Speeding Ticket

“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. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV). My good friend Ed Braswell sent the following joke to me some years ago. I have saved it and rereading it this week sparked a thought or two about how many people react to the truth that we are responsible for our actions. An older man was speeding down the road at 80 mph when he looked in his rearview mirror and saw a Texas Highway Patrol car coming with its lights flashing and siren blaring. Thinking he could outrun the trooper, the man speeded up to 100 mph. Suddenly, he realized his foolishness and pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. The trooper pulled up, walked up to the car and said, "Sir, my shift ends in 30 minutes and it's Friday. If you can give me a reason why you were speeding that I've never heard before, I'll let you go." The man looked at the trooper and said, "Last week my wife ran off with a State Trooper and I thought you were bringing her back." The trooper replied, "Have a nice day." I hope it brought a smile to you as it did to me. I also hope it began you thinking as it did me! Our reading this morning is set in the midst of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus had withdrawn from the vast crowds of people and focused His efforts on the disciples. Just prior to this statement Jesus used the illustration of a good tree. Simply stated: if you want good fruit, you’ve got to plant a good tree. Perhaps you’ve heard me talk about my peach trees. When we moved into our home in Middle Tennessee, I planted two peach trees and two apple trees. I have since added some figs trees, blueberry bushes, and wild raspberry vines. The peaches have done well. However, the apples didn’t make at all. One of the trees didn’t bloom and they couldn’t cross-pollinate. So, the diseased apple had to come out. I replaced it with another and hopefully next year will be better. I also planted some other trees in the front. I have an ornamental pear, some tulip poplars, and a red maple. The maple is the largest of the bunch. It has gone to nearly 20 feet now! But, it is not a peach tree! I planted it for the foliage it produces. Wouldn’t it be ridiculous for me to treat it the same way that I do the peach trees? Can you imagine how silly it would be for me to look for peaches on it each year? The nature of the tree is to produce foliage natural to that species. And, no excuse in the world will change the nature of the trees. So it is with our nature. Regardless of how many excuses we may offer our judgment will be based on whether we know Jesus. That’s what changes our nature. Our actions and words are not enough to save us without the transforming grace and power of Christ at work in our lives. We will not face the judgment and get a chance to “talk” our way out of the penalty of sin, no matter how original our excuse may be! Do you know Jesus? You can. Ask Him to give you a new nature today!