Cause and Effect – Gospel Impossible challenges what God can do in a sinner’s heart. All these I have kept since I was a boy… There was no malice in the heart of the Rich Young Ruler, but he was very wrong when it came to how he thought he could reach God. The Opinio Legis is the idea that we can make God happy by what we think, say and do. We mistakenly think we can make God happy if we try hard enough.
Motion Sickness
What’s your favorite ride at an amusement park? I used to love EVERY ride, but as the years have crept up on me, the swings, or really any ride that just goes in a circle isn’t that fun. The motion sickness is real. But kids are different aren’t they? That goes beyond the amusement park. In the verse just prior to our text Jesus holds up children as an example of faith. He writes – “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
An Example To Follow
Why does Jesus hold those children up as an example of the kingdom of God? #1 It isn’t their wealth of knowledge. #2 Children can trust almost perfectly – I would say it’s because their time in this veil of tears has been shorter than mine, but that would be ignoring the power of the Spirit.
A Good Question
His question is good! What must I do to inherit eternal life? How did this man think he could make it to heaven? It wasn’t through a child-like faith. He was working the system, wasn’t he? Keep the commandments; keep God happy. I think he truly believed that he was worshiping God with what he thought was a perfect life. But he realized in the middle of the night that something wasn’t right. Was God happy? Sadly for this man, and the rest of the world, the answer is no.
Want to hear more? Watch this week’s message taken from Luke 18, Cause and Effect – Gospel Impossible.
Book(s): Luke
Series: Cause and Effect
Tag(s): Greed, Work Righteousness
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg