Blessed Disturbance!

"Blessed assurance,” sings the old Fannie Crosby hymn, but if I were to rewrite the hymn for this specific gospel passage, the lyrics might be "Blessed disturbance!”

"What must I do to inherit eternal life?" a man asks. 

"You know the commandments," Jesus says, and yes, this man knows every last one of them and even says he performs them with exceeding piety. I believe this man was a good person—perhaps a little smug, but a sincere and first-class person nevertheless, "I have kept all these since my youth," he honestly declares.

"You lack one thing," Jesus advises. "Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor…and come, follow me."

It says, "When he heard this, he was shocked."  Well, yah, he was shocked!  Who wouldn’t be?  Even the disciples were shocked, but Jesus didn't let up for an instant. Instead of soothing their dismay he continued, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." The disciples, Mark tells us, were astounded.

Astonishment is not a bad place to begin.  I believe if we allowed ourselves to be astonished more often we might be more teachable. As it is, because we often think we've seen it all, heard it all and know it all, wonders and miracles can happen all around us, but we overlook them.  They do not stick to our teflon-coated lives. Mark often pictures the disciples as a pretty inept and awkward bunch, but they did have this much going for them: they were not above being astonished.   How about you? 

If you found yourself a little astonished listening to the reading of the gospel lesson; if you felt a little disturbed by this impossible imperative; if you are waiting a little warily in your seat to hear what on earth I might have to say about all this, and if you are a just a little apprehensive wondering what this might have to do with you, then you are probably in a good place right now because this story intends to disturb.  Blessed Disturbance!

To get at this passage this morning, let’s focus on the man’s question, because I believe his question is the key to the whole story: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"    “What must I do. . .”  Isn’t it amazing how we always want to make it about us?   The man’s question had little to do with God and everything to do about himself.  “What must I do. . .”   

One of the things I have experienced over the years is the underlying lack of certainty, confidence and conviction that many people who are Christians have about their own salvation.  When it comes to the issue of their salvation they will hem and haw, qualify and hedge. “Well, I hope so,” or “I really think I’ve been a good person,” or “I’ve done my best most of the time,” or some other cockamamie variation of that theme.  The problem is of course you are not going to be sure and are never going to be sure if you make the issue of salvation about you!  The man that came to Jesus made it about himself, “What must I do. . .”   Look at what Jesus did.  It’s as if Jesus was saying, “OK, if you are going to make it about you - fine.  I tell you what.  Have you followed the commandments.”   “Oh yes, Lord I have.”  “Well, good for you.   Well, then, let’s see. I want you to liquidate all of your assets, and give the money to the Food Bank for Larimer County.”

If you were here last week and listened to the sermon, you heard me say that if we insist upon always  making everything about us then Jesus will play the game with us by upping the ante every time.  He did it last week, and here he is doing it again this week.  He ups the ante to the unattainable. The point of the whole exchange between Jesus and the man is there is nothing you can do to inherit eternal life!  Nothing!  Nada!   Zero!   The astounding and disturbing point is that it is not about you!

Jesus even re-emphasized the same point moments later with his own disciples when they were astonished to the point of despair (vs 26- 27).  “For mortals it is impossible…” 

Blessed Disturbance – there is nothing you can do to inherit eternal life!  Eternal life is pure gift!  But we have such a problem with that.  We are shocked and astonished that it’s not about us!

Our epistle lesson says it so well (10:00 & 11:15 which I know we didn’t read so I will now).   Listen to this:  “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Did you hear that?  Did you really hear it?  “Approach the throne of grace with boldness.”  Astonishing!  “Boldness” does not mean arrogant or smug, but rather it means with confidence, without doubt.  You can approach the throne of grace with boldness, not because of anything you have done, or ever could do, or think you deserve or don’t deserve, but because of everything Jesus Christ has done for you.  You can approach with confidence by trusting in his promise and what he has done for you!  In Romans Paul says God gives you the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the one who fulfilled the law for you and died for your sins, as a pure gift of God’s grace! 

“Approach the throne of grace with boldness!”  Just think, no more hemming and hawing and hedging and wondering.  It’s the gift of God!  Blessed Disturbance, I hope your ego can take it for it has nothing to do with you!

There are two roads to salvation.  One is obedience to God’s law which is all about you – and it is a dead end – as Jesus said, “for mortals it is impossible!”  The other is the road of grace which is all about God in Jesus Christ – about who God is and about what God has done – as Jesus said, “…for (with) God all things are possible.”

Today is Stewardship Sunday at Shepherd of the Hills, but in my way of thinking, everyday is Stewardship Sunday and I’ll tell you why.   My one sentence definition of stewardship is just this:  “Stewardship is everything I do after I say ‘I believe.’”  So everyday is stewardship Sunday!

For me the key stewardship question is, “Does my gift of my treasure, and my time, and my talent, and my whatever, reflect, however imperfectly, the grace that God has lavished over me in the blood of the cross of Jesus Christ?”   For me, stewardship is not about formulas for giving, or percentages of this or that, or giving tables, but it is all about the cross of Jesus Christ and the blessedly disturbing love that is poured out there for me – that secured my salvation.  I say “blessedly disturbing love” because the love that flows from the cross does disturb me.  When I feel the wine wash down my esophagus and taste the bread on my tongue and feel it in my physical being, how can I not be “disturbed” and changed and motivated and moved to live my life in its entirely for the one who gave his life for me paying the price with his body and blood?  How can I not?  How can I not be astonished and disturbed into extraordinary generosity and service in response to his grace?  I pray that you are astonished – and disturbed – for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Blessed (disturbance), Jesus is mine!  O what a foretaste of glory divine! 

               Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

               This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.