Feb. 25, 2001    Giving by faith (rich young man)       Mat. 19

By Ronald E. George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Church

                "My dear brudders an sisters," remarked the pastor, as he carefully cleared the broad table in front of him so that every nickel, cent, and button laid upon it would stand out in startling distinctness, "dere is some of de folks in dis church dat gives accordin to deir 'means,' an some dat gives accordin to deir 'meanness.' Les not have any of de secon class heah dis mawnin!" Then, the procession commenced and everybody reached for his bottom dime. --Selected

  Tim Keller is a Presbyterian minister in Manhattan who presides over a large group of Baby Boomers each Sunday evening.  I have not met him, but I learned about him from an article in Forbes written by Peggy Noonan.  In a recent message, he told his upscale congregation that the thrill that comes from hearing a stirring piece of music or falling in love or watching a close basketball game is a gift from God.  Like the moon's reflection of the sun's brightness, however, these things are only a reflection of something greater.   The real source of that which gives us joy is  God himself.  All of us, says Keller, tend to worship the moon by living for art, sports, political victories, love, or whatever.  Such devotion can never fulfill because we're ignoring the Source.

By Bob Buford, Game Plan, Zondervan, 1997, p. 87.

Sermon theme:  Can you give your all to God?  Put your money where your mouth is.     Holistic Stewardship:  giving of time, talent, and treasures

Scripture Text:  Matt 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and [thy] mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25 When his disciples heard [it], they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

1.  What is the world does God want?  He wants you and all that you have and all that you are to be given to him by faith.  Would it be better to keep all you have for all of this life and loose it in the life to come?

A man is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot loose. God wants you and he is willing to go to great lengths to get you for his very own. 

2.  What would God give for your soul?  He is willing to give the very best that he has to secure you for his own family.  John 3:16.  

3.  What in the world do you want?  If you could anything you want would you choose to have eternal life?  Would you choose Jesus?  Do you want happiness?  Do you want hope?  Do you want to be fulfilled?  Do you want to know God?  God has made sure that you have every opportunity to know Him as your heavenly father.  The rich young man in today’s story wanted to have eternal life, so he came to Jesus.  He came to the right place.  If you want eternal life then you must choose Jesus, for there is no other given under heaven whereby men must be saved.  Acts 4:12   Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life no man can go to the Father except by me.  John 14:6.  There are many that want eternal life but few there be that want God. 

4.  What would you give in exchange for your soul?  What would you give to win the lottery?  What would you give or do for a million dollars?  How much would you be willing to give if you could pay your way to heaven?  How much would it cost?  Many have given their soul or their eternal life for a few days of pleasure on earth.  But, is it worth it? 

5.  God says, to put your money where your mouth is. 

You have talked the talk, but will you walk the walk.  Can you walk the walk?  Two ole boys were arguing one day.  This bully had said some bad things about this other fellow’s sister.  Now this little farm boy didn’t take too kindly to this type of talk about one of his family.  So the argument continued.  Who was the biggest and the baddest.  Who was the best of all the rest?  Who was going to settle this dispute once and for all?  Then the big bully drew a line in the dirt and said he dared the other to cross it.  When the other crossed the line the one who dared to dare then drew another and another until finally his back was against the wall, and he commenced to receive one of the worst beatings of his life.  If you are going to talk the talk then you better be prepared to walk the walk. 

Faith without works is dead. If you really want to go to heaven and say so, then you should be ready to come by the way of the Lord or you are just fooling yourself.  You sure aren’t fooling anyone else and especially God who knows all.  The rich young man wanted eternal life, but he didn’t want God.  Jesus said to sell all that you have and come and follow me.  But, we never have any recorded that says he did follow the Lord.  The Bible says that the young man went away sorrowful because he had great wealth.  He loved his riches more than he wanted to have eternal life. 

James 2:14 (NIV) What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

6.  Yes, But How?   How can we sell all we have that we have and come to the Lord?  If we love the world and the things therein more than we love the Lord then we cannot have eternal life. If we give our possessions and ourselves to the Lord and come and follow Him then the Lord says we will have treasure in heaven. 

7.  We must Give by Faith.   Jesus said it was hard as a camel to go through the eye of a needle as it was for a rich man to go to heaven.  One who has great wealth has more to take his attention away from the source of true riches.  But, the Lord said it was possible to give yourself to the Lord because all things are possible with the Lord.  We are limited by the time that we have here to spend and use our lives as he directs.  We all have the same amount.  If we give what we have to him and come to him then he will make it possible to serve him now and forever. 

Let the one who would worship God open his mouth in praise, his heart in receptivity, his mind in contemplation, his purse in dedication, and his hand in fellowship. - Keith Huttenlocker