Sermon: Luke 18 The Rich Young Ruler
The Rich Young Ruler
Mk 10:13-31
The Gospels are full of personal encounters that people
had with Jesus and they are there not simply there as
stories for us to enjoy but because they illustrate
different responses that people have towards Jesus, not
simply then but also today.
The Rich Young Ruler is one such person.
I don’t know what your idea of a Christian is or of the
kind of person who is likely to become a Christian but I
suspect most of us would see this Ruler as a likely
candidate.
He certainly has some necessary qualities.
1. He is sincere.
There is no sense that he is just trying to trick Jesus.
He’s not like so many of the characters Jesus meets
who seem only interested in playing word games,
debating and arguing. There are lots of people like that
today who enjoy a good argument about Christian faith
but are really no more interested than fly in the air.
This man was genuinely seeking. He was sincere and
earnest - he came running to Jesus.
It is unfashionable to be sincere. It is considered naïve
and gullible. It is cool to be cynical and hard-nosed.
To mistrust everything. But it is the way of invincible
ignorance. You will never discover anything
worthwhile and certainly not the truth about Jesus and
the answers to the big questions of life unless you begin
as an honest seeker, a humble genuine inquirer.
Be committed to discovering truth. You won’t stumble
over it by chance and you certainly won’t find it in
cynicism only in serious searching. God says in the
Bible he only makes himself known to those who ‘seek
him with all their heart’.
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About John
Hi there - I am a member of Greenview and have been for over 20 years. For a number of these years I functioned as an elder, however, indifferent health forced me to take more of a back seat. I see this as an opportunity to do a little writing, often focussing on issues that are a matter of evangelical debate today. Naturally the views expressed are my own and may not reflect the views of the elders or church at large, though differences are likely to be in the detail and not the substance.
These articles and sermons were written partly to clarify my own thoughts and partly with the intention of provoking thought in others who may read them. If you read one I hope you find it stimulating. Please feel free to give me feedback or discuss my articles in the forums.
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