Sunday 08/31/14 Freeville/Homer Ave
UMC’s
Sermon Title:
“What if you gain the whole
earth, and lose your own life?”
Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26,
45c
New Testament Scripture Lesson: Romans 12:9-21
Gospel Lesson: Mathew 16:21-28
Family,
brothers and sisters, once again this is the Twelfth Sunday after the Feast of
Pentecost. On the day of the Feast of Pentecost almost 2,000 years ago, the
disciples of Jesus Christ were in an upper room when suddenly the Holy Spirit
moved, their souls were filled, they spoke in different tongues, and the
Christian Church was officially born.
While last week in our gospel of Mathew
reading, Jesus challenged us to decide for ourselves who He is, in today’s
gospel of Matthew reading, Jesus asks his disciples, and asks us, another
really hard question. Jesus speaks of people that don’t follow him. Jesus said,
“For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their
life?” Some of us have heard this in other bible translations as, “For what profit
is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul” (Mt 16:25,
NKJV).
Many of us
have heard this scripture before, but how deeply have we really considered it and
how deeply have we really thought about it?
I mean, what
does it mean to “gain the whole world?” Further, what does it mean to “forfeit”
your life?
I suppose for me, when I think of
gaining the whole world, I almost always think the game Monopoly. How many of
you like playing the game Monopoly?
As many of you
know, the object of the game Monopoly is to financially destroy everyone, by
taking all the other players money and property. I have in fact, seen some pretty
intense games of Monopoly! Some people I have played with are quite
competitive, thinking that the secret to winning is picking the shoe, or the
car, or the thimble. Perhaps you have such a strategy yourself?
Yet is not the goal of the game of Monopoly
to gain the whole world? Going even deeper, is it not the goal of Monopoly to
gain the whole world, regardless of the pain and the suffering you inflict on
other players? Many of you might know the quote: “He who dies with the most
toys wins.” For some us, when we play a game like Monopoly we lose our sense of
who we really are, and we become focused on “gaining the whole earth.”
While many of us might say that “gaining
the whole earth” is not important to us, don’t we sometimes get caught up in a
“Monopoly Mentality,” in that we buy into the lie that money, stuff, land,
power, and etc. are the keys to happiness. We even have the Forbes 500 list of
the world’s richest billionaires, don’t we? From what I understand, every year
that Forbes 500 list is published, many people eagerly want to see who made the
cut, or who is winning the most in the Monopoly game of this life.
While many of us know what real
happiness is, don’t we sometimes catch ourselves trying to have that “Monopoly
Mentality.” You know where try to get everything we can, no matter the cost?
This is probably a bad time to tell you that one of the Family Game Night games
that I have is Monopoly! We have yet to play Monopoly at a Family Game Night
however, but when we finally do, I will the player saying, “Can’t you just let
them keep Pennsylvania Avenue?”
So very clearly then, we live in a
world today that is very much consumed with wealth, power, status, ownership,
and etc. While I do think that it is important that we seek to have some
financial stability in our lives, if we can manage it, are willing to do awful
and abominable things to get even more? Just what is our threshold of doing bad
and evil things, for profit, power, and possessions?
While what Jesus was talking about
this morning can be viewed in different ways, I think that Jesus was telling
his disciples and is telling us, that if you pursue a destructive path, whereby
you will do anything for self-gain, where you will be shrewd, evil, corrupt,
and sinful, and “do whatever it takes” to get ahead, then surely you cannot
keep your soul and do that. Can you? It is very similar to the old quote,
“don’t sell your soul to the devil.”
I remember when financier Bernie
Madoff was convicted in 2009 of stealing billions and billions of dollars from
people’s pensions, people’s pockets, and etc. Mr. Madoff amassed wealth,
possessions, properties, and etc. that was an incredible display of pomp and
greed. Yet Mr. Madoff did untold damage to so many people, and is now serving a
150-year prison sentence for what he did.
So my brothers and sisters, I believe
that Jesus Christ was challenging his disciples in this gospel reading for today,
and I believe that Jesus is still challenging us here today. Jesus asks us, do
you build your kingdom, or do you build my kingdom?
To build God’s kingdom is to work
hard, to make a living, but at the same time to be generous, loving, giving,
caring, honest, and humble. To seek God above all things.
In our reading from Psalm 105 from
this morning it says in 105:4-5, “Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his
presence continually. Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles,
and the judgments he uttered.”
In looking at this reading from the
Psalm, it seems evident to me, that if we are supposed to seek God and “his
presence continually,” that we can’t do this, and at the same try to “gain the
whole earth.” Can we?
In the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or
Letter to Romans reading from this morning, the Apostle Paul says, “Let love be
genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with
mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.” Now how can we do these
things, if we are trying to “gain the whole earth?” How we be giving and
devoted to a church family like this, if our only goal in life, is to “gain the
whole earth?” How can we fully live both for ourselves, and for God?
The Apostle Paul goes on to say in
the reading from the Book or Romans for this morning, “Rejoice in hope, be
patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the
saints; extend hospitality to strangers.” Do we try our best to do these things
in this church and in our lives? Or are we trying to “gain the whole earth,”
and build our own kingdom?
The Apostle Paul also tells the
church in Rome to “Live in harmony with one another.” You can’t live in harmony
though, if you seeking your own kingdom and your agenda only. The Apostle Paul lastly,
tells us to love everyone, and seek to live in peace with them. Are we trying
to do all that Jesus has called us to do to build his kingdom, or we too busy
building our own kingdom?
In looking more closely at the
reading from Matthew’s gospel from this morning, we have a shift in Jesus’
teaching and discussion at this point. You see from this point in Matthew’s
gospel, Jesus now makes it very evident and clear to his disciples that he will
soon go to the city of Jerusalem to suffer, be killed, and then be raised from
the dead.
When Jesus says this, the Apostle
Peter, being the Apostle Peter, took Jesus “aside and began to rebuke him,
saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.”
Jesus then turned and looked at Peter
and says to him, “Get behind me, Satan!” Jesus then told Peter “you are setting
your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
When we seek to “gain the whole
world,” and when we seek to build our kingdom, are we not focused on human
things, while forgetting divine things?
Then Jesus says next, “If any want to
become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and
follow me.” Jesus then says, “For those want to save their life will lose it,
and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” At this point Jesus
then asks the question about gaining “the world,” and losing one’s soul.
Jesus then says, “For the Son of Man
is to come with his angels in the glory of the Father, and then he will repay
everyone for what has been done.” He lastly says, some will not taste death,
and he talks again about his return or second coming.
So it seems evident to me from the
gospel reading from this morning, that Jesus is saying in me you find true life,
true riches, true abundance, and in the things of this world you will find only
destruction and death.
So which one is it for us then? Which
path will we pursue? Are we going to serve God, and are we going to make the
world better in the name of Jesus Christ? Are we going to continue to feed the
hungry, clothe the naked, and “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the
transformation of the world,” or will we forsake God, forsake Jesus, and try to
“gain the whole earth?”
Can’t we sin that we have in our
world today? Can we see the greed, the corruption, and the self-focused nature,
that many have today? When we focus on Christ and his kingdom, we are putting
light on all that darkens and all that pains this world.
I would like to tell you a story about
greed, called “Why Would I Give It to You?” This story is written by an unknown
author, and goes like this: “A highly successful businessman was once asked to
make a substantial donation toward an urgent charity appeal. The businessman
listened to the case presented then said, “I can understand why you approached
me. Yes I do have a lot of money, and yours is an important cause. But are you
aware that I have a lot of calls upon my money? Did you know my mother needs 24
hour nursing care?”
“No we didn’t” came the reply.”
“Did you know my sister is struggling to raise a
family of eight on her own?”
“No we didn’t” came the reply.”
“Did you know I have one son in a drug rehab clinic
and another doing voluntary work overseas?”
“No we didn’t”
“Well,
if I don’t give them a cent, what makes you think I’ll give it to you?!”
So what is the point of all this? The Rev. Billy Graham
famously said, “I have never seen hearse, pulling a U-haul behind it,” or
something similar to that. Or as the singer George Strait says in his song
“You’ll Be There,” “I’ve never seen a hearse with a luggage rack.”
So my challenge to you, and my challenge to me this week and
every week after this, is how can follow Jesus more? How can we build His
kingdom on earth more, as we await His kingdom to come?
Can we maybe give up that Starbucks
cup of coffee, or that extra night out to dinner, and can we take that money
and give it to the poor? Can we be the businessman or businesswoman that says
yes, I will serve the Lord, I will build God’s kingdom in the here and now, as
we await God’s coming kingdom. Will we truly welcome and love all people in
this church? We will show them with our love and actions who Jesus Christ is?
Christian singer Mathew West says in
his song “Do Something,” “I woke up this morning. Saw a world full of trouble
now. Thought, how’d we ever get so far down. How’s it ever gonna turn around. So
I turned my eyes to Heaven, I thought, “God, why don’t You do something?” Well,
I just couldn’t bear the thought of People living in poverty, Children sold
into slavery. The thought disgusted me. So, I shook my fist at Heaven Said,
“God, why don’t You do something?” He said, “I did, I created you.”
Brothers and sisters, the things of
this world are fleeting and temporary, eternity with Jesus Christ never ends.
Let us seek to follow Jesus and build His kingdom, as our own kingdom building
will only end in destruction and the forfeiting of our souls. Amen and
hallelujah.
No comments:
Post a Comment