Title: Three Faith Killers
Text: Mark 10:17-30
Last week we just finished a series on “Who Am I?” It was a very powerful series and my prayer is that lives were changed throughout those weeks spent on that subject. Our life HAS to be changed, not because I am such a great preacher, but because the Word will always change us if we will learn to apply it to our own lives. So, with that being said, I want to wrap up that sermon this morning before getting into this morning’s message, and I want to do that by giving you a review of the Bible and the kind of people that the Lord used.
The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember:
Noah was a drunk.
Abraham was too old.
Isaac was a daydreamer.
Jacob was a liar.
Leah was ugly.
Joseph was abused.
Moses had a stuttering problem.
Gideon was afraid.
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer.
Rahab was a prostitute.
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young.
David had an affair and was a murderer.
Elijah was suicidal.
Isaiah preached naked.
Jonah ran from God.
Naomi was a widow.
Job went bankrupt.
John the Baptist ate bugs.
Peter denied Christ.
The Disciples fell asleep while praying.
Martha worried about everything.
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once.
Zaccheus was too small.
Paul was too religious.
Timothy had an ulcer.
Lazarus was dead!
No more excuses now. God can use you to your full potential. Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.
Although these men definitely had their faults, the Lord still used them because in spite of their feelings, they were still willing to be obedient.
In our text, we find another man that had some faults. However, not like these other men, this man was not willing to submit to the Lord and because of his unwillingness to be obedient, we find a tragic ending. I usually like to preach stories with a good ending, however, I believe this story has some lessons that we can learn from so that we don’t make the same mistakes as this man.
This is a very sad story of a man that was not willing to obey God. The Rich Young Ruler can be a lesson for us all. We find three flaws in the character of the Rich Young Ruler in this story. These three things are actually the very things that kept the Rich Young Ruler from having faith in God. That is why I have called them the Faith Killers. You cannot have faith in God if you have these flaws.
FAITH KILLER #1 – SECURITY IN EARTHLY THINGS
There are some faith killing heart issues that you may have to deal with in your life that have the potential to rob you of God’s best for your life. One of the most obvious stories in the Bible that go along with this point is the story of the Rich Young Ruler. Unlike Peter, who had personality issues that needed to be worked out, the Rich Young Ruler had some faith-killing heart issues that robbed him of his potential with God. It robbed him of a relationship with Jesus Christ. The first faith killing heart issue that he had was his security in earthly things.
Matthew 6:30-34; “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.”
Jesus makes it very clear in this Scripture that we are not to have security in earthly things. Truth be known, we are not even to consider these earthly things. We don’t even have to worry about them. The only thing we have to be concerned about it seeking God first and if we will seek Him and His will, He will bring all those things to us. The Rich Young Ruler didn’t get this about Jesus. He couldn’t separate Himself from his things. Things are not wrong, but security or trust in those things is wrong. When we fail to put our security in God it kills our faith. He is our supply. He is our security. We need to learn to put our faith in Him not things that surround us.
I want to take a little closer look at this story of the Rich Young Ruler. I want you to notice some things about this boy. He was rich, he was young and HE was seeking out Jesus. Jesus was not seeking out him, he was seeking out Jesus. He asked Jesus one important question:
Mark 10:17; “Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
I want you to picture this scene. The Bible says this young man was kneeling on the ground, looking up at Jesus, when he heard the answer:
Mark 10:19; “Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.”
The boy responds with Mark 10:20: “Master, all these have I observed from my youth.”
This boy says to Jesus, I know all these commands and I have always tried to obey them. But we know from our Tuesday night lessons that just obeying the commands with Jesus was not what this thing is all about. When Jesus arrives on the scene, He expects much more from people then just obeying a bunch of rules. In the next part of this passage we find the faith killer of the Rich Young Ruler. Jesus responds:
Mark 10:21; “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, (Jesus looked on Him and moved with love for him. It blessed Jesus to look into the face of one who cared so much about God) and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.”
Jesus spotted something that He wanted to deliver the boy from. This Rich Young Ruler’s greatest weakness was that his main security was in earthly things and not in the Lord. The Word says, “It is impossible to please Him without faith.” Placing your trust in earthly riches and supply is the greatest faith killer there is. There is nothing wrong with earthly things, the only time it becomes wrong is when we place our trust in them and not God. God is not against riches, but I believe the main reason more people are not rich is because they would have too much faith in those riches. Can God trust you with earthly things and know that you will not put your trust in them? The first mistake the Rich Young Ruler made that killed his faith was putting his security in earthly things.
FAITH KILLER #2 – LACK OF TRUST
Mark 10:21-22; “One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.”
The boy could not do it. He could sell what he had and give it to the poor because his security was in his earthly things and his trust was in those things as well. The Rich Young Ruler got up from his knees and left. He forsook the call of God on his life and the Bible says he grieved because he had great possessions. What was he grieving over? He wasn’t grieving over his money, he still had that. He was grieving over his inability to trust Jesus and grieving over what could have been. The Rich Young Ruler kept his money, but he gave up his faith.
The reason the boy had a lack of trust is because he didn’t really believe in the character of Christ. Listen to what Jesus says after the boy leaves:
Mark 10:29-30; “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”
The Rich Young Ruler thought that he had to give everything up and be poor all his life and he couldn’t handle that. That is not what Jesus was saying. Jesus wanted to make sure that He really had that boy’s heart. The boy obeyed all the commands; he was a good living man. But Jesus isn’t happy with just obeying commands, He wants the person’s heart. He tells the disciples after that anyone that gives up anything for my sake is going to receive a hundred fold. We interpret that as yes will receive it in heaven. Jesus didn’t say that. He says that anyone who gives up land and houses and family and anything else for My sake will receive an hundred fold NOW in this time and in eternity.
The lack of trust in Jesus killed that man’s faith. And it will do the same to you. We don’t walk by sight, we walk by faith. Sometimes we just have to trust Jesus. We may not understand everything that is happening, but at times, we just need to trust Jesus. The lack of trust in Jesus’ character and ability will kill your faith every single time. Faith killers are security in earthly things, lack of trust and:
FAITH KILLER #3 – THE LOVE OF MONEY
Some people read this story and they think that it is all about the money. It’s not about the money. That day, after the Rich Young Ruler had left, Jesus took the opportunity to teach His disciples a lesson.
The disciples HAD trusted in Jesus and followed Him into the ministry. But, unlike the Rich Young Ruler, none of the disciples had been told to sell all their earthly possessions. They were told to follow Christ but not to sell what they had and give it to the poor.
Mark 10:24-26; “And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?”
I want you to notice the disciples response to Jesus. Jesus says that it is extremely difficult for those that put their trust in riches to get to heaven. Verse 26 says that the disciples were beside themselves. They were astonished out of measure and saying to one another, then who can be saved? Why would they say this? Well, first of all, they would say this because they were rich. If they were poor, they would have been saying, “Praise the Lord,” at the camel and needle comment, but they were nervous that they were not going to make it. They didn’t think they could be saved because they were thinking we are like the camels here. They were even misinterpreting what Jesus was saying.
Jesus was trying to tell them that those that put their trust in riches or have a LOVE for money cannot make it into heaven. I know all kinds of rich people that have made it into heaven. Jesus continued on by explaining to them that anyone that really follows me, they receive an hundred fold now in this time. You all are rich because you have followed me, had you chose to be like the Rich Young Ruler then you would not be able to follow me.
It is not money that will keep you out of heaven; it is the love of money that will keep you out.
The three main problems for this Rich Young Ruler were that he placed his security in earthly things; he did not trust Jesus and he had a hidden love of money in his heart. These three ways are definitely ways that will kill your faith. We must have a totally committed and surrendered heart to the Lord. We must put our trust in Him and not things.
