You Need to Follow Jesus
We live in a world that celebrates comfort and convenience. From instant streaming to fast food delivery, we want what we want, and we want it now. But here’s the thing: following Jesus isn’t like ordering something on Amazon Prime—there’s no “one-click” Christianity. Following Jesus isn’t about convenience; it’s about commitment. And that’s where a lot of us get stuck.
We’re starting a short series today where we look at different people’s encounters with Jesus. We’re going to see their need and in turn see our need as well. We’re also going to see their response and see what our response should be as well.
In Luke 18, we meet a man who was interested in following Jesus. He’s known as the rich young ruler—a wonderful, good guy with a stellar resume. He’s moral, he’s religious, and he’s respected. If he walked into our churches today, we’d be like, “Now that’s a leader! Make him a deacon! Put him on a committee!” Yet, despite his outward obedience and apparent success, something was still missing. He even sensed it. Maybe you do too.
Here’s what we need to consider today in the encounter of Jesus and the rich young ruler: what if Jesus asked you to give up the one thing you hold most dear? Would you still be willing to follow Him? Because following Jesus costs something, but as we’ll see, what we gain is infinitely greater.
Human goodness falls short of God’s perfection. (18-19)
The rich young ruler is a guy who had everything going for him: wealth, status, and a clean record of moral living. He comes to Jesus and asks, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Now, right off the bat, here’s what he’s doing: He’s coming to Jesus looking for validation. He’s not just curious; he’s looking for confirmation that his life checks all the right boxes. And that’s exactly the problem—he’s asking, “What must I do?” He’s focused on the “doing,” not on the “being.” He thinks eternal life is something you can achieve, like a promotion at work.
But Jesus’s response flips the script. “Why do you call me good?” He says. “No one is good—except God alone.” Jesus isn’t denying His divinity here. What He’s doing is questioning the ruler’s understanding of goodness. The ruler came to Jesus thinking he was a good guy talking to another good guy, but Jesus wants him to understand that his whole concept of goodness is flawed.
See, this young ruler is like a lot of us. He’s spent his life comparing himself to other people. “I don’t smoke. I don’t chew. I don’t go out with girls that do. (ha!) You know what? I’m better than most people out there.” He’s checking off his moral report card. Like my daughter wants to do every day at school, he clips up. He’s on pink (which is the highest color my daughter can get on…actually, rainbow is). But Jesus wants to make one thing crystal clear here: if you think you’re good, if you think you’re righteous enough to earn God’s favor, you’ve completely missed it. We are all dirty rotten sinners.[1]
It’s like playing basketball against a bunch of 5-year-olds. Sure, you might look like LeBron James out there, dunking over those little kids. But the moment you step onto the court with actual NBA players, you realize you’re not good at all. That’s what it’s like when we compare ourselves to other people…and especially to God. We might look pretty good next to those “sinners” out there, but when we stand next to God’s holiness, our goodness is nothing more than filthy rags.[2]
Only God is good, and compared to His standard, we’re not even close. No matter how good you think you are—no matter how many Sundays you’ve been to church, how many mission trips you’ve gone on, how many charitable donations you’ve made, or even how long you’ve been a member of First Baptist Church, Portland, TN—it’s not enough. Our goodness doesn’t even register on God’s scale.[3]
This is where the gospel comes in, and it’s why Jesus’s response is so important. Jesus isn’t lowering the bar for the rich young ruler; He’s raising it to show that it’s impossible to reach. The bad news is that you can’t be good enough to earn God’s favor. The good news is that Jesus was good enough. He lived the perfect life we couldn’t live and died the death we deserved to die, so that when we put our faith in Him, we receive His goodness—His righteousness. That’s what the rich young ruler didn’t understand, and it’s what a lot of us miss, too.
You need Jesus because, no matter how “good” you are, you will always fall short of God’s perfect standard. Your goodness will never be enough—but His grace is! There is so much more than just outward obedience.
Outward obedience Is not enough to inherit eternal life. (20-21)
After Jesus sets the record straight on what true goodness is, He does something fascinating. He tells the rich young ruler, “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’” And without missing a beat, the young man responds, “All these I have kept since my youth.” Wow. That’s quite a claim, isn’t it? This guy really believes he’s done everything God requires. If you ever come across someone who claims they don’t have a sin problem, pray for them right then and there, because they have some thick wool over their eyes!
But let’s pause and think about what’s going on here. Why would Jesus list off these commandments if He already knows the man’s heart and if he knows the Law doesn’t save us? What Jesus is doing is exposing the gap between outward obedience and inward reality. He’s showing us that it’s possible to follow the rules, check all the boxes, and still miss the mark. The rich young ruler was doing all the “right” things—he wasn’t lying, stealing, or dishonoring his parents—but his heart was still far from God.
This is what Jesus addressed in the Sermon on the Mount.[4] He elevated the Law by saying it’s not just about avoiding murder; it’s about not harboring hatred in your heart. It’s not just about avoiding adultery; it’s about not lusting in your mind. Jesus takes what seems like surface-level obedience and shows that true righteousness, true goodness goes much deeper. God cares just as much about what’s going on in your heart as He does about what’s visible in your actions.
Following Jesus requires abandoning idols and complete surrender. (22)
After the rich young ruler claims to have kept all the commandments, Jesus zeroes in on the real issue: “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Jesus isn’t telling this man to empty his bank account and become homeless. He’s exposing the one thing that has a hold on his heart—his wealth.
For this young ruler, his money had become more than just financial security—it was his identity, his source of worth, his ultimate safety net. It was the thing he couldn’t let go of. And when Jesus asks him to sell everything, it’s not because Jesus is against wealth, but because He’s against anything that takes God’s rightful place on the throne of our hearts. For this man, wealth had become an idol, and Jesus was calling him to abandon it and to completely surrender.
“The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death—we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Luke 9:23 – And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Jesus didn’t ask every person He met to sell all their possessions. But He did ask them to completely surrender their heart to Him. And our heart is always tied to something. He didn’t tell Zacchaeus to sell everything. But Zacchaeus walked away from Jesus paying everyone back he had ever wronged, four times as much as he owed.[5] He didn’t tell Peter to sell everything, but Peter (as we’ll see in a few weeks) abandoned his fishing business to become a fisher of men.[6] He asked the rich young ruler to give up his wealth because it was the one thing standing between him and true discipleship. This man’s obedience was superficial because his heart was still enslaved to his possessions.
Jesus will always expose the thing you value most, not in order to deprive you, but in order to set you free. He knows that if you treasure anything more than Him—whether it’s money, a relationship, success, or comfort—you can’t truly follow Him. You can’t serve two masters. Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
So ask yourself: What’s the one thing Jesus would point to in your life? What’s keeping you from fully following Him? For many people it’s wealth. It’s their things. That’s their security, not God.
Wealth and worldly attachments can be obstacles to true faith. (23-25)
When the rich young ruler hears Jesus’s command to sell all he has and follow Him, the text tells us he “became very sad, for he was extremely rich.” This man walks away sorrowful because he wasn’t willing to let go of what he valued most. The irony here is striking—he came seeking eternal life, yet he left clinging to temporary riches that could never satisfy.
Jesus responds by saying, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” He goes on to use an interesting metaphor: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Now, that’s not just a hard saying—that’s an impossible one. The picture of a camel trying to squeeze through the eye of a needle is meant to illustrate the impossibility of a person enslaved by their wealth to enter God’s kingdom on their own terms. Some people think this was in reference to a passage in Israel where camels had to dump all their gear to be able to fit through, like the rock formation at Rock City in Chattanooga called Fat Man Squeeze. An uncle of my dad actually got stuck in it! There’s really no evidence of such a place for Jesus to use as an example. What he’s doing is showing the absurdity of thinking we can cling to riches while clinging to heaven.
We are some of the richest people in the world. And we cling to our wealth. We live above our means and seek to get more (I’m talking to myself as well). We build bigger barns instead of storing our treasures in heaven.[7] I know times are hard and inflation is high. But I want to show you a little of what the impact on earth would be if Christians just faithfully gave their 10% tithe.[8] Yes, I know it’s a sacrifice, but that’s what Jesus is calling us to here when we follow Him. And that includes our money, which Jesus is showing the rich young ruler who isn’t willing to part with his.
Statistics are showing that Christians are only giving at 2.5 percent per capita, while during the Great Depression they gave at a 3.3 percent rate.[9] If Christians gave a minimum of 10% to their local church, there would be an additional $165 billion for the church to use to impact the world for Christ. Here’s a few things that could be done with that:
$25 billion could relieve global hunger, starvation and deaths from preventable diseases in five years.
$12 billion could eliminate illiteracy in five years.
$15 billion could solve the world’s water and sanitation issues, specifically at places in the world where 1 billion people live on less than $1 per day.
$1 billion could fully fund all overseas mission work.
$100 – $110 billion would still be left over for additional ministry expansion.
If we let go of our wealth, the world could have their physical and spiritual needs met! Now, what Jesus says to this rich young ruler doesn’t mean wealth is inherently evil or that God’s kingdom is closed off to the rich. Instead, Jesus is teaching that riches and worldly attachments can be massive spiritual obstacles because they create a false sense of security and self-sufficiency. When we rely on our resources, status, or possessions, it’s easy to forget our need for God. And we all need God. Every one of us. None of us can save ourselves, even on our best days.
Salvation is a work of God’s grace, not human effort. (26-27)
After Jesus says how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom, the disciples are stunned. You should be as well, with how wealthy you are compared to the rest of the world. What Jesus said should really make you pause consider your life. They ask, “Then who can be saved?” It’s a fair question, especially considering that wealth in their culture was often viewed as a sign of God’s blessing and favor. If someone as morally upright and seemingly blessed as the rich young ruler can’t be saved, what hope is there for the rest of us?
Jesus’s answer cuts through the confusion and despair: “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” This statement shifts the entire conversation. The rich young ruler thought he could do something to earn eternal life, but Jesus reveals that salvation is not something anyone can achieve through human effort, regardless of wealth, status, or moral behavior. Salvation is only possible through God’s grace.
The rich young ruler missed this because he was still focused on what he could do. But the gospel isn’t about what we can do—it’s about what God has already done. Jesus lived the perfect life we couldn’t live and died the death we deserved, so that we could receive the gift of salvation by grace through faith. What’s impossible for us—entering God’s kingdom on our own merit—is made possible through God’s grace alone. When we stop striving to be good enough and start trusting in Jesus’s finished work, we experience true freedom and salvation. That’s the good news the rich young ruler missed, but it’s available to all of us today. That includes you.
Following Jesus is costly, but the reward is exponentially greater than what you give up to follow Him. (28-30)
After the rich young ruler walks away, Peter speaks up. “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” He’s essentially saying, “Jesus, we’ve done what this guy wasn’t willing to do. So, what’s in it for us?” Peter’s question is raw and honest, and maybe we’ve asked it ourselves at some point. We’ve sacrificed, we’ve served, we’ve given up certain comforts and priorities to follow Jesus. What do we get in return?
Jesus’s response is powerful and reassuring: “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.” In other words, no sacrifice made for Jesus is ever in vain. The rewards may not be material, and they may not be immediate, but they are real and they are eternal.
Jesus’s words are a reminder that the cost of following Him, though significant, is worth it a hundred times over. Whatever you sacrifice to follow Jesus—whether it’s wealth, relationships, status, or security—you’re not giving up anything that God won’t replace with something far greater. This isn’t prosperity gospel. You won’t be given greater riches. You’ll be given something far better. The peace, joy, and satisfaction that come from knowing and following Jesus are beyond measure, and the promise of eternal life is the ultimate reward.
So, when you’re tempted to hold back or when following Jesus seems too costly, remember this promise: He sees your sacrifices, and He will reward you more abundantly than you can imagine. What we gain in Jesus far outweighs anything we give up for Him. Eternal life, fellowship with God, and a relationship with the One who loves us perfectly—that’s worth any cost.
[7] Luke 12:16-21; Matthew 6:19-21
[8] https://relevantmagazine.com/faith/church/what-would-happen-if-church-tithed
[9] https://nonprofitssource.com/online-giving-statistics/church-giving
