“All The Fitness He Requireth” Mark
SCRIPTURE INTRO: We’ve seen in recent weeks in our study
of Mark
that
Jesus came to set things right through his suffering and death.
He came to redeem
the world, to restore what is broken.
In this passage we see how Christ’s redemptive work
radically changes
the
way we view our money and our morality
INTRO: Several years ago we were in
that
I wanted to take because I had read it led to a beautiful view.
But when we got to the beginning of the road, there was a
big sign: Danger!
And then it listed
all of the dangers of this road.
Falling rocks,
landslides, flash floods, drop-offs,
limited
search and rescue in case of accident or injury.
It was a sign that really got your attention. And it got mine.
There was no way I
was going to take my minivan and family up that road.
Of course, I pretended to ignore the sign and started up the
road—
just
so I could hear Allison let out a shriek.
And she did. Something like: You’ll kill us all!
But really, the sign convinced me. I turned around and went the other way.
Supposed you were asked to make a danger sign that listed
the biggest threats
to
a person’s soul—what would you put on that sign?
You might think of the first nine chapters of Proverbs where
the
father warns his son over and over about two things that will
destroy
him spiritually—evil companions and immoral women.
Or you might think of Paul’s warning about
the
root of bitterness, and the sun going down on your anger—
which
are said to give the devil a foothold.
There might be other things you would put on your danger
sign—
maybe
things you have personally seen destroy people spiritually
But whatever your danger sign said—it would probably be a
list of bad things.
That’s what makes this story so powerful. It’s a warning.
A young man misses eternal life—not because of evil
companions,
or
immoral women, not because of the root of bitterness,
or
the sun going down on his anger or anything else bad—
But because of his prosperity and his
morality.
This story is a warning that being morally upright and
prosperous
can
actually be a threat to your soul.
We never think that way.
When you are doing well financially, what do you say?
“We’re just so
blessed.” God has blessed us
financially.
And if you are doing well in life morally—
doing
the things you know you should do, not doing things shouldn’t,
you
have a sense that God is smiling on you.
When you think about your kids, what do you want for their
future?
You want them to be
solid, moral people who don’t struggle financially.
We never look at our prosperity and our morality and say:
This gives me deep
concern.
These things could
be blinding me to my true condition.
They could be
permanently damaging my soul by keeping me from Christ.
But that’s exactly what this story is about.
Jesus warns that your moral uprightness and your financial
prosperity
can
be threats to your soul.
Just like this very moral, religious, and prosperous young
man—
they
can blind you to your true spiritual condition—
and
keep you away from Jesus and the Gospel and salvation.
This is an important story.
It’s recorded in three of the Gospels—M, M, L.
Made
a huge impact on the disciples, wanted to pass it on to future Christians.
Because this story
is not just about people who never come to Christ because
of
these things—it’s also about struggles Christians continue to have.
I’d like us to work our way through this story step by step—
but
want to give us a kind of framework for our study—
so
for your notetakers—three big headings.
1. The danger of
morality
2. The danger of
prosperity
3. Avoiding these
dangers
MP#1 The danger of morality
A man ran up to Jesus, fell on his knees before him and
said:
Good teacher, what
must I do to inherit eternal life? Sounds promising.
But Jesus saw right away that this man would never
understand salvation,
unless
he could look past his own morality.
So Jesus answered
abrasively, started poking this man, harder and harder.
Trying to get him
to think, and see himself rightly.
This form of address “good teacher” was a tremendous
compliment.
But Jesus
says: “Why do you call me good? No one good but God alone.”
Do you think the secret to getting right with God is
just
to find a really good teacher who can mentor you?
If no one is good, then you aren’t good.
If you aren’t good,
a teacher isn’t going to help you, you need a savior?
But the man doesn’t show any understanding—so Jesus pokes
him again.
How do you inherit eternal life?
“You know the
commandments—keep the law.”
And then Jesus
recites some of the ten commandments—second table of
law.
The
commandments that have to do with how we treat other people.
All of you here know enough about Christianity never to say
what Jesus said.
You never tell a
person who asks you how to be saved—keep the law.
You say—it’s all
about grace. Not what you do, what God
does.
Which is, of course, what Jesus believed. So why doesn’t he say it?
Because he’s trying
to get this man to see himself as he really is.
But how does the man respond? I’ve kept all these since I was a boy.
On the one hand, this man is telling the truth.
According to his conscience, he was a good person.
He was a moral
person. He had been moral since he was a
boy.
He
had ever murdered or committed adultery or stolen, or any of these things.
What do you think of his answer? If know anything about biblical religion—
you
know that he was missing the point of the law.
The commandments a mirror that shows us that we don’t live
up to God’s law,
and
that’s why we need Christ.
Jesus makes this very clear in sermon on
the mount.
You say:
I’ve never murdered anybody—but if angry, called fool—you have.
You see, if this man had understood
the commandments rightly would have said:
Jesus, I haven’t
kept any of these as a boy!
If that’s how you
get eternal life then I’ll never get it—save me!
So Jesus pokes him one more time, very hard.
Ok, you just lack
one thing—
Sell all you have
and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.
What was Jesus trying to show him?
You say have kept
the commandments all you life—
in
fact, you have never even kept the very first one:
“You shall have no
other gods before me.” Your god is your
wealth.
And if you’ve never kept the first one, you’ve never kept
any of them.
But the man still
didn’t understand, face fell, went away sad, had great wealth.
What was this man’s problem?
What caused him to
turn away from Jesus?
You might say: Love of money. That’s certainly true, in a way.
But there was something even deeper—his
morality.
You see, this man still
did not understand Jesus.
He really thought Jesus was saying:
You’ve been good,
add this to your list and you’re in.
Move from the gold
level of giving to the platinum level—you’re in heaven.
The man went away thinking there was still something for him
to do.
Something hard,
that he didn’t want to do—but still something for him to do.
Which is not what Jesus was saying at all.
Wanted this man to
see that he was morally and spiritually bankrupt—
that
he could never do enough for eternal life, that he needed a Savior.
He wanted this man to say:
Jesus, I can’t do
it. I can’t give up my money—like
ripping my heart out.
Because
it’s my idol. I don’t love God
like I should—and I can’t.
God have mercy on me.
And that would have begun his spiritual transformation.
The danger of morality is this. If you’ve been a good person morally,
in
an external sort of way, it’s very difficult for you to believe that you do
nothing
to contribute to your salvation—absolutely bankrupt spiritually.
May be very uncomfortable spiritually, know you need
something (like this man),
even
come to Jesus, but whole perspective wrong—think something you do.
That brings us to the second danger—
MP#2 The danger of prosperity
The disciples were stunned by this exchange.
This was just the
sort of man they wanted for their movement.
Wealthy,
well-connected—would have been a huge asset.
And Jesus sends him away with a sad face.
And then Jesus amazes them more by saying:
How hard it is for
the rich to enter the
Again: Easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than rich . . .
Which is just another way of saying—as
disciples understand—it’s impossible.
Jesus affirms—Yes, it’s impossible.
Takes a miracle.
Tempting to read this, and pull some punches theologically
and say:
Every time a person
becomes a Christian it’s a miracle.
Downplay what Jesus
says here about wealth.
But we can’t. Jesus
clearly saying—It’s a miracle anyone is saved, rich or
poor.
But it’s an even
bigger miracle when a rich person is saved.
We need to pay
attention to this—because we are, most of us, rich people.
Why is wealth such an obstacle to salvation?
Being wealthy means that you are able to
fix things.
You have resources
to handle the contingencies of life.
If you have a
problem you hire an attorney, or repairman,
or
you go to a counselor, or a doctor.
You have the means to fix your troubles.
Being wealthy means that you are more independent and in
control.
And that’s a great feeling, not to have to
depend on anybody.
It feels great not to be the one with your hand out.
It feels great not
to be the object of pity in your family,
the
family member who everyone worries about and takes care of.
It’s great to be able to give back some of what you have.
And by the way—this rich man was not a stingy person—he was
a giver.
Told he was a
synagogue ruler—usually the biggest giver in congregation.
Often the one who
actually gave the money to build the building.
And that feels great, to be able to do that.
But to have to say—I’m at my wits end.
I’m desperate. I’m broke.
I’ve got nowhere else to turn.
Will you help
me? Nobody wants to be there. That feels awful.
But spiritually, that exactly where you
have to be to get eternal life.
Have to be at your
wits end.
No power to change
yourself.
I’m broke. I’m out of
resources. I have no where else to turn.
Jesus, have mercy
on me.
If you never have to do that in your regular life—
then
it will be very hard for you to do it in your spiritual life.
The reason the Bible over and over says that the poor are
blessed
is
not because the poor are more moral or lovely—they aren’t.
It’s because the poor get the Gospel more easily
because
they know what it means to be desperate.
They have an analogy for spiritual desperation in their
daily lives.
They know what it’s
like to have nothing to fall back on.
And so they get it when Jesus says that you have to come
with nothing.
For most of you, and for me—I’ve never lived with poverty.
I’ve never known
what it’s like to live with absolutely nothing
to
fall back on financially and I hope I never do.
But the Lord, in his mercy gets us there in other ways.
It might be through
failure of your health,
or
a professional or financial
failure,
or even through a moral failure.
Sometimes the Lord allows Christians to sin in ways
that
surprise and humiliate them.
It’s his mercy to show us our spiritual poverty and need for
his grace—
by
bringing us to our wits end in different ways here.
Mo Leverett: Minister who worked in 9th Ward of
New Orleans before Katrina.
We’re all from the
ghetto. If see self rightly, in cycle
can’t break,
no
options, in need of someone to rescue—see self rightly.
Brings us to—
MP#3 The way we avoid these dangers.
Obviously, morality and prosperity aren’t something we give
up
in
order to experience God’s grace.
Fringe groups through the history of the
church who have advocated.
Let’s sin more so
we can experience God’s grace.
Let’s literally get
rid of all possessions, so know spiritual poverty.
Both of those are
obviously wrong, don’t even need to address.
But how do we keep these things from marginalizing Jesus in
our lives?
How do we keep our
morality causing us think our standing with God
is
based on what we do, how do we keep our prosperity from robbing us
of
feeling a desperate need for Christ?
The answer is the Gospel.
You have to know and preach the Gospel to yourself.
This is the only
way to avoid these dangers.
There are many ways you can summarize the Gospel.
But the most
helpful to me, one I’ve told you many, many times
was
expressed by Presbyterian minister named Jack Miller.
The Gospel is that I am more wicked and sinful than I ever
dared to admit.
And at the same
time, I am more loved and accepted in Christ
than
I ever dared to hope.
You deal with your morality by allowing the law of God to
show you
that
you are more wicked and sinful than you ever dared to admit.
I’ve never murdered—Jesus says—but you’ve despised and
scorned people.
You’ve hated
them. You’ve called them fools. That’s murder.
I’ve never committed adultery—Jesus says—but you’ve lusted.
And on and on—the law is spiritual. It penetrated to the deepest motives.
Shows your idols and your coveting—and demolishes your
confidence in morality.
Not your morality
itself—but confidence—so put confidence in Christ.
Those of you who were at Jim Edwards’ mother’s funeral,
Louise Edwards,
heard
a very moving expression of this. Mrs.
Edwards was 99 when passed away.
The family gave me something to read at funeral—something
written 12 years ago.
Personal
reflections on the love of God.
Because God loves me, he is deeply grieved when I do not
walk in ways that please him, because he sees this as evidence that I don’t
trust and love him as I should.
Because God loves me, he stands with me when I have reached
the rock bottom of despair, when I see the real me and compare it with His
righteousness, holiness, beauty and love.
In moments like this I realize the depth of God’s love.
Here was a woman, everyone would say was moral, good,
kind—and she was.
And yet even in old
age, letting the Gospel do it’s work.
Able to say—when it
searches me, I see that my morality does not save me.
And that brings us to the second theme—At
the same time, in Christ,
I am more loved and
accepted than ever dared to hope.
This is what enables you to deal with the danger of
prosperity—
knowing
that you are loved and accepted by God in Christ.
Knowing the love and acceptance of God means an assurance
he
will take care of all of the contingencies of your life.
In fact, He’s the
one who causes the contingencies—
for
your good, because loves you.
You prosperity doesn’t really make you free and independent—
it
enslaves you in many ways—it’s confidence in Christ’s love that frees you.
His love frees you to be generous with your money, give
sacrificially.
Delivers you from
being embarrassed by what you have,
or
envious about what you don’t have.
Because you know that everything you have is from loving
hand of God.
I know that there are some of you here this morning, feel like the rich man.
Christian, but
something doesn’t feel right. Something broken.
Wish you could come
to Jesus and say—what else do I need to do?
He would say—If God judged you on the basis of what you do—
you
would go to hell, but I went to the cross for self-righteous,
money-lovers
like you.
That’s the Gospel.
Believe embrace it.
CONC:
This is the constant struggle of the believer.
Martin Lloyd-Jones once said that the Christian life really
comes down to this.
Are you listening
to yourself, or are you preaching to yourself?
Are you listening to yourself—
It’s all about what
I do and how much I have.
Or are you preaching to yourself.
No—I’m more wicked
and sinful than I ever dared admit—
and
at the same time I’m more loved and accepted than ever dared to hope.
When you know that—as the old hymn says—you have all you
need.
All you really need, is to feel your need for him.
This is what the rich young man didn’t have—to his great
sorrow.
Don’t let that be
true of you.