The Poor Rich Man

The handsome young man approached a crowd of people hesitantly.
He was in deep thought. "This man, Jesus -- what is he all
about? Why are people making so much fuss over him anyway?  He
is a very good teacher -- even a great one. And he has a great
many followers. There are several who go with him everywhere he
goes. It would be nice to follow a man who is so godly and so
wise. It would be very fulfilling to be in the midst of a circle
of people who were concerned with matters of religion. Why, this
man is so gentle and concerned with people that he even gives
special attention to the little children."

His courage strengthened with the thought that a child was
welcomed, the impeccable gentleman approached the master.

"Teacher," he asked, "What good thing must I do to have eternal
life?"

"Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one that is
good.  But if you would enter life, keep the commandments."

"Which commandments would I keep, Teacher?"  asked the young man?

"You shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you shall
not steal, you shall not bear false witness, Honor your father
and your mother, and love your neighbor as yourself,"

The young man, feeling perhaps a little pride now, yet still
feeling a little uneasiness that perhaps there was more to it
than this, replied, "I have always done all of these things.
What is it that I still need to enter the kingdom?"

In responding to the rich young ruler, Jesus laid on all of the
cost of discipleship. Jesus said, "If you would be perfect, go,
sell what you possess., and give it to the poor, and you will
have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me."

Now comes the saddest part of the story, for the written word
tells us that this young man that Jesus loved, went away
sorrowfully, for he had great possessions.

What is the significance of this story for the Christian today?
What does this tell us about our relationship with Christ and
our neighbor?

Lets look at some of the different parts of the story and try to
analyze what is going on. First we must recognize that this
young man was sincerely seeking to go in the right direction.
The Holy Spirit was moving on him and trying to point out that
there was an area of his life that was not quite what it could
be. The man was a good man. He kept the commandments, or at
least he thought that he did, even that which says, "You shall
love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus had no quarrel with the
man on this point.

Yet the Holy Spirit continued to impress upon the mind of this
man who had everything, that there was something that he did not
posses, that there was something in his life that wasn't
fulfilled.

So how could the act of selling all of his goods and giving the
proceeds to the poor make this person any better as a follower
of Christ? Perhaps we change the wording around a little bit we
can find the answer. And Jesus said to him, "If you would be
complete, go and sell the things that possess you and show that
your love for your neighbor is as great as your love for
yourself. When you do this you are breaking the ties that bind
you on this earth and focusing your attention where it should be
focused, that is, on Me."

There are some who feel that Jesus was being a little harsh with
this young man. They think that perhaps the test was just too
great for the man they would like to think that the same is not
asked of us today.  Is it?

There are two commodities that each of us has to some extent.
One of these is time, and the other is money. All of us have the
same amount of the first and all of us have some of the second.
I'm sure that few would agree that they have enough of either.
We are told that God bestows gifts upon us and then asks us to
give some of it back that He can test us to see if we are worthy
to have the gift of everlasting life. The rich young ruler had
been given material blessings. He had many things, but he would
not break the hold that they had on him. He didn't have enough
faith in God to trust him for his needs, so he walked away
sorrowfully!

As you might have guessed by now, the two tests of our ability
to handle things are how we relate to a day of worship, and how
we relate to the support of God's work. Now there are some who
say that when Christ came that he did away with a both tithing
and the Sabbath, and to an extent those who say that are
perfectly correct. For when Christ came, he no longer asked for
10%, or one day in 7.  As unfair as it may seem, Christ demanded
all. Thus, he tells the rich young ruler that everything that he
owns has to be released before he can walk in  peace with
Christ. Thus he requires a Christian to live his beliefs every
day of the week, not just on Sabbath. When the man came to Jesus
and asked to be his follower as soon as his father died, Jesus
indicated that the spiritually dead should bury the physically
dead. The person who is alive in Christ will be seeking to help
others have that new life in Christ. When Jesus called the
disciples from the fishing boats it was a call to activity now
on behalf of dying sinners that was continue to the end their
very lives.

When one becomes a Christian he should expect that every part of
what he is and what he has should be devoted to the work of the
Lord. The disciples knew this, for they gave what was demanded
of them, and so did those who they brought to Christ, and within
a few short years it could honestly be said that the faith of
Jesus had conquered much of the world.

During the 2nd  World War there was a railroad car that began a
journey between Berlin and Leningrad. This train was to go
through regardless of what happened. The German armies had the
word to leave it alone, and the Russian army made no attempt to
stop it. On this train was a man named Lenin, with a handful of
dedicated followers. This small band of people dedicated to the
principles of communism to the point where everything that they
did, everything that they were, every thought, and every action
was only to further the cause. These few men in a few short
years captured the lives of millions of people and brought them
to a philosophy that was totally different from any major
government before.

While I am not advocating the tactics used, I have to admire the
dedication of these men to a cause which is from our standpoint
anything but ideal.

Virtually every proponent of communism in the beginning, had to
spend some time in jail. They went without meals to further the
cause. They spent their money for literature when their clothes
were threadbare and patched. they preached what they believed on
the street corners in freezing weather in front of jeering
crowds.

In a word, the topic today is on stewardship. How we deal with
the things and the time that has been allotted to us. So many
times we've been told that the tenth portion of our increase, or
the tithe as it is called is sacred to the work of the Lord, and
I believe that it is.

Jesus supported the practice of tithing, and told others that
they ought to do it. In the book of Malachi there are blessings
promised to those who are faithful in their tithing., and I
believe that God does bless when we support his work
financially, although quite honestly sometimes it is not very
apparent that there are financial blessing, I will say too that
I have trouble with the concept of tithing so that we will
receive material blessings, although they may come.

The concept of tithing that is most beneficial is that which
returns a specified portion of our income to the one who gave it
to us, or gave us the ability to gain it, as an evidence of the
gratitude that we have because of God's gifts.

There are other aspects of tithing. For instance, when we
support our government, we are in essence agreeing with the
ultimate goals and purposes of that government. Likewise, when
we support the work of the Lord, we are saying in a positive way
that we support God's actions and plans for the world. Now I
will not be so presumptuous to say that every action that the
church takes is the Lord's first choice, but I believe that as
God's plans unfold, that He makes everything to work for the
accomplishment of His purposes.

While well meaning mankind does the best that he can, all of
man's efforts must be enhanced by the working of the Lord. So
when we support the work of the Lord' we are saying in effect
that we agree that things need to be changed in this world, and
that we know that there are many yet who need to know of the
message of salvation. When we give in that spirit then we begin
to experience the blessing of being one with God in his kingdom

Another aspect of tithing is that it indicates our willingness
to be subjected to God. Now that word is not all bad.  In the
middle ages Feudal estates were common throughout Europe. A
lord, or knight would haven area that he protected. He would
have a castle in a good location for defense, and the village
would be spread out around the castle. Those who might have had
the choice of  remaining with him voluntarily, took an oath of
loyalty. These subjected themselves to the knight, They would
provide certain services, a percentage of the crop, or perhaps a
personal army. In exchange the subject was entitled to
protection from famine and war. So In a way, this was an
advantageous arrangement considering the times.

If we are subjected to God, there are certain things that he
requires of us. He asks for evidence of which side we're on. He
wants us to declare our intentions about where we stand in
relationship to him. If we declare for him by the way we manage
materials and time, then there can be no doubt about where the
loyalties lie. If we take the side of the Lord, then we are his
subjects and he will care for us. If not, then we will be
subjected to another master who had only his selfish purposes in
mind.

In looking at the Sabbath, we can see quite similar parallels.
How many of you have carried on a long distance love affair? All
those letters eagerly looked foreword to. All the letters
written with out prompting. And phone calls. But you know,
somehow it is not quite the same as being able to hold someone's
hand and look into their eyes.

I see the Sabbath as a time when we can in a special way hold
hands with God. Just that very act indicates that we are loyal
to him. Now what would happen to your love affair if you never
wrote, never phoned, and never got to see each other. Well?

And what if we declare that the weekly meeting with God on his
special day isn't important? What would happen to our
relationship with God  if we never carried our  part in it?
Why, of course, that relationship would begin to fade out.
There's now something more important than that friendship,
there's something now more necessary than honoring God.

Oh, some will way, since Christ came, every day was to be a
Sabbath with prayer and study. I don't deny that every day
should have its place for study, for this is an important part
of the Christian life. But how does this pan out in real life?

Let's say that you are a secretary in your office trying to keep
your Sabbath seven days a week.  Sunday you go the beach. It is
late when you finally get things together and you get to the
beach about 11:00. You watch the people and play in the water
some. You try to worship God in nature, but the crowds and noise
seem to filter any serious thoughts out. When you get home you
have just enough time to get things ready for working the
morning. After gobbling down an inadequate breakfast you just
make it to work, where the boss has already piled two days work
on your desk. Your sabbathizing might be confined to a quick,
"Help Me God" as you plow into the weeks work. Day after day you
find similar patterns. Then on Sabbath, the day to set aside for
God, you declare that you keep every day as Sabbath and rush
downtown and spend the day shopping, followed by a tennis game.

Where is God in that kind of Sabbath keeping?  True, that when
Jesus called people to follow him he expected a full-time
relationship. This is vital and proper. But the special time is
something which cannot be substituted for by any other
combination. By making certain of this weekly appointment with
the Lord we are declaring that we put Him above every thing else
on this day, and it should.

It also symbolizes our putting Him first on every other way. We
might differentiate between the types of service of God on a
week day and on a Sabbath day by the story of Mary and Martha
found in Luke 10:38-ff

Both of these women were serving God, but there was a
difference. We might compare Martha's service to the everyday
type, in which the Savior is given implicit acknowledgment while
pursuing one's obligations.

Mary's service is of the Sabbath type where the attention is
focused totally and undividedly upon the Savior. All secular
activity is interrupted in order that Christ might be made the
very special center of our attention, the guest of honor. The
very act of putting other activities aside to be available for
Christ is in itself a meaningful act of worship.

We are told that our Heavenly Father bestows gifts and solicits
a portion back that he may test us whether we are worthy to have
the gift of everlasting life.

What are the implications of that? Right now, most of us return
a percentage of our income to the work of the Lord. He has
intrusted many of us with finances. The big question for us is,
"Are we possessed by our possessions?"

The rich young ruler undoubtedly gave a tithe and observed the
Sabbath strictly. Yet when faced with the necessity of giving up
all his wealth, he shrunk back, and became very sad. His
faithfulness in observance of the laws was not inspired out of
overwhelming love for his savior. He allowed his possessions to
make the decision, for him.

So I ask myself, and I ask you, Are we possessed by our
possessions, or do we have control over them? At this particular
time it may not seem like so much, but never forget that a major
factor in the decisions that will have to be made in regard to
following the word of God on the Sabbath issue will be
possessions, for that is the way that the world can get leverage
on someone who is otherwise willing to follow God. Are you
willing at the minute to give up all that you have, heirlooms,
pictures, things that you made with your own hands or purchased
with your hard labor, for the sake of loyalty to the Word of God?

And may I go further and ask,  "Is our relationship with Christ
so secure that on the basis of that alone we are willing to
forsake everything?" Now.

The important question is not, "Will I be ready in the future to
follow Christ", but "Am I willing now to face the problems today
that are associated with being a Christian? Am I willing to
observe the Sabbath rejoicing in the privilege that communing
with the Lord brings? Am I willing to be faithful in the matter
of our finances by bringing a particular portion of your income,
a tithe, and an offering now?"

If you are not willing to follow in the relatively small
matters, what will it be when the question becomes one of life
or death, when you are told that it is necessary for you to go
against what you know to be the will of God, or loose your life?

A time of trouble is coming.  A time of trouble such as has
never been seen in the world before. A time of trouble that will
like a river in flood take everything before it. How will you do
when the river overflows? What will your response when you will
have to give up all to follow Christ?

Christ gives us things which can help us to prepare for that
time. A portion of our goods in acknowledgment that he is our
God, and we trust in him. A portion of our time so that it can
be seen that we take our God seriously and intend to be as close
to Him as possible. The tithe is holy, because it is set apart
for the work of God. The Sabbath is holy because it is set apart
for the worship of God.

The rich young ruler held onto his goods. He chose to see them
as more important than following the Savior. Yet if a foreign
army had passed through, he would have very likely been left
with nothing. What happens to the man then, whose basis of life
was himself and his possessions?

May I ask the same of us today. Perhaps we're clinging to
worldly things. but there is nothing that cannot be taken from
us with relative ease if someone else wants. I do not think it
is too long until something drastically may happen all over the
world as it has in the Far East, or Mexico a few years ago.
Overnight, wealth became worth half of what it was before in
real value, debts often doubled. When this happens, what becomes
of the person whose center of life is his possessions? Where
does he turn? When this happens the rich indeed go away with
sorrow.

What is the solution?  "Jesus said to him, If you would be
perfect, go, sell, what you possess, go get rid of what possess
you, and give to the poor, the poor in spirit, the poor in
health, the poor in wisdom, the poor in wealth, and you will
have treasure in heaven, and when you have done this you will
be following  me."

Elsewhere Jesus councils His disciples in Luke 12:31-36  ""But
seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to
you."

32  ""Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the kingdom."

33  ""Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money
bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does
not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys."

34  ""For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

35  ""Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;"

36  ""and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master,
when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and
knocks they may open to him immediately."

Perhaps today I should push you for commitments to return a
faithful tithe. Perhaps I should call for a pledge to faithfully
meet with your Savior on his Sabbath day, but I feel that would
be asking too little. Today Christ says I want you, what you
have, what you are, the talents you have, the energy that I have
given you to be devoted to spreading the good news of salvation

I believe that a call to a Christian for anything else is not
asking enough.

One seventh of your time is especially holy. One tenth of your
income is God's alone. These things are important, These things
are necessarily of a Christian's plans. But the searching
question is, who does the rest of your time glorify?  Who does
the rest of your many possessions benefit?

What are we to do, you may ask. That I dare not answer, besides
to say that an total commitment to the Lord will show you the
answers. Maybe now in not the time to sell our houses, but the
time will come. Are you ready? Or will you when the time comes
that you have to give up your possessions, or when you have to
make a stand to follow the commandments of God, follow the trail
of the rich young ruler, and  let what possess you tie you to
the destruction of this earth?

God through his infinite love, has redeemed us, and called us to
be his children. He wants us to trust him at all times and in
all circumstances. He tells us that if we will trust him, he
will provide for our every need, with a currency that cannot
fail, that is as valuable here as it will remain through out all
eternity. And this trust will bring us to obedience of his
commandments, because of our love for Him.
 

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