St. Matthew’s Sermon 02-12-2017

For Our Own Good

Deuteronomy 30:15-20, 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, Matthew 5:21-37

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God. Amen

I hope you’ve noticed, over the three years that I’ve been delivering sermons here at St. Matthew’s, that I try very hard to avoid speaking of politics. After all, I am a Preacher in the service of God and Christ for the people of God and Christ, not a politician in the service of the local, state or national population.

You also should have noticed that I am not perfect in observing the separation of Church and state. Every now-and-then something sets me off and you do hear about it. One such occasion was just a week or two ago when I reported, during the announcements section of our gathering, not in my sermon, that I heard President Trump speak of putting “America first and only America First”, at which time I said that “I will put God first and only God first”! I really do try, but in recent weeks my tong has become sore from bighting it and my lips bruised from clamping them shut.

Now, this week, perhaps by the movement of the Holy Spirit, or perhaps by circumstance, (I’ll let you ponder that),  the political situation in our nation runs head-on into our assigned Lectionary reading from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy; my tong and my lips can no longer be restrained. However, I will try to be civil as I let my thoughts out.

In that reading we heard the words of God spoken through Moses saying…

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.

These aren’t the words of a jealous God and they’re not the words of a control freak God. These are the words of a wise God who presents his “commandments, decrees, and ordinances” not to keep his people crushed under his thumb but to lift them up to living in sustainable prosperity through unity. The rules God gives us to follow aren’t intended to take our joy away but to lead all of us into living joyfully through all generations to come.

Then, right after that, we heard these words…

But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

Again, we are not hearing the words of a jealous, vengeful God; they are the words of a wise God. These are not words of threat to keep us in fear of his wrath; they are statements of fact from one who knows much better than we do how we can live joyfully through all generations; and who knows what will happen, by our own accord, if we do not listen to and follow his wisdom.

Now, think about those “commandments, decrees, and ordinances” that we’re asked to follow; things like:

“You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits…. You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt”. (Exodus 23:6, 8,9)

And “But whoever acts high-handedly, whether a native or an alien, affronts the LORD, and shall be cut off from among the people”. (Numbers 15:30)

And this one …”I will not revoke the punishment; because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals– they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth, and push the afflicted out of the way… …they lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink wine bought with fines they imposed”. (Amos 2)

These, of course, are just a few examples that come to my mind when considering today’s national climate; you all know what God declares righteous and unrighteous. And I’m sure you know that it all can be summed up in a few short verses like:

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Amos 6:8)

Or: …you shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Leviticus 19:18)

Or, again, “In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12)

It’s really not that hard to understand. God has given us His “commandments, decrees, and ordinances” for our own good, not his. And it’s also easy to understand that if we, as individuals or as a nation, continue on the path of selfishness, injustice, and mercilessness we will recognize God’s wisdom only when it’s too late; and who will help us then?

Okay, hopefully I’ve made my point clear. And maybe some of you are thinking “duh, we all know this already”. But I also imagine a lot of people, maybe some of you, saying “but what can I do about it”?

That’s not hard either; you can pray. Pray to God earnestly, not that your side win and the other lose; and not for the destruction of your offenders (that would implicate self-righteousness and judgment). Rather, pray that God’s will be done, that the offenders of God be turned around even if it’s you; pray each day, that each day, we, our nation, and our world be moved ever nearer to doing God’s will; pray for forgiveness, as I will, for our complacency, inaction, and silence; and pray for life and prosperity to triumph over death and adversity; for life and blessings to be the outcome over death and curses.

And as you pray, do so with these words of Christ in your heart and mind…“Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”.

Pray!

Amen.

Deuteronomy 30:15-20
30:15 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.
30:16 If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.
30:17 But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them,
30:18 I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
30:19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,
30:20 loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

Psalm 119:1-8
119:1 Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD.
119:2 Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart,
119:3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways.
119:4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.
119:5 O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
119:6 Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
119:7 I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous ordinances.
119:8 I will observe your statutes; do not utterly forsake me.

1 Corinthians 3:1-9
3:1 And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
3:2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready,
3:3 for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?
3:4 For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely human?
3:5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each.
3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
3:7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
3:8 The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each.
3:9 For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Matthew 5:21-37
5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’
5:22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.
5:23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you,
5:24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.
5:25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.
5:26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
5:28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
5:30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
5:31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’
5:32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
5:33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’
5:34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
5:35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
5:36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
5:37 Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.