The extraordinarily ordinary life of a Christian - The Christian loves God above all things

Matthew 10:34–42 ³⁴“Do not think that I came to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.

³⁷“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

⁴⁰“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. ⁴¹Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. ⁴²Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink because he is my disciple—Amen I tell you—he will never lose his reward.”

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15) Amen.

Men, you want your fishing or deer hunting stories to be worthy of retelling. Women, you want your projects to be Pinterest worthy. Parents, you want your children to be accolades worthy.

We put bumper stickers on our cars boasting our children are on the honor roll. We post our personal successes on social media for validation. We want to be remembered for our greatness after we’re gone.

We want to be phenomenal parents. We desire to be noteworthy workers. We especially enjoy being extraordinary Christians.

Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus told his disciples they were going to do some extraordinary things in their ministry. Jesus said in Matthew 10:8 that the disciples would drive out demons, heal diseases, cleanse lepers and even raise the dead.

Aren’t you a little envious of the disciples? Wouldn’t it be awesome to be one of the Twelve, walking around performing miracles in Jesus’ name? Miracles in your touch. Power in your speech. Accolades wherever you go.

We know we aren’t going to be healing anyone at the hospital or raising the dead at the next funeral. Still, our pride loves to do the big things. You know, the things that allow people to see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). (That’s a Bible verse, by the way!) In our more honest moments, those good deeds make us feel better about ourselves, because they bring us glory, too!

Now, 34 short verses later, Jesus readjusts our thinking. “Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink because he is my disciple—Amen I tell you—he will never lose his reward.”

Quiet, unseen actions are also good deeds that God sees and loves. These small actions may not get temporal attention, but they are divinely prized. They bring glory to God, too! These ordinary moments are chances to serve God.

We put way too much pressure on ourselves and our children to be extraordinarily happy, successful, and famous. It spoils our joy in the little things that make life grand and noble. God does not expect us to be superstars but merely good and faithful husbands, wives, parents, children, neighbors, employers, employees, citizens, and, yes, church goers. We please God as we fulfill these ordinary roles in life with the extraordinary purpose that we are serving and giving glory to God through these roles.

Today we begin a new series on the extraordinarily ordinary life that God desires for us as Christians. Today, we see that the Christian loves God above all things.

If we’re going to live an ordinary life, we would like it to at least be a life of peace. After all, Jesus is the “Prince of Peace.” The angels sang at his birth, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). But did you pay attention to what Jesus tells his disciples about peace as the go out and proclaim his kingdom? He says, “Do not think that I came to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Why is this? Why does Jesus bring a sword? Like everything else Jesus does, it is for our salvation. Jesus must first separate us from all the things that we fear, love and trust in this world. So that we fear, love and trust in him above all things.

God is the Giver of all good things. We love and cherish these things – our family, vocation, home, etc. But when any of these gifts surpass our Giver, then there is a problem. Then there is sin.

Jesus’ goal is to separate us from sin. Even when it is something we love dearly - like our family – that is causing us to sin against God. That’s why Jesus teaches, “For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”

These words may be difficult to understand, especially if you’ve ever held your own child in your arms. The love that parents have for their child is difficult to describe. It’s powerful. It’s overwhelming. It’s profound.

Still, Jesus teaches, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

Perhaps you’ve been there as your mother or father or sibling is passing away. You’re filled with another kind of love and care for them. It’s overwhelming and profound to a different degree … and yet, it’s love.

Jesus is not telling you to stop loving your family. He is not telling you to disobey the Fourth Commandment to keep the First Commandment. He wants you to honor your father and mother. But that honor for your family can not come before your love of your heavenly Father. Jesus wants us to look into our hearts and ask ourselves, “Is my love for my child, parent or sibling greater than my love for Jesus?” Do you skip worship to attend your child’s athletic events? Do you make your schedule so busy with family activities that you have squeezed God out of your life? Do you so strongly desire peace in your family that you won’t confront your children or grandchildren with their sins?

If you are putting love of family over your love for God, then that’s a sin against the First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods.” If you are separating from God because of your closeness to your family, then you may be separated from God for eternity. If you are loving God’s gift of family more than the Giver of those gifts of family, then those results are eternally damning.

Let’s consider this from heaven’s eternal viewpoint. Everything we have is a gift from God – a gift that is best viewed “on loan.” Our parents are his. Our children are his. Our spouse is his. The material things we have are his – on loan to us for a lifetime. If we love the gifts and not the Giver of those gifts, we are idol worshipers and will lose our life.

Jesus had it all. Yet, he gave it all up. He is the eternal Son of God who gave up the glory of heaven to come to this world to die destitute and alone – all because he loved God above all else. He loved us more than he loved his own life

What an amazing love Jesus has for us! What an amazing gift he’s given to us! In love, he came to earth, was laid in a manger, baptized in the Jordan, defeated the devil in the desert, gave us himself in his Supper, was beaten, scourged, crucified and laid in a tomb. That is the definition of loving God above all things!

We pray that Jesus’ love for you moves you to love him above all else … always.

That love for Jesus may mean that you will carry a cross, be persecuted, imprisoned and even killed for your faith. “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” But, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Lose your personal life by finding your real life in Jesus.

Parents, show your love for Jesus by bringing your children to worship with you. Have them sit on your lap or in the pew next to you. Set aside everything else to watch the service and talk about the sermon at home. It’s a simple, ordinary thing to be worshiping God with your family. But, there are lasting results. If you want your children to grow up loving God, they need to see you loving God first.

Fathers, let your children see your love for God flow through your love for their mother. Mothers, let your children see your respect for your God flow through your respect for their father. Grandparents, show love by giving your grandchildren a cup of water in their sippy cups. Employees, show your service to your employer, serving wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord (Ephesians 6:5-8). Fellow American citizens, submit to God by submitting to the governing authorities – whomever they are (1 Peter 2:13-14). If you’re homebound – pray. Pray for your pastor, teachers, church, church body, school, children, grandchildren, nation, etc. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16).

These seem like small and ordinary things to do, but they have large and extraordinary results in God’s kingdom. These are small examples of love that demonstrates your great love for God.

Jesus divides siblings, parents, in-laws. He even divides cultures and classes. ^“There is not Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for you are all one and the same in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). If you are paying attention to our nation, you see our culture is very divided right now – skin color, political party, virus reactions. Jesus divides by bringing us together into one race, one culture, one family. No longer white or black or Hispanic or Chinese. We submit our feelings and emotions to love for others. Political parties don’t matter when we trust God is in control. We are Christians. We have a love for God that is greater than our love for any culture, any country, and parent, child or sibling.

We may want our bucks, homes, children and jobs to be worthy of recognition. Jesus tells us that if we lose our life in him, then we are worthy of him. Our worth is not based on what we do here on earth. Our worth is based on what Jesus did for us while he was on earth. Our recognition is not about our clothing, prestige or homes. Our recognition comes when Jesus gives us our white robes, reads off our names from the Book of Life and hands us the keys to our heavenly mansion, and he announces to all the saints, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Jesus finishes this oh-so-weighty 10^th chapter of Matthew by saying, “Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink because he is my disciple—Amen I tell you—he will never lose his reward.”

Loving God and God’s people can be hard. Definitely. But don’t forget that love for God and his people can be oh-so-simple. Like handing a cup of water to a little child.

Every so often, you might get to do the extraordinary thing. Day in and day out, though, it is the little ordinary things. Amen.

The world and its desires pass away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever. (1 John 2:17) Amen.