Sermon delivered by Pastor Layman April 27 2007
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The Real Test of Love April 27, 2008
Micah 6:6-8
John 14:15-24
When our daughters were in their early years, they developed a certain pattern of behavior when they wanted something we didn't want them to have. Maybe it was another cookie. Maybe it was a piece of candy, or a felt-tipped marker that could make a big mess on the walls or furniture. Our girls would hear us say "No", but instead of turning away from the forbidden fruit, they would turn on the charm. They would run over, give us a hug, go to the marker, give us the sweetest "Aren't I precious?" smile and reach for the object we had refused to let them have. I've heard that preacher's kids are the worst ones of the bunch, so I presume no one else's children do this kind of thing. What our children were trying to say was "I love you, Daddy. I'll give you a hug and sweet smile to prove it. But I'm not going to do what you tell me. By golly, I WANT that felt tipped marker!"
On more than one occasion Jesus said to his disciples "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15) Some things we read in the Bible may be hard to understand, but not this statement. Pretty simple and clear-cut. Not much wiggle room here. Jesus lays it out plainly before us. "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." What are Jesus' commandments? The Golden Rule is to love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself.
Much of our lives we're trying to reverse the question. We're saying "OK, God. If you love me, get me a promotion, rid me of arthritis and let my team win." But the question is not "Does God love us?" It's obvious when one reads the Bible and considers the life of Christ that God does indeed love us. The real question is "Do we love God?" If so, we will keep Christ's commandments. We spend a lot of time like the young child, reaching for the forbidden fruit with a cute smile on our faces. "Lord, I know that I'm not supposed to do this. But I'm sure that unreasonable rule couldn't be meant for little ol' adorable ME!"
As adults, our disobedient cute smiles may take other forms. Sometimes those cute smiles might even take the form of attending worship. Of course, I'm all in favor of worship attendance. The church is not a resort for the righteous. It's a hospital for sinners, and there's no better place for hypocrites or sinners to be than in the church. But if one attends church not out of a desire to truly confess one's sin and seek God's guidance and strength--if one's church attendance is merely a way of cutely smiling at God while we swipe another cookie, God doesn't appreciate that. Some may consider attending church as the terrible price we pay for professing to be a Christian. You know, sitting in those uncomfortable pews for an hour, listening to the minister drone on and on... Church attendance is viewed by some as a 21st century form of penance.
Yet Jesus never taught worship attendance as the sole mark of those who loved him. He said "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." Public worship is part of these commandments, but far more is involved! Ethical living is what Jesus is talking about! Jesus once asked in frustration "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord', and not DO what I tell you?" (Luke 6:46) The proof "of the pudding" is in our obedience. Ethical living is what God desires. The Old Testament prophet Micah asked "With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings?..." Micah concluded God desired ethical living, not mere formal religion. "What does the Lord require of you but to DO justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
The TV show "Leave It To Beaver" from the 1950's and 1960's is still seen on some cable channels. One of Wally's friends was Eddie Haskell. Teenager Eddie Haskell was an obnoxious kid. He was totally self-centered, but whenever Eddie saw Wally's mother, June Cleaver, he would politely say "What a nice dress you have on, Mrs. Cleaver." It takes a real creep to be disobedient and self-centered, and yet seek to hide one's true nature by politeness in front of adults, but that was Eddie Haskell. And God is telling us "Look, don't pull an Eddie Haskell on me. Don't say you love me and do as you please. Don't give me insincere praise and then live life selfishly. If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
Tom Long is a professor of preaching at Princeton. Princeton is, of course, a university town, and the church Long attends in Princeton prides itself in appealing to highly educated people. Long attended a covered dish dinner at the church, and sat next to a man whom he'd seen around church, but never met. They introduced themselves, and Long asked how long the man had been attending that church. I've been in this church for years," the man answered. "In fact, I'm the only non-intellectual left in this congregation." Professor Long smiled and said "You're kidding." "No, I'm not," the man said. "I haven't understood a sermon that's been preached here in 25 years." Professor Long weakly suggested the man was exaggerating, but he went on "But I'll tell you one thing. I'd NEVER leave this church."
Professor Long soon found out why a man who hadn't gotten anything out of a sermon in 25 years vowed he'd never leave. For several years, every Monday night, this man and a few others had been taking the church van to a nearby prison for youthful offenders. "Sometimes we play ball with the kids," he said. "Sometimes we have a little Bible study. Most of all we just get to know them as people. I started doing this because Christians are SUPPOSED to do things like that, but now I find that I get a lot from it myself. I have found that you can't prove the promises of God in advance, but if you live them, you find they're true, every one." (Journal For Preachers, Thomas G. Long, Decatur Georgia, Easter 1987, pp. 8-9)
The word of God must be proclaimed, but if it is not lived--if people think their Christian duty has been done by enduring another sermon, and not by seeking to live out the good news in their daily lives, then what a pity! Jesus didn't simply say "If you love me, you will listen to my preachers." He said "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." Ethical living is an essential part of the Christian life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." (LOVING GOD, Charles Colson, Zondervan, 1983, Grand Rapids, p. 19) Faith and practice must go together.
Let's say that you hired a man named Grigsby in your business to go around and contact clients each day, and service your equipment. Each morning Grigsby is there for his instructions for the day. Grigsby is on time, and comes appropriately dressed. Grigsby smiles and says "You're looking well, boss. What shall I do today?" And you give Grigsby a list of 10 clients to visit. Grigsby doesn't visit any of them. But the next morning Grigsby shows up, all smiles, throws out another compliment and asks for his daily instructions. Another 10 clients that Grigsby doesn't visit. This goes on for several days. Word gets back to you that Grigsby is not doing his job. You confront your employee, and what do you say? Do you say "Great job, Grigsby? Someday, this will all be yours."? Or do you say "Your smiles and 'good mornings' aren't going to keep your job. Do the job, Grigsby, or you're gone!"
God expects no more from us than he would expect from Grigsby: obedience. Jesus said "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."