The Best Of The Best
Today’s Message is part of a Series I’m calling, The Best of the Best; in this series I’m preaching what I think is the best message from each year of my 33-year pastoral ministry, which began in 1987
So far, I have done 27 Messages (1987-2013)
Today’s Message is # 28 and is from 2014
The Message is called, ‘Who In The Word Can Be Saved’
2014 was a very busy year for our ministry
A small Church here in Nelson asked me to Pastor their Congregation for 4 months, between February and May, and after that they wanted to combine with our Church, but in the end, we declined their request
During that time, I preached in their 10 am Service and here in our 2 pm Service
(They had beliefs that we did not agree with, such as, no women allowed in public ministry, and, the belief that a person can only be saved if they are water baptized)
Also, between February and May, I taught another 12-week Perspectives On The World Christian Movement class
And at the end of May/start of June I returned for a 2nd Missions trip to Zimbabwe, this time taking Senior Elder Philip and a longtime friend of mine Paul Sinclair
On that trip we helped install another 8 boreholes in our ‘target’ town and we shared our testimonies and preached in 3 Churches
(On my first trip to Zimbabwe we installed 3 new boreholes)
After our Mission trip we took a few days off and went on safari at the Huange Safari Park in North West Zimbabwe
Testimony: Mr. Pi
When we arrived at the Safari Lodge, we met a group of Chinese business people who were also staying there
I wanted to practice my Mandarin so introduced myself to one of the men and told him that I was a Christian Minister and immediately he said to me, “I want to become a Christian”
His name was Mr. Pi and he came from Wuhan; we sat with him and led him in prayer to Jesus
I told him that Wuhan has the most Christian Churches of any of the cities in China and that he should go join one when he returns home
We saw him a couple of times after that and when we left the Lodge, we said goodbye and I left him my phone number
When I got back to New Zealand, he would phone me at midnight once a week for a long time and we would talk
So, how come Mr. Pi was so ready and willing to come to Christ but the other people with him weren’t interested!? – let’s answer that question
Our text is: Mark 10: 17-27
Jesus had a discussion with the rich young ruler who came to Him asking about eternal life – Jesus invited the man to follow Him, but the man rejected Christ’s invitation and walked away
When you read this text, you can’t help thinking, “How could this man turn away from following Jesus”?
Mark 10: 22
The disciples were amazed at what happened!
Mark 10: 26 ‘The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked’.
Jesus replied them
Mark 10: 27 ‘Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”’
Why did Jesus look at them intently?
The word ‘intent’, means Jesus wanted them to be very sure they understood what He was saying
I will ask the question again
How come Mr. Pi was ready and willing to come to Christ, and the other people with him weren’t even interested?
(When I began my conversation with him, I didn’t even tell Him about Jesus)
Let me look at you intently, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”’
Jesus invitation to the rich young ruler proves the point that it is impossible for our sinful human nature to willingly surrender to Jesus Christ
The rich young ruler said he wanted eternal life but when Jesus called him to follow Him, his sinful nature was unwilling and wouldn’t allow him
Mark 10: 17, 21-22
Let us be reminded again of the true condition of our sinful human nature
Genesis 6: 5 ‘The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and He saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil’
Ephesians 2: 1-3 ‘Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else’.
Notice: Paul said that in our sinful human condition, we are alive to the devil but dead to God
Here in our text, Jesus was talking to a DEAD man, in his sinful human condition he was dead to God and unwilling to follow Jesus!
That’s why he walked away!
And that’s why Jesus said in reply to the disciple’s question, ‘who in the World can be saved’?
Mark 10: 27a “Humanly speaking, it is impossible”
So, who in the world can be saved?
Jesus said
Mark 10: 27b “Everything is possible with God”
People can only get saved when God the Father draws us to Christ
John 6: 44 ‘For no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them to Me, and at the last day I will raise them up’.
And as God draws us to Christ, He makes us willing to come; this is called Grace!
John 6: 37 ‘However, those the Father has given Me will come to Me, and I will never reject them’
I will never forget that day in Africa 2014, Mr. Pi got saved, not because of anything we did, or anything Mr. Pi did, but because, in His Grace, the Father was drawing Mr. Pi to Christ, making him willing to come; and we were there, by the Providence of God to see it!
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