Go To Him

Matthew 22:1-14

There are four outcomes when we receive an invitation from a person or an organization.

1. We accept and we are blessed.
2. We accept and it turns out for the worst.
3. We refuse and we are safe from something dangerous or sinful.
4. We refuse and we regret it the rest of our lives.

An invitation is not a guarantee. Depending on how much we know about who is offering the invitation and why, we can make a better decision. But we never have all the information we want or need.

When the invitation is from God, it is a totally different situation. His invitation is a guarantee. You have all the information you need and there are only two outcomes. 

1. We accept and our eternity is forever blessed.
2. We refuse and our eternity is forever cursed.

How you respond to God’s invitation makes all the difference in eternity. Accept and live joyfully forever in forgiveness and love; refuse and spend eternity in the blackness of your sin.

Matthew 21:33-46

Have you ever ignored good advice or wise counsel? Maybe ignored someone in authority or they knew more than you? What happened? Maybe not much, maybe something severe.

Now the critical question - have you ever ignored God? That is the question we are addressing today. It is the subject of our passage today. The church must heed the warnings of disobedience exemplified by Israel's leaders, ensuring that we are continually receptive to Christ and His call, lest we face similar consequences of rejection and judgment.

Matthew 21:23-32

History shows us what happens to human authority and power. It is short-lived and there is always someone behind you ready to step into your place. The majority of those who have sought some kind of power over others aren’t even remembered or they are not remembered kindly. 

There is only one true authority with absolute and eternal power.

Recognizing and accepting Jesus’ authority leads to faithful obedience where actions and words unite for God’s glory.

Matthew 21:18–22 

A dead and evil tree produces dead and evil fruit. Only a good tree produces good fruit and that is only possible through true faith in God.

The necessity of active faith is essential; without it, we risk being like the fig tree—outwardly appearing alive but ultimately bearing no fruit.

Matthew 21:12-17

The Bible defines self-worship and making ourselves god as sin. How can a sinful being in a sinful world attain anything but sinful and selfish meanings?

The Christian view tells us the answer to sin - faith and trust in Jesus Christ. But, as Paul points out so many times, we still carry that old man full of sin with us. How do we realize God’s expectations and demands for us in the face of our sinful state.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 

To live as true temples of the Holy Spirit, we must actively pursue cleansing ourselves of worldly distractions and sins that hinder our relationship with God.

Four ideas to think about in this passage and one question to answer.

• Jesus’s preparation for his entry into Jerusalem.
• The manner in which Jesus enters.
• The people’s response - right and wrong.
• How people miss Jesus’s true mission.

The King has come; will you choose to honor Him with your response?

Nehemiah 2:17-20

Lord, do not let us hinder what You want to do in the future. God honors humility and uses those who come to Him with a humble spirit. James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” Trust that God can redeem any and all circumstances for His glory and don’t let pride stand in the way of being a part of this great work.

Give us a passion for the next generation. God wants us all to play a part in the body of Christ. Replanting shouldn’t be approached with the mentality “out with the old, in with the new.” It should be a marriage of the old with the new. You may feel uncomfortable at times, but opening yourself up to new traditions will foster a place for the next generation to step up and carry out the same good news of Christ to a changing world.

Show us how to love the community around us. This prayer should be consistently on the heart of every church. God has called us to be servants so that others may know His love. Knowing how to best serve your community is the also the best way to love your community. Ask God to open up your eyes to the people around you. Look for areas in your community that are not thriving and find a way to help.

Matthew 28:18-20

This church is here to tell people how to get to the greatest treasure in all Creation and what will happen if they take the wrong path.  The church universal, and our local congregation, do not exist for ourselves and our glory.  We exist for the Glory of God through proclaiming the Gospel and making disciples.

Revelation 2:4-5, Revelation 2:10, Revelation 2:14-16, Revelation 2:20-22, 

Revelation 3:1-6, Revelation 3:8, Revelation 3:15-16

As we look at ourselves, we can do so honestly because Jesus knows.  He wants us to see ourselves as He sees us so we can get back to the reason this church was placed in this spot.  We can become complacent caretakers of memories.  We can become icons of idolatry.  Or we can become successful stewards of God’s mission.

Joshua 4:1-9

This is the start of a four sermon series on the future of our church.

Today is the day we set up our own memorial stones, our own “Ebenezers,” (1 Samuel 7:12) to God’s faithfulness. We do so not because we pine and long for the good old days. We do so in order to remember our God is faithful and that remembrance strengthens our faith in our future. The faithful God of the past, is the faithful God of today, is the faithful God of our tomorrow.