Lost in Niceness - Alistair Begg

mark chapter 10 and verse 17 excuse me and as Jesus was setting out on his journey a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him good teacher what must I do to inherit eternal life and Jesus said to him why do you call me good no one is good except God alone you know the commandments do not murder do not commit adultery do not steal do not bear false witness do not defraud honor your father and mother and he said to him teacher all these I have kept from my youth and Jesus looking at him loved him and said to him you like one thing go sell all that you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me disheartened by the saying he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions and Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God and the disciples were amazed at his words but jesus said to them again children how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God and they were exceedingly astonished and said to him then who can be saved Jesus looked at them and said with man it is impossible but not with God for all things are possible with God Peter began to say to him see we've left everything and followed you jesus said truly I say to you there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the gospel who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life but many who are first will be last and the last first thanks be to God for his word father we pray for your help as we turn to verses which for some of us are very familiar and we pray that you will give to us a spirit of inquisitiveness a desire to learn to be surprised to be changed we pray for some who have come wondering about the very question that this man posed that you will help as we study the Bible to bring such an individual to an understanding of what Jesus was saying we pray that you will conduct that divine dialogue by the Holy Spirit so that beyond the voice of a mere man we might be aware of the fact that it is to you that we listen that ultimately Christ sovereign king you are the preacher your word is our truth and we hold up our study to the searching gaze of the Bible so that we might examine everything to make sure that these things are so help us then Lord we pray for Jesus sake amen well it is generally regarded as true and I think it is a fair Maxim that things are easier for the wealthy that it is easier in most instances to have money in your pocket than to have no money in your pocket that you are able to get to the front of the aircraft if you are flying routinely simply because you have a little more money to be prepared to make the purchase of the ticket and so it goes on money is regarded in our contemporary society as being not only in in scarcity but where it is present it is often regarded as a universal passport that you can pretty well get anywhere you can get into clubs you can get into various things if you just have the wherewithal if you have the financial capacity to gain access and so to the extent that that is true this story really falls hard on the ears of individuals who have begun to accept not only that that notion is true but also that it really is legitimate and since it is apparently legitimate in most realms of life why wouldn't it also be the case when we think in terms of spiritual things and that's what makes this story so striking because it is the encounter of our rich young man's meeting with Jesus and we discover as we read it carefully that when it came to seeking eternal life when it came to entry into the kingdom of God when it came to the issue of salvation for all of these phrases are interchangeable terminologies when it came to these matters his wealth proved not to be a benefit but an actual fact it proved to be a barrier and what makes it even more striking is that the man seems to be an ideal candidate as a disciple of Jesus after all the early fellows had come from a fairly significant background small business owners at least their family they were probably surprised when Jesus called somebody like Levi the tax collector they may even have remarked on the fact Jesus you know if you're going to add people like this to the disciple band I don't think it's going to go as well as you might hope and to the extent that that might have been the perspective they how they must have been excited at the thought that here is this fine young fellow he's young he's rich he's coming to the right person he's asking the right questions he's influential he's keen just sincere he's humble he's perfect now we're gonna really start to pick the thing up we've got a wonderful addition right here how they must have looked at one another when Jesus hit them hit him in the way that he did because this story of this man is unique in the gospel records in this respect there is no other record in the Gospels of an individual who had an encounter with Jesus such as this and went away sad and were told why he went away sad because his way to life was blocked by his unwillingness to surrender his possessions in order to follow Jesus now the significant thing for him lies in the fact that it had to do with wealth the point is clear any substitute God whether it be wealth materialism relationships whatever it might be nothing says Jesus is allowed to come in between his follower and his kingly rule because what Mark has been doing from the beginning of his gospel is establishing the fact that Jesus is the king in the fifteenth verse of chapter one he he records the words of Jesus where he stands on the stage of history and he says the time is fulfilled the kingdom of God is near repent and believe the good news no wonder the people began to listen to him such a 16th state Monteux much clarity in it unlike many of the ramblings of the religious teachers of the time no nobody would be in any doubt as to what Jesus was saying I am the one who fulfills all the prophetic passages about which you've been reading in your Bibles and I am now here the kingdom of God is found in my personhood in my words in my deeds the kingdom of God will progress as the good news of the gospel is then proclaimed throughout the world and one day the kingdom of God will be brought into all of the fullness of God's eternal plan and Jesus has been explaining that the way of entry into the kingdom of God turns human evaluations upside down he's already pointed out that if you want to be first you need to be last if you want to save your life you'll lose it if your prayer to lose your life you'll find it if you want to be a big shot you must become the servant of all unless you become as a little child you will never enter the kingdom of heaven well of course that's very difficult for somebody who has spent all of his life saying I can enter anywhere I haven't worked all my life to be told I can't get in what do you mean I can't get in don't you know who I am now you see when you put it in those terms then it becomes pretty clear this man was part of a special group scarcely touched by the gospel surrounded by religion fascinated by its impact and yet untouched by the gospel in fact he might fit within the category referenced by CS Lewis and mere christianity where at one point he talks about the lostness of men and women lost in their niceness if you remember that book he talks about men who have men fingernails in well-lighted corner offices with starch cuffs and their initials on their cuffs and he refers to them as nice men lost in their niceness the average person that comes to this church I wager is not somebody who resists the claims of the gospel because they're saying to themselves I am so bad there is no hope of salvation I suggest that it is probably this more select group that is saying I am so good there is no need for this kind of salvation well to the extent that that may be true this little incident should be a challenge for us the point is clear salvation entry into the kingdom from start to finish is not a human achievement and therefore this man who clearly was not secure in all that he had already done otherwise there was no reason for him to come to Jesus he comes now to find out it essentially if there is any peace that needs to be added to his portfolio that will secure him as a member of the kingdom and of course he is apparently operating on the basis that is not unfamiliar today that a good God will reward nice people for doing their best and that's why even when Jesus isten well how about keeping the commandments he says keeping the commandments no problem I've been doing all of this since I was a boy he's not being funny he's being sincere I'm a pretty good guy he says to Jesus did you remember that is there was someone very similar to him who needed his life turned upside down as well called Saul of Tarsus when saul of tarsus rights to the Philippian church he says to them before he tells them that the things that he once regarded as significant he now regards as rubbish he says when it came to the issues of legalistic righteousness I was perfect I made it my business to make sure that I did everything I was supposed to do and I stayed away from everything that I wasn't supposed to do but he was lost in his righteousness in the same way that this man is lost even though he comes to the right person to ask the right question and to ask it with the right attitude now you will notice that what Jesus does when he tweaks his nose for him is metaphorically he he is confronting the man with the identity of himself namely Jesus why do you call me good no one is good except God in other words he's saying do you know you're speaking to do you know who I am and he's also confronting the man with his personal identity both of these things are involved in becoming a follower of Jesus the work of God is to confront us with the identity of Christ who he is that he lived a perfect life that we should live but can't that he died the death that we deserve to die for the life that we do live but shouldn't and the Spirit of God then confronts us with the identity of Jesus and the Spirit of God then confronts us with our own identity to show us our need of Jesus and in this encounter these things are unfolding if following Jesus simply involved being concerned about eternal life and being an all-around good soul as many people tend to think then this man would have gone away skipping up the street wouldn't he he would have come to Jesus and said you know I'm a commandment keeper I'm interested in eternal life and you've been making some some waves around here I just want to make sure that I'm one of yours jesus said of course you're one of mine you're interested in eternal life that's what I'm here for and you and you've been doing you've been doing well and you like to do a little better oh yes I'm pleased to do a little better we'll find yes just come along I did one of one other fellows here oh look after you just join the band this fellow would have been a deacon in many churches in Southern California just by showing up I am religious I am influential I am wealthy I am on my knees I'm asking the important questions of people got we've been looking for people like you all along here you are just come in here now the meeting will be on Wednesday evening and you're now the chairman of the Finance Committee thank you so much and we'll have a lovely afternoon Jesus says no you're gonna have to hit the road jack and a man went away sad if Jesus was interested in simply making this fellow quotes feel good about himself then Jesus did a horrible job of it but gladly he wasn't interested in doing that the only time we will ever feel good about ourselves is after we have discovered how bad we are to feel about ourselves and how wonderful it feels to discover that in Jesus we have the answer to all of the badness that we've encountered in ourselves and then we realize that all of the goodness in any of those goodnesses are all wrapped up in this one to whom we now belong but this man went away sad the disciples watched him go back home and back down the road presumably it's interesting it says that he went away sad it doesn't say that he went away defiant a little bit possible for him to go away defiant but it doesn't say that it says that he was sort of full that he was disheartened by the same because what he was hoping he would be told and what he was actually told didn't fit it was a bit like going to the doctor saying well I know it's not time for my checkup but I just wanted to come in for a checkup anyway I've been doing very very well my breathing is good and do and if you just give me a clean bill of health and then I can go skipping up the street and then the fellow says or the lady says well let's just have a look at things here and then they start to make those noises you know like mm-hmm doesn't I'd really freak you out when they do that it's just like the power of a huh it's like is that a good or a bad ah I need to know and then all of a sudden they did they do one and then you do a oh and then they do a huh and you discover something that you had never known because the physician put their finger on this on the spot it's an act of mercy for Jesus to put his finger on the spot in this man's life the same way he put his finger on the spot in the lady's life when he meant out of the well in the asteroid by the water and then he said to her putting his finger on the spot why don't you just go call your husband and come back and she said I don't have a husband and he put his finger on this part and he said no you said that right didn't you because you've had five husbands and you're living with a guy right now why did he do that to condemn her no he put his finger on the spot because he wanted to give to her the very living water that would said are free from looking for love in all the wrong places why did he put his finger on the spot of this young man to impoverish him is this socialism in mark 10 is this incipient communism is this some kind of dialectic against wealth no read your Bible and be sensible why does he do this he puts his finger on there because he loves him and he King at him it says he loved him how are you doing on the commandments I'm doing really good on the commandment and looking at him Jesus loved him don't you love it where it says in Romans two would you show contempt for the kindness of God our Savior not realizing that his kindness would lead you to repentance the kindness of God leading to repentance this man would never have had occasion to say you know when that Jesus looked me in the eye it just really scared me there was just such just such animosity in his eyes no he would only have been going down the street saying man when that man looked at me it just felt like he loved me it felt like he looked right inside me and knew me but he loved me why can I just do what he said and disheartened and disheartened he went off down the road like other since that I've had occasion to talk with in my study at Parkside who have said I understand clearly what you're saying but that is a sacrifice I am unwilling to make I understand clearly what has been explained to me concerning the gospel I'm quoting a friend now this is not rhetoric this is not invention my friend said to me I was there on Sunday I heard what was said I understand clearly but if I am going to do that it will involve a revolution in my life a revolution that I do not want and so the man went away sorrowful now the encounter is then followed up by the dialogue between Jesus and His disciples and will spend the balance of our time which isn't very much although I've gone over to go look in there verse 23 and Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God and I have four points I'll tell you what they are so that you can feel that we're making some kind of progress I feel like the Puritan guy who said who had 27 points in the morning service and he was you know the congregation was sitting there as he said a 19th Lee and and feeling a measure of compassion for them in the evening he said since my sermon this morning had 27 points my sermon this evening will be pointless but they to this point it has been pretty pointless but let me just give you four points to to guide you through I'll just tell you what I wrote in my notes it might be helpful might know I wrote down a hard saying a hard saying of Jesus there are many of Jesus sayings which are hard sayings we want Jesus sayings all to be kind of softened and sort of cozy there are wonderfully cozy sayings of Jesus but there are hard sayings of Jesus and this is one of them actually in Luke's version and Luke is more of a detail fellow than Mark Luke actually ties the 22nd verse to the 23rd verse in this way quote from the 24th verse of Luke 18 Jesus seeing that he had become sad said seeing that he had become sad he said in other words it this is not atomized in some way this is not a separate instance the man has gone up the street and then all of a sudden out of the blue Jesus happens to say no Luke points out with his eye for detail that Jesus who has loved this man and looking at him season going away sorrowful and he says this hard thing in fact we might mention adventure the notion that the sadness of the man in his departure is more than matched by the sadness of Jesus at his departure for Jesus recognizes how easy it would be for this manner for any man to feel a false sense of security in stuff or in money or in possessions and as a result lose sight of what really matters right to say well you know as long as people say it all the times they're well as long as you're of your health that's all that matters no it's not because a healthy body with a sick soul is a tragedy well as long as I can make my mortgage that's all that matters it's important but it's not all that matters Ray Stevens in the 1960s I wrote a song called mr. businessman which I would like to sing for you now know if a part of which I like to quote for you remember it itemize the things you covet as you squander through your life bigger houses better cars term insurance on your wife choose the evenings with your harlot and then Wednesdays is your Charlotte's and your analyst is high up on your list 86 proof anesthetic crutches prop you to the top where the smiles are all synthetic and the ulcers never stop spending counterfeit incentive wasting precious time and health placing value on the worthless disregarding priceless wealth you can wheel and deal the best of them and steal it from the rest of them you know the score their ethics are a bore you better take care of business mr. businessman forced to late why is Jesus prepared to see the man go away sorrowful because he's saying to him you're gonna have to take care of business and this is how business is taken care of because Jesus is once again reversing human values in Jewish society wealth throughout the Old Testament was regarded almost exclusively not exclusively but almost as an indication of the blessing of God therefore any Jewish person listening to this interchange observing this encounter would be amazed at the exclamation Jesus makes in verse 23 how difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God are you kidding me I thought philanthropy was the key I thought as long as you got your name on a toll medical building you were well in if God is simply grading on the curve I must have a chance here comes the hard saying and so the disciples find it a hard saying that's why verse 24 Martel says the disciples were amazed at his words they weren't going like hey way to tell it Jesus that said yeah that's right difficult for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God yes way to tell him that's it we didn't want him anyway no no no and the disciples were amazed at his words but jesus said to them again children interesting use of terminology isn't it he has just said if you want to enter the kingdom of God you're gonna have to become like a little child children how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God you see this again how difficult how difficult then he says in fact is not just difficult it's impossible or now he's really turning it up isn't verse 25 it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God in other words he employs a proverbial statement he uses a vaguely humorous illustration he says something that the average four or five year old child could understand mean they don't have to have a physical camel in their room but most of them have toy as stuffed animals and everything else and you could simply say to them some afternoon that when it's raining which limits your options here I understand but we have many options for that and where I live and you could say hey honey why don't you take at your your-your-your camel and yet again get the needle here that your mummy was using to sew the button on the shirt and then put it just put the camel through the eye of the needle for me will you and the child would go all grandpa you're crazy it's impossible that's exactly right that's the point that is the point and so the disciples said oh well that clears it up no they didn't that's why you need your Bible cuz you're gonna look down to meet you then go did they say that I didn't see that but if you don't have a Bible you don't know whether they said that or not I am on a crusade for people buying reading and carrying their Bibles okay that so just set that aside now but if you go out into the community with a Bible of all things Wow the people going what in the world is that I mean you go on I go in the hospitals with a Bible clears the elevator there I've gone snow way what's that thing what are you doing with that get that put that away somewhere so now well I'm on my iPhone I'm on my thing I'm I'm I favor my think we're missing a great opportunity by the way but that's just it's just a it's just a crusty old Scotsman getting older and more annoying that he used to be the last time he was here all right the point was if you don't have a Bible you won't know whether I was kidding or not that's the point that's why you're supposed to be able to read the Bible to see whether what the Joker up here is saying is actually in the Bible because if it is then we can keep moving if it isn't and we should all be moving and and moving on so thank God for a pastor that you have here who is committed to teaching the Bible so the disciples now I presume that's that's something about your pastor or something they that said that's an attaboy for Shawn there you go Shawn that's it there we go all right good man so verse 26 they were exceedingly astonished to start off amazed now they gone up a couple of notches now they are exceedingly astonished here's my second point you better hurry up said somebody I will first point a hard saying from Jesus it's easier for camel to go through have an eye to the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven remember we said at the very beginning salvation is not as a result of human endeavor salvation is as a result of the act of God okay that brings us to our second point in answer to an obvious question all right an obvious question there it is right in verse 26 then who can be saved who can be saved well if this guy doesn't get in a nice young man religious ask you the right questions coming up on his knees everything it's like saying can i leper ginger spots Jeremiah can a leper get up in the morning and say I'm not gonna be a leopard today I'm going to be a zebra and then he goes down in the field there's trying to say may you look like a zebra today said I am a zebra how did that happen I just changed I changed this morning changed from the leopard to zebra do you like it wonderful the animals are gone this guy's totally out of it I never seen a leopard as nuts as this leopard he's not our zebra look at his spots he's lost his mind what's the point how then can anybody be saved what does he say it's impossible for a man to save himself but God saves people and God is the only one who saves people and God saves people according to the eternal counsel of his will as men and women do what Jesus said repent and believe the good news you see the problem that the Bible makes clear for us is that there is no facet of our human existence that remains unaffected by sin that sin has affected and infected the human intellect so that we think wrongly about things not that we can't think properly about son but that the sinful mind is at enmity with God it doesn't submit to the law of God nor can it do so you see what had happened to this young guy was this that his moral rectitude his I've been doing these Commandments from the first tablet of the of the law from the first table of the law his moral rectitude had blinded him to the fact that he had broken the first two Commandments that he didn't love God with all his heart all his mind all his strength that he had idols in his life and the one of his big idols had to do with what he had amassed and he was unaware of the fact until it was pointed out to him if it had been that external righteousness was the answer to entry then this guy had a better shot at it than most but Jesus has already taught mark chapter seven there is not the things that go into a man that defile is the thing that come out of a man that defile a man so that the problem is internal that every sin is an inside job and when Paul writes about it he says there's plainly that we are actually dead in our trespasses and in our sins so the key then to understanding this dilemma which is my third point the key to understanding a dilemma is again to be found simply in the unfolding story of God God had promised through his prophet Ezekiel that he was going to sprinkle clean water and make clean set the people free from their idols provide a new heart and a new spirit and put it within them and remove a heart that was stony and give them a heart of flesh in other words the answer to the question is a heart transplant a heart transplant now the Cleveland Clinic is the number one Heart Center in the entire United States I just a little plug for Cleveland and passing oh you smug Southern California dwellers if you get yourself in a real heart problem give me a call I can help you and if you are prepared to acknowledge that the problem that you face is the problem of your heart dead at enmity with God then the promise of God's Word is that He will give you a new heart a new heart that's why even Jesus says to Nicodemus in 3 of John he says you're a religious leader and you don't get the stuff that's so good I mean that's legit isn't it you're a real religious leader in Israel don't you know about is he kill did you never read Ezekiel the Prophet why are you so surprised that I said to you you need in your heart why are you so surprised that I said to you you must be born again in other words we need God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves some of us were talking about here about the 60s and the Jesus Movement and the things that were happening down in Costa Mesa and then up in haight-ashbury and so on and somebody was recounting the story of the conversion of one of the sisters who became part of the trio of a second chapter of Acts and how she was there in haight-ashbury live in a dissolute life by her own testimony somebody encountered her on the street and began to share the gospel with her and as she talked she explained to this person that she was a mess that she'd messed up in this respect in that respect but the person said there but listen you get born again and she said what she said do you mean that you get a do-over do you mean that you get a fresh start do you mean that everything is new yes said the person well then she said that is exactly what I need and that is exactly what I want only when he gives us new hearts enabling us to abandon everything for Christ's will we then be free from the personal forces of idolatry that hold us in their grip and be free to yield to the principles of the kingdom so there was a hard scene by Jesus there was an obvious question then there was whatever the third one was something like the key to understanding the dilemma and now finally he finishes with a promise and with a warning with a promise and a warning Peter who always is good for a quote isn't he I mean a journalist would have loved Peter if they couldn't get anyone else in the disciple band to say and I think Peter I'll give you I'll give you a quote and so the man's going up the road Jesus has made these dramatic statements the disciples are amazed they're exceedingly astonished and so on and then then Peter launches off and I don't know what the tone was in his voice I think I can guess at it but Peter began to say to him see we have left everything and followed you kind of like hey hey well Jesus then you lost one there but hey you've got us and we're your boys you know we've we I had a fishing business or at least was part of it I an inheritance and and and we're we're following you and Jesus says verily verily I say to you with you do you think for a moment that you could give up anything that I would not give you back a hundred times over let me tell you said I told this guy that his wealth was keeping him out others have been kept out because of an affection for a family member others have been kept out because of a commitment to what the things I just got to get this investment squared up and so on and so on and so on but I want you to know fellas that no one has ever said no to their family to their mother their brother their sister their houses their land their investment portfolio not discovered in me in the present time a hundred times more and in the life to come eternal life now that order shark Peter up right there and then and before he could even say anything again Jesus then gives them the zinger but many who are first will be last and the last will be first what do you think he means by that who do you think he's saying that to is this just a generic statement I don't think so I think this thing in the tail is for these fellows for his disciples I couldn't find anybody to agree with me and then I found someone and so this person is obviously right and I found Cranfield the the New Testament commentator was was just thinking perfectly as well and this and this is what he says what Jesus is saying with this warning that you know the people who were upfront and public will be superseded by the inconspicuous and so on the Apostles mustn't become self complacent because unlike the rich man they've left all to follow Jesus such self complacence would be highly dangerous moreover one who is at present a refuser may in the future by God's mercy accept the call and even in the age to come be preferred to them while they're having left all is not in itself a guarantee that they will remain faithful Judas was one of the twelve Saul of Tarsus was not so we leave the story of this young man that Jesus loved there might have been a measure of smugness about him but I don't think he was secure I think he was hoping just to find the one thing that would close the deal for him and what he discovered was that he had a covetous heart Jesus called him to repent and to believe the good news in his case what that meant was turning away from all of this stuff that represents your God smashing your idol and come in and in trusting yourself entirely to me and he went away sad he didn't go defiant he went away sad because he understood the challenge you may go away to fire I'm not listening to that stuff you may go away sad because Jesus is putting his finger on your life she's going to have to go you can't stay in that illicit relationship and be my follower that's going to have to go you can't worship at that shrine and follow me wholeheartedly you face the challenge this man goes away sad another little man shows up on his front porch glad little zukie is remember and Jesus comes out on the steps of the house and he says today salvation has come to this house can Jesus stand out on your front porch and say that of you today salvation has come to this house are you just a nice guy nice girl interested in eternity and trying to do your best and living in the forlorn hope that a good God if he exists will reward nice people for trying their best if that was a story this encounter would not be in the Bible it is in the Bible because it is not the story jesus said the time is fulfilled the kingdom of God is near repent and believe the good news and the man went away sad father look upon us in your grace we pray thank you that we have a Bible to which we can turn to examine the scriptures to see if these things are so and I pray that you will so bring your word to bear upon our hearts and lives that those of us who have sought to trust in ourselves or in our stuff may be enabled by your grace to lay it down and lay hold upon your wonderful promises and come as little children and enter your kingdom and I pray that you will help us then to examine ourselves to see if these things are so and then to be diligent about sharing this great news for the people who live around us help us to this end or God we pray for Jesus sake amen

Channel: Descyple91

Views: 187,937

Rating: 4.8471203 out of 5

Keywords: Lost in Niceness, Alistair Begg, Sermon, Mark 10:17-31, Scripture Exposition, Jesus Christ, Good Teacher, The Rich Young Man, The Bible, The Gospel, Eternal Life, Christian (Adherents), Christianity (Religion), Christian Preaching, Christian Sermon, Religion, Lord, Truth, Truth For Life, Salvation

Id: U8ZsNSRUlMs

Length: 44min 12sec (2652 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 14 2012