Lesson 107: A Shocking Explanation of the Gospel (Luke 18:18-30)

Nobody could expose an idolatrous heart as quickly as Jesus could. Here was a man who seemed to be asking a lot of the right questions. He wasn’t trying to avoid God or live his life in as pagan a way as he could get by with. He didn’t come to Jesus with a request for power, prestige, or three magical wishes. His request was for the path to eternal life. But the ultimate answer he received was the one answer that he couldn’t bear to hear; it was the one answer that ultimately sent him packing with a dejected look on his face. Jesus had hit on this man’s idol, and He knows today what our hearts most long for as well. Pastor Daniel calls people to follow Jesus with their whole hearts by stating, “the shocking truth of the gospel is that we must treasure Jesus Christ in order to be saved.”

Summary by Seth Kempf, Bethany Community Church Staff