How to LOVE the religious? (Mark 10:17-22) Part 1
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How to Love the Religious?
Sharing the true Gospel, seen in how Jesus deals with the rich young ruler
in Mark 10:17-22–part 1
Recently, I learned about a bizarre phobia. A phobia is an intense, crippling fear. Acrophobia is the fear of high places. Claustrophobia is the fear of closed in places. Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. Two-and-one-half million Americans suffer from a phobia called agoraphobia, the fear of open places and unfamiliar situations. These are men and women who are deathly afraid of leaving the four walls of their house–they’ll stay inside. Two-and-one-half million Americans are so afraid of leaving the front door of their house, they’ll stay inside there for days, weeks, months, and for some, even years. Often they’ve been raised to think that the outside world is so dangerous, they never leave the house.
Today, I’m convinced most Christians suffer from a similar fear. I’ve often wondered why so many give the same complaint–there’s something missing in my Christian life. I’m bored, the fire keeps going out. I think now I’m catching a vision of why. I think we’ve forgotten what we were intended to be and to do here. I believe we’ve forgotten what Jesus Christ Himself has created us to do–something that reflects Christ’s heart.
What is the heart of Christ? It’s a lifestyle that seeks to save that which is lost. It’s a heart that doesn’t want anyone to perish. It’s a willingness to sacrifice yourself, to rescue those in trouble with God. A normal Christian life involves personal evangelism. “But Chris, just the thought of evangelism strikes terror in me. It awakens unwanted feelings of fear, pressure, and guilt in me. It’s like I have an evangelism agoraphobia.”
I have no intention of loading another guilt trip on your back, but true evangelism brings joy, enthusiasm and confidence to your life. It blasts boring into blessing. It turns tedious into terrific. But evangelism as a way of life only comes by embracing the Gospel, living under the reality of who you were and what you are now because of Christ, and seeing the people of this world through the lens of desperately needing what you’ve been freely given by a gracious God. And it fulfills your purpose–why you are here.
So why are we here? To glorify God. Can you do that better in Heaven or on Earth. Easy–in Heaven, when I have a perfect, glorified, sinless body, in Heaven I will better glorify God. But if my purpose is to glorify God and I can do it better in Heaven, why does God leave me here? Easy, to do on Earth what you can’t do in Heaven. And what can you do on Earth that you can’t do in Heaven? Easy–sin, and share the Gospel with the lost. Which one do you think He’s left you here on Earth to do? Easy, share the good news–it is why you are here, and we are here.
Sadly, not only do we allow fear to rob us of the joy of sharing the Gospel with others, but because there is so much error today, we’ve actually lost how to share the Gospel. We think it means to make a decision, pray a prayer, walk forward, feel emotional about our sin, raise our hands, be sad Jesus had to die for us, take a class, or get convicted at camp. Thankfully, today in Mark 10, Jesus shares the Gospel the right way, as He talks to a rich young ruler.
You need this passage. It will make the Gospel clear. It will help you know how to share with the unsaved, pseudo-Christian. It will help you understand the heart of a true believer by looking into the heart of a phony. It will cause you to know how to share the Gospel with others the right way, and not the weak, wrong or external way of today.
Most of the people you run into today are religious seekers. The word “seeker” is a dangerous, misleading term, since Romans 3 tells us “no man seeks after God.” On the outside, people may appear to be seeking, but in reality, they want something from God, but they really don’t want God. They’re dishonest seekers. People want a more satisfying life, a more fulfilling life, and if you throw in Heaven, all the better. However, this Gospel offer must come on their terms, or they don’t want it. They look religious, but they are merely selfish seekers—phony.
And today in Mark 10, we will meet a self-deceived seeker. This account occurs in all three Synoptic Gospels–called synoptic, because they give an overview synopsis of the life of Christ. Matthew, Mark, and Luke do that–John does not. John gives key events that the other three gospels left out. Well, all three of the Synoptics describe this event, where Jesus shares an accurate Gospel presentation to this rich ruler, and this young man actually rejects it and walks away.
Look at Mark 10, verse 17, as Jesus shocks us. Stand and read with me verses 17 to 22, “As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ 18 And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 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.”’ 20 And he said to Him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.’ 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ 22 But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.”
Parents with your children, collegians with your friends, men with the dudes at work–a superficial interest in eternal life must be confronted. Christians, you’re not to accept a shallow faith in others. We cannot accommodate selfish seekers. After all, didn’t Jesus say it’s a narrow gate, and few find it? It’s a great struggle, and few win it. It’s a costly choice, and few pay it. This passage is truly how to love the religious. This is how to deal with the shallow, self-deceived seekers. Like the rich young ruler, people are proud, and no matter how much they say they want eternal life, they’re often not prepared to receive it.
This young man failed the greatest test of his life. He was offered a choice between himself and God, between fulfillment here and fulfillment in the life to come. The question was, what was more valuable to him–God and the life to come, or his own will and his present life? And he chose here and now, versus God and Heaven.
So how do we share the Gospel accurately with those who are religious but lost? Let’s begin to unpack verses 17 to 22 this week. Today is the appetizer, and next week is the main course, which will blow you away. Let’s start with point one.
#1 Don’t be FOOLED by an external show Verse 17
Of the three gospels which record this event, Mark alone paints the setting for the story. Verse 17, “As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’” “Setting out” is present tense, suggesting Jesus was in the act of leaving the area where He had just blessed the children. He is headed to Jericho, then Jerusalem, but is interrupted.
Matthew 19:20 describes him as a “young man”, while Luke 18:18 called him “a certain ruler”. It’s why he’s called the rich young ruler. Looking at his statements, the rich young ruler may have been watching and listening to what Jesus has just said. I believe he heard what Jesus said in Mark 10:15, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all. The rich young ruler may have been attempting to approach Christ humbly, like a child. Running, then kneeling, and calling Christ “Good Master”, like a child would to a parent.
As the Lord is heading to the sacrifice of the cross, he’s stopped by this unnamed religious seeker–a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him. The Greek word, a man, is literally “the one”, emphasizing he came alone, and his importance. He’s a main guy, the young religious superstar. So this “well-known, young, rich, religious one” runs up to Jesus.
And that’s head-turning, because it was so unusual. Middle Eastern people of status didn’t run. That’s crude. Then in front of everyone, to run to a rejected Galilean teacher, who the religious elite were trying to kill–this is a scandalous moment. That’s why Matthew’s gospel describes this event with, “Behold,” telling us everyone felt a giant, “Wow!” You don’t expect this.
A young ruler, probably a ruler in the synagogue, since that’s the only kind of ruler a young man could be in the social life of Israel. This young man has achieved a lot religiously for his age. Having heard of the Lord’s presence, he hurried to reach Jesus before He left the community, and was eager enough to run. Then verse 17 adds, not only did this young rich man run up to Jesus, but also a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him–kneeling is the posture of a petitioner, acknowledging the superiority and authority of the one being approached.
Wow–a man who is elevated in his religious society takes the posture of one who is humble. As he falls to his knees there might have been audible gasps from the watching crowd. Like a U.S. President, running up to me, getting on his knees in front of the media, and asking me how he could get right with God. You wish!
So now he falls at our Lord’s feet with the ultimate request in verse 17, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” On the surface, that sounds great, doesn’t it? The rich young ruler is coming to the right person, asking the right question. “Jesus, settle this issue for me once and for all. How do I receive life everlasting?” If there was ever a hot prospect for evangelism, here he is. There is a profound sense within him that something is missing. So he says, “Good Teacher.” He recognizes Jesus as a legitimate teacher.
“Good Teacher” expresses great admiration for Jesus as one who would be able to give him the spiritual guidance he desired. And with this, the rich young ruler affirms Jesus as a teacher not to be rejected, but an “agathe” teacher. Good is agathos from where we get the old name Agatha. Agathos means good internally–it means to be virtuous.
Kalos, the other word for good means looking good, good in form. That’s why Jean calls me, “Kalos–you’re so kalos, good in form, looking good.” Hey, maybe she means the other word for callous. But agathos teacher, good teacher, means good to the core–virtuous. He’s calling Jesus a teacher with a deep inherent goodness. “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
The rich young ruler comes eagerly, humbly and respectfully. “What shall I do?” There’s some agony in that–he’s feeling the pain of doubt. In fact, in Matthew 19:20 it says he asked, “What am I lacking?” He’s saying, “Jesus, I’ve climbed the religious ladder to the top rung, what did I leave out? There’s a hole in my life.” That hole could be described as unsatisfied desire, unfulfilled longing, or just plain fear. He is afraid he doesn’t have a relationship with God, that could be defined as eternal life.
To the Jews, eternal life is not a quantity of life, it’s a kind of life. It is the life of God, eternal, like God, which lasts forever. It’s the life that belongs to God. It’s as if he says, “I have the life that belongs to man, but I want that life which belongs to God.” I want that life which is God’s life. And I love it–the rich young ruler comes to the right person, doesn’t he? He doesn’t go to Buddha, Mohammed, the Pope or the High Priest. Who better to give him the answer to his question than Jesus? Jesus is eternal life. First John 5:20 tells us, “in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” Jesus is eternal life.
The rich young ruler comes to the One who is eternal life to ask how to take possession of eternal life. Wow–that’s what he means when he says inherit. How can I take possession of it? How can I make eternal life my own? He’s not embarrassed by his request. He wasn’t afraid to come publicly, or run, or kneel or ask. Remember when Nicodemus came to see Jesus? At night–again, it’s where we get the phrase, Nic at night. He wants eternal life bad enough to drop to his knees in public, right in front of the most rejected rabbi of his day.
Maybe this is partially why verse 21 says Jesus felt a love for him. This took courage. It is a very spiritual pursuit for him. He comes with great attitudes—eagerness, urgency, respect; even emptiness. He comes knowing what he wants, feeling the need for it deeply, and seeking it diligently. So how would you respond if this happened to you today? “Wow, Richie–just pray this prayer after me, sign this card, make this decision, join our group, and now you’re a Christian.” This guy is ripe for the plucking–he is ready to harvest. He’s been prepared to make a decision.
Sadly, we’d get it wrong. Jesus sees this totally different. And friends, the Lord is right in His approach to evangelism, which means we must be wrong in our approach to evangelism. This man seems to be ready. This man seems to be a catch. He’s worthy of citizen of the year–but only if we evangelize incorrectly, like so many are doing today. Don’t be fooled by his external show. Ask this question–what’s really going on in his heart? Look closer. When the rich young ruler used the word “good”, he was sincere—but he also exposed his errant belief in a superficial moral goodness.
The religious think they can live good enough to get to God. Every religion today is the same–they provide a system to follow, which enables you to do enough good works to get right with God. All are the same except one—Christ. Jesus says you’ll never do enough good to get right with God. God Himself must provide a way.
The Bible teaches all GOOD minus GOD is 0. G.O.O.D. – G.O.D. = 0
Instead of you working your way to God, God had to work His way to you, and He did that through the work of Jesus Christ alone. Every religious person you deal with, even some in the Christian church, are trying to live good enough to be saved, to be right with God. The try-harder crowd is always seeking to earn God’s favor. And that is exactly what is happening here with the rich young ruler.
Look at verse 17. He regarded Jesus as a good rabbi who had mastered the secret of spiritual perfection, and he desired to learn that secret from Him. So he asked, verse 17, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” The Greek verb ”do” in, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” implies the achievement of some great exploit, which the rich young ruler expected Jesus to point out to him, assuring him of eternal life after all of what he had already achieved.
The rich young ruler assumed Jesus had the necessary ability and willingness to do whatever was yet required. He needed only guidance to discover what the one great task was to do–just tell me how I can do it. Sadly, he was on the wrong road–the religious road that believes in human achievement and not in the absolute necessity of divine accomplishment. The bottom line was he wanted eternal life, but not enough to give up his pride and his possessions. He wanted eternal life only as an add-on to what he already possessed. He loved himself, not God. He loved Earth, not Heaven. He loved the material, not the spiritual.
The issue here is salvation–eternal life equals salvation. He asks the question, “What do I do to take possession of salvation?” And Jesus stopped him dead in his tracks. He is thinking he’ll learn from Jesus what he must do in order to accomplish his own salvation. And Jesus stops him–why? He came with the heart of the Pharisee in Luke 18—“I am thankful I am not like these sinners, but I fast and give.” He was not like the tax collector who prayed, “God be merciful to me, the sinner.” He looks ready, but he is not.
It seems like all Jesus has to do here is reel him in. Do you believe you’re a sinner? “Do you believe Christ died for sinners? Will you accept Jesus as your personal savior? Then pray this prayer.” But that’s not what Jesus does. The rich young ruler left the same way he came–headed toward Hell and eternal death forever. Evangelism in our day is a process, usually not a moment of decision. So if someone runs up to you, slides in on his knees and asks, “How do I take possession of eternal life?” You’d smile and say, “Just believe in Jesus–pray this prayer.” Should you do that?
Well, that depends. There are some passages of Scripture that might lead you to do that. In Acts 16, the Philippian jailor asks, “What must I do to be saved?” And Paul replies, “Believe in the Lord Jesus.” That’s a good answer, isn’t it? If somebody comes running up to you and says, “What do I do to take possession of eternal life?” You say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Yet Jesus didn’t say that to this religious man, and neither should you. He did not say that, because there’s something else that has to be confronted here. Faith is essential–believing is crucial. But something else is essential as well. What is it? An accurate view of God’s character and His Law, leading to repentance. There’s no brokenness over sin, and no awareness of our desperate need for God alone to rescue us.
I’m certain the rich young ruler would’ve prayed a prayer, if Jesus had given him one to pray. Or made a decision, if the Lord gave him a decision to make. I know He would’ve raised his hand or stayed behind to pray. But Jesus never gave him a prayer, never asked him to make a decision, never called for a commitment. This passage calls us to rethink our evangelism methods. Jesus didn’t mess up, or miss an opportunity, friends. No, you and I need to rethink our methods and do what Jesus did.
#2 Point them to the true CHARACTER of God Verse 18
Verse 18, “And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.’” The stress of the Greek falls on the word “good”. Jesus was challenging the rich young ruler’s superficial use of it. His faulty conception of goodness was his basic problem. “There is none good but one, that is, God.” God alone is the true standard for understanding what is good or morally beneficial. God alone is absolutely good.
All human goodness, moral and spiritual, is derived from God and must be recognized as created by Him. The young man thought of goodness as a personal, moral attainment, and regarded Jesus simply as one who excelled in that attainment. The rich young ruler needed to recognize God alone is beneficially good, that salvation, Heaven, and eternal life can only come from the only truly good One, God Himself. God alone is the true source of the salvation, which the rich young ruler mistakenly sought to attain through his own heroic effort. Literally, “There is none good but one, that is, God.”
The Greek tense tells us Jesus says, “You’re continually calling me, seeing me, as totally and always good, but there is none good but one, that is God.” Jesus is pointing to His own deity. If you call Jesus “good,” and only God is good, would the rich young ruler accept the implication that Jesus alone is God? If you’re prepared to call me good, be prepared also to call me God. In effect, Jesus says, “Do you understand how accurate you are? Christ alone is good, because Christ alone is God.”
If there’s any word the people of this world don’t understand, it’s the word good. Stop anybody on the street and say, “Are you a good person?” And they’ll say, “Of course, I’m a good person.” All of human history is a collection of people thinking they’re good. Everyone you meet today thinks they’re good enough.
The rich young ruler thinks he’s good, and everybody in his synagogue is good. And he thinks he’s affirming Jesus by using good of Him–that’s the problem. And if you understand the word “good” is the problem here, then you’ll begin to understand Jesus’ answer. The rich young ruler needs a clear view of God’s character, an awareness of the awfulness of his sin, and to turn to Christ in repentance. And our Lord makes that clear in one profound statement. “Why do you call Me good? Why are you throwing that word around? You don’t know Me–I’m a total stranger. You’re using the word good too casually. No one is good except God alone.
That changes the definition of good. That makes good . . . listen–that makes good absolute, not relative. That makes good an immovable standard of perfection–always good, totally good, pure good, never anything but good–without any bad or evil at all.
There are relative degrees of bad–you’re not as bad as others. You’re not as evil as Hitler or Stalin–maybe you’re as evil as Golem. You’re not as bad as everybody else. When we compare ourselves with others, it’s like comparing different shades of dirt. We might not be as dirty, but we’re still dirty brown or black. But not one of you is good–only God is good. Maybe you’re Grandma Good, Nancy Nice, Ronald Righteous, or Wanda White–but comparing your goodness to God’s is like comparing shades of black to pure white. You might be a lighter black than Hitler, but none of you comes close to perfect white, sinless holiness, the absolute goodness of the God man, Jesus Christ.
That’s a smashing blow for a religious person. The issue here is to challenge the sinner’s sense of goodness by pointing to the perfectly pure character of God. Before you can talk about the Gospel, before you can discuss salvation, before you can describe how to get eternal life, people must understand that they are not good. True evangelism always requires telling people who God is. Preaching the Gospel requires explaining the attributes of God.
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman, He said God is Spirit. When Paul talked to those on Mars Hill, God was their Creator. And here the rich young ruler needed to see God as perfectly good and that he himself was not good at all in comparison. Without a knowledge of God, a sinner doesn’t know whom he has offended, or who threatens him with eternal torment in Hell, or who is able to save him.
Jesus didn’t say, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” The Lord attempted to show him He was not good so he might respond like Isaiah, “Woe is me, I am undone!” Embracing God’s goodness takes all the works out of salvation.
The rich young ruler had no true idea of goodness or holiness–therefore he had no genuine, real understanding of the Law of God. The religious need to see that they are not good–that they’re far from perfect and therefore under condemnation for sin. So what do you do? How do you love the religious?
#3 Expose their SIN through the law of God Verse 19
Jesus does something really radical here. He doesn’t say, “Pray a prayer,” but gives him the Law so that this self-righteous young man would see his sin clearly–so that he would see his failure to obey the Law, his sin, and his desperate need for God’s mercy, love and grace over his sin. This is drastically different than most modern evangelism methods. I’m thankful to Ray Comfort and Living Waters, because he highlights the importance of the Law of God to expose the sinner’s desperate need of a Savior.
So Jesus quotes, in order, the sixth, the seventh, the eighth, the ninth, and the fifth commandments to this young man in verse 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.’” See how Jesus starts? Jesus says, literally, “You have known, and still actively know, the truths about God’s Ten Commandments.” Jesus affirms to the rich young ruler—“you have the facts down about the ten.”
Then Jesus addresses the second half of the Ten Commandments. The first four commandments deal with our duty to God. The second six commandments deal with our duty to others. So Jesus begins with the rich young ruler on the level of human relationships. If the Lord could help him realize his own sinfulness on this level, then He might help him understand his great offense against God.
If you sin against people, it is also a sin against God. John said in 1 John 4:20b, “For the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” Matthew’s gospel, with the rich young ruler, adds, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is the path to obtaining eternal life–not keeping the law, but realizing you can’t keep the Law. When you honestly try to keep the Law, you soon realize you can’t, and with that, discover just how sinful you really are, and how desperately you need a Savior. And potentially then you might receive His Kingdom like a child in total dependence.
In His dealings with others, the rich young ruler has sinned against others. Romans 3:20, “For through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” The Lord wants him to see who he has offended—God. The Lord is trying to help this rich man see his sin against God.
Maybe you noticed that “Do not defraud,” (found only in Mark) in verse 19, is not actually one of the Ten Commandments. From Leviticus 19 and Deuteronomy 24, “defraud” refers to the evil of withholding from the laborer that which is due to him–that is, defraud refers to the sin of not paying (or underpaying) him. The rich young ruler is reminded by Jesus that he must give a worker, a neighbor, or a friend whatever is due to him.
In view of the fact that he is a rich man, and one who probably employed many people–and we will find in verse 22, the rich young ruler was a person who clung tenaciously to all his possessions, the appropriateness of this additional command (to not defraud) is clear. Not only should we refrain from stealing another person’s possessions, we must also see to it that we do not withhold from a friend, neighbor, or fellow-worker whatever should be his. That might include his reputation, wages, help in time of need, the hearing of the Gospel, an encouraging word and more.
The Law shows us just how imperfect we are, and just how perfect God is. What’s the Law of God? It’s simply a revelation of the nature of God. God discloses His nature as holy in His Law. God has revealed Himself in His Law. And the Law of God defines sin and holiness for us. How? Jesus taught us we needed to be as perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect. As God says, “I am holy, holy, holy, without sin, without flaw, without error, without blemish, without cracks. The Law shows us Christ is perfect righteousness, perfect holiness, and absolute goodness.
Think about how perverted these Jewish people had become, when they took the Law as a means to establish their own goodness–when the purpose of the Law was to reveal the goodness of God to which they could never attain. Do you understand the difference?
The Apostle Paul was very much like this young man, when Paul was Saul. He was doing great as a religious legalist, wasn’t he? In Philippians 3, he tells us just how hot he was on the religion scale. Philippians 3:4b to 6, “If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.” Saul was on fire religiously. Saul had all these religious superstar credits.
Then something happened to Paul–he says in Romans 7:7b, “I wouldn’t have come to know sin except through the Law.” Once God opened his eyes to see Christ, he understood God’s Law–he saw how sinful he really was. Paul saw the reality of the nature of God in the Law and then he knew he couldn’t keep the Law.
Finally, Paul said in Romans 7 that the Law killed him! What’s that mean? It means you’re devastated–you’re crushed and broken. And when that happens, the Law becomes, Galatians 3:24, a tutor that drives you to Christ, who alone can save you from your own corruption and sinfulness. The purpose of the Law is to kill, to crush, to show you how perfectly good God is, and how utterly sinful you are. When you measure yourself against the Law of God, you don’t come out looking good. You come out bad–it kills you.
Well the rich young ruler missed that–totally. He had a superficial view of the Law, like all religionists do. His response is consistent with fallen human nature that thinks of themselves as good, and with the religious people, who think they’re better than everybody else. He is sure he’s good–he has met the Law’s demands. And since Jesus is a teacher from God, then He’s good, too. This is the most damning delusion any mind can ever believe–that I’m good. That’s it–that I’m good.
When you tell people they are wicked, evil, corrupt, and not good at all, they don’t believe you. They didn’t believe it then, they don’t believe it today. People don’t believe that. So they will go to Hell believing they’re good. And until they believe they’re not, there’s no hope for them. And until you believe you’re not good, there is no hope for you.
A Is there HOPE for you?
Have you come to the place where you are convinced in the depths of your heart and mind, that you are the worst sinner? That you’re not only not good, but you’re really, really bad? You may look like a good Christian outside, but inside your diseased. Are you convinced God must punish you eternally because your pride, selfishness, attitudes, thinking, feelings, and your motives are sick with sin? That is the starting place for eternal life.
Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Poor in spirit means you have nothing to offer God. You can do nothing to help yourself. God become a man in the person of Christ, took the punishment for our sin upon Himself, rose from the dead. And when He calls you to salvation, you exchange all that you are for all that He is, in repentance and faith. It is completely His work. Cry out to Him to open your heart.
B Do you see Christ ACCURATELY?
Yes, He is a God of love, but He is also holy, and perfect, and righteous, and hates sin so much His Son had to die to take care of sin–Christ hates sin. He hates your sin. Sin must be punished. It will either be punished on Christ, or on you. Christ is loving, but He is also just, wrathful, and the judge you must answer to. Have you made things right with Him?
C Are you sharing the Gospel CORRECTLY?
“Make a decision and pray a prayer,” or are you calling people to own their sinfulness before a perfect God. How do I do that? So glad you asked–join us for this, and a ton of other truth that will rock your world. Don’t miss it next week. Let’s pray.
