Camels and Needles and Rich Men, Oh My!

Mark 10:17-31 June 27, 2021 Pastor Vince Corpus

Thesis Salvation cannot be earned by human effort or merit but is the gracious gift of God, given through Christ who left all to purchase our entrance into the kingdom.

Series

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Type

Expository

Tone

pastoraldidacticcelebratory

Method

grammatical-historicalredemptive-historicalapplicatory

What's in this sermon

The shape of the argument

34 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.

Pastoral correction · unit #6

"The pastor turns the mirror on the congregation, surfacing the ways modern Christians compile moral résumés and approach Jesus with the same self-righteousness as the rich young ruler."

Doctrinal loci· 10 surfaced

Soteriology · 20 Christology · 9 Hamartiology · 9 Ecclesiology · 5 Sanctification · 5 Theology Proper · 4 Eschatology · 3 Pneumatology · 2 Providence / Sovereignty · 2 Bibliology · 1

Bible citations· 15

Illustrations· 5

personal story · unit #15 — The pastor offers a personal anecdote about smartphone distraction as an illustration of how material comforts and possessions subtly pull us away from dependence on God.
cultural reference · unit #17 — The pastor contrasts modern American suspicion of wealth with first-century reverence for it, then sharpens the point: even the most outwardly holy person cannot save themselves—all need help, which Jesus offers.
historical example · unit #25 — The pastor tells a story from a previous church about an elder who repented of anxiety over finances and testified to the provision of the church family, illustrating Jesus' promise of hundredfold return.
personal story · unit #26 — The pastor offers extended personal testimony of leaving for missions to Prague and Louisville, testifying to the literal fulfillment of Jesus' promise: gained family in every church, along with real persecution and loss, all of which is worth it for the sake of seeing people saved.
cultural reference · unit #28 — The pastor resolves the opening narrative: the prince himself comes, touches Penelope, and clothes her in his own robe. The illustration becomes a vivid picture of imputed righteousness and Christ's substitutionary work.

Theological claims· 11

The passage reveals that even those who appear most qualified cannot enter the kingdom on their own terms, and entry comes through a means contrary to human expectation. unit #1
Salvation is the gracious gift of God. unit #2
Jesus directed the man to the law not because the law saves but because the law exposes sin and drives us to Christ. unit #7
Jesus' command exposed the man's violation of the first commandment—he had made wealth his god—and offered himself as the only true God worthy of worship and trust. unit #9
Salvation is a gracious gift of God that cannot be earned, and it will not be given to those who worship false gods instead of the true God. unit #11
Jesus is not saying rich people cannot be saved, but that wealth is spiritually dangerous because it tempts people to trust in their resources rather than in God. unit #14
Humans cannot save themselves because they are enslaved to sin, cannot pay sin's penalty without perishing, and cannot produce the righteousness God requires—but God accomplishes all three through Jesus. unit #19
Salvation is available because Jesus, the King, has come, bringing the kingdom of God with him. unit #20
The gospel brings individual forgiveness and corporate incorporation into the kingdom of God, where Christ reigns as King over his redeemed people. unit #22
Jesus left the infinite riches of heaven, endured suffering and the cross, and modeled the very sacrifice he calls his followers to make—abandoning false securities to follow him. unit #29
The Holy Spirit is the faithful guide who delivers believers to the kingdom by granting new life and faith, clothing them in the imputed righteousness of Christ. unit #30

Quotations· 4

"In the song Penelope Judd by pastor, theologian, and rapper Shylyn, we hear a story of a little girl who lived in a town called Mud. In this town there were no adults. The oldest person was only 12 years old. We're told that all the adults had washed away in a flood and that these kids are bad. They lie, cheat, steal. They use bad language. They hurt each other's feelings all of the time. And every day Penelope cries. And she has hope, though, that it will get better because her grandfather had written her a letter. And the letter says, 'Penelope, it's great news that I bring. On the mountaintop, there lives a great king. And the king has a son, and being a proud father, he's going to throw the prince a huge party in his honor. But the good part—and I hope it gets you excited—Penelope Judd, you're officially invited. He's sending a dove, and he'll tell you all you need to know. Just have your bags packed and be ready to go.'" — Shylyn (unit #0)

"Game recognize game" — contemporary cultural saying (unit #5)

"real recognize real" — childhood neighborhood saying (unit #5)

"as the angel continued, 'I'm sorry, little friend, but a voice inside the party said you can let her in.' The next thing she knew, the prince himself was at the door. He looked at her and smiled and said, 'There's room for one more.' He reached out and touched her, and instantly she was clean, wearing the brightest robe that she had ever seen. If the mud kids had seen it, they would have gone blind. 'Where'd you get it?' she asked. He said, 'actually, it's mine.'" — Shylyn (unit #28)

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0 · The sermon opens with an extended narrative illustration from a Christian rap song, establishing the central metaphor of unworthiness before a holy king

So in the song Penelope Judd by pastor, theologian, and rapper Shylyn, we hear a story of a little girl who lived in a town called Mud. In this town there were no adults. The oldest person was only 12 years old. We're told that all the adults had washed away in a flood and that these kids are bad. They lie, cheat, steal. They use bad language. They hurt each other's feelings all of the time. And every day Penelope cries. And she has hope, though, that it will get better because her grandfather had written her a letter. And the letter says, "Penelope, it's great news that I bring. On the mountaintop, there lives a great king. And the king has a son, and being a proud father, he's going to throw the prince a huge party in his honor. But the good part—and I hope it gets you excited—Penelope Judd, you're officially invited. He's sending a dove, and he'll tell you all you need to know." Just have your bags packed and be ready to go. The song goes on to say that one day the dove came and she was so happy and she ran inside and grabbed her knapsack and took off on this journey following the dove. And the dove said, "Hey, keep your eyes on me and I'll be your guide." And they take a long walk and they take a walk up the steep mountain and they finally get to the palace. And the dove flies away. She rings the bell. And a huge angel comes and answers the door, and he won't let her in. He says, "I'm so sorry. There's no way I can let you through these doors. The king won't let anyone." Dirty up his floors. She didn't understand, so without coming near, he reached into his pocket and he pulled out a mirror. And for the very first time, she saw that she was dirty. The palace was spotless. She knew she wasn't worthy.

1 · The pastor pivots from illustration to doctrinal assertion, declaring that the passage will expose both the impossibility of self-salvation and the unexpected mechanism of entry into God's kingdom

And in much the same way, this passage today highlights for us the unworthiness, the inability of someone who it looked like had all the abilities to get to the kingdom, his complete inability to enter in. It highlights for us the impossibility of navigating life on our own terms and arriving into the kingdom of God and being allowed entry. Into the palace. When we look into the mirror of God's Word, we see that we are unworthy, that we are covered with mud, and we can't be allowed entry. And it highlights for us the reality of how one enters the kingdom, and it's not the way that we often think.

2 · The main thesis is explicitly stated and the sermon structure is announced: two movements in the text will together establish that salvation is God's gift, not human achievement

This passage shows us that salvation, which is entry into the kingdom, is the gracious gift of God. And we'll see this truth as we look at two sections here, the exchange between Jesus and the rich young man, and then the very hard saying of Jesus. And when taken together, these two things reveal salvation is a gracious gift of God.

3 · The pastor reads the opening verses of the encounter and provides geographical and narrative context, emphasizing that this exchange occurs on Jesus' final journey toward the cross

So let's look at the exchange. Verse 17, "And he was setting out on a journey." And a man ran up to him, 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 mother and father.' And he said to him, 'Teacher, all these I have kept.' since my youth. So he's leaving the region of Judea and, and on the other side of the Jordan from Jerusalem, and he's going somewhere. Now, where is he going? He's going to Jerusalem, to the cross. This is the final journey on his way toward Jerusalem, and this is This is the section of the book, kind of the hinge where we go from Jesus' ministry up to what we call the Passion Week and him going to the cross.

4 · The pastor unpacks the cultural significance of the man's actions—running and kneeling—emphasizing how socially unusual and desperate this behavior was for a man of his status

And this man comes running up to him with a burning, burning question. Now Luke tells us that he was a young ruler, more than likely a ruler of the synagogue or a member of the Sanhedrin, okay? These guys in the first century, They did not run, okay? It was like, hey, that's not respectable etiquette for a guy like that. You wouldn't even see this guy running like you might catch me running, you know, a couple times a week, few times a week when I'm not feeling lazy, like to get in shape, like not even like that. And this guy runs up to Jesus, and then when he gets there, he falls down on his knees. That's something else. That is not worthy of a man of his stature and standing in the community.

5 · The pastor exposes the man's theology of merit: the question itself reveals his self-dependence and assumption that eternal life is earned through moral performance

And then he says, "Good teacher." Like, you can kind of hear it. Like, he runs up there and he falls down. He's like, "Good teacher, good teacher." Like, he's kind of flustered. He doesn't want Jesus to leave. Like, "No, I gotta catch him before he goes. What must I do?" to inherit eternal life? See, the man had the right question. And the question reveals that even though he's a holy man, even though he's well-respected, even though that he has means at his disposal, he has questions about if he's good enough, if the things that he's done and the things that he has are good enough to get him into the kingdom. To get him to eternal life. This question also reveals the dependence on himself that he had. "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus points him to the law. You see, keeping the law was seen as the way of being righteous. And the righteous ones are those who are accepted by God. And if you're accepted by God, then you have eternal life. And so Jesus is like, "Okay, what must you do? You know the law. Do these things." Where he points him is what theologians call the second table of the law. So the first four commandments deal with how we relate to God, and that's what they call the first table. The second table deals It deals with how we relate to one another. And he's like, "Hey, here you go. Do all those things." The man says, "No problem. Ah, since I was a boy, I've done all those things." The crazy thing is that his answer also highlights the fact that he didn't even understand his address to Jesus and also Jesus' response to him. He comes up and he says, "Good teacher." And Jesus says, "Why do you call me good? No one's good but God alone." See, the Jews had it very foremost in their minds that the only one who is good is God. And Jesus is saying, "Hey, yeah, you're calling me good. That's right." But why? You know only God alone is good. Here's why the guy was calling Jesus good. You know, back when I was a kid in my neighborhood, we used to say like, hey, real recognize real. Nowadays they say what? Game recognize game, right? Yeah. He's like, Jesus, I called you good because, hey, I'm pretty good and I recognize your goodness. And also, also, you're going to recognize mine because I'm good. And just in case you missed it, let me tell you, all that stuff, aw man, since I was a boy I've done that. It's almost like he's saying, ah, child's play. What else you got? All those since I was a boy.

6 · The pastor turns the mirror on the congregation, surfacing the ways modern Christians compile moral résumés and approach Jesus with the same self-righteousness as the rich young ruler

What about us? That's a question this text raises. Where do we come to Jesus on our own merits, with our own abilities, with our own list of things saying like, "Hey, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" This list is enough, right? Like, I serve in the church. I teach kids' ministry. I give. I serve and give to parachurch organizations. I support missionaries overseas. That's good enough, right, Jesus? I've never stolen anything. I've never cheated on my wife. I've, you know, like, I mean, maybe I've lied. I mean, they're like white lies. They're not like I've lied about, like, you know, who I am or anything, but, you know, It's harmless. That's got to be good enough, right, Jesus?

7 · The pastor explains Jesus' pedagogical strategy: pointing the man to the law not as a ladder to salvation but as a mirror to expose his sinfulness and need for grace

And then Jesus, in the masterful way that only he can, he sets the man up with the law. And why did he do that? Well, Paul tells us what? That the law is a tutor that leads us to Christ. That the law cannot provide righteousness, but the law highlights our unrighteousness. Paul said, "When the law said, 'Do not covet,' it awakened all sorts of covetousness in me." He's saying, "Hey, here you go. Go to the law." Because Jesus knows that the law is insufficient to save, but it can certainly condemn.

8 · The pastor reads and unpacks Jesus' response to the man, emphasizing that Jesus' command to sell everything was an act of love—truth-telling that exposed the man's idolatry and offered him the remedy of following Jesus

And then we see this Amazing and loving response of the Savior to this self-righteous young man. And Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, 'One thing you lack. 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. You know, all that Jesus does is loving. All that he does is good. All that he says is right. And maybe today you're having trouble feeling the goodness of God. Maybe you're having trouble believing in his love. Maybe you're having trouble feeling that what he says and does is good for you. Well, let Let this sentence encourage you and show his love. Let it be an expression of his love and how he loves his people. This was the last thing this man wanted to hear. When he came up with his resume, he expected Jesus to say, "Hey, good job. Good job. Keep doing what you're doing. You'll be fine. It's all good, man." No, one thing you lack. He never expected to hear that. And Jesus loved him and said to him— see, love always is expressed in action. Jesus loved him, so he's going to tell him the truth. God's what? So loved the world, he gave his only Son. Jesus says, hey, as I have loved you, so you love one another. By that all will know You are my disciples. See, there's actions that are going along with that so that people can see the love expressed and then go, oh yeah, they belong to Jesus. He loved him, and he said to him, there's one thing you lack. Sell all that you have and give to the poor. And then, "Come follow me."

9 · The pastor articulates the theological meaning of Jesus' encounter: Jesus exposes the man's idolatry and offers himself as the only true object of worship

You see, when Jesus comes to us, he reveals something about us to us, right? He comes with the mirror and he says, "Hey, look at yourselves. Look at yourself." You can't trust yourself. You can't follow yourself. Your abilities, your standing, your influence, your affluence, whatever it is that you might be thinking, "Hey, that's good enough to get me there," Jesus Jesus comes with his mirror and he says, "No, don't trust that. You gotta trust me." And this man, while keeping the second table of the law, he had failed to keep the first. And Jesus is saying, "Hey, man, you got that part right. You shall have no other gods before me. You got that part wrong." He's highlighting that this guy has bowed down and worshiped another god instead of the one true God, and because of that, Jesus is trying to reorient his heart. He's trying to help him shed those false narratives that he believes about who God is and what God's blessing and mercy looks like. And he's saying, "No, man, forget all that stuff. Follow me. You called me good. You know I'm God if you said that. Follow me." And Jesus basically pulled out a mirror for this guy. And he saw he was covered in mud and he was unworthy. In love, Jesus revealed his heart, but he didn't stop there. He gave him the remedy. He said, "Follow me. Put away those false idols. Remove those idols and follow me." And that's what God does. When he brought his people Israel out of Egypt, what did he say? "Put away the false idols that your fathers had worshiped. Put those things away. Don't worship them anymore." Worship me. When he comes to his people and calls them back, what does he say? Put the idols out of your house, the things that you're bowing down to, and follow me. And now Jesus, God in the flesh, is telling this man, put away your false gods, follow me.

10 · The pastor presses the application with a series of diagnostic questions, inviting the congregation to identify their own functional idols—the things that compete with whole-hearted allegiance to Jesus

And through this man in this text today, he's telling us Put away your false gods and follow me. The man was disheartened and went away sorrowful because he had great wealth and possessions. Question for us today is, what is keeping us from following Jesus with our whole heart? What is it that's deterring us from loving the Lord our God with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength? What's handicapping us from serving and following our Savior in every part of our life? Maybe the real question is, where is Jesus lovingly exposing our idols today?

11 · The pastor restates the sermon's thesis and adds a warning: salvation is God's gift alone, and cannot coexist with idolatry

You see, you can't earn salvation. You can't buy it. You can't achieve it. It is a gracious gift of God, and it will not be given if you're following a false god, if you're worshiping a false god and putting your hope in that. It's just not going to happen.

12 · The pastor signals the structural shift from the exchange between Jesus and the man to Jesus' subsequent teaching to the disciples

And this now brings us to Jesus' hard saying. The young man has gone away sorrowful.

13 · The pastor reads Jesus' pronouncement and explains why the disciples were stunned: in their worldview, wealth signaled divine favor, so Jesus' words upended their entire theology of blessing

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. So again, the young man has gone away. Everyone's stunned. "Oh." If that guy is lacking— like, this is what's going through their mind— if he's lacking, what about me? What does that mean about me? And it's pin-drop quiet as they're all mulling this over in their minds. And Jesus, it says, looks around. Like, I can see him making eye contact with He's looking around, wanting to make sure they're paying attention. He says, "How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God." And the disciples are astonished. They're amazed at his words. Why? Well, because in the first century wealth was seen as evidence of God's blessing, evidence of God's love. There was kind of a health and wealth or a prosperity bent toward their theology, and they're like, man, this guy is experiencing God's love and God's grace and God's mercy in his life. Look at what he has. He has money. He has a nice house. He has all of these things and the accoutrements that come with it, and he's a leader, and he's respected. And that guy, that guy lacks.

14 · The pastor clarifies Jesus' statement: wealth itself is not disqualifying, but it becomes a spiritual handicap when it becomes an object of trust—a false god that competes with allegiance to Jesus

Now look, Jesus turned that on its head for him very quickly. How difficult it will be for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God. Now look, is Jesus saying that rich people can't come into heaven? No, that's not what he's saying. That is not what he's saying at all. And for that we are grateful. Why? Because in America, you know, last 10 years kind of culturally we've talked about the the 1%, right? And we sometimes talk about this redistribution of wealth and like, "Hey, we gotta take from the rich man and give to the poor man." We got this Robin Hood mindset. Sorry, if you're in America, you're in the rich 1% of the world. You can be living in poverty in America and you are still in the rich richest 1% of the world. So we are grateful that Jesus isn't saying, "Hey, rich people, not allowed. Denied. Go find a different place because it ain't heaven." No, that's not what He's saying. And we're grateful for that. But He says it's difficult. Why? Well, we see from the rich man here that he went away sorrowful. Why? Because he was trusting in his wealth. He was trusting in his own abilities. He was trusting in his means and his influence and his affluence to get him into the kingdom, to earn or inherit eternal life. And Jesus is saying, "Hey, wealth is a handicap. It'll make you limp on that journey."

15 · The pastor offers a personal anecdote about smartphone distraction as an illustration of how material comforts and possessions subtly pull us away from dependence on God

Because there are things that come with that that can be distractions. One example, my cell phone. Sitting there in the morning trying to read my Bible. My phone goes, "Mm, mm." And I think, "Oh, ooh, I'm important. Somebody needs me." Oh, it's really nothing. Then you end up on Facebook, and then you're on Instagram, and then before you know it, 30 minutes have passed, and you're like, "Oh, that's right, I was reading my Bible." Mm-hmm. Hmm, I'm pretty important. And that's just one example. There are a lot of those things that can pull us away from the Lord, right? That's just one comical yet real example. It's funny because it's true, right? Yup. And before you know it, we get to the point where we start trusting in those things and putting our faith in those things.

16 · The pastor unpacks Jesus' escalating rhetoric—first targeting the wealthy, then broadening to everyone, then returning to the impossible camel-and-needle metaphor to drive home the universal impossibility of self-salvation

But he says, man, how difficult it is for us to enter the kingdom of God. And that should amaze us just like it did the disciples. And then, you know, Jesus— whenever Jesus like drops one of those like mic drop moments, you know, and you're like, Oh, maybe he's gonna like back off a little bit. What does he do? He grabs another microphone and he like doubles down. And he's like, "Oh, just in case you didn't understand me, children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God." This time he didn't put the qualifier of a rich man or a wealthy man. He's like, "Let me tell you, it is difficult to get in for everyone, universally difficult." And then he goes back to the rich people. 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. Now again, these guys have that mindset of, man, if anyone's a shoo-in, it's this guy. And Jesus is using him as an object lesson of, no, even that guy, it's extremely difficult. It's easier for something impossible like a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for that guy to come into heaven. He says, hey, no amount of power or influence or standing or right living will earn a person entrance to the kingdom. How difficult it is. No one can enter the kingdom on their own, not even the the rich. That's what Jesus is saying.

17 · The pastor contrasts modern American suspicion of wealth with first-century reverence for it, then sharpens the point: even the most outwardly holy person cannot save themselves—all need help, which Jesus offers

See, in our American mindset where we sometimes look at the rich people and say, oh, well, you know, love of money is the root of evil. Well, that's what the Bible says. I'm sorry. We say money is the root of all evil, right? We get it wrong in our American context all the time. And so we think, oh, being rich is bad. And in Jesus' day, it's like, no, no, those were the guys that were easy ends. And he's saying, "Yeah, not even that guy. Not even that guy." The one you think, "Oh yeah." Like, so put in your mind the most holy person you know, and Jesus is like, "Yeah, not even that guy. Not even that guy. You gotta have help." And Jesus told this young man where the help was. He said, "Hey, put away your false god." and come follow Me.'

18 · The pastor reads the climactic exchange where the disciples voice their despair and Jesus delivers the sermon's turning point: salvation is impossible for humans but possible with 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.' See, the disciples' astonishment, it finally reaches like this fever pitch where they're like, Jesus, throw us a bone, man. Who can be saved? No one. No. No one. With man it's impossible to be saved, but not with God.

19 · The pastor unpacks the logic of impossibility: humans are enslaved to sin, unable to free themselves, pay for sin, or achieve the righteousness God requires

They're like, "If this rich man who's well respected and all that can't get in, who can?" And he's like, "Not y'all. Nobody." But with God all things are possible, including the salvation of man. God in his grace is doing for man that which he cannot do for for himself. Why can we not do it ourselves? Well, we're shackled to sin. See, we're slaves to sin. We can't free ourselves from it. We can't break loose from it. Let's say we could. Well, now we've got to pay for that sin that we've committed. And if we attempt to pay for it, we're done. We're gone. But let's say we could pay for our sins. Like, let's say that we paid for our sins and we were done, but we're only at ground zero, man. What does God require? He requires righteousness. And so now you're dead. You can't achieve that righteousness. But God, God can do all of that. And through Jesus, the good teacher, he has done that.

20 · The pastor connects Jesus' deity claim to the announcement that the kingdom has arrived—salvation is present because the King himself has come

See, Jesus is telling the young man, "Hey, no one is good but God alone." He's pointing out the truth that salvation is a gift of God. Like, you can't earn it. You can't get it. You're not good enough. But in me, it's come. Follow me. Follow me. Salvation has come. Why? Because the King has come. And if the King has come, that means the kingdom had come.

21 · The pastor cites Jesus' opening proclamation in Mark's Gospel as proof that the kingdom has come and that repentance and faith are the proper response

And we know it's come. Why? Because in Mark chapter 1, Jesus said these words, "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel."

22 · The pastor articulates a corporate dimension of salvation: the gospel not only forgives individuals but incorporates them into the kingdom of God, where Christ reigns as King

You see, the gospel is never less than individual. Forgiveness of sins. Through the gospel, yes, my sins have been forgiven. Ricky's sins have been forgiven. Rod's sins have been forgiven. But it's so much more than that. See, God doesn't just save us to be individuals with him. He saves us and brings us what? Into his kingdom. Oh, man. Like, it's crazy. An admittance to the kingdom. Is the proof of the forgiveness of sins. It's proof of the repentance from sins. It is the surety of Christ standing in the place of judgment for his people and bringing them into his kingdom. That is the kingdom of God. That's what Jesus brought to earth. That's what Jesus was offering to this man, and that is where Jesus reigns presently. See, God's Gracious gift of salvation is present because Jesus had come, and he's calling this man out.

23 · The pastor introduces Peter's question and humanizes Peter, presenting him as the voice of every disciple who wonders whether sacrifice for Jesus will be rewarded

And the crazy thing is, like, if the gracious gift of salvation— it's almost like to God, it's like, "Yeah, that's not enough. That's not enough." The grace keeps coming. Peter began to say to him, "See, we've left everything and followed you." You know, you gotta love Peter, man. You gotta love Peter. Like, for a lot of years as a Christian, I was like, "Man, Peter, what a bonehead. What a bonehead." But as I read more and I get to know Peter a little bit more, Peter's me. Peter's all of us if we're honest. You know, and he's like, "You just told him to leave everything and follow." Dude, we've left everything. I don't even have a boat anymore. John and James, they left their dad's fishing business and we're here with you. Matthew was a tax collector. He had an easy life. Well, you know, mostly an easy life. He couldn't come to the synagogue. We left all that and followed you. Peter's saying, "Hey, what about us, man?" What about us?

24 · The pastor reads Jesus' promise that disciples will receive a hundredfold return in this life—including houses, family, and lands, along with persecutions—and affirms its truth from experience

And she 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 lands for my sake and for the gospel who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time." Houses and brothers, a hundredfold of these in this time. That means in this life. Houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions. In the age to come, eternal life. He's saying in no uncertain terms that those who leave behind the world and follow him, they get so much more. So much more. And church, it's true. It is 100% true.

25 · The pastor tells a story from a previous church about an elder who repented of anxiety over finances and testified to the provision of the church family, illustrating Jesus' promise of hundredfold return

When we were at one of our sister churches in LifeGate in Seguin, one of our elders stood up one day and shared something with the church. He was repenting of his sin. He stood up and he said, hey— he talked about his business struggling and he was, you know, worried about how he's going to pay his bills, how he's going to feed his family, and looking at having to possibly sell their home and downsize, which they had a lot of kids., and that was going to be, you know, a difficult thing for them. And he was stressed and worried. And that day in church, the Lord revealed to him that he was more worried about a standard of living than an actual living. And here's the part. Here's the part that highlights the truth of this receiving a hundredfold in this time. He said, "The family of God will not let us starve. The family of God will not let us be homeless. It may be hard, but we will be able to survive. The Lord has provided us with homes and food and family to share those with. Please forgive my lack of faith." That's the right way of looking at this passage. The Lord provides a hundredfold.

26 · The pastor offers extended personal testimony of leaving for missions to Prague and Louisville, testifying to the literal fulfillment of Jesus' promise: gained family in every church, along with real persecution and loss, all of which is worth it for the sake of seeing people saved

And you know, when we left to go to Prague, man, we experienced this promise firsthand. So we went there and what did we get? We got aunts and uncles and brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers. We have homes that have been opened to us there that are still open. When we went from there to the PC in Louisville, we experienced the same thing. We have mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters and lands and homes that the doors have been thrown open to us. And then guess what? We left Louisville and we came here. We get you. We get mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and lands and houses that the doors have been thrown wide open. The blessing of God. The rest of that promise is true too. We get persecutions. Don't worry, I ain't leaving that part out. You know, we've even had people in our own family that are like, "Hey, if you sell everything, then you're going to be poor. Who's going to take care of you?" The Lord. That's who we're following. That's who we're trusting in. Hey, you're doing your kids a disservice by taking them to an unsafe place. That may be. What's more important, following the Lord or our safety? We've had people say, you're going to be poor. You're going to miss so much. You're going to go through all these hardships. And they were right. They were absolutely right. We've been poor. Missed a lot. We've missed a lot of firsts. We've missed a lot of births. We've missed a lot of deaths. We've missed cancer treatments. We've missed family members. Being away from family as they've gone through divorce and not being able to be there to help pick up the pieces. And it's been hard. But man, we wouldn't have it any other way, church. We wouldn't have it any other way. Why? Because we've received so much more family, so much greater family, so much of a bigger family. And we've gotten to see the Lord work in ways that we would have missed, ways that we never would have been able to fathom. We've, we've seen people come to faith. We've seen people's lives changed. We've seen people put on a different trajectory that is going to end them up at the palace door ringing the bell, and that angel's going He's going to say, "Man, come on in." Not that there's really an angel at the palace door. I'm just— it's a song. It's a song, okay? We've seen the Savior drawing people to himself. We would have missed out on that. That's far more of a blessing than the disservice of being poor or experiencing hardship or having to persevere in persecution and missing family. Those things are real. They're hard. But they pale in comparison to the goodness that we've experienced from the Lord. We've received so much more, and you can and will too, because salvation is a gracious gift of the Lord, but he gives even more after that gracious gift is received, and it's amazing.

27 · The pastor signals the return to the opening illustration, preparing to resolve the narrative and connect it to the gospel

Picking up the story of Penelope Judd, Shai goes on to rap

28 · The pastor resolves the opening narrative: the prince himself comes, touches Penelope, and clothes her in his own robe

as the angel continued, "I'm sorry, little friend, but a voice inside the party said you can let her in." The next thing she knew, the prince himself was at the door. He looked at her and smiled and said, "There's room for one more." He reached out and touched her, and instantly she was clean, wearing the brightest robe that she had ever seen. If the mud kids had seen it, they would have gone blind. Where'd you get it? she asked. He said, actually, it's mine. That's the kind of help that we have. That's the great Savior that we have who died to make the way possible for us.

29 · The pastor draws the climactic connection: Jesus himself left the riches of heaven to walk the earth, suffer, and die—he did what he asked the rich young ruler to do, and calls us to follow him in the same path

See, we have the one who did exactly what he was asking the rich young ruler to do. He left all the riches of glory. He left the the praise of angels. He left heaven to walk this place. And look, we know this place ain't all that great sometimes. As Tom said, we live in the surface of the sun, very similar to Palestine. The one who made all of that and left all of that, he came to reveal the Father. We have the help of the Savior who made the stars and the sun and all that we see. He came to give his life as a ransom for many. The one who was worthy of all praise and glory came to be whipped and spit upon and beaten and crucified and endure the wrath of God. He came to do that. We have the one who was so amazing that he created the tree on which he would be crucified. To pay for our sin in order to purchase and ransom a people for God. See, that's the one who came to help us, the one who did exactly what he's asking us. He's like, "I'm going to leave all that I'm actually worthy of, and I'm asking you to leave all the falsehood behind and come follow me." That's what he's saying. That's the one who came to— help us along to get to the kingdom.

30 · The pastor brings the biblical-theological arc to completion: Christ ascended and sent the Holy Spirit, who applies salvation by giving new life, granting faith, and clothing believers in Christ's own righteousness

And you see, he's a guide and he's so much more. He's the Lord, and the cross is his invitation. And then as he ascended, what happened? He sent the dove, the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the faithful one who would help us to not get snared by the deceitfulness of riches or the lies of our ability or the falsehoods of our affluence influence and our thinking of like, yeah, look at this list, it's great. No, the Spirit would lead us faithfully to the kingdom of God. The Spirit who gives new life, that's the touch. When he touches us and gives us faith, what happens? Oh man, we get the brightest robe we've ever seen. It's not ours. We get the righteousness of Jesus by faith. And he says, "Yeah, actually, that's mine." And we say, "Yeah, it is, 'cause it's impossible for me to make a robe this way." You see, with God, all things are possible. Salvation is a gracious gift of God. It can't be earned, grabbed, attained. It is given by grace.

31 · The pastor issues the sermon's direct call and challenge: follow Jesus and leave behind the false securities you are trusting in, just as Jesus left everything to secure your salvation

So what about you? What about me? What about us? This passage comes to us with a call and a challenge. The call is to follow me. It's what Jesus says. That's the challenge, or the call. Follow me. And the challenge is leave behind all of that stuff that you trust in, that you think is is going to help you on the way, because it won't. He left all that he was worthy to have in order to come and get us, to come lay hold of us. So let's follow him and rely on his salvation that he graciously gives to those who are his.

32 · The pastor returns to the opening illustration's instruction to be ready, applying it as a posture of readiness to follow Jesus wherever he leads—whether locally or elsewhere—and noting that God is actively calling people in the congregation to radical obedience

And as Penelope's grandfather said, "Have your bags packed and be ready to go." Let's have our bags packed. Maybe he'll call us to stay here, to follow him here. Maybe he'll tell us to follow him somewhere else. I don't know. There are two couples in this church that I know are ending up places that they never would have dreamed they would end up. And it's crazy. God is still doing this. He's still calling people, hey, forget about those things that that provide comfort, and come follow me.

33 · The pastor prays, reiterating the sermon's thesis, asking God to grant salvation to anyone still trusting in their own righteousness, and requesting that the Spirit give new life and the imputed righteousness of Christ

Let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord, for this reminder that salvation is a gracious gift given by you, accomplished by Christ and his works, not our own, accomplished by the gracious and merciful Savior. Not by our abilities. Father, maybe there's someone here that today is the first time they've heard that message, and they've been trusting in their own righteousness, in their own abilities, in their own false gods. Father, we pray you would touch them by your Spirit, that you would give new life, that you would grant faith and give them that new robe It belongs to Jesus. We pray all these things in his name. Amen.

Where this fits

Recent preaching context

The three sermons immediately preceding this one in the preaching schedule.

Mar 7, 2021

Jesus Does All Things Well

Jesus came to care for and cleanse his people, demonstrated through his deliberate journey to meet, intimate engagement with, and powerful healing of a deaf man in Gentile territory.

Mark 7:31-37

May 9, 2021

Like a Child

King Jesus receives those who are needy, helpless, and dependent into his kingdom, and the church must mirror this heart by welcoming and bringing others to him.

Mark 10:13-16

Jun 6, 2021

Be The Church Again

God has gathered believers to Himself through Christ so that they would prioritize gathering together in corporate worship, because something uniquely glorious happens when God's people assemble in God's house under God's Word.

Hebrews 10:19-25

June 27 · This sermon

Camels and Needles and Rich Men, Oh My!

Salvation cannot be earned by human effort or merit but is the gracious gift of God, given through Christ who left all to purchase our entrance into the kingdom.

Mark 10:17-31

Take it further

Discuss · apply · pray

Small groups

6 discussion questions

When the rich young ruler approaches Jesus and recites his moral accomplishments, what does his response reveal about what he believed would…

Daily readings

5-day reading plan

This week we trace the arc of salvation from human impossibility through divine grace to the costly sacrifice Christ made to purchase our entrance into the kingdom.

Prayer

Prayer for Grace to Forsake False Securities

Father, we come before you in awe of your sovereign grace that makes the impossible possible. You alone can accomplish what no human effort,…

Family table

What Would You Leave Behind?

This prompt invites your family to wrestle with the rich young ruler's choice—and Jesus' offer—at a concrete level. Listen for what your chi…

Couples

When Wealth Becomes a God

What did you hear in this sermon about what you're trusting in instead of Jesus—and what conviction or relief did that stir in your own hear…

Memorize

Mark 10:27

This verse encapsulates the sermon's central pivot: human effort cannot earn salvation, but God's gracious power makes the impossible possible. It is the hinge upon which the entire message turns—from exposing the futility of self-salvation to revealing Christ as the sole source of redemption.

Small-group discussion

6 questions for your group this week

When the rich young ruler approaches Jesus and recites his moral accomplishments, what does his response reveal about what he believed would secure his entrance into the kingdom?

Mark 10:17-20

→ How does this reveal a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of salvation itself?
Jesus tells the man to 'go, sell all you have, and give to the poor.' What does this command expose about the man's actual allegiance and worship, beyond merely his relationship to money?

Mark 10:21-22

→ What false god or security was he trusting in place of Jesus?
Jesus then declares that it is 'easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom.' What is Jesus claiming about human ability to save ourselves, and why does he use such an extreme image?

Mark 10:24-25

→ What is the spiritual danger Jesus is naming here—is it wealth itself, or what wealth can tempt us to trust in?
The disciples respond with shock: 'Who then can be saved?' How does this question reveal the deepest human need that the sermon addresses, and what does Jesus' answer tell us about where salvation actually comes from?

Mark 10:26-27

→ How does Jesus' answer in verse 27 point us toward God's gracious intervention rather than human effort?
In light of the gospel—that Christ left the riches of heaven, endured the cross, and purchased our righteousness—how does his sacrifice reframe what it means for us to 'leave all' and follow him?

→ What false securities or self-sufficiencies might Jesus be calling you personally to abandon this week, and how does his example empower that abandonment?
Jesus promises that those who forsake false securities to follow him will 'receive a hundredfold...in this age and in the age to come, eternal life.' How does this promise reshape the way we view sacrifice and loss in the Christian life, and what does it suggest about where our true treasure lies?

Mark 10:29-30

→ Can you name one concrete way this promise might change a decision or allegiance you're facing right now?

Draft · pending review

Daily readings · Monday–Friday

5-day reading plan

This week we trace the arc of salvation from human impossibility through divine grace to the costly sacrifice Christ made to purchase our entrance into the kingdom.

Monday Mark 1:15

Jesus' opening proclamation—"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand"—announces that salvation is not a distant abstraction but a present reality inaugurated by his arrival. The kingdom comes not through human achievement but through the King himself, who establishes God's reign on earth and invites us into it. We are confronted with the stunning grace that our entrance depends not on our qualifications but on Christ's coming.

Tuesday John 3:16

God so loved the world that he *gave* his only Son—the language of gift, not transaction, echoes throughout Scripture. Salvation comes not through moral performance or accumulated virtue but through belief in the One whom God freely provided. This verse strips away every human claim to self-rescue and places us in the posture of receivers, dependent entirely on divine generosity.

Wednesday Exodus (idolatry warning after deliverance)

From the wilderness, God warned Israel not to trust in false gods or created things, yet the rich young ruler had done precisely this—enthroning wealth as his ultimate security and source of identity. Like Israel after deliverance, we face the perpetual temptation to build altars to lesser lords. Jesus exposes this idolatry not in condemnation but as the necessary step toward restoring him to his rightful place as the only God worthy of our supreme allegiance.

Thursday John 13:34-35

Jesus' command that we love one another as he loved us describes the character of his redeemed community—those who have been saved not as isolated individuals but as members of his body. The kingdom is not a private arrangement between God and the believer but a visible, corporate reality where Christ's lordship produces mutual love and sacrificial care. We are incorporated into a people, a kingdom, a communion of those who have abandoned false securities to follow him together.

Friday Romans (law as tutor, covetousness awakened)

Paul reveals that the law, far from saving us, awakens covetousness and drives us to desperation—a desperation only Christ satisfies. The rich ruler could not perceive his spiritual poverty until the commandments exposed his worship of mammon; likewise, we discover our need for Christ when lesser securities are stripped away. Jesus himself demonstrated this sacrifice perfectly, leaving heaven's throne to die at a cross, showing us that the path to the kingdom runs through surrender of all rival claims.

Draft · pending review

Pray together this week

Prayer for Grace to Forsake False Securities

Father, we come before you in awe of your sovereign grace that makes the impossible possible. You alone can accomplish what no human effort, moral performance, or earthly possession could ever achieve. We confess that we, like the rich young ruler, are daily tempted to trust in our own resources, our status, our security, and our sufficiency rather than in you. We build our confidence on what we can see and control, forgetting that all these things are temporary and that our hearts easily become enslaved to them as false gods (Mark 10:24–25). We acknowledge our profound weakness: we cannot save ourselves, we cannot pay sin's penalty, and we cannot produce the righteousness you require.

Yet the gospel humbles us with immeasurable hope. In Christ, you have accomplished all that we cannot: he left the infinite riches of heaven, endured the cross, and purchased our entrance into your kingdom through his perfect sacrifice and imputed righteousness (Mark 10:29–30). The impossible has become possible because Jesus, the King, has come. We stand justified not by our merit but solely by his gracious gift, freely given and applied to us by the Holy Spirit.

Grant us, we pray, the grace to see through the deceptive allure of wealth and status, that we might treasure Christ above all earthly securities. Strengthen us to forsake false gods and trust you with everything—our resources, our futures, our very lives. Give us corporate courage to follow Jesus together, knowing that those who abandon false securities for his sake receive immeasurably more in this life and in the age to come (Mark 10:29–30). And as we gather around Christ as his redeemed people, help us love one another with the same self-sacrificial love he has shown us, that the world may see and believe.

To you alone, O God, be all glory, honor, and worship, both now and forever.

Draft · pending review

Sunday-evening family table

What Would You Leave Behind?

For the parent

This prompt invites your family to wrestle with the rich young ruler's choice—and Jesus' offer—at a concrete level. Listen for what your children value most, and use their answers to explore what it means to trust Jesus more than the things we think we need.

Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything and follow him. If Jesus asked you to leave behind the one thing you love most—not forever, but to show you trust him—what would that be? And what do you think Jesus was really asking him to give up?

works for ages 8+ — younger children can listen and share simple answers; older kids and teens will engage the deeper question about divided loyalty

Draft · pending review

Couples · three questions over coffee

When Wealth Becomes a God

What did you hear in this sermon about what you're trusting in instead of Jesus—and what conviction or relief did that stir in your own heart?
As a couple, where do we find ourselves tempted to believe that our security comes from our resources, status, or performance rather than from Christ's finished work and grace?
How can we pray for each other this week to actively trust Jesus more fully and to help one another recognize when we're slipping back into false securities?

Draft · pending review

Memory verse this week

Mark 10:27

Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man it is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God.'

Why this verse: This verse encapsulates the sermon's central pivot: human effort cannot earn salvation, but God's gracious power makes the impossible possible. It is the hinge upon which the entire message turns—from exposing the futility of self-salvation to revealing Christ as the sole source of redemption.

Draft · pending review

Where this was preached

About the church

Cross of Grace Church

About us · What we believe

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# Cross of Grace Church

A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible.

## Sermons
- [Jesus Does All Things Well (Mark 7:31-37, 2021-03-07)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2021/03/jesus-does-all-things-well)
- [Like a Child (Mark 10:13-16, 2021-05-09)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2021/05/like-a-child)
- [Be The Church Again (Hebrews 10:19-25, 2021-06-06)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2021/06/be-the-church-again)
- [Camels and Needles and Rich Men, Oh My! (Mark 10:17-31, 2021-06-27)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2021/06/camels-and-needles-and-rich-men-oh-my)

## About
- [About the church](/about)
- [Plan a visit](/visit)

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