Sermon on the Mount - Part 12

Today I want to look at verses 43-48, once again focusing on who Jesus was speaking to, and on the context of the entire message.  

Matthew 5:43-48

(43)“You have heard that it was said, ​‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  (44)But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  (45)so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  (46)For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  (47)And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  (48)You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

So here we have a wrap to the section of examples Jesus gave to show that it is more than just our obedience that makes a relationship with God. He starts with, This is the way you have been doing it, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. This makes sense to us, as false teaching often does. Not that Jesus is giving a false teaching, I believe He is exposing a false idea that it is okay to love your neighbor and hate your enemy. It plays upon our own sense of what is fair. We are often manipulated by our own conceptions of what is right. Like in the AT&T commercial here. In the ad, Lily gives a little girl a lollipop, then gives her brother a bigger one. The girl says, "That's not fair!" Lily responds, "At AT&T we think it is only fair that all customers get our best deals." Then she exchanges the girl's small lollipop for one equal to her brothers. But what is not fair about getting a free lollipop? Small or big, what is not fair is that this girl is complaining about a gift that Lily was not obligated to give at all. Maybe I am too old school, but fair is to take the lollipop, whatever size you get, and say Thank-you.  To be fair, she did nothing to earn the lollipop. It was a gift. But what AT&T wants is for us to walk away from the ad thinking, "What a great company! They know how to treat people fairly." But for how long did AT&T only give new customers such benefits? Gotta love marketing! Baaaa! <-Sheep sound

Jesus shares what is fair in God's economy.  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. What is fair, Jesus seems to be sharing, is for you to treat others, not as they have treated you, but as God has treated you. Remember the Golden Rule? Matthew 7:12, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." It is not about treating others as they treat us, it is treating others as we wish they would treat us. Huge difference! And the basis for this idea comes from how God has treated us. It is only when we realize the enormity of God's grace on us that we can do this.

Now the teaching makes sense. Why turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, give to others, etc.? It is because we see how God has treated us! We see a God who is rich in grace and mercy, and want to pass that on to others, not out of some moral obligation to appease God, but out of the joy we have in serving a God who has granted us salvation and more. This is the relationship that God desires we have with Him.

Edited 2/7/2020

Amazing Grace, Amazing God (Ephesians 1:3-10)

SCRIPTURE

Ephesians 1:3-10

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

COMMENT

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world

What does this verse mean when it states that he (God) chose us? Does that mean He individually chose who would be saved and who wouldn't? Or does it mean that God chose those who would choose to believe to be saved? I have my opinions, but only God's opinion matters. I don't like it when people say things like, "Calvinism is the Gospel," or "Calvinism is heresy." There are valid points to both arguments, and also problems with both arguments. It just seems a little arrogant or self-righteous to say such things. And these are the people who usually will not even listen to another's point of view.

that we should be holy and blameless before him.

This is why He redeems us. Not so that we can be right, or so that we can save others. It is so that we can stand before Him, so that one day we can be in His presence. Sure, it is good to be right, it is good to do all kinds of things, but that is not why He redeems us. And you know what that should produce in us? Humility. Worship. Love, both for God and for others. The leaders in Jesus' time lacked these things. They were full of pride, their worship was in vain, and they loved their places and titles more than God. Many today are in a similar boat. Abandon ship!

 according to the riches of his grace

I love that phrase. God is not just merciful, but He is rich in grace. His grace is not something given out with an eye dropper, but poured out abundantly, because God has much grace! And we are blessed according to the riches of His grace, and not the works of our own selves. That is why grace is so amazing. 

which he lavished upon us

He didn't just give us grace, He lavished it upon us. He poured out so much grace because we needed so much grace. We will never run out of grace, He has given us so much!

making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

He did it for our sake, so that heaven and earth can be united. He did not need earth to come to Him to be complete, but we certainly need heaven to come to us to be complete. Praise God for what He does for our sake.

Hosea 5

SCRIPTURE

Hosea 5

COMMENT

Guilty. They are all guilty of sin, the priests, Israel, you, me, all! The line, "For the spirit of whoredom is within them, for they do not know the Lord." (Vs 4) is so full of condemnation. This is more than a simple mistake, it is flat out rebellion. Own it! (Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.")

Also, "Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. (Vs 4) It's true. Outside of some divine intervention, salvation is out of reach!

God is the answer, but they tried other remedies. (Vs. 13) But to no avail. When will it end? When they acknowledge their guilt and seek God's face. When they truly repent of their behavior and attitudes. What will bring this about? Only their distress. Only God, in love, taking away His mercy so that they can see again, and not be blinded by the good things of God, which sometimes get in the way of truly seeing God. 

Hosea 1:10-11

 SCRIPTURE

Hosea 1:10-11

Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

COMMENT

Does this contradict the idea where God just called Israel, "Not my people," and told them he is not their God?

I have to admit, I am not an Old Testament scholar, but also do not want to shy away from the Old Testament. But is is confusing. My best thinking at this point is this, Israel has left God. While God has called Israel His chosen people, not all Israel are Israel. By that I mean that not all who call themselves or a a part of the physical Israel and a part of the chosen Spiritual Israel. 

Israel had shunned God's mercy. God had favored them, and they drifted away from the source of their blessing and became enthralled with the gifts, forgetting about the giver. So God, in an act of mercy, withdrew his favor and mercy from them. Matthew Henry's Bible Commentary says this, "Mercy is remembered in the midst of wrath; the rejection, as it shall not be total, so it shall not be final. The same hand that wounded, is stretched forth to heal." I find that powerful. God is not interested in our prosperity, He wants our soul to be righteous. If we cannot handle that in prosperity, then to heal us spiritually, the only recourse is to remove the prosperity that we might see the mercy. 

We should note that in the end, God's mercy is restored. "And in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' it shall be said to them, 'Children of the living God.' And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head." (See Romans 9:25,26 and 1 Peter 2:10 also.) Some might take offense when God removes His mercy. But that is because they are only thinking of themselves, and not of God, His righteousness, or even their own righteousness. They are still focused on the gifts, and not the giver, who is the source of righteousness. But the gifts are not the answer. They do not offer absolution. They do not remove fear or anxiety or healing of any kind. They are just material items. Peace comes through trust. 

Even God's mercy is a gift. I don't know that I ever really truly thought about that. But is not a gift like a car, house, or cash. It is a gift like the air we breathe or the rain that waters the crops. So when God withholds that gift, even for a moment, it is then that we fully recognize the value of that gift.

Gospel (Galatians 3:1-6)

SCRIPTURE

Galatians 3:1-6
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

LANGUAGE

Vs 1  Foolish - not understanding, unwise, foolish
Vs 1  bewitched - to charm, to bewitch

COMMENT

So it appears that at least some (many?) of the Galatians just did not understand the gospel. I think this is true in the church today as well. We think we know it all. We think we have to do certain good things (while totally ignoring other things) to be saved. But this is not the gospel that was preached to them by Paul! Not only Paul, but many had seen the gospel lived out in the crucifixion of Jesus. And then there is the gift of the Spirit. They received the Holy Spirit, not by following a set of laws, but they received Him through faith. Did they think that would change over time? Here is this wonderful gift of faith, which you get to keep if you obey? No! Here is this wonderful gift of faith, and as you grow in it, you will grow in your obedience. It's called sanctification, and it comes through growing in faith and not through obedience.They had witnessed miracles. Did they think those miracles came because of their obedience? That quote about Abraham, it comes from the Old Testament. (Gen 15:6) It was Abraham's faith that earned his righteousness.

Yet this is what we want to believe, that somehow me and my obedience play a part in the process. I sometimes wonder way we think this way. I think it is just part of our human nature to think that we have to be a part of the process. It is why prosperity preachers are so popular. They even couch their version of works based Christianity into a version that turns faith into a work. "If you are not getting what you want from God, it is because you do not have enough faith!" As if mustard seed faith was not enough. As if we could believe, but not believe good enough. As if a woman could be a little bit pregnant.

This goes to be thoughts on repentance. We are told to repent of our sins and turn to Jesus. No. The repenting is to turn to Jesus, the sins then go away because we love Him and want to please Him. If we are going to say it at all, it should be that we turn (repent) to Jesus, then turn away from our sins. We turn not out of effort, but because they no longer appeal to us.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

It's NOT About You, Really! (Matthew 25:1-13)

SCRIPTURE

Matthew 25:1-13
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

COMMENT

So very much like the last post from Matthew 23. Kind of like a part two, which I talked about at the end of the post. In chapter 23, Jesus is addressing the leadership. In this section, He is addressing the hearers with a definite message: DO NOT BE LIKE THEM!

We feel the need to worship, but sometimes the focus of that worship is misplaced, and we worship the messenger rather than the sender of the message. Some preachers exploit this, and have become multi-millionaires in the process. They sometimes preach prosperity, and other times they preach pain and suffering. But the thing they do not preach is the cross of Christ, and without that, their preaching is in vain. (1 Cor 1:17, 1 Cor 15:14)

Repentance. That is where the servant's heart comes from. It is not enough just to be a servant, there must also be the servant's heart. That is why the cross must be preached, for it is the basis for our actions. We offer our lives as living sacrifices in view of God's great mercy toward us. (Romans 12:1-2) DO NOT BE LIKE THEM, those who would ignore, or even worse, abuse the cross of Christ by making it about us and what we do or need. I think one of the teachings of Christ that we tend to not want to think about is the idea that the road to heaven is a narrow one. Many have chosen a path, but it is not the right or righteous path. My belief is that those on the wide path are not just those who don't want any part with God, but also those who seek to go to heaven, but are not taking the correct path to get there. Do we really believe that the path to God is about us and our own righteous deeds? Is it really a "try harder, do better" mentality that will get us to our goal? How did that work for the Jewish leaders? Read the book of Philippians, look at all that Paul was, and how he learned that is was meaningless, like dung, and the only thing that mattered was Christ, and Him crucified.

Philippians 3:12 "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own." Why does Paul press on? It is to earn salvation, or is it because of what Christ has already done? SO then, the life and deeds of Paul, his service, are not a means of achieving salvation, but rather a response to the salvation he has been granted. Praise God!

How About Some Jelly for That? (Matthew 16:5-12)

SCRIPTURE

Matthew 16:5-12
When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

COMMENT

Jesus spoke to the disciples, and in trying to interpret what Jesus was saying, they looked at what was going on around themselves. Jesus told them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They immediately came to the conclusion He was getting on them for not bringing any bread. What? How does that become their thinking, after all that they had just witnessed? Well, maybe it was because they are human, and that is how we think. It is why Jesus calls us sheep. And we are sheep, the not so brightest of the animal kingdom. The animal that if it falls into a hole, does not have the sense to step out of it. But we think we are so smart. We think God owes us so much. We willingly follow those who misinterpret Scripture to confirm this to us.

No bread. Really? After all the time you have listened to me and all the miracles you have observed? Did you not notice that in the feedings of the multitudes, we had more left overs than we started with? No bread?

Then they reconsidered. Then they thought clearer. It wasn't about bread, but the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

We would do so well to hear this message today. today, when we have Osteen telling us that God wants us to have our best life now. Batterson telling us to pray in circles. Furtick, T. D. Jakes, Meyer, and so many others preaching what itching ears want to hear. Preaching to sheep.Preaching law, obedience, sacrifice. While these things are not bad in themselves, they are useless without mercy. And mercy does not happen if we do not see a God who is merciful. Not a god who is weak and wants everything to work out, but a God who is powerful, in charge, and will have His way in every situation, good and bad. The kind of God who Paul and Silas sang to in prison. Not the kind of god who reprimands you cause now He can't have toast.

Can I Do That? (Matthew 12:9-14)

SCRIPTURE

Matthew 12:9-14
He went on from there and entered their synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

LANGUAGE

Vs 14  destroy - ἀπόλλυμι apollymi; to destroy fully (reflexively, to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively: — destroy, die, lose, mar, perish.

BACKGROUND

Jesus had just been through the grainfields with His disciples on the Sabbath. While going through the fields, the disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate. The Pharisees saw this, and said to Jesus that His disciples were breaking the law, harvesting on the Sabbath. Jesus referred to the Scripture where when David and those with him were hungry, they entered the house of God and ate the bread of Presence, which was only lawful for priests to eat. Also, he referred them to how on the Sabbath the priests profane the temple, yet are guiltless. Then He goes on to say that something greater than the temple is here, He desires mercy over sacrifice, and He is lord of the Sabbath.

COMMENT

It is still the Sabbath, and Jesus enters the synagogue. There is a man with a hand that is obviously deformed. The Pharisees, knowing of Jesus's ability to heal, ask Him if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath.

Some questions: Had Jesus not healed anyone on the Sabbath before? I do not know. If Jesus had not healed on the Sabbath before, was He waiting for this opportunity? I do not know. Were the Pharisees asking this only to trap Jesus? I do not know, but my first thought is to say yes.

Mercy: Doing what is right because you are trying to honor God. Sacrifice: Doing what is required by the law. Have you ever been in a situation where you thought it was okay to break the law? Maybe your wife is about to give birth, and you are taking her to the hospital, speeding, running lights and stops signs? What if you saw a child drowning in a lake, but it was posted with several "No Trespassing" signs? Under what circumstance is it okay to break the law?

I find this interesting, because in the previous test, the disciples were hungry, but I doubt they were starving. In this text, the man obviously has a physical impairment that is greatly affecting his quality of life. Is it okay for Jesus to heal this man in the moment? Could he wait until tomorrow, or even perhaps the few hours until the Sabbath has passed?

Another analogy from Jesus, "You have a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath. Will you not take hold of it and lift it out?" But by doing so, the law has been broken. So Jesus continues, "How much more valuable is a man than a sheep? So, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then he heals the man.

The Pharisees reaction is just insane. They wanted to destroy him. I personally believe their hatred of Jesus combined with the idea of losing their own power was blinding them. Strong emotions can do that to you. They wanted him gone, even if that meant dead. All for healing a man on the Sabbath.

I see this in churches today. We build walls of laws to follow. Don't drink, smoke, cuss, watch "R" rated movies, etc., and then we judge those who do. Hate allows some to bomb abortion clinics and justify it. Don't question the pastor! All the while, love and care for the hurting has been put on the back burner. Churches spend millions to have showcase buildings with built in coffee houses, gyms, and more while people nearby live in poverty. Where is mercy?