Radical Abandonment, 30 October 2011
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Sermons | RadicalBig Idea: Jesus abandoned everything in heaven for you and for me. He invites us to radically abandon everything on earth for Him.
Mark 10:17-31
If there is one key verse for the series, it is Luke 14:33 where Jesus says,
…any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
For those of you looking for a loophole in the Greek, the word for everything—pas—means “all, everything, whole, always.”
Jesus demands radical abandonment—of everything: our time, talent, treasures, relationships, future, education, work, dreams, spouse, children, family…He wants it all!
Jesus’ teachings are filled with paradox. They defy conventional wisdom and political correctness. They are the polar opposite of the American Dream that says our highest aim in life should be the pursuit of happiness.
Look what Jesus said a few chapters earlier in Luke 9:24
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.
A few chapters later, He repeats a similar thought
Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. (Luke 17:33)
He wants all or nothing.
Today’s text is found in Mark’s biography of Jesus.
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: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” (10:17-20)
Maybe you could say this. You’ve been a good boy or girl. You have lived a good life, never killed anyone, played by the rules, avoided speeding tickets, been a devoted Michigan football fan…!
Where did Jesus get this list of commandments? From the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. Let’s review them together:
1. No other Gods (Exodus 20:3)2. No idols (4-6)3. Do not misuse the name of the LORD (7)4. Remember the Sabbath (8-11)5. Honor your father and mother (12)6. Do not murder (13)7. Do not commit adultery (14)8. Do not steal (15)9. Do not lie (16)10. Do not covet (17)
How did you do? Most people that I’ve met would say they are pretty good—after all, they haven’t killed anyone! To be honest, I struggle daily with the first two. I find myself putting my desires above God’s, longing for health and wealth and happiness and doing just about anything to be safe and comfortable despite the needs around me. I look at my favorite idol every time I stand in front of a mirror. But that’s just me!
This man was a good man. He obeyed all of the commandments. He probably could’ve been a pastor or elder himself. He had arrived…almost.
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.” (10:21)
Was that in God’s top ten list? I missed that!
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (10:22)
Wait! Let’s go back to those first two commandments.
1. No other Gods (Exodus 20:3)2. No idols (4-6)
Do you see what happened?
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (10:23)
You are rich. Across the country at this very moment there are people occupying Wall Street and other public venues with one slogan. What is it? We are the 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%.
Here’s the truth, though: I’m in the 1%. Many of you are, too. No, we’re not among the richest 1% of USAmericans, but we are among the richest 1% on the planet. If you earn $48,000 or more, you are in the top 1% of the richest people in the world. $32,000 places you in the top 6 %, and if you only earned $12,000 you’re still in the top 13%!
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 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.” (10:24-25)
Why? It’s all about need. It’s about dependence upon God.
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” (10:26-27)
Many of us know this famous verse—all things are possible with God. Look at the context, though. It’s about salvation. Jesus is saying that we can be saved despite our wealth and idols.
I recently heard an interview with a highly educated Muslim man talking about his Islamic faith. When asked if he had any certainty about his eternal destination, he replied that God only knows. He is spending his entire life trying to be good enough to earn God’s favor in hopes that he will pass the test on judgment day and go to heaven rather than hell.
Maybe some of you are like that. You’ve been trying hard to be good so God will love you. You have more in common, perhaps, than Muslims. The religion of Christianity has said we must behave a certain way in order to believe and ultimately belong, but Jesus came to abolish religion. He came to offer grace, allow the unworthy to know God, invite sinners to heaven, and provide joy and peace and love to the unlovable.
The amazing thing about Jesus is grace, unmerited favor.
This past week I had a dear friend call me. We hadn’t talked in many months—maybe even years—but he was concerned that because he had turned away from God in the past, he was destined to hell despite his desire to follow Jesus again. I had him read the end of Romans 8 to remind him that nothing can separate us from the love of God—not even the terrible things we do.
That’s grace! If we want God, He will always welcome us with open arms as did the Father in the prodigal son. That’s the good news! That’s the Gospel! It’s not about what we do, but what was done on the cross for us. None of us can be saved—not rich or poor—apart from Jesus and the cross.
“Grace is not opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning.” - Dallas Willard
Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!”
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields — and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. (10:28-30)
What does this say about those who radically follow Jesus? It will be worth it.
Jesus then concludes with one of His most famous paradoxical statements:
But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (10:31)
Play now and pay later or pay now and play later. The choice is yours. You can cling to this world, or invest in the world to come.
We use a lot of words to describe God. Jesus. Teacher. Savior. King. Son. Prince of Peace. Father. Perhaps the most challenging is LORD. He gives us commands, not considerations or suggestions. He’s not out to get us, though. He knows that if we lose ourselves, we will find. If we give, we will receive. If we surrender, we will discover freedom. If we die, we will truly live.
The Apostle Paul, arguably the most important figure in the New Testament after Jesus, said
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)
Paul is either insane or he is saying that by dying, he can experience resurrection and new life. When we die to ourselves, God can begin to recreate us. As the prophet Ezekiel wrote,
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. – Ezekiel 36:26
You’ve got to let go, though.
Never Alone
This is a challenging message. This has been a challenging series. I’ve been reminded each week that I need to die, and just when I feel like every part of me has been surrendered, I discover another place where I’m holding on. Death can be scary, especially when everyone else around us is living their normal lives.
This is where the Church becomes so vital. We are a family. We are a community. We need one another. We need to encourage one another. We need to mentor and disciple one another. We need to spur one another on toward our own death and Christ’s life.
Perhaps the most graphic description of this is found in the second chapter of the book of Acts.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)
Do you see it?
They were radically committed to the Word of God and the apostle’s teaching.They were radically committed to fellowship together, in public and in homes.They were radically committed to prayer, experiencing miracles.They were radically generous, giving to anyone as he had need.They were radically committed to one another, meeting together daily.
This was not a perfect church, but it was a radical one. I cannot imagine a more compelling vision for Scio—a group of normal but radical people, passionately committed to loving Jesus, one another, and their neighbors.
It doesn’t just happen, though. We can’t wish it into reality. It requires total surrender, but it’s worth it.
We are not alone. He is not only with us, He has given us one another to encourage each other. This world is not our home. We are just visiting this planet...together.
Radical abandonment is about giving up anything that gets between us and God’s leadership. Do you trust Him…with everything?
Jesus abandoned everything in heaven for you and for me. He invites us to radically abandon everything on earth for Him.
You can listen to the podcast here.Tags: Wealth, sacrifice, surrender, Finances, Giving