The Sermon On The Mount

Loving Your Enemies

2010-05-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

A fantastic and detailed commentary on the command "Love Your Enemies" placed in the context of the Sermon on the Mount, is found here:

http://loveyourenemy.wordpress.com/

There's a lot there, but I highly recommend the teacher, William Higgins, who is my friend and is an excellent exegete and church historian.

Sermon on the Mount: A New Translation (SKV)

2008-04-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

Introduction: Those who are blessed by God
How fortunate are the depressed because they will rule God’s kingdom!
How fortunate are the sorrowful, because God will cheer them up.
How fortunate are the lowly, because God will give them the earth.
How fortunate are those who desperately desire justice, because they will get just what they want.
How fortunate are those who act in compassion, for God will be compassionate to them.
How fortunate are those single-minded on God, for they will see Him.
How fortunate are the creators of peaceful communities, for God will make them rulers.
How fortunate are the sufferers for righteousness, because they will rule God’s kingdom!

*How fortunate you are when your enemies verbally abuse you and do and speak evil against you because you follow me. When that happens, you are like the prophets of the past who suffered for their message they received from God. Even as they are now rewarded by God, so will you be. So when you are persecuted for me, be happy about what you will receive—jump up and down in joy and praise God!

*You are essential for the world. But if you lose the basic qualities that make you important, you cannot regain them. You will be useless, cast out of God’s kingdom and trampled.

*You are God’s glory and truth in the world. You are the kingdom of God to come, and you cannot be hidden. Nor should you be hidden—God’s glory should be displayed, not hidden. So display the true righteousness of God before everyone, so that people will see your acts of God and so glorify the Father.

Part A: The Law of God
Some think that I am setting aside the Old Testament, especially Moses’ law—but I have not come to do that. Rather, I have come to complete the Old Testament. Pay attention, here: even the least bit of Moses’ law will stand written, until every minor part of it is done as it stands written. Therefore, whoever is lax with Moses’ law and teaches others to do the same—they may enter the coming kingdom, but they will be unimportant there. But whoever emphasizes obedience in their own lives and in others’, they will be called great in God’s kingdom. Unless you have a better righteousness than today’s Bible teachers, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

1. Murder and Hate
You’ve heard the teaching, how Moses told the ancients, “Don’t murder.” Some tell you that God judges just those who are guilty of murder. But I command you that every person who is hostile to others is going to be judged by God. In the kingdom, the one who insults another will be condemned by the Supreme Court. And the insulter will be punished by hell.

If you wish to make an offering to God and remember that you have wronged someone, then don’t finish making your offering. Making everyone else wait, first go and make it right with the one you wronged—then go to God.

You are going to God with all of these around you. Whomever you have wronged will accuse you before God. And for your debt to them, God will put you under the authority of Satan and Satan will put you in judgment. And you will not be released until you have repaid your debt, even the smallest bit.

2. Adultery and Purity
You’ve heard the teaching, “Just don’t commit adultery.” But I say to you that if you even look at the opposite sex with desire to possess, then you have already intended to commit adultery, and so you will be judged by God.

If your good eye is what is encouraging you to fall from devotion to God, pluck it out and throw it away. It is to your benefit to lose even a part of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown away into hell. If your good hand is what is encouraging you to fall from devotion to God, chop it off and throw it away. It is to your benefit that you lose even a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown away into hell.

3. Divorce and Remarriage
You’ve heard it taught, “If you want to divorce your wife, just give her a written notice of the fact.” But I command you that if you divorce your spouse you are causing them to be unfaithful to your marital covenant—unless they have already been unfaithful. This means that if you marry a divorcee, you are committing adultery.

4. Keeping Promises
Again, you have heard it taught that Moses said, “Don’t break your oath.” They teach you, “As long as you invoke God, you need to keep your promise.” But I say to you, invoke nothing in your promises— not heaven nor earth nor Jerusalem. If you invoke any of them, you are ultimately invoking God— for heaven is God’s throne, the earth is God’s footstool and Jerusalem is God’s city. You might as well not invoke your head, either—it is God who determines what happens to your head. You don’t have the power to make a hair of it either white or black. Instead of invoking anything, just make a promise and keep it. Or don’t make a promise. But if you do anything else, you are an evil person, associated with Satan.

5. Submitting to Evil Authorities
Some teach, “Whoever harms one’s eye must have his eye harmed, and whoever harms one’s tooth must have his tooth harmed.” But I command you, do not resist an evil authority. As an authority wrongly slaps you, give him an opportunity to slap you again. As a creditor takes you to court to collect what he can, give him an opportunity to take more than you can afford. As a soldier conscripts you a legal amount, offer him more than the legal amount. If an authority demands something from you—give it to them. And if they insist on “borrowing” from you, let them have it.

6. Love Your Enemies
You have been taught that Moses said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I command you to love your enemies and to pray blessings on those who harm you. Do this so you will be like your Father in heaven, and so you will be his children and so inherit his kingdom. God grants sunshine and rain to everyone without exclusion—no matter they are good or evil, righteous or unrighteous. God rewards only the righteous—but if you love only those who love you, how are you more righteous than any evildoer? If you offer blessings only to those you like, how are you more righteous than any pagan? So if you want God’s reward, then love without exclusion, even as the Father does.

Part B: God’s Purity
Don’t do your religious deeds openly so that you would gain something from others, or else you will not gain any blessing from your Father in heaven.

1. Giving To The Poor
When you give to the poor, don’t let it be known with a megaphone, as some pretenders do in churches and benevolence centers so that people would say how great they are. Listen here, they’ve already got their pay. As for you, keep your giving even a secret from yourself— hide it, if you can. For God sees every hidden thing and will pay you back according to what he sees.

2. Prayer
When you pray, don’t be like the pretenders who make a show of praying in the churches and on street corners so people would notice their prayers. Listen to me, they have already got everything they asked for. But as for you, pray in the room with no windows, shut the door and pray to your Father, whom no one sees. But God, he will see you in hiding and give to you accordingly.

Also, don’t go on and on in prayer, like people who don’t believe—they think God hears them because of their speech. Your Father knows your need before you even ask, so don’t be like those who get carried away with long prayers.

This is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven
Your reputation is smeared—make your name holy!
This world is corrupt—make your kingdom come!
Make your desire be accomplished on earth, even as it is truly accomplished in heaven!
Give us everything we need this day to survive.
Cancel our debt to you, as we will cancel the debts others owe us.
Don’t bring us into situations that test our faith in You
But take us out of the realm of evil.
If you wipe away people’s sins, your Father will fully accept you. But if you do not fully accept others, your Father will not wipe away your sins.

3. Fasting
When you fast before God, don’t be a sad sack like the pretenders—they put on an unhappy face so people would notice their fasting. Listen to me, they’ve already got everything they’re fasting for. As for you, act in your fast as you normally would—put on normal clothes and do your normal hygiene. No one will notice your fast except your Father in heaven, who is unseen. God will see your hidden act and give to you accordingly.

Part C: Wealth and Possessions
Don’t collect important stuff on earth for your personal use. All stuff on earth breaks down, wears out, is destroyed or is stolen. Instead, if you give to the poor, God will keep the important stuff for you in heaven. There, your stuff never breaks down, wears out, gets destroyed or is stolen. Build up your savings account in heaven—for where you keep your stuff, that’s where your true self is kept.
Your eye is like a window. What you do with your eye shows who you are. If your eye is open, generously sharing, then your body is enlightened. If your eye is shaded with covetousness—desiring to have what others have—then your whole self is darkened, spiritually dead. Thus if your “enlightenment” is pure darkness, you are completely blind.

No one can truly have two gods he is committed to. In the end, every man will display his love for one god by consistently serving him and he will display his contempt for the other by neglecting service for him. You cannot commit yourself to both the Father God and the god of Wealth.

You might be concerned because surrendering what we have to the poor seems like economic suicide. And not storing up for the future seems like irresponsibility. But listen to me—Don’t bother about your livelihood. Don’t worry about what you will eat or drink or wear. Your life, as a whole, is more than what you stuff in your mouth, isn’t it? And isn’t a living body more than having clothes to wear?
Study the birds. Do they go to stores, work to make money, or savings accounts? No, they rely on the Father in heaven to feed them—and somehow they get fed.

Doesn’t God consider you more important than them? And tell me, which one of you increased your quality or quantity of life by being anxious about tomorrow’s food? And clothes—why bother about being concerned about them? Study wild flowers. You see how they spring up? They don’t haunt retail shops or have closets full of clothes, but even the richest woman in Beverly Hills isn’t clothed as beautifully as these. So if God provides clothes for flowers that pop up one day and are mowed down the next, surely he will provide for the mustard-seed-faith troupe.

So stop worrying! Stop saying “How can you ask this of us? How can we provide for ourselves? How can we survive?” You are talking like unbelievers—those who don’t know that God provides for them. Your Father knows what you need already. Focus instead on God’s kingdom and accomplishing God’s righteousness, and your boss—the Father—will provide all these basics for you. So stop being concerned about the future. It is enough to be concerned about today’s trouble, and let the future go.

Part D: Christian Leadership
Don’t condemn others, or else you will be condemned by God. With whatever kind of judgement you judge, that’s how God will judge you—either with mercy or with harshness. With whatever kind of measuring stick you use, that’s how you will be measured as well.

You so easily point out the inconsistencies of your fellow Christian, but neglect the major sins you perform before God. You note the speck of dust in another’s eye, but neglect the two by four that is stuck in your own. There you go to your friend—“We’ve got to get rid of this speck of dust in your eye”, meanwhile, you’re hitting him with your two by four! Stop pretending you have no problems! If you get rid of your two by four, then you’d be able to see. And then you can help your friend get rid of his speck.

Don’t offer the Holy Spirit to those after worldly gain, nor to those who are impure. Your gift will be destroyed by them and then they will attempt to tear you down.

But if you ask, then God will grant you what you need. If you seek the Lord, you will find what you need. If you knock on his door, he will welcome you into the kingdom. For everyone who asks him will receive from Him. Whoever seeks God will find Him. And whoever knocks on his door, it will be opened.

You fathers out there, if your kids ask you for a sandwich, you wouldn’t give them a rock and say, “Here, eat this” would you? If they ask you for a hamburger, you wouldn’t put them in a bullring with a red cape, would you? Look, you guys may not be the best people in the world, but at least you know how to give your kids what they need. Don’t you think that your Father in heaven will give the good things you need when you ask for it?

Part E: Mercy and Your Future
Always consider what others need. Consider, “What is the best I want for myself—how do I want people to treat me?”. Then turn around and give to others exactly what you thought of. If you do this, you will ultimately obey the Word of God.
Look for the unpopular routes to heaven. There are many ways that everyone likes in seeking God’s favor—but they lead to your destruction. Sure, they’re popular, but they are also deadly. But the way to God’s blessing and life is so difficult that few will accept it.

Even so, there are teachers that look great, and are so charismatic, but they are false teachers, leading you away from God. They may look like well-groomed sheepdogs, but in reality they are wolves, seeking to fill their stomachs, not care for the sheep.

How will you know the difference between a guard dog and a wolf? By their actions. How do you know if you’ve got an apple tree? If there are any apples on it. If there are peaches on it, it ain’t an apple tree. Even so, a good teacher does good things, but a false teacher does evil things. If an apple tree only bears rotten fruit, then you know there’s a problem with the tree. Even so, every teacher who does evil things is taken away from God's people and is judged. So you will know who are the good and bad teachers by what they do.
On the last day, there will be many who call me “Lord”, but not all of them will enter God’s kingdom. Only the one who does God’s will has the opportunity to enter. Many will get my attention on the final day and say, “My Lord, didn’t I teach your word? And I prayed for people, and they were healed! And I was able to give them spiritual healing!” And I will make my final decision: “I never knew you. Get lost—you aren’t entering God’s kingdom. You are those who did what was evil in God’s sight.”

Conclusion: Obeying Jesus
Here’s my final story: Whoever has heard my teaching—from “How fortunate are the poor” to here—and puts these teachings into practice, they are the fortunate ones. These doers of the word are like a builder who establishes a level, solid, concrete foundation for his house. Floods came, earthquakes came, wind storms came—but nothing could destroy that building, because it was built not just on good theory, but good practice. However, there are many who have heard my teaching and then thinks, “Interesting ideas…” but never accomplishes any of it. That person is like the builder who has gone to school, read all the books, and then said, “Forget it, I’m building my house my way.” So he decides sand is cheaper than concrete and who needs to go through all the effort for it to be level? And he builds his house. Let me tell you, the next flood, the next earthquake, the next wind storm—whatever disaster is next on the grid—and that house will fall so hard, you’d need a microscope to find the pieces. This isn’t just another sermon—it is your life and death. Please pay attention and do as I have said.

The Sermon on the Mount-- Matthew 5-7

2007-04-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

This post is a commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' most significant teaching in the book of Matthew. The Sermon on the Mount is a reversion of the law of God as given by Moses-- more streamlined, more accurate and applicable to everyone who has God's Spirit. If we live by this teaching of Jesus, then we will be in line to enter God's kingdom, and in the best place to live in God's Spirit now.

But there are many who say that the Sermon isn't for Christians today-- if you think that, please read the last bit, Matthew 7:25-27. Jesus there says that those who hear the sermon but refuse to obey it will be judged on the last day. He repeats this in Matthew 12:46-50. Please don't be fooled by those who think the Sermon is for those in the past. It is for today, for today's people. Let us live it out and place our hope on Jesus, our King and Lawgiver.

Steve Kimes
Pastor of Anawim Christian Community

Who Are The People of God? Matthew 5:3-10

2007-04-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

We can look around at the different religions and the many different kinds of Christianity and we can wonder, who among all of these different kinds of religious people does God really care for? Some religions are strict, others are lax; some are private and personal, while others are public and in-your-face; some are meditative, others are ethical, while others are very social. And each one of them has their own ideas of what makes up the people of God and who really belongs.
Of all the people in the world, Jesus is one of the few who we can trust to really know what God prefers. Jesus lived among his people and taught and healed—but more importantly, God gave his stamp of approval on his life and teaching beyond anyone else, because God raised him from the dead. No other religious teacher or prophet or theologian could claim that. So rather than delving into theology or religious doctrine, let’s just look at what Jesus said about the subject.

The Beatitudes—Matthew 5:3-10
The Beatitudes are Jesus’ blueprint for God’s people. He didn’t come up with it himself—although he packaged it. Most of this teaching comes from the Hebrew Bible (which is usually today called the Old Testament). It is called “the beatitudes” today because each statement speaks about a blessing that the people of God will receive. “Beatitude” comes from a Latin word which means “state of bliss”. And these statements explain who will receive a state of blessing or fortune from God. Before we explain it, though, let’s hear what Jesus has to say about God’s people for himself:

The poor in spirit are fortunate because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Those who grieve are fortunate, because they will be cheered. The meek are fortunate, because they will inherit the earth. Those hungry and thirsty for justice are fortunate, because they will eat their fill. The merciful are fortunate, because they will be granted mercy. The clean in heart are fortunate, because they will see God. The peacemakers are fortunate, because they will be called 'sons of God.' Those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness are fortunate, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Who are these people?
The first thing we want to look at are the characteristics of God’s people. Jesus statements about these characteristics can be divided in two: a. Situational characteristics and b. Ethical characteristics.

The Anawim of God
Some of the characteristics of God’s people relate to the awful situations they find themselves in:
· The poor in spirit (oppressed, especially economically),
· The grieving (remorseful about the situations they find themselves in),
· The meek (lowly, disenfranchised or outcast),
· Those hungering and thirsting for justice (greatly desiring right to prevail in their lives)
· And the persecuted (rejected or spoken ill of).

This isn’t exactly a top-ten of things that we want to be! These characteristics can be summarized in one Hebrew word—anawim. The Bible speaks much of the anawim, because they are the kinds of people God focuses on, and desires to help more than anyone else. (Read Exodus 22:21-24; Psalm 37:11 and Psalm 34:6.) That’s because they have no one else but God to turn to. No power on earth will pay attention to them, because most people would prefer to pretend that they didn’t even exist. Some of the anawim in our society are the homeless, the mentally ill, the elderly, the chronically sick and all the various others who are socially outcast. These are the poor, the lowly, the outcast—and they are God’s people. If a person thinks that they are of God or His people, but have never experienced this kind of rejection by society, then they are not, in reality of God’s true people.

The Loving of God
However, one cannot just be rejected or poor and be of God’s people. Many teachers and theologians today will teach that Jesus said that everyone who is poor or outcast represents him. But that simply isn’t true. Jesus said that those of his “brothers” who are needy are his people. And Jesus said that his brothers would “do the will of my Father in heaven”. In other words, they listened to and obeyed God. But what kind of obedience is Jesus talking about? Not drinking on a Friday night? Studying the Bible every day? Standing on a street corner yelling, “You’re going to hell” to everyone you see? Hmmm… let’s see what Jesus says:
· The merciful (those who do good to everyone in need without exception);
· The clean in heart (those who do what is right because they have a mind focused on God, and not because of superficial reasons)
· The peacemakers (those who do good to their enemies, who refuse to judge on appearances and who gather people to be devoted to God);
· And the persecuted for righteousness’ sake (those who are rejected because they were doing the good God said to do).

These are the people who keep two things on their main agenda: They are devoted to God first and foremost, not allowing anything else in their lives to get in the way of their love of God. Second, they are doing everything they can to benefit other people, no matter who they are. This makes sense, because Jesus said that these two things are to be the focus of everyone who lives for God (Matthew 22:35-40). They love God and they love other people. And sometimes they get burned because of it. Sometimes they are rejected or even physically hurt because of it. But they know it’s worth it.

How can it be worth it?
It doesn’t seem worth it. Jesus is saying that God’s people are those who are so focused on devotion to God and assisting others that they get hurt by it. It just doesn’t seem right. But it really is—in fact, it is a weird sense of justice that indicates that these are God’s people and not others. Just look at what God’s people get:
· Theirs is the kingdom of heaven (God lets them rule His coming nation!)
· They will be cheered (God gives them happiness!)
· They will inherit the earth (God gives them land and city to be in charge of!)
· They will eat their fill (God will give them true justice—forever!)
· They will receive mercy (God will overlook their faults and meet their needs!)
· They will see God (God will let them be in his presence!)
· They will be called sons of God (God will call them his own!)

All wrapped up, these are the blessings of God that almost everyone wants. It is peace, security, true spirituality, all of one’s needs met, a peaceful society to live in. It is winning the real lottery—obtaining true happiness that you could never get with cash.
So why do these people get it, and not others? Because only God is offering it, and only those who are truly devoted to God and His ways will get it. And how can anyone know that we were really devoted—and not just faking it? How can anyone know that we really cared about other people and weren’t just faking it? Because we acted in love even though we were living in hard times. We stayed right with God, even though we suffered for it. We continued to help others, even though people thought we were wrong to do it. We suffered and loved at the same time.

How fortunate are the oppressed because they will rule God’s kingdom!
How fortunate are the sorrowful, because God will cheer them up.
How fortunate are the lowly, because God will give them the earth.
How fortunate are those who desperately desire justice, because they will get just what they want.

How fortunate are those who act in compassion, for God will be compassionate to them.
How fortunate are those single-minded on God, for they will see Him.
How fortunate are the creators of peaceful communities, for God will make them rulers.
How fortunate are the sufferers for righteousness, because they will rule God’s kingdom!

Character and Conflict-- Matthew 5:11-16

2007-04-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

Jesus already spoke about his unique vision of the character of the true people of God in the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, called the Beatitudes. However, Jesus’ vision really is unique—in fact, it is disagreed with by most religious leaders that have ever lived, including most Christian ones! Jesus really did know who God really desires to help, because Jesus is the only one to hear it directly from the Father. He has the full vision of God, while all other prophets and religious teachers only have a part of God’s plan.
Most teachers say that God’s people are righteous—but they think that God’s people just need to follow a particular code or list of rules to be God’s people. Jesus is saying that rules aren’t the heart of God’s people. Rather God’s people are interested in being merciful to other people and in having a motivation to be right before God in everything they do—whether their list of rules is long or short. Most religious teachers say that wealth and a good life are signs of God’s blessing. Jesus says that those who are oppressed and poor and looking to God to help them out of the trouble they find themselves in—these are the ones who will truly be blessed by God.
Jesus’ teaching is strange to most people, and most people will strongly disagree with it. This makes it difficult for those following what Jesus truly says. If everyone says that to be a good Christian you just need to pray a prayer, what does that mean for those who follow Jesus’ words to be merciful and clean in heart? If everyone says that to be a good Christian, everything will be going well in your life, what does that mean for those who listen to Jesus’ words about oppression and persecution?
After the Beatitudes, Jesus gives us some additional words of encouragement to remain in the character of God’s people. He gives three teachings, all of which are reflections on enduring in God’s character, although the world tells you something differently.

1. Act Like A Lottery Winner—Matthew 5:11-12
You are fortunate when they disparage you and persecute and speak all kinds of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and show gladness, because your reward is much in heaven, for even so did they persecute the prophets who were before you.
Jesus tells us that it makes sense that we will be spoken ill of, especially by people who hold to their own views about religion or how life should be lived. They will say, “Don’t allow yourself to be oppressed—you need to agree with us and to do what we do.” And if you don’t—in other words, if you stick with Jesus in opposition to their points of view—then people will say terrible things about you—even lies and horrible slander. This is normal, Jesus says. More than normal, it is a cause of great joy!
How can this be? Normal people don’t get lied about, slandered, hated and then have a party about it. That just doesn’t make sense. Jesus tells us to remember the prophets of God. They were speaking the truth of God and have been honored by God’s people for countless generations. However, they were rejected and hated and slandered about by the generation they spoke to. They weren’t liked at all! But what happened to them? They received great reward from God. God gave them much more after their life in His presence than they could possibly expect on earth.
This means that the prophets, although they were despised on earth, were actually like secret lottery winners. No, they haven't collected their prize yet, but they had the ticket. The ticket to winning the lottery, Jesus says, is living a merciful, godly life and being persecuted for it. So if you’ve got the ticket—act like it! Be happy, jump up and down, sing praises to God, have a party! Sure, people will think you’re nuts—“No, I don’t think I want to go to your ‘Persecution Party’”—but since you know the secret, you might as well enjoy it (Acts 5:41).

2. Don’t be like Marlon Brando—Matthew 5:13
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt is foolish, with what will it be made salty? It is capable for nothing except as an outcast to be trampled on by men.

In Jesus’ day, salt was used for a number of things—just like today. We use salt for seasoning food, for snow covered sidewalks, for liquid absorption and much more. Jesus wasn’t using the image of salt to speak of it’s use, rather he was using salt because of it’s ability to still look like salt, but not to be useful anymore. Salt can lose its “salty” character, and so it is no longer useful to anyone for anything.
Even so, Jesus says, can God’s people lose their basic character. We have to remember that the basic character of God’s people is to have our hearts focused on God, to be merciful and to be oppressed because of our stand to follow Jesus. But in a world—especially a church—that is telling us that God’s people are NOT like that, it is easy to focus on what other people say are the characteristics of God. But if we lose focus, if we lose track of what Jesus says is most important—mercy, devotion and being persecuted—then we are like salt that is no longer useful. We will no longer be God’s people. We will only be fit to be thrown out of God’s kingdom.
Jesus is telling us not to be like Marlon Brando. Marlon Brando was famous as a character actor. In front of the camera, he was a new person, a different character than he really was. However, when he lived his real life, he was something completely different. Marlon Brando was a consummate actor—able to believably be what he was not. Jesus is saying that we are to constantly be the people of God—and that means acting like it all the time. We must always be merciful. We must always have devotion to God. And we must not shrink from or be depressed by persecution. We must embrace the characteristics of God’s people, and be glad that we are who God made us to be, and never be anything else.

3. Show off like a sports star
You are the light of the world. A city being set on a mountain is not able to be hidden. And nor is a lamp burned and placed under a container, but upon a lampstand and to shine everywhere in the house. Thus, shine your light before men, so that they can see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
When we are God’s people—the real ones, not the fake ones that the world is filled with—we often want to shrink back and hide. We don’t want people to see our true character, because they might think we are stupid (or worse, they might tell us so). We’d rather show people that we are normal, in other words, just like them. If people saw that we were constantly, 100 percent devoted to God in all things—they’d think we were fanatics. If people saw that we were always being merciful, they’d think that we were soft-hearted or easy to take advantage of. If people saw that we were pleased to receive persecution, they might use it as an excuse to abuse us. If people saw that we were seeking God for justice, they might think that we were idiots or lazy.
And so we are tempted to go undercover with our true character. To hide the true character of God’s people with something that is more acceptable. Jesus, however, tells us to do just the opposite—we need to show off! The work that we do, the character that we’ve become isn’t our own decision, but it is God’s work. If it is God’s work, then we shouldn’t hide it! Instead, we need to display God’s work as often as possible.
First of all, Jesus says, God’s character in your life CANNOT be hidden. If you put a city on a mountain—that can’t be hidden. Even so, Jesus says, that’s what God’s people are like. They are like the sun in the sky—try as you like, you can’t hide it’s presence. (I Timothy 5:25)
But also, Jesus says, God’s character in us SHOULDN’T be hidden. A lamp is made to shine the light. Even so, God’s people are placed on earth to display God’s light. Does Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods hide in closets because they don’t want to be boastful about their abilities? Absolutely not! They show it to as many people as possible! Even so, we are to show God’s work.
This doesn’t mean that we are to show off how much we pray or whatever to impress people (Matthew 6:1-2). Rather, we show our devotion and especially the persecution we suffer to show God’s glory. Perhaps people won’t be impressed with us. Perhaps they will find us disgusting. But that’s just shows who are in God’s people and who aren’t.

Don’t be ashamed of being what God made you to be: Devoted to Him.

Jesus and the Law-- Matthew 5:18-20

2007-04-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

Did Jesus embrace the Law of Moses?
Did Jesus support Moses, or was he Moses’ worst enemy? Did Jesus fully accept all of the law of Moses, or did he reject every command? And why even bring it up? Well, it is important. If someone comes up to you and insists that you not do any activity on the Sabbath (however he interprets that), then you need to know what Jesus thought of Moses’ command of the Sabbath. If you are struggling whether as a Christian how seriously you should take the food laws of Moses, you should know something about this subject.

Why is Jesus bringing up this subject?
In the context Jesus was speaking—the Sermon on the Mount to a large group of Jews in the midst of Israel—it seems that the answer would be simple. Of course he supports the Law! That’s what everyone would expect. So why even bring up the subject? First of all, Jesus brought it up because people around him questioned him about it. They asked, “Are you getting rid of the Old Testament?” So Jesus felt that he should answer the question.
So why did they bring it up? Because there were many times that Jesus sounded as if he was opposing the commands of the Old Testament. Sometimes it seemed as if Jesus was going to throw the whole thing away and start again. And many Christians throughout the years thought he was doing just that. Not only that, but the next section Jesus was going to discuss is full of many statements that sounds like he is contradicting the Old Testament. The section is called the Six Antitheses, where Jesus quotes the Old Testament, and then he makes a statement that seems to contradict the verse.
So which is it? Does Jesus support the Old Testament, or oppose it? Let’s read what he says:

Some think that I am setting aside the Old Testament, especially Moses’ law—but I have not come to do that. Rather, I have come to complete the Old Testament. Pay attention, here: even the least bit of Moses’ law will stand written, until every minor part of it is done as it stands written. Therefore, whoever is lax with Moses’ law and teaches others to do the same—they may enter the coming kingdom, but they will be unimportant there. But whoever emphasizes obedience in their own lives and in others’, they will be called great in God’s kingdom. Unless you have a better righteousness than today’s Bible teachers, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus’ general view of Moses’ law
Generally, Jesus is very affirming of the Old Testament, especially Moses’ law. Jesus says that Moses’ law will remain and it will be authoritative until the end of the age, when God’s kingdom will come. Not only that, but Jesus affirms the teaching of the whole law. The true teachers teach the whole Old Testament, Jesus said, leaving nothing out, even the least significant command. It seems as if Jesus fully supported the law.

How did Jesus fulfill the law of Moses?
Jesus thought so highly of Moses’ law, that he claimed that he would complete or fulfill it to the utmost extent. But what did Jesus actually mean by that? He meant three things:

a. Jesus would obey the Mosaic Law to the full extent
Jesus was a fully observant Jew, and never disobeyed the law of Moses. No Jew could accuse him of sin, which was determined by the law of Moses—not even his enemies (John 8:46). Jesus obeyed the law better than Moses or David did. Not only did Jesus obey the law that was written down to the letter, but he obeyed the Greater Law that stood behind the Mosaic Law.

b. Jesus would fulfill the paradigms that were only partially fulfilled in the Mosaic Law
All throughout the books of Moses, as well as the rest of the Hebrew Bible, there were many examples of God’s people, but all of them failed in some way. Moses and David were murderers, Aaron participated in idolatry, Abraham was a deceiver and Jacob was greedy. The children of Israel failed God’s law again and again. However, Jesus took Moses’ and David’s place, as well as the nation of Israel as a whole, and he fulfilled all of their roles perfectly, without any fault before God. Thus, Jesus fulfilled every role the Hebrew Bible presents—he was an obedient deliverer, a just judge, a devoted mediator, and a holy nation who endured through testing. Many of the Scriptures that Jesus was fulfilling were not prophecies at all, but simply stories that needed to be completed (see Matthew 2:15 and Hosea 11:1-2).

c. Jesus would fulfill the prophecies that are stated in the Hebrew Bible
Jesus stated many times that the Scripture would be fulfilled in him (for example, Matthew 26:31, 54). By this, he meant that there were many things in the Hebrew Scriptures that God says would happen. However, they had not occurred yet. Jesus said that he himself would be the focus of the completion of these promises.

Did Jesus contradict Moses?
Many people have trouble with Jesus saying, “Whoever is lax with Moses’ law will be least in God’s kingdom.” This is because they see Jesus opposing Moses in many places in his teaching: Concerning divorce, about how to treat one’s enemies, whether Gentiles can enter God’s kingdom, and in many other areas Jesus on the surface seems to be contradicting Moses. Does this mean that Jesus’ himself would be least in God’s kingdom? Looking closer, however, Jesus does not oppose the Torah in any way. Often Jesus is seen as doing away with Sabbath and cleansing laws of Moses’ law, but he is not doing so. At times he is prioritizing them, so that if they are in conflict, it can be seen which laws should be obeyed in a certain context. At times he is adjusting them, to make them be interpreted in light of compassion and justice. And at times he is heightening them, so they are to be interpreted in light of God’s higher laws. But never does he just say that this law has no place; nor does he set aside any command. To look at this closer, see the tract: “Did Jesus Oppose the Law?”

Does this mean that we need to place a railing on our roofs? (Deuteronomy 22:8)
Jesus is supporting the law to such a degree, does he then expect us to live it out? Should we start wearing God’s word on our forehead and stop eating bacon? Not necessarily. We need to remember that Jesus is speaking to his fellow Jews, not Gentiles. There are two cases in Matthew that he spoke to Gentiles and spoke of his demands. His demand for them was not to follow Moses, but to have faith (Matthew 8:5-13; 15:21-28) At first, Jesus sent his disciples to Israel alone, but when he sent them finally to the Gentiles, they were to teach Jesus’ commands, not Moses’. (Matthew 10:1, 5-6; 28:19-20). We were not born under the law, so if we do not obey it, we are not disobeying it, because we were never submitted to it. However, in proclaiming Jesus as Lord, we are submitting ourselves to Him—so we need to obey Jesus even as the Jews obeyed Moses (only better).

The higher righteousness
Finally, Jesus points out that simple obedience to Moses’ law isn’t good enough. After all, the Pharisees and Sadducees were trying very much to obey Moses’ law—and yet they still failed. Why is this? Because they were focusing on some specific laws, such as tithing and sabbath-keeping, but not on the laws that would cause one not to be judged by God. Moses’ law isn’t enough—we need to obey the Higher Law.
In order to assist us to be fully acceptable and obedient to God, Jesus taught us how to follow the law by which God will judge us on the final day. This higher law is: The one who is faithful to God will receive reward from God; The one who is merciful to others will receive mercy from God; The one who is lowered by others will be raised by God; Whatever one repents of will not be held against them. These laws do not replace the law of Moses, but they adequately explain how anyone could obey any law and be right before God. This could be another way in which Jesus fulfills the law: by teaching the true obedience of it.
This is the law that Jesus is going to explain to his disciples through the next sermon on the mount. This is the law God demands obedience of. This is the law that will cause us to have life. It is simpler than Moses’ law, but, in the end, much more difficult to do. We need God’s help for obedience.

Moses’ law is good and holy—
Jesus’ law is the pure law of God

Six Antitheses-- Matthew 5:21-48

2007-04-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

The largest distinct section of the Sermon on the Mount is Matthew 5:21-48. This is also called the “six antitheses” because Jesus makes six quotations or paraphrases of commands of Moses in the Bible, and then he says, “But I say” and makes a similar but stronger statement. These antitheses—or oppositional statements—form the outline of this section, with other passages that relate to Jesus’ commands added to them.

What Jesus is teaching about the law
The hardest thing to understand about what Jesus is saying here, is that it looks like he is just flat contradicting God’s word in the Law. He is saying, “Moses said one thing, but I am saying another.” This is especially hard to understand because Jesus just said that he did not come to set aside the Law. But if we look at each statement closely, we will notice that Jesus isn’t denying anything that Moses says. He quotes Moses, or a paraphrase of Moses, and rather than denying that it isn’t true, he makes a statement that could be taken in addition to Moses. In other words, it is like he is saying, “What Moses said is right, but it isn’t enough. Let me fill it out some more.” So Jesus isn’t denying Moses, but actually making broader applications of Moses that wouldn’t be understood in a literal reading of the Law. Jesus is interpreting the Law, not contradicting it.

Jesus’ and other’s interpretations of Moses
Why is Jesus interpreting Moses? Isn’t God’s word complete in itself? Obviously, Jesus feels that there is something inadequate in how God’s word is expressed, because Jesus—God’s Son—needs to finish it out. But why? Because there were teachers who were taking important points of God’s word and interpreting it wrongly. Jesus knew what God desired because he experienced in heaven God’s will. And though Moses’ law is an expression of God’s will, it is being interpreted wrongly. The interpretations Jesus primarily attacks in the six antitheses are those which limit personal responsibility. Jesus is mostly contradicting the attitude of, “I can follow God and still do what I want.” People who make excuses, who minimize the impact of God’s word in their lives. Anyone who comes to God’s word and still remain the same person, Jesus says, does not truly want to submit to God.
Now let’s look at each antitheses. We will see what interpretation Jesus was contradicting, and we will also look at his interpretation:

1. You have heard that it was said to the ancients, “You shall not murder and whoever murders will be guilty to judgment.” But I say to you that everyone who is angry against his brother is guilty to judgment. Whoever says to his brother, “Raka” will be guilty to the Sanhedrin. Whoever says, “Idiot” will be guilty to the hell of fire.
Moses’ law—“Do not murder.”
Some taught it meant—“As long as you don’t murder, you can express other kinds of hatred.”
Jesus said—“Anyone who expresses even the smallest amount of hatred will be condemned by God.”

2. You have heard that it was said, “Do not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with covetousness for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Moses’ law—“Do not have sex with someone not your spouse.”
Some taught it meant—“As long as you don’t have sexual intercourse, you can express your desire in other ways.”
Jesus said—“Even the smallest expression of your illicit desire indicates that you are an adulterer.”

3. And it was said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a divorce notice.” But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on grounds of sexual unfaithfulness, makes her commit adultery and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Moses’ law—“If you divorce, give your spouse a divorce notice.”
Some taught it meant—“You can get divorced for any reason.”
Jesus said—“Unless your spouse has already broken faith in the marriage, the one who enforces the divorce is the one who breaks faith in the marriage.”

4. Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, “Do not break an oath, but you shall pay back to the Lord your oaths.” But I command you, do not swear at all—either by heaven (for it is God’s throne), or by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King, Nor swear by your head for you are not able to make one hair while or black. But let your word be, “yes, yes; no, no.” But whatever more than this is of the evil one.
Moses’ law—“Make all oaths in Yahweh’s name.”
Some taught it meant—“Any oath made in someone else’s name, apart from God’s, need not be kept.”
Jesus said—“Every promise made is before God. Keep it or lose your integrity and be a liar like Satan.”

5. You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you do not resist an evil person.
Moses’ Law—“Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, life for life.”
Some taught it meant—“Any authority who steals from me or oppresses me, I can rebel against.”
Jesus said—“Do good to those who oppress you.”

6. You have heard that it was said, “You will love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and he sends rain upon the righteous and the unrighteous.
Moses’ Law—“Love your neighbor. Do not do good to nations who have hated you.”
Some taught it meant—“Destroy those who hate God. Express hatred to those who persecute you.”
Jesus said—“Do good to your enemies, for that is what God constantly does. If you act like God, you will be rewarded by God.”

Preparation for judgment
Since Jesus was just interpreting Moses’ law, does it mean anything to us, really? Absolutely. Jesus is not only telling us how Moses’ law is inadequate, he is also telling us what God expects of us. Jesus states clearly in the first antitheses the threat of judgement on the last day if we fail to obey God’s real commands—the commands that control our minds. And these commands do not change, whether we are submitted to Moses’ law or a law of any nation. We will not be judged according to Moses or the law of the U.S. congress. Rather, we will be judged by God’s law, the obedience of which is in one’s mind and desires.

The internal law
What are these laws? Jesus mentions a few of them here: Do not express hatred for another, but do good to everyone no matter what they did to you. Do nothing sexually immoral. Do not break any commitments you make. Do not rebel against any authority, even evil ones. These are not laws that we can just wake up one day and say, “Well, it’s illegal to do this, so I think I’ll just stop.” Rather, these are laws that must begin to be obeyed in our minds. Our thoughts are what determine what our small, seeming insignificant actions will be. Thus, we must depend on the Spirit of God to obey in this way. Without the Spirit, we cannot obey God.

Anger and Reconciliation-- Matthew 5:21-26

2007-04-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, we all have to admit it. People are jerks. Even the greatest people in the world—the most righteous or nicest people—do or say jerky things sometimes. And we just want to respond back. In kind. Oh, we can try to hold it in sometimes, and perhaps we’re successful (most of the time). But in our heads we are running a script that reads like a Don Rickles set. We are cutting them down, wittily tearing them apart. Or maybe, if we are the more physical type, we are thinking more than that. Perhaps we are clenching our fist to keep from punching someone out.
Anger is something we all need to deal with. All of us have anger, we just may deal with it in different ways. Jesus himself had anger and had to find ways to deal with it (Mark 3:5). God made us all with anger. But what are we to do with it? Jesus discusses that right now:

Anger and Hostility
You’ve heard the teaching, how Moses told the ancients, “Don’t murder.” Some tell you that God judges just those who are guilty of murder. But I command you that every person who is hostile to others is going to be judged by God. In the kingdom, the one who dishonors another will be condemned by the Supreme Court. And the insulter will be punished by hellfire.

Jesus’ teaching here seems pretty extreme. He is in agreement with Moses—Murder is a bad thing, and everyone who murders will be judged by God. But Jesus says that murder isn’t the limit of God’s judgement. In fact, if anyone gives another a display of anger, then they will be judged by God—even something as small as an insult. They will receive the same kind of judgement as a murderer—hell!
That doesn’t seem to make any sense. Why would God punish someone for insulting another—something almost all of us has done at one point or another—just the same as a murderer? The reason is that God isn’t actually punishing the act—he is punishing the attitude. It is the attitude that often accompanies anger that God is punishing—the intent to harm another person.
Not all anger is wrong, Scripture makes that clear (Ephesians 4:26), and Jesus—as well as other saints in the Bible—have had anger which was right before God. But most anger is anger in sin (James 1:19-20). The difference between righteous anger and sinful anger is this: the attitude of benefit or of harm to another. If anger causes you to act in harm to another, then you will be punished.
In Scripture, there are three types of harm that will be punished. If one does physical punishment with the intent to harm, it will be punished by God. If one dishonors another, especially in public, they will be punished by God. And if anyone refuses to help another in their need, they will be punished by God (I John 3:16-17).

The Need for Reconciliation
Of course, this doesn’t probably make us feel good about ourselves. Almost all of us have insulted someone or lashed out in anger against someone else—even if it was a small act. Does this mean there is no hope? No, in fact, Jesus tells us how to solve our problem before God:

If you wish to make an offering to God and remember that you have wronged someone, then don’t finish making your offering. Making everyone else wait, first go and make it right with the one you wronged—then go to God.
You are going to God with all of these around you. Whomever you have wronged will accuse you before God. And for your debt to them, God will put you under the authority of Satan and Satan will put you in judgment. And you will not be released until you have repaid your debt, even the smallest bit.

In this passage, Jesus is giving us two examples of us going before God. In the first, we are approaching God to worship Him and to take our request before Him. In the second, we are hoping to have a good hearing before God on judgment day. In both of these cases, we are assuming (or hoping) that God will accept us and help us. However, Jesus says, we need to be more careful when we approach God. You see, if there is someone whom we have wronged in some way who approaches God with a complaint against us, then we will not be received favorably. In fact, even in our time of prayer, we will be judged.
So what should we do? We should do what we should always do when we sin—we must repent. Repentance means different things with different sins, but for a sin of anger—acting in harm against another—then we need to reconcile. What does it mean to reconcile when we have harmed another? It means that we need to do everything we can to be at peace with the other person. Perhaps it will mean an apology. Perhaps it will mean redressing some wrong. But we need to do what we can to fix the situation. Only in the effort of making peace will we gain forgiveness.
This doesn’t mean that our forgiveness by God is dependant on someone forgiving us. Rather, it means that we need to address the problem. “In as much as you are able, be at peace with everyone,” Paul says (Romans 12:19). Beyond that, the Lord does not hold us liable if we are unable to make the other person forgive us.

A Process of Reconciliation
Of course, reconciliation isn’t easy, no matter how you look at it. After all, if we did something to harm another, they probably deserved it—at least a little. And they probably didn’t even think they did anything wrong! However, our object is not to make sure that the wrongs done against us are righted. Rather, we want to focus on getting our relationship with God right again. With that in mind—admitting that we could still be angry at the other person we harmed in our anger—we might want to go through the following steps in making reconciliation:
Pray to the Spirit for God’s love for the person you are angry with
Determine how you would act if you cared for them and their well-being
Act on that determination with prayer and devotion to God
Apologize for whatever you did wrong, even if they do not respond in a way that you find appropriate
Approach a mature, gentile brother or sister to help you deal with the situation
Make a list of the things you could do to keep peace between you and the person you are angry with. If you can’t think of anything, ask someone else what they think you could do.
Pray that the person would do his or her best to reconcile as well.
Talk to the person to express how they hurt you
Once you have done everything you can, let it go.

Be angry with actions to help the other, not harm them.
The solution to sinful anger is reconciliation.

Sexual Immorality-- Matthew 6:27-30

2007-04-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

What’s wrong with sex?
As soon as we start talking about “sexual immorality” we start getting guilt feelings. Either we feel guilty about sexual matters we’ve been involved in or what we’ve thought about that we wish no one to know. It’s a touchy subject, even though televisions, movies, magazines and even comic books bombard us with sex every chance they get. Publicly, we seem to be able to speak about sex at will, but in one-on-one conversation, we seem to have a difficult time talking about it, even with someone we are having sex with!
So what is the matter with us? Is there something wrong with sex? No, absolutely not. Sex was created by God, and he wants us to have sex. However, sex is also a private issue, in that a couple’s sexual practice shouldn’t really be discussed in public. Also, we recognize that sex is an action that is easy for us to misstep. Almost all of us have had sexual experiences that have been wrong—sin for us, possibly harming another, or we have been shamed about our sexual actions.
And there are so many ways to go wrong with sex. Our society obsesses about it, yet doesn’t want to talk openly and fairly about what is right and wrong with it. Jesus, of course, had no such limits. He spoke clearly and openly about what is right and wrong with sex.

You’ve heard the teaching, “Just don’t commit adultery.” But I say to you that if you even look at the opposite sex with desire to possess, then you have already intended to commit sexual immorality, and so you will be judged by God.

What is adultery?
Adultery is used specifically to talk about sexual involvement when one of the parties is already married to another person. It is cheating on your spouse or being involved with a married person. However, in Scripture, the term “sexual immorality” means more than just adultery. It includes incest, any kind of homosexual sex, bestiality, pre-marital sex and even sex with a woman who is on her monthly period. Sexual immorality not only tells us not to have sex outside of marriage, but it also tells us who God says we cannot marry.

Why is adultery so bad?
Adultery and sexual immorality are a problem because we are denying God. God created us sexually, so that we would love in a committed relationship with the opposite sex and have children. This is God’s plan, in general, for humanity’s sexuality. Surely people could reject that form of sexuality—people have almost from the beginning. But if we deny God’s plan for sexuality, then we are also rejecting a relationship with God. God considers adultery and sexual immorality to be an “abomination” a hateful practice. And God will not abide with those who so flout his desire.
Adultery and sexual immorality can sometimes hurt other people. To break a commitment because of sexual desire is a slap in the face. Sexual carelessness can destroy many lives with disease and apathy. But sexual immorality doesn’t hurt people every time. Sometimes it seems good for everyone involved. But it will always hurt your relationship with God. You become a practicer of abominations in God’s eyes. Your body is full of corruption. You could not possibly stand before God. Even your prayers become disgusting.

What is Chastity?
Jesus’ main point here has to do with the difference of enacting sexual immorality and the desire to do it. We all have some kind of sexual desires. We are all human. Jesus, in listening to the preachers of his day, heard them say, “Of course you will want her—just don’t have sex with her. But it’s okay to look, after all, we’re only human.” Jesus, however, says that any action—no matter how small—displays our action. Not only should we not have sex with the object of our desire, but even a look of desire is enough to display our sexual lust. To look with lust, or any other sexual action—flirting, masturbation, “heavy petting”—all of these display our sexual intent, even if we don’t go “all the way.” Jesus isn’t just interested in keeping our sexual organs pure—he wants us to be Chaste.
What is Chastity? It is an old-fashioned word for an idea that isn’t very popular anymore. It is keeping oneself sexually pure, not only in action, but in heart. For a single person, it is denying oneself sexually in any way. For a married person, it is keeping one’s sexual thoughts and actions on only one person—one’s spouse.

Tips To Maintain Chastity
With this discussion on sexual immorality, Jesus gives two tips to remain chaste:
If your good eye is what is encouraging you to fall from devotion to God, pluck it out and throw it away. It is to your benefit to lose even a part of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown away into hell. If your good hand is what is encouraging you to fall from devotion to God, chop it off and throw it away. It is to your benefit that you lose even a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown away into hell.

Flee Immorality
Sexual immorality is a sin, and it separates us from God. Therefore, we should stay away from anything that causes it in us. No matter what that thing is. Perhaps for one person it is pornography. Perhaps for another it is television. Perhaps for another it is dating. Perhaps for another it is the area of town where prostitutes hang out. Perhaps for another it is a relationship that always leads to sex or thinking about sex. Whatever the case, we need to maintain purity, in both body and mind. Whatever causes us to sin, Jesus recommends, we should cut it off.
Does this mean that we should be cutting off parts of our body? Perhaps even our sexual organs (God forbid!). No. Jesus says in another place that the source of our sin is not our body, but our mind (Matthew 15:18-20). But what is it that leads our mind? A picture? A place? A person? Whatever it is that leads our mind to sin, we need to be separated from it. We shouldn’t try to fight the sexual temptation—just run away from it. (I Corinthians 6:18)

Immorality is serious
The second tip Jesus gives us about remaining chaste is to remember what is the results of sexual immorality. Jesus doesn’t mince words here—sexual immorality leads to hell. If we persist in sexual immorality without repentance, then we will go to hell and our life will be an eternal death. We should remember what the consequences of our sin are, before we do it. Because afterward is too late. Once we’ve acted, we’ve acted.
We should always meditate on the eternal consequences of all that we do. If we remain chaste, we live with God. If we live in sexual immorality, we burn in hell. Let us take this word seriously. Jesus knows—he has passed through both heaven and hell and know what kind of people are in both.

Casual sex is death.
Let’s keep our minds pure.

Faithfulness-- Matthew 5:27-37

2007-04-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

To many people, commitment is a scary word. To commit is to determine not just what we do now, but what we do in the future—and who knows what will happen? So, for many it is better to just not commit, but to leave things ambiguous. Most of us, however, recognize that commitments are a part of life. Without a commitment, then who can trust you to do anything? So we make commitments all the time. We promise this or that. We get married. We sign contracts. We rent places and begin utilities. We take on jobs, even employees. Commitment is part of a full life, even if life is uncertain.
But for most people, making a commitment is not the same as keeping it. We can chose to default on a commitment, and it isn’t that big of a deal. Sure, we can promise to be somewhere and then just not show up. We can divorce our spouse because it “didn’t work out.” We can default on a contract and pay whatever penalty is required. We can fail our employers, not pay those who work for us. It happens everyday. No big deal, right? Well, it is for God.
Jesus is speaking of God’s righteousness, and He is saying that faithfulness—fulfilling one’s commitments—is essential to God. God looks at our behavior and determines how loving we are to others. And one of the major measuring sticks God used to determine our love for others is to see if we have fulfilled our commitments.

Commitment in Marriage
You’ve heard the teaching, “Just don’t commit adultery.” But I say to you that if you even look at the opposite sex with desire to possess, then you have already intended to commit adultery, and so you will be judged by God.
Jesus is serious about the marriage commitment. Just because you remain married to someone, doesn’t mean that you have kept your commitment to them. The commitment in marriage means that one remains sexually loyal to one’s spouse. This loyalty is not just faithfulness in one’s sexual practice, but even in one’s sexual thinking. God will judge us for our faithless thinking, as well as our faithless actions. How will we be judged? God will look at even the smallest actions and words to see if we remain faithful to our words. If we do not remain faithful, then we will be judged by God.
This kind of faithfulness is important not only in marriage, but in every commitment we make. If we make a commitment, we shouldn’t undermine the commitment in small ways, or in our words. We must be faithful to our promises in every way, and so be loving to others.

Commitment to not destroy another
You’ve heard it taught, “If you want to divorce your wife, just give her a written notice of the fact.” But I command you that if you divorce your spouse you are causing them to be unfaithful to your marital covenant—unless they have already been unfaithful. This means that if you marry a divorcee, you are committing adultery.
A person can be faithful sexually to one’s spouse, but still be faithless to the marriage. Of course, the main way one can break one’s commitment in marriage is to have a divorce. As divorce was allowed in Moses, Jesus didn’t necessarily have a problem with the act of the written divorce. However, Jesus did have a couple problems with divorce. First of all, a marriage is made by God, so how can a man break it (Matthew 19:6). But in this context, Jesus is pointing out another fact of divorce—that the one writing the divorce is damaging others. Jesus points out that the one divorced (not of their own will, nor did they already break the commitment of marriage by sexual unfaithfulness) has few options but to get married again—and that would cause them to be judged by God.
The first thing is that if we prove faithless in our promise to another, we cause them to be faithless as well. A divorcee will get married again, thus causing the sexual commitment to be broken. A default on a contract means that the other person, who was not defaulted, will have to default some area in their lives to make up for the first person’s default. Broken promises snowball—one leads to another, until it is an avalanche of faithlessness.
The main point of what Jesus is saying here, is that to break one’s commitment is to harm another—possibly to destroy them. When we remain faithful in our commitments, we are doing good to them, even if it proves difficult to us. In everything we do, Jesus says, we want to do what is best for others. And faithlessness is never best.

Keeping promises
Again, you have heard it taught that Moses said, “Don’t break your oath.” They teach you, “As long as you invoke God, you need to keep your promise.” But I say to you, invoke nothing in your promises— not heaven nor earth nor Jerusalem. If you invoke any of them, you are ultimately invoking God— for heaven is God’s throne, the earth is God’s footstool and Jerusalem is God’s city. You might as well not invoke your head, either—it is God who determines what happens to your head. You don’t have the power to make a hair of it either white or black. Instead of invoking anything, just make a promise and keep it. Or say you can’t do it. But if you do anything else, you are an evil person, associated with Satan.
In Jesus’ day, there were many people who invoked God when they made a promise. It was supposed to be a guarantee that they would keep the promise, or else God would judge them with a curse. But there were many who didn’t actually use God’s name—but they would use something that sounded like God’s name. Perhaps it was Jerusalem, or their own head. But, they would say, since they didn’t use God’s name, the oath wasn’t binding. Thus, they escaped the requirement of keeping a commitment.
Jesus, however, busts that whole mentality. He says that the promise is made, no matter what phrase accompanies it or whether no phrase at all accompanies it. Anyone who is interested in keeping right with God will not use shady language to make it unclear what their promises are. God’s people, Jesus says, makes clear promises and keeps them. Or they say they won’t promise something. But they are clear and they have integrity and honesty in speech, at all times.

The results of breaking commitments
Of course, all of us have broken promises at one time or another—whether intentionally or not. However, if we are characterized by breaking our commitments, Jesus says that three things will happen to us. First of all, we become associated with Satan, and we are in his camp. Satan is the father of lies, and those who break their commitments are in his moral territory, and so belong to him. Those who break commitments are judged by God, and so will receive no blessings from God. And, worst of all, those who break commitments will go to hell, eternal punishment.

How can we keep our promises?

1. Don’t make a promise unless you are sure
Sometimes it is easy to say “yes” and hard to say “no,” even if we can’t really do it. We need to slow down before making promises to make sure we can do it. Perhaps we can check with someone else before we make a commitment, to make sure we can really do it. But we should take care that we really can do what we say before we agree to it.

2. If we cannot keep a promise, let the one we made the promise to know ASAP
Sometimes we are unable to keep a promise. We need to do all we can so that we reduce this possibility to a minimum, but we need to recognize that sometimes things happen that could not be foreseen. But if that is the case, we need to let people know as soon as possible that we can’t keep our promise. Remember, if we fail in our promise, we are keeping others from being faithful to their promises as well. The sooner we let them know, the sooner they can find a way to keep their promises.

3. Don’t be faithless in our words or little deeds
If you make a promise, then keep it fully. Don’t complain about fulfilling the promise, or make hints that you might not keep it. Keep the promise not just with your actions, but with your words. And also, if you promise to do something, don’t do a half-fulfillment. If you promise to paint someone’s room, don’t finish half-done. Do this in every area of commitments—fulfill your commitment to the fullest of your ability, whether that be bills or a marriage or a contract. Be complete in your faithfulness.

4. Ask the Spirit for strength to keep our commitments
We are human, and we are limited. We need God’s help to keep our promises and commitments. We need God to give us His faithfulness so we can be faithful to others. If we need God’s help, we need to ask for God’s help. So let’s do that as often as we need to.

Keep commitments, no matter how small
In the biggest way possible

Divorce (A sidenote on Matthew 19:4-6)

2007-04-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

Half of the marriages in our society end in divorce. We decry this abuse of the marriage commitment, but the fact is that there are just as many divorces among believing Christians as there are among unbelievers. If marriage is sacred, it is so because Jesus made it so, yet the people of Jesus seem to be treating divorce with the same carelessness as unbelievers. This is a travesty—or is it? What did Jesus really say about divorce and remarriage? What if we were wrong about the evil of divorce? Well, let’s look at what Jesus says and make our own decisions:

“Don't you know your Bibles? God created humanity as a man and a woman and He said, ‘I made them two sexes so that a man would leave his parents and establish a new family and the two individuals would become one flesh.’ Clearly, then, God said that the two are not two, but one. Since God welded the two together, it would be an act of evil for a human to tear the two apart." Matthew 19:4-6

What is Marriage?
Before we understand what divorce is, we have to understand what Jesus says marriage is. Jesus points out that marriage was established at the time that God created men and women. Jesus says that God created men and women to be paired off, united together. A man is made to separate from his parents and to be united with a woman. Once they are united by their mutual commitment, then they are a new family—a unique entity, a separated unit from the families they came out of. So what is marriage? It is not just two individuals living together, seeing if they can handle it. It is not a government-processed document. It is a God-created unit, established by mutual commitment, sealed with a sexual union.

What is Divorce?
Given Jesus’ understanding of marriage, what does that mean divorce is? The idea behind divorce is that it is freeing. There was a commitment that was limiting two individuals, and now they are free from that commitment. There was a family, and now that family is dissolved. For those who initiate divorce, it is a positive thing, an act of freedom.
For Jesus, however, there is another component. The marriage, the mutual commitment, the unique family itself, was created by God. God didn’t just create the institution of marriage, but he creates each new family made up of his people. The two are united by God. And so a divorce isn’t a document of freedom, but of rebellion. A divorce isn’t just splitting a family, but it is spitting in God’s face. Divorce is saying to God, “Your creation means nothing to me. And I can break it any time I want.”

Personal Results of Divorce
"Moses didn't deny you divorce because of your rebellious stubbornness— but this was not God's plan in creation. Hear me— anyone who divorces his wife and marries another is unfaithful to his marriage commitment, unless the marriage was already broken by unfaithfulness.” Matthew 19:8-9
So what is the result of divorce? The first result of initiating a divorce is a break in one’s relationship with God. Divorce is an indication of one’s rebellion against God. God may be patient with rebellion, but he does not live with rebellion. Divorce is a sin, because it is denying God’s work and plan.
But Jesus says that divorce is even more serious than that. This is because a divorce is usually built on a lie. A written divorce implies that it is this piece of paper that has broken the marriage, and that the document itself dissolves the commitment. However, Jesus says that a piece of paper does no such thing. A divorce is like a grade-schooler telling his friend in anger, “You’re not my best friend anymore.” But just because it is said doesn’t make it so. Only when that child gains a new “best friend” is that initial friendship broken.
Even so, Jesus says that a marriage is not broken by a divorce. Rather, it is the commitment and sexual union with another that breaks that marriage. Thus, a divorce doesn’t actually “free” anyone, but it sets them up for a new level of sin. Not only does a divorce spit in the face of God’s creation, but it also makes one believe that one is free to be sexually committed to someone else. Which means that they are set up to participate in sexual sin, as well as rejection of God’s creation. Thus, one sin leads to another.

Relational Results of Divorce
“You’ve heard it taught, “If you want to divorce your wife, just give her a written notice of the fact.” But I command you that if you divorce your spouse you are causing them to be unfaithful to your marital covenant—unless they have already been unfaithful. This means that if you marry a divorcee, you are committing adultery.” Matthew 5:31-32
Jesus’ main point in the sermon on the mount, though is not what divorce means to the one initiating the divorce, but what the divorce means to others. Again, a divorce makes it seem as if one is free to be sexually committed to another person, but it isn’t true. The marriage commitment still exists. So if we initiate a divorce, then it may seem good to our spouse, or even necessary, for them to marry again, and so have a sexual commitment to someone else. But what does this mean? It means that the divorce encouraged both of the people in the new marriage to have committed adultery—to have committed a sexual sin before God. Not only has this act of rebellion broken one’s relation with God for oneself, but potentially for three people altogether. Jesus’ point here is that divorce harms others, not just oneself. Divorce is not a personal act of freedom—it is an act of destruction, of hatred against others.

Is Divorce Always Wrong?
Is divorce a consistent evil before God? Not necessarily. Again, a divorce is a document that communicates the dissolution of a family. While the divorce does not create that division, it may be used to legally establish that the family no longer exists. Divorce doesn’t break a marriage commitment, but sexual commitment to another does—this is also known as unfaithfulness or adultery. So one whose spouse has committed adultery has the right to initiate a divorce.
In Christ, however, we have to ask whether we want to take up that right. If our spouse has committed adultery once—or even more than once— and is deeply repentant, Jesus says that we must forgive them. This doesn’t mean just that we don’t hold bad feelings toward them—it means that we completely reconcile. This could also mean that we set aside the formality of divorce to see if we can re-establish the broken marriage.

Is Remarriage Always Wrong?
In the same way, Jesus does not ask us to look at each and every remarriage as evil. A remarriage that occurs when the old marriage is still intact is adultery. But if the old marriage has already been broken by adultery, then it is not evil. Once someone in a marriage has sexually committed to another outside of that marriage, the marriage is broken for both of them. The unit is dissolved, and it no longer exists. Thus, if the other former partner wants to remarry, it is acceptable, and it is not a sin in any way. It is the breaking of the marriage that is evil.

It’s Too Late!
But what about those who are already divorced and remarried? Are they in perpetual sin, without the possibility of forgiveness? What is to happen to them? First of all, God is more than ready to forgive those who sinned out of ignorance, if they would but confess and repent of their sin. If you have committed this kind of sin in the past, repent of it before God and God will wipe it off of your record. It will not be held against you.
Does this mean that the current marriage is a sinful one? Perhaps it started that way. But it is a new commitment, a new family, a new God-established unit. To break this commitment to return to an old one is throwing one sin on top of another. Once the marriage is broken, it is broken. Yes, it could be established again if another commitment is not made. But if you are in the midst of a sexual commitment, do not break it—it is established by God, just as the first one was.

Loving Enemies-- Matthew 5:38-48

2007-04-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

Jesus often surprises us. He will tell us things that shock us, amaze us and are sometimes downright unbelievable. The Sermon on the Mount is full of such shocks, but the two lessons Jesus gives us today are so shocking, so out of our experience, that we have to constantly learn them.
When we are dealing with those who do us wrong, there is a universal response—we’ve got to give back to them what they gave to us (and perhaps a little more, if we can get away with it). This is so normal, so natural, that all of us, even if we can imagine a different way, we reject it out of hand as “unjust” or “just impossible.” But Jesus’ commands are practical, if not easy.

Evil Authorities
Some teach, “Whoever harms another’s eye must have his eye harmed, and whoever harms another’s tooth must have his tooth harmed.” But I command you, do not resist an evil authority. As an authority wrongly slaps you, give him an opportunity to slap you again. As a creditor takes you to court to collect what he can, give him an opportunity to take more than you can afford. As a soldier conscripts you a legal amount, offer him more than the legal amount. If an authority demands something from you—give it to them. And if they insist on “borrowing” from you, let them have it.
Some people have the right to do bad things to us if they want. They are called authorities, and often these authorities use their authority in ways that are abusive to those under them. Authorities are parents, police, elected representatives, creditors, or anyone else that has the right to use force against others. How are we to respond to them—especially when we are the ones who are hurt? Some say that we should not accept evil authorities at all—just rebel against them, run away from them, fight them if we can. Others say that we should carefully plan to take away their authority, to have a revolution against them. Still others say we should fear them, and meekly obey them. And others say that we should resist their evil, but passively—not obeying, but not harming as well.
Jesus’ command—not just advice, mind you—is that we should follow none of these suggestions. We should submit to them, obey them, but not with meekness. Rather, we should boldly grant them the opportunity to do more evil to us than they have already done. WHAT?!?! is the shocked response. “This can’t be right! How could Jesus ask us to do this, it isn’t even humanly possible.”
Although it may be hard to believe, such a response to evil authority is actually a practical response, if you truly believe that God is in charge of the universe. God is the ultimate authority over all, and there is no authority that a human has that does not originally come from God. God desires that His authority be used for good purposes, not evil. This means that if He sees the authority he gave to others being used in evil ways—especially against the innocent—then He will step in and take that authority away. So Jesus’ suggestion is not meekness, but a very sneaky subversion.

Evil Neighbors
You have been taught that Moses said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I command you to love your enemies and to pray blessings on those who harm you. Do this so you will be like your Father in heaven, and so you will be his children and so inherit his kingdom. God grants sunshine and rain to everyone without exclusion—no matter they are good or evil, righteous or unrighteous. God rewards only the righteous—but if you love only those who love you, how are you more righteous than any evildoer? If you offer blessings only to those you like, how are you more righteous than any pagan? So if you want God’s reward, then love without exclusion, even as the Father does.

This is a very well-known statement by Jesus, “Love your enemies.” The basic idea behind this is that we should not do harm to anyone—no matter what they have done to us. And if they need help, we should help them, no matter what they have done to us. The basic idea is to love without exclusion, not separating any kind of person out of the requirement to love. We do this, so that we will be seen to be like God, and we would never be acting like Satan, who punishes those who do evil. However well known Jesus’ command is, it is rarely practiced, because of so many exclusions people put against this idea.
Some say, “We should love them in our hearts, but we should prosecute them according to the law if we can.” When Jesus says, “love” he means this in a very practical sense. As in all the Sermon on the Mount, for Jesus, our heart intent is shown by our actions, even the smallest of actions. If we harm another person to their detriment, we are not loving them, but hating them. If we ignore someone else, especially if they need help, then we are not loving them but hating them. The only way to love is to act for their benefit.
Some say, “We should love everyone, but if they harm our family or nation, we can attack them.” Jesus did not give any kind of exception here. If someone who is not a follower of Jesus attacks his enemy, that is only natural. Thus, if a secular nation attacks their enemy, that is their right, and some would say, their responsibility. But no one who is truly interested in following Jesus—in having Jesus as their lord, and obeying him as their master—will attack anyone in order to harm them.

How far should we take this?
Some say that Jesus taught non-violence. That is only partly true. It is a violent action to cut someone open with a knife in order to take out an inflamed appendix. However, it is to the patient’s benefit. Thus, some violent or dishonoring actions are okay, if it is for the benefit of the person. However, we must make sure that such an action is not ultimately harming the one receiving the action. For instance, a parent spanking a rebellious child is okay, but to do so in hostility is harmful for both the child and the parent. Again, the basis of all action is: What are the consequences of my action to others—is it for their benefit or detriment? If the latter, we should have nothing to do with it.
Some ask, “But what if my non-action harms another? What if my child is harmed because of my non-action to an assailant?” It is in this area that we need the wisdom of the Spirit, which we can have if only we ask. The Spirit of God alone can help us to find an action that will benefit both parties in a situation that human looks like only one would survive. It is the Spirit that teaches us how to love, in every situation. And there is always an opportunity to do good, even if our human limitations can see no good.

Why should we put up with this?
Ultimately, in our human revulsion against injustice, we ask, “Why would Jesus ask us to do this? Shouldn’t we make things right at the time we see the wrong?” On a purely human level, we could. And if we reacted on our natural human instinct, we would take matters in our own hands. So why shouldn’t we? Why is Jesus asking us to act in an inhuman way?

Two reasons:
a. If we react with an equal response every time a wrong is done, then no one is exempt, and we will all be harmed. Anger breeds anger, and violence breeds violence. It would only be time until we were back in the days of Noah, when violence became so extreme that God would have no choice but to wipe us all out. Jesus’ purpose is to create a people who will have nothing to do with the system of getting even and creating our own karma. It is only in this way God’s righteous will remain on earth.

b. If we refuse to do harm, but only act for the benefit of others, then if anyone does us harm, we are depending on God to protect us. To depend on God is to invite him on earth, to participate with us and to create his justice among us. God on earth is our ultimate goal—and it could only happen if we take chances with our well-being. If we depend on ourselves, then God will allow us to do so, and his action on earth will not be necessary. We need to do right, and so depend on God for His action.

How To Be Religious (And Mean It)-- Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18

2007-04-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

Doin’ the Religious Thing
Maybe it may not be as popular as it used to be, but lots of us are religious. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s okay to be religious—going to church, listening to religious music, talking about God—all of that is fine. Some people may not like it, but its all right. The real problem is to know HOW to be religious. Everyone is telling us to be religious in this way or that way, and we want to impress people, but we are also wondering what God really wants. Well, Jesus tells us just what God wants from religious folks:

Don’t do your religious deeds openly so that you would gain something from others, or else you will not gain any blessing from your Father in heaven.
When you give to the poor, don’t let it be known with a megaphone, as some pretenders do in churches and benevolence centers so that people would say how great they are. Listen here, they’ve already got their pay. As for you, keep your giving even a secret from yourself—God sees every hidden thing and will pay you back according to what he sees.
When you pray, don’t be like the pretenders who make a show of praying in the churches and on street corners so people would notice their prayers. Listen to me, they have already got everything they asked for. But as for you, pray in the room with no windows, shut the door and pray to your Father, whom no one sees. But God, he will see you in hiding and give to you accordingly.
When you fast before God, don’t be a sad sack like the pretenders—they put on an unhappy face so people would notice their fasting. Listen to me, they’ve already got everything they’re fasting for. As for you, act in your fast as you normally would—put on normal clothes and do your normal hygiene. No one will notice your fast except your Father in heaven, who is unseen. God will see your hidden act and give to you accordingly. Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

What are Religious Deeds?
Jesus is taking up the subject of “religious deeds” in this section. But what are they? They are anything we do that is religiously “cool”. Jesus specifically talks about giving to the poor, praying aloud and fasting. These are three religious deeds that were very popular in Jesus’ day—and they were all commanded by God. Today, we have many other kinds of churchy, God-liking things we enjoy—
· Taking communion
· Giving to the church
· Prayer
· Worship/praise
· Church service/volunteering
· Helping the needy
· Listening to Christian music (loudly)
These are all great things to do. But there is a right way to do them and a wrong way.

Who are the deeds for?
The real question Jesus deals with is who are we doing these things for? We could just be doing them because we enjoy them personally. But the issue Jesus is most concerned about is whether we are just doing these religious deeds because we want to impress people around us with how “religious” we are. Have you ever prayed out loud and thought to yourself how impressive your prayer must be to others around you? Have you ever sung loud in the service so others could hear how well you knew the song? Have you ever helped a person in need so someone else could see how good you were? These are all symptoms of “religionitis”—impressing others with how religious you are.
If we are impressing others with our religious deeds, then Jesus says that we have already received all that we get. In other words, any religious deed we do with the intent of impressing someone else—whether we are successful or not—all we get is the attempt at impressing others, but we get nothing from God. We can do what we do for others, but the one person who isn’t impressed is God.

Acting toward God
God is only interested in actions that are directed toward Him alone. If we pray, we should be praying for Him, not for our parents, not for those looking on, not for the person who asks “did you pray for me?” When we pray, the only one who counts is God. If we pray for anyone else other than God, then we might as well be praying to them. God won’t answer our prayers. He will only answer if we are praying to Him, for His sake alone.
This goes the same for all the other actions. If we are trying to impress others with how we praise God, God won’t receive the praise. If we are trying to show the government how much we gave to the poor to get something out of it, then we will not have given for God’s sake, but the governments. If we volunteer at church to get to know a cutie who also works at the church, we will get no credit for it from God.

Don’t limit your deeds
Of course, it doesn’t matter if we happen to impress others. Only if that is what we are trying to do. But, just to make sure, Jesus says, we need to practice some of our religious deeds in secret. This does not mean that everything we do for God must be hidden from every eye. First of all, it is impossible to do that. If the only religious deeds we could do are in secret, then it would severely limit what we could do. Jesus doesn’t want to limit what we do, but to focus our actions to where they do the most good. Second, Jesus himself told us to do some of these deeds with other people. Jesus told us to pray the Lord’s prayer together, in a group. Jesus himself did religious deeds in public, including prayer. So secrecy isn’t the issue all the time.

God is hidden
But secrecy is not a bad idea for much of your religious practice. Jesus said that God himself is hidden from view, so it is appropriate to do some of what we do for God hidden from view as well. When Jesus prayed at times he got up before anyone else did so he could pray by himself. Sometimes he sent the crowds away so he could pray or heal in private. Sometimes he preached to people privately instead of in front of huge crowds. Jesus wasn’t just about the crowds. Nor was he trying to impress anyone. He was just trying to do what God told him to do.
This should be the same with us. Our religious life should not be about trying to impress others. Why should we care what other’s think about us? It is only God who counts. In the end, we want God to be praised, not ourselves. It is God we want to serve, not ourselves. It is God we want to pray to, not others. It is God we do all our religious acts for. If that is the case, then let us make sure that we do it secretly—at least on occasion, when we can. In this way, God will hear us and he will reward us.

Why reward?
Some would say, “Why should we be doing religious deed for a reward? Isn’t it more pure to do it just out of loving God?” It’s fine if you want to serve God just because you love him. That’s great. But don’t think you are some kind of “super-Christian” because of it. Jesus recognizes that we want blessings from God. If we didn’t want the blessings of the Spirit, of joy, of peace, of forgiveness, of living with God for all eternity, then why would we bother with God at all? No, let’s be honest. We serve God because God will make our lives better. Jesus recognized that and approved of it. So let’s not be guilty because we want a blessing from God. God loves to give us His gifts, so let’s enjoy them.

Do everything for God’s glory

Our Father-- Matthew 6:9

2007-04-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

Foundations for Prayer
Jesus, in giving us the Lord’s prayer, isn’t just telling us what words to pray, but he is telling us the way God wants us to pray. Right at the beginning, Jesus makes a radical statement—that we are to begin our prayers with “our Father.” But what does this mean, what is he implying? There are two basic questions that need to be answered in understanding what Jesus means in teaching us to address God as “our Father”: What does “father” mean, and who are God’s children?

Which Father?
In the first century, when Jesus taught the Lord’s prayer, there were many people called “father.” Of course, there was one’s male parent, but also his grandparent or anyone else who was an ancestor. Also, the ruler of one’s nation or one’s ultimate authority was called “father”. What did Jesus mean?
First of all, of course, Jesus stated clearly that we are not praying to any earthly father, but to our Father in heaven. This is the Most High God, the king of the universe. (Matthew 23:9) But when we are praying to God as Father, what does that mean, apart from praying to Him as Lord or as God?
Concern—A father is concerned about his children, and so wants to meet their needs. He isn’t distant or have apathy, but he is always there, always ready to help if the need arises. This is different from a distant Lord or an uncaring God. Luke 11:11-13
Protection—A father cares about his children and so he protects them from harm. If anyone is attacking his children, he is always there to deliver them from that attack.
Provision—A father wants his children to have everything they need, so he provides them with food, clothing, warmth—everything they need. Luke 12:22-30
Teaching—A father not only is concerned about his children’s physical needs, but also their social and moral ones. He wants to make sure they know the right way to live and will provide them with what they need to live that life. Ephesians 6:4
Leadership—A father guides his children, sometimes with wisdom and sometimes with commands.
Discipline—A father allows his children to go through hardship at times, not to punish them, but to help them live the life that he wants them to live. Hebrews 12:5-7
Care—But ultimately, even if he disciplines or is training them and the situation the father places his children in seems difficult, he is constantly displaying his care to them, giving them his great love and compassion toward them. I Peter 5:7
Thus, when we call God “Father”, we are not praying to a distant god or an uncaring Lord—God is with us and in tune with what situations we are in and what we really need and is ready to give that to us (Matthew 6:8, 31-33)

Which Children?
Everyone wants to recognize themselves as God’s children. And, in a sense, every human on earth is a child of God. We have all been created by God, and God provides food for all of us. God loves us all and has given us all his Son to die for us. However, does this really mean anything to us, really? After all, God loves every human, even Adolf Hitler and the man who spits on the ground at every mention of God’s name. Are we really equal children of God with these?
Jesus distinguishes those whom God loves generally from those whom God desires to grant great blessings upon. The kingdom of God and all the blessings that come with it are not for everyone, but only for some whom Jesus called “sons of God.” Who are these children, who will receive all that God has to give them?
Relationship with God—These children are those who seek God to have a relationship with Him. They do not just passively accept God’s blessings, but thank God, praise Him and act out of their love for God. Mark 10:28-30
Dependence—These children are openly dependant on God and will sometimes refuse the easy way in order to have a better relationship with God. When they refuse the easy way, they are dependant on God for his provision—taking the chance that if God does not provide, they are in trouble. Luke 18:1-8
Trust—These children trust God for his provision, asking him for what they need and relying on him to provide it to them. They know that God rewards those who love him and wait on his reward in His time. Matthew 6:31-33; Hebrews 11:6
Obedience—These children listen to God and do what he says because they know their Father cares for them and will not command them to do something that is harmful to them. Matthew 7:21; 12:50
Likeness—These children not only do what God says, but they even act like God in some ways. They love everyone as God does and they refuse to have anything to do with evil as God does. John 8:39-44; Matthew 5:9
Thus the children that cry “our Father” are not just the run of the mill children of God—they are God’s chosen, God’s people and kingdom in Jesus.

OUR Father
One last thing needs to be pointed out. When Jesus told us to call God “Father”, he told us to recognize that the Father is not just “mine”—as if a relationship with God is just between two people. Rather, Jesus told us to pray “OUR Father”—we are a part of a community of children, not just an only child trying to figure out our relationship with our parent on a solitary basis. We are not independent individuals—we are a part of a community. This means that we need to act like it. We need to be with people who are our Father’s children, pray with them and depend on them, even as we are all dependant on our Father.

Hallowed Name-- Matthew 6:10

2007-04-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

What does “hallowed” mean?
Millions of people have prayed the Lord’s prayer, but not really understood what it meant. One of the most confused phrase is the text translated in almost all English Bibles: “Hallowed by thy name.” The difficulty with this translation is that many people are confused. The worst is the word “hallowed”. Is it talking about praise, or honor? Not exactly. It comes from the English word “holy”, and it means “to make pure, to separate out”. So the phrase actually means, “Father, please make your name holy” or “Sanctify your name.”

Isn’t God’s name already holy?
God himself is holy. He is the Most High above all powers and gods and no one can compare with Him. He cannot sin and is pure in all he does. God’s angelic servants are constantly repeating “Holy, holy holy” of God to speak of his unending holiness. But in this prayer we are not speaking of God himself, who cannot ever be unholy. Rather, we are talking about his reputation.
If we tear down someone’s “name” we are not talking about the word by which they are called. Rather, we are speaking of their reputation, or the honor with which they are held by others. So if someone’s name is dirtied, we mean that people are talking trash about that person, that his reputation is dishonored. This is what Jesus is talking about here. He is borrowing a phrase from Ezekiel 36, where God said that his people had made his name “unholy”, or, torn down his reputation, because of their sin.
So, to paraphrase our prayer, we would better be saying, “God, give your reputation honor again.” This is very similar to another prayer Jesus prayed, “Father, glorify your name.” (John 12:28). Again, it is a request for God’s reputation to be world-wide and positive.

How did God’s name become unholy?
“Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity. Therefore I poured out My wrath on them for the blood which they had shed on the land, because they had defiled it with their idols. Also I scattered them among the nations and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According to their ways and their deeds I judged them. When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name.'” Ezekiel 36:17-20
In Ezekiel 36 and in Jesus’ teaching it is clear that God’s reputation was dishonored because of the actions of his own people. The actions of God’s people were in opposition to God’s commands. And so they became hypocrites. When God’s people are sinful and hateful, then those who are looking from the outside think that there must be something wrong with God. And when God has to punish his people, then others think that God wasn’t strong enough to save them from His own punishment.
When some who claim to be God’s people do things that destroy God’s reputation, they are actually breaking the third command of ten—“Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” (Exodus 20:7). Those who do not have the lifestyle of God’s people—that of a holy people (Leviticus 11:44; I Peter 1:15-16)—, but they take the name of God, they are using God’s name in a way that destroys God’s holiness. And God will not accept a people that tears down his holy reputation.
So God’s reputation is torn down because those who don’t know about God look at the inadequacies of those who claim to be God’s people and so decide that God is less than he really is. We see this today when we hear statements like “The church is full of hypocrites” and “Christianity is evil, look at all the violence it caused,” and “God can’t even take care of his own, why should I trust Him?”

What are we specifically praying for?
We want this situation to reverse. Rather than having God’s reputation be torn down, we want God to be honored by all peoples, whether they worship him or not. We are praying that everyone on the whole earth would honor God for who He is—the holy, merciful, all powerful, loving God of Jesus Christ. This will be done by the gospel being spread throughout the earth (Matthew 24:14).
But it also relates to God’s people, just as the dishonoring of God’s reputation related to his people. First of all, we are asking that God’s people who are acting as hypocrites would be judged. There will be a separating between the obedient and the hypocrite in God’s people—God is giving us the opportunity to do it ourselves, or else He will come and do it for us (Matthew 13:37-43; I Corinthians 5:12-13). Secondly, we are praying that God would give his people the ability to live for Him through his Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Third, we are asking that God would forgive His people their sins and give them a second chance to be pure and holy (Ezekiel 36:25). And lastly, we are asking that God would restore good fortune to his purged, purified, forgiven people.
In the end, in praying “Hallowed be your name” we are asking for Jesus’ ministry to be completed among his people. Jesus himself separated the hypocrite from the pure in heart. Jesus himself gave his people the Holy Spirit to purify and empower his people. Jesus himself forgave the sins of the lost. And Jesus himself healed the sick and desolate who were once rejected and punished because of their sin. Jesus was in the business of sanctifying God’s name.

However, Jesus’ people seem to have forgotten Jesus’ task, despite praying the prayer daily. They are no longer concerned with making God’s name holy among the peoples. They welcome the hypocrites and turn away repentant sinners. They ignore the Spirit’s power to be holy and loving, preferring to see the Spirit as a super-power pill, or to just avoid Him altogether. They want to restore people’s fortunes through the world, rather than the power of God. They are ignoring that God’s reputation is being torn down, and they are avoiding the self judgment that they are the ones causing the destruction of God’s name to happen.

When we pray “Hallowed by thy name”, let us be asking God to act like God’s people—holy and righteous.

Kingdom Come-- Matthew 6:10

2007-04-23T14:08:00.000-07:00

In the Lord’s Prayer, the second request is to ask for God’s kingdom to come. We may think we know what it means, but on closer examination it requires more effort—what is a kingdom? Does God really have one? If so, where is it? And how can a kingdom move? If it can’t move, how can it “come”? Let’s explore some of these questions:

Doesn’t God rule everywhere?
Jesus commands us to ask God for God’s kingdom to come. Fundamentally, this is asking God to rule. But for those of you already familiar with the Bible, you probably know that it says that God already rules over all the earth—over the whole universe! This is true. (Psalm 97:9) But does God actually get to do all he wants to do with the earth? No. That’s because he handed the rule of the earth off to someone else—humanity.
Right from the beginning of creation God promised humanity the rule of the earth (Psalm 8). But humanity hasn’t done with the earth what God wanted—they made the rules themselves instead of listening to God. So we chose our own rulers—and we chose Death and Satan (Genesis 3; Hebrews 2:14). And so God’s rule was thwarted on earth, and the whole planet is ruled by rebels to God. Which would be okay, I guess, if they had humanity’s and the earth’s best interest at heart. But they don’t.

What is God’s kingdom?
So that’s our situation. We are on a planet stuck with bad rulers. And these bad rulers created the mess that we live in everyday (Romans 5:14). So what else is new, you might say. Well, the new thing is that God hasn’t given up on us. He is interested in changing this situation. God will get rid of the lousy rulers and put his perfect ruler in charge who is interested in helping everyone, not just himself—Jesus Christ (Daniel 2:44; Revelation 5:9-12). God will deal with all the bad people and the mess that we live in and just get rid of it (Psalm 37:11-12). God will give benefits to the humble who trust in Him in the midst of this perpetual crisis (Matthew 5:3-10). And He will make everything new—turn it all upside down and inside out (Isaiah 65:17-24). God is going to establish a new reality out of this chaotic, evil jungle. And that change, that utopia is called the Kingdom of God.
That’s right. So when we are praying for Kingdom Come, we are praying for this mess humanity has created to be re-made new—something good in God’s imagining. But we need to recognize that Jesus is telling us to pray for this. He isn’t telling us to create democracies to make this kingdom come. He isn’t telling us to enact tough love to make the kingdom come. He isn’t telling us to build a lot of churches to make the kingdom come. He is telling us to pray. Why? Because the kingdom won’t come by our effort, but only when God is ready for it to happen. God’s kingdom is God’s work, and our main participation in that work is through prayer. (Psalm 146:3-10)

God’s kingdom—Today
So if we were looking for God’s kingdom, how would we recognize it? Does God have an embassy that we can visit or a website? Well, yes and no. First of all, we recognize God’s kingdom because it looks like what Jesus talked about. Jesus said that God’s kingdom would be helping the poor (Luke 12:33). That it would be forgiving people who don’t deserve it simply because they repent (Luke 17:3-4). That it would be filled with people who live according to God’s righteous standard (Matthew 12:50). That it would be characterized by healings and words directly from God (Mark 16:16-17). That it would be loving and merciful (John 13:34-35). It is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
“Hey,” some people say, “that sounds like the church.” Well, I would offer a corrective to that. It sounds like how the church is supposed to be, but it is in only a few places. That is why we are asking for God’s kingdom to come. It isn’t here yet. It has started, and it’s growing but it is still pretty small compared to the amount of people who claim to be a part of God’s kingdom.
So how can we participate in God’s kingdom? Two ways—first of all, we willingly submit to Jesus, the leader of God’s kingdom. If we commit ourselves to Him, then he will help us to be a part of the solution, not the problem (Acts 2:35). Secondly, we need to receive the Spirit of God from Jesus (John 14:26). The Spirit is the only one who can help us live out the ideal. Thus, when we pray “Your kingdom come” we are really praying, “God put your Spirit in my life so I am a part of that kingdom now.”

God’s kingdom—Coming
As great as this community of God’s Spirit is, it is still not complete. God’s kingdom will not be completed until God is completely in charge of the whole earth. Sure, ruling over a bunch of outcasts is great, but it’s not what God really is looking for. He wants all that is owed to him—the whole thing.
And God has that in his plans. His plan is to have every single human being—both living and dead—recognize that Jesus’ is the only true ruler over the earth under the Father (Philippians 2:10-11). And this can only take place with a cataclysmic event—the destruction of the current world order. God will set aside all the rulers of the world and establish his own ruler (Revelation 19:1-16). Then the dead will have to be raised, and every human being will bow to Jesus as the Lord over the earth (Matthew 25:31-32). Then Jesus will choose those who were most merciful and humble and righteous before God and will establish them as rulers with him (I Peter 5:6).
This great event hasn’t happened yet, but every time we pray “Your kingdom come” we are asking for God to make it happen. So if you like the governments and system of the world the way they are, you need to stop praying the Lord’s prayer. Heck, you need to stop following Jesus, if that’s the case, because he’s looking to take over. But if you forsake Jesus, you won’t be ready when the change does come. So be ready by following Jesus. (Matthew 24:42-25:13)

What is God waiting for?
So why hasn’t this event happened yet? Well, God is waiting for a few thing to happen: First, he needs to allow the governments of the world to become corrupt enough that they are ready to be brushed aside. When they all oppress God’s people, then they will be ready (Revelation 6:10-11). Second, he needs to have his people purified from sin and dependant on Him for obedience so they will be ready to rule. And third, he is waiting on those whom he loves and has chosen to repent so his people will be complete with them (II Peter 3:3-9). Yes, God has waited two thousand years—but if he had come twenty years ago, would you have been ready for him?
The real question is: are you ready now? To pray “your kingdom come” is to claim readiness for God. For God to come into your life and change it to His liking. For God to come into the world and change it forever. Are you ready for that? If you are, then we can pray the Lord’s prayer together.

Kingdom Come is God’s Spirit ruling in our lives.
Kingdom Come is God’s Son ruling over the earth.
Are we ready?

Your Will Be Done-- Matthew 6:10

2007-04-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

What is God’s Will?
God’s will is not just what happens. It is not God’s will for someone to die in their sin. It is not God’s will for anyone to act in evil (Ezekiel 18:32; Psalm 5:4). What God wills is what he takes pleasure in, what he delights in, what he desires. Unfortunately, there is much on the earth that is not according to God’s will. People are acting in evil and terrible things are done and experienced every day. This is not God’s will.
Whatever God desires, then he will decree. God is a king and he declares and commands his desires to be done. When God communicates his desire, then it is known to all the universe. Ultimately, what God decrees is God’s will.

How can anyone know God’s will?
But for us humans on earth, there are many wills expressed. Everyone makes their own desires known, and some make commands out of these desires. Others take their desires and say, “This is what God wills.” How are we to know? It seems so confusing.
God has made his will known to people on earth in five main ways:
Creation
Through God’s creation He has made Himself known—his power, his majesty and his ownership of the earth. Through this creation, we all know that we are to worship God and honor Him as creator (Romans 1; Psalm 19)
Messengers
God has appointed certain people to be messengers of His will. They are people who have heard directly from God his will and then communicates it to whomever God wishes. These messengers can be spiritual—angels—or human—prophets. (Hebrews 1:1)
God’s Spirit
God has sent His spirit to speak to the hearts of men to communicate his will. Sometimes the spirit speaks to people’s hearts, sometimes people can hear words, sometimes a vision or a dream. God will communicate to rulers how he wants them to rule, to the unrepentant of His judgment and to his people about what He wants them to do. Sometimes God’s Spirit speaks to us through other people who can hear God’s Spirit clearly. (John 14:26)
God’s word
God has had some of his messengers take his most important messages and write them down. These words were written so that everyone who desires to be a part of God’s people can clearly understand God’s will. In God’s word God’s will is clearly seen. (Psalm 19, 119; II Timothy 3:16)
Jesus
Jesus is God’s living Word. We not only have words from Jesus to clarify God’s will, but we also have his life to illustrate God’s will. Through Jesus—the only perfect Son of God— we can see and hear God’s will perfectly with perfect clarity. All the other four ways can only be understood through Jesus. (Hebrews 1:2; II John 1:3)
If we want to know what God’s will is, all we must do is ask God to reveal His will and then seek out these five sources of God’s will. But we must remember that whatever God’s will is, it must be in agreement with Jesus.

How should we respond to God’s will?
There are many good ways to respond to God’s will. We can read many of them in Psalm 119. We can hear or read God’s will and that is good, but we don’t always understand it. We can understand God’s will, but we don’t always desire it. We can desire God’s will, but we don’t always have it clarified. We can clarify God’s will, but we don’t always honor it. We can honor God’s will, but we don’t always speak it.
All of these things are good to do with God’s will. But none of them get us God’s salvation. God’s salvation is his true will for our lives. It is God’s blessing, God’s peace, God’s delighting in us, God’s security, God’s love in us. And we can spend all day with God’s will, teaching it and reading it and loving it all day long—but we will never gain what God wants us to have, we will never truly achieve God’s will until we do it.
The ultimate result of God’s will is to have it done. If we do God’s will we have all of God’s good gifts to us (Deuteronomy 29). If we do God’s will we have life (Deuteronomy 30). If we do God’s will, we are the family of Jesus (Matthew 12:50). If we do God’s will we will enter into God’s kingdom (Matthew 7). God’s will is the key to the best there is in life.

How is God’s will done in heaven?
Heaven is God’s home, God’s headquarters. It is the center of the spirit world. All of God’s messengers and workers go to heaven to get their orders. And when they receive their orders, the orders are done, immediately. Even Satan listens to God’s commands and will and does just what He says. And if God tells Satan not to do something, he doesn’t do it (Job 1).
There is no one in heaven who says, “But I don’t wanna!” There is no one in heaven who says, “I think I’d rather do something else.” There is no one in heaven who puts their hands over their ears and screams until the command stops. There is no one in heaven who ignores what God says.

What does it mean for God’s will to be done on earth?
Of course, this isn’t the case on earth. Humans are in open rebellion against God. People devise evil in opposition to God’s will every minute. Even the ones who claim to obey God often ignore what God said or avoid a certain command of Jesus. The people of God aren’t often interested in hearing what God has to say about their lives or churches or homes.
When we pray “May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” we are praying the opposite of that. We are praying, first of all, that we ourselves desire God’s will and will do whatever He wills. We are praying that God’s people would listen to Jesus and obey him, whatever the cost. We are praying that the whole world would change to be like heaven—obedient to all of God’s commands.
But we aren’t just praying that. We are also praying for God’s power to come down on earth so that we CAN obey His will. We are so caught up in rebellion and disobedience that often we don’t even know when we are being rebellious. We need His Spirit to come and show us the truth. We need His power to work in us, to transform our minds so that we can know and do God’s will. And the prayer we pray isn’t just a resolution to do God’s will or to change the world so it will do God’s will. Rather, it is a request for God to enable all of us to do what we cannot seem to do now—to do what pleases Him.

“I delight to do your desire, O Lord”—Psalm 40:8

Give Us Daily Bread-- Matthew 6:11

2007-04-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

God is the provider of all food
To pray the Lord’s prayer may, at times, seem pointless. After all, why should we pray for God to give us our bread today? What does God have to do with it? Food comes from the farm, is processed in factories, arrives in the store and we buy it. God seems far removed from the process. But without God we would have no food. God is the heart of all the food we eat. All food comes from the earth, and is allowed to grow through water. And God provides the earth, he provides the water (Ps 24:1). If God took away the water or the land, we would have no food to eat. So it makes sense to be grateful to God. Everyone depends on God for their food—that’s the way it is. (Ps 145:15)

God promises food to the obedient
But God is not just a distant provider of food, he also is concerned about some people’s food. Those people who have made an agreement with God to follow Him and to live according to His ways, God specifically makes sure that they have food. He has made many promises that those who are faithful to their agreement to Him, He will provide their food. They need not worry about it—ever. (Lev. 26:3-6 ; Ps. 37:25; Isaiah 33:15-16) God’s people will never lack food, He is always providing for them.

Hunger is the opposite of salvation
But, of course, not everyone has food. Many people go hungry. In fact, approximately one fifth of the people in the world today are starving to death—some slowly, some quickly (that’s much more than a billion). And another fifth of the world do not have the ability to get enough food to meet their nutritional needs. That isn’t choice on their part, they just can’t get it. And yet this is in a world in which the wealthy, industrialized nations need to pay farmers not to overproduce their land and so drive the prices down. In other words, farmers in the West must grow less, while those in the South are in greater and greater need.
Of course, this is terrible. The Bible has much to say about hunger, and it places the source of hunger—whether someone is starving, or just doesn’t have enough food—to one of four causes:
a. Famine—a widespread hunger due to bad crops. This is pretty common, especially in Genesis (Genesis 41, etc), and it is just a fact of life. But, at the same time, it seems that God provides other regions of the world with abundance so a famine might not be too severe.
b. Man’s oppression—withholding what one needs from the needy. Hunger occurs simply because of people’s stinginess. Some people have abundance, while others have need, but if the ones who have abundance refuse to share, then there is hunger. God always provides enough food in the world, but not everyone decides to share as God commands. (Proverbs 13:23)
c. Laziness—not wanting to work for food. Some people are hungry in the midst of abundance because they refuse to work. If a farmer doesn’t plant, no matter how much land they have, they will never have crops. Even so, everyone who wants to eat will have to do some kind of work. This doesn’t necessarily mean a “job” per se, but some kind of work. (Proverbs 12:11;20:13; 28:19)
d. God’s judgment—Some people who have made a covenant with God will go hungry. But this is only because they have ignored God’s covenant and been disobedient to God. (Lev. 26:26; Isaiah 3:1) This might be with individuals, or a whole nation—if a people have an agreement with God through Jesus or someone else and they disobey God—by worshipping a false god, by ignoring the poor in their midst, by being impure—then God may give them a judgment of hunger.

Food is God’s blessing
Hunger, then, is just the opposite of God’s salvation. It is almost the worst thing that can happen to a person—the very thing that sustains life, you cannot have. But God’s salvation is tied to food again and again—
· God blesses a nation that follows Him with abundant crops;
· When there is abundant food for everyone, it means that the needy are provided for by the people who are generous and loving.
· When there is abundant food, it means that our sins are forgiven by God, for He is providing us with the food we need.

A Prayer for the Contented Poor
Again, then, why should we ask God for our basic food? It seems like a self-sufficient system. But it isn’t that easy.
The Lord’s prayer is a prayer for the poor—those who aren’t sure where their bread is coming from on a worldly level. How many people, when their refrigerator is full of food and they have a pantry stocked with food and they have plenty of money in the bank—would they honestly pray “give us this day our bread”? They already know where their food is coming from! They know that they have food this day and the next and the next. They don’t have to be concerned for food, so why would they sincerely pray that prayer? They wouldn’t. So this prayer is not for those who know where their next meal comes from. It is for those who aren’t sure, on a worldly level. It is for the poor.
And this prayer isn’t for the greedy. After all, most of us, when we pray, we want our needs all taken care of—“Lord help me to not be poor anymore!” “Father, give me permanent housing!” “Father, give me a pantry full of food and money in the bank.” But that’s not what this prayer is about. It is praying only for the food one needs this day—not tomorrow or next month. It is recognizing that when God gives food, he gives it to people one day at a time—just like the Israelites in the wilderness. If they collected more than a day’s worth—knowing that the next day they would get more—the food would spoil and get worm in it. God was training them to trust in Him every day to provide the food they needed that day. This isn’t normal for an agricultural society—they usually think of food in a year-by-year basis. But Jesus was training his disciples to focus on trusting God for their food every day.
So the Lord’s prayer isn’t for the greedy, nor for those that have more than they need. It is for the poor who are contented to trust in God daily.

A New Standard of Living
But this isn’t how we are trained to think in our society. Our ideal is to have the big, permanent house, with the big, full pantry, and the huge yard and entertainment center and complete medical insurance and more and more. It is the American dream to have everything you need at your disposal all the time. But this isn’t Jesus’ ideal, it’s not the Christian dream. The Christian dream is to have God constantly providing for your every need every day. It may not mean having huge storage and a lot of possessions—but it does mean living without worry about basic needs, because we have experienced God’s provision on a daily basis. Even as Paul said, “With food and covering we shall be content.” (I Timothy 6:8)Any more than that is greed.
Does this mean that God is opposed to us having lots of stuff? Not necessarily. God often provides some people with lots of stuff and a huge house and a huge pantry full of food. But he provides it to people so they can provide to others. He gives excess so those who have excess can share with those who have less. The American way of life is having more than we need so our needs are all provided for. The Christian way of life is trusting in God for our needs, and being generous to those who do not have enough when we have more than we need.

Never Be Hungry Again
So how, according to Jesus, can we never be hungry again? Simple:
Pray to God for food—(Matthew 7:9-11) God promises to provide food for us, but we need to ask Him. God will provide if we ask. Thus, we need to learn to ask. This is why Jesus commanded us to pray for our daily bread—that way we are daily asking God for our food.
Seek God’s kingdom and righteousness— (Matthew 6:25-33) If we are focused on righteousness, then God will provide our food—that has always been his promise. If we will do what is right in the Lord, be faithful to him in all of our ways, he will never allow us to go hungry. All we need to do is to trust in Him.
Provide for others out of our excess—(Proverbs 11:25; Luke 12:33) If we are generous with what God has given us, especially to those who are poor and needy, then God will provide us even more. We will not be limited to just our daily bread, but God will provide us with much more to share with others. Our pantries will be full—but it will be for the many whom we provide for on a daily basis.

Forging Debts-- Matthew 6:12

2007-04-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

What is forgiveness?
Forgiveness is, in it’s root, an economic term. If I owed someone some money, and then failed to pay it, I have defaulted on my loan, I have messed up my credit. The person whom I still owe money to will speak of nothing to me except my debt, and so I don’t want to talk to them at all. Our relationship is ended. But if I am “forgiven”, then my debt is wiped away. I no longer need to worry about paying off that debt, because the one whom I owed has wiped it away, erased it from the accounting book.
When we forgive someone else, often we think of it as “no hard feelings.” In other words, we are willing to set aside our anger, and not hold a grudge against them. We will not harm them, nor sue them, nor do anything to attack them in any way. And that is a difficult pill for many to swallow. But it is our Christian duty, so we will forgive.
The question is: will we accept? Many of us aren’t sure we want to do that. For if we accept the person, treating them as if nothing had happened, then they will think that their wrong against us was “nothing”. If we fully accept them, with no punishment involved, completely loving them as before their wrong against us, then we are opening ourselves up for a fall. “If you fool me once, shame on you; if you fool me twice, shame on me.” After all, we need to protect ourselves, right?
Well, in the Bible, forgiveness isn’t just a matter of our feelings. It is, first of all, wiping away the debt. For those who wronged us, the wrong is no longer there. It is as if it didn’t exist. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t need to be careful with people in their areas of weakness, but we don’t allow their weakness interfere with our relationship. Forgiveness is mostly a matter of relationship. To forgive is not just to say, “I’m not angry about that anymore.” It is saying, “We are still in relationship.” I will still treat you as part of my family. To not forgive, in the Bible, is separating oneself from the one who offended you. Lack of forgiveness means we still remember the wrong done to us, and it hangs between us every time we interact with the person who wronged us. Forgiveness means that the relationship may continue without that wrong tainting every part of our relationship.

Why do we need forgiveness from God?
The fact is, we owe God a huge debt. Not economically, for God freely gave us all the food, clothing and basic needs we had. We owe God nothing for that. But for creating us and loving us and giving us a planet to rule, for that we owe him big time. It is similar to what we owe our parents for making us. Even if we don’t like them, we owe them something for without them we wouldn’t exist. Well, what God asks of us is our respect and obedience. He just wants us to listen to Him when he tells us to do things, because, after all, it’s for our own good anyway.
But we defaulted on our debt. We have disobeyed God again and again. In fact, we can almost say that a good portion of our lives are characterized by us owing God more and more and more. Almost every day we owe God such a huge debt of obedience, that we can never catch up. And frankly, we never will. The debt is too huge already.
So what did that do to our relationship with God? Well, though God loves us and wants to be with us, He can’t live with people who constantly disobey him. It’s kind of like living with someone who is constantly grating on your nerves, always doing the very thing you hate. You just can’t stand to live with that person. Life is like a torture. And God, the king of the universe, will not accept that. So we will not live in relationship with Him. Not until the debt is settled. Not until we deal with our disobedience.

Is God willing to give us forgiveness?
But God loves us. He really does. We may think, “Why doesn’t God just forget about our sin and leave it behind, if he loved us so much?” Well, it’s because we keep bringing it up. We are constantly disobeying God. But God loves us so much that he is willing to go to any length to restore our relationship. He is willing to do anything, short of giving up on us and our obedience. And frankly, God gave us a great opportunity. He gave us the possibility of forgiveness. It costs us a lot—I must admit— and yet we can gain so much. So how can this debt be wiped away?

Death of Jesus
First of all, God sent his Son, Jesus to die for us. Jesus death created a new nation called “the Kingdom of God” which anyone is allowed to enter. Those in the Kingdom of God can speak with God and have a free and open relationship with Him. They can pray to God and have their prayers heard and answered. They can receive wonderful blessings of God like His Holy Spirit and daily provision and healing. And they can understand what God says to them. To enter this kingdom, all one has to do is to commit to Jesus as their king. This means Jesus is in charge of our lives, and tells us what to do. And then we can have full access to God. If we commit ourselves to Jesus, then our debt of disobedience is fully forgiven.

Confession of Sin
However, we still have a problem. We still disobey God. Sometimes quite a bit. Does this make Jesus’ death null and void? No, because in Jesus we are told how to deal with the sins we do. We confess and repent of our sins. Yes, we will sin and disobey God. But if we admit our sin and then turn from anything that might cause us to sin, then we are forgiven. If we do this, Jesus gives us the strength to not return to our sin, if we would depend on him. That takes care of the sins we do daily.

Forgiving others
Well, then, our sinful life is erased, and our daily sins are repented of—everything is okay, right? Well, there still is one more thing, according to Jesus. You see, God hasn’t only forgiven us, but He has forgiven a number of others. We are all a part of Jesus’ kingdom together. But what happens if those who are forgiven by God don’t forgive each other? Well, suppose there were three people stuck in an elevator. Two of them hate each other’s guts, but they both like the other. Even though they have a relationship with one person, the anger and hatred of the other will make their life a living hell.
Even so, the kingdom of God doesn’t work unless we are willing to forgive each other even as God forgave us. If we agree that God has a relationship with someone—that He has forgiven their sins, and they are right before Him—then we need to have a relationship with them as well. Jesus is very clear about this—if we reject the one whom God accepts, then we will be rejected by God. If we are looking for God’s forgiveness, we will need to forgive others when they do us wrong.

Do we forgive literal “debts”?
There is still one more issue. We remember that forgiveness isn’t only relational, but economic. Does that mean that we need to forgive the literal, monetary “debts” as well? In Luke 6, Jesus said this: “Do good and lend, expecting nothing in return.” In other words, if someone owes you money—cold, hard cash—and they can’t pay it back, forgive it. Wipe it away. Just forget about it. Forgiveness of others isn’t just about sins, nor just about hurt feelings—although it includes all that. It also includes financial debts.

Into Temptation, From Evil-- Matthew 6:13

2007-04-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

If “hallowed be thy name” is the most misunderstood line in the Lord’s prayer, the two lines “Lead us not into temptation” and “Deliver us from evil” certainly come a close second. For one thing, the two lines mean almost the same thing. Secondly, it probably has little to do with the daily temptations we face. In summary, they mean, “God keep us from being oppressed.” This may seem confusing, but perhaps we can explain it a bit:

What is evil?
When we say something is evil, we mean that it is lacking morality. If we say a person is evil we mean that they are not as moral as most people. But when Scripture speaks about “evil”, it is more specific than just morality. If a person is in an “evil circumstance” it means that they are in dire straits, a very difficult situation that destroys them physically, emotionally or spiritually. When Scripture speaks of someone—like Satan—as being an “evil one” it does not mean that Satan is lacking in morality. It means that he puts people in difficult—seemingly impossible—circumstances. This is like Job, the righteous man of the Old Testament. Satan killed his children, destroyed his wealth, destroyed his property and gave him a plague on his body. This is what the Bible calls “evil”—terrible, devastating circumstances. When we are praying for God to deliver us from “evil” or “the evil one”, we are asking God to get us out of terrible circumstances—oppression, sickness, persecution, not having enough for our needs, sorrow, death, etc.

How is this “tempting”?
But evil circumstances aren’t just uncomfortable, they have a spiritual componant to them. Most everyone has been through such a terrible trial that it has led them to doubt God’s existence, or His goodness. This happened to Job as well—his difficulties were so hard that he questioned God’s justice. Some trials are so hard that they cause us to doubt our faith. The Greek word that is translated “temptation” would probably be better translated, “a difficulty so bad that it makes us question our faith.” Difficulties in our lives can lead us to do things we know are disobedient to God. Trials can cause us to turn away from God—sometimes in practice, sometimes in our belief. Suffering can make it so that we no longer trust God. When we pray the Lord’s prayer, we are asking God not to put us in these kinds of circumstances.

Does God lead us to this kind of evil?
The fact is, God, at times, DOES lead us to difficulties to test us. God tested Abraham’s love of Him. God tested Israel in the wilderness with hunger and thirst. The Father tested Jesus by sending him to Satan. And God allowed Jesus to suffer through the ultimate test: willingness to die on the cross for us. Frankly, Jesus begged and pleaded for God to take him out of that circumstance. But God put him into it anyway.
This does not mean that God tempts us to DO evil. Yes, God places us in difficult, even terrible circumstances, sometimes. But what we do in those circumstances is our own choice. We can choose to obey God, even if it hurts us. We can choose to trust God, even if we see no way out of a terrible situation. We can love God, even though He allowed people to hurt us. We can have our hope in God, even though God gave permission to Satan to take away our health. If we sin, if we do evil to others, if we give in to our dark impulses, we were not tempted by God, but tempted by our evil desires.

What if we don’t deserve it?
There are some people that God punishes because they have sinned before God, disobeying Him, and He is training them, or others, not to do that. But God allows everyone to have circumstances like that, sometimes. Some more than others. For some, this is punishment. But people who are right before God are also put into trials that test their faith, like Abraham, Job and Jesus. Why does God do this? Because God wants to see and display his people’s true character.
How do we know who we really are? Not by what we say—we deceive ourselves too readily. Not even by what we normally do—society can form us and make us what we are not. Who we truly are is seen when we are in difficult circumstances. When we are sick, when we are persecuted, when we are hated, when we are publicly humiliated, when we are physically torn apart—those are the times we show what we are really made of, what our real character is. What God is testing is how far He is in us. If He is firmly planted in us, then when we are going through difficulties, He will show through. But if our Christianity is just a farce, just a façade, then our true nature will show itself—our complaining, our anger, our hatred, our lust, our greed and all the other things that come with human nature. So God sometimes leads us into evil circumstances to test our faith.

How can we not be led to this trial?
Sometimes it is just our time to be brought into testing. This is the case with Jesus, who escaped many deaths and difficulties, until it was his time to be tried, and then, no matter what his pleading, he wouldn’t go into trial. But at the time of Jesus’ trial, he was telling the disciples what to do to not enter into the trial. It wasn’t their time, it was his, and so they didn’t have to suffer with him yet. How could they have avoided this? Jesus told them, “Keep watching and praying that you do not enter into temptation.” (Mark 14:38). If it isn’t our time to enter our test, then we need to do two things—First of all, we need to be alert to the circumstances as they are coming our way. The disciples were sleeping, they weren’t paying attention. Peter said later “Be alert for Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” (I Peter 5:8). Secondly, we need to pray that God wouldn’t allow us to be tested when it isn’t our time. We need to recognize our weaknesses, and we need to beg God that He not test us when we aren’t ready for it. This is what Jesus commanded his disciples to do—both on the night of his test, and in the Lord’s prayer.

How are we delivered?
Sometimes, however, we weren’t alert. Sometimes we didn’t pray. Or sometimes it is our time to be tested. But that doesn’t mean there is no hope. God always grants us hope—and that hope is deliverance. When we find ourselves in the circumstances that we cannot handle, we can ask God to deliver us out of them. God gave Abraham and Job a way out of these trials. Jesus’ way out was through resurrection. But everyone can have an opportunity to escape the difficulties they are in—through healing, through justice, through freedom, through mercy by a follower of God. But, again, we need to ask. This is what Jesus told us to do. Ask God for deliverance from evil. And then trust Him to do what is right.

In this way, the Lord’s prayer guides us to know what to do when we are in the worst times in our lives. It tells us to trust God, to plead with Him for help, to ask Him not to put us in these terrible circumstances in the first place. Ultimately, we are placing our hands at God’s disposal, trusting that He will pull us through, eventually.

God and Mammon-- Matthew 6:19-24

2007-04-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

Jesus and Money
It has been said that Jesus talked more about money than any other subject. While that isn’t precisely true, Jesus did say a lot about money, and it was an important subject. What is odd is that those who want to point out how important Jesus took money usually fail to teach what Jesus actually taught about money. Most teachers want to focus on financial stewardship, which is based on middle-class capitalistic principles, which Jesus never taught at all, nor even hinted at. Jesus’ attitudes toward money was much more radical, much more anti-capitalistic than we ever thought. The basics of Jesus’ teaching on wealth is found in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:19-34. However, you can also read quite a bit more in Luke 12, Mark 10 and Luke 16.
Before we talk about Jesus’ attitudes on wealth, we need to recognize that when Jesus spoke on wealth, he wasn’t just talking about money. Certainly money is an important part of wealth, but he also considered the possessions one had to be of equal importance. So while some might say that they have no wealth because their bottom line is in the red, if Jesus walked through their living places, he would point out that they had quite a bit of “liquid commodities”—physical possessions. When Jesus spoke of “Mammon” he was speaking both about money and what one could buy with money.

Where is your storage container?
Don’t collect important stuff on earth for your personal use. All stuff on earth breaks down, wears out, is destroyed or is stolen. Instead, if you give to the poor, God will keep the important stuff for you in heaven. There, your stuff never breaks down, wears out, gets destroyed or is stolen. Build up your savings account in heaven—for where you keep your stuff, that’s where your true self is kept.
Some of us have so much stuff that we need rooms just to store it in. Heck, some of us need to rent a storage facility just to keep the leftover stuff we can’t keep in the storage we do have. That might make sense, since for some of us our total storage is a backpack. But for others of us, we have parts of our living space not devoted to any kind of living, but for the storage of inanimate objects. Some of these objects aren’t important to anyone but us—sentimental items. Other items might be worth quite a bit to anyone. And so we keep such items safe—safe from theft, safe from wear and tear, safe from accidents. And if we lose these things, then we get really upset.
And Jesus says that these kinds of things—that upset us if we lose them—is where our heart is. He says that the center of our being is where we keep our most precious stuff. It has been frequently noted that our possessions in reality possess us. We work hard for our possessions—to keep them, to maintain them, to make them precious. But the problem with possessions is that they are doomed to extinction. Not only do they break down, fall apart and get stolen, but God will destroy them all when he returns. The possessions we have are part of this world, and they are to be set aside forever.
But what happens if the center of our being is found in storage? Then we will be destroyed along with the storage.
But Jesus gives us another option. He says that instead of having a savings account in an earthly bank or precious commodities in an earthly storage, we can actually keep our things in heaven, where God is the bulldog that protects our most precious things. How do we do this? No, we do not place our rare books and antiques on the altar and watch them lift up to heaven like Jesus ascending. What Jesus said is very practical. We give what we have to the poor. Whatever we provide for those who need it, God will save for us and give us back on the final day.
To keep things “safe” for oneself is miserly, stingy, greedy. The one who keeps for themselves alone is not righteous. The one who continually gives, shares provides use for others in need—this is the one whom God honors.

You are what you give
Your eye is like a window. What you do with your eye shows who you are. If your eye is open, generously sharing, then your body is enlightened. If your eye is shaded with covetousness—desiring to have what others have—then your whole self is darkened, spiritually dead. Thus if your “enlightenment” is pure darkness, you are completely blind.
This is a hard saying to understand. In Jesus’ day there was a saying about two kinds of “seeing”. One could have a “sound eye”, which meant to look with compassion and to be generous with those in need. Or one could have an “evil eye”, which meant to leer, to have a look of desire in one’s eyes—and ultimately to curse what someone else had. In Jesus’ day, an “evil eye” was a fearful thing and one could even curse with it by accident.
Jesus uses the ideas of these two kinds of “eyes” to talk about the kind of spiritual light you have. How can we tell who is really spiritual? How can we know who is really on the side of God? Jesus says to keep an eye on people’s “eyes”. The ones who are constantly open to others, compassionate and listening, those who are looking to assist others and give what they have to other’s needs—these people display spiritual light. You can know the light in their life, because of the open assistance they give to others.
But those who are looking for how much they can get, those constantly asking for something, those constantly on the lookout for what they don’t yet have—these are unsatisfied, uncontent, and ungodly. Jesus says that those always looking for more earthly things are those who do not trust in God, and so they do not have God. But more than that, they are spiritually blind. They wouldn’t know God or righteousness if He slapped them in the face. Those whose eyes are full of darkness are blind.

The god Mammon
No one can truly have two gods he is committed to. In the end, every man will display his love for one god by consistently serving him and he will display his contempt for the other by neglecting service for him. You cannot commit yourself to both the Father God and the god of Wealth.
Our society serves many gods apart from the One True Father. There is the god of Lust, the god of Education and the god of War. But quite possibly the most popular deity in the U.S. is the god Mammon—the god of Wealth. This god fills the marketplace and the industries of America. It is worshiped in the hearts of all who think that Money is the answer to all their problems. It is honored by those who fill their bank accounts and closets to overflowing, begrudging the needy only a paltry sum of the whole—if even that. Those who beg but refuse food because they only want cash are Mammon’s servants. Mammon whispers to all, “Money will meet all your needs,” while the wealthy admit that money hasn’t made them any happier.
Jesus is telling us that Mammon is an idol, a replacement god for the Most High God who truly provides our needs. Society won’t tell us that—it says that money is simply a tool, a resource, while they ignore their own hearts of lust for that which they don’t have. They ignore the fact that every media is filled with the call to covetousness—in opposition to the tenth commandment—and that contentment in God is as impossible to find in the church as it is in business.
Not only is Mammon a god, but Jesus is also saying that we have to make a choice. Either we can commit to God, or we can commit to Mammon. Either we will worship God or we will serve Mammon. Sure, there are many that do both—for a while. They make money and seek the American dream, and they also go to church and praise Jesus. For a while. But in the end they will face a conflict between their two gods. Their job will ask them to work during their church service. They will neglect prayer because they are too tired from working for money. They will take money they could give to the needy today and put it in a savings account for their future. A crisis will happen. And when it does, one god will be honored, and one god will be set aside.
Jesus makes it clear:
· The one who serves God gives to the poor.
· The one who serves God doesn’t store up treasures on earth.
· The one who serves God doesn’t seek new things to get.
· The one who serves God shares what they have with those who need it.
· The one who serves God makes economic sacrifices to be with Him and to worship Him.
Perhaps this sounds difficult. Perhaps it even sounds perverse to some. But we all must make a choice, and God’s demands insist upon our neglect of Mammon in order to focus only on God the Father. And he will provide for us more thoroughly than Mammon ever would.

How Will I Take Care of Myself? Matthew 6:25-34

2007-04-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has just taught us how to live economically moral lives. But these principles aren’t easy to hear or accept. In summary, he just taught us the following:
§ We are not to store up money or possessions for future needs
§ We are not to seek what we do not have
§ We are to be content with what God has given us
§ We are to give all extra wealth to the poor
And, Jesus says, to ignore these principles is to be living under another god, Mammon, and to be hating the God who created us.
But given that we are in an economic system that is dependent on money and wealth to get along, and the fact that we are often told that we are “irresponsible” if we do not save for the future, or have a “steady job” that will continue to provide for us, then certain questions come up. Society’s voice speaks in our head, saying, “How will you provide for yourself? If you do as Jesus says, then how will you get along? What happens if a disaster happens in your life—if you have nothing to fall back on, what will you do?”
In summary, we might ask the question: “What about our economic future?” Jesus himself summarizes the question like this: “What will we eat and what will we wear?” Jesus is very aware of this question and actually spends longer answering them than in making his initial proposal.

More than Survival
You might be concerned because surrendering what we have to the poor seems like economic suicide. And not storing up for the future seems like irresponsibility. But listen to me—Don’t bother about your livelihood. Don’t worry about what you will eat or drink or wear. Your life, as a whole, is more than what you stuff in your mouth, isn’t it? And isn’t a living body more than having clothes to wear?
In answering the question—“What about our economic future?” Jesus first summarizes his main point of view—don’t worry about it. He is basically saying that our question about our how we will be taken care of, if we follow this seemingly foolish ideal of giving all of our extra to the poor, is a non-entity. We are being anxious, being concerned about something that will not happen. Fundamentally, we often use our economic concerns as an excuse to not follow God, or to do what He says—“Well, that would be a nice way to live, but it just isn’t practical. I mean, we have to live in the real world, and in the real world we need to provide for ourselves.” Jesus denies that this argument holds any water. He tells us not to bother about the “practical” matters.
Then Jesus begins defending his position. His first point is that economics isn’t the most important part of life. “Life” he says, “is more than food and clothes.” Jesus is trying to being us to the place where we look at more important things than simply taking care of ourselves, than simple survival. Jesus is saying that being generous to those in need brings us closer to God, and that being in God is more significant than simple economic assurance.

Eating like Birds, Clothed like Flowers
Study the birds. Do they go to stores, work to make money, or savings accounts? No, they rely on the Father in heaven to feed them—and somehow they get fed. Doesn’t God consider you more important than them? And tell me, which one of you increased your quality or quantity of life by being anxious about tomorrow’s food? And clothes—why bother about being concerned about them? Study wild flowers. You see how they spring up? They don’t haunt retail shops or have closets full of clothes, but even the richest woman in Beverly Hills isn’t clothed as beautifully as these. So if God provides clothes for flowers that pop up one day and are mowed down the next, surely he will provide for the mustard-seed-faith troupe.
Now Jesus gives us two examples which also supports his idea that we need not worry about our economic future. He tells us to pay attention to birds, and notes that they do very little for their food. They go out, they find it, they eat it. They don’t plant it, maintain an occupation, or have bank accounts. The bird’s life is very simple—why is this? Because they depend on God who will provide for them. God grants birds all the food they need. And do we think that God wouldn’t do less for us?
Jesus also speaks about wild flowers. Wild flowers do nothing for their clothing. All they do is live, and their “clothing”, adornment, is provided for them. How? Because the flowers depend on God who gives them all they need.
So, Jesus says, if God provides for the economic needs of birds and flowers, what about those who follow him? If God provides for these lesser beings—who have short life spans and are often carelessly killed—then certainly God will provide for those who follow and obey Him. For Jesus, this is a no-brainer. Why be anxious about economic matters, when God is so ready to take care of them? This is an area we just do not need to worry about—if we follow God, he will take care of us.
Jesus also makes another support point in the middle of these two examples. He states it simply—What has worrying about the future done for you? Has it given you a better life? Has it made you live longer? Or will the added stress on your life actually give you a shorter life? Does being anxious actually give you anything? So you might as well give it up and rest on God’s provision.

One Day At A Time
So stop worrying! Stop saying “How can you ask this of us? How can we provide for ourselves? How can we survive?” You are talking like unbelievers—those who don’t know that God provides for them. Your Father knows what you need already. Focus instead on God’s kingdom and accomplishing God’s righteousness, and your boss—the Father—will provide all these basics for you. So stop being concerned about the future. It is enough to be concerned about today’s trouble, and let the future go.
Jesus concludes his mini sermon in three ways. First, he says that worrying about our economic future is to think like the world—not believers in God. Believers in God know that He will provide and do not scramble around spending their lives doing what God is already doing. So, Jesus says, stop being practical unbelievers and act like believers in a compassionate, all-powerful God.
Second, Jesus says that we should stop worrying about our economic future because God already has our needs in mind. He already sees what we will need in the future, and He is ready to help us. Why fret about what we can’t see, when God already sees it? If God has already taken care of it, why worry about it?
Third, Jesus very wisely points out that today has enough trouble of its own. Jesus isn’t telling us not to worry about stuff. But today’s concerns are enough. We shouldn’t have to put our future on ourselves as well—especially because we don’t know what that future will actually hold!
If we are not to worry about our economic future, then we certainly are not to worry about our future…
§ Health care
§ Retirement
§ Family responsibilities
§ Education
§ Expenses
§ Child care
§ Social obligations
§ Entertainment
§ Security
Nor are we to worry about our past…
§ Enemies
§ Failures
§ Background
§ Lack of education
§ Burnt out careers
§ Unacceptable lifestyle

What matters is now—what is God calling us to do now, who is God calling us to be now, and the fact that God is promising to meet our needs both now and in the future. What is God calling us to? Lives of generosity, lives that focus on building up people in God, lives that leave the worldly concerns to the world.

Judging mercifully-- Matthew 7:1-5

2007-04-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

Don’t condemn others, or else you will be condemned by God. With whatever kind of judgement you judge, that’s how God will judge you—either with mercy or with harshness. With whatever kind of measuring stick you use, that’s how you will be measured as well. You so easily point out the inconsistencies of your fellow Christian, but neglect the major sins you perform before God. You note the speck of dust in another’s eye, but neglect the two by four that is stuck in your own. There you go to your friend—“We’ve got to get rid of this speck of dust in your eye”, meanwhile, you’re hitting him with your two by four! Stop pretending you have no problems! If you get rid of your two by four, then you’d be able to see. And then you can help your friend get rid of his speck.

Send in the Judge
Let’s face it, judging is a part of life. We all, at one point or another, determine that someone we know is a “bad” person—whether it be Sadaam Hussain or a guy convicted of murder or the woman who cussed you out for some unknown reason. We determine in our own heads whether someone is safe or not, good for us or not, a nice person or not, someone who lives up to our own standards or not. This is part of being human, and there is nothing wrong with it.
God made all of us humans to be rulers. To be a ruler, one must be a judge. Thus, God does not reject us for judging—making decisions about people, things or beliefs. It is a part of our job.
It seems on the surface that Jesus condemns all kinds of judging—“Judge not” the teaching of Jesus says. However, we find that Jesus not only judged himself, but he also taught his disciples to judge others as well. They are to judge whether someone is to be a member of the community (Matthew 7:6), to determine whether a teacher is true or false in Jesus’ sight (Matthew 7:15-20), and to decide when a member of the community should be separated from the community for a time (Matthew 18:15-17). The leaders of Jesus’ community are supposed to be judges. Is this a contradiction? Jesus’ people are supposed to judge, but not judge? Let’s take a closer look at Jesus and his teaching on judging and see what he really means:

Different Kinds of Judging
When Jesus says “do not judge”, he qualifies his statement every time. In other words, he doesn’t really say “do not judge”, but he says, “be careful how you judge.” Yes, Jesus recognizes that we are to judge—that is how we are made and it is part of what we are appointed to do by God—but we must take great care of the manner in which we judge.
In order to judge correctly, we must show mercy. Judgment is evil without mercy. God is the judge, but he judges with mercy. Satan is also a judge, but he judges without mercy. What is merciful judging?
¨ Merciful judging does not judge by their own opinions, but by God’s standards. (Matthew 7:21)
¨ Merciful judging checks out the facts, and makes sure they are true. (Matthew 18:15-16)
¨ Merciful judging looks to see if there are any circumstances that makes a seemingly evil act actually good. (Genesis 38)
¨ Merciful judging never punishes harshly or quickly. (James 1:19)
¨ Merciful judging recognizes that God can change anyone, if they are willing. (Luke 15)
¨ Merciful judging always provides an opportunity for an evil-doer to change. (Luke 5:32)
¨ Merciful judging is always ready to accept someone if they have changed. (Luke 17:3-4)

This is the kind of judging that God does, but it is rarely the kind of judging we find on earth.
· Most people judge by their emotions, by the seat of their pants.
· We believe that if we’ve heard something, then it must be true.
· We believe that if it looks wrong, then it is.
· We believe that punishment should be swift and terrible, to prevent a repeat performance.
· We believe that once a person shows their evil ways, they will never change.
· We believe that an evil-doer should be punished, not given an opportunity to change.
· And we believe that no matter how it looks like a person has changed, they are still basically the same person.
And it is by these standards that we judge others. Yet these are not the standards of God’s, but of the earth. These are the standards of the world. And where did the world get these standards? From Satan. As soon as Satan became the ruler of this world, he imposed his standard of judgment on the world. And his propaganda machine is so powerful that all of us, to a certain degree, believe it.
However, we must be fair. After all, if we are going to judge others on this basis, then we also should be judged this way. But we have to think about it carefully—do we want to be judged on the basis of innuendo and other people’s opinions? Of course not. Do we want to be judged on how our actions looked, rather than what they really did, or what we really intended? Of course not. Do we want to be punished harshly for every minor action we’ve done? Of course not. If we have truly repented, and changed our ways, do we want to continue to be condemned, to constantly be labeled as an evil-doer for the rest of our days? Of course not. But that’s what we will have if we refuse to judge by mercy, and instead judge by the standards of Satan.

Results of Judging
Jesus says we need to recognize the consequences. However we judge others, that is how we will be judged by God. If we want to condemn others, to be harsh against them, to determine what they are like based on rumor and innuendo, then we have no right to complain if God and others do the same to us. If we condemn the unrepentant, if we never give people the chance to change and never forgive them, then God will treat us the same way.
How will God treat us as we treat others?
§ Every time we pray, God does not see our positive actions, but the actions that condemn us. Our prayers are stopped—why? Because we have judged others without mercy.
§ We will not receive all of the blessings of the Holy Spirit. We will live in fear, in bitterness, in rejection—why? Because we have judged others without mercy.
§ We will not understand true love and wonder for all of our lives why we seem so empty, so needy—why? Because we have judged others without mercy.
§ God will not grant us wisdom in our choices, but we will be controlled by our desires, our emotions and our foolish neediness. Why? Because we have judged others without mercy.
§ We are judged for all eternity. We will not enter God’s kingdom, but we will be eternally dishonored and hated. Why? Because we have judged without mercy on earth.
Needless to say, judging is a serious business. Judging by the earthly standard is the major sin that deceives us thinking that everyone else has problems, but not us. It effects our relationship with others, it effects our relationship with God and it effects our very well-being. Perhaps you've never considered your practices in judging. Let me suggest a few steps:
a. Don’t fool yourself by thinking you don’t judge. You do.
b. Think of the times you were angry—what were you angry about, how did you react, was anyone emotionally hurt?
c. Now look over the two ways of judging—which one of these were you most like? How can you improve your anger or judging so that it is more merciful?

The Golden Rule-- Matthew 7:12

2007-04-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Do unto others as you would have them do to you.

Contrary to most people’s morality, Jesus’ statement was not: “Do unto others,” period. In our day to day life, we forget about ethics, and just do what seems expedient for us at a time. We are interested in justice and fairness for ourselves, but we seem to neglect our responsibilities to others. Sure, we help our family, but people in general are usual detestable, so we detest them. However, we never see ourselves as worthy of shame or neglect. We forget others in the race to get what we want for ourselves.

The Basic Principle of Ethics
But what Jesus said is the basic principle of morality. It is a principle that existed before Jesus—Buddha and Rabbi Hillel gave versions of it before Jesus—and it was repeated by scholars, philosophers and moralists of every type and tribe. This principle is written on the hearts of every person.
We all know it, and will use it for our own defense, but not apply the standard to ourselves. When a little kid, our brother or sister would get a piece of candy, and we can’t have one—so what do we say? “It’s not fair!” In our simplistic speech, we are making a deep ethical statement—“My sibling is the equal to I. By whatever standard you apply to them, you should apply the same to me.” Thus, our tendency is to turn this moral principle on it’s ear for our own benefit—“Whatever benefit is done to others should be done to me as well.”
Jesus, however, is not giving us a principle to make sure we get what we need (any more than “love your neighbor as yourself” is a call to love ourselves better). Rather, Jesus recognizes that we will automatically give ourselves what we need. What we need to do is to stretch our duty of responsibility out to include more than just ourselves.
When we are young, we will demand that our needs are taken care of, and we see no one else, except, on occasion a weak friend or a little sibling. When we have a special relationship with another—a spouse or a boyfriend or girlfriend—then we include them in our circle of responsibility, and we seek their benefit, as well as our own. When we have children, it stretches again. And some of us will decide to live this principle out in our profession, and we become medical professionals or some kind of social worker or minister. But in all of this, we put limits on our assistance—the nurse only helps the patients, the social worker helps only those she is paid to help, the minister only helps those of his congregation.
The basic principle of morality Jesus speaks about is stretching out the circle of responsibility to everyone, without exception. Jesus told us already in the Sermon on the Mount: love even your enemies, pray for those who have done evil to you. Help out the ones who spoke ill of you. Our responsibility is limited only by two things: the need of others, and our own resources.

How do we want to be treated?
When we look at living out Jesus’ statement—humanity’s basic statement of ethics—we need to think first, “how do I want people to treat me?” This doesn’t mean we look at what we want. We may want chocolate or revenge or sex, but that doesn’t mean that it is what everyone wants, and giving others what we would want for ourselves is the equivalent of a husband giving his wife a bowling ball for their anniversary—sized to his fingers. Rather than being a benefit to the other person, giving others what we want is often insulting.
Instead, Jesus wants us to consider how we want to be treated by others. What do we want that we know that everyone else wants as well?
· We want to be treated as a significant person
· We want to live without fear
· We want to live in peace
· We want to be given an opportunity to have joy
· We want to have our basics met
· We want people to help us when we are in need
· We want people to understand our motivation
· We want to have good relationships with others
· We want people to give us another chance when we make mistakes
These are things we all want, without exception. We spend most of our lives seeking out these things. We are often like the little kids we used to be, demanding that we have these things in our lives, and throwing a fit if we don’t get it. We want these things. And Jesus wants to make sure that we get them.

Turn it around
But Jesus is telling us to do more than consider our own needs. He wants us to take these things that we want and to apply it, not to ourselves, but to everyone around us. To follow God’s morality, we need to not limit assistance to ourselves, or a limited circle of friends and family—he wants us to apply the same standard to others as to ourselves.
Those who don’t give to others equally to themselves, they are morally broken, twisted. They expect everything for themselves, but give nothing to others. Most of us aren’t like that. We help others, when we can. When we think about it. Jesus, however, is telling us to take time to think about it. Now. These things that we want, are we really giving them to the people around us?
· Do others feel the respect from us that we expect from them?
· Do we give others the peace we expect them to give us?
· Do we give to those in need what we hope we would receive if we were in need?
· Do we try to understand people the way we expect to be understood?
· Do we forgive the way we want to be forgiven?

Igniting our moral imagination
In summary, Jesus is telling us to enact our moral imagination. He wants us to think about the other person—how would we respond if we were treated by others the way we treat them? How would we feel if others ignored our needs the way we ignore theirs? How would we act if others frightened us the way we frighten them with our anger? This is an exercise of realistic imagination, and it is something Jesus asks us to enact all the time, without exception.
We all want mercy and benevolent consideration. Let’s make sure we give it. Yes, we need to have our needs met. We all need to be helped sometime. There is a time to receive, there is a time to give—but it is better to give than to receive.

The Lost Church-- Matthew 7:10-27

2007-04-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

The Right Way
Look for the unpopular routes to heaven. There are many ways that everyone likes in seeking God’s favor—but they lead to your destruction. Sure, they’re popular, but they are also deadly. But the way to God’s blessing and life is so unacceptable that few will embrace it.
Christianity is not a straight path, it is a smorgasbord. There are as many “ways” and moralities within the broadest definition of Christendom as there are outside of Christianity. This isn’t just denominations, but there are many ways of understanding Jesus and salvation even within a particular denomination. Christianity is the largest world religion on the planet—the largest belief system. More people believe in Christianity than any other belief system that exists, that ever exists. But according to the founder of this faith, that is the biggest indication that there is something fundamentally wrong with Christianity. The belief system that Jesus himself founded, he said, would have few followers. By definition, the broadest concept of Christianity is just plain wrong.

Difference between a Guard Dog and a Wolf
Even so, there are teachers that look great, and are so charismatic, but they are false teachers, leading you away from God. They may look like well-groomed sheepdogs, but in reality they are wolves, seeking to fill their stomachs, not care for the sheep. How will you know the difference between a guard dog and a wolf? By their actions. How do you know if you’ve got an apple tree? If there are any apples on it. If there are peaches on it, it ain’t an apple tree. Even so, a good teacher does good things, but a false teacher does evil things. If an apple tree only bears rotten fruit, then you know there’s a problem with the tree. Even so, every teacher who does evil things is taken away from God's people and is judged. So you will know who are the good and bad teachers by what they do.
So what is wrong with Christianity? What would Jesus say is the biggest problem? He states it right off the bat—the leaders are the problem. Christianity has many teachers, many leaders, and most of them are wrong. Many of them are charismatic, almost all of them teach the Bible, they are all moral leaders and wise counselors. So what’s wrong? How can such wise and knowledgeable leaders get us going the wrong way? Simple, Jesus says, out of all of these great shepherds, we have many wolves. Most of the leaders of the church are not there for the people, but for their own benefit.
But how are we to tell the difference? How can we see the difference between a good sheepdog and a wolf whose only desire is to whet his own appetite? On the surface, they seem so similar. They are so hard to tell apart. But Jesus gave us a litmus test—he gave us one way to figure out who is who. He asks us to examine our leaders—not necessarily their teachings, nor necessarily their looks, nor necessarily their basis of authority. Rather, he asks us to look at their actions and words when they are not “on stage” so to speak. When they are out of the public eye, what do they do? What is their life about? We don’t necessarily need to see them praying all the time or reading their Bible. Rather we need to see if they are obedient to Jesus.
Is the leader that the church depends on actually living out the sermon on the mount or not? In their daily lives, is the leader of God’s church:
· Is he or she accepting of persecution, or looking for revenge?
· Is he or she making things right with those they have sinned against or saying they are doing nothing wrong?
· Is he or she expressing hatred and insults through their speech?
· Is he or she lusting after people they are not married to?
· Is he or she planning on separating from their spouse?
· Does he or she not take their word seriously, or keep their promises?
· Is he or she rebellious against authority, or submissive?
· Is he or she taking action to harm their enemy or loving their enemy and praying for those who hate them?
· Is he or she religious for their own benefit, or are they sincerely acting for God?
· Is he or she sacrificially giving to the poor or collecting more stuff for themselves?
· Is he or she judging harshly or making decisions about others on the basis of mercy?
· Is he or she acting for the benefit of others, or for themselves?
This is the test of Jesus. Frankly, most Christian leaders fail this test. Some of them even try to make excuses for not doing what Jesus’ said in their teaching. But there is no excuse. Jesus says that if anyone fails to obey Him, then they have no place being a leader in his church. There are so many leaders that need to step down. But they won’t. They want the prestige, they want the power, they want the money they get from being a leader of the church. And this is why the Christian church is so far from where Jesus wants it to be.

Saying and Doing
On the last day, there will be many who call me “Lord”, but not all of them will enter God’s kingdom. Only the one who does God’s will has the opportunity to enter. Many will get my attention on the final day and say, “My Lord, didn’t I teach your word? And I prayed for people, and they were healed! And I was able to give them spiritual healing!” And I will make my final decision: “I never knew you. Get lost—you aren’t entering God’s kingdom. You are those who did what was evil in God’s sight.”
So the leaders of the church won’t step down when they really should. Well, I suppose that’s fine, no one can really make them. Well, one person can. That’s the head of all the church, Jesus himself. And Jesus is patient, even with leaders who in His name disobey Him. But if they refuse to repent, if they refuse to change their ways, then they will meet Jesus—face to face. And they will point out to Jesus all the good things they have done for Him. “Jesus, look at the cathedral I built for you! Jesus, look at the books I wrote for you! Jesus, look at the television specials I produced for you!”
Jesus, however, doesn’t care about any of these things. These things were insignificant. Jesus doesn’t want people’s talents or people-pleasing skills. Jesus wants their heart, their obedience. Jesus will turn to all of these leaders and says, “Who are you? You say you did all these things for me, but I never knew who you were.” And Jesus will disown them before all the earth. All the leaders that ignored what Jesus said to do and did something else, they will all be rejected from the face of Jesus for all eternity.
Jesus made it clear that it isn’t enough to just call him “Lord” or “God”. It isn’t enough to claim that Jesus is one’s savior. Words just don’t do it. They don’t indicate what anyone really believes. Our faith is not found by what doctrinal statement we sign. It is found by what we do.
Listening and Doing
Here’s my final story: Whoever has heard my teaching—from “How fortunate are the poor” to here—and puts these teachings into practice, they are the fortunate ones. These doers of the word are like a builder who establishes a level, solid, concrete foundation for his house. Floods came, earthquakes came, wind storms came—but nothing could destroy that building, because it was built not just on good theory, but good practice. However, there are many who have heard my teaching and then thinks, “Interesting ideas…” but never accomplishes any of it. That person is like the builder who has gone to school, read all the books, and then said, “Forget it, I’m building my house my way.” So he decides sand is cheaper than concrete and who needs to go through all the effort for it to be level? And he builds his house. Let me tell you, the next flood, the next earthquake, the next wind storm—whatever disaster is next on the grid—and that house will fall so hard, you’d need a microscope to find the pieces. This isn’t just another sermon—it is your life and death. Please pay attention and do as I have said.
Jesus is saying this not just to teachers and Christian leaders. He is talking to all of us. He says that we have heard his whole sermon—Matthew 5 through 7. And now it is up to us. We have two choices. We can say, “Good sermon, Jesus” and be entertained by it and think pleasant thoughts about Jesus’ teaching. Or we can do it. We can pray to God and ask for strength to change our lives and do what it actually says.
This is the most important decision we will make in our lives. Deciding to be a Christian is nothing compared to this decision—will we commit to do what Jesus asked us to do or not? Will we allow God to change our lives from the inside out or not. If we do, we have much to gain—God’s whole kingdom. We will gain the resurrection from the dead. We will gain peace and eternal prosperity. We will gain the presence of God. We will gain freedom from our enemies.
But if we choose to listen to Jesus words and take it lightly… If we think that we can get away with not doing what Jesus says… if we thing that God will forgive us no matter how much we hurt other people… if we think that we can give Jesus praise and loving words and he will like us so much that he’ll forget the fact that we filled the lives of those around us with destruction… if we refuse to ingest and live out the Sermon on the Mount—then disaster will overtake us. Jesus is coming. Jesus will cleanse his church. And those who rejected the living out of his words will be thrown out of the church.
Please, it is not too late. Do what Jesus said. Do what Jesus is telling you to do right now. Surrender your life to obedience to Jesus. I know it is hard. This is why Jesus said it is a narrow way. Most people can’t even think about loving their enemies, keeping their promises, being faithful to their spouses, sacrificing for the poor, forgiving those who did them wrong. It seems so hard. And it is. But Jesus will give you his Holy Spirit to help you do it.
But first you have to surrender. First you need to be willing. First you have to repent from your sin. Are you willing to surrender yourself to living out Jesus’ life? Are you ready to confess your sin? Are you ready to love Jesus—not just with words, but with your whole life?
If you are, confess your sin to Him. Ask Him for His Holy Spirit. Read the Sermon on the Mount again. Go to everyone you have sinned against—if you can—and make it right with them. And pray for God to help you to be gentle, to judge with mercy, to always act in the benefit for others, to not be a hypocrite. And God’s kingdom will come to you now.