Scripture/Sermon of the Day

10 Now I encourage you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Agree with each other and don’t be divided into rival groups. Instead, be restored with the same mind and the same purpose. 11 My brothers and sisters, Chloe’s people gave me some information about you, that you’re fighting with each other. 12 What I mean is this: that each one of you says, “I belong to Paul,” “I belong to Apollos,” “I belong to Cephas,” “I belong to Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided?

12 Now when Jesus heard that John was arrested, he went to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and settled in Capernaum, which lies alongside the sea…

17 From that time Jesus began to announce, “Repent! Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!”

18 As Jesus walked alongside the Galilee Sea, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, throwing fishing nets into the sea, because they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.” 20 Right away, they left their nets and followed him. 21 Continuing on, he saw another set of brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father repairing their nets. Jesus called them and 22 immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

23 Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. He announced the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease and sickness among the people.

I. The best leaders bring people together. That’s why Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the greatest American presidents — he wouldn’t let the union break apart into north and south, or separate states. And when the Confederate army surrendered, he did not punish the South but treated the Civil War as a family dispute that was resolved. He did not call people names but treated everyone with dignity and respect, being an example for others to follow.

II. David was considered the greatest king in the Old Testament because he was the only king who united the Northern Kingdom — Israel — and the Southern Kingdom — Judah. When David died, the nation divided as it was into Israel and Judah.

III. In Paul’s first letter to the church of Corinth, which he established, he tried to prevent that church from splitting into fragments. There were already divisions. We can see from Paul’s writing that people argued about who had the best baptism. Was it the few who Paul baptized — or Cephas, or Apollos? Paul says, “Don’t be divided into rival groups. Has Christ been divided?”

IV. How did that happen? Jesus left such simple instructions for us: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. But those three words have been interpreted thousands of different ways!

V. People looked. They looked up, they looked down and to each side — but didn’t see “heaven.” They asked Jesus, “Where? — We don’t see it!”

Matthew reports: “23 Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. He announced the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease and sickness among the people.”

VII. That’s it! At Bible Study last Wednesday night I said — Matthew could have ended his gospel here. It’s all here. Jesus said, “Look — the kingdom of heaven. Then he cured every sickness and disease and told his disciples — “There — now you do it.” He didn’t make conditions — it didn’t matter what a person’s race was, or color, or nationality, or rich or poor —

VIII. But we said: “No Jesus — that’s too simple! We want to make different requirements. Like — you have to speak in tongues. Or you have to say “Jesus is my lord and savior,” or require everyone to believe everything in the Bible literally…”

We make all these requirements — like the synagogue and Temple leaders did in Jesus’ day. And Jesus said, “Just love God. Love your neighbor. Love yourself.”

VII. Well, people say — ok — but YOU CAN'T MEAN LOVE OUR IMMIGRANT NEIGHBOR. YOU MEAN LOVE our neighbor ONLY IF they’re citizens and especially if they are in power and especially if they are the same race and sexual orientation and color as we are. You can’t mean for us to love our immigrant neighbors, or our Canadian or Greenland or European neighbors.

IX. It would have saved us trouble if Matthew had written, “Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, asking people to see their papers. And he healed all the people who were just like him , all the people who were Jews and citizens of Israel, and only those who spoke his language. And to all the foreigners he said, “‘Go away — I have nothing for you.’”

X. Because that’s what we’re here — in America — right now. We’re acting like this is our country and it belongs to us. But the Bible says it belongs to God, and we’re the custodians. According to the Bible, we’re supposed to be taking care of EVERYONE in need that God is sending to us. AMERICA IS GOD’S HOTEL AND WE ARE THE HOTEL EMPLOYEES — we’re the servants. We’re supposed to be showing hospitality to the people who come here from other countries — like it was shown to our own parents and grandparents.

X. And people are allowing the ICE terror and arrests and deportations to happen — because they haven’t read the Bible. If we read the Bible — we know that we live at THE AMERICA HOTEL, AND GOD OWNS IT and we’re the hotel staff, the hired help whose job it is to show the best hospitality we can to all who come to us and want to stay.

I know God and Jesus want us to do this -- help everyone -- because I’ve read and studied the Bible. Listen again to verse 23 of our gospel reading today:

Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. He announced the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease and sickness among the people.

OUR FIRST LOYALTY is not to a political party, or a country, or a leader — it IS TO JESUS, who serves everyone, and loves everyone and orders us to: