Being financially self-sufficient can help us experience a comfortable life on earth, but not so much in heaven. In fact, being self-sufficient doesn’t do us any good in heaven. Being self-sufficient means, we depend on ourselves, but God wants us to depend on him. Find out what God wants us to do with our ability to be self-sufficient. (Matthew 19:16-30)

Transcript

INTRODUCTION

Jesus talks money and sometimes breaks hearts.

Such is the case with today’s story. Here’s a man so close to the kingdom of God—seeking out Jesus and asking the right questions—and yet he walked away filled with grief.

What happened? How did he end up in such a place? And, more importantly, how can we avoid falling into this same trap? He was so close to the kingdom of God, yet his money somehow kept him away.

This passage is a virtual masterclass of three key principles for a healthy relationship with money. Miss these, and your love for money and possessions will hinder your ability to fully follow Jesus and even have eternal life.

APPRECIATE GOD’S GOODNESS

Jesus hits the first principle right out of the gate.

“16 Just then, a man came up to Jesus and asked, ‘Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?’ 17 ‘Why do you ask me about what is good?’ Jesus replied. ‘There is only One who is good.’” (Matt. 19:16-17)

This man, commonly called the Rich Young Ruler, has the right motive but asks the wrong question. He wants to know, sincerely, “How do I get eternal life?”

But his question is all wrong. “What good thing must I do…” He was looking for the list, the checkboxes. He had been taught that the road to heaven was paved with the right behaviors. And I’m guessing if you grew up in the church, many of you have been told the same thing—do the right things and be a good person. That’s how you get into heaven.

But Jesus flipped the script, “Why do you ask me about what is good?” There is only One who is good.” Jesus shifts the guy’s focus: off himself and onto God and off good deeds and onto a good God.

This leads to our first big principle: Appreciate God’s goodness over your good deeds.

You are not saved because your deeds are good but because God is good and gave us a way to eternity through Jesus Christ.

His faith had become a transaction just like his money—“I do these good things; I get into heaven.” Just like: “I work; I get money. I spend money; I get things.” Transactions, all of it.

It’s easy to slip into transactional thinking. When Pang Foua and I were trying to get pregnant many years ago, I became really angry when it wasn’t happening. Eventually, I realized it was because I felt like I deserved kids. I was a loving husband (sorta) who provided well. I followed God and went to church. I was doing all the right things. Where was my kid? Where’s my happily ever after?

Transactional thinking only leads to two places:

1. When you get what you want, you become prideful and entitled.

2. When you don’t, you become jealous and angry.

What’s the alternative? Appreciate God’s goodness over your good deeds.

It took Pang Foua and me many years to re-shift our focus onto God’s goodness. And when we did, not having kids wasn’t as big of a deal for us. And we learned to accept a different plan that our good God has for our lives.

ADDRESS WHAT YOU LACK

The story continues. We learn that this man has kept all the commandments. Straight A’s. Every box checked. And then, he asks the most valuable question in this whole passage.

“20 [The young man says] ‘What do I still lack?’ 21 Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’” (Matthew 19:20-21)

This might feel extreme. Who among us can be perfect? But let me explain that word. It doesn’t mean “perfect” as we think of it—free from defects. In Greek, it means complete and whole. It’s a puzzle with all the pieces in place. But this man was missing one piece, and Jesus knew it.

Jesus saw into his heart and knew what was keeping him from God—his possessions. He was driven to build treasures on earth rather than treasures in heaven.

Jesus knew that his wealth would always compete against God for his love, his time, and his worship. True discipleship requires a willingness to let go of anything that is hindering us from following Jesus fully.

Here’s how Tim Keller described this man in his book Jesus the King:

“Of course, he was missing something. Because anyone who counts on what they are doing to get eternal life will find that, in spite of everything they’ve accomplished, there’s an emptiness, an insecurity, a doubt. Something is bound to be missing. How can anyone ever know whether they are good enough?”

And then, the most tragic moment in the story…

“22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.”

He walked away because he knew Jesus was right, and he knew that he couldn’t do it. His possessions possessed him, and he couldn’t leave them behind.

Tim Keller continues:

“When Jesus called this young man to give up his money, the man started to grieve because money was for him what the Father was for Jesus. It was the center of his identity.”

And when you make money the center of your identity, there’s little room for anything else, including God.

From this, we learn: Address what you lack; don’t ignore it.

When Jesus points out your missing puzzle piece, don’t ignore him. Don’t walk away. He knows what’s good for you because he is good.

ADMIT THAT YOU CAN’T FIX YOURSELF

Now, the disciples had a difficult time with this whole interaction.

“25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’”

Ya see, back then, people viewed wealth as a sign of God’s favor and blessing. It’s a good thing we’re nothing like that today. New car! #blessed. On vacation! #blessed. Ya, we do the same thing. Nobody ever posts, “Can’t make rent this month. #blessed.”

We absolutely still believe that wealth is a sign of God’s blessing, just like the disciples did. That’s why they were shocked. “If a rich person can’t be saved, then who can?” They figured that the rich guy was the most likely candidate to enter the kingdom of heaven. And poor, uneducated fisherman like me doesn’t stand a chance. It’d be like you thinking, “If the pastor can’t be saved, then who can?”

“26 Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

That’s kinda the point. Do you know why the man walked away sad? Because he only believed half of Jesus’ statement. He knew in his heart that Jesus’ command was impossible. But he didn’t believe that with God all things are possible.

Don’t we all fall into that trap sometimes? When despair overtakes us, it’s because we only believe half of Jesus’ statement. We obsess over the impossible but forget God’s ability to do the impossible.

This leads us to our third principle: Admit that you can’t fix yourself apart from Jesus.

We are meant to face the impossible. We’re supposed to admit that we can’t do it. But we’re never meant to walk away sad. God invites us into a world where he can do what we can’t. If the only things that happen in your life are the things you can do, then you don’t have much need for God, do you?

But when you admit that you can’t fix yourself apart from Jesus, it places our need and desperation directly at the foot of the cross where it belongs.

SUMMARY

Let’s see if we can summarize all of this: Appreciating God’s goodness helps you address what you lack and admit that you can’t.

Do you know why Jesus said that it’s hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven? It’s because they do the opposite of each one of these. And, by the way, I would say this applies equally to anyone who loves money, whether they’re rich or not.

What’s the opposite of this?

1. Your focus is constantly on what you have to do—earn money, develop a good reputation, build your brand, or earn your way into heaven. God’s goodness, grace, and mercy rarely come into the equation.

2. You don’t want to talk about your weaknesses. You’ll ignore them, get defensive when someone brings it up, or straight-up deny your shortcomings. Ya see, the problem with a self-made person is that they tend to worship their creator. And you can’t say anything bad about your creator.

3. It’s hard for you to admit that you can’t do something. You might see it as a sign of weakness or vulnerability. When your identity of wrapped up in what you do, not being able to do something is a threat to your very self-worth.

This passage teaches us that wealth, rather than being a sign of God’s favor, can be a barrier to following Jesus. It also shows that following Jesus is not just about saying the right words or doing good deeds, but it requires a total commitment and willingness to surrender all to Him. Yes, you must let go of your love of money and possessions, but you also have to surrender your pride, your ego, and your self-sufficiency. None of those will get you into the kingdom of God… and they might even keep you out.