Luke chapter 18, Luke chapter
18, I'm taking the title for the message from verse 27 of
Luke 18, 27. And the Lord said to those disciples
who had asked this question, who then can be saved? Who then
can be saved? And the Lord said, with man,
impossible. Salvation by your merit, your
righteousness is impossible. But with God, all things are
possible. With God, all things are possible. Jeremiah 32 says, with the Lord,
there is nothing too hard. Is there anything too hard for
the Lord? Now, listening to the religion
and philosophy of our day and our generation, they have turned
this glorious statement of the Lord Jesus Christ upside down
and inside out. Now here's what the religion
and philosophy of our day would say. They would have us believe
with man all things are possible. They would have us believe with
man or with men, nothing is too hard. And they would have us
believe with God, it is impossible. They just switched this thing
completely on its head and reversed it inside out. Don't they say
the religionist of our day, don't they say, God wants to save you,
but you will not let him have his way. Don't they say that?
Well, who really makes salvation work then? Well, according to
that philosophy and that way it's the sinners who make salvation
work or not. God wants to save you but you
will not let him have his way. How pitiful. The God of the Bible
does as he pleases, with whom he pleases, always as he pleases,
none can say unto him, Lord God Almighty, what are you doing? No one can challenge his will. He works all things after the
counsel of his will. No one can challenge his power. He has all power in heaven and
in earth. No one can challenge His way
of saving sinners in the Lord Jesus Christ, and none can stay
His hand. His hand is a hand of omnipotence. His hand is a hand of almighty
power. We read this in Scripture, don't
we? that he does according to his will in the army of heaven
among the inhabitants of this earth, and none can stay his
hand or say unto him, Lord God Almighty, what doest thou? And
then in Psalm 135 we read, Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he
in heaven, earth, seas, and all deep places. With the Lord all
things are possible, even our salvation. Now, this is a very
important day in the ministry of the Lord as we read here in
Luke 18. In Luke 18 we have that parable
given to us about two men who went up to pray. You remember
the Pharisee and the Publican? How the Pharisee bragged on himself
and went to eternal condemnation. How the publican cried out for
mercy and the Lord had mercy upon him. He gives us that parable
and then he gives us this true story. Now this is not a parable
here. This is a true story in the day
of our Lord when he met a sinner and showed him that salvation
is by grace alone. Now, this is given to us, this
story, this true story in Matthew 19. It's given unto us again
in Mark chapter 10. And it's given to us again here
in Luke 18. It's special that the Lord preserves
this for us three times that we might read it over and over
again. It's preserved for us by the
sovereign will of God that we might learn this vital lesson
that the salvation of sinners is of the Lord totally, completely,
and only. Has the Lord taught you that
lesson? that salvation by your hand is impossible. You see,
we have no part in the accomplishment of our salvation, do we? Man has no part in accomplishing
and fulfilling the law of God. Man has no part in accomplishing
a righteousness that would justify us before God. You see, the Lord
Jesus Christ in His last dying breath said, It is accomplished. It is finished. We have no part
in our salvation. In the doing of it, in the accomplishing
of it, it is all done by the Lord Jesus Christ and Him only. We're justified freely by His
grace, through the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Man has no part in it. If he did, he would glory in
himself. Man is so sinful, even though
he has no part in salvation, he still wants the glory in it.
That's how depraved we are. The Lord tells us that this man
here was lacking one very vital thing, In verse 22 of Luke 18,
the Lord said, you lack one thing, this one problem you have, and
the Lord deals with this man's idolatry. The one thing this
sinner lacked was a critical and essential thing that every
unbeliever lacks, which is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Without faith, it is impossible
to please God. But without faith it is impossible. Those that would come to God
must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him. Christ Himself is the only essential,
vital, and critical factor in our salvation. He that believeth
on the Son hath life. As I've said to you these many,
many years, salvation is in a person. Salvation is not in a church,
not in a law, not in the baptism pool, not in a profession, not
in a decision you make. Salvation is in a person, the
Lord Jesus Christ. It's looking to Him by God-given
faith. It's coming unto Him by God-given
faith alone. Now, there are many vital lessons
taught in this story about the way that God saves sinners. May He be pleased to teach us
right now. that salvation is of the Lord. Now here's the first thing I
wanted to consider. A religious zeal that any sinner
has does not produce a righteous, a justifying righteousness before
God. Religious zeal and religious
enthusiasm is not righteousness before God and it is not salvation. Now, don't turn back to it, but
let me remind you of the scripture we read in Mark chapter 10. This man, when he came to the
Lord, this young rich ruler, it says here in Mark 10, 17,
when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running. I mean, this man was full of
enthusiasm. He came running to the Lord.
He kneeled down before him, and then he asked him, and said to
him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal
life?" Now, we see something of this man's actions. He came
to the Lord boldly. running with zeal in his heart
and soul, he came to the Lord with respect, he kneeled down
before Him and addressed Him as Master, he addressed Him as
Good, Good master. And the word master means teacher. You remember Nicodemus said,
we know you're a teacher come from God. He didn't recognize
him as Lord, God and Savior, did he? He recognized him as
a teacher, a teacher of good things. He came to the Lord with
a serious question. I have an interest in eternal
life. What must I do to inherit eternal life? Now, he came with
zeal, he came with enthusiasm, he came with a good question,
interested in eternal life, interested in eternal salvation. Let us
be careful, we do not make Religious excitement, or let us be careful,
we do not mistake religious excitement for salvation. You can be excited
and enthusiastic and yet be lost and not know God. To know the
true and living God, salvation is to know the true and living
God as He's revealed in the Word of the Lord. Turn to John 17. Salvation is to know the true
and living God as He's revealed in the word of the Lord. John
17, you know, this is the Lord's prayer for His people. Verse
two, as thou has given Him power over all flesh, that He should
give eternal life to as many as thou has given Him. And this
is life eternal. Here it is, that they might know
thee the only true God, Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Eternal
life is to know the only true God. the Lord Jesus Christ, the
One who is Son of God. I have glorified Thee on the
earth, I have finished the work You gave Me to do. Eternal life
is to know God in Christ, to see the glory of God shining
in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. Eternal life is not to
get religion. Eternal life is to know the only
true God and the Redeemer. Eternal life is not just to reform
a person's life or lifestyle. It is to know the true and living
God. Eternal life is not just to attend the church regularly
and adopt some religious traditions and doctrines of men. It is to
know the true and living God as He's revealed in the Lord
Jesus Christ. I want to know God as He's revealed
in Christ as all of our Salvation. Here's the second thing. The
Lord declared unto him that all men are sinners and
totally depraved. The Lord declares all men are
sinners and that he is the only one who is good. Notice the Lord
said, why do you call thou me? Why do you call me good? Then
the Lord said, there is none good except one, that is God. The Lord Jesus Christ as a God-man
mediator is all God and all good. God is holy. But in this statement
He reveals unto us that there is none good, no, not one. And this is given to us from
Psalm 14. Turn over there. The Lord is
quoting Psalm 14, when He said, "...there is none good but God."
So in other words, He's declaring unto this man, you're a sinner,
you're guilty before God, because there is none good and righteous
but God. Psalm 14, look at verse 1, "...the
fool hath said in his heart, there is no God, or no to God." The fool, Psalm 14, 1. They are
corrupt. They have done abominable work. There is none that doeth good.
None that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven
upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand
and seek God. They're all gone aside. They're
together become unfilthy. There is none that doeth good.
No, not one. Now remember from our lesson
in Romans 3, When Paul declares unto us that all men are guilty,
remember where he quotes from? This very scripture here in Psalm
14. There is none righteous, there is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God. They've all gone out of
the way. We are totally depraved with
no ability in our flesh to please God in anything we do. As a matter of fact, all that
we do before God in the flesh is what? Sinful. Sinful. My dear friend and lecturing
pastor Nybert has this saying, we cannot not sin. We cannot
not sin. And that's just flesh. All this
flesh can do is sin. If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves and the truth is not in it. There's not a just
man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not. All have
sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is none good
but one. Who is that one? God Almighty. Who is that one? The God-man,
Meteator. Now it's important that we understand
this lesson. This is what we call total depravity. Now it's easy to talk about the
doctrine of total depravity, but you really don't believe
in total depravity unless you put that and apply that to your
own heart and say, I am the one that is totally guilty and sinful
before God. I am the one that have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. It's not that man, that
man, that man, it's right here. It's this man. I'm the guilty
one before God. Now, it's important that we understand
this lesson, because as long as we are not totally convinced
that we are wretched, guilty sinners, we will always go about
to try to produce a righteousness of our own, rather than resting
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this is such a deadly sin. You remember our Lord said to
those Pharisees, you or they would justify yourselves before
men. That's what this wicked, sinful
heart does. It justifies itself before men
and before God. But God knows your heart. That
which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the
sight of God. Now, hold your place there in
Luke 18 and find Romans 10. Remember Paul when he was talking
about those Jewish fathers, Israel. Romans 10 verse 1, Brethren,
my heart desire and prayer to God for those Jewish people. Paul was a Jew. And he prayed
for those Jewish people. They had much religion, but they
had no righteousness. Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear
them record, they have a zeal of God, but not according to
knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's Righteousness. They were ignorant of the holy
character of God, therefore they were going about to establish
their own righteousness, and have not submitted themselves
unto the righteousness of God. Now where is that found? When
we talk about the righteousness of God, we're talking about the
righteousness of God established in the gospel. Look at Romans
10 verse 4, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believe it. How good must I be to stand before
God justified as holy as God. That's impossible in this flesh.
That's impossible by the energy and power and zeal of the flesh. We're only justified before God
in that justifying righteousness revealed in Christ. Remember in Romans 1, don't turn,
let me just read it to you. Paul said, I'm not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ, Romans 1 16, for it's the power of God
and the salvation to everyone that believeth God honors faith
because it's God-given to the Jew first, also to the Gentile,
for there is a righteousness of God revealed. Do you see that? Your only hope to stand before
God as justified is to be found in Christ who is our righteousness. Oh, that's good news. That's
the gospel. That's the good news of the gospel. Now, look back
to Luke 18. Here's the third thing. Our Lord
wisely deals with this man on the ground which he chooses to
stand. That is, this young rich ruler
doing and obeying the law. When the Lord declares that he's
a sinner, he shuts him up to the demands of the law. He says,
the law says, do this, do this, do this, do this. And this young
man, because he was deceived in his heart, says in verse 21,
all these have I kept. from my youth." Now, just in
saying that, he's also already violated the law because he just
lied. He said, I've already kept the
law. He's already bearing false witness. He's already violating
the law of God by what he said. Our Lord said in Matthew 19,
17, if you would enter into life, keep the commandments. The law doesn't demand the best
you can do. The law demands the best God
can do. Now this man, like many people,
naturally think they can merit salvation by the deeds of the
law or by their moral character. They think, well, I've never
robbed a bank. I've never taken a gun and shot anybody. I've
never cheated on my wife. I've been faithful and paid my
bills. I'm a good moral citizen. And sadly, many people mistake
morality, and I'm all for morality. Don't get me wrong. You ought
not shoot anybody. But to be angry with your brother
in your heart without a reason, the Lord says you're already
guilty. You're already guilty. But let us never mistake morality
for righteousness. You see, if righteousness comes
by the law, if we can make and do a righteousness by our obedience
unto the law, then the Apostle said in Galatians 2.21, why did
Christ die? I mean, if I can get the job
done myself, why did the Lord Jesus Christ come and die? If
righteousness is by the law, then Christ is dead and dying.
We know the scriptures teach, by the deeds of the law shall
no flesh be justified. For by the law is the knowledge
of sin, but the law of God never removes sin. The law of God never
makes atonement for sin. It shows the way of atonement
in Christ in Him crucified. So let us not make this fatal
mistake. Be assured no sinner can meet
the rigid, strict, holy demand of the law of God. For as many
as are of the works of the law are under the curse, cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. To offend in one point
is to be guilty of all the law of God. As we've seen over and
over again from our study of the book of Romans, by the deeds
of the law shall no flesh be justified. You see, salvation is not by
works. We know that salvation is by
what's the opposite of works? Grace. Grace alone. I love that word. Do you ever
notice how that word grace sounds a whole lot like Christ? You see, God saves sinners by
His grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe through the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved. Not by works
of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy,
He saves us. That is the whole lesson of this
book. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is by grace alone. Faith alone. Christ alone. Revealed in the
Word of God alone. Unto the glory of God alone in
Christ. Now here's the fourth thing I
want us to see. Our Lord deals with this man
at his point of rebellion against God. verse 22 and verse 23. Now when the Lord Jesus heard
these things, Luke 18, He said, You lack one thing, sell all
that you have. You see the Lord knew this man's
heart. He knew that the treasures this
man had, had his heart, mind, and soul. He was a covetous man,
we know that covetousness is idolatry. He says, sell all you
have, distribute to the poor, and you'll have treasure in heaven,
and come and follow me. Take up your cross and follow
me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful, for he was
very rich. And when the Lord saw that he
was sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches,
those who trust in riches, enter into the kingdom of God. For
it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man who was trusting in his riches to enter into the
kingdom of God. One thing you lack. The one thing
he lacked, which was everything, he lacked faith in Christ, and
union with Christ, and love for the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
what he lacked. He lacked trust in Christ for
all of salvation. The Lord looked into the window
of his heart. He knew that the riches he had
accumulated, And the great possessions he had hoarded up was the idol
of his heart. It was not that this man had
riches. Abraham had riches. David had
riches. Solomon had riches. It was not
that he had riches. It was that his riches had him. That's the difference. That's
why the Lord knew his heart and dealt with him on that point
of rebellion. He said, you're trusting your
riches, you're trusting your righteousness, and the Lord shut
him up to that point of rebellion. When he was confronted with command,
to give away everything, to be done with everything, to count
all but lost that he might win Christ and be found in Him, to
take up the gospel and follow the Lord Jesus Christ, his religious
zeal soon melted into grief. He was sad and was grieved and
went away from the Lord. Let each of us examine our own
heart, whether we be in the faith, whether we have forsaken all
of our idols, all of our works, all of our self-righteousness,
Is there any false delusion we're clinging to? Is there any false
refuge, refuge of lives that we are resting in? Or have we
given up all our idols and are we resting in, this is somber,
is it not? Resting in the Lord Jesus Christ,
that salvation found in Him. If you truly belong to the Lord,
In that eternal covenant of grace, he will cross your path with
the gospel. He will meet you at your point
of rebellion, whatever it may be, and cause you to bow to his
lordship, submit unto him, and to receive the Lord Jesus Christ
as all of your salvation before God. The Lord knows that very
point of your rebellion, if you've got one. And if you're His, He'll
deal with you on that very issue. He will strip us of self and
then clothe us with Christ. Isaiah said, He clothed me with
the garments of salvation. He covered me with the robe of
righteousness. He'll empty us of self before
He fills us with Himself. who is life and salvation. He will show us that we are dead
in sin, unable, unable to believe the gospel, unable to come to
Him. And then He gives us faith and
raises us up from the dead. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. He will kill us and show us we
are dead in sin without hope and without God, and then He
raises us from the dead. That's the way he works upon
his people. And here's the last thing. These
disciples, when they heard that, verse 26, they said, well, who
then can be saved? Who then can be saved? And he
said, the thing which are impossible with men, and we can be assured
of that. Things which are impossible,
salvation which is impossible with men, only possible in Christ
by God. These apostles, it says in Mark
10, they were astonished at his words, astonished and astonished
out of measure or beyond measure. They couldn't believe what they
were hearing. Who then can be saved? Our Lord
says, with men it's impossible. By the merits, works, and deeds
and righteousness of men, salvation indeed is impossible. Impossible
as it would be to push a large camel through a very small hole
of a needle. Now you can't do that, can you?
It's impossible. It's impossible. just as it is
impossible for God to lie. Every word he speaks is absolutely
true. Salvation is impossible with
us, just like it would be for a dead man to give himself life. How helpless are we when we stand
before a loved one, when they're stretched out in that coffin?
We're just helpless. We can't give that person life. We can't raise him from the dead.
Oh, but with God. Lazarus, been dead four days. And the Lord said, Lazarus, come
forth. And he that was dead came forth.
You see, with God, all things are possible. Can a leper make
himself clean? Impossible. But the Lord, what
did he do? Lord, if you will, you can make
me clean. I will be thou clean. And he
was made whole. Our Lord asked Jeremiah this
question, can the Ethiopian change his skin? No. Can a leper change his spots?
No. Then the Lord said, you may also
do good that are accustomed to do evil. You see, we can't even
do that which is good. It's not our nature. But not
with God. With God, all things are possible.
With God, all things are possible. With God, God our Savior, His
purpose, His grace, with God our Savior, by His mercy and
His merit, by God our Savior, His righteousness and redemption,
all things are possible. Turn to Romans 8. Let's read
this promise one more time. Romans chapter 8. Verse 32, He that spared not
His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not
with Him also freely give us all things? I love that word
freely, don't you? Give us all things. Who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's delect? It is God that
justifies. Who is He that condemns? It is
Christ that died. Yea, rather that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession
for us, who can separate us from the love of God, which is in
the Lord Jesus Christ, no one and nothing. Salvation in Christ
is absolutely certain and sure, ordered in all things and is
sure. God said to Abraham concerning
Sarah in her old age bearing a son, Anything too hard for
the Lord? Nope. The Lord gives this in Jeremiah
32. And this is Jeremiah's confession.
Lord God, behold thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy
great power and stretched out arm. There is nothing too hard
for the Lord. He's made heaven and earth. You
reckon he can save a poor sinner like me? Absolutely. For with God nothing shall be
impossible. Be sure you understand this great
principle of the Gospel. Salvation is always purposed,
accomplished, determined, applied by His grace for His glory and
His glory alone. The Lord has purposed salvation
from eternity for His covenant people and shall be applied to
them in time by His will, His power, His grace, May God once
more teach us. With men, salvation is impossible. With God, all things are possible. Aren't you glad? He has all power
in heaven and earth to save sinners. The Lord, back in that parable
when he tells us of the Pharisee who justified
himself and was condemned May God give us grace to do just
what this publican did. Verse 13, Luke 18, standing afar
off, would not lift up so much his eyes to heaven, but smote
upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me, the sinner. And
you know what the Lord said in the next verse? That man went
down to his house justified. Salvation is possible with God,
with men, Impossible. Impossible. Well, that's the
gospel message, is it not? May God give us grace in our
heart to trust Him and to rest in Christ alone.