It Wasn't the Money, It was His Heart
We wouldn’t have come if we weren’t at least somewhat willing to change. Our group is exploring How People Change using the book by Tim Lane and Paul Tripp. Meeting weekly for 17 weeks with my counselor Cathy, we have many things in common. I think the one thing we agreed on, that was universal, is we all have been wounded.
I came to the realization the night before that my participation in the group was prompted by the event of my divorce becoming final after 28 years of marriage. I find myself in a good place, but I am also wounded. I want to move on with my life and I want to be whole. I do not know if that is even possible. Admitting that to the group, I told them, “I think I am even OK with never being whole if God can use me that way.” I explained myself by using the testimony a retreat speaker shared with the women of my church 6 years earlier. The speaker had recently lost a husband to cancer and subsequently remarried. She was faced with brokenness and a new life. She described it as being like a pot that was slammed to the ground and shattered. The pot was picked up piece by piece and put back together, never to be whole or perfect, but still useful. She told us that now in the empty broken places of her life the light of God was able to shine through. I told the group that is what I wanted. Another lady shared and confirmed that desire. She said after an extensive study of 2 Corinthians she was able to finally not have to make everything right, within herself and for others. She admitted this side of glory we may ever be completely healed, but God still loves us and he could still use us. She was letting go of unrealistic expectation of herself and others and letting God be God. By then I was glad I came.
In the Church service Sunday in the context of dealing with guilt Dr. Hall gave a deeper insight into dealing with our brokenness and sin. Grace. Grace applied until we do not feel guilty anymore. After confession and dealing with our condition, knowing God forgives, applying grace over and over again. It is not by anything we do that this change takes place, really feeling forgiven. We cannot convince God after receiving forgiveness that what he did was worth it. We need to let grace just be. Grace is completely God’s work, the work of the Holy Spirit. The example Dr. Hall used was a house which he said was a picture of our inner life. The Holy Spirit comes with paint and says I want to paint the inside of the house white. And we say great and then we show up with black paint and proceed to help him. That example is easy to see, our efforts will never work. Like wise we can’t show up and help God deal with our guilt by anything we do. We have to let God be God and let him finish painting the house. God wants to love us through grace. The question is will we let him? Or will we reject him like the Rich Young Ruler. He not was the topic of study of Sunday school that morning and that was not by chance, but by design and how God speaks to me.
The Rich Young Ruler is like so many of us, we have high standards for ourselves and others. This is another difficulty is dealing with guilt that Dr. Hall brought out Sunday morning. We want to believe we can live up to this standard. We have people around us to whom we look up to and we believe that if they can do it then so can we. So when they failed because no one is good except God, we are particularly hard on them and particularly upset with ourselves. In dealing with guilt we need to let go of unrealistic expectations of ourselves and others and apply grace liberally. What does that mean practically? Pastor Ed answered that in Sunday school when we discussed why the young man turned and walked away from Jesus. Why would someone do that? Basically, people will walk away from Jesus because they are unwilling to change. The Rich Young Ruler thought he was doing just fine. Jesus’ request that he sell everything he owned meant a radical change would have to take place in his life.
The text.
Mark 10:17-31
The Rich Young Man
17As 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?"
18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19You 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.'[a]"
20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
21Jesus 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."
22At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is[b] to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"
27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
28Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"
29"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 30will 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. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last first."
Change Barriers
Perception. The Rich Young Ruler asked what must I do? Jesus answered him by bringing up the commandment. He didn’t say keep the commandments. Jesus wanted to show him he was self dependent. Jesus wanted to make him aware in order to change his perception of himself. Jesus was showing him and us that we need to change if we want to live out the Christian life. Have we changed since we have been saved? Are we discarding the old life in exchange becoming for more like Christ?
Change introduces uncertainty and fear. Jesus asked the young man to sell, give and come and follow?
Pessimism. The Rich Young Ruler walked away because maybe like us we are unsure even if we sell, give and come and follow Jesus that it might not make a difference. We wonder will it be worth it.
Phobias. Change brings fear of loss, giving up what we have, being self reliant. Again we ask “what if it doesn’t work out?” Change becomes a faith issue.
Priorities. The Rich Young Ruler chose riches over Christ. It could be that or many other things in our life that compete for Lordship. We need to examine our commitment and decide Christ is the best.
Pride. Jesus said follow me, but we want to lead. We need to let Jesus rule. Remember he is Lord.
Pampering. We love the immediate and trade the eternal for the temporal. We don’t want to wait.
Procrastination. We put Christ off thinking one day I will put him first.
Powerlessness. The Rich Young Ruler did not want to give up power. Do we?
When we look at these things we see how hard change can be. When the disciple heard what Jesus said, they exclaimed, “then who can be saved?”
In Verse 27 Jesus answered them "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
In group this week I told the ladies I wanted to share this with them. I wasn’t sure why, I thought I had something to contribute. Instead I am confronted with my unwillingness to forgive someone because I am holding them to a standard they cannot live up to.
I have the need to go and tell them that. And all these things are in my way. And I know I really have to do this.