the basic message # E99
Matthew 22:35-40
One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
We, as Christians, believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. When God threw Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden he constructed a rescue plan that gave us a “second chance” to live with him again some day. Our loving God could very easily have “zapped” Adam and Eve because of their disobedience, but instead, he gave us another path back to him. Jesus Christ is that path, no question about it. That said, I’ll again ask, “What does God want from Christians?” The passage from Matthew 22 tells us that God’s law is condensed into two major points: 1. Love God and 2. Love your neighbor. I believe that “neighbor” means black, white, yellow, male, female, homosexual, thief, rapist, etc. I tend to think that many Christians have been led to believe that God wants them to praise Jesus Christ with a “pep-rally” attitude of worship. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a cheerleader for Jesus, but there’s more to it than that. What good does it do to go into a worship service and sing songs of praise while we close our eyes, look Heavenward and lift our hands to God while harboring hatred in our heart? We must remember that what God wants is for us to love him and love each other. I don’t care if a Christian goes to church every Wednesday night and twice on Sunday, if he doesn’t love every human, he’s missing the boat. Yeah, yeah, I know how hard it is to love some people, but let me ask you a question: Have you earnestly asked God to help you learn to love those you hate? Loving our enemy is the key fundamental of Christianity, yet many Christians love to hold grudges for a lifetime. The big question: Are they really Christians? Can you choose to hate people and really maintain that you’re a Christian? How? How can Christians sit in a church building and hold resentment towards another church member every week? My goodness, if we can’t even love those in our congregation, how can we begin to love Timothy McVeigh? Yes, we’re called to love him too. I’m often called a “legalist” because I believe that God calls us to do more than just “believe”. Know who the real legalists are? People who hate other people yet still claim to love Jesus. They are the majority of the Christian church, and they are on the broad path to destruction. My opinion? Hardly-
Matthew 7:21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Why is this passage so hard for Christians to understand? Don’t we understand that Jesus is saying that people who claim to be one of his flock will be cast out if they don’t do what God wants them to do? Don’t run to Pastor Brown to support your mistaken beliefs about Christianity- he puts his pants on one leg at a time just like I do. You go and find the scripture that supports your beliefs. Pastor Brown ain’t going to be there on judgment day, and God ain’t Regis Philbin who’s going to give you a phone call to get that final important answer. Some of you are screaming mad right now- wonderful. Get mad at me now and then absorb the message so you can hug me in Heaven. I have no need to get people’s love and admiration on this earth if they end up roasting in Hell. Other people get cancer. Other people get in car wrecks. Other people go to Hell. Just who are these “other people”?