Take Away -SOM Part 19

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 19

A man driving in heavy traffic gets pulled over for speeding. He says to the officer, "A lot of others were doing the same thing. Why am I the one who got pulled over?" The officer replies, "Have you ever been fishing?" To which the man nods his head yes, wondering where this is going. The officer then says, "Did you catch all the fish?"

Why do we think the guilt of others makes us less guilty? Because it doesn't. But it does at least somewhat explain why we are so quick to judge others, because it makes us look better. Sure, maybe I cuss, but at least I don't get drunk. Well, maybe I get drunk, but at least I don't do drugs. Sure, maybe I do drugs, but at least I don't beat my wife... I could go on, even to the point of circling back around to some of the same issues again, because the issues of others always seem to be worse that my own issues. 

Take Away: If, as I have stated, the main idea of the Sermon on the Mount is to return us to having a relationship with God instead of trying to be obedient to a level of law, then this section fits in perfectly. It is not that there may be times that I have to make judgments about the behavior of others, it's that I can't use those instances as a justification for my own sins. That is why I first have to remove the log in my own eye. You know, that big, fat piece of wood that is hindering me from seeing what I really need to see. If I really want to help my brother with his issues, I first have to deal with my own. Yet it is not just relationship with my brother that is impacted by this frame of mind, it is also relationship with God. The deepest relationships are also the most honest ones. Lack of honesty leads to lack of trust. Lack of trust leads to a deterioration of relationship.

Take Away - SOM Part 18

 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 18

Jesus teaches us to not be anxious about life, etc. Ever try that? Ever try not to worry about something? Is that even something that can humanly be done? Jesus gives the birds as an example. They don't worry about where their next meal will come from. Flowers do not worry about what they will wear. So stop worrying. 

But I am not a bird or a flower. So how do I do this? Jesus gives some answers. One has to do with your focus. He speaks of the Gentiles and they pursue or focus on, What shall I eat today, or What shall I wear? In other words their focus feeds into their worry about these things. So Jesus says seek first the kingdom. In other words, change your focus to your Heavenly Father who cares for you, and you will be given what you need. What you need. Not whatever you want. What you need.

There are a lot of things we could worry about. World politics, inflation, the weather, our children, our jobs, the list goes on. Truth be told, I doubt we can ever completely remove ourselves from some level of concern regarding these types of things. 

Things changed for me when my parents died. As long as they were alive, I knew they had my back. Whatever situation I might find myself in, I knew that there was someone who would help me out if I needed it, I would not even have to ask. But when they were gone, it was now up to me. I felt the pressure. But what I finally realized was I have another advocate. My heavenly Father. He does care for me.

In the Psalms it says, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10) Be still could also be translated as "relax," so I see this verse as saying, "relax, know that I am God, and I don't fail. I got this. I will be exalted in all of the universe, so there is no need to be anxious"

Take Away: I don't know of anyone who can honestly say that they just stopped having anxiety. I know of some who struggle with issues that makes overcoming anxiety extremely difficult for them. I think we will all have some level of anxiety throughout life. The point being that to lessen anxiety we must increase trust. Again, it seems to boil down to our approach to our relationship with God. Are we working hard because we want to earn His favor, or is our response one of realizing He cares for us, and then responding to that knowledge with a life that is now guided by that realization. I hate to spoil what is coming, but isn't that the whole idea behind the wise and foolish builders?

Take Away - SOM Part 17

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 17

Jesus has just finished talking about prayer and fasting. He makes the point with both of these that they should be driven by a desire to draw closer to God, and not to have things go our way or to impress those around us. He continues this thought in these verses by talking about our treasure. I am reminded of these words that I heard spoken by a preacher a few days ago, he said, "Don't focus on the problem, focus on the solution." Focusing on the problem often means focusing on the present. It leads to things like worry and greed. It's not that we should ignore the present or the problem, but it should not be our focus. Jesus says, lay up for yourself treasure in heaven. In other words, focus on your future. If your heart is focused on the problem, then you are focused on self. If you are focused on your future in heaven, you are focused on God. (Now that might be an oversimplification, because first you have to have at least somewhat of an understanding of what it means to be given a future in heaven, and that is what I believe Jesus is addressing in so many aspects in the Sermon on the Mount.)

Take Away: What drives me? It is self-preservation? Is it material things? Or do I really have a heart that is responding to the salvation of God? Where is my treasure? This is something that I must continually ask myself, because I am human and because I continually fall short. It is so easy, even for Christians, to take our eyes off of our goal just for a moment, but that is when the problems start. The Psalmist said, "I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word." (Psalm 119:15,16) The writer of Hebrews said it this way, "

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,   Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2) Notice that one thing we see as we focus on Jesus is that He too was focused. Focused on the joy set before Him, the joy of doing His Father's will. I want that focus. I want that joy.

Take Away - SOM Part 16

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 16

A lot of what I see in the Sermon on the Mount comes down to perspective, or you can call it focus, or even purpose. The main idea is to ask yourself the question, why am I doing what I am doing? Is it driven by my desire to satisfy some selfish need or is it driven by my desire to draw closer to God? Fasting is no different. God's plan in having us fast it appears to me is to draw us to Him, to remind us of our dependency on His provisions, to cause us to lean on Him through the tough times as well as the good. But like with so many other things of God, this to can be corrupted. Can you believe that some people actually fasted so that others would look upon them as pious? Their purpose was driven by a selfish desire, the desire to look good to others. Interesting thing is, it seems that whatever our desire is, that is what we get out of it. If you desire is to look good to others, you likely will accomplish that, but God is not impressed. If you desire is to draw closer to God, you will likely accomplish that, although others may not look at you any differently.

Take Away: I need to always be on guard against the desires of the flesh. What I want to gain out of doing something is likely exactly what I will get out of it. If I go to church to fit in, to look good, to fulfill some type of moral obligation, that is likely all I will get out of it. I believe this was Jesus's message throughout the Sermon on the Mount, and He drives this home in the parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders. 

SOM - Part 15

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 15

From a purely selfish standpoint, forgiveness stinks. It means that I am letting someone get away with something. It means that I have been wronged or taken advantage of and I don't get to make things even. 

Or does it?

I ask this because there are a lot of other elements to this issue that just the above. Let's look at one example. Say you were bullied in elementary school. You no longer have contact with the bully, and have not since school. Yet hardly a day goes by that you don't think about what they did to you, and it hurts. You often tell others about this, and say that you wish you would run into the bully again, so you could give them a piece of you mind. You refuse to let the issue die, and are not ashamed to say so. My question is, who is being harmed here and by what? You or the bully who does not even know that you are still alive, let alone angry with him? That being said, some issues are not easy to forgive. How do you let go of feelings that have been a part of you for years, maybe even decades? These feelings have been there through thick and thin, and may have even protected you at times. And yet, it seems that this is exactly what Jesus is asking. Sometimes following Him is difficult. 

Difficult yes, but it is not just because God does not want you to be angry. God knows the hurt that events of the past may have brought, but He also sees the destructive force of the anger and the bitterness causes not only on you, but on those around you. It reminds me of the time I got a rather large splinter in me. That splinter had to come out. To leave it in would open the door to all kinds of infection. But taking it out was not going to be without pain either. What to do? Of course, I know the splinter had to go. 

Take Away: Forgiveness is not an option. It is not something that I should wait on until I am ready either. I imagine that if I had waited until I was ready to endure the pain of having the splinter removed it would still be there, that is if I would have survived the infection that surely would have followed. But what about ongoing pain caused by others? I will answer that with another question, how would you be preferred to be forgiven by God? Would you prefer that He wait until you are finished sinning before giving you forgiveness? Choose carefully, because there seems to be a lot at stake.

It may not be easy. News flash, Jesus never said it would be, contrary to what is preached by some today. In fact, He talked about tough things we would need to do beyond forgiveness that would be essential if we were to enter the kingdom of God. Things like carrying our cross (Mark 8:34), loving Him more than we love our family (Matthew 10:37), and facing hatred and persecution (Matthew 10:22,23) to name a few. I am not sure what to say next. I want to say something to soften the blow. I want to make everything okay, I want to draw people in with some comforting words. But sometimes that is not in order. Sometimes we need to experience pain and work through it in order to grow. 

It's one thing to offer comfort in times of pain, it is quite another to candy-coat the truth. Or avoid the truth altogether because it is uncomfortable or I don't like it. I speak to myself here. All too often I take the easy way out. But in the long run, I suffer. I need to remember that when I take that easy road. I need to look for and travel the narrow road, the one that leads to life. 

Take Away - SOM 14

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 14

The Lord's Prayer. So often recited, and it is a great model for prayer, I don't think Jesus ever intended to make this a substitution for our own prayers. Not that reciting this prayer is wrong, it just needs to be done with the understanding of what Jesus was seeking to accomplish. How ironic, that throughout the Sermon on  the Mount Jesus is trying to direct us toward God and away from ritual obedience, and so many things He stated have become a standard of ritual obedience for many.

Take Away: How easy it is to twist things into what I feel comfortable with. To take what Jesus offered and intended to be a model and turn it in to ritual. Ritual is always easier, as it does not force me to come face to face with my own sinful motives. Just go to church, tithe, pray, don't say certain words, do go to certain movies, say grace before every meal, etc. But don't get to the heart of the matter. You can pray about forgiving others (ritual), but do you do it? You can give your tithe or even more (ritual), but do you really trust God to take care of your needs? You can go through your life never having committed a murder (ritual), but do you harbor unjust anger? They say prayer changes things. I agree, and the first thing prayer should change it me.

Take Away - SOM 13

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 13

I believe this section reaffirms and continues what Jesus is trying to get across in the main idea of the Sermon on the Mount, that it is the internal heart that matters, and not the external action. In other words, you can be ding all the right things and yet not receive any "credit" for those actions. In fact, if you do the actions only to receive some kind of credit, you are going in the wrong direction to begin with.

Take Away: We all like to feel good. We all prefer praise over criticism. I do not believe that Jesus is condemning the idea that if we feel good after doing something, that that action then means nothing to God. In fact, I believe that when we do something to honor or please God, we should feel good, just as a child might feel good after doing something that makes their own parents pleased. It is those other motives that destroy our actions that deem them worthless. When I give, it should come from a joyful heart. (2 Corinthians 9:7) Not out of obligation, not out of a desire to earn favor either with God or with others. Not even because I can. I give because I want to honor the God who has given so much to me. Honor Him, not repay Him.