Mark 12:35-44 - Jesus is better than you can imagine!

Big Idea:

Put your eyes on Jesus and trust Him with everything - He’s better than you can imagine! A call of surrender leads to a life beyond imagination.

Intro:

Good morning Church Online. Thanks for joining us today!

You’ve probably heard me say before that I didn’t grow up in the church. That’s not a good thing. But it is a real thing. I grew up following Jay Z instead of Je-sus ...literally.

It’s sounds so stupid now, but I FOR REAL wanted to be in the ROC, which was Jay Z’s squad. My friends and I had this goal of becoming real estate tycoons and becoming rich enough to hang out with famous people. I apologize - but this is truly your pastor’s past.

Back in the day, Jay Z used to always talk about the Black Card. I wanted to be rich enough to have one of those!I remember the first time I saw an American Express Black Card...

I was working at Einstein Bagels (not exactly a real estate tycoon) and was ringing up an order, gave the customer the total, wasn’t paying attention, and was handed a Black Card. My life froze. I slowly looked up and saw Richard Jefferson. It was really cool. And if my memory serves me right, he was with Luke Walton.

Some of you know Luke’s dad, Bill Walton, because he played for the Boston Celtics. What you might not know is Bill Walton grew up in San Diego. I actually went to the same high school as he did - Helix High. In fact, I played against Luke Walton.

Anyways… that was my first (and only) time seeing an American Express Black Card. You might be asking, what’s the big deal about the Black Card? Well, as you can guess, it’s exclusive. In order to get one...

You have to spend AND PAYOFF a quarter-million dollars on your other American Express cards - at minimum.

Then, there’s a $10,000 initiation fee, plus a $5000 annual fee.

In other words, you gotta be ballin to have one!

Most of all, there is no spending limit on it.

I have a black-colored credit card. It’s a Merrick Bank card. It’s for poor people. I definitely have a limit. Richard Jefferson and I can’t shop at the same places. My card is getting declined. [I get declined spending too much at Dollar Tree…]

Speaking of limits… I wonder what your personal views on Jesus are?

Do you have a limited view of Him?

Do you limit what He can do?

Do you limit how much access you give Him to your life?

Or, how much of your life you’ll invest in His Kingdom?

As we continue through the Book of Mark, we discover the religious leaders of the day had a LIMITED VIEW of Jesus and the things pertaining to Him. Check it out… Mark 12...

Mark 12:35–37 ESV

And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’ David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.

Exegesis:

Okay, let’s talk about what’s going on here...

Jesus is in Jerusalem. He’s about to go to the Cross (to SAVE the world by dying for the SINS of the world). He’s been arguing with the religious leaders and winning. And now He’s teaching in the temple.

He asks a question based on 110th Psalm, which was about the Messiah - this future Savior, from the line of David, who would make the world right.

And the sense is, “Why do the religious leaders say the Christ/Messiah/Savior will SIMPLY BE the human descendent from David’s family?”

Because that’s what they believed.

They believed God’s promise to send a savior.

They believed that savior would come from the line of David.

They believed he would make things right.

But that’s it - that was the LIMIT of their belief.

But Jesus calls them to reconsider....

Because David specifically said (inspired by the Holy Spirit - meaning what came out was God’s truth), “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.”

There’s two different Hebrew words used for what’s translated as the same English word, “Lord.”

The first “Lord” is the word Yahweh. It’s the covenant name for God. It’s how God’s people referred to the One True God.

The second and separately distinct “Lord” is the word adonai. In a limited way… it CAN BE interpreted as a human with authority. Maybe a human king, but even a husband or boss. However, Jesus makes it clear, David’s inspired intention was for Adonai to be used in its highest form - to refer to the Lord-God.

So, putting it all together, Jesus asks, “Why do you have such a limited view on the Messiah when the Scriptures say He is God - He’s without limit?” Which what He says in verse 37.

Now, it’s good to know “what” Jesus is saying, but why does this matter? Why ask the question in the first place?

Theologian AW Tozer once said, “What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” He believed those thoughts radically impact our lives, because they give us either a high view or a low view of God. They can determine the limit of what we understand about God. And that’s important! We must get that right!

But these religious leaders didn’t get it. And their limited understanding caused them to miss the Messiah standing right in front of them!

They were looking for simply the human grandchild of David.

They were looking for simply a political king who would free Israel from Rome.

What they were looking for was too limited.

And this limitation contributed to their rejection of Jesus.

They rejected Jesus because He claimed to be the son of David, but also the Son of God (Adonai).

They rejected Jesus because He came to save them from sin - not political oppression.

Jesus was far greater than their limited view of the Messiah. He was more than they could imagine!

And I’ll mention this too because I think it’ll help us apply this passage to OUR lives…

You’ve heard this verse before...

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

This was God’s plan to save the world. But for a lot of us, even though we’ve heard it many times, we don’t truly get it. We don’t know what it means, why it happened, or why it’s important.

So, let try and explain...

In the beginning, God created everything including humans. The first two were named Adam and Eve. They were completely innocent and living in perfection. Best of all they had a perfect loving relationship with God.

Then, they chose to disobey God and sin entered the world. And since they were the first two humans, when they sinned, it corrupted all of us, because we all came from their line. And because God is holy, He must judge all sin. All wrong must be made right. Justice must be served. And so from that moment, all of humanity was condemned under the curse of sin. Doomed for God’s judgment!

To be clear, this means from the moment a person is conceived (when life starts) they are cursed. Each human inherits sinfulness, which explains why we all personally and consistently sin. We’re broken from day one. And as you can imagine - if we were to account for every human that has ever existed (and even to the future)… that would be a lot of sin!!! If I were God, I’d just start over! Too much work!

But God SO LOVED the world (every individual human He created) that He was not content in allowing us to perish under the curse. So He promises to send a Savior to make everything right. Jesus is that Savior. And the plan was for Jesus to sacrifice His life as payment for our sins.

But here’s where God’s plan meets our passage… and why it’s important for Jesus to be the infinite, limitless God.

If Jesus (the Messiah) was simply human, how could He pay for the sins of MANY? If sin is a debt owed to God, one human life wouldn’t be enough. It would be LIMITED. At best, it could pay for ONLY one human, not many!

But Jesus isn’t just a man. He’s the God-man. Fully God. Fully man. And what that means is… 1) He has the ability to live perfectly as only God can, which was necessary in order to be a substitutionary sacrifice for mankind. But 2) He is able to pay for the sins of the world (for MANY) as only the infinite, limitless God can!

If you will, Jesus is the divine Black Card necessary to pay for our salvation.

And that’s ultimately why Jesus brings up this question… He was telling them - and US - your limited view is causing you to miss eternal life!

You’re missing out on a loving relationship with Jesus, who is beyond our imagination.

And you’re missing out on the abundant life He created you for, which far more abundant than all that you could ask or think!

I hear a lot of the Youth refer to things as “mid.” At first I thought they were saying “meh,” but it was “mid” - M.I.D. And I guess it’s short for middle? Like it’s not bad, but it’s not good?

Some of us treat Jesus like He’s “mid.” But that’s because we don’t get it. We got a limited view of Jesus and His plan for our lives!

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

That means not only is Jesus beyond our imagination, but also His plans for our lives goes far beyond just making sure we don’t go to hell.

God’s got a eternal purpose for our lives!

And He wants to see us flourish, have fun, and spread joy.

He is not “mid,” nor are His plans for us. The life He calls each one of us into is beyond our imagination! As I was studying this passage, I started reflecting on this truth. And as I did, I started to get choked up...

20 years ago, the best I think of is having a black credit card. That’s so limited. So selfish and superficial.

As I look at my life today, after following Jesus for two decades, I could’ve never imagined this life. My life, my family, my calling (this church and our life in this town) is better than anything I could’ve humanely planned! It’s more far more satisfying than anything this world could offer me! And it’s all because of Jesus!

And look quickly at the last part of verse 37? It says, “The large crowd listened to [Jesus] with great delight.” I believe this is instructive. Today, Jesus is offering Himself, without limit, to you. And what He’s offering is better than anything you can imagine. It’s a personal promise to give you everything you need or desire, for eternity!

1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

That’s what Jesus is offering you today. All you got to do is listen to Him with great delight. Just receive His gift.

Alright, so how do we practically do that? Well, look at what Jesus says next...

Mark 12:38–40 ESV

And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Basically, Jesus points to the religious leaders and tells the crowd, “These guys don’t get it, so don’t listen to them. They hurt vulnerable people and only care about themselves.”

Here’s the lesson:

If you want the abundant life God has for you, stop putting your trust in broken systems of selfishness.

Stop investing in systems that selfishly take from you or influence you to live selfishly. That kind of living has nothing to do with Jesus.

Jesus didn’t take from people, He gave to people.

Jesus didn’t influence people to take advantage of others, He calls us to give our lives for others.

Here’s the sad, but tough truth… sometimes selfish systems are built by God’s people. That’s the case here in Mark 12. The religious leaders made it all about themselves. Unfortunately, that’s still happening today in the church. And it’s still hurting people.

It’s a shame when God’s people offer you nothing different than the godless world.

It’s a shame when the world takes from you and then the church takes more.

It’s shame when the world runs you into the ground and the church doesn’t offer you rest.

It’s the shame when this dog-eat-dog culture takes advantage of you and then pastors devour you too.

If you’ve been hurt by the church, I want to say I’m sorry. It’s not supposed to happen this way. That’s not God’s plan or intention. In fact, noticed the end of verse 40…

“[Because of these religious leaders are selfishly taking advantage of people], they will receive the greater condemnation.”

I believe we can also translate Jesus’ words this way… “To everyone who likes to take advantage of people (especially in the church), if you want an advantage… I’ll give you an advantage. You’ll be first in line for the harshest judgments!” If you’ve been wrongfully and intentionally hurt by God’s people, please know God’s not okay with that. And those who hurt you will have to answer to the King. It is not God’s desire for those He loves to be hurt in His house.

King Jesus invites us into an atmosphere filled with His goodness and generosity, not man-centered selfishness.

When people walk into the doors of The River Church, it should be a breath of fresh air.

They should find rest for their tired souls.

They should experience the warmth of God’s overwhelming love.

They should, once again, be able to wonder about the unimaginable things God has for them.

They should be infused with God’s supernatural strength so they can live by faith in this broken world!

They should find courage to give everything to God!

And that’s what Jesus gets at in the final part of chapter 12… [explain ballo/say “Ballin” w/ hand up]

Mark 12:41–44 ESV

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

There’s so much here to talk about… but let’s jump to the main point. The emphasis is on the poor widow’s example. The one Jesus said gave everything she had to live on. And please know, she wasn’t forced to, nor did she give it out of guilt. Actually, I believe the repetitive use of the word “ballo” paints the picture of her throwing in her offering the same way the rich people tossed in their left-over money. She threw in all she had to live on and said, “Kobe!” She was a perfect example of what the apostle Paul wrote about...

2 Corinthians 9:7 NLT

You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

What’s the application for us? If we want to experience the abundant life, we need to give Jesus everything we got. Even when the circumstances aren’t ideal, because notice...

She had no idea what she was going to live on for tomorrow. DIdn’t matter - she trusted God! And God would take care of her needs.

Additionally, this lady is living within the broken system. She didn’t let less-than-perfect circumstances be an excuse to why she didn’t live by faith. Instead, she trusted God in every circumstance!

And here’s the promise to us based on God’s word: If we’re willing this way too, there will be no limit to what Jesus can do in our lives!

DL Moody once said, “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man (or woman) fully consecrated to Him (willing to give God EVERYTHING). By God’s help, I aim to be that man.”

Response:

As we close, I’d like to ask, “What could God do in Glastonbury with an army of godly men and women ready to give God everything?” As your pastor, could I challenge you, by God’s help, to be those men and women?

I believe there awaits for us a life that is beyond imagination. A movement of God that will radically change our lives, homes, and community. But it requires us to give everything to Jesus.

And I personally think this movement has already started. I’ve tasted it. Some of you have too. Let me tell you... there’s more. A lot more!

So, two simple questions to leave you with:

What’s Jesus asking you to give up?

What’s Jesus asking you to give?

Some of us need to give up our selfishness and surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior. Some of us need to stop treating Jesus as “mid,” because Jesus is beyond our imagination - better than anything in this world! Worth giving our entire lives to.

I want to invite you to join me in being a people willing to give everything to God. Let’s give our lives to the gospel together and see what God does here in Glastonbury and beyond!

And if you got questions on how to specifically do that - like what’s your next step (what God may be asking you to give or give up)… come talk to me or one of our leaders. We would love to help you.

Let me pray for you...

Jesus, for too long we have put limits on you. We’ve put limits on your goodness. We’ve limited on how you want to expand your Kingdom or who you want to use. We’ve limited how much of our lives we’re willing to give to you. And it has kept us from the eternal life you created us for - a life that is beyond our imagination. Forgive us. Today, we say no more. We repent (turn from our sinful and selfish ways). We say, “Jesus, be the Lord of our lives. Have your way. Do whatever you want. Change whatever you want. We give you everything.” In Jesus name we pray, amen.

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