1. Lesson One of the Book of Daniel, Introduction to the Book of Daniel

 The Book of  Luke, The Rich Young Ruler - Lesson 200
 

Luke 18:18-30,  And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? ¹⁹And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. ²⁰Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. ²¹And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. ²²Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. ²³And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.  Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, 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.” Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”

The question was asked by a certain ruler: Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?   

And the answer came back to: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

But this request of Christ to the rich young ruler was too much to bear and he went away sorrowful and the reason he went away sorrowful was ascribed to the fact that he was very rich.

He counted what he considered the cost and that which he had in the bank outweighed his desire for the eternal life that this man, Jesus offered. 

It was just too much to ask to sacrifice all that he could see for that which he could not see.

Jesus said that the sacrifice of your treasure on earth will reap treasure in heaven. 

Jesus spoke of this exchange in Matthew 13:45-46, when he talked about the merchant man.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: ⁴⁶Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

The inference of course is that anything that a man has on this earth is of little value compared to that which God has in store in his kingdom.

But even that of little value on this earth can be used to purchase that which is of great value in the kingdom. 

The exchange that Jesus told this rich young ruler was that if he gave his money to the poor and followed him, there would be great treasure awaiting him in heaven.

Jesus spoke of “treasure in heaven” because it is that which is the only thing of infinite value.

Money was this man’s idol for he loved it more than God, and therefore he could never love the Lord God with all of his heart, mind, soul, and strength.

He saw God as a means to eternal life and not an end for eternal life without God is of no value.

He asked what he should do to inherit eternal life but when it came to forfeiting his wealth and following Christ he flinched.

The rich man wanted to live forever, but he did not really want God.

Jesus had to instruct him that “eternal life” is but a part of being one with God by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, and that kind of life is different in its length, but also in its quality.

The only way to have eternal life is to have Jesus Christ, for the Lord Jesus Christ is eternal life personified. 

Jesus said it clearly: I am the way, the truth and the life.

The world is full of doctrines of eternal life without Christ.

But you cannot have true eternal life without having the giver of life, Jesus Christ.

This is why Jesus tied the “having treasure in heaven” to “following Him.”

It is interesting that in the Bible, treasures are tied to following Jesus Christ.

Even the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just as we read in:

Proverbs 13:22,  A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

But money, and a long life to enjoy it, was the goal of the rich young man.

So when he heard the answer of our Lord, Matthew’s gospel tells us he was sad and he went away sorrowful.

And I suppose that Christ was also sorrowful for the young man’s decision. 

For we are told in Luke 18:24-25,  Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, 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.”

This man fit into the norm for the rich, for the Lord infers here that a miracle is needed for a rich man to be saved.

Jesus told the man to dispose of his riches, not in order to  merit salvation, but in order to remove the one barrier between him and heaven.

We are not to think that riches are the only barrier between men and heaven but we are to know that there are a multitude of values that men have that keep them from the kingdom. 

Poor people and middle class people, have barriers too, for it is the nature of man to erect barriers against God. 

Some erect the barrier of a willing ignorance of God. 

They stick their head in the sand thinking that if they know nothing about God, God will know nothing about them but the

Word of God still says: Thou God seest me! 

Another barrier is pride in oneself. 

I can go it alone, I need no help.  Christianity is for the weak and I’m not weak.

And many have lives of moral impurity of varied kinds  which chain them from coming to Christ

What a tragedy it is that a man will keep that which has absolutely no value, while sacrificing that which has infinite value.

Most will choose to go to hell, not even being allowed to keep that barrier which they had erected against God.

So in an act of love on the part of Christ He told the young man to free himself of his idol of riches so that he could then be free to trust only in Christ, and to follow Him.

But to keep his wealth meant that he could never put Christ first, could never love and trust in Him with a whole heart, as the law commanded.

This man’s problem was an illustration of how things tend to be.

In reality rich people suffer from having too much.

And when they come to the crossroads and realize that they are to love God with all their heart, most times they chose to reject Christ and His salvation.

The proverbs say the rich man’s wealth is his strong city but the proverbs also say labor not to be rich.

Proverbs 30:8 says:  Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: ⁹Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

So riches or poverty can be a barrier, preventing a man or woman from following Christ. 

It was a common conclusion in Israel that those who were rich, were rich because of the blessings of God. 

The Jews viewed riches as a sign of God’s favor.  

So what Jesus is telling this man contradicts common understanding in Israel.

Jesus taught that one must become like a child to enter into the kingdom, and that most of those who were rich would never enter the kingdom, in fact it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

Now those who heard this were astonished and said: “Who then can be saved?”

These who asked the question enlarged the group to be considered,  from only the rich to all men. 

They reasoned that what Jesus said about the rich could be applied to all men for all men desired to be rich. 

But those who said “Who then can be saved?” looked at this problem as impossible for what man could get a camel through the eye of a needle. 

Jesus admitted that this was impossible for man to do but even so God could do this. 

Lack of faith always excludes God from the solution but faith always includes God in the solution. 

And therefore Jesus said:  “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

If God chooses to put a camel through the eye of a needle it will not be a problem to him and if God chooses to save a rich man it is never a problem to Him for with God all things are possible. 

There is no barrier that cannot be breached if God is in the picture.

The salvation of the rich, humanly speaking, is impossible.  

It is impossible for a rich man in his own power to try to work his way into the kingdom of God. 

His wealth never helps but only hinders.

The hold of wealth on the heart of the natural man prevents the man from having the attitude of heart and mind necessary for entry into God’s kingdom.

It takes a miracle for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.

And therefore, our Lord told His disciples that while this was not humanly possible, it was possible with God.

We could go on to say that the salvation of any person is humanly impossible, and that only God can and does save men and he does it in spite of the barriers that men erect.

At every point, beginning, middle, and end and all between, man is completely dependent on God for salvation. 

If he is to be saved he must be born from above. 

As a baby in the womb cannot “born” itself neither can a man born himself, for born of the Spirit means being born of that which is outside the man.

Luke 18:28-30,  Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.” 

Same passage in Matthew 19,   Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

And same passage in Mark 10, Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

So these teachings of Christ brought to the mind of Peter a question which can really be expressed in its most worldly fashion:  What’s in it for me!.  

As Matthew expressed Peter’s words:  “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

Peter is responding to the deal that the Lord desired to make with the rich young ruler. 

The deal was for the rich young ruler to sell all that he had, which was a considerable amount for he was very rich, and follow Christ and there would be treasure for him in heaven. 

So Peter looks at the investment that it takes to gain treasure in heaven and wonders what benefit will come from the investment that he and the other disciples have made. 

Does it take vast riches to gain treasure in heaven or will they too have treasure in heaven, for they were not rich but of modest means.

But Peter emphasizes the fact that they too had left all to follow Jesus. 

The answer of Christ infers that it is not how much you leave but whether or not you have left all that you have in order to follow Him. 

This same blessing occurred in the matter of the poor widow of

Mark 12:43, who cast into the treasury all that she had: 

Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: ⁴⁴For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

So kingdom investment thinking is not based upon how much you give but it is based upon the percentage of that which you have, compared to that which you give. 

The widow gave all.  Peter and the disciples gave all. 

And this is what is blessed by the Lord.   

For he tells his disciples:  “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.” 

It is clear that this promise is for all followers of the Lord, not just the disciples whom he called.   

It is for all who have chosen Christ above all their dearest relatives and their most cherished possessions.   

No investment in the kingdom of God will be forgotten. 

And the returns on that investment will not only come in the kingdom but will come in this age in the form of many times that which was invested.  

This is a covenant between Jesus Christ and his followers.   

As the world says:  You can take this to the bank!   

You may be called upon to forsake your relatives.   

God gives new relatives.  

Mark 3:31-35,  ³¹There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. ³²And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. ³³And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? ³⁴And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! ³⁵For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. 

Even eternal life is yours to enjoy in this life for we are assured by Christ in: 

John 6:54,  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 

What about the now and now treasure of Phil. 4:7, ⁷And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Or the joy that is yours in this age as we are told in I Peter 1:8, Jesus, Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 

And what about the fruit of the Spirit that is given to every believer in this age?  

Galatians 5:22,   But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.