June 1 Some Demanding Words from Jesus
Today’s gospel reminds us that Jesus is
not only welcoming and loving, but he is also demanding. To be a follower of Jesus is to come to
church on a pleasant early summer Sunday, and to be confronted by the demands
of the Lord. We follow a Savior who not
only saves us, but expects something from us.
"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.”
Matthew 7:21
It is disturbing to listen to Jesus
sharp words. Clearly he is speaking to active followers, those who call Him
“Lord”, and who might expect to be commended for their piety. But you come to church to hear Jesus, to
listen to his words no matter how challenging.
On that day many will
say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not do many deeds of power in your name?' Then I
will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me’.” Matthew 7:22,23
His words confront us. And he even threatens us if we fail to obey
Him. Jesus would be our Lord. And as our Lord, he means to be heard and
obeyed. It is not enough to hear Jesus’ teaching, and agree with it. There must also be action.
There's
an old story about a farmer who was visited by a young, energetic
evangelist. He knocked on his door and asked if the farmer “really
believed in Jesus and was saved.” The farmer took a pencil and
paper. He wrote down some names and
handed the paper to the evangelist: "These are the names of my neighbors.
Go ask them if I’m saved - whether what I say I believe is truly how my life is
lived."
Talking is not enough. What we claim to believe has to manifest itself through
our daily life. We enter the
"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.”
But how do we know God’s will?
When you have decisions to make, you
can seek God’s will by returning to the Bible.
Study God’s word and pray – then use your best judgment.
Will that always lead to the right
decision?
Often it will, but sometimes you’ll
still make the wrong choice. If you do,
rely on God’s grace. Trust that the Lord
will restore, forgive and cleanse you – but until you get to that point, stop
worrying and start living. Step forward
boldly, realizing that we can’t make perfect decisions
Of course you’re more likely to make
the right decision if you’re familiar with the Bible. You have to know God’s word well enough to
know where to go for guidance. In fact,
you really need to have some of scripture implanted in your mind, because
sometimes there isn’t time to start paging through the Bible when it’s time to
decide. You need a solid foundation in
God’s word in the Bible.
You shall put these
words of mine in your heart and soul… Teach them to your children, talking
about them when you are at home and when you are away…
Deuteronomy 11:18
A group of men in a church group went
on an overnight camping trip. At the
end of the day of hiking they found a place to make camp. Two of the guys found an ideal spot to pitch
a tent. The ground was smooth – no
vegetation – and no rocks.
That night the rain fell, the wind
blew, and the steams rose. They found
out why the ground was so clear and smooth, as the water started rushing in
under the sides of their tent. They had
pitched their tent on a water course. They and their equipment were drenched.
They could have gotten away with
camping in a dry stream bed if it hadn’t rained. You can survive choices like that unless
there is a test. But when the test of
the unexpected storm came, their camping skills were shown to be inadequate.
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!
7:26,27
We can not avoid difficult times. Ultimately life will test us. Then, we will discover whether the foundation
of our life has been built on sand – or upon the solid rock.
Jesus said lives that are not built on
His teaching are like house built on sand – they are headed for a great fall. When
the storms of life come – as they inevitably do - they will be swept away,
because their life was not built on the solid foundation of Jesus’
teaching. They did not listen to his
word and act upon it – put it into practice in daily life.
Actually Jesus used a stronger word
than foolish to describe them. It could
have been translated “stupid” or even “moronic”. The Master says it’s just plain stupid not to
follow his teaching in your life.
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.
7:24,25
Christ said the wise have built their
lives on the solid rock of His teaching – they listen to his word and apply it
to their lives.
You come to church Sunday after Sunday
to listen to Christ’s words in the gospel.
We study them, talk about them – but
are you applying his teaching to your life?
Alexander Fleming, upon introducing his
newly discovered drug, penicillin, warned against taking too little of it. An
under-dose, he said would permit some germs to remain in the system thereby
allowing them to build up an immunity to the drug.
Some people seem to take in just enough
of Christianity become immune to the real thing. Many people attend just enough
church services to temporarily feel good about themselves. But they never really commit themselves to
follow Jesus’ teaching in their lives. They have just enough of Jesus and His
gospel to make them immune to the demands of discipleship. Jesus says they talk the talk, but some don’t
walk the walk – the walk of faith and obedience to His teaching.
In the creed, we confess that Jesus
Christ is both Savior and Judge. The
same Jesus who eats with tax-collectors and sinners - who came to save people
from their sins – will also be our judge. Judgment and grace are both
dimensions of God’s movement toward us.
The Lord claims us for a life of obedience - he will not let us presume
on divine generosity. His words of judgment directed to those who take His
generosity lightly, who want acceptance without change, forgiveness without
repentance, grace without discipleship.
The only way to live is Jesus’ way – by
listening to His words and then putting them into practice. Christ’s teachings are the solid foundation
for our lives.
To all who would strive to follow in
the way of His teaching, Christ makes a promise. You don’t have to do it on your own, for Christ
stands by you. He is our judge, but also
the Savior. We are not so wise that we will not do foolish things. We are not strong enough on our own to resist
sin.
So with
My hope is built on nothing less,
Than Jesus blood and righteousness.
No merit of my own I claim,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Christ is the rock of our secure
footing - of our strength from which deal with the problems of life. Christ is a refuge who protects us, not by
hiding us, but by equipping us to face that which can not be avoided.
When we are confused, Christ gives us
the guidance of His Spirit.
When we are weak, Christ is our
strength;
When we are foolish, Christ is our
wisdom
When we do make mistakes, Christ
forgives us and sets us back on His way.
When all
supports are washed away,
He then is all my hope and stay.
When we have built our lives on the
solid foundation of Jesus’ teaching – and keep coming back to Christ for
strength and guidance, we can say
On Christ the solid
rock I stand,
All other ground is
sinking sand.