PASTORS PATTI AND JON STRATTON, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF RUTLAND, VT

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1 THE THREE GREATS Matthew 22:34-40; Matthew 25:35-40; Matthew 28:18-20 Sunday 8/11/14 FBC Rutland by Pastor Patti Stratton Consider the Gospel according to Matthew-last week and 3 texts this week: Scholars say the Gospel of Matthew is the most Jewish of the Gospels Writer casts Jesus in the role of the New Moses why is this important Jesus corrects our perception of God The Sermon on the Mount (chapter 5-7) writer has Jesus going up the mountain to teach as opposed to Luke s who has Jesus speaking on the plain. Jesus reinterprets the 10 Commandments You have heard that it was said but I say to you in chapters 5, 6, & 7. For example, regarding murder Jesus says, You have heard that it was said You shall not murder But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment [Matthew 5:21-22] Consider the 10 Commandments Moses received them from the hand of God, right? The first 4 describe to us how we are to relate to God o God is our only God o No worshipping idols only God o No using God s name wrongly o Set aside one day in seven to spend with God The other 6 describe to us how we are to relate to each other, the people around us o Honor mom and dad o Don t murder o Don t have sex with someone else s spouse o Don t steal o Don t lie about anyone o Don t be jealous of what someone else has 1

2 Jesus address each of these an more in the Gospel according to Matthew as Jesus continues to correct our perception of God and teach us who God is by example. Keeping all of this in mind let us look at our texts for today and consider what it is that Jesus is calling all of us to do and to be. First Text: The Great Commandment Matthew 22:34-40 [Jesus had just finished talking with the Sadducees about the resurrection. They had some questions for him which is really interesting because they were a sect of Judaism that didn t believe in the resurrection. That s why they were Sad-u-see! I learned that in Sunday school!] When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Remember the Ten Commandments we talked about? Jesus says here that the Greatest Commandment is to love God with everything we ve got. Doing that would pretty much cover the first four, right? If we love God with everything we ve got we re going to have no other gods but God. We re not going to take up with idols or worship anything else more than we worship God. We re going to honor God s name. And, if we love God with all that we ve got we re going to want to spend more than just one day a week with God we re going to include God in everything we do all day everyday! Then Jesus says love your neighbor as yourself. Did you catch that last part? As yourself? Now this is really getting into a whole other sermon but just let me say, that we must 2

3 love ourselves before and in order to love others. God loves us. Jesus loves us so much that he died for us. We are worth loving because God says we are. And we cannot give away what we do not already have. So let God love you, and love yourself. Then love others. Can you see the last six commandment s here? If we love others as we love ourselves we will treat the people around us as we ought to treat them. Love God. Love people. Jesus says ALL the law and the prophets HANG on these two commandments. In other words, do these and you have it covered. Second Text: The Great Criteria Matthew 25:35-40 [This chapter begins with Jesus teaching two parables about his second coming. Then Jesus begins to tell his audience what will happen when The Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. 37Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you? 40And the king will answer them, Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. Not too long ago I heard a priest teaching this passage. He likened it to when he used to teach at an all boys school in his parish. He said that every Friday he would give the boys a quiz, but every Monday he would give them all the questions and all the answers for that 3

4 PASTOR MARK HEINER, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF RUTLAND, VERMONT Friday s quiz. Even though they had all the questions and all answers to the questions all week long and all they had to do was memorize them, inevitably there would be boys who would fail the quiz. Then he said that he thinks this scripture Matthew 25 contains the questions and the answers that will be on the final exam that Jesus will give us one day. Interesting thought, right? I ll begin at verse 35.] Review the text This seems like it s all about loving people. It sure sounds like the criteria for how we are to relate to people, doesn t it? Feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger [Pause children at our border American Baptist Home Mission Societies hosting a free webinar tomorrow afternoon at 4 PM; an update on emergency funding and proposed policy changes affecting families and children from Central America, asylum-seekers, and refugees being resettled to the U.S. from all over the world me if you d like the link to attend] As I was saying Feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, visiting the prisoner all things we do, or should do, for others. And this is also all about how we relate to God and how we respond with love to God s love for us. Jesus says when we do these things for the people around us no matter how unimportant those folks may seem to the world we re not just doing it to them we re doing it to Jesus! You see, it s our love for God that motivates what we do for the poor, the sick, the stranger, and the prisoner. It is out of that great love that all that we do is done. It s who we are! It is simply who we are That brings us to our first scripture reading, today s Call to Worship The Great Commission our assignment until Jesus comes again 4

5 Matthew 28:18-20 [Its 40 days after the resurrection and Jesus is about leave his followers and return to God in heaven. He tells them to make disciples, to baptize them, and to teach them to obey everything Jesus has commanded us. He also reminds them he will always be with them.] 18And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Yes, Jesus tells us to go and make disciples, to teach and preach and baptize. Yes, we know we re supposed to obey, it s our job now, and we ve been commissioned. As we get to know Jesus, the Holy Spirit works in us. A transformation happens! And we begin to want to do all these things. We start to behave in these ways because it is who we are. Some of you know that neither Pastor Jon nor I intended to be pastors. I married a music teacher and he married a registered nurse. And as we grew together and in God, slowly over time, our priorities changed, our lifestyle changed, what we cared most about changed, and how we raised our children changed. Really, most everything changed in some way. Now I m not saying that as you get to know Jesus better and as you go deeper with God that you will end up pasturing a church! What I am saying is that you will be transformed. You see, I think the real reason we love God, love people, care for those on the margins, make disciples, teach, preach, and baptize is simply because we must. 5

6 We are compelled to share the love that grows between us and God. This love spills over on to the people around us, causing us to us to care and want to help, to become friends, to share life together and to speak of that which makes life so vibrant and alive. This is what we are called to do. You know that, right? We are all called to share the hope that is within us, the life that we have in Christ, the love of God and the hope of eternity in the presence of the One who loves us more than life. Once we have experienced something as wonderful as the love of God it s impossible to keep it to ourselves! Life isn t always easy and hard times still come. But somehow, with God, life is better. You ve heard friends talk about a peace that makes no sense, a peace that passes all understanding. Maybe you already know what I m talking about. If you don t, I d love to share my story with you and I know Pastor Jon would love to talk with you too. So here s where it all comes together God loves us so much that God put skin on and came to earth in the form of Jesus the God/Man, to show us how to love God, how to live life, and how to love each other. He gave us the answers to the final exam of life He said, Care for those in need because when you care for them you are caring for me. How can we keep this Good News for ourselves? Now we know what you and I are called to do. Will you accept your calling to love God, to love people, to care, to act, and to share the story of Jesus? There is a saying that is often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. It goes something like this, Share the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words. 6