O N E T H I N G | “What Must I Do?
2 Responses
You see, life has less to do with what happens to us, and more/everything to do with how we respond to it.
Sometimes we think that this life we are living is just the hand that we’ve been dealt. And while that’s true to a degree, it’s not always just about the hand you’ve been dealt. It’s how you play your cards.
There are things in life that we cannot control, and all of us have to learn to let go of those things… but there is always one thing we are in control of, and that is our response.
- Things we cannot control
- Things we can control
We have the 2 different responses:
2 Responses | Yes or No
It’s also important to note that our indecision, is a decision. Our lack of response, is still a response. Some of us may feel because we haven’t said no that we’re still OK because we’re still in the space in between and in the middle… but that also means that we haven’t said yes. And what God is waiting on our decision/response to say yes to him.
… and our response determines the results we experience.
You see I believe so many think & believe that what they experience from God is merely up to Him, but it is not Accurate. This is how our relationship with God works:
- God Initiates
- We Respond
He has already initiated everything… from the Garden of Eden & the creation of man & the invitation to take dominion over the earth and be fruitful and multiply, to the birth of Jesus & the invitation for His disciples (that includes us!) to follow Him, to his crucifixion & resurrection and the invitation for salvation for all of mankind .. all the way to now. His initiation was and always is through the invitation. The invitation to follow him, the invitation to be a part of something bigger, and the invitation to answer the call of God on our lives.
He has placed the ball in our court… and now it’s in our hands to do something about it.
Our relationship or progress with God does not begin where the conversation starts. It begins (… or ends) with our response to God.
…and there’s an offer on the table this morning, the question is will we pick it up.
Rich, Young Ruler
Mark 10:17 TPT As Jesus started on his way, a man came running up to him. Kneeling down in front of him, he cried out, “Good Teacher, what one thing must I do to gain eternal life?”
O N E T H I N G | “What Must I Do?
Mark 10:18-22 TPT
Jesus responded, ‘Why do you call me good? Only God is truly good. You already know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give a false testimony, do not cheat, and honor your father and mother.’ The man said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, I have carefully obeyed these laws since my youth.’ Jesus fixed his eyes upon the man, with tender love, and said to him, ‘Yet there is still one thing you lack. Go, sell all that you have and give the money to the poor. Then all of your treasure will be in heaven. After you’ve done this, come back and walk with me.’
… Completely shocked by Jesus’ answer, he turned and walked away very sad, for he was extremely rich.”
Running | Hungry & Desperate
He’s hungry. He’s desperate.
His inward state of desperation brought him to this place (to where Jesus was).
- Where we are inwardly always has direct correlation & impact on where we are outwardly.
- Our level of our desperation is often fueled by our level of hunger.
And this is why it’s so important for us to be hungry for the things of God:
Matthew 5:6 AMPC
“BLESSED are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.”
You see this young man, may have been partially satisfied for a time or a season… but eventually his hunger lead him to a desperation because of something he knew we was lacking… and eventually he had to act on it, that ultimately brought him to Jesus.
{ Let’s ask ourselves this question today… are we hungry for the things of God? .. are we thirsty for a closer relationship with God? }
I ask these very important questions because it is this kind of desperation that led this young man to the feet of Jesus and it’s this SAME kind of desperation that will lead us back to the very feet of Jesus again my friends.
Another question to ask ourselves is: “Why is he running?”
You see sometimes the reason we are running is because we are trying to catch-up.
It’s not hard to imagine, that when we are on a walk with someone or a group of people sometimes we stop to smell the roses or simply get distracted and then somewhere down the line we look up and it dawns on us we have fallen behind and are no longer alongside who we started this journey with.
Maybe this man fell behind, maybe he was once in step with God but somehow fell behind.
Maybe some of us feel that way this morning. Maybe we feel like we have fallen behind and out of sync with God’s will for our life… maybe we even feel like we missed out on our calling.
Let me encourage you today… you are never too far behind or ever too out of sync w God to get back in step with Him.
He is simply and always just one step away.
Kneels | Brokenness & Submission
SO this rich young ruler, he runs to Jesus, out of desperation… and kneels before Him.
This act of kneeling is a sign of brokenness & submission.
This is such a good lesson in how we are to approach God.
This makes it clear this man has not been able to find what he was looking for. This act of kneeling was also an acknowledgment of Jesus authority and position as the Son of God. He knew if he wanted to find what he was looking for, it could only be found in one place, it would only come from one man.
He runs to Jesus, kneels before Him & he cries out (Mark 10:17b NIV)
- “WHAT MUST I DO…” “… to inherit eternal life?”
You see, the reason this is so important is because the era of Christianity we have lived in for the last 15 years or so, is in an imbalance of grace. There are many that feel they have to “do nothing” in their relationship with God.
Romans 10:9“…believe in our hearts & confess with our mouth…”
John 3:16 that “God so loved the world, he gave His only Son…”
Ephesians 1:4 TPT “God loved us before he laid the foundations of the universe…”
Just because his love is unconditional, does not mean His promises are.
Cries Out | The Question & The Answer
Mark 10:17b TPT “… he cried out, ‘Good Teacher, what one thing am I required to do to gain eternal life?’ “
- Jesus answers!
- When We Cry Out … Jesus Answers!!
Hebrews 11:6 AMP “God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.”
Matthew 7:7-8 AMP
“Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened.”
Mark 10:19 TPT “‘You already know the commandments: Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give a false testimony, do not cheat, and honor your father and mother.’”
Mark 10:20 TPT
“Jesus, I’ve done all these things, since I was a youth.”
- The question the rich young ruler asked wasn’t “What have I done?”, the question was: “What must I do?”
THAT is still the RIGHT question today. It’s not:
“What have I done?”, the question was: “What must I do?”
Jesus responds again, because the rich young ruler was still looking… but look at Jesus’ heart first before we hear His response.
Mark 10:21a AMP “Looking at him, Jesus felt a love (high regard, compassion) for him…”
John 3:17 TPT “God did not send his Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to be its Savior and rescue it!”
God is looking to help us, not hinder us. His words are here to heal us, not hurt us.
So Jesus sees that this young man is serious about this and that his hunger is sincere… and He gives his second answer (the real answer) .
Mark 10:21b AMP “… and He said to him, “You still lack ONE THING:
“…Go, sell all that you have and give the money to the poor. Then all of your treasure will be in heaven. After you’ve done this, come back and walk with me.”
There it is. This time Jesus doesn’t just give him an answer, He gives him the answer.
The truth is … just because Jesus responds, doesn’t mean we’ll like the answer.
Let’s look at this young man’s response to Jesus, after Jesus gives the man exactly what he was looking for & so desperately in need of.
Mark 10:22 AMP “But the man was saddened at Jesus’ words, and he left grieving, because he owned much property and had many possessions [which he treasured more than his relationship with God].”
This man ~ has it good. Maybe too good. He was rich, he was young… he’d even been following the 10 Commandments his entire life. What does this mean? This man was not some heathen. Some foreigner to the faith, in fact we see here that he was well aquatinted. He was a religious man. *Like most of us in this room.
… but this man didn’t like the answer that Jesus gave.
He came running to Jesus like many of us came running to church. God is ready to give you the answer YOU’VE been wanting. The question is ~ will you like the answer?
The reality is ~ it should not matter whether or not we like the answer… but it does.
Here’s the reason WHY: Because we don’t do what we don’t like/want.
One of my favorite phrases by one of my favorite preachers is this:
“Often God gives us something we need in a package we don’t want.”
- John Bevere
*Example:
- On a Saturday night not long ago, Mesa got sick (sore throat). Laci makes her medicine tea that will help heal her and make her better. To be honest, it is disgusting. It’s cold medicine tea mixed with apple cider vinegar and garlic cloves. Just one smell of it makes you gag and want to throw up. Laci tries to get Mesa to drink it and one swig of it has Mesa spitting it up into the sink and she just can’t stomach it.
Often the answers Jesus gives us are hard to stomach… but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s the necessary thing we need to hear to get better.
The truth is sometimes things just get between us and God.
This young man for example, his riches had gotten between him & God. And he had a choice right there and then. He had the choice to walk away from his riches that he might pursue God, or walk away from Jesus to pursue his riches. He couldn’t have both.
You see Jesus called out specifically, what this young man needed personally to help him on his journey towards God. Maybe for some of us, that is not riches… but throughout life sometimes there is “one thing” that is holding us back from moving forward with God. God knows what that is, and wants to help you personally with it … the truth is maybe even some of us in this room at this very moment know what that is – the question is… will we be brave enough to pursue. And not just pursue it, but embrace it. You see this rich, young man walked away from the truth & the answer he so desperately needed… but because it wasn’t what he wanted.
Let me encourage you this morning… let’s not walk away from what GOD is speaking to us about today. Let us not retreat, rather let us pursue… let’s move forward with God.
This reminds me of some advice and wisdom I was given as a teenager growing up as a Christian. A man of God told me that if I ever felt lost or disconnected from God and didn’t know where I was going to go back to the last thing I knew, I heard from him and listen to it and obey it.
The Eye of the Needle
Mark 10:23-25 TPT
“Jesus looked at the faces of his disciples and said, “Children, it is next to impossible for those who trust in their riches to find their way into God’s kingdom. It is easier to stuff a rope through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy person to enter into God’s kingdom.”
- Eye of the Needle Explanation (rope):
This was an illustration Jesus gave to his disciples about how hard it is to pass a rope/thread through the eye of the needle. This is why the disciples say it was impossible, because it is. Jesus goes onto say in: (*jump to Mark 10:27)
This is why Jesus gives this illustration of how hard it is for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mark 10:23-25
“And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus responded again and *said to them, “Children, how hard 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.””
- Eye of the Needle Explanation (camel):
Travelers often travelled with a camel to carry their possessions or goods. When entering into a new city, the city would have a small gate that the camel would have too pass through. If the camel was carrying to many possessions and could not fit through the small gate, it would have to offload it’s contents in order to go through and those things would have to be left behind. This is why Jesus gives this illustration of how hard it is for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mark 10:26-27
But this left them all the more astonished, and they whispered to one another, “Then who could ever be saved?”. “Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
T H E P R O M I S E
Mark 10:28-31
Peter started saying to Him, “Look, we have given up everything and followed You [becoming Your disciples].” Jesus said, “…there is no one who has given up a house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, who will not receive a hundred times as much now in the present age…”
This is the flip-side of the story that Jesus gives us… if we give up all for Jesus, we will receive a 100-fold return in this life.
M O S E S | Leave It All Behind
In the book of Genesis ~ we see Moses was a Hebrew baby & the Pharaoh of the time gave an executive order that every Hebrew baby should be killed. Moses mother put him in a basket and put him in the river so his life may be spared. This baby’s life boat worked itself down river to the Palace of Pharaoh. Moses’ life was spared. He grew up as Egyptian Royalty. A Prince of Egypt.
He had to come to the realization one day that his life was not counted as forfeit, for a reason. There was a purpose behind it.
Eventually ~ as he grew older, he had to confront the conflict in his soul… He had to face the truth. He had to face the truth that he was a Hebrew living life as an Egyptian. That this life was not for him. That he was a part of the very state and entity that was the enemy of the Hebrews and holding them hostage as slaves. One day he couldn’t help it and he ended up murdering an Egyptian soldier that was abusing a Hebrew slave. He had to face the fact of “WHY?”.
Moses had a choice to make right then & there ~
He had to make the choice, to abandon:
… treasure & pleasure
… comfort & convenience
… power & royalty
Moses pursued & embraced the truth regardless of these other benefits.
Hebrews 11:24-27 NIV
“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.”
Moses was willing to chase after / pursue God in the wilderness father than stay in the comfort of his palace living in a lie and in the bondage of the absence of truth
He didn’t run from reality, but instead chose to run towards the truth.
And even in the midst of our own stories of running towards the truth, that will cause us to have to face ourselves. Which is where we stand this morning.
[ What do we do when we are confronted with the truth?
Because the truth in and of itself is not enough… it’s what we do with it. ]
Moses goes on to be the Savior of the Hebrew people. Through God’s power performed the 10 plagues. Through God’s power led them out of Egyptian captivity & bondage into freedom & liberty. Through God’s power led them through Red Sea & the Wilderness… working on bringing them to the Promised Land.
His story stands in stark contrast to the rich, young ruler because of one reason. He chose to say yes.
Cost of Christianity
We discussed at the beginning of this message how there are conditions to the promises of God. That condition is simply saying yes to Jesus and what he asks of us. Jesus taught that being committed to Godʼs kingdom is more important than anything else.
- There’s a cost to following Jesus, but the reward is greater than the cost… it’s far better what you’ve lost. What you have to lose, to win Christ, is worth losing!!
Remember, the results we experience are determined by our response.
*Sometimes there is stuff in the way of us and God.
Now is our time to remedy that.
- Chances are some of us are not nearly desperate enough. (*Like the rich young ruler.)
There is something about us being humble and broken and surrendered before God that make God draw near to us.
Scripture says, “In our weakness, He is strongest.”
*FINAL TRUTH: It doesn’t matter the 9 out of 10 things we have right, what matter is the one thing holding us back.