Sermon for Mark 10:17-31
October 15th 2006
I’m one of people that can’t seem to shut their brain off in the evening. The other night my mind was churning because someone had mentioned to someone that pastor lately had been preaching a “hard” gospel. My puny little mind wandered to a time when I was shopping for a chess set for Noah.
I went into a store where a young girl waited on me. I told her I was looking for a chess set for my son. She asked if I wanted an easy set or a hard set. I had never heard of this so I asked her what’s the difference. She said the easy chess set had plastic pieces—the hard chess set had wooden or marble pieces. Now I’m not a big chess player, but even I know it doesn’t matter what the pieces are made of—there is no easy chess —chess is chess—the rules are the same—and to me all chess is hard.
In the same manner there is no such thing as an easy gospel. The gospel is the gospel and its truths are so important that I must lovingly and graciously make them known without an ounce of compromise. That is my calling!
Paul’s letter to Timothy addresses the issue. It says, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But keep you head in all situations, endure hardship and do the work of an evangelist.”
Yet there are certain words within the evangelical vocabulary that are in danger of becoming extinct. Rarely now do we hear the word, “repent.” As even less what it means. Likewise the word “sin” has become a turnoff to those seeking relief. And the word “hell” I can’t remember the last time I heard a sermon on this forbidden subject, although Jesus said more about hell than any preacher I’ve ever heard.
I take the proclamation of the gospel very seriously. That is why I’m always buying books to see if perhaps I might learn something—anything. The last book I read on preaching today said I must address my sermons to “felt needs.” That is, I am to scratch people where they itch. I am not to use negative terms like sin, repent, or hell. I should speak positively of love, grace, and heaven.
It went on to say if the church is going to grow---grow into what---I might add---I must figure out what you are feeling, to determine your needs whether these needs are real or imagined and shape my messages around those needs. Horse hockey!
People need a Savior! People need to be saved! We need to hear that! We need to hear it in a way that is so clear that we understand what it means to make a commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And folks trust me. It is not easy! Repent and believe is the most difficult thing you will ever do in your short-lived life.
Nothing gets my goat more than sitting in a meeting where people beat around the bush. I believe if something needs to be said, then say it! Say it openly, say it honestly, say it lovingly and graciously. If need be, explain it, but for goodness sake say it. And that’s what I’m going to do this morning. Since there is no such thing as a good Lutheran, I’m going to be a bad Lutheran and say what a thing really is.
In today’s gospel reading we see a man approach Jesus. Now picture yourself as this man or make it a woman. He must be a “religious” person like us cause she knows all the commandments. She is also concerned about eternal life, like us cause he asks, “What do I do to get it?”
So what did Jesus do for this man? What does Jesus do for you? How did he answer Him? How does he answer you? Did Jesus present him with an easy gospel, luring him/you into following by embarking on a user-friendly sermon? No! He 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.”
Jesus presented this person like you and me with a hard gospel, very hard gospel. Jesus calls for commitments to be made by those who claim to believe, and anyone who thinks otherwise is being deceived. It’s easy to claim to be religious. It’s easy to memorize the teachings. It’s easy to say “I Believe.” But do we mean it? Really? Think long and hard before you answer this simple question, cause I feel this person in the gospel is more like you and I than we care to admit when it comes to believing.
Let’s take a closer look at this man’s/our predicament when it comes to Belief. Webster defines belief as a state of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing—to take as true or honest. We either believe or don’t believe.
For example: This past week I believed that Sandy’s 46th birthday would come about on the 10th so I went out and bought her birthday presents on the 9th. I didn’t know that for a fact, but the belief was strong, and the consequences tragic. You probably believe that your job will pay you for your work rendered so you buy food and clothing.
On last example to drive home our misunderstanding of belief. What if Bill Gates died today? His will stated that whatever name was drawn from a random phone book would receive his entire inheritance. All the person had to do to claim their fortune was walk to Washington DC in their underwear. The name chosen was yours. If you believed this outlandish promise I would venture say you are on your way to Washington in your underwear. Right? You see true belief is accompanied by action.
But what about the outlandish claims of Christ for abundant and eternal life?
The poor soul in the reading did not believe the hard gospel of Jesus, which challenges you and I to the core of our existence. He did not believe the two necessary components in order to experience the promise of life ever lasting.
First the man was not willing to admit he was a sinner. When Jesus told him one way of entering the kingdom of heaven that is the impossibility of obeying the 10 commandments, the man replies, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” I used to think Jesus’ response was rather harsh, until I realize he’s a lot like me, full of you know what.
I think for the most part we are willing to admit our shortcoming and our individual sins. But do we believe it is as bad as it really it? After all I haven’t murdered anybody or committed adultery. I generally pretty honest and listened to my parents most of time. But the absolute truth is hard.
We can give ourselves, and each other a softer image. We can proclaim ourselves as generally good, mostly kind and even humanitarian—but the truth is we are wicked to the bone. My run in with the law is nothing compared to my inner most self. I am selfish, depraved, ungodly. I am by nature the enemy of God.
I am everything I would rather not be, but that is the hard truth of the hard gospel.
Romans 3:10-19 says what a thing really is. “There is no one who is righteous, no one who is wise or who worships God. All have turned away from God’ they have all gone wrong; no one does what is right, not even one. Their words are full of deadly deceit; wicked lies roll of their tongues, and dangerous threats, like snake’s poison, from their lips; their speech is filled with bitter curses. They are quick to hurt and kill; they leave ruin and destruction wherever they go. They have not known the path of peace, nor have they learned reverence for God.”
Like I said this message is not for the light-hearted. I’m dealing with tough, damning statement that tell the hard truth about who we are and what we are like. After all the purpose of the law is to reveal our sinfulness and bring us to Jesus the Christ. Not Jesus the teacher, but Jesus Lord of all. Which brings me to the second hard belief of the gospel.
The man didn’t know whom he was dealing with. He addressed Jesus as ‘Good Teacher.’ Sure Jesus is indeed a teacher but he is much more than that. We cannot acknowledge Jesus as simply a person in history that changed the world. Alexander the Great did that! Luther did that.
Jesus is Lord! That is Jesus has a right to your life. He created you, redeemed you through his life, his death, and his resurrection, and lays an authoritative claim upon your soul. The hard gospel requires that you profess Jesus not as a teacher, but as your God, responsible for your entire existence, calling each of us to repentance and faith. How are we doing so far in our so-called beliefs?
This poor man in the story did not believe the hard gospel. He may have said he did, but he did not believe his situation was as bad as it really was. He did not believe that this person Jesus was his only hope to what he desired. And so Jesus put him to the test out of love. “Go, sell what you own, give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.”
But since the man didn’t believe he was evil to the core, and that Jesus was the answer to that dilemma, he definitely was not willing to believe and take action when Jesus challenged him outright, because when he heard this he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”
Do we believe in the hard gospel? What if Jesus stood before you today and tested you with “Go, sell what you own, give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven?” If I am to say what a thing really is all of us would walk away grieving thinking there must be an easier softer way.
But Jesus is standing in the midst of you right now at this moment and asked you point blank. Do you believe? Do you believe that you are a sinful person with no hope of being good or gaining salvation on your own? Do you believe? Do you believe that God created you and everything that exist? Out of love God came to live among us showing us what belief looks like. He goes as far to suffer and die your sinful condition and promises that life does not end in the grave, but in a place so wonderful you can’t even imagine. Do you believe?
Then show Jesus that belief. Show God’s church. Show your family. Show your friends. Show everyone the good news of the hard gospel. Your willing to walk to Washington DC in your underwear for a bunch of money you can take with you. We don’t need money. We need a savior!
What are willing to do for the free gift of heaven?
Let me end by quoting from our second lesson. “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. 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.
So Yes, I will admit I do sometimes preach a hard gospel, but it’s the only good news I know that gives me hope and promise.
Do you believe? Amen.
