Matthew 19:20-22 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” [21] 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.” [22] When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Superficial Understanding Here’s a classic example of Jesus teaching on what authentic discipleship ought to look like in a person’s life. All through the gospels Jesus taught that to be his disciple, you must deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow him. In today’s text we have a young man who wanted eternal life. Therefore, he asked Jesus how he might obtain this desire. Jesus answered him by telling him to obey the commandments, for that would show his love for God. Jesus then listed several of the commandments. The young man’s response? “All these I have kept.” His answer reveals at least three things. Three Wrong Answers First, the young man was ignorant about what “obeying the commandments” meant. His understanding was superficial at best. His claim was that he had obeyed all the commandments since his youth. And so Jesus simply pointed out that this man’s great wealth was a stumbling block to his pursuit of God and eternal life. In so doing, Jesus reveals the man was guilty of coveting, at the very least. He broke that commandment. Second, the very first commandment instructs us not to have any other gods before the one true God. This man seemed to have placed his great wealth before God, so much so, that when he was asked to give it away, he could not do so, not even for eternal life. There’s another commandment broken. Third, to truly love and serve God looks like faith and obedience in a person’s life, not mere external conformity to a few of your favorite commandments. Jesus exposed the real motivations of this man’s heart by telling him to deny himself (give away his possessions) and follow Christ (give his life to Christ completely). The young man went away sad because he had great wealth. What’s Tripping You Up? Money and possessions were this man’s impediment to faithful discipleship. It is for many of us. We may hastily protest it isn’t. “But,” we quickly add, “Jesus’ words in this text are not a universal command for every person who would follow Jesus.” And that’s true. Material wealth was indeed this particular man’s barrier to faithful discipleship. But how many of us could downsize everything we own and give away the saved money to the church, missionaries, mercy ministries, etc.? How many of us could take lesser paying jobs that would enable us to spend more time with our families? How do you immediately and viscerally react to those suggestions? These examples show us we may be far closer to the rich young man than we care to admit. What is your obstacle to being a whole-hearted follower of Christ? Maybe your obstacle isn’t wealth. Maybe it’s your desire to please others more than God. Perhaps it’s the fact that you worry more about what others think about you than what God thinks about you. It may be that you don’t want to give up the particular sin you’re enjoying for a season. Or maybe there are a variety of struggles tripping you up in multiple areas of your life. Dying is Hard When it comes down to it, denying ourselves (dying to ourselves) is hard. And we don’t like “hard.” We like easy, convenient, and quick. Thus, we’ve created a culture of remote controls, drive-through windows, and microwave ovens. This mentality makes for poor sacrificial servants of the Kingdom. And of those who hold such an attitude, our Lord says, it is hard to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. If we would follow Jesus, we must rid ourselves of all encumbrances that inhibit the “following” to which we are called (Hebrews 12:1). We must “give it away” so our focus will be fixed keenly upon our King. We must take the long and eternal view instead of the alternative short and temporal ones. Because those who deny themselves and do the hard work of leaving their houses or brothers or sisters or fathers or mothers or children or fields (work) for Christ’s sake, will receive “a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life” (Matt. 19:29). And put that way, the decision seems like a no-brainer. Walking Points What do you need to “give away?” What is that obstacle in your life that is making it difficult for you to wholly and truly follow Jesus? What is about that obstacle (or those obstacles) that seems to have a grip on you? What are three things you can do, beginning today, to loosen the grip of those strongholds and find the freedom of joyful obedience God desires for you? Grace and Truth, Dale
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A Revolutionary Truth
St. Augustine supposedly said, “If Christ is not Lord of all, then Christ is not Lord at all.” To understand Christ as Lord of all the universe, and not merely the religious spheres of life, has been a revolutionary idea in my life. This truth has profound implications for Christians living out their faith in this world. At the very least it means followers of the Lord Jesus Christ must understand that their faith is not for Sunday mornings only but for the rest of their lives as well. The Christian faith is a complete world and life view. There is no area of one’s life about which Christ is unconcerned. Therefore, Christians must live renovated lives in submission to and aligned with the Lordship of Jesus Christ, all in the power of his sovereign Spirit. Thinking Christianly Becoming a Christian, and then living as one, means far more than a morally cleaned up personal life. Of course that’s included, but it means much more. Understanding Christ as Lord means we must learn to think Christianly about every aspect of our lives – how we behave toward our family, how we handle our checkbook, how we think about current events, how we exercise integrity at work, how we respond to injustice or immorality – all of these things and more must flow out of our understanding of Christ’s Lordship. Such things comprise faithful discipleship and are the fruit of submitting to Jesus Christ as Lord. If Christ is Lord of all, then that also means Christians need to expand their spheres of influence. We must not embrace isolated Christianity. We are a community who lives within a broader community. It has been said we have dual citizenship. We are citizens of this world, but also citizens of the Kingdom of God. Christ is not only concerned about our Christian circles, but is also passionately interested about those outside our circles. The church which believes in and embraces the Lordship of Jesus Christ is the church which seeks to invade the world with the good news of the Kingdom of God. And this Kingdom changes everything. Transformation John Wesley’s England was thoroughly transformed by the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God. It is said, even by secular historians, that were it not for Wesley’s influence, England would have experienced the same messy revolution as France. Wesley and other Christians, however, influenced by the Lordship of Jesus Christ, preached the gospel and turned England upside down through the lives of transformed men and women marching under the orders of their Savior and King. My understanding of Christ’s Lordship has impacted what I pass on to others as a pastor and witness of Christ. I do not teach a secular/sacred distinction that leads to compartmentalized lives. I do not communicate a Christ who is unconcerned about our culture or world. I do not tell people about a Jesus who makes no demands upon every sphere of their lives. Jesus is certainly my precious Savior, full of grace and mercy. But as Lord, he beckons me to submit all of my life to him so I may become more fully the man he created, redeemed, and called me to be. And because I love him, what else can I do but follow him (John 14:15, 21, 23)? Walking Points Take out a clean sheet of paper and write down every sphere of your life and every interest and responsibility you have. Next to each item you wrote, put the letter, “L” for “Lord,” or the letters, “NL” for “Not Lord,” based on whether or not you are submitting to Christ’s Lordship in those areas. What are the results? What are the areas of your life you find yourself not submitting to Christ? Why do you think that is? What can you do, starting today, to live more faithfully to Christ in those areas? Grace and Truth, Dale |
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