“GOOD TEACHER!”

Luke 18:18-23                       (ESV)

“18 And a ruler asked him, "”GOOD TEACHER”, what must I do to INHERIT eternal life?"

19 And JESUS said to him, "Why do you call ME good? No one is good except GOD alone.

20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.'"

21 And he said, "All these I have kept from my youth."

22 When JESUS heard this, HE said to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow ME."

23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.”

A few years ago I wrote a lot about identifying the enemy, who is the master deceiver.  It is difficult to recognize him because Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 that even satan “disguises” himself as an angel of light, but his “deeds” will eventually reveal his character.  However, the rich, young ruler, couldn’t identify ALMIGHTY GOD when HE was standing in front of him.  JESUS even told him “No one is good except GOD alone”, and yet the mortal couldn’t SEE immorality in his presence.  

The young ruler was focusing on trying to gain something for himself and was oblivious to eternity.  JESUS was LIFE (John 14:6) but he didn’t want to experience what JESUS was about to go through, surrendering to the FATHER so sin would be defeated once and for all!  

But do I do any better at identifying ALMIGHTY GOD or the enemy?  James 1:17 says “Every GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT is from above, coming down from the FATHER of LIGHTS, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change”.  Conversely, the enemy attempts to offer counterfeits, something that looks like the real thing but has no worth, in an attempt to sway as many as possible to follow him INTO ETERNITY.  Anyone who doesn’t surrender to ALMIGHTY GOD is electing to spend eternity without HIM!!!

One of the biggest lies the enemy offers is when someone says “I’ve lived a good life” when asked why they will enter Heaven. The rich, young ruler answered just like this.  Had he been able to SEE that JESUS WAS GOD and admire HIS MAJESTY, the humiliation would have been monumental.  Instead, he “became very sad, for he was EXTREMELY RICH”.  He saw a “GOOD TEACHER”, not the ONE WHO spoke the worlds into existence (Colossians 1:16)!  Don’t fail to recognize ALMIGHTY GOD and call HIM a “GOOD TEACHER”!  Walking away VERY SAD can’t describe eternity separated from a HOLY GOD!!!