Jesus
looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ~ Matt. 19:26
Tuesday, August 12,
2014, 5:18 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “His Tender Mercies.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Matthew 19:16-30 (NIV).
What Good Thing?
Just
then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to
get eternal life?”
“Why
do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is
good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
“Which
ones?” he inquired.
Jesus
replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not
steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and
‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“All
these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus
answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When
the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus Christ had not yet died on the cross for our sins. He
had not yet been resurrected from the dead in conquering hell, death, Satan and
sin. Human beings were still under the law, not under grace. And yet, even in
those times, humankind was saved by faith in the promise, as was Abraham.
Abraham was not considered righteous in God’s sight by keeping the law. He was
considered righteous before God because of his faith, which was evidenced by
his actions, by his obedience in following his Lord, and by believing in what God
had promised. So, why did Jesus tell this man that he could gain eternal life
by keeping the commandments? Was it because Jesus knew that no one can keep
them perfectly? We have all sinned, and we all come up short of attaining the
glory of God in our lives (Ro. 3:23).
The man must have realized, even if he was keeping these
commandments with absolute perfection, that there was still something lacking;
something missing. He didn’t yet have the assurance of eternal life with God in
heaven. So, he asked Jesus, “What do I still lack?”
Jesus’ answer to him is not to be turned into a doctrine of
salvation by poverty. Jesus knew this man’s heart. He knew this man’s wealth
was his god, and that is what separated him from true faith in God. And, yet,
there is a Biblical principle being taught here which Jesus and the apostles
taught concerning our great salvation. Jesus said that if we want to come after
him, we must deny (disavow; renounce) our self-life, die daily to sin and self,
and follow him in obedience and surrender to his will for our lives. He said if
we hold on to our old lives of living for self and sin we will lose them for
eternity, but if we die to our old lives of sin and living for self, we will
gain eternal life with him in glory (See Lu. 9:23-25; cf. Ac. 26:16-18; Ro.
6-8; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14; & 1 Jn. 1-5). All
this is to be done in the power and working of the Spirit of God within us, and
not of ourselves.
All Things Possible
Then
Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is
rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the
kingdom of God.”
When
the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can
be saved?”
Jesus
looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things
are possible.”
Jesus then went on to describe the difficulty of the wealthy
to be saved, yet we don’t have to be wealthy for this Biblical principle to
apply to our lives. The problem was this man’s wealth was his god, and he was
not willing to part with his false god in order to follow Jesus Christ with his
life. We can have many different kinds of false gods in this life that keep us
from genuine faith in Jesus Christ, or that hinder our walks with our Lord, if
we are not willing to part with them. Yet, coming to faith in Jesus Christ
means forsaking it all. It means we die to sin and self by dying with Christ to
what once enslaved us. It means he transforms us away from sin and to walks of
faith in Christ, and it means we are now given new lives in Christ to be lived
out in his righteousness and holiness, by his grace.
Yet, this is not something we can do in our own flesh. This
is not works-based salvation. With humans, this is impossible! It is faith,
though, and yet even the faith to believe is a gift from God and is empowered
of the Spirit of God within us. In fact, his grace teaches us to say “No” to
ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled and upright lives
in this present age while we wait for his return (See Tit. 2:11-14). His grace
is not a free license for continued and willful sin. If we continue in sinful
lifestyles, and we do not do what Jesus says, then we do not know God, and his
truth is not in us (See 1 Jn. 1-5). Jesus Christ died so that we would no
longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us (See 2 Co.
5:15). With humans this salvation is impossible, but with God all things are
possible! Amen! He gives us all we need to live godly and holy lives in this
life.
The Rewards
Peter
answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be
for us?”
Jesus
said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of
Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses
or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my
sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But
many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
When Jesus called his disciples to follow him, many of them
immediately left everything to follow Jesus – homes, careers, family, etc. (See
Matt. 4:20, 22; 9:9; Mk 1:18). That is what he required of them (See Matt.
8:22; 10:38; 19:21; Lu. 9:57-62; 14:26-27; Jn. 10:27; 12:26). With Jesus, there
were no half-hearted commitments. Coming to him means leaving our old lives of
living for what we want behind us and following him wherever he leads us. Coming
to Christ is not merely an escape from hell and a promise of heaven. His sheep
listen to him, he knows them, and they follow him (See Jn. 10:27). He died so
that we might be able to do this. This is true grace! This is his mercy to us
to deliver us from our lives of sin, and to give us new lives in Christ to be
lived in the power of HIS Spirit. Amen!
Following Jesus has great rewards, too, but not just in
heaven one day, but in this life, as well. When we are following him, we are
walking closely to him, listening to what he says, doing what he tells us, and
we are growing in intimacy with him. We gain him as our very best friend. We
know the comfort of his love. We experience his tender mercies to us. We know
his healing power in our lives. We have peace in our hearts in knowing that he
is absolutely in control of all things and that nothing can come into our lives
but what he allows it for a purpose, and that he has it all handled. We can
trust him. He is completely faithful in all he does and says.
We observe his miracles of grace in our lives regularly, and
also in the lives of others. We experience his power in our lives in ministry,
and we see how he uses us in the lives of others. And, we believe he is using
us to make a difference in this world even when we can’t see what he is doing.
Giving our lives completely to Jesus is not losing anything, but it is gaining
everything! Amen! There is no other way to live!
His Tender Mercies
/ An Original Work / January 26, 2014
Fear not! I’m with
you.
Be not dismayed!
God watches o’er you.
Trust Him today.
He’ll lead and guide
you;
Give you His aid.
He’ll love and keep
you
With Him always.
Walk in His footsteps.
He’ll lead the way.
Trust in His love;
Believe that He cares.
He will not leave you.
Faithful He’ll be.
His tender mercies
Now you will see.
Fellowship with Him
Throughout the day.
Tell Him your
heartaches.
He’ll heal always.
Rest in His comfort.
He is your friend.
Your faith He’ll
strengthen,
True to the end.
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