Prepare for Sunday morning worship by using the guide below.
Matthew 19:16-26
16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, 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.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Watch the Sermon
Summary: This week we are moving forward a few chapters in Matthew’s Gospel and studying Jesus’ encounter with a rich young man who wants to inherit eternal life. At first glance, his question seems sincere, but Jesus perceives that the motivation behind the question needs to be investigated. Jesus tells him that there are two things he needs to do to inherit eternal life: keep the commandments (which the young man says he has done!) and sell everything he has and follow Jesus. Then, the young man walks away sorrowful. Even Jesus’ disciples are struck by the difficulty of doing what Jesus has told the young man to do so they ask Jesus in verse 25, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus responds by saying that salvation is only possible with God. As you prepare for Sunday, consider how you would have answered the disciples' question and why the answer Jesus gave is the best answer we could possibly hope for.
Review & Apply
Why might Jesus have responded to the young man’s question with more questions?
What does the young man’s response in verse 20 reveal about his own self-understanding?
Is there something that you love so much that if Jesus asked you to give it up to follow him that you would be sorrowful like the young man?
Is Jesus saying that to get into heaven, we have to have no possessions? How would you respond to someone who interprets the passage this way?
When you read verse 26, how does it encourage your faith in God?
Give
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