Scripture: Psalms 90:12-17; Hebrews 4:12- 16; Mark 10:17 - 31
Theme: Soul Encounters
Proposition: Meeting Jesus one on one. In our story we meet a man who had a soul encounter with Jesus. Mark shares with us that : 1. Jesus with joy receives him. 2. Jesus loves him and blesses his endeavors 3. Jesus invites him to a whole new life.
Psalm 90:12-17
90:12 So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
90:13 Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants!
90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
90:15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.
90:16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
90:17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands-- O prosper the work of our hands!
Hebrews 4:12-16
4:12 Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
4:13 And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.
4:14 Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.
4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.
4:16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Mark 10:17-31
10:17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
10:18 Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.
10:19 You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.'"
10:20 He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth."
10:21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
10:22 When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
10:23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"
10:24 And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
10:26 They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?"
10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."
10:28 Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you."
10:29 Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news,
10:30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age--houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life.
10:31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."
INTRO:
Good morning and welcome in the name of Jesus this morning!
Let me start with a quick question -
If this morning, you could have 10 minutes with Jesus all alone, what would you talk about? 10 minutes that He would appear before you and you could have one on one time. What would you want to do with that 10 minutes of time? What would you do, where would you go and what would you share?
In our Gospel lesson this morning, Mark shares with us the story of such an encounter one man had with Jesus. Our gospel lessons shares with us a time when a man came to Jesus and had some one-on-one time.
Mark reports earlier that Jesus had just finished teaching on the subjects of marriage, on divorce and on how vital it is to possess a child like faith. A faith walk that centers on obedience and trust. Just as Jesus was leaving and getting ready to go to another area to preach and teach, this certain man comes running up to Jesus, knells down before him, and begins to seek from Jesus some answers concerning his own faith walk. Basically, the man is wanting to know how he can make sure that when this life is over that he will go to heaven to live forever. He is wanting to know what he has to do to make heaven his home.
Let's take a few moments this morning to look at what happened in this soul encounter and what we can learn from what Mark shares here in this passage.
I. The first thing we see is that Jesus graciously and openly receives the man.
Even though Mark tells us in verse 17 that Jesus was getting ready to go to another place. Jesus stopped what He was doing to receive the man. He changed his agenda and his plans to meet this man's needs.
That is the way we see Jesus acting all throughout the Gospels. We see him being determined to go to this place or that place only to have one or two people or even a multitude of people suddenly seeking his attention. They want Him to change his agenda to come and meet their needs. And on each occasion, Jesus simply takes a pause and does what He can to help the individual or the family or the multitude. He is never too busy to stop for a moment and spend time with someone that needs Him.
That is the way it is with Jesus. That is the way it is with our Heavenly Father and with the Holy Spirit as well. We need to understand this morning that God always has time for anyone who wants to reach out to Him. God always has time to spend with someone in need. God always has time for someone who desires His presence.
A couple of weeks ago, I am sure many of you saw that beautiful scene that transpired between little five year old Sofi Cruz and Pope Francis. The Pope was traveling down the National Mall following his meeting with President Obama. He was doing his best spend time with some people and yet stay on schedule. Over the next few days he had a great many things to do, places to go and people to see. So, to help move everything along, the crowds were keep back via the use of barricades and security guards.
However, five year Sofi Cruz wanted to connect with Pope Francis so badly that she simply could not contain herself. She found a way to slip past the barricades and was doing her best to get the Pope's attention. She was determined to see Pope Francis.
The Pope saw her and stopped the procession. Even though he was busy, he was not too busy to take a moment, pick her up, bless her and return her safely to those who loved her. Sofi's mission was very clear, she had wanted to give the Pope a note and at-shirt about speaking up for immigrants. With great compassion, the Pope received her note, accepted her T-shirt, gave her a hug and a blessing. It was a beautiful scene to watch.
It was beautiful because here was this world leader taking the time for this little five year old girl. He could have simply dismissed her, waved his hand at her and smiled. But he took the time to stop not because it would become a photo shot or our of some PR motive but because that is just him. That is the Christ in Him coming out. Pope Francis is a very compassionate and loving man. Everywhere he goes he wants to be with people and spend time with them.
This is what Mark wants us to understand about our passage. Even more loving than the Pope or anyone else is our Jesus. Just as Jesus stops for this young man, Jesus will stop for you and me this morning. Jesus is never too busy, He will always listen to our words, our desires and our wants.
2. Mark tells us that not only did Jesus receive this man but Jesus deeply loves him and blesses the man
In verse 17, Mark shares that the man asks Jesus a very important question. You could say it is one of the most important question that anyone could ask Jesus. He did not seek Jesus to heal him or promote him in some way. He did not ask for riches or for some important position in the Kingdom of Heaven. He simply asks Jesus what he could do to inherit everlasting life. He simply wants to be able to live with God forever.
Today, we would say that he asks Jesus this simply question - Jesus how can I make sure that Heaven is my home? How can I make sure that when I die, that I go to heaven and live with God forever?
In the next few verses Mark reveals some key facts regarding this man:
+He was a man of Jewish heritage. Because of that, certain things would have been done for him to help secure everlasting life. As an eight day old boy his parents would have taken him to the Temple, presented him to the priests for dedication and performed the ritual of circumcision thereby sealing the Abrahamic covenant in his life. Forever, he would be a child of Abraham and a member of the covenant people of God.
+Secondly, we see that he was a man of holy habits. When Jesus shares with him the necessity of living out the Mosaic law the man does not hesitate to say that from the time of his youth he had been careful to obey the law. He had been careful to live out his faith. His was not just a faith of words, but also of actions. He had been careful in obeying all the tenets of the various commandments.
It is important here to note what Jesus does next. He does not tell the man that he is lying or that he is exaggerating. Instead, Jesus simply receives what the man says as truth. We can take him at his word that he has done all he can to obey the commandments of God. He has done all he can to stay away from evil and from not doing the things that God would disapproved. He has been obedient and faithful in his walk with the LORD.
In response to hearing the man, Jesus reaches down and according to the customs of that day, Jesus kisses the man's head in agreement and in love. Jesus receives the purity of the man's intentions and life and responds in love. In that day, the kissing of one's head was a sign of approval, a sign of agreement and compassion. It was a sign of one receiving a great blessing of honor by a rabbi. Jesus not only deeply loves this man, Jesus bestows upon him the high honor of blessing.
3. A final thing that we see this morning in this passages is Jesus inviting the man to experience an even deeper walk with God.
Mark shares with us that Jesus looked at the man, looked straight into his heart and life and saw that there was one thing that the man lacked. There was one thing that this man lacked that he needed to make his walk with God the best it could possibly be in this life.
Up to that point this man had done all he could to stay away from evil or from anything that would displease God. If the commandments or the law said not to do something he did not do it. He was going to avoid anything that would stain his heart or life. He had learned all the lessons of what had been taught to him by his parents and his teachers.
All of his man's life he has been taught to focused on what not to do - Don't do this - Don't do that. Stay away from those kind of people. Stay away from that stuff. Make sure that you stay holy and clean. And he has been diligent in living out such a life.
Now, Jesus wants to lead him to an even deeper walk with His heavenly Father. A life that involves the focus on the "not doing certain things" but instead being engaged living out a positive holiness life. Jesus wants him to focus on the "BEING" of holiness rather than on the not doing of holiness.
Jesus invites him to experience a life focused on not just keeping clean but co-partnering with Jesus on creating change and transformation into the lives of others. Today we would call this a life of Positive holiness. A life that is not just dedicated to staying away from evil, but one who is embracing all the good it can do for the Lord and for others. It is the life we are all called to experience.
Jesus had tremendous faith in this man. He had heard his heart and looked into his soul. Jesus knew how much this man loved God and sought to live out a life of holiness. And now Jesus was inviting him to grow deeper and stronger in the faith. He believed that this man could break free of any chain, any resistance that would hold him back and truly be a disciple of transformation and change.
But while Jesus invited and had great faith in the man, sadly the man did not have the same faith in himself. He allowed himself to get snag down and walked away from the LORD.
For Mark tells us an issue with money and riches. Mark tells us this man had a issue with sharing and investing in the lives of others. This man sadly had a selfish spirit when it came to sharing the resources that God had given him.
In Matthew 5:29 - 30, Jesus tells us that if our right eye causes us to sin we are to tear it out and throw it away. He tells us that if our right hand causes us to sin, cut it off and throw it away.
Now, we know that as we read those passages Jesus was asking his disciples to pick up a sword or an axe and start mutilating themselves. Instead, Jesus was employing the use of hyperbole. Jesus was using what has been called hyperbole - that is when someone uses an exaggeration to make a point.
We use similar hyperbole when we say things like:
a. this baby or that cake or whatever feels like it weighs a ton.
b. or this failure was a total train wreck
c. or when our team wins by a large margin that we slaughtered the other team.
We all know that first of all the baby or the cake really did not weigh a ton. They did not really weigh 2,000 pounds. We also know that our failure was not an actual train wreck. We also know that our team really did not massacre the other team and leave dead bodies everywhere. It is our way of speaking to get across a certain message. We use exaggeration to get across our true meaning - we use hyperbole.
No doubt, this is what Jesus is doing here as well. Jesus is not desiring for this man to suddenly just go home, sell everything and throw it away. That is not what we are to focus on in this passage. Jesus is not interested in us all becoming destitute, penniless and poor.
The key is found in verse 21 - "give to the poor"
You see, what Jesus was asking this man to do was rather simple:
a. He was asking him to no longer be so glued to his riches and money so tightly that he could not release them.
b. He was asking him to trust in God more than he did all his riches
c. He was asking the man to divest himself and invest in the lives of others less fortunate than himself.
Jesus was inviting this man to join him in reaching out to the lost, the least and the last. He was asking the man to become a change agent for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus knew that the young man possessed this amazing ability to live a holy life . But Jesus also knows that in this man's case - money and riches were a stumbling block. In a great many people's lives today money, possession and riches prove to be a stumbling block. It is easy for us humans to:
+Fall in love with money or possessions or even riches - there is something alluring and seductive about money
+It is easy for us to put our security in money and riches thinking that as long as we have something we will have all the security and protection we will ever need.
+It is easier for us to allow money and riches to cause us to look inward and become selfish.
The French have a story about a millionaire in his palace who spent his days counting his gold. Beside the palace was a poor cobbler who spent his days singing as he repaired people's shoes. The joyful singing irritated the rich man. One day he decided to give some gold coins to the cobbler. At first the cobbler was overjoyed, and he took the coins and hid them. But then he would be worried and go back to check if the coins were still there. Then he would be worried in case someone had seen him, and he would move the coins and hide them in another place. During all this, he ceased to sing. Then one day he realized that he had ceased to sing because of the gold coins. He took them back to the rich man and said, "take back your coins and give me back my songs." Again the message is that attachment to riches can take away our freedom and joy.
Jesus invites him to a life of true freedom from any type of stumbling block and join him in living out a life of Positive Holiness. Jesus was inviting him to take what God has already placed in his hands - his riches and money and allow God to use it to bring about freedom and change in the lives of others.
And so, Jesus tells the man - Go - Sell - Surrender - Share - Follow
Jesus directions to him were very simple - GO - SELL - SURRENDER - SHARE - FOLLOW
The man was brave enough, smart enough and willing enough to ask Jesus if he lacked anything. Sadly, he was not obedient enough to follow through.
This morning, as we close - have we ever asked Jesus a similar question - Jesus - is there anything that I lack? Is there anything that I either need to get rid of or adopt to better follow You? Is there something I could be doing that would bring me closer to you?
For some people this "one thing" could be very well be about money, possessions and riches. For others the "one thing" could involve other areas of their lives - pride, anger, unforgiveness, the over love of family, a hobby or something else entirely.
But it is something that we need to make sure occasionally that we have not allowed to slip in our walk with the LORD. The Devil is ever vigilant about getting us trapped up into things of this world where we lose focus and attention on the most important things.
This morning, I want to invite you to the LORD's altar - to His table. To partake in His meal of ultimate sacrifice and communion. This morning as you come and partake - why not allow this to be a great time to tell Jesus - Jesus - whatever I lack, if I lack anything - I give it to you. I give to you my riches, my possessions, my pride, my family, my job, my hobby, my anger, my unforgiveness. I give to you myself.
This morning, Mark tells us that the man walked away. As far as we know he never returned. He was so close to heaven but in the end simply walked away. His "one thing" was too great. Today, don't allow anything to keep you away from Jesus.
As we prepare our hearts to receive communion let us pray.
