Increase Our Faith – Total Dependence

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Total Dependence

Total dependence doesn’t sound like a great idea in our ear.  We like to be SELF dependent.  The Rich Young Ruler was looking for an 11th Commandment when he came to Jesus.  What he found was a loving God who crushed his sinful pride.

Look back over verses 18 and 19 of Luke 18.  A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. The young man was trying to pay Jesus a compliment because he truly believed he and Jesus were cut from the same cloth.  Jesus isn’t interested in admiration – Jesus isn’t worthy of an Oscar or a Nobel Peace Prize.  Jesus doesn’t want your admiration; he wants your adoration.  Instead of Good Teacher, the young man should have fallen on his knees and said, “My Lord and my God.”

His question is good!  what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  How did this man think he could make it to heaven?  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?

No, I’m afraid God was not happy.  How could a perfect, holy God be happy with sin?  Apart from Jesus, is God happy with any of our lives?  God makes it plain that we can’t work the system.  Jesus tried to help the man see this, He uses what theologians call the 2nd table of the Law.  You’ve heard of the Ten Commandments.  The first few are about you and God – the second table is about you and your neighbor.  This is where Jesus goes: adultery, murder, theft, slander, authority.  “What about those commandments.”  This young man wouldn’t have any of it.  all these I have kept since I was a boy.

Jesus is about to go for the jugular of his soul.  He does this in love.  Please click the video below to watch the whole message and an application of the Law of God on a pride filled soul.  We need to have total dependence on Jesus.

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