Eight Errors to Avoid - Matt. 19:16-30
Introduction:Elisabeth Elliot, at Urbana 76, told of her brother Thomas Howard. Their mother let him play with paper bags she’d saved if he put them away afterwards. One day she walked into the kitchen to find them strewn all over the floor. Tom was out at the piano with his father singing hymns. When confronted, he protested, "But Mom, I want to sing." His father stated, "It’s no good singing God’s praise if you’re disobedient."
Elisabeth Elliot.
Many people are unaware of terrible consequences of wrong thinking. One man told me, "I haven’t committed any crimes and I go to church and try to follow the golden rule therefore God can’t think I am that bad." He reminded me of the poignant encounter that Jesus had with the rich young ruler who asked Jesus, "Good Master, (Teacher) what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
Quote: As a man thinks within himself so he is. (Solomon)
After all is said and done everyone wants to know where they will spend eternity, heaven or hell. Even more, we all want to know how we can make the most of our opportunities for temporal and eternal blessings. God has put a deep sense of longing to connect with Him in our hearts. Without fellowship with God through a personal saving faith in Jesus Christ no one will enter heaven. Let us look at eight of the errors to avoid that we can learn from this passage:
1. DO NOT THINK THE LAW IS UNIMPORTANT. Jesus told the rich young man, "If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." (Matt. 19:17) The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul." (Psa. 19:7)
Example: Paul wrote, "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith." (Gal. 3:24) Many people discount the importance of the law since they insist we are no longer subject to the law but under grace. Jesus knew that we need God’s law to teach us what is right, but also to help us see that we are unable to live up to all of the laws demands.
Application:We need the Holy Spirit to enlighten us, enable us and empower us to accomplish all of God’s will in our lives with a knowledge of God’s word.
2. GREAT DEEDS ARE NOT ENOUGH TO PLEASE GOD. The young man asked Jesus, "What good thing must I do to get eternal life?" (Matt 19:16) Americans love to do good things for others.
Example: After 911 billions of dollars were given, thousands of man hours were offered to help the victims of the tragedy. That is noble, but giving only out of compassion and sympathy does not necessarily please the Lord. God wants obedience not just our sacrifices.
However, the Bible teaches, "Not by works of righteousness that we have done but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:5)
The Lord is pleased when we are trusting Him for His free gift of forgiveness through Christ’s substitutionary payment for sin. In addition, the Lord is pleased when we are trusting Him in all ways. "The righteous man will live by faith."
3. FAILURE TO REMEDY OUR SINS OF OMISSION IS DESTRUCTIVE. The rich young ruler prided himself on all the commands he had fufilled,but Jesus pointed out the areas where he had failed to live up to God’s righteous, holy and perfect standards. James writes, "Whatever is not of faith is sin."
Illustration: As a condemned man refused to see a visitor the night before his execution, it prompted him to ask for one last request before being injected with poison. He asked, "Who was the man who came to see me last night?" The executioner said, "That was the governor of the state who came to give you a pardon. Today you will die not because of your crime but because you refused to accept the pardon available to you." People do not go to hell only because of their sin but because they refuse to accept the free pardon for sin found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
4. PRIDE, SELF-MERIT AND VAIN CONCEIT ARE DESTRUCTIVE. The rich young ruler’s sense of security, identity and hope were rooted in his possessions. Even though the young man was convinced that he lacked something yet he was not willing to obey Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you have and give it to the poor and come follow Me." Pride often hinders people from surrendering their will to Jesus Christ.
Quote; Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before stumbling. (Solomon)Even Solomon did not take his own advice and stumbled with pride while succumbing to the bad advice of his pagan wives. (2 Kings 4:4)
Too many Americans are proud of their accomplishments, status or personal morality. Self-image is often based on who we think we are and what others have to say about us rather than by the Lord’s measures. The rich young ruler failed to realize that he Jesus had exposed his greatest weakness. Actually, the man’s wealth was his god, his idol and he would not give it up. "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before stumbling. God resists the proud, but gives grace tot the humble. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you at the proper time." (I Pet. 5:5,6)
Illustration: Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ has been used for fifty years to lead hundreds of millions to Christ through the Jesus film, campus ministries and 67 other vital ministries. He said, "When my wife and I started we gave everything to God and told Him we would be His bond slaves. Even now we do not own a home but everything we have belongs to Him. The Lord best uses those who are completely His. May we imitate His faith. "Remember those who led you who spoke the word of God to you and considering the outcome of their way of life, imitate their faith." (Heb. 13:7)
5. FAILURE TO SURRENDER OUR RIGHTS TO GOD LEADS TO FRUSTRATION. Only when we demonstrate a willingness to make the Lord Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior will he be able to to save and use us. Jesus said, "Give up your possessions and give them away and come follow Me." Let us give up the things that are of little eternal value."
Illustration: Jim Elliot, the famous missionary to the Auca Indians of Ecuador, wrote, "He is not fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." It is also true to say that the one who refuses to give away what he cannot keep is a fool. No one wants to act foolishly since we know fools always suffer grievous harm.
Illustration: Otto Konnig wrote the Pineapple Story to describe how it took nine years before he learned how to yield his rights to possessions, health, and security completely to the Lord. Until he did, Otto said, "I was on tranquilizers, nearly got kicked off the mission field, and could not sleep because I felt so angry and hurt. Finally when I surrendered my rights the natives said, "Toowan, you have become a Christian because you do not get angry when we steal your pineapples from garden."
"When I gave God my pineapple garden along with everything else, only then did I experience the blessings from Him. I suffered needlessly because I held on tightly to things the Lord wanted complete control of. Finally, when the natives saw that whoever stole the pineapples from the garden that Otto gave to God, did they develop a fear of God and a desire to know Him as Savior and Lord. They saw the demonstrations of God’s wrath on the thieves through failure to catch fish in the stream, sickness or even the ability to see healthy babies delivered in their families. As a result, Otto got to lead more than half of the tribe in Irian Jaya to Christ and exported abundance of fruit throughout his area of the world."
6. THE MAN WENT AWAY SORROWFUL UNWILLING TO CHANGE. Too many people give in to their discouragements and walk away from God. The Lord often uses disappointments, deficiences and personal failures to draw us closer to His all sufficient grace. It is only when we are willing to ask the Lord for the appropriation of His grace in our weaknesses that we can be made whole, happy and renewed. Jesus is the best problem solver in the world.
He wants to use perplexing times to draw us to Himself. He wants us to see how to replace our inadequacies with His adequacy. Billions of people are turning away from the Lord as they give in to the feelings that it is too difficult to have a fulfilling relationship with Jesus.
Application: Do not overemphasize your difficulties. Do not over-react to the truth. Do not overemphasize the negatives in your mind but let Christ’s love fill your every need not only in the this life but for the one to come. Jesus said,
"The thief (The devil, our sinful nature and the world’s desires for self-satisfaction)comes only to steal, slaughter, kill and destroy, but I came that you might have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:9,10)
Application: Ask the Lord to help you be so filled up with His love, purpose and perspectives that you will be able to avoid the destructive forces that seek to do you harm.
7. HUMAN SUCCESS EVENTUALLY DISAPPOINTS. Too many people are chasing after the illusion that human success will satisfy. Even though the young ruler had nearly everything he was still unhappy. Realize that true success is a by-product of abiding in Christ and doing His will. Jesus said, "Obey my Father’s command and remain in his lvoe. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." (John 15:10,11)
Illustration: The old song writer summarized it best, "Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."
8. FAULTY ASSUMPTIONS LEAD TO FAULTY CONCLUSIONS. The young man failed to appreciate the fact that Jesus wants to give us a new starting point. Instead of adding another commandment to keep, the rich young ruler needed to submit to the Lordship of Christ. Too many people have subtly allowed faulty assumptions to lead them to harmful behavior.
One of the best benefits of obedience to Jesus is He changes us more into His image. We become whole and complete in God’s sight. Do not mind what others say about you as long as you know God is pleased with your motives, actions and statements. Jesus assured Peter, "Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother 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." (Matt 19:29,30)
Jesus assures us that anyone who gives up something valuable for his sake will be repaid many times over in this life, although not necessarily in the same form. We are assured that the Lord will give the obedient multiplied benefits in new and better ways.
9. SINCERITY IS NOT ENOUGH TO PLEASE GOD. The rich young ruler thought that if he demonstrated a genuine, honest request to Jesus, without any pretense, he would be able to earn his way to heaven. Too many people have to learn that even though they may be serious and even submissive in approaching God that all their sincere efforts are not enough to cleanse us from our guilt, shame and the penalties of sin.
There is a false notion throughout the world that if one just tries that God will reward people on the basis of the sincerity of their efforts, but they are going to be disappointed when the Lord says to me on the final day, "I never knew you." (Matt 7:23)
Conclusion:Peter T. Forsythe was right when he said, "The first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom but its Master".
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Integrity Crisis, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991, p. 22.
Below is some advice learned from the life lessons we have experienced.
No one can ruin your day without your permission.
Most people will be about as happy as they choose to be.
You will never have it all together.
Biggest lie the world has told us - "when I get what I want, I will be happy"
Ultimately, takers lose and givers win.
Look for opportunities - not guarantees.
Now is the most interesting time of your life.
Success depends on getting up one more time.
Life’s precious moments don’t have much value unless they are shared. So share them.
