TEXT: Matthew 19:16,21-22
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 21 Jesus said unto him, if thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
We are on question number 6 in our Q&A session with Jesus. A man wanted to know what he can do to have eternal life. Good question for Jesus who himself, is the resurrection and the life. John 11:25 He did not like Jesus answer. He failed to do what is needed to have everlasting life. Therefore, it is wise to learn from Jesus. He is the gift of eternal life, and the wisdom, love, and power of God.
Today question is: “What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? This is one of the loaded questions ever asked Jesus. His answer is equally bearing and raised the second question, “Who then can be saved?” The young man who asked the first question was rich and he scored one hundred percent keeping the Ten Commandment. I guess he wondered what else is needed to enter the kingdom of heaven. If you can make it in this life, is that not enough to have eternal life? Also, he might be thinking of the ecclesiologist who said “19 Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and wine makes life merry, and money is the answer to everything. Ecclesiastes 10:19 (NASB)” The rich young ruler would have been pleased, if Jesus had asked him to sow a seed offering or go calculate all the missing tithes, or carryout some charity project. Jesus instead said unto him, if thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. Matthew 19:21 (KJV) The man left Jesus frustrated. Maybe he thought you must be poor to make heaven and you must do literally nothing else but follow Jesus. The point is that Jesus knew that the heart of the young man was stuck in his wealth. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also, and there your love will be. Mathew 6:21 The rich ruler claimed to love the Lord with all his heart, mind, and soul. But when asked to turn his heart from the love of money for Christ sake and the gospel, His heart broke. Then Jesus answered the second question, it Is hard for the rich to make heaven if they love money. The love of money is the root of all evil, not the answer to everything. 1 Timothy 6:10 You cannot serve God and mammon Jesus said. Matthew 6:24 The race to heaven is run only with all your heart, soul, and spirit. Your thought word and actions must gravitate toward eternal life. Your love of money and pleasure, status, or self-justification, may hinder you like it did the rich man. But if you think that is had, Jesus said, “… With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 (NKJV) How? Jesus said “I am the way the truth and the life. That is why he told the rich man come and follow me, I not only know the way to heaven, but I am also the way. “For God so love the world that he gave his only begotten son, the whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.” The road to heaven is hard if you want to spend your way there or trust your own righteousness. With Jesus, you have more to gain than loose. My yoke is easy he said, and my burden is light. Mark 10:29-30 He is the only way, apart from me he said, you cannot make it. John 15:5 Try Jesus. I wish the rich man gave Jesus a chance in his life. Therefore, I pray this morning, if you have not tried Jesus, do so today. And if you are following Jesus, stay awake and revived. Your love may not be for money but for pleasure and power. Do not forget that Jesus is the love, wisdom, and power of God. Matthew 28:18, 1 John 4:8 See you next week. God bless you mightily.