A Life of Faith and Formation Part 10: The Paradoxical Kingdom
March 10, 2024
Pastor Brandon Petty
 
Mark 10:17-31 (NLT)
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.” 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard 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 someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” 28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
 
TWO shall be ONE
ADULTS shall be CHILDREN
The FIRST shall be LAST
SERVANTS shall be RULERS
The POOR shall be RICH
 
Jesus is a contrasting King.
 
1. He had a SHALLOW view of SALVATION
 
2. He had a SURFACE LEVEL view of the LAW.
 
The Law brings the sinner TO Christ but it cannot make the sinner LIKE Christ–only grace can do that.
 
3. They had a COMMERCIAL view of the CHRISTIAN LIFE.
 
1. The Gospel you live IN is the Gospel you’ll live OUT.
 
Salvation is AVAILABLE to everyone, but it’s not APPEALING to everyone.
 
2. What POSSESSES me is more important than my POSSESSIONS.
 
It’s a paradoxical Kingdom. It’s going from “What must I do? What will I get?” to “What do you want from me?” and “What I have, I give to you.”
 
REPENT
 
REVEAL
 
RE-SHAPE:
My perspective of JESUS
My perspective of ETERNITY
My perspective of MONEY/POSSESSIONS
My perspective of SALVATION