Introduction:
• General Welcome
• Today we will be in Mark 10:17-31 looking at the Rich Young Ruler
• The title of the message is, “Joy in Abandonment”
o Christianity often feels like a list of dos and don’ts
o The idea of abandoning things doesn’t always sound “fun”
o There is, however, tremendous and lasting joy in abandonment
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Scripture: Mark 10:17-31
“17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “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 He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.”
21 Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 The disciples were astonished at his words. Again Jesus said to them, “Children, how hard 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 They were even more astonished, saying to one another, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.”
28 Peter began to tell him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”
29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said, “there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundred times more, now at this time —houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions —and eternal life in the age to come. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
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Context:
• It is easy with passages like this one to compare ourselves to the disciples who left everything as opposed to
the rich young ruler
• The rich young ruler approached Jesus with urgency (ran up), submission (knelt down before him), and desire
(he asked him)
o This is more than most “professing” Christians can say
• When given to people in a story to relate to, it is always best to take the side of humility
o In this story, we can all learn from the rich young ruler
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Main Point: “To know and follow Jesus is to radically abandon everything in this world – to radically abandon everything in this world for Jesus is to know true and everlasting joy”
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First Point: “In following Jesus, we must abandon self…”
Verse 17 says, “17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
• On the surface, this question is simple – but misguided in two ways
• He is right to call Jesus, “good teacher”
o The same word here used for “good” is also used to describe people
o Yes, Jesus is good – but in a way that redefines goodness
• His questions focus is on what he can do – he was unknowingly exalting self
o Aloe Black song “I’m the man” – you can’t be “the man” and follow Jesus
o NFL regular season MVP illustration – in the last 22 seasons, the MVP has NOT won the Super Bowl
? Teams that win it all rely on those around them
? If want to reach the end, we have to be fully reliant on Jesus by abandoning ourselves
• Up to this point… the rich young ruler sets a good example
o He sought Jesus urgently by running
o He showed submission by kneeling
o He showed desire by asking
o And even though he was misguided – he took it to the right place, the one that can fix it all
• In the following verses his example takes a turn
Verse 18-19 say, “18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “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.”
• Jesus addresses both pieces to his question
o “Why do you call me good?” He isn’t denying his goodness – he’s asking why he thinks He is good
o He then addresses his self-exaltation by saying, “no one is good except God alone.”
? Jesus literally tells the man the problem and the solution
? The problem is that he is not good
? The solution is that Jesus’s goodness surpasses Himself and is actually extended to us
• The rich young ruler gives the worst response he can give
Verse 20 says, “20 He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.”
• Even though Jesus tells him that he is not good – he tells Jesus that he is good
• He refuses to abandon himself – and instead seeks to exalt himself
• We can’t have both – a part of following Jesus is abandoning self
This, however, is not all we must abandon – this leads to our second point
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Second Point: “In following Jesus, we must abandon the things of this world…”
Verses 21-22 say, “21 Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.”
• When Jesus sees us broken – He loves us
• Jesus love for us ought to motivate two actions: abandoning everything in this world and following Him
o You lack one thing – sounds harsh, really loving
? Proverbs 3:11-12 says, “11 Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe his
discipline; 12 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom
he delights.”
? The rich young rulers “one thing” was his material possessions
? Jesus calls us to radical abandonment – to give up that
o The rich young ruler was dismayed by this demand – it is a demand
? He was only sad because he was focused on what he was losing
? Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
• In following Jesus, we must abandon the things of this world
Verses 23-25 say, “23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were astonished at his words. Again Jesus said to them, “Children, how hard 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.”
• This saying was shocking to the disciples – throughout the Old Testament, material wealth was most often a
sign of blessing
• Rich men vs. children – independence vs. dependence
o Jesus says in Matthew 18:3, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will
never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
So far, we’ve seen that we must radically abandon self and the things of this world – but here is where things get really important and often misconstrued.
We aren’t even capable of radical abandonment on our own – it is only be receiving the freely given love and grace of Jesus that we are not only able to radically abandon everything but we actually desire to radically abandon everything. This leads to our third point.
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Third Point: “Knowing the freely given love and grace of Jesus is what leads to a desire to abandon everything…”
Verse 26 presents a very important question – “26 They were even more astonished, saying to one another, “Then who can be saved?”
• The disciples ask the only logical question
• Jesus flips their Old Testament beliefs upside down
• If one who had received physical blessing, kept the commandments, and sought a good teacher can’t be
saved… then who can?
o Or what about in today’s terms? If not the avid church attendee, poster of good social media Bible
verses, and doesn’t curse… then who can?
Verse 27 says, “27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.”
• It is impossible for man to contribute to salvation in any way whatsoever
• This is why Jesus came – to do what we couldn’t
o Gospel
• If God can save the brokenness of man through the freely given love and grace of Jesus, then anything is
possible
Verse 28 says, “28 Peter began to tell him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”
• The disciples are the perfect example
o They met Jesus first – then abandoned everything
o Jesus initiated the Gospel – we respond
Knowing the freely given love and grace of Jesus is what leads to a desire to abandon everything
This leads to our last point for the day
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Fourth Point: “A life of abandonment is both the means by which we experience joy in Christ and the response we have to joy in Christ”
Jesus responds in verses 29-31 by saying, “29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said, “there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundred times more, now at this time —houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions —and eternal life in the age to come. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
• The joy in abandoning ourselves and everything in this world is that there is something even greater awaiting
us.
• Look at the things Jesus compares eternal life to
o Houses
o Family
o Profession
• What do you value most in this life? What could you not live without?
o Jesus says that eternal life is 100 times greater than these things
• And He says it will be received “now at this time,” and “in the age to come”
o There is joy in knowing that we will spend eternity with Jesus
o There is joy in spending eternity with Jesus
Do you know this kind of joy? Have you freely received the love and grace of Jesus? Have you radically abandoned yourself and the things of this world?
I want to invite you to do so today.
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Invitation/Closing Thoughts:
• Main Point: “To know and follow Jesus is to radically abandon everything in this world – to radically abandon
everything in this world for Jesus is to know true and everlasting joy”
• Holy Spirit-led
