Sermon – June 14, 2020 – Pentecost 2

Printable PDF:  6-14-2020 Pentecost 2

Pastor Mark R Jacobson                              Pentecost 2 (June 14, 2020)                  Matthew 7:15-29

15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 21“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 who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” 28When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

FINISH IN THE SAME WAY YOU STARTED!

What’s more important: the start or the finish? Gardeners, is the planting more important or less important than the harvesting? Booklovers, is a gripping opening chapter more important or less important than a dramatic conclusion? Do-it-Yourselfers, is knowing what you are doing more important or less important than getting the job done? What’s more important: the start or the finish?

  • Listening to God’s Word, not false teaching

Matthew 7:28-29, “28When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” The things Jesus had finished saying is known as the Sermon on the Mount. In a little over 100 Bible verses Jesus laid out the building blocks for the Christian life of faith. And the crowds went wild. They had been listening to Jesus like they were listening to word of God. And they were listening to God’s Word! What a wonderful start for their life of faith.

One challenge for this crowd in the future would be not having Jesus personally teaching them every day. In the coming years they would have the apostles and the evangelists teaching them God’s Word, but not everyone speaking God’s Word to them would be speaking God’s Word to them. That’s why Jesus issues the warning, “15Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” No false prophet has ever prophesied with a sign over his head that reads, “I am a false prophet.” False prophets look like true prophets. False prophets appear as soft and gentle as sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. Their false teaching can obliterate the good work of faith God has started in people. So how can you tell who is telling the truth?

16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. The fruit of a prophet is what he has to say. In Old Testament times you could spot a false prophet by whether or not his words came true in the future. In these New Testament times you can spot a false prophet by whether or not his words adds to God’s Word says or subtracts from what God’s Word says. To say a person is saved by faith and good works is adding to God’s Word. To say a person is saved by grace no matter what they believe is to subtract from God’s Word. To deny the 6 day creation account in favor of evolution is to subtract from God’s Word. To say that Christ will come back and reign for 1,000 years before he judges the world is to add to God’s Word. In any of these kind of situations you are no longer listening to God’s Word, but a false prophet!

Finish in the same way you started, listening to God’s Word. That means listening for God’s Word in church like you look for good fruit at the grocery store. If you do the grocery shopping at your house, you examine the fruit you put in your cart. You don’t want to buy rotten apples or brown bananas or sour grapes. What a waste! Even worse is to continue to listen to false prophets because you fail to examine what is being preached and taught. When it’s called a sin in the Bible, it better be called a sin from this pulpit, and from our classrooms and in your home. And if that sin is called forgiven in the Bible, it better be called forgiven from this pulpit and from our classrooms and in your home.                

  • Believing in Jesus, not becoming a hypocrite

Finish in the same way you started, listening to God’s Word, not false teaching, and believing in Jesus, not becoming a hypocrite. That’s the direction Jesus’ teaching turns in verse 21, “21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,” If you run a business “word of mouth” is a big deal. Your business will do better with 10 recommendations from satisfied customers than with 10 thousand dollars in advertising. God loves “word of mouth” too. God loves your songs of praise. God loves my preaching of the gospel. God loves parents making life applications of God’s Word with their children. God loves children telling their friends about Jesus. God loves word of mouth, but God doesn’t love lip service. Lip service can sound exactly like word of mouth, but lip service doesn’t mean a word of it. “Without faith, the Bible says, it is impossible to please God (He 11:6). Spiritual apathy may lead some to go through the motions of Christianity, thinking that keeping a few church milestones like Baptism or Confirmation and a few key church services is enough for salvation. Lip service is not enough and neither is an outward display of good works. Jesus taught in verse 22, “22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  That’s quite a list of good works! How does your list compare to this list? My list isn’t that good either! No matter how good your list of works, it’s not good enough. Believing in Jesus is not about good words and good works. Believing in Jesus is a reason for good words and good works. Unfortunately, becoming a hypocrite is also a reason for good words and good works.

So how can we tell who really believes? We can’t. We can fool each other. We might even fool ourselves. We can’t fool God. He knows the heart. He sees apathy. He sees self-righteousness. He sees faith. Here Jesus teaches, “(the one who) will enter the kingdom of heaven (is) … the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Elsewhere Jesus taught, “The will of the father is this: believe in the one he has sent (John 6:29).

Believe in Jesus. Believe he forgives your moments of apathy. Believe he forgives your moments of self-righteousness. He is your Savior because he is your consistent Savior! From start to finish he believed in his heavenly Father’s plan of salvation. From start to finish he not only said the right things and did the right things for our forgiveness he also said words and did those works with pure motives and honest intentions.

  • Standing tall through it all, not falling away

Finish in the same way you started, listening to God’s Word and believing in Jesus. Jesus sums up these two lessons this way, 24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Listening to God’s Word and believing in Jesus adds up to paradise in heaven. It does not add up to paradise on earth. I wish that it did. I like warm sunshine and gentle breezes, but not every day is like this. The weather changes and seasons change.

Today, in the church we start the seasons of Sundays after Pentecost. We start with Pentecost 2 and then Pentecost 3, then Pentecost 4 and 5 and 6 and 16 and 17 and 18. By then it will be the End Times. Sunday topics will include: the Final Judgment, Saint Triumphant and Christ the King. Will you stand tall through it all? Will you stand holy before God at the Final Judgment? Will you hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant?” Will you follow Christ the King into heaven or will you fall away with a great crash?

Finish in the same way you start! It all starts with Jesus. Your life was built on that rock in Baptism. Your life was built on that rock when you first believed. It all starts with Jesus. It all ends with Jess too. Don’t blow your Christian life by becoming lazy with your listening. Don’t blow your Christian life by becoming careless with what you first believed. Stand tall through it all. Finish in the same way you start … with Jesus. Amen.