“Journey to the Cross: Salvation”

Scripture: Mark 10:17-31

If you ask 5 people “What is life all about?”, I’m sure that you would get 5 different answers. Whether the person was 5 years old, or 20 years old, or 50 years old, no two people experience “life” in the same way.
So what is life all about? We all struggle with that question, even the Peanuts gang.

In one strip, Lucy and Charlie Brown (in the “Peanuts” comic strip) are seen engaged in heavy, deep, and real conversation about the meaning of life. Lucy says, “Life is like a deck chair. Some people place it so they can see where they are going. Some people place it so they can see where they have been. And some people place it so they can see where they are now.”
Charlie thinks about Lucy's profound thought, then replies, “I can't even get mine unfolded.”
- Homiletics OnLine

Many people, unfortunately, are Charlie Browns, and Jesus understood that better than anyone ever has. That was why he came to live that precious life with us, and he did his very best to teach us what life is supposed to be about. But most of us still never get it, and our life remains “unfolded”.

Read Mark 10:17-22

The Rich man had gained his wealth by doing the right things in business. This fact hasn’t changed in thousands of years, and it will continue to be true for the rest of time. Decisions must benefit the corporation, and they will never intentionally leave anything to chance. But can this approach be appropriate in faith? What would Jesus want us to do to be “right” in him?
In John 6:25-40, the crowd asks the Lord about this very thing. And this is how the conversation went:

Jesus tells them “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him, God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
Then they asked him,(and here’s the all important question!) “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

The work that God requires of us will never be about “things” – it will always be about faith and trust. The rich man had it backwards. He was putting the “things” of religion first – obeying the commandments, observing the feast days, tithing, and so on, and from his efforts, he expected that the requirements of faith would be fulfilled.
But Jesus would have us know that it’s the other way around – the first act of faith is to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, to trust that his way is sure and true, and then in our response to his way, we do those things that he leads us to do. For the rich young man, he loved the wrong things and he trusted the wrong things. He loved his wealth, his success, his properties, and put far too much emphasis on the things of earth and nowhere near enough on his journey of faith.
“If you sell all of this stuff, and give the proceeds to those who really need it, it is then that you will receive true treasure as you begin to follow me.” The man had become encumbered with all that he had accumulated in life, and had no strength or energy or vision left for Christ. Jesus tells him that it all has to change, but the transformation is just too much. The man turns away, and as he leaves the Lord behind, he realizes full well what he has just lost, but his heart refuses to let him do nothing about it.

Read Mark 10:23-26

“Who then can be saved?” The disciples were starting to get the gist of Jesus’ teaching, but they still had a hang up with the importance that works has in faith. They had always been taught that it was vital that they always did everything according to the law and the teaching of the synagogue. Without this, they were told, they would fail in honoring God.
Is it any wonder that Jesus was always at odds with the Pharisees? He was a tremendous threat to their orthodoxy, and they were out to put an end to this “foolishness”. And those folks, unfortunately, are still with us today. There are the Universalists, who will vehemently deny that any will be turned away on Judgment Day. There are the 21st century Pharisees who claim that all must worship in their way, or are baptized in their way, or come to the Lord with their prayer, or serve in their ministries, or – well, you fill in the blank. Unless you are with us, you can never realize the Lord’s salvation. They have the inside track, and outsiders beware! But the truth is that only real hope for salvation is in Jesus’ words - that believing in him as the Way, the Truth and the Life is the only work that is required (John 14:1-14).
And what became of the rich young man? All he had to do is to let go of his dependency, his love, his focus on his wealth and power and prestige, and eternity could have been his. But his heart was centered on this life, and in doing so, he surrendered all hope for the next.
We all have friends or family who have that same affliction –myopic faith. They just can’t seem to see beyond the here and now, and their nearsighted adherence to “works” will only serve them well while they live in this plane of existence – it will bring them nothing - actually less than nothing - in the hereafter. They just can’t grasp the fact that in order to claim the gift of eternal life, they have to let go of their hopes in this one.

Do you know about the American scrub oak? This is the tree that, from the fall until the spring, remains covered with the scruffy, scraggly remains of its previous year's foliage. When all the other trees have lost their leaves, the scrub oak's tatters hang on stubbornly through all the gales of winter.
It is only in the spring, when the sap begins to rise again, that the tree finally relinquishes its hold on last year's crop of leaves. These vestiges of a past life drop off when the signal comes that new life is about to begin.
- Homiletics Online

In John 12:20-26, Jesus tells us that if you love this life, it will never last, but if you see this life for what it truly is, you will keep it for all of eternity. If you have ever seen one of those scrub oaks in winter, you will know how ugly it is, with all of those dead leaves hanging off its branches. But when spring comes, in that time of new life, it loses its past and gains a whole new look.
And so do those who allow Christ to be first their lives. They are the ones who shed the “death” of this world, and eagerly await the Spring of eternity.

Read Mark 10:27-31

Salvation is impossible when we rely solely on our own abilities. That means that our works are useless when it comes to gaining the glory of heaven! Jesus says that salvation will come only as God’s gift, and there is nothing that we can do to claim it except to believe in the one who the Father has sent. And that has to be in complete faith, in total trust, and in our absolute surrender to him. And when we do, Jesus promises that our gain will be in both this world and the next. But isn’t his list of “increases” interesting! Those who leave the world behind for his sake will receive 100 times as much as they surrender, including persecution! The old saying is that “the Lord never promised us a rose garden”, but actually, he did – with all of the beauty, all of the marvel, all of the wonder, and all of the thorns.
But should that discourage us? Not in the least! For when we are in Christ Jesus, the beauty and the marvel and the wonder of this life is enhanced so much that the thorns are hardly noticeable, and at the very least, can be dealt with without hesitation or fear. And Jesus even tells us that when we do experience persecution, when we find ourselves lacking in the things of earth, that we should rejoice! Luke 6:20-26

First in the world? First in heaven? We have to choose, because we can’t have it both ways. Salvation is a precious gift that costs us noting except our allegiance to the One who has taken the entire cost upon himself. And as Jesus continues that journey to Calvary, with each and every step, with each and every challenge, with each and every trial, with each and every thorn, he knew that it would all be worth the effort – because it was to win eternal life for each and every one of us.

Have you “unfolded” your life in Christ? If not, will you?