Betting on the Wrong World - Part 2

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The phone in your pocket can connect you with all the ways in most of the world. Just in the moment. As Christians we have to remember that this world is not our home. There is another world that we will inhabit for all eternity. And we need to keep that in mind, even as we go about living in this one were talking about how you can bet on the wrong world. Please don't do that.

Listen carefully today as we complete this message from Mark 1023 to 31 and make sure you do good inventory on your own life and make good decisions today were going to finish up what we started yesterday were talking about the two worlds that are in front of us.

There's the world in which we live in the world toward which we are headed which world deserves the most attention and what will be the result. Depending on what we do with these two worlds talk about it today right here Jesus uses this as a way of saying to his disciples don't try its foolish it's useless. It can't work. It'll never happen. You cannot go to heaven if you're trusting in your riches to get you there. It will be like trying to put a camera for the eye of a needle. It's impossible. In fact, he goes on to prove that he uses the word impossible here uses the word of possibility. Almighty God is saying is that if you want to go to heaven and you think you can get there because you got a lot of stuff. It's as easy for you to think that is to think that camel could somehow be processed through the of a needle right in the middle of Jesus interchange with his disciples. He gives us a clue as to how we can enter the kingdom of God. The answer is wrapped up in one word. The word children notice verse 24 children, how hard is it for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God. If the wealthy are at a disadvantage when it comes to salvation. The childlike are at an advantage.

In fact, in the Bible, the opposite of disadvantage is not advantage the opposite of disadvantage is childlike.

This Jesus is the way you get to heaven is not because of all the stuff you have the humility that you have to realize you haven't got anything that God needs or wants that all you have his open hands to receive the blessing that he wants to give you do know that it takes a great deal of grace for somebody to receive the gift if you ever notice that a lot of people are so proud that they don't want to receive the gift that will receive a gift from you or from God. They want to make sure that they and the Bible says if you want to go to heaven. That way, it is impossible to do that is to put the camel through the eye of the needle getting could happen. It can happen. It's impossible. So the wealth of this worldwide has some advantages and none of us wants to make a case for being as poor as we can be the wealth of this world's going to leave you right left the rich young ruler, realizing there something more that you need to don't have. If all you have is trust in riches. So now Jesus is going to talk about the world to come. Beginning in verse 26 the wealth of the world to come begins by discussing the difficulty of salvation, and it says in verse 26 they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, who then can be saved and Jesus looked at them and said with men it is impossible underline that in your thinking with men. Salvation is impossible.

It's not difficult. It's not hard it's him possible and the disciples are so astonished by Jesus words because they've grown up in a Jewish culture where wealth and success were symbols of unqualified blessing from God.

If you grew up in the Jewish community where they grew up and saw a person who was wealthy and had lots of stuff large families. Not product you would say that person must be really blessed of God. That's what I thought.

And so the disciples are thinking well if the people that have all this wealth and always riches if they can go to heaven if they can't make it, who can and Jesus said, let me just giving the answer to that. Nobody. It's impossible. It's impossible to go to heaven and these words from Jesus just shattered the ideas in the images of the disciples what to think. You see, the rich young ruler seemed like the perfect candidate for heaven but Christianity makes all men equal. Nobody starts in Christianity, with the balance in their account. Everybody stands at the foot of the cross were its level all bankrupt when it comes to salvation.

So salvation is not just difficult, it's not just hard, it's impossible for the richest person you know and for the poorest person you know it's impossible for the best person you know and the worst person you know and it's impossible for you if you want to climb up through your accomplishments and your treasure and you will be astonished by that. Like the disciples were. I've met many people who happen you mean there's not anything I can do no all you can do is become like a child, and humble yourself and say Lord God, I need you. I know I can't get there on my own and I come to you humbly just like a child is a good picture for that ever been to a department store with a little child and stood at the base of an escalator within and looked at the wonder in their eyes as they don't know anything about how that's going to get into the top, but they just believe it. And they get on it and this thing they don't understand anything about it or they just get on it and it takes them to the top and then went right back down right back up what I'm talking about.

That's the wonder of the humility of a child.

We stand at the foot of the cross and we don't understand it, sometimes completely, but we like a child and we say God I renounce all my attempts to get to heaven.

In my own strength and I believe you're absolutely right when you say, neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among them by. We must be saved. The name of Jesus.

So now we look at the definition of salvation in verse 27 Jesus looked at them and he said, with men it is impossible for with God all things are possible. Luke 137 says with God nothing will be impossible over and over again in the Scripture we find out that God can do what no one else can do that wouldn't be true. None of us could be saved. We've already learned that we don't have what it takes to become acceptable to God because God demands perfection and we can achieve it. God doesn't grade on the curve you have to get 100% on his goodness test no one in the world has ever done that except for Jesus Christ and when Jesus Christ came into this world, he came into this world to take our test for us and he went to the cross and he passed it with flying colors and he offers to us a passing grade that we don't deserve, but he gives it to us by grace. That's when you go to heaven go to heaven in your own strength to go to heaven in the power of Jesus Christ plainly declares that it is not possible for you to keep the way of salvation or to get to heaven in your own strength.

The only way you can get to heaven is through God. Now write about this place in the story Peter is going to get involved always love it when peters get involved because it's very interesting. You never know what peters can come up with in Peter's been standing there taking all this in and listen to this and he's been watching the thing with the rich young ruler, and he heard Jesus say to the rich and really I want you to go and sell everything you have and take up your cross and follow me and Peter latched on the and he says here you see we have left all and we have followed you, Lord, what you said we have to do we really haven't done it. He and his friends were walking by the sea. One day Andrew his brother and Jesus said to them, follow me and I'll make you fishers of men and they left their nets and follow Jesus and have been following them ever since.

All of the things that Jesus experienced the ups and downs of being a disciple they had followed Jesus through Israel through lives of confusion and difficulty in disgrace.

Given all of them the opportunity to follow him and they were following him. Now Peter wants to be assured that this sacrifice is going to pay off the actually asks in one of the accounts, Lord, what are we going to get for doing this we been following you, so that we can afford.

You can find out later in the same text is the story where they stood arguing over who was going to be first in the kingdom who get the set next to Jesus you know these people are just as confused about some of the stuff is we are the Peterson Lord I'm following you ever since you called me about it. So what do I get I love Jesus answer listener Mark 1029 to 31 so Jesus answered and said assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my sake and the Gospels, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life.

Jesus is you want to know about the dividends of salvation. Here they are whatever you leave I will restart to you 100 fold. How many of you got any investments that are doing that for you right.

Jesus is when you invest in my kingdom the rewards are incredible. What did he mean what he divided it up into two sections.

He said some of the rewards you get in following Christ. You get in this present world, and sometimes I hear preachers talk about how becoming a Christian is like devastating for all the time you're on this earth and you die go to heaven.

It's fun while it takes a Christian for years and if I could trade my life as a Christian for any life I've read about or heard about.

I wouldn't even consider it for one minute.

My life is a Christian's most exciting life you could ever want. Jesus is promising his disciples that they will follow him he will reward them, not pie-in-the-sky by-and-by but in the here and now now watch what he says when you become a Christian.

I will give you brothers and sisters, mothers, houses and riches. What is he saying everyone who hears a Christian knows what I'm talking about when you became a Christian, you got a whole bunch of new friends. You join the new family and I've had people say to me I am much closer to my Christian friends than I've ever been with anybody in my family. I tell my Christian friends think I would never tell my family. My family is really my Christian family is family works we go all over the country and around the world where we go. We have a family party because the family members in the family of God are everywhere. There are some of the brothers and sisters that God gave me when I became a Christian and join his family there. My brothers and sisters and I want to tell you something, there's more than 100. There's hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of when you become a Christian, you get a whole new life whole new perspective on life. That's what the church is all about is we love God we believe God. We love each other we love being together were just so energized because were committed to like precious faith.

When you put your resources in God's kingdom your life, your energy, you treasure your time, your talent, your influence, you don't have to wait until you die to be rewarded. The rewards again immediately. Now Jesus is very honest decision get all this with persecutions.

Can I get a witness is that in there. So you just a little honesty here little reality. All of these things which you don't get out persecutions because if you live godly in Christ Jesus you who suffer persecution. More about that in this generation than we've ever learned in the past.

Now that's what we get.

Now Jesus says in the age to come eternal life, and while Mark concentrates on the things we did on this earth.

Matthew talks about the future dividends over and Matthew we read that Jesus's got something for us not only in this life, but in the life to come. He tells us that when we put our trust in him, he will bless us now, but there's even more and greater blessing when we get to heaven.

What does that mean well here's the book of Matthew tells us that God has some special things for us that are awaiting us. Matthew 1928, 30, so Jesus said to them, assuredly, I say to you that in the regeneration when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel, and everyone was left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my sake, shall receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life. There's Jesus future take on this nice talking to his disciples about sitting on the thrones, but he's talking to us about being rewarded in the future for our faithfulness down here. He says when we get to heaven if we walk with the low down here and we been faithful to him reward us with responsibility in the kingdom. Did you know that if you're Christian you have a position in the kingdom of God.

So this is not just about here and now when you get to heaven it gets even better and you going to be rewarded. A hundredfold I think that's what Paul was talking about when he wrote in verse 15 that if in this life only we have hope. We are of most men miserable. Don't just have hope in this life we have hope in the life to come.

The dividends of salvation, but then there's one last thing. That's the dilemma of salvation include the end of the text. Jesus says something that just looks like an add-on, but it's something I need to talk about verse 31, he says, but many who are first will be last in the last first for the first of the last all the people that these Jewish brothers thought were prominent and had all the good stuff they would've normally thought to be first or the last humble average person who just trust Jesus like a child in the first. Someone has said that Jesus through the whole human parade into reverse. Generals will ride white horses behind marching foot soldiers. Pastors will bring up the end of the processional behind the lowliest of their parishioners and the wealthy in their purple robes will follow ragged peasants into the kingdom of God first will be last in the last first.

We are going to have so many surprises when we get to heaven. I mean our first several hundred years. There would just be shaking our heads can't believe so take away from this for all of us is first of all, if you're not a Christian and you thought somehow you could do enough good stuff to become a Christian and I need to tell you if this is your trust.

If your trust is and riches. Jesus says it's hard for a person who trusts in riches to go to heaven. How hard is it. It's like putting a camel through the eye of a needle. In other words, is not just hard, it's impossible. If your trust is in your riches, the Bible being your trust in order to become a Christian, you have to transfer your trust from what it's in right now and put your trust in Jesus Christ. You have to make a mental decision to transfer your trust from your riches and put them in Jesus Christ. Your prayer would sound something like this. Dear Lord, I've been trusting the wrong things I've been thinking wrong thoughts I've been thinking that somehow I could be good enough to get to your heaven and I renounce that because I now know that's not true. And so I'm coming to you was a little child with my hands open to receive the gift of eternal life, which you alone have promised to give me if I would just ask. So I'm asking you like a child, will you give me the gift of eternal life. Now you just transferred your trust and put it in the hands of God. That's how you get.

You make the decision to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.

And for those of us who are Christians the issue for us is to make sure we don't get intoxicated and bamboozled by the things of this world it is so hard to be proactive about one of the things I believe about tithing and giving to your church. It's one of the things that helps you keep the right perspective on things in life. I will leave you with the story that will speak rings of paper to what I have said today.

Annie Dillard tells of the ill-fated Franklin expedition to the Arctic in 1845. That Odyssey was a Turning Point in Arctic exploration because of its well-publicized failure. I was in this the preparations that were made were more suitable for the Royal Navy officers club in England and for the frigid Arctic explorers made room on their ships for a large library and handle organ China place settings cut glass wine goblets and sterling silver flatware instead of additional coal further steam engines, the ornate silver flatware was engraved with the individual officers initials and their family crests search parties found clumps of bodies of men who had set off to walk for help when their supplies ran out.

One skeleton where his fine blue cloth uniform, edged with silk braid. Hardly a match for the better Arctic cold weather apparently chose to carry with him.

Place setting of sterling silver flatware what he thought we was going to do with sterling silver tableware and search for help and food. Nobody could figure out. We can hardly imagine that anything sailor adventures would have said, as they near death on a frozen landscape.

I wish I had brought her silver place settings hanging on to things that are ultimately useless will look no more foolish to us than it did to them. Lotta people can envision life without the things they cherish.

That's why the rich young ruler walked away sad. He didn't get it. He didn't understand that he was holding on to things he could not keep, and missing out on the things that God wanted him to have for eternity and I want to ask you today's Christians to ponder that all of us look around in a world full of need norms being told to ask God to make us poor so we don't have anything but how we distribute our finances. What we do with our resources is really a testimony to whether or not we have these worlds in perspective, this is not God wants us to enjoy everything he's given us every good thing that's wonderful, but there is this tension that comes in these passages like the one we studied today that makes us all stop and ask and pray Lord God, give me wisdom to use what you've entrusted to me for the right world. And then we make that decision to go forward and watch the adventure of life unfold before us.

So my question is we close our Bibles today is this what world are you betting on what world are you betting on steel strong friends that were either moving toward our reward or away from it were counting on everything that we want to happen in this life.

Little by little more moving away from that reward, but if we are looking toward the future and we have laid up treasures in heaven were not moving away from our reward were moving toward. It all depends on which world you bet on, and I'm hoping you make the right decision and determine that the world to come is also the world in which you should invest your time and talent. Can you believe it's Thanksgiving time. I know some of you are saying minutes 2020 pastor when we got to be thankful for.

Well love more than you think.

Tomorrow will bring present a very special Thanksgiving message.

This message is meant to encourage you to look at your life and realize how much God has done for you and have a spirit of gratitude and hope it's not just for Thanksgiving. Not just when you're thinking about turkey and all the rest.

I hope it will set the stage for the rest of the year, perhaps even for the rest of your life special Thanksgiving message right here on Turning Point tomorrow and then we have a couple of days left in the month of November, which we will continue to use to teach the bookmark. Thanks for listening.

See you tomorrow. The message you just heard originated from Shadow Mountain Community Church with Dr. David Jeremiah serves as senior pastor does not have a Turning Point keeps you spiritually strong like to any .3838 San Diego, CA 92163 or visit our website at David Jeremiah.old/radio legal copy of 'finding Jesus in every book life for gift of any amount you can also purchase the Jeremiah study Bible and the English standard version. The new international version and the new King James version filled with hopeful notes and articles by Dr. Jeremiah visit David Jeremiah auto/radio data on Gary hopefully join us tomorrow for a special message. Thanksgiving is simply a Turning Point with the trendy thing