Inheriting Eternal Life (Luke 18:18-30)
Sermon Summary
Pastor David Yan
8 August 2021
A certain man asked Jesus "Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18:18).
It was a worthy question. Today few people ask it for their minds are far from eternal things. Earthly things end when life ends. Eternal matters are what matters.
Note that the man asked what shall he do. He was thinking of working his way to eternal life. He was self righteous believing his good life would earn him salvation. You enter heaven not by faith in the work of your hands but by faith in the work of Jesus Christ.
The man called Jesus "good" but Jesus did not receive the man's praise. To do so would strengthen the man's belief in self righteousness. Jesus does not accept vain praise from vain hearts.
Jesus pointed the man to God who alone is good. When self righteous people are directed to God and understand his character they soon discover they fall far short of God's standards.
Jesus used the moral law, that is, The Ten Commandments to show the man how far short he fell from true righteousness. By the law comes the conviction of sin. Sinners need law to show them their lawlessness.
Jesus says to the man "follow me". He calls for complete commitment. The man may think he is righteous before God but is he willing to give up everything to follow Jesus?
Jesus called the man to sell all he had and to give to the poor. He called for the renouncing of the thing which hindered the man from salvation. But the man could not do this. He loved his money more than Jesus.
Jesus said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. It is impossible to earn your way to eternal life.
But with God that which is impossible is possible. Man cannot possibly earn salvation by his own works but God has made it possible by sending Jesus Christ who lived a perfect life and satisfied the righteous requirement of the law.
Through faith in Jesus that which is impossible by man is possible with God. Sinners can be forgiven. Sinners can enter into eternal life.
As a final encouragement Jesus assured his disciples that in this present time they shall be cared for and in the next life they shall have eternal life.
Forsake all notions of self righteousness and come under the cover of Christ's righteousness. It is the only righteousness acceptable to a holy God. Eternal life comes through faith in the Saviour not faith in self.