Same Old Homework, 11/09/08

SERMON: “Same Old Homework”
Matthew 23:1-12
November 9, 2008 Dr. Dennis Ginoza

9 X 9 equals 81
9 X 9 equals 81
Honesty is the best policy.
Honesty is the best policy.
California became a state on September 9, 1850.
California became a state on September 9, 1850.
Exodus 20. Exodus 20.
That is where you will find the Ten Commandments.
Deuteronomy 5. Deuteronomy 5.
That’s where you will also find the Ten Commandments.
La puerta esta abierta.
La puerta esta abierta. ...The door is open.
Concord is the state capital of New Hampshire.
Concord is the state capital of New Hampshire.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Do it over and over and over again.
If you don’t remember, go back to it.
That’s how we learn and that’s how we grow.
Yes, it’s the SAME OLD HOMEWORK.

One Monday morning, a pastor in London got
on the morning trolley. He was heading back
to his study downtown. He paid his fare and
the trolley driver gave him too much change.
He counted his change eight times, ten times;
he rationalized and said to himself, “It’s wonderful
how God provides.” He was a little short that
week and now he had enough for lunch. As the
trolley moved along the tracks, he thought about
it and thought about it. Finally the trolley stopped,
the pastor got up, and said to the trolley driver,
“You made a mistake. You gave me too much
change.” The trolley driver said, “It was not a
mistake. I was in church last night when you
preached about honesty and I decided to put you
to a test.”

Here’s the point: Be true to yourself and be
true to God.


Jesus was hard on the Pharisees
because they made religion a burden.
Their religion was a religion of laws. It
was not based on mercy or charity. The
Pharisees loved to be in the best seats in
the house and they thought they were better
than the people. When religion is made
into a burden, Jesus teaches us, it is not true religion.

Jesus teaches us that the servant is greater than the
master. When you humble yourself, you
will be exalted. We are here to develop
our inner character. In each of us, there is
a godly side and there is also a gruff side. Christians
can be the best people in the world, but they can
also be not so nice. Remember I told you some time
ago, I always carry in my back pocket lots of patience
and forgiveness. It’s called the survival kit. Once
Dwayne Zimmerman, our former district superintendent
told us, he quit the ministry three times.

One day our son Aaron came home from high school and he
was upset. He said there was a bully who was putting
down another student. Aaron was a brown belt in
karate and he said, “I wanted to take that guy down.”
But he didn’t. I said to him, “I’m glad you didn’t
because that wouldn’t have been the end of it. Karate
taught him self-control and I told him, he did the
right thing.

Today we are in a crisis. It is an economic crisis. It is a
money crisis. Jesus said we cannot have two masters.
Is it going to be mammon or is going to be God? He
said we will either serve one or the other.
Did you all see the sign outside? Steve LeFevre put
up the words, “Huge Faith Bailout Inquire inside.’
We can choose the way of honesty or we can choose
deception. We can choose to serve ourselves or we
can choose to serve others. Jesus said there is only
one Father and on Teacher and one Messiah. He is
the Messiah.


Ted Engstrom gives us these thoughts:
The World Needs Men …(and I might add women)
who cannot be bought,
whose word is their bond;
who put character above wealth,
who possess opinions and a will;
who are larger than their vocations;
who do not hesitate to take chances;
who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;
who will be honest in small things as in great things;
who will make no compromise with wrong;
whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desire,
who will not say they do it, “because everybody else does it;”
who are true to their friends through good report and evil report,
in adversity as well as in prosperity;
who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning and hardheadedness
are the best qualities for winning success;
who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;
who say “no” with emphasis, although the rest of the world says, “yes.”

When Vince Lombardi became the coach of the Green Bay
Packers, the Packers had a losing record for eight years.
He called his players and said: “Everybody stop and
gather around.” He knelt down and he said, “Let’s
start from the beginning. This is a football. These are
the yard markers. I’m the coach. You are the players.”

James Dobson said, “Values are not taught. They are caught.”
Did you hear about the little boy who was traveling
on the train with his mother? In the days of the
trains (they were good days by the way) children five
or under are free. The mother told her son,
“Just tell them you are five.” The little boy frowned
then got on. The conductor came around and said,
“How old are you son?” “Ah, five.” said the boy. So
he didn’t have to pay. Two hours later the conductor
came around, rubbed the little boy’s hair and said,
“Well, how are you getting along?” “Fine!” said the
boy. The conductor said, “Let’s see, when you
gonna be six?” The boy says, “About the time I get
off this train I’ll be six.”

So when do we start teaching our children about values,
about faith, about God, about the teachings of Christ?


Right away. The day they are born.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the
Lord alone. You shall love the Lord with
all your heart and with all your soul, and
with all your might. Keep these that I am
commanding you today in your heart. Recite
them to your children and talk about them when
you are at home and when you are away, when
you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as
a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on
their foreheads, and write them on the doorposts
of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

Without mercy, without fairness, without faith,
without love, without Christ, and without God,
without charity—this world will collapse.

In the movie, Tender Mercies, a man and a woman get
married. They are opposites. He is an alcoholic
a bitter over his lost profession as a country music
singer. She is a widow whose first husband was killed
in Vietnam. She is tender hearted and never pressures
her husband. She waits patiently, graciously for her
husband to change and she trusts God to deal with him.
The story comes to a climax as her husband, deep in
depression, buys a bottle of liquor, gets into his pick-up
and peels off. His wife waits patiently in bed and reads
her Bible for encouragement. He comes home and says,
“I bought a bottle, but I poured it out. I didn’t drink
anything.” He goes back to do what he loves, write
his country music. God uses tender mercies to change
lives. In this movie, Tender Mercies,1983, Robert Duvall
won the Academy Award for best actor.

If you don’t change now, when will you change? If you don’t
give your life to Christ now, when will you give your life
to Christ? If you put your trust in God now, when will
you put your trust in God?

Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall
obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)
He is our Teacher and Lord!