1/25/09 - Epiphany 3 - 1 Cor. 7:29-31

LET IT GO
- You can't take it with you
- It's not all that great anyway

King Solomon was a Christian man for most of his life. And not only was he a Christian, but he was exceptionally intelligent as well - a special gift given to him by the Lord himself. Solomon was the one who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. And in that book filled with insights and observations of this life he says, “Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand (Ecclesiastes 5:15). Solomon, a very rich and wealthy king in his own right, understood that whatever wonderful blessings a person had on this earth, he could not take them with him after death. Job, another Christian man in the Old Testament times, realized that very same thing. After the Lord allowed his money, his job, his property, and all of his children to be taken away from him all in one day, Job spoke very similar words to those of Solomon, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21). Both of these men - Job, the “greatest man among all the people of the east” (Job 1:3) and Solomon, the wealthiest king to ever sit on the throne in the Promised Land - knew that nothing they had would survive the grave. And so no matter how much they enjoyed the blessings God had given them in their lives, they would one day have to let them all go.
That is a hard truth for anyone to come to terms with. Even as Christians, the fact that our most treasured blessings in this life will have to be let go at some point is a hard thing for us to accept. Because it is our nature to grab and keep. The sinful nature that lives inside us, that spiritual infection passed on from Adam and Eve, never goes away. It fights against our new converted self, it wars against the attitudes and motivations of our Christian heart, and it drives us to grab and keep. As soon as a baby is physically able to reach out its hand and grasp whatever it is in front of its face, it will grab it and it will not let it go. As the child grows older, the “It’s mine!” attitude takes over - refusing to share, refusing to give it away, refusing to give it up. And the older the child gets the more he or she wants. Middle schoolers, teenagers, college students not only tenaciously hold onto the things that they have, but they continually try to get even more. And, of course, that attitude doesn’t stop at a college graduation. Most people in this world are continually trying to buy more things, obtain more things, save for more things. A new job means you can buy something better. A tax return means you can get something new. An inheritance means that you can splurge on something you’ve always wanted…
Of course, I think there probably comes a point in most people’s lives at which they are done trying to get more things. They are finally content with what they have and don’t need anything else. And maybe some of you have reached that point in your lives. But that doesn’t stop us from holding on with white-tipped fingers to the things we already have - and hanging on for dear life! There are certain things on this earth that you do not want to part with, aren’t there? They may not be valuable in a monetary sense, they might not be things you can actually buy at all, but they have a deep sentimental value and you do not want to give them up. Maybe it’s your house, maybe a family heirloom, maybe your children, maybe your parents, maybe your health, maybe your spouse. We do not want to give them up. We do not want something different. We do not want to go on without them. And we would not be as happy in this life if they were taken away.
The apostle Paul addresses this very issue today in 1 Corinthians 7: “What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if they were not able to make full use of them. For this world in its present form is passing away.” Paul’s words are a little surprising, aren’t they? But he doesn’t mean that we are to neglect the blessings God gives us or take them for granted or pretend that they are not there. Paul is simply encouraging us not to get too attached to them. It is a delicate balance between appreciating the Lord’s blessings, taking care of them, praising God for them - but also being ready to give them all up without hesitation or regret in a single moment. Loving the blessings we have been given, but loving the Giver more. Becoming attached to people and possessions, but considering your attachment to Christ so much more important. It is a delicate balance. And one we rarely are able to keep in the right proportion.
Most of us have an affection for some of the blessings of this life to an unhealthy degree. We rely on them, we count on them, we bank on them for comfort or happiness or sanity in this world of craziness and sin. And we usually don’t notice how much we are fixated on these earthly products of God’s grace until they are gone. Then we mourn, or we become depressed, or we are disappointed, or we engross ourselves in the past to such an extent that we can barely live in the present. That is not fearing, loving, and trusting in God above all things. That is relying on the blessings he has given us to do the things that only God can accomplish.
It’s hard to give those things up. It’s difficult to remind ourselves that we can’t take those things with us. They are great blessings, no doubt. They are meant to be healthy blessings. But they are also passing blessings. They will not last. They cannot last. You will have to give them up. And so “From now on those who have wives [or husbands or children or friends] should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if they were not able to make full use of them.” That is the attitude we are to have as we look forward to the end of this life. This is the understanding we are to have with every blessing we have ever been given. But how can we? How can we possibly get away from depending on the blessings we love so much? How can we ever let go of those things that have played such an important part of our lives and still do?... We can let go of those blessings because they aren’t all that great anyway.
Relatively speaking, the blessings we have in this life aren’t all that great! Because look at the blessings you have to look forward to in heaven! What awaits you in heaven will be far greater than any marriage or friendship you have on this earth because you will get to experience the wedding feast of the Lamb with his Church. What awaits you in heaven will be far greater than anything that makes you happy in this life because you will immersed in the joy of an eternity of salvation. What awaits you in heaven will be far greater than anything you can buy, anything you receive, and anything you possess on this earth because the unending gifts that you will enjoy in heaven will be free from the sin, free from the pain, and free from the imperfections that taint everything we know. The spouse you have, the parents you love, the children you care for, the friends you’ve made, the health you enjoy, the possessions you’ve acquired cannot even come close to comparing to the glorious riches of Paradise. And although the Lord certainly blesses you with the great things you have on this earth, his main concern is and will always be on the indescribable spectacles of heaven that have been prepared and are waiting in the life to come.
When Jesus was near the Sea of Galilee, he fed a crowd of 5000 men plus women and children with a few loaves of bread and a couple fish. He cared about their physical needs. But that crowd then wanted to make him their king because they wanted their physical needs met every day by this powerful individual. Jesus didn’t want that, though. He wasn’t so concerned about supplying them with meals than he was with supplying them with the Bread of Life. And so he escaped their grasp and went off by himself. Earlier in his ministry Jesus met a Samaritan woman by Jacob’s well. And after explaining to her that he had water with which she would never grow thirsty again, she asked Jesus to supply her with this miraculous water so that she wouldn’t have to keep coming back to that well to draw up buckets to drink! Jesus, of course, wasn’t so concerned about her physical thirst as he was about the parched nature of her soul. And so he proceeded to tell her about her Savior. One afternoon while Jesus was walking along the road, crowded and pressed in by hoards of people, a woman who had been chronically bleeding for years touched the corner of his robe and was instantly healed. Jesus could have kept on walking. Jesus could have let that woman go on her way knowing that she had been cured of our illness. But Jesus stopped. He turned around. He singled her out and he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering” (Mark 5:34). Jesus was more concerned about her spiritual welfare than he was about her physical health.
We could recount dozens and dozens more stories that demonstrate Jesus’ care and concern about the faith of his people over against the comforts that they might have had on this earth. But instead of dwelling on those very legitimate examples from Jesus’ life, we would be better off concentrating on his life’s end. Especially during the last week of Jesus’ life we witness how much he cared for our eternal well being and how little he was concerned about his own comfort. He knowingly walked to Gethsemane so that he could be betrayed. He willingly was led to the Jewish courts so that he could be accused and slapped and beaten. He walked into the hands of the Roman soldiers so that he could be flogged and crowned with thorns. He made the trip to Herod’s palace so that he could be mocked and be made fun of. He stood before Pontius Pilate so that he could be condemned. He marched with his own cross on his back out to Calvary so that he could be crucified. He hung - held up by iron stakes - so that his Father could forsake him. He gave up his life on those two wooden beams so that he could be buried - as if he were only a human corpse and nothing more. Jesus did not have an enjoyable life. Jesus had an excruciatingly painful last few days. And he didn’t have to. He is God after all! He could have had the most luxurious life he wanted. But he decided on just the opposite. He gave up everything so that we could have it all.
Jesus gave up everything so that we could have it all, so that we could be forgiven, so that we could be saved. That’s how much he cared for you. That’s how much he wants you to experience the riches of heaven with him. Yes, the blessings he gives you while you are on this earth are nice and praiseworthy things. But when it comes down to it: they aren’t all that great in comparison. Jesus didn’t die so that you would have a good life here. Jesus didn’t suffer to the extreme so that you could enjoy the earthly blessings of marriage and family and possessions and happiness in this sinful world. Jesus gave himself up so that he could one day give you to his Father. Heaven is the goal. Heaven is the greatest gift. And it’s already yours. Because of Jesus’ cross and tomb you are already guaranteed a spot.
And so “From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if they were not able to make full use of them.” Do you understand why Paul writes these words? The people and events and situations and blessings of this life don’t really matter in the eternal scheme of things. They are temporary gifts. They are extra favors our loving Lord grants us. They are just to get us through these few shorts years in this sin-filled life so that we make it to the glory-filled life in heaven. And so in reality there is only one gift we have been given in this life worth keeping. And that is the gift of faith in our Savior. Hold on to that. Take care of that. Never let that go. Because that gift will one day lead you home to a place where the blessings never end, where the happiness never fades, and where your spouse is no longer your spouse, your parents are no longer your parents, and your children are no longer your children - but rather brothers and sisters along with you in Christ. I can think of no greater blessing than that. And so although I love to be with my wife and my children and my parents and my family and with you here. I can’t wait to see you there.
Amen.

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory. For the wedding of the Lamb has come!” - Rev. 19:6-7