Take Away - SOM 7

I am still processing the Sermon on the Mount. I have gone through the 25 posts and edited them for clarity and to revisit them for myself. Now I want to look at the applications I should be making for myself.

SOM - Part 7

It is easy to get caught up in ideas to the point that you miss the main purpose. I was substitute teaching once, and offered a treat to anyone who could correctly answer a question I posed. Even before a word was said, hands are in the air to respond. So I called on one to ask the answer. They said that I had not even asked the question yet. Exactly. But in an effort to be the one to be called on, hands shoot in the air. 

There is a lot of wonderful information out there about salt and light, and some great spiritual lessons that can be gained. But what is the main point that Jesus is trying to get across here, and do I get it? He is speaking to the masses, there will be no test. He states, "if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet." At this time a major use of salt was to preserve food. But if the salt does not do its job, it gets thrown onto the pathway, where it will be crushed into the ground. The people should have easily understood this. The useless salt, the salt that cannot do its purposed task, gets thrown on the path where it will kill the growth of most anything and create a path that will be walked upon by others. 

Take Away: If we are not living a life that is God-honoring, we are as useless as that salt. It is not just what we do, but how we do it. Is it God honoring? It's not just going to church, praying, giving our time and or money, but it is also about honoring God in the process. If my goal is anything less than to honor God, I have failed and am useless, only fit to be thrown out and trampled on. Note that in the process, I kill everything around me.

Jesus continued, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." The job of light is to illuminate. Why would you turn on a light and then cover it? It's useless. Note that Jesus even says to let your light shine so that people may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Even having a shining light is not enough if it is not God honoring. 

There will be no test over all of the qualities of salt and light. The only test is the same one found in Matthew 7:15-20. What does your fruit reveal about you?

Take Away - SOM 6

I am still processing the Sermon on the Mount. I have gone through the 25 posts and edited them for clarity and to revisit them for myself. Now I want to look at the applications I should be making for myself.

SOM Part 6

I recently saw this posted on Facebook in a group. 

Then in the comments, I read this from a pastor:

While I might not have posted the original meme myself, the response has me scratching my head. Are we that "seeker friendly" that we are worried about what the unchurched will think about what the Bible labels as sin? I don't think we need to worry about offending the woke and unchurched, they can find plenty to criticize on their own. I should not be living in fear of saying what I believe to be true because it might offend. Jesus didn't. In fact, He took things even farther, in His very first sermon He equates murder with just being angry (Matthew 5:21-22), says that anyone who divorces his wife makes her commit adultery (Matthew 5:32), tells us to love rather than hate our enemies (Matthew 5:44), and more. Are we so worried about growing the church that we will just ignore or water down the Gospel to get people in the door? And then once inside, do we preach the truth to them? I think a  post like this will offend some, maybe many. But it might also drive some to see their sin and in turn their need for what Jesus has to offer, which is not "your best life now," but salvation. The response, "Why even post this? I think in some form we have all committed most of these acts." leads me to believe that the person who responded wants to downplay or ignore sin, rather than discuss or deal with it. Perhaps the original poster of the meme had the intention of showing that homosexuals are not the only sinners, and we all need Jesus. But who am I to judge? That would be wrong of me, wouldn't it?

Which is a perfect lead in to SOM Part 6. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:10-12)

In the original post, I concluded that the persecution would come both from within and outside of the church. Is the above an example of persecution from within the church, to criticize a brother for calling out what they perceive the Scripture to state about sin? I am not sure, but I do believe that it could be. I have seen worse.

Take Away: Persecution is coming, that is if we believe the Scriptures to be true, and I do believe this. When and how severe, I cannot say. In many places it is happening and it is severe. If and when I do experience it, will I see myself as blessed, happy, or content? Would I be able to be like Paul, instead of singing in the rain he was singing in the chains. (Acts 16:25) I would like to believe that I would.

Take Away - SOM 5

 I am still processing the Sermon on the Mount. I have gone through the 25 posts and edited them for clarity and to revisit them for myself. Now I want to look at the applications I should be making for myself.

SOM Part 5

I want to begin by reiterating something from yesterday, being blessed is not something we receive as a result of performing or having the said behaviors here, it is something that we are and the reason we have these behaviors. Jesus said, "You will recognize them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:16) Grapes are not grapes because they behave like grapes, they are grapes because they come from the grape vine, it is what they are. Blessed, happy, or satisfied is not the result of things like humility or meekness or a desire for righteousness, it is a result of who you really are. Jesus continues His thoughts in Matthew 7 says that healthy trees bear good fruit, and cannot bear bad fruit, and that diseased trees cannot bear good fruit. He says that we will recognize "them" (those who are wolves) by their fruits. (Matthew 7:17-20) He is not talking about actions, for the wolves dress up as sheep to blend it. He is not talking about possessions or blessings, for there are many who are more blessed in possessions that are not Christians. He is talking about in their spirit. They are blessed, joyful, satisfied, and not because of circumstance but because of who they are in Christ.

So what is my take away for today? This is a tough one, because it kind of flies in the face of what most would call religion. In one way or another, most religions boil down to something that we do to appease God's wrath. This varies from following strict codes of behavior to just asking Jesus into your heart. I do not believe either of these are the path to the relationship with God that He desires us to have with Him. It seems to start with a fundamental change of who we are. How does that happen? It is through surrender. Surrender is something that really goes against our basic instinct of self-preservation. Think of prisoners of war, or slaves who have surrendered their rights and as a result faced tremendous suffering and abuse. But we are not surrendering to an enemy, but to a loving friend. There is one thing about surrender that strikes me here. When I have been attempting to do something on my own, and finally surrender to the idea that I might not be able to do it on my own so I seek help, there is a bit of peace that comes with that kind of surrender. Surrender to a friend, surrender to one who loves me is not a bad thing. I think again of the 12 steps of AA. The first step is that realization that we cannot do it, our addiction has a greater power over us than we can handle. The second is to believe that God (a power grater than ourselves) can. Step 3 is surrender to that power. It is only through surrender that change can occur. It is not surrender, then go back to trying again. It is surrender, period. 

Here is where I struggle: What does that surrender look like? It is not the typical surrender to the enemy, where you are imprisoned and can no longer do the things you want to do. It is a surrender where you are still "free" in a sense. Like house arrest, but with no ankle monitor. You are on the honor system. It is a voluntary surrender. For some, they do not choose to surrender until they have reached a certain point of despair. Some might call it hitting rock bottom. Others do not seem to hit that point. It seems to look different for different people. But the commonality is surrender. 

It is a process. It is a struggle. Sometimes it is not pretty. It is a process that we take on our own. No one can do it for us. We can, should, and need others as we take this process on, and yet we are only accountable for our own choices. It is a hard process to watch in others, and we can be there and offer encouragement, but we cannot make choices for others either. Sometimes I do not feel blessed or happy or satisfied in the process, but in an ironic twist, that too is part of the process. It is not a perfect process. It requires effort and honesty, yet ultimately what keeps me travelling on this road is the fact that all my effort and all my honesty are not enough. So I again surrender my efforts to Jesus, the reason I am and can be on this journey. 

Take Away - SOM 4

I am still processing the Sermon on the Mount. I have gone through the 25 posts and edited them for clarity and to revisit them for myself. Now I want to look at the applications I should be making for myself.

SOM Part 4

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

There's that word again, blessed. We like to be blessed, because we like swag. I think some think of blessing as God's swag. The word that is translated as blessing can also be translated as happy. Not quite as good, but still nice. We like to be happy. Based on the context, I would like to change the word happy to satisfied. Not quite as good as blessed or happy, but who doesn't want to be satisfied? That wonderful feeling after Thanksgiving dinner, that lasts until halftime, when the urge for snacks starts to hit. But what if it is not about what we get, but who we are that Jesus is talking about? That changes things no matter how you interpret that word. 

Job seemed to understand this, at least most of the time. Satan took away almost everything from him, and yet Job refused to curse God. In that moment, Job was blessed, he was happy, he was satisfied. His attitude was not a result of his possessions, but rather a result of his position before God. He was meek, he was humble. He did not complain about what he had before, or what others had, he was blessed.

Or David, when he lost his first son from Bathsheba. The prophet Nathan told him that the child would die, but David pleaded with the Lord, he fasted and went and lay with him through the night. Yet the child died. The servants were afraid to tell David of his son's death, for fear of how David would react. They thought he might harm himself. David saw the servants whispering, and he knew what had happened. He asked, and they told him the child was dead. So what does David do? He gets up, washes and anoints himself, changes clothes, and goes to the house of the Lord to worship. He knew he was blessed. Not the kind of blessing he was hoping for, yet blessed.

Here's my take away. Blessed (or happy or satisfied) is not something I get, it is something I am. If I am a child of God, I am blessed, and that is all that matters. Paul got this. Philippians 4:12,13 states, "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me." I believe so many read this text wrong. It is not saying that Christ will give me whatever I need, so I should go after great things, it is saying Christ has already given me a great thing, so I can endure whatever might be. There is a huge difference in those two ways of thinking. This is sometimes hard for me, because of being human and all. Just like the child in the AT&T commercial who was given a lollipop, and it all smiles until her brother gets a bigger and better lollipop. Then she determines that "That's not fair!" 

Rather than be grateful, she suddenly loses her smile and feels cheated. Even the dad feels slighted, and sticks out his hand for a lollipop. It is only when she is given an equal lollipop to her brother's that the smile (blessedness, happiness, satisfaction) returns. So the blessedness was not a result of the giver, but of the gift. When my satisfaction is dependent on the gift, rather than the giver, will I ever truly be satisfied? There is always a bigger lollipop to be had.

So that is my take away. There is always a bigger lollipop to be had. So it is best for me not to get my happiness for lollipops, but rather to be grateful for whatever circumstance I am in. Paul knew what he was talking about, the question is do I understand what he was saying? 

Take Away - SOM 3

  I am still processing the Sermon on the Mount. I have gone through the 25 posts and edited them for clarity and to revisit them for myself. Now I want to look at the applications I should be making for myself.

SOM Part 3

Relationships are tough. It does not take much to get them headed in the wrong direction. It did not take long for Adam and Eve to damage their relationship with God. It was not unrepairable, but it would take some work. That work was finished on the cross, or was it? In some senses yes. We do not need to and cannot go above that which Jesus did for us on the cross. However, as we see in the New Testament again and again, there were issues that the apostles had to deal with as the church developed. Those issues continue to this day. Apparently, Jesus's death on the cross did not completely restore our relationship with God from that moment forward. 

As Jesus began His ministry, He wanted to set forth what a true relationship with God should look like. Did He start over? No. Did He do away with the law? No. He took what was there and went even farther with it. Today's verse has to do with mourning. Sorrow. Perhaps regret. I think all of those emotions are valid and present when we face death. We are sad, we will miss our loved on. We think of what it might be like to have just one more day with them, or had we known this would be their time, what we might have done differently. Regrets flood our mind. Jesus wants us to mourn? He wants us to be sad? To have regrets? This is going to help repair our relationship with God?

Yes, provided those emotions are dealt with in a healthy way. But what are we mourning here? I believe it is what we have done to God. We put away our pride and start thinking about the pain that our sin has caused to Him, us, others. Perhaps regret enters in as well. I believe it should. I believe that if we don't see the harm our sin causes, then we won't be as likely to distance ourselves from it. This is what brings repentance. A definition I once heard for repentance goes like this, to be so sorry for something I have done that I wouldn't do it again, even if I knew I wouldn't get caught. I ties in with all kinds of ideas, such as surrender, confession, denying self, etc. But it starts with repentance. It's not just about getting to go to heaven, it's not just about not going to hell. It is about relationship. Real relationship. 

So here is my take away. In order for me to have a relationship with God as it should be, I have to be honest about who I am and what I have done. I have to put aside my pride and see with open eyes. See who I am and see who God is. That should cause me to mourn. If I see the pain of what I have done, it should bring me sadness and regret. Not that I need to stay there. That would be unhealthy. That should drive me to repentance. 

Let the healing begin?

Take Away - SOM 2

 I am still processing the Sermon on the Mount. I have gone through the 25 posts and edited them for clarity and to revisit them for myself. Now I want to look at the applications I should be making for myself.

SOM Part 2

Blessed are those who are gasping for air, because they are the kingdom of heaven. (my translation)

Jesus made it clear that He did not come for the healthy, but for the sick. (Mark 2:17) He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. And that is a good thing, because according to Romans 3:10-12, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.   All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” But there are those who think themselves righteous, who think they are healthy. The healthy don't need a doctor. (See Matthew 9:12). Righteous people don't need a Savior. 

If you go to the doctor, he will ask you questions so that he can diagnose you. So you sniffle? Got a sore throat? Perhaps you feel a little dizzy? The doctor will probably calmly continue to discuss your symptoms with you. But walk in gasping for breath, and I bet he takes a different approach. In fact, so do you. If you are gasping for breath, you don't sit in the waiting room until it is your turn. You make it clear that you need a doctor, and need one now! Jesus recognizes the seriousness of our condition. He went to the cross to prove it. But do we? Can you imagine someone sitting in the doctors waiting room, gasping for air, but refusing to go in to see the doctor until it was their turn? 

So here is my take away for part 2. I need Jesus. Desperately. I need to see that need. Not because I can't handle some traumatic issue in life, but because I am a sinner. Sometimes I feel sorry for those who don't truly understand their need for Jesus. Their life is pretty good, no real issues, but perhaps they have been taken in by some smooth talking speaker, who maybe had them say a prayer or even get baptized, but then they walked away thinking that was it, they were saved. But my diagnosis is critical and terminal. I don't just need to take a couple aspirin, I need constant ICU type care. I need to see my doctor every day, and sometimes more. 

I also feel sorry for those who are critical but still don't feel the need for a doctor. They can hardly breath, but insist that they will get over it. 

Gasping for breath is a gift from God that is intended to show me my need for Him. I think we often act as if we can handle things, and when it does get tough, call on God. While it is not a bad thing to call on God in times of need, when we abandon Him when things pick up is a mistake. We need God in the good times and the bad. Once released from the hospital, shouldn't we follow the doctor's plan for our continued care? If the doctor says no more smoking and drinking, but we say that he is being to legalistic and do not follow the instructions, do we really think that all of our issues are and will continue to be resolved? 

I tend to be wishy-washy. I think we all do, but that does not excuse me. I get closer to God when things are toughest. But I need Him every day. I need to see just how amazing His grace is all the time. Gasping for air is not necessarily a bad thing. What is worse, is being able to breath and then getting run over by a truck. Didn't see that one coming, and now it is too late. Better to keep gasping for air.

Take Away - SOM 1

 I am still processing the Sermon on the Mount. I have gone through the 25 posts and edited them for clarity and to revisit them for myself. Now I want to look at the applications I should be making for myself.

SOM Part 1

In order to do this, I think it is best if I put myself in the shoes of the listeners. Both groups, the Jewish leaders and the common Jews had a certain blindness going on. They had settled in to a groove. A routine. Perhaps without even knowing it, they just followed a pattern of life. The leaders led because that is the way God designed it, right? And the people followed and trusted the leaders because that was what had always been done. Anyone who questioned them was looked upon with disdain. This is what religion had become, and to quote what I said earlier, it was cold, calculated, and done in a manner that kept those in control in control. Now it would be easy here to point fingers, but I want to take away regarding my behavior. How should this impact me?

First, I will put myself in the role of the leader. They were arrogant because they thought they had the answers. Ouch. I need to humble myself and realize that my answers may not be the right answers. My way of doing or thinking or believing might not be the way God really intended things to work. Humility. Surrender. More humility. The realization that I am not and should not be in control of anyone but myself. It is more than enough work just doing that. Not that I can't share my thoughts, beliefs, etc., but not in a way that dictates for others. Sharing is good, but no one responds well to being told what to do or how to live. It is not usually a good thing when others put me on a pedestal, but it is worse when I do it myself. The leaders then separated themselves. This seems a logical thing when you see the mindset they had. But it is not a Biblical thing. We are all sinners, and there is no degree to which we can lay a claim so that we can put ourselves above others. Paul saw himself as the worst sinner there was. (1 Timothy 1:15) Perhaps this is because Paul also saw the depth and beauty of God's grace like no one else. (Romans 11:33-36) I believe that there is a good reason that the terms "servant leader" exists for those who follow Christ. I need to make sure that whenever I am in a role where I have any leadership, it is approached with a servant's heart. 

Second, I will put myself in the role of the common Jew. One of the problems that they had was they were depending on others for their spirituality. They looked to the human leaders as their source of wisdom and instruction rather than God. Not that we shouldn't honor and respect those in leadership positions, but to blindly follow someone because they claim to be a leader of God is also a dangerous thing. I must realize that I am responsible for my relationship with God, and that just going to church, or listening to some preacher, or whatever else I might be doing to put the burden of my walk with God on someone else does not work. "But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load." (Galatians 6:4,5)

As I settle into my pew, ready to listen to a sermon from the Master, I have to begin by asking myself, "Why an I here?" Am I here to hear what others need to do, and then go out and make sure that they do it? Am I hear to be told what to do so that I don't have to wrestle for myself? Or am I here to listen to what God would tell me with an open mind? Am I willing to lay down my preconceptions and look in the mirror with an honest and open mind? Real church is about to start.

Sermon on the Mount - Part 25

Today I want to look at verses 28-29 of chapter 7, once again focusing on who Jesus was speaking to, and on the context of the entire message.

Matthew 7:28-29

And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

I think normally I would just skip these verses, as on the surface they don't seem to add much. However, when looking at them in light of the audience and the message, I think they offer a few valuable insights.

The first thing I see is that the crowds were astonished. The masses, but perhaps not all. I see the common people being referred to hear, probably not the Jewish leaders. Rather than astonished, I see the leaders as being upset, put off, irritated. But the crowds were amazed. I think today we might say they were blown away. I have to wonder, what were they blown away by? Did they really get what Jesus was saying, or did they just sense that this was different. Surely they could tell that this Jesus was getting under the skins of the leaders. Here it is 2,000 plus years later, and I think the crowds still don't get it, so I don't think this crowd had it all figured out. But what they could see was the way that He taught. Not wishy-washy, not hesitant or deceptive, but Jesus spoke with authority. I think it is significant that it states that He did not teach like their own scribes did. This was different. 

Makes me wonder about today, and the majority of the teaching we are exposed to. How often have I walked away from a sermon being astonished? Not at the preacher, or  their eloquence, storytelling or joke telling performance, but at the Jesus being preached! (Not very often.) I read through the Sermon on the Mount, and what I don't see is a bunch of promises for a better life or advice on anything from sex to how to be a better parent or a list of behaviors that must be followed independent of the motivation that should drive those behaviors. What I do see is some statements that are challenging, statements that might go against the current status quo.  Statements so offensive, it might cause some to leave. This was not seeker friendly, feel good stuff. But there was something about this teaching. An authority that was evident. 

No apologies, not politically sensitive. Honest. Truthful. Even confrontational at times. But to be honest, Jesus didn't have to worry about losing His job if He offended someone. He only had to worry about losing His life. But that was not a concern for Him, was it?

Edited 2/14/2022