The Rich Young Man

Pastor Dr. Daniel Ho, 01/08/2010
A video clip on MF Humanitarian Missions was shown.  They have a blog, they are on Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. It’s very encouraging to see people giving their life, time, money, etc. to touch lives and change lives.
MF will go to 10 Asian countries in different teams. The Ministry of Health supplied all the medical supplies they need, in fact, they provided three times as much as they need. And they KNOW where Dream Centre is.
Christmas is happening early in DUMC in August on 19/20 Aug 2010. We will organize a charity concert. 8TV will be recording the concert. Joining Aubrey Suwito will be his brother, Juwita and Jaclyn Victor.
This is the 6th installment in the Transforming Encounters with Jesus in Mark’s Gospel series. The text it taken from Mark 19:17-31.
When we encounter Jesus Christ, incredible things happen.



Mar 10:17-31  And as he 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?"  (18)  And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.  (19)  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.'"  (20)  And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth."  (21)  And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."  (22)  Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  (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!"  (24)  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!  (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."  (26)  And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?"  (27)  Jesus looked at them and said, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God."  (28)  Peter began to say to him, "See, we have left everything and followed you."  (29)  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,  (30)  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.  (31)  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

The wish

The rich young man wished to have eternal life. (v17) He recognized a need in his life despite his accomplishments. He paused and pondered. A survey was done in US to find out what people would re-do if they had a chance. One of the top 3 things include to pause and reflect more in life.
We often have no time to top and consider the real needs in our life.
Our needs in life can be camouflaged by

• Busyness (Eccl. 2:22-23)

Ecc 2:22-23  What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun?  (23)  For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.
Psalm 23 was re-written thus:

The clock is my dictator; I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me to depression.
It hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity's sake
Even though I run frantically from task to task
I will never get it all done, for my "ideal" is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand my performance from me
beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines.
My in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever.

From "101 Ways to Simplify Your Life" written by Paul Borthwick,
and published by Victor Books. More versions available here.

• Power

Dan 4:29-30  At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon,  (30)  and the king answered and said, "Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?"
Dan 4:37  Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
We think we can do everything. We believe we can depend on our own ability. This is a deception. Nebuchadnezzar was humbled by God. God in his mercy restored his sanity.

• Wealth

1Ti 6:10,17  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.  (17)  As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
Our hope should be placed on God alone, not wealth. John Rockefeller earned his first million at the age of 33, became the owner of the largest company in the world at the age of 43 and became the first billionaire at the age of 53. He had a critical illness and changed his outlook in life. He founded the Rockefeller to give and to help others.

• Self-centred living

Luk 12:18-19  And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  (19)  And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'

Eternity built into our heart

Ecc 3:11  He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
God made us and only he can satisfy us.

They way of the Young Man (v18-20)

Jesus mentioned 6 of the 10 Commandments and yet the young man said he has been observing them since young. Jesus loved this incredible young man who kept things right. When we live like this there are incredible benefits and consequences.

• Clear and clean conscience which produces integrity. What we have inside is what we have outside.
• Inner strength and character – when we live by the truth. No one can challenge us. We have no fear. It builds dignity. We are doing it to honour God. When there are lies taking place, there is no inner strength and there is no courage. It is easy to tell lies once but it is hard to tell lie only once. We will inevitably be telling lies after lies to cover previous lies.
• Respect and reputation - Respect is earned one step at a time. Reputation that we obtained by consistency can sometimes be destroyed by a single mistake. That’s why we need accountability within the community of faith, which is a community of second chance.
• Diligence and well-order life – brings about blessings of health, wealth and long life.

The word of the Lord for the Young Man (v.21)

Despite his wealth and success in the eyes of the world, the rich young man recognized that he has a need. Jesus wanted the young man to realize the implication of calling him the good teacher. When we come to the light of Christ, we will see our own situation clearly.

• “One thing you lack” (cf Mt 6:21)

Jesus pointed out that the young man’s wealth is standing in the way in allowing him to meet the deep needs in his heart.
When the fear of the Lord comes upon us, do not attempt to run away. We need to sort it out with God.
Eternal life doesn’t come with our good work, ability or power. It is a gift of God.
General Lew Wallace was confronted on his faith by agnostic Col. Robert G. Ingersoll. He realized how little he knew about God. He later wrote Ben Hur. During the course of writing the book, he was convinced that Jesus is the Son of God.