Grace Lutheran Church

+ In Nomine Jesu +
The Rev. Evan Gaertner
4^th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 4a)
Matthew 7:15-29
“Home Inspection”

Before buying a home it is suggested that the buyers have a home inspection done by a professional. For some people this will appear to be just a formality because they trust what they have seen with their eyes. They are buying a house they love and are sure that looks beautiful. But because the bank requires the home inspection before providing a mortgage the family goes through the formality of having a home inspection done.

The couple is surprised when the report from the home inspector comes back with the news that the home that they thought was the perfect home for them is pretty on the outside but rotten on the inside. The inspector said the rot is in the beams. The inspector made his report. Everyone should be informed.

But the buyers are committed to buying this home, it looks so attractive. Unfortunately the first winter came after buying the home and the roof leaked and ruined the first floor ceiling.

People will talk about a home becoming a money pit, when money keeps getting thrown at the home without any progress towards making the home truly habitable.

In our lives we all can do things that may look very noble to others. The Word of God tells the truth. Even when the outside may be saying all the right words, the insides are the problem. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

Righteous acts that are born from an envious, greedy, prideful heart are not sacred and holy acts. Even if a person responds, “But we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and have done mighty works in your name?”

In real estate the value of a property will largely be determined by these three words, “Location, Location, Location.” Consider this description of a home and try to determine its market value: 3,000 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 2 ½ car garage, in ground pool and hot tub, a/c, and new stone fence surrounding property. This property may sound great unless it is the middle of Sadr city in Baghdad. Location, Location, Location.

Jesus is making a vital point for all of us today in the Gospel lesson. Our entrance into the kingdom of heaven is not made by our righteous acts if they are born from a rebellious heart. The words may be all dressed up and looking right, but our Lord desires mercy and not sacrifice. The envious heart cannot deceive the Lord with even the most well crafted window dressing.

Now take a pause before you get ready to say, “Yeah, those hypocrites will get what they deserve.” Our your actions, thoughts always and completely motivated from a desire to give thanks and praise to the one who created and redeemed you.

No. You say, “Not always, but why always, why that standard?”

Jesus said, “Be perfect just as my Father in heaven is perfect.”

Jesus words that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven will shake some people to the core. Indeed if your house is built on a poor foundation you will be shaken when the storms of judgment come. The truth is that we need to hear this home inspectors words so that we do not fool ourselves into buying into the lie. The lies of this world and the devil are a dangerous foundation to be build on. For instance the ethics of sexuality is no longer built on the foundation of God’s Word but instead on a different tool of evaluation, “Does it feel good?” In this evaluation system there can be no outside truth, because who am I to tell someone else what feels good to them or not. I have no authority to tell another person whether their sexual identity as homosexual feels good to them or not. The authority that I have is not how it feels, the authority I stand upon is not my feelings but the truth of God’s Word, the truth that God established when he created us male and female.

Our foundation, our building, cannot be just about appearances but built on the foundation of God’s mercy. Our boasting is not in our own works. Our defense before the judgment seat of Christ is not our own words.

Instead of trying to rebuild our own rotten lives, consider trusting a professional who knows a little bit about carpentry. Jesus, the carpentry, may have built together tables and cabinets and homes, but the most important piece of construction he was a part of was placing two pieces of wood together. On Calvary, on that cross, Christ built a beautiful home for you to live in. It is a home built by the righteousness of his grace and mercy.

Jesus built this home of grace for you to find shelter from the storms of sin, death and the devil. His arms outstretched on the timbers of the cross provide the foundation for you.

Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” Then Jesus asked the more important question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered for the disciples saying, “You are the Christ the son of the living God.” Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

A house built on truth of Jesus Christ, is a house that has been proven. It has been proven to be able to stand against death itself. Three days after Jesus died on those two timbers of a cross, he emerged from the tomb alive. He showed that his house of mercy, frail, beaten, and crucified is much stronger than the stone cold darkness of death.

We are invited during the storms that fall around us to find peace in the safety of the house that Jesus Christ has built for you. This is a peace that we are commanded to share with others. Our God desires no one to be condemned but that all would come to the knowledge of the love of the Lord. The storms are fierce but there is safety in the house built on the rock of God’s mercy.

Soli Deo Gloria