Gregg DeMey 0:09
Good morning friends and welcome to Elmhurst CRC's daily dose of the Word of God. This is Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor at the church and Sunday is coming. It's Friday, March 15, it's still the season of Lent and we are walking with Jesus. This week, we've been focusing on Jesus practice of simplicity. This week's Bible readings have been from the Gospel of Luke chapter 18 and it's been kind of a painful passage.
Gregg DeMey 0:32
This well-intentioned, put together successful young man comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. It's a really healthy desire. He comes off like a guy who has everything, but he still knows he needs something beyond himself. Jesus invites him to the simple life: less stuff, more Jesus. Follow me and that will be enough. But that's not an invitation that this young man is able to say yes to. This rich young man was able to keep the 10 commandments very well. He was also able to keep the Old Testament law and do the right thing (morally speaking). But, he wasn't able to embrace the new obedience that builds on the old. The new obedience is simply this: follow Jesus, whatever the cost. Follow Jesus, whatever it takes. Simple, but it's hard! And the young man says it's hard. Later in the passage, Jesus's own disciples admit that it's so hard. In fact, it's so incredibly hard that Jesus compares it to a camel strolling through the eye of a needle - impossible. But what's impossible for us, is possible for God. That is the key here: all things are possible for God, even empowering and getting human beings like us to follow, receive and trust in Jesus.
Gregg DeMey 1:57
In this way, following Jesus is both difficult and so simple at the same time. It's difficult because we can't do it on our own. We can't earn eternal life through our success, hard work or even a sterling moral track record. But it's so simple, because God can do it and only God can do it. It's so simple that we don't need to do anything beyond receiving God's grace to make us righteous and ready for eternal life. What this young man couldn't envision was leaving property and leaving family for Jesus' sake. That sounds hard, doesn't it? The seeming difficulty overwhelmed the simplicity of just following Jesus. But here is the Lord's promise: "for everyone who sacrifices for me, you will be more than repaid both in this life and in the life to come."
Gregg DeMey 2:53
So friends, let's put aside our attachments and desires for more, open our hands again and simply receive the grace of God for us in Jesus (and follow him today!). Simple. Amen.