WHY I DO THE THINGS I DO

Matthew 21: 23-32 (NRSV)

We tend to make a lot jokes at the expense of pastors, church leaders, church doctrine, and church dignitaries. They make appealing targets.

Two atheists were flying in a single–engine plane when it was struck by lightning.

Faced with certain death, the atheists grasped at hope and prayed to God. Their problem was that they didn’t know how to reach out to God in prayer. One asked the other, “How are we going to have God help us if we do not know how to pray?”

The other atheist answered, “Listen, I live next to a Catholic Church. I’ve listened to them pray over their loudspeakers many times.  Let’s pray one of their prayers.” So he began praying, “B5 … under the O…75 … N14 … B1.”

A Baptist preacher tells the following story on himself about receiving a call from a woman who was quite upset over the death of her pet cat named Homer. She wanted the preacher to conduct a funeral service for Homer. The Baptist preacher explained that this was a little out of his usual role and referred her to his friend, a Presbyterian pastor at a church down the street.

Later, the preacher learned that his Presbyterian friend had referred her to a Methodist pastor across town, who had referred her to someone else. About an hour later the woman called him back and told him she was very upset.

The woman said she was at her wit’s end because she couldn’t find a preacher to conduct Homer’s funeral service. She said she planned to donate $ 5,000 in Homer’s memory to the church whose preacher would conduct Homer’s service.

The Baptist preacher admitted it only took him a few seconds to say, “Well, why didn’t you tell me Homer was a Baptist cat in the first place.”

Sometimes religious leaders and churches do things that have everything to do with human things and nothing to do with Godly things. This church has that experience.

In our Gospel passage for today Jesus is asked why He is doing what He is doing and who told Him He could do it. Jesus turns the tables on the Sadducees, who will become the major accusers and demanders of His death.

Jesus simply says if they can answer a question from Him first then He will answer their question. It sounds a little smart-alecky but is actually a brilliant move that illustrates Jesus’ point about the two sons. 

We can understand someone asking to see our authority for doing something but what about the qualifications to ask that question? What qualifies you to ask what someone else’s authority is? To do so would be to seek the truth, and to seek the truth, one must have an understanding of what truth is. One must also be willing to accept the truth.

The Sadducees, because of their own worldviews, are not capable of understanding Jesus as truth. As Chief Priests of Israel they have claimed to be God’s servants, but don’t know the true God and have not followed through on their promises.

The point of Jesus’ parable is to ask a question: Is it better to promise to ask for forgiveness, or not to promise, but still seek it?

 

Listen to Matthew 21: 23-32 -

When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"

Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?"

And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

"What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went.

The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first."

Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

Last week Becky, Chylle, and I went to the yearly Evangelical Association’s  Convocation in Landis, North Carolina.

This was the 17^th one and I think I’ve been to 8 or so of them. It’s good to be  reminded of our common goals and faith we pastors, church leaders, and members have in common. This year’s theme: “Advancing the Kingdom.”

While there, I realized I have never spoken of the EA much here at St. Paul’s, and decided I needed to tell you about where my ministerial authority and credentials as a Pastor come from. 

The New Testament speaks of “Diakonos” as a person who is a servant, attendant, minister, and deacon who serves in the office of “Diakonia,” which emphasizes service and ministry. It is in this spirit that the EA recognizes ministry.

In the mid 1990′s a group of concerned pastors and lay people gathered at First Protestant Church (formerly UCC) in New Braunfels, Texas to consider the fact that many congregations and clergy were leaving the United Church of Christ. (Some info is quoted from EA website).

Although created as the merger of four historically orthodox Christian bodies called  the Evangelical, Reformed, Congregational and Christian churches, the UCC had been moving in an increasingly liberal direction for many years.

By encouraging churches to become “Open and Affirming” of the homosexual lifestyle, supporting the full legalization of abortion, embracing the work of theologians who were discrediting the authority of the Bible, and through many other actions, it had become clear that the U.C.C. as a denomination no longer reflected the positions held by many of its member churches and ministers.

Following the meeting in New Braunfels, it was decided to form a new association to provide an orthodox, evangelical alternative for churches and clergy choosing to stay in the UCC as well as those leaving the United Church of Christ.  In 1998, the Evangelical Association was incorporated with a handful of charter member churches and pastors. It has continued to grow ever since.

In recent years, the Evangelical Association has become an important networking tool not only for churches with a history in the United Church of Christ, but also for congregations and clergy who share our faith, vision and values. Pastors, lay people and entire congregations now celebrate their affiliation with the EA as a link to the wider church as they seek to serve our Lord and Savior in their local context.

The Evangelical Association of Reformed and Congregational Christian Churches is a nationwide voluntary association (not a denomination) of churches, ministers, and believers networking together to further the cause of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Recognition and standing in the Evangelical Association is fully compatible with participation and memberships in other denominations and associations.

The purpose of the Association is:

>To deepen and expand the fellowship of our clergy and churches.

>To facilitate co-operation and counsel among our Association with regard to supporting clergy and churches.
>To support and promote the Scriptural principles of the autonomy of the local church and encourage a steadfast Biblical witness by our churches, our clergy and laity – to our Lord, Jesus Christ.
>To provide guidance for clergy and churches in regard to life insurance and retirement savings.
>To assist churches in finding pastors.

The basic beliefs are:

>Jesus Christ is the head of His body, the Church, and of the local church.
>Christ exercises His authority in each local church by the Holy Spirit and through the Holy Scriptures.
>Each local church is in itself a complete church, and is therefore autonomous and possesses all the rights and responsibilities of the church as bestowed upon it by the Holy Spirit and set forth in God’s Word.
>Along with our guiding principles and beliefs, the association abides by a Statement of Faith, which is the cornerstone of the organization.

The Statement of Faith, which is the cornerstone of the organization, must be signed by each member, minister, and church.

We Affirm the Following:

>The Trinitarian name of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
>God has revealed Himself fully and decisively as attested in Holy Scripture. We believe the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired and authoritative Word of God. The Scriptures are the guide for faith and life.
>There is only one way to Salvation – through Jesus Christ.
>The sanctity of human life based on our creation in the image of God and our election by God for service in His Kingdom. This leads us to respectfully affirm sanctity at every stage of human life.
>The Biblical guidelines for human sexuality: marriage as the union of one man and one woman, fidelity and holiness in marriage and chastity outside of marriage for the sake of the Kingdom.
>We also uplift the Apostles and Nicene Creeds.

We believe that the mission of the Church is to spread the Good News of the Gospel of salvation in every word and deed. We are sent by Christ into all the world to proclaim the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and to bring every person into a life of faith, discipleship and submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Personally, I have been a Licensed Minister since 1996, ordained in 2000, and was granted Senior Minister recognition through Liberty University in 2006. I am a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, a Certified Christian Life Coach, and Family Counselor.

I have been a member of the Evangelical Association since 2001, and a duly recognized and authorized minister since 2002, and resigned from the UCC in 2002.

Additionally, the uniqueness of the Evangelical Association is in it’s relationship with a Worldwide Missions group (Mission Renewal Network) and national connections to several seminaries and professional schools of Religion.

Those are my human credentials, so to speak. But I adhere to a higher standard and calling than just human covenants. In the Book Timothy it is written:

“All scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His Kingdom, I solemnly charge you: proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching.

For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their  own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new.

They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, keep a clear head about everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 3: 16-17, 4: 1-5 HCSB)

My life started out like the second son - I would not have agreed to serve God, but as it turns out I went and served. God is good all the time! 

This is why I stand before you today. I further the call of the Heavenly Kingdom of God, not our human culture and values. Amen.

THE FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIANITY

Several years ago Roy Firestone interviewed the legendary basketball player Kareem Abdul Jabar. During the interview, Firestone asked Jabar if there was one coach that he had during his career that influenced him the most. Immediately, Jabar answered, “Yes, John Wooten of UCLA.”

Firestone then asked him what it was that made him so special. Kareem’s answer is worth noting. He said, “He was an ardent student and teacher of the fundamentals of basketball.” He then went on to tell the story of how on the very first day of practice, Coach Wooten taught the whole team how to put on their socks so as to never get a blister, and how to tie their shoes so that they will never come untied. Now that is basic!

I am proud to call myself a “fundamentalist.” Why? Not because I am narrow minded and mean spirited like some would think. No! It is because I believe in the “fundamentals of the faith.” What is the hallmark of a fundamentalist? What is the foundation of our Christian faith? What is the bedrock of our belief system?

Some would say it is the fact that we believe in one God, and that He is a Trinity. Others say that it is the fact that Jesus shed His blood for us. Still others would say that the love of God is the foundation. All of these are to be held in the highest regard, yet I believe that the foundation of the Christian faith is a belief, rather, a conviction that the Bible is the Word of God! We could know none of these apart from His Word!

Bob Jones Sr. said, “A fundamentalist is a person who is converted and born again through faith in the blood of Christ, who believes that the Bible is God’s Word, who is willing to defend the Scripture with his life’s blood, who preaches and proclaims the Word, and who seeks to obey it.”

Vince Lombardi was one of the winningest coaches who ever coached in the NFL. Once, after losing a game, he called for a team meeting in the locker room. As he faced these season hardened men who knew football in and out, he held up a football and announced, “Men, this is a football!”

He then began to remind them of some of the basics of the game and said, “Men, we must get back to the basics.” Lombardi knew the importance of never forgetting the basics of the game. He believed that the strength of their game lay in the foundations of football – the very basics.

The same is true of the Christian life! If we forget that the basic premise of Christianity is that we are a people of the Book, we will lose out on this game called life! The problem is that many times the Bible becomes so familiar to us that we pay it very little attention. However, our faith in the Bible should make us what we are! Kellogg’s Corn Flakes ran an ad years ago which said, “Taste them again for the first time.” Today, I invite you to taste the Bible again for the first time!

THE BIBLE IS PROFITABLE: II TIMOTHY 3: 16-17 says: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The word “inspiration” is "theo-neustos" in the Greek and simply means, “God- breathed.” These verses testify to the unique character of the Scripture and means that the Bible is the result of God’s creative breath.

B.B. Warfield said, “The Bible is the Word of God in such a way that when the Bible speaks, God speaks.” II Peter 1: 20-21 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

The Bible came from God through the men who wrote it. God inspired these human authors so that, using their individual personalities, they composed and recorded without error God’s Word to man.

The Bible is the greatest book ever written. It is not simply one book, but an entire library of books covering the whole range of literature.

It has history, poetry, drama, biography, prophecy, philosophy, science, and inspirational reading. The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years, by over 40 authors, in several different countries. It has been translated into more than 2000 languages and still remains the number one selling book in the world.

It is a book of divine instruction. It offers comfort in sorrow, guidance in perplexity, advice for our problems, rebuke for our sins, and daily inspiration for every need. It tells us what to believe (doctrine).

It tells us what is wrong (convicts us of sin). It tells us how to fix what is wrong (grace of Jesus Christ). The Bible is thoroughly complete: it provides all we need for life and ministry.

The Bible alone truly answers life’s greatest questions. “Where have I come from?” “Where am I going?” “Why am I here?” “How can I know the truth?”

It reveals the truth about God, explains the origin of man, points out the only way of salvation and eternal life, and answers the age-old problems of sin and suffering.

THE BIBLE IS POWERFUL: HEBREWS 4: 12 tells us: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

The Bible is alive, God’s word is not archaic, old, or out of date – It is alive! It deals with the problems of today as easily as it dealt with the problems of yesterday! People are still led by God’s Word today.

The Bible is active, God’s word is not inept or inactive – it is at work today just as it was in years gone by. People are still saved by the power of God’s word!

THE BIBLE IS PRESERVED: PSALM 12: 6 tells us: “And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.” Despite many translations and efforts to water it down God's Word has remained.

THE BIBLE IS PERMANENT: PSALM 119:89: The songwriter wrote, “The Bible stands like a rock undaunted, mid the raging storms of time. It’s pages burn with the truth eternal, and they glow with a light sublime.”

The Word of God has been complete in heaven for all eternity and, try as they have, no-one can ever destroy it! It is indestructible because God has promised so! Jesus believed that even the Vowel marking in the Hebrew Old Testament would last forever.

Matthew 5:18 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law until all be fulfilled.”

The jot is the smallest Hebrew letter, “yohd,” which looks like an apostrophe (‘). A tittle is a very small extension on several Hebrew letters which the letters from others that are similar to them.

Thomas Payne said that within one generation the Bible would no longer be printed. However, upon his death the same printing press he used to print "The Reason of man," was being used to print new Bibles!

THE BIBLE IS PERFECT: (PROVERBS 30:5 says: “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”  The word “flawless” in verse 5 literally means “refined, purged, separated from impurities.”

 

Therefore, the Word of God is completely free from imperfections.

Norman Geisler, a great Systematic Theologian, writing of the inerrancy of the Scriptures, proclaimed, “As any student of reason knows, this is a valid line of reasoning. So, if the premise is true, the conclusion is also true. The Bible clearly declares itself to be the Word of God. It also informs us that God cannot err. The conclusion then is inevitable. The bible cannot err. If the Bible erred in anything it affirms, then God would be mistaken. But God cannot make mistakes.”

The Bible is historically correct. The Bible contains much history. As a result, men have subjected it to intense historical investigation. The most significant area of investigation comes from the science called archeology.

William Albright wrote, “There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the historicity of the Old Testament tradition.”

Frederick Owen concludes, “After one-hundred sixty-five years of archaeological research it may be stated that the large amount of learned men have pooled their efforts and picked up the threads of ancient life from a thousand city mounds and woven them into a pattern which agrees perfectly with the lives and recorded deed of bible characters.”

Second, the Bible is scientifically correct. The Bible gives the most accurate, definite, brief statement of the blood in the body. Scientists have never been able to form a better statement. However, the Bible made the statement over 3,500 years ago, and science has only discovered it in the last 150 years.

Long before men learned by scientific investigation the facts about the earth and the universe, the Bible revealed many of the facts we now know to be true. In every area, which the Bible speaks, the Bible is correct. It is our final authority!

Joshua 1: 8 says “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success.”

Psalm 119: 97 “O how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day long.”

Recent attacks on the Bible follow the age-old example of the serpent speaking to the woman in the Garden of Eden, “Did God really say…” and attack the fundamental understanding of human sexuality and creation itself.

Yet no amount of human hoping, guessing, criticism, wishing, and reimagining will ever change one single letter or word of God’s Holy Scriptures. No matter how humans want to change sin into acceptable behavior God still hates their sin.

We cannot know God apart from His Holy Word! Therefore, if you do not have a relationship with the Bible, you have no relationship with God! If fundamentalists believe the Bible, then call me one! Amen.

“Making God My Auto-Pilot”

I want to share with you another mystery of the Kingdom of God: In the Old Testament, kings believed that God gave them direction in dreams. If they wanted to know what they were supposed to do as a king, they would try to dream to receive direct word from God.

If they weren’t getting any messages in their dreams while lying in their beds at the palace then they would sleep in the temple, believing that it would work better there. This is the origin of the time-honored tradition of sleeping in church.

Did you hear about the pastor, who had a self-esteem problem, who went to see a Psychiatrist. One of the questions he was asked was if he ever talked in his sleep. “Oh no,” he answered, “But I do talk while others sleep,”

Or did you hear that a man asked his doctor if there was anything that could be done for his snoring. The doctor asked if it disturbed his wife. The man answered, “No, just the rest of the congregation!”

Finally, did you hear about the person whose insomnia was so bad he couldn’t even sleep in church?

The Apostle Paul addressed the issues of Christians and sleeping.

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. 

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near.

Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.  Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (Romans 13: 8-14, NRSV)

The Greek word used in this passage for sleep is “hypnos,” and can be defined as to “slumber as if asleep.” It is the root word for hypnosis and Paul is using it to mean a state of spiritual conformation to worldly ideas/ideals that humanity needs to wake-up from.

 Paul is saying that people need to come fully aware from being in a state of “not awareness” of what is going on around us.

Each of us works hard to automate our physical bodies and mental processes as much as possible to avoid over stimulation and repetitive tasks.How many of you remember getting dressed, combing your hair, driving to church this morning? Trivial details, right?

If you think about how many autonomous systems and processes, like breathing (approximately 17,000-23,000 per day), eye-blinking (about 16,000 per day), eating, driving, seeing and other things that our bodies do each minute of the day it’s not too hard to think that the human mind and body tries to put other things (thinking?) on automatic pilot as much as possible.

Doing things in the command center of your brain is much too boring. It’s why we sometimes have to do a double-take, or we are misled by our brains constantly filling in details by guessing because we’re too busy or lazy to actually see for ourselves.

Don’t believe me, but have you ever been frustrated by one of those hidden picture challenges where you never see the image other people see? Your brain is too busy telling your eyes that that hidden object isn’t really there because it doesn’t belong there, so it really isn’t there.

What do you think Paul is telling humanity to wake-up and do? Paul is saying we need to fully come to realize the need to make Jesus, God, and our salvation the very center and core of our being. He is saying that everything we do needs to be done from a believer’s perspective. Serving and following God is a conscious and constant choice.

As humans who put stuff on human auto-pilot we aren’t quick enough to get ahead of the consequences of our behavior. Let me give you an example probably none of you wants to hear – “the ALS ice bucket challenge.” It has raised $ 100 million in the last 3 months.

ALS is a terrible disease with a horrible outcome. In our compassion it makes sense that we would want to help find a cure. Things like this challenge makes each of us feel like kids on the schoolyard playing daring games and “can you top this?" It’s just plain fun and it becomes very pleasurable. Everybody’s doing it. What delightful temptation.

But as Christians are you aware that the majority of the money raised has been going into “embryonic stem cell research,” that capitalizes on aborted fetuses? Hmmm, so much for our commitment to the sacredness of life as created by God. Whoops, now we’re supporting something we’re against, aren’t we? Also at least 21% of your donation goes for administrative overhead.

Now sure you can always ask the ALS foundation not to use your donation that way – but how many people remember to do so? Will the ALS Foundation prove they did so? I’m not saying don’t take the challenge – but be more deliberate as followers of Christ not to rush into something just because everybody else is doing it.

Generally, any activity that takes the culture by storm has a cloud somewhere in that glittery and appealing outer wrapper. Don’t they say, “The Devil’s in the details?”

It’s just another way Christians get overtaken by culture and compromised by the evil among us masquerading as light. As Christians we have to learn to walk softly and slowly among the culture and society we live.

Let me give you another example. So many Christians brag about Joel Osteen and his wife and how positive and upbeat they are. Just last week Mrs. Victoria Osteen, in the weekly church service she leads, said that God’s big purpose was for you to be happy.

If fact, she went on, that if you aren’t happy then God isn’t happy either. Wow, the average Christian doesn’t even recognize what heresy that is. Listen to what she actually said:

“So, I want you to know this morning — Just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be happy. . . . When you come to church, when you worship him, you’re not doing it for God really. You’re doing it for yourself, because that’s what makes God happy. Amen?”

Friends we aren’t here to be pleased and catered to by God, we are here to honor, praise, and Worship Him. But sadly, I can see why the majority of churchgoers would yell amen to her words as they snore along. People do feel good when they think they do good.

False teachers like the Osteen’s would have been stoned in Jesus’ time. We need to see that many are being led astray as they slumber. I think we ought to flee from them.

Meanwhile our society gets worse. James Engel summarized the belief system and the presuppositions that commonly prevail among what he calls the society of modern man:

“God, if He exists at all, is just an impersonal moral force. Man basically has the capacity within himself to improve morally and make the right choices. Happiness consists of unlimited material acquisition. There really is no objective basis for right and wrong. The supernatural is just a figment of someone's imagination. If a person lives a "good life," the eternal destiny is assured. The Bible is nothing other than a book written by man.”

This is the belief system and automatic mindset Paul calls us to awaken from. Our schools, newspapers, magazines, media outlets, social organizations, even churches reinforce and set this agenda in almost every avenue of life.

One could even say the current status of American government, from the presidency to congress, is sleepwalking or perhaps golfing, thru life.

 

Sadly the only aspect of our government that is awake is our court system, which is bound and determined to destroy our laws, overturn legal protections, and impose the tyranny of the few on the many.

Christians for the most part, swim against this strong current that labels non-conformists as politically incorrect, haters, and old fashioned extremists who are out of touch. In some countries Christians are considered highly dangerous.

Did you know that Scotland’s provisional constitution, on hold pending a vote for independence, requires children to be taken from parents holding “extreme  views?”

“Life, liberty, and the right to be free from religion?” That’s not freedom of religion that’s freedom from religion that many “religious free government” lobbyist organizations could get behind.

What Paul is calling us to is discernment. Discernment is simply defined as to perceive by sight or other senses, leading to a mental recognition that there is a difference between choices such as right from wrong. The Greeks had a word for it, “genosco,” which means learning by a combination of education, experience, and faith and hope in the future.

Discernment in Scripture is the skill that enables us to differentiate. It is the ability to see issues clearly. We desperately need to cultivate this spiritual skill that will enable us to know right from wrong, what we ought to do and we ought not do.

We must be prepared to distinguish light from darkness, truth from error, best from better, righteousness from unrighteousness, purity from defilement, theoretical theology from practical theology, and have an answer in season or out. 

Friends, the easy road is always found in Satan’s words to Eve, “Did God really say?” (Genesis 3: 1).

The hard work is always in responding in a way that uplifts and honors God’s Word and Work. Of course to answer that way we have to immerse ourselves in the Bible and stay on the believers’ path to Heaven.

Make God first in all things. Let Him be the Auto-Pilot of your life. Amen.

JESUS CALL A STAFF MEETING

Matthew 16: 21-28 (NRSV)

How do you know our country is making progress: Last week I heard a Senator from California say that our greatest need is an investigating committee to investigate an investigating committee.

I’ve never been big on committee meetings because I’ve seen what one or two people can accomplish when put up against the productivity of a committee of 7; it often takes too much time laying the groundwork and getting coffee then it does to do the actual job. Committees have their place in doing work that isn’t critical.

I’ve also seen the ability one person has to cause conflict and render any action of a group of people useless. It reminds us that there are some tasks and activities that aren’t right to be handled by a committee. Worship, and issues of faith among others, is one of them.

The great Reformed Pastor Campbell Morgan, while he always kept abreast of the activities of the church, detested committee work. He once told a friend, "I would prefer to preach three sermons a day rather than spend half an hour at a deacon's meeting discussing where to keep the keys to the door."  I agree.

The next time you hear about a committee being appointed and the committee then names several task forces to do its job, think of this story:

To hype up its annual Labor Day picnic one year, a Boston based company rented two racing skulls and challenged a rival company to a boat race. The rival company accepted.

On the day of the picnic, everyone entered into the spirit of the event and went retro. Women wore colorful summer dresses and big, floppy hats. Men wore straw skimmers and white pants. Bands played, banners waved. Finally the race began.

To the great surprise of the host company, the rival team immediately moved to the front and was never overtaken. It went on to win by 11 lengths.

The management of the company was embarrassed by its showing and appointed a committee to place responsibility for the failure and make recommendations to improve the host team's chances in a rematch the following year.

The committee appointed several task forces to study various aspects of the race. They met for three months and issued a preliminary report. In essence, the report said that the rival crew used unfair tactics in the race.

"They had eight people rowing and one person steering and shouting out the rhythm," the report said. "We had one person rowing and eight shouting orders."

The chairman of the board thanked the committee and sent it away to study the matter further and make recommendations for the rematch. Four months later the committee came back with a recommendation. "Our guy has to row faster," it said. 

Sadly, this is a true story and so is our Gospel Lesson from Matthew 16: 21-28. Let’s let Jesus set the stage for our discussion of today’s lesson:

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 

And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

"For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

What will you give to save your life? I know Jesus wouldn’t want a committee making that decision for you. Even His disciples, Peter in this case, aren’t thinking straight in the midst of this staff meeting. But let’s think for a second.

Many people, including Peter, can’t answer that question because they are too busy trying not to lose it or further complicate it by adding more responsibilities or hassles to it. Life shouldn’t be complicated they say. And I think Jesus would agree, up to a point.

Today’s Christian lives this. They don’t want long sermons and biblical teaching that makes them think too much or makes them uncomfortably aware that they will need to change their behavior or thinking.

People want humor and sermon topics that are safe – after all we’re not actually going to change things, are we? People really don’t want personal religion or faith – they want assurances of salvation by anonyous committee confession – they want their attendance, membership, and offerings to show evidence of good works and good intention.

The church has developed into a place where people can sit in an anonymous pew for 59 minutes and 59 seconds and participate in committee work for the week. Occasionally they may be asked to vote on this or spending money on that, or responding to things some people don’t think are right or may intrude on their concept of faith or tradition.

I think a lot of our current church problems and social problems have come from the overarching attitudes and teachings of evolution and particularly the concept of the “survival of the fittest among the herd of the human race.” There is a belief that enough will survive and flourish that life will go on. This has encouraged life by committee and that’s the problem.

Look around, we are living life by committee in our society and we didn’t nominate those in charge to make the changes that are happening.

There’s an old joke that says: “For God so loved the world He didn’t send a committee.” God is personal and He wants a personal relationship with us. But does that mean that God is different for each one of us?

If you took a representative sample of people from the churches in the Clear Spring Area, put them together, and asked them Jesus’ question “What do you need to do to get to heaven?” what would the answer be? Would they even be able to answer? Some would be outraged at just being asked.

Would the answer be biblical or represent the national doctrine and polity of their denominations? At worse, would anyone care what the answer was?

You see we operate with human interest and desires and sins in our hearts, minds, and hands. Our intentions and efforts may appear blameless and altruistic but we still have blind spots and are easily lead astray by evil. Only Jesus and God have pure and loving intentions and we need to be careful never to reject them.

In Psalm 107: 23-32, as we read in unison today, we find some sailors in a dire situation. We are told they “were at their wits’ end.” Finally, the staggering sailors realized that they were at the mercy of Almighty God and “they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” (verse. 28). The storm ended, and the sailors found safety.

Mark this down: the Lord hears and answers the cries of desperate people.

When will we be at our wits end? When will our country be at its wit’s end?

Over and over again in the Bible, people are needy and God is ready to deliver at their word. Some were in trouble because of their sin, others because of natural disaster, others were enslaved by evil men, but they all equally felt their need of God. 

But generally God hears individual prayers and may bless individually or a group of people He favors, but it starts with a single person praying first, and then joining others. Repentance and getting to Heaven is usually not a spectator sport.

Remember that when you come to your wits’ end, remember that you are not at God’s. He is not reeling, and He has not left you alone in the dark stormy night. Cry out to Him.

Jesus has been there too, coming before his Father without worldly hope or a way out of the pain. He wept in the garden, and will wipe your tears. He felt the pangs of affliction, and He’ll calm your fears. When your portion is the darkness of death, He has been there already. He suffered alone, so that you never have to.

Peter tried to tell Jesus that day, as he was in the meeting with his disciples, that the end would not be worth it. Peter, in his narrow human view, wanted God to forbid such sacrifice. Peter wanted to tell God what to do. Not an uncommon thought for a person hiding in the middle of a group of people.

You see my friends, God relates to us as individuals first, and looks at the called out body of believers called the church, not as committees, but as doers of the Word. He’s already given us the rules, the goals, and the mission. It’s up to us to go and do, or as Jesus says:

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

One last thought – did you know that the German Reformed Church had no system of government or organization when it came to America? Is was only after the church began to get involved in community affairs and public education that the church had to borrow the Presbyterian system which they called “a consistory” to serve as focal points between other Reformed Churches. The church had had no need for committees up to that point. Amen.