Conversion to Jesus Christ (4)

The Need to Examine True Conversion

Limited time on a first Sunday of the month. I actually attempted to shorten this matter, and I did actually. I've already got next week's half studied, but there's some important matters here that we want to give attention to in our ongoing study of true conversion to Jesus Christ, and so let us give attention to what we read in Luke 18 here shortly, but first let us pray.

Our Father, we recognize that salvation is of your grace, holy, totally. You have promised, you have purposed to administer your salvation by your grace through your written word that's before us. It's through your word, Lord, you accomplish salvation in our souls, and so we are in deeply need of your blessing.

May the blessed Holy Spirit take this letter, this word upon these pages and etch them upon our hearts, give us understanding of our God, and we pray that you would give us faith and a fresh gift of repentance if called for, and we pray for anyone here that is maybe not truly been converted to Jesus Christ, that this would become an increasing awareness to that soul, so that soul will come to fully rest and trust in Jesus Christ.

Be merciful and gracious to us all, our Father, to each of us, for we ask in Jesus' name, amen. Well, on the first three Sundays that we've devoted to this subject, conversion to Jesus Christ, we addressed the question in three Sundays, are we converted to Jesus Christ?

And so we sought through those first three Sundays up till today, we sought to show forth the ease in which people, even professing Christians, can be deluded in their thinking that they are true Christians, that they have salvation when in actuality they're still in their sins, and it could be a rather troubling thing when we work through this, but it's a refining matter, isn't it?

It causes us to assess ourselves, and that's a good thing, test ourselves, we're commanded to do so, taught to do so in Scripture, and so we were hoping this would result in each one of us to commit to serious biblical testing of the state of each of us, our own souls.

One minor point that we've made in these first three weeks was to set forth the teaching of the Word of God that although conversion involves action on our part, conversion is the work of God's grace in the soul.

We cannot convert ourselves, God has to do the converting work, or it's not going to happen. Fallen man is incapable and unwilling of converting to Christ in order to obtain salvation. The Scriptures teach that the natural man, that is the unconverted man, does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for their foolishness to him, nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.

So you have to have the Holy Spirit reveal these things or you're not going to know them, the reality of them and the relevance of them to the life. The Scriptures declare the carnal mind, again the mind of the unconverted man, is enmity against God, it's not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be, so then those who are in the flesh, that is unconverted people, cannot please God.

And so if a man is to be converted, a woman to be converted to Christ for salvation, he must be an object of God's sovereign converting grace or it's not going to happen. And so what we've earlier suggested today we desire to confirm, sinful man is unable to convert himself to Jesus Christ in order to be saved from his sin.

We're incapable of converting ourselves. So I thought we would begin our study with this matter considering the account of Luke 18, 18 through 30. Here we read of our Lord Jesus dealing with the soul of a rich man, a rich young man who came to him.

And although this young man had many admirable qualities and he had made great efforts to live a life pleasing to God, after he had spoken with the Lord Jesus, this young man went away from Jesus, an unconverted man.

He would not surrender all in order to come unto Jesus for salvation, but he had a reservation that he would not yield. And so after the Lord, or after the young man departed from the Lord, our Lord instructed his disciples in the necessity of the sovereign God to bring people to salvation, for it's impossible for a rich man, and by extension therefore any man, it's impossible to enter the kingdom of God.

It's only possible for him to enter the kingdom through the grace of God working in upon him. Thankfully all things are possible with God, but with man it's impossible. And that's the whole point of the episode.

People cannot convert themselves to Christ. It is a work of God's sovereign grace. And this is clearly set forth here. And so we begin reading in Luke 18 18. Now a certain ruler asked him, Jesus, saying, good teacher what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

So Jesus said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is God. You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother.

And he said, all these things I have kept from my youth. So when Jesus heard these things he said to him, you still lack one thing, sell all that you have and distribute to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come and follow me.

Perhaps as we read that it seems like an unreasonable request. But next week we're going to consider a rich man who was converted and he did that of his own account, didn't he, little Zacchaeus. And we'll consider how it's possible for God even to save a rich man and therefore you can save any sinner.

And so Jesus told him, sell everything you have, just distribute to the poor and you'll have treasure in heaven, come follow me. But when he heard this he became very sorrowful for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful he said, how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God, for it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

And those who heard it said, who then can be saved? But he said, the things which are impossible with men are possible with God. And then Peter said, see we've left all and followed you. And so he said to them, assuredly I say to you there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who shall not receive many times more in this present time and in the age to come eternal life.

The Kingdom of God and the Rich Young Ruler

So in Luke 18 we read of events that transpired while our Lord and his disciples were journeying to Jerusalem. A long travel narrative that began with Luke 9 51 concludes in Luke 19 when they arrived to Jerusalem.

It was the last journey of our Lord's life, earthly life, for in Jerusalem he would experience his destiny to suffer, die, and rise on the third day. And so with our Lord's earthly ministry coming to its conclusion, the Lord imparted to his disciples instruction regarding the kingdom of God.

And that is the primary subject, really that was the primary subject of our Lord's teaching throughout his earthly ministry, the kingdom of God. Of course God had promised his people a future kingdom really from the beginning of biblical history.

It's a common theme throughout the entire record of God's work. God declared that there would be a kingdom comprised of his people, a kingdom in which there was no presence of sin or sins effects. And within this kingdom God would rule over his people who are willingly subjected to him.

His promised kingdom would be one in which the people of God would dwell in safety and security, they would have no need, they would be at peace, they would live together in harmony with mutual respect, dignity, no troubles in the kingdom of God for the people of God.

And of course God would rule over his people in his kingdom to a mighty king, a son of David, and he that son of David would assure that the will of God would be done on earth as it is in heaven. And so within this promised kingdom ruled by the son of David, God would enable his people to dwell in joy, peace, and righteousness.

And this kingdom is spoken about throughout the entire biblical record. Now the disciples of the Lord Jesus knew that Jesus of Nazareth was a promised king, the promised son of David. The disciples also anticipated that the kingdom would be inaugurated when they arrived to Jerusalem.

They thought that everything was going to be seen immediately or soon. And so it was fitting that the kingdom would be the subject of their discourse and the subject of our Lord's teaching as they continued their journey.

What the disciples of our Lord did not understand is that the kingdom of God would come in two stages, not two different kingdoms but two stages. And our reading mentioned that today. Now it talked about three kingdoms but really the second and third kingdom were one in the same.

And if you read carefully the devotion and doctrine it said that the kingdom of glory is actually the kingdom of grace presently that we presently enjoy but will be realized fully at the second coming.

That third kingdom was the kingdom of Satan that God is currently destroying as he brings people out of that kingdom into his own kingdom. And so the kingdom of God would be inaugurated after Jesus was crucified and raised and enthroned in heaven by his father.

This kingdom, the kingdom of God, would exist in a mystery form throughout this church age, a spiritual kingdom that would exist among the fallen earthly political kingdoms of this world. But the final form and the full realization of the kingdom of God would come when Jesus returns a second time at the end of the age.

And then the Lord Jesus would judge the world, he would exclude from the new heavens and the new earth all those that were not submitted to him, all those who were not his disciples, and then the kingdom of God in its fullness would be manifest through eternity.

And thereafter the people of God would live with Christ their king in this everlasting kingdom. And so the Lord Jesus emphasized in his teaching that to know that one would enter and enjoy the kingdom of God was the most important of all matters.

There's no matter more important to you or to me. Are we going to enter that kingdom when Jesus comes? Are we within that kingdom even now? Entering the kingdom of God is to participate in salvation from sin that Jesus Christ has secured for his people.

This was the most important matter for this young man and this is the most important matter for you and me today. It is of eternal importance that each of us knows that we have truly come to Jesus Christ, that we are within the kingdom of God and we will inherit the kingdom of God in its fullness when Jesus Christ returns.

And so here in Luke 18 we read of our Lord's words regarding entering the kingdom of God, in other words to receive God's salvation through Jesus Christ. We all, each of us, need to know what's involved in entering the kingdom of God.

It's a matter of coming onto Jesus in repentance from sin and putting faith in him, committing oneself wholly unto him without reservation. And that's key, that's important. The true disciple of Jesus Christ truly acknowledges Jesus as Lord and commits everything to the Lord.

Now none of us live perfectly and consistently with that, but when we become a disciple of Jesus Christ the question as to who's Lord of our life comes to a conclusion, Jesus is Lord. But none of us are able or willing to come unto him in this manner unless God himself moves and enables to do so.

And so our Lord taught, all that the Father gives to me shall come to me and him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out. And our Lord taught that unless the Father takes the initiative and brings a person unto Christ by his grace it will not happen.

And so our Lord taught his disciples, therefore I've said to you that no one can come to me unless it's been granted to him by my Father. And so we see a person can't convert himself, it must be a work of God's grace initiated by the Father.

And so this account shows us that even the most seeming, this account in Luke 18, even the one who seems to be most sincere, committed, and devout will not inherit eternal life unless he fully, wholly, without reservation, comes to Jesus Christ as his Savior and his Lord.

And he is in need of the grace of God to bring him into this kingdom or he will forever remain excluded. Now let's consider this. First we read that a young man comes to Jesus out of concern for his salvation, nothing could be more clear.

He came forward to Jesus and asked about what was required for entrance into the kingdom of God. He came to Jesus to inquire of him of what God requires of someone to enter or inherit eternal life. Verse 18 reads, now a certain ruler asked him, Jesus said, good teacher what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Important question, there could be no more important question than that. Eternal life includes all that's promised in having a place in the kingdom of God or being saved. And here as in many places in the scriptures, eternal life is viewed as an inheritance.

What must I do, what good thing can I do, good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Notice eternal life is presented as a future inheritance. And here in many places in scriptures, eternal life is viewed as an inheritance.

That doesn't put it in doubt because those who are disciples of Jesus Christ are being preserved or reserved by God and God has reserved their inheritance in heaven and the two will come together one day, there's no question about it.

But oftentimes salvation is presented as a future inheritance for disciples of Jesus Christ. Well we can learn much about this inquirer who came to Jesus from the few words that describe him here in Luke, but also in the parallel passages in Mark 10 and Matthew 18.

Matthew describes this man as a young man. We may assume that this young man had inherited his wealth, he was a rich man, and he was probably a man of some social standing. This man had been greatly blessed of God for he had great wealth.

Secondly, he was not only a young man but he was a religious young man. He sought to order his life in a godly fashion. With respect to God's laws he could say honestly as best he knew, now he didn't know himself, but as best as he knew I think we can assume he was being honest in his own thinking.

He was wrong but he was being honest. All things I've kept from my youth, Luke 18 21. And so he was reflective about himself. He thought on matters of eternal significance. He was not a careless, idle young man who only thought live for today.

Again, he had probably inherited earthly riches but his eye was on a heavenly inheritance of heavenly riches as indicated by his question, good teacher what shall I do to inherit eternal life? So this was not a man without values.

He had some important matters upon his heart. And thirdly, he was an earnest and sincere religious young man. He was not one who just happened by and listened out of curiosity and shot a question to Jesus.

Mark describes this young man as having come running to the Lord Jesus and then fell on his knees. This man was earnest and sincere. Young men who care little about spiritual things don't act in this manner.

They might come to church and tolerate a sermon but it really has no interest to them. That was not how this young man was. This young man took his religion seriously. He wanted desperately to have eternal life, desperately.

He came running, fell on his knees, Lord Jesus what must I do to inherit eternal life? He was probably even a religious leader and that's what it when it says he was a ruler that's probably what it means.

He was a religious leader in his community even though he was a young man, perhaps a leading young man in a synagogue or he may have even been in the Sanhedrin, I don't know. But we see that he was an unsaved man in spite of all these qualities about him that seemed to be favorable and we see that of course by his response to Jesus.

In the other Gospels they tell us his face fell and he went away sad. He wouldn't follow through with what Jesus commanded him to do and so in his encounter with the Lord Jesus it was revealed really that he loved riches more than he desired entrance into the kingdom, more than he desired even eternal life.

He wasn't willing to trade that. Our Lord liked this young man, in fact Mark records that Jesus actually loved him. He was a likable young man, he had good qualities and yet our Lord could see right through all that was apparent to the eye and he addressed the matter of his heart and the Lord dealt faithfully with this man for the Lord desired this man's good and yet we see this man went away sorrowful.

He did not do what was necessary to inherit eternal life. In verse 18 we read that the young man addressed the Lord as good teacher and our Lord responded to him, why do you call me good? No one is good but one and that is God.

It really was a case of flattery, he was flattering the Lord. The parallel accounts in Mark and Luke have slightly different wording and meaning, they have the young man addressed Jesus directly as good but here in Luke 18 verse 18 we read good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

In Matthew the man asked what good deed must I do to have eternal life? In all three accounts however we have the response of the Lord Jesus and that response with respect to applying this quality of good to him and Jesus answered there is only one good, that being God of course.

The cultists jump on this of course and say here the Lord Jesus is himself denying deity only God is good and therefore he was deflecting this quality being rendered on to him by this young man. But the Lord was merely addressing the young man from what the young man could have known and of course the young man could not have known of anything of our Lord but our Lord's humanity and so the young man shouldn't have addressed him with this quality of goodness it belongs to God only even though of course the Lord Jesus warranted that that description because he is good essentially good as the eternal Son of God.

And so our Lord in his response to the young man was not denying his own essential goodness for he is eternal God but the young man could not have known Jesus was God and so it was wrong for the man to attribute to Jesus who he thought to be a mere man the goodness that is God's alone.

Jesus was affirming that God alone is essentially good. The point it would seem is this our Lord sought to probe the nature of the man's faith the young man addressed the Lord Jesus as good teacher this suggests the young man might have been a legalist and that he may have wrongly thought people merit their way into heaven through their good deeds.

If the young man could view one human being as good then he might be able to view another being as not so good and others no good whatsoever and that's how the legalist looks at the world. He may have viewed himself as good and therefore merited entrance into the kingdom and so this way of viewing life results in exalting some persons in your estimation you're going to make saints out of some people and degrading others.

The standard or criteria may be based on religious devotion or activity moral conduct religious law-keeping identity with a specific group but somehow people elevate others as though they are somehow more worthy of God's blessing than others and so he is probably a legalist.

This is heresy of course if a person sees himself and others in this way he's in great error he's probably not saved. Now we might make a point here we do refer to people as good all the time and there's nothing wrong with that and that's not what the Lord Jesus was correcting as far as this young man goes.

In fact one of the qualifications of being a pastor is that he is an admirer of good men but when we use the word we speak relatively we're speaking of a good man relative to other men. When we speak of a good man we're speaking of man's goodness as derived from God but when we speak about someone who is essentially good you cannot attribute that to a human being but to God only.

God only is essentially good. If you or I are any measure good it's because we've derived our goodness from a God who is all good and essentially good and nothing but good. We don't have time to read those quotes you might do so later regarding Thomas Mann and Arthur Pink about the essential goodness of God I think they're important they're good but we are limited in time so let's move on.

I might say this however notice how the Lord Jesus seemed to kind of zero in on this man's doctrinal error just in his casual you know opening words to Jesus. Good teacher the man may have just been polite in his own thinking addressing Jesus in this manner but our Lord felt compelled to correct the young man regarding the error.

In other words the Lord Jesus discerned that this was a problem in this man's thinking about himself humanity and God himself and so our Lord sought to correct this man's doctrine. There are many who believe that to state or advocate finer points of doctrine before people is tedious and bothers bothersome to them and they shouldn't do that.

It's being picky to point out flaws and bring correction and attempt to speak with precision and accuracy about the things of God but our Lord did not deal with souls in this manner but rather he you know he detected this wrong way of thinking on the part of this young man and he corrected it and that's what we ought to be doing in our own thinking and also with one another as we seek to exhort one another and instruct one another in the things of God.

We are to strive to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and so our Lord Jesus led the man to think about what he was saying and think about the implications of his assertions. To believe that a mere man who's fallen due to original sin and Adam and lives and sin in this world may be described as good is inaccurate.

God alone is good and so our Lord sought to instruct this young man in this way. Now look at our Lord's response to this man's request. The young man says Lord what good thing what thing can I do to inherit eternal life and how does the Lord respond?

Well you know the commandments do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother. This isn't the kind of response that we would expect is it?

Especially as supposedly good evangelicals. We might prefer to hear our Lord say as he did in John 6 29 this is the work of God that you believe in him whom he has sent. Why didn't the Lord Jesus answer this young man in this way?

Why did the Lord Jesus answer this man in this way? You know the commands what good thing can I do to inherit eternal life? Well you know the commandments and then he recited them. Why did our Lord respond to the man in this way?

For several reasons I believe. First the Lord Jesus directed this man to keep the commandments of God because this is the way in which every human being is to live in God's world whether Christian or not.

God has created us he's established his laws that are consistent with his nature laws by which all of his creatures are to order their lives in his world and God demands that all people everywhere order their lives according to his law according to his commandments.

No one's exempt. Secondly more specifically the Lord Jesus directed this man to keep the commandments of God because to keep the commandments of God is the way of life of all true Christians. Do you want to inherit eternal life?

Keep the commandments of God. That's the way Christians live. Keeping the Lord's commandments is the course of life that Christians are to take that leads them to eternal life. Our Lord was not declaring the grounds of our salvation which would have been himself Christ Jesus alone nor was our Lord speaking of the means by which God brings salvation to his people which would be grace alone and our Lord was not speaking of the instrument by which God brings salvation to his people by grace which is through faith alone rather our Lord was answering the question of the young man which was essentially what kind of life am I to live if I'm to inherit eternal life and the answer of our Lord was a life characterized by keeping the commandments of God and you're not going to inherit the kingdom of God if you do not order your life according to the law of God.

Mark it down. Doesn't matter what you claim you can claim all day long that Jesus is your Savior trusting him only but if you do not live your life according to the law of God the commandments of God as enabled by the grace of God that's the only way we can you will not inherit eternal life.

This is consistent with other passages of the New Testament John 15 10 if you keep my commandments you will abide in my love just as I kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision but keeping the commandments of God that's how a Christian lives.

First John 2 3 by this we know that we've come to know him if we keep his commandments whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. You want to inherit the kingdom of God you know the commandments keep them.

I've got a number of verses there of course in your notes and they all state the same thing this is the love of God that we keep his commandments. A third reason the Lord Jesus directed this man to keep the commandments of God was in order to reveal to this man his self-righteousness his sin his need of grace by directing this man to the law of God for the law of God is not only the manner in which the Christian is to live but the law of God is the means by which God convicts people that they're sinners and this man needed to know he was a sinner.

Christ to convince him of his folly sends him to the law saying if that will enter into life keep the commandments of God and so God will use his law commonly to convict a person of his sin in order to bring the sinner to see his need for God's mercy and grace to be extended to him in Christ and so the Lord is accomplishing all these purposes in giving him this instruction.

Now regarding the law of God and how we are to regard it there are two common serious errors respecting this matter and we need to be careful to avoid either one we've talked about this quite a bit because it's so important and it's so common.

First of all there's the error of legalism and it says that by keeping the laws of God you merit entrance into the kingdom this is the error of Roman Catholicism and most other man-made religions that by doing good works somehow you acquire the right to enter the kingdom and this is not the case.

The other error is antinomianism or lawlessness there's legalism on one extreme and then the other extreme antinomianism lawlessness it says that you can live in violation to the commandments of God and still gain entrance into the kingdom of God and this is the error of much evangelicalism today doesn't matter how you live as long as you believe the gospel they tell you that's not what the Bible teaches.

Paul addressed the first problem of legalism most thoroughly in Galatians and Romans but he also addressed antinomianism in those epistles. The problem that exists today is that people take Paul's arguments designed to refute and correct legalism and they use it to justify antinomianism.

We're not under law we're under grace and so hey thankfully we're under grace it doesn't matter how we live we can still be saved and if you press probably most evangelicals they would come down on that that kind of thinking and that's just not biblical it's not it's the error of antinomianism.

The Lord was not baiting this young man by telling this man of falsehood. No if you want to inherit the kingdom of God keep the commandments you know what they are you shouldn't murder you shouldn't commit adultery you shouldn't bear false witness.

If we want to enter life we need to walk a straight and narrow path prescribed within the limits of God's commandments. Now to think that he merited entrance by doing so would damn his soul. To think he could gain entrance apart from doing so would damn his soul as well and so in between legalism and lawlessness is grace and this grace motivates and enables one to keep the law of God not perfectly but as the rule of life.

And so our Lord affirms to this young man the need to keep the commandments of God. Citing the second of the two tablets containing the ten commandments these have to do with how you relate to your neighbor.

Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Honor your father and your mother. And really all of the laws of the Bible may be seen to be extensions or applications of the Ten Commandments.

Again I'm not going to read that extended quote by Thomas Brooks but he shows how that's the case. The Ten Commandments are a summary of God's law and all the laws of God can really be seen under these ten words or ten categories.

Well then we see the young man's response to the Lord in verse 21. This is after our Lord told him you want to enter life keep the commandments. The young man said all these things I've kept from my youth.

And so here we see the young man did not know himself. Matthew Henry wrote of him by the way Matthew Henry's commentary it's in six volumes. Charles Spurgeon said every pastor ought to read through it once cover to cover.

George Whitefield read through all six volumes four times in his life. The last time it was said that he read Matthew Henry's commentary on his knees. Matthew Henry wrote of this young man. He boasts that he began early in a course of virtue that he had continued it to this day and that he had not in any instance transgressed.

Had he been acquainted with the extent and spiritual nature of the divine law and with the workings of his own heart. Had he been but Christ's disciples a while and learned of him he would have said quite the contrary.

All these have I broken from my youth up in thought word and deed. And that's absolutely right. No one apart from the Lord Jesus has ever or will ever keep the law of God perfectly or even sufficiently to merit life.

But apparently this young man thought he had and so he told Jesus respecting God's commandments. All these I've kept since I was a boy. It seems clear he was a legalist. He thought he was due to inherit the kingdom of God through earning entrance.

He revealed his self-righteousness and his ignorance and thinking that he had done so and so the Lord would reveal this to him. The man's response reveals the errant thinking of this man with respect to God's commandments and his responsibility before God.

It's clear from this man's response he viewed the laws of God not as a rule of life or the one who's justified through faith alone. Rather he saw keeping the commandments in a moralistic or legalistic manner believing he would merit eternal life through his good works which he saw as keeping the commandments of God.

It's of course extremely important that we understand our relationship to the law of God and our obligation to keep the law of God. If we attempt to keep the law in a legalistic manner as this young man believing that our obedience will earn us entrance into eternal life we will be damned on the day of judgment.

This is what it is to be a moralist a legalist. This man wrongly believed he must keep the commandments in order to gain acceptance by God. And he foolishly thought he had done so. He wrongly believed that he'd kept the laws of God throughout his life.

He did not know the full extent of the law. He did not understand the spiritual nature of God's law. He did not understand the sad sinful condition of his own heart and life. He was self-righteous because he wrongly believed that he had faithfully kept God's law.

And he had falsely thought this would qualify him to enter the promised kingdom of God. Well in contrast to the legalist and this man the man of faith the Christian keeps the commandments in order to show that he already believes in God's gift of salvation by God's grace alone through faith alone the believer keeps God's commandments out of love and out of faith in Jesus Christ is his Lord his Lord who directs him in this course to order his life in the way of righteousness a life characterized by keeping God's law.

The legalist keeps God's commandments because he thinks wrongly. He's keeping the terms of the law as a covenant of works by which he's gaining his soul. The true Christian strives by God's grace to keep God's moral law in order to show that he believes that Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior and that his Lord who rules according to God's law when his kingdom governs him.

And that's why we keep the commandments of God because we love God we love Christ. He is the Lord. And therefore we do so because he's commanded us to do so and we are only able to do so as he enables us to do so by the Holy Spirit that he gives to us.

The man in asking this question what must I do to inherit eternal life. Perhaps there was something he had missed. Perhaps there was some law some commandment he failed to give due diligence to. And so he's asking the Lord to reveal this to him.

And so our Lord revealed to this man his error. We read in verse 22. When Jesus heard these things he said to him. You still lack one thing sell all that you have distribute to the poor and you'll have treasured heaven and come and follow me.

And so the Lord showed the young man that he was not a law keeper but rather he was an idolater. His wealth was his God from which he refused to part. We see what God requires of those who desire to inherit eternal life the kingdom of God.