The Way To Heaven Is Always Through Obedience - [Luke 18:18ff]

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There are some advantages to being around a church for 17 years as a pastor. If you say something inflammatory to start a sermon, people wait to hear you out.
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So I hope that's the case this morning. The way to get to heaven is through obedience.
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The way it's always been and always will be is through works, through obedience.
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No obedience, no heaven. This is God's way. It's always been God's way.
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And before you jump to some theological conclusions too quickly, you're going to see from our passage today that the way to heaven is through obedience.
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I have a different question. When Jesus was born, and of course,
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Joseph and Mary and praising God and the wise men, but then
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Herod comes along and he wants to kill any other king, two years old or younger if you're a male child.
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And if Jesus would have been killed by Herod, would we have salvation?
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Wages of sin is death and Jesus dies. Would that been enough? And getting to heaven by obedience and Christ living a full life, are they related?
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How are they related? Please turn your Bibles this morning to Luke chapter 18, one of my all -time favorite passages.
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Some of you are saying instantly, where's Ruth? Where's the gospel according to Ruth?
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I was getting emails, we can't make it because of Snowmageddon, please don't preach
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Ruth. We've got to get Ruth. I'm calling those people Ruthies.
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We love what's going on in the book of Ruth. But because of two services in the snow,
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I didn't want them to miss. And I also wanted to make sure you understood this very, very important passage.
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Mark Twain said, it ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me.
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It's the parts that I do understand. Has anybody ever asked you the question, how do
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I get to heaven? You're the religious person, you go to this church down the street and you go
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Sunday morning, Sunday school, Sunday night, Wednesday night, Thursday night, IBS, Tuesday night.
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You're the religious person, how do I get to heaven? What have you told them?
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What's been your response? It's a great question to be asked. Would you ever, ever, ever in your wildest dreams tell them to do something?
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The way to heaven is obedience and you must obey. Well, let's take a look at this passage this morning and let's see
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Jesus, the evangelist. My favorite preacher isn't Martin Lloyd -Jones, it isn't
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Charles Spurgeon, it isn't even Sinclair Ferguson or S. Louis Johnson or John MacArthur.
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My favorite preacher is Jesus himself and my favorite evangelist is not
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George Whitefield, it's Jesus himself, the rich young ruler.
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He runs up to Jesus and ask him the question, I wonder if Jesus' response would be your response.
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Luke chapter 18, this account is found in Mark as well and in Matthew.
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I'll probably read some of those verses but we'll hunker down here in Luke 18.
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Verse 18, the same chapter. And a ruler, he was a young ruler,
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Matthew 19 says. He was wealthy and he ruled probably in the synagogue.
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A ruler asked him, good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
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What must I do? Now, immediately, people start falling all over themselves saying, he lived in a works righteousness system, he thought heaven was by works and how he could earn salvation on his own and he's got this wrong thinking.
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But you know what? It was a perfect question. That was the right question to ask. Even the
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ESV study Bible says, that's a good question. What must I do to inherit eternal life?
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Now, Mark 10 says, he ran up to him and knelt before him.
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He didn't just kind of saunter up. You know, that's the Henry David Thoreau, we saunter. You can buy those t -shirts by the pond.
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He didn't kind of skip. When's the last time you ever skipped? I love watching a kid skip. That is just like the quintessential child moment, skipping.
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He ran, he dashed up. This was important to him. And Mark also says that he knelt down.
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He knew Jesus was in authority and he needed the answer. And it would be good to go to heaven, wouldn't it?
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Who wants to go to hell and pay for their sins forever and ever? Eternal life with God, forgiveness, heaven and hell, those are the right kinds of ways to think.
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Our society today, most people don't even think about it. Most people don't even consider it.
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They're too busy thinking about what's going to happen today, what about my life, what about my work, what about my career.
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That's a good question to ask. Heaven or hell? He runs up to Jesus.
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I think if we'll look at the text in just a little bit, what happens before this passage with the children, there's probably children around.
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There are other people around. This isn't really too good to do if you're rich and you're a ruler and now you're running up to some rabbi and down on your knees begging him for this answer.
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Mark actually says, he knelt before him and he kept asking.
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It's an imperfect tense. He asked over and over and over. I want to go to heaven.
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That is the right question. What must I do? It was a very common question to ask rabbis.
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According to Rabbi Eliezer, people would come and ask him this question often.
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Rabbi, teach us the paths that we may merit the life of the world to come.
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Now, look back at chapter 10, please, in Luke. This is the exact question a lawyer asked him, because this is the question.
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Do you want to go to heaven? Let's ask God the question. Let's ask Jesus the question. And they knew
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Jesus was a Bible teacher. They knew he was a rabbi. They knew he knew the scriptures.
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They knew he was one who had authority. Who talks like this? And so people would regularly go up and ask
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Jesus the question, Luke 10 .25. And behold, look out of nowhere, is the idea in Luke's writing.
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A lawyer, this is not the lawyer we would think of today that's going to bail you out of jail or represent you in a court.
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This is an expert in the law, the Old Testament law. This is an expert in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
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He's a Bible expert. He's a Bible answer man, the Bible answer man.
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Okay, a Bible answer man. Is that show still on? I don't know. A lawyer stood up to put him to the test.
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The demeanor is different here versus Luke 18. But the question is the same, and it's the right question.
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Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
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Don't you think Jesus would say, no, no, no, no, no, it's not what you do. It's faith, works righteousness system, no good.
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Even your righteous deeds are like filthy rags. No, no, no, no, you're thinking in a works righteousness world.
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Stop that. That's what I would, that's what I'd do. If you ran up and asked me, I'd probably do that.
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But what does Jesus say? Luke 10 .26. That's why I love to study the life of Christ.
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There's nobody like him. Luke 10 .26. He said to him, what is written in the law?
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How do you read it? You're the expert. You know what the
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Bible says. What does Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus through Deuteronomy say? And so here the lawyer answers properly from Deuteronomy and from Leviticus.
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He's the expert in those things. And he answers Luke 10 .27. Deuteronomy 6 .5 and Leviticus 19 .18.
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You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.
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Luke 10 .28. And he said to him, you have answered correctly.
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You have answered orthos. What a way to get the word orthos. I used to work and watch, rather, orthopedic surgery.
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Straight, correctly, with orthodoxy.
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You have answered correctly. That's the right answer. Now what does Jesus say?
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Is the way to heaven through obedience? Do you get to heaven through doing? What does
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Jesus say? I mean, you write this down on your college Bible school test or application.
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We'd love to have you come be a new student. How do you get to heaven? If you say anything that starts with do, you're going to be fired.
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Do this and you will live. Present imperative.
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Keep on doing it with sacrificial action and love. Knowledge is not enough.
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Ascent is not enough. You just have to do this. Now I would probably say to someone, facetiously
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I would say, let me give you the four spiritual laws. Let me tell you three easy steps to follow
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Christ. Jesus says do this and live. Here's what
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Jesus says. Do the law. Keep the law. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself.
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That is the way to heaven. It's always the way to heaven. It's the only way to heaven.
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Problem is, Deuteronomy 27 says, Curse it is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law to perform them.
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That's the problem, Deuteronomy 27. Paul quotes it in Galatians as well. But Jesus said, and you've seen it with your own eyes, do this and live.
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Now go backwards to the garden. Wasn't this the same kind of language in the garden? You may eat from any tree in the garden except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
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The day you eat of it, you shall surely die. And God enters into a relationship with Adam.
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I would call it a covenant. Call it whatever you'd like. And Adam needed to have perfect and complete obedience.
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The test was given. Probation was given. Donated the knowledge of the tree of evil, that tree.
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And Adam breaks the covenant. If Adam would have obeyed, eternal life.
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But he broke the covenant. Curse it is anyone who does not continue to do everything written in the book of the law.
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Adam owed obedience. He had to perfectly do. Before the fall,
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God demands obedience. After the fall, God demands obedience. Adam was our federal head and as Hosea says in chapter 6 verse 7, they like Adam have transgressed the covenant.
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Turn with me if you would to Romans chapter 2 verse 6. I want you still to see this idea of do and obey.
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And for those of you that just are ready to walk out because you think I'm works righteousness oriented, this is going to drive you to see the one,
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Jesus, who does, who obeys. You don't need Jesus as a little baby who dies at the hands of Herod.
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You need Jesus who lives a perfect life of obedience, don't you? Of course you do, but I've already told you the punchline.
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But I want to keep you in the sanctuary. Never been pelted with rocks and garbage, but I could probably use it on occasion.
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Romans chapter 2 verse 6. If the covenant of works is do this and you'll live or disobey and you'll die.
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How do we read Romans chapter 2 verse 6? He will render to each one according to his works.
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Do. Obey. Every human, you if I can say it, you live underneath the same command of God for heaven.
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Obey. Do. Do this and live.
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This is not talking here in Romans 2 verse 6 about if you're really saved you'll have good works. He will render to each one according to his works.
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And then look at verse 7. To those who by patience in well -doing seek for glory and honor and immortality.
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He will give eternal life. Eternal life for the doers. Do. Say, I think you've got my attention.
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Look at these destinies of these people. Verse 8. But for those who are self -seeking, do not obey the truth.
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They don't do, but obey unrighteousness. There will be wrath and fury.
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Who can stand, Nahum said, before your indignation, God? An old Baptist preacher said,
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The wrath of God does not end with death. This is a truth which the preacher cannot mention without trembling, nor without wondering that he's not trembled more.
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The eternity of punishment is a thought which crushes the heart. You've buried the man, but you have not buried his sins.
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His sins live and are immortal. They go before him to judgment.
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The Lord is slow to anger, but when he is aroused, he will be against those who reject his
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Son. Verse 9 of Romans 2 says, There will be tribulation and distress for every human who does evil, or every human being who does evil.
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The Jew first and also the Greek. They got priority of blessing in Romans 1 .16,
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priority in judgment as well. He who does evil, no wonder.
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The Bible says in John 3, He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
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He who does not obey. Look at verse 10 of Romans 2,
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But glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good.
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The Jew first and also the Greek. Skip down to verse 13. He reaffirms the principle of verse 6,
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For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the, what?
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Doers of the law will be justified. Will be reckoned righteous.
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Will be justified. The doers of the law will be justified.
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And of course Paul is saying, In this context to the Jews who think partial obedience is enough.
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Now let's go back to Luke chapter 18. So we can see this rightly because if you just default to,
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Oh, this guy's got a works righteousness system and he's all wrong. It's hard to see the rest.
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What must I do to inherit eternal life? That's the right question because you have to do to get to heaven.
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Of course, immediately I know what you're saying. I can't do that's why I need a savior. Thank you. You need a substitute.
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You need substitution. No obedience. Okay. Back to the text.
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I think I like kill cliffhangers better. I do have a shepherd's crook in my study.
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I just don't want it around my neck. Hang in there with me.
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And a ruler, Luke 18, 18, ask him, Good teacher. What must I do to inherit eternal life?
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The right question. And Jesus does not say, Let's quit. Go get baptized.
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Make a decision. Accept Jesus in your heart. He gives him a wake up call.
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The cold water in the face deal. I had problems when I was growing up like other probably young men.
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And if I did not get out of bed to my alarm clock, My mother would walk over with some water. And she would sprinkle some water on my face.
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And you know what she called it? She called it the water treatment. That's why
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I am who I am. I got the water treatment. It just kind of startles you.
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I mean there's water on your face. Figuratively, that's what's happening here. What must
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I do to inherit eternal life? And what does Jesus say? Remember, this guy is a rabbi's dream.
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A poor rabbi's dream. This guy is rich and he's a ruler. Don't you want the rich guys? He's begging.
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He's running. He's on his knees. He won't get up. And Jesus said to him,
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Why do you call me good? Why do you call me good?
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You called me good teacher. See that in verse 18.
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But I don't think you have any idea what you're talking about. Because good is a word reserved for God ultimately.
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A couple of Greek words for good. One means externally pleasing. But the word here is intrinsically good.
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Who is intrinsically good? Anyone in the world? Yes, Jesus alone.
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Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You're just throwing it around like Mr.
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Sir, Reverend, High Holy Father. You're just giving me some kind of name. Do you really know what you're saying?
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You're calling me God. Superficially good?
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No, Jesus is good. You don't know that when you call me good, you're calling me
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God. And Jesus is going to confront this young man with who he is so he can see himself.
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Now what you don't see is this young man saying something that Peter did. When Peter, by the Spirit's power, yes,
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I grant that. But when Peter got a glimpse of Jesus in the boat for who he was, the eternal Son of God, what did
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Peter say? Depart from me for I'm a what? Sinful man.
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He's not there. Before you, as one man said, address me with such a title, you had better think soberly about what the implications are, especially for you.
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Now what does Jesus say? He says do. You want to go to heaven?
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Do. Obey. Verse 20, you know the commandments.
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Do not commit adultery. He gives five. Do not murder. Do not steal.
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Do not bear false witness. But do honor your father and mother.
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Do not, do not, do not, do not, do. He quotes these five commandments.
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You say, well, why didn't he quote anything about loving God or something from the first side of the tablet?
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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.
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For the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love
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God whom he has not seen. The failure of the second means failure of the first.
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Failure to love your neighbor means you're not loving God. What do
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I do? Obey. Now look at what he says in verse 21.
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Luke 18. I'd like to go to heaven. Jesus, I want to go to heaven. What do
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I do? Keep the commandments. And he said, all these things I have kept from my youth.
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Now in Mark it says, he said to him, Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.
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Dropping the good title. Teacher, I've done all these things. Since the
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Jewish community has taken me into adulthood, I've done all that.
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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
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Christian is. Both from Webster's dictionary, or from dictionaries. One from Webster's, one from Random House.
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Do you like these definitions of being a Christian? Webster's. A decent, civilized, or presentable person.
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Random House. Exhibiting a spirit proper to a follower of Jesus Christ.
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And as having a loving regard for other persons. I think
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I'd probably say to my kids, you're getting warmer. Remember Paul in Philippians 3?
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Regarding the law, I was found blameless. Externally, legalistically.
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This guy is blind. He cannot see anything. I've met many people in my life and they'll say,
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I've never sinned in my life. I've never sinned.
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This guy's not a terrorist. This guy's not a bad guy. He's a good guy.
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Verse 18. Okay. Jesus heard this. When he heard it, he said to him,
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One thing you still lack. Now there's something still failing you. To use the language of the
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Greek. There's something still wanting to thee. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor.
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And you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me. Did you know
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Mark said that Jesus loved him? It's a bad translation, but the
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NAS says he felt a love for him. No, the text says he loved him. King James, he loved him.
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New King James, he loved him. NIV, he loved him. Jesus looks at the guy with love and compassion.
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Pity. Tender concern. I think of Psalm 145.
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The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works. I think of Psalm 86.
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God is good and ready to forgive. He loves this sinner.
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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.
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I understand that, but he loved this man. He loved him enough even to tell him the truth, didn't he?
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One thing you lack, go and sell all your possessions and give to the poor. Matthew says that the man asked, what am
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I still lacking? And now Jesus gives him the answer. You are lacking doing with unrivaled allegiance.
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Money is your God. That root sin has replaced loving
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God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Friend, you love money with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
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And you love money as much as you love yourself. So sell it.
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Get rid of it. The vulnerable spot in the man's armor was his money.
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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.
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The gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it. Verse 23,
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But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. I love the
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Greek emphasis. He was rich exceedingly. Mark says he fell on his face.
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His face fell is probably the better way to translate it. I'd like to go to heaven.
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I'm asking the right guy. I'm asking the right question. Here's what he thinks is the wrong answer.
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And his face falls with disappointment. Total commitment. Wait, I've got real estate.
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I've got servants. I've got lands. I've got money. I want God, but not at the cost of this stuff.
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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?
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What's the passage just before the rich young ruler in Luke 18? Answer, Let the children come to me.
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The opposite of childlike trust, offering no good thing to the parents, can't work to be in good graces with their parents.
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Contrary to childlike faith and trust, verse 15 of Luke 18,
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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,
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Let the little children come to me. Do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
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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.
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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.
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Oh, it's hard. If I was an apostle, if I was a disciple, and I'm watching all this,
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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.
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Jesus knew that because Mark 10 says, Jesus looking around said to his disciples, It's hard to get in the kingdom with money.
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Mark 10 .24 says, They were amazed at his words. They were struck outside of themselves.
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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.
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Now I read the Talmud said that it's, an elephant goes through the eye of a needle.
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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, where a needle gate, where the camel has to kneel down and kind of inch its way through.
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Is that what Jesus is saying? Of course not. There's no needle gate until the 15th century, first of all.
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I do find it interesting, just on a side note,
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Luke uses language of a doctor's kind of needle. I wonder why that is. 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?
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I can't thread any needle anymore. I was at TJ Maxx yesterday looking at magnifying glasses going,
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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.
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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.
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Just picture, word pictures I like. Those who heard it, verse 26 said, who then can be saved?
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Mark 10 says they are even more astonished. They're dumbstruck, they're bewildered, they're amazed, they're out of their mind.
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What do you mean? And now Jesus says in verse 27, as you know, what is impossible with man is possible with God.
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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.
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But it's impossible with man, but it's possible with God. God can save,
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God can redeem. Job 42, I know that you can do all things and no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
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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.
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Now ratchet all the way back and ask yourself the question, why was Luke written? To show you the
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Son of Man, the humanity of Jesus. Why is the humanity of Jesus important?
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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.
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As a human, as our representative, do this and live.
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Friends, quickly we realize we can't do this because we've sinned and fallen short. And we're ungodly and we're sinful.
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Think about all the words for sin. Trespass and transgress and miss the mark and things that we do and don't do.
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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?
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The just shall live by faith. But the law, do this and live, is never taken away.
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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
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God -man. And why is that important? Not God and man, although that's true, but technically the God -man.
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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.
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He can do in our place. He dies in our place and He does in our place.
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See? Calvin said,
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The Lord does not promise anything except to the perfect observers of the law.
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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.
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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.
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For this reason, the promises offered in the law would be null and ineffectual. Did not
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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?
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Turn with me, Wood, to Romans chapter 8. Of course I want you to rejoice that you have a substitutionary
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Savior that dies for your sins in your place. Of course we rejoice.
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He bears our sins, 1 Peter chapter 2. We don't have to pay for our sins anymore.
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But there are people in evangelicalism that attack Christ's substitutionary obedience,
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His active obedience, we'll call it, where He is perfectly fulfilling all righteousness.
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Why was John the Baptist in the river seeing Jesus and then said,
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Well, Jesus, you should be baptizing me? Answer, because John the Baptist knew he was sinful. And Jesus wasn't.
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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.
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I've come to fulfill all righteousness. I've come to do this in the place of sinners.
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Look at Romans 8, 3 and 4. I mean, of course
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I love chapter 8, verse 1. There's no condemnation. I deserve it but I don't get it.
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Of course I like 8 .28. God's causing all these things to work together for good. Of course
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I love... Nothing's going to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Don't you love
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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
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His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. And for sin,
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He condemns sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of the law, do, obey, do this and live.
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The ruler comes up, what do I do? The lawyer rather, what do I do? Do this and live. Rich young ruler, what do
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I do? Obey. That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.
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How can it be fulfilled in us? Because it's fulfilled for us in the work of another, Christ's obedience.
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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.
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Remember Jesus dies and God raises Him from the dead. If Jesus had committed one sin,
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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.
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If Adam and Eve would have perfectly obeyed, God would have had to, like with Jesus, give them eternal life.
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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.
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No wonder Jesus said in John 4, My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish
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His work. How about these verses? Just listen.
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You can jot them down in your notes if you'd like, but just listen. Galatians 4, But when the fullness of time had come,
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God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who are under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
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Everybody's under this same law. Do. Someone comes up to you and says, I'd like to go to heaven. What must
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I do to be saved? Well, if you want to say, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved, Acts 16 .31,
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fine. But here, we're going to get to this quickly and cut to the chase where the answer is do.
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You give them God's requirements of His holiness and of His holy law. No wonder
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Paul says in Romans 5, through the obedience of the one. Why is
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Jesus' obedience so important? Why did He have to live a full life? And if you're not trusting in your
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Savior's obedience, then something's going to be sneaking in the door and it's going to be called your own obedience.
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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.
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I might have to add some of my own. Irish Articles of Religion, 16 .15.
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We are accounted righteous for the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ applied by faith.
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Let me give you a translation. You're accounted righteous by Christ doing.
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Put to your account. Do this and live. And Jesus did it.
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John Owen, Christ had to provide active obedience because Adam was under the law, do this and live.
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The life promised to him is not to be obtained unless all be done that the law requires.
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Adam, our federal head, do this and live. He didn't. Jesus, our federal head, do this and live.
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He did. No wonder the songwriter
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Hoatius Bonar said it was the only perfect thing which had ever been presented to God in man's behalf, the obedience of Christ.
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The only perfect thing which had ever been presented to God in man's behalf, the obedience of Jesus Christ.
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That's why getting killed as an infant by Herod wouldn't have been enough. We need a full life of obedience.
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Jesus earned our salvation by doing. Then you read 1
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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You must suffer the penalty and render the obedience. Sin is under double obligation.
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Holiness is under a single one. A guilty man owes both penalty and obedience.
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We are glad for the incarnation. We are glad. Friends, the gospel is for moral people.
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Why? Because moral people can't do perfectly.
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The gospel is for religious people. Why? Because you can go to mass every day of your life.
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You can kneel down and pray to Allah five times a day every day for your life, but you can't love
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God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and enablers yourself 24 -7. Do. You can't do it.
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I'm just going to try harder. I'm just going to live a purpose -driven life. Do. Do this and you'll live.
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Don't do it and there's a curse for you. I fast twice a week.
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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,
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God, be merciful to me, the sinner. I didn't do. Luke 18 .28.
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We need to wrap this up. No, we don't. It's only one service today. What am I doing?
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The visitors are going, okay. Luke 18 .28.
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And Peter said to him, See, we have left our homes and followed you. We did what you asked.
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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.
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Yeah, there's a reward. I will read the next few verses because I think they're important.
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Taking the twelve, 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.
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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.
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But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
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If you're not a Christian today, the way to heaven for you is do.
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Obey. Keep the commandments. Do what the Bible says.
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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.
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That's why you have to look away from yourself and look to another through the eyes of faith and trusting in what the
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Bible says about Jesus who did and lived as our representative and substitute.
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And if you're a Christian, when you read the life of Christ, I want you just to rejoice.
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I don't want you to just quick zoom in on the crucifixion and the resurrection. Are those good things to zoom in on?
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But not at the exclusion of everything else. Why are there 28 chapters in Matthew?
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Well, there's prophecy to be fulfilled. Yeah, I know that. But also you get to see the life of Christ. This is what
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God requires in the life of a son, of a human. And Jesus did it. And through faith, the transaction is there.
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Christ's righteousness credited to my account. My sin credited to Jesus' account.
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Do this and live? Jesus did. When Jesus says in Matthew 5 .48,
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Be perfect therefore as your heavenly Father is perfect. And you're like, okay, then what can
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I do? I've got to run to another. The rich young ruler asked the right man and he asked the right question.
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But he didn't respond with faith. We're not told of anything that happens to him afterwards.
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He runs up to Jesus and then runs off the text of Scripture for who knows how long.
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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.
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And so too can you be through faith. Let's pray. Thank You, Father, for what
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Your Son has done. We would readily acknowledge that we are not righteous.
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We don't understand. We don't seek for You. We've turned aside and become useless.
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Our throats were an open grave. The poison of asthma is under our lips.
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But we have a Savior. We have a representative. Jesus is our righteousness.
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Jesus did understand. Jesus sought after You. His words were the words of eternal life.
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His mouth was full of blessing and not cursing. And our feet are swift to shed blood.
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Maybe that's the comparison. So too Christ's feet were swift to have
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His blood shed. Not because He was a sinner, but He identified with us. Thank You for such a great
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Savior. Thank You that we have righteousness not of our own, but a righteousness that was earned.
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Do this and live. Thank You. That's exactly what Jesus did. May that praise be on our lips this week.