Ruth: God Honors Our Choices #2

Reading:  Ruth 1:-13

These notes are from our sermon series on Ruth.

Consider this example from Jesus.  Luke 18:

18Then a certain ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”19“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone. 20You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’b” 21“All these I have kept from my youth,” he said. 22On hearing this, Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

Here’s a choice.  It’s straight-forward choice.  We’ve talked about this before.  There’s a lot of good guys out there that won’t go to church.  What’s holding them back?  Is it activities?  Is it a girlfriend?  Is it bitterness?

These people are good in an important sense.  They help their neighbors.  They’re honest.  They honor their father and mother.  They’re cops and policemen and soldiers.  They run a great business.

To all that goodness, Jesus says “Great!”  Bring all that.  Now come follow me.  Leave your cohabitation arrangement.  Leave your sense of entitlement.  Leave this skepticism about who Jesus Christ is.  And follow Christ.  Spend the time on Sunday to gather with God’s people.  Then you’ll have treasure in heaven.  You’ll be part of the family.  You’ll drop this worldly treasure, sure—but you’ll have an inheritance in the Kingdom!

23But when the ruler heard this, he became very sad, because he was extremely wealthy. 24Seeing the man’s sadness,c Jesus said, “How hard it is for the rich[—the self-righteous—the popular—the self-important—the intelligent—how hard it is for these righteous, competent, intelligent people] to enter the kingdom of God! 25Indeed, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

The rich in this world are camels.  The gate to the Kingdom is the eye of a needle.

So all the camels walk away, and God honors their choices.

26Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” 27But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

God can take that camel and make him a thread.  I am a camel.  God made me a thread.  I don’t understand it, but there you have it.