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Guest (Male): Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham.

Jack Graham: Jesus had said, "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?" Jesus said you will either love the world or you will love me and follow me. You can't have it both ways. It's either/or.

Guest (Male): On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about the choice you have to serve God or serve your own desires. Now here's Dr. Graham with his message, Rich Man-Poor Man.

Jack Graham: Today's message is found in Mark chapter 10. It is a famous story, really. You might know it as the story of the rich young ruler. I'm calling this sermon Rich Man-Poor Man. And you'll see why as we read beginning in verse 17, chapter 10 of Mark.

"And he was setting out on his journey, or 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 it 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."

Rich man, poor man. All three of the gospel writers that recorded this story, Luke, Matthew, and Mark, said that he was rich, he was fabulously wealthy. Matthew, in talking about this encounter between Jesus and this man, said that he was a young man. So a young rich man. And Luke tells us that he was a ruler, most likely a religious ruler and leader in his community. And thus the rich young ruler.

And what a contrast between these two men: the wealthy, young, aristocratic man who came and knelt at Jesus' feet and Jesus himself, the carpenter from Nazareth. The one who didn't even have a place to lay his head, an itinerant preacher, the one they were saying is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. They may have been about the same age, and yet so different in many ways.

Here is this young man who's in the prime of his life, young manhood. And he's with gorgeous robes streaming behind him, running into the presence of Jesus, eager, anticipating, asking certain questions, spiritual questions. And he asks the most important question of all: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" To put it simply, he was asking, "How can I be saved? How can I know that I'm going to heaven? What is salvation? What does it take to inherit, to receive eternal life?"

He came at the right time at young manhood. He came to the right person, Jesus. And he came with the right and the most important question: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" And there Jesus, seeing him and yet knowing his love for money and possessions and power and prestige and social acceptance, confronts him with the gospel of the cross, the gospel of self-denial.

This young man in the presence of Jesus had everything seemingly that life could offer. He was successful, very successful. As noted, he was young. When this young man, probably thirty-something, he had risen to some status in the community already. But he's on a spiritual search. He was young, he was rich, which in that day in particular was a sign of the remembrance and the favor and the blessing of God upon a person's life.

And even in our own culture, if a person has money, if a person is wealthy, they potentially have business power and social influence and all the rest. And so as a result of his youth, as a result of his eagerness, the expectations, the possibilities of his life, the fact that he had the money to fund it, he is now a ruler. Josephus, the Jewish historian, indicates that this word for ruler may suggest that he was a member of the Sanhedrin, that he was a ruler in the Jewish Sanhedrin, which was the ruling class and court of the Jewish nation. So here we have this man. He has attained a place of political, social, and domestic importance in his community, in his city, even in the nation. And so he is described as a rich young ruler. And he comes to Jesus with a spiritual desire.

The remarkable thing about this young man initially is how he came to Jesus. We're told that he came running to Jesus. And not only running, but kneeling at the feet of Jesus. Again, what a contrast: this aristocratic, sophisticated young man kneeling at the feet of the Galilean carpenter named Jesus. As for Jesus, he was on his last pilgrimage, his last trip to Jerusalem. He had set his face towards the cross and was on his way to die for the sins of the world, your sins and mine.

Opposition was rising, resistance and antagonism, rejection, all of that was facing Jesus at this time. The tide was turning against the Lord. So the fact that this young man came to Jesus at that time, not early on, not early in the life and the ministry and the work of Christ, but now late when so many are turning away, this young man knows there's something about Jesus that he must get the answer that though he was a religious man and a rich man and a respected man, there were spiritual questions that he could not answer.

He was spiritually seeking and searching to know the truth. He didn't know that he had eternal life. And I'm speaking to some right now that though you were raised in religion, grown up in church, you've kept commandments, you're morally a good person, there is that fear in your life that you don't know that you're going to heaven. Do you know for certain that if you were to die today that you would go to heaven? And if so, how do you know?

That's the question that this young man brought in the broad daylight. Unlike Nicodemus who for whatever reason came to Jesus by night, or Joseph of Arimathea whose tomb the Lord was laid who was a secret disciple of the Lord, or others who were faces in the crowd that we've never known or met, but this man came wide open, unashamed into the presence of Jesus. What a great story, kneeling before the Lord. There's something about moral strength and spiritual courage and bravery that is so attractive.

The young man addresses the Lord with these words on his quest, his sincere desire to know eternal life. He says to Jesus, "Good Master. Good Master." And this is where the story turns because Jesus asks him then, "Why do you call me good? There is none good but God." Even the most famous rabbis of that generation were not called good. The term good remained for God and God alone because God is good.

So Jesus says, "Why are you calling me good? Why are you calling me good teacher? Why are you saying I'm a good rabbi? Because only God is good." Now lest you think that Jesus is somehow diminishing or even denying his deity, he is in fact affirming his deity. He refuses to accept human adulation and applause as simply being good.

The religions of the world believe Jesus was a good teacher, a good rabbi, a good man, a prophet, but he is more than a prophet and he did not leave it for us to say he is a good teacher, he is a good master. No. In fact, C.S. Lewis, the great generation ago leader of the Christian church, Brit, he said this about saying that Jesus is only good:

"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on the level with a man who says he's a poached egg, or else he would be the devil of hell, that is a blasphemer. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." The question of the Christ, who is he? And why did he come?

Guest (Male): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, Rich Man-Poor Man. July 4th, 2026 will be a day of great celebration for the 250th birthday of our great country. However, there has never been a more important time in our 250 years as a nation where we need God to move in power and heal our land. That's why I'm inviting you to join Dr. Graham in a prayer challenge for our nation. To join, simply text the word CRY to 59789. Again, text CRY to 59789.

Remember that your support of PowerPoint Ministries helps people encounter Jesus through clear biblical teaching. Through the support of friends like you, lives are being strengthened, faith is being renewed, and seekers are discovering the hope only found in Christ. Your partnership is so vital that when you give this month, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, Life According to Jesus, as our thanks. It's a powerful journey through the Gospel of John that shares wisdom from the life of Christ to help you respond to real-world struggles. To give your gift, text APRIL to 59789. Again, text APRIL to 59789. Now let's get back to today's message, Rich Man-Poor Man.

Jack Graham: That brings us to the second act of this drama, which is a spiritual determination. Jesus is about to give this young man an examination to determine, for the man to self-determine, where he was spiritually, to determine the spiritual reality of his life. It's a test. You have a question and you have a test to respond. And so here it is. Jesus said, "Okay, you know the commandments. You know the commandments: Honor your father and your mother, that's a good one. Don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't kill, don't defraud."

And he gives these commandments, and the young man responded, "I've kept all of these since I was a youth." And that's when the Bible says, and you look at that verse and it's so attractive, verse 21, it says, "And Jesus, looking at him, loved him." Jesus looks at you and he loves you, I assure you of that, whether you're a moral person or an immoral person. His love is everlasting. He loves you.

But there was something so appealing about this young man, his possibility, his potential, his prayerful request that Jesus looked right, he locked eyes with him. He fastened his attention on him. And he looked beyond his eyes and into his soul. He saw this young man's real need, though he had kept the commandments externally in his heart there was something missing. There was a fatal flaw in this young man's life. He was clean, he was pure, but Jesus said, "Okay, here's the one thing you lack."

Now I need to push pause here just a moment and say Jesus is not teaching us that we're saved by keeping the commandments unless you say you truly have kept all of the commandments and you've never broken one. Anybody? Anybody? No, we've all broken God's commandments. And if we are to be saved by keeping commandments, fail.

In fact, the scripture says if you break even one of the commandments, you're guilty of all. And not only in the content of the commandments, the substance of the commandments, but the spirit of the commandments. Jesus took it to a whole new level when he talked about if you hate in your heart, if you are a hater, you are a murderer. If you are filled with lust, you are an adulterer, and so on. Anybody still in on keeping all the commandments?

But the one commandment that was clear the young man had broken was the very first one. He didn't mention it, but it's the one which says, "You shall worship the Lord God and him only, and him only shall you serve. You shall have no other gods before me." This young man, rich and ruling, had another god, and his god was greed.

He wasn't keeping the commandment regarding covetousness, and Jesus proves it when he says, "Okay, go sell anything and all the things that you have, give it to the poor, then come and follow me." Interesting, isn't it? Nothing here about faith, nothing here about grace, but it's about repentance, turning your back on the world and the things of this world, the things we hold in our hands and more importantly in our hearts that we are unwilling to give up to follow Jesus.

It doesn't matter what it may be. If there's anything in your life, in this world that you love more than God, that's an idol that must be torn down if you're going to follow Jesus. "One thing you lack." This man loved the wrong world. The love of the world was in his heart. He thought he was a spiritually devout individual and in some ways he was, but it was superficial, wasn't it? It was surface. Because when it came right down to it, he loved his money. He was mastered by his money.

And Jesus had said, "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?" Jesus said you will either love the world and the things of this world or you will love me and follow me. You can't have it both ways. It's either/or. You will either decide to turn your back on this world and follow Jesus, or you're going to walk away without him. You will make a decision.

This man had a decision to make at this point, and it becomes such a sad, sorrowful decision. The final verse that we read was verse 22. Look at it. "Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful." Disheartened, I mean he was discouraged and Luke tells us that his countenance fell. It showed up on his face. He frowns and he went away sorrowful. *Stugnazō* in the Greek, it's only used another time in the New Testament. Jesus used it in Matthew's Gospel describing a storm.

There is now a storm in this young man's soul. This is a bright, sunny disposition on his face and now the clouds roll in, the sun is behind the clouds and the lightning bolts hit because he is in a serious spiritual conflict. He's struggling. Yes or no? "Can I give up what I have, all these things? Can I give up and follow Jesus? Yes or no? Can I do this?" The demons in hell are whispering in his ear, "Don't be a fool. Don't be an idiot. You can't give up this stuff to follow Jesus."

The angel, the recording angel, is poised and ready to write this man's name down in the Lamb's Book of Life. The angels are ready to cheer and sing. But he bites his lip. Tears begin to bubble up in his eyes and flow. And he says no. No. And he went away, walked away sorrowful. As far as we know, right into hell. As far as we know, no other chances, no other time. Jesus on to the cross, death, resurrection without this man.

So much potential there, so much promise there. I'm sure the disciples are thinking, "We can't let this guy go. He can fund our program here. This guy's rich. He's good. Jesus, let's renegotiate this thing." Jesus loved him, but he loved him enough to tell him the truth. He loved him enough to let him go. I'm sure, I'm certain, this broke the heart of Jesus as well. Jesus is broken-hearted when anyone walks away from him.

But you can be in heaven a billion years and you'll never find this man there. You can look for him throughout all eternity and he won't be there. It was the suicide of a soul. He said no, I'll not follow Jesus because he loved this world. Jesus said that when you follow me, you will have treasure in heaven. He couldn't see beyond his treasure on earth and things and stuff and possessions and acceptance and popularity.

What is it that may be keeping you from following Jesus? What is the one thing for you? Might not be money. For many people, it's money. For a lot of people, it's money. Just love the world, love money, love things, no time to follow Jesus. Their god is gold, their creed is greed. I've known people through the years that are in hell today because of their love for money. Even saying things like, "You know, I'll never go to that church. I'll never go and follow Christ because all they want down there is your money and they're getting none of my money."

But maybe it's not money. It could be lust, sinful pleasure of some kind, some habit. It could be drugs, it could be alcohol. It could be pride. You see, this man was a ruler. He wanted to rule his own life. He was unwilling to transfer the rule of his life to Jesus. One thing, and it kept him out of heaven and sent him to hell. All our other stories have been happy ending stories. This is not a happy ending story. Like many others, he rejected Jesus. Like some of you so far, rejected Jesus. And he went away sad and sorrowful. This storm brewing in his soul, this stirring that I'm sure never went away the rest of his life. He walked away from Jesus.

Guest (Male): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, Rich Man-Poor Man. Let me remind you that your support helps bring the life-changing truth of Jesus Christ to people across the world through PowerPoint Ministries. And this month, we'd love to send you a powerful resource as our way of saying thank you for your gift. It's Dr. Jack Graham's book, Life According to Jesus. In this transformative journey through the Gospel of John, you'll discover not just what Jesus might do, but what he actually did when facing life's hardest questions.

And we'll be excited to send you this resource because your generosity helps place this kind of biblical teaching into the hands of seekers and believers alike, equipping them to live according to Jesus' example every day. To give your gift, just text APRIL to 59789. Again, that's APRIL to 59789. July 4th, 2026 will be a day of great celebration for the 250th birthday of our great country. However, there has never been a more important time in our 250 years as a nation where we need God to move in power and heal our land.

That's why I'm inviting you to join Dr. Graham in a prayer challenge for our nation. To join, simply text the word CRY to 59789. Again, text CRY to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: What's so tragic about this story is that this man was so close to heaven, but something kept him from having the eternal life that Jesus was offering him. Something that is so great, so wonderful, so eternal was right within his grasp, but he walked away without Christ and he walked away without a future. You know, if you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I beg you today: Don't walk away, don't turn away from Jesus.

Every time you reject the message that he offers, your heart becomes a little harder. And eventually it becomes so hard that you'll not be able to make a decision at all. There's no magic words or formula to becoming a Christian. It's really a simple and yet sincere act of faith to say something like this: "Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. I've broken your commandments. I know I need forgiveness. I can't save myself. So Lord, I ask you to come into my life, to forgive my sin, and to make me brand new. Lord, I turn from myself and my sin, and I trust in you. I receive the gift of eternal life."

Now if you've prayed that prayer, you can start living that eternal life right now because eternal life begins today, not just when you die. You can have the joy and the peace and life that God has promised because you now belong to him and no matter what comes your way, you can win in life because you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you have said yes to Jesus and you are following him, that means you have received his inheritance, his eternal life. And you know what? It's too good to keep. You want to give his love and his grace and his message to others. So because of his great love for you and because of his great love for people like you, then make sure that your friends and your families know Christ. Share the wonderful gift of eternal life with others by introducing others to faith in our Savior. And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift to PowerPoint, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, Life According to Jesus. Just text APRIL to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how you can be victorious in Christ. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham.

Guest (Male): PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.