Fitting Jesus Into Your Mold

FITTING JESUS INTO YOUR MOLD

Luke 18:18-27

INTRODUCTION:

A. In the skit that our young people just performed we see that Jesus wasn’t very cooperative with their ideas about Him or about how He should act

1. Jesus simply did not fit into the mold that they had created.

2. Do you ever have trouble getting Jesus to fit into your mold?

a. Do you ever have trouble getting Jesus into the space that you’ve created for Him?

B. This morning we are going to take a look at a young man that was in search of God–the problem is that he wanted God on his terms instead of accepting God on God’s terms

1. His goal was eternal life, but he wanted to do it his way.

a. As we take a closer look this morning at the man known as the rich young ruler, we will find that he is not unlike many people in the world today.

b. As a matter of fact, he may be a lot like you

c. READ: Luke 18:18-27

I> HE WAS COUNTING ON HIS GOODNESS

A. As we look at this passage, we can see that the rich young ruler really thought he was a pretty good person

1. If there was ever anyone that was deserving of eternal life because of their goodness, he was the guy

a. I’m sure that he was just thrilled when Jesus asked him about the 10 commandments–like he said, "those he had kept from his youth"

b. As we read through this passage we can picture in our minds the man just beaming--big smile on his face

2. Many people fall into the same trap today–and many of them are Christians

a. The reason is because there is a huge misunderstanding about God’s grace

b. We have trouble coming to grips with the idea that salvation cannot be earned–that it is a free gift from God

c. Of course, this free gift must be accepted by each individual

We do that through repentance and being obedient to Him through baptism

3. There are many that think they will go to heaven when they die simply because their pretty good people

ILL> Funeral. Yeah, old Joe wasn’t much of a church goer, but he was a really great guy.

Yeah, they don’t make many like Joe any more.

B. Jesus, knowing the young man’s mind, went right to the heart of the matter

ILL> Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell

What are you looking for in a man?

This is a man we’re talking about isn’t it?

"I’m really close on this one."

1. God said, "Either you are good enough or you aren’t. There’s no credit for being close."

a. Once you sin, then you aren’t good enough any longer

2. He knew that the young man placed a great deal of value in his goodness

a. So, when the ruler said, "Good teacher," Jesus replied, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God."

b. Jesus had taken away one of the crutches the man was counting on

c. Bottom line--He wasn’t nearly as good as he thought he was

II> HE WAS COUNTING ON HIS WEALTH

A. His goodness was simply a safety net he looked to for security

1. He was really depending on his wealth

a. Now when we talk about wealth most of us feel like that doesn’t relate to us because we don’t really feel all that wealthy

b. So, let’s put it into terms that relates to all of us

c. He was depending on his STUFF–his material goods

2. We know this is true because we see the challenge of Jesus

a. VS 22–You still lack one thing

b. When Jesus challenged the hold that his stuff had on his life, it says that he became very sad because he was a man of great wealth

3. Following the 10 commandments–no problem

a. Giving to the poor–no problem

b. Going to the synagogue every week–no problem

c. Give up my stuff–OH, OH

ILL> The billionaire JP Morgan was asked, "How much money is enough?" His answer? "One more million."

4. VS 25 - Jesus uses hyperbole–an exaggerated statement to get his point across

a. Our stuff tends to have such a great hold that we tend to put it before God.

III> SOME COUNT ON THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

A. The Apostle Paul ran into a group of people that believed they were better than others because of what family they had come from or what they had accomplished in their lifetime

1. In Philippians 3, he says, "You want to talk about all the things you’ve done and who you are. Well, let’s compare lists."

a. Everybody has a list

b. Started attending church at birth