We are closing up a series on the Final Judgment Jesus will bring when he returns. In this sermon I hope to tie up some loose ends on the question of what do we do with the life Jesus has given to us. It is my contention that we conservatives, who are the ones who profess to care the most about what Jesus said and taught, actually do the least with the life he’s given to us.

One objection to this assertion might be that we are saved by grace not works … so why are we spending so much time on this topic of judgment of works? I understand this. However, if we take serious what Jesus says, then we should care about what we do with what we’ve been given. Yet, we who claim to care the most do the least.

Think with me for a second. Consider the catchy, cute acronym, “The ABC’s of Christianity.” I know you know them:

A–accept
B–believe
C–confess

If we “do” these things, then we’ll be Christians. Fair enough, but after we become Christians … what then? If accept, believe, confess is for non-Christians, then what is for true-Christians? I’ve developed my own cutesy acronym, “The True ABC’s of Christianity”:

A–attachment to the heart of God
B–behavioral submission to the heart of God and his ways
C–community attachment, engagement & participation (in the church and the world) for Jesus

Let’s turn to John 14:12-17:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask my anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (ESV).

You read that right. No, this is not an insertion by someone within the Pentecostal movement. Jesus said that we would do the things he did … and “greater works than these.” This was not maybe. This was not optional. This was a description with authority. If you belong to Jesus you will do works, we will do works. We will do them if we truly love him.

Jesus promises that we’ll receive whatever we ask. However, consider the context. The context is of going out and about doing the works of Jesus. Jesus is not saying that we’ll receive whatever our spoiled-bratted hearts desire. Far from it. We’ll receive divine aid in the act of serving others in Jesus’s name. Also keep in mind that the larger context is of Jesus using his authority to wash the feet of his disciples … all of them (in his band) … even Thomas. John says in 13:1 that he loved them to the end. Jesus turns around and tells us that we are to love as he loved. This is the context of receiving that for which we ask.

Then he tells us the Holy Spirit will be sent to us as our Helper. A very bad word in this context is “Comforter.” Now at one time comfort might have meant something a bit different than in contemporary English. In fact the word has Latin roots meaning com-fortis (with inner strength, inner fortitude) (Leon Morris). In our day “comfort” means putting band-aids on boo-boos and kissing them. A better word or word combination for this context is helper-advocate. The Holy Spirit is the one who gives us inner strength as we go about in the church and the world doing the works of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is also the one who pleads our case in the hearts of the people with whom we’re working. He will be so “with us” that he’ll be “in us.”

Again the context for this is loving one another as Jesus did (ministry in the church) and being sent out into the world as Jesus was sent (John 17:14-19) (ministry in the world). Jesus never envisioned a church where spend all of our time celebrating our tickets to heaven and so little time helping to prepare others for the trip.

What exactly does occupy our time? If  we’re honest, we’re mostly concerned about such important items, like the color of the carpet, making sure we eat long and often, how the preacher preaches, the end times … yada …. yada … yada. Instead of Christianity, may I borrow a term from one of my good friends? Instead of Christianity, this junk is “churchianity.” In Christianity we apply special care to what we do with the life Jesus has given us, which from time to time comes into conflict with our culture and traditions. In “churchianity” we spend most of our time celebrating our beginning of Christianity but spend most of our time involved in church politics and clicks for personal power/control/gain.

We love to receive grace, but we’re often short on giving it away. Think about it. The sacraments teach that through them we access the grace of God for our lives. We engage in baptism, Holy Communion; we engage in Bible Study and prayer. Yet, what is the purpose but to simply receive?

How selfish.

Let’s consider for a moment that the Jews have sacraments. Oh, they don’t call them that, but that is in fact what they are. They believe as they intensely study Torah, the Holy Spirit hovers over the process, transforming them. As they study Torah in conjunction with living it out, the Holy Spirit comes along side them, transforming them and their worlds. The term “mitzvoh” literally translated means “keep commandments,” and is the process of living in Torah and living out Torah in the world. Broadly translated mitzvoh means doing good works for God in the world. Again the belief is that the Holy Spirit hovers over the study process and the living-it-out process, transforming the believer and the believer’s world in the doing.

What if we viewed our “sacraments” from that perspective? I suggest we should, after all this concept of mitzvoh appears to be at work in Jesus teaching at hand: we believers will do the works of Jesus in the church and the world with the Holy Spirit being in us for transformation of us and the world.

It is my desire to truly inspire people to cast aside their idols of Churchianity and embrace the true and living God in Christianity.

A–attachment to the heart of God
B–behavioral submission to the heart of God and his ways
C–community attachment, engagement & participation (in the church and the world) for Jesus