All-Inclusive Faith: Lessons from Matthew 23

Bob told me the other day that it was someone else’s turn to get picked on and he told me this story about Heidi. Heidi and one of her closest friends decided to take a road trip in her friend’s new car. They were headed to Colorado to see the mountains and since they had several days, they thought that they would stay off the interstate and take less travelled roads.

They were headed through Kansas when they looked over and in the middle of a wheat field there was a woman in a swim suit in a boat. She was paddling to beat the band and of course getting nowhere.

Heidi looked at her friend and said, “It’s gals like that, that give us a bad name.” “Maybe we should say something to her”, Heidi’s friend said. “Let me tell you, if I could swim that far, I would.”

Some of you will get that on your way home and then again maybe not.

Cheryl and I have been in the early stage of planning our summer vacation. Where are we going to go? How are going to get there? What are we going to do when we get there? Where are we going to stay? There is way too much to consider when planning a vacation. Too many variables and details for vacation. I think the best thing ever is an all-inclusive vacation.

Whether it is a cruise that takes care of your room, food, entertainment or going and staying at a resort that takes care of your room, food and entertainment. I love that all-inclusive kind of vacations. But are they really all-inclusive?

Let’s read a little about how our lives need to be all-inclusive. Matthew 23.

How many of you have been on a vacation that was all-inclusive? They really are mostly inclusive but not totally. I mean, for one you have to get there. If you are taking a cruise out of Galveston and you drive to Texas, you are not going to have an all-inclusive cruise, are you? If you have booked a resort that is all-inclusive, one thing you still have to get there. Even if you bought a package deal from a travel agent with air fare and transportation you still have to do your part. They are not going to make sure that your passport is up to date. They will not come and pack clothes for you. You have to do your part.

I remember when we took a cruise. We had to research the options for what we could take on the cruise and what was not allowed. We had to plan when we were leaving, where we were staying on the way down. We had to decide if we were going to do any excursions and if we were going to be eating locally or go back to the ship for a meal.

There were preparations for us to make for our trip. There are some things that we need to do in preparation for our eternal vacation spot. There is more to being a believer than just believing. I have found just a few that Jesus brought up, so these aren’t what Mark says you should do, these are what Jesus says you should do.

1. You must give.

Matthew 23:23

1. Money –

Matthew 22:21

Pastor Mark didn’t you just talk about giving last week? All that preacher’s want is my money. Can I tell you something? There are preachers that is why they do what they do. But pastors that want to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, will follow even when it means that we make people mad because instead of following God. They allow Satan to whisper in their ear that the preacher talks too much about a certain topic.

Isn’t interesting that in Matthew 17, Jesus is confronted about the temple tax. In Matthew 18 Jesus talks about the servant who owes money and was unjust in his finances. In Matthew 19, it’s the rich young ruler. In Matthew 20, the workers in the vineyard expecting more pay. In 21, Jesus overthrew the money changers and those selling sacrifices. In 22, Jesus is questioned about taxes and now in chapter 23 Jesus lets the Pharisees know that tithing is important and should be practiced. 7 chapters in a row has some type of lesson using money.

I am going to say, that it probably was not a well-liked topic then either. Just a thought. There is more than just giving, but be careful. We should continue to give as well as do other things like…

2. Forgiveness/mercy

Hosea 6:6 NIV

Many times, at Wednesday night bible study, I will research a word all the way back to the Greek or Hebrew. I don’t typically do that on Sundays. Because I generally go back to the thought that if you go the Emergency room because you have a head ache and they run tests, what you need the doctor to be able to convey to you is that you have a brain tumor and it is located near your ear canal.

You don’t care if they know the term “acoustic neuroma” or “vestibular schwannoma”. You want to know and understand what you have and is it treatable.

So, I don’t usually use the Greek or Hebrew on Sunday morning, because if you don’t understand Greek or Hebrew it doesn’t help. The Hebrew word that was translated into Mercy, could have just as easily been translated into goodness, kindness, and faithfulness. Sounds like the fruit of the Spirit. We need to show kindness, faithfulness and goodness to others and that would include forgiveness.

3. Yourself

Romans 12:1

When I was growing up there were a few grocery stores in Neosho. There was Fuller’s market, Ramey’s, McClintock’s IGA and Consumers. Now I am sure that there are some more that I either didn’t know about or have just forgotten. I think about those stores and they were all named after the owner, when they started. All of them except one. Consumers. It was named to represent those that shopped there.

Our church is the “Granby First Church of God.” But, but for some, what we really have been, could actually be called the Granby Church of Consumers. We come and take in the music. We come and consume Sunday School lesson. We come and consume the message. Many of us try to make believing in God about ourselves and what we get out of it. When in all actuality it should be about what we can put into it. Giving of ourself to God in the church and outside the church. Do people see you or do they see God in you? When you truly give of yourself, they should see God in you. Another thing about being all-inclusive…

2. Ain’t no foolin’ God.

Matthew 23:25-28

Proverbs 16:2

If you haven’t figured it out by now, Bob was a bad influence on me. There was a time when we were in high school that Bob had everyone, that we ate lunch with, convinced I had false teeth.

What I find funny is that, even though Bob made it completely clear that I was insecure about my false teeth. Our classmates wanting to encourage me and they would do it by saying, “I never noticed them before. I am sure they look great. Let me see.”

I would do whatever I could not to laugh or smile, because it would have been obvious that I didn’t have false teeth. Bob had that gig going for several weeks before I just couldn’t do it any longer. Almost every day before then, I would catch those around us trying to get a glimpse of my false teeth.

What is that old saying, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, (I believe our politicians live in this one.) All of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. BUT, and this is a big But, you can’t fool God any of the time. God sees all. God knows all. God hears all.

Jesus gives the Pharisees a what for, because they look good on the outside, but God sees their hearts and knows that they are full of evil. He tells them to clean it up on the inside. He is telling us to clean it up on the inside also. It doesn’t matter what good you do, if you do it with the wrong attitude. It doesn’t matter what good you do if you are full of hate, or greed, or gossip, or pride.

Your actions will not fool God and if they could, “would God be worth worshiping?”

3. The heavenly prize doesn’t leave out anything.

Big feast Luke 13:29

No Hunger or thirst Revelation 7:16

No more pain or sadness Revelation 21:4

The list of the great things in Heaven go on and on. The best thing is that we get to be in the presence of God. And being in the presence of God is an all-inclusive Heaven. Beautiful streets of God. Beautiful gates of Pearl. Beautiful crystal stream. Beautiful reunions with those saints that have went on before us.

To receive this promise of the all-inclusive heaven, you have to be all in. Your daily walk with God must be all-inclusive. You can’t say, “Lord, you can have control of all these things in my life except…” Because when you say “No” to the Lord, then He really isn’t Lord. What might you be holding back from being all-inclusive in your walk?

All-Inclusive