It was a brisk cold morning. Two men was out practicing on their tandem bicycle up a very steep hill while preparing for an upcoming race. A tandem bicycle is basically a two seated bike where both parties pedal, ultimately making the bike go faster and when two people are giving all their strength, obstacles such as steep hills are less painful. After much effort, they finally made it to the top of the hill. The front rider said, “That was a tough ride. I can’t recall having this kind of strain on our previous ride.” The second rider replied, “It sure was, and if I hadn’t kept the brake on we might have slipped backwards down the hill.”
You know, sometimes don’t we seem to just get ourselves into a real pickle? Leaving us scratching our heads! We give full assertion and full intention to do good but then it appears, no good progress is being made. Does this sound familiar to you? I know it has for me! Even with our most desirable efforts and the most honorable intentions, we just can’t seem to get ahead without something or someone holding us back, which includes ourselves. So, we eventual face the realities that we need to Get back in line, start over if needs be, and do it right way, even if it’s the fourth time. Basically, we never are to give up!
In starting our journey today, with the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 21, we are going to look further into learning to stay focused on Christ, discovering the difference from our real intentions to what actions really do. The work we do as Christians just may need to be adjusted for Gods glory—possibly hearing the words of God saying, Get Back In Line!
We start with a Q & A session between Jesus and elders of the church, then Jesus will tell us a parable that dictates what ‘Action speaks louder than words’ looks like. Just a few days prior to Chapter 21, Jesus shown His majestic glory during his Transfiguration, performed several miracles and then He made his triumphant entry into the great city of God, Jerusalem—Jesus returns to the temple after cleansing it from evil.
When He entered the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”
It is very true that the scribes, pharasees and elders of the church tried to find flaws in Jesus and His teachings, mainly to discredit Him and the Ministry to save the lost, but mostly is because the truth was being revealed that would discredit the Sanhedrin and their false teachings to the people of God. They would lose their jobs if not something worse, losing their stronghold and power. It’s a real danger to see that the men of God in Jerusalem wasn’t all fired interested in Gods people as they should have been.
So here is another attempt to destroy Jesus and they think they have Him, but listen to Jesus response. But Jesus responded and said to them, “I will also ask you one question, which, if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John was from what source: from heaven or from men?”
John the Baptist was already killed, yet, his memory and legacy to pave the way of the messiah has most assuredly became real. John baptized people, saved people, helped people, doing Gods work, and those whom knew and experienced John knew he was a prophet from the living God—so much of which that even the Sanhedrin priests could not revoke mainly because of selfish fear. And they began considering the implications among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.” 27 And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” What a safe and terrible answer! The better answer I would think should be “We don’t want to know!”
So Jesus did not answer their misguided question. This leads us from Jesus being tested and rebuked by the leadership of the church, in attempting to disprove who Jesus really is, based upon their opinions and NOT acting upon their faith in the living God. John came before Jesus, to make straight the way for people to see God is coming, God is coming, yet, when Christ came, some still wouldn’t see Him as He is! Whats wrong with this picture? The elders of the church claimed to do Gods wholesome workers, they prayed, they tithed, they worshiped, they gave service to the hungry at times, yet their hearts was NOT of God!
So now, Jesus tells them a wonderful parable—not just any parable, but a sinners parable that required an answer. “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ 29 But he replied, ‘I do not want to.’ Yet afterward he regretted it and went. 30 And the man came to his second son and said the same thing; and he replied, ‘I will, sir’; and yet he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?”
This parable gives way to the principle that even though good intentions are genuine, actions proves who we are in Gods eyes, not mans. When we are baptized, does the Pastor save you? Only God! Saying NO to God and later returning to Him is ultimately doing Gods will. Our actions prove that we had no original intent to do Gods work, to pray, to minister, to serve others, yet after reflection and Gods guiding help, we changed your our ways. Amen. We became what God intended us to be, His servants. But then, theres those that from the get-go saying I will do Gods work, but foolishly say to themselves, whom do I have to prove myself to? Surely God isn’t my judge is he? Who cares what people think, let alone God! I want to help but I can’t seem to manage my time correctly! The reasons are endless…
Then we go to the third part, in hearing the words that most of us probably couldn’t imagine hearing from Jesus.
Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even have second thoughts afterward so as to believe him.
I can just see them say “Whaattt!” You mean, a veteran of over 30 plus years in the church, giving all that I gave to others, praying the prayers, doing the motions, staying up late losing sleep for God, then you tell me tax collectors, whores/prostitutes will enter heaven before I will? Sounds fishy to some people wouldn’t it! How dare you, some would say and think! Question me, my loyalty to God, my assertion and works in doing Gods work! Who do you think you are? Well, Christ is the living son of God, the rightful judge of all the earth! Nothing can be hid from Him and nothing will be overlooked, no one will skip the line and definitely, no one will be separated from the shepherd who call Christ their Master. Amen. How many of you know others that their concept is connections—its all about who you know in high places to get things you want or done? It’s a very hard concept for people, especially in matters of Gods grace and humility, when the world teaches one thing, and Jesus is telling us something far more different. But here is a perspective that everyone needs to be cautious of. We don’t know enough people to get us out of this God business! No one can save us except the one given messiah!
People seem to be better at believing the right things than actively doing the right things. Some would think, “How can we make a living helping others when I don’t see anything in return?” Or “Unlike others, I never committed murder, done drugs, prostituted myself, robbed or cheated someone, you can fill in the blanks of what your shortcomings, Jesus is saying, I am NOT comparing you to the evils of the world, only the fruit you bare does not produce anything towards the will of the father!”
Jesus is making an astounding assertion that only those on the margins may not know or believe as correctly as those at the center, but they are actively responding to Christ and therefore are first arrivals in Gods realm. For some people, Jesus is saying “Get back in line, refocus on me and keep moving forward. Don’t give up but allow me to help you!”
Listen carefully in chapter 20 what Jesus done to the fig tree, “And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves alone; and He *said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered. 20 Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” 21 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive it all.”
Does this not sound like the Jesus whom desires and wants us to be His and His alone that not even the evils of the world can take us away from Him, whom call Him Lord and Savior. Amen. When fruit is not produced, God will destroy the tree. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing is from the WORD OF GOD! Amen.
I would like for you to take a minute to think about and picture, someone whom you know that has NOT had the opportunities you have had to understand and to grow in the faith of Christ, and yet whose actual commitment to the faith and engagement with Jesus puts your faith and activity for Jesus to shame! Does anyone come to mind? I know right now a handful of people comes to my mind that I wish I could be just a patch from their shirt in knowing the work they done for Christ. I could do much better job than what I do today! Don’t think for a minute theres no room for improvement. That is foolish thinking.
What does it take for us to really get the hint from God that the heavenly work we claim to be doing, may just be a path of our own making! We may be doing the motions, claiming God as our savior, but are we truly?
Without a doubt, in the new testament, theologians claim there is three verses in the Gospel of Matthew that is the most terrifying for any believe in Jesus Christ. It drives at the heart of what we are talking about today. I would like for you to really and truly hear them Matthew 7: 22-24.
Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ 24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Are we just going through the motions? Are we claiming to do Gods work with no fruitful service? I do not believe anyone would want to hear the words from Christ, let alone anyone else, “I never knew you!” This is why friends to sacrifice ourselves for Christ is what we do as Christians. It paves the way for us to not only stay in line with His will which is best, but His love is majestic and personal enough to take care of all our needs. Philippians And my God will supply [a]all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Rev. Adrian Rogers, tells about the man who made his sons & daughters work in the cornfields while their peers, fellow students and friends spent the afternoons at the local swimming hole. Someone scolded the father saying, "Why do you make those kids of yours work so hard? You don't need all that corn." The wise father replied, "Sir, I'm not raising corn. I'm raising men and women of God." This is the reality of it all! We all need Godly direction with Godly work to stay and keep focused on whats important.
In closing, I found a very fitting story to share. In 2008, Paul Herbert, a municipal court judge from Ohio, was using Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life to disciple his teenage daughters. One night, one of his daughters asked him, "Daddy, what's your purpose in life?" Herbert gave a vague answer about being "a light on the bench," but that night, he prayed candidly to God: "I realize that being a judge is a very unique position. Not many people get this opportunity. Can you show me some way that I could be significant for you in my work?"
Several months later, seeing many domestic violence victims that he has seen multiple times before, Herbert decided to apply his faith to his work. He launched a new program called CATCH Court, which stands for "Changing Attitudes to Change Habits." Prior to this program, prostitutes simply cycled in and out of jail. But through Herbert's two-year program, women convicted of prostitution receive the proper treatment and rehab which ultimately saved and steered many on the God spirited pathway to freedom from their once fallen lives. But Herbert also emphasizes the spiritual transformation that has occurred in his life. He said:
The Holy Spirit continues to reveal how much I've been forgiven, and how similar I am to the individuals that come before me. That's re.ally hard to say! [My] job is to judge. But the farther I go along [in my faith], the more I realize that I'm just like most of them—and that makes me more understanding, more kind, more merciful.
What it boils down to friends is what we find in the Epistle of James. What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? … Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 … For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Don’t be hard on ourselves friends! Let each of us refocus, Get back in line, stay the course, and the God of all creation, wants that intimate relationship with you and you alone! Let us not miss the moment, let us Get Back In Line. Amen.