Grosey's Messages

¹⁶ Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” ¹⁷ So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸ He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘ You shall not murder, ’ ‘ You shall not commit adultery, ’ ‘ You shall not steal, ’ ‘ You shall not bear false witness, ’ ¹⁹  ‘ Honor your father and your mother, ’ and, ‘ You shall love your neighbor as yourself .’ ” ²⁰ The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” ²² But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

²³ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴  “And again I say to you, 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.” ²⁵ When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” ²⁶ But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ²⁷ Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” ²⁸ So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹  “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. ³⁰  “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

At the Melbourne Art Gallery is a painting by the late John Pettie, R.A. It is entitled 'Challenged', and it once adorned the walls of the Royal Academy in London. A young aristocrat has been called from his sumptuous couch in the early morning by a challenge to a duel. There he stands, attired in his blue dressing gown, holding the momentous document in his hand. His old serving-man, who has delivered the missive to his master, is vanishing through the distant door; a sword reposes suggestively upon a chair. But the whole artistry of the picture is concentrated in the face. It is the face of a thoughtless, shallow, self-indulgent young man-about-town suddenly startled to gravity and something like nobleness. By means of that face, the artist has skillfully portrayed the fact that life becomes smitten with sudden grandeur the moment it is challenged by stupendous issues. Life and death confront this young lord, and he becomes a new man as he realizes their stately significance. No person amounts to much until all their faculties have been challenged.

A young man has a meeting with Jesus. Once flamboyant, rich, wealthy and well to do, all that he is has been challenged and now he asks the momentous question.

What Good Thing Shall I Do? (v.16).

This was an Urgent Question. 17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, Mark 10:17

This was a Respectful Question. His posture was respectful. Mark says he "knelt" before Jesus.

This was a Vital Question. Again, he asked, "What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life." It was a question of eternal significance

Have you heard these proverbs?

For lack of a nail, a shoe was lost. For lack of a shoe, a horse was lost. For lack of a horse, a rider was lost. For lack of a rider, a battle was lost. For lack of a battle, the kingdom was lost. All for the want of a horseshoe nail." James Baldwin speaking of King Richard III

A miss is as good as a mile. something that you say which means that failing to do something when you almost succeeded is no better than failing very badly I've tried to reassure him that he only failed by three percent but the way he sees it, a miss is as good as a mile. A failure remains a failure, regardless of how close to success one has actually come. Almost doesn’t count.

Some of the people Jesus ministered to responded favourably and others went away without being changed positively. This is still the situation today! We rejoice over the ones who were changed, but we also can learn from the ones that were not!

You May Lack A Sense Of Your Sin

The rich young man asks about what is good and so Jesus obliges him by pointing to God's law. God's law is "good". And the Law is good. It reveals to us God’s standard for what goodness is. Its an unattainable standard, but it is the standard nonetheless.

It is the standard of goodness.

There is only one way anyone can get to heaven: Jesus said John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

There is a problem about sin that needs to be dealt with.

Jesus came to be the saviour. He came to save people from their sins. But people wont need a saviour unless they see how sinful they are.

Luke 19:10  For the  Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

Many people do not see their lostness, so they don’t let Jesus save them.

I remember once overhearing a discussion between a deacon and a deacon’s wife. Reg said “How do you think you get to heaven?”

She said “by keeping the commandments enough Reg!”

No one can keep the commandments enough. Its not that the commandments are faulty, its that we are faulty.

And that is what the Lord Jesus is making this young man aware of.

“Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸ He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘ You shall not murder, ’ ‘ You shall not commit adultery, ’ ‘ You shall not steal, ’ ‘ You shall not bear false witness, ’ ¹⁹  ‘ Honor your father and your mother, ’ and, ‘ You shall love your neighbor as yourself .’ ” ²⁰ The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Paul put it this way. Galatians 3:25 For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly be by the law. 22 But the Scripture has imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed.

24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Like some old school master that puts kids through trial to bring them to the desired place of maturity, the Law was our schoolmaster to teach us that we could not save ourselves. We needed a Saviour. The Lord Jesus is that Saviour.

You can see it with this young man: He has a problem with sin, actually his sin particularly is covetousness. He loved his silver, more than he knew.

While he could say he kept all the commandments that Jesus mentioned, there was one that revealed his dark heart, "thou shalt not covet" and the fact that he leaves Jesus behind rather than give up his wealth indicated that indeed he did still covet!

Several years ago, archeologists were digging in the city of Pompeii. They found a little hole in the ground, so they poured some plaster of paris into it. They then dug out the shape of the person that had been there in 70 AD when Pompeii blew! They found the corpse of a woman who must have been fleeing from the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius but was caught in the rain of hot ashes. The woman's hands clutched jewels, which were preserved in excellent condition. She had the jewels, but death had her. That's the bottom line in life. Worldly treasure is not a wise investment because you can't take it with you. Jim Elliot, a missionary who was martyred for his faith, understood this reality when he wrote in his journal, "A person is no fool to give up what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose." It's not foolish to give up what you cannot keep in order to gain what you cannot lose. –

‘ You shall love your neighbor as yourself .’ ” ²⁰ The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Not only did he love his silver more than he knew, he didn’t love people, particularly poor people, more than he knew. “sell what you have and give to the poor”. This is particularly a warning to him of his sin. The Lord showed him his sin clearly. And he had a choice. Would he love his sin and hide it, casting up a cloak of religion over an unloving heart, or would he confess his sin, and come to the Saviour?

You May Lack A Significance Of The Saviour

Well that is the other thing that this young man lacked. Because he was all hung up on who he was and what he would do, he didn’t realize who he was really speaking to.

Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher,..”

The Lord was a really good teacher, but He was the Messiah, the Christ, who had come in to the world to save us from our sins. Now this young man thought he was pretty good.

The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”

He had kept all the commandments spotlessly from his youth? Well he is made of different stuff to every other person I know! He never had told a lie. He never had disobeyed his parents or been rebellious in any way ever? He had never thought a lustful thought?

One of artist Andy Warhol's great pictures is his "Last Supper" in which he superimposes the General Electric logo and the wrapper from a bar of Dove soap over a dim drawing of Leonardo da Vinci's famous work. Warhol meant no irreverence. He was rather making a statement that few will deny. Spiritual values are often overshadowed or hidden by materialism.

You May Lack A Separation From Sin

It was a 99-degree September day in San Antonio, when a 10 month-old baby girl was accidentally locked inside a parked car by her aunt. Frantically the mother and aunt ran around the auto in near hysteria, while a neighbor attempted to unlock the car with a clothes hanger. Soon the infant was turning purple and had foam on her mouth. It had become a life-or-death situation when Fred Arriola, a wrecker driver, arrived on the scene. He grabbed a hammer and smashed the back window of the car to set her free. Was he heralded a hero? He said, "The lady was mad at me because I broke the window. I just thought, What's more important--the baby or the window?"

You May Lack A Standing With The Saviour

Peter said “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” ²⁸ So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹  “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. ³⁰  “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Embrace The Saviour “come, follow Me.”

How many times did the Lord Jesus call people to follow Him? Matthew 4 19 And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Matthew 8:19 And a scribe came up and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."

22 And Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.

Matthew 10:38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Matthew 19: 21 Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

John 1:43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me."

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

John 12:26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him

1 Peter 2: 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

Obey His Precepts “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;” I don’t know what the Lord will tell you to leave to follow Him. For some it may be comforts. For others it may be something that you have put in a higher place than the Lord. But one thing is clear, the Lord wants to have a real relationship with you not one that is just religious.

Imitate His Example.

²³ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴  “And again I say to you, 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.”

In Jules Verne's novel The Mysterious Island, he tells of five men who escape a Civil War prison camp by hijacking a hot air balloon. As they rise into the air, they realize the wind is carrying them over the ocean. Watching their homeland disappear on the horizon, they wonder how much longer the balloon can stay aloft. As the hours pass and the surface of the ocean draws closer, the men decide they must cast overboard some of the weight, for they had no way to heat the air in the balloon. Shoes, overcoats, and weapons are reluctantly discarded, and the uncomfortable aviators feel their balloon rise. But only temporarily. Soon they find themselves dangerously close to the waves again, so they toss their food. Better to be high and hungry than drown on a full belly! Unfortunately, this, too, is only a temporary solution, and the craft again threatens to lower the men into the sea. One man has an idea: they can tie the ropes that hold the passenger car and sit on those ropes. Then they can cut away the basket beneath them. As they sever the very thing they had been standing on, it drops into the ocean, and the balloon rises. Not a minute too soon, they spot land. Eager to stand on terra firma again, the five jump into the water and swim to the island. They live, spared because they were able to discern the difference between what really was needed and what was not. The "necessities" they once thought they couldn't live without were the very weights that almost cost them their lives.

Could the necessities be keeping you from Jesus. Have ypou discovered that the one thing you really need is He as your Saviour and Lord? Then come to Him today. He is ready to receive you. Let Him be your Saviour and Lord today.

You May Lack A Secured Salvation

²⁸ So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹  “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.

One thing thou lackest:

Mark 10: 21 Then, looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

1 thing or 5 things?

Well it’s the one thing…. That results in loosing these other 5 things. He lacked a sense of sin which would send him to the Saviour for a secure salvation that would separate him from sin.

Bottom line.. he didn’t follow Jesus. The one thing he lacked was Jesus.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Is it so with you?

²² But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

I do not believe that that is the end of the story.

There are some elements of the story in Mark’s gospel that describe the intensity of this meeting in a more fascinating way than described in Matthew or Luke’s account: For one thing, it is from Mark we learn he ran to Jesus. For another that he was a rich young man. That he kneeled before Jesus to ask the question concerning eternal life.

I think there is good reason to consider that the young man was actually the author of Mark’s gospel. It is possible that the Upper room was actually in Mark’s own house, and that his parents, his mother had opened the house to the Lord for the last Supper. Mark also records that a young man was in the Garden of Gethsemane with the Saviour on the night of his betrayal and Mark 14: 51 And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: “ he fled naked… perhaps somewhat symbolic of Mark’s decision to leave it all and follow the Lord Jesus.

Well, the Lord calls you to allow Him first place in your life. Will you follow Him?

# posted by Groseys messages @ 8:30 PM