INTRODUCTION

1. Jesus told the rich ruler to sell his possessions and give to the poor, but the young man went away sorrowful, for he was unwilling to give up his substantial property (Mark 10:17-22). Notice Mark 10:23-24:

   ²³And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" ²⁴The disciples were amazed at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!"

2. Presently, let us consider what makes it hard for many to enter the kingdom of God.

    

HARD WAYS INTO THE KINGDOM

1. It is hard to enter the kingdom of God for those who have the wrong standard of righteousness.

   1. Jesus gave His harshest rebukes to the Pharisees, who were hypocrites and held their traditions above the word of God (Matt. 6:1-18; 15:1-9; 23:1-39).

   2. Even so, the Pharisees' ways were the standard of righteousness among the Jews during Jesus' time on earth.  Therefore, the Jews must have been stunned when Jesus said in Matthew 5:20:

      "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."

   3. If the Jews thought that Jesus had set an impossible standard for entering the kingdom of heaven, they were wrong.

      1. Consider Romans 1:16-17:

         ¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  ¹⁷For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "But the righteous man shall live by faith."

      2. Through the truth of the gospel, it is not hard to exceed the Pharisees' superficial righteousness.  True righteousness and an abundant entrance into the kingdom are available to anyone who believes and obeys the gospel (2Pet. 1:10-11).

   4. For those today who continue to stubbornly cling to man-made traditions and creeds, entrance into the kingdom of God is not only hard but impossible.

2. It is hard to enter the kingdom of God for those who will not submit to God's will.

   1. Jesus is the way to the Father (John 14:6), but entrance into the kingdom will require more than a casual acquaintance with Him.  Notice Matthew 7:21:

      "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."

   2. This requirement excludes those who stubbornly refuse to submit to the will of God.  It disqualifies those who give mere lip service rather than genuine obedience.

   3. This standard for entrance into the kingdom is not hard for those who love God.  Notice 1John 5:3:

      For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

   4. Indeed, those who love Christ find that His yoke is easy and His burden is light when they submit to the Father's will (Matt. 11:28-30).  In this way, their entrance to the kingdom is not hard.

3. It is hard to enter the kingdom of God for those who will not humble themselves like children.

   1. The Lord's disciples were often discussing which of them would be the greatest in the kingdom.  They were interested in glory, power, and authority for themselves.

   2. However, Jesus showed them how their thinking was wrong and opposite to true greatness in His kingdom.  Notice Matthew 18:1-4:

      ¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  ²And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, ³and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  ⁴Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

   3. Greatness in this world is often incompatible with humility. This makes it difficult for those who are worldly minded to achieve the greatness of the kingdom of heaven.  It requires a change of heart and a choice to prefer the ways of God's kingdom over the ways of the world.

   4. For those who will humble themselves, greatness in God's kingdom is assured and promises are given in God's word:

      1. James 4:10 -- Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

      2. 1Peter 5:6 -- Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,

4. It is hard to enter the kingdom of God for those who will not sacrifice sinful pleasures.

   1. Many obstacles in this world cause us to stumble in a spiritual sense.  These are objects, opportunities, or relationships that lead us to sin.

   2. In the interest of the kingdom of God, it is best to remove as many of these obstacles as possible.  Jesus spoke hyperbolically of drowning oneself, cutting off a hand or a foot, or plucking out an eye in Mark 9:42-50.  Notice verses 47-48:

      ⁴⁷"If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, ⁴⁸where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched."

   3. Jesus was not suggesting that we must literally mutilate our bodies or kill ourselves to enter the kingdom of God, but He was illustrating the difficultly of the choices we must make in turning away from sin.

   4. For those who will not make the difficult choices to put away stumbling blocks, they make it hard on themselves to enter the kingdom. Which will be harder -- avoiding sin in this life, or being cast into hell in the life to come?

5. It is hard to enter the kingdom of God for those who are not born again.

   1. In John 3:1-4, Jesus gave an instruction to Nicodemus that appeared impossible.  Jesus said,

      "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

   2. When Nicodemus questioned Jesus about how a man could enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born again, the Lord replied in John 3:5,

      "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

   3. In fact, the Lord did not make it impossible to enter the kingdom, but rather He set a very simple requirement: baptism.

      1. It is at baptism that a sinner dies to sin, is buried in Christ, and is raised up to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:1-14).

      2. It is then that a sinner receives "the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit" (Tit. 3:5).  In other words, he is born again of water and the Spirit.

   4. Baptism into Christ is easy to receive, but those who refuse to obey will find it impossible to enter the kingdom of God.

6. It is hard to enter the kingdom of God for those who will not endure hardship for Christ's sake.

   1. Jesus was very forthright concerning the hardship that will be suffered by His disciples (Matt. 5:10-12; Mark 10:30; John 15:18-20). If anyone wants to follow Him, then he must "take up his cross" (Matt. 16:24).

   2. The apostle Paul preached these hardships as part of the gospel message.  Notice Acts 14:21-22:

      ²¹After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, ²²strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

   3. These hardships will cause some to fall away from the Lord as He foretold in the parable of the sower.  Notice His explanation in Matthew 13:20-21:

      ²⁰"The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.

   4. Persecution can make it hard for Christians to enter the kingdom, but the entrance will be impossible for those who will not endure but instead "shrink back to destruction" (Heb. 10:39).

       

CONCLUSION

1. When Jesus' disciples heard how hard it was to enter the kingdom, they asked, "Who then can be saved?"  Jesus replied, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God" (Mark 10:27).

2. God already did the hardest part to bring us into His kingdom by giving His son.  Will we do our part?