The Fifth Quarter

First Lesson: Deuteronomy 30: 15-20
Responsive Reading: Psalm 119: 1-8
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 3: 1-9
​Gospel Lesson: Matthew 5: 21-37

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Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
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The first season for the Atlanta Falcons was 1966[1].  For the majority of these fifty-one seasons, the Atlanta Falcons have not been a good football team.  The Falcons have made the playoffs only in about ¼ of their seasons in the NFL.  Last Sunday[2], The Falcons were playing in their second Super Bowl.  This year appeared to be the Falcons year leading at one point 28-3.  With 6:04 left in the third quarter of Sunday’s football game, the Falcons stood a 99.9 percent chance according to mathematical models of winning their first championship.  Five minutes left in the game the Falcons stood a 97 percent chance of winning according to these same mathematical models. The Falcons lose in overtime.  I understand tough losses as a Vikings fan, but Sunday’s game seems to be life’s definition of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Fifty-one years of waiting for a Super Bowl only to see your dreams crumble in mere moments.  Even though there are probably not many Atlanta Falcons fans in Northeast Minnesota, we can relate to their pain. 

I know of a guy who I’ll call Derek.  Derek lives in out-state Minnesota where it can be sometimes hard to meet single women.  Derek gets on the internet and meets a woman that I’ll call Tonya.  Tonya lives on the other side of the country from Derek.  Derek and Tonya start emailing each other back and forth.  After several months, Derek agrees to fly out to meet Tonya.  Derek confirms travel plans with Tonya.  These plans have Derek flying to a city that he’s never been to meet the supposed woman of his dreams.  Tonya is supposed to pick Derek up at the airport.  Derek’s flight arrives, he cannot find Tonya anywhere.  Derek keeps calling and calling, Tonya never answers.  Derek never hears back from Tonya ever again.  Derek proceeds to spend the next few days of his life alone in a foreign city reflecting on how he ever goes forward from this day.

You may have never experienced the joys of online dating, yet you’ve probably had similar moments where you long for nothing more than escape from within your life.  You’ve maybe longed for escape from the pain of a broken relationship, the loss of a job, or the death of a loved one. 

So our question for this morning is what we can take from the situations of the Atlanta Falcons, Derek, and within our lives as we consider the meaning of our Gospel lesson from Matthew 5[3].  It’s the third part of Jesus’ most famous sermon ever given in the Sermon on the Mount. 

Now a few weeks ago, I gave Andy Stanley’s description of the Sermon on the Mount when he said: “The Sermon on the Mount is Extreme!”  People, who claim to love the Sermon on the Mount, haven’t read the whole thing[4].”

Now, Jesus, today is at his most extreme as he discusses the nature of sin. 

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.  And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”-Matthew 5:21-22

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” –Matthew 5: 27-28. 

Now as Jesus’ audience is hearing these things.  They were probably reacting to these words like you do.  These words startle you.

Now the people hearing these things believed that they had kept the commandments since birth, they paid their taxes and kept peace with their neighbors.  

What Jesus is saying today is that sin is much deeper than just the individual rights or wrongs we commit. Sin gets to the very nature of our essence!

Some years back, Tom Cruise came out with a movie called Minority Report.  Minority Report paints a scary picture of the world where the Government doesn’t arrest people for crimes committed, but rather the Government arrests on their ability to read people’s minds for crimes that they will commit in the future. 
Picture the plot for Minority Report; now picture Sin is not even hitting your brother but daring to be angry at your brother for taking the last pork chop at your last family dinner.  You would constantly be in fear of God’s judgment at every corner. 

How do you move forward then?  Tony Robbins is one of the most popular self-help gurus in the country[5].  Robbins rose to fame by perfecting the act of walking on fire at seminars.  Robbins would later incorporate additional bold actions such as skydiving and board breaking into his presentations to help motivate people to overcome their pasts. 

Tony Robbins whole shtick is making you the best version of yourself that you can be.  Robbins would seem to be the perfect cure for Jesus’ harsh words about the reality of suffering and sin given on the Sermon on the Mount.  Tony Robbins like Jesus is very direct when it comes to what’s wrong with people[6].  Also like Jesus, Robbins names people’s struggles does not condemn them and promises a way of hope moving forward. 

Tony Robbins could be one of the best preachers in the country.  Here’s the problem with Tony Robbins.  His words are encouraging you to unleash your limitless potential run until you into a brick wall.  When you’re the Atlanta Falcons and you blow a sure victory in the biggest game of your life, when your Derek blown off at a far-away airport, or when you’re in a crowd of Jesus’ followers hearing how you’re just as guilty as a murderer for hating your brother. 

People like Robbins can sometimes remove suffering momentarily, yet a lot of things can remove suffering momentarily.  What Jesus is getting at Today is something is much more wrong with the world than just our moments of suffering.  Suffering will only be gone from the world when Sin is ultimately gone from the world[7]. 

Bill Walker describes Robbins best when he says:[8] “Robbins says we are loved because we are good — or at least have the capacity to be. Jesus Christ says that we are loved because he is good, even when we are not. And based on what I know about myself, a message about his goodness is better news than one about my potential.”

On the other side of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday were the New England Patriots (The Now Five-Time Champions).  The Patriots are defined by their Quarterback Tom Brady who seemingly has it all.  Five Super Bowl trophies now the most of any quarterback ever, he’s married to a supermodel, he never seems to age, he’s got a bank account with numbers in it that those of us in this room can only imagine.  You listen to Tony Robbins; you might believe the best type of Christian would be the religious equivalent of Tom Brady.  You know the type of man/woman that has been blessed with good looks, smarts, charm, and self-discipline beyond what any of us sense ourselves to be.  The type of person who would never blow a 28-3 lead or get stood up at an airport. 

Jesus’ point with his dramatic language in the Sermon on the Mount for Today seems to be this: There is no such thing as the Christian equivalent of Tom Brady. Each of us will continually fall short in this life, no self-improvement schemes will be able to free you from suffering in this world, yet we still have a Gospel in which to cling.

Former Swedish Lutheran Bishop described the best types of Christians as such as those who “look towards their own hearts with all its sluggishness and wretchedness, the more they come to love their Savior and be struck with wonder that the grace does not run out, that their Lord never tires to forgive, that He is not ashamed to call great sinners brothers, sisters, friends and coworkers.”

A lot of people do not like the New England Patriots, just like people a generation before didn’t like the New York Yankees, and a generation before they might not have liked the LA Lakers.  The reason for this is because their life experience is so different from our own.  There are no promises that Silver Bay is going to get an influx of Brazilian models or Super Bowl winning Quarterbacks moving to town anytime soon.
We do have promises though to guide us even if they might not seem obvious at the moment of our despair. 

Let me tell you a story from when I was in college.  The Vikings were playing the New York Giants in a road game to go to the Super Bowl.  One of my best friends was named Nate.  Nate was talking up the Vikings the whole week of the game.  Nate would tell everyone who would listen that the Vikings were finally going to win the Super Bowl.  We have a party with some friends over at Concordia.  Game starts. A little over 2 minutes into the game, the Vikings are down 14-0.  Nate isn’t saying a word.  Halftime and the Vikings, are down 34-0.  Pretty soon everyone leaves including Nate.  Nate the next day proclaims that he’s done with the Vikings because they’re choke artists.  Let’s be thankful our God is not fickle like Nate!
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”- Deuteronomy 31:6  

Ole and Lena were celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary[9]. 

Lena asks Ole “Why don’t you tell me you love me anymore?”

Ole looks flabbergasted at the question.  Ole finally replies “I told you fifty years ago that I loved you, and if that ever changes, I’ll let you know.”

The point of our passage from the Sermon on the Mount is this.  The way of the world is often lined with suffering.  Anyone who waited fifty-one years to see the Atlanta Falcons win can confirm this.  Life is not merely four quarters, and we have promises more certain that the one given by Ole to Lena on their wedding day some fifty years before.  Our God doesn’t promise us merely by our surface level success.  Our God even gives a sermon where he speaks to our anger, and disappointment beyond what we would even be willing to admit to others.  Our God promises to be with the Atlanta Falcons both in victory and defeat, in both the pain of the present and the fifth quarter which is to come.  Amen


[1] “Atlanta Falcons”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 8.Feb.2017. Web. 9. Feb.2017. 
[2] Barnwell, Bill. “Anatomy of a miracle. How the Patriots came back from the dead.” ESPN. 6. Feb.2017. Web. Feb.7.2017. 
[3] Matthew 5:21-37. 
[4] The following lines come from a You Tube clip posted by Shawn Nelson on May, 23rd 2014.  The following clip comes from Stanley’s 2011 “Shocking Statements of Jesus: Sermon Series- Part 5”. Previous reference given in Fritz and Frank sermon delivered on January 29th, 2017. 
[5] Walker, Bill. “Learning about the Gospel from Self-Help, AA, and Tony Robbins.” MBIRD(Mockingbird Ministries). 07.Feb.2017.Web.  Feb.7.2017. 
[6] Walker, Bill. “Learning about the Gospel from Self-Help, AA, and Tony Robbins.”
[7] Walker, Bill. “Learning about the Gospel from Self-Help, AA, and Tony Robbins.”
[8] Walker, Bill. “Learning about the Gospel from Self-Help, AA, and Tony Robbins.”
[9] Molin, Steve. “Power of a Promise.” Sermon Writer. 2006. Web. Feb.7.2017.