What's Keeping You From God?

Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  45:31
0 ratings
· 40 views
Files
Notes
Transcript
Years ago during the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, he was honoring President Francois Mitterrand of France and his lovely wife at a dinner party. As Nancy Reagan escorted President Mitterand to his side of the table, Ronald Reagan began to show Mrs. Mitterand to her chair. However, Mrs. Mitterand froze in her position refusing to move ahead. As the butler motioned for her to come to her seat, she again stood still. Finally, she whispered something to Ronald Reagan in French which he did not understand. Gently, he said, "Mrs. Mitterand let me kindly show you to your place at the table." But again she refused to move. Suddenly a French translator came up to her and asked her what was wrong. She said, "President Reagan is standing on my evening gown." Accidentally, President Reagan had become a hindrance to her from going forward.
This morning I want to ask you this morning: What is keeping you from God? Hindering you from coming to God – from getting completely serious about your relationship with God?
In Mark 10:17-23 , we meet a man who had something that was keeping him from God…read…
Mark 10:17–23 NASB95
As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall 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, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!”
I want us to look at 3 things this morning. 1st let’s look at…
1. THE ENCOUNTER
- Notice how the man came up to Jesus.
- The indication from the text is he came in respect rather than trying to entrap Him (as others were doing).
- He came because he knew he was lacking something in his life – something was missing – he had a lot = learn he was a young rich ruler (had much property) but came with a burning question in his heart: What must I do to inherit eternal life?
- Man clearly thought there was something he had to do to GAIN eternal life = becoming a Christian, having a home in Heaven.
2. THE EXCHANGE
- Referred to Jesus as “Good Teacher.”
- Jesus pointed out that only God is good – only God is absolutely perfect!
- Jesus pointed this out because the man needed to see himself in the context of God’s perfect character = in other words, that he wasn’t!
-Jesus referred the man to the 10 Commandments. In Matthew’s account (Matt. 19), we learn that Jesus said, “Keep the Commandments.” The man replied, “Which ones?”
- Mark notes that Jesus mentions 6 – the last 6 from the 2nd table (the 1st 4 deal with man’s relationship with God, 6-10 deal with man’s relationship with man). “Defraud” = relates to the 10th “Do not covet”
- Why did Jesus mention these rather than the 1st 4? Easier to see how we blow it.
- Interestingly: the young man said, “I’ve kept them from my youth up!” = since I was a boy, the age of 13 when he became a bar mitzvah = a son of the commandment.
- Oh had he really? In his mind he had!
- Matthew records that he further said”All these I have kept; what am I still lacking?”
- He knew down in his heart, there was still something missing – something hindering his full relationship with God!
- And looking at him with love – a penetrating look, Jesus saw beneath his religious devotion and the real hindrance in his heart/life = it was possession – material stuff!
- You see UNRIVALED ALLEGIANCE TO GOD was what he lacked – was missing!
- Wealth was his God rather than God being first and foremost!
- Jesus said, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you shall have treasure in Heaven, and come, follow Me.”
TS – And this leads to the 3rd thing I want you to see this morning…
3. THE EXIT.
- “But at these words his face fell and he went away grieved, for he was one who owned much property.”
- That young man left Jesus that day without doing what he needed to do!
- Shockingly…sadly…tragically…that young man walked away from Jesus!
- What kept that young man from God? Possessions, wealth, money, material stuff
Conclusion
- What’s keeping you from God today?
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more