Good Shepherd Presbyterian (Charlotte NC) Sermon ARCHIVE: December 2016

Monday, December 26, 2016

==ADVENT/CHRISTMAS (2016)==

"Advent/Christmas" (2016)
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
November 27 - December 25, 2016

In this Advent series we look at Jesus invitations to know God through stories focused on the advent themes of hope, love, joy, and peace.

November 27 - If it is You (HOPE) (Matthew 14.22-33)
December 04 - Called in Love (LOVE) (Mark 14.27-27)
December 11 - The Joy of Childhood (JOY) (Mark 10.13-16)
December 18 - Peace with God (PEACE) (Romans 5.1-5)
December 24 - Born With Us and For Us (Hebrews 2.14-15)
December 25 - Jesus Has Come to Us (John 1.9-14)

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Jesus Has Come to Us (John 1.9-14)

Sermon by: Robert Austell; December 25, 2016 (Christmas Day)
Text: John 1:9-14

:: Sermon Audio (link) ::
Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."

:: Scripture and Music ::
Gathering Music: Elizabeth Austell, piano
Hymn of Praise: O Come, All Ye Faithful (ADESTE FIDELIS)
Song of Praise: Love Has Come (BRING A TORCH)
Offering of Music: In the First Light (Kauflin)
Sending Hymn: Joy to the World (ANTIOCH) - arr. Austell
Postlude: Elizabeth Austell, piano

:: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) ::
This "manuscript" represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided for that purpose.

We began the service with the great news declared by the Angels: “Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

This is the great news of this day: Jesus has come to us. This morning we will look at the words of the Gospel of John about this event, as written by the beloved disciple of Jesus.

While the Gospels of Matthew and Luke focus more on the earthly events surrounding Jesus’ birth (as miraculous as those are), John focuses more on the spiritual and eternal significance of Jesus’ birth. He starts his account of Jesus not with genealogies and the birth, as Matthew and Luke do, but at creation. Naming Jesus as the Word, he echoes the beginning of Genesis with “In the beginning.” But instead of “In the beginning God created” he writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) He goes on to place Jesus the Word at creation, involved with and as God in the very creation itself.

He then goes on to use words like “Life” and “Light” to describe Jesus, writing, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness…” (John 1:4-5a) From verse 9 to 14, John restates the opening of his letter, but with a little more detail. And He reverses the order of Jesus as Word, Life, and Light to take us back through and end with the Word. We’ll pick up John’s telling of the Jesus story there, at verse 9.

LIGHT of the World (vv. 9-12)

Picking back up on Jesus as the LIGHT that shines in the darkness, John names Jesus in verse 9 as “the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every person.” Two things to note here: this is not any old ‘enlightenment’ – as in greater understanding or a philosophical category. This is the truth and the presence of a God who is described as ‘glorious.’ And that relates to the second thing to note: this is personal. Of the “true Light” John goes on to say, “HE was in the world.” This Light which enlightens us is a person who has entered into our world. And indeed, as verse 14 will tell us, he came to show us the very glory of God.

Every two years when we have Confirmation class, we talk through these verses in John 1. How do we understand Jesus as Light? We talk about what light does. It helps us see, especially when it is dark. It can light our way and show us where we need to go. In doing so, light can also protect us by showing us dangers that might be otherwise hidden. Light also helps living things grow and thrive. And it is such a useful metaphor, we have brought it over into the realm of understanding things and use words like “illuminating” and “enlightening” to describe the effect of shining a light on our mind or understanding. Again, what has been murky or hidden to us becomes visible and understandable. All those little ‘lights’ help us to understand what Jesus, yet a person and not a concept, might be as Light with a capital ‘L’. Jesus helps us see, shows the way, protects us, helps us understand, and gives life.

John goes on to talk about “receiving the Light” in negative and positive terms. He tells us that many did not recognize Jesus as the Light of the World, including many of his own people. Even though He was involved in the very making of the world and humanity, many do not recognize Him or receive him. But some do, and John spells out what that means. First, note that John defines what ‘receiving Jesus’ means – it’s there at the end of verse 12: “those who believe in His name.” That’s another way of saying believe he is who he claims to be. His name – his names – are claims. He is Jesus, which literally means ‘savior’ or ‘rescuer.’ He is Emmanuel, God with us. He is the Light of the World and the Word who was in the beginning and who was with God and who was God. And, in fact, the whole Gospel of John goes on to highlight Jesus naming himself in different ways, all various claims to be God and to be from God: Bread of Life, Living Water, the Way, the Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, and so on. But in short, to believe in His name is to believe Jesus is who he claimed to be. That’s what it means to “receive the Light.” Next John turns to what it means for those who do.

LIFE as Children of God (vv. 12-13)

In verses 12-13, John says what happens to those who do receive Jesus as Light of the World. He writes, “But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God.” This is huge! Prior to this, the “children of God” were understood to be the descendants of Abraham. But that’s exactly what John goes on to explain. Those who become children of God in this way are “born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” In other words, Jesus becomes the entry point into the family of God, the means of being “born anew.” Jesus will explore this with Nicodemus as recorded in John 3. Later in the New Testament, Paul and Peter will wrestle with the implications of this for Jewish and Gentile believers. (see Galatians)

Just as Jesus is the Light of the World, John points out that he gives LIFE. In John 3, Jesus will explain how that life is like being born again. We are new creations. In John 11, at the scene of the death of Lazarus, Jesus will say, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” before he gives new life to Lazarus. And here, in the introduction of John, Jesus gives life by granting those who believe in and receive him the right to be adopted into God’s family as children of God. As part of God’s family, we experience a new relationship with God, perhaps demonstrated no more explicitly than when Jesus teaches his followers to call God ‘Abba’ or ‘Papa’ – the Creator God now known in the intimate relationship of Parent to child.

The WORD among Us (v. 14)

Finally, in verse 14, John moves back to the name he used to introduce Jesus and his Gospel. He speaks again of Jesus as the WORD. And this Word that was introduced as present at Creation, with God and as God, he now tells us has become flesh and dwelt among us. That eternal Word has come among us as one of us, to be born, grow, live, suffer, and die as one of us. And those this one verse will just touch on a portion of why, we read that in doing so, Jesus showed us the glory of God as only God-in-the-flesh could. And he was full of grace and truth.

What is the glory of God? It is the magnificence of the Being who is so powerful and great and other that we can’t fully comprehend or even look at or come into the presence of. It is not unlike the sun overhead. It is so hot and bright and powerful that it would consume us. We can’t even look at it directly from 25 million miles away without soon blinding ourselves. If we got any closer we’d burn up. Yet Jesus has brought the very glory of God down among us in a way that we can not only look and understand, but come near… very near.

And what are grace and truth? They are so important that we put them on a permanent banner in our sanctuary. God’s truth sees us for exactly who we are, in all our humanity – both the shortcomings of that and the dignity we bear as God’s image-bearers. And God’s grace comes to us offering restoration, healing, and lifting up from the depths into the dignity. Jesus held both together and embodies the character of God through grace and truth even as he embodies the presence of God through his glory.

This is the news of Christmas, of the Incarnation of the Son of God: the eternal Word has entered into our humanity to show us what it means to live in relationship with God. His invitation, “Come, believe, and follow me” is spoken to all. If you receive him, believing he was and is who he claims to be, you are children of God. Come, see, and believe! Amen.

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Born With Us and For Us (Hebrews 2.14-15)

Sermon by: Robert Austell; December 24, 2016 (Christmas Eve)

Text: Hebrews 2:14-15

:: Sermon Audio (link) ::
Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."

:: Scripture and Music ::
Gathering Music: Venite Adoremus (Wilson) - Linda Jenkins, organ; Rick Bean, piano
The Word in Music: Antiphonal Noel (Raney) - handbells and choir
Hymn: The First Noel
The Word in Music: He is Here! (Heckler, McGlohon, Cterling) - choir
The Word in Music: Light of the World (Daigle) - Kathleen and Karla Katibah, dancers
Music for Reflection: Born that We May Have Life (Tomlin, Cash) - worship team, choir
Music for Reflection: Adoramus Te (Salyn) - worship team
Hymn: Angels We Have Heard on High (Mendelssohn)
Music during Candlelighting: Silent Night Instrumental - Rick Bean, jazz piano
Hymn: Joy to the World (ANTIOCH)
Postlude: Joy to the World - Rick Bean, jazz piano

:: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) ::
This "manuscript" represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided for that purpose.

Tonight I want to speak briefly to what God put into motion with the birth of Jesus. Actually Scripture shows us that God’s plan started long before Jesus was born; but tonight we will focus on the meaning of his birth. Looking to these two verses in Hebrews, I want to point out the two simple truths there in the title of my message: Jesus was born with us and Jesus was born for us.

First, Jesus was born WITH us. You may have heard the name, Emmanuel, used for Jesus. It is a Hebrew word which means “God with us.” And the claim of Scripture is not just that God came a-visiting, but that God took on humanity. This letter to the Hebrews, written to explain Jesus in terms of the Hebrew scriptures (our Old Testament), uses the phrase “flesh and blood” to describe this taking on of humanity. It says that Jesus “partook of our flesh and blood.” Later on in Hebrews, the writer goes on at length to explain what “flesh and blood” or “born with us” means. Jesus was not only God-in-the-flesh, but experienced what it is to be human, from birth to death and everything in between. He got hungry, he was tempted, he got cold. “No crying he makes” – I don’t believe it! He cried and wept as an adult; I don’t see why he wouldn’t have cried as a child. The whole point is that God did not zap us from the outside, but came and lived among us. The young disciple, John, who traveled with Jesus as a young teenager, would later write about Jesus, “In Jesus, God moved into the neighborhood; he made a home with us and as one of us.” (John 1:14) And yet John goes on to say that Jesus was not merely human; he also showed us the very glory of God because he was from God and he was God.

How do we possibly understand this? I think it’s more relatable and understandable than you may realize. If you’ve ever been around very young children, you’ve observed the difference between them having to interact with these large beings to whom they are only shin or knee-high. The conversations are, literally, above their heads. But have you ever seen what happens if they are playing on the floor and an adult gets down there with them? You enter into their world, their experience, their frustrations and delights. So, God has come among us to be a part of our lives “down here” – to enter into our world, our experience, our frustrations, and our delights.

Hebrews also tells us that Jesus was born FOR us. The worship team and choir sang about this earlier in the service: “He was born that we might have life.” Jesus’ birth was not only that God might enter into our world and our experience, but so that God might reach us, teach us, and rescue us. Hebrews uses the imagery of slavery to describe the hold that death and evil have on us. And Jesus was born with us – among us – in order to act for us, to free us from that slavery to death and evil. That is, of course, the story of Easter and his death and resurrection. But it was not a surprise that came out of the hearts of those who opposed him; it was the intended course and purpose of his life.

How can we understand this? Let me offer another illustration. In more than a few places, Scripture speaks of the impact of sin, selfishness, and evil on our lives. We are drowning in those things and our lives – emotional, spiritual, mental, and eternal – are at risk. God could simply pitch us the metaphorical life preserver, leaving us to grab hold, hold on, and be pulled to safety. In some ways, the Old Testament Law functioned in this way. But ultimately, God saves us through Jesus by diving into the very waters in which we are drowning, swimming to us, grabbing hold of us, and pulling us to safety. Jesus’ birth was the conscious decision of God to dive into the waters of humanity, with the purpose of doing it for us – coming after us – firmly in mind.

Finally, it is worth noting that Hebrews doesn’t just define the “for us” as life hereafter. Rather, what Jesus has done for us is “free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” Knowing, trusting, believing this Jesus… makes a difference NOW, during this life. While it doesn’t cover everything, “enslavement to the fear of death” covers a lot of what steers and binds and holds us captive in this life. The claim of Scripture and the claim of Jesus himself is that trusting and following him makes a difference NOW as well as in eternity.

I would be failing you to not speak this to you tonight. It is the heart of Christmas. It is what all these portions of the story you’ve heard tonight point toward. It is good, good news in a time when we really need good news. Listen: Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, is God at work here and now – born with us and for us; born with YOU and for YOU. May God give each of us ears to hear and hearts to receive His Word. Amen.

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Peace with God (PEACE) (Romans 5.1-5)

Sermon by: Robert Austell; December 18, 2016

Text: Romans 5;1-5; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

I appreciate the word choices in this passage. They break up the dense theology of “having been justified by faith” into bits I can grasp and comprehend. And it’s all about knowing and experiencing God. It starts with an INTRODUCTION. Through Jesus “we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand.” “This grace in which we stand” is the justification. It’s the right-standing with God that we cannot earn or accomplish on our own. It was the obedience and perfection of Jesus-in-our-place that earned that right-standing for us. And it through faith – trust – in Jesus that we obtained an introduction into this grace, this justification, this right-standing. Psalm 24 says, “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place?” The answer is “The one who has clean hands and a pure heart.” Back to Romans… Paul makes clear that no one has clean hands and a pure heart except one: Jesus. But he brings us into the presence of God and says “She’s with me; he’s with me.” That’s the “introduction into grace.” It’s grace because it’s a gift; we don’t earn it, we receive it.

And that’s worth celebrating! That’s what “exult” means. We celebrate “in hope of the glory of God” because Jesus has introduced us to God; he has brought us before the glory of God. If you have been here to hear the stories of folks about how they came to faith, they involved celebration. It’s a joyful thing to come to know the Lord. It can be a sobering thing, a weighty and humbling thing, to realize the magnitude of the gift of being put right with God; but it is a joyful thing, this “hope of the glory of God.” Hold on to that HOPE; we’ll come back to that.

Redeeming Struggle (vv. 3-5)

I appreciate that reality of the next few verses. They name the STRUGGLE that is this life: tribulation is a catch-all for struggle. The word that it translates – thlipsis – literally means ‘pressed’ or ‘squashed.’ More broadly, it describes the distress or anguish that comes from physical, mental, social, or economic adversity. That covers a lot, right? Now you may have read or heard this verse before and written it off as UN-realistic because after the briefest mention of the struggle, it moves to perseverance, character, and hope. Or you might have been put off before even getting to the struggle because it starts – it STARTS – with “we also exult in our tribulations.” But let me dig into that a bit.

The struggle is real! That’s a saying… a few years old now, but applicable. And the last thing, the very last thing this verse is describing or calling for is what is so prevalent in southern, Christian, evangelical, white, culture. Why do I name all those? I do because it’s the water I swim in and I’m an expert on it! What is prevalent in my waters? It is putting on a smiley, happy, “Christian” face that says, “I have some struggles, but praise the Lord, it’s okay.” [the fakeness of this may be lost in print!] And what’s worse is when we set up a cultural expectation that if you are a “good Christian” you won’t struggle or be angry or get too discouraged.

These verses are among the most powerful of verses describing the human condition because they describe how God REDEEMS STRUGGLE. There is no way to get from the anguish of physical, mental, social, or economic adversity to celebratory hope without the help of God. Those steps – perseverance, proven character, hope – those are what God brings about. And here’s where I think we miss it; here’s the part that WE do. We either reject God’s ability to be present there or we reject the reality of the struggle. The first is despair and the second is deception. And we are perfectly capable of either or both. Rather, we must cling to God’s promise, “I AM there.”

I am still sitting with the testimony Marlis shared a few weeks ago. If you were not here, I encourage you to listen to it on the website, under sermons. She began with her testimony of becoming a Christian, but she ended with an honest faith-filled, faith-FULL testimony to looking for God in the struggle. She might not use the word faith, but I do, because she has neither given in to despair or deceit. I know she’d probably tell you she’s had her moments, but Lord, what honesty! I met with another brother in the church this week who poured out to me his own struggle. He’s railed at God over the struggle, but he has not rejected God; and he sure doesn’t want to gloss over the struggle. That is real faith! And like it or not, I know just enough about most of you to know that each of you struggle in some way – in really significant ways.

And what I want you to hear this morning is two things. One, I want to be a pastor and for us to be a church where it’s not only okay to struggle out loud and honestly, but expected, accepted, and encouraged. We do not do God or each other any favors by glossing over the struggle. Second, I want to be a pastor and a people who cling to hope – that keeps calling each other back to the hope that this [struggle] is not all there is, that there is a God and He is not blind or deaf to your struggle.

So, for a change this morning, all I’m going to say about the exult, perseverance, character, hope part of that struggle verse is that God can redeem struggle; and all that is God’s doing. God can bring hope out of despair, light into darkness. But that’s God-sized work, not a flimsy mask we put on to appear “Christian.” Know that as we are honest and struggle together, THAT will be a church where God shows up in His glory.

Be Reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5)

Finally, I want to jump over to our other passage, 2 Corinthians 5. I mention it because it reminds us of the powerful work God does in a human life. It begins with this declaration: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creature.” (v. 17) And it reminds us that the gift of grace is from God: “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ…” (v. 18) Reconciliation is another way of talking about peace. And Jesus made peace for us with God where there was no peace. There’s much more that could be said about reconciliation, especially because WE are then charged with being reconcilers – peacemakers – with each other. But I want to end with the appeal at the end of verse 20: “we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Notice it’s not “reconcile with God” like it’s something you have to initiate, because we’ve already heard and talked about Christ already having made the peace. It’s BE reconciled: accept the peace that God has made possible in and through Jesus. Don’t turn away from it; don’t minimize it or deceive yourself that it’s not needed. In Christ, you have been declared just and at peace with God; you have been introduced into the grace-gift of God. God even redeems struggle and anguish, though that is usually a longer journey than we realize. We are new creatures in Christ. And He pulls us into that reconciling, peace-making, struggle-redeeming, work as partners, as “ambassadors.”

Be reconciled to God. That’s the invitation to know God through Jesus this day. Amen.

Sunday, December 11, 2016

The Joy of Childhood (JOY) (Mark 10.13-16)

Sermon by: Robert Austell; December 11, 2016

Text: Mark 10:13-16; Psalm 78:1-8

:: Sermon Audio (link) ::
Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."

:: Testimony :: Chris Orr testimony (audio link)

:: Scripture and Music ::
Gathering Music: Rick Bean, jazz piano
Hymn of Praise: O Come, All Ye Faithful (ADESTE FIDELES)
Song of Praise: Children of the Living God (Fernando Ortega)
The Word in Drama: children's skit w/Joy to the World
Offering of Music: Robin Hetterly, piano: Joy to the World (Mason, Arr. Bober)
Hymn of Sending: Good Christians, All Rejoice
Postlude: Royallen Wiley, organ

:: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) ::
This "manuscript" represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided for that purpose.

Today I want to do something a little different. I want to invite all the children of the church to come join me up front like we do when we have the children’s sermon.

But you know what? The whole sermon today is going to be with you and for you. And the grown-ups… they just get to listen in. There was this time – we just heard about it in the reading – when people brought their children and babies to see Jesus. And the disciples wanted to send them away like Jesus was just for grown-ups, but Jesus told them, “No, let the children come… don’t get in their way. For the Kingdom of God belongs to ones like them!”

If Jesus was visiting our church, I think he’d sign up for the children’s sermon. He’d want to see you and talk to you and be with you. So that’s what I want to do today!

I want to tell you a story, ask you a question, and then hear Jesus’ words and blessing.

A Story

I don’t remember a lot from when I was 5, but I remember at least these two things: I prayed a prayer to trust in Jesus as my Savior and I told myself never to forget how much kids see and understand.

I prayed that prayer at Mr. Bill’s club. Mr. Bill was a nice man who met in homes near my house to teach children about Jesus. I don’t remember much about him, but I remember he told stories from the Bible and taught me that Jesus loves me and that Jesus could help me know God and go to Heaven. I got real concerned about going to Heaven and when Mr. Bill said we could pray to ask Jesus into my heart, I did that. I actually did that several times, but then my mom told me all it took was once and that Jesus was in my heart. I’ve never forgotten that!

The other thing I remember is being five and riding in the car with my mom, noticing all kinds of things around us… street signs, people in the cars next to us, and my mom’s mood that day. I remember she asked me something and I felt like I really understood WHY she was asking. I remember thinking that lots of times grown-ups kind of treat kids like they don’t understand things or don’t notice things and I remember just how much I did see and understand. And I remember making a promise to myself that when I got older, I would not forget being five and seeing and understanding the world around me way more than grown-ups gave me credit for. And that was a serious promise, because I’ve never forgotten it.

I share those two things because Jesus must have understood that kids see and understand way more than grow-ups give them credit for. He didn’t just say, let the kids come see me so I can play with them. But he gave them hugs and blessed them in God’s name. He also told the grown-ups that the kids got it – they understood something about God – that the grown-ups didn’t get. So remember… he said… remember what it was like to be a kid.

A Question

So I want to ask you a question. I think you see and understand way more than us grown-ups think. It may be hard to put words to what you are thinking, but I think you are all incredibly smart and see things and understand things. And Jesus told the grown-ups to try to learn from the children.

So here’s the question: What do YOU think grown-ups need to know (or remember) about Jesus? If you got to stand where I do and give the sermon, what would you say to the grown-ups about God or about Jesus?

When grownups sometimes get worried, like about money or their kids, God will help them with their worries.

If a grownup makes a mistake, God will forgive them.

If you ever worry about where your children are, remember that God sees them.

If something bad happens, God sees and knows everything.

If children don’t obey their parents (or if grownups don’t do right), God will always give them a second chance.

God will forgive even if we don’t behave.

Even when parents fight, God wants them to forgive and love each other.

God takes care of people.

The Words and Blessing of Jesus

Here’s the only thing I want to add to your excellent sermons. Jesus mainly spent his time that day with the children and babies. He loved them and he blessed them. But he did say one thing to the grown-ups. He said, “Truly, you’ve got to receive the Kingdom of God like a child.”

Please know that YOU (children) are an important part of our church. One of the many reasons you are important is that you show us grown-ups how to receive God’s gift of love, of Jesus. That’s what Jesus said! And I’m so glad you are here with us!

The last thing I want to do is what Jesus did. Mark says that Jesus laid his hands on each one of the children and babies and blessed them. And I’d like to do that. There are lots of kinds of blessings, but here’s the one I want to do: “May the Lord be with you.” And if you want to ask God’s blessing back on me, you could say, “And also with you.” That’s been around for a long time. Let’s try that with each of you and then we’ll say it to all the grown-ups at the end.

May the Lord be with you! And also with you! Amen.

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Called in Love (LOVE) (Mark 14.27-27)

Sermon by: Robert Austell; December 4, 2016

Text: Matthew 14:22-33

“What shall I do to inherit eternal life?”… How can I go to Heaven?… How can I truly know God? These are some of the big questions that come up when we ponder what else there might be beyond this life and our lifetime. And it is the presenting question of this exchange with Jesus. It’s easy to get thrown by Jesus’ initial response. Picking up on the man calling him “Good Teacher,” Jesus replies, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” And we think, well, Jesus WAS good, wasn’t he?

Yes, he was! He is not addressing his own goodness; he is calling into question the man’s understanding of who Jesus is and anticipating the key to the man’s original question about eternal life. After calling to mind Psalm 14, which says there is no one who does good and God is looking down from heaven to see if anyone understands and seeks after God, Jesus begins quoting from the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20: do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, and so on. And the man says, “Teacher (see, he’s listening!) I have kept all these things from my youth up.”

Jesus goes on to say, “One thing you lack…” Well, he actually says several things. He tells the man to go and sell all his possessions, to give to the poor, and to come and follow Jesus. In his response, Jesus illustrates something very important about the Ten Commandments (and God Word in general); the Commandments are mostly stated as prohibitions – do not murder, do not commit adultery, and so forth. But those Commandments have a positive command implied with them. To obey them, to be ‘good,’ it is not enough to not murder, but one must also cherish life. Earlier in his ministry, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes clear that the Commandments are intended not just negatively, but positively, and at the heart level. So do not commit adultery also means DO be faithful and also do not cultivate lustful thoughts in the heart. Likewise, Jesus is expanding on the commandment not to covet other people’s possessions and says that goodness also involves not clinging to one’s OWN possessions, but caring and showing charity to the poor. And the man’s response shows the limits of his goodness. He had refrained from evil, but had not fully embraced the good.

But Jesus said even more. He did more than reveal the limitation of the man’s goodness. He also began to answer the original question of “How do I inherit eternal life?” He didn’t say, “sell all you have, give it to the poor, and you will be saved” but “come, follow me.” The answer to the original question wasn’t “goodness” but knowing and trusting God through Jesus. This is what Psalm 14, that Jesus referenced, teaches as well. That Psalm says that no one is good and that God is looking to see if anyone understands that and is seeking Him. And then the Psalm ends with the declaration that God is the one who will bring salvation (not the goodness of human beings).

It is good to be good, but goodness doesn’t save us. Rather, God saves us; and God says we must know and trust Him through the one He has sent.

Letting Go of What Keeps us from God (vv. 21-26)

The man turns away from Jesus then and we read that he was “saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.” (v. 22) Jesus then follows up with some commentary with the disciples on the encounter. The problem wasn’t the wealth or property in and of itself, but that clinging to it kept the man from truly following God’s teaching AND from following Jesus. Don’t miss the second part. It’s not just that he didn’t want to part with his wealth and give it to the poor, but that he also didn’t respond to Jesus’ invitation to come and follow.

Reflecting on the encounter, Jesus comments, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” It sounds to me like the man was trying to do good, but had some definite hold out areas that were standing in the way. I can relate! For you and me it might be money or may be something else. Really that’s the broader point here; money is just the specific example. More broadly, we are not good because we fall short at some point or another; we cling to something that stands between us and God. But most importantly, these things – these idolatries, lusts, stubborn areas, addictions, dependencies, sins, or whatever else you may struggle with – they keep us from following Jesus well or even at all. Sometimes we just turn away sad; other times, we try to follow and find ourselves sinking like Peter in the story last week.

No wonder the disciples were astonished; I think what he was saying registered with them. They asked, “Then who can be saved?” Perhaps they, too, were considering where and how they fell short of God’s Commandments and being truly good.

Now remember what I said previously… our goodness doesn’t save us; God saves us. And here’s Jesus bottom-line answer – truly, a Good News answer – “With people it IS impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

Impossible Love (vv. 21,27)

I want you to hear three things today:

1.    All things are possible with God.
2.    God is the one who saves.

Those two things are the main idea. But there’s a third thing, not presented as the main idea here, but essential to the whole. It’s in verse 21.

3.    And God loves you.

Jesus heard the man’s claim to goodness, knew what he lacked, and nonetheless “felt a love for him.” His response and invitation to the man was motivated out of love and that is our focus today. And do you understand the power and strength of taking those three propositions together? All things are possible with God; God saves; and God loves you. To the extent that you can do good things, it is a blessing to you and those around you and honors God. But goodness has its limits; and OUR ability for the good has its limits. Good thing, then, that God comes after us; Jesus invites us to come and follow; and such a thing is not impossible if God is behind it. And it is motivated out of love.

It reminds me of another well-known verse of scripture, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Good News, indeed!”

Good Shepherd Presbyterian (Charlotte NC) Sermon ARCHIVE