God Made a Way
Mark 10:23-34
Good morning.
I read on article on Christianity.com that spoke about God’s people in the Bible, accomplishing impossible tasks.
• Moses drew water from a stone.
• Barren women conceived.
• Esther saved her Jewish kin from slaughter.
• A virgin, (named) Mary, gave birth to the Son of God.
• Job was a man of God who lost everything, but the Almighty “was able to do in Job’s life what was impossible by human effort,”
“With God All Things Are Possible”. We must remember…
1. Power to accomplish the impossible comes from God.
2. The impossible is accomplished for God’s glory.
3. The impossible is accomplished for our good.
The Lord God is the Creator of all things, so He can do things that are impossible for mere humans, as He wills.
Please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Mark 10 as we continue in a verse-by-verse study of that Gospel.
Last week in Mark, some people brought children to Jesus.
What a great lesson for all parents, bring your kids to Jesus.
Then a rich young ruler watched the scene unfold with the children being blessed and said, “I have all things I need, except the kingdom of heaven.”
Once this man recognized his real need he asked the question, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"
Jesus said to the rich, young ruler, “One thing you lack.” Instead of arguing, Jesus told the man his real need of finding fulfillment and salvation, which does not come from doing.
In Mark 10:22, we see this man went away sorrowful; Alan Cole said this is the only time someone went away sorrowful from Jesus; because he loved money more than he loved Jesus.
Today, Jesus will explain why it is impossible to be saved apart from Him, but with God; all things are possible.
I. Some trust in wealth.
Read Mark 10:23-26
David Guzik said, “We often excuse ourselves from what Jesus said here because we don’t consider ourselves rich.”
“Yet compared to this rich young ruler, each one of us enjoys more luxuries and comforts than he did.”
Why is it hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God?
Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. NIV
Money is Amoral, it is neither right nor wrong; because it is an inanimate object, there is nothing evil or wrong with money.
But the Apostle Paul told Timothy the real issue with money…
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
During the last several weeks, while studying the Gospel of Mark, Jesus has taught about having child-like faith.
We have learned that a child is completely dependent on adults for safety, sustenance, and knowledge. Christians who have child-like faith, are absolutely, dependent upon the Lord.
Child-like faith is humble, teachable, and trusting, like a child.
When we put our trust and hope in money, we are not trusting the Lord like a child.
Usually, someone who has amassed a lot of money, has learned to be self-sufficient, but Jesus wants us to dependent upon Him and receive what we need from Him, not by our own works.
Mark 10:24 says the Disciples were astonished at His words, which means to be thunderstruck, surprised or frightened.
Warren Wiersbe said, “The disciples were shocked at the Lord’s declaration about wealth, because most Jews thought that the possession of great wealth was the evidence of God’s special blessing.
Many people today still cling to this error, in spite of the message of Job, the example of Christ and the apostles, and the clear teaching of the New Testament.
“In the case of this young man, his wealth robbed him of God’s greatest blessing, eternal life.” (Warren Wiersbe)
Were the Disciples frightened thinking no one could enter the kingdom, or were they surprised by something specific?
The Disciples were probably thinking that Jesus should have associated with influential people in order to grow the Kingdom of God, because influential people have all the connections.
The world looks for rich, good looking and influential people as the ones that should find favor and privilege.
At that time, rich people had all the advantages, and they would be chosen first for everything in the world, because of talents, intellect, and personality; but not so with the Kingdom of Christ.
Jesus looks for the surrendered, humble heart, who longs to serve the Lord, because the last shall be first in the kingdom.
Notice, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
There are two schools of thought here for what Jesus meant.
While studying scripture, unless the evidence is clear that Jesus was using a metaphor or a parable, we should always take what He said at face value.
Some people take what Jesus said at face value; how difficult would it be for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.
Think about the size of a camel; it seems far-fetched to think about that big animal going through the eye of a needle.
gotquestions.org said, “Some theorize that the needle Jesus was speaking of was the Needle Gate, supposedly a low and narrow after-hours entrance found in the wall surrounding Jerusalem.
It was purposely small for security reasons, and a camel could only go through it by stripping off any saddles or packs and crawling through on its knees. There is no evidence such a gate ever existed.”
Re-read Mark 10:26
The real issue at hand for the Disciples hearing this saying from Jesus is the same issue everyone should consider, “How hard is it to enter the kingdom of God?”
II. God is the possibility maker.
Read Mark 10:27
Is there anything God cannot do?
The Lord can do anything He wants to do; however, He will not do things that go against His will or do things that contradict His holy character.
God cannot lie, change, break a promise, sin, or stop loving you.
Think about the rich young ruler; wealth and possessions are pointless without an eternal relationship with the Lord.
Nothing we can do can grant us access to Heaven, but the Lord loved us so much, He made a way where there was no way.
Romans 4:17 God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. NKJV
So, in proper context, what is Jesus saying in our passage?
God could have done the impossible for this rich man to enter the Kingdom, if he would have received the free gift of Jesus.
There is a bad news side of the Gospel message. The truth is, without the free gift of salvation from Jesus, we were all dead in our sins and trespasses.
In order for someone to receive salvation, they must realize that they need to be saved from something.
Heaven is a perfect place where no sin can exist.
Deductive reasoning: Because heaven is a perfect place, and since we were all dead in our sins without Jesus; there was no way to heaven, so eternal life was impossible.
Humans were originally created by the special act of God, in His own image and people are the crowning work of God’s creation.
By our free choice, Adam and Eve sinned against God and brought sin into the human race and now every person is born under natural sin.
This is why Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible"…to the question from the Disciples who asked, “Who then can be saved”.
There is a way of sharing the Gospel called the Romans Road which of course is based upon the Book of Romans.
It lays out God’s plan of redemption in a concise manner; if you can explain these verses, it can be an effective witnessing tool.
Romans 3:10 "There is none righteous, no, not one.
Romans 3:11 There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. NKJV
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, NKJV
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. NKJV
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. NKJV
Romans 10:9 if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. NKJV
Romans 10:13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." NKJV
So that is a version of the Romans road Gospel message.
Because we were born in natural sin, and Romans tells us that the penalty for sin is eternal death; Jesus had to provide a way for anyone, to be able to go to heaven.
The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:17, if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! NKJV
Paul also said in 2 Corinthians 5:21, For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. NKJV
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption.
In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, sanctification and glorification.
Apart from Jesus taking our sin penalty on the cross, eternal life is impossible.
The Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 1:18, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
1 Peter 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. NKJV
So, what was impossible for man to do, God did by sending His Son, Jesus Christ as a payment for our sin. (Romans 8:3)
Jesus’ death was enough to save this rich man, but he walked away sorrowful after Jesus told him to sell off his possessions.
There are many biblical examples of un-savable people that Jesus saved in spite of themselves; Jesus saved me in spite of myself!
III. What the Disciples left behind to follow Jesus.
Read Mark 10:28-31
Peter tells Jesus, we have left everything to follow you.
In order to understand what Jesus was saying to these Disciples, we need to understand the cost of being a Christ-follower in the time when Jesus walked the earth.
If a person were Jewish and they decided to follow Jesus, they were in danger of being excommunicated by their families, losing their community, and even losing their jobs.
Sometimes, these Jewish families would even hold a funeral service for a Christian convert, treating them as if they died and they were never welcomed back.
If a person were a Gentile convert, some similar treatment could happen, especially since Rome demanded Caesar worship from its citizens and new Christians refused to worship Caesar.
The rich young ruler did not want to give up anything to follow Jesus, but the Disciples left many things to follow Jesus.
They left their jobs, their homes, their family and friends.
So, Peter in essence, reminded Jesus of all the things the Disciples gave up, to follow Him; the Disciples gave up families, wealth, jobs, and positions within the community.
However, Peter’s response indicated a heart problem, basically saying, hey, what’s in it for us, which is similar to a give to get mentality that some call the prosperity Gospel, today.
There are times in our walks this can be a temptation for Christ-followers, believing we are missing out by us being Christians.
Our flesh has a moment of weakness, whether desiring to go back to a lifestyle, or lusting after riches, or some other temptation.
The enemy and our own flesh will lie to us and tell us how we are missing out on something that we deserve to enjoy, but we had to give those things up, in order to follow Jesus.
The lies from the enemy or the flesh sound something like: we deserve more wealth, we deserve to indulge the flesh, or we deserve the things we enjoy but we know they will harm us.
Sin is very tempting because it lies to us about the consequences associated with partaking in them.
It is like rat poisoning; sin adds attractive things to it, so we are not concerned with the ramifications.
So, Peter asks what’s in it for me, but it is amazing how Peter changed after he received the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts.
A man who was crippled from birth asked Peter and John for money and Peter looked straight at him…
Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." NKJV
Wiersbe said, “It is good to have the things money can buy, provided you do not lose the things that money cannot buy.”
Prosperity teachers, who say health and wealth are automatic for those with enough faith, fail to explain why faithful Christians sometimes suffer, or why the unrighteous sometimes prosper.
But notice what Jesus said to these Disciples; there will be a special place in the kingdom for these faithful Disciples.
For us today, we should not give to get.
If that is the motivation of why you give or serve the Lord, you have already received your reward here on earth.
But there is an immediate and a future reward for those who serve and give to the Lord with pure motivation.
Whatever is given up for Jesus will be nothing compared to what we will receive many times over, in addition to eternal life.
Notice Jesus said, we will receive a hundredfold for things given up for Him, but this is obviously not literal; Jesus was not promising a hundred mothers and a hundred wives.
Wiersbe said, “Jesus assured His disciples that no one who follows Him will ever lose what is really important, either in this life or in the life to come.
God will reward each one. However, we must be sure our motives are right: “For my sake and the gospel’s”.
The Christian industrialist, R. G. LeTourneau said, “If you give because it pays, it won’t pay!” If we sacrifice only to get a reward, that reward will never come.”
I would say, “There is nothing in this life that compares to the promises and the relationship we receive with Jesus Christ.”
Jesus is a friend who stays closer than a brother, He is the lover of our soul, and He will never leave nor fail us, ever!
IV. Practical Application.
We don’t have time to do a complete study for all the evidence that exists proving the Bible, is the very word of God.
So, for argument purposes, let’s agree to the fact that the Bible is God’s Word.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
2 Timothy 3:17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. NKJV
There is a thing called Original Sin that we all have because of the sin that Adam and Eve did in the beginning of creation.
People do not necessarily commit Original Sin; but rather, we inherit Original Sin from the Fall of Adam and Eve.
The word sin is an old English word that was used in archery which means to miss the mark.
Think about taking a bow and arrow and aiming for the target at 100 yards.
If the target is missed by the arrow by just an eighth of an inch; it is sin, and we know that no one can be a perfect shot always.
So it is with people; perfection is required, but no one can be perfect all the time.
Jesus has said, in Matthew 5:48 you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. NKJV
Along with Original sin, there are the sins we commit; we can sin by doing things contrary to God’s commands or we can sin by failing to do the things we know we should be doing.
Earlier, I mentioned the bad news of the Gospel, which is ironic considering the Gospel means Good News!
Romans 3:11 There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. NKJV
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, NKJV
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. NKJV
Because of the truth of these verses in scripture, the ultimate question was asked by the Disciples…
Mark 10:26, “They were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?" NKJV
What a great question for anyone alive.
If the Bible is in fact true and the Book of Romans is right that the paycheck for any sin we commit is eternal death; then it would be good for us to know how to fix that eternal problem.
So, what must I do to be saved?
Last week the rich young ruler asked what he had to do to inherit eternal life, but he went away sad because he was not willing to give up his idol of money for true wealth.
The Disciples were thunderstruck believing if an influential person like the rich young ruler could not enter the Kingdom of God; then who could be saved.
The Lord can do anything He wants to do; however, He will not do things that go against His will or do things that contradict His holy character.
God cannot lie, change, break a promise, sin, or stop loving you.
There was no way to be saved, but because of His great love for you; Jesus took our place (paid the penalty that was due) by dying on the cross.
God wants to do the impossible for you and allow you to enter the Kingdom, if you will receive the free gift of Jesus.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. NKJV
Romans 10:9 if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. NKJV
Romans 10:13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." NKJV
By Grace alone, (an undeserved Gift) through Faith alone (Trust) in Christ alone, you can be saved. Salvation is NOT found in a religion or by good works, it is only found in Jesus.
Call on the name of the Lord, admit that you have sinned against God and that you need Him to forgive you in order to have a relationship with Him and to escape eternal death.
Ask Jesus to take over your life, so that He becomes Lord and King. Turn away from your sin and turn toward the Lord.
