Sermon Notes - Treasure
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Welcome
Good morning
I am
We will be looking at treasure today, and late in the service I will share some of the great things that happened yesterday at the Newstead Community Celebration - as you can see we have left up the great work that Cheryl and thelma have put together.
This week, my devotional time was reflecting on the confession of David, reckoning with his sin in poetic prayer...
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
I find it interesting that David included the word “rejoice” in the midst of a prayer of confession. Confession can bring relief, unburdening, even eventual freedom, but joy?
In fact, in Psalm 51, David used four different words to name his sin but nineteen different Hebrew words to illustrate God’s forgiveness. I have a limited number of ways to sin; God’s forgiveness, though, is limitless, infinite.
We are challenged here by David's confidence in God’s forgiveness, by his trust that leads to rest in God’s grace, rather than his own perfection.
This is the truth we discover, possibly the treasure we seek: that spiritual maturity is, in fact, trusting in God’s grace more and more.
Thank you lord that new is every morning, even this morning. Wash me in your forgiveness now, making me in my own eyes what I already am in yours – whiter than snow.
Bible Passage: Mk 10:17-23
Open your Bibles to
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
This week I have been learning about how seriously the Desert fathers and mothers in the 3-400 AD took in Renunciation/Abstaining - the ancient spiritual practice of setting aside a lesser love for time to awaken a deeper desire for the eternal love of God
We will actually have a week of prayer and fasting starting next week - renunciation (TV show, coffee, social media).
Can I tell you a similar story to the desert fathers and mothers in the early 1900’s
o I’ve read the account of a man travelling in Cairo
§ Driving down a lane past signs marked in Arabic that then opened to a plot of overgrown grass, which was a graveyard for American missionaries
§ They point out one tomb…’ William Borden, 1887-1913”
§ Borden was a graduate of Yale and the heir to a great fortune
§ He turned his back on all of that so that he could bring the Gospel to Muslims
§ After four months of zealous ministry in Egypt, he contracted spinal meningitis and died at the age of twenty-five
o The writer then went to the Egyptian National Museum
§ There, he looked at the King Tut exhibit
§ The boy king died at 17.
§ Buried with solid gold chariots and thousands of golden artifacts
§ His gold coffin within gold tombs within gold tombs within gold tombs
§ The Egyptians believed in an afterlife where they could take their earthly treasures
§ But these treasures intended for King Tut’s eternal enjoyment stayed right where they were until they were discovered by Howard Carter in 1922
o The writer then speaks of the contrast between these two graves
§ One obscure, dusty and hidden at the end of a street littered with garbage
§ The other glittered with unimaginable wealth
§ One had treasures in this life
§ One sent it on ahead of him
o In fact, on Borden’s gravestone it states…
§ “Apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such a life”
· Well, in today’s reading, we come across a person with great wealth and his interaction with Jesus
· Let’s consider a little bit of information about our Bible reading Lynn Cohick and Michael Bird in Encounter Episode 6 (show Enc Ep 6 Clip 1)
o “Giving to the poor meant that you were aligning your views with God's views because God cares for the poor. And so by giving to the poor, you're saying, yes, God, I treasure what you treasure It also meant, from a social standpoint that he wasn't going to see any of the money back. It's not like loaning to one of his rich friends who would then help him out if something came up. No, he was basically giving away his security net and his social prestige by giving his money to the poor so that that seemed just too high of a cost to pay. And the young man went away disappointed…That was the real tragedy of the rich young ruler. He wanted to have a relationship with God as long as it cost him nothing, and he could create and keep all the things he had. And that's why Jesus says it's easier for a for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go into the kingdom of heaven, because some people love things rather than love the creator of all things.”
· One of the criticisms of the church is that it ‘just wants your money’
o And the reality is, there are unfortunately some stories where this has been the case
· Yet Jesus clearly teaches how to handle our money.
o 15% of what Christ said relates to this topic (money and riches)
§ That is more than His teachings on heaven and hell combined
o This includes accounts like
§ Zacchaeus
§ The poor woman giving her tithe
§ The rich young ruler
§ Giving to the needy
o And how we deal with our finances is seen by both John the Baptist and Jesus as a good test of the ‘fruit’ of our faith
§ John the Baptist in Lk 3:9-14…talks of the fruit of repentance when people are getting baptised by him
The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
· In other words, your actions and attitudes should reflect your faith
o Money reflects our values
· Jesus in Lk 19 continues differently with the same theme
o Which is Zacchaeus giving back even more than he took
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
o Jesus replies that today salvation has come
§ Not because he has given money…but his giving reflects his heart
· Money matters because it reflects the heart
o For whatever you treasure most has your heart, according to Jesus
§ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Mt 6:19)
It starts with a question
It starts with a question
o As I have started my intro to Theology, I am seeking to understand what is expected
o And so I have lots of questions, one question I have is, can I relate my enjoyment for gaming, a medium of storeytelling with how we share in the communal story of God.
o I don’t want to go down that track and research if the lecturer thinks I am way off track.
o And you often get that information by asking questions
· Well, in this passage, there is a rich man
o He knows scripture, and he wants to know what the right track is for his life
o And so, he asks his question
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
· (The title the Rich Man) Here, Jesus has an interaction with a rich man
o Now, many of us reading this, you think, well, I’m not that rich
§ I’m not like the top 1% of money earners in my country
§ I’m not as rich as X down the road, who has Y, that is so much more than I could afford
o But the reality is that many of us are much richer than we think, compared to the rest of the world
§ I put my stipend into a site called Give what we can, and it told me that our family is richer then 73% of the people in the world.
Anyone or family earning over 130k in Aus would be considered in the top 10% of the world
· In this opening verse, two things stand out
o Firstly, the rich man asking questions at least sounds sincere
§ Now we don’t know for sure
· But the fact that later he goes away sad seems to convince us that he was sincere
§ Also, the fact that he comes in front of others and falls on his knees before Jesus
§ He asks his question, seeming to want an answer that he can live with
o Secondly, his question is about what must ‘I’ do
§ He thinks that somehow, we can do enough to get right with God and ‘inherit’ eternal life
· Yep, I’m doing all the right things, I’m ticking the right boxes, I can make this happen
· And many people think like this
Jesus brings revelation
Jesus brings revelation
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
· Two more things stand out to me from this verse
· Firstly, ‘Jesus looked at him and loved him’
I always take note when Jesus emotions are written because it gives us insight into God’s heart.
o Whatever comes next comes through the lens of love
§ Jesus loved him
§ Jesus looks at this rich person and loves him
§ He isn’t angry at him
§ He isn’t trying to be mean and nasty
§ Jesus loved him
o And this account reminds us that even if Jesus asks hard things of you
§ Things that you would prefer He didn’t ask
§ You can put yourself into this story and remember
· Even if Jesus’ words to me are difficult to hear
· They are delivered with love
· Secondly, Jesus dissects the heart of the matter
o This issue isn’t about money itself
§ For there are other followers of Jesus at that time who didn’t have to sell everything, and they used their homes as places of refuge and ministry for Jesus and the disciples
o The issue is about what this man treasures in his heart more than following Jesus
§ And for this man, that answer is money
3. Testimony time
o We are going to watch one small part from the coming weeks episode about how one of the guests, Max Jeganathan, had an unexpected encounter Jesus (show Enc Ep 6 Clip 2)
§ “When we made the decision, thankfully, finances were not front and centre in our considerations, but I'd be lying through my teeth if I said that I wasn't scared and wasn't anxious about the financial cost having been given these great opportunities to study and be qualified in, and then work in law and professional politics, I did have a sense of the opportunities I wanted to be able to give my kids, and the kind of life I wanted to be able to give my family. And when we made this shift into kind of not for profit work, speaking and writing, however you want to call it, I knew that we'd be sacrificing something on some level. I also knew that if I thought about it for too long, I might chicken out of the whole thing. And so I'm thankful that we didn't. And the reason is, looking back now that we really made those decisions based on a metric of faithfulness and not of finances. And we were advised by some fantastic people in our lives at the time and a couple of mentors that you just can't allow that to be a driving factor in your decision point.”
§ It may be a ‘coming to faith’ testimony or a ‘God at work in my situation’ testimony
A Question is asked - what must I do to have eternal life
A revelation is given - what does this man treasure in his heart more than following Jesus, and for this man, that answer is money.
A choice is given
A choice is given
· This man is given a chance to look at his life and chooses not to change anything
o The Scriptures say about the man responding to Jesus’ challenge
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
· This is such a sad line in the Scriptures
· He had a choice
o Jesus gave him a choice
§ Jesus didn’t force him
o But he couldn’t let go of what was in his hand to gain something greater and more valuable
· As Michael Bird says in the clip we watched at the start
o “He wanted to have a relationship with God as long as it cost him nothing…because some people love things rather than they love the creator of all things”
· Jesus demands that I follow him by first releasing what is already in my hands – the disciples’ nets by the lake, the man burying his father, and the rich young ruler with his wealth.
Next week we will have a week of prayer and fasting, which is our own moment in front of Jesus ask our questions, and the practice of abstaining because the vast majority of my spirituality tends to be by addition: adding a discipline, a priority, an insight.
The power of spiritual formation is by subtraction – the redemption offered in releasing good but lesser loves. Abstaining exposes every disordered attachment, control mechanism, and compulsion, leaving me with nothing but the reality of my bare self in God’s loving presence.
These last 2 weeks, I have set my default answer to no. This first term, there has been much to do, and I like being busy for the kingdom, but I cannot be too busy for God, to have time for rest and abiding.
As we come to easter and have a week of prayer and fasting or abstaining, this is the willing engagement of formation by subtraction. The aim of all abstaining, though, is joy – the concentration of the good, true, and beautiful that lesser loves must be released to take hold of.
· Time of reflection/response
§ What is at least one thing that God seemed to say to me today?
§ What will I do with what I have heard?
I want you to close your eyes and rest your hands in front of you, open to God.
Jesus, what is in my hands that you're inviting me to drop – something I cling to for life, but the truth is, life is in surrendering it?
Jesus, what is the joy that you long to give me in letting go? What gift do you want to place in my empty hands? What holy hunger do you long to satisfy in place of the neutral appetite I’m setting aside?
Prayer
Prayer time:
18th March 24-7 prayer movement is hosting a 24-hour prayer call online.
Baptist World Aid also have put out a request for financial support for the displaced in Lebanon.
Jesus, we believe the old order of things will pass away. We ache for the day when death will die, when mourning, crying and pain will cease. You will wipe every tear from our eyes and make all things new (Revelation 21: 4-5). As we await that day, we simply pray, ‘Come, Lord Jesus, come.’
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
In response to Psalm 46 and in the midst of multiple crises around the world, we take time now to reflect on God’s word and pray.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
Lord Jesus, we believe that you are the Prince of Peace. Faced with the horror of war, we are confident that you reign and are in control. You are the only answer to the turmoil of the nations.
Forgive us for not turning our ears to the cries of the suffering.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Your people are suffering globally; when one of us suffers, we all suffer. In the midst of this suffering, we cry out to you, our great Hope and great Peace.
We pray for your protection to prevail. We pray that death and destruction would end.
We pray for those who seek to escalate violence, that your Holy Spirit would move them to de-escalate. I pray that they would be inspired to seek peace and adopt a posture of love.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Lord, we pray that in nations where conflict abounds, you would raise righteous leadership; leaders who care for all the people they serve and who are willing to pursue peace and justice.
Lord, we pray that you would meet with our brothers and sisters in these conflict-ridden zones; filling them with your peace, comforting them with your presence, give them strength to be Christlike within the storms of war.
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“ ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Lord, we pray that at this time, in this hour, your Kingdom would come. That guns would be laid down, that weapons would be turned away, and that your love would reign supreme in a world so quickly moving towards hatred.
Lord, have mercy, would your will be done, bring peace to our world, and be glorified throughout the globe.
