<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pastor Don Carpenter \/ General<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Failing Faith \/ Saved by Works;\nFaith \/ Mark 10:17\u201331<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Michael and I grew up in the same church and\nran in the same Christian circles for most of our lives. We both understand\neach other, in an ancient sort of way, when we discuss faith. Up until the end of\nhigh school, our religious experiences were nearly identical. He knew exactly\nwhere I was coming from when I talked to him about how I felt my faith\nchanging, failing. \u201cSometimes I wonder if what we were taught\u2014what we were\nexposed to\u2014doesn\u2019t work out here in the real world.\u201d Michael laughed before\nresponding with a hint of anxiousness. \u201cBro, you don\u2019t even know.\u201d After I\nbecame a pastor, it took Michael sometime before he felt he could be honest\nwith me about God. Now he wasn\u2019t afraid to talk about what his faith\u2014or lack\nthereof\u2014looked like now. \u201cI\u2019m tired of a Christianity that tries to tie a neat\nbow on everything,\u201d I nearly growled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe that\u2019s cool for a church bubble or\nsomething like that, but not here.\u201d I stopped pacing and leaned against the wall\nin my office. The head on a Star Wars bobble head Dad gave me bounced on my\nbookshelf as I slid toward the ground. Its face wobbled up and down as I spoke.\n\u201cYou know what a pastor told me after Dad was diagnosed?\u201d I looked down at the\nground before continuing. \u201cHe told me that the key to my father\u2019s healing might\njust be me owning up to the correction God was trying to do in my own life.\u201d\n\u201c[Expletive] that guy,\u201d barked Michael. \u201cYeah . . . forget that guy.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s\nfake,\u201d Michael\u2019s voice carried a side of bitterness. \u201cI don\u2019t know how many\ntimes someone told me that if I were good, I\u2019d have everything I\u2019d ever wanted.\nWell then why do I look around at all the good people in my life and watch them\nsuffer the most?\u201d \u201cI was thinking the other day; out of all the friends we grew\nup with in church,\u201d I quickly replied in the heat of the moment. \u201cHow many are\nstill there?\u201d The line hummed with silence before Michael replied. \u201cNot me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bearden, Wade.\nFailing Faith: When What You Thought You Knew about God Doesn’t Work in the\nReal World (p. 10). Kindle Edition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This kind of\nbitter disappointment causes many unbelievers to reject Christ and many\nbelievers to give up and quit serving Christ. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the\nreasons for this is a misunderstanding of what God offers. Non Christian world views have been melded\nwith Christian ones over the years distorting the truth of pure\nChristianity. One of those distortions\nis that of Karma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Karma is a\nconcept in many Eastern religions where the universe pays us for what we have\ndone\u2026 if we do good\u2026 we receive good Karma\u2026 if bad, then we receive bad Karma.\nKarma is getting what we deserve. Like much o the Devil\u2019s lies, it is laced\nwith truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Galatians 6:7\u20138 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man\nsoweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the\nflesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit\nreap life everlasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, when the\nlaw of sowing and reaping is mixed with Karma, we start to look at the good in\nour life from a view of entitlement. I\nhave a job because I deserve it. I have\na car a home, a wife, kids that love me because I deserve it\u2026 God owes me that\nmuch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In our\nScripture reading this morning we read a story about a rich man who had a\nsimilar view. He was rich because he\ndeserved to be. He just wanted to take\nit to the next level and schmooze his way into eternal security by talking to a\nvery connected Holy man, Jesus. He would\ngive him the inside scoop on exactly what he had to do to further advance his\ncause from this life to the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This morning\nwe are going to contrast the concept of Karma where we get what we deserve,\nwith Grace where we get what we don\u2019t deserve. \nWe will find that Jesus offers a much better deal when it comes down to\nKarma VS Grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 God\u2019s Blessing is validation of\none\u2019s self righteous delusion. – The rich man trusted in riches as evidence of\nGod\u2019s blessing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark 10:24 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus\nanswereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that\ntrust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Flattery indicates one\u2019s\nconfidence in his own standing. \u201cGood Master\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good= benefit <\/p>\n\n\n\n Philemon 14 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n but without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit\nshould not be as it were<\/em> of necessity, but willingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 The rich man\u2019s question shows\nhis Karma confidence\u2026 what good thing must I do<\/p>\n\n\n\n agathos\n(??????) describes that which, being \u201cgood\u201d in its character or constitution,\nis beneficial in its effect – Vine<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Jesus dropped a truth bomb that\nprepared the rich man for the truth he was going to learn about himself\u2026 there\nis none good but God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark 10:18 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there\nis<\/em> none good but one, that is<\/em>, God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 With Karma, the standard you\nembrace becomes the standard that condemns you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Romans 3:19 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith\nto them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the\nworld may become guilty before God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Romans 3:20 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be\njustified in his sight: for by the law is<\/em> the knowledge of sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Karma creates the illusion of\nself- awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark 10:20 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I\nobserved from my youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the beginning of her \u201cOut of the Woods\u201d\nmusic video, Taylor Swift is standing on a beautiful beach. \u201cVines begin to\nsurround her as she slowly makes her way through a dark forest. As she sings of\nheartbreak and despair, she\u2019s haunted by<\/p>\n\n\n\n both the forest and a series of wolves. The\npack tears her dress, pursuing her to the top of a mountain in the middle of a\nsnowstorm. The situation grows worse as Swift later<\/p>\n\n\n\n struggles through a swamp, a desert, and a\nfirestorm\u2014sounds like a day in Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When she finally reaches the beach again, she\napproaches her former self, and gently<\/p>\n\n\n\n touches her shoulder. The video ends with the\nwords: \u2018She lost him, but she found herself. And somehow that was everything.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSwift\u2019s video does provide an interesting window\ninto twenty-first-century pop culture philosophy. Finding true peace means\nfinding yourself. You alone hold the answer to meaning and purpose in this\nlife\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Bearden, Failing Faith, 25).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Jesus\u2019 words shattered the\nillusion of self awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 These words of rebuke poured\nout of a heart of love from our Savior, not a heart of rejection opr hatred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark 10:21 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One\nthing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor,\nand thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow\nme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark 10:22 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he\nhad great possessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n James 2:10 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one\npoint<\/em>, he is guilty of all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n James 2:11 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not\nkill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a\ntransgressor of the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Jesus invited him to come – away\nfrom his Karma based works and to Faith based belief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John 3:16 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten\nSon, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting\nlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Jesus invited him to take up\nhis cross- publicly confess his guilt and lack<\/p>\n\n\n\n Romans 10:9\u201310 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and\nshalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt\nbe saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the\nmouth confession is made unto salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Jesus invited him to follow\nHim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew 16:24 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man<\/em> will\ncome after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 The rich man made his choice\u2026\nhe continued to trust Karma\u2026after all look at all the tangible evidence that it\nwas working for him…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark 10:22 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he\nhad great possessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Jesus used this sad occasion to\nteach the disciples these things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 It is hard for those that are\ncomfortable to realize that they have a lack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 It is impossible for someone\nwho trusts in riches to trust in Christ. – especially when the reason they\ntrust in riches is that the riches are in inaccurate \u201cproof\u201d that their karma\nis working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 The eye of the needle in\ncontext is not talking about something that is hard, but rather something that\nis impossible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark 10:27 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is<\/em>\nimpossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 ?Trust in Christ and the Gospel\nyields rewards Mark 10:28-31 Trust in\nChrist and the Gospel yields both temporal and eternal benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen Peter\nbegan to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus\nanswered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house,\nor brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands,\nfor my sake, and the gospel\u2019s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this\ntime, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands,\nwith persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are\nfirst shall be last; and the last first.<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n (Mark\n10:28\u201331, KJV 1900) <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn his book The Prodigal God, pastor and\nwriter Timothy Keller relays a conversation he had with a young woman about\ngrace. The woman had grown up in a church that taught God only accepts those\nwho lived good, ethical lives. Upon hearing Keller teach about grace\u2014that God\u2019s\ngift of salvation is completely free even to those who are immoral\u2014the woman\nexpressed fear. Keller asked her about it.\u201d Her reply was telling:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018If I was saved by my good works\u2014then there\nwould be a limit to what God could ask of me or put me through. I would be like\na taxpayer with rights. I would have done my duty and now I would deserve a\ncertain quality of life. But if it is really true that I am a sinner saved by\nsheer grace\u2014at God\u2019s infinite cost\u2014then there\u2019s nothing he cannot ask of me.\u2019\u201d\n(Bearden, Failing Faith, 16). (Quote from Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recovering the\nHeart of the Christian Faith [New York: Dutton, 2008], 121).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conclusion:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you living\nunder Karma or under Grace. If you are\ntrying to merit Heaven based on your deeds, your Karma will try you and find\nyou wanting. Jesus looks at you lovingly\nand says \u201cOne thing thou lackest\u201d\u2026 righteousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Romans 3:10 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:<\/p>\n\n\n\n He wants to\ngive you His righteousness if you trade your works for His.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For he hath made him to be<\/em> sin for us, who knew no\nsin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u203a show next slide<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are a\nbeliever saved by Grace through faith plus nothing, it is still possible to be\nliving under Karma not grace. Why do you\nserve? Why do you tithe? Why do you come to church?\u2026 so God will be\nhappy with me and bless me\u2026 that is Karma\u2026 you wrongfully imagine that your\nactions will merit you favor. God grants\nfavor IN SPITE OF what we deserve. If we\nhumbly hit our knees God be merciful to me\u2026 we access His grace, and are\ncovered by His righteousness. So what\nare you trusting in to draw close to Jesus, your efforts, or His Grace?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 John 1:9 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us\nour<\/em> sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the battle\nof Karma VS Grace\u2026 Grace wins every time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pastor Don Carpenter \/ General Failing Faith \/ Saved by Works; Faith \/ Mark 10:17\u201331 Michael and I grew up in the same church and ran in the same Christian circles for most of our lives. We both understand each other, in an ancient sort of way, when we discuss faith. Up until the end … Continue reading Karma or Grace?<\/span> Karma Often Seems to Work: The Delusion of Deserving Good<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Karma Cannot Fix What Is Broken: The Reality of Deserving<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Karma Fails But Grace Prevails: The Gift of God Transcends our Merit.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n