The Cost is Too Great
Read the Text: Luke 18
Memorize the Text: : “Well then,” he told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” (Luke 20:25)
Consider the Text: Luke 18:18-30
Sometimes in life, we find that God’s calling comes with a significant cost. The call to follow Christ means we must consider the costly nature of the invitation and respond based on the amount of authority and priority we give the Lord in our life. In Luke 18, the rich young ruler approached Jesus and asked about following the Lord. Jesus extended the invitation with the expectation to abandon the earthly wealth and prestige for the ability to walk with Jesus. The rich young ruler adjusted his desire because the world had too much of a hold on him and the cost to following Jesus was too great. As we see the truths of this event, may we analyze our life to see if we ever attempt to excuse our faithfulness to the Lord at the altar of the worldly riches and pleasures.
The passage speaks to a SEEKING YOUNG MAN. The rich young ruler approached Jesus with the right question. He sought the answer to gaining eternal life and saw Jesus as a good moral teacher who could provide the answer. At a foundational level, the rich young ruler desired something more to life than he presently experienced. He wanted to gain the security of eternity without sacrificing his comfort form of living. The motivation of the young man did not center on redemption but on the security of eternal comfort.
The young man heard the response of Jesus and identified himself as a moral individual. Though he kept the letter of the law and lived in a good moral and ethical manner, the Lord still called him to something greater. The reason comes from the reality that his keeping of the law was out of selfish desire and not in obedience to the Lord. He saw the keeping of the law as a way to eternity instead of a way of live because of knowing the Lord.
Jesus RESPONDED to the young rich ruler who sought him. Jesus responded to the question of the young man with a question that focused the attention of the rich young ruler to the areas of holiness and righteousness. The phrasing revealed how holiness and righteousness do not come through obedient law keeping, but from the pursuit of the one who is holy and righteous, Jesus. The response challenged the young man to take an honest assessment of his self.
The rich young ruler assesses he was a good person. Jesus’ response to him revealed that though the young ruler was good that goodness alone did not purchase the ticket to eternity. In fact, hell is filled and will be filled with many good people who are moral and ethical but lack a genuine relationship with Jesus. This reality comes because Jesus does not demand law keeping but rather sacrifice and following. Jesus expects that we will surrender our lives to him and following him to grow spiritually.
When the rich young ruler heard the expectations of the Lord, he saw the COST AS TOO GREAT. The young man loved his earthly wealth and stability more than the Lord. He chose that day what he would serve and worship by choosing the wealth and riches of this world. The young man recognized that the desire to gain eternal life would cause momentary struggle and cause him to change his life. He made a choice to live in his earthly social circle instead of a relationship with Jesus.
Jesus explained the PROBLEM that kept the young rich ruler from faith. He noted that worldly comfort blinds people from the great eternal need. When people become comfortable, it is difficult to surrender our comfort before the Lord and become his servant. This struggle is great because the evil one uses it to blind us from our true spiritual need and lead of down a path of being good lost people.
Jesus noted that salvation does not occur because of human activity but occurs because of God alone. Salvation is a God thing. People cannot earn salvation through faithfulness or buy salvation with earthly wealth. This truth exists because God alone secured redemption through the work on the cross and he alone offers salvation. The key component is that though the cost to follow Christ is costly, the price the Lord paid for our salvation came at a great cost as well.
The rich young ruler used the excuse of costliness to walk away from obedience to God and ultimately abandoned the possibility for eternal life. When we face the great cost of following Jesus, the world can sometimes tempt us by looking more appealing than godliness. The real truth comes that nothing in this world can go with us and nothing in this world can rescues us because no earthly treasure can lead to eternal life.
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
