Laying a Firm Foundation - Integrity [29 mb]

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This sermon is part six in a series of messages on the Sermon on the Mount given by Jesus. This message is concerning the topic found in Matthew 5:33-37. The series, "Laying a Firm Foundation," ties all of Jesus' themes to the words found at the end of his sermon in Matthew 7 - "Whoever hears and does these sayings of mine will be like a wise man that built his house on the rock... and whoever hears but does not do these sayings of mine will be like a foolish man that built his house on the sand...."
Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

[There was a] man who wrote a famous tract, which was mightily used of God, entitled, Come to Jesus. Soon after writing that tract he became engaged in a theological dispute that led him to write an [attack] article bristling with sarcasm, and [was] as sharp and cutting as a razor. Reading it to a friend, he asked, “What do you think of it?” The friend replied, “It is a masterpiece of criticism. You fairly flay him alive. What have you decided to call it?” “I have not thought of a title,” said the author, “Can you suggest one?” “Well,” said his friend, “how about calling it, Go to the Devil, by the author of Come to Jesus?” (QuickVerse, Illustrations of Bible Truths, "Violating the Gospel")

This story might bring a chuckle to our lips, but it illustrates how our words can sometimes portray the exact opposite image than what we had hoped. Or, in some cases, our attitudes and actions can end up completely contradicting our words. We often refer to these people as HYPOCRITES.

Again today we are continuing our series of sermons dealing with the “Sermon on the Mount” recorded in Matthew 5-7. Today’s text specifically addresses the topic of swearing, and at first glance, we might suppose that these words of Jesus merely warn us against profane speech. However, I think we will soon learn that the real message here relates not merely to our speech, but to our character as well. The real issue seems to be this: does what I say match up with the way I live? So, in reality, Jesus is certainly addressing our speech, but He is also addressing our character, our level of integrity, or our level of hypocrisy.

The specific verses that we will be examining today were read to us earlier in the service this morning, but let me quickly read them again. As we consider this text today, I want to approach it in the following manner:

First, I want to examine some background information that will shed some light on cultural practices of the day. Secondly, I want to explain what I believe Jesus is NOT saying. Finally, I want to explore primary meaning of His message.

1. Examination of Background Information

In order to give you some of the background surrounding this text, I am sharing information from William Barclay’s commentary, which very often does an excellent job explaining the customs surrounding biblical texts.

In Jesus’ day there were two unsatisfactory things about taking oaths. The first was what might be called frivolous swearing. That means the taking of an oath where no oath was necessary or proper. It had become far too common a custom to introduce a statement by saying, “By thy life,” or, “By my head,”… etc. The Rabbis in Jesus’ day had claimed that using any form of oath in a simple statement was sinful and wrong.

It was wrong to use solemn or sacred language in a thoughtless, irreverent or frivolous manner.

A Second Jewish custom might be called evasive swearing. The Jews divided oaths into two classes, those which were absolutely binding and those which were not. In their opinions, any oath which contained the name of God was absolutely binding; any oath which succeeded in evading the name of God was considered non-binding. The result was if a man swore by the name of God in any form, he would rigidly keep the oath; but if he swore by heaven, or by earth, or by Jerusalem, or by his own head, then he felt quite free to break the oath.

This ended up being a method whereby someone could make a promise or oath that sounded good or trustworthy, but could be evaded later if it seemed expedient. The idea behind this view was that, if God’s name was used, then God became a partner in the transaction [or testimony]; whereas if God’s name was not used, then God had nothing to do with the transaction or testimony.

However, Jesus is essentially telling them, “Rather than having to make God a partner in any transaction, no man can keep God out of any transaction because He is already there. Heaven is the throne of God; earth is the footstool of God; Jerusalem is the city of God… there is nothing in the world which does not belong to God; and therefore it does not matter whether God is actually invoked in the promise or testimony or oath. Every oath is the same.

2. Explanation of Misunderstood Meaning

Next, I think it is essential to explain what Jesus is NOT saying in this text. Jesus is NOT saying that all oath-taking (or “swearing,” properly so called) is wrong. He is not forbidding the use of oaths in the proper context and in the proper manner, such as a court of law.

These words of Jesus are rooted in the foundation of the Ten Commandments, just as the two previous paragraphs were. This section relates to the meaning behind the Third Commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” When we looked at the Third Commandment in a previous sermon, we mentioned that the underlying principle behind the command is this: speech is sacred. “Words mean things” is a phrase we have often heard, I’m sure. Speech and conduct should be in harmony; not contradiction.

(Barclay) The third commandment condemns the man who swears that something is true, or who makes some promise, in the name of God, but has taken the oath falsely.

For example: 1 Samuel 19:6 And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul swore, As the LORD lives, he shall not be slain.

Yet, four verses later, Saul is trying to pin David to the wall with a javelin. The Bible does not condemn the use of oaths that were used in the proper setting and the proper manner. In fact, there are texts in the Old Testament that command the use of God’s name in oaths that are done properly and in the right attitude.

Deut. 6:13 “You shall fear the LORD your God, and serve him, and shall swear by his name. “

Deut. 10:20  “You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve him, and to him you shall cleave, and swear by his name.”

There were plenty of examples in the Old Testament and the New Testament where godly people invoked the name of God in testimony or oaths.

See 2 Corinthians 1:23 “Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth.” (NKJV)

Jesus Himself answers directly when placed under oath at His own trial before the high priest. He previously had kept silent.

Matthew 26:63-64 “But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

The point is simply this: neither Jesus nor the Bible condemns the use of swearing under oath in the proper setting, such as a witness giving testimony in a court room.

So then, finally, … what was the real primary meaning of Jesus’ message here?

3. Exploration of Primary Meaning

Well, first of all, I remind you what I stated earlier… It is not necessary to invoke the name of God in the everyday affairs of life in order to have God as an active participant in our day-to-day transactions with our fellowman because God is always involved anyway. As I quoted from Wm. Barclay, no man can keep God out of any transaction because He is already there. Heaven is the throne of God; earth is the footstool of God; Jerusalem is the city of God… a man’s life is God’s by creation, so no one can even determine the color of his or her own hair. God is in control of that as well.

Therefore, we must not ever get the idea that we can compartmentalize our lives or our transactions and have part of them be sanctioned by God and part of them not. (Barclay) Life cannot be divided into compartments; one in which God is involved, and the other in which He is not involved.

“There cannot be one kind of language in the Church and another kind of language in the shipyard or the factory or the office. “There cannot be one standard of conduct in the Church and another standard of conduct in the business world [in entertainment, family life, or any other areas we sometimes separate away from our spiritual life].

What are we talking about here?  We are talking about a daily consistent life that is genuine and authentically Christian at all times. We’re talking about not living in duplicity; in contradiction to what we say we believe; in other words, hypocritically.

Secondly, the meaning of His message as expressed in the latter portion of the paragraph is this, every person should live such a life of integrity that his “yes” means “yes” and his “no” means “no.” No one should ever have to guess whether the word of a Christian is trustworthy or not in everyday affairs.

(Barclay) The ideal is that a man should never need an oath to buttress or guarantee the truth of anything he may say. The man’s character should make the oath completely unnecessary.

Socrates – “A man must lead a life which will gain more confidence in him than ever an oath can do.” Clement of Alexandria – Christians must lead such a life and demonstrate such a character that no one will ever dream of asking an oath from them. (quoted in Barclay)

Again, the real truth comes back to integrity in speech and conduct. All those around us must recognize by our character our speech and our conduct that we are honest, trustworthy and genuine.

Conclusion:

What about you?

Do you live by two different standards? Is your life telling a different story on Monday thro’ Saturday than it is on Sunday?

Does your life deny or contradict what you say?

Do your actions support your testimony?

Are your promises and your words reliable? Can people, or even your own children, trust what you say?

I believe that this is essentially the core of Jesus’ message in this text.

May the Lord help each one of us to examine our speech and our conduct to see if they agree with the standard that Jesus has given us.

If we discover that it doesn’t, I am glad that God’s grace is adequate to make a dramatic transformation within our hearts that will change our character and enable us to be authentically Christian in every area of life.

Let’s close our service with the hymn, “I Would Be True.”

Laying a Firm Foundation - Marital Fidelity [36 mb]

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This sermon is the fifth sermon in a series of messages discussing the Lord's Sermon on the Mount and is based on Matthew 5:27-32.

Written excerpts:

Introduction:

By God’s help I want to continue our series of messages dealing with the Sermon on the Mount given by Jesus and recorded in Matthew chapters 5-7. I trust that the Holy Spirit will oversee our time together today so that I will communicate accurately and you will understand accurately what God wants us to learn from this passage.

Moving on to the next segment in the Sermon on the Mount today we will be taking a look at what Jesus had to say in relation to the Seventh Commandment, which addresses the issue of marital fidelity. By the way, once again, this subject we are discussing today closely corresponds to a couple of messages I preached last year when I did a series of messages on the Ten Commandments. The two messages were titled, “Holy Matrimony” Parts I & II.

Let us turn our attention to the text and consider some important observations or lessons that Jesus emphasized to His listeners.

1. God has ordained marriage as a sacred relationship between a husband and a wife.

Last week I explained that Jesus’ words regarding murder and anger were a direct reference to the Sixth Commandment, “You shall not kill.” This week we understand that His words regarding lust and divorce are a direct reference to the Seventh Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery.”

When I presented the messages last year on the Ten Commandments, I tried to provide a positive principle that was the basis for each of the commands God gave to Moses. The positive principle for the Seventh Commandment is this: Marriage is sacred (holy). Since marriage is a holy and sacred relationship between a husband and a wife, then everything that threatens the stability and permanence of that relationship must be eliminated from our lives. Everything that threatens to cheapen and devalue the sacredness of marriage must be avoided.

2. The sacred bond of marriage can be violated by lustful fantasies even without illicit conduct.

Jesus is emphasizing the fact that adultery and all other violations of marital fidelity are rooted in the desires and passions of the heart before they ever become literal reality. (I assume that we all understand that even though Jesus uses the example of a man lusting for a woman, it does not mean that women are exempt from this sin of adulterous fantasies.)

(Repeated from last year’s sermon on the 7^th Commandment) God intended the bond between a husband and a wife to be so strong that they would be united in body, mind and spirit. Intellectual, emotional and spiritual intimacy all work together to enhance physical intimacy. The “three-strand cord” is impossible to break when it has been faithfully created and nurtured.

Lustful fantasies are a direct assault on the intimacy God intended between a husband and a wife. Fantasies can be defined as thoughts that one entertains and nurtures in the mind regarding conduct that he/she does not intend to engage in. This fact applies before marriage just as much as during marriage. If people are careless about the conduct imagined in their minds before they are married, it is very likely that they will continue to be careless about it after they are married, and it will negatively impact their marriage. So, in that sense, it is an assault on the sanctity of marriage no matter when it occurs.

“Whosoever looketh upon a woman…”

“Looketh” – This word implies that the temptation was initiated through sight. Perhaps that is why Jesus used the example of a man lusting for a woman, because men are primarily tempted through visual attractions while women are primarily emotionally attracted. In any case, both men and women need to be careful what we allow ourselves to be exposed to and entertained with in order to avoid the kind of trap that Jesus is talking about.

 “…to lust after her …” – The word “lust” understood in its most generic form refers to any strong passion or desire. However, in the context of this statement, it carries the stronger, negative meaning of a desire or passion outside of biblical / moral boundaries.

Now… I want to emphasize here that there is a big difference between the temptation to lust and the actual sin of lust. The best passage of scripture I know of to explain the difference is found in James 1:13-15. Here is the progression to sin as defined by James:

Temptation is described in two steps as being (a) “drawn away” by our own lusts – i.e., we become aware of something that appeals to our natural God-given desires [here “lust” is to be understood in the more generic sense of any strong desire]; and (b) “enticed” – i.e., the attraction is so pronounced that it “baits” us or “entraps” us. The appeal is more than just a casual notice, but it truly grabs our attention.

Temptation becomes sin when… c) “lust has conceived” – i.e., when the desire has germinated with our will. The consent of the will can either be a decision to act out the passion, or a decision to continue thinking on it and fantasizing about it.

This decision to fantasize about behavior that God has condemned constitutes the sin of adultery that Jesus is talking about here.

3. The temptations and urges are so destructive; we must take every step necessary to avoid or conquer all evil influences.

“If your eye (or hand) offends you…”

Most commentaries consider these words to be a figure of speech that we call “hyperbole.” That is, an obvious and intentional exaggeration used for emphasis and not to be taken literally (dictionary.com). The obvious point Jesus is making is this… any steps a person must take in order to keep himself pure and free from sin are far better than being lost in hell, no matter how drastic those steps may seem.

Jesus seems to be telling us that temptations which threaten the sacredness of marriage do come from all sorts of angles and sources, and they have the ability to not only destroy a marriage, but destroy our souls. Therefore, any actions or measures necessary to prevent those temptations from ensnaring us and causing irreparable harm must certainly be taken. Such actions, no matter how severe, will be far better than the fires of hell.

In my message on the 7^th Commandment, I commented that we men need to guard our minds against impure thoughts by guarding what we allow view and put into our minds. Videos, magazines, TV shows and a host of other sources can provide images in our minds that make it next to impossible to remain pure in our thoughts and imaginations. No man who calls himself a Christian should be feeding his mind on things that promote promiscuity and immoral conduct, even if he never intends to follow through with outward behavior.

I remember when our daughter was attending a Christian college, and she was asked out by a pretty popular and well-liked guy on campus. During one of their conversations he apparently said something about watching a movie that she felt was inappropriate for a Christian. He simply brushed it off as “just a guy thing.” Well, needless to say, their relationship ended soon afterward, because she was not interested in getting involved with someone who was feeding his mind on things that glorified or glamorized behavior that was contrary to biblical holiness.

Men, let me remind each of us today that the Devil will use every tool and technique possible to fill our minds with thoughts that are condemned in Scripture. He will entice us with every possible tactic until we find ourselves enslaved to lust.

Jesus is simply telling us that we must do anything and everything necessary to break the bondage of lust and find freedom in Christ. I’m glad that I can say I know many people who have found deliverance and freedom in the power of Holy Spirit. It is possible to live a victorious life over the power of lust and passions.

But this message is not just for men. Women are just as vulnerable to the temptations to lust. It may or not be the visual attraction to some “handsome hunk.” It may more likely be an attraction to someone that seems so “tender and caring, and interested in my problems; nothing like that boring, fault-finding bum at home.” Without careful attention to the sly tactics of the Devil, a woman can begin to fantasize about relationships that are contrary to the Bible and the sacred vows of marriage. Women also need to be careful about what they put into their minds through TV shows, inappropriate kinds of romance stories, and a host of other media that would lead one into desires and fantasies that endanger the sacredness of marriage.

For all of us, Jesus says, “Get rid of it. Do whatever is needed to restore moral virtue and purity to your thoughts and imaginations as well as your conduct or behavior.”

4. Marriage is so sacred that it must not be dissolved except for specific causes.

Again, I am reminded that I spoke about this issue when I did my sermons on the Ten Commandments. I reiterate the fact that I certainly do not have answers to all the questions people have raised about the problems of divorce. I am only trying to explain what Jesus was teaching in this sermon.

If you compare these words here in chapter 5 with the words of Jesus in chapter 19, you will discover that the official writing or certificate of divorce referred to was actually a tool that Moses granted to protect women from being abruptly dismissed or abandoned for any and all reasons. Jesus goes on to explain that the writing of divorcement was designed “because of the hardness of their hearts.” It was because people had gotten so far away from God’s original intent and design for marriage that people were being misused and abused. The least we can say is this… Jesus wanted them to understand that God’s original plan and design was for marriage to be a permanent, life-time commitment between one man and one woman. He was trying to help them see, that if they did not guard against it, the breakup of marriages could again be just as common as it was before Moses instituted the requirement of official divorce papers in order to dissolve a marriage.

We certainly have lived to see what Jesus was speaking against. “No-fault divorce” has become the norm throughout our nation today. Marriages are splitting up and homes are being destroyed for a host of reasons these days and the Devil is thrilled by it all. God wants everyone one of us to jealously guard our marriages from anything and everything that threatens to destroy them.

Conclusion:

In closing, let me just briefly tie this message in with our general theme: Laying a Firm Foundation.

If you want to build a firm foundation for your life that will withstand the most severe storms of life, make every effort to strengthen your marriage. (If you’re not married yet, make every effort to guard yourself against lusts and traps that will endanger your future relationship.) If any of us are defeated in the arena of moral purity it will negatively impact the rest of our lives as well. If we have compromised the sanctity of marriage, it will not only have a negative impact on our home life and families, but it will hinder our entire spiritual development.

For example, Peter instructed husbands to give honor to their wives so that their prayers would not be hindered. This is just one example of how wounded relationships at home can affect one’s spiritual connection to God. So, taking every possible step to guard against temptations that would threaten to destroy marriage will also enable us to have the kind of foundation in our lives that can weather the storms.

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Laying a Firm Foundation - Love & Hate [32 mb]

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This is the fourth sermon in a series of messages on the Sermon on the Mount. This message is based on Matthew 5:21-27.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

We are involved in a series of sermons based on the Sermon on the Mount given by Jesus and recorded by Matthew in chapters 5-7.

We have named this series, “Laying a Firm Foundation” because of the words that Jesus spoke in Matt. 7, “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock…. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand….”

We are examining the sermon given by Jesus in order to learn what kinds of attitudes, character and actions are needed in order to build our lives on a solid foundation. So far in this series I have been saying that we need to learn these things in order to be better prepared for the storms of life. However, with today’s lesson, I believe we will see that learning these lessons not only helps us prepare for the storms of life, but if we don’t learn these lessons, that may even cause severe storms to come into our lives.

Starting with today’s topic and continuing through the next several topics, Jesus seems to be confirming the truth of the previous lesson; i.e. He didn’t come to destroy the law, but to complete it or fulfill it. You will notice with the next several paragraphs, Jesus starts off each one by saying, “You have heard that it was said by them of old time” – Or, “by them of ancient times.” He is probably speaking about those Rabbis and teachers of the law that gave traditional interpretations along with their man-made additions and explanations.

It seems very unlikely that Jesus was contrasting His teaching against Moses, for that would go against what he had just said in the previous paragraph about not coming to destroy the law. More than likely these are references to the common interpretations as understood by the Rabbis and teachers of the Law. However, Jesus is expanding the meanings and showing the genuine intent and purpose of the commands. After all, being the Second Person of the Trinity, He was the One who gave the law to begin with.

Our topic today is based on verses 21-26 and concerns the matter of relationships with our fellowman.

With the help of God’s Spirit, I want to discuss three important principles that spring from this lesson in Jesus’ sermon.

I.    Murder is an assault on the image of God.

We can tell by the way that this verse begins that it is based on the Sixth Commandment from the Law: “Thou Shalt Not Kill.”

Many of you were here last year when I did a series of messages on the Ten Commandments. If you recall, when we talked about the Sixth Commandment, we emphasized the point that murder is so evil because it is an attack against a creature that has been created in the image of God. Human beings are the only creatures in God’s entire universe that are defined as being created in God’s image. It is that image of God that gives human life more value over and above any other creature in the world. So, to attack and murder another human being is, in a sense, equivalent to attacking God Himself.

Now, I admit that Jesus did not mention the image of God in this passage, but I am doing so because of the obvious connection to the Ten Commandments and the reasoning God used back in the OT when He originally gave the command, “Do not kill.”

I will be enlarging on this in a moment, but it seems to me that when Jesus starts out this paragraph by making a reference to the commandment, “Do not kill,” He is re-establishing the all-important principle that we are made in the image of God and that principle has implications for behaviors other than just murder.

II.   Anger (and Hatred) is the seed of murder.

A. Anger as a root of evil

After re-establishing the foundational principle of the sacredness of human life, Jesus moves on to further implications in the law.

“Whoever is angry …” – Jesus is now explaining that there is another principle that is at the root of murder and that principle is the seed of anger (or hatred).

We will discuss in a moment some of the expressions of anger that Jesus highlights, but it is important to understand that anger is the seed of hatred and murder as well as other outward expressions, and it must be addressed if one is to avoid the guilt and judgment that Jesus mentions. Anger against another human being must be understood as an attitude that is directed toward someone that is created in the image of God.

Now, I recognize that sometimes humans do things that are evil and wrong and contrary to the image of God that we all were meant to reflect in this life. And yet, this does not give any of us the right to deny another person the value attached to God’s image with which they were created.

“… without cause….” – This phrase does not appear in the oldest manuscripts. Therefore, many Bible scholars believe that it was a marginal note made by some scribe that eventually made its way into the text. Yet we do need to acknowledge that anger in itself is not always wrong. Jesus was described in various places in the Gospels as having anger and expressing anger. The Apostle Paul advised, “Be angry [but] do not sin.” So this phrase is a reminder that Jesus seems to be speaking about the kind of anger that is self-centered and retaliatory, rather than anger that is focused on the defense of God’s righteous character.

B. Expressions of anger and their consequences

1. The verbal expressions of anger

“Whoever says…” – with these words Jesus introduces two different degrees of verbal attack against another person that spring from internal anger.

Notice that Jesus first of all addresses the principle of anger and then He mentions the verbal expressions of anger. It is important to notice that inward attitudes and motivations are just as serious as outward actions and expressions of them. (This is a primary point in all these lessons about the law.)

“Raca” – (Adam Clarke) to be empty. It signifies a vain, empty, worthless fellow, shallow brains; a term of great contempt.

(IVP Bible Background Commentary) “Raca” is Aramaic for “empty-headed one….”

“Fool” – (A. Clarke) probably from a word meaning, to rebel, a rebel against God, apostate from all good. This term implied, among the Jews, the highest enormity, and most aggravated guilt, [i.e. apostasy].

(Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown) Every age and every country has its modes of expressing such things; and no doubt our Lord seized on the current phraseology of unholy disrespect and contempt merely to … condemn the different degrees of such feeling when brought out in words, as he had immediately before condemned the feeling itself.

Dear friends, let me remind each of us on the authority of Jesus’ own words, it is a serious offense against the divine image of God to verbally attack another human being and call them derogatory names. Even when expressing anger over conduct that is evil, we must remain focused on the behavior and not attack the inherent worth of the person.

2. The consequences for anger and its expressions

As Jesus talks about anger and its consequences, He seems to indicate that there are not only varying degrees in the expression of it but in the consequences for it as well.

“…judgment; council; and hell fire…” – The literal meanings are:

Judgment – (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown) [A word used to describe] the lowest of Jewish tribunals. (Clarke) A senate composed of 23 magistrates whose business it was to judge in cases of murder and other capital crimes.

Council – The word used is the word for Sanhedrin. (Clarke) It was composed of 72 elders and received appeals from the lower senate, as well as tried cases of the highest crimes.

Hell fire – lit. “fire of Gehenna” which was a reference to the valley of the Sons of Hinnom; a valley outside Jerusalem where refuse was consumed by the fires that were often burning.

Some Bible scholars think that these three terms represent three different expressions for the same punishment or judgment. Others insist that they truly represent varying degrees of punishment. Most seem to agree that these terms really refer to future and divine judgments of God for the violations of this commandment. By describing these consequences, Jesus is vividly establishing God’s attitude toward murder and its predecessors that all violate His divine image that was implanted in every human being. 

III.   Reconciliation and Harmony is God’s Design.

The final principle we want to point out today is this:

God’s first and primary desire regarding anger and hatred is for people to be reconciled with one another and for relationships to be healed, rather than allowing anger to fester and develop into words and actions that are seriously destructive. By these examples that Jesus describes next, we can’t help but recognize that God’s heart is set on reconciliation and healing of relationships. Jesus demonstrates this principle by using two examples or illustrations – offering of a sacrifice, and charges pending in court.

Without taking the time to describe the intimate details of these analogies, let me simply summarize the conclusion drawn by Jesus.

In both cases, it is absolutely essential to reconcile with the offended party beforehand in order to receive God’s approval and acceptance or to avoid the consequences of judgment in the court. In both of these examples Jesus was undoubtedly using real life examples to express spiritual truths.

Sacrifice – Before anyone attempts to offer up to God any type of spiritual service as a sacrifice to the Lord, he / she must first of all become reconciled with anyone that has “ought against” me.

(Notice that this is not primarily talking about those whom I may have something against, but it is talking about the ones who have something against me. This places the burden upon me to seek them to be reconciled, rather than waiting for them to come to me.)

Agree with Adversary – Make every effort to come to an acceptable agreement with the one that is bringing charges against you before you get to the point of being forced to accept the judgment of the court.

Reconciliation and healing are very high in priority with God. He is not pleased with anger and bitterness or any broken relationships that might end up in the kind of expressions we have already discussed. It is not so important for me to demand my rights and insist on having my way. It is far more important to patch up relationships and demonstrate the kind of love for each other that God has demonstrated towards us. The seed of anger can and will develop into hatred or even murder, but God’s desire is that we receive His divine love and let it produce reconciliation and healing in our broken lives and broken relationships.

Conclusion:

What is the Holy Spirit bringing to your mind right now?

Who is the individual or individuals that you are thinking of right now?

Are there roots of bitterness and anger festering within your heart and your spirit?

Are there wounds that you are nursing and grudges that you are harboring?

Is there anyone that you know has anger or a grudge toward you?

These kinds of things will lead to serious violations of God’s design for how we treat one another.

The only solution is to confess it all to God and give it to Him, and then become reconciled with those against whom we may have harbored anger and bitterness.

 

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Laying a Firm Foundation - Law & Gospel [35 mb]

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This is the third sermon in a series of messages dealing with the Sermon on the Mount. This message is based on Matthew 5:17-20 in which Jesus states that He did not come to destroy the law and the prophets, but came to fulfill them.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

Jesus said, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock…. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand…. (Matt. 7:24ff)

 We’re continuing our study of “these sayings” of Jesus in order to build our “house” on a foundation that is solid rock. The first sermon was a quick overview of all the beatitudes in verses 1-12. These are a list of attitudes or viewpoints on life that God blesses. These qualities represent “curses” in the thinking of the world, but they represent “blessings” in the eyes of God. Why? Because God views things from a completely different perspective than we do or the world does. These are attitudes that are necessary in order to have a life that can stand up in the midst of the storm, because they emphasize character qualities that are important in life.

The second message was concerning the privilege that God has given to each one of us to be salt and light in the world. We talked about the analogies that Jesus used to express our God-given mission in the world: to prevent spiritual/moral decay; to season our world with His character qualities; and to shine the light and dispel the darkness around us.

Today, we are resuming the study of this sermon to grasp more of the truth about what it means to lay a firm foundation for a life filled with storms. I want to read the verses that we will be discussing today…

Matthew 5:17-20 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. ¹⁹Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

There are at least three principles that Jesus seems to be teaching in this paragraph.

I.    His life and ministry do not annul God’s previous revelation.

At the beginning of this chapter we noted that when Jesus went up on the mountain, His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them by giving this discourse. We mentioned that disciple means follower, learner, etc. It is kin to the word discipline which is required of anyone who desires to have his life molded and modeled after the Master Teacher. In this group of disciples, there undoubtedly were people who would identify with the popular religious groups of that day – Pharisees and Sadducees. No doubt some of these people were critically watching His life and listening to His words in order to see if He was promoting anything that was contrary to the writings of Moses and the prophets. They were skeptical about some of His motives and intentions about the OT Law by the way He was teaching and “bucking” the religious system of the day.

I think Jesus was addressing their concerns to affirm His respect and allegiance to the Law, but it wasn’t necessarily on their terms; it was on God’s terms. It was in a way to show them that their understanding wasn’t exactly the way God intended.

On the other hand, there were plenty of common folk who were perhaps not so familiar with Moses and the prophets. We get the impression from the Gospels that common folk were drawn to His ministry. It seems that they enjoyed the fact that Jesus irritated the religious rulers so much. There is a good possibility that they were on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Pharisees. They were feeling: “Yippee, here is a teacher that is breaking free from all the old traditions and the norms of the past. Now, we are free to be whatever we want to be and do whatever we want to do. And, I think Jesus is addressing their misconceptions as well.

“Don’t be celebrating and thinking that I’m advocating a ‘do-your-own-thing’ kind of philosophy.

“Law / Prophets” – euphemism that referred to OT Writings.

 “I didn’t come to destroy” – demolish, invalidate.

 “fulfill” – make full; make complete; bring to realization.

(Life Application Bible Commentary) The meaning for “fulfill” has been taken three ways: (1) to accomplish or obey the Old Testament laws; [e.g. Matt. 3:15 regarding his baptism.] (2) to bring out the full meaning of the law and prophecy, showing how Christ is the fulfillment of all to which they pointed; (3) to bring the Old Testament law and promises to their destined end or intended completion. [I personally believe it can include all three.] Jesus fills to fullness; he completes and transcends the law. The Old Testament law is not rescinded but now must be reinterpreted and reapplied in light of Jesus. God does not change his mind. He did not send his Son to repeal, abolish, or annul what he had told his people previously.

And so we emphasize that Jesus’ life and ministry do not, cannot, and will not annul God’s earlier revelation in the Old Testament. Granted, He did contradict many of their own laws and interpretations of the Law of Moses. He definitely went against their traditions, and that upset most of the religious ruling authorities. However, we must never forget that Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Word of God. He is God-speaking-in-the-flesh. Jesus can no more deny, destroy or contradict the OT Word than He can deny being Himself.

II.    God’s Word (truth) is fixed and permanent.

The next principle Jesus is emphasizing here is the fact that God’s Word is eternally fixed and permanent.

Jesus’ words may have some relation to this OT passage:

Ps. 102:25-27 “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. ²⁶ They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: ²⁷ But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

God’s Word is permanent, because God is permanent.

Jesus affirms: “Not only did I not come to destroy or annul the Word of God, but it cannot be destroyed or annulled by anyone.”

People have tried ever since the beginning of time to override and overrule the commands of God. They have violated them with impunity. Yet, God’s commandments and God’s Word is still standing today. People have boasted about breaking God’s commandments, but in the end, they are the ones who end up broken and ruined and destroyed; not God or His Word.

III.   Respect for and obedience to God’s Word is indispensable.

Rabbis often debated the differences between greater and lesser commandments. In their religious and theological debates, they would allow for the least commands to be ignored or disobeyed, but the greater commands must be precisely and diligently followed.

Jesus apparently uses their own technique against them in order to emphasize that all are important.

The Apostle James writes, “Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

v. 19 “Therefore” – in light of the previous statements, we must understand that:

A. Anyone who promotes by example or instruction the idea that any of God’s laws can be reduced to a place of dishonor and thus ignored, will also be viewed in the same way in the perception of God’s kingdom.

B. Anyone who promotes by example or instruction the idea that all of God’s laws are sacred and must be obeyed will be viewed in the same way according the perceptions in God’s kingdom.

It seems to go completely against the whole message that Jesus is trying to give to assume that He is saying you can promote disobedience to God’s law and still be a part of the kingdom of God, but you’re just at the bottom end of the “spiritual ladder.”

I believe that He is emphasizing the fact that “being called least in the kingdom of God” actually means, “In the vocabulary and perspective of God’s kingdom, anyone who teaches others to disobey God’s law is just as low and shameful as the philosophy they are advocating.”

C. Everyone who wants to live up to the standard of God’s law must rise above the letter and embrace the spirit of it.

Jesus teaches all of us, even religious zealots, that there is a lot more to the Word of God than mere outward conformity to its requirements.

 “exceed… scribes and Pharisees” – our observance or obedience must rise above the mere performance of duties and obligations. We must have a genuine love for God that seeks the intent and spirit of the Word.

I think Jesus is really emphasizing here what we often call the distinction between religion and relationship. It is not mere performance of rules and obligations that God is seeking. It is a love relationship between us and Him that draws us to seek and follow everything that we know pleases Him.

Conclusion:

Now, I haven’t mentioned this point since the beginning of the message today, but we are still talking about laying a solid spiritual foundation in our lives so we can withstand the storms that come our way in life.

What does all this emphasis on the Law and the Prophets have to do with laying a firm foundation?

It is essentially this…

In every life that is stable and solid there is a sense of a higher authority than myself; a higher authority that governs my life and to which I am accountable. My life is not my own, to simply run as I wish, according to all my impulses and desires. If I am merely living my life from day to day to satisfy whatever happens to be appealing to me today, then I will never develop a stability and a discipline that will guide me and hold me steady in the storms of life and physical, emotional, or spiritual attacks from Satan.

From the beginning of creation, God has steadily and progressively revealed His nature, His purposes and His redemptive actions to men of all ages. Every stage of revelation had its divine design and accomplished its intended purpose. Jesus did not negate any of the previous revelation; He brings it to fulfillment.

If we are to be a disciple of Jesus, we too must demonstrate a respect and dedication to the Word of God and be committed to let it and let Him change us. I believe that God wants us to first of all discover anew and afresh how Jesus Christ fulfills all the requirements of the law to provide our redemption and establish our relationship with the Father. I also believe that God wants us to submit to His divine authority over our lives and seek to live in a way that is pleasing to Him because we seek to honor His Word by obeying it. If we do this as a way of life, I know it will develop a solid foundation of faith in us that no storm can shake or destroy.

Our closing song today is a new hymn to me, but it has a very familiar tune, which we sing mostly as a Christmas Carol.

This hymn emphasizes God’s Word being spoken through Creation, through His people, through His Son, through the written word, and through His Spirit.

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Discerning the Lord's Body [25mb]

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

This is a message given at Wayside Community Church on 1/29/12 during the worship service which included the sacrament of commuion.

Written Excerpts:

1 Corinthians 11:27-29 “²⁷Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. ²⁹For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. ”

Introduction:

Simply by reading the words of the Apostle Paul in these three verses, one can begin to sense the seriousness of participating in the communion elements. Based on my years of ministry I have concluded that there are many people who have misinterpreted this passage by either taking its meaning too lightly, or by applying the message more severely than the Apostle intended.

There may be more that can be said about this passage in a future sermon, but for today I simply want to briefly discuss the mistreatment of the Lord’s table that this passage refers to, then I want to draw a couple of conclusions for our benefit and understanding today.

I.    Mistreatment of the Lord’s Supper

In reading the comments of various scholars on this chapter it seems that the Apostle is clearly and strongly denouncing the practices that had been taking place in the Corinthian congregation. He explicitly condemns them for their actions and attitudes surrounding the observance of the Lord’s Supper.

A. Divisions or schisms

In v. 18, Paul is again bringing up the problem of divisions among the believers, which he had addressed earlier in the letter. These various groups or cliques were pitted against each other or at least in competition with each other (“our version of grace is better than yours”). This attitude had carried over into all aspects of church life and the resulting conflicts were not expressing the basic attitudes of Christ at all.

B. Heresies

(Beacon Comm) The word is derived from a term stressing the idea of choosing between alternative. In biblical and church language the word usually means wrong choice, and hence a false doctrine.

C. Common meal

Adam Clarke stresses that the Corinthians had included the Lord’s Supper into a common meal similar to the Jewish Passover meal. In the process of eating these feasts together, the attitudes of division / schism and other similar qualities had also infected their behavior at the meal. Therefore, some were “pigging out” while others were still hungry. Every person or every clique was looking out for “#1” while others, especially the poor, were going hungry.

These practices were completely distorting the whole message implied with the observance of Communion, which was to emphasize the unselfish love of our Lord who gave up himself in order to provide for our salvation.

II.    Conclusions to draw from this lesson

A. Eating and drinking unworthily

(Clarke) To put … these words [within] the context, let the reader observe, that to eat and drink the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper unworthily, is to eat and drink as the Corinthians did…. and did not, in the whole institution, discern the Lord’s body and blood as a sacrificial offering for sin: and besides, in their celebration of it they acted in a way utterly unbecoming the gravity of a sacred ordinance.

The KJV and its use of the word, “unworthily,” is sometimes understood by some people as referring to those who partake and are not “worthy” to do so. In this view, many have taken the position “I am not worthy of Christ’s sacrifice, so I won’t partake of the communion emblems.” The newer translations of the passage use the words, “unworthy manner,” which more clearly ties in with the context and the abuses or mistreatment of the Lord’s Supper that the Apostle had just been describing.

B. Eating and drinking “damnation” or judgment

This word is better understood to mean condemnation. It is not referring to eternal judgment that is often associated with the word damnation. Verse 32 confirms this point in stressing that God’s momentary condemnation or judgment is for the purpose of steering us away from the future or eternal judgment.

C. Self-examination is strongly recommended

Certainly the Apostle is doing his part in pointing out to them the errors of their ways and urging them to make the needed adjustments. However, he is emphasizing the importance of every person taking a hard look at their own attitudes and behaviors to see if they are properly and reverently observing the Lord’s Supper.

In other letters written by the Apostle Paul there are references to the appropriate use of mutual accountability and edification between Christians. We are urged to meekly seek to restore and correct those who have gone astray. Yet, it is much better if one that is starting to go astray to “examine himself” and discover the discrepancy between his behavior and the conduct approved in God’s Word.

D. The goal is to properly “discern” the Lord’s body

The word “discern” means to distinguish or to make a judgment. It apparently emphasizes the lack of spiritual judgment on the part of the Corinthians to place the proper value on the emblems as the symbol of Christ’s body. Certainly, to carry on at the Lord’s Table like the Corinthians were doing was to woefully fail in observing the proper reverence and sacredness attached to the emblems as symbols of Christ’s suffering and sacrifice.

Paul was urging them to distinguish properly between something that represents the body and suffering of our Lord and any other meal that was simply for physical nourishment. Apparently, satisfying physical hunger was not the main focus of this meal or ordinance. They were to eat at home in order that they might properly focus on the appropriate sobriety during the celebration of Communion.

So, even today, we must never come to the Communion service with anything less than reverence and respect for the true meaning behind the bread and the wine (or juice) that we share in observance of Jesus’ suffering and death.

These emblems we will receive today and in every observance of Communion truly represent the horrible suffering and sacrifice of our Lord. They represent the painful tearing of his flesh and shedding of his blood. They reflect the ebbing away of His life at the hands of those who sought to appease the hatred of His accusers.

Certainly we ought to carefully examine our own motives and our own attitudes to make sure that we have accurately judged the sacredness of what we are doing. We ought to reinforce that accurate assessment by living our lives in obedience to His Word and His will.

Sanctity of Human Life 2012 [42mb]

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This is a message presented to the congregation of Wayside Community Church near Mercer PA on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday 2012. The speaker was Brian Beals, Executive Director of Pro Life of Mercer County.