#151 Lu. 18:24-27 RICHES, A ROADBLOCK TO HEAVEN

Introduction:

    In our text last Sunday, a rich young man came to Jesus
asking, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  Jesus first
pointed to the law which should have made him see himself as a
sinner.  But the man said, "I have don all these things from my
youth up.  Then Jesus told him to sell all he had and give all to
the poor and to come and follow Him.  Being told to sell all he
had should have awakened him to his covetous heart, but he refused
to part with his riches.  He also refused to come to Christ and
trust Him and follow Him.

I.  Some questions I have for you

    Imagine, please, that you are driving a pickup truck traveling
down the road and the destination is hell.  You think, "I ought
not to be on this road.  I need to be on the road to heaven."
Just about that time, you see a sign, "Exit to heaven, one mile."
You slow down somewhat to make an exit.
    Then when you come to the exit, you see a huge pile of dirt
blocking the exit. You stop right in front of the pile of dirt.
You have a shovel in the back of the pickup.  The question that I
ask you is: "Would you move that pile of dirt so that you could go
to heaven, or would you travel on down the road to hell?"
    I think I know the answer to that question.  You would start
shoveling dirt.  Wouldn't you?  You would not let that pile of
dirt stop you from going to heaven and let it send you on down to
hell.  Would you?  I didn't think so.
    Now let us continue with another parable.  Let us pretend that
you are in a pickup driving down the road to hell and you decide
that when you come to the next exit to heaven, you are going to
take it.  But when you come to that exit, there is a huge pile
blocking the exit.  Much to your surprise that pile is gold dust.
    Now what would you do?  Would you take your shovel and it out
of way so that you can go on your way to heaven?  Or would you
shovel it into the back-end of your pickup and drive on down the
road toward hell looking for a good place to start spending it.

II.  The choice the rich young ruler made

    I am not sure what you would do, but I do know what the rich
man in our text last Sunday did.  He decided that he would keep
his riches and take his chances on the road to hell.
    He had come to Jesus and inquired what he must do to inherit
eternal life.  He had asked how he could get on the road to
heaven.  What he needed to do was to repent of his sin and trust
Christ to save his soul, but there was a blockade in the way.  His
great wealth was a blockade hindering him from taking the exit to
heaven.  He chose to hang on to his money and take his chances
about heaven.  He went right on down the road toward hell.  Unless
he made an exit from that road before he died, he is in the fires
of hell right now, and he will always be there.
III.  How hard it is for a rich man to get saved

    V. 24, "And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he
said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the
kingdom of God!"  Riches were not only a blockade on the road to
heaven for that rich man, but they are for every rich man.  They
do not make it impossible for the rich man to go to heaven.  Jesus
did not say that it is impossible for a rich man to get saved.  He
just said that it is extremely difficult for him to get saved.
    Why?  Why is it so hard for a rich man to get saved?  Is it a
sin to be rich?  No!  The possessions of riches, within itself, is
not a sin.  Abraham was rich.  God made him rich.  God would not
have given Abraham all those riches if it were a sin to be rich.
God also made Solomon rich and God would not have given Solomon
riches if the possession of riches is sin.  Then why is it so
difficult for a rich man to get saved?
    In Mark's account of our text Jesus, Himself, gives us the
answer:  "And the disciples were astonished at his words.  But
Jesus answered again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is
it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of
God!" Mark 10:24.  That rich man trusted in his riches.
    The rich man gets accustomed to trusting in his riches for
everything he needs.  If he needs a new automobile, he trusts in
his riches to get him one.  If he wants a new home, he trusts in
his riches to get him one.  He may even get several houses---one
in the mountains, one on the beach and another near his business.
If he needs medical treatment he trusts in his riches.  Whatever
his needs may be, he trusts in his riches to get it.
    The problem with that is that he soon stops trusting in God
for anything.  In the case of the Rich Young Ruler, he had always
trusted in his own ability to keep the law of Moses.  Then when he
began to suspect that was not enough, he came to Jesus asking
Jesus what else he should do.  He must have suspected that Jesus
would say to him, "Take a generous portion of your wealth and give
it to the poor" He would gladly have done that.  He could give a
huge amount to the poor and still be fabulously wealthy.  He would
gladly give some to the poor if that would help get him to heaven.
But he was still trusting in something he could do.  He had
counted on his own ability to keep the law of Moses and now he was
trusting in his own ability to buy his way into heaven with gifts
to the poor.  Jesus knew that.  He knew the heart of the man.
    A lot of rich men make that same mistake.  First, they trust
in their ability to get riches.  Then they trust in riches, they
trust in riches to get them what they want and need.  Some men
have given great sums of money to the poor to hospitals trying to
improve their chances of getting into heaven.  Some have given
great sums of money to the Lord's churches, seminaries and the
mission fields trying to get to heaven.  But nobody can get to
heaven that way.  Nobody can buy their way into heaven.
    When Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all he had and
give it to the poor, Jesus was trying help him.  He was trying to
help him get saved.  He was trying to show him that he was guilty
of covetousness.  He had broken the law of God and needed to
repent of his sin.
    Jesus was also trying to help him to remove that huge
roadblock that was hindering him from getting saved.  He was
trying to get that money out of the way so that he would trust in
Jesus rather than his money.  If he would just get his money out
of the way, he might then learn to trust in Jesus.  He might then
trust the Christ for the salvation of his soul.  It is hard for a
rich man to get saved because it is hard for him to stop trusting
in his riches and trust in Jesus Christ.
    This was true with the rich man in this Scripture and it is
true with rich men today.  A rich man can get saved, but he will
have to repent of his sin and trust in Jesus Christ in order to
get saved.  This is very hard for them to do and, thus, very few
will ever get saved.  Very, very few will ever stop trusting in
their riches.  Very few of them ever trust in God for anything.
Very few of them ever trust in Jesus Christ for salvation.
    Do you want to know just how hard it is for a rich man to get
saved?  V. 25, "For it is easier for a camel to go through a
needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God."  Jesus used an expression that was common in that day.  When
someone wanted to express that something was very difficult, he
would say, "It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's
eye."  They meant that it might be done, but it was very
difficult.
    Now some have supposed that Jesus was talking about a small
gate in the wall of the city of Jerusalem.  There was a small gate
for people to use who were on foot.  One could not ride through
this gate; it was not tall enough.  One could not pull a cart or
wagon through this gate; it was not wide enough.  One could walk
through it easy enough, but he must walk.  This gate was sometimes
called "The Eye of A Needle" because it was so small.
    Some think Jesus was talking about the difficulty of getting a
camel through that gate in the wall of the city.  A camel could
get through it, but he could not stand up and walk through it.  He
would have to get down on his knees and crawl through it.  It was
not only difficult for the camel to do, but it would be difficult
for a man to get a camel to do it.
    This is not really what Jesus was talking about.  To be sure,
it paints a pretty picture of repentance.  Having the camel get
down on his knees does picture repentance, but this is still not
what Jesus was talking about.  Jesus was talking about a literal
camel going through the eye of a literal needle.  It is easier for
a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to
get saved.  If a camel ever gets through the eye of a needle, God
would have to do it, and if a rich man ever gets saved, he is
going to have to stop depending on himself and his riches and let
God do it for him.

IV.  A question of who can be saved

     V. 26, "And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?"
Both Matthew and Mark tell us that it was the disciples who asked
this question.  They asked Jesus, "Who then can be saved? If
riches are that much of a hindrance, who can get saved?"
    Why would the disciples ask this?  They were not rich.  At
least, not many of them were.  I suppose that Matthew may have
been rich where he was called to the ministry, but he was not
likely rich at this point.  His funds were probably pretty well
depleted by now.  Why would they think that riches would hinder
poor people like themselves?  How would their little bit of money
be a roadblock to heaven?
    I think I know what was bothering them.  Not everybody is
rich, but everybody loves money.  There is not a man in the world
who does not want money.  Even the little children learn very
quickly to love to get money.  It is not only possible for money
to be a roadblock to those who are rich, but also to those who are
poor.  It can be a roadblock to the poor because of their own love
of money.  Many a poor man or middle class man can let the love of
money take priority over getting right with God.  Some work every
spare minute they can making that extra dollar.  They work extra
jobs and extra hours to make extra money.  They simply shut God
out of their lives trying to make money.  They are not rich, but
they are trying to get rich.  They do this to the neglect of their
spiritual needs.  They do this to the neglect of the salvation of
their soul.  With this in mind, the disciples asked Jesus, "Who
then can be saved?"
    Regardless of why they asked the question, it is a good
question.  Just who can be saved?  The very broadest possible
answer to that question is:  All men can be saved.  Any man can be
saved.  That is, any man can be saved if he will only do what God
requires of him in order to be saved.  In fact all men in all the
world could be saved if only all would do what God requires in
order to be saved.
    Every poor man can be saved and every rich man can be saved.
Jesus did not say that a rich man cannot be saved.  He did say
that it is extremely hard for a rich man to be saved.  Therefore,
very few rich men ever get saved.  Let me repeat that statement.
Very few people get saved after they are rich.  Almost all rich
people who are saved got rich after they got saved.
    Let me bring this down to a personal level.  Some of you are
saved.  Most of you are saved.  But if you had been rich while you
were still lost, then most likely you would never have gotten
saved.  In all likelihood, you would still be lost right now and
still on the road to hell.  Some of you would probably be in hell
already, because you probably would not have lived this long if
you were unsaved.  You can thank God that He let you be poor long
enough to get saved.
    But wherein it is very difficult for rich people to get saved,
it is impossible for those who will not repent to get saved.  They
could get saved if they would repent of their sin, but because
they will not repent they will not get saved.  They will never get
saved until they repent.  Jesus, Himself, said it.  Jesus said,
"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish," Luke 13:3, 5.
It is also impossible for men to get saved without trusting in the
Lord Jesus Christ.  "John 3:18 says, "He that believeth on him is
not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already,
because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son
of God."
    It is likewise impossible for those who are trying to get
saved by their own works of righteousness to get saved.  In
Ephesians 2:9 the Apostle Paul said, "Not of works lest any man
should boast." In Titus 3:5 he said, "Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He
saved us."
    Any man can be saved, but if he wants to get saved he will
have to do what God requires of him.  He will have to repent and
turn to God.  He will have to stop trusting in his own ability or
his own possessions and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
    V. 27, "And he said, The things which are impossible with men
are possible with God."  It is impossible for a man to save
himself.  It is impossible for him to live good enough to get to
heaven.  It is impossible for him to buy his way to heaven.  It is
impossible for him to do anything to deserve to go to heaven.  But
God can save and God will save any man who will acknowledge his
sin and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation.  In Romans 10:13 the
Apostle Paul said, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved."  In Acts 16:31 Paul said, "Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved..."

Conclusion:

    In this invitation this morning I want to call upon every
Christian here to dedicate your life to the Lord.  The Lord Jesus
Christ died on Calvary's cross for you.  When you called on Him
and asked Him to save you He did.  Without hesitation, He saved
your soul and put you on the road to heaven.  Now that you are
saved, He wants you to serve Him.  He wants you to live for Him
and do what you can in the work of the Lord.
    I also want to call on you who are saved and have your
membership back somewhere else and are in need of a church home to
consider moving your membership to Pleasant Hill.  I would not ask
you to do this in opposition to the will of God, but if you can
feel that it is the will of God for you, then give serious thought
to moving here.
    Further, I want to call on you who are saved and who have
never followed the Lord in baptism to consider coming as a
candidate for baptism and for membership here at Pleasant Hill.
Baptism is not required in order to be saved, but the Bible makes
it clear that the Lord wants the saved to follow Him in Scriptural
baptism and to be a member of one of His churches.
    I want to also call on those who are unsaved to come and call
on the Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him to save your soul.  Come and
get your destiny settled so that you will not spend your eternity
in hell.  Come and trust Jesus so that you will go to heaven.
Come and trust Jesus and get saved.