Sermon for Sunday, October 11, 2026 at Unionville Presbyterian Church (BPC)
Old Testament Text:
[Jeremiah 32:16-27 ESV] – 16 “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, saying: 17 ‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. 18 You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts, 19 great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds. 20 You have shown signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and to this day in Israel and among all mankind, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day. 21 You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror. 22 And you gave them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 And they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey your voice or walk in your law. They did nothing of all you commanded them to do. Therefore you have made all this disaster come upon them. 24 Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it. 25 Yet you, O Lord GOD, have said to me, “Buy the field for money and get witnesses”–though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.'” 26 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?
New Testament Text:
[Philippians 3:7-11 ESV] – 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith– 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Gospel Text
[Mark 10:17-31 ESV] – 17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is 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 person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
SermonText:
[Matthew 19:16-30 ESV] – 16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Introduction
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
I don’t know if there is a more central message to the Bible!
“With man this [BEING SAVED] is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
We read this story of the RICH YOUNG MAN and we make a mistake if we think the main point is that “riches are bad.”
The main point is not that riches are bad.
Nor is the main point that heaven is better than riches.
These things many be true.
But the main point is that NO MAN CAN GET TO HEAVEN, BUT BY THE LORD.
SALVATION IS POSSIBLE ONLY IN THE LORD.
As we have seen throughout Matthew’s Gospel, the theme continues regarding “the Kingdom of Heaven.”
There are “treasures in heaven.”
And we should seek to “enter the kingdom of heaven.”
But the road is perilous, and in fact impassible for man, whose desires are not on the Lord and the things of the Lord. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
We have these things made parallel:
The Kingdom of Heaven
The Kingdom of God
Life
Treasure in Heaven
Being Saved
All of those point to the world that is to come and the blessings there of knowing and living with the Lord.
BUT! “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” And, even more, “go, sell what you possess and give to the poor.”
But no man can fully obey the commandments!
And what young rich man is able to give up EVERYTHING and give to the poor?
WHO CAN BE SAVED?
That is the question.
But before we get to the answer, which will be point 3 of the sermon, I want to note two other ASPECTS of the passage.
First, there is that line in verse 17 where Jesus responds, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good.” That needs some explanation.
Then, we have the “lure of riches” which ought to be warned about. The truth that “man’s salvation is impossible on his own accord.”
And then, finally, we recognize that “all things are possible with God.” The truth that “Man’s salvation is possible with the Lord.”
I. Is Jesus not good?
So lets look first at this question, regarding verse 17. Is Jesus not good?
There are probably a hundred points in the Scripture showing that Jesus is divine. But, if I held the opposite position—if I believed like the Arians and the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Unitarians, that Jesus did not present himself as God, then I might go to this passage
And one similar in Mark 10:18.
Here in Matthew a man says to Jesus “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life.” And Jesus responds, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good.”
But in the parallel passage in Mark 10, the man says, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life.”
Now, the GOOD is being applied not to the DEED, but to the TEACHER; Jesus.
And Jesus responds, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”
This seems like a critique of the man. And, it sounds like Jesus be saying that he is not good; for God alone is good, not “your good teacher.”
One might argue that Jesus was saying, “I am not God.”
The simple fact is, however, Jesus never denied being good or God.
In fact, one could easily argue the opposite: that Jesus was saying that HE (the good teacher) is God, for only God is good; and Jesus didn’t decline being called “good teacher.” Perhaps something like, “You recognize that I am good, and God alone is good.” “If you truly believe I am good, then recognize what that means—that I am God.”
But ultimately, I believe the verse there doesn’t answer the question one way or the other. Jesus simply doesn’t say directly whether or not HE is God, his focus is on the fact that GOD IS GOOD.
Humans can only be “good” in a lesser sense.
Acts 11:24 says “Barnabas was a good man.” But this doesn’t mean he was without sin.
Indeed even a “good person” falls short of the goodness of God.
II. Man’s salvation is impossible on his own accord.
The YOUNG RICH man would seem to have everything. He’s young. He’s rich. Clearly he is favored by God, is he not? And therefore, he’s saved?!
Not so fast.
These very blessings may be standing between him and God.
His status, which seems to great on Earth, equates to nothing before the Lord.
He comes to Jesus asking that question — that most important question — that we should all ask, and which others in the Scriptures (like the disciples ask in John chapter 3) ask: “What good deed must I do to have eternal life.”
In John’s Gospel they ask “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”
Notice that in these questions the person always asks about THEMSELVES.
What good deed MUST I DO?
What must WE DO to be doing the works of God?
But the answer — in John’s Gospel as well as Matthew’s — is not what the questioner expects.
Jesus says in John, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
It is the WORK OF GOD! Not your work. His! And the “good work” is not some task, some accomplishment or penance; it is FAITH. Faith given by God!
So too here in Matthew, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Our contribution to salvation is ZERO.
In fact, you might say our only contribution is a negative one: we get the in the way! Our desires that are contrary to God, keep us away from Him. We need Him to draw us in!
So we have the lure of riches.
The passage is titled “the rich young man.”
He is introduced as just “a man.”
But in verse 22 we find that he is a “young man” and he had “great possessions.”
But it is these very possessions, rather than being considered a blessing (which they might be), that get in the way between him and God.
Jesus tells him to keep the commandments.
He says that he has.
So Jesus “UPS” the game.
He’s done this before.
You haven’t killed? Well, if you’ve been angry with your brother you’ve killed in your heart.
You haven’t committed adultery. If you’ve even lusted, you’ve committed adultery in your heart.
Now, he UPS the game again.
“If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor.”
I had a discussion a year or so ago with another minister whose sermon I found online. And he took the position that all of these commands from Jesus were POSSIBLE! That in the Sermon on the Mount, all of the things Jesus tells us to do, we not only OUGHT TO DO, but that we CAN DO. And now Jesus says, in effect, “if you want to be saved, follow the commandments.” And so are we to conclude that we can save ourselves? Are we to conclude that obeying the commandments fully is possible? Or, are we to conclude that if we just sell everything and give it to the poor, that we are IN [that we’ve got a ticket to heaven].?
Well, I have a very different view. And I believe mine to be the right view, and held by the church through the ages: sure we OUGHT to do the things the Lord commands, but the problem is WE CAN’T.
And now, the disciples make that same conclusion! “When the disciple heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’” THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!
How many people have you known to actually SELL ALL THEY POSSESS? AND, how many have you known who have followed all the commandments. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU KNOWN THAT ARE PEFECT? HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU KNOW THAT HAVE SAVED THEMSELVES!
I have an exact figure. I’ve counted it up. I’ve looked around, high and low, left and right, through all the pages of history. The number of perfect people is exactly ZERO. (Or, you could argue 1 if you count Jesus).
The lure of riches is too great.
The lure of sin is too great.
In our condition we cannot save ourselves.
BUT, “with God all things are possible.”
III. Man’s salvation is possible only in the Lord.
This has primary reference to salvation. With God, salvation is possible. He has the power to save.
God can do all things. Now, God can’t make SQUARE CIRCLES, but this is NOT A THING. To say that God is not able to do absurd things is not to bind him or limit him. God’s power is unlimited and he has full control of all that IS; of all that exists.
Where for man it (Entering the kingdom of heaven) is impossible, for God it is possible.
You might think of Ephesians 4:13 which says “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Indeed, that is true. But the context there is that God can get us through even difficult circumstances. It doesn’t mean that we can win a Gold Medal in rowing if we try hard enough. Or that God gives us the power to reach heaven ourselves. “All things” is “all circumstances.” We trust that GOD will get us through.
But there are indeed many things that “with man it is IMPOSSIBLE.”
It is impossible for us to be without sin.
It is impossible for us to enter the kingdom of heaven.
It is even impossible for us to DECIDE to have faith.
Rather, all these things require the POWER OF GOD, through whom all things are possible.
Salvation is Possible Only in The Lord is our title and theme.
We will naturally all agree in Christendom and Protestantism that “we are not saved by works.” That was the rallying cry of the reformer.
Let us also agree that Salvation if OF THE LORD, and ONLY of the Lord.
We are saved THROUGH faith, but even faith is a gift of God.
We are not saved by church membership (though that is a good thing).
We are not saved by baptism (though that is a good thing).
We are not saved by family membership or being of a certain people group or nation.
We are not saved by being a good citizen or doing any good deeds (though good deeds are good).
We are saved BECAUSE the IMPOSSIBLE IS MADE POSSIBLE IN JESUS CHRIST.
He has the power to saved.
Indeed, there is a simple but actually profound statement: “Jesus saves.” JESUS does, and no one else.
Conclusion
Finally, Jesus says “come, follow me.”
Indeed we ought to do that.
Follow the Lord, FOR HE has granted salvation unto his people.
He has called you and enabled you to follow him; not perfectly, but in mortification of sin and in sanctification, calling you every more to be like Christ, as you thank and praise God for the salvation he has accomplished in Jesus Christ on the cross.
Trust not in riches. But trust in the Lord.
[1 Timothy 6:17 ESV] – 17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.