The Way To Heaven Is Always Through Obedience (Part 2)

Thanks for tuning in to No Compromise Radio, with pastor and author, Dr. Mike Abendroth. Today on No Compromise Radio, we'll be hearing Pastor Mike open the Word of God in a recent message he preached at Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Now let's join Pastor Mike in progress as he preaches through the scriptures, verse by verse, with No Compromise.

Love for God and Neighbor Exposes the Heart

You say, well, why didn't he quote anything about loving God or something from the first side of the tablet? I think the answer to that question is found in 1 John 4, 20. If someone says, I love God and he hates his brother, he's a liar.

For the one who does not love his brother whom he has not, who he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. The failure of the second means failure of the first. Failure to love your neighbor means you're not loving God.

What do I do? Obey! Now look at what he says in verse 21, Luke 18, I want to go to heaven, Jesus, I want to go to heaven. What do I do? Keep the commandments. And he said, all these things I have kept from my youth.

Now in Mark it says, he said to him, teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up. Dropping the good title, teacher, I've done all these things. Since the Jewish community has taken me into adulthood, I've done all that.

I think he's confident. I think he's sure of himself. I've kept all these from my youth. I read two definitions of what a Christian is, both from Webster's dictionary, or from dictionaries, one from Webster's, one from Random House.

Do you like these definitions of being a Christian? Webster's, a decent, civilized, or presentable person. Random House, exhibiting a spirit proper to a follower of Jesus Christ, and as having a loving regard for other persons.

I think I'd probably say to my kids, you're getting warmer. Remember Paul in Philippians 3, regarding the law, I was found blameless. Externally, legalistically. This guy is blind. He cannot see anything.

I've met many people in my life, and they'll say, I've never sinned in my life. I've never sinned. This guy's not a terrorist. This guy's not a bad guy. He's a good guy. Verse 18, okay, Jesus heard this.

When he heard it, he said to him, one thing you still lack. Now, there's something still failing you, to use the language of the Greek. There's something still wanting to thee. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.

Did you know Mark said that Jesus loved him? It's a bad translation, but the NES says he felt a love for him. No, the text says he loved him. King James, he loved him. New King James, he loved him. NIV, he loved him.

Jesus looks at the guy with love and compassion, pity, tender concern. I think of Psalm 145, the Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. I think of Psalm 86, God is good and ready to forgive.

He loves this sinner. Oh, you might be saying theologically there's common grace love, love for his creation, and a special love for the elect, a unique love for the bride. I understand that, but he loved this man.

He loved him enough even to tell him the truth, didn't he? One thing you lack, go and sell all your possessions and give to the poor. Matthew says that the man asked, what am I still lacking? And now Jesus gives him the answer.

You are lacking doing with unrivaled allegiance. Money is your God, and that root sin has replaced loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Friend, you love money with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and you love money as much as you love yourself.

So sell it, get rid of it. The vulnerable spot in the man's armor was his money. And you shall have treasure in heaven, come and follow me. By the way, it'll be worth it. Enter by the narrow gate, he could have said to the man, for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.

The gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it. Verse 23, but when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. I love the Greek emphasis.

He was rich exceedingly. Mark says he fell on his face. His face fell is probably the better way to translate it. I'd like to go to heaven. I'm asking the right guy. I'm asking the right question. He hears what he thinks is the wrong answer, and his face falls with disappointment.

Total commitment? Wait, I've got real estate. I've got servants. I've got lands. I've got money. I want God, but not at the cost of this stuff. Now, the best thing to do with the Bible for Bible study and Bible hermeneutics is ask yourself the question, what's the context here?

What's the passage just before the rich young ruler in Luke 18? Answer, let the children come to me. The opposite of childlike trust, offering no good thing to the parents, can't work to be in good graces with their parents.

Contrary to childlike faith and trust, verse 15 of Luke 18, now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them, and when the disciples saw it, they rebuked him. Jesus called and said to them, let the little children come to me.

Do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child with faith, childlike faith that a child would have in their parents, shall not enter it.

Verse 24 of Luke 18, Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, how difficult is it for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God? Oh, it's hard. If I was an apostle, if I was a disciple and I'm watching all this, I would just think, we're living on easy street with all this money for one second, and now my face is falling thinking this guy is getting off the hook.

And Jesus knew that because Mark 10 says, Jesus looking around said to his disciples, it's hard to get in the kingdom with money. Mark 10 .24 says, they were amazed at his words. They were struck outside of themselves.

Wealth, a handicap? You've got to be kidding me. Verse 25, for it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. Now, I read the Talmud said that it's an elephant goes through the eye of a needle.

Here it says camel. Now, if you go with us to Israel in February, they'll take us over and they'll discuss about this camel gate, a needle gate, where the camel has to kneel down and kind of inch its way through.

Is that what Jesus is saying? Of course not. There's no needle gate until the 15th century, first of all. I do find it interesting, just on a side note, Luke uses language of a doctor's kind of needle.

I wonder why that is. Okay. Some think it's a copier's error, camelos versus camelos, that it's a large rope instead of a camel, but can you get a large rope through the eye of a needle? I can't thread any needle anymore.

I was at TJ Maxx yesterday looking at magnifying glasses going, grandpa had one of these. Getting to heaven by riches, getting to heaven when you are rich is like taking an 18-wheel semi and trying to get it through some fiber optic cable.

Wouldn't look too good either, one writer said. All things are possible, it's true, but picture how the camel feels, squeezed out in one long bloody thread from tail to snout. Just picture, word pictures I like.

Those who heard it, verse 26 said, who then can be saved? Mark 10 says they are even more astonished. They're dumbstruck, they're bewildered, they're amazed, they're out of their mind. What do you mean?

And now Jesus says in verse 27, as you know, what is impossible with man is possible with God. It's impossible for a camel to go through a needle's eye. It wasn't impossible for a camel to kneel down and scooch through something.

But it's impossible with man, but it's possible with God. God can save, God can redeem. Job 42, I know that you can do all things and no purpose of yours can be thwarted. How is it possible? Now think just for one quick second.

We looked at Luke 18, then we ratcheted back a little bit to see the children and their childlike faith. Now ratchet all the way back and ask yourself the question, why was Luke written? To show you the Son of Man, the humanity of Jesus.

Why is the humanity of Jesus important? Of course He's God, but why does God have to cloak Himself with humanity? Answer, because the way to heaven is to do, and Jesus had to do. As a human, as a representative, do this and live.

Friends, quickly we realize we can't do this because we've sinned and fallen short. And we're ungodly and we're sinful. Think about all the words for sin, trespass and transgress and miss the mark and things that we do and don't do.

So it's either do this and live or the just shall live by what? Faith. See, aren't you glad you didn't kick me out earlier? The just shall live by faith. But the law, do this and live, is never taken away.

It's never rescinded. The way to heaven is obedience. It's either going to have to be your obedience or the obedience of the God-man. And why is that important? Not God and man, although that's true, but technically the God-man.

God, meaning He has an infinite amount of merit and righteousness and value and preciousness, but He's also man so that He can live the life we were supposed to live. He can do in our place. He dies in our place and He does in our place.

See? Calvin said, See, the Lord does not promise anything except to the perfect observers of the law. And none such are anywhere to be found. The result, therefore, is that the whole human race is convicted by the law and exposed to the wrath and curse of God.

To be saved from this, they must escape from the power of the law and be, as it were, brought out of the bondage into freedom. For this reason, the promises offered in the law would be null and ineffectual.

Did not God, in His goodness, send the gospel to our aid since the condition on which they depend and are under, which only they are to be performed. Turn with me, Wood, to Romans chapter 8. Of course, I want you to rejoice that you have a substitutionary Savior that dies for your sins in your place.

Of course we rejoice. He bears our sins, 1 Peter chapter 2. We don't have to pay for our sins anymore. But there are people in evangelicalism that attack Christ's substitutionary obedience. His active obedience, we'll call it, where He is perfectly fulfilling all righteousness.

Why was John the Baptist in the river seeing Jesus and then said, Well, Jesus, you should be baptizing me. Answer, because John the Baptist knew he was sinful. And Jesus wasn't. But why did Jesus say, I want you to baptize me?

Because this has to be a righteous thing, because I'm doing things not because I'm sinful, but I'm doing it in the place of sinners. I've come to fulfill all righteousness. I've come to do this in the place of sinners.

Look at Romans 8, 3 and 4. I mean, of course I love chapter 8, verse 1. There's no condemnation. I deserve it, but I don't get it. Of course I like 8, 28. God's causing all these things to work together for good.

Of course I love. Nothing's going to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Don't you love Romans 8? Of course. But don't forget 3 and 4. For God has done what the law, weakened by flesh, could not do.

By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, He condemns sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law, Do! Obey! Do this and live! The ruler comes up, what do I do?

The lawyer rather, what do I do? Do this and live! Rich young ruler, what do I do? Obey! That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. How can it be fulfilled in us? Because it's fulfilled for us in the work of another.

Christ obedience. How do you get to heaven? Do! You say, I've fallen short. That's why you look by faith to the one who did. Remember Jesus dies and God raises Him from the dead. If Jesus had committed one sin, He'd stay in the ground because the wages of sin is death.

But He's been raised from the dead confirming the fact, that when you live a perfect life, death can't hold you. If Adam and Eve would have perfectly obeyed, God would have had to, like with Jesus, give them eternal life.

The text goes on to say, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. No wonder Jesus said in John 4, My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to accomplish His work.

How about these verses? Just listen. You can jot them down in your notes if you'd like. But just listen. Galatians 4, Everybody's under the same law. Do! Someone comes up to you and says, I'd like to go to heaven.

What must I do to be saved? Well, if you want to say, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved, Acts 16 .31, fine. But here, we're going to get to this quickly, and cut to the chase where the answer is, Do!

You give them God's requirements of His holiness and of His holy law. No wonder Paul says in Romans 5, through the obedience of the one. Why is Jesus' obedience so important? Why did He have to live a full life?

And if you're not trusting in your Savior's obedience, then something's going to be sneaking in the door, and it's going to be called your own obedience. If Jesus' obedience isn't enough, then you're going to be thinking, You know what?

Maybe I need to add. The door's open a jar. I might have to add some of my own. Irish Articles of Religion, 16 .15, Let me give you a translation. You're accounted righteous by Christ doing. Put to your account.

Do this and live. And Jesus did it. John Owen, Christ had to provide active obedience because Adam was under the law, do this and live. The life promised to him is not to be obtained unless all be done that the law requires.

Adam, our federal head, do this and live. He didn't. Jesus, our federal head, do this and live. He did. He did. No wonder the songwriter Hoatius Bonar said, It was the only perfect thing which had ever been presented to God in man's behalf.

The obedience of Christ. The only perfect thing which had ever been presented to God in man's behalf, the obedience of Jesus Christ. That's why getting killed as an infant by Herod wouldn't have been enough.

We need a full life of obedience. Jesus earned our salvation by doing. Then you read 1 Corinthians 1 .30 and you go, I get it. Because of Him you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God, that is righteousness.

If you'd like to enter heaven, you get there by obedience. It's either your obedience, which we all know we don't obey, or it's Christ's. Shed. When a criminal has suffered the penalty affixed to his crime, he has done a part, but not all that the law requires of him.

He still owes perfect obedience to the law in addition to the endurance of the penalty. The law does not say to the transgressor, if you will suffer the penalty, you need not render any more obedience.

You must suffer the penalty and render the obedience. Sin is under double obligation. Holiness is under a single one. A guilty man owes both penalty and obedience. We are glad for the incarnation. We are glad.

Friends, the gospel is for moral people. Why? Because moral people can't do perfectly. The gospel is for religious people. Why? Because you can go to mass every day of your life. You can kneel down and pray to Allah five times a day, every day for your life, but you can't love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and enable yourself 24 -7.

Do. You can't do it. I'm just going to try harder. I'm just going to live a purpose-driven life. Do. Do this and you'll live. Don't do it and there's a curse for you. I fast twice a week. I pay tithes of all that I get.

A tax gatherer standing some distance away was unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven but beating his breast saying, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. I didn't do. Luke 18 .28. We need to wrap this up.

No, we don't. It's only one service today. What am I doing? The visitors are going, okay. Luke 18 .28. And Peter said to him, See, we have left our homes and followed you. We did what you asked. He said to them, Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not receive many times more in this life and in the age to come eternal life.

Yeah, there's a reward. I will read the next few verses because I think they're important. Taking the 12, he said to them, See, we are going up to Jerusalem and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished for he will be delivered over the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.

And after flogging him, they will kill him and on the third day he will rise. But they understood none of these things. The saying was hidden from them and they did not grasp what was said. If you're not a Christian today, the way to heaven for you is do.

Obey. Keep the commandments. Do what the Bible says. But one quick look at the holiness of God in your own life and your own intentions will make you see quickly that you are the rich young ruler. That's why you have to look away from yourself and look to another through the eyes of faith and trusting in what the Bible says about Jesus who did and lived as our representative and substitute.

And if you're a Christian, when you read the life of Christ, I want you just to rejoice. I don't want you to just quick zoom in on the crucifixion and the resurrection. Are those good things to zoom in on?

But not of the exclusion of everything else. Why are there 28 chapters in Matthew? Well, there's prophecy to be fulfilled. Yeah, I know that, but also you get to see the life of Christ. This is what God requires in the life of a son of a human and Jesus did it.

And through faith, the transaction is there. Christ's righteousness credited to my account. My sin credited to Jesus' account. Do this and live? Jesus did. When Jesus says in Matthew 5 .48, Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

And you're like, okay, then what can I do? I've got to run to another. The rich young ruler asked the right man and he asked the right question. But he didn't respond with faith. We're not told of anything that happens to him afterwards.

He runs up to Jesus and then runs off the text of Scripture for who knows how long. But I will say this. If he trusted in the finished work of Jesus Christ, somebody else doing the work for him, he's still at the feet of Jesus.

And so too can you be through faith.

No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible-teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of God's Word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 8 .30 and 11 a .m. and Sunday evenings at 6 p .m. We're located on Route 110 in West Boylston, Massachusetts. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

The thoughts and opinions expressed on No Compromise Radio do not necessarily reflect those of WVNE, its staff or management.