A Message for My Granddaughter
Play Audio
MP3 Download (18.9
mb)
Second Sunday After Easter
A Message for My Granddaughter
April 18, 2010
TEXT: (Matthew 19:21 NKJ) Jesus said to him, "If you want to be
perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure
in heaven; and come, follow Me."
There is a tradition in the Lutheran church—when a child enters the teenage
years they study Luther’s Catechism in classes with their pastor—my
granddaughter just completed those studies with me—it is a great privilege to
study with her—and I learned much from her—I hope I also taught her many things
about God’s Word—and how to apply what she learned to her daily life
There is another tradition in our church—at the completion of their studies—the
pastor presents the student with a verse of Scripture that best represents the
student’s characteristics—our text is that verse for Brianna—she seldom
approaches any task without seeking absolute perfection—I remember one
Thanksgiving day when she set the table—and someone moved the silverware to a
different order—it wasn’t perfect—she was moved to tears—she is very sensitive
that way—perhaps she can remind herself about what is important with this
special verse
As a man matures—his perspective in life changes—what was once important may not
even matter—King Solomon understood this and wrote his book of Ecclesiastes for
all mankind to benefit from his wisdom—listen as the king speaks
(Ecclesiastes 1:16-18 NKJ) I communed with my heart, saying, "Look, I have
attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in
Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge." 17 And I set my
heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also
is grasping for the wind. 18 For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who
increases knowledge increases sorrow.
King Solomon was speaking to all of us as a grandfather would speak to his
grandchildren—he speaks of his wisdom—he speaks of his wealth—he speaks of his
thousand wives—and then he closes with a statement of what he learned in this
life
(Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NKJ) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole
matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. 14 For God
will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good
or evil.
When this life ends—the only thing that matters is our relationship with God—it
is important that we know this—that is why God inspired King Solomon to teach
all generations this lesson
Why is the verse in our text applicable to Brianna?—she tries so hard to do
every task perfectly—and that can be a very positive trait—but she needs to be
careful not to focus too much on success and perfection in this world—her true
perfection will come when she returns to her heavenly home—she—and every
Christian in this world—is in this world only until God calls us home—our
eternal home is in heaven
(Philippians 3:20-21 NKJ) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we
also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform
our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the
working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
The young man Jesus is speaking with in our text is asking what he must do to go
to heaven—Jesus tells him to obey the Law—that is obey the things in the
Bible—the young man says he does obey—then Jesus tells him to sell everything
and give the money to the poor—the young man is saddened and departs—he had
accumulated great wealth—and he was not willing to give it away—let’s think
about that for a little while—the young man was seen as very successful in the
eyes of this world—and he values that success more than he values heaven—we must
all heed that warning
Now we should consider the things Brianna and I learned on our journey through
the catechism—we learned that there were ten commandments given to Moses on the
mountain—and that Jesus said all the commandments can be expressed in two
commands
(Matthew 22:36-40 NKJ) "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the
law?" 37 Jesus said to him, "`You shall love the LORD your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 "This is the first and
great commandment. 39 "And the second is like it:`You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.' 40 "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
Then we learned that love is God—wherever we see love—we see God
(1 John 4:7-8 NKJ) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God;
and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does
not know God, for God is love.
Why doesn’t everyone see these things?—because they can not be understood with
the natural knowledge of this world—they are only seen with the help of the Holy
Spirit through the eyes of faith
(1 Corinthians 12:3 NKJ) Therefore I make known to you that no one
speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that
Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
And how do we obtain the Holy Spirit?—we can’t—it is a gift—no one can buy
it—steal it—earn it—it is a gift of God
(Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJ) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and
that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone
should boast.
We learned that the Holy Spirit dwells within us—we are the Temple of God
(1 Corinthians 3:16 NKJ) Do you not know that you are the temple of God
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
(Luke 17:20-21 NKJ) Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the
kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does
not come with observation; 21 "nor will they say,`See here!' or`See there!' For
indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."
The Kingdom of God dwells within us in the form of the Holy Spirit—and the Holy
Spirit reminds us of all things—in other words we know when we are sinning—but
some choose to ignore the Holy Spirit and do things that are contrary to the
teachings of God—sinners are Christians and unbelievers alike—so how do we know
that we are going to heaven?—we know because we have God’s promise—God promises
to forgive us—as long as we forgive those that sin against us—and as long as we
ask forgiveness
(Luke 6:37 NKJ) "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and
you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
This is the lesson that separates Christians from those that are going to spend
eternity in hell—so learn to forgive and let go—always ask God to forgive
you—and always forgive others quickly
My granddaughter was a great student through our time of study—she took many
notes—and she asked many questions—and as she goes forward on her journey
through life, I hope she holds fast to her verse—there is nothing wrong with
seeking perfection—but do it for the Kingdom of God—not for those of this
world—our home is in heaven—and our reward is in heaven—don’t expect the rewards
of this life to be fulfilling—the rich man couldn’t let go of the things of this
world—therefore he could not enter the Kingdom of God—King Solomon had more
riches in this world than any before him or after him—yet he understood that the
only thing of real value was his relationship with God
Perfection is a worthy goal in everything we do—but be constantly aware that the
devil might use it to distract you from the things of God
All glory be to God!