061015 Sermon - Mark 10:17-31 For God All Things Are Possible

Mark 10 17-31 For God All Things Are Possible
Some of this message is based on less than one-eighth of John Wesley's 87th sermon, "The Danger of Riches." That means that it was at least 2 hours long in normal tempo. It combines an interpretation of today's reading and 1 Timothy 6:6-10, "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
John's mother Susanna, had a deep passion for Christ; but with 19 children underfoot, it was not always easy for her to find a quiet place to be alone with God. Susanna had a rule: Hungry stomachs, sibling squabbles, or any other business requiring her attention would wait until her time with God was complete. Susanna Wesley found a way to fulfill her heart's longing to spend time with God.
Many of us are not as diligent and faithful as Mrs. Wesley was. Our hearts are distracted by other loves that tug at my soul. You may love Jesus, but find that even small inconveniences harm your spiritual life. Many of us are like the rich young ruler and we need to overcome the obstacles that separate us from Jesus.
A deeper attraction to Christ requires daily prayer for Christ to make our heart His own.
Are you rich because you acquire and keep more than you need for food, clothing and shelter?
You must be doing all right by God's standards, because you have a good reputation and you usually back the right horse even if it's not clear how what you are doing could be to the glory of God. Wesley would say this is treasuring up to yourself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.
Our Christian economic principle as taught by Wesley is "to gain all we can, save all we can, and give all we can." This is possible in this world without desiring or endeavoring to be rich or successful. Wesley gained all he could through writing without hurting either his soul or body - without intentionally wasting anything - all the while making it a sacrifice to God. By giving all he could, he managed to keep himself from "laying up treasures upon earth."
When Wesley was thirty-six, he started publishing small Christian tracts at a penny a piece so as to furnish poor people with cheaper, shorter, and plainer books than were normally available. This was a big financial success and he became rich before he really knew it. Apparently the profits were somehow returned like interest on a CD, royalties from the sale of a book, or other investment vehicles of today.
Until his death Wesley continued to follow his own advice. He didn't just tithe a tenth, give a fifth, a half or three-quarters of all he had. He gave all and left no inheritance!
He maintained that a "faithful and a wise steward," must (1.) Provide things needful for oneself; food to eat, clothes to ware; whatever nature moderately requires to preserve health and strength; (2.) Provide these for your family and employees, then (3.) Whatever is left over, do good to "them that are of the household of faith." (4.) If there is still something left, "as you have opportunity, do good unto all men." In this way you render unto God the things that are God's, not only by what you give to the poor as well as providing things what you and others need.
He did this for more than fifty years while serving the Methodist movement. He never flinched from giving all that he could. He was not a reed shaken with the wind.
You can't "buy happiness" even though people widely seem to believe that lie. Do those who die with the most toys the true winners of life?
Our consumerist culture hurts, wounds and sometimes utterly destroys your "hunger and thirst after righteousness." Do you still have the same longing that you once had for the whole image of God? Do you have the same vehement desire as you formerly had, of "going on unto perfection" in the love and delight of God? Is your faith stronger or weaker? Do you have faith's "abiding impression - realizing things to come?" Do you endure, in all temptations, from pleasure or pain, "seeing Him that is invisible?" Do you have a constant and uninterrupted sense of God's presence - every hour - every day?
Do you still have hope full of immortality? Can you "taste the powers of the world to come?" Do you "sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus?"
OR - Have the riches of the world taken away your humility and made you less teachable with a greater opinion of your own judgment instead of God’s?
Have you returned good for evil or evil for evil? Can you "bear all things" in love or can you bear nothing further when everything seems to go wrong?
"How could she use me that way? How dare he do that to me!” And do you want revenge?
Are you robbed of your patience, too? Does your love now "endure all things?" Are you frequently depressed or fretful like the man who habitually gave nine tenths of his yearly income to the church, but still complained of the smoke that occasionally filled his room while warming it at the same time?
Consumerism leads to softness of mind and body, and yearning for comfort instead of expectation of the kingdom of heaven.
Let us individually pray this prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, help me to cheerfully deny myself, take up my cross daily and see my Savior’s face in all those with whom I minister. Help me not to fear getting dirty or catching some disease. In as much as I have not done it unto the least of these, I have not done it unto You?
Help me to witness and bring loved ones and even enemies to the saving knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ. Replace my desire for things with an ever-deepening love for You. Change me from a gainer and lover of possessions to being a true God lover and follower of Jesus the Messiah. All things are possible with You even if they aren’t possible with me.
Lord, speak so that this rich one may enter Your kingdom, take the kingdom of heaven by storm, sell all for the pearl of great price, and be crucified to the world that I may win Christ! In His precious name I pray, Amen.