to him again. They beat me and I remember walking home that afternoon, just totally discouraged and I thought this man is so weak and he so evil he so rotten they'll never come to Christ. I think he's probably committed the unforgivable sin. I'm not going try to witness to him anymore because he's just absolutely too hard.

20 years after that I got a telephone call from this man. He been in a car wreck in that car wreck. He was driving drunk, not female he was out for in a coma for like five weeks.

When he came out of that column of the hospital chaplains. They are, he looked into his eyes and he said you know the Lord spared your life. But if the Lord had not spared your life, you'd be in hail right now you would be in a place of torment, and there would be no hope ever of you getting out of that place. He said you need Jesus may look back in his eyes and say yes I do need Jesus. Tell me about it. The chaplain share the gospel withing the king and the Christ as Lord and Savior. That man call me. I was absolutely shocked. I had written him off.

I said, there's no hope for this guy. And yet God safety audit point for letting goods and kindred go. Verse 28 through 31 Peter McGinnis say to him so we left everything and followed you in Jesus and truly I say to you, there's no one is left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and the gospel will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers and children and lands, with persecutions in the age to come life eternal.

Many who are first will be last last will be first Peter gives very practical pieces, Lord, what about us.

We left all the file you, what about us Peter and a large house in Capernaum and very successful fishing business. He was able to take care of his family, his mother-in-law, his wife, his children with no problems whatsoever as went well for Peter. Peter gave it up gave it all up and he walked away from it and he walked off to serve Jesus and serve him with all of his heart pieces to Jesus. What will we get in return. Jesus said what you get in return is a hundredfold and life eternal, over and above any of that life eternal, but with persecution. A few months ago, I shared an illustration with you about a man that I met when I was preaching revival services up in Milford, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was a converted Moslem.

He had a ministry to Moslems and he was sharing the gospel of Moslems all over Canada and and they were just coming to Christ like crazy or another guy told me this guy's story when he was about 20 years old. Just a few months away from his 21st birthday. His father told him that he was going to give him almost $1 billion on his 21st birthday.

His father was a wealthy oil sheik and a missionary had been witnessing to this young Bassam and shared the gospel withing tolling that Christ was his only hope for eternal life. Jesus said on the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father but by me and shared the gospel withing that young man broke and he trusted Christ as his Lord and his Savior. He had never been so happy when told his dad he said they had come in a crises change my life.

I'm going to heaven when I die.

His father was furious and he said you will either recant or you will not get one penny for me and the boy said Diane. He said I would rather have Jesus than all the money in this world and it was just crazy horrible situation. They are for the dad, for he was angry and he cut them off and he just own beam right then and he said you can't come back and he said not only that mom put the contract out on your life and he did.

The young man had to run to another country for the next year he lives in a cardboard box yet garbage other people's leftovers for his meals but every single day.

He studied and studied the Scripture. After about a year he started to preach he was an unbelievable success. This man had thousands and thousands of Moslems came to know Christ as a result of his ministry. What did he lose loss close to $1 billion. He lost his father love his mother had nothing to do withing his brother and sister said we hate you leave us alone. Don't ever speak to us again. What did he gain again.

Jesus gained heaven again brothers and sisters in Christ here on this earth that loved him and they will be together forever in heaven. Worship in the Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart, Peter lost friends he lost business opportunities. He was beaten by the religious leaders he was cursed by his enemies finally was crucified. Roman soldiers took them off like crucified him upside down so I'm not worthy to be crucified like Jesus before his crucifixion, they made him watch the crucifixion of his own wife. Where is Peter Peterson heaven is with his wife Shirley, his children is with all his brothers and sisters in Christ and most of all is with Jesus and he will be there for ever and ever and ever.

Peter had a word to say to this congregation today. I think it would probably be this it was worth that all to serve Jesus. I have great respect and great admiration for RC Sproul. I remember years ago how he took a very strong stance on the doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture. It cost him a lot and in his commentary on the Gospel of Mark. He shared about what it cost a man wanted to read that to you.

In closing proceeds. Years ago I became involved in a particularly furious theological battle and it cost me a number of friends, friends who are very important to me. I became quite depressed about it, but one night in the midst of that controversy. I thought of one of the lines in Martin Luther's gray him a mighty Fortress is our God. That line says let goods and kindred go, this mortal life. Also, this is what Jesus calls us to do. He said no one having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. We let all our material goods go in terms of trusting them and never look back.

We are to look to him being willing to forsake all of the things in this world for him. Jesus gave Peter tremendous promise one that applies to us to. If we are willing to give up all for him will receive a hundredfold more in return Jesus and he cannot leave these things for me without my taking notice what you leave I will replace a hundredfold. Yes, Jesus acknowledges that following him will bring persecution, but we will have the pearl of great price and eternal life. In the end there will be surprises in the kingdom. Some who are now first rich, the powerful, the beautiful will be last.

While the lowly in this like the poor, the week the undesirable will be first in that kingdom. The only thing that will matter is faithfulness in Christ that say a man is pray.

Heavenly father with you.

All things are possible's passage teaches us the things of this world are temporary and fleeting, the things of God or eternal. Help us to love you so much that we will readily and joyfully let goods and kindred go. Help us to stay enamored with Jesus and faithful to your will for us in Jesus precious, holy name that I pray a man