The Danger of Wealth

Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Shine Mountain Presbyterian Church,

and it's my joy to bring God's Word to you today. A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us.

We're glad that you're here, and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats,

but because we're following Jesus together as one community. And as we follow Jesus together,

we become convinced that there's no one so good. They don't need God's grace.

And no one so bad that they can't have it, which is why we come back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in His Word.

We're continuing our series in the Gospel of Mark. You'll remember that the Gospels tell the story of Jesus and His life and His death and His resurrection.

And last week, we took a look at the importance, in fact, more than the importance, the necessity of childlike faith,

the necessity of acknowledging that we have nothing to offer to God, and all we can do is receive.

This week, we're going to continue that theme with one very specific application of Jesus talking about the issue, the challenge, the danger of money.

Money is one of those things that falls into the category of not bad, just dangerous.

In fact, in many ways, money is good. It's a blessing.

There was great wealth in the Garden of Eden when God created Adam and Eve,

and we look forward to the new heavens and the new earth when there will also be great wealth.

And so money is not bad in and of itself. It just presents unique temptations and challenges.

And so it's with that we're going to dive right in.

As we come to this passage in Mark chapter 10, I'm going to tell you three things.

Mark 10 · chapter mention

First of all, about the love of money. Second of all, the danger of money.

And third, the new heart. That's the love of money, the danger of money, and the new heart.

With that, I invite you to turn with me to God's Word.

You can turn on your phone. You can turn in your Bible.

You can turn in your worship guide. No matter where you turn, remember that this is God's Word.

In Proverbs chapter 30, verse 5, tells us that every word of God proves true.

Proverbs 30:5

He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

And so that's why we read now Mark chapter 10, starting at verse 17.

Mark 10 · chapter mention

And as He was setting out on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him,

Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good?

No one is good except God alone.

You know the commandments. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery.

Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not defraud.

Honor your father and mother.

Verse 20.

And He said to Him, Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.

And Jesus, looking at Him, loved Him and said to Him, You lack one thing.

Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

And come, follow Me.

Disheartened by the saying, He went away sorrowful, for He had great possessions.

And Jesus looked around and said to His disciples,

How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God.

And the disciples were amazed at His words.

But Jesus said to them again, Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God.

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

Verse 26.

And they were exceedingly astonished and said to Him, Then who can be saved?

Jesus looked at them and said, With man it is impossible, but not with God.

For all things are possible with God.

Peter began to say to Him, See, we have left everything and followed you.

Verse 29.

Jesus said, Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for My sake and for the gospel,

who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands,

with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life.

But many who are first will be last and the last will be first.

I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's Word.

Our Father in heaven, we come to you this morning confessing that we need to be like little children to receive your instruction.

And so we ask that you would help us.

We know that we can't do it alone.

That all by ourselves, we are incapable of hearing and understanding what it is you have to say to us.

And so we ask that you would send your Holy Spirit to be with us.

That you would soften our hearts.

That you'd open up our minds.

That you would be at work this morning.

So that we would be able to hear and receive and obey your words.

We thank you most of all that you don't come to us as simply a moral instructor.

But you come to us as a man who lived and walked among us as Jesus.

Full of beauty and glory and holiness and truth.

We ask that you would show us him and that we would be changed as a result.

We ask all these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

The last time we saw Jesus, he was in the midst of taking these children up in his arms and blessing them despite the protests of his disciples.

But the time has come now for Jesus to pack up and move on to his next adventure.

You might think of this as a scene at the end of a lecture or an event and the speaker is trying to make his way out.

He has somewhere else he needs to be.

But you have an urgent and pressing question.

And so you rush in on him to catch him before it is too late.

Because what you have to ask is so incredibly important.

That's what happens with this man here.

He runs up to Jesus to block him before Jesus is able to escape to the next event because his question is so pressing.

And thankfully he's able to catch Jesus here just in the nick of time.

We understand why his question is pressing because he wants to know of all things,

how is it that he can inherit eternal life?

And in that he addresses Jesus as this good teacher.

Jesus' answer here should surprise us because Jesus seems to correct him.

He says, why are you calling me a good teacher?

Only God is good.

And we should be surprised by this because we saw in Mark chapter 8,

Mark 8 · chapter mention

Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ.

That Jesus is actually God.

And so why is Jesus seeming to misdirect this man here?

It should seem to us it would be the most normal expectation for Jesus to accept this.

Yes, I am divine.

You recognize me for who I am.

Of course, I should be called good.

Why does Jesus act as if he's not God?

What we have to understand here is that Jesus is playing into this man's assumption.

This rich ruler does not see or know that Jesus is divine.

He sees Jesus as only human.

And so what Jesus is doing in this passage is instead of correcting him,

he decides to play along with this man's perspective.

Jesus is saying, oh, you think that I'm merely a good teacher.

You think that I am just another rabbi.

Okay, let's roll with that and see where it takes us.

Let's operate on that assumption and see what happens.

Well, if I am a mere human, if I am just a rabbi, if I'm just a teacher,

good, can't and doesn't apply to me.

Because no human can truly be called good.

And in that answer, Jesus has already indirectly cut out the legs from underneath this man's question.

What does he ask?

What must I do, right?

How can I be good enough?

And Jesus is poking him here.

No one is good.

You think I'm just a human.

Well, then you have overestimated me.

This phrase here that he asks him, what must I do?

Verse 17, it is the opposite of what we saw last week,

that we must receive the kingdom as children.

But Jesus decides he's going to keep playing this game out with this man.

And so he says, okay, let's continue to unfold this, unroll this blanket and see what happens.

Verse 19, what about the moral law?

What about the Ten Commandments?

How are you doing with your performance in your life?

This man, missing the fact that Jesus has already corrected him,

continues to take the bait and says,

yes, I can make this a matter of moral performance.

If that's the bar that needs to be set, I have met it and exceeded it.

I have done it.

I have kept all of these things from my youth.

And so he misses the deeper point that Jesus is driving at,

the deeper issue of the human heart,

the deeper issue of love for God.

Has this man kept the law?

Well, no, not in the way Jesus is going to go on and define it in Mark chapter 12.

Mark 12 · chapter mention

In Mark chapter 12, someone's going to ask him what the greatest commandment is.

Mark 12 · chapter mention

And Jesus' response is that the sum of the law is love for God and love for others.

And so Jesus is setting this man up to suddenly crush his understanding of himself

by helping him understand you don't love God.

You think that you have kept the law, but you are so incredibly far away.

You love and trust and worship something much more than God himself.

And that's what he sets him up for in verse 21.

Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him,

you lack one thing.

Go sell all that you have and give to the poor,

and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me.

Jesus brings down the hammer on this man.

Not to crush him,

but we're told explicitly because he loved him.

You're almost there.

There's just one more thing you need to do.

Give up all your money.

Jesus is asking him,

where is your true heart?

What is it that you actually love and worship?

What is your ultimate treasure?

Disheartened by the saying,

he went away sorrowful,

for he had great possessions.

Jesus is telling him this,

you may be generally morally good and upright,

but your trust and your hope and your love is not in me.

It is in money.

You do not love the Lord your God with all your heart.

One pastor points out that this word here in verse 22,

disheartened,

that is used to describe this man

is the same word that we're going to see in Mark chapter 14

Mark 14 · chapter mention

used of Jesus when he's facing separation from God the Father

as he looks to the potential

and the reality of heading towards the cross.

In other words,

what this man feels about money

is what Jesus feels about God the Father.

That is how rapt and enamored he is with his possessions.

He was good at external moral commands

and he loved money more than God.

This man loved money most of all.

And so Jesus uses this as an object lesson for his disciples

to help them understand the danger of wealth.

It's right after this episode that he begins to teach them.

Verse 23,

he looks at his disciples and said,

how difficult it will be for those who have wealth

to enter the kingdom of God.

And then we find out verse 25,

it is not simply difficult.

Verse 27,

it is impossible.

Jesus uses this illustration of the camel,

which is the largest animal,

and the thread,

the eye of a needle,

the smallest opening,

and says,

for a rich person to enter heaven,

it is like taking the largest animal

that you have as a frame of reference

and putting it through the smallest opening.

Now,

there have been attempts throughout the centuries

to explain away this passage

and to say,

well,

the eye of the needle

maybe was referring to this gate in Jerusalem

that was narrow,

but it wasn't too narrow.

And so if you unpack the camel,

then maybe you'd be able to make it through.

And that's not what Jesus is saying.

We use Jesus' words here

to interpret his meaning.

Verse 27,

he tells us,

it is impossible.

He is giving them an image

that is meant to be so extreme

that there's no way of wiggling out of it.

If you have money,

if you're wealthy,

you can't enter the kingdom,

at least on first appearance.

With man,

it is impossible.

With God,

all things are possible.

Money,

outside of God's intervention

and work in our hearts

will keep us away from his kingdom.

Why?

There's two reasons.

One,

money pretends to be God.

And money tempts us

to believe that we are God.

Money pretends to be God

and money tempts us

to believe that we are God.

I have some examples for you

on the back of your worship guide.

There's a book called

Far From the Tree

that studies,

among many things,

children with profound disabilities.

And the author makes this observation

that people of higher socioeconomic status

tend towards perfectionism

and have a harder time

living with perceived defects.

One French study said,

baldly,

the lower classes

show a higher tolerance

for severely handicapped children.

In other words,

rich people

can't handle imperfection.

Why?

Because money

has convinced them

that they are all powerful.

there is nothing

for which they cannot

simply write a check.

And so,

they are unprepared

to face

the brokenness

of this world.

They believe

that they are God

because of their money,

their experience

in this life.

Everything has been easy.

There's been no challenge.

They're not able

to buy their way out of

or hire their way into.

And so,

when they hit up

against imperfection

that they cannot solve,

they do not know

what to do.

Money

causes us

to believe

that we are

like God.

In an article

about rich politicians,

we're told this,

a mounting body

of research

is showing

wealth can actually

change how we think

and behave

and not for the better.

Rich people

have a harder time

connecting with others,

showing less empathy

to the extent

of dehumanizing

those who are

different from them.

They are less charitable

and generous.

They are less likely

to help someone

in trouble.

And they are more likely

to defend

an unfair status quo.

These aren't

just inherited traits

but developed ones.

Money,

in other words,

changes

who you are.

are.

The researchers

then go on

to say

they believe

this has to do

with the fact

of a few things.

First of all,

money tends

to make people

think that they're

special and different.

Somehow they're set

apart from other people.

They don't have

to be bothered

by what bothers

normal everyday folks.

The other reality

is that money

allows them

to disconnect

from other people.

The more money

you have,

the less dependent

you are.

You don't need

to ask your neighbor

or friend

for help

if you're simply

able to pay

to get things done.

Which makes us

less empathetic

and connected

to those

around us.

The point

of all of those

things is this.

Money

allows us

to pretend

we aren't

children.

money gets

in the way

of the childlike

posture we talked

about last week.

And remember,

Jesus didn't say

being like a child

is helpful.

He said being

like a child

is necessary.

It is a requirement.

Need

is the price

of admission.

And wealth

deceives us

into believing

we have

no need.

Wealth

is an obstacle

to childlike

faith.

Wealth

is dangerous

because

it is an

obstacle

to childlike

faith.

What is it

that children

don't have?

Many things.

One of them

is money

and resources.

Trusting

in riches

is the

opposite

of trusting

in God.

Trusting

in money

is the

opposite

of having

childlike

faith.

And so

we think

in this

way.

You know

what?

Jesus

is kind

of volatile.

You know?

But money

is safe

and secure.

And the

more I have

of it,

the more

I've piled

up and

saved,

the safer

I am.

That's

something I

can really

rely on.

And so

I don't

have to

be like

a child.

I don't

have to

recognize

and embrace

helplessness.

It's a

natural

posture

for a

child to

believe

that her

parents are

going to

provide for

her.

And so

there's

something

deeply

wrong.

I want

you to

imagine

for a

second

that

you're

a

parent

and

you

discover

that

your

son

is

hoarding

money

in this

mason

jar

in the

back

of

his

closet.

Right?

And so

you ask

him,

what is

this

money

for?

Why

do you

have

this

jar

filled

with

quarters

and dollar

bills?

And your

son says

to you,

well,

I'm afraid

that there's

going to

come a

time when

you're not

going to

be able

to buy

food for

us.

So I've

stored a

little

something

away.

And what

is your

response as

a

parent?

Heartbroken,

right?

And

there's a

ridiculousness

to it

that this

child thinks

they can

store enough

away to

care for

the family.

There's a

sadness,

right?

You want

something

better for

that child.

brothers and

sisters,

the same

is true

with us

and our

heavenly

father.

It is

ridiculous

for us

to think

that it

is our

job

ultimately

to provide

for

ourselves.

It is

laughable

that we

can store

away enough

money to

protect

ourselves.

there's

something

sad for

you,

right?

As a

parent,

you want

something

better for

that child.

You know

that children

are not

meant to

stash

away money

in the

back of

their

closets

thinking

that you're

going to

run out

of an

ability

to feed

them or

provide

for them.

And so

there's a

joy and

a relief

that comes

for that

son or

that daughter

in trusting

that their

parents are

going to

make sure

that they

have

enough.

The same

is true

for us.

as tempting

as money

is,

as alluring

as wealth

presents itself

to be,

God wants

something

better for

you.

God wants

you to

have the

joy and

relief and

trust that

comes from

knowing that

he will

provide.

He wants

us to be

able to

pray and

believe,

give us

this day

our daily

bread.

wealth is

such a

challenge

and such

a threat.

And by

the way,

whether you

think so

or not,

if you

live in

America

in 2022,

you're

basically in

the top

1% of

the world

throughout

history.

In other

words,

you're

wealthy,

whether you

want to

admit it

or not.

what are

we supposed

to do

if wealth

is the

opposite

of

childlike

faith?

Well,

Jesus gives

us an

answer here.

Verse 21,

he tells

this man,

go sell

all that

you have

and give

to the

poor and

you will

have

treasure

in heaven

and come

follow me.

What's the

solution for

that child

with the

mason jar

in the

back of

his

closet?

The

solution is

to get

rid of

the

mason jar.

What is

the solution

for making

wealth

into a

god?

The

solution

is to

get rid

of it.

Now,

don't hear

what I'm

not saying.

Jesus'

command is

not for

every person

to give

all their

money away.

This man

receives a

specific

command from

Jesus because

money is

such an

idol for

him.

We talked

earlier about

the fact

that money

for him

is like

God the

father to

Jesus.

He's so

wrapped around,

it is so

powerful in

his life that

the only way

he's going to

be able to

receive and

embrace the

kingdom is

to give it

all away.

Jesus does

not give that

same command

to everyone

he meets in

the gospels.

Luke 19,

for example,

Zacchaeus,

remember,

is defrauding

people.

Zacchaeus gives

a tremendous

amount of his

money away.

We don't hear

that he gives

all of it

away.

If we take

the teaching

of the

Bible from

Genesis to

Revelation,

we see there

are three

things we're

supposed to

do with

money.

We're

supposed to

give it,

we're

supposed to

save it,

and we're

supposed to

spend it

in that

order.

And so

Jesus'

command for

you this

morning is

not that you

would give

all of your

money away to

the poor and

have nothing

left,

but the

way to

break the

power and

allure of

money is

to get

rid of

it.

Remember

what Scott

read earlier

this morning,

we know

that money

is a

problem for

us if we

are unable

to give

large amounts

of it away.

We know

that money

has become

a God

when we

are unable

to give

large amounts

of it away.

money.

And if

that sounds

radical,

that simply

reveals how

powerful and

consuming

money truly

is.

If that

sounds radical,

it simply

reveals how

powerful and

consuming

money truly

is.

And so

that's why

Jesus tells

us the truth

here,

verses 26

and 27,

it is

impossible.

with man

it is

impossible,

with not

with God,

for all

things are

possible

with God.

The command

for this

man is not

necessarily the

command for

us,

but what

should be

true of us

is this,

Christians'

fists are

not tightly

grasped

around

money.

We're able

to let it

go.

when we

let it

go,

the spell

that money

has over

us breaks.

When we're

able to

let it

go,

we recognize

it's not

our God.

When we

let it go,

we are

saying,

Jesus,

I trust

you enough

that you're

going to

provide for

me tomorrow.

I am

able to

receive from

you my

daily bread.

God.

If we

cannot let

money go,

it proves

we don't

trust God.

It's that

simple.

If we

cannot let

money go,

it proves

we do

not trust

God.

God.

hard task.

How do

we do

it?

I've

told you

before about

this man

named Thomas

Chalmers,

who is a

Scottish

preacher in

the 19th

century,

and he

preached this

famous sermon

on 1 John 2

called the

expulsive

power of a

new affection.

He says

if you

want to

get rid

of one

thing,

you must

replace it

with another

thing.

Our hearts

are this

affection vacuum

that we

have to

love

something.

We can't

get rid

of one

love without

replacing it

with another.

He gives

this illustration

of a house

where a

strong man

lives.

If you

want to

get rid

of that

strong man,

there's only

one way.

You have

to find

a stronger

man to

kick him

out.

If you

want to

love one

thing less,

you must

find another

love that

is even

greater,

even more

powerful.

He goes

on to

talk about

the love

of riches

in this

sermon,

and he

says if

you want

to tell

a man

to stop

loving

money,

it's the

same as

telling him

to burn

his house

down.

It makes

no sense.

And so

what he's

saying is

basically

everything

that I've

told you

this morning

is worthless.

it doesn't

matter.

You can

tell someone

over and

over again

that they

need to

give up

wealth,

but no

one is

going to

burn their

own house

down,

right?

Except

unless,

Chalmers says,

he knows

that when he

burns it

down,

he's going

to have

a new

house

ten times

as great.

no man

in his

right mind

will burn

his house

down unless

he knows

when he

does,

he will

receive one

ten times

as valuable.

Jesus

knows the

human heart

better than

anyone else,

and that's

exactly what

he does

here in

this

passage.

church.

He tells

them,

there is

something

ten times

as valuable

as money.

In fact,

more than

ten times

as valuable.

Jesus is

the strong

man that

is more

powerful than

the love

of money.

And he

presents them

with this

vision here

in verses

29-31.

Peter,

looking for

reassurance

here,

says,

see,

we've left

everything

and followed

you.

By the way,

people pointed

out,

Peter does

not say,

we've sold

everything

and followed

you.

Again,

Jesus'

command is

not for

every

Christian

to divest

themselves

of all

resources.

Jesus

gives him

this assurance.

Truly I

say to

you,

there is

no one

who has

left

house or

brothers or

sisters or

mother or

father or

children or

lands for

my sake and

for the gospel

who will not

receive a

hundredfold now

in this time

houses and

brothers and

sisters and

mother and

children and

lands with

persecutions and

in the age to

come eternal

life.

Jesus is saying

there is

something not

ten times

greater, a

hundredfold

greater.

there are

things that

wealth offers

you that it

cannot deliver.

It cannot

provide

satisfaction and

joy and

significance.

You know

what can?

God and

his people.

The brothers

and sisters that

he is promising

them here in

the present are

the people that

you can look

around and see

here this

morning.

when he

talks about all

the great things

that he has for

his people, he's

also presenting

them the vision of

what is to come in

his heavenly

kingdom.

Money, brothers and

sisters, cannot

deliver on its

promises.

It can arouse and

entice.

It cannot

fulfill.

Do you want

more of what

matters?

Do you want

more relationships

of significance?

Do you want

more things that

fill up the

emptiness of your

heart?

Jesus tells us

clearly what needs

to happen.

He says, follow

me.

Do you want

to have a

future?

Jesus says, the

future is with

me, not in

your investment

accounts.

I am your

security.

And so what he

tells this man is

true of us as

well.

No one is

good.

God, everyone

needs, verse 27,

Jesus to do the

impossible.

Everyone needs a

change, a radical,

miraculous change of

heart so that we

love what is truly

good and valuable and

precious and not

just what appears to

be.

This man does not

understand that he is

not simply spiritually

bankrupt, but he is

also in debt.

He needs Jesus'

divine intervention

just like us.

And so we have not

just Jesus' promise of

what is to come in the

future, but we have

Jesus as our hope that

what is impossible with

man is possible with

God.

That when Jesus died on

the cross for us,

taking the punishment

that we deserve, when

he lived the perfect

life doing what we

should have done, he is

able then to come and

change our hearts and

lives and minds so that

we love what is

actually valuable.

And so we confess with

this man, or with

Jesus here, that we are

not good.

God alone is good.

We need him to change

our hearts and our

loves and our

affections.

In the year 79 AD, there

was a volcano that

erupted on Mount

Vesuvius on the

western coast of

Italy, destroying the

ancient city of

Pompeii, which was

terrible for the

residents of Pompeii and

was wonderful for

archaeologists because the

ash preserved everything

that was in that city.

And so it buried what

became an archaeologist's

dream.

In January of 1911,

there was a California

newspaper that

announced a recent

discovery that

archaeologists have

made of a woman's

petrified body as she

was fleeing from the

city trying to escape

the volcano.

With her, she had what

was most valuable, and

so the newspaper report

tells us both of her

hands were full of

jewels.

Evidently, the woman

was fleeing from the

eruption that overwhelmed

Pompeii, carrying her

valuables and was

buried.

The jewels are

excellently preserved.

They consist of

bracelets, necklaces,

rings, amulets studded

with gems, and a pair of

earrings which are

probably unique.

They may be the most

valuable specimens of

ancient jewelry ever

discovered.

Each earring contains

21 perfect pearls set in

gold in imitation of a

bunch of grapes.

She had the most valuable

specimens of ancient

jewelry ever discovered, and

they were worthless.

Ultimately, her jewels were

of no use.

Mark chapter 10, verse 15,

Mark 10:15

truly I say to you, whoever

does not receive the kingdom

of God like a child shall not

enter it.

And verse 21, Jesus

looking at him, loved him

and said to him, you lack

one thing.

Go sell all that you have

and give to the poor and

you will have treasure in

heaven.

And come, follow me.

Let's pray.

Our Father in heaven, we

thank you that you offer us

something so much more

precious and more valuable

in the wealth and riches of

this world, and yet we also

confess that we, without

your help, love what cannot

deliver.

And so we ask that you would

change our hearts, that you

would do what is impossible

with man but possible with

you.

That we would be willing to

burn it down knowing there

will be something ten times

more valuable, the value of

you and your kingdom.

We ask all these things in the

mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

I invite you to stand for our

closing hymn.

Amen.

Amen.