1. A Christian Carol Luke 18:18-23

2. The Rich and the Kingdom of God 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] ”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.

3. Lawful Beginnings Scrooge Did not break the law Paid his taxes (his understanding of helping the poor) Lived up to what some would expect, rich getting richer, poor getting poorer Rich Young Ruler Was likely a pharisee, a fan of the law Was interested in ‘good’ people Kept the commandments since he was a boy

4. Both in Need Scrooge Though he did not know it, Scrooge was in need of compassion for others for his welfare, salvation Rich Young Ruler Was in desperate need of the knowledge that would lead to salvation He ran to and knelt before Jesus to get it

5. The Outcome Scrooge “…it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!” Rich Young Ruler Went away sad because he had great wealth

6. A Christian Carol Sometimes we come across moments in life, whether thrust upon us or by self awareness, where we know a change is most needed. Health Scares Redundancy Burn Out Marriage Issues Etc.

7. A Christian Carol 1)These are opportunities for change/salvation 2)These opportunities will often disappear if we leave them long enough 3)We need to ask ourselves whether or not the change we need to make will prevent a possibly poorer future 4)Though it may cost us now by the world’s standards, it may bring us a long lasting or eternal reward