Mills Memorial Baptist Church
Sunday Evening Worship - 7/12
  • No Not One
  • He Hideth My Soul
  • Luke 18:15-30
    There are moments in the Gospels when Jesus takes what people think they understand and turns it completely around.
    This passage is one of those moments.
    The disciples thought little children were an interruption, but Jesus said they were an illustration.
    The rich young ruler thought he was close to the kingdom, but Jesus showed him that he was still outside.
    The crowd thought riches proved God’s favor, but Jesus warned that wealth can become a spiritual hindrance.
    Peter wondered whether sacrifice for Christ was worth it, and Jesus assured him that nothing surrendered to God is ever wasted.
    This passage shows us what faith looks like, what faith leaves behind, and what faith receives from the Lord.
    Luke has just told us about the Pharisee who trusted in himself and the publican who cried, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
    Now he places little children beside a rich ruler so that we can see the contrast.
    The children come with nothing, while the ruler comes with everything.
    The children simply receive, while the ruler tries to achieve.
    The children are dependent, while the ruler is self-confident.
    The children are welcomed, while the ruler walks away sorrowful.
    Many people want Jesus as an addition to life, but saving faith receives Him as Lord.
    Many want eternal life without surrender, forgiveness without repentance, and heaven without a cross.
    Yet Jesus lovingly exposed the one thing standing between this man and true faith.
    The same Lord still searches our hearts.
    He knows where we are trusting ourselves, what we are unwilling to release, and what we value more than obedience.
    As we follow His steps through this passage, we will see that faith must come like a child, bow before Christ, release every rival, and rest in God’s promise.

    I. Faith Comes To Christ With Childlike Dependence

    The passage begins with a simple scene that reveals the very doorway into the kingdom of God.
    Before we consider the ruler who had so much, we need to watch the children who had so little.

    A. Childlike Faith Recognizes Its Need

    Luke 18:15 says, “And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them.”
    These children were not bringing themselves.
    Someone who loved them was carrying them to Jesus.
    They were weak, dependent, and unable to offer anything in return.
    That is the point Jesus draws from their presence.
    A baby does not come with accomplishments, good works, or a price to pay.
    He simply depends upon another.
    That is not childish faith, but it is childlike faith.
    The Lord is not praising ignorance.
    He is praising the willingness to receive what cannot be earned.
    Salvation begins when a sinner stops defending himself and admits his need.
    As long as we think we can fix ourselves, improve ourselves, or compensate for our sin, we will not come to Christ as we should.
    The publican in the previous passage understood this when he pleaded for mercy.
    He came with no excuse and no claim.
    Isaiah 64:6 KJV
    6 But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
    The problem is not only that our sins condemn us.
    Even our righteousness cannot save us.
    Faith says, “I have nothing in myself that can make me right with God.”
    The old hymn says, “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.”
    That is the language of dependence.
    Until a person sees his need, he will never value the Savior.
    In the same way, the sinner who knows his condition will come to Christ.
    Once faith recognizes its need, it must refuse every barrier that keeps people from the Savior.

    B. Childlike Faith Receives What Christ Freely Gives

    Luke tells us, “But when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.”
    The disciples probably thought they were protecting Jesus from an interruption.
    They did not see these little ones as important.
    Yet verse 16 says, “But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.”
    Those words show the tenderness of Christ.
    He is never too busy for those who come.
    He is never inconvenienced by a needy soul.
    The disciples stood in the way, but Jesus called the children closer.
    That should encourage every parent, grandparent, Sunday school teacher, and church worker who labors to bring children to Christ.
    We should never treat children’s ministry as secondary work.
    Jesus then said, “for of such is the kingdom of God.”
    Verse 17 adds, “Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.”
    Notice the word “receive.”
    The kingdom is not achieved.
    It is received.
    Romans 6:23 KJV
    23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
    A gift cannot be earned without ceasing to be a gift.
    Jesus says we must receive the kingdom as a little child.
    That means we come without bargaining, boasting, or hiding.
    We trust the promise of the One who gives.
    It means we trust the Savior who died and rose again.
    That same dependence must continue after salvation.
    Too often we trust Christ for eternity but act as if the present is entirely our responsibility.
    We pray little, worry much, and carry burdens the Lord told us to cast upon Him.
    Childlike faith says, “My Father knows what I need.”
    It obeys even when it does not see the whole path.
    It rests even when circumstances are uncertain.
    This first scene teaches us that faith comes empty-handed, but the next scene shows the danger of coming to Christ while still clinging to self.

    II. Faith Bows Before Christ Instead Of Trusting Self

    The rich ruler enters the story with every outward advantage.
    He is serious, respectful, moral, and eager, but something essential is missing.
    His conversation with Jesus shows that sincerity is not the same as saving faith.

    A. Religious Sincerity Cannot Replace Submission

    Luke 18:18 says, “And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
    His question sounds admirable.
    He wants eternal life, comes to Jesus, and speaks respectfully.
    Yet his wording reveals his confusion.
    He asks, “What shall I do?”
    He sees eternal life as something to accomplish.
    His approach is the opposite of the children who simply received.
    The ruler is looking for an achievement, while Jesus is calling for dependence.
    Jesus answers, “Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.”
    The Lord is not denying His deity.
    He is forcing the man to consider the meaning of his own words.
    If Jesus is truly good, then He is more than a teacher.
    He is God.
    The ruler wants advice from a good master, but he needs salvation from the divine Lord.
    Many people admire Jesus without bowing to Him.
    They respect His teaching and praise His compassion, but they stop short of recognizing His authority.
    Saving faith does not merely add Jesus to a list of helpful influences.
    Saving faith confesses Him as Lord.
    Romans 10:9 KJV
    9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
    The question is not whether Jesus fits into our plans.
    The question is whether we will submit our plans to Him.
    The ruler called Him “Master,” but he was not ready to let Jesus master his heart.
    Faith bows before Christ as God, Savior, and Lord.
    Jesus then takes the conversation to the Law, not because the Law can save, but because it exposes the heart.

    B. Moral Achievement Cannot Remove A Sinful Heart

    Jesus said, “Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.”
    The ruler answers, “All these have I kept from my youth up.”
    He had lived an outwardly respectable life.
    He had avoided scandals and built a good reputation.
    From a human standpoint, he looked clean.
    Yet the Law is more than an external checklist.
    It reveals the holiness of God and reaches into the motives of the heart.
    The commandments do not merely ask whether we have avoided public crimes.
    They ask whether we have loved God perfectly and loved our neighbor as ourselves.
    James 2:10 KJV
    10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
    The Law is like a mirror.
    A mirror can show dirt on the face, but it cannot wash the face.
    The commandments reveal sin, but they cannot remove sin.
    The ruler used the Law as a measuring stick to compare himself with others.
    Jesus used it as a searchlight to reveal the idol in his heart.
    The gospel does not say decent people need a little improvement.
    It says all people need a new birth.
    Jesus said, “Yet lackest thou one thing,” and then commanded him to sell what he had, give to the poor, and follow Him.
    Jesus was not teaching that poverty earns eternal life.
    He was exposing the man’s god.
    His wealth occupied the throne of his heart.
    The issue was not simply money.
    The issue was authority.
    Would the ruler trust Jesus enough to obey?
    Faith says that Jesus has the right to command every part of life.
    He may not ask every believer to sell everything, but He does ask every believer to surrender everything.
    The question is whether there is anything about which we are still saying, “Not that, Lord.”
    The ruler stood before the One who could give eternal life, but he valued his riches more than Christ.
    That leads us to the sorrowful cost of a divided heart.

    III. Faith Releases Whatever Competes With Christ

    The rich ruler’s response is one of the saddest moments in the passage.
    He came near to Jesus, heard the truth, and still walked away.
    His sorrow reveals what happens when a person wants Christ but wants something else more.

    A. Earthly Treasure Can Quietly Become A Master

    Verse 23 says, “And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.”
    His riches had promised happiness, but now they produced sorrow.
    He owned many things, but those things owned him.
    Money itself is not evil.
    1 Timothy 6:10 KJV
    10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
    The danger is not in having money.
    The danger is in money having us.
    Wealth can create the illusion of independence.
    It can make a person feel secure, capable, and in control.
    The ruler’s sorrow proves that he understood the choice.
    He could not keep Christ and his idol on equal terms.
    Jesus would not accept second place.
    Anything that competes with Christ must be surrendered.
    For one person, it may be money.
    For another, it may be a relationship, a secret habit, a career dream, public approval, bitterness, or personal control.
    The Lord may ask, “Do you love Me more than this?”
    Faith answers by loosening its grip.
    As the ruler walks away, Jesus explains why human resources cannot accomplish spiritual salvation.

    B. God Alone Can Do What Is Impossible With Men

    Jesus said, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!”
    Then He said, “For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
    The picture is intentionally impossible.
    Jesus is not describing something difficult but manageable.
    He is describing a human impossibility.
    The hearers understood, because they asked, “Who then can be saved?”
    Jesus answered, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
    That is the heart of the gospel.
    Salvation is impossible with men.
    We cannot erase our guilt, change our nature, satisfy divine justice, or raise ourselves from spiritual death.
    No amount of money, morality, religion, education, or influence can open heaven.
    Only God can save.
    Jonah 2:9 KJV
    9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.
    That truth destroys pride and creates hope.
    It destroys pride because no one can boast.
    It creates hope because no one is beyond God’s power.
    What we cannot do, God can do.
    Faith does not look inward and say, “I am strong enough.”
    Faith looks upward and says, “God is able.”
    The answer is not pretending the problem is small.
    The answer is remembering that God is great.
    Faith is not confidence in our resources.
    Faith is confidence in His power.
    Once we know salvation is God’s work, we can surrender without fear, because the Lord never becomes a debtor to those who trust Him.

    IV. Faith Rests In The Promise Of Christ

    Peter had listened to the conversation and thought about what the disciples had left behind.
    His words are honest, and Jesus answers them with assurance.
    Faith not only releases earthly claims, but it also rests in the Lord’s promise.

    A. Christ Sees And Supplies Every Sacrifice Made For Him

    Peter said, “Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.”
    The disciples had left boats, nets, occupations, and familiar routines.
    They followed Jesus without knowing where the road would lead.
    Peter was asking whether their sacrifice mattered.
    Jesus did not rebuke him.
    He assured him that the Lord sees what others may never notice.
    Hebrews 6:10 KJV
    10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
    Yet Christ sees.
    No cup of cold water given in His name escapes His notice.
    That assurance matters because sacrifice can feel lonely.
    There are seasons when following Christ costs more than we expected.
    Faith remembers that the audience of One is enough.
    We do not serve merely for visible results.
    We serve because He is worthy.
    Jesus then said that no one who had left house or family for the kingdom of God’s sake would fail to “receive manifold more in this present time.”
    This does not justify neglecting family responsibilities.
    He is speaking of losses that come because loyalty to His kingdom requires costly obedience.
    The reward of faith is not freedom from trouble.
    It is the presence and provision of Christ in the middle of trouble.
    Philippians 4:19 KJV
    19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
    The promise is not that God will finance every desire.
    The promise is that He will meet every need required for obedience.
    No one who follows Christ faithfully will discover that the Lord failed to care for him.
    Beyond present provision, faith looks toward the greatest promise of all.

    B. Christ Gives Eternal Life To Those Who Trust Him

    Jesus concludes, “and in the world to come life everlasting.”
    The rich ruler asked about eternal life, and Jesus now assures His disciples that eternal life belongs to those who receive the kingdom and follow Him.
    Eternal life is not merely endless existence.
    It is life in fellowship with God.
    It begins the moment a sinner trusts Christ and continues forever.
    John 10:28 KJV
    28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
    The believer’s future is secure because it rests in Christ’s promise, not human performance.
    Faith can surrender present treasures because it possesses an eternal inheritance.
    First Peter 1:4 describes it as “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.”
    1 Peter 1:4 KJV
    4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
    Everything here fades.
    But eternal life never fades.
    The world counts only what can be seen now.
    Faith includes eternity in the calculation.
    The world says, “Keep what you have.”
    Faith says, “Trust the One who gave it.”
    That perspective does not make us careless about present responsibilities.
    It makes us faithful because present choices have eternal significance.

    Conclusion

    Luke 18:15-30 places two pictures before us.
    In one picture, little children are brought to Jesus with nothing to offer and everything to receive.
    In the other, a rich ruler comes with morality, position, wealth, and confidence, yet walks away because he cannot release the god in his heart.
    The difference is faith.
    Childlike faith admits its need.
    Saving faith bows before Christ.
    Surrendered faith releases every rival.
    Enduring faith trusts the promise of God.
    The question tonight is not merely which person we admire.
    The question is which person we resemble.
    Are we coming with empty hands, or are we still trying to prove ourselves?
    Are we receiving grace, or are we trying to earn acceptance?
    Are we calling Jesus Master while refusing His command?
    Is there one thing we will not surrender?
    Has money, comfort, control, approval, family, ambition, or pleasure become more valuable to us than obedience?
    Jesus looks at us with the same searching love He showed the ruler.
    He does not expose idols to destroy us.
    He exposes them to free us.
    He calls us away from lesser treasure because He Himself is the greater treasure.
    For the unsaved, the call is simple.
    Stop trusting your goodness.
    Stop depending upon religion.
    Stop asking what work will make you worthy.
    Come as a child.
    Admit your sin.
    Believe that Jesus Christ died for you and rose again.
    Receive eternal life as the gift of God.
    For the believer, the call is just as personal.
    Return to childlike dependence.
    Bring the burden you have been carrying alone.
    Release the thing you have been guarding from God.
    Take the step of obedience you have delayed.
    Trust that the Lord who calls you will also care for you.
    Perhaps the prayer tonight should be, “Lord, show me what competes with You.”
    Then, when He shows us, we should not walk away sorrowful.
    We should lay it down gladly.
    The safest place for everything we value is in the hands of Christ.
    The best life is not the life that keeps the most.
    It is the life that trusts Him most.
    Follow His steps with childlike faith.
    Come empty.
    Bow fully.
    Release freely.
    Trust completely.
    The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

      • Isaiah 64:6KJV1900

      • Romans 6:23KJV1900

      • Romans 10:9KJV1900

      • James 2:10KJV1900

      • 1 Timothy 6:10KJV1900

      • Jonah 2:9KJV1900

      • Hebrews 6:10KJV1900

      • Philippians 4:19KJV1900

      • John 10:28KJV1900

      • 1 Peter 1:4KJV1900

Mills Memorial Baptist Church
millsmemorialbapt@gmail.com
989-843-6433
https://millsmemorial.faithlifesites.com
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