April 6, 2025 • 13 mins
Today we take a look at the rich young ruler who went running to Christ seeking what it was he could do to inherit eternal life. The story can be found in any of the four gospels that is Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. But we’ll look at it from Mark’s perspective. Found in chapter 10:17-22. The story has a tragic ending but it doesn’t have to be your ending. “Don’t Walk Away”
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Welcome to the Sunday Word with Minister Anthony Smith. On
the Sunday night, we do have a word for you.
I want to say today was a blessed day as
we had the opportunity, as my pastor scene fit to
allow me to be the one to bring the Sunday Word.
(00:33):
We came out of Mark the tenth chapter, verses seventeenth
through twenty two. We were dealing with the rich young
ruler who came running, not walking, but came running with
the sense of urgency to Christ. Wanted to know what
it was he could do to inherit eternal life. But
(00:57):
there was a tragedy ending to that story. So the
story goes that he came running addressing Christ as good teacher.
(01:18):
And before we judge him too harshly, how often do
we recognize Christ, not as who he is, but how
we perceive him. If we study his word, we would
know exactly who he is. John three sixteen declares who
(01:44):
he is because in John three or sixteen it declares
that God sent his only begotten son. So Jesus redirected
this young man. He posed the question, why I call
it thou me good? But there is none good but
(02:06):
God alone, so we had to redirect them and answer
him dustly to set the record straight as to who
is good. In other words, what Jesus did was he
did what we as Christians ought to do, and that's
(02:26):
humble ourselves. The reason I say that as we ought
to do because I can't talk about the people outside
the world, those who are apart from Christ, because they're
going to do what they do. But us, in the
body of Christ, we have this problem of being hung
(02:51):
on titles and addressing me as whatever my title is.
If I'm a bishop, you need to address me as bishop.
If I'm pastor, you need to address me as pastor.
If I'm the president of this auxiliary, you need to
address me as such. That's not a spirit of humility,
(03:11):
that is a spirit of selfism. If we are to
follow Christ, we need to follow his example of humility,
as he humbled himself and didn't even address himself as
the son of God, as he told this rich young
ruler that there is none good but the Father. But
(03:37):
he got to the question that was posed. This young
man wanted to know what he could do to inherit
eternal life, and Jesus read him in my sermon today
I use this word. He read him the gauntlet. You know,
do not kill, do not still, do not commit murder,
(04:02):
do not Barefather's witness to those who don't know what
Barefall's witness is. That's in other words, he told 'em,
s don't be lying. You know, honored thy mother and
thy father, and y i'm i'm'a put a pen right there,
because nowadays we don't see children honoring they parents. We
see children trying to be equal with they parents. Now
(04:23):
do I blame the children, No, I don't. It's that
saying that is right. No, it's not. But when parents
allow their children to be their equal, then, as they say,
it is what it is. I remember as a child
growing up, I never did get on first name basis
(04:43):
with my parents. It was always mama and daddy. It
was always yes, sir, no sir, yes, ma'am, no ma'am.
Even to day when I talk about my parents, it's
not on a first name basis. My pastor to this
day he is still Pastor Cobert. As a matter of fact,
(05:08):
it's children growing up. We didn't even though adults first name,
We did good enough to know our peers' first name
if we knew who they parents were. They were sister
so and so on and brother so and so. I
I I remember, as I go back in time, I
remember there was a time when people ask me, they say,
why is it that in the Baptist Church everybody has
a title. That's because when we accept Christ into our
(05:31):
life and we become a member of that church, we
become brothers and sisters in Christ. So brother and sister
is not so much a title, but it is a brotherhood,
a sisterhood. It is a family hood. Therefore, brother Jones,
brother Smith, brother Williams, m brother whatever, sister Jones, sister
(05:54):
Smith's sister Williams whatever, the last name. But that brother
and sister had significant meaning to it. The reason it
had such a significant meaning if you go back to
the days of our parents and the struggles that they
went through, dealing with everyday life, and the the the
not being able to eat in certain restaurants, being called
(06:14):
everything but a child of God, it was something about
Sunday when they got there, they felt a sense of
belonging because then they became a brother or a sister.
So it wasn't that we were given titles. We were
in an extended family. So I had to set that
perimeter because, like I say, that's dealing with honor thy
(06:37):
mother and thy father. Even though my parents are still deceased.
To me, they would always leave Mama and daddy. So
he gave him the list of the commandments. And I
would just like to believe after hearing this, this young
man kind of puffed out his chest. Look that Jesus
(07:01):
has said, tell me something I don't already know. He said,
what you just told me, I have done that from
my youth up until the time we have met. That.
In other words, that ain't nothing. That ain't even respecking
(07:22):
the bucket. Tell me tell me something new. Well, you
have to understand when you are in the presence of Jesus.
I'm not gonna say that he is a step ahead.
He's just ahead, he said. Okay, I hear you talking.
(07:42):
He said, but there is still one thing that you like.
And the man didn't get a chance to talk because
Jesus let him know what that one thing was. But
if I can use my imagination and put my health
in the scripture after hearing what it is, I need
(08:03):
to do. And I've done all that's been said, and
you're telling me, there's one thing, Okay, what is it?
And you know how we get sometimes we talk to
people and we have this mentality. Okay, you know so much,
tell me what it is I'm liking. Well, Jesus hit
(08:25):
him where it hurt the most. But when Jesus led in,
he let in with compassion and loved him and said,
sell all that you have, give to the poor, take
(08:48):
up your cross and follow me, and you will have
treasures in heaven. And here's where the story turned tragic.
The man got to thinking about his wealth. Now you
have to understand that this story was written not only
(09:09):
in Mark but in Matthew. Not only in Matthew, but Mark,
Luke and John. And they each had a different description
of him. One said he was young, the other one
said he was wealthy, and the other one said he
was a ruler. And now, now to those of you listening,
(09:30):
especially of of the women, that that sounds like the
perfect man. But in the eyes of Christ, he wouldn't
no more than filter in rag And can I share
something with you? That same title applies us even on
our best day, with nothing but filth and rag. So
he went on, and you just said, take a p
(09:52):
I mean, think about it, treasures in heaven where thieves
can't get to, where moths can't destroy it. That that
sound like a pretty good trigge off. Until this man
got to thinking about the right now instead of thinking
about the eternal future. He got to thinking I got this,
I've got that, I got this wealth stored up, I
(10:12):
got this and that. And the Bible says he was
sorrowful he walked away. It's a dangerous thing to walk
away from the invitation of Christ. There's only one way
to go when you walk away from Christ, and it's
(10:39):
not to eternal glory, but to eternal damnation. I want
to say, as you are listening to this podcast, wherever
you may be, I want you to think about what
is that? What is that one thing that you're holding into,
holding on to that n make you walk away from
(11:04):
the great invitation. I want to encourage you to seek
key first, the Kingdom of God, and all this righteousness
and all these things should be added unto you. I
want to impress upon you not to walk away, but
(11:31):
think about where it is you're holding onto it that's
separating you from Christ. Because I've heard it say it
like this, and it is stuck with me. Anything that
is between you and God is closer to God than
you are. It may be your finances, it may be
(11:54):
your children, it may be your spouse, it may be
your job. Anything that you put before God, it's closer
to God than you are, and it's that one thing
that could prevent you from from enjoying eternal glory. So
(12:16):
I want to emphasize don't walk away from the invitation
of Christ, because I heard my mother say it like this.
Working for Christ down here on earth. The pay is low,
but the benefits are out of this world. This has
(12:37):
been another addition of the Sunday Word with Minister Anthony Smith.
I hope that this podcast tonight has been a blessing
to you. If it has shared with others, let it
(13:01):
be a blessing to somebody else. Once again, thank you
for listening to the Sunday Word with Minister Anthony Smith.
Until the next time, be blessed, be a blessing. I
love you, the God loves you best. I'm out
Welcome to the Sunday Word with Minister Anthony Smith. On
the Sunday night, we do have a word for you.
I want to say today was a blessed day as
we had the opportunity, as my pastor scene fit to
allow me to be the one to bring the Sunday Word.
(00:33):
We came out of Mark the tenth chapter, verses seventeenth
through twenty two. We were dealing with the rich young
ruler who came running, not walking, but came running with
the sense of urgency to Christ. Wanted to know what
it was he could do to inherit eternal life. But
(00:57):
there was a tragedy ending to that story. So the
story goes that he came running addressing Christ as good teacher.
(01:18):
And before we judge him too harshly, how often do
we recognize Christ, not as who he is, but how
we perceive him. If we study his word, we would
know exactly who he is. John three sixteen declares who
(01:44):
he is because in John three or sixteen it declares
that God sent his only begotten son. So Jesus redirected
this young man. He posed the question, why I call
it thou me good? But there is none good but
(02:06):
God alone, so we had to redirect them and answer
him dustly to set the record straight as to who
is good. In other words, what Jesus did was he
did what we as Christians ought to do, and that's
(02:26):
humble ourselves. The reason I say that as we ought
to do because I can't talk about the people outside
the world, those who are apart from Christ, because they're
going to do what they do. But us, in the
body of Christ, we have this problem of being hung
(02:51):
on titles and addressing me as whatever my title is.
If I'm a bishop, you need to address me as bishop.
If I'm pastor, you need to address me as pastor.
If I'm the president of this auxiliary, you need to
address me as such. That's not a spirit of humility,
(03:11):
that is a spirit of selfism. If we are to
follow Christ, we need to follow his example of humility,
as he humbled himself and didn't even address himself as
the son of God, as he told this rich young
ruler that there is none good but the Father. But
(03:37):
he got to the question that was posed. This young
man wanted to know what he could do to inherit
eternal life, and Jesus read him in my sermon today
I use this word. He read him the gauntlet. You know,
do not kill, do not still, do not commit murder,
(04:02):
do not Barefather's witness to those who don't know what
Barefall's witness is. That's in other words, he told 'em,
s don't be lying. You know, honored thy mother and
thy father, and y i'm i'm'a put a pen right there,
because nowadays we don't see children honoring they parents. We
see children trying to be equal with they parents. Now
(04:23):
do I blame the children, No, I don't. It's that
saying that is right. No, it's not. But when parents
allow their children to be their equal, then, as they say,
it is what it is. I remember as a child
growing up, I never did get on first name basis
(04:43):
with my parents. It was always mama and daddy. It
was always yes, sir, no sir, yes, ma'am, no ma'am.
Even to day when I talk about my parents, it's
not on a first name basis. My pastor to this
day he is still Pastor Cobert. As a matter of fact,
(05:08):
it's children growing up. We didn't even though adults first name,
We did good enough to know our peers' first name
if we knew who they parents were. They were sister
so and so on and brother so and so. I
I I remember, as I go back in time, I
remember there was a time when people ask me, they say,
why is it that in the Baptist Church everybody has
a title. That's because when we accept Christ into our
(05:31):
life and we become a member of that church, we
become brothers and sisters in Christ. So brother and sister
is not so much a title, but it is a brotherhood,
a sisterhood. It is a family hood. Therefore, brother Jones,
brother Smith, brother Williams, m brother whatever, sister Jones, sister
(05:54):
Smith's sister Williams whatever, the last name. But that brother
and sister had significant meaning to it. The reason it
had such a significant meaning if you go back to
the days of our parents and the struggles that they
went through, dealing with everyday life, and the the the
not being able to eat in certain restaurants, being called
(06:14):
everything but a child of God, it was something about
Sunday when they got there, they felt a sense of
belonging because then they became a brother or a sister.
So it wasn't that we were given titles. We were
in an extended family. So I had to set that
perimeter because, like I say, that's dealing with honor thy
(06:37):
mother and thy father. Even though my parents are still deceased.
To me, they would always leave Mama and daddy. So
he gave him the list of the commandments. And I
would just like to believe after hearing this, this young
man kind of puffed out his chest. Look that Jesus
(07:01):
has said, tell me something I don't already know. He said,
what you just told me, I have done that from
my youth up until the time we have met. That.
In other words, that ain't nothing. That ain't even respecking
(07:22):
the bucket. Tell me tell me something new. Well, you
have to understand when you are in the presence of Jesus.
I'm not gonna say that he is a step ahead.
He's just ahead, he said. Okay, I hear you talking.
(07:42):
He said, but there is still one thing that you like.
And the man didn't get a chance to talk because
Jesus let him know what that one thing was. But
if I can use my imagination and put my health
in the scripture after hearing what it is, I need
(08:03):
to do. And I've done all that's been said, and
you're telling me, there's one thing, Okay, what is it?
And you know how we get sometimes we talk to
people and we have this mentality. Okay, you know so much,
tell me what it is I'm liking. Well, Jesus hit
(08:25):
him where it hurt the most. But when Jesus led in,
he let in with compassion and loved him and said,
sell all that you have, give to the poor, take
(08:48):
up your cross and follow me, and you will have
treasures in heaven. And here's where the story turned tragic.
The man got to thinking about his wealth. Now you
have to understand that this story was written not only
(09:09):
in Mark but in Matthew. Not only in Matthew, but Mark,
Luke and John. And they each had a different description
of him. One said he was young, the other one
said he was wealthy, and the other one said he
was a ruler. And now, now to those of you listening,
(09:30):
especially of of the women, that that sounds like the
perfect man. But in the eyes of Christ, he wouldn't
no more than filter in rag And can I share
something with you? That same title applies us even on
our best day, with nothing but filth and rag. So
he went on, and you just said, take a p
(09:52):
I mean, think about it, treasures in heaven where thieves
can't get to, where moths can't destroy it. That that
sound like a pretty good trigge off. Until this man
got to thinking about the right now instead of thinking
about the eternal future. He got to thinking I got this,
I've got that, I got this wealth stored up, I
(10:12):
got this and that. And the Bible says he was
sorrowful he walked away. It's a dangerous thing to walk
away from the invitation of Christ. There's only one way
to go when you walk away from Christ, and it's
(10:39):
not to eternal glory, but to eternal damnation. I want
to say, as you are listening to this podcast, wherever
you may be, I want you to think about what
is that? What is that one thing that you're holding into,
holding on to that n make you walk away from
(11:04):
the great invitation. I want to encourage you to seek
key first, the Kingdom of God, and all this righteousness
and all these things should be added unto you. I
want to impress upon you not to walk away, but
(11:31):
think about where it is you're holding onto it that's
separating you from Christ. Because I've heard it say it
like this, and it is stuck with me. Anything that
is between you and God is closer to God than
you are. It may be your finances, it may be
(11:54):
your children, it may be your spouse, it may be
your job. Anything that you put before God, it's closer
to God than you are, and it's that one thing
that could prevent you from from enjoying eternal glory. So
(12:16):
I want to emphasize don't walk away from the invitation
of Christ, because I heard my mother say it like this.
Working for Christ down here on earth. The pay is low,
but the benefits are out of this world. This has
(12:37):
been another addition of the Sunday Word with Minister Anthony Smith.
I hope that this podcast tonight has been a blessing
to you. If it has shared with others, let it
(13:01):
be a blessing to somebody else. Once again, thank you
for listening to the Sunday Word with Minister Anthony Smith.
Until the next time, be blessed, be a blessing. I
love you, the God loves you best. I'm out
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