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Why should I really be concerned with knowing Jesus, my life is really quite ok?
“I can think of nothing less pleasurable than a life devoted to pleasure.”
John D. Rockefeller
A student once asked me, “My life is really doing quite well, why should I have to commit my life to Christ if I am happy without Him?
For many, this question indicates that it is possible to have a life without Christ and be quite content. I do believe that it is possible to think you have it all together and have no need for Christ. It is quite possible to have all the pleasures of this world numb your sense of alienation from God. The Bible seems to indicate something like this in Ephesians 4:17-19 when it says, “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. Eph 4:17-19 (NIV)
The sinful condition of man can numb him to his need for Christ. The pleasures of this world can drown out his understanding of his condition before God. We must share with people about the coming judgment on all who turn against God or live without committing their life to Christ.
Jesus speaks to a very good man who had everything going for him in Luke 18:18-30.
18 A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
19 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"
21 "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me."
23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, 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 Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?"
27 Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." Luke 18:18-27 (NIV)
Here is a man who, on the outside, presented a very together picture of his life. He had all the things everyone thought was needed for life. He even looked like he possessed all the fine moral qualities by his own indication of keeping the commandments. If there ever was a person who looked successful and content, it was this man.
If you look at the very first sentence of this text you will see that this man was concerned about living forever. This is why he seeks out Christ. When people present themselves to us as having it all together we must remember this rich young ruler.
How does Jesus reason with this man who thought everything was fine? He presents him with the challenge of keeping the commandments. How does the ruler respond to the challenge? “All these I have kept since my youth.”
Jesus does not argue this point with him; he only says, “you still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.”
Why did Jesus take this approach with this man? Because this was the one point the man knew he was not ok on. He was wealthy, but he had not shown any real concern for the poor. He was stingy and uncaring. He was selfish and self-centered. He came to Jesus because he was only concerned for himself. How could he get eternal life.
Even though the ruler claimed to have met all the demands of the law, when given this one command by Jesus, he was instantly aware that he had not kept the commands. The Scripture says, “he went away sorrowful.” Notice when he first came to Jesus he was very sure of himself and very secure in what he was trusting in for his security, but after encountering Christ he leaves sorrowful.
This is the function of the Law of God when applied to those who are trusting in themselves or their own efforts. When the Law of God is applied to a self-righteous person, it will always leave them sorrowful. So when someone says they are quite happy without Christ ask them how good they have been at keeping the Ten Commandments and then leave them with this Scripture passage, “Be ye perfect even as your father in Heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
We must learn how to apply the Law to people’s lives so they will see their need of Christ. Galatians 3:24 “So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
Even though you may think you have it all together and see no need for Christ, when you judge your life by the Law of God you will be very much aware that you do not even come close to meeting God’s righteous standards. Even though you may have no awareness of your need for Christ, you still are in danger of experiencing the wrath of God toward all those who continue by their open and willful rejection of the truth. Remember the rich young ruler came to Jesus thinking everything was fine but he left extremely sorrowful. Do not allow your good feeling to deceive you into forfeiting your eternal life that is offered by Christ.
Small Group Discussion Questions:
1. Who do you know in your circle of friends that looks like they have it all together? Pray for an opportunity to share with them the demands of God’s Law, the Ten Commandments.
2. Go through the list of the Ten Commandments and take the test yourself. How close do you come to following all ten of them? How did you fare? How many have you broken in your life? This week? What does this say about your hope of achieving eternal life yourself? Take a moment by yourself or in your group to pray short prayers of gratitude to God for what He has done for you in Christ.
3. Work at committing the Ten Commandments to memory so you will have them ready in your heart and mind to share with those who may need to know exactly what God expects of them.
4. Assignment: Ask at least one person to take God’s Ten Commandment test this week. The test goes like this: We are conducting a spiritual inventory on campus this week and we have just ten questions we would like to ask. Do you have time to answer about ten short questions?
a. Do you believe in God?
b. Do you think you are following God the way He wants you to?
c. Have you ever used God’s name in an improper way?
d. Do you get along with your mom and dad at home?
e. Do you take one day a week to worship God and thank him for the life he has given you?
f. Have you ever told a lie? How many times?
g. Have you ever hated someone?
h. Have you ever stolen anything? How many times?
i. Have you ever lusted after another person?
j. Have you ever wished you could have what someone else has?
k. In light of your answers, how hopeful are you of going to heaven when you die?