What Shall I Do to Inherit Eternal Life

And then you can be seated and open your Bibles to the book of Luke this morning, chapter 18. If you don't have a Bible this morning, you can go ahead and raise your hand, and one of the ushers will come down the aisle and give you one. Is anybody missing a Bible this morning? You're going to need it. Luke chapter 18.

Pastor Richard began the chapter last week. My wife and I had the blessed opportunity to celebrate our first anniversary this last week. We were told by probably most everyone of you that the first year is the hardest, and we made it through the first year. Last week, we were up in Santa Barbara for the weekend, and Pastor Richard covered the first couple portions of chapter 18 in verses 1 through 14. We looked at the persistent widow and also the prayer of the Pharisee and the tax collector.

This morning, we're going to pick it up in verse 15, where we read, "And they brought unto Jesus infants, that he would touch them. But when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto himself, and he said, 'Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.'"

Let's pray. God, we do ask that you would be here in our midst this morning, and I trust that you are. I ask that you would speak to us by your Spirit. Jesus, you said that you would give us the Spirit of truth to guide us in all truth and teach us all things. We pray that you would give us, Lord, this morning the correct interpretation of this passage and also the applications that we may know how we are to live. I know, Lord, that you have things you want to speak to us from this text, and I pray that you would open our ears and open our hearts so that we would receive from you this morning. In Jesus' name, amen.

We read there that they brought to Jesus infants. Who do you think that they are in that passage? Most likely the parents, right? As we consider the Scriptures, the whole breadth of Scripture—not just this passage here in Luke chapter 18—we see that it's very clear that God desires that parents would bring their children to the Lord. The first man of faith in the Bible, the father of our faith, was a man by the name of Abraham.

God trusted that he was this kind of man. We read in Genesis chapter 18, verse 19, that God said this was His testimony of Abraham: "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and that they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He spoke of him." God knew that this man of faith, this follower of God, the first real follower of God in the Bible, would command his children and bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Solomon, the wisest man on earth at his time, and really throughout all the ages besides Jesus, spoke in Proverbs chapter 22, verse 6: "Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Paul, the Apostle, another very wise man, in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 4, told fathers and mothers to bring up their children in the nurture or the training and admonition of the Lord. The scriptures make it clear that it is the role of the parents; it is the job, the obligation of the parents, to bring their children to the Lord in this way.

Notice that the parents in Luke chapter 18, as they brought their children to the Lord, were not met entirely with open arms by the disciples. The disciples held them back and even rebuked them. This word "rebuke" was discussed a couple of weeks ago in Luke chapter 17, where Jesus commanded His disciples that if their brother has sinned against them, they should rebuke him. Now, here, these disciples are rebuking the parents for bringing their children to the Lord.

Why would they do this? We could come up with various ideas about why the disciples might keep these parents from bringing their children to the Lord. Perhaps they thought this was some sort of inconvenience to Jesus. They knew He was headed toward Jerusalem and had a strict schedule to keep. They might have thought, "We just don't have time for these little children right now. There are much bigger issues at hand. There are people who are blind, people who are sick, and we have a kingdom to establish."

Sometimes we can look upon situations and say, "We just don't have time for this." Yet, as we will see in this passage, the Lord is one who loved interruptions. He was always ready for an interruption. Think of Mark chapter 2, where Jesus was in a house preaching the word of God.

As He was teaching, it was as if dust started to fall on Him. Then, light began to shine through the ceiling, and a body was lowered down to Him. Four men were lowering a man to Jesus, as described in Mark chapter 2. He was not troubled by the situation. In fact, He looked at this man with love and said, "Son, your sins are forgiven you." There, He healed the man who was a paralytic.

Jesus loved interruptions, and here was an interruption where parents brought their children to the Lord. However, the disciples rebuked them, saying they did not have time for this and that it was inconsequential. They felt they had a lot of work to do. But Jesus called His disciples to Himself. In Mark's Gospel, we read that Jesus was very displeased with His disciples and the way they were handling the situation. He told them, "Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and do not forbid them, for such is the kingdom of God."

This reminds me of another passage where Jesus spoke about children in Matthew 18, verse 1. In that chapter, the disciples were doing something they had become very good at: arguing with each other. They were arguing about a key issue, something they constantly debated—who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? They knew that Jesus would eventually establish a kingdom, and they wondered who would sit at His right hand and at His left.

In fact, two of the disciples, James and John, got their mother involved in the situation. They wanted to ensure they secured those positions. They brought their mother to Jesus and had her ask Him, "When You come into Your kingdom, can You please grant that my sons would sit, one on the right and one on the left? Maybe John could be Your senior ambassador, and James could be Your prime minister. Do you think You could work that out?"

There was this debate among the disciples about who was the greatest. In Matthew chapter 18, verse 1, at that same time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him the question, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus called unto Himself a little child, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Verily I say unto you, except you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. And whosoever therefore shall humble himself as a little child..."

The same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. It's interesting what Jesus points out here in Matthew chapter 18. The disciples were arguing about who was going to be the greatest, and yet Jesus says, "Unless you become as a child, you won't even enter into the kingdom of heaven." So often, we get focused on the wrong thing. As Jesus corrects the disciples here, they were indeed focused on the wrong thing. He says, "Whosoever wants to even come into the kingdom of heaven has to become as a little child."

This is much the same thing that Jesus spoke to Nicodemus on the night that Nicodemus came to Him in John chapter 3. You remember this story. Nicodemus was one of the prominent teachers in Israel, and he came to Jesus because he had heard that this man was doing great works. It was at the beginning of Jesus' miracle ministry. As soon as he came to Him, Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Unless you're born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God." I'm sure that Nicodemus thought he was a shoo-in for the kingdom of God, don't you? Yet God says, "No, unless you are born again, you must be converted and become as a little child."

So what is this thing about becoming as a little child? Why is it that they are such as the kingdom of heaven, as little children? There are many different things we could pull from this, but I would say one of the primary things—two of the primary things—that I see when you look at Matthew 18 and also Luke 18 is that the disciples were constantly quarreling among each other about who was the greatest. Yet Jesus simply calls a little child to Himself, and that child came when Jesus called.

That's one of the first primary things you need to consider about a child: the child came when Jesus called. That's what set this child apart. He came when He called, and then this child didn't boast about being used by the Lord. In contrast, the disciples were used by the Lord to heal the sick and cast out demons, and immediately after that, they started to argue about who was the greatest. Each one of them was probably saying, "Thomas is saying, 'I cast out four demons.' Well, I cast out five. That's okay because I healed a dozen people." Then someone else might say, "Hey, wait a minute, hold on. I walked on water, guys." To which another might respond, "Yeah, but you sank."

You see, there was this constant battle among these guys about who was the greatest. But when this child was used by God, he came when He called, and he didn't boast about being used by the Lord. Are children perfect? Well, those of you who have had them know very clearly that they are not. I don't have any kids of my own yet.

I have several nieces and nephews, and I've watched them interact. I've recognized that they are not perfect, but there's a sincerity in a child. One of the things as a guy, and every one of you can identify with this, is that when you get guys together, they immediately start to jockey for position. Typically, hopefully not in the church, but when you get a whole bunch of secular guys together, there's immediately this competition that arises between them. Who makes the most money? Who drives the nicest car? Who has the best job? Who has the prettiest wife? I don't know, whatever it may be.

However, when you get children together, especially young children, they quickly start to play together. They are able to work and play together much easier. Yes, there are quarrels that arise; that will always happen. But there's always the father there to come and chasten the children at that time.

When we come to the Lord, we are to come with that simplicity as a child. Not only should we come to the Lord with that sort of simplicity, but also with the absolute and total faith that children place in their parents. It's like when I watch my brother-in-law with my nephew, Micah. Van stands in the pool and says, "Jump to me!" Micah doesn't even think twice; he just jumps right into the water. No problem. It's instant obedience and faith because he knows, "My father is going to catch me. He's going to take care of me."

These simple things we consider about children are important. Jesus says, "Suffer the little children to come unto me." It is crucial for parents to bring their children to the Lord, but it is equally important for people to ensure that they allow opportunities for children to come to the Lord. I commend the Pilben family for how they conduct the VBS in their area, seeking to bring the children to the Lord.

All of you who have been involved with children's ministry here at the church over the years have played a significant role in bringing your children and the children of this body to the Lord. It has been said many times before that around 80% of people accept Jesus before their 18th birthday. That's a significant group.

This is an important matter: "Suffer the little children to come unto me, for such is the kingdom of God." Truly, I say unto you that whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. This does not mean that if you accepted the Lord when you were older, you have no opportunity to enter the kingdom of heaven. But very simply, there are some key things to consider.

About the way that children trust, the way that they obey, and the way that they just blindly follow is beautiful and precious. In verse 18, we read about a certain ruler who came to Jesus and asked Him, "Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said unto him, "Why do you call me good? For none is good save one, and that is God. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, and honor your father and your mother."

The ruler replied, "All these have I kept from my youth up." Now when Jesus heard these things, He said unto him, "Yet lackest thou one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute unto the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven. Come and follow me." When he heard these things, he was very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

Here, this rich ruler comes to Jesus. Matthew's Gospel, speaking of this same account, tells us that not only was he a rich ruler, but he was also a rich young ruler. A young man comes to Jesus; he has great possessions and quite a position. He is a ruler. The fact is, or very likely the fact, as we look at the Scripture, is that if he is rich, if he is a ruler, and if he is young, then he very likely came into his riches and his position through an inheritance.

It's very likely that he came into this position and his possession of wealth through an inheritance. What does he ask Jesus? "What do I need to do to inherit eternal life?" You see, he had received a great position. Perhaps his father and mother were dead, and he had received the position that his father had. He had many servants and rulership over some estate in some way. Because of that, he had great possessions.

But in his inheritance, there was something he didn't have—something that this preacher was talking about. Isn't it interesting how when you have so much, the one thing you don't have becomes the blaring thing of your life? It becomes something you must have! This covetousness kicks in. We have so much.

And yet that person has something I don't have, and I want it now. It brings to mind that old story, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." Remember the golden egg or the golden goose or whatever it was? I want one! The little girl tells her dad, "I want one!" She had everything, but she had to have that. I don't have that. I have to have that. I gotta have it.

This rich young ruler had everything you could imagine in terms of earthly gain. Yet, there was something he didn't have—something that his money could not buy, something that his position could not afford him. So he came to Jesus. In Mark's Gospel, he asks, "What good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?" He wants to know the one thing he needs to do to be part of this inheritance that Jesus is talking about, this kingdom of God.

Now, if you or I had been in this position, with someone running up to us, as Mark's Gospel describes, we would probably say, "Hold up, hold on. I've got a few verses I want to show you here in Romans and then a couple of verses in John 3. Just hold on. Let me lay it out for you. This is how you receive eternal life. Pray this prayer with me right now, and you'll have it."

But notice what Jesus does. He doesn't do that. The way Jesus deals with this man is so different from how we often would. This certain rich young ruler came to him and said, "Good teacher" or "Good master." The word "good" there implies a moral goodness of the strictest sense, something that can only be applied to God. Perhaps this man didn't even realize what he had said, or maybe he used it as a form of pleasantry, trying to make Jesus like him because he wanted what Jesus had.

So he says, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus responds, "Why do you call me good? Why is it that you call me good?" It's almost like a little riddle that he throws out to this man who came to him.

Why do you call me good? For no one is good except one, and that is God. Now, was Jesus denying his goodness by asking this question? Absolutely not. He was asking this question so that the man who came to him would recognize who it was that he was truly talking to. Why do you call me good?

I don't even think that the man took very much time to consider the question that Jesus posed to him. He had a purpose for coming to Jesus, and he wanted that purpose, that question, to be answered. So, Jesus said to him, "You know the commandments." He lists five of them for him here. There are a couple of other commandments listed in the other synoptic Gospels, in Matthew and in Mark. He says to him, "Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, and honor your father and mother."

These commandments are part of the Ten Commandments, which are often associated with what is called the second table of the law. How many of you have heard that term before? The second table of the law? Just a few. If you consider the Ten Commandments as you read through them in Exodus 20, when we speak about not having any other god before the Lord, not bowing down to any false god, not taking the name of the Lord in vain, or observing the Sabbath, honoring your father and mother, not committing murder, and not stealing, you can kind of split them in half.

Actually, the first four deal with our relationship between man and God. That's what's considered the first table of the law, your vertical relationship, as it's sometimes called. It describes how you relate to God. The greatest commandment, as all the Jews knew during that day, was to love God above all.

The next six commandments of the Ten are what are called the second table of the law, which deals with that horizontal relationship—how you and I interact with other people. This follows the second great commandment in Leviticus 19: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus really focuses on the commandments that have to do with loving your neighbor. When he talks to this man, he says, "You know the commandments: do not commit adultery." That was clear. This man probably checked that off in his mind, thinking, "I've never done that."

"Do not kill." "I've never done that." "Do not steal." "Why would I steal? I have everything."

Do not bear false witness. I don't lie. Although the next verse is going to be kind of interesting: do not bear false witness and honor your father and mother. He goes, "Yeah, I've just been taking care of them. I've honored them." And so what did he say? He said, "All these have I kept from my youth up. I've done all that, Jesus. I've followed what you said." And you know what? Perhaps he did.

It's interesting that in verse 22, Jesus didn't rebuke him for lying. He didn't say, "Oh, come on, man. You've got to be kidding me. All these you've kept." No, Jesus didn't say that. He said, "All right, fine." This man sincerely thought that he had kept the commandments because most of the Jews in his day considered the commandments of God as merely external, something that you kept on the outside.

When Jesus came, this one sent from God who spoke with great authority, he would tell us in Matthew chapter five, "You have heard that it has been said of old time, you shall not kill. But I say unto you, whoever is angry with his brother without cause is worthy of judgment." He continued, "You have heard that it has been said of them of old time, you shall not commit adultery. But I say unto you that whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her in his heart."

Jesus took the law and brought it not just to a physical thing, but down to the heart level and the thought level of our lives. He would tell his disciples in Matthew chapter five, verse 20, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven.

This probably blew the minds of his disciples there in Matthew chapter five because the people of Jesus's day looked at the religious and the rich, and they said, "These guys are perfect." Even those religious people felt themselves to be so. In Philippians chapter three, we see this very clearly with the Apostle Paul.

In Philippians chapter three, Paul talks about his former life. Before he was Paul the Apostle, he was Saul of Tarsus, and he gives his credentials there in verses five and six. He says, "I was circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, I was a Pharisee. Now, concerning zeal, I persecuted the church, and touching righteousness, which is in the law, blameless."

You see, Saul of Tarsus, that Pharisee who studied under Gamaliel, said that according to the law, he was righteous; he was blameless.

Why? Because if you looked at the law and you examined Saul's external life, you would say he fits it all; he follows it. This rich ruler who came to Jesus, as Jesus pointed out, knew the law. He listed five commandments to him, and the man replied, "I've kept all those from my youth up." He was very sincere in that he had kept those things.

Not only was he rich, not only was he a ruler, but he was also righteous. He had everything you could imagine; he had all his ducks in a row. If anyone should go to heaven, in our eyes, this is the guy. He had everything set and ready to go. He asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" He realized he couldn't buy it or secure it. He wanted to know what he needed to do and where he needed to invest.

Well, Jesus said to the man, "Yet lackest thou one thing." That's right, buddy, you got it all. You have righteousness, which is of the law. You have riches, and you are a ruler. But there is one thing you lack, and unfortunately, it's the greatest thing. You lack the most important thing.

Jesus told the man to sell all that he had, distribute it to the poor, and he would have treasure in heaven. Then he said, "Come, follow me." Here’s the important thing to consider: Jesus is not saying that to inherit the kingdom of heaven, you must get rid of everything you have. The primary focus is to follow Him.

What hindered this man from following Jesus? His riches did. There is something in every single person's life today that hinders them from following the Lord. For this man, it was his riches. Jesus said he needed to cast that aside and turn away from what was keeping him from following Him.

Jesus would tell His disciples and everyone He preached the gospel to, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and come, follow me." He essentially said the same thing to this man. When he asked what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus replied, "Listen, turn away from all the things that you have, get rid of them so you don't have anything binding you here on earth, and come and follow me. Then you will have treasure in heaven." This man had every treasure you could imagine here on earth, it would seem, from the text.

And yet he lacked treasure in heaven. Jesus would tell his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, "Do not store up your treasures here on earth, where moth and rust corrupt and where thieves come in and steal, but store up your treasures in heaven, where those things will not corrupt or be stolen. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

"One thing you lack: go and sell everything that you have, and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Come, follow me." These are the same words that He spoke to Peter, to James and John, to Levi the tax collector, and to the remainder of the twelve, as well as many others. There were many disciples, although there were only twelve apostles. Jesus would say, "Follow me." He called to this man, "Come be my disciple, follow me."

We saw back in Luke chapter 9 that if any man desires to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. Jesus gives the same call to this rich ruler who came to Him. But we read in verse 23 that when the rich young ruler heard this, he was very sorrowful, for he was very rich. Underline or circle in your Bibles those two words: "very sorrowful" and "very rich." The two "verys" are significant.

It is interesting how riches can often bring much sorrow. Those who are very rich often find themselves very sorrowful. Although they may experience pleasure for a time in this life, it doesn't guarantee them anything in the next. As we will see from Jesus' instruction following this portion of Scripture, not only does wealth not help them in the next life, it is actually a hindrance to getting to heaven.

When the man heard this, he was very sorrowful. That is very interesting to me because there have been many people throughout the ages who, in recognizing their lack and seeing that there is something standing between them and the kingdom of heaven, between them and a relationship with God, become very sorrowful yet never repent.

Sorrow does not necessarily mean salvation, nor do sorrow and tears indicate repentance. In fact, Paul would tell the Corinthians that the sorrow of this world leads to death. Sorrow that comes from Christ, however, shall lead a man to repentance.

There was another man who experienced great sorrow because he missed out on the blessing. Hebrews tells us in chapter 12 that Esau wept bitterly in his quest to obtain the blessing. He sought it with tears, yet he found no place for repentance. Similarly, the rich young ruler, when he heard what Jesus had to say, was extremely sorrowful. However, his sorrow did not lead to salvation because he refused to repent. He would not obey the command of the Lord: "Go and sell all that you have, distribute it to the poor, and come follow me."

There are obstacles that stand in the way of people following Jesus. Perhaps there is something standing in your way this morning, and you know what it is. I don't know specifically what it is for you. Maybe it is riches, or perhaps it is your position and the authority that you hold. You might be a sly worker, and if you come to Jesus and follow Him, you will have to change your ways.

Even the things I am sharing with you this morning may cause you sorrow. You might think, "This is true," but you are not ready to give it up. So, the man went away sorrowful, as we find in the other Gospels. When Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, He recognized the man's sorrow. However, He used it as a lesson for His disciples.

When Jesus saw that the man was very sorrowful, He said, "How hardly shall they that have riches enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Over the years, many have offered various interpretations of this verse about the camel going through the eye of a needle. There are all kinds of stories about a possible gate in Israel called the Needle Gate, but you cannot substantiate that. This is an absurd illustration that Jesus is using.

I believe it was something that He was using to humorously display and illustrate what He was saying. Listen, how hard is it for a camel to go through the eye of a needle? It's pretty difficult, in fact impossible, unless you're very good with a blender, and we won't get into that. But how can a camel go through the eye of a needle? It's impossible. He was illustrating the impossibility with this absurd illustration. His disciples grasped it. For years, people have been trying to spiritualize this in some way, but His disciples got it right there.

So what did His disciples say? They heard it and asked, "Who then can be saved?" They said this considering the cultural context of the time. The religious and the rich of the day were looked at as having no problems. Of course, they were going to the Kingdom of God. It was these guys who hung around with Jesus. Remember, Jesus associated with tax collectors and sinners. That was what the Pharisees and Sadducees criticized Him for. He had all these tax collectors and sinners, along with a bunch of ragtag fishermen.

When He would say things like Matthew 5:20, "Except your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven," it raised questions. He would say things like this to a rich ruler who had external righteousness. He told him, "Listen, go sell all that you have, or else you can't come into the Kingdom of Heaven. Come follow Me." Jesus said it is hard for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. The disciples responded, "Oh man. How then can someone be saved? How possibly can someone obtain salvation if these are the kind of criteria that are given?"

Your righteousness, my righteousness needs to exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees, the most religious people that ever lived. Our life, our character must be better and greater than theirs, or we won't see the Kingdom of Heaven. Who then can be saved? Jesus answered their question in verse 27: "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Salvation is impossible with man. There is no religion that can get man to God through his own efforts.

None of them— not Islam, not Judaism, not Jehovah's Witnesses, not the Mormons, not Hinduism, not Buddhism— can get man to God. Not even man following Christian religious practices. Maybe if I'm just baptized? No, that's not going to do it. Maybe if I partake of communion? No, that's not going to do it. In fact, if you partake of communion in an unworthy manner, you eat and drink damnation to yourself.

There's only one way to God. Jesus said in John 14, verse 6, "I am the way." No one comes to the Father but through Me. Jesus is the only way to God. Those things which are impossible with man— and that would be salvation— are absolutely impossible for man. One of the reasons I believe God gave man 4,000 years from the time of man's creation until the time of Christ's coming is to show man that he can't do it on his own. God didn't make a mistake in allowing that period of time.

He gave roughly 2,000 years from Adam until the time of Abraham to allow man to try and figure out a way to get to God on his own. What did man do? He went to the plains of Shinar and built a big temple up to the heavens called the Tower of Babel, thinking that perhaps we can build our own way to God. Did it work? No. Then God called Abraham unto Himself, and through Moses, He gave the law to the children of Israel. God said, "This is My standard. Now follow this, and maybe you'll get to heaven."

So they tried for another 2,000 years to follow that. What did they find? There is no way by following the law that you will ever get to God. It was God's plan and purpose to give His law in that way. The law of God, as Galatians tells us, is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. The importance of the law is to point us to Jesus, to show us that it's impossible for you.

Sadly, this man, this rich young ruler, hadn't gotten there yet. The law had not had its perfect work in his life of bringing him to the place where he realized there’s nothing he can do. That's why he came to Jesus and said, "What good thing must I do to inherit the kingdom of heaven? There's got to be something else I can do."

I've kept the law. What else do I need to do? But the one thing that Jesus said you need to do, he would not or could not do it. His riches held him so tightly. Jesus says, "Follow me." And he goes, "I can't do that. I can't do it. It's impossible." That's right; it's impossible for man. The disciples were no doubt struck by this. Jesus says, "Listen, that which is impossible for man is possible with God. It's only possible with God."

Well, you would almost expect that Peter would have to say something at this point. I mean, it's just the logical progression of the Gospel. He's got to speak up. Then Peter said, "Lo, we have left all and followed thee, Lord." Hint, hint. What about us, huh? We left everything to follow you. Remember that thriving fisherman business I had back there in Galilee? Although Peter never caught a fish without Jesus helping him in the Gospels, that thriving fishing business I had in Galilee? I've left everything to follow you. James and John, Thomas, Levi—all of it. We've left everything to follow you.

Jesus answered and said unto them, "Verily, or truly I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house or parents or brethren or wife or children for the kingdom of God's sake who shall not receive manifold more in this present time and in the world to come, everlasting life."

What was the question of the rich young ruler? How shall I inherit the kingdom of God? How shall I inherit eternal life? Jesus here answers. He says there is no one who has left all of these things—parents, brothers, wife, children—for the kingdom of God's sake, forsaken their old life to follow God. There is no one who shall not receive manifold more in this present time and in the age to come, eternal life. That's how you get it.

If any man come after me, let him deny himself. Luke 9. Take up his cross and follow me into life eternally. He says there will be no one who's not rewarded. It's interesting that Jesus says they'll be rewarded.

They'll receive manifold more in this present time. And that's not talking about great houses and multiple wives, of course. Jesus wouldn't be talking about that. But listen, there are blessings for the obedient one who follows the Lord. While these blessings may not be financial here on earth—yes, it might involve that—but if that's not it, the Lord will bless that person. Those blessings are every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, as Paul says in Ephesians. God will give to that person manifold more in this present time and eternal life, but he must deny himself and lay down that one thing he's been holding on to.

For the rich young ruler, it was his position and his possessions. He couldn't let it go, or he wouldn't let it go. But how short-sighted is that? Planning for a future that maybe exists for 20 to 50 years? Who knows? In our society today, the bulk of our working population is working for their future. Yes, they've got bills to pay right now, but they're trying to invest. There are a lot of people investing, and many were disturbed on Wednesday because it's just up and down. If your heart is set on those things, you're going to be up and down.

They're investing in their future, but their future, in their eyes, extends only for maybe 20 years down the road or maybe only 10 years down the road. It's a short time. Then they plan to retire and live off the fruit of their labors. But this is so short-sighted because they haven't considered their eternal future and have not invested in the bank of eternal securities.

Jesus tells His disciples, "Listen, there's no one who has not given up all these things to follow Me for My namesake who will not be rewarded and receive eternal life." In Hebrews chapter 6, the writer of Hebrews tells us that God is not unjust to forget your work and your labor of love which you have shown toward the saints and that you minister and do minister. God sees. He recognizes the way that you and I sacrificially give for His kingdom, whether it is in our time—which is, in our society, far more valuable than our money—or our money. Whatever you give, God sees and knows. He recognizes, and He says, "I will reward."

You shall receive manifold more in this present time and in the world to come everlasting life. At this point in time, in verse 31, He took unto Himself the twelve and said unto them, "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished. For He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles and shall be mocked, spitefully entreated, and spit upon. They shall scourge Him and put Him to death. And the third day He shall rise again."

But notice this in verse 34: they, His disciples, the twelve, understood none of these things. This saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. This is an encouragement to me because how many times have you read something that Jesus said and it just went right over your head? You just don't understand. What is He saying? Well, you're in good company because the twelve, the disciples, the apostles, were the same. There are so many things in the Scriptures that they just didn't get.

John, as he writes his gospel, recalls when Jesus talked about destroying this body or temple and in three days raising it up again. John says, "This we didn't understand until after He had raised from the dead." Then they put two and two together, and it made sense. But see, they didn't get it. A lot of the things that Jesus said just went right over their heads. There is a possibility that they followed Him because of the miracles that He did and because He called them. However, many of the things He said just went over their heads.

I believe those things went over their heads until John chapter 20 when Jesus breathed on them and said, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit." Now, with the gift and the power of the Holy Spirit, they were able to put two and two together. In Acts chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them on the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up—the one who was baffled more than anybody half the time. He spoke the word boldly and connected what was going on right then with what was happening in the Old Testament. They probably never understood that until after Jesus rose from the dead and poured out the Spirit.

He prophetically told His disciples exactly what was going to happen. He said, "We are going to Jerusalem. Let me spell this out for you guys: we are going to Jerusalem, and I am going to be delivered into the hands of the Gentiles, the Romans."

And they're going to mock me, they're going to beat me, they're going to put me to death. But on the third day, I will rise again. Listen, they were not ill-informed; they knew what was coming. Yet, what happened on the night that He was betrayed? What happened to the disciples? Where did they go? They took off. They were gone.

A few days later, on the third day that He said He would rise again, two of them were leaving Jerusalem for Emmaus, and they were feeling downcast. We're going to see it in Luke chapter 24. As they walked along, they lamented, "Oh man, He's gone; He's dead." Then Jesus came walking right next to them. He explained to them from the Old Testament, from the Law and the Prophets, how the Christ must suffer all these things. They didn't even put it all together until He broke bread with them. Perhaps they saw the nail prints in His hands, and then it clicked. But He was gone from their midst.

He had told them, "We're going to Jerusalem. This is what is going to take place." Yet they understood none of the things that He said; it was hidden from them. The things of God are spiritually discerned. If you read passages of Scripture and find yourself saying, "I don't get it," ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, direct you, and speak to you. He can show us what these things mean.

Every single week, I come to passages in the Bible that I look at and think, "I've read this before, but boy, this just doesn't make any sense." I say, "Lord, I need you to show me. I need you to show me what this means." Because Jesus would say, "The words that I speak unto you are spirit and they are life." God, if Your word is life, then I want to know what it has to say. Amen?

But it came to pass that as they drew near to Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging. Hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. He cried out, saying, "Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me." Those who went before him rebuked him, telling him to hold his peace. But he cried out all the more, "Thou Son of David, have mercy on me."

As Jesus continued on His journey, a couple of weeks ago in Luke chapter 17, we saw that He was in Samaria. He had moved from Galilee to the south to Samaria, and now He was at a place called Jericho, which was in the Judean wilderness.

And so he's in the area of Judea, which is one of the stops on the way up to Jerusalem. He is heading to Jerusalem and has just told his disciples that. As they are getting ready to come into Jerusalem, the multitude is all around him. You can imagine what a multitude sounds like—just tons of people milling about, talking, and following him there.

In the midst of this, there is a man sitting there who cannot see; he is blind. He is wondering what is going on, hearing all this commotion. A person who is blind typically has heightened hearing, as that is one of the senses they rely on. He hears all the noise and tries to discern what they are talking about and who is passing by. There hasn’t been anyone like this for a while, so he calls out, asking who is passing by and what is happening.

He learns that Jesus of Nazareth is passing through. At that moment, something clicks in the mind and heart of this blind man. He knows he has heard of this man before. The report of Jesus of Nazareth had reached him in Jericho. He knows something about this man; perhaps he has heard that this man has healed blind people before. He thinks to himself, "Oh, that I could see!"

So he cries out to him, "Jesus, Son of David!" Not only does he recognize who Jesus of Nazareth is, but he also understands who He truly is. "Son of David" is a messianic title, and the Jews of that day knew exactly what that meant. By calling out, "Jesus, Son of David," he acknowledges Him as the Messiah. He then adds, "Have mercy on me." That is something only God can truly give.

In that moment, he trusts that not only is this man the Messiah, but that this Messiah is God. However, those who went before him, as noted in verse 39, rebuked him. The people in front of him told him to be quiet and to hold his peace, saying, "Just go away. He doesn’t have any time for you." This is similar to how the disciples previously told the parents who brought their children, "No, no, no, we don’t have time for this." Now, the people in front of this blind man say, "No, no, no, he doesn’t have time for you. Just stay there and be quiet."

But he cried out all the more, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped. In verse 40, it says that Jesus stood and commanded him to be brought to Him. Underline that in that verse—He commanded him. Christ has commanded that you and I bring people to Him.

He commanded him that he be brought unto him. When he was come near, Jesus asked him, saying, "What do you desire that I shall do unto thee?" Why do you think he said this? Do you think Jesus knew what this man wanted? Listen, this man could read minds. Jesus read the minds of the scribes in Mark chapter 2 and in many other places. He knew exactly what this man wanted.

Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 6 that God knows our needs before we ask. Why did He ask him, "What do you will that I should do for you?" God desires that we ask. I don't completely understand it, but I know that the scripture proclaims it. God knows our need before we ask. Why doesn't He just meet my need without me asking? One of the primary reasons that I can come up with is that He wants you to recognize that it was Him who gave it. If it just came to you, you'd think, "Oh man, I'm clever." You'd attribute it to something other than Him. But He desires that we would recognize that He is the provider.

That was the key lesson that Abraham learned when God called him to sacrifice his son in Genesis chapter 22. There at the end, he declares Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. He recognized that God was the provider. God desires us to come to that place where we recognize that He is the one who gives us those things that we have need of.

So, He asked him, "What do you will that I should do unto you?" And he said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." Notice that he called Jesus Lord, and it is the word "kurios" in the Greek, which means Lord in the strictest sense. It's not just a ruler; he recognized Jesus as Lord over him. Jesus had the authority over his life, and Jesus had the authority to grant the petition that he asked for.

"Lord, that I may receive my sight." And Jesus said unto him, "Receive thy sight. That is why thy faith hath saved thee." Not just healed thee, but saved thee. That word "saved" in the original language speaks of true salvation to the deepest sense as well. Jesus says, "Your faith has saved you."

And truly, it is faith that saves. If the rich man had merely given all his gifts away and had not followed Jesus by faith, he would not have obtained salvation. If he had only done works, religious works, that is what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. If I give all my goods to the poor and have not love, it profits me nothing. So, if he had only followed the command of Jesus and not the command to follow Jesus, the rich young ruler would not have obtained salvation.

But this man, the blind man, because of his faith, saw that Jesus was the Son of God. He followed Him and received his sight that day. Immediately, he received his sight and followed Him, glorifying God. All the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

In this passage, there are six different things happening in chapter 18. We see at the beginning of the chapter an unjust judge who tried to keep the widow from her justice. Right after that, we see the Pharisee's pride, which exalted him above the tax collector and hindered him from coming to God. The disciples kept the little children from coming to Jesus. The possessions of the rich man hindered him from following the Lord. Riches often keep men from following God. The multitude sought to keep this blind man from Jesus.

So, there are many things in this chapter, in chapter 18, trying to keep people from God. In the end, the widow found her justice because of persistence. The tax collector was found more righteous because of his humility. The children obtained a blessing, and the blind man was given sight. But the Pharisee went away unjustified, and the rich man went away sorrowful.

Notice that he who was religious was not righteous, and he who was rich did not receive salvation. Riches and religion have a way of keeping people from Jesus. But it's amazing how the blind so often find Him, and those children who can't get themselves to God on their own are taken there by others. The widow, who was unjustly treated, received justice because of her persistence.

Because of his humility, he went away justified. Let's pray together.

God, we do thank You for the truth of Your Word, and I pray that this morning we would take to heart the things that we've seen. I pray that none in this room would go away today sorrowful or unjustified because of their pride or something else, maybe their riches that hinder them from You. Lord, I ask that You would help us to see the way that You see, to follow after the things that are truly necessary. As Mary sat at Your feet in the Gospel, she had chosen the better part. Lord, help us to choose today, this week, the better part, to store up our treasures in heaven, to set our minds on things above and not on the things of the earth, because this earth is passing away. How temporal it is, Lord. It is but a vapor. God, I pray that You would help me to set my mind on You and to follow You as this blind man who was made to see did. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's stand together. This morning, the pastors and elders will be up here to pray for you after the service, and I strongly encourage you, if God has been speaking to you this morning through the text and by His Spirit, that you would make sure to take the time to come and receive prayer. God desires that we would be unhindered in the way that we follow Him.

The writer of Hebrews in Hebrews chapter 12 told us that we are to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. Lay aside all the things of this world, following after the Lord, because this life is over in an instant. Comic-Con conventions, 401Ks, all that stuff, it's gone in an instant. And for those of you that travel the freeways,

You're probably looking forward to the Comic-Con convention being over with. But there is another life, and God desires that we would have our hearts set on that, as those men and women of the Old Testament, who are men and women of faith, did. They looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

May the Lord bless you and keep you this week. Again, if you need prayer, please come up and see these guys to pray for you. You are dismissed. Have a great day.