The message was brought by Rev. Eddie Foster on Oct. 27, 2024.
Mark 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
This was an outstanding young man. He did things correctly. Jesus repeated some of the Ten Commandments and he said he had done them from his youth. Jesus told him he lacked one thing. He was RICH. He was YOUNG. He was a RULER. Let’s look at this young man.
He came at the right time: while he was still young. All of us can probably recall some wasted years. I wish I had come to Jesus earlier. Why give Satan our best years? Ecclesiastes 12:1 tells us to remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. Here are some stats you’ll find interesting: At the age of 25, one in 5K becomes a Christian. At the age of 35, one in 25K becomes a Christian. At the age of 50, one in 150K becomes a Christian. At the age of 75, almost no one becomes a Christian. It does happen, but it’s rare. Ages 10-16 are when most people get saved.
The young man came in the right way: he came running and knelt at the feet of Jesus. This is a commendable way to approach Jesus. There is a lot of arrogance today. Most won’t even come. They won’t admit they’re lost. Jesus said there is one way to heaven, not many as people believe today. In Luke 18 we see the arrogance of the Pharisee in this story with the Publican. We need to get people lost before they can be saved. Everybody says they’re a Christian because they say they go to church or have been baptized. These are the common answers when asked about salvation. You must be born again. In the act of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet in the upper room we see Jesus teaching on humility. Some find it repulsive. Jesus wants us to learn to be humble.
The young man came to the right person: Jesus. HE is the only way a person can be saved. I’m so glad the Holy Spirit convicted me and I ran to Jesus Christ. The woman with the issue of blood for 12 years suffered a lot at the hands of others, yet she finally came to the right person when she came to Jesus and touched the hem of his garment. He healed her. All through history there has been one way of deliverance. In Moses’ day: one way–blood on the doorposts. In Rahab’s day: one way–the scarlet thread out the window and safety for all who stayed inside the house. In Lot’s day: one way–he and his family were led out of Sodom by angels of the Lord. People seek other ways like joining a church or being baptized or paying tithes. These are good things and Christians should do them, but they are not the way to heaven. You must be saved through the blood of Jesus Christ. We can never be good enough on our own.
The young man asked the right question: what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? You cannot work your way to heaven. You cannot buy your way to heaven. It’s not what we do; it’s what Jesus did when he died on the cross, was buried and rose again the third day. This is what we must do to make it to heaven: believe in Jesus and what he has done.
He got the right answer. This young man’s riches was his god. Money is not wrong. It’s not bad to be rich. Even without being rich, we who are saved are rich in the Lord. Our Father owns it all and we’re joint heirs with Christ. All of the commandments that Jesus mentioned to the young man were about his relationships with others. He said he had kept all of them. The last thing Jesus mentioned was a call to commitment to Jesus. After all, isn’t that what Peter, James, and John did. They were fishing, cleaning nets, working with family and Jesus came by and said “follow me.” They left it all behind and followed the Master. There is a real spirit of non-commitment today. Couples live together prior to marriage, and it’s been proven time after time to be the wrong approach to relationships. A lack of commitment to church is prevalent. People don’t want to “work” for the Lord. It’s been said many times that 90% of the work in a local church is done by 20% of the people. The call to all believers is to put God first. That’s the first of the Ten Commandments: have no other gods before me.
Even asking the right question and getting the right answer, the young man still made the wrong decision. He had everything going for him. He got to the very brink of salvation and turned away. How many have sat in churches in this same position–on the brink of coming to Jesus–yet left without being saved and ended up in hell? As far as we know from scripture, this young man never came to Christ. We’re not promised opportunity after opportunity. Jesus told him what he must do and left the decision up to the young man. I want to give you the gospel. Jesus loved this young man. He loves you. He went to Calvary to die for your sins. In the invitation the decision is up to you. No one can make it for you. Just like Pilate, what are you going to do with Jesus? I’ve made many wrong choices and some have been correctable. If you’re lost, you still have time to make the right decision and give your heart to Jesus. But you must do it before the opportunities pass away. Don’t be like this young man. Come to Jesus.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 