Over the last four weeks we have talked about the TV show “LOST”, but more importantly we have talked about what it mean to be lost. We have seen Jack –the Lost son, Claire—a woman caught in adultery, and Charley—the “wanna be” Rock Star whose life began to spiral out of control.
Tonight, we look at the entire cast. The passengers were on a flight to the United States but the trip was interrupted by the plane crashing—the 45 that were left are Lost. Suddenly, they realize that they now have to live each day fighting for survival. Fighting for life.
In the same way, each of us have to fight for our life—our eternal life.
Tonight, I pray that you will discover that the fight for eternal survival was won, and there is nothing we can do to earn the prize. Eternal life is found in Christ.
Look with me at Luke 18:18-30.
18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”
21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For 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.”
26 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”
27 But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” 28 Then Peter said, “See, we have left 5all and followed You.”
29 So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
As we look at this passage, we see that a certain ruler – or authority approaches Jesus to ask him a question. Mark’s Gospel says the man cam running out to meet him.
This man had one urgent question on his mind; a question that many never ask, a question that sometimes Christians take for granted.
I asked several soldiers in my Battalion – if they could ask God one question what would it be?
They answered with responses like:
• Why is there suffering?
• Is there really a Heaven and Hell?
• Or, Why doesn’t my marriage work?
These are responses that could come from anybody, but this rich man, sees that Jesus is the very son of God and asks him an all important question.
He Asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
This is a critical question – a question that all of us must ask.
Jesus forms his response in a question.
I. Works Aren’t Good Enough
Jesus says in verse 20;
20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”
And the ruler says in verse 21;
21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
He was quick to give an answer. Yes! I have done those things all my life.
Much like a response you get when you ask someone if they are a Christian.
They will say, yes.
When do you go to church – I haven’t since I was younger, but my parents too me every Sunday.
Jesus says, “There’s one thing you lack.”
Jesus was making in clear to the man and everybody who was listing that Your works aren’t good enough!
We as humans try our very best at achieving salvation by doing good things.
Every other religion in the world tells you that there are certain things that must be done to achieve eternal life. And most of them teach to do truly good things and every time you do something good that gives you a step on your way to heaven.
There is nothing that can be done, so none of us can boast – none of us can take credit.
But Jesus takes it up another notch and says that not even Rich are Good enough.
And that is a major difference between Christianity and other Religious. Bill Hybels characterizes it as “Do vs. Done”.
Which other religions talk about what you must do to receive eternal life – Christian talks about what was done by Jesus dying on the cross to pay the penalty for us.
So there is nothing we can boast about in our works.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
There is nothing that can be done, so none of us can boast—none of us can take any credit.
But Jesus takes it up another notch and says that not even riches are good enough.
II. Riches Aren’t Good enough
Verse 22;
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Jesus tells the man to sell everything he owned and follow him. Jesus was telling him that eternal life can’t be bought. When you die your earthly riches stay here – here on earth.
I remember studying the ancient civilizations of Egypt and the Pyramids. The rulers of Egypt once believed that their possessions would follow them to the afterlife – But the only place the riches followed was with their coffin to a museum somewhere.
Riches do not lead to eternal life. Riches are the root of all kinds of evil. We are not to trust in our Riches.
In Revelation 3: 17-19
17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
We are to be like the woman that Jesus observed in Luke 21:1-4
1And (Jesus) looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”
She gave all that she had for the Lord. Jesus clearly teaches in Matthew 6, that we are to store our treasures in heaven. And as a matter of fact, this message usually doesn’t have to do with money or possessions – while those things to require much of our attention – this message is about your hearts.
The Bible says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
So where is your heart?
• Do you live and breathe for X-box or Play Station? Or do you live and breathe for the world of God.
• Do you live and breathe for DVD’s and for I-POD? Or do you live and breathe on the praises of Almighty God.
• Do you wake up very morning counting the days before you go home? Or do you anticipate the Glorious return of the Son coming to take his church home?
None of the other things are bad – Play Station, DVD, I Pod’s and I very much look forward to seeing my wife and baby girls – but perspective is what we need.
“Where our treasure is there our heart will be also!” Jesus desires that we are completely devoted to him. He teaches us that our works aren’t good enough and our riches aren’t good enough.
Then what is good enough?
III. What then is Good enough?
This is the same question the disciples had.
Verse 26;
26 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”
27 But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” 28 Then Peter said, “See, we have left 5all and followed You.”
29 So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Jesus says that some things are possible only with Good and Eternal Life is one of them.
It is impossible for us to earn our way to heaven, It is impossible for us to buy our way to heaven, It is only through God that we can have eternal life.
Sounds narrow? Of course it does – because it is?
MT 7:13 says 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
We humans try so many ways to get to God, So many ways to have eternal life but the but the bible says “(Jesus is) the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through (Him).
It’s not about Works; it’s not about Riches, It’s about ownership. It’s about you and I turning everything to Jesus allowing him to be the
• Savior – Accepting the payment made by Christ who died on the cross, to pay for our sin.
• Leader—the one who we will follow, apply his teachings to our live and truly live them out.
• And Friend – God created each of us to have fellowship with him. He wants more then just to be our God, or Savior, or Leader – He wants to be our Friend.
So what about you?
As we think about the many ways we can be lost, there is only one way that we can be found and that is by accepting Jesus into our life and following Him.
And yes this is a message for people who have never become a Christian before. It is a message for people who have never fully understood what it means to be your Savior, Leader, and Friend you can have eternal life, and after the service I will be happy to talk with you more about it.
But this is also a message for experienced Christians as well. This message is to remind you that it is not about how many curse words you don’t use, it is not about how much chapel you attend which your in Iraq; it is also not about how much you give to your local church back home, nor is it about how much you give to CFC. Which I will encourage you to give – but this message is a reminder that we don’t place our trust in our riches, nor in our works.
We need to simply trust in Jesus. We need to rest in him, hope in him, and serve him.
So, what shall YOU do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus says; “Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Let us pray.
