Meaning Business with God

Blake Heffner July 9th, 2006

“Meaning Business with God”

July 9, 2006

Texts: Luke 14:25-33 Matthew 21:28-32 & 22:34-40

James 4:8 reads: “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” Someone has translated it to say: “Mean business with God and he will mean business with you!” Now that’s something for us to ponder today. Do you and I mean business with God?

1. It’s not what we say – but what we do – that counts

Jesus told that story about the two sons because the people of his day tended to go through the motion with their religious duties, but they did not follow through in their daily lives. They were like the son who says, “Yeh, sure, Dad, I’ll wash the car! But when his buddy calls and invites him to go skateboarding, off he goes.” The other son, comes right out and says, “No thanks, Dad, I’m busy today.” but later he has a change of heart and actually washes the car. Even our smallest children understand which son pleases the Father, which one is serious about serving.

In virtually the same conversation, Jesus gave a sobering critique of the religious people of his day by quoting the prophet Isaiah: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain.” Our first point to ponder this morning is: it’s not what we say to God or one another – but what we do – that really counts. Are we paying lip service – or truly speaking from our hearts? Is, God forbid, our worship in vain – or does it bear fruit in obedient lives?

We all have many opportunities to stand before God and make promises. We pledge our faithfulness to another person if we get married. We also make public vows of faithfulness to God when we are confirmed or bring our children for baptism - like Kenny and Joyelle and Tom and Amy have today. We make similar promises if and when we join the church as new members or become installed as deacons or elders or Sunday School teachers. On all such occasions, we are asked to declare our intention to be disciples devoted to serving Jesus Christ, as our Savior and Lord.. We may express such things in our private prayers frequently. The important question is: Do we mean business with God? Are we serious about such promises? Do we intend to back up our words with actions?

2. It’s not about commitments – but priorities

It’s easy to come up with reasons why we fall short of our promises. After all, we are committed to so many things. We constantly face competing allegiances. Do I choose my job responsibilities over my family concerns? I often hear the one about Sunday being “our only day to sleep in!” I am sure that God just smiles – and utters quietly if I just slept in one day, how different your lives would be!

I won’t sugarcoat this. Jesus certainly didn’t. His story in our first scripture lesson is about counting the cost of discipleship. “If you plan to build a house - before you even speak to a contractor or a banker - you better figure out how much you can afford to spend.” Right? It’s plain and simple economics. Down in Princeton, right on the main street, there stands a shell of a building that is about 2/3 complete. I heard that the people building it ran into some red tape with the city and just decided to walk away – purposely leaving a public eyesore. Jesus said, if we start to build and don’t finish people will ridicule us. It’s the same if we plan to go to war as a nation. We need to count the cost. The Iraq War is being subjected to daily scrutiny on these lines.

The point Jesus was making concerns discipleship. He wasn’t low-balling or giving us the soft sell. He raised the bar about as high as it could be. Do you want a realistic cost assessment for being my disciple? All right: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple. And (if that weren’t enough) anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

Wow! Taken at face value – who would want to pay such a steep price? Who is ready to “hate” his parents or spouse or children – much less your own life? That is not your basic “Uncle Sam wants you!” pitch. It is sobering. And it needs some interpretation.

Someone has said that the word for “hate” in Greek literally means to “love less.” That’s why Eugene Peterson translated this verse: “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple.” It seems a whole lot more acceptable and reasonable to say we need to love our dearest relatives less than Jesus, than to hate them. Hating just makes no sense in the context of all that Jesus says about loving one another. That translation helps us visualize the cost of discipleship. It’s still not easy – or something to be taken lightly. Jesus, aware of our deep concern for those who are close to us, insists, nevertheless, that we must put him first, if we want to would be his disciple. That is what the question about Lordship means.

3. The bottom line: It’s all about love

Let me try to turn this rather frightening proposition into an “Uncle Sam wants You!” kind of invitation. It’s tall order – but one I think has everything to do with the gospel being good news. When Jesus was asked, in our third gospel lesson, what is the greatest commandment, he said it’s all about love – loving the Lord your God will all your heart and all your soul and all your mind [Marks’ version adds] and all your strength. But think about that: the irony is that love cannot be commanded. I can’t command my daughters to love each other. I can show them how to love each other. I can encourage them to use kind words to each other and even serve each other. I can pray that their hearts will be inclined to love each other. But, the essence of love is that it is a freely given gift.

The whole idea of our loving the Lord and serving him is predicated upon our discovering how much we have already been – and still are - loved by Him. That is why the picture of the Good Shepherd we looked at earlier is so striking. We have been known and loved intimately from before our birth by the living God. My prayer is that every child who is brought here to be baptized discovers – almost inherently – what it means to be loved through the soothing words and tender touch of their parents and extended family. Then, when we teach them to sing, “Jesus loves me, this I know” they will really understand what it’s all about. They will know it’s about being accepted and cared for, being protected and provided for, being praised as a precious gift.

This is the very love that captivated the psalmist who wrote: “O God, because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you!” That wasn’t mere lip service! He goes on to declare: “God, my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, as in a desert where there is no water.” That is the kind of craving that the love of God inspires in human hearts, when we have tasted and seen how good God is. My friends, have you tasted God’s goodness and mercy toward you? On the other hand, have you somehow taken his love lightly – or even for granted? If so, let me close with a few practical ways to “mean business with God.”

4. Some practical ways to mean business with God

If I tell Sharon I love her, how will she know if I mean business? I have to back up that language with deeds of love – spending time with her, especially in communication - telling her what is in my heart and (maybe more importantly) listening to what is in hers. That’s what prayer and Bible reading is about. If we love the Lord, we will spend time every day talking and listening to him. How many of us have Daytimers to help us manage our many commitments? Why not intentionally plan for time to talk to God? Write it in there!! That’ll show you mean business.

Intimacy is important in a loving marriage. Sharon needs to know that I want to be with her, and my words of appreciation come from a sincere heart. I better not be putting on an act to make her feel good. That’s what worship is all about. The psalmist proclaims: “My lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live. I think of you all the time. Even in the middle of the night, if I can’t sleep, I reflect upon you. My soul clings to you.”

Even in the way I give my time and energy, Sharon can tell whether I am loving her or just going through the motions. It’s the same way with God: our giving of time and money should be tangible evidence of our love for God. If we offer superficial gifts – gifts that aren’t significant to us, God takes that personally. Let us show we mean business by the way we give our time and treasure.

Friends, when it comes right down to it, Jesus wasn’t trying to intimidate us into slavishly serving God, he was trying to woo us into loving our heavenly Father as he is worth loving – in fact as He has already loved us! That is the way to experience the greatest riches of life: contentment and peace, joy and gladness, confidence and encouragement. It is a sure and certain promise: If you and I mean business with God, God will mean business with us. Hallelujah!
Prayer
Gracious heavenly Father, draw near to us –as we seek to draw nearer to you. Grant us the desire to know you and to love you more and more each day – craving intimacy as intensely as anyone in a desert craves water.
We bless you that you have already provided the means to quench our thirst. You have poured out the Holy Spirit to give us your love and joy, your peace and contentment, the hope and guarantee of eternal life.
So fill us this day, that we may share these wonderful gifts with others – and seeing our good works – they may give you glory and honor and praise – in and through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord we pray. Amen

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