2. Jeff Heiney
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete,
equipped for every good work.
6. The Essential Jesus as
Revealed in the Gospel of Mark
A Very Rich Man Makes a Very
Poor Choice!
7. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Mark 10:17
And as he was setting out on his journey,
a man ran up and knelt before him and
asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I
do to inherit eternal life?”
- Matthew adds in his account that his
man was young (19:20,22)
- Luke adds that he was a ruler (18:18)
8. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Mark 10:18
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call
me good? No one is good except God
alone.”
9. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Mark 10:19
You know the commandments: ‘Do not
murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not
steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not
defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”
10. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Mark 10:20
And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I
have kept from my youth.”
This rich young ruler not alone . . . Even
the Apostle Paul saw himself (prior to his
salvation) as being “blameless”
concerning the Law (Philippians 3:6)
11. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Mark 10:21
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him,
and said to him, “You lack one thing:
go, sell all that you have and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in
heaven; and come, follow me.”
12. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
1 Timothy 6:17-18
As for the rich in this present age, charge
them not to be haughty, nor to set their
hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but
on God, who richly provides us with
everything to enjoy. They are to do
good, to be rich in good works, to be
generous and ready to share,
13. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
1 Timothy 6:19
thus storing up treasure for themselves
as a good foundation for the future, so
that they may take hold of that which is
truly life.
“As for the rich in this present age,
charge them to sell all they have and give
it to the poor!”
14. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Why does Jesus tell
this rich young ruler to
go and sell ALL his
possessions and give
the money to the
poor?
15. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Because Jesus,
knowing his heart,
knew that money was
this man’s god!
So even though the man might have done
pretty well in keeping most of the Ten
Commandments, he blew the very first one!
16. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Exodus 20:3
You shall have no other gods before me.
Mark 10:22
Disheartened by the saying, he went
away sorrowful, for he had great
possessions.
17. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
There he was standing in front of the
Pearl of Great Price in the person of
Jesus, and he chose to walk away!
All because he considered the earthly
riches he possessed to be more valuable
than the riches of the Kingdom of God!
18. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Mark 10:23
And Jesus looked around and said to his
disciples, “How difficult it will be for
those who have wealth to enter the
kingdom of God!”
19. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Mark 10:24-25
And the disciples were amazed at his
words. But Jesus said to them again,
“Children, how difficult it is to enter the
kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle than
for a rich person to enter the kingdom of
God.”
20. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
There was an ancient gate in the walls of
Jerusalem called “The eye of the needle.”
This gate was so small that for a camel to
pass thru, the camel had to literally get
down on its knees and crawl. And so man
must get down on his knees and crawl
into the kingdom of God!
21. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
- There is NO evidence that such a gate
existed.
- Camels don’t crawl on their knees.
- This was a proverbial saying in the middle
east (“that’s like trying to find a needle
in a haystack!”)
- The Bible is clear that NO EFFORT of man
will gain him entrance into heaven!
22. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Mark 10:25
It is easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle than for a rich person to
enter the kingdom of God.
23. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Mark 10:26
And they were exceedingly astonished,
and said to him, “Then who can be
saved?”
24. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
1st Century
Middle Eastern
Jew
The Jews of Jesus day
viewed the possession
of wealth as a sign of
God’s blessing. To be
rich was to be favored
by God! To be poor was
a sign of his displeasure!
25. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
“The disciples believed in an ancient
version of ‘prosperity theology’
taught by the rabbis, who used Old
Testament passages to equate God’s
blessing with material prosperity, and
taught that the rich could build up future
merit and reward for themselves by giving
to the poor. To the Jewish mind it was
inconceivable that riches could be a barrier
to the Kingdom.” (R. Kent Hughes)
26. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Three pillars of a
holy life:
Almsgiving,
prayer, fasting
(Jesus addresses all
three in Matthew
chapter 6)
27. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Mark 10:26
And they were exceedingly astonished,
and said to him, “Then who can be
saved?”
28. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Mark 10:27
Jesus looked at them and said, “With
man it is impossible, but not with God.
For all things are possible with God.”
“By God’s power and grace, a camel can
go through the eye of a needle, in a
manner of speaking!” (R.C. Sproul)
29. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Mark 10:28
Peter began to say to him, “See, we have
left everything and followed you.”
30. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Mark 10:29-30
Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one
who has left house or brothers or sisters or
mother or father or children or lands, for my
sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a
hundredfold now in this time, houses and
brothers and sisters and mothers and children
and lands, with persecutions, and in the age
to come eternal life.”
31. A Rich Man’s Poor Choice
Mark 10:31
But many who are first will be last, and
the last first.
32. Today’s Takeaways
1. Material wealth can be a very
dangerous snare in our spiritual
journey!
Does the Bible teach
that money is evil?
33. Today’s Takeaways
1 Timothy 6:9-10
But those who desire to be rich fall into
temptation, into a snare, into many senseless
and harmful desires that plunge people into
ruin and destruction. For the love of money is
a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this
craving that some have wandered away from
the faith and pierced themselves with many
pangs.
34. Today’s Takeaways
Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters, for either
he will hate the one and love the other, or
he will be devoted to the one and despise
the other. You cannot serve God
and money.
35. Today’s Takeaways
Toward a healthy (biblical) view of
wealth:
Step #1 - We must DIVEST ourselves of
dependence upon our wealth.
37. Today’s Takeaways
Toward a healthy (biblical) view of
wealth:
Step #1 - We must DIVEST ourselves of
dependence upon our wealth!
Step #2 - We must INVEST our wealth
in God’s kingdom work!
38. Today’s Takeaways
Matthew 6:19-21
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where moth and rust destroy and
where thieves break in and steal, but lay
up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust destroys
and where thieves do not break in and
steal. For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also.
39. Today’s Takeaways
1. Material wealth can be a very
dangerous snare in our spiritual
journey!
- We must DIVEST ourselves of
dependence upon our wealth!
- We must INVEST our wealth
in God’s kingdom work!
40. Today’s Takeaways
2. Do not do as this rich young ruler did
and walk away from “The Pearl of
Great Price.” Rather, embrace the Lord
Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord
today!
41. Today’s Takeaways
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish but have eternal life.
He loves
He gave
We believe
We live
