Does anybody else like to be the person who always drives? Does anybody else be the person not only am I driving but we're in my vehicle too? You know I'm talking about okay. I've got that problem too.
There's a thing about I want to be with my stuff I want to be in my truck. I know what it does. I know where it goes. I know what it can do.
I've got my stuff in there That really hit me hard this last year. I was going to a training event. I also hate to fly who else hates the fly I've got a 14-hour rule. I give it further than 14 hours.
I'll think about flying I'll drive I'll drive 12 hours and heart I'm not worried about that But I was in North Carolina. It was a 13-hour drive away and it gives my better judgment. I decided to fly And so I'm there and I'm sitting in North Carolina and Remember this past September hurricane came to North Carolina. I remember that I was there for that and we're there And we're sitting there at this Catholic retreat center in the middle of nowhere.
There's no cell phone service There's this 90 year old priest named father Louie who keeps telling us like where to go on the hill to hold your phone up to get Cell phone signal. He also told us about when he was in 1966 He took a Catholic youth group to see the Grateful Dead in Brooklyn how bad of an idea that was we don't have time for that story It was fantastic acts. He's like it was everywhere Great story, so I'm sitting here like speakerphone with American Airlines like in the right spot trying to fly home a day early To avoid the hurricane coming I'm there like just right my man. I would have drove and have my truck I can get out of whatever I need to I've got got my stuff.
I've got this. I've got this and it just I was I learned a lesson I'm going back in May and I'm driving my truck But also you what I could say is that I like to be self-sufficient Because I prefer the most part I am But that's just a nice way of saying that I want to be in control And then I have power issues if you're the person who always wants to drive is because you have a speed you want to go And nobody else can go that right speed, right? Okay, we have there's a reason I have I always want to be the one driving it's what's going on I've got control issues I've got power issues and we're gonna talk about that a little bit today But we're jumping off on a series the next three Sundays We're gonna be talking about the three things that Jesus talks about the most if we go across the gospels We find these things that he talks about the most we want to know somebody wouldn't we typically just look at what they talk about the most To get an idea of who they are like you've got that hundred and forty characters to describe yourself on Facebook now Right there like what do you like what do you like? What do you do?
It's sort of a thing we look at what they talk about a bunch and we can figure out who they are and so if we're reading the gospels This full year so we can discern the truth and the reality of who Jesus is then these things he talks about the most would give us a pretty good clue And so this week we're talking about money we are offering up so not trying to bamboozle you on anything next week We're talking about sinners We're gonna story we're very familiar with but is really really different when we look at the big picture of it all and then on the last We're gonna talk about Sabbath. I know how many of us we talk about time already in our discipleship strategy How many of us just simply don't have any more time we're gonna talk about why time matters to Jesus and so today We're not gonna talk about why Jesus talked about money So about what why talk talked about it so much But what about money mattered so much that made Jesus talk about it at this level if we look in scripture if you Run a search on the internet or whatever you choose to you can figure out a couple things when Jesus talks about money He typically talks about money. I talk about wealth. They're talking about possessions and those three things come up 83 times in the New Testament 83 times what on earth possesses Jesus talk about these things this much.
We're gonna jump off into today So mark chapter 10. It's a story that we're familiar with but the story was multiple things are going on side of it But we're gonna start off in verse 17 This is what it says is Jesus was starting on his way to Jerusalem a man came running up to him knelt down and asked good teacher What must I do to inherit eternal life? Why don't you call me good? Jesus asked only God is truly good But to answer your question you must know the commandments you must not murder You must not commit adultery you must not steal you must not testify falsely you must not cheat anyone honor your father and your mother Teacher the man replied I have obeyed all of these commandments since I was young looking at the man that Jesus felt genuine Love for him.
There's still one thing you haven't done He said go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and then come follow me At this the man's face fell and he went away sad for he had many possessions I think when I read these first five verses what I just see is emotion I see emotions just all wrapped up the full scope of emotions. He's this guy. He came running up to Jesus. I Don't run very often Think about the thing that would possess you as a grown person to run up to somebody Think about that he immediately goes he's running up to Jesus He's talking good teacher and he goes straight to it a lot of times don't you hate me?
Somebody I could talk to you for a while and you know there's a question they really want to ask you But it takes them 20 minutes to get there like Jesus cut straight to the point said Jesus What must I do to inherit eternal life? He goes straight to the point of this whole story straight to the point of what Jesus Teaching all of us straight to the interaction just straight into it. What must I do to inherit eternal life? They begin going through just these and these are the Old Testament rules for right relationships It's what God's people as a set-apart holy people must do to protect and to have and to keep right relationships So you don't murder don't steal don't falsify don't bear fault with false witness Don't commit adultery all these things that God told his people this is what you do to keep yourself in a good relationship With other people they said I've done all this since I was a child Like I understand these I'm doing these this is Jesus looks at him with love this idea of looking at he is he is peering into this person's soul He's examining him.
He's scrutinizing him and then with love He tells him you don't yeah, you have there's one thing left for you to do Go in your go and sell your possessions Give it away and you will have eternal life just cut since you think this the emotional level this interchange between Jesus and this man And then it says in scripture that even yet again other emotion his man's face fell Other translation say has he lost his countenance Every when you think about when you've seen someone become so disappointed that their body physically changes Or when might you have gotten some news where you physically change? Now this is so if we say if for people not think that our God is a relational God a God engages and loves with us You read this passage and just to see the level of humanity that's taking place between Jesus and this man It said his face fell. I can't think of what emotions were going on in his mind at that moment So I've done all these things since I was a kid See me did I not do all the right stuff? Do I not have your approval?
Did I do something wrong because there's something I could have done better? Did I miss something did I not work hard enough? Because I have to find my life by following your law But it's not enough See what drives us defines us and what had driven this person With his own work and his own ability story continues after just this intense moment verse 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how hard is it for the rich to enter the kingdom of God? This amazes them But Jesus said again your children is very hard to enter the kingdom of God In fact, it's easier for the camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God The disciples were astounded who in the world can be saved Jesus looked at them intently and said humanly speaking it is impossible, but not with God Everything is possible with God.
So I'm asking you a question after reading this Do you think this is really a story about money and having money? Or is perhaps this a story about control if it's a story about control it's a story about power It's a story about us having power us not having power And God having power what that looks like so without jumping into a 20-minute lecture on the economic feasibility of first century Ancient Near East the Jewish people had a specific way they believed that you could see God blessed somebody Remember in the last few months we talked about bear in this about how with a family could not have children that was seen as a curse They got to curse them. This is kind of the same realm of thinking that that back then This is why the disciples were blown away when Jesus said well It's hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven because in their mind what they were functioning off of was an outside Understanding of holiness a public understanding of blessing that if you were blessed by God with with things also I talked about possessions in here No, there's different words that are used for this and the easiest way when I read and study the idea of possessions what possessions means It makes me think of screws McDuck and Duck Tails and the big huge like swimming pool of gold coins That's really kind of idea. This is abundance and this is what has been stored up It's like when I was a kid's the ball pit show this pizza always put it on those I can do it so I'm in so study of possessions If you were blessed by God with possessions that meant that you were loved by God That's what they believe it's what disciples wanted mine was blown if you were not blessed by God with possessions That meant you were not loved by God that if you were more blessed that meant God loves you more and If you were less blessed that meant God loved you less That was the way they thought I mean ask you something does that sound like the Jesus that we know is this really a conversation about money It's conversation about what has power in our life.
See the disciples knew the only thing they were only thing What's hopeful in their life was the power of Jesus this story is about the disciples and their complete sufficiency? But it's also about this man and his deficiency Based off of who do you place and control who do you place in power who has the ability to do these things see you You cannot create your own righteousness. That's what this man thought he had done. He had followed the rules He's everything to the tea God had blessed him abundantly.
So therefore he was righteous In many ways He's probably come to Jesus to get approval to make sure it yep I got this we're cool everything we need under control see his definition of God was quantified by his own human achievements not God's power what drives us defines us and what drove him was what he had the ability to do The story finishes up gives us a really big key into the teachings of Jesus period And Peter began to speak up and said we've given up everything to follow you He said yes to use for fly I share you that everyone who's given a house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property for my sake and for the good News will receive now and return a hundred times as many houses brothers sisters mothers children property along with persecution So this isn't about getting cool stuff This is about what does abundance look like in the kingdom and what comes with abundance and in the world to come that person We'll have eternal life circles it back around as persons original question this last verse this last verse is the big one Can't let's just leave this one up after but many who are the greatest now will be the least important them and those who Seem least important now will be the greatest is in you know the only teaching of Jesus not miracle not action or activity Not like the resurrection, but the only teaching of Jesus that we have in all four gospels is that verse right there? It shows up twice in Matthew shows up twice in Luke once here in mark and once in John That's the only teaching of Jesus we have in all four gospels. I would say this one matters, right? Let's read it again But many who are the greatest now will be the least important then and those who seem least important now will be the greatest And other parts of the gospels we read this the first will be last and the last will be first We're from this concept and being thinking about this We start understanding this transcendence and goes in so many different parables that Jesus is teaching about I think about the rich man and Lazarus when I read this verse This is the teaching of Jesus that comes across more is it for it's about us reorienting reorienting our understanding of what good is And what who good is and what outward good looks like If what defines us is our accumulation of things or what defines us is our understanding because this conversation is about possessions It's about abundance.
It's about margin. It's about extra What do we choose to do with what we have? Do we hold it up or do we use it for other things? Are we defined by my uncle Ervin?
He's dead now uncle Ervin had nine storage sheds all full of junk My own grandfather his strategy was he never liked to clean out anything and so he would just get something new to not clean it out When he died he was a diesel mechanic when he died I have one of his big huge toolboxes and it was absolutely stuffed to the gills full of stuff And we're trying to figure out when it was from and I found a role of his steelworkers union dew pins from 1964 to 1966 So we realized that point in time in 1966 my grandfather decided he was not going to clean out that toolbox He just buy another toolbox instead so now we're all trying to find dew pins and everything that's a dating system for my grandfather But what do we do what drives you defines you? And what defines Jesus and eyes the kingdom is that those who would be last will be first and those who try to be first We end up being last because what drives them is being first what drives him is being in charge what drives them is being in control See Jesus he wants us to understand that money is not bad. He ever says money's bad, but money's not safe We do tremendous things with it But it can do tremendous things to us in many ways if we look at the way that Jesus talks about money in the gospels If we look at the way in the Old Testament the prophets talk about idolatry We can kind of like pop them right on top of each other Because there's danger in confusing who is actually in charge who actually has the ability for things Jesus understands it for us as humans and this is the same he said it two thousand years ago And I think it's pretty much the same now the one thing that will mess with us having total allegiance and dependence on God Is us thinking we have the ability to get ourselves out of a sticky situation in the way many of us try to do that It was try to pay our way out of it. We try to buy ourselves have a pickle Try to get ourselves out of a troublesome situation And whenever we do that we always follow it up I try to change the crankcase oil and motorcycle one time and then realize that you didn't have to have it to kick stand It needed to be straight 90 degrees up And so I had to send Meredith to the Harley dealership with my motorcycle ratchet strap down to like four different places So I wouldn't dump out the rest of that crankcase oil I thought I had in my ability to do that and instead it was a very good laugh at my expense because she showed the picture that I sent her to the guy at the parks counter Byron will for that one We can get ourselves some pickles thinking that we're self-sufficient and we have that ability But only one person has the capability and capacity to actually save us and that person's not you and that person's not me That person's Jesus That's what he can do and him and only he can do and Jesus treated this man love lovingly Jim you see genuine care going on the side of there He treats us lovingly even when we think we can earn it ourselves and we can possess it ourselves He treats us lovingly, but he gives us grace freely What drives us defines us and Jesus wants our focus to be on him for who he truly is Let's pray father There's many times when we have things that we think have a lot greater capability and potential than I actually do And God we for we ask forgiveness from we get into those situations where we do that But God what we pray for now and we ask for you to do is to help us see we're holding on to things We're trying to do things ourselves Help us also to realize that if if a thing you say is most dangerous in our life That means that we need to learn what it's like to start letting something go What do you say in scripture that where your treasure is there your heart or when our heart be fixed on you?
So God help us to be and understand what it's like to use what you have given us For your good for the good around us God help us to turn ourselves over more fully and holy and