Saturday, January 21, 2012

Laying a Firm Foundation - Salt & Light [29 mb]



(To download an mp3 file of this sermon, click on the title above. To listen now online, click on the play button of the audio player shown above.)

Written Excerpts:

Matthew 5:13-16
Introduction:
A couple of Sundays ago I spoke to you about the wise man and the foolish man described at the end of Matthew 7. When Jesus gave this analogy, He stated that the wise man was like the one who hears and practices the sayings of Jesus, while the foolish man was like the one who hears Jesus’ sayings, but does not practice them.
When Jesus used the phrase, “these sayings of mine,” He was probably talking about the Sermon on the Mount that He was just finishing. So we have started a series of messages to take a closer look at the Sermon on the Mount and learn what Jesus was referring to when he said we must hear and practice His sayings in order to have a rock solid foundation.
We certainly do not want our lives to come crashing down when we face the storms of life, so let’s purpose to hear and follow the teachings of Jesus.
Last week we looked at the verses that are normally called the Beatitudes. I trust that each of us understands that in order to prepare a firm foundation for life, we must avoid the normal worldly way of looking at life and life’s circumstances and see them as God does. This will require a complete reshaping of our attitudes and outlook.
We can either have attitudes and a frame of mind like Christ, or we can have the attitudes of the world. With His descriptions of blessedness, Jesus shows us that we must not only view life differently than the rest of the world does, but we must live life differently as well.
Today we are going to move on to the next section in chapter five to discuss Jesus’ teaching about being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. As we think about His message, we want to remember that we must not only hear what He says, but we must practice what He says if we are going to have the kind of foundation that will hold up in the storms of life.
Proposition: In these verses of Scripture I find Two Profound Metaphors along with Two Potential Perils but One Prominent Outcome.
Transition: Let us take the next several minutes to examine these words of Jesus to gain insight and motivation for action.

I. Two Profound Metaphors
A. You are the salt of the earth.
Most Bible commentators define at least two characteristics of salt that are relevant to this metaphor Jesus implies.
1. Salt is a preserving agent.
In a literal sense, salt was used a lot before the days of refrigeration to keep meat and other foods from spoiling and help preserve them for future use.
Salt, in a figurative sense, should have a preserving effect on society against moral and spiritual decay and corruption.
2. Salt is a seasoning agent.
Not only was salt used to preserve food from decaying and spoiling, but salt is used to season or flavor food. Seasoning makes many foods more pleasing and palatable.
In that same way, Christians should be representing Jesus Christ and the Gospel in such a way to make people hungry to know Him.
 (JFB) "Salt operates internally." In other words, salt cannot do its work and accomplish any good unless it gets mixed into the meat/food it is expected to change. This implies that, in one sense of the word, salt must “lose its identity” in order to effectively accomplish its intended purpose. It must get out of the “salt-shaker” and into the decaying carcass in order to accomplish its preserving and seasoning action. As long as it remains inside the salt-shaker it will have no impact on the food it was intended to preserve and season.
At the same time, it must “retain its identity” in the sense that it must continue to possess the qualities of saltiness. It must be different from the carcass in order to change it.
B. You are the light of the world.
(JFB) "Light operates externally. " The opposite of what we said about salt. While salt must get mixed into the object it is to affect, light stands apart from the darkness.
Light dispels darkness.
Light exposes what is hidden or secret.
Light reveals or illuminates what is real and true.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
Here it seems that He implies we are to be luminaries in the dark world, just the same as He would be if He were here today.

II. Two Potential Perils
A. If salt loses its savor…
(JFB) "The meaning is: If that Christianity on which the health of the world depends, does in any age, region, or individual, exist only in name, or if it contain not those saving elements for want of which the world languishes… "
“Wherewith shall it be salted?” – How shall the salting qualities be restored? (JFB)
If salt loses its ability to flavor or preserve, then it has essentially acquired the qualities of its surroundings and has no changing effect. It has no purpose or no use.
B. If light is hidden…
Although Jesus doesn’t present this point as a hypothetical possibility like He did when He said, “If salt loses its savor," yet the point seems to be the same.
A city that is on a hill, in a prominent place or position, cannot be hidden. People from miles around will be able to see the lights of that city and see the skyline of its buildings. It will be noticeable. He also declares, “You don’t take a light and place it under a basket or a bowl, but you put it up on a lamp stand to give light to everyone in the house.”
However, the implication is that IF someone would put the light under a basket, then the result would be unthinkable or undesirable – there will be no light for those in the house.

III. One Prominent Outcome
Glorify your Father in heaven.
Jesus declares that when people purpose to let their lights shine in the dark world, it will result in them doing good works that others will be able to see. When they see these good works, they will glorify our Father in heaven.
The point here I think we need to realize is that when we obey and practice these words of Jesus, it is not for our own benefit or recognition. It is for the glory of God. 
An appropriate question one might ask himself would be, “Have my actions caused any others to glorify and honor God?”
Conclusion:
In closing I would like to raise some questions that I think each one of us should be asking ourselves.
Have any of my actions had any impact to slow or reverse the process of moral and spiritual decay in our society?
Have any of my actions had any impact to flavor or season my world and create a desire to know Christ?
Have any of my actions effectively penetrated the darkness and brought the light of truth to those around me?
Finally, I want to bring us back to the original connection with the parable of the wise man and the foolish man. Jesus said if we hear and obey his sayings, then we will be like the man who built his house on a rock solid foundation and was able to withstand the severe storm.
I truly believe there is nothing else that can have the same stabilizing effect on our own spiritual welfare like getting involved and standing up to make a difference in our world. There is nothing else that challenges us to grow more godly and more spiritual than attempting to have a positive influence on others. The more that we get involved in penetrating our darkened world with the light of truth and the salt of righteousness, the stronger we will become in our own spiritual lives.
If we don’t who will?
I want to conclude our service with a song that should be the prayer of our hearts. The title of the song is, "I Do Not Ask to Choose My Path." It may be better known by "make me a blessing today." Let this be our prayer as we sing it together.
 

Laying a Firm Foundation - Beatitudes [42 mb]



(To download an mp3 file of this sermon, click on the title above. To listen now online, click on the play button of the audio player shown above.)

This is a sermon on the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5.

Written Excerpts:

Matthew 5:3-12
Introduction:
Last Sunday I spoke to you on the passage found in Matthew 7:24-27, which contains the story of the wise man and the foolish man. When Jesus introduced this analogy, He stated that the reason one house stood and the other one didn’t was due to the quality of the foundation. One built on the rock, the other built on the sand. He further described the differences between the builders by saying the wise man was like the person who both heard and practiced the sayings of Jesus, while the foolish man was like the person who heard Jesus’ sayings, but did not practice them or live according to them.
I mentioned last week that some Bible scholars believe that when Jesus used the phrase, “these sayings of mine,” He was specifically talking about the entire Sermon on the Mount that He was just concluding.
The more I have prayed about God’s direction for today’s message, the more I was convinced we should review “these sayings of Jesus” that He says we should hear and do in order to “build our lives on a foundation that is rock solid.” So, for today and over the next several weeks we are going to be looking at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) to examine Jesus’ words. We are going to do our best to not only listen to what He said, but we are going to practice what He said, so that we can be wise builders who have a foundation on the rock and can withstand the coming storms in life.
Before I move away from my introductory comments, I wanted to point out a few words that are found in verse 1: “…when He was seated His disciples came to Him.” I want to make sure we understand the significance of this statement. A Disciple of Jesus is one who seeks Him to learn of Him and imitate Him.
Some may argue that a person can be born again and believe in Jesus without demonstrating a passion to learn more about Him and to imitate Him by practicing His teachings. But, a true disciple of Christ will seek Him and learn all he can in order to put His teachings into practice. Let me challenge each one of us in this church to earnestly seek to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our topic for today is what is very commonly known as: “The Beatitudes.”
The word, “beatitude,” is not a biblical word, but is a word that scholars have used to describe the eight “blessed(s)” that appear in our text. It is believed that the word comes from a similar Latin term that was used to refer to condition of blessedness.
On the other hand, let’s consider the word that does appear in the Bible and is used by Jesus – the word, “blessed.”
“Blessed” – μακριος makarios; fem. makaria, neut. makarion, adj. form of (n.f.) makar, blessed one. Blessed, possessing the favor of God, that state of being marked by fullness from God…. Makarios differs from the word “happy” in that the person is happy who has good luck (from the root hap meaning luck as a favorable circumstance). To be makarios, blessed, is equivalent to having God’s kingdom within one’s heart. (The Complete Word Study Dictionary)
According to these descriptions, it would appear that being blessed is the opposite of being “cursed.”
In these eight qualities or conditions of blessedness, described in our scripture, it seems that Jesus is purposely and directly contradicting the usual understanding of these terms in the worldly viewpoint. In other words, each condition that Jesus describes as a state of blessedness or favor of God, we would normally think of as a condition of being cursed.
With His descriptions of blessedness, Jesus shows us that we must not only view life differently than the rest of the world does, but we must live life differently as well. Let us now briefly define and describe the conditions of blessedness named by the Lord.
1. Poor in Spirit
This phrase, most scholars believe, is a reference to humility; i.e., sensing one’s utter poverty apart from God’s grace; nothing to boast of in self. The unbeliever often views humility as a weakness and therefore a curse. It is supposed that this trait is the opposite of what one must demonstrate to be successful and get ahead.
However, Jesus says the humble person is blessed rather than cursed. And, he declares that this person, rather than missing out on success will actually be rewarded by attaining the Kingdom of Heaven.
Humility is a trait that is heralded in many places throughout the Bible. One of the passages that has stuck with me the most is the verse in James 4:6, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
If you want to build your life on a solid foundation, learn humility and practice it.
2. They that Mourn
“mourn” – to lament or grieve.
(Clarke) “…those who, feeling their spiritual poverty ["poor in spirit"], mourn after God, lamenting the iniquity that separated them from the fountain of blessedness…”
It would appear that Jesus may have had the general meaning in mind as well. That is, those who experience those seasons of sorrow and grief due to the various adversities in life. General opinion would look at grief and sorrow as a curse; a sign of God’s disfavor. But, our Lord says that it is only in our grief that we have the blessing of experiencing the comfort of our God.
“comforted” – From the compound word Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit (Comforter), i.e. one called alongside to aid.
(Clarke) He will call them to himself, and speak the words of pardon, peace, and life eternal, to their hearts.
If you want to build your life on a solid foundation, you must start with a genuine sorrow over the sin that has separated you from God. Accept the comfort that He offers through forgiveness and the canceling of your record. Then, as you walk life’s road through the valleys of sorrow, allow Him to call you to Himself for comfort, peace and strength, rather than slipping into the ditch of self-pity and bitterness.
3. The Meek
Those who possess a quiet, gentle spirit. (Clarke)
Someone described meekness as an inward strength to be mild, quiet and gentle. (Unknown) It is somewhat related to the trait of humility. It is commonly assumed that when someone demonstrates meekness it is because he cannot help himself, i.e. he is weak. However, the Lord was truly meek, yet He had all the resources of His Heavenly Father at His command.
A phrase that has been repeated often is this, “If you think being ‘meek’ is ‘weak,’ then try being meek for a week." It seems to me that this word is describing the person that has the fortitude and strength to quietly trust God to resolve unpleasant situations rather than rising up and demanding his or her rights and better treatment.
Again, if we simply view this as another example of people who seem be cursed, but are actually blessed, then the least we can say is that the meek person will receive the exact reward that non-believers would expect to be given to the one who is demanding, forceful and aggressive.
4. Hungering and Thirsting for Righteousness
These words describe a craving or appetite for something. Our bodies let us know when they are hungry or thirsty for physical nourishment. There is nothing that can satisfy that need until we are fed. Those who spiritually crave the qualities of God-likeness, will be filled by the Spirit.
 If you want to be strong enough to stand the violent storms of life, then you must let God develop in you a hunger and thirst for His righteousness, His character, and His presence.
5. The Merciful
Those who are compassionate and benevolent in thought and actions. (Complete Word Study Dictionary)
This quality is exactly opposite of being judgmental and condemning. Jesus said those who judge will be judged. Here He is describing the opposite condition. Those who have the disposition to demonstrate mercy will themselves receive mercy.
Showing mercy or having the character trait of mercy in one’s heart does not mean we have to be gullible or condone evil. It simply means that we remember the God has extended mercy to us after we sinned against Him, and we extend that same attitude toward those who have sinned against us.
Possessing a heart of mercy will help you lay a solid foundation in your life.
6. The Pure in Heart
The word for “pure” here means clean, unsoiled, or unalloyed. It is specifically applied to the sphere of the heart which is the seat of the will and the affections. This is a person that has no “dirt” or competing affections to dilute or contaminate his/her love for God.
(Clarke) There is a stark contrast from the Pharisees who Jesus condemned for keeping the “outside of the cup and platter clean and spotless” but inwardly they were full of corruption.
They shall see God – (Clarke) This is a Hebraism, which signifies, possess God, enjoy his felicity: as seeing a thing, was used among the Hebrews for possessing it.
These people are especially blessed because they desire God and are satisfied with nothing else but God. All competing passions and devotions have been purified and cleansed. Having a pure heart is possible in this life. We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to experience the purity of purpose and affection that God has for His children.
 
7. The Peacemakers
Some people are easily identified by their inclinations to start a fight! It doesn’t seem to matter where they are or who they are with, they always seem to find a way to start or escalate an argument or conflict. In stark contrast to these people, Jesus is saying God’s blessing rests on those who strive to mediate and settle disputes rather than instigate them.
People who instigate peace will be called children of God. Why? Because they are imitating their Heavenly Father.
8. The Persecuted
Finally, Jesus says those who are persecuted, reviled, and maligned are blessed – they are in a state of receiving God’s blessing.
For the worldly person, persecution surely represented God’s curse rather than blessing. The Pharisees and religious leaders who loved the praise of men, would surely think that persecution indicated they were cursed.
Jesus says those who endure the hateful, despising treatment of the world for the cause of Christ, will inherit a Kingdom that is not of this world. They will enjoy the rewards of another world that nothing in this world can compare to.
Anyone who wants to lay a solid foundation, must determine to keep on trusting Christ, and obeying Christ in spite of fierce opposition, knowing that we are not living for the benefits and blessings of this world, but we are living for the rewards of another world.
Conclusion:
These states of blessedness that Jesus describes here are qualities that we must not only learn about, but we must live by them and practice them.
But… as you have already figured out, they cannot be lived out successfully simply by our decision to do so. If we are going to have these qualities as a part of our daily lives, it will require a direct action of God’s Spirit in our hearts and in our lives. We can’t do it alone and in our own strength. Yet, we must submit to the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and in our lives. We must let Him have His way.
 

A Fool and His House Are Soon Parted [23 mb]



(To download an Mp3 file of this sermon, click on the title above. To listen now online, click on the play button of the audio player shown above.)

This is a sermon based on the story Jesus told about the wise man and the foolish man.

Written Excerpts:

Matthew 7:24-27
Introduction: The Bible has a great deal to say about being wise and being foolish. The book of Proverbs speaks often about the attitudes, choices and conduct of the fool or the wise. In the scripture we have chosen for today we find a short analogy presented by Jesus regarding the wise man and the foolish man.
I want to take a little while to point out some observations about this story and discuss some lessons we need to learn from His analogy.
1. The storms came upon both the wise and the foolish.
“Storms” are a fact of life, figuratively speaking. One of the reasons why I felt prompted to consider this familiar text this Sunday is because I wanted to remind all of us that we will no doubt face many “storms” in this new year. It’s not a matter of if we face difficult situations, but when we do. Probably all of us here today can testify to the fact that we know we can count on adversity of some kind and severity every year.
We know from past experience that even when it seems like things are going well, we will sooner or later meet up with some kind of adversity that will test us severely. How many of you would testify today that you have endured some pretty harsh storms this past year that you really never thought you would have to endure? I am sure most of us can say that we have.
If you look at verses 25 and 27 you will notice that storm which came against the house of each man is described exactly the same. The wise man did not experience a less severe storm just because he was wise, and the foolish man did not experience a more severe storm just because he was foolish.
Life is full of unexpected trials, pressures and adversities. This happens to all of us, whether we are “good” or “bad.” I know what it is like to wonder why some good people go through so much suffering. We asked those same questions when my mother-in-law was dying from Lou Gehrig’s disease. But suffering is part of our human life. Ever since sin entered the picture in the Garden of Eden, suffering and adversity has been a part of life.
Look at the description of the storm in these verses: Rains, floods, and winds. Any one of these would be bad enough in itself, but they come one upon the other. That is often how life is. Even though both houses endured the same conditions, one house stood and the other house fell. This reminds me of a comment given by another preacher many years ago, “The storms of life cannot destroy your house; they only reveal how well you have built.” (Rev. Ronald Mayhle)
In this case, it really wasn’t the storm that destroyed the foolish man’s house, because the other house endured the exact same storm and it didn’t fall. Instead, it was the faulty construction or inadequate preparation that caused the fall of the house.
2. Both of these men heard the words of Jesus.
(v. 24, v. 26) The wise man heard Jesus’ words and obeyed or followed through with action. The foolish man heard His words, but didn’t follow up with any action or obedience. It is foolish to think that merely listening to good truth is enough to prepare one for the adversities of life, and especially for eternity.
This world is full of people that have listened to the gospel and the truths of God’s Word, but have not acted upon what they have heard. I’ve met scores of people over the years of my ministry that have heard enough to know what they need to do in order to prepare for eternity and have a stable, consistent Christian walk. The problem with most of them is that, for whatever reason, they have not followed through on what they know they ought to do.
While we are talking about this, I might as well point out how much more foolish it is to expect to be prepared for the storms of life without putting forth the effort to even “hear” what the Lord has to say.
I am amazed at times when people wonder why they are not strong enough to hold up under reverses and adversity. Yet, when you take a look at their lives, you often can find no real commitment to put God first and to faithfully feed on His Word either through private study or through public preaching and teaching.
I don’t care who you are, if you are not hearing the Word and feeding on the Word, then you are not going to be ready when the storms hit.
3. It is foolish to expect a favorable outcome without the necessary preparation.
One man was called “wise,” and the other man was called “foolish.” Why?
There was only one difference noted between the two buildings – the foundation. One house was built on solid rock and the other house was built on shifting sand. One had a stable foundation, the other didn’t. The foolish man really is a fool because he expected his house to stand when he hadn’t adequately prepared and hadn’t paid the price for stability and strength that the other man did.
In this story, the differences in the foundations are compared to those who listen and do what Jesus says, versus those who merely listen but do nothing.
(Adam Clarke) Talking about Christ, his righteousness, merits, and atonement, while … not conform[ing] to his word and spirit, is no other than solemn self-deception.
“These sayings of mine” – probably a reference to the entire discourse He is concluding here which began in chapter 5.
Conclusion:
Who does the foolish man in this story represent? He represents those who care more about the outward appearance of a fine structure, than the deeper issues of strength and stability that can only be acquired by a proper foundation; the part that is not seen by the common observer.
He represents all of those who know enough gospel truth to recognize it, to discuss it, and to intellectually agree with it, but do not follow through with obedience nor adjust their priorities to live by it.
This fool represents all of those who know that life is full of unpredictable storms, but they haven’t attended to the most basic and fundamental preparation in order to survive the coming disasters.
Dear friends, here we stand on the doorstep or threshold of a new year. I am here to tell you that there will be storms this year. I am quite certain that we are going to see some storms on the national level that are worse than many of us have ever known. I am certain that some of us will individually face storms that are worse than we have ever known or experienced.
Are you prepared? How is your foundation? Are you really hearing the Word of the Lord? Are you obeying and heeding what He says? Are you bringing your life into alignment with what you understand Jesus to be saying as the Holy Spirit applies the truth to your life?
If you are not, then you are like the foolish man in this text. You will not survive the pressures, the storms and the adversities.
If you are, then you are compared to the wise man in this passage that has taken care to be prepared.
I think it would be appropriate for us to end this service today, on this first day of the new year, with a special prayer around the altar. You don’t have to come forward if you don’t want to, but if you desire to be more obedient to the Lord this year, then I ask you to join me here. If you desire God’s grace and help to enable you to adequately prepare your spiritual foundation so you can survive the storms of this year, then I ask you to join me here.