Who Has the Most Toys?, Part 1

Humility is a rare virtue are times, even among spiritual leaders today from Chuck Swindoll. William Barclay writes this, there is a strange difference between Jesus and many a famous preacher or evangelist is often next to impossible to get into the presence of one of these famous one. Jesus was the opposite of that. The way to his presence was open to the homeless person and to the youngest child times. Well, as we are blinding people from reality.

Their self perception becomes inflated before long. Prosperity becomes a tool for elevating oneself above others, keeping a distance from those failed today on Insight for living.

Chuck Swindoll invites us to witness a remarkable exchange between Jesus and a rich young ruler as we observe their spontaneous conversation, we begin to see Jesus expose the emptiness of this man's material gain, compared to the joy and peace that comes through heavenly treasures. Chuck titled today's message who has the most toys turn to Matthew chapter 19 I want to read for you versus 13 through 22. Right from the center of this 19 chapter I'll be reading from the new living translation. Your Bible will read a similar sound and will hopefully capture the two scenes that stand in contrast to each other versus a brief setting with little children and babies no longer seen where Jesus spends it with a man who was very impressed with himself and comes to Jesus with a question, not expecting the answer he would get Matthew 19 verse 13 one day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them, but the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. But Jesus said, let the children come to me. Don't stop them for the King of heaven belongs to those who are like these children and he placed his hands on their heads, and blessed them before he left. Someone came to Jesus with this question, teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life. Why ask me about what is good. Jesus replied there's only one who is good, but to answer your question. If you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments which was the man asked Jesus replied, you must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother love your neighbor as yourself. I've obeyed all these commandments. The young man replied what else must I do. Jesus told him, if you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me over the young man heard this he went away sad. Many study the book of Matthew Chuck Swindoll.

Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures by going Insight world.org/studies another message from Chuck titled who has the most toys. Imagination is a wonderful thing. It takes us to places that we cannot otherwise go and when were there we can experience things that we actually will never ever experience that is literally, for example, how wonderful it would have been to have been right there with Jesus standing in the shadows imagine that. Imagine hearing his voice with your own ears ever thought about that. What did his voice sound like or feeling his touch on your shoulder or on your hand or arm on your face. What is touch but is must've felt like looking into those piercing eyes and realizing there were so many things more. He could have said, for he knew it all and so when he did speak the words were always carefully measured and chosen for the purpose of the moment and though I'll have to add the way he treated children you you might not know this but back in the first century children didn't really matter to anybody all that much was hardly such a thing as a favored child and yet with Jesus why they they had is free and access to him and his comfortable a time in his presence as any adult would have is any one of the 12 disciples could have had all of the words of George McDonald, who writes no one could be a follower of Jesus. If the children were afraid to play at his door that they were not afraid to play at his door.

If you ever have the chance to go to Oberammergau over Germany. Be sure and go the year that the pageant on the passion of Christ is being performed.

It is is all live. It's on stage now. It's once every 10 years and what makes it unique is that those who play the parts in the pageant all the way from the little children up to the very person of Jesus there all people from within the community right there where you're visiting right there where you're staying there. The ones who work the shops in and serve the tables in the restaurants and and ours are the cooks and the people who clean and in the.

The homemakers in the retirees and all the people who make up the community of Oberammergau. They're the ones who are the people in the program. We had one of the people in our group when we went there several years ago say it was interesting what he had his meal that he was served by Judas, said he never thought about that before, but when he saw the play. Later he came to realize that's the part. The man played in it. Another person said he saw Jesus riding a bike when he was coming to go to the state.

All of this brings it down to real life stuff which I happen to love. I love it when it is stuffy and sophisticated. In fact, the way the Oberammergau pageant begins is disarming. You would think it would be rather formal because it's been going on for four decades really I want to see for centuries. It begins with children.

Children come rushing across the stage and there laughing at their dignity and their playing in one of the lobotomies bouncing it as his running along and wouldn't you know it right behind them is Jesus the person playing Jesus and he's living just as much fun as they are, and I found myself want to take a picture Jesus is laughing. You've never seen a picture of Jesus laughing is always kept a serious luck and understand on these Libra cereals are not don't don't like me I though it is got a very sad ending and all that except for the resurrection which was said but when you see him on the stage with the children just go that's life. That's the way it was. That's how he wants the real Jesus and so when I got to Matthew 19 my mind flashed back to Oberammergau when I was sitting in the audience looking and for the first time. Honestly first time I've ever really tracked the thought of Jesus playing tag with the children.

Anyone who knows what he did when you read about in Matthew chapter 19 verse 13, you will read of any resistance one day.

Parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and and pray for them.

Let your mind go with that.

Don't rush onto verse 14. Don't overlook the feelings in verse 13 parents felt the freedom to bring their everyone from newborns all the way to little toddlers playing with their toys and their little well-worn afraid push toys. I can just see maybe one or two habitats within or with her and they're all around great timing and here's Jesus he's loving and the only ones bothered by it or the self-appointed guards called the disciples watched him come to see the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. Stop when we read that they were bothering him.

Only in the minds of those who were thinking that children don't bother authentic people children don't get in the way and trouble those who are no that's why you read and 14 let let let that stop me.

I don't do that.

Let the children, let them come to me. Don't stop them, the kingdom of heaven.

The gong belongs to those who were like these children that they have no agenda cancer just stand around thinking. I notice cancer like that it it's funny when you grow up you pick your nose when you're with your little you could do that. But when you grow up you can't do that. Some do but that's another story. I will get it anyway but would you that he placed his hands on them. Can't you see that kid you see him pushing his fingers through their or pull their heads close to his hip are taking that little baby from the mother's arms and holding a baby close. It's a very, very pleasant scene. William Barclay writes this, there is a strange difference between Jesus and many a famous preacher or evangelist is often next to impossible to get into the presence of one of these famous ones.

They have a kind of written you in bodyguard, which keep the public away less the great man. We will read and bothered. Jesus was the opposite of that. The way to his presence was open to the homeless person and to the youngest child and you and I love I love that about him as much, as anything I told you before that during her last years Corrie 10 boom chose to worship in our church when I was serving a church out in force in California was always such an honor to have her in our congregation and she was always so gracious kids and no Corrie 10 boom one she just another old lady you know shows up stands around talk to people and so our kids were little they know she was in her jerking on her dress and her pulling on her hose and walk in her shoes I'm going to try court all and she she was so gracious you that these are your children and I go the these are the their mother's children right. She wasn't bothered by those kids. She's not important to herself.

People are bothered by him are too important to themselves. They make me sick. Jesus had time for them. They have no agenda. They have no deception live no reluctance let the story unfold feeling that you imagine run with imagination run with it. See him as he kneels down and maybe picks out one of the children. That's not able to keep up with the others.

I little slower. Perhaps Lehman one of her legs and pulls her close to him.

The touching thing. It's a beautiful thing.

I think he loves it because he loves those who have no agenda, who were just what they are. That's children may die for no reason other than caring about you, me, I encourage you to take time for your little ones.

I know you're busy. I know and I know you have to make a living. I know you have a lot of things to keep up with and I know you've heard this all through their growing up years. But there there only once and never have that birthday again. They'll probably never have that very same question to ask you again, unless you're the kind that invites take time for them. One of the great things about grandparenting is. It seems as though with that, the pleasure of time, not necessarily more time than before but realizing the time things that matter and children matter because they are the people in 10 years who lead us. They're the ones who walk ahead of us and shape our cities and make decisions in our schools and teach our young take time for Jesus did and it was a man who saw this. He's not name here are in Mount Mark Allred Luke.

The other two accounts to cover the story. He's an unnamed man.

All three of them reveal them as being young don't know how young our word today is probably best. He was probably a millennial Jesus was a millennial baby Jesus H maybe was a little taller or maybe a little shorter but it walk right up eyeball to eyeball Jesus and he shot him a question. Stop what else do we know about him, we know nothing of his background is unusual, that he's young and also Luke's words very rich. How could you be young and very rich. Maybe inherited money.

Maybe a young entrepreneur we would call him who had earned his money early is a dangerous time to earn a lot of money no extra charge for that but unusual to find a young with a lot of money, except in this particular era in which we live words everywhere but back to our story this young and Luke calls him a leader or a rumor so he has earned some rank among his peers would never know his name.

We know nothing of his background, nothing of its relationship with his mom and dad though. I want to say more about that minute. What we do know about him is that he has an agenda. He hides it he sees in Jesus, something he does not have in himself. He identifies it as eternal life. Be careful about turning this into a theological study B. He's not a theological mind. He just knows is is listen to Jesus teach how long were not told her where have no idea, but he walks up to Jesus any addresses, and with a respectful title teacher, what good thing must I do to get what you've got. How can I get what you're talking about called eternal life. The downer, it is question is the word do is no concept of grace you get that most millennial's don't motion our day. Don't do everything else. It is a little money and not know the toys. What do I need to do to get what you've got is he saw the patients, which he didn't have he saw the compassion which he certainly don't have some of the touch, and he's heard enough to know that he doesn't have the kind of depth in his life. In fact, I love the way Luke's story ends when Jesus finally confronts the whole issue. It says he went away sad because he was very rich is something say like I'm being very rich. Meijer said that have to mean that you would normally think because he's very rich.

She had a reason to be glad little course, you will see Toby in he don't have things things have him heat unknown toys toys owning him so naturally want to know what he needs to do. Tell me something I not get done that I need to do some thing good so that out and get not get in on this.

I want to know what you got what you talking about Jesus responds. Why ask me about what's good is only one good one who is good, but to answer your question.

If you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments. Now don't make it walk on wall for some of you read that you say. I thought we were saved by grace.

Apart from work. You're reading too much into it.

Let the passage speak for itself.

Remember the content. Remember who's speaking.

He never makes a mistake with his answers and remember who's talking to this young entrepreneur says what do I need to do that I might reach where you are.

Jesus is keep the commandments. So most likely Jewish because he asked which one he was not Jewish he may not even know about the commandments. So maybe raised in the Jewish home. He's heard about the commandments all his life and now he says to Jesus which ones name up.

That was a key watch closely watch what Jesus said you must not murder was not commit adultery. You must not lie on a steel you must not lie on your father, your mother and love your neighbor as yourself. Stop look at the list the 10 Commandments lately read Exodus 19 and 20. You see the list.

These are all from the last part of the list. These are all the horizontal commandments. The first ones are all about a relationship with God. These are all about relationship with others look at you like the young man thought allow me, you must not murder.

Check you must not commit adultery. Check you must not steal, check. You must not allow check you must honor your father. You might check and you must love your neighbor just check what was it like that because in verse 20 verse 20 is the most significant verse of the whole biography he had the audacity to say to Jesus. I will delete all of those I've obeyed all these commandments. The young man replied what now, to which I reply that I would know the day to run them all. Jesus so good with so Jesus decides to put his finger on the one issue that would touch them at the deepest surveys as the young man you want to perfect, go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor you will have treasure in heaven and come, follow me.

Chuck Swindoll titled his message with the question who has the most toys this is insight for living and by all means make it a point to join us again tomorrow to hear the conclusion of Chuck's presentation and if you'd like to learn more about this ministry. If you'd like to discover the resources we have available for today's topic, please visit us online@insightworld.org and right now I'd like to share a brief comment from one of your fellow listeners who spoke about the value of hearing Chuck's teaching, she said, like so many folks all around the country. I lost a loved one to a drug overdose.

During this terrible opioid epidemic. So many people even right here in my little picture-perfect New England town have been affected by this awful plague of addiction through my loss. Hearing Pastor Swindoll sermons has been an incredible comfort as a process the feelings of shame, loss and regret along with morning. What an incredible blessing to be able to listen to Chuck's messages when I can't sleep. I know the miracle of God's healing love will continue to manifest in his words, grace upon grace. Thank you insight for living well beautifully stated and were so grateful God is using insight for living to deliver a touch of his grace in your private.

This is a fitting time to think our monthly companions and all those who give generously because your consistent financial support allows us to deliver a glimmer of hope for those who feel lost their dark to become a member of our support site. It has a monthly companions today by calling listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8881 800-772-8888 also sign up online insight.org/monthly companions site for living. The preceding message. Who has the most toys was copyrighted in 2017 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles or Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide.

Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited