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PENTECOST 3
YEAR
A DEUTERONOMY
11:18-21; 26-28 ROMANS 1:16-17;
3:22b-31 MATTHEW
7:21-29 MAY 31, JUNE 1,
2008 As the
presidential campaigns continue we see an increased amount of attention
paid to the character of those candidates. We not only hear about the
views and the interests of the candidates but we also hear about the
people they associate with. First, it was Barak Obama and his pastor in
the news. Just this week there was Catholic priest that seemed to be
causing problems for Obama. This past week we heard that John McCain had
to distance himself from evangelist John Hagee. Hillary Clinton has also
been doing her share of damage control because of the people she knows or
hangs out with. While I am not declaring which candidate I am in favor of
I am interested about what each is saying and what they are doing. I am
interested in the people they hang out with. The words that come from each
person are important to me. I want to know what each one believes. I want
them to be serious about what he or she is saying. I listen to news
reports and to the candidates themselves. I want to know they are honest
and I want to know how they will lead the country. I do not care what the
other guy is not doing. I want to know what you are doing or planning to
do. I want the words of our candidates to match their actions. I believe we have a God given
responsibility to pay attention to the people running for public office.
We also have a responsibility to vote in the elections. We have a
responsibility to listen to the people running for office and then choose
the one God would have us choose. Matthew 7:21, 22
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that
day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your
name? We are God’s
people. As God’s people our words match our actions. By grace we have been
saved through faith. Paul says that this is not your doing but is the gift
from God. We say “Lord, Lord” every time we gather in this building for
worship. We proclaim the name of the Lord our God in every prayer and
every Bible verse and in every song. We claim the name of our Lord in all
we do in the church but is Jesus really your Lord? Does your proclamation
match with your actions? Do you claim the name of Jesus when it is
convenient and when it is not so convenient? The verses for today are the
concluding teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus speaks with
authority and many are impressed with this teaching but many will not
receive his words. Jesus has been teaching about truly being people of
God. Jesus turned
many popular teachings up-side-down. The Scribes and Pharisees had
teachings they followed. They claimed them from the Torah and from the
Prophets. They knew the words of what we call the Old Testament but they
did not understand what those words meant. Every time we gather for Bible
study and possibly when we hear sermons preached we might not understand
what all of the words mean. This is why we sit down together. This is why
we keep coming back to the church. The more we hear the more we are able
to understand. The more times we sit down together to study the Bible the
better we know the Bible. We come together so that the Lord is not merely
someone we know about but someone we know personally. We want to know
Jesus but it is more important that Jesus knows you and
me. A year ago
Denise and I went to Jesus taught
that merely speaking the name of our Lord does not mean God knows you.
Having the Lord know you comes because you did something with the gift of
grace. Our works do not save us. We are saved by God’s grace but the
knowing comes with the doing. The fruits of our faith come in obedience
and in doing what our Lord asks us to do. The Lord knowing us comes from
right living and right doing. It comes from following the letter of God’s
law. The Sermon on the Mount is full of our Lord’s teaching on the intent
of the Law of God. The Law of God is a law of love. God loves us and so we
love each other. When we have loved one another we have also loved God.
Through love we are known by God. Coming to know
the Lord and having the Lord know us makes a huge difference in our lives.
There was girl in school who seemed to be so awkward and shy. She thought
of herself as being homely. One day a boy took a real interest in her,
gave her a lot of attention, and loved her. As she became aware of this
new part of her life, her new status with this boy, that, in fact, she was
loved; her entire personality changed. It was a change that was noticed by
everyone. Her behavior changed naturally and spontaneously because she
knew she was loved. There was someone who really cared for her. Her new
behavior was as natural as a good tree producing good
fruit. This is the way
God works with you and me. God’s love changes us. Because of the change
good deeds spontaneously and naturally come out. Jesus wants to know us.
In these verses the problem is not that the confessors and miracle workers
don't know Jesus. They know him in the same way I know Newt Gingrich. The
problem is that Jesus doesn't know them! Does the Lord know you? Does the
Lord have a relationship with you? Does the love of Christ affect the way
you live? Matthew 7:26, 27
And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will
be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the
floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it
fell—and great was its fall!” Jesus gave us
the promise of life. He gave us the assurance of his presence throughout
eternity. We have the promise but what are we doing with it? Next Sunday
we have our semi-annual meeting. If you have seen the agenda you know
there are lots of things needing our attention. There are decisions to be
made about many things. How will we decide in a way that makes everyone
happy? Will our decisions divide us or will they help us serve the Lord.
We accomplish what seems to be impossible by remembering whose church this
is. We remember who died on the cross and rose again. I did not die on the
cross for your sins and I did not rise to new life so that you would have
life. We remember that it is by the grace of God that we exist and it is
by the grace of God that we have these decisions to make. It is by the
grace of God that we will make godly decisions.
Those that have
built on the sand will find the decisions as impossible tasks. They will
see that no decision will be good. They do not have a solid foundation
because they talk the talk but they fail to walk the walk. They are
confused because they say, "Lord, Lord” but the Lord does not know them.
The congregation says it wants to know the Lord but in reality it does not
want to be known by God. It seems easier to leave the Lord out of it. The
result is that the wind blows and the floods of conflict come and the
congregation comes apart and great is the fall. All that is left is
bricks, concrete and lumber. The wise
congregation will make decisions because they have built on the rock. They
have a solid foundation. The words spoken and the decisions made will be
by people that know the Lord and God knows them. Those that build on a
solid foundation talk the talk and they walk the walk. They will know the
will of God because they will have prayed asking the Lord for guidance.
The decisions made will bear fruit of righteousness and faith. Good things
will happen and the congregation will receive an even greater
blessing. You and I must
listen to the words of our Lord. We listen and we allow God’s word to
shape us. God’s word shapes us as individuals but also as a congregation.
When we say “Lord, Lord” we also do what our Lord asks us to do. We reach
out to the poor and needy and we care for all of God’s children because
they need to be cared for. We don’t worry about who sees us doing because
we love the Lord and we know him. Does the Lord know you?
AMEN |