When Following Jesus Comes with a Price Tag

October 18, 2009

There was a man who had worked all of his life and had saved all of his money. He loved money more than just about anything.

Just before he died, he said to his wife, “Now listen. When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the afterlife with me.” He made her promise with all her heart that when he died, she would put all of the money in the casket with him.

Well, he died. He was stretched out in the casket, his wife was sitting there in black, and her friend was sitting next to her. When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said, “Wait just a minute!” She had a box with her, and she came over and put it in the casket.

Then the undertakers locked the casket down, and they rolled it away. Her friend said, “Girl, I know you weren’t fool enough to put all that money in there with your husband!”

She said, “Listen, I can’t go back on my word. I promised him that I was gonna put that money in that casket with him.”

“You mean to tell me you really put that money in the casket with him!?”

“I sure did,” said the wife. “I wrote him a check.”

We can relate to that man, can’t we? There’s something intoxicating about having money and stuff, isn’t there?

You can buy STUFF with your money, and I deny anybody telling me that it’s not fun to have stuff. I want, and someday maybe I’ll get, a 50” LCD, 240 megahertz Sony Bravia TV, with a bluray player, and a HD package from Charter or Direct TV. I’m a lousy Fantasy Football player, so I think it would be a great consolation to see the guys I’ve picked for my team, lose for me in vivid, 1080p high definition. If I’m going to lose, I might as well “look good” in defeat.

Having money and stuff provides SECURITY—and I deny anybody telling me it doesn’t. Between a nice nest egg that will provide a retirement home and a stream of income, and a bare-bones pension that will ensure mortgage payments and a series of part-time jobs—I choose the nice nest egg, wouldn’t you?

So of course I can relate to that dead guy! Having money and stuff is so fun, and it gives me such a feeling of being in control, that I WANT TO TAKE IT WITH ME!

BUT…Death sort of puts everything in perspective, doesn’t it? If you’ve lived your life banking on the bank account, and your doctor says you have only 3 weeks to live—well, that changes things a bit.

That LCD TV just keeps playing, and no matter how big the screen or sharp the picture, it’ll still be bringing American Idol into your living room—it’s just that you’re not there any more.

And that big fat 401k? What good is that going to do you when you’re room temperature?

Hmmm.

“Big, fat 401k.” Well, over the past year mine has taken quite a hit. In last year’s sermon retreat, on the day I penned this sermon idea to preach on this day, the Dow lost 777 points. (God has quite a sense of humor.) In the subsequent months, we’ve all felt the hit of the economic downturn, haven’t we?

It’s an awful feeling to have your wealth and your livelihood threatened. It’s sort of like hearing that bad diagnosis from your doctor, telling you your lifestyle—and your life—are coming to an end. It makes us nervous and scared.

It’s sort of like what a young man experienced when he came to Jesus, wanting to be a disciple. Listen to the story—and imagine what might have been going through his mind as the story unfolded.

Mark 10:17-27

As he was starting out on a trip, a man came running to him and knelt down and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to get to heaven?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked. "Only God is truly good! But as for your question-you know the commandments: don't kill, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, don't cheat, respect your father and mother."

"Teacher," the man replied, "I've never once broken a single one of those laws." Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. "You lack only one thing," he told him; "go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor-and you shall have treasure in heaven-and come, follow me."

Then the man's face fell, and he went sadly away, for he was very rich. Jesus watched him go, then turned around and said to his disciples, "It's almost impossible for the rich to get into the Kingdom of God!" This amazed them. So Jesus said it again: "Dear children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches 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."

The disciples were incredulous! "Then who in the world can be saved, if not a rich man?" they asked. Jesus looked at them intently, then said, "Without God, it is utterly impossible. But with God everything is possible."

I don’t know about you, but I can relate to that man. He lived by karma. His philosophy was: “As you sow, so will you reap. You take control of your life. You work hard. You get rich. You make a name and a life for yourself. No one’s going to give you anything in this life—you have to earn it. It’s all up to you.”

He comes to Jesus, thinking that Jesus will pat him on the back and say, “Well done—keep it going!”

But Jesus doesn’t. On the contrary, Jesus gives him a “near death” experience. He says, “Stop living this way. Stop trying to buy life, buy happiness. Stop trying to control things. As a matter of fact, give up these symbols of trying to find life on your own—give up your stuff and investments. Then you’ll be FREE. Free from worry. Free for following me. Free for receiving the life I will offer you—life you can’t even begin imagining!”

Can you see the look on the man’s face when he heard this? It’s as if Jesus the judge had just slammed down the gavel and pronounced a death sentence. He told him to die to the way he had been living.

Now, a criminal receiving a death sentence doesn’t go, “Whee! Yea! All right!” And neither did this man.

“The man’s face fell, and he went away sadly.”

This is the first part of the story. The painful part. But the rest of the story contains the promise.

Listen.

Mark 10:28-31

Then Peter began to mention all that he and the other disciples had left behind. "We've given up everything to follow you," he said.

And Jesus replied, "Let me assure you that no one has ever given up anything-home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or property-for love of me and to tell others the Good News, who won't be given back, a hundred times over, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land-with persecutions! All these will be his here on earth, and in the world to come he shall have eternal life. But many people who seem to be important now will be the least important then; and many who are considered least here shall be greatest there."

TLB

Jesus states it clearly.

WHEN YOU GIVE UP LIFE ON YOUR TERMS, YOU RECEIVE LIFE ON GOD’S TERMS—BOTH HERE AND HEREAFTER.

Jesus never denies the importance of “home” or “property.” As a matter of fact, he says that his followers will receive home and property 100 times more than they had before they started following Jesus. They’ll have 100 times more moms and dads, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters.

And the beauty is, they don’t have to do anything to earn this. They don’t have to read the Wall Street Journal. They don’t have to put out personals on eHarmony.com. No—all the loving, deep relationships—all the stuff you could hope for—is yours, when you give up trying to make it on your own, and decide to trust Jesus, and receive what he wants to give you.

You who trust Jesus—you who have given up your worry over stuff and decide to rely on Jesus:

[x], do you know how rich you are? You have a home that’s over 30k square feet! You have two kitchens, eight bathrooms, a 7’ x 10’ projection system, and a basketball/volleyball court. As a bonus, your home is situated on prime real estate off Lindbergh Blvd.

[y], do you know how loved you are? You have friends all over this place. You sing together, eat together, care for one another, play together. You look after each other’s kids, and give the kids instruction and positive role models as they grow up. You are so close to these friends you even call them “brother” or “sister” without flinching.

[z], do you know how the world opens up to you? You can take trips across the globe—Kentucky, Colorado, Michigan, Mexico, Ghana. You can stay in homes around the world, and they won’t charge you rent. You’re able to talk to and relate to the people around the world in personal ways, and really get the feel for their land and customs, and also the satisfaction that you’re helping them.

My, oh my, how Jesus was right. When you give up trying to buy life on your terms, and accept the life God gives you on God’s term; when you give up investing in yourself, and instead invest in God’s kingdom—how truly rich you are, AND HOW YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU!

Today’s passage lays it before us quite clearly.

It can be a “death” sentence—a verdict on your misplaced priorities.

Or it can be a “life” sentence—an opportunity to give up happiness on your terms—controlling, manipulating, worrying—and receive life on Jesus’ terms—trusting, loving, enjoying.

One of the greatest things that happens when you receive this life sentence is that money no longer has power over you. You don’t have to bow a knee to it, always concerned about it. As a matter of fact, money becomes less a god, and more a tool: a tool you can use for the sake of others.

I like what the German theologian Dietrich Bonnhoeffer said:

If we want to understand God's goodness in God's gifts, then we must think of them as a responsibility we bear for our brothers and sisters. Let none say: God has blessed us with money and possessions, and then live as if they and their God were alone in the world. For the time will come when they realize that they have been worshipping the idols of their good fortune and selfishness. Possessions are not God's blessing and goodness, but the opportunities of service which God entrusts to us.

Making the shift from seeing possessions as not for ourselves but as opportunities for service is not easy in our society. But it is essential for our souls. It is the mark of every committed Christian. It is putting your money where you say your faith is.

At a Wednesday evening church meeting, a very wealthy man rose to give his testimony.

“I’m a millionaire,” he said, “and I attribute it all to the rich blessings of God in my life.

“I can still remember the turning point in my faith, like it was yesterday:

“I had just earned my first dollar and I went to a church meeting that night. The speaker was a missionary who told about his work. I knew that I only had a dollar bill and had to either give it all to God’s work or nothing at all. So at that moment I decided to give my whole dollar to God. I believe that God blessed that decision, and that is why I am a rich man today.”

As he finished, it was clear that everyone had been moved by this man’s story. But, as he took his seat, a little old lady sitting in the same pew leaned over and said: “Wonderful story! I dare you to do it again!”

This week you have an opportunity to “do it again.” It’s the last week of our 28 Days of Praise faith-building program. You’ll have an opportunity to look over your lifestyle, and ask yourself the question, “What IS really important to me?” And after you’ve come up with the answers, you’ll have a chance to make an investment. You’ll write it down on the Commitment Card. What you write down must come from your heart, and it must be a sign that your life isn’t determined by what you get. Your life is determined by how you give.

This week, accept the challenge to celebrate how truly rich you are!