JUNE 22,  1997 :  6.00p.m.
Matthew 19:16-26

Some  litt1e  while  ago I  was reading  a  sermon of  the  great on this  incident  in  the  life  of  our  Lord.  Tozer casts  some fresh  light  on this  event-  particularly  on how we view  the man and thus  of  the  inferences  we draw  from what  happened.
This evening I would want  to  share some of  these  fresh  insights without  slavishly  following  Tozer .

What do we make of  this  young man- or  as we're  told  in  Luke's account of  the  same incident, of this rich young  ruler. And first let us  be aware of what he was ruler.  He was almost  certainly  a
ruler  in  the  local  synagogue. He would have been a much  respected person in  his  vi1large.  Such promise here!  A young man and a  leader in  the  synagogue already. Weekly he would  lead  the  people  in  their worship,  weekly he would  lift  up his  band in  prayer.  "sham's, o Yisrarel"-  Hear,  O Israel.  Yet  this  man was uncertain.  Rich  and
good and succesful  and respected  though he was, he was looking for more. So, he comes  to  Jesus: " teacher, what good  thing  must I do to inherit  eternal  life?"  At  this  point  we tend  to  go overboard with  respect  for  this  man. Here was a man, clearly  a good-living,  moral,  upright  and religious man- and one who came  to  Jesus seeking!  But  like  Nicodemus, Jesus pulls  him  up short.  "Why do you ask me about what  is  good? Why ask, for  God is  the  only  good One". Right  then,  keep the  commandments and you will  have life,  eternal life.  It's  as simple as  that. "Which
ones?" the  man comes back-  isn't  there  something  we've  missed out on,  and when Jesus lists  the  commandments he knows well, he's perhaps put  about.  All  these I have kept.  What else do I lack?'
This  poor man was so satisfied  with  his  moral uprightness  and religious  status  that  he  is  blind  to  his  true  plight!  He knows he's in  a plight-  his  heart  bore witness  to  that,  but  what more?,  he asks-  What MORE?
And Jesus exposes his  blindness  and his  need.  Go sell your possessions,  give  to  the  poor,  and come,  follow me. Jesus exposes four  points  at  which this  man  falls  down at  the most fundamental level.  Murderer,  never.  Adulterer,  never.  Thief,  never.  parent despiser,  never.  And yet
I HE HAD ANOTHER GOD.
He may have recited  the  Decalogue  (the  Ten Commandments)- I  am the Lord your  God. You shall  have no other  gods before me.  But  Jesus' demand,   "Go, sell  all  your  possessions"  showed he had.  when (unknown)  he came  face-to-face  with  God, his  demand to  be sold-out for  him was too  much. His money and wealth  had been lurking  in  his heart  for  too  long  and when the  acid-test  came, he  turned  his  back on God, and  went  away sadly
2.  HE DID NOT LOVE HIS GOD WITH ALL HIS BEING.
This  was the  something more he  lacked.  He would have known well  the
summary  of  the  Decalogue, you shall love  the  Lord your  God with all  your  heart  and a1l. your  soul  and all  your  strength.  This  was as much part  of  the  Law as any other. the  God whose external  commandments he had kept. His love of  wealth  was such  that  he couldn't  bear to give it up.
3.  HE DID NOT LOVE HIS NEIGHBOUR
Equally,  Jesus  command  to  give  to  the  poor exposed this man for  where he stood with  his  God. The poor were all around him, many of them  eking out  a bare  subsistence, yet  he too was  respectable,  and money  talked  as  loud1y as in  the  twentieth century
4.  HE COVETED.
He had a desire  for  things;a  desire  for  self  which outweighed his desire  for  God and outweighed his  desire  for  eternal life.  His desire  to  HAVE THINGS was what  really  counted for  him,  and he wanted more. When Jesus said,  "Come,  follow  me", he couldn't  because other  things  counted so much more  than  the  blessedness which  the Lord  Jesus Christ  could  offer  him. This moral,  upright,  respected,  religious  man was exposed  for  what he was.  Here was no TRULY moral man.  Here  was no TRUE seeker after the  truth.  He was a man  trying  to  appease his  conscience  and pleading  with  God, not  on God's term,  but  on his  own. That  incident  with  a  synagogue  ruler  bears on us  today.  We might wonder what an exchange between Jesus and a  Jewish religious  leader 2000 years  ago says to  those  sitting  in  an English  church  today.  It says two  things  to  us  in  particular:
-morality  can never be a basis  to  plead  our  case with  God;
-it  does not  suffice  to  have received  Jesus;  he will  not  share the  love  of  our  hearts  with  another.
1.  MORALITY  IS  NEVER A BASIS TO PLEAD OUR CASE WITH GOD.
When God looks  at  sinful  man, his  morality  will  carry  not  an ounce of  weight.  To come before  God and plead  our moral goodness  can never be a way of  entry  into  the  Kingdom. The rich  young man for all  his  moral probity,  when faced with  the  terms of  Christ  turned his  back.  He  left  him,  with  sadness. He left  Christ  and would be destined  to  spend not  just  the  rest  of  his  days but  his  eternity without  Christ.
Hell will  be peopled not  just  with  the  wicked,  not  just  with  the perverts.  It will  be peopled with  those who would  stand before  God and plead  their  case with  him on  the  basis  of  their  morality,  on the  basis  of  their  goodness, on  the  basis  of  their  religion.  They may satisfy  their  hearts  with  these  things;  they may deceive themselves with  these  things.  A W Tozer  says this:  'Let  me tell11 you what a moral man is:  he is  good enough to  deceive himself  and bad enough to  damn himself.'  As Paul  says in  1 Timothy:
There is  one mediator  between God and man, the man  Jesus Christ
Our  morality  will  never,  can never,  bridge  the  gulf  between our sinfulness  and  the  pure goodness  of  God ' s  heaven. Only  the  Lord Jesus Christ  with  his  giving  of  himself  and the  shedding
of  his blood  can do that.
There was no other  good enough,
 to  pay the  price  of  sin;
he only  could  unlock  the  gate, 
of  heaven and  let  us  in.
There is  only  one option.  if  you are  sitting  there  trusting  in  your own religion;  in  your  own morality,  abandon your  cause  to  the  Lord Jesus Christ.  Until  you can do  that  there  can have been no  inner regeneration  which alone  can transcend our  puny self-centered  human effort.  No amount of  good deeds,  uprightness  or  ordering  of  our lives  can ever  avail.
2.  THE LORD JESUS CHRIST WILL NOT SHARE OUR  HEART' S THRONE.
I  think  one of  the  saddest  features  of  the  contemporary Christian scene is  the  number of  Christians  who lack  assurance. They are almost  like that young man. "What  else  must I  do?"  They have been encouraged  to   'receive  Jesus'  or to  'invite  Jesus  into  your life'.
But  they  have never been faced with  his  claim  to  'sell your possession' (whatever  that  possessions  may bet)  and  come, fo1low me.  On the  Day of  Pentecost,  Peter  advised  the  listening  throng. He didn't  say  'invite  Jesus  into  your  life  and he'll  solve all  your problems'.  He  said  Repent an believe in the Lord Jesus Christ  Repent- turn  the  other  way; go God's  way.
Because of  this  so many feel  that  Christianity  is  JESUS CHRIST plus.  Plus  being  good, plus  doing  good. Or else  Jesus Christ  plus my old  worldly  pleasures.  May seemingly mature Christians  turn their  back on Christ  and walk  straight  into  dubious  relationships, into  known sin.  many love  the  world  and can't  leave  it  or  return  to it  and Jesus gets  squeezed  out.  This  never happens  all  at  once,  but gradually.  But  always there  has never been a  total  conversion; there  has,  may I say  it,  never  been a proper  conviction  of  sin.  so the  sacrifice  of  Calvary  is  not  precious  but  something on  the periphery .
We have an idol;  we break  the  second great Command.  In  that,  God said:
I  the  Lord your  God am a  jealous  God.
He will  not  share us with  another.  His  desire  is  for  us  for  he loves  us.  His  plea  with  us  through his  son  is  to  leave  all  else aside  and  follow  him
I  would want  to  appeal  to  any tonight  who sees  themselves mirrored in  this  rich  young  ruler.  You don't  need to  be young! you don't need  to  be rich!  You don't  need to  be a  religious  leader!  You may be one or  more of  those.  But:  do you rely  on your  goodness? Do you rely  on having kept  God's commands? Do you rely  on religious  status?Do you rely  on  that  plague:  respectability?  Do you rely  on having your  house in  order?  Are you  trying  to  hang on  to  Christ  along with moral  effort?  Are you  trying  to  hang on  to  Christ  with  something else  which  is  (really)  more precious?  Are you relying  TOTALLY on Christ?  IS  he the most precious  thing  you have?
His  word echoes down the  centuries.  Come, follow  me?  Wou1d you turn  away with  sadness? You have a choice;  one day it  will  be  too late  for  choices.  AS C S Lewis says,  one day the  Author will  walk onto  the  stage  and the  curtain  come down.  It  will  be  too  late  to say I choose  to  stand  up  when  it  is  impossible  to  do other  than lie  down.
What good  thing  must I  do?...Sell  all,  come,  follow  me.