Satisfied “The Man Who “Almost” Had It All”

 Satisfied

“The Man Who “Almost” Had It All”

Introduction:

Good morning Eastern Shore Baptist Church. Today we start a very short series entitled “Satisfied”. Over the next two weeks we will examine Holy Scripture taken from Mark 10. After these two weeks, we will start a Christmas series entitled “Among Us”. I hope that you will really enjoy the next two weeks leading into Christmas. 

Let me also be the first to say, “happy thanksgiving”. 

You know, these next two holidays are tough on people trying to control their weight. Thanksgiving and Christmas serve as opportunities for people to gather together, to fellowship, and yes…to eat. About four years ago I started the process of losing weight. It was not easy. It required doctors, counseling, a lot of exercise, and a lot of discipline. In total, I lost 130 pounds. 

Like most of you my weight went up and down. My weight was like a roller coaster, a yoyo, up then down then back up again. I tried just about everything to lose weight. I counted my calories. I dabbled in fad diets. I did everything short of hypnosis. One of the last things I tried was WeightWatchers. Know I know, I see lots of eyes rolling. Looks like Im not the only one who sat in on a few meetings. 

One thing that I remember from going to those meetings, one teaching that was constantly harped on, was this: “eat until you are satisfied”. 

Eat until you are satisfied and then put down the fork. 

Put down the fork? Are you kidding me? Eat until Im satisfied, no way. 

That was how I got into the mess that I was in. I was never satisfied. I always wanted more. There was always more room. Like most people that struggle with their weight, I had taught myself that food made me happy. It made me feel better. Food is where I found my satisfaction. 

The only problem is that food was a false flag. A false flag and a false god. Food filled my belly but it didn’t fill my soul. As soon as I stopped eating, guess what, something was missing all over again which led me to eat more. It was a vicious circle. 

I say all of this, I admit this to you this morning, but food may not be what you are using to satisfy yourself. You may not use food, you may use alcohol to satisfy you. Alcohol promises satisfaction just like food. Alcohol will draw you in with guarantees of numbing you to your troubles. Like food, alcohol may fill your belly, it may release chemicals in your brain that produce relaxation, but it doesn’t fill what’s missing in your soul. So, you drink more and more and more. Isn’t it interesting that alcohol is also known as “spirits”? Maybe it’s not food or alcohol, maybe its work. You find your identity, your self worth, your purpose in your title. If you just work hard, climb that ladder, then you will finally be satisfied. If you can buy that house, get that boat, have a certain dollar amount in your bank account, you will finally be satisfied. 

I will tell you a truth friend, a truth that I have learned a long time ago, food, alcohol, opioids, work, none of it will satisfy you. 

This morning we are going to read a story about a man searching for satisfaction. He comes to Jesus with a question, “how can I receive eternal life”? After a short discussion, Jesus tells him to go and sell everything he owns, then come and follow Him. 

That’s a good question. That is also Today’s Thought. Fill in these blanks this morning. Would you give up everything for an enduring, everlasting, and eternal home? Would you give up everything for Jesus? Would you give up every world possession? Would you give up your material wealth? Your dreams? Your job? Your family? You see most of us would have to think about it. The sad thing is that most of us have a backwards idea of sacrifice and satisfaction. You see, what we gain in Jesus is more than anything we could give up for Him. He is greater than any thing, worth more than any currency, and more valuable than our earthly lives. 

Today’s Thought:

Would You Give Up Everything For An Enduring, Everlasting, and Eternal Home?

In fact, the late great C.S. Lewis states that in our quote this morning. Let’s read what he says together. "Christ says, 'Give me All. I don't want so much of your time, and so much of your money, and so much of your work: I WANT YOU!’” 

Today’s Quote:

"Christ says, 'Give me All. I don't want so much of your time, and so much of your money, and so much of your work: I WANT YOU!’” 

- C.S. Lewis

Friends, satisfaction, true satisfaction does not come by giving Jesus part of ourselves. Half of ourselves. Even 90% of ourselves. We are either all in or all out. Men, when you stood before God, the church, and your wives on your wedding day, did you promise to be 75% faithful to your wives? Ladies, did you promise that you would be 90% true to your husbands? Of course not. You were either all in or all out. However, we expect Jesus to be happy with half. We expect Jesus to say “atta boy” or “atta girl” when we give Him above average commitment. We expect to have complete and total satisfaction while only being somewhat committed to Christ. 

If you don’t hear anything else this morning, I want you to hear this, our spiritual satisfaction is directly correlated to our commitment to Christ. If you are not satisfied this morning, I would just bet that your life is not in total and complete obedience to Christ. Until you are totally sold out and committed to Christ, you will never be fully complete, fully satisfied. 

Background and Context:

This morning we are reading from Mark 10:17-22. Let me set up the scene for you this morning.

This Bible passage is like a little snapshot of a conversation between Jesus and a rich young man. Picture this: Jesus is going about his day, teaching and preaching, when this young guy runs up to him, kneels down, and asks, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" This conversation takes place around Galilee and Judea. Oddly enough, this is right in the area where there is a great deal of conflict today, near the Gaza Strip in Palestine. I love how approachable Jesus is in this story. Jesus is very popular during this point in His ministry. He has many followers and He is also developing lots of enemies. It was not unusual for people to come up to Jesus, speak to Him, and ask Him for a healing. I don’t want to give away the entire conversation right now but I do want to give you the key takeaway from Mark 10:17-22. 

Jesus tells the man that he needs to go and sell everything that he owns in order to follow Him. People throughout the ages have wrongly interpreted that Jesus is telling all of us to sell everything so that we can properly follow Him. That’s not true. That’s not the main point. The main point is that Jesus is addressing the young man's heart. It's a challenge to examine what's truly important in our lives and whether we're willing to put God above everything else. It's a reminder that sometimes, what we think we can't live without might be exactly what's holding us back from a deeper relationship with God.

So, before we jump into today’s passage, let me remind you that…

Statement of Belief:

We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and authoritative. We believe the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word gives life. It provides peace in trouble and protection in tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, let us stand to show our reverence and respect.  

Today’s Scripture:

Mark 10:17-22 NLT

As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" [18] "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked. "Only God is truly good. [19] But to answer your question, you know the commandments: 'You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.'" [20] "Teacher," the man replied, "I've obeyed all these commandments since I was young." [21] Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. "There is still one thing you haven't done," he told him. "Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." [22] At this the man's face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

How Can We Discover True Satisfaction? Satisfaction Comes By…

Point One: Seeking The Savior vs. 17

This morning I want to attempt to try to answer for you a very important question. I want to answer how you and I, how we can discover true satisfaction. Fill in point number one for me this morning. Satisfaction comes by seeking the savior. Let’s read verse 17 again together. 

As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 

You know, the rich young man receives a lot of disdain for the conversation that he had with Christ. Sort of like Peter when he walked on the water towards Jesus. Remember that story. Peter walks out to Jesus on the water, takes his eyes of Christ, then begins to sink. Peter is remembered for his lack of faith. However, how many of us would have gotten out of the boat? Probably not many of us. I think that Peter deserves some credit. 

In the same way, the rich young man is remembered for walking away from Christ. A point that I will come back to in the last point. However, he doesn’t get any credit for seeking Jesus out. He does not get any credit for coming to Jesus. Most people deny Christ, push Jesus away immediately, never seek Christ out in the first place. At least this man recognizes that Jesus is different, that He is special, that He is wise. The end of the story is not the way we would want it to go but at least the rich young man’s journey started out the right way. The rich young ruler did something that most people today never even think of. He sought out Jesus. 

I would dare say that just about all of my pastoral counseling deals with some level of people looking for satisfaction in the wrong places. They look for satisfaction everywhere but Jesus. People are searching for peace. I was just talking to a buddy of mine the other day. He was telling me that if only he could get back to his home town. If only he could get his business running a certain way. If only his employees would do what they are supposed to do. If only this and if only that, he would finally be satisfied. If only this and if only that, he’d finally have peace. 

Friend, are you living the if only life? 

If only I could get that promotion. 

If only I could get her to like me. 

If only I could lose that weight. 

If only…then I would be finally satisfied. 

The other day I was having a conversation with Gary Whittle and Bryant Thompson. It was late on a Wednesday night and everyone else had left the campus. We found ourselves talking in the hall, right next to the Chapel. Gary dropped a little wisdom on Bryant and myself. He said that if people try to find satisfaction outside of a relationship with Jesus Christ, they chasing after the wind. 

Did you know that there is an entire book of the Bible dedicated to chasing after the wind. The book of Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon, is all about Solomon’s attempt to find meaning, purpose, peace and satisfaction in life apart from God. Do you know what the King discovered? He discovered that it was impossible. There is no peace apart from God. There is no peace in riches, no peace in relationships and boy oh boy did Solomon have relationships. No peace in power. The only place to discover peace is in God. 

Do you know why most people stop short of seeking Christ? Do you know why most people never arrive to God’s doorstep? The stop short of seeking Christ because they are fearful that He will tell them something that they don’t want to hear. We see this born out in this very story. 

Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. "There is still one thing you haven't done," he told him. "Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." [22] At this the man's face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus demands our complete commitment. He demands our very souls. He does not want a portion of our commitment in a trade for His complete peace and satisfaction. As I stated earlier, that’s not how this relationship will work. 

What are you seeking this morning? What do you really want? You may think that money and wealth is the same as peace and contentment. It’s not. There is no substitute for Christ and what Christ can give. It reminds me of a true story that I heard while reading a book about the philosopher Socrates. 

There’s a story about a proud young man who came to Socrates asking for knowledge. He walked up to the muscular philosopher and said, “O great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge.”

Socrates recognized a pompous numbskull when he saw one. He led the young man through the streets, to the sea, and chest deep into water. Then he asked, “What do you want?”

“Knowledge, O wise Socrates,” said the young man with a smile.

Socrates put his strong hands on the man’s shoulders and pushed him under. Thirty seconds later Socrates let him up. “What do you want?” he asked again.

“Wisdom,” the young man sputtered, “O great and wise Socrates.”

Socrates crunched him under again. Thirty seconds passed, thirty-five. Forty. Socrates let him up. The man was gasping. “What do you want, young man?”

Between heavy, heaving breaths the fellow wheezed, “Knowledge, O wise and wonderful…”

Socrates jammed him under again Forty seconds passed. Fifty. “What do you want?”

“Air!” the young man screeched. “I need air!”

“When you want knowledge as you have just wanted air, then you will have knowledge.”

Brothers and sisters, when you want peace and contentment like you want air, you will find it. There is only one place, one person that provides satisfaction. That person is Jesus Christ. Seek Him desperately, with all you are, and you will absolutely find what you are looking for. 

Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 11…

Matthew 11:28-30 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

How Can We Discover True Satisfaction? Satisfaction Comes By…

Point One: Seeking The Savior vs. 17

Point Two: Generosity That Grows God’s Kingdom vs. 21

How can we discover true satisfaction? Satisfaction comes by seeking the Savior. That’s number one, first and foremost. Point two this morning, satisfaction comes by generosity that grows God’s Kingdom. This idea comes from verse 21. Let’s check it out together. 

[21] Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. "There is still one thing you haven't done," he told him. "Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Have you ever met someone who just had all the answers? Have you ever met a know it all? Ever met a smarty pants, a wise guy? My grandfather used to call people like that a wiseacre. Im not sure that I exactly know what a wiseacre is but it is probably better than saying the other phrase starting with wise if you know what I mean. 

There is a certain level of arrogance to the rich young man. First, the man assumes a relationship with Jesus that is not there. "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" The rich young man was what we call a “name dropper”. He was a man who liked to be seen as important. Again, put yourself there in the midst of the people. This young man struts up to Jesus and refers to Jesus in a way that friends talk with one another. Again, Jesus and this man have never met and yet, this man is talking to Jesus like they have know each other for years. He is speaking to Jesus like they have a close personal relationship. That is why Jesus responds the way that He does. 

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked. "Only God is truly good. 

Jesus is telling the man, “why do you call me good, you don’t know me and I don’t know you.” Jesus is taking the man down a notch in front of the audience. He is letting the crowd know that He is not there to play games. He is not a fraud. 

You might be thinking that that was not nice of Jesus to do. That could be embarrassing for the rich young man. In fact, I am sure that it was embarrassing for him. Still, if this man was this presumptuous, this arrogant, this self aggrandizing, after only meeting Jesus for the first time, imagine how everyone else must have felt about him. The rich young man was the sort of person who threw around his money, his status, and his authority to get ahead in life. 

Let me say it another way, the rich young man was not seeking to praise Christ, he was seeking praise from Christ. He was not seeking to give to Christ, he was seeking to gain from Christ. He wanted Christ to publicly applaud him, to publicly praise him, to publicly give him the pat on the back. The rich young man was hoping to ride Jesus’ popularity coat tails and Jesus was having none of it. 

This entire interaction reminds me of the most serious, the scariest verse in all of the Bible. This verse talks about people who assume a relationship with Christ and yet, they are void of the very thing that they are assuming. They completely lack the relationship they are assuming. 

Matthew 7:21-23 NLT

"Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. [22] On judgment day many will say to me, 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' [23] But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws.'

So, the rich young ruler assumes a relationship, Jesus showing great patience with Him tells him that he needs to sell everything he has and come follow him. At the answer, the man leaves Christ unable to see eternity beyond his wealth. 

Friends, one of the marks of a true follower of Christ is boundless generosity. You see, the rich young man believed a lie. The lie was that he actually owned everything that he possessed. Jesus was just telling the man to give back to God everything that belonged to God. Last week we talked extensively about generosity. I will tell you something, its a secret thats not a great secret, if you are looking for satisfaction, you will not find it apart from generosity that grows God’s Kingdom. 

If you are looking for peace, prosperity, and God’s presence, you and I have to learn how to give cheerfully. Money for most of us, is the hardest thing to let go of. Money for most of us is the hardest thing to turn loose, to trust God with any give day or time. 

However, the more we give, the more we grow. The more we grow, the better we serve and see Christ. 

I was reading a book the other day about famous quarterback for the Rams and Cardinals, Kurt Warner. Kurt Warner, the two-time NFL MVP quarterback, started a family tradition he calls The Restaurant Game. The night before he would head out for a road game, Kurt and his wife Brenda would take their seven children out to a restaurant to eat a family dinner. One they were seated, one of the children would scan the dining area like a quarterback scans the field looking for potential receivers. When the child picks a table, Kurt asks the waiter to add that table’s dinner tab to his own – anonymously. So on any given pre-game night a would family eat freely because of the goodness of a family that knows it is blessed beyond measure.

When we come to Christ, we eat free to don’t we? God is generous, filling us with His presence. 

Proverbs 11:25 ESV

Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.

How Can We Discover True Satisfaction? Satisfaction Comes By…

Point One: Seeking The Savior vs. 17

Point Two: Generosity That Grows God’s Kingdom vs. 21

Point Three: Eternal Investments and Earthly Detachments vs. 21

How can we discover true satisfaction? Satisfaction comes from seeking the savior, it comes by generosity that grows God’s Kingdom. Lastly, it comes by eternal investments and earthly detachments. 

[21] Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. "There is still one thing you haven't done," he told him. "Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." [22] At this the man's face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

The rich young man had a problem. His problem was to him, Jesus was a fad. Jesus was the latest trend, the newest experience or experiment. Jesus the latest project. He wanted to be on the bandwagon. He thought that maybe just maybe Jesus’ popularity might rub off on him, making him more popular. 

Jesus had different plans. 

When you look a little deeper into the teachings of Christ, we find out that in order to follow Christ, we have to die to self. 

Matthew 16:24-26 NLT

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [25] If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. [26] And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

The rich young ruler wanted to be satisfied by keeping one foot in the world, one hand on his pocketbook, and one foot trying to obey Christ. Basically, he wanted to walk with Jesus but play footsie with the Devil. Mature Christians know that the road to satisfaction doesn’t work that way. 

Jesus invites the rich young ruler to detach from his earthly possessions and invest in eternal treasures. This echoes the teaching found in Matthew 6:19-21, where Jesus says, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal."

Our earthly possessions are transient, subject to decay and loss. However, when we invest in acts of kindness, love, and generosity, we store up treasures in heaven that are imperishable and beyond the reach of earthly troubles.

Detaching from earthly matters involves prioritizing our relationship with Christ and aligning our lives with His teachings. When we choose to follow Him wholeheartedly, we not only gain eternal life but also invest in a future filled with unimaginable joy and fulfillment.

Consider the parable of the unforgiving servant. In this story, a servant who had been forgiven an immense debt refused to forgive a fellow servant's much smaller debt. When the master learned of this, he said, "You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?"

This parable illustrates the importance of forgiving others, showing mercy, and living with an eternal perspective. By the way, that is the key to our third value as a church. We are contributors and not consumers. We also possess an eternal perspective. We live in service to our King and to our community. Our motivation is not for building our own kingdoms here on earth, but rather the eternal kingdom of Christ. When we invest in forgiveness and mercy, we reflect the heart of God and store up treasures in heaven.

So, the story ends with the rich young ruler walking away from Jesus dejected. Is that how the story ends? Well, church tradition, scholars and theologians give modern readers some insights. Matthew Mark and Luke all tell the story of this man who came to Jesus with the same important question. All three say that he was rich but only Matthew tells us that he was young. Luke tells us that he was a ruler. 

All three accounts have the rich young man stopping Jesus short on the commandments. Jesus tells the rich young ruler that he should love his neighbor. That’s the breaking point for the young man. Love of his neighbor is what sends him away from Christ. 

Most believers believe the rich young ruler to be John Mark. That’s right, the author of the Gospel of Mark. If that is true it is a great lesson to never give up, never stop praying for people. Just because they say no to Jesus doesn’t mean that they wont say yes to Jesus tomorrow. 

Are you looking for satisfaction this morning? If you are you will find it if you seek Christ, give generously to grow God’s Kingdom, and you will find satisfaction by detaching from earthly entanglements. 

Remember, satisfaction leads to true thanksgiving. Let’s pray today with one another. 

Satisfaction In Christ Leads To True Thanksgiving!