Well hello friends and thank you for joining me in our daily reading from God's holy word today We're reading March chapter 10 versus 13 to 31 and when this lesson Jesus teaches us how to enjoy the blessing of belonging to the kingdom of heaven before we read let's pray our Father in heaven speak to our hearts and help us to hear Jesus in his name I pray amen March chapter 10 verse 13 and they were bringing children to him that he might touch them and the disciples rebuked them But when Jesus saw it he was indignant and said to them let the children come to me Do not hinder them for to such belongs the kingdom of God Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child Shall not enter it and he took them in his arms and blessed them laying his hands on them And that was as he was setting out on his journey a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him good teacher What must I do to inherit eternal life and Jesus said to him why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 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 and he said to him teacher all these I have kept from my youth and Jesus looking at him loved him and said to him you lack one thing Go sell all that you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me Disheartened by the saying he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God The disciples were amazed at his words But Jesus said to them again children how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God 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 And they were exceedingly astonished and said to him then who can be saved Jesus looked at them and said with man it is impossible, but not with God for all things are possible with God Peter began to say to him see we have left everything and followed you Jesus said truly I say to you There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the gospel Who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with Persecutions and in the age to come eternal life, but many who are first will be last and the last first In his teaching on the kingdom of heaven Jesus cradles children Confronts a rich man and comforts his disciples first the children parents who believed in Jesus brought their children to Jesus to be blessed by him As all faithful Christian parents do we bring them to his church and we ask Jesus to save them and protect them and keep them for himself His disciples however took the attitude that Jesus was too busy for infants his kingdom ministry was too important for him to be bothered by Parents of children and Jesus got hot with anger for hindering them for his kingdom belongs to infants and toddlers the little ones You can take up in your arms. He says in fact whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it Little children aren't people who do but people who are done for they don't provide for themselves They are provided for they don't work to earn they simply receive what is given so it is that by grace We are saved through faith and this is not our own doing it is the gift of God not a result of works so that no one can boast Notice how the rich man didn't understand this he asks what must I do to inherit eternal life here that attitude surely there's something I must accomplish some way I can Work myself into it So Jesus in an often misunderstood passage points him to God's commands don't murder don't steal onto your parents etc But not because Jesus is saying you can save yourself by your obedience to God But in order to humble the man to show him he is unworthy of the kingdom that he hasn't loved God with all his heart's soul strengthened Mind nor as he loved his neighbor as himself which is the whole point of the commandments But the guy is so proud of himself.
He hasn't begun to see all the ways he breaks God's law of love in word and deed and desire So Jesus presses him you said I'm a good teacher, but you know that only God is good right And if that's the case how can you stand here and tell me you yourself are a good man Don't you know yourself don't you know you love yourself more than God or others? That's not good Here's how I'll prove it to you and more importantly here's how I'll cut you off with the knees and humble you So he says you lack one thing go Sell all that you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me And the man didn't because he really loves his possessions more than the good God standing right in front of him And he went away sorrowful Now Jesus wasn't being mean And he certainly wasn't saying you can buy heaven by selling your possessions and giving to the poor But Jesus was being truthful and loving Jesus wasn't teaching him if you just jump through one more hoop you're in He used the law like a mirror to show the man his own wicked heart But the man didn't have eyes to see Look you'll never do enough if eternal life is something you can get by doing But how proud the man who thinks he can You've got to receive it as a free gift As paul in romans says now to the one who works His wages are not counted as a gift but as his do And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly His faith is counted as righteousness How blessed that is the man of the woman the boy or the girl whom the lord forgives and counts as righteous as a gift Through faith in Jesus Now in the final encounter Jesus comforts his disciples Well first he disturbs them. He says it's impossible for rich people to get themselves into God's kingdom It would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a beetle It can't be done not by them Riches won't help you get in But they can be a hindrance to getting in Rich people who put their hopes in their own kingdoms in this world will be disinterested in the king of god So who then can be saved? Jesus says with man it is impossible But not with god for all things are possible with god God can humble the proud and give grace to the humble After all god saved Abraham and joe and zakius all rich men whom he humbled Then peter thinking of the rich man begins to say you know we've given everything to follow you and jesus Not rebuking him Cuts him off and comforts him.
He knows he's giving peter the kingdom peter isn't going to earn it But the disciples of jesus do give up a lot as they follow jesus and jesus wants to comfort us He says you can't out give your father in heaven truly I say to you There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands For my sake and for the gospel who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time Houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions And in the age to come eternal life What a generous father we serve he gives salvation freely to those who look away from themselves and to his son And any loss we might suffer in serving him is more than made up for by him It's worth it to follow jesus. Let's pray father in heaven have mercy on us forgive our sins Grant us to be righteous in christ and take us for your children if you're heavenly kingdom in his name i pray Amen I'm man. Well, thank you for listening in and I hope you'll join me next time