Go and Make Disciples (Matthew 28:19): October 2020

Rev Edmund Chan
01-11-2020

Mark 10:21 is a call to an “ALL-IN” discipleship.

In the movie Back To The Future III, Marty McFly and Doc Emmet Brown time travelled back to the wild west of 1885. To return back to the future, they needed speed supplied by a train. Doc told Marty that up to a certain point along the track, they would hit the point of no return. After that point, there’s no turning back.

In discipleship, there is a point of no return. And after that, there’s no turning back. You are fully committed. ALL-IN. Remember the familiar Sunday School song?

“I have decided to follow Jesus,
No turning back, no turning back.”

The problem with discipleship today is that we keep turning back.

To do so, we must cross the point of no return and embrace an “ALL-IN” Discipleship.

This idea of a point of no return is not just for discipleship. In 1981, I got married to Ann—it was a point of no return. In 1994, Ann and I adopted Amanda—it was a point of no return. In 1996, we adopted Belicia—it was another point of no return. One thing these points of no return have in common—there were distinctly all-in decisions.

Likewise in discipleship, we are called to an “ALL-IN” Discipleship.

When I wrote A Certain Kind, I asked Pr Jung-Hyun Oh of Korea to write an endorsement for the book. He kindly endorsed the book and said:

And then he added a personal endorsement of the author which provoked and challenged me, in a positive way. He said: “Edmund Chan is a committed and passionate evangelical church leader in pursuit of expanding God’s Kingdom – his life can only be described as “ALL-IN” for disciplemaking.”

When I read that, I said to myself, “That’s what I want. An “ALL-IN” Discipleship to Jesus.” It’s not how I see myself or describe myself. But it is certainly what I aspire to.

The whole narrative comes to us in three parts.

1) Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler.

2) Jesus’ teaching and mentoring of His disciples.

3) Jesus’ prophecy of what’s ahead of Him in Jerusalem.

In these three parts, we find three essential marks of “ALL-IN” Discipleship. It is discipleship to Jesus that is marked by three things.

Let’s explore them one at a time.

It’s about what captures our heart. Jesus said:

It is fascinating because it was said to someone who apparently lacked nothing. It was an interesting encounter. Mark 10 tells us that Jesus was going to Jerusalem and the young man came and ran after Him and knelt before Him. This impressive young man had everything he wanted in life. Mark 10:22 tells us he was wealthy. In a parallel passage in Luke 18:18 tells us he was a powerful ruler. In another parallel passage in Matthew 19:20, it tells us that he was young. Think about this: Young. Rich. And powerful. He seemed to have the perfect recipe for human happiness. He has what the world says would make us happy. And he wasn’t just young, rich and powerful; he was young, rich, powerful and righteous. He has studied the law carefully and kept it conscientiously. He’s the kind of guy all Jewish mothers think their daughters would marry. Young, rich, powerful and righteous; and he was humble. As he came and knelt before Jesus, he wasn’t an entitled spoilt brat. And on his knees, he asked Jesus a question, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Good teacher” is a term without parallel in Jesus’ days. They simply did not use such an address when speaking to men. Because the Jews understand that God is good and they avoided using the term “good” for people, lest they be guilty of blasphemy. So for this young man to say “Good teacher” he was saying something quite staggering. It is like in my home, Ann would say, “Don’t use the word “awesome” for trivial things because only God is awesome!”

Jesus, in reply, quoted to him six of the commandments. And this rich young ruler replied that he has kept these from his youth. (v.20) Been there, done that. Mark then tell us Jesus loved him. We know that Jesus loves all people. So, why state the obvious, the redundant and the unnecessary? Why specifically say Jesus loved him? It is simply to indicate to us that the tone of Jesus was love, not one of condemnation. In other words, Jesus wasn’t out to make life difficult for him in the reply Jesus gave to him in v.21.

Did you catch that? Jesus says, “One thing you lack.” And He tells him three things to do. But here’s the actual answer:

The other two are simply modifiers. Actually, they were added to expose his heart, particularly his heart’s treasure. “Oh, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” The rich young ruler had everything. But one thing he lacked—he didn’t have Jesus. And so Jesus pointed out to him, “This is what I wanted you to do. You have fulfilled the commandments. Great! But if you really love God with all your heart, which is the first commandment, then you come, sell all you have and give to the poor and follow Me.” Because that’s the one thing missing.

He didn’t hear carefully the answer. All that captured his attention was, “Go sell all you have. I can’t do that. Go give it all to the poor. I can’t do that.” And he missed the idea, the commandment, the call, the invitation: “Follow Me.” Why? Because that’s the key to eternal life—to have Jesus. As far as he was concerned, the trade off was far too great. To give everything he had for the one thing he lacked wasn’t worth it to him. It’s so sad. He was so close, and yet so far.

In [her] book “Things as They Are”, Amy Carmichael told the time she met an Indian queen in her palace. The queen was spiritually hungry. She kept insisting that Amy tell her what is necessary for salvation. The queen was zealous to discover the truth and determined that the answer should neither be delayed nor deflected. She said, “I must know. I must know it now.” At her insistence, Amy read to her what the Lord said about herself and about following Him. Then Amy Carmichael journaled the queen’s response in these sad words:

The queen was so close, yet so far. She was spiritually hungry just like the rich young ruler. But here’s the greatest flaw. Like the rich young ruler, they both couldn’t see what their true treasure is.

In this narrative, we learn something about following Jesus. An “ALL-IN” Discipleship is a discipleship that is valued above all treasures. Don’t love the world nor the things of the world; it’s not worth it.

Jesus took this teachable moment to mentor His disciples.

Jesus is using a hyperbole—a graphic exaggeration to make a point. He contrasts two things—the camel, one of the largest animals in the Middle East—and the needle’s eye, the smallest hole. And He says it is impossible for the camel to go through the needle’s eye. But is Jesus saying that rich people won’t go to heaven? No.

It is especially shocking in a culture that assumes that a man’s wealth indicates that God is please with him and that God has bestowed special favour upon him.

Jesus did not say, “Well done, old chap, good on you.” No, Jesus took it as a teachable moment to mentor His disciples and said something precious to them.

In other words, there will be a grand reversal in God’s kingdom. Within this context, it is not just about wealth, houses or land. It is a discipleship that is esteemed above all relationships as well.

Don’t have unworthy loves at the centre of your life. Love Jesus and love Him fully because that in the essence what true love is. Imagine a husband at his wedding promising his bride that he will be faithful to her for the rest of his life, except for one day a month. Will his bride accept that? No. Why? Because his love wouldn’t be esteemed above all relationships. And Jesus is looking for that kind of love relationship—a discipleship that is esteemed above all relationships. Don’t give your heart to unworthy loves. If you have a relationship right now that is not pleasing to God, you are coming to a point of no return. You are coming to a point of a crossroad. You are coming to a point of decision. Would you choose a relationship that is not pleasing to God or would you choose a relationship with Jesus the Christ in a discipleship that is an “ALL-IN” Discipleship? You’ve got to choose and your choice would determine the treasures of your heart. Your choice would determine the true condition of your heart. Your choice would determine what kind of discipleship you have, whether it is a discipleship that is no turning back or rather, a discipleship that you keep turning back. Here’s a question that you have to ask: How do I know that it is a relationship that is pleasing to the Lord or not? That’s a very simple test.

Does it draw you closer to God or does it draw you away from God and away from the Word of God? You have to choose. Right now, there are many Christians, even in Christian leadership, who can say, “Yes! I love Jesus! Yes! I want to follow Jesus! Yes! I want to serve Jesus!” But they may be having relationships that are not pleasing to God. You have to choose. Don’t let the fatal attractions of this world confuse you or deceive you because the things of this world do not last. The things of this world do not satisfy. Jesus was talking about the very fundamental of relationships. He calls us to esteem Him higher because Jesus is worth it all. Don’t let our hearts be captured by fatal attractions of this world. Have this “ALL-IN” Discipleship to follow Jesus.

It’s all about what validates our faith.

Notice how the entire narrative began with an irony. Jesus was going to Jerusalem to die but this rich young ruler came to Him and asked Him how to live. Jesus was on His way to give His life but this man is asking how to have life. He’s come to the right place. He’s come to the right person. This rich young ruler had everything but one thing he lacked—he didn’t have Jesus. So what makes Jesus so special?

They were amazed because Jesus was walking ahead of them. What’s so amazing about that? Because Jesus was walking towards Jerusalem. He was walking towards His death sentence. But He walked with such steady steps. He walked with such steadfast focus. They were amazed by His intentionality. He was walking ahead of them.

Why were they afraid? Not because of the uncertainty of what was going to happen in Jerusalem. It was the opposite. They were afraid because they knew with certainty what was about to happen. Jesus was walking towards Jerusalem towards a death sentence.

Notice He did not say after three centuries He will rise. You just wait. No. He did not even say after three decades He will rise. You just wait. No. He said after three days they will know. Why three days? Why not after 24 hours? Because the Jews in Jesus’ time have this idea that when a person dies, the spirit of the person or the ghost lingers around [the corpse] for three days and after that it’s gone—it’s a point of no return. There’s no way this man could arise. He’s completely, totally dead. So, Jesus said three days. Just watch it. Three days He will rise. After all hope is gone, after death is certain, after there is a foregone conclusion, Jesus said, “Three days I will rise!”

The resurrection of Jesus is so important. It is so important that for our church’s 40^th anniversary, I volunteered to preach the anniversary message for two reasons. One, because the 40^th is a significant year representing one generation, and two, because I have a message for the next generation. And the message is this: “Don’t drift from the foundation of Christianity—the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” And I gave credible reasons for believing in the resurrection of Jesus. Check out the 40^th anniversary message. You cannot get more foundational than this. The whole of Christianity is rooted upon the resurrection of Jesus. He is alive! He is risen! There is no fear of death because Christ is risen. The resurrection gives us a faith that is vindicated beyond all doubts of who Jesus really is, and Jesus really saves.

Mark 10 teaches us the most important spiritual truth—that salvation is a gift of God in Christ Jesus. And apart from Jesus, it is beyond human ability to secure it. In Acts 16, we have the account of the Philippian jailer who asked the same question as the rich young ruler. “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And Paul and Silas replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” And that’s what the jailer did. He believed on the Lord Jesus.

It is the gift of God in His Son secured by faith evidenced by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

There once was a fabulously wealthy man who loved his son above all things. To stay close to his son, they began to build an art collection together. Every spare minute, they were out at auctions and sales acquiring rare works of art: everything from Picasso to Raphael. By the time the Vietnam conflict broke out, they built one of the rarest, most valuable collections in the world.

A letter came one day informing the son he had been drafted. The father offered to pull some strings, but the son felt compelled to serve his country as his father and grandfather did before him.

The son went off to war, and he wrote his dad every day. One day the letters stopped. The father’s worst fears were realis Your son was my friend and we spent many a lonely night in country talking about you and your love for art.” The young soldier held out his package and said, “I know this isn’t much and I’m not much of an artist, but I wanted you to have this drawing I’ve done of your son as I last remember him.”

The father opened the package and fought back the tears as he gazed at a portrait of his one and only son. He said, “You have captured the essence of my son’s smile in this painting and I will cherish it above all others.” The father hung the portrait over his mantle. When visitors came to his home, he always drew attention to the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other masterpieces.

ed when he received a telegram from the war department informing him his son had been killed while attempting to rescue another soldier.

About six months later, there was a knock at the door. A young soldier with a large package under his arm said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the man your son saved on that faithful day he died deep in the jungles of Vietnam. He had already saved many lives that day, and as he was carrying me off the battlefield, he was shot through the heart and died instantly.

Now this drawing, it was just a regular drawing, something not fit for an art gallery.

When the father died the news went out that the entire collection was being offered at an exclusive private auction. Collectors and art experts from around the world gathered for the chance of purchasing one of them.

The first painting on the auction block was the soldier’s modest rendering of his son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel and asked someone to start the bidding. The sophisticated crowd scoffed and demanded the Van Gogh’s and the Rembrandts be brought forth.

The auctioneer persisted. “Who will start the bidding? $200? $100?”

The crowd continued to turn up their noses, waiting to see the more serious works of art.

Still the auctioneer solicited, “The son! The son! Who will take the son?”

Finally, a squeaky voice from the back said, “I’ll bid $10 for the son.” The bidder was none other than the young soldier the son had died saving. He said, “I didn’t come to buy anything and all I have is $10 to my name, but I bid it all.”

The auctioneer continued seeking a higher bid, but the angry crowd began to chant, “Sell it to him and let’s get on with the auction!” The auctioneer pounded the gavel and sold the painting for the bid of $10.

An eager buyer from the second row bellowed, “Finally, on with the auction!” The crowd roared.

And just then the auctioneer said, “The auction is now officially over.”

The hostile crowd demanded to know how after coming all this way could the auction possibly be over?

The president of the auctioning company came to the microphone and said, “When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a stipulation in the will I could not divulge until now.

According to the wishes of the deceased only the painting of the son was to be sold today and whoever has the son, has it all.

So today, for $10 this young man has bought one of the world’s most priceless art collections and the entire estate in which it is housed — auction closed.” And with the swing of the gavel, the crowd sat in stunned silence staring at the young soldier.

When God gave us His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, God went “ALL-IN” for us. God went for broke, “ALL-IN”, when He gave us His Son. And the one who has the Son has it all. To the rich young ruler, Jesus said, “One thing you lack… Follow Me.” To Peter who said to Jesus, “Lord, we have left everything to follow You”, Jesus replied, “You will have everything in life. Yes, including persecution. But hereafter, you shall have life eternal.” And to those who follow Him in uncertainty and fear, Jesus said, “Don’t worry. In spite of the circumstances, I have power over it all.” And with it, He prophesied that He would rise the third day from the dead and He did. And through it all Jesus simply said, “Follow Me.” “Follow Me” is an invitation and a privilege to an “ALL-IN” Discipleship that is valued above all treasures, esteemed above all relationships and vindicated beyond all doubts. For the Saviour who calls us to an “ALL-IN” Discipleship went to the cross and died for us. For at the cross, Jesus went for broke, “ALL-IN”, for us.

Lord, we open our hearts before You and before Your Word to ask that our eyes be lifted up to the cross of our Saviour. For You did not call us to an “ALL-IN” Discipleship with no turning back. You sent Your Son who went for broke for us, “ALL-IN”, on the cross to die for our sins that we might have life. And Lord, now we pray that our faith, our gratitude and our love might be unto Him. Rooted on the power that Jesus has risen from the dead. The risen Lord! The risen Saviour!

As you bow before the Lord, don’t be like the rich young ruler—so close and yet so far. Come to Jesus. Come to a point of no return in following Him—an “ALL-IN” Discipleship of full commitment unto Him.

Salvation is in none other except in Christ Jesus. He who has the Son has life. He who gets the Son gets it all. How do you have the Son? By faith. How do you have that faith and express that faith? By a simple prayer: “Dear God, I am sorry for my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus, Your Son, to die on the cross for my sins. Lord Jesus, please come into my life, and save me that I might have life eternal.”