THAT WHICH WE LACK

#1 · January 8, 2003, 11:00 am

Quote from Forum Archives on January 8, 2003, 11:00 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

THAT WHICH WE LACK
January 5, 2003
(evening service)

Text: Mark 10:17-27

In the year 1819, in County Down, Ireland, Joseph Scriven was born into a
fairly wealthy family. His life was typical and, when 18 years old,
entered an English military academy in accordance with his father's
wishes. But, he was forced to withdraw two years later due to poor
health. In 1842, Scriven graduated from Trinity College in Dublin. Early
in his college career there, he had received Christ. His brother noted in
a diary that Joseph had become "decidedly religious."

Joseph was engaged and was to be married in 1843. On the very eve of the
intended wedding, however, his fiancée drowned. Her tragic death was a
crushing blow to the 24-year-old Scriven. So, in 1845, he decided to
emigrate to Canada in order to get away from the scene of his fiancées
death as well as to remove himself from his family's criticism about his
faith. It seems that Joseph acted "strange." A case in point occurred one
time after his mother had given him an expensive, warm overcoat to
protect him against the harsh Canadian weather. A few days before
sailing, Joseph gave away his overcoat, explaining to his shocked mother,
"I gave my coat to a man who needed it more than I did."

Because of his illness, his first stay in Canada was brief. He returned
to Ireland and served briefly as a tutor. An opportunity arose to go to
the Middle East. While in Damascus, he wrote a poem entitled "Pray
Without Ceasing," which he sent home to his mother.

After his tour in the Middle East, Joseph traveled again to Canada. His
health improved, and he settled in the Rice Lake area of Ontario. He
tutored the children of a prominent family. He became a familiar figure
in the region where his Christian testimony was well-known. He
experienced, though, a second tragedy. Again, he was engaged to be
married. His fiancée this time was a Christian niece of the family he
served as tutor. In 1860, just before their proposed wedding, she died of
pneumonia. After her death, he made a final draft of his poem and sent
it, again, to his mother.

After finishing his tutoring job, Joseph moved to nearby Port Hope, where
he spent the rest of his life. It was a life marked by service to the
poor and the widows. Even those who ridiculed his outdoor preaching
recognized a saint in their midst. One neighbor stated, "I never knew
another person who was so consistent a Christian."

In our time, we would describe Scriven as a handyman. A woman in Port
Hope saw him walking down the street with a bucksaw. She asked her
companion the name of the workman and told her that she was going to ask
him to cut wood for her. The companion responded that Scriven would not
consent to work for her, "because," she explained, "you are able to pay
for it. He saws wood for poor widows and sick people."

When Joseph Scriven died on October 10, 1886, he was a poor man. The
overwhelming, spontaneous outpouring of affection, however, testified to
his influence in the region. He was buried near Rice Lake beside his
fiancée who had passed away 26 years earlier. (Leslie K. Tarr, Decision,
Oct 1986, pp 23-24) By the way, even if the name of this man is not
familiar to you, the poem that he finished 130 years ago probably is:

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh! what peace we often forfeit,
Oh what needless pain we bear!
All, because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.

Keep in mind the life of Joseph Scrivner as we read about another young
man who seemed to "have it made." "As Jesus started on his way, a man ran
up to him and fell on his knees before him. 'Good teacher,' he asked,
'what must I do to inherit eternal life?'"

A man - a rich man, as we discover - puts himself in an embarrassing
situation by falling on his knees before another person in front of a
crowd of people. It is somewhat like the scene with Zaccheus - they were
both men of wealth, position, and some power who, in their desire to see
Jesus, put themselves in compromising situations. Scholar and theologian
Helmut Thielicke commented that "a comparable situation might arise today
during a rush for tickets to a Super Bowl game, when a fan is so obsessed
with the idea that he has to see the game that he pushes up to the window
without giving a thought to the fact that the other people in line may
think he is crazy."

But even though this young man puts himself in such a situation, we learn
that he cannot deal with the truth of Christ. "What must I do to inherit
eternal life?" Compare his approach to Jesus with some of the others who
approached him. There was the woman who had been bleeding for years. She
did not come to Jesus asking, "What must I do to stop this bleeding?" She
reached out and touched Jesus' clothing. "Woman, your faith has healed
you. Go in peace."

There was Peter, who began to sink beneath the waves. He did not ask
Jesus, "What must I do to be saved?" He cried out, "Lord, save me!" And
Jesus did, although with a reminder, "You of little faith, why did you
doubt?" There was the Canaanite woman who came to Jesus. She did not ask,
"Lord, what must I do to save my daughter?" Instead, with a faith that
was tested to the limits, she cried out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy
on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." And
after some significant dialogue, Jesus replied, "Woman, you have great
faith! Your request is granted."

What did this rich young man lack, then, that kept Jesus from responding
to him like the others? This young man, we learn, "had great wealth." So
his material needs were taken care of. From all appearances, he had good
health. He did not ask Jesus to heal an infirmity. He was a good guy;
probably respected. In response to Jesus' list of some of the
commandments, the young man answered, "Teacher, all these I have kept
since I was a boy." And many who comment on these verses concur that he
came with sincerity. That is, he came with a yearning and a seeking after
something essential. We are told that even Jesus "looked at him and loved
him."

So what did this young man lack? He lacked a yearning after a Savior. In
spite of his sincerely seeking eternal life, he lacked the yearning - he
lacked the faith - to receive Jesus as the all-encompassing Son of God.
More than an answer, this young man was looking for an affirmation of
what he had already done. I've heard those kinds of questions before.
I've asked those kinds of questions before. I'm not asking to get an
answer, but to get recognition for what I've already done. Or validation
of a decision I've already made. And, like this young man, I feel
discouraged if the affirmations or the agreements don't come.

This young man comes to Jesus with a "Dear Abby" mentality. Jesus becomes
just another source for answers about this life. Look at the "Dear Abby"
questions in the paper. Most are pitched in the same key: I suffer from
loneliness. How can I find contacts for lively companionship? How can I
save my marriage? No one dances with me, how can I make myself
attractive?

There is nothing wrong with good advice, but Jesus is not our divine
"good answer man." And he has always refused to be squeezed into that
mold. He gave that young man the affirmation he was seeking. Jesus knew
what would be said in response his partial list of the commandments. This
young man was a good guy, and he had his opportunity to express it. "All
these I have done since I was a boy."

But Jesus saw what this young man lacked. Jesus saw that he lacked that
gut-wrenching hole in his soul that would make him a spiritual seeker.
Jesus saw that, on that day, he would not be invited into this man's
life. How unlike that Canaanite woman whose love for her daughter led her
to open her heart to Jesus as she argued, "Even the dogs eat the crumbs
from their master's table." How unlike the woman who pushed her way into
the Pharisee's house so that she could anoint Jesus' feet with her tears
and hair. How unlike Zaccheus who, having been overwhelmed by the
presence of Jesus, declared that he would give half of his possessions to
the poor and pay back anyone he had cheated four times the amount.

Yes, Jesus saw what this young man lacked, so he tested him beyond his
boundaries. He shattered this young man's self-imposed barriers. "One
thing you lack. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Oh, how the
heavens would have opened up had this inquiring young man responded to
Jesus' command! If you think that the prodigal's father had thrown a
party, how much more rejoicing there would have been had but this young
man thrown his arms around Jesus' feet or neck and said, "Yes! That is
the way; You are the way! I will follow." How the heavens and the earth
would have rejoiced alongside the Savior, because "Jesus looked at him
and loved him."

But that was not the way it went, was it? "At this the man's face fell.
He went away sad, because he had great wealth." "Test out your
priorities," Jesus tells him. "Prove me; trust me; have faith in me." But
down deep, the young man discovered that he was not looking for eternal
life. He was looking for an elixir of life that would bring some relief
to the boredom of a wealthy, self-centered existence. For him, God was to
be a final, crowning touch on life; God was to be the means to an end in
life, but He was not to be very life Himself. That which the young man
lacked was the ability to discover the need that he had for the Savior he
spoke with on that day long ago.

Think back to the testimony of the life of Joseph Scriven. Joseph Scriven
lacked going through life in companionship with the women he loved and
pledged to marry. Joseph Scriven lacked the wealth at the end of his life
that he began his life with. Joseph Scriven lacked the happiness and the
blessings that a successful working husband and father would have had.
What Joseph Scriven didn't lack, though, was what counted most in the
end. He did not lack in his faith, trust, and service to God. He did not
lack in the belief that "with men this is impossible, but not with God;
all things are possible with God."

The lessons learned by Joseph Scriven and countless others are clear for
me. Jesus Christ has seen me and loved me. Now I can go wherever I will
and, more importantly, wherever He wills, because there is no place to
which God's love does not extend and there is no space to which God's
arms do not encompass. "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is
impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

________________________________________________________________
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Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

THAT WHICH WE LACK
January 5, 2003
(evening service)

Text: Mark 10:17-27

In the year 1819, in County Down, Ireland, Joseph Scriven was born into a
fairly wealthy family. His life was typical and, when 18 years old,
entered an English military academy in accordance with his father's
wishes. But, he was forced to withdraw two years later due to poor
health. In 1842, Scriven graduated from Trinity College in Dublin. Early
in his college career there, he had received Christ. His brother noted in
a diary that Joseph had become "decidedly religious."

Joseph was engaged and was to be married in 1843. On the very eve of the
intended wedding, however, his fiancée drowned. Her tragic death was a
crushing blow to the 24-year-old Scriven. So, in 1845, he decided to
emigrate to Canada in order to get away from the scene of his fiancées
death as well as to remove himself from his family's criticism about his
faith. It seems that Joseph acted "strange." A case in point occurred one
time after his mother had given him an expensive, warm overcoat to
protect him against the harsh Canadian weather. A few days before
sailing, Joseph gave away his overcoat, explaining to his shocked mother,
"I gave my coat to a man who needed it more than I did."

Because of his illness, his first stay in Canada was brief. He returned
to Ireland and served briefly as a tutor. An opportunity arose to go to
the Middle East. While in Damascus, he wrote a poem entitled "Pray
Without Ceasing," which he sent home to his mother.

After his tour in the Middle East, Joseph traveled again to Canada. His
health improved, and he settled in the Rice Lake area of Ontario. He
tutored the children of a prominent family. He became a familiar figure
in the region where his Christian testimony was well-known. He
experienced, though, a second tragedy. Again, he was engaged to be
married. His fiancée this time was a Christian niece of the family he
served as tutor. In 1860, just before their proposed wedding, she died of
pneumonia. After her death, he made a final draft of his poem and sent
it, again, to his mother.

After finishing his tutoring job, Joseph moved to nearby Port Hope, where
he spent the rest of his life. It was a life marked by service to the
poor and the widows. Even those who ridiculed his outdoor preaching
recognized a saint in their midst. One neighbor stated, "I never knew
another person who was so consistent a Christian."

In our time, we would describe Scriven as a handyman. A woman in Port
Hope saw him walking down the street with a bucksaw. She asked her
companion the name of the workman and told her that she was going to ask
him to cut wood for her. The companion responded that Scriven would not
consent to work for her, "because," she explained, "you are able to pay
for it. He saws wood for poor widows and sick people."

When Joseph Scriven died on October 10, 1886, he was a poor man. The
overwhelming, spontaneous outpouring of affection, however, testified to
his influence in the region. He was buried near Rice Lake beside his
fiancée who had passed away 26 years earlier. (Leslie K. Tarr, Decision,
Oct 1986, pp 23-24) By the way, even if the name of this man is not
familiar to you, the poem that he finished 130 years ago probably is:

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh! what peace we often forfeit,
Oh what needless pain we bear!
All, because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.

Keep in mind the life of Joseph Scrivner as we read about another young
man who seemed to "have it made." "As Jesus started on his way, a man ran
up to him and fell on his knees before him. 'Good teacher,' he asked,
'what must I do to inherit eternal life?'"

A man - a rich man, as we discover - puts himself in an embarrassing
situation by falling on his knees before another person in front of a
crowd of people. It is somewhat like the scene with Zaccheus - they were
both men of wealth, position, and some power who, in their desire to see
Jesus, put themselves in compromising situations. Scholar and theologian
Helmut Thielicke commented that "a comparable situation might arise today
during a rush for tickets to a Super Bowl game, when a fan is so obsessed
with the idea that he has to see the game that he pushes up to the window
without giving a thought to the fact that the other people in line may
think he is crazy."

But even though this young man puts himself in such a situation, we learn
that he cannot deal with the truth of Christ. "What must I do to inherit
eternal life?" Compare his approach to Jesus with some of the others who
approached him. There was the woman who had been bleeding for years. She
did not come to Jesus asking, "What must I do to stop this bleeding?" She
reached out and touched Jesus' clothing. "Woman, your faith has healed
you. Go in peace."

There was Peter, who began to sink beneath the waves. He did not ask
Jesus, "What must I do to be saved?" He cried out, "Lord, save me!" And
Jesus did, although with a reminder, "You of little faith, why did you
doubt?" There was the Canaanite woman who came to Jesus. She did not ask,
"Lord, what must I do to save my daughter?" Instead, with a faith that
was tested to the limits, she cried out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy
on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." And
after some significant dialogue, Jesus replied, "Woman, you have great
faith! Your request is granted."

What did this rich young man lack, then, that kept Jesus from responding
to him like the others? This young man, we learn, "had great wealth." So
his material needs were taken care of. From all appearances, he had good
health. He did not ask Jesus to heal an infirmity. He was a good guy;
probably respected. In response to Jesus' list of some of the
commandments, the young man answered, "Teacher, all these I have kept
since I was a boy." And many who comment on these verses concur that he
came with sincerity. That is, he came with a yearning and a seeking after
something essential. We are told that even Jesus "looked at him and loved
him."

So what did this young man lack? He lacked a yearning after a Savior. In
spite of his sincerely seeking eternal life, he lacked the yearning - he
lacked the faith - to receive Jesus as the all-encompassing Son of God.
More than an answer, this young man was looking for an affirmation of
what he had already done. I've heard those kinds of questions before.
I've asked those kinds of questions before. I'm not asking to get an
answer, but to get recognition for what I've already done. Or validation
of a decision I've already made. And, like this young man, I feel
discouraged if the affirmations or the agreements don't come.

This young man comes to Jesus with a "Dear Abby" mentality. Jesus becomes
just another source for answers about this life. Look at the "Dear Abby"
questions in the paper. Most are pitched in the same key: I suffer from
loneliness. How can I find contacts for lively companionship? How can I
save my marriage? No one dances with me, how can I make myself
attractive?

There is nothing wrong with good advice, but Jesus is not our divine
"good answer man." And he has always refused to be squeezed into that
mold. He gave that young man the affirmation he was seeking. Jesus knew
what would be said in response his partial list of the commandments. This
young man was a good guy, and he had his opportunity to express it. "All
these I have done since I was a boy."

But Jesus saw what this young man lacked. Jesus saw that he lacked that
gut-wrenching hole in his soul that would make him a spiritual seeker.
Jesus saw that, on that day, he would not be invited into this man's
life. How unlike that Canaanite woman whose love for her daughter led her
to open her heart to Jesus as she argued, "Even the dogs eat the crumbs
from their master's table." How unlike the woman who pushed her way into
the Pharisee's house so that she could anoint Jesus' feet with her tears
and hair. How unlike Zaccheus who, having been overwhelmed by the
presence of Jesus, declared that he would give half of his possessions to
the poor and pay back anyone he had cheated four times the amount.

Yes, Jesus saw what this young man lacked, so he tested him beyond his
boundaries. He shattered this young man's self-imposed barriers. "One
thing you lack. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Oh, how the
heavens would have opened up had this inquiring young man responded to
Jesus' command! If you think that the prodigal's father had thrown a
party, how much more rejoicing there would have been had but this young
man thrown his arms around Jesus' feet or neck and said, "Yes! That is
the way; You are the way! I will follow." How the heavens and the earth
would have rejoiced alongside the Savior, because "Jesus looked at him
and loved him."

But that was not the way it went, was it? "At this the man's face fell.
He went away sad, because he had great wealth." "Test out your
priorities," Jesus tells him. "Prove me; trust me; have faith in me." But
down deep, the young man discovered that he was not looking for eternal
life. He was looking for an elixir of life that would bring some relief
to the boredom of a wealthy, self-centered existence. For him, God was to
be a final, crowning touch on life; God was to be the means to an end in
life, but He was not to be very life Himself. That which the young man
lacked was the ability to discover the need that he had for the Savior he
spoke with on that day long ago.

Think back to the testimony of the life of Joseph Scriven. Joseph Scriven
lacked going through life in companionship with the women he loved and
pledged to marry. Joseph Scriven lacked the wealth at the end of his life
that he began his life with. Joseph Scriven lacked the happiness and the
blessings that a successful working husband and father would have had.
What Joseph Scriven didn't lack, though, was what counted most in the
end. He did not lack in his faith, trust, and service to God. He did not
lack in the belief that "with men this is impossible, but not with God;
all things are possible with God."

The lessons learned by Joseph Scriven and countless others are clear for
me. Jesus Christ has seen me and loved me. Now I can go wherever I will
and, more importantly, wherever He wills, because there is no place to
which God's love does not extend and there is no space to which God's
arms do not encompass. "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is
impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

________________________________________________________________
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Only $9.95 per month!
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