Let us ask God's blessing on the hearing of His Word this evening. Let us pray together. Father, what a privilege that we have to again open Your Word. Lord, even more so, we thank You that You have not left us on our own to figure these things out. Guide us to understand Your Word. Fill our minds with Your Spirit that we may receive the wisdom that comes from You alone. And may the words that are spoken be pleasing unto You. In Jesus' name, Amen. Please turn in the Scriptures this evening to Mark chapter 10. Mark chapter 10. This is the count of the rich young ruler. We will look at verses 17 through 27 of Mark chapter 10. Picking up at verse 17. As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. Good teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Why do you call me good, Jesus answered. No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments. Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud. Honor your father and mother. Teacher, he declared, all these I have kept since I was a boy. Jesus looked at him and loved him. One thing you lack, he said, go sell everything you have and give it to the poor. And you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me. At this, the man's face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. 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. The disciples were even more amazed, and they said to each other, Who then can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God. Thus ends the reading of God's Word this evening. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, it was the year 1830 and a great revival had begun under the young evangelist named Charles G. Finney. And it was recorded under his ministry that over 500,000 people had been converted to Christ. What's most interesting about all of this was that Finney had implemented an entire new evangelistic system that had never been practiced by any of the great preachers before him, Edwards, Whitefield, and so on. Finney held that man was not depraved. Because we sin, he believed, does not believe that we have a sinful constitution. So he believed that he needed to stir up the will of man since he believed it to be free. And so he established what we know today as the altar call, the anxious bench. And what he did was that he would have people come forward, weep, mourn, and make a decision to Christ. It was almost the first time, not always, but almost the first time in history where people actually sought for an outward visible sign rather than an inward change of the heart. And it worked. It was highly successful. Thousands came forward to make a decision for Christ. But how interesting it was, how interesting it was that soon after, many of these converts weren't persevering in the faith. A fellow laborer of Finney wrote in 1834, and he said this, and I quote, Let us look over the fields where you and others have labored as revival ministers, and what is now their moral state? What was their state within three months after we left them? I have visited and revisited many of these fields and groaned in spirit to see the sad, frigid, contentious, carnal state into which the churches had fallen and followed soon after we had departed from them. What happened? Why weren't these people persevering? Was it an emotional or a spiritual awakening? Now, we don't know the full results of the ministry. And it can be easy to criticize. But we do know this. that any type of evangelism that seeks for an outward visual change rather than an inward change of the heart is not biblical. And so, Lord willing, what we will see this evening is that at the point at which a person looks and realizes their utter failure before God to keep His law is when they're fully prepared to look outside themselves for another, the Lord Jesus Christ, to have that righteousness. A removal of the emphasis on law and sin in our evangelism will ultimately lead to a confusion in the understanding of the gospel itself. So the question that lies with us this evening is, does the law have a fundamental place in our understanding of the gospel? So this evening we briefly want to consider, first, how the law expresses the holy character of God. Second, the proper use of the law in evangelism. And third, how our failure to keep God's law drives us to the gospel message of Jesus Christ. As we approach our text here in Mark 10, we have a fascinating evangelistic dialogue between Christ and a rich young ruler. What we first notice here is Christ has a distinct reference to the holy character of God. Notice, Scripture tells us that this man was young, had great wealth, and was high in authority over the people. He was of the upper class of society, greatly respected and held with high regards. And as Jesus' fame was spreading throughout all the regions, and the multitudes were gathering to Him to hear His teachings, as He taught with one who had great authority, not as the scribes and the Pharisees. And so perceiving the wisdom of Christ, He comes running and He even kneels down before Him. Even though He was high in society, He showed great respect for our Lord and even addressed Him in a respectful manner. And He says to Christ, Good teacher, What must I do to inherit eternal life? What an evangelistic opportunity. The great evangelist had the opportunity to give this person the gospel to tell him about himself. And we can imagine this opportunity for today's evangelist. We can put this in a modern day situation, if you will. Imagine somebody like Bill Gates, rich, has great authority, young, vibrant. Imagine him attending one of these great crusades. And as he's sitting there, he's quite moved by the powerful words of the evangelist. And he comes and runs up to the front and he cries out, How can I become saved? This is every evangelist's dream. What an opportunity the evangelist thinks. Say the sinner's prayer with me. A, B, C, accept, believe, and confess. And you're in. You're saved. And the next day, the newspaper would have a write-up on how the great Bill Gates had surrendered his life to Christ. What a similar situation we have then here in Mark 10. One who is well-known and successful in the world approaches our Lord seeking salvation. But Christ has an entirely different focus, doesn't He? He didn't begin with, I love you and have a wonderful plan for your life. He begins with this individual at first glance with something that seems so minor. Why do you call me good? Shocking. It's the last thing we might expect Christ to say, for He got it right, Christ was good. But in the wisdom of our Lord, he was exposing this rich young ruler's first grievous error. You see, this young man probably saw Christ as a moral person, a great prophet who did wonderful things, but he did not see Him as truly God. And he thought of Him only as a creature, a fellow human. And while it is true that Christ was truly human, He was also truly divine. You see, the rich young ruler would have classified himself as good on equality with Christ because he did not see Christ for who he is. He didn't perceive his divinity. And so our Lord says that there is one who is good, that is, God. This reminds us of our Lord's words to Philip. When he asked Christ to show him the Father, and Jesus replied, Have I been with you so long that you have not known me, Philip? Do you not know that I am in the Father and the Father in me? If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. And from now on you have known him and seen him. The rich young ruler was asking for something from somebody he knew nothing about. The rich young ruler was approaching Christ without knowing who he really was and seeing his holy character and his divinity. This was God incarnate who had stood right in front of him. from everlasting that the rich young ruler had approached. The very one who had sent an entire detachment of troops flying on their backs in the Garden of Gethsemane with the great words of who He was, I am. The very one who with the simple words, Lazarus come forth, could call somebody who had been rotting in the grave four days back to life. And although Christ was in His humbled state, He would not accept a mere comparison of the world's standard of good. The goodness of any creature is not to be named of in front of the Christ. And this is how the young ruler viewed Him. It's only the Almighty God who deserves the great title of good. Oh, when we see the holiness of our God, that we fall to His feet and cry out, Have mercy on me, a sinner. Woe is me, I am undone, for I am a man of unclean lips. as Isaiah said. And how often do people attempt to approach our Lord on their terms with a sloppy recognition of who He really is? I'm sure we've all heard it. The man upstairs. God is my co-pilot, my buddy in this life. All the while presenting, painting a weak picture of our God waiting, begging for us to accept Him. How often do people want this salvation without any surrender or without any recognition of who He is. But the true God of heaven and earth is the Almighty King of kings and Lord of lords who makes the mountains tremble and the earth shake with the sound of His voice. And although Christ had come in the likeness of a man, He had never considered it robbery to be equal with God, Philippians 2. His divinity was never separated from His humanity here on earth. Christ would not accept being put on an equal plane of the young ruler's idea of what it meant to be a good man according to this world. And so he exalts his Father as the only one who is full of all goodness. And so the first error he exposed was this young ruler's lack of recognition of who Christ really is. Oh, that today's evangelism and those who desire this salvation would recognize the holy character of God. Those who dare to take up the name of Christ must know whom they are approaching. Secondly, we see then that there's a proper use of the law in evangelism. So in asking for eternal life, he says to Christ, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Two verbs. He's looking at eternal life as something he can earn. And why not? He's worked hard for everything else in his life. Why not heaven? And this just goes to show the arrogance of mankind that they think they can bring something before the Christ, that they have something to offer, that they can take salvation by their own power and can earn it, just like everything else they've tried to earn. The free gift given through Christ is not easily accepted by those who are naturally inclined to earn all aspects of life. We know that salvation is not of works. Scripture makes that clear. Salvation is not of works, lest anyone should boast, and that no flesh shall be justified by keeping the law, purely by grace through faith. So what then does Christ do with the rich young ruler at this point? What an opportune time to tell him about grace. What an opportune time to tell him that salvation is nothing he can earn. It is purely a gift. Christ doesn't do any of that. He doesn't present him with the proposition to make a decision for Christ, for it's quite obvious that this person would have made the decision and said the prayer. So Christ, knowing that no flesh is justified by the law, what does He do? He takes him to the law. Oh, the wisdom of our God. Why? Long grace, our dichotomy, why does He do this? We should keep in mind, His disciples are watching this the whole time. of all places to the law. Is Christ emphasizing here what we must do to be saved? Notice he begins here by revealing his holy character to him. You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not defraud. Honor your father and your mother. Why is he doing this? What an opportune time to tell him about the marvelous work he's about to perform on the cross to save sinners. But He doesn't do that. Instead, He points back to those Ten Commandments given on Sinai. Aren't they, as many feel, outdated today? Why does He do this? You know, interestingly, in Luke 14, we have them doing the same thing. At verse 25, Now great multitudes went with Him, and He turned and said to them, If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, Yes, and even his own life also he cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Now I can imagine that this verse is not the standard verse used in a crusade today. It wouldn't go over very well. But again, we see what Jesus is doing here. He's using the law. He's saying that if you're not willing to deny everything and follow Christ, you're breaking the first commandment. You're not loving the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your soul. So what's the purpose then of the law? Why is Christ using it with the rich young ruler? Christ is using it here clearly to expose his sin. Paul makes clear, this is exactly the purpose of the law. Paul says, For I would not have known sin without the law, for I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, Thou shall not covet. And so the law, properly used, is used to put one on their knees before God. The law caused the publican to beat his chest and to cry out, Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. The law caused Peter to weep bitterly after he denied Christ three times when he realized that he hadn't loved the Lord, his God, with all his heart. The law caused the Philippian jailer to cry out, Oh, what must I do to be saved? Because he had a godly sorrow for sin. The law caused the apostle to cry out, O wretched man that I am, who will rescue me from this body of death? The law demonstrates our other failure before God to do what He commands. It says, you shall not, and yet we do. It throws us on our knees before the living God to cry out to Him for mercy because it looks inward at our performance and declares us guilty. That's its purpose. It was never given with the possibility of producing salvation. Beloved, it's been commonly said that the way to heaven leads through hell. It's when one is terrified by the wrath of God and the reality of hell for breaking His holy law that he's fully prepared to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. And there are some today who want to downplay the law and sin. We don't need that. They say, that's offensive, only love. But this is why Jesus begins His ministry with the words, Repent and believe, for the kingdom of God is at hand. Beloved, repentance is mandatory for the people of God. And a true repentance comes when they realize that they have offended a holy God. And that is known through His law. If it offends, so be it. Christ showed us that if repentance was needed, then there was sin. And if there was sin, then there was a transgression of God's holy law, because that's what sin is. and it's when we realize that we've broken God's law at all points and unable to keep it, that we are fully prepared to look outside ourselves for a remedy. That beautiful righteousness that is only found in our Lord Jesus Christ. This is why Christ began with the law with this young man. No one will want this salvation without realizing their total depravity. No one will look for a cure if they don't know anything's wrong. And how interesting it is, beloved, how interesting it is that 71% of Americans today believe that mistakes may be made, but surely there's no such thing as sin. This thinking is infiltrated into the church. We're not so bad, we're pretty good, they say. I heard a popular radio evangelist of our day, very popular, when asked, at first glance if one man looks at a woman lustfully if they've committed adultery. at first glance, and I quote, this is what he responded with, I don't think you can call it that tight. Contrary to that thinking, Christ took this person to the heart of the problem, sin, so that he might see his need for a Savior. This is why it's a terrible fallacy to tell the most unrepentant and vile person, that person that hates God and despises His law, that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their life. For to them, when you say that to them on their end, that means that God would never punish them. For what hope is it if they will be punished eternally for their current rebellion if they remain outside of Christ? Scripture tells us that there's nothing but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Hebrews 10.27 Right now, presently, all those who are outside of Christ, it says in John 3, verse 36, that His hottest wrath abides on them. And what is Jesus doing here? This is so important. What's He doing here? He's expressing the most ultimate evangelistic love. We want to talk about love. This is where we find it. Oh, that evangelists today, if they would take notice, He takes him to the law so that this young man might fall on his knees and look to one who has perfectly kept the law. Scripture tells us that no one is justified by the law on the side of God because the just lives by faith, his faith. For Paul says the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ. The law is to be used in this fashion. This is why James tells us that he who turns a sinner from his ways will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. Friends, this is true love. And giving them a false hope as they continue in their rebellion against God comes at a high cost. A sinner will only turn from his way when he realizes that he has broken the law of God and sinned against his holy character and that the threat of hell is real. And so we see that the law shows a sinner is sin. And it's we realize, when we realize that who God is and how far we have fallen from His glory, that we will desire salvation on His terms. What I find fascinating is that Christ only emphasizes those laws dealing with man's relationship to his neighbor. We saw earlier that this person doesn't know much of the relationship of man to God, which could have been brought out from reference to the first four commandments. It seems that Christ is emphasizing here the second table because they focus on the simple application to the conduct, to how he lived. Jesus looks right into his heart and he sees the main problem. And how does he respond? Teacher, all these things I have kept for my youth. How heartbreaking when we read this. With the law set before him, he boldly says he is blameless. And what do we see? Someone dead in their trespasses and sins. For the law was dead to him, for he imagined himself as righteous. Beloved, we can't even plumb the depths of our own sin. We can't see it. If we couldn't see how bad we really were in God's eyes, how quickly we would fall into silent submission. The extent to which we see our sin and misery is the extent to which we will rely and trust on Jesus Christ. This man was a walking corpse. And how often do we as Christians look at someone's life and say, can't this person see how they're living? Right in front of Christ, this person had the audacity to say that he was blameless and to claim a false hope of salvation. How did Jesus respond? This is an amazing response. Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, one thing you lack, go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come take up your cross and follow me. Jesus is telling him to count the cost of what it means to follow him. Who would dare to take up this name of Christian and not count the cost of what it means to be a Christian? And how interesting it is that he did not tell him to put his money in the temple treasury. He tells him, he says to give it to the poor. What would the poor do with it? He would be gone the next day. And the point he's making is that he needed nothing from this man. Jesus looked right into his heart and points out the biggest problem. But surely he didn't have to start there. He could have began with other commandments. Have you ever hated someone in your heart? You've committed murder. Have you ever looked at a woman lustfully? You've committed adultery and so on. And that would have been the end of the conversation. No, Jesus takes him right to the main problem of covetousness. This man had great possessions, Scripture tells us. He loved the things of this world. And he thought it was possible that he could serve both. We know that Christ says that you cannot serve both God and mammon. You can't have one foot in the world and a foot in heaven. And how often does today's evangelism simply ignore the sin and the law? As one pastor said, sinners are coming forward just as they are and going away just as they are. They respond eagerly when offered forgiveness, heaven, victory over death, but they have no sense of the severity of their guilt before God and no desire to be free from the bondage of sin. Christ won't accept that. That's clear from this passage. And if this were our day, He would have broken every handbook evangelism guide that exists. Why? Because he let the man walk away. There he goes. And not just at that, he walked away broken hearted. Listen to verse 22. But he was sad at this word and he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions. There he goes. Lastly, then we see how the law works with the gospel. We wonder, what his disciples must have been thinking? Lord, there he goes. Aren't we supposed to be fishers of men? And you're letting him get away. For this young ruler would have made the moment's decision. He would have said the prayer, signed on the dotted line, but there he goes. Jesus wouldn't accept a moment's emotional decision that did not involve a complete resting upon him alone for salvation. So Jesus turns to his disciples and he says how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God. for this man loved his riches. And we know that the love of money is the root of all evil, but more than that, he thought he was rich in what he had to bring to Christ. But beloved, when it comes to salvation, there is nothing we bring to the table. The only thing we bring is our rebellion. Salvation is purely an act of God's mercy. And it says that His disciples were astonished If there's anyone who's worthy of this salvation, it's this guy. Claims to keep the law, reverent, desires salvation, and so on. And again, Christ emphasizes children how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God. 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. And it says that His disciples were greatly astonished, more so than before. And likewise, I've often thought that if there was anyone according to the world's standards who is deserving of salvation, maybe it would be somebody like Bill Gates. I don't know. For he's much smarter than I am. And if it came down to figuring this whole thing out, surely it would be him. And I'm sure his disciples saw the same thing with the rich young ruler. One who was smart, intelligent, much more worthy than themselves as they were mere fishermen. So they say, who then can be saved? Who can be saved? If this guy can't, no one can. And they're right. But the best this world has to offer doesn't cut it before God. And now, this is important, at this point, His disciples, watching this whole time, are now prepared to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was then at the point of seeing no hope. It was at this point that they had finally realized that there was no one who could be saved without the Christ. This is why Christ says, with men it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. We now have the gospel message of grace. We now have our hope. This is why there is a place for the law even in the believer's life today. It keeps us humble realizing this. It is a free gift when we see and feel the condemnation of our guilt and our own sin. We trust in Christ's perfect sacrifice all the more when we see our sin. And most of all, we remain thankful for the righteousness that has been provided for us in our Lord Jesus Christ. This is why we read it week in and week out. And Christ was teaching His disciples about the same message that they would use when He would be lifted up from the earth. Yes, it's commanded that we believe and confess with our mouths. But we must realize that even this is impossible for man. The goodness of our God leads us to repentance, Romans 2.4. We don't even know how to pray on our own, Romans 8.26. With God, our confessing and believing is possible because of Christ. He was teaching them that the person who is dead in their trespasses and sins could never come to Christ on his terms. The law could never be kept perfectly as He demands. And somebody who is truly God and truly man would have to bear the sins of those who were written in the Lamb's Book of Life from the foundation of the world. Our Lord would have to do it. And this is why He must be truly God. Because with God, it was only possible. This is the message of grace. That Christ came into this world, lived a perfect life, died on a cross, resurrected three days later and would be a free gift for his children all because they couldn't keep God's holy law. How beautiful is this gospel message of grace? So beautiful that David could cry out, my soul thirsts for God. My soul thirsts for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? And so as apostles, were hearing of this, hearing about this grace message that even the best according to this world standard couldn't cut it, but only God could satisfy the demand. Well, there's one phrase I've purposely overlooked that it might be saved for the end. And Jesus looked at him and loved him. What a profound statement. What a beautiful statement, powerful. It wasn't revealed to the young ruler and it's not found in the other two accounts of Matthew and Luke, but here we see the compassion of Christ recorded for us. Why did Mark see fit to tell us that Jesus looked at him and loved him? This has caused many a debate. For the model to us, the main point Mark wants us to see here, and what is clearly seen is that Jesus is demonstrating the love that every evangelist must have for the lost, even to the most repulsive person. For we are commanded to love our enemies. Bless those who curse us. Matthew 5. But we need to realize that Scripture leaves us with an unregenerate man. He left. Extremely bothered that to get salvation he would have to forsake all. Anything beyond this point is pure speculation because we have nothing else recorded in Scripture after he walked off. Some have said it's a benevolent love that God has for the entire human race. It's a love that provides and sustains. Others have said that it was a love that Christ had for the young man because he desired to live better. But then the question arises of John 3, 36, that the hottest wrath of God abides presently on those who are outside of Christ. In this case, love could not be salvific. Lastly, others have suggested that this is a child of God, that those whom God loves, He chastens, and that this heart, as it was properly evangelized by use of the long gospel, was being prepared for the Spirit to regenerate. It may seem probable, but again, Scripture leaves us with an unregenerate man, and speculation can only be made. But it does not alter the meaning of the text. As we have seen, Christ uses the law to evaluate someone's inward performance and show that they are guilty for not keeping this holy standard. It's at that point, and at that point alone, that one is ready to look outside themselves in faith to Jesus Christ and accept the righteousness that is only found in Him. Alright, well we've heard how the law works with the gospel. What does it mean for us? Are we to go around rattling off the law to everyone who doesn't believe? Here's the principle. The extent to which one seizes sin is the extent. And the extent to which one seizes depravity and how they've offended a holy God is the extent to which they will see their need for a Savior. And although the love of God is exceedingly beautiful. Beyond our comprehension, His justice is just as real. Both realities must be presented. Modern evangelism hesitates to talk about sin and the wrath of God. But the one who truly knows his sin cries out in sorrow for breaking God's law, O wretched man that I am, who will rescue me from this body of death? But then cries out all the more in excitement of the gospel, But thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen? Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, what a marvelous passage. Lord, we know that we have sinned and transgressed your law so much. But we also know that there is a righteousness that has been provided for us in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for this, O Lord. And may we live in light of that perfect righteousness that has been provided. In Jesus' name, amen.