Faith in the Impossible Becomes an Impossible Life.

Sunday August 10, 2025

Mat 19:23-26

And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  24 "Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, "Then who can be saved?" 26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Salvation demands a miracle.

There are aspects that make it harder - self-sufficiency (rich man).

Laodicea, Rev 3:17

Parable of rich man - riches fool one into thinking hoarding is the good life rather than giving, Luk 12.  

Breaking down Luk 12 (please read through a few times this week)

Luk 12:1-3 beware of hypocrisy; saying one thing and doing another. Judgment and reward.

Luk 12:13-15 life is not possessions (parable of rich man. He could have given but instead sat on a hill of money - are we waiting for the perfect time to be gracious?).

Luk 12:22-32 do not fear, the Father has gladly chosen to give you the kingdom.

Luk 12:33 as a result - give to the poor.

Perhaps I should wait? Luk 12:35-40. Be ready and alert.

Reward. Luk 12:41-48. Degrees of judgment / reward

People are going to try and stop you because you do not fit the mold - trial. Luk 12:49-53.

The hindrance of riches and other things

The god of Ritual.

Luk 13:14 But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, "There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day."

Jesus then (Luk 13:15) appeals to the people concerning the prison that this woman had been in for 18 “long” years (hard time), and because of ritual, you ask her to remain one more day.

Self-sufficiency therefore makes people cold.

Ironically, God is self-sufficient, but He is love.

See why our Lord tells us to be so overwhelmingly gracious to others. Not to earn rewards, not a bargain, but because life could only have come to sinners in this world through the sacrifice of love.

Hoarding possessions, fearing for them, the tight way of life that tethers itself to the earth, is completely inconsistent with the way of salvation.

Having His life by grace means poverty (blessed are you if you know this, Mat 5:3).

Poverty is a mindset that is exceedingly gracious.

Overcome your fears and give.

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle” - impossible

No man can save himself.  

Beware lest “passing by the cross we suppose ourselves capable of undertaking the restoration of our proper position [before God] by some forceful tumultuous action or by some refinement of thought.” [Barth]

The restoration is outside our competence.

Luk 13:1-5 Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices [Pilate was a harsh ruler willing to use lethal force without trial]. 2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate?  3 "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.  4 "Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?  5 "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

We see in this passage the continuing error in human thought that God deals with man on bargain type basis.

Salvation is a miracle in every instance. The person must repent: change his mind, change his view, change his direction.

Repentance is simultaneous with faith in Christ.

Faith is coming to the end of our tether. When you’re out of rope you have to change strategy, i.e. direction.

The so-called simplest principles are the hardest to understand. The more scholarly, seemingly complex issues in theology are easier to understand. (faith, grace, mercy, judgment, Christ’s sacrifice).

Application:

Why is the grace miracle of salvation equated with divine love of others: giving, works, sacrifice, ministry, love, relationships, forgiveness …?