Sermon Notes - It's Hard to Enter the Kingdom!

It’s Hard to Enter the Kingdom!, Mark 10:23-31
J. Josh Smith, MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church, attended November 22, 2009

1.The amazement of the disciples – Mark 10:24,26

They were amazed that the man, who looked like he did everything right, would have a hard time entering the kingdom. They were amazed about the teaching of the children entering the kingdom. They were amazed before that at the teaching on divorce. Amazement heaped on amazement. They were shocked by who gets into the kingdom (the children), who misses the kingdom (the rich man), and the difficulty of entering the kingdom.

He is saying it is hard to be a Christian. We think exactly the opposite today. We think we need to just say a prayer and accept Him and then you are a Christian. We think of becoming a Christian different than Jesus did.

2. The difficulty of entering the kingdom – Mark 10:23-25

Why is it hard?

There is only one way in – through Jesus and Jesus alone.
There is only one way to live once you are in – it is not just about believing certain facts but embracing the life of Jesus. We must walk the path He walks.

We must go through the gate and walk the path. It isn’t just one or the other. To enter the kingdom you must surrender and submit to His authority, thus it is hard.

Matthew 7:13-14 – think of a solid door with a cutout of a cross in it as the gate. The only way to enter is with arms outstretched in complete surrender. We don’t want to drop our bag of possessions to walk through the gate but we can’t fit in with it. It is even harder for those with a truckload of possessions as opposed to just a bag. There is just more to give up.

The point is not that it is a sin to be wealthy. The point is just that the more wealth you have the more difficult it is to embrace the life of Jesus. The farther you are from a life of self-denial the harder it is to enter a life of self-denial. You have a farther distance to go. Jesus is saying that it is dangerous to have those things, so just be careful. It is a warning.

Similar to fire in that the ability to have fire is a good thing, but it can be a dangerous thing. It will consume. Money will consume your affections for Christ. Scripture clearly views money as a blessing but something we must be very careful of. It has incredible power to lead us away from complete devotion to Christ.

What are the dangers?

Danger of trust – Proverbs 18:11, 10:15. Psalms 52:7. The provision, or trust, is not in God but in what he has.

Danger of affections – Psalms 62:10. Your heart goes where your treasure is. Your affections should belong to Christ.

Danger of distraction – Luke 12:13-21. The upkeep is constant. Two cars take more time than one. It is a distraction from the things of the kingdom.

Danger of devotion – Matthew 6:24. You cannot serve two masters. We neglect one for the other.

Danger of love – 1 John 2:15. There is a constant temptation to love the things of the world. We are to love Christ more.

Danger of perspective – Revelation 3:17. It creates a false view of reality. We begin to think we are safe when we really aren’t.

Danger of reward – Matthew 6:19. Our heart should be drawn to Jesus, not treasures of this world.

Paul thought dieing was gain because he had nothing here. We don’t long for heaven because we have everything here. Heaven can begin to lose its appeal when we have everything here.

When we want more money are we not just asking God to bring on the danger?

3. The hope of entering the kingdom – Mark 10:25-27

How many times have you heard of the “eye of the needle” gate and the camel entering? There seems to be no real proof for that. It means what it says, a real camel and a real needle. It is impossible. It is impossible for the rich or the poor to enter the kingdom. Only by God’s grace do we enter. Only by God’s grace do we hear the call, enter the gate and walk the path.

The rich man thought he could be taught to enter the kingdom or that his goodness would get him in. He didn’t understand it was impossible.

4. The promise of entering the kingdom – Mark 10:28-30

Peter is asking, “What about us?” The promise is as certain as the call, we will receive one hundred times in return. He isn’t saying that we will receive material blessings. We can understand hundredfold in eternity, but what about the hundredfold in the present? It is a reference to the church of God. We have 100 brothers and sisters. Our many needs are met by the church. Unfortunately, today we have lost a true view of heaven and the church.

Mark 10:31 – Summary statement. The kingdom works on a different set of rules. What if, in the kingdom, it is a greater blessing to be poor than rich so you could be better prepared to go to the mission field? What if it is a greater blessing to be less beautiful, less smart, less talented or less healthy. Maybe you would call on God more. What if being beautiful, smart, talented and healthy actually made it more difficult to enter the kingdom? What if all the disadvantages of the world are advantages of the kingdom? We manifest the power of God through our weaknesses.

2 Corinthians 8:9 – though He was rich, He became poor.