The Impossible Is Possible!

20th Sunday after Pentecost, 10/23/22 Luke 18:18-30 The Impossible Is Possible! I. Not with us II. But with our God What’s impossible for us as a human race? We’ve learned to be careful when answering that question. It wasn’t too many generations ago that people thought it was impossible for people to fly. Now we do it routinely. The same holds true in the medical world. Delicate and complex surgeries on hearts and brains are done daily. And the vast reaches of outer space are becoming closer to us each day. Is life on Mars possible? Stay tuned. Now let’s bring that a little closer. Let’s make it personal. What’s impossible for you? We usually don’t think in those terms, do we? We usually think in terms of our personal limitations. We wouldn’t declare something to be impossible for someone else because we don’t know their abilities or their opportunities, but we know our own. And the older we get, the more limited we become. I used to run a couple miles a day. There’s no way I can do that anymore, but I do know people who are my age and older that can. Becoming a billionaire is not possible for me, but I do know that others can and will do so. In this morning’s text, Jesus flat out states that something is impossible. Listen to his words once again, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” At first, it would seem that Jesus is limiting his discussion to the difficulty of rich people to be saved. But when the disciples then wonder who can be saved, Jesus states, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” In doing so, Jesus broadens his discussion to include all people. He’s stating what’s true of every human being regarding their salvation. The impossible is possible! Let’s study his words to see what led him to make that statement and, as we do, receive his assurance of our salvation. Part I. Have you ever noticed that the truths of our salvation aren’t listed as bullet points on some page of the Bible? Instead, those saving truths are often couched in a narrative, most often in an account of a day in the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ. And that’s what we have before us this morning. What seems at first to be a rather straight-forward biblical narrative, in reality has a number of twists and turns in it. Did you catch them? Maybe not. So, let’s spend a minute or two unpacking the details of this account. The opening words of our text set the scene. “A certain ruler asked” Jesus a question. We’re not certain just where or how this man was recognized as a ruler, but a good guess is that he was a ruler in a local synagogue, a very respected position among the Jewish people. We also know from this account in the gospels of Matthew and Mark that he was young. If that was the case, his fellow Jews would have admired him for his lifestyle. Only morally upright and decent Jewish men were chosen to be synagogue rulers. And the man’s self-evaluation a few verses into this text would lend support to that characterization. And he had money to boot. Luke tells us he was very wealthy. How this man attained such great wealth at a relatively young age isn’t revealed to us, but imagine how he was viewed by his fellow Jews. This guy had it all! As a young man he was already respected and wealthy. His life trajectory was stellar! To bring it down to earth a little, he was the type of young man that any Jewish mother would be proud of. If you were a young Jewish mother holding your infant son in your arms and dreaming about what he would become, this man is what you had in mind. But something just isn’t right. Something inside of him is nagging him. It’s causing him to doubt himself. And that produces worry in his life. And this is the question that is replaying in his mind day and night, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He calls Jesus “Good teacher,” and we’re not sure if he’s sincere about that or if he’s trying to butter Jesus up. But, at the very least, he has come to the opinion that Jesus is the most likely person on earth to answer his question and give him some peace. And notice Jesus’ reply, “Why do you call me good? No one is good—except God alone.” Contrary to what some people believe, with these words Jesus is not denying that he is true God. He’s drawing the man into a deeper conversation with him. In effect, Jesus is stating, “Let’s talk about what is good, who is good, and what the goodness or the holiness of God requires.” As part of that conversation, Jesus immediately led the man to reflect on what is commonly called the second table of the law, meaning, the commandments that speak about our duty to our neighbor, commandments four to ten. And the man’s quick and confident reply is, “All these I have kept since I was a boy.” He considers these commandments only on the surface—the minimal, outward requirements. He hasn’t murdered, committed adultery, or stolen anything. Check! And like the expert teacher that he was, Jesus then led him to the first table of the law—the commandments that deal with our duty to God. Jesus knew that the man loved his wealth. In fact, he loved it more than he loved God. The truth is that the man hadn’t even kept the First Commandment, let alone all the others. Luke’s brief comment says it all. “He became very sad.” The other gospel writers inform us he walked away from Jesus. The truth that Jesus shared with that day crushed him. And that truth is this: It’s impossible for you to do anything to inherit eternal life. Impossible? Really? You mean all my efforts to tow God’s line, to be the Christian I want to be, to make sacrifices in this world because that’s what my God wants me to do, earn me nothing? You mean to tell me that all my time and effort serving others doesn’t earn me a better spot in the pecking order of Christians? You mean to tell me that when it comes to salvation, the most heinous non-Christian and I are at the same point? You mean to tell me that my sacrificial financial support of God’s kingdom work doesn’t put a star next to my name on the daily chore chart that’s posted on God’s refrigerator door? That’s what Jesus is saying. That’s what God’s law tells me. It tells me that I haven’t even loved God above all things, at least not all the time, not perfectly. And I’m crushed. Salvation is impossible for me. Part II. You see, God never intended his law to be a magic carpet that gently floats us upward to heaven. He intended it to be a hammer that crushes our sinfully proud opinion of ourselves. And once it has crushed us, then the law drives us to Christ. You see, what’s impossible for us is possible for God. God does the impossible, and we’re about to spend the next six months of the church year reviewing the astounding details of our salvation. First, God does the impossible just as he promised to do in the Old Testament, when he caused the virgin Mary to conceive a child. It was a miracle in every sense of the word. Impossible for us, but not for him. And that Child was no ordinary child. Yes, he was truly human by virtue of the fact that Mary was his mother. But he was also truly God, in every sense of the word. He was Immanuel—God with us. And then that perfect God-man lived a perfect life in our place. What was impossible for us to do—obey a single commandment—Jesus did perfectly with every commandment all the time. But how can we be sure? Because repeatedly God the Father spoke from heaven and declared Jesus to be his beloved Son in whom he was well-pleased. That was the Father’s divine stamp of approval of the perfect life of Jesus. He lived that life as our substitute. And then he offered that perfect life as the payment for the sins of the world. What was impossible for me—to offer God the payment for a single sin—Jesus did for all my sins and for all the sins of everyone else as well. And the result is that I have forgiveness and eternal life by faith in Jesus. You do, too. What we could never do for ourselves, our God did for us. “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” So, when I spend my time and effort serving others because I love Jesus, I do so knowing that I already have it all through faith in Jesus. When my relationship with Jesus costs me some benefit this world is holding out to me, I do so knowing that I already have it all through faith in Jesus. When the world maligns me as close-minded, judgmental, and ignorant, I wear it as a badge of honor because I know that I already have it all through faith in Jesus. I don’t deserve it. Neither do you. I deserve the opposite, and so do you. But God’s law has driven us to Christ. We know we are completely dependent on him for our forgiveness and eternal life. And that’s just how we want it. Because then, and only then, can we be absolutely certain that forgiveness and eternal life are ours. What is impossible for us to do, God did! Thank God he did! Now show your thanks to him each day! Amen.