Discipleship

Point of Grace Online Worship - Easter Sunday (April 20, 2025)

Point of Grace Worship        4.20.25     Sermon Notes – Easter 2025 – “Come and See – Go and Tell”

Matthew 28:1-10
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. 
  Come and see the place where he lay. 
Then go quickly and tell his disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. 
  There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

“Come and See – Go and Tell”
is the new rhythm of life for followers of the Risen Jesus
empowered with a new message to share!

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 

Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 

Jesus couldn’t help Himself. 
He took, “Come and See” to a whole new level for the women. 
He wanted them to have more than evidence to “come and see”
He gave them His “presence”.

10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Surprises” are part of following the Risen Jesus. 

The “Come and See – Go and Tell” life is more than He promised but not less than.

What is Jesus asking You today to “Come and See”… … … for you to “Go and Tell” some good news?

The Resurrection of Jesus is really good news in so many ways.  It is a message of victory - many victories! 

The Resurrection of Jesus is the victory of Life over death!

Jesus is the author of Life! Death is the enemy!
Jesus creates life – there is no life apart from Him!
Death separates – de-creates life – offers “the end of things”. 
The spirit of death, unleashed in the world, permeates our living, fragments souls!

Jesus is Life – He creates – He puts things back together.  He makes us whole! He is the integrating center!

“I have come that you may have Life and have it to the full.” – Jesus 

Colossians 1:15-20
15 
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 
16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 
17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; 
He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

The Risen Jesus invites us to receive Him as Life … our life filled with His Life!

Jesus, I receive You as Life – fill my life with Your Life.  Heal my fragmented heart!

I renounce the spirit of death and all the ways “deathiness” has robbed me of Life.

I receive You Jesus – Risen from the dead – as my Life.  Life that death cannot take away!

Fill me with Your Spirit – lead me into Life today!

Amen

Point of Grace Online Worship - January 5, 2025

Sermon Notes – 1.5.25 – “Jesus – the One for me to see!” – Epiphany

Epiphany  - to “shine light on”, “to spotlight”, “to reveal”

Am I looking where God is shining?

In the story of the Magi, in Matthew 2, God shines multiple spotlights on 
“Jesus, as the One for me to see!”

                     Spotlight 1 - The Magi

                     Spotlight 2 - Old Testament Connections

                     Spotlight 3 - King Herod

Matthew 2
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

The Magi – the most unlikely targets of God’s work in Jesus!  It would have been an epiphany for Matthew’s readers to think that God was at work in Jesus for people like “Magi from the East”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
   are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

The Old Testament Connections highlighted by Matthew (four in this chapter alone) are like “epiphany’s” to the 1st century reader.  “Oh, wow, I see!”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

King Herod stands in stark contrast to King Jesus…..
        One is powerful with the power of men…
               the other powerless but in the hands of God! 

         One threatened by a baby to the point of atrocity …          
                the other worshiped by the unlikely recipients of God’s epiphany!

What about me? 

As I look forward to the unfolding days of 2025 where is God shining His light for me to see?
Will I look where His light is shining?

Is my life threatened by Jesus or
is my life worship of Jesus: the One I truly need to see?

Point of Grace Online Worship - December 29, 2024

Point of Grace – 12.29.24  -   Seeing Jesus After Christmas - Sermon Notes

“Sir, We want to see Jesus?”

Luke 2
21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”, 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

When we see Jesus for who He truly is
and see ourselves being with Jesus in the dailiness of life
a “saving” of ourselves happens that brings us more fully alive!

A Prayer to See Jesus Each Day

Holy Spirit,
“Help me see Jesus for all He is
so I might be with Jesus
in every way today!”

Point of Grace Online Worship - September 22, 2024

Point of Grace – 9.22.24 Sermon Notes

“Always Pray and Don’t Give Up”

Luke 18:1-8 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect any person. 3 Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent.’ 4 For a while he was unwilling; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God respect any person, 5 yet because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice; otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night, and will He delay long for them? 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

This parable has some layers of meaning and helps us with two questions:

Why should we persist in “prayer and not become discouraged”?

How should we persist in “prayer and not become discouraged”?

Luke 18 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged, (not give up) 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect any person.

3 Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent.’ (vindicate me… make things right … make sure truth prevails) 4 For a while he was unwilling; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God or respect any person, 5 yet because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice; otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” (Literally ‘give me a black eye’) 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night, and will He delay long for them? (or be longsuffering to them) 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly.

Why Pray?

Jesus paints a picture of the persistent woman who was utterly powerless against the unjust forces of culture and indifference of people. She had “one” thing available to her that is her “persistent coming to the one who could ‘make things right’”. Jesus accentuates the importance of this “persistent coming” by describing the judge as indifferent to the woman’s needs except ….. he didn’t want her to “give him a black eye”.???? It turns out the judge did care about himself and his reputation when it was on the line. This is what her persistence tapped into and she (the powerless one) got justice in the end.

Jesus contrasts our heavenly Father with the judge by saying our Father in not indifferent.

He does hear our prayers.

He is at work answering our prayers.

He does value our tears shed under the weight of things “not being right” as we cry out to Him to “make things right” in a world gone wrong.

He wants us to cry out to Him.

He wants us to “hold Him to His promises – He cares about His reputation.”

He wants His children to bring all the angst messiness of being broken people in a broken unjust world to the prayer room.

Because He does care.

He is compassionate.

He is merciful and He does answer often “unexpectedly” … “surprisingly” now and will “make all things right” when He returns……. Come Lord Jesus … Come quickly.

How do we pray and not give up?

Jesus leads us to pray “all in”….. bring our whole selves…. wholehearted.

Come fully, passionately “all in” to Him in prayer.

Rehearse His promises back to Him. Ask Him to fulfill them in our day… in our lives …. Now!

He comes “quickly” as we pray…. unexpectedly “making things right”

as we pray in this “already now but not yet” chapter of the story we are in.

In the last line Jesus paints us who live 2000 years later into the picture,

“However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find (the) faith on the earth?”

Point of Grace Online Worship - September 15, 2024

Point of Grace – 9.15.24 Sermon Notes

“STOP and PRAY”

“If we truly love people, we will desire for them far more than it is within our power to give them, and this will lead us to pray. Intercessory prayer is a way of loving others… Intercessory prayer is selfless prayer, even self-giving prayer. In the ongoing work of the Kingdom of God nothing is more important than Intercessory Prayer.” Richard Foster

STOP and PRAY

STOP – “to be interrupted and interruptible to ‘notice’ beyond ourselves”

PRAY – “to invoke the resources of heaven upon the needs on earth”

Pray First, Pray Now, Pray Bold, Pray Through

Luke 19:1-10 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Acts 3:1-8 C3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

Matthew 6:9-13 C4

9 Jesus said, “This, then, is how you should pray: “

‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be Your name …

Your kingdom come…

Your will be done … … on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but Deliver us from the evil one.  

STOP and PRAY

“To pray the Lord’s prayer, especially the first three petitions, is like being Special Forces embedded deep in enemy territory calling in the coordinates for a cruise missile of the wholeness of Heaven to strategically strike a certain brokenness on earth, for the ‘rightness’ of heaven to overwhelm a particular ‘wrongness’ on earth, that the victory already secured by heaven would breakthrough and manifest itself now on earth.”

Can you imagine if the church of Jesus caught the vision of Jesus and exercised the authority of Jesus invoking the resources of Jesus into the realities of earth.

What if God could trust us to “STOP and PRAY” at a moment’s notice and for the long haul, joining Him in bringing about the redemption of the world, our families, ourselves?

Point of Grace Online Worship - November 19, 2023

Point of Grace Worship 11.19.23 Sermon Notes – “Servants of Christ Together - Thanks Giving”

Something wonderful happens in us when we remember that “Thanksgiving” is a “verb” and then act like it.

Mark 6 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand. Mark 14 22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 “This is my blood of the[c] covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them.

Psalm 100 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 1 Thessalonians 5 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

It is as if “giving thanks” is a key that unlocks a whole lot of “life” that is hidden in plain sight!

e u c h a r i s t e o “give thanks”

c h a r i s “grace”

c h a r a “joy”

Joy is the realist reality, the fullest life, and joy is always given, never grasped. God gives gifts and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given: joy! Ann Voskamp – one thousand gifts

Luke 17 11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[b] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Jesus knows that something beautiful, something vital, something irreplaceably joyful happens in us when we intentionally and substantially return “to give thanks” to Him.

Point of Grace Online Worship - November 12, 2023

Point of Grace Worship        11.12.23    Sermon Notes – “Servants of Christ – TOGETHER” - 5

How do we do life as “Servants of Christ” ……… TOGETHER?

“You can count on me!  Can I count on you?”    
What does this mean as we serve Jesus and others through financial giving?

Why give?   

Why be “sacrificially generous” in our financial offerings?   (when there are so many reasons not to be)

Answer:  Jesus … because He has been so “sacrificially generous” to us! 
            Jesus knows that when His sacrificial love is firmly rooted and trusted in the “born again” heart of His followers…..  
            then “sacrificial generosity” will be the normal, joyful and inevitable response.

1 Corinthians 8

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 
2 In the midst of a
very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,
 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 
5 And they exceeded our expectations:
They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 
6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.
 7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—
see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.
 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 

What happens when God’s sacrificial love and generosity fades to the fringes of our hearts?

Malachi 3
Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.
“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. 

Where do I start?  How do I excel?

Love – Jesus’s generous love flows to me and overflows through me!

First – Giving is the first financial decision not from the left overs!

Percentage –  We give a portion of what we have been given.

Sacrificial – Giving that tangibly affects our lifestyle.

Trust – Giving is an act of trust that God’s generous love will not run out.

 

Point of Grace Online Worship - November 5, 2023

Point of Grace Worship 11.5.23 Sermon Notes – “Servants of Christ – TOGETHER” - 4

How do we do life as “Servants of Christ” ……… TOGETHER?

“You can count on me! Can I count on you?” What does this mean as we serve God and others through financial giving?

Romans 12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. What is our thinking with regards to money and giving and what influences us?

Luke 12 13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 0 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

How is Jesus reframing our thinking about money and giving?

1 Timothy 6 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Luke 19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

How does financial giving help us live out a Jesus way of thinking about and handling money?

Proverbs 3:5-10 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.[a] 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Mark 12 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Financial giving helps us HONOR God with all of our being, especially those parts of us that tend to become idols.

Financial giving helps us TRUST God above ourselves for all we need and want …. for everything.

Luke 18 18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’[a]” 21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.