Join Cherry Campbell as she challenges the traditional interpretations of the Rich Young Ruler story, offering a refreshing perspective on Jesus’ teachings. Explore the significance of abandoning worldly systems in favor of embracing God’s divine principles of increase through giving and receiving. This episode not only aims to educate but also inspires listeners to adopt a new mindset toward wealth, service, and their personal walk with faith, encouraging a life that follows the divine laws of prosperity found within the Kingdom of God.
Welcome to Victorious Faith. We believe you will be blessed, encouraged, and receive fresh faith to begin your day as you listen to today’s message with international missionary and Bible teacher, Cherri Campbell.
Cherri Campbell (Host) :
Good morning. Welcome to Victorious Faith. I’m Cherri Campbell. This morning we are going to continue our study in lesson number 10 in a class that I taught called The Kingdom of God. And this lesson number 10 is called Understanding the Rich Young Ruler. So join me now in our live class for the continuation of lesson number 10, Understanding the Rich Young Ruler. Teacher, he declared, all these I have kept since I was a boy. Jesus looked at him and loved him. One thing you lack, he said. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. The what? The kingdom of God. We’re talking about entering the kingdom of God here. Now, there’s a lot of things that have been misunderstood about these verses. One thing that’s greatly misunderstood is in verse 21. Jesus said, go sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come follow me. Now, traditional Christianity, most Christians think Jesus wanted him to be poor, that he couldn’t be a rich man and serve God at the same time. That if you’re going to serve me, you’ve got to give everything away. and have nothing, and then come follow me. And only if you have nothing, then you can follow me. Now that’s not what he said. It’s not what’s written. It’s not what he meant. First of all, he said, go everything you have. And I like the way one man of God said it. Sell everything you have to sell. Sell the things that are sellable. In other words, as we would say in America, liquidate. Turn your assets into seed. Turn your assets into seed. He’s talking about living by sowing and reaping. Turn it into seed and give. What is one of the laws of the kingdom? The law of sowing and reaping. Give to the poor. He’s not saying give to the poor and become poor and stay poor. It’s not even written there. People have thought that in their own mind. But if you think that, you’ve added to what Jesus said. He did not say that. But what does the book of Proverbs say? In Proverbs it says, if you give to the poor, you lend to the Lord and the Lord will repay you. Amen. Amen. What does that sound like? Sowing and reaping. You give the poor, God is going to repay you. Amen. What does Luke 6.38 say? Give and it will be given to you again. Press down, shaken together, running over shall men give to you. So what I want you to see first of all here really quickly is that Jesus is telling him, sow so that you can reap. Don’t give everything away and be poor and have nothing, but give so that you can increase, so that you can multiply your assets. And anyway, I’m getting a little bit ahead of myself on that. But then in verse 23, this is another statement that people don’t understand correctly. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. He is not talking about being born again. Most people think entering the kingdom of God, it’s hard for a rich man to get saved. It’s not true. It’s just as easy for a rich man to get saved as it is for a poor man to get saved because it’s easy to get saved. It’s just easy to get saved. God made it easy. All you have to do is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and you’ll be saved. God made it very simple. And it’s not a different system or method for the rich than it is for the poor. It’s the same. And it’s a simple method. Salvation is very, very simple. believe and confess Jesus is your Lord, you’re saved. It’s not harder for a rich man to believe and say than it is for a poor man to believe and say. What is he talking about? Let’s go back to our definition of the kingdom and specifically focus on the second definition, the system. The government, the system, and the laws of God. It’s hard for the rich to enter the system and the laws of God. What is Jesus telling the man to do? Sow and reap. The man went away sad because he did not understand. And then Jesus said, it’s hard for the rich to understand and begin operating in the system of God. Why is it harder for the rich than the poor? Because the rich are experts. They got rich in the world system. In order to get rich in the world system, you’ve got to be good at it. Nobody who is ignorant of the ways of the world can produce riches and fortune for himself in that system. The people that are rich in the world system who got it from themselves, I’m not talking about riches that are handed from one generation to another. I’m talking about a person who is able to make money. He is an expert. at that system now he understands that system he knows how to do this buying and selling it’s hard for him when okay the system of increase in the world is toil but i can also say it’s through buying and selling how does the world make money by buying and selling. It is very interesting to me to see, I was in one nation in Africa, and it’s in many places around the world, Asia and Africa, but in this one place in Africa, we’re driving in the car down the road, and of course, traffic just does not move. Traffic is so bad, they don’t have good traffic control. So it takes a long time to get anywhere, even just a few miles down the road. And traffic moves very slowly. So while traffic is moving very slowly, there are so many people, I mean countless people, walking up and down between the cars trying to sell you something. Anything from a pot to a handkerchief to a bottle of water or to some picture for your wall. Anything. I mean, even a razor, you know, or anything. I mean, just some of the wildest stuff. You think, well, why would I ever want one of those? And yet they’re walking up and down between the cars, in front, behind, around, because the cars are moving so slow anyway, it’s not dangerous. But they’re walking all through the cars trying to sell something. Why are they trying to sell something? Because they believe that if they can sell something, they can make money. That is commerce. Commerce is the way the world system operates to bring increase. But in the kingdom of God, it’s not by buying and selling. It’s by sowing and reaping or giving and receiving. So what Jesus is saying is to this rich young ruler, I want you to change your method. You’re doing good on the world system and on its standard. You know how to buy and sell really well. Now, do it my way. Come follow me and do it the kingdom of God way. And I’m going to challenge you, jump in this 100%. Not 5%, 20%, 50%. I want you to give it your all. 100% right now. I want you to jump in with both feet, so to speak, and go all the way. Work in my system. And give. And then you learn how to reap and harvest and increase your riches. Not by buying and selling, but by giving and receiving. Change the system. Come out of that world system. Make a total break and follow me. That’s what he’s telling this man. Now, he doesn’t tell all of us to do that. There are people called into the world by God. They are called to be bankers. They’re called to be investors. They’re called to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, computer experts. They’re called there and they’re placed into that world to be a witness and a light. But that’s not what Jesus was telling this man. He’s saying, I want you to make a complete break from the world system and come follow me. Now, when he said, come follow me, I believe he’s offering him to be an apostle because Jesus did not tell everybody to come follow him. He only told 12 men. There were multitudes that followed him. crowds that followed him. But all those crowds followed him because they wanted to. There was only 12 that Jesus spoke to and said, you come, you follow me. And he pointed out 12 men and said, you come follow me. And he said to this man the same thing, you, you come follow me. I’m offering you a position with the 12. It was a privilege. It was a rare privilege and an honor to be selected by Jesus. But he’s saying in order for you to come follow me and be one of mine, one of my inner circle, you’ve got to make a complete break with the world system. Not with wealth, but with the world system. And that means transfer your ways and now begin operating by sowing and reaping. Now, I want to back up. I’ve jumped ahead here. But I want us to back up to verse 19. You know the commandments. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not give false testimony. Do not defraud. Honor your father and mother. I want us to notice these very carefully. Have you ever thought about the fact that, first of all, he did not list all ten commandments? We know there are ten commandments from the book of Exodus, chapter 20. And Jesus did not list all ten. And he did not list them in the order that they’re given in Exodus, chapter 20. As a matter of fact, I want you to hold your finger there and go to Exodus 20 and see what did God say about the commandments there. What you just heard was the continuation of lesson number 10 that I taught in a class called The Kingdom of God. And this lesson number 10 is called Understanding the Rich Young Ruler. And we will continue this lesson again tomorrow. So join me again tomorrow. And remember, God loves you. You are blessed and highly favored by the Lord.
Announcer (Host) :
We’re glad you joined us today for Victorious Faith with Cherri Campbell. We invite you to visit our website at victoriousfaith.co where you can listen to the Victorious Faith radio broadcast, find biblical study helps, contact Cherri, and make donations. You can also write to us at P.O. Box 509 East Lake, Colorado 80614. Victorious Faith is a God and Partners supported ministry. As you sow seed and partner with this ministry, we believe God with you for the full harvest of victory you need in your life. Please join us again Monday through Friday at the same time to begin your day with fresh faith. And remember, faith is the victory that overcomes the world.
