Easter Preparations - Part 2 Series

Before I start my message this morning, I want to run something past y'all and see what you think. I'm thinking we could start a new type of ministry for our church. I'm thinking we could minister, as we do, to the poor, the addicted and the incarcerated but also add a new ministry to that. Tell me honestly what you think about this. We change our motto to, "We minister specifically to the poor, the addicted, the incarcerated...and the fisherman."

Now, hear me out on this. The church can buy a new bass boat. I'm thinking it needs to be something pretty nice so the fishermen will know we are serious. Probably something like a new Nitro Z-21 XL but there are other options. Now, yes, a new bass boat is pretty expensive but how much are souls worth, huh?

But the good news is that I am willing to pay my share in this. Especially since I'm the only one that's going to be driving it, I need to pay my part. And I will. I figure a new Nitro XL costs about $63,000 plus we need to add some state of the art fishfinders, trolling motor, a battery upgrade plus a few other minor add-ons for a total of about 70 grand. Now, I have been saving up and here is my part. I already have it. My financial part in this new God-glorifying ministry is this shiny new quarter. Yes, I'm giving all of it to this new ministry. This is how you get treasures in Heaven, right here. You can't out-give God, I always say.

So, what do you think? Are y'all in? The church will pay $69,999.75 and I will pay the rest -- 25 cents. That way we are all in this together. Where God guides, God provides. Amen? No? Why not? We could paint the church name and logo on the side. Maybe put John 3:16 on the trailer. Whatever y'all think. You're not going for it, huh? Well, just pray about it. We don't have to do it today.

That's pretty ridiculous, isn't it? You know what is even more ridiculous? Thinking that you are going to get to God's perfect Heaven by the sacrificial blood of Jesus... and a little bit of your good works. It's ridiculous to think that God is going to send His precious Son to die on the cross for your sins and all you have to do is...be a good person...or be baptized...or take the Lord's Supper...or keep most of the Commandments or anything else and then you and Jesus will get you to Heaven.

Do you know what it is called when you think you and Jesus will work together - pool your resources - and both get you into Heaven? It's called religion and religion is offensive to God. It's like telling God that you will pay your twenty-five cents and then Jesus will pay the rest and the two of you will get you into Heaven. You'll go in together on this deal.

Jesus is going to come down from Heaven, live a sinless life, be tortured and killed on a cross but you sell a few magazines and the two of you will get you into Heaven. Is that how this works? No man gets to the Father except by Jesus... and church membership? Do you see how offensive that must be to God? And all religion is just that. It is offensive when we think we can do something, even something small, to help earn our way to Heaven. Jesus said, "No man gets to the Father except through me." Period.

If you will turn in your Bibles to the Book of Matthew, you will see Jesus is offended here in chapter 23. He is offended that the scribes and Pharisees think that they are good enough to go to Heaven by LOOKING holy. These guys look pious and religious but inside their hearts are black and godless. They are all about religion but are not the least bit interested in knowing God or having a relationship with Him.

As you turn to Matthew 23, verses 1-12, remember that we are preparing ourselves for Easter by looking at what was going on that caused Jesus to be crucified and then rise again. I want to see what He was thinking as well as what the other people around him were thinking. What were the circumstances that led these people to murder an innocent man; a man who came to speak the truth to them and to show them the only way to get to Heaven?

We saw last week in Matthew 9 Jesus was just getting His ministry started and it didn't take long before He was already offending the religious people with the truth. Well, fast-forward a couple of years and Jesus has yet to start a "ministry of making friends" with these religious Pharisees and scribes.