6th Sunday after the Epiphany , 02/12/2017

Sermon on Matthew 5:21-37, by Beth A. Schlegel

You heard it for yourselves:it is not the televangelists or fundamentalists, it’s not the Baptists or the Methodists, it is not the Pentecostals or the Holiness churches, It is Jesus who preaches hellfire and brimstone.
Jesus. We all must reckon with the Lord Jesus on account of our sin.
The disciples were just like most catechetics students learning the Ten Commandments: they believed that just because they never murdered anyone, they had kept the commandment “You shall not kill.”
Like so many users of pornography and adult entertainment and cybersexting today, they believed that as long as they didn’t actually “do it” with someone, they had righteously kept the 6th commandment, You shall not commit adultery”.
They believed that as long as they didn’t swear to a lie, they could still swear and be righteous about the commandment “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor”.
In this portion of these kingdom soldiers’ basic training, Jesus wants them to learn that it is not about doing the minimum to get by. It is not about seeming holy in order to get into heaven. In fact, it is not about their salvation at all.
What this whole Sermon on the Mount is about is how the saved disciple is to live out God’s righteousness in this world. It is about either living God’s life OR living my life; but it cannot be both.
Let’s take a closer look at these choices as Jesus presents them. My life as I want to lead it is life in hellfire and brimstone; it is life in debtor’s prison; it serves the evil one.
 God’s life in me does not hurt others with weapons, words, or thoughts.  God’s life in me seeks reconciliation with those I have injured or who have injured me;    God’s life in me refuses to be obsessed with anyone but my spouse;  God’s life in me remains faithful to my loving spouse; Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to express our such faithfulness.  God’s life in me may divorce a spouse who has broken the covenant of marriage, either by an affair (physical or emotional, online or in person) or by destructive gambling, or by drug & alcohol abuse, or by violence – all of which is unchastity.
Such an action is always made in humility and is done for the sake of preserving God’s life in me. Never lightly.
 God’s life in me does not swear on itself and therefore does not need to swear at all.    When asked to give testimony, God’s life in me speaks the truth only, saying either Yes or No without reference to any other authority.   There is no need. God is the highest authority and God is Truth.
Anything other than the truth is a lie and from the evil one who is already destroyed in hellfire and brimstone.
God’s life in me – and God’s life in you is just that: God’s life,
 reconciling life,  faithful life,  truthful life,    chaste life,  good life.
It is not a question of whether or not we are worthy for God to live in us – God has already called us, chosen us, baptized us for this.
The Father and the Son, Jesus, risen from the dead, have already given us the Holy Spirit so that God might indeed live in us.
We are already citizens of the kingdom of heaven
– so our calling is to live as God’s people in this life while we wait for the life to come.
That’s what this Sermon on the Mount is doing – forming us to live as citizens of heaven while we are yet on earth.
Why? Why can’t we just live it up now, make a deathbed confession and live in the kingdom later?
Well, because God has called us now.
God has given us his Spirit now. God has equipped us now. For this hour.
So to refuse God’s call is to cast ourselves into hellfire and brimstone.
God has called us now so that his Word from our lips may reach more ears;
 so that his love in our actions might draw more hearts to him;  so that his faithfulness in our relationships might bear truthful witness to his faithfulness to us;  so that God might be revealed through us in this world. With this sermon, Jesus wants to send us out from this place today stronger in living his life. He is with us!
We are equipped by this word of God to live godly lives. That is what Baptism calls us to.
That is what the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies us for.
That is what salvation is – living God’s life, now and forever.
Now, we can say we don’t want it.
We can say, like an old song, “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.”
But then we have chosen for ourselves hellfire and brimstone;
we have chosen for ourselves eternal death. And we will reap what we sow.
It is not what God wants for us – it is not what God called and loved us for.
But God’s love for us is not coercive – God won’t force us to stay in his love.
He will give his life for us – but if we refuse it, reject it, and push it away, we have chosen death.
Call it damnation if you will, but we had a choice. God held us in his hand and we insisted he let us go our own way.
So as the called and ordained pastor of this congregation, let me say with the Lord:
I have set before you life and death. Choose life, so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him and holding fast to him; for that means life to you… Amen

Pastor Beth A. Schlegel
York PA 17404
E-Mail: pastorschlegel@live.com

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