Encounter the Truth

Jonathan Griffiths: If at the end of the day, you or I would not give up our money to follow Jesus if asked to do so, well, then money is our idol. Money is our God replacements. It is the most important thing in our lives, and it will bar us from the kingdom.

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Encounter the Truth with Jonathan Griffiths. I'm Steve Hiller. Glad you're with us today. And Jonathan, that statement that we just heard right there, if money is the most important thing, it will bar us from the kingdom. I hope that is a wake-up call for some of us. I think for some it could be a a little bit shocking, maybe a little bit jarring.

Jonathan Griffiths: Well, I think it is shocking, and I think it is a little bit jarring, and I think the teaching of Jesus on this subject is meant to wake us up and to shock us just a little bit. The point here is that if money is the most important thing in our heart and in our life, it is our God replacement. It is our idol. And if that is the case, then we don't know the Lord Jesus Christ, and we haven't turned to him for salvation. And so that's why the interaction with this rich ruler that Jesus has in Luke 18 is so significant because ultimately through the course of Jesus's discussion with him and his questioning of him, it becomes clear that this this man values his money more than he values Jesus.

And I guess it's possible that there could be a number listening to the program today, and you think, you know, I'm interested in Jesus. I might even call myself a Christian, but if he asked me to give up my money, the answer to Jesus would be a firm no. I I don't know. Maybe that's the case for some listening. And if it is, I'd love you to keep listening because Jesus will highlight for us the danger of that outlook and and indeed the peril of it.

Steve Hiller: Well, let's look at this together. Luke chapter 18 is where we are. So I hope you'll take your Bible and join us there as we continue when wealth becomes a problem. Here is Jonathan.

Jonathan Griffiths: This radiant God, this God of total moral purity, he has a high standard of perfection. You and I, we will often trivialize God's holiness and his expectations of us, but God himself never trivializes these things. It's sobering to hear Jesus himself teach on the moral law of God. You remember his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 when he opens up the true nature of the moral law, and he shows us that outward conformity to the basic standards of the commandments is not what God is looking for. He is looking for a thoroughgoing obedience from the heart.

You know, to quote Jesus there in Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount, you've heard it said, says Jesus, to those of old, you shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council, and whoever says you fool will be liable to the hell of fire. You know, we think, well, we're okay if we don't put a knife to someone's chest. Jesus says anger or harsh words are culpable in the sight of a holy God or or take lust you.

You've heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery, but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. And and again, Jesus just takes things to a whole new level, doesn't he? Those who thought they were guiltless because they never allowed themselves to go down the pathway of physical adultery, now those living on that moral high ground, well, they're brought low. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And the rich ruler, he didn't get it.

And you and I, we we're slow to get it. God's holiness is such that his standards are perfect, and our sinfulness is such that none of us meets the requirements. In a sense, the rich ruler's opening question betrays his lack of understanding. Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? What must I do? I mean, the implication there underlying the question is that he could do something, anything to inherit eternal life, the eternal life that he is actually forfeited through sin. And the truth is there's nothing he could do. There's nothing you and I could ever do.

Eternal life is not winnable, earnable, purchasable for the sinful human being. Now friends, I pause to emphasize that a little bit because it's so vitally important that you and I understand it, believe it, and know that it's really true. There is such a temptation for us to imagine that our moral record will in some way save us in the end, that it will in some way impress God, in some way secure our place in the eternal kingdom. It's all the more tempting if like the rich ruler, we've actually lived outwardly fairly decent lives and we've not committed some heinous sin that is obvious to us and obvious to others.

It's all the more tempting if other people might call us good and decent and might say that we are upright members of the community. Jesus's verdict is the simple truth. There is none good but God alone. Now that's the first barrier that this rich ruler faced when seeking eternal life. It was a barrier of understanding. It was a barrier of mind. He didn't understand the holiness of God. He didn't understand the depths of his own sin. Next, he faced a barrier of heart, a barrier of heart. The rich man thought he had kept the law of God from his earliest days.

Now here Jesus's response to that claim, verse 22. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, one thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow me. Jesus sees right through this man as he sees through everyone with x-ray vision, and he hones in immediately on his deepest issue of heart. Now notice with me that we've gone from the topic of moral goodness, obedience to the law. We've we've gone now to something else. What's the issue we've gone to? We've gone to the issue of following Jesus Christ.

That move, it is critically important in the flow of this narrative. Jesus is talking now about what it will mean to follow him, not what it means initially to obey the law or to be good enough for God. No. And Jesus has a reason for making this switch. The idea of doing enough, obeying enough, being good enough, that is a dead end road when it comes to eternal life. No one will ever earn their way to heaven. There's never going to be a way to inherit eternal life through doing. Now the only way to inherit eternal life is through knowing Jesus Christ, through being his follower, through belonging to him by faith.

And the reason for that, well, that takes us to the very essence of the gospel. We we can never pay for our sin. We can never wipe the slate clean. We can never make things right through doing more and trying harder. It won't work. It will never ever be enough. No, we need God himself to do that which we cannot do. And in Jesus Christ, that is precisely what he has done. Jesus came to earth not to be our moral coach and instructor, but to be our savior. He came and lived the perfect life of moral goodness that we have failed to live.

And having kept the law of God perfectly, he went to the cross and died a criminal's death, a death which he did not deserve, but which you and I richly deserve. At the cross, he paid my debt, and he paid your debt, and a great exchange took place. He took on himself my record of sin, and he gave to me his record of moral perfection. And as I trust in him, my guilt is paid for, and in the sight of God, I'm seen as sinless, even as sinless as Jesus Christ himself. Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

Well, there's nothing you can do yourself. You need the very goodness of God to be attributed to you, and you need your guilt to be taken away. And how does all that happen? It happens when we turn to Jesus Christ by faith, and we become his followers. And so what Jesus is doing now is he is exposing the thing in this man's heart that will actually keep him from following him. What's the thing in his heart that matters most of all and what will matter more than Jesus Christ, more than eternal life? What is the idol of his heart, the thing that he prizes and worships most of all?

Sell all you have. Come follow me. Verse 23. But when he heard these things, he became very sad for he was extremely rich. Now that is a very fascinating insight into this man's heart, and it shows the profound depths of insight that Jesus had into him. Jesus really did see right through this man, see into his heart with x-ray vision. Now the man, he knew the stakes were high. He was clear about that. He was thinking about eternity. He raised the question. He had asked about it. He is not trifling here. He's being serious. And when Jesus tells this man what it's going to take, set aside the thing you love most, the idol of your heart and become my follower, prize me above your money, what happens?

This man becomes very sad. Why is he sad? Because he knows there is no way he will give up his money, and so he knows in that moment that he is forfeiting eternal life. He's sad. He's very sad. He's sad because he knows the stakes. He knows the nature of his decision, and yet he takes that decision nonetheless. Now that right there, that moment, it shows us vividly the power of the allure of wealth to the human heart. Nothing could ever put it or illustrate it more clearly or profoundly. This man knows what is up.

He knows what Jesus is saying. Ultimately, it's your money or it's me. It's your money or it's heaven. And the man, he doesn't choose flippantly. He chooses mournfully. He chooses waitingly, but he chooses nonetheless. Let's not underestimate the tragedy of this moment. The rich ruler has decided he will keep his money and he will reject Jesus. He will guard his wealth and forfeit heaven. He will hold on to his cash and let go of life itself. And so Jesus expresses the principle that this man's sad story illustrates the principle that you and I need to hear and take to heart, verse 24.

Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said how difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God, for 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. Now I think this is a shocking thing, and I think this is something you and I don't expect to hear. After all, in in this world, in this age, you know, people with wealth, they have the front row seats, and they have the early access to all the best events.

They are in boarding group one on the plane. You know, they sit up front. They get served refreshments before takeoff. They get performance and access. It's easy to get in if you're wealthy. Money buys access. But the opposite is true in the kingdom of God. It is easier for a lumpy camel to pass through the eye of a needle, that tiny eye of the needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom. It is a vivid image, almost comical in its proportions, but the point is very very clear. It is really hard, really hard for the rich to be saved.

Now is that because wealth is evil? No, it's not that. Is it because God just doesn't like rich people very much? No, no, that's not the case. Is it a penalty of some kind for having it good in this world? Well, no, that's not it either. Wealth in and of itself, it's not bad, but it it becomes a problem when it takes hold of the heart. And when it becomes the thing of supreme importance, Jesus essentially called this man to choose between him and his wealth. Will it be following Jesus or keeping money? Which one matters more to you?

And in the end, we saw what happened. The wealth won out. It it mattered more to the rich man than anything else in all the worlds. And if at the end of the day, you or I would not give up our money to follow Jesus if asked to do so, well, then money is our idol. Money is our God replacements. It is the most important thing in our lives, and it will bar us from the kingdom.

Steve Hiller: Well, we have to hit the pause button right here, but we'll continue our message when wealth becomes a problem in just a moment. If you ever want to find out more about Jonathan and Encounter the Truth, I hope you'll come and visit our website. It's encounterthetruth.org. There you can check out our weekly e-devotional, sign up for our newsletter, find links to social media, and more. Again, that's at encounterthetruth.org. Well, let's get back to our message. Once again, from Luke chapter 18, here is Jonathan.

Jonathan Griffiths: Now money isn't the only idol that will bar us from the kingdom, of course, but money is a particularly dangerous idol because it is particularly attractive. It's tangible. It's useful. It can purchase wonderful and beautiful things, and it can help us avoid all kinds of problems in this world. Gold glitters and silver sparkles. It has a universal appeal, and so it is especially dangerous. And so friend, if if if you have wealth, if the Lord has given you wealth, let me urge you, let me encourage you to check, to be very careful that you don't love it more than you love Jesus Christ, that you don't prize it more than you prize life eternal.

It's worth adding here, I think, that if you aren't wealthy and if that's a cause of regret for you, a cause of frustration, maybe a potential cause of bitterness in your life, if that's you, let let me just encourage you as a side note to see as well the benefit of this. And I I don't say it flippantly, but if the Lord hasn't given you all the wealth, you might want. Be grateful that he has placed you in a position of lesser danger, a place where you are less likely to reject Jesus because of the peril of riches.

I mentioned not long ago the prayer of the book of Proverbs, which I find to be so good and wise. Proverbs at 30 verses 7 through 9, you may remember this. The writer says this, two things I ask of you, deny them not to me before I die. Remove far from me falsehood and lying. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say who is the Lord? It's not a good prayer. Now most of us probably wouldn't object to bearing the burden of riches, but the Lord in his wisdom may be protecting us by giving us what we need and not more.

Those who are listening to this exchange now chime in. Obviously they found the whole thing a little bit shocking. This rich ruler, he seemed like the most obvious person to inherit eternal life, and rich people generally seem to be the recipients of God's blessing in their estimation. So all this seemed rather surprising, rather strange. Verse 26, those who heard it said, then who can be saved? Who? I mean, if this guy can't be saved, then who actually can be saved? Will anyone make it if this guy doesn't? This seems so very very difficult. Verse 27, but he said, what is impossible with man is possible with God.

Salvation is always impossible for man. We can't achieve it by any means, but the miracle of salvation is possible with God. He can do great and impossible things. He can save rich and poor alike, the upright in the eyes of the world and the outcast too. And that's great assurance, isn't it? Whoever you are, if you will follow Jesus Christ, if you will love him more than anything else, he will accept you. He will apply his cleansing blood to your sinned sin-stained heart. He will wipe your record clean. He will give you life eternal. A footnote to this whole discussion now comes from one of the disciples from Peter.

The exchange has raised an issue for him for and for the others who have followed Jesus already. It's not a quite a question. It's more of an exclamation, but there is a a question behind the outburst, verse 28. And Peter said, see, we have left our homes and followed you. The disciples may not have left wealth, not wealth like the rich man's, but they left what they had when they dropped everything to follow the call of Jesus. And Peter's wondering now, well, what what's all that going to mean for us? How's it going to work out for us?

We've done what you've asked, Jesus. Verse 29. And he said to them, truly I say to you, there's no one who's left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not receive many times more in this time and in the age to come eternal life. Now Peter is such a sort of earthy and authentic character. He's willing to raise the issue that others might think of, but hesitate to articulate for politeness. We've made some sacrifices, Jesus. Are those going to mean anything in the end?

What about those who have sacrificed time with family or those whose family have actually rejected them and abandoned them for their faith in Jesus? What about those who have made big financial sacrifices for the kingdom, those who have gone on the mission field, those who have accepted much lower paying work to prioritize ministry? What will that mean, Jesus? If we've taken seriously the call to love you more than money, more than the things of this world, if we've made sacrifices, what will that mean in the end, Jesus? And I guess it's a good question, isn't it?

Many of the people of God have made real earthly sacrifices to follow Jesus and to serve Jesus. Many believers do every day. What's Jesus's answer? Is he dismissive and does he call the question rude and brush it aside? No. What does he say? No one who has done that will not receive many more times what has been given in this time and in the age to come eternal life. That's his answer. While it may surprise us as an answer, what's Jesus saying? He's saying that God doesn't forget us. He's saying that God doesn't leave us in a position of loss in time and in eternity.

He's saying that when we come to him, we become part of a massive global family, a family of brothers and sisters in Christ. And we find in that family so much blessing, tangible blessing, indeed so much sharing of worldly resources that believers who have made sacrifices gain access to people and resources within the family of God that they never ever had before. And it's why believers are not left destitute or isolated in this world. At least they never should be because the global family of Christians is huge, and the means to care for one another are significant.

And time and time again, you know, I've seen how the Lord has worked this out for his people and made wonderful provision for his children, and he does that. He does that time and time again. He does that. But more than that, those who have chosen to love Jesus more than anything else, they receive in the end the greatest treasure of all, life eternal. Life with Jesus, life that does not end, life that is life indeed. And friends, that's this that's the thing of supreme worth, isn't it? That is the thing of inestimable value. So as we close, let me simply ask you, is there anything in this world, wealth or another thing that has a greater hold on your heart than Jesus Christ himself?

That's the searching question that this passage raises for us. Is there anything you would refuse to give up for Jesus? He calls us to love him, calls us to follow him, to trust him, to walk with him. Is there anything in all this world that would stop you doing that very thing today? And if so, can you see that that thing, whatever it is in your life, wealth or another thing, is not worth your loyalty? Can you see that it is not worth your affection? Can you see that it is not worth your eternity? And can you see that Jesus himself and the life he gives is worth more than anything else, your heart may desire?

Steve Hiller: Jonathan Griffiths here on Encounter the Truth wrapping up our message, when wealth becomes a problem. It's part of our series Cash, Christ, and the Kingdom. And if you ever miss a broadcast in the series, you can always come and listen online. Our website is encounterthetruth.org. Well, whether you listen to Encounter the Truth on the radio, online, or through the app, it's all made possible through your generosity. And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to say thank you by sending you a book called Gentle and Lowly, the Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers.

And Jonathan, I know that uh this is a book that you've read, you've picked out for us this month. Uh what did you take away from this book?

Jonathan Griffiths: Well, thanks Steve. It is a book I've read and appreciated. I've got others to read, and I'm planning to read it again. And I've appreciated it so much because it reminded me of things that I knew to be true, but I don't always remember and don't always live in the good of. I think that the default mode of our hearts and our sinfulness is to think that God is keeping some kind of scorecard of our obedience, and he's more pleased with us when we do better in the Christian life and are more uh faithful and and more fruitful in our service of him.

And Gentle and Lowly reminds us that God's heart toward us is a heart of grace poured out in the gift of his son and given daily through the presence of his Holy Spirit within our lives that God loves us, that he's merciful toward us, that he's a compassionate father, that he's a gentle shepherd. And we need to be reminded of these things because we don't naturally believe that they're true. But when we're reminded of them and we take hold of them, we're encouraged to walk with Christ in in joy and in faith and indeed then in obedience.

Steve Hiller: Well, we want to send you a copy of this book. Again, it's called Gentle and Lowly is our way of saying thank you for your financial support this month. You can give online at encounterthetruth.org or when you call 1 833 998 7884. It might be easier to remember as 833 99 Truth. And again, our website is encounterthetruth.org. You can also write to us at Encounter the Truth, P.O. Box 5513, Ottawa, Ontario K2C 3M1 or in the US at Encounter the Truth, 215 North Arlington Heights Road, Suite 102, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004. For Jonathan Griffiths and our producer Mark Bretta, I'm Steve Hiller.

Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll join us next time.