SPECIAL DAYS: March 16, 2003, Second Sunday in Lent

Lesson: Genesis 17.1-7, 15-16; Mark 8.31-38

Sermon Title: We Can't God Can!

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INTRODUCTION:

  1. How would you like to be the richest person in the world?

    1. Just think of what you could have.

      1. I suppose that all of us, at one time or another, have wished that we had the money to buy what it was we thought we wanted.

      2. The imagination could run riot.

    2. The lure of wealth is alluring.

A recent cartoon shows a man worshipfully kneeling at an altar. But instead of the expected symbol, perched on top of this altar is a huge replica of a #1 lottery ball.

The man is soulfully closing a just-uttered prayer with the words, "For thine is the kingdom, the powerball, and the glory forever. Amen."

    1. It is what a lot of people hope or have hoped to achieve.

    2. Much of the dissatisfaction that we experience is because we cannot have what we believe we need.

NO MONEY'S ENOUGH

James McGuffey remembers that after attending his son's college graduation, the family, celebrating, stopped off for a bite to eat.

They talked about his plans to enter Religious Life

The subject of vows came up, especially the vow of poverty.

The daughter had a hard time with this vow of poverty. She was one who, according to Dad, keeps Bloomingdales in business.

The conversation reached a high when she unwittingly said:

"You couldn't pay me to take a vow of poverty!"

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MAIN BODY:

  1. There is a searching question in Mark's record of an experience between Jesus and the disciples.

    1. "[31] Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

      1. Jesus is speaking of his impending trial

      2. He is foretelling his death

      3. He is proclaiming his resurrection.

    2. "[32] He said all this quite openly.

      1. Up to know he has avoided plain speaking.

      2. His time had not yet come.

      3. Now it has come.

      4. It is time to speak plainly so that his disciples may have the opportunity to understand and prepare for the coming events.

  2. The exchange that follows is significant for the place to which it brings not only the immediate disciples, but also those who follow them.

    1. "And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

      1. Rebuke = To admonish, to correct

      2. Peter had recently declared that Jesus was the Messiah.

        1. (Mark 8:27-29 NRSV) Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" [28] And they answered him, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." [29] He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah."

        2. Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah

      3. It is as if Peter did not want to embarrass Jesus by speaking to him in the company of the disciples.

        1. Peter takes Jesus aside and tells him that he is mistaken.

        2. This declaration by Jesus does not fit with the concept of Peter's messiah.

    2. [33] But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."

      1. Jesus attempts to correct Peter's and the disciple's view of the messiah.

      2. It is as if Jesus is not only speaking to Peter and the disciples, but also to Satan.

    3. "[34] He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them,

    4. 'If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

      1. Renounce the selfishness of the self.

      2. To live according to divine rather than human principles.

      3. To accept the responsibilities that come with such an action.

    5. '[35] For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.

      1. To save one's life is to seek first the things of the present life instead of the kingdom of God and God's righteousness

      2. To lose one's life for Christ's sake and for the sake of the gospel is to make God's purposes and God's kingdom paramount in life.

    6. '[36] For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?

    7. '[37] Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?

  3. Here is the question that still haunts us.

    1. What will it profit us if we gain the whole world and forfeit our life.

    2. What will we give in exchange for our life?

    3. We read about Abraham and Sarah.

      1. They are not perfect specimens of humanity.

      2. They lie and cheat and, at times, seek to play God

      3. If they were to answer this question, they would do so without hesitation.

      4. When God called we answered.

        1. They were wanderers.

        2. With the exception of an heir, they did not find what they were seeking or what God had promised.

        3. Check out Hebrews 11:8-16, NRSVA

8By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old--and Sarah herself was barren--because he considered him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, "as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore." 13All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, 14for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 16But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

        1. We were people of faith and love and loyalty.

        2. You could do worse than to follow our example.

        3. Actually their example provides hope.

  1. What would you give in exchange for your life, your soul?

    1. Life (Soul) can refer not only to the individual, but also to a community.

      1. The soul of Arena.

        1. The health of a community.

        2. The ways in which a community functions.

        3. The underlying principles by which the community operates.

      2. Consider the soul of a church.

        1. Kel Groseclose, in Lent 2000, Tidings of Hope (1), relates a story which clearly illustrates the soul condition of a congregation.

        2. Once upon a time, so the story goes, a congregation removed all the windows of its church building and replaced them with mirrors.

        3. The recommendation came from the Beautification Committee.

          1. "Being able to see outside when we're worshiping is such a distraction," they said.

          2. "We gather to praise and glorify God, not to see poor children in our neighborhood playing in the street, homeless people wandering by, or even ambulances rushing on their way to the hospital."

          3. Heads nodded, and somebody suggested a solution: replace the clear glass with mirrors.

          4. After a brief discussion, the vote was unanimously in favor of the motion.

        4. When the work was completed, the congregation was quite pleased with the results.

          1. It enabled them to appreciate the full beauty of their sanctuary: the wonderful grain of the oak pews, the rich highlights of the plush red carpet, and especially the polished brass of the huge cross that hung suspended above the altar.

          2. As an additional benefit, with but a glance they could admire their own Sunday finery, make certain their hair was perfectly in place, and secretly watch other parishioners to see who was not paying attention to the sermon or whose children were misbehaving.

          3. Perhaps best of all, no one outside could look inside and make them feel uncomfortable.

          4. The mirrors worked so well that they soon put them in all the Sunday school rooms, the fellowship hall, and the pastor's office.

        5. What was the color of their soul?

        6. What is the purpose of the church?

        7. How close does it come to the purposes of those called out as annunciated by Jesus Christ?

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CONCLUSION:

  1. We ought not to let ourselves be distracted from the searching question posed by Jesus.

    1. "[36] For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? [37] Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?"

    2. The American businessman was at the pier of a small, coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.

      1. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna.

      2. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

      3. The Mexican replied only a little while. (2)

      4. The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish?

      5. The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.

      6. The American then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time?

      7. The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late; fish a little; play with my children; take siesta with my wife, Maria; stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos; I have a full and busy life, senior."

      8. The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you.

        1. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat; with the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.

        2. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery.

        3. You would control the product, processing and distribution.

        4. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."

      9. The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, senior, how long will this all take?"

      10. To which the American replied, "Fifteen to 20 years."

      11. "But what then, senior?"

      12. The American laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich; you would make millions."

      13. "Millions, senior? Then what?"

      14. The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

  2. What if you followed this sage advice?

    1. Once you had made your millions, what then?

    2. Would you be conditioned with the desire to maintain or expand your empire?

  3. Remember the words of Jesus.

    1. '[38] Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.'"

    2. No one really needs the sense of shame which will result if we fail to understand and measure up the standard that Christ has lived and died for.

    3. What would you give in exchange for your life (same word for soul)?

1. Kel Groseclose, Lent 2000, Tidings of Hope, (Abingdon Press, 1999), page 18

2. Quoted in Homiletics Magazine, March 19, 2000, pages 28-29, (Source unknown). Used with permission.

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