30th Mar 26 | 13:54
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Luke 18 18-30 FOLLOWING JESUS TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE 14 Believe on the Lord Jesus
📖 Luke 18:18-30
11Oct2020 - *Believe on the Lord Jesus* - _Luke 18:18-30_ - FOLLOWING JESUS TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE 14 – Bible reading: _Acts 16:30-34_
The Rich Young Ruler had made a sorrowful decision and the Lord was now processing the entire episode with his disciples and bringing home to them the lessons that needed to be learnt.
The fundamental principle in our relationship with God is that if we choose mammon, we have rejected God and rejecting God will be a terror to us. When we choose God, we are looking to God as our habitat, our refuge, our confidence, our security and our future. We live and move and have our being in God.
In a sense, these two pursuits in life, mammon and God, are mutually exclusive. This is the fundamental basis of our relationship with God. If we don’t get it right here, downstream, our life will be in a state of confusion.
_Psalm 52:7-8 “Here is the man who did not make God his strength, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And strengthened himself in his wickedness." (8) But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever._
Job was conscious of these two bases of life and that was why he was troubled with the suffering that he was going through. Job, initially, could not decipher the reason for his suffering, though he did understand later.
_Job 31:23-25 For destruction from God is a terror to me, And because of His magnificence I cannot endure. (24) "If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, 'You are my confidence’; (25) If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gained much;_
_Mark 10:23-26 Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" (24) And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! (25) It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (26) And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"_
Let us now turn our attention to the disciples. They were first astonished when Jesus said that it was hard for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God. Then when Jesus elucidated that it was impossible for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God, the disciples were greatly astonished. They then said amongst themselves, “Who then can be saved?”
This question from the disciples throws light on the world view of the majority. Mammon is our trust. We live in the habitat of the material world. This is the norm and we do not see this as an aberration at all. Suddenly, a chill went down the spine of the disciples. I hope it does for all of us, for we have become adjusted and acclimatised to a materialistic world view.
Who then can be saved? This is where we need to understand our belief in Jesus. The phrase, ‘believe in the Lord Jesus’ has almost become cliché for us. We are taught to repent of our sins, ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins and then invite Him into our lives to be our Lord and Saviour.
We are not taught that we need to repent of our world view of the material world. We are not taught that we have to repent of our trust in mammon and that we now need to turn around and place our trust in God. This has never been explained to us, rather the repentance and conversion that we undergo is more a heart or emotional conversion and maybe a mind conversion too, to some extent.
Look at the conversion of the Philippian jailor. _Act 16:30-34 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (31) So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." (32) Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. (33) And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. (34) Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household._
Note that it was him and his household. What does that mean? It tells us that the jailor and his family were now coming to Jesus as their new habitat, their security, their future, their all in all. They were coming to Jesus as a new environment. They were leaving the old and coming to the new.
_II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, *all things* have become new._
This is the meaning of the term, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus’. If we have internalised this understanding and if this is what we communicate, while sharing the gospel with others, then we will not fall into the trap of making formula statements.
_Romans 10:9-13 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (11) For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME." (12) For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. (13) For "WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED."_
*Thought to ponder*
```Have you truly been converted?```