Visionaries pt1

So how do the 2 keys fit into our church? That’s a good question. And to really answer that question, we need to start with the vision statement.

When we introduced this statement last year, we did it on the end of our series over the vision of the church. I want to start with it as we kick off this series, because it is the lens thru which we need to see the world around us.

We all see the world thru some kind of lens. We have a way we examine the world that is informed by all kinds of things- upbringing, social status, economic position, political persuasion, and yes religion to name a few.

And if you stop and think about it, that makes some sense. We don’t really know what we don’t know and if we grow up hearing that something is the truth, and nothing in our orbit ever counters it, it’s true- until we are confronted by evidence to the contrary. And that can be shattering.

And in truth, that is part of what the Gospel does. It shatters us. It smashes what we thought was true and brings us to a new reality. One that is founded on an unassailable truth- that the God of the universe loved us so much, that despite our imperfections and rebellion, He willingly embarked on a rescue mission that cost Him His life so that we could be reborn. (Gospel presentation here)

And what He asks for in return, is for our obedience to His teachings. And those teachings make it clear that when we follow Jesus, the rules for living life change.

Turn with me to Matthew 22:34-40

Matthew 22:34–40 ESV

But 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 is the great commandment in the Law?” And 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 great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Before Jesus came, the law codes had law codes. You know anyone like that? The people who want to define the rules that govern the rules to the point that nothing can even be fun anymore? You know like Monica from Friends! The rules are there to control the fun!

In this moment in the Matthew, Jesus has been turning rules and laws on their ear and making life quite uncomfortable for the religious elites. So they send in the lawyer. And he asks the question that allows Jesus to turn the whole system on its ear- Which is the greatest commandment in the law?

Play favorites Jesus so people will get mad and hate you and each other. Start another religious argument so people will ignore what you are doing and stop making us uncomfortable!

Matthew 1. True Discipleship versus Harsher Condemnation for the Jewish Leaders (19:1–22:46)

His question seems innocent enough but reflects an intra-Jewish debate on how to rank and/or summarize all of the scriptural commandments and on whether such ranking is in fact possible at all

It may come as no surprise, Jesus won’t be boxed in.

Here is His answer.

- Love God- this is where we get the first half of our mission statement Jesus is God y’all. And we are to love Him passionately Passion encompasses all aspects of our being. Jesus lists them:

Heart- the seat of our life. Where our life springs from’

Soul- the center of our being- the supernatural aspect of our worlds

Mind- our intellect- we are not to follow God blindly, but with intelligence

Matthew 1. True Discipleship versus Harsher Condemnation for the Jewish Leaders (19:1–22:46)

“The second is like it” probably means that this commandment is of equal importance.

This is an interesting phrase. And the implications are really important It puts loving people on the same level as loving God. Why is that? Because to say we love God, and not to love people, is not loving the pinnacle of God’s creation. (1 John 4:20-21)

Love your neighbor- how are we to love our neighbors? As well as we love ourselves. And who is our neighbor? Anyone we come across- even our dire enemy

(James 2:14-17) We cannot say we love our brother or sister and not be active in helping them, serving them, interceding for them. And that means we must be aware of their needs!

From these verse spring our mission- love Jesus and people passionately.

Matthew 1. True Discipleship versus Harsher Condemnation for the Jewish Leaders (19:1–22:46)

The relationship of all the Old Testament to the double love commandment shows that there is a hierarchy of law that above all requires one’s heart attitude to be correct. If this is absent, obedience to commandments degenerates into mere legalism. Combining Jesus’ teaching here with his approach to the law, as, e.g., in the Sermon on the Mount, demonstrates that while the principle of love remains constant, applications vary for different circumstances. Nevertheless, Jesus’ words also strongly differentiate him from situation ethicists. Love does make specific moral demands, including certain absolutes. What is more, the proper motivation for correct interpersonal relationships always remains a profound sense of gratitude for what God has done for us in Christ. Jesus’ twofold answer should warn Christians against emphasizing either piety for God or social concern at the expense of the other

But the question is what does that look like in 21st century Oklahoma?

And to answer that question, we need to really evaluate these questions:

What part of my life do I keep the furthest from Jesus?- we cannot say we love God and ignore what He calls us to do and be. We have in our day a strain of Christianity that wants to be all about loving people- to the point of affirming anything and everything people want to do. That may seem loving to people, but it isn’t loving to God, who died for those people.

Who do I find it hard to call a neighbor?- there is another strain of Christianity that focuses so much on personal piety that their is no concern or value for people who are created in the image of God. Personal displays of holiness at the expense of others take the place of loving the people who Jesus died to save.

We can’t “love Jesus passionately” if we keep Him out of part of our lives

And we can’t love people passionately if we are constantly making enemies out of people Jesus died to save.

We don’t fit well into the world we live in right now, if we are doing this right.

So this morning, which part of this do you struggle with? Where are you not loving Jesus and people passionately? Where do you need to really repent and be renewed so you can be salt out of the shaker and on the road to revival?