On Who Can Be Saved 2nd of 4 in Series: “Life lessons” from Mark 10.  October 11, 2009 Hebrews 4:12-16 12Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. 16Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Mark 10: 17-27 21Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”22When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. 23Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”24And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is (some manuscripts read, “for those who trust in riches”) to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”26They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?”27Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” Theme: Jesus knows what holds each person back; total surrender is what God requires.  Jesus promises eternal life AND blessings in this life for those who (vs. 29, 30) have left (abandoned, given up) every relationship and every pursuit and every possession to follow him. Salvation apart from Jesus Christ is impossible. The heresy of universal salvation (that everyone will one day be saved) cannot coexist with a belief in human free will. The Gospel of Mark shows Jesus’ tough teachings, such as this one. Presenting himself to Jesus is the rich young ruler, who passes the litmus test of believing he has fully kept the 10 commandments. However, Jesus sees into his heart, which actually has “other gods before me,” a violation of the very first commandment. That is what Jesus targets in this man. He tells him, when asked, what more he needs to do to “inherit eternal life.” He must give away all he possesses to the poor, and follow Jesus. This is Jesus’ call to total surrender.  The Hebrews passage deals with the word of God, which is able to judge our total beings.  All creatures are "laid bare" before God and are obviously found lacking! Thankfully, we have a high priest Jesus, who makes provision for God to have grace and mercy on us.  We have boldness when we realize we have eternal life, not through our own goodness or efforts, but through faith in Jesus Christ!

On Who Can Be Saved 2nd of 4 in Series: “Life lessons” from Mark 10.  October 11, 2009 At Niagara Falls, there is a sign just at the top of the falls, called the “Point of no return.” Before that point, in a river boat, it is safe to sail, and you can turn back under your own power to avoid going over. But beyond that point, the point of no return, the rapids rush you over the brink. In this life, however, there is no sign marking that point of no return. Today is the day of salvation. Let us pray. Just today, may we approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need. Just today, may we lay down our human pride that tells us we are doing better things than the person next to us; that we somehow deserve the entry into heaven because of our efforts and goodness. Just today, may understand fully, just how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God on our own strength, and how simple it is to accept that with God, all things are possible through Jesus Christ. Amen. == Intro. This series is straight out of Mark chapter 10, and consists of a string of simple teachings on marriage, legalism, assurance of salvation, pride, and healing. My hope is that these sermons will make clear what Jesus taught; and what he stood for, and help us to love him more! Today’s story from Mark is the story of the rich young ruler. We don’t know much about him, thanks be to God. All we know is he lived in another time and on another continent, when riches were not about fast cars and junk bonds, and wealthy persons did not own corporations or yachts or television shows. Breathe a sigh of relief with me; we are safe. So it should be easy to learn more about this Bible man, this rich young ruler, since no one here is a rich young person, or a ruler of anything