Overcoming Danger

You are listening to a message from Thrive Community Church, a church located in Southwest Florida. For more info, visit us at thrive-fl.org Yeah, welcome back. I know it's been a while, right? Nice vacation. What's my name? I'm a visitor here today. No, it's great to be here. Do I still have it? I don't think I ever did, so. And by the way, from everything I've heard, Carl, maybe I should just stay away longer. No, seriously. I remember at least watching one sermon up in Michigan, and it was awesome, awesome. Thank you so much. It's good to have good help, right? So it's good to be here. We're still in this series in the Gospel of Mark called Simply Jesus. And today we're getting to one of the simplest and yet most profound and the hardest sayings Jesus ever said. You've heard it, and none of us like it. Not really. Not if we understand it. It's especially hard, I think, for us here in America, where all of us happen to be basically in the top 20% of the world's wealth, okay? Do you know at the 50th percentile, you know what you need to make, above the 50th percentile, all you need is income of $4,120 a year, and you're in the top 50% in the world. Yeah, it's pretty amazing, isn't it? And some of us who've maybe traveled overseas or elsewhere realize how fortunate we are, how blessed we are. But that blessing does not necessarily mean because I'm blessed because I'm so good. I'm better than. And that's kind of what we're getting at in this text today, especially with the understanding of what is the good life and how, quote, the good life, according to our cultural definition, can get in the way of the great life. So today, we're going to be reading from Mark chapter 10. And you can follow along with this through the Bible notes you can get in the You version of the Bible app right here. And all the notes are there for this message. But we're in Mark chapter 10, verses 17 to 31. And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, good teacher. What must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not defraud. Honor your father and mother. He said to him, teacher, all these I have kept from my youth. And Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, you lack one thing. Go sell all that you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me. Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God. And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, children, how difficult it is entered to the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. And they were exceedingly astonished and said to him, then who can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said, with man it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God. Peter began to say to him, see, we have left everything and followed you. Jesus said, truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or land for my sake and for the gospel who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions. And in the age to come eternal life, but many who are first will be last and the last first. Simple, profound, difficult. That's his statement. It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. You know, that saying was just as controversial when Jesus said it as it is today. Nothing's changed. Maybe income levels have changed. Maybe our toys have changed. Maybe technology has changed, but the human heart hasn't changed and the issues haven't changed. And it comes in huge to a huge question. The man asks the question, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Now that's a basic question. How in the world do I get to heaven? How do I get in? What qualifies me? How am I going to get in it? And we know this rich young man. Now we know he's rich from Mark, his great possessions. We also know from Luke that he's young. He'd be a Palestinian yuppie, okay? He's a young, urban professional. He's got it all. He's in charge of it all. He looks like the epitome of what everybody was hoping for in the good life. And he asks this question, and after Jesus goes through, you know, what must I do to inherit eternal life? He goes, okay, let's go through the checklist. It was the typical checklist any rabbi would have said. So you know the Torah, you know the law, and he goes through all the commandments, save for the ones on coveting, by the way. You might not have noticed that, but co...