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THE KING’S BUSINESS
II. T he L ord ’ s A pplication . 1. The Impossible. “ It is'easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye (perhaps the small gate in a town wall beside the great portal) than for a rich man (who “ trusts in riches,” v. 24 ) to enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Camel and capitalist must both unload to get through. There must be a difference between the kingdom of heaven and the Church, for it’s the easiest thing in the world for a rich man to get' into the Church, and that without unloading. 2. The Possible. Then who can be saved?” - “ They were astonished exceeding ly.” Rich men are counted “the favorites of heaven,” but see! they are not favorites in heaven. If rich men cannot get in, what show is there for a poor man! The same law that applies to birth into this world, applies to birth into the next, “naked he comes into it.” “ Who?” “ All things are possible with God” (Gen. 18:14; Jer. 32: 17, 27). He cannot save them who trust in riches, but the rich who trust in Him. Such rich men were Nicodemus and Joseph of Aramathea, they gave themselves to the Lord (2 Cor. 8 :5 ), and that carried their wealth with them. The Lord left it in their hands as His stewards. III. T he G reat R ecompense . “ There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake, and for the gospel’s sake, but he shall receive a hundred-fold (ten thousand per cent) now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come (the age, or dispensation) eternal life.” These words are prefaced by the Lord’s "Verily.” Evidently the promise is not that one shall have 10,000 blood rela tions 10 one,' but that all the satisfactions that these items stand for shall be his now, and heaven hereafter (1 Cor. 3:21-23). Treasures on deposit with God are beyond the reach of thieves and dynamite, and are collateral for all present needs.
but, rather, richer. It was not too much to ask. But it was not the Eternal which the ruler wished, it was “ eternal life.” “John,” said a father to his son, proudly showing a silver Watch, the gift of his grandfather, “give that watch to Jim,” a younger brother. John saw that he was in earnest and, with great tears in his eyes, passed it to Jim. A few days after his father brought a gold watch to John. 4. The Great Refusal. “ His countenance fell.” He came with great expectations. He went away in great dejection. He had much of this life, he hoped to inherit both lives, to bow in the house of Rimmon and be a devotee of Jehovah (2 Kings 5:18). But that long face—how it would have brightened had he known a thing or two revealed to others. That a man never pos sesses his own till he begins to distribute; gets no pleasure out of -his goods till he sets them about doing good. “What are those?” asked Cromwell, as, he gloomily regarded the silver images of the apostles in their niches in the Cathedral. “ The twelve apostles, Sir.” “Well coin them and let them, like their Master, go about doing good.” Luther had a gift of 60 pieces of gold. He was woefully poor. But on his way home met a poor man of the neigh borhood, gave him 40 of them, and went home with a humorous smile and said,, “ I made Fritz ( ? ) happy!” “H e went away sorrowful, for he was one that had great possessions.” What a paradox for the world. “ Very sorry, for he was very rich.” “ These are the things,” ; said Dr. Johnson, when shown a rich man’s estate, “ which make it hard to die.” To transport such treasures before to heaven, would make it easy to die and go to one’s own. Poor rich-man, "H e went away!” And after that, perhaps not long after, he went away, and more sorrowfully. Or, perhaps, before that, his money went and he was sorry again. A friend of mine whose money went away, said to me, “ If I had put more o f it into the little church yonder I’d have had it now.” Let riches take wings if they fly heavenward.
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