Sermon for Matthew 7:21-29
June, 1st 2008
Today is the third Sunday after Pentecost. Pentecost by far is the longest of the church seasons—spanning a total of 26 weeks, half of the church year, now all the way up to Advent. Why so long you might ask? Well I am always pleased when you guys ask good questions.
If one examines the church year, one might notice that it kicks of with Advent—the coming/arrival of Jesus the Christ. Then for the next six months we closely examine the Work of God through Jesus—with Christmas Season, Epiphany—or making known, the Transfiguration, to Lent, Holy Week, and climaxing with the best news the world has ever known in the resurrection of our Lord and Savior—giving to you what the world may promise but has no authority to offer—Life here and now—Eternal life in the future!
Then on Pentecost Sunday we celebrate the out-pouring of God’s Spirit of life and power upon the chosen disciples, upon you and I. And so the remaining six months invite you and I to a solid foundation focusing upon the Work of the Church and our Christian Lives. Focusing upon the Rock of Jesus’ words, the ground of faith, which no flood can float away and no wind can blow down. Pentecost basically teaches us that through the power of God’s Spirit we have much work to do in our own lives and in His church.
It’s odd however, but it should not surprise any of us, that during the first six months of the church year when we focus upon the Work of God through Christ the churches are more full, than at a time when the focus shifts to our efforts and power of the Spirit.
Sometimes I believe we view Pentecost as a four letter word. Well actually it’s closer to a six letter word, but it might as well be a four letter word because it makes people cringe when they hear it. The word is—brace yourself—Change—CHANGE! You made have heard this one…How many Lutherans does it take to change a light bulb? The question cannot be answered, because it involves change. But seriously, there may be some truth to that.
You see the smallest changes in our lives, we don’t normally like. But folks that what Pentecost is all about—that’s what the Spirit of God is all about. It is about change in capital letters, CHANGE!
If you read through the Bible, remember Martin Luther gave you this opportunity—take advantage of it. But if you read through Genesis to Revelation, and you examine the work of the God’s Spirit—Wind, Breath, Ruah, Pnema you will notice that each and every single time the Spirit evokes Change. Spirit—Change! No Spirit—No Change! No Change—No Spirit!
And folks that’s what the next six months of Pentecost is all about. The Spirit of God! Change for the better! Change in our lives and in our Church! Yes we have OUR work cut out for us.
I have a theory that I use sometimes on my wife Sandy. When she gets upset with me, especially when she really gets upset with me, that’s when I tell her something else that I know she’s most likely eventually discover, and then will be upset with me again. I figure that if she is just about as mad as she can get, I might as well use the opportunity to my advantage and clear my slate. After all, she probably going to focus her anger on only one of two, and can’t really get any more upset than she already is. Makes sense uh?
Well today I’m going to test this theory within the walls of Gloria Dei.
I want all of you able bodied people, notice I said able—if you have trouble moving around stay right where you are at, I’ll come up with something later to make you feel uncomfortable, so you don’t feel left out, but if you are able I want everyone to switch sides of the church. Seriously, I’ll wait. Not only switch sides, but if you’re a fronty type of person, go rear, and visa versa.
Ok, did that make anybody a little uncomfortable? Feels a little weird? Maybe even a few of you are upset with me. Good! Because now I’m going to test my theory and deal with some meaningful changes brought up today through the Holy Scriptures. These changes of Pentecost will perhaps make you even more uncomfortable, but hopefully you can’t get any more upset than you already are—or maybe its good that my theory fails, and you do get more upset.
However, there is no reason to be mad at me, I’m only the messenger. The words I share are from three very influential beings. The first is from God, the second is from the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, and finally from the greatest of the apostles, words of wisdom from Paul. So if you do get upset with the changes called for, direct your attention to God, not me. Please remember however, these teachings are meant to stir up the Spirit of Change and save your life, not condemn it.
In the first lesson, Moses has just been given the 10 commandments of two tablets of stone, also written down in our hearts. The first table or stone deals with our relationship with God, the second tablet or stone deals with our relationship with others. Folks that how uncomplicated the teaching, instructions, the law of God boils down to. Love God! Love Others! God speaks to Moses and invites the people of Israel to respond to God’s grace with a way of life characterized by obedience to these teachings.
God says, not me, God says, “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your forehead. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
God and God’s teaching/commands are THE most important thing in the world! And we must/must have them on our minds and in our hearts at all/all times. What ever our hands do, they must show God’s glory. What ever our minds think, it must have room for the Almighty. We must constantly/constantly be teaching the Words of the Holy Scripture to our children and our youth. Your entire day must consist first and foremost of the Lord!
Ouch! How many of us feel a little more uncomfortable? But like I said, these are God’s Words not mine! And just why in the world should we take to heart what we hear today? Because today the Lord our God is setting before you and I a blessing and a curse. The blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God and the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God. The command to put God first and treat others fairly.
It’s rather unique in the lectionary, they follow the Deuteronomy text with a truth story from Genesis, teaching the blessing and curses of God do apply. Because the earth was corrupt there is a limit to God’s patience, but for Noah who walked with God there is Salvation.
But wait a minute you might say. We are Lutherans you know, and we teach what the Apostle Paul writes in today’s lesson. “For we hold that a person is justified (made right) by faith. Faith saves, not our ability to keep God’s teachings.
Yet our misunderstanding of Paul, our misunderstanding of the Lutheran call to grace by faith, our misunderstanding of this so called Faith had better make us much more uncomfortable than switching of pews on Sunday Morning.
Luther continues where Paul leaves off by saying, “Because we are made right with God simply by an obedient faith—even though all of have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God, because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, because of our trust in Him we are saved! And because of this great and glorious revelation we would be absolute fools not to do every good work to show our thanks and praise!
So Paul ends his writing today by asking what does one do now? Do we then overthrow the law/the teachings of God by this faith? He answers, not me, “By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law, the teachings, the instructions of God with all our being!
Ok take a deep breath, relax, soak all this in. Because now we are heading to round three, where Jesus makes be squirm even a little more. You see, I feel one of the greatest misconceptions is in regard to our understanding of a very important concept—Faith!
Faith is not a noun, just lying around, doing nothing. Faith is a Verb—Like walk, run, talk. Faith is an action, not thing or even an emotion. The best way to describe Faith is when I taught my children how to swim.
I would put them on the side of the wall and say jump, “Daddy will catch you!” They would stand there shaking their head. What wrong I would say. Don’t you trust/have faith that daddy with catch you? They would shake there heads again, up and down. Then jump I would say.
If they jumped—they had faith!
If they did not jump—did they have faith?
We are made right by our Faith!
Jesus says something this morning that sometimes scares the Hell into me. Jesus says, not me. Jesus says, “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.”
How many of us walking around claiming to be Christians, claiming to have faith, but do not feel God’s teaching/commands are THE most important thing in the world! How many of us attending worship once a week but do not have the instructions of God in our hearts at all/all times?
How many of our hands show God’s glory? Do our minds in our daily living have room for the Almighty? Do we constantly/constantly teach the Words of the Holy Scripture to our children and our youth? Does our entire day consist first and foremost of the Lord?
How’s my theory working so far? I take it you’re probably no long upset at switching seats. Yes, the best news in the history of the world is that you are saved by grace through faith. Free grace! Yes free, but not cheap and most definitely not easy. Martin Luther says it may be the most difficult things one ever does.
In his letter entitled “The freedom of a Christian,” Luther writes, “Many people have consider Christian faith an easy thing, and not a few have given it a place among the virtues. They do this because they have not experienced it and have never tasted the great strength there is faith.
It is impossible to write well about it or understand what has been written about it unless one has at one time or another experienced the courage and hope which faith gives a person when trials oppress them.” Folks this is some serious stuff and yes we have our work cut out for us.
Jesus concludes today’s teaching by saying, Jesus says, not me, Jesus says, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. 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!”
During this long season of Pentecost can we all become a little wiser, taking to heart the words of Paul, of Jesus, of God, leading to serious changes in our lives and God’s Church? Remember these teachings are meant to stir up the Spirit of Change and save your life, not condemn it.
And while you may be a little upset we me today, I say these words, God’s words, Jesus’ words, Paul’s words, not mine, with Love and Compassion---For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith! Amen.
