The first of two camels in this sermon series
Think of a time when someone has asked you instructions to get somewhere.
What about this scenario? Someone asks you, what do I have to do to get into Jade Stadium to watch the test games in the 2011 Rugby World Cup? I think the answer would be a little like this!
• You will need a ticket for each game.
• Are you rich?
• You will need to be polite to the person on the gate.
• You will need to be able to walk some way to the stadium.
• You will need to be well behaved once in the game or you will be removed.
All through the history of mankind, humans have thought about what it takes to get somewhere. It may be ‘what would it take me to become something like a Builder, is it worth all the hard work to gain the qualifications? What road is the best one to take to get to Westport? When I finish school what career path do I take? We humans often wonder.
For millenniums humans have stood outside on bright starry nights looking up and have wondered – what else, where to from here, what if, the cry has been heard, “God please answer these questions!”
The scriptures tell us that this is an inbuilt thing that mankind carry within them. Ecclesiastes says it this way, “I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:10 -11)
In Matthew’s gospel we have a story about a young bloke approaching Jesus and asking that age old question, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
Matthew 16-30; Matthew, DVD, NIV.
A little like getting into the big game, how do I get my ticket to eternity, and what good thing is it that I have to do? What is this eternal life lark going to cost me? What kind of deposit must I pay?
Jesus reply is fairly direct; I think he knows that this young bloke already knows the answer. “Why do you ask me about what is good?” “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter eternal life, obey the commandments.”
From the bloke reply he’s probably thinking he’s onto a winner, “Which ones?”
He knows he’s been a good lad. He knows that he’s done all the right stuff, as far as the majority of the commandments go.
Jesus tells him: “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your Mum and Dad and love your neighbor as yourself!”
Now the bloke’s probably thinking that he’s struck the jackpot, but he knows, something tells him that he’s not quite got it together. Listen to what he says.
“All these I have kept, “ - “What do I still lack?” He knows, he knows in his heart of hearts that there is something adrift with his way of life, with his relationship with God, “What do I still lack?’
Crunch time, what is it that Jesus tells him? “If you want to be perfect go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come follow me.”
When this young bloke heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. He was rich; you can just imagine this bloke head down, walking away disappointed. His ticket to eternity was going to cost him more than he was willing to pay!
I often wonder if later in life when events played out a bit further, after the resurrection, after the growth of the church, after this bloke realised that he couldn’t take it all with him, if he did as Jesus instructed? We can only hope so.
Jesus then said this to his disciples; “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Before I go on, if there are any rich men here this morning who are desperately concerned at this stage, here at the Salvation Army in Sydenham we take cheques.
1) Now this saying about the camel through the needle saying brings up a few questions. There is a bit of thought about what this might actually mean. Some believe that there was a gate called the eye of the needle and a camel would have to go through this on its knees. (There is no real evidence of this).
Others believe that the word for rope and the word for camel were the same in Aramaic, as rope was made from camel’s hair. I found no correlation with this, as my concordance indicates the word camel is interpreted from Greek not Aramaic.
I have done a wee bit of research and discovered that it is likely that the saying is a colloquial saying a little like, “its’ got a dogs show”, or it’s impossiable.
There’s a Jewish study on the Song of Songs that uses a similar phrase to speak of God’s willingness and ability beyond comparison, to accomplish the salvation of a sinner, it goes like this:
The Holy One said, open for me a door as big as a needle’s eye and I will open for you a door through which may enter tents and [camels]?[2]
Interestingly what Jesus says when the disciples ask “who then can be saved?”
Lines up with this, his words are “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
2) The truth is that none of us are able to eternally save ourselves. This is a free gift it is something that God has done on our behalves. All we need to do is respond.
When we do respond, we see that nothing we can do adds anything to that sacrifice. In responding, we come to love God – we realise what the sacrifice cost. We come to love God because of Jesus sacrifice so that we can be free of our sins.
This is where the rich young bloke in the story came up short; this is the bit that he was missing.
Jesus had told him which commandments he needed to follow, he realised there was still something adrift.
This rich young bloke had an issue!
His riches were his God. Jesus challenge to him was, are you able to put God ahead of the riches you have? Why because this is the first and greatest commandment. “You shall have no God’s before me.” (Exodus 20:3)
This bloke was a gnat’s whisker from perfection. Jesus told him this! Sanctification was just there; he could reach out and grasp it, he just needed do this thing.
All he had to do was sell his possessions and give to the poor. Who incidentally, were his neighbors! Was he really willing to “love his neighbors as himself”?
Then follow Jesus.
If he had he would have piled up treasure in heaven.
The truth is he held onto what he couldn’t keep anyway. Comfort, security, lifestyle, pride, family opinion, friends opinions, what was it that held him back from being able to give it all over to God? To engage in social justice and give the money from his sold possessions to the poor? What ever it was he was not able to give Jesus priority in his life.
The truth is we don’t exactly know. Why is it that we have to be obedient to God, why is it that we have to engage in a Christian lifestyle, to follow the two great commandments, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves”. Why it is that Jesus put this bloke on the spot?
3) I heard a story about a couple who went on holiday, they had been away a couple of weeks and when they arrived home, after picking up a litre of that watery green top milk from the dairy, and getting their mail from their neighbors place. They went into their home to find they had been burgled.
The mixture of emotions that overcame them as they went through every room looking at what had been gone through, what was missing or destroyed for them it was like hell on earth.
Thankfully they were insured, and the neighbors’ and their relatives rallied around helping them with groceries, bedding and the like and for about a week they were dropping off meals and inviting themselves in at morning and afternoon tea times for a chat always with a plate of biscuits or snacks of some sort. This was like heaven on earth to the couple and it helped them to cope with their situation.
Imagine if you will what it would be like if the burglars were in the house while all of this good stuff was going on, what would that look like? It would look like hell had invaded heaven.
The truth is we can’t behave in ways that are out of keeping with the will of God and keep situations heavenly, or in balance with God’s will.
We can’t expect to put things, actions or attitudes ahead of God and be in his will. If we still put those things ahead of God we can be in our will, but not in his What does the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth look like? It’s about giving God priority in our lives. (SBI)
We all at some time in our lives put something, may be a person, a situation, a possession, or maybe a thought ahead of God.
It’s not so much about the external things, the rules it’s about the relationship. It’s about giving God priority in our lives. (SBI)
4) In reality life can get hard, it can get complicated, we need to put those things ahead, try juggling a job, the kids schooling, the kids sports, bills, the car repairs, the lawns, the study, getting to the meeting, work, the mortgage, the cat food and that stupid washing machine that is always getting out of balance. Yip life can get incredibly busy, confusing and complicated.
How do we break away from all this and prioritise time with God? Time aside from the rush, time aside from the complications, time aside from the possessions, that time with God, time to aside to give God priority.
When we spend that time with him that time set aside. Five minutes here or there, the time when we spend looking at a verse of scripture, praying, humming a favorite hymn, a small group meeting, contemplating our journey with God, the sacrifice of Jesus, listening for God’s still small voice.
That part of our day when we are able to give up and give to God, is like opening that door as wide as a needles eye. God in his grace, in his love for us uses those times to open a door through which great blessings can enter.
We heard earlier that it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It is not impossible; it is hard, what is impossible for man, is possible with God.
As we give him the time of day, as we do those things that engage our spirits with his Spirit, we grow in our relationship with him and in our understanding of him. We change for the good!
When we take the opportunity to give God the priority in our lives, to give him first place, we grow spiritually; the things of this earth are then seen to be as temporary as they are.
Things have a way of panning out as we give God priority.
The ticket to the big game, entering into the heavenly game, is it worth paying the price? Are you willing to open that door to God as wide as a needles eye?
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