Kingdom Distractions: Luke 18:18-27
“18) A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19)And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20) You know the commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’ ” 21) And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22) When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23) But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24) And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25) For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26) They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27) But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”” Luke 18:18-27
Jesus quickly moved from the story of child like faith to the story of the rich young ruler. This young man was good, sincere, moral and religious, but he suffered from misplaced faith.
His wealth and self sufficiency had become his god. Jesus pointed out that it is difficult for wealthy people to enter into kingdom living. They have huge distractions in this life.
To expose this root problem, Jesus told him to go and sell all of his possessions and distribute his wealth to the poor, then follow Him. The ramifications were huge. It would have changed everything about the way he lived.
So what does it mean to enter the Kingdom of God? Jesus used that phrase several times in this extended context. It is carried over from child like faith in the previous story.
Was He taking about salvation or experiencing the fulness of God in your life? This theme appears often in the teachings of Jesus and the early church.
It appears again in Acts 1:3-8. In that context, Jesus connected it to the coming power and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
One thing becomes clear when studying this subject, it is possible to be religious and yet miss the true wonders of kingdom living. There are many distraction to walking in faith by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Wealth and self sufficiency can quickly blur kingdom dynamics in our lives. Here is the bottom line; It is easy to believe in God but trust in money. This is the challenge of the modern western church.
Personal comfort is not the goal of the Christian life or kingdom living. The goal is glorifying God, walking in His presence and living by the power of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives while carrying out the Great Commission. The path can become radical.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
“18) A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19)And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20) You know the commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’ ” 21) And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22) When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23) But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24) And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25) For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26) They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27) But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”” Luke 18:18-27
Jesus quickly moved from the story of child like faith to the story of the rich young ruler. This young man was good, sincere, moral and religious, but he suffered from misplaced faith.
His wealth and self sufficiency had become his god. Jesus pointed out that it is difficult for wealthy people to enter into kingdom living. They have huge distractions in this life.
To expose this root problem, Jesus told him to go and sell all of his possessions and distribute his wealth to the poor, then follow Him. The ramifications were huge. It would have changed everything about the way he lived.
So what does it mean to enter the Kingdom of God? Jesus used that phrase several times in this extended context. It is carried over from child like faith in the previous story.
Was He taking about salvation or experiencing the fulness of God in your life? This theme appears often in the teachings of Jesus and the early church.
It appears again in Acts 1:3-8. In that context, Jesus connected it to the coming power and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
One thing becomes clear when studying this subject, it is possible to be religious and yet miss the true wonders of kingdom living. There are many distraction to walking in faith by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Wealth and self sufficiency can quickly blur kingdom dynamics in our lives. Here is the bottom line; It is easy to believe in God but trust in money. This is the challenge of the modern western church.
Personal comfort is not the goal of the Christian life or kingdom living. The goal is glorifying God, walking in His presence and living by the power of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives while carrying out the Great Commission. The path can become radical.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
