{"id":1407,"date":"2015-10-13T13:01:25","date_gmt":"2015-10-13T18:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/?p=1407"},"modified":"2015-10-13T20:02:47","modified_gmt":"2015-10-14T01:02:47","slug":"that-was-easy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/10\/13\/that-was-easy\/","title":{"rendered":"That was easy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Yok0gj_xFXY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/sermons\/?sermon_id=69\">Audio only link<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sunday, October 11, 2015<br \/>\nPentecost<\/p>\n<p>Amos 5:6\u20137, 10\u201315<br \/>\nHebrews 4:12\u201316<br \/>\nMark 10:17\u201331<\/p>\n<p>Two weeks in a row, we are given a tough text from Mark.\u00a0 Last week Jesus speak to divorce and adultery.\u00a0 Now Jesus is telling the rich man to give everything up and come follow him.\u00a0 There you go, now you have it.\u00a0 All anyone must do is give up all they have and follow Jesus, it is that easy.\u00a0 Now if I only really worked that way, then we would have a button just like Staples, \u201cThat was easy\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The whole point here, and just like last week is, it is not that easy for us to do.\u00a0 The rich man misses the point too.\u00a0 He tells Jesus that has has been following the commandments since his youth.\u00a0 Really, is all I have to say\u2026.really!?<\/p>\n<p>Following the commandments are supposed to be in thought, word and deed.\u00a0 Not once, did this rich man think poorly of his parents about a single thing?\u00a0 Come come now.<\/p>\n<p>I will give him murder and adultery on the surface as something he did not do, but we really don\u2019t know much about him.\u00a0 Is murder just about taking a life or is it also about things we do that are not life-giving, to our fellow human beings.\u00a0 Such as not giving to the widows or the poor and in such, they cannot enjoy in the fullness of life that God has given them?<\/p>\n<p>Adultery encompasses more than physical actions, but even the actions of thought about another.\u00a0 Again however, we don\u2019t know this rich man, and he very well may have been able to be truly faithful in thought, word and deed for both murder and adultery.<\/p>\n<p>After the rich man states that he has followed the commandments, Jesus Loved him.\u00a0 This form of love in the Greek is one that show a sincere appreciation, high regard for, concern for the rich man by Jesus.\u00a0 This should not surprise us.\u00a0 Jesus truly cares for everyone.\u00a0 What is interesting is that after making the bold statements of following the commandments, Jesus Loved him.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus loved in such a way as to shock the rich man, hopefully into a new reality.\u00a0 This man was so rich, it would difficult if not impossible to give away all that he had to follow Jesus.\u00a0 The rich man walks away shocked and I would not be surprised if he was not disappointed.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus was not trying to say that having wealth was wrong, it was where is the priority, God or stuff.\u00a0 Our stuff that we accumulate can be beneficial to others and in such, is a way to make God a priority.<\/p>\n<p>Last Friday and Saturday, I went back to Dubuque to retrieve some of the items, some of the stuff, that had been left by the movers, back on the seminary campus.\u00a0 As it turns out, most of this stuff could have been replaced.\u00a0 Not only could it be replaced, in the end I had to get ride of some of my stuff, because I did not have room.<\/p>\n<p>Not only did I drive to Dubuque, but I drove 3 hrs. East to stop for more stuff and then another hour East for some more stuff.\u00a0 Of all the stuff I picked up, which filled my entire Honda Element and a 5&#215;8 U-Haul, one piece was probably the most necessary.\u00a0 It was the snow blower at the final stop.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to making it the final stop, my car broke down.\u00a0 In fact, I called Chet to see if he would be willing to preach today.\u00a0 I put him on standby and awaited the car dealership\u2019s determination of the trouble.\u00a0 While I waited, praying for a speedy and somewhat affordable solution, it is then I came to realize this trip was all about stuff and it was getting ready to interfere with my relationship with God.<\/p>\n<p>After a couple of hours, the car was fixed and my son and I were on our way to get the last of our stuff.\u00a0 My need to get this stuff, could have caused me to not show up for service.\u00a0 I believe there may have been better ways to retrieve and deal with all the stuff of ours.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, God ended up using my stuff to help me focus on this sermon.\u00a0 So, now back to Jesus and what he was telling the rich man and then later the disciples.\u00a0 Having stuff is not bad.\u00a0 Having wealth is not bad.\u00a0 What we do with it, is what counts.\u00a0 It is not good to live off of others, so we earn money, we acquire things and in that we can give and do things for others.<\/p>\n<p>We are called to take care of our community.\u00a0 That means in our time, talents, our wealth of whatever kind we have, we look for opportunities to take care of the least, the last, the lost.\u00a0 We use what we have and what we can obtain, to take care of the widows, orphans and the poor.<\/p>\n<p>When our stuff becomes our priority over God, then we should step back and re-evaluate.\u00a0 Maybe you have a nice vacation home you go to but when you go, you do not go to Sunday worship that weekend.\u00a0 Where is our priority when this happens?<\/p>\n<p>What about someone that has a talent of teaching and there is a need for teachers, but that time is not given.\u00a0 Maybe the need is known but they are waiting to be asked to help out.<\/p>\n<p>Someone gives to the church, but only when they attend or only when they are asked for a special gift going for a particular need.\u00a0 Where is the priority at in these circumstances?\u00a0 You name it, think of what we have and what we can do, and ask yourself, how can I respond to God and honor God\u2019s children.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus tells the rich man to re-think his priorities.\u00a0 Focus up the one and only good, which is God.\u00a0 Let\u2019s face another reality that Jesus told us last week and again this week.\u00a0 Eternal life and heaven are not easily obtainable.\u00a0 In fact, for us impossible.\u00a0 We will not be able to follow all the commandments in thought, word and deed.\u00a0 We will not be able to give up everything and follow Jesus.<\/p>\n<p>This does not prevent us from trying.\u00a0 Just realize that our stuff can get in the way.\u00a0 Our stuff can be helpful or hurtful.\u00a0 In the end, the only thing that is good is God, who sent the Son into the world, in order that the world might be saved.\u00a0 It is Jesus that has done the work.\u00a0 It is the Spirit of the good God, who imparts faith in us, so that we can believe in the Son and inherit eternal life.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Audio only link Sunday, October 11, 2015 Pentecost Amos 5:6\u20137, 10\u201315 Hebrews 4:12\u201316 Mark 10:17\u201331 Two weeks in a row, we are given a tough text from Mark.\u00a0 Last week Jesus speak to divorce and adultery.\u00a0 Now Jesus is telling the rich man to give everything up and come follow him.\u00a0 There you go, now &#8230; <span class=\"more\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/10\/13\/that-was-easy\/\">[Read more&#8230;]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[71,87,76,64,10,45,83],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-admin","4":"post-1407","6":"format-standard","7":"category-attitude","8":"category-christ","9":"category-commandment","10":"category-giving","11":"category-jesus","12":"category-money","13":"category-sermon"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2m6h5-mH","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":843,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2014\/03\/19\/mark-of-discipleship-bible-reading\/","url_meta":{"origin":1407,"position":0},"title":"Mark of Discipleship, Bible Reading","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"March 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Lent 2014 Theme, \u00a0Six Marks of Discipleship based on the book,\u00a0\u201cPower \u00a0Surge: Six Marks of Discipleship for a Changing Church\u201d,\u00a0Michael Foss Audio Link [youtube\u00a0http:\/\/youtu.be\/QfJ-4Zh_Vk8] It is at the age of 13 that Jewish boys participate in their Bar Mitzvah.\u00a0 This is when they become obligated to observe the commandments.\u00a0 Prior\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bible&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bible","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stpatselkhorn.org\/portals\/0\/bible-Sunlight.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":283,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2012\/10\/09\/obtaining-perfection\/","url_meta":{"origin":1407,"position":1},"title":"Obtaining Perfection","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"October 9, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Below is the link to the audio http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/sermons\/ObtainingPerfection.mp3 Matthew 19:16-31 16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, \u201cTeacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?\u201d 17 \u201cWhy do you ask me about what is good?\u201d Jesus replied. \u201cThere is only One who is good.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Eternal Life&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Eternal Life","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/eternal-life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jesus and the Rick Man","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_lVvM5tfzc3w\/S7AToGZNcjI\/AAAAAAAAHoo\/svbIxiFmFYk\/s1600\/Jesus%2Brich%2Bman.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1251,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/03\/01\/following-self-or-following-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":1407,"position":2},"title":"Following Self or Following Jesus","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"March 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Audio Version Genesis 17:1\u20137, 15\u201316 Psalm 22:23\u201331 Romans 4:13\u201325 Mark 8:31\u201338 Control is a wonderful thing, isn\u2019t it? When we are in control, we get to decide how things will be. We are no longer subject to the will of others. We decide when we want to get up, go\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Control&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Control","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/control\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":974,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2014\/06\/18\/greatest-commandment-holy-spirit-great-commission\/","url_meta":{"origin":1407,"position":3},"title":"Greatest Commandment + Holy Spirit = Great Commission","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"June 18, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Audio Link Genesis 1:1\u20135, Genesis 1:26-2:4a 2 Corinthians 13:11\u201313 Matthew 28:16\u201320 I have not done this before but today, I want you to pull out pens or pencils and write something on your bulletins.\u00a0 Write it in a place that you can see, so you can take this with you,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Christian Love&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Christian Love","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/christian-love\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/h1W86a10BN8\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1470,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/12\/27\/where-is-jesus-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1407,"position":4},"title":"Where is Jesus?","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"December 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Sunday, December 27, 2015 | Christmas First Sunday after Christmas:\u00a0 Holy Family Year C Old Testament \u00a0\u00a0 1 Samuel 2:18\u201320, 26 New Testament Colossians 3:12\u201317 Gospel \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Luke 2:41\u201352 \u00a0 On Christmas Eve, I asked the question, \u201cWhere is the Messiah?\u201d\u00a0 Just where is Jesus in this world around us.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Christ&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Christ","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/christ\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1041,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2014\/09\/23\/love-of-neighbor-even-when-wronged\/","url_meta":{"origin":1407,"position":5},"title":"Love of Neighbor, Even when Wronged","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"September 23, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Audio Version http:\/\/youtu.be\/g9G2YBjWxgc Psalm 119:33\u201340 Romans 13:8\u201314 Matthew 18:15\u201320 Our gospel today is just so jammed packed full of good stuff that Jesus tells his disciples, you and me and all those that are members of the Christian church. 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