Sermons | Great Commission Church

Reference

Luke 18:18–23

Notes

The Gospel According to Jesus

LAW TO THE PROUD - The Rich Young Ruler

Luke 18:18–23

Intro: In the winter of 1996, a man walked straight off the streets of Memphis into the bookstore I was managing. He looked at me and said, “Someone told me if I came in here, you could tell me how to get my life right. Is that true?” It felt like a preacher’s dream. A total stranger — asking how to be saved. I was eager. Too eager. I rushed him. I softened the hard parts of the gospel. I smoothed out the sharp edges. I removed the offense. I filled in the potholes on the narrow road. I hurried him into a sinner’s prayer and declared him a Christian before the weight of what Jesus demands had time to land. His name was Joseph. Three years later, he was dead. And Luke 18 has forced me to ask whether I gave him the gospel according to Jesus — or the gospel according to convenience. Luke 18 is not sentimental. It is not casual. It is not interested in easy decisions. It is a commentary on what it requires to enter the kingdom of heaven. In this chapter, there are three kinds of people who enter the kingdom: First, the humble sinner in the temple who cries, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Then the childlike heart that simply receives. And then — this man. A rich, young ruler. Matthew says he was young. Luke says he was a ruler. All three synoptic Gospels say he was rich. He had influence. He had morality. He had discipline. He had wealth. And he comes to Jesus with what sounds like the right question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” If anyone looked ready for the kingdom — it was him. But he walks away. And the lesson of this passage is clear: Salvation is free. But it is not casual. It cannot be earned. It cannot be negotiated. It cannot be added onto a life already ruled by something else. And unless God does what only God can do — it is impossible. Tonight, we are not looking at the gospel according to church culture. We are looking at the gospel according to Jesus.

IF ONLY GOD IS GOOD, WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE ME?

Luke 18:18 “Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’”

What a revealing question this ruler asks!

He sounds sincere. But in one sentence he reveals both a shallow view of God and a shallow view of salvation.

He says, “Good Teacher.” In Jewish culture, that was unusual. “Good” was reserved for God. It was a word of divine perfection. To casually apply it to a rabbi was rare. So whether he knew it or not, he spoke more than he meant.

Then listen to his question: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Those two words do not belong together. You do to earn. You inherit because you belong. A worker earns wages. A son inherits because he is a son.

He assumes eternal life is achieved. He assumes the problem is incomplete effort. He assumes he needs one more religious action.

He assumes he needs improvement — not repentance.

Before Jesus answers him, the man has already exposed his theology. He believes goodness is manageable. He believes eternal life is attainable. He believes he is close. And that is precisely why Jesus begins where He does – with the only standard of “goodness.”

Luke 18:19 “So Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.’”

Jesus presses on the word “good.” He does not ignore it. He does not accept the flattery. He forces the man to think.

“No one is good but One, that is, God.” Is Jesus denying His own goodness? No. He is raising the standard.

The ruler thinks in terms of relative goodness — comparing himself to others. Jesus introduces absolute goodness — God’s holiness.

If only God is good, then the standard is not “better than average.” The standard is perfection. Until a person understands that, he will always believe eternal life is within reach.

Before commandments are discussed…Before wealth is addressed…Before covetousness is exposed…Jesus establishes the foundation: If God alone is good, then human morality will never be enough.

But once that standard is clear, the next question becomes unavoidable.

If God’s holiness is the measure — and the Law reveals that measure — then every honest heart must ask:

IF THE LAW IS A MIRROR, DO I LIKE WHAT I SEE?

Luke 18:20 “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.’”

The ruler asked what he must do. So, Jesus gives him commandments. He sends him straight to the Law of Moses.

Jesus does not soothe him. He does not rush to comfort. He confronts him.

Much of modern evangelism skips this step. People want relief. They want reassurance. They want peace without exposure.

But until a person sees himself as a violator of God’s law, he will never see his need for grace.

Gal 3:24 “The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ.”

The law exposes. The law convicts. The law reveals that we are not good.

Jesus lists five commandments from the second table — the commands dealing with human relationships.

But He leaves one out. And that omission becomes the key.

Before we get there, remember this principle: Law to the proud. Grace to the humble.

This man arrives sincere — but self-assured. So, Jesus applies the law — not as a ladder to climb, but as a mirror to expose.

The law is not the way to salvation. But it is the doorway to seeing why we need one.

We are a little surprised by the confident claim the ruler makes.

Luke 18:21 “All these things I have kept from my youth.”

He is not shaken. No hesitation. No wrestling. No visible conviction.

To us, that sounds outrageous. But in his religious culture, it would not have been absurd. Rabbis commonly taught that the law could be kept outwardly.

Even Paul once described himself as “blameless” according to the righteousness in the law.

This young man may truly have avoided adultery. He may never have murdered. He may have honored his parents and conducted honest business. Externally, he was clean.

But that is the problem. His claim reveals not wickedness — but shallow self-righteousness.

He has kept the letter. He has not examined his heart.

He believes he can manage the laws of God. And because he believes that, he still believes eternal life is within reach.

The law has been applied — but instead of producing humility, it produces confidence. The issue is not behavior. It is blindness.

But when the Law fails to awaken humility, Jesus does something even more precise. He stops speaking generally — and starts speaking personally.

And that leads to the most revealing question of all.

WHAT DO I SECRETLY BELIEVE I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT?

Christ wants this man to see clearly so He delivers a surgical strike.

Luke 18:22 “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Not ten things. One thing. This is not random. This is diagnostic. This is not financial advice. It is a call to total allegiance.

Jesus knows the condition of his heart. The issue is not poverty. The issue is priority.

Is this a universal command for every believer? No. It is a customized command for this man.

The commandment Jesus left unspoken now comes into view: “You shall not covet.”

At the heart of coveting is greed — dependence upon possessions.

He does not own his wealth. His wealth owns him.

He trusts in his surplus. He leans on his security. In short, he is an idolater.

He thought he lacked a religious activity. Jesus shows him he lacks contrite surrender.

The question becomes simple: Will you release what you trust most — and follow Me?

And that moment brings every soul to a crossroads. Because when Jesus exposes the idol of the heart, there are only two possible outcomes. Which leads to the final and most sobering question.

WILL MY ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS END IN SALVATION OR SORROW?

Luke 18:23 “He became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.”

He does not argue. He does not attack. He becomes sad. It is sorrow without surrender.

Jesus put His finger on the nerve center of his life — and it hurt. He was very rich.

Riches have a kind of narcotic effect. They dull spiritual urgency. They impair judgment. They insulate the heart from desperation.

Wealth whispers: “You’re secure.” “You’re fine.” “You don’t need mercy.”

Sorrow without surrender is not salvation. It’s not even regret. It’s pitiful foolishness.

The rich young ruler stands at the doorway — but turns away grieving.

Jesus does not lower the demand. Christ will not negotiate with idols. Salvation is not the achievement of man. It is the intervention of God.

God can break the grip of wealth. God can humble pride. God can awaken dead hearts. God can grant repentance. God can give a new heart.

Conclusion: The rich young ruler came searching. He was sincere. He was moral. He was disciplined. He was religious. And he walked away sorrowful. That’s the tension of this passage. He wasn’t far off. He was face-to-face with Jesus. He heard truth clearly. He felt something deeply. And he still walked away. He didn’t need information; he needed repentance and faith.

He wanted eternal life — but not if it meant releasing what already had his heart.

And here’s what Jesus exposes for every one of us:

You can be close to the kingdom…and still be clinging to something that keeps you out.

You can be moral…and still be mastered. You can be sincere… and still be self-reliant.

And if we’re honest, the question is no longer about him. It’s about us. What sits at the center of your life right now? What do you quietly believe you cannot live without? If Jesus put His finger on it, what would make you recoil?

Because whatever that is — that’s the competition. And Jesus doesn’t negotiate with competitors. He doesn’t share the throne.

But here’s the good news that keeps this from crushing us: “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)

You may not be able to break your grip on that thing. But God can break its grip on you. You may not be able to humble your own heart. But God can bring you low in the best way possible.

You may not be able to produce surrender. But God can bring you to the end of yourself — and that’s where real life begins.

So the question today is not: “What do I need to add?” It’s: “What do I need to release?”

Prayer Ministry:

Let’s not rush past that. Because this is where the message either becomes real… or just another sermon we heard.

I want to give you a few prayer lanes right where you are. Not public pressure — but honest dealing with God.

Prayer of Exposure — “Lord, show me what owns me.”

Some of us don’t need more information. We need clarity.

We’ve been managing life, doing the right things, showing up — but if we’re honest, we haven’t asked God to search our hearts in a while.

Pray: “Lord, put Your finger on anything in my life that competes with You. Show me what I trust more than You. Don’t let me stay blind.”

Prayer of Surrender — “Lord, I release what I’ve been gripping.”

Others of us already know what it is. There’s no mystery. We felt it the moment we read the text. And if we’re honest, we’ve been negotiating with God about it. That ends today.

Pray: “Lord, I’ve been holding onto this. I’ve been trusting this. I’ve been leaning on this. And I release it to You. I cannot save myself.
I cannot fix myself. I surrender.”

Prayer of Dependence — “Lord, do what I cannot do.”

Some of us are thinking, “I want to let go… but I don’t know if I can.” That’s exactly where this passage leads you. “With men it is impossible…” So don’t fake being strong. Approach God in honest weakness.

Pray: “Lord, I don’t have the power to change my heart. I don’t have the strength to break this. But You do. Do in me what I cannot do for myself.”

--------------------- Transcript -----------------------

Find Luke 18 in your Bibles today. Luke 18.
If you didn't know, Jared's my brother. He says piercing fantastic prayers. I'm Trevor Davis, I'm GCC's pastor and we're going to begin a three part series today called the Way of the Master. And it's as we emphasize, our ones. Did you see that?
If you were watching the NCAA basketball tournament this week, some guy hit a game winning shot. He had scripture written on his sneakers and they asked him about it. After the game he says John 15 where Jesus says I leave the 99, I go after the 1. Jesus goes after the 1 and he wants you to be one of his ones. It was amazing and timely for what we're doing today.
Luke chapter 18. I'm going to read verses 18 through 23 and then preach a message to you from the series called the Gospel According to Jesus that I call law to the proud. And it's the story of Jesus and the rich young ruler. It reads this way. Now a certain ruler Asked him, 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 follow me. But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. Brothers and sisters, the word of the Lord. Let's pray together.
Father, our church bows in our hearts and in our heads and our eyes closed this morning before you. And on the outside, it appears that we're humbling ourselves on the inside. God, we ask you to help that be a reality as we sit under the preaching of your word, which you have ordained to save sinners and to build up the church. And I pray that you would help me to say it right and that Jesus would be the one everybody thinks about after this message and during it, and that you would show us our hearts in these next few minutes. God give our bodies stamina.
Let the Holy Spirit give us the ability to pay attention and God feed our souls. This is our prayer in Jesus name and a faith filled church said, Amen. Let me say a quick word that Angie and I cannot wait to give to the 10 man offering. We can't believe we get to be a part of such a powerful and important opportunity to be generous and to help others. And I hope you'll feel the same way.
I'm going to ask you to pray for me this week and our prayer team as we go down about an hour southwest of here. We've been invited to speak to a church that wants the presence of God. And so what a great privilege and opportunity that is. And so would you just pray that the Lord would glorify his son and save souls and breathe life into a church that has said that that's what they want. Isn't that awesome?
Here's my favorite part. The pastor who invited me says, can you bring your prayer teams and minister to us? And I was like, you kidding me? Of course we can. So we're going to do that.
It's a Baptist church. I don't know if they know what's getting ready to hit them or not, right? In the winter of 1996, a man walked straight off the streets of Memphis into The Christian bookstore that I was managing over on Millbranch Road in South Haven. And I was the only one there that day. He looked at me and he said, and I quote, someone told me if I came in here, you could tell me how I could get my life right with God.
Is that true? I promise you that happened to me. It felt like a preacher's dream, right? A total stranger barging in the store. It's just he and I asking how to be saved.
To say that I was eager to talk to him in that moment would be an understatement. But maybe I was a little too eager. I rushed him.
I kind of softened some of the hard parts of the gospel because I was beside myself. I can't believe this is low hanging fruit. Looking back, I feel like I smoothed out some of the sharp edges and I tried to remove the offense of the gospel because I so wanted this guy to pray to receive Christ there that day. I feel like that I filled in some of the potholes on the narrow road and I hurried him into a sinner's prayer. And then, like some kind of Baptist pope or something, I declared him to be a Christian before the weight of what Jesus demands had time to land on him.
His name was Joseph. Three years later, he was dead. Now I believe that Jesus saved him. I just look back on it now and say, I could have done a much cleaner job, a much more skillful, knowledgeable job of sharing Christ with him. But look, doesn't God have to take our mess anyway and filter it to those who need to be saved?
Luke 18 has forced me to ask whether I gave him the Gospel according to Jesus or the Gospel according to convenience. I want you to know that our text today is not sentimental and it's not superficial and it's not interested in easy decisions. Luke 18 is a commentary on what it requires to enter the kingdom of God. And so in this chapter, there are three kinds of people who enter the kingdom. First, there's that humble sinner in the temple who cries out, God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
Second, there's the childlike heart that simply receives. And then there's our guy. Today he's known in Christian lore as the rich young ruler. Why is he called that? Well, Matthew calls him young, Luke calls him a ruler.
And Matthew, Mark, and Luke all call him rich. So rich young ruler. This guy had influence, he had morality, he was a good neighbor, he had discipline in his life, he had wealth. And he comes to Jesus with what sounds like the right question. Doesn't it?
What must I do to inherit eternal life? Shouldn't everybody ask that and find out the answer? I mean, if anyone looked ready for the kingdom, it was this guy. But at the end of the story that I read, he walks away. And the lesson of this passage is clear.
Salvation is free, but it is not casual. It cannot be earned, it cannot be negotiated. It cannot be added onto a life that's already ruled by something else. And unless God does what only God can do, salvation for a sinner is impossible. Now, at the end of the text that I didn't read, they say that to Jesus, and he says, with man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.
Yes, today we're not looking at the Gospel according to church culture, we're looking at the Gospel according to Jesus. And as always, if I can find the text asking us questions, that's when I'm going to make my outline. So here's question number one. If only God is good, where does that leave me?
This is Luke 18:18. Now, a certain ruler asked him, saying, good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? I got to tell you what a revealing question this ruler asks. Doesn't he sound sincere? Yes or no?
But in one sentence, he reveals two things. He reveals a shallow view of God, and he reveals a shallow view of salvation. First, he says to Jesus, good teacher. If Jesus Christ is only a good teacher, you don't know who he is. But in Jewish culture, it was unusual to call a rabbi good.
That word good was typically reserved for God alone. It was a word of divine perfection. So to casually apply it to a rabbi would be rare. So whether the ruler knew it or not, he spoke more than he meant when he said, good teacher. And then listen to the question, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
In your Bible, you should circle the word do and circle the word inherit.
You want to know why I had you circle those? Because those two words do not belong together.
You do to earn you inheritance, because you belong. So a worker earns their wages. They do something for them. But a son inherits because he's a son. He belongs to the family.
Do you see the difference?
So the rich young ruler assumes that eternal life is something you can achieve. What must I do? He assumes that his problem is incomplete effort. He assumes that he just needs maybe one more religious activity. So, friends, let me say it this way.
The rich young ruler assumes he needs improvement, not repentance.
Before Jesus answers him, the man has already exposed his theology. He believes that goodness is Manageable. He believes that eternal life is attainable.
He believes that he's close. And that's precisely why Jesus begins where he does, with the only standard of goodness. Remember, the question is, if only God is good, where does that leave me? Look at verse 19. So Jesus says to him, why do you call me good?
No one is good but one that is God. Do you see that? Jesus presses this man on the word good. Our Lord doesn't ignore it. He doesn't accept flattery.
And he forces the man to think, no one is good but one that is God. Let me ask you a question. Is Jesus denying his own goodness here? Yes or no? No.
What is he doing? He's raising the standard of goodness that this man has in his own mind. You see, the ruler thinks in terms of relative goodness. Well, I'm good compared to that bad guy over there. Relative goodness.
He compares himself to other others. Jesus introduces to him absolute goodness, which is the character and holiness of God. There's only one who's good. That's God. So if only God is good, then you know what the standard to make it to heaven is?
It's not better than average. Well, I'm better than your average wino or, you know, axe murderer. You probably are. But that's not who God's grading you against. The standard is perfection.
Do you remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount? Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you won't enter the kingdom of heaven. Then he says, be perfect. Therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect, the standard to go to heaven is exceeding righteousness. It's perfection.
All of us are out. If that's true, until a person understands that, he will always believe that eternal life is within his or her reach. Do you understand that? Before commandments are discussed, before wealth is addressed, before covetousness is exposed, Jesus established the foundation. If God alone is good, then human morality will never be enough.
Yes, but friends, once that standard is clear, the next question becomes unavoidable. If God's holiness is the measure and the law of Moses reveals that it's the measure, then every honest heart must ask the second question. If the law is a mirror, do I like what I see?
Verse 20 of Luke 18. Jesus says, you know the commandments. You've been to Saturday school. You're Jewish, right? You know the commandments.
Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother.
Now, friends, is that every commandment God gave in the law no, the Rabbis say there's 613 of them, and he just listed five. What if you just take 613 minus five, get 608. Jesus leaves 608 out. And what if these are the only five left? How did you do?
The ruler asked what he must do. So Jesus gives him things to do. He gives them the commandments. He sends him straight to Moses. It's interesting to me.
Jesus doesn't do with the rich young ruler what I did with Joseph. He doesn't soothe him. He doesn't rush to comfort him. He confronts him. Much of modern evangelism seems to skip this step because people want relief and they want reassurance, and they want peace without exposure.
But, friends, will you listen to me very carefully? Until a person sees himself or herself as a violator of God's law, he or she will never see their need for grace.
So the apostle Paul writes in Galatians 3:24, the law was our tutor, our schoolmaster, to bring us to Christ. When I was struggling with the test, the law sat down beside me and explained to me the answers and showed me my failures. The law exposes God's law, convicts. The law reveals to us that we're not good. Hey, you want to take a goodness test real quick?
Let's just use the verse we just read. In Luke 18:20, Jesus tells the rich young ruler, you know the commandments, don't commit adultery? Well, for some of you, it'd say, I have committed adultery. I have been unfaithful to my husband or my wife. I had a marriage that failed because of it.
Others of you would say, that's not happened to me. And Jesus would say, are you sure you're off the hook? Because the Bible, Jesus says, in the Sermon on the Mount, whoever looks with a woman with lust in his heart has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So the first one, we've all failed. Then he says, shall not murder.
You got me, Pastor. I am not a murderer. If I was, I wouldn't be here. I'd be in prison. Touche.
Maybe that's true, but in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, whoever is angry with his brother is guilty of murder in his heart.
Just some anger. The next one he says is, you shall not steal. Well, Pastor, I've never really stolen anything big. Just little things. You mean like diamonds?
Those are little. If you take something that isn't yours, whether it's an answer to on a test or whatever else, if you take something that isn't yours, does it really Matter how big or how small it was. Well, I've never stolen. Are you sure? Well, if you steal something, what does that make you?
Somebody says, a stealer. Well, I would go, I'm probably a thief, right?
Then he says, you shall not bear false witness. That's not telling the truth. It's telling a lie. Let me ask you this question. In your whole life, do you even know how many lies you've told?
If you tell a lie, what does that make you?
That's four of the Ten Commandments. There's six more pointing its barrels at you. How did you do? Because the Bible says that God has appointed a day when God will judge the world in righteousness by his righteous standard, the law by the man he's appointed, that's the Lord Jesus. So if you're going to stand before Jesus and the standard is God's holiness, His law, and we just went through four of the Ten Commandments and you're guilty of four of them, do you think you'd be innocent or guilty?
And if you say guilty, do you think you'd go to heaven or hell? And if you'd say hell, I would ask you, does that concern you?
If the law is a mirror, do I like what I see? Jesus lists five commandments from the second table of the law. Do you know that terminology? Moses comes down with two tablets, two tables, and on this side is four commandments. They all deal with your relationship to God.
No other gods before you. You know, don't take the name of the Lord in vain. Four of them, all about your relationship to God. The second table has six commandments, and it's all about your relationship with other people. Jesus lists five of the six, and he leaves the sixth one off until later.
The one he leaves out is the key. But before we get there, I want you to remember this principle. Write this down in the Bible when Jesus is talking to people. It's law to the proud and grace to the humble. And in my sermon today, I'm giving you law to the proud.
And in the next chapter in the Bible, Jesus is going to go to Zacchaeus house and we're going to study that next week. And that's going to be grace to the humble, Law to the proud, grace to the humble. This man arrives in Jesus presence and he looks sincere. He probably was sincere, but he arrives not only sincere, but self assured. So Jesus applies the law, not so that this guy can have a ladder to climb.
He applies the law so that this man can have a mirror to expose you See, keeping God's commandments, the law is not the way to salvation. It's the doorway to see why we need a way of salvation. It's a tutor to bring us to Christ. And you know what? As you read this story, we're a little surprised by the confident claim that this ruler makes verse 21.
All these things I have kept from my youth. Do you believe him, yes or no? Kept all those commandments since I was a little boy. We don't, because our worldview is different and we're on this side of the cross, right? We've got greater light than he has.
But listen to me, this guy's not shaken. There's no hesitation in his words. There's no wrestling in his own thoughts. It doesn't seem there's no visible conviction in him, but to us. All these things I've kept from my youth sounds outrageous.
But listen to me. In this guy's first century Jewish religious culture, this would not have been an absurd statement. Because rabbis commonly taught that the law could be kept outwardly. So this man's heard this every week in synagogue. And I want to take it even further.
Even the great apostle Paul once described himself according to Jewish law, as blameless. Do you remember this? In one of his letters he says, as to legalistic righteousness, before I met Christ, I was faultless from the outside looking in. Do you realize that this man truly could have avoided committing adultery on his wife? Most of you did.
He may never have murdered anyone, right? He may have honored his parents and conducted honest business. Externally, he looked clean.
But that's the problem. His claim, all these I've kept since I was a youth, doesn't reveal wickedness. It reveals in him shallow self righteousness, which may be the worst sin. He's kept the letter of the law, but he has not examined his heart. He believes he can manage the laws of God.
And because he believes that, he still believes that eternal life is within his grasp. Now Jesus has applied the law to him. But instead of producing humility in his heart the way it should have, it only produces because of his overwhelming self righteousness. It produces confidence in his own goodness. You see, the issue of the rich young ruler is not behavior, it's blindness.
He doesn't see what he really is. If the law is a mirror, do I like what I see?
You see, when the law fails to awaken humility in a heart, Jesus does something even more precise. He stops speaking generally and he starts speaking personally. And that leads to the most revealing question of all. Question Number three, what do I secretly believe I cannot live without.
Christ wants this man to see clearly, so he delivers a surgical strike. Verse 22.
You still lack one thing. You should circle one thing in your Bible. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. So there's a payoff with that and come, follow me. That's the command you know I had.
You circle one thing. Do you see that? It's not 10 things, one thing. Friends, that's not random. That's diagnostic.
This is not financial advice. It's a call to total allegiance.
Yes or no? Jesus knows the condition of this man's heart.
The issue is not poverty. It's priority. Well, Pastor, is this a universal command for every believer? Sell all that you have, give to the poor, treasure in heaven. Follow me.
Is that a command for everybody? Listen to me. The answer to that question is no. This is a customized command for this particular man. Now, I want you to follow me here.
The commandment that Jesus left unspoken back in verse 20, number six of the six that he left off now comes into view. You know what that commandment was? You shall not covet.
You say at the heart of coveting, wanting what somebody else has that's better than yours is greed. It's dependence upon possessions. That's what greed is. Do you understand now that this man does not own his wealth? His wealth owns him.
He trusts in his surplus. He leans on his security.
In short, he is an idolater.
Do you remember that he thought he lacked a religious activity in his life. Jesus shows him no. You lack contrite surrender. You lack a broken heart. And the question becomes simple.
Jesus asked the rich young ruler and us, will you release what you trust most and follow me?
And that moment brings every individual to a crossroads. Because when Jesus exposes the idol of the heart, there are only two possible outcomes. Which leads us to the final and most serious and sobering question. Question number four. Will my encounter with Jesus end in salvation or sorrow?
Last verse of our text. He became very sorrowful because he was very rich.
It's interesting to me, he didn't speak another word. The rich young ruler. He doesn't argue. He doesn't attack Jesus line of reasoning. He does show emotion.
He becomes sad.
It was sorrow without surrender.
Jesus put his finger on the nerve center of this man's life. And it hurt because the text says he was very rich.
Did you know that riches have a kind of narcotic effect on people? Riches dull spiritual urgency. Riches impair a person's judgment. Riches insulate the heart from being desperate. You know what wealth whispers in your ear?
If you have it, you're secure, you're fine.
You don't need anything from God, especially not mercy and grace.
Sorrow without surrender is not salvation. Crying and feeling bad doesn't mean that you came to Christ.
Sorrow without surrender is not even regret. You know what it is in the Bible? It's pitiful foolishness.
The rich young ruler stands at the doorway to the kingdom but turns away grieving.
You'd think Jesus would go, okay, well, let me try this another way. But instead, does Jesus lower his demand? No, because listen to me. Christ will not negotiate with idols.
Salvation is not the achievement of man. It is the intervention of God.
Yes or no? God can break the grip of wealth in a person's life. Can God humble pride? Can he awaken a dead heart? Can he give a person a new heart?
In conclusion today. So the rich young ruler comes searching. He's sincere, he's moral, he's disciplined, he's religious. And he walked away sorrowful. That's the tension of this passage.
He wasn't far off. Listen to me. He was face to face with the Lord Jesus himself. He heard truth clearly. He felt something deeply.
And he still walked away.
He didn't need information. He needed repentance and faith. He said he wanted eternal life, but not if it meant releasing what already had control of his heart. I wonder if somebody here today just tried to add Jesus to an already full life.
Here's what Jesus exposes to every one of us. You can be close to the kingdom and still be clinging to something that keeps you out.
You can be moral and still be mastered.
You can be sincere and still be self reliant. And if we're honest, the question's no longer about the ruler. It's about us. May I ask you a question? What sits at the center of your life right now?
What do you quietly believe you cannot live without? Is it a habit? Is it an addiction? Is it a significant other? Is it a romantic partner?
Is it a job? Is it a material possession? What is it that you're really saying to God? You can have everything but that.
If Jesus put his finger on it, what would make you recoil? Because whatever that is, look at me. That's the competition.
And Jesus doesn't negotiate with competitors. He doesn't share the throne. But here's the good news that keeps this from crushing us. Are you ready? Luke 18:27, the end of our text that we didn't read the things which are impossible with men, are possible with God.
You are not in a hopeless situation. You may not be able to break your grip on that thing, but God can break its grip on you.
You may not be able to humble your own heart, but God can bring you low in the best way possible.
You may not be able to produce surrender, but God can bring you to the end of yourself. And that's where real life begins, at the end of yourself. So the question today is not what do I need to add? The question today is, what do I need to release one thing you lack? That's what Jesus said.
Now, for prayer ministry today, here's how we're going to apply this to our lives. Let's not rush past all that, because this is where the message becomes real and not just another sermon we heard. Are you ready? I want to give you a few prayer lanes right where you are. Not public pressure from the preacher, but just honest dealing with God.
I'm going to give you three of them. Number one, you should pray a prayer of exposure. Lord, show me what owns me. Some of us don't need more information. We need clarity.
Because we've been managing life and doing the right things and showing up. But if we're candid, we haven't asked God to search our hearts in a while. So that prayer may sound something like this. Lord, put your finger on anything in my life that competes with you. Show me what I trust more than you, and don't let me stay blind.
That's the prayer of exposure. Number two, the prayer of surrender. Lord, I release what I've been gripping. Others of us already know what the one thing is. There's no mystery.
We felt it the moment we read the text and the pastor preached it. And if we're truthful, we've already been negotiating with God about it. How much of it can I keep that ends today? The prayer may sound something like this. Lord, I've been holding onto this.
I've been trusting this. I've been leaning on this. I release it to you. I cannot save myself. I cannot fix myself.
I surrender.
Number three, it's the prayer of dependence. Lord, do what I cannot do.
Some of us are thinking, I want to let go, but I don't know if I can. That's exactly where this passage leads you, by the way. With men, it is impossible. So listen, don't fake being strong.
Approach God in honest weakness. That prayer would sound something like this, Lord, I don't have the power to change my heart.
I don't have the strength to break this.
But you do do in me what I cannot do for myself.
Well, that's the message today. Do you receive that? Well, our prayer ministry teams come to the front for prayer.
I want you to bow your heads and close your eyes. I just want to take a poll of this room.
Hey, if you saw yourself in the rich young ruler during this message and now you're concerned and curious whether you have the real thing, whether you have. Whether you're going to be in the kingdom or not because of what you've heard from the scriptures and you would like for me to pray for you, Would you lift your hand, Pastor? I'm not sure anymore because of what I just heard from God's word. Anybody pray for me? Pastor takes courage.
Okay, anybody else? You can put that hand down now, ma'. Am. Anybody else? Okay, anybody else?
Two? Well, if you raise your hand, nobody's gonna point you out. The. When I dismiss this service, most people are going to go the exits. You come to the prayer line and say, pick whichever line looks like it will help you the most and say, look, I'm rethinking this thing.
And I saw myself in the rich young ruler. Would you pray for me? And watch what these servants of the lord, watch how they love you and point you to the truth. Let's stand together.
When I finish praying, the prayer lines are open for everybody and anybody for anything. Father, we thank you for gospel humility that comes from the preaching of the scriptures. Thank you for the silence in this room.
We give it to you as something that you brought in holiness today to help us get rid of all the noise and hear your voice clearly. Would you do that for us, Lord? Would you bless these prayer ministry times after we adjourn this service? Father, glorify Jesus. This is our prayer in his name.
And a faith filled church said amen. You are dismissed. The prayer lines are open.

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Join us this Sunday at Great Commission Church for a welcoming and uplifting worship experience. If you’ve been searching for a church near you, you’ll discover a warm, authentic church family ready to help you grow in faith.

We are a family-friendly, non-denominational Christian church in Olive Branch, serving individuals and families throughout DeSoto County and the greater Mid-South. People looking for Christian churches in Olive Branch often discover a vibrant community where faith comes alive and lives are transformed through the Gospel.

Whether you’re new to faith or have followed Christ for years, you’ll find welcoming Sunday services, practical Bible teaching, and a place to belong. We are more than a congregation — we are a church family united by a mission to follow Jesus and live out the Great Commission.

A Place for the Whole Family

Families searching for a church with strong children’s programs love our engaging Kids Ministry and safe, caring environments. Students can connect through our Youth Ministry, and adults of every stage can find community through groups, prayer, and discipleship opportunities. As a multi-generational church, we love seeing every age grow in faith together.

Meaningful Worship

Experience contemporary worship with modern Christian music, heartfelt prayer, and Gospel-centered messages designed to help you encounter God personally. If you’re looking for vibrant worship near Memphis, you’ll find a place that feels both authentic and inspiring.

Grow in Your Faith

We offer Bible studies, small groups, and discipleship opportunities that help you understand and apply God’s Word to everyday life. If you’re looking for a place to grow spiritually, you’ll find support and encouragement here.

Connected to Our Community

We are passionate about serving our neighbors through outreach and local partnerships, making a positive impact in Olive Branch and beyond.

Conveniently located in Olive Branch, we serve families from surrounding communities, including Southaven, Germantown, Collierville, Lewisburg, and Byhalia.