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Salvation and the Kingdom of Heaven

Text: Matthew 19 : 16 - 30

When Jesus began His public ministry, He also began preaching about “the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 4:17). Again and again Jesus mentioned and expounded the theme “The kingdom of heaven”. He even developed a series of parables to help people understand and appreciate the kingdom of heaven (Cf. Matthew 13).

What did Jesus have in mind when He spoke to people about the kingdom of heaven? If there were any doubt about what He meant, the following text would dispel any misunderstanding. As the rich young ruler walked away from Him because he could not bear the thought of possibly living in poverty, Jesus made a significant comment.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Assuredly, I say to you
that it is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter
the kingdom of God.”
MATTHEW 19:23-24

Let us ponder deeply the following thoughts that Jesus sought to communicate to His disciples.

1. Equation of “the kingdom of heaven” with “the kingdom of God”

We have Jesus using both phrases in the same context. He used these two phrases interchangeably. Therefore one is synonymous to the other.

2. Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven

Jesus stood at the door of heaven. Indeed, He was The Door into heaven itself! To turn away from Jesus was to turn away from the kingdom of heaven itself!

3. The keeping of the commandments of God

The rich young ruler claimed that he had kept all of God’s commandments from his youth! Yet for all that, he did not gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven! His heart remained unchanged. He still loved this earthly world more than he treasured the thought of entering into heaven! All the boasting about keeping the commandments of God came to nothing when the acid test was applied! There was no genuine faith in God in the young man’s concept of religion. He “kept” the commandments of God and sustained an inflated personal ego – albeit garbed in human righteousness.

4. Wealth and the kingdom of heaven

Was it wrong to be wealthy? Assuredly not! However, there were certain dangers that attend wealth.

a) It can control the heart of a person.

b) It can blunt the desire of a person to seek after God’s kingdom.

c) It can deceive a person into thinking that he has quite a good standing before God.

d) It can deceive a person in his evaluation of the worth of the kingdom of heaven.

“WHO CAN BE SAVED?”

Once again, we read about how the disciples were astonished at the sayings of Jesus! His comments were always so different they were truly astonishing.

“When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished,
saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men
this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'”
MATTHEW 19:25-26

The reaction of the disciples revealed a number of things.

1. The misconception that being wealthy is always good

The poor long to have just a little more wealth to stave away many of the woes associated with poverty. Thus wealth was looked upon as a good if not special blessing from God. However, Jesus was not at all attracted to the idea of being wealthy! This puzzled the disciples quite deeply.

2. The misunderstanding concerning human efforts and salvation

The idea of “salvation” and entrance into “the kingdom of heaven” were related! This much the disciples understood. Jesus used the phrase, “the kingdom of heaven”. The disciples used the word “saved”. That Jesus did not correct them indicated that they were not incorrect to equate salvation with entering into the kingdom of heaven.

What needed correction was the disciples’ understanding of how a person may be saved. Wealth obviously could not contribute anything that led to salvation. Human efforts of cultivating personal righteousness did not go very far also. Who then could be saved?

3. The necessity of bringing God into the picture

So many people were trying to get into the kingdom of heaven without much reference to God Himself! How foolish man could be!

a) Without receiving God’s grace humbly it is impossible to enter into His kingdom.

b) Without God’s power it would be impossible to be saved.

c) Without God’s power the heart would remain chained to the things of this world.

Could a camel go through an eye of a needle? Impossible! Thus it was impossible for a rich man trusting in his own riches to gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven!