The Model Prayer
Matthew 6: 5 – 15.
I. Introduction.
When Shauna and I got married (October 2, 1993), we made a deal with our parents. My parents live in Mississippi. Her parents live in Texas. The deal was to alternate Thanksgiving in Texas and Christmas in Mississippi. The next year we would switch families: Thanksgiving in Mississippi and Christmas in Texas. This plan didn’t last very long…It lasted until Collin was born. Then the deal changed. I became the bad guy when I announced to both families that we would have Christmas Day at home. But they were more than welcome to join us for Christmas Day at our house. And both sets of grandparents have accepted our offer, but never at the same time.
One year Shauna’s parents spent Christmas Eve with us so they could watch the grandchildren open their presents. Shauna planned and cooked and entire Christmas lunch. But after the gifts were opened and before it was time for lunch, we decided we would go out for breakfast. Do you know how hard it is to find a place to eat breakfast on Christmas morning? We drove all over town before we finally found a place to eat…IHOP. And it was packed.
IHOP is one of those few places that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. They never close.
When I was in college, I noticed something interesting about IHOP. They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. BUT…They have locks on the doors. Why would they even need locks on the doors? They never close. The doors don’t ever get locked.
I suppose the locks are there “just in case.” IHOP does not close, but the locks are there “just in case” they want to close.
This may seem a little silly…God is not like IHOP. You and I have immediate access to God anytime we pray. God is always open. He does not sleep or get tired. God is available to us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. There are no locks on God’s door.
We have access to God through prayer. As we read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, let’s look at what Jesus had to say about prayer…
Read Matthew 6: 5 – 15.
II. Verses 5 – 8…"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Jesus introduced the Model Prayer by first describing two negative examples of prayer. First, there is the hypocrite who does not love to pray. Hypocrites love for other people to see them praying and to hear the words of their prayers. A hypocrite is an actor who prays for show or a person who puts on a mask to hide the wickedness on the inside. There are two ways to describe the prayers of the hypocrites. On one hand, they are more concerned with what other people think about them than what God thinks about them. On the other hand, hypocrites pray with no heart. They pray with their bodies and their lips and even with their minds—wondering what other people think about them. But their hearts are far from God. Don’t pray like a hypocrite who prays with no heart.
The second negative example Jesus gave us was the pagan. Jesus makes no mention of whether the pagans prayed in public or in private. Instead, Jesus criticizes their “babbling.” Other translations call this “vain repetitions.” The NIV chooses to interpret this as “babbling,” because the Greek word used is probably an onomatopoetic term imitating the sound of a language other than Greek (battalogeo). In this case, Jesus is not discouraging repetition or even persistence in prayer. He is discouraging us from babbling on and on and on…
The reason the pagans babbled in their prayers was to find the right words acceptable to their gods. Pagan prayer was an attempt to flatter the gods and thus to coax them to act. If the gods did not answer prayer, it was because the pagans prayed incorrectly. So, they prayed on and on and on...uttering words that had no meaning. In other words, the pagans prayed mindless prayers.
Hypocrites pray heartless prayers. Pagans pray mindless prayers. Jesus calls us to pray with engaged hearts and minds. Prayer is to be a passionate and heart-felt communication with God. Prayer is to be thoughtful and mindful.
The Model Prayer is Jesus’ remedy to the heartless and mindless prayers demonstrated by the hypocrites and pagans. Therefore, we should never turn Jesus’ words into a
III. Verses 9 – 10…"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
In introducing the Model Prayer, Jesus instructs his disciples that this is “how” they should pray and not “what” they should pray. This is why we refer to this prayer as a model. It does not prescribe the proper formula for praying. Instead, it describes one model or example of prayer.
It is significant that the Model Prayer can be divided into two sections. Both sections contain three petitions (or requests) of God—a total of six petitions. The first section is all about God. The second section is about human need.
The first petition: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…”
Prayer begins in the intimacy of a child speaking with his or her father. But this intimate relationship with God as heavenly Father is balanced with the holiness of God’s name. More than likely Jesus spoke this prayer in Aramaic rather than Greek. If this is the case, we might expect Jesus to use the Aramaic word “Abba,” since we have examples of Jesus’ addressing God as Abba in other places. This would be like our English word “Daddy.” And we all know there is a difference between a “Daddy” and a “Father.” A father is a male parent. A daddy is a father who is involved in the life of his children. Our relationship with God is not like a father who sends child support payments to his children. Our relationship is like a daddy who is involved in every aspect of our lives. He wants the very best for us and is so involved in our lives that he blesses us with his time and good gifts.
Yet this intimacy with God as our heavenly Daddy should be balanced with the holiness of God’s name. Name in the Bible is always a reference to a person’s character. Person and name are so closely related that they cannot be separated. Both God’s name and character are holy. That is to say God is separated from everything that makes us human beings. We are human and imperfect. God is not human and is perfect. We are sinners and subject to temptation. God is sinless and cannot be tempted by evil.
It is important to note that God does not become more or less holy as a result of our prayers. Matthew recorded this petition as a third person passive. Since it is addressed to God in a prayer, many New Testament scholars refer to this as a “divine passive.” A divine passive calls on God to act and to accomplish something that is impossible for us to accomplish on our own. It could be translated “Let your name become holy.” In other words, this is not our telling God how holy he is. This is our praying that the rest of the world will one day recognize the holiness of God.
The second petition: “Your Kingdom come…”
This petition is also written in the third person passive. This is another instance of a “divine passive”—calling on God to do something we are incapable of doing. It could be translated “Let your Kingdom come.” In other words, the Kingdom of God is not something we have the power to bring about. Of course, this has not stopped people from trying to bring about the Kingdom. Some people think they can bring the Kingdom of God to earth through military conquest; terrorist acts; or even through the ballot box. This is not what the Kingdom of God is about. The Kingdom of God is the realm in which God is the King. One day there will be a place where God rules supremely. Until that day comes, the Kingdom of God is present on earth in the lives of men and women like us, who have given over control of our lives to God as our King. On one hand, we have a responsibility in bringing the Kingdom of God to earth—living under the rule of God and preaching the Gospel to those who live under the rule of Satan. On the other hand, only God can bring his Kingdom.
The third petition: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”
For the third time, we see another “divine passive” in Jesus’ prayer. Jesus prayed, “Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus teaches us through this petition that there is a place where God’s will is always accomplished. That place is heaven. If God’s will were always accomplished on earth, then we would experience heaven on earth. Perhaps that is what Jesus is teaching us to pray—Make this life “heaven on earth.”
IV. Verses 11 – 13…Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
While the first half of the Model Prayer is about the greatness of God and God’s great purposes for the world, the second half concentrates on human need. Human need is the very foundation of prayer. Only needy people pray. Self-sufficient people have no reason to pray: they can take care of their own needs. However, none of us is totally self-sufficient. We are needy, even when we do not like to admit our needs.
The fourth petition: “Give us today our daily bread…”
With the fourth petition, Jesus has changed his focus from the miraculous to the mundane. There is nothing in life more basic than bread. For modern Christians, bread is something we can live without. If we don’t have bread, we can just eat meat. That was not the case in Jesus’ day. Bread was the primary source of food for the ancient world. If there was no bread, there was no food. Perhaps we should interpret Jesus’ prayer as a prayer for food.
Notice how much food Jesus prayed for. Just enough food to make it through the day. This is not a greedy prayer. It is a needy prayer. It is a prayer of absolute dependence on God to give us enough food to sustain life for one more day. I believe it is grounded in the Old Testament story of the manna in the desert. God provided manna for the Hebrew people to eat and instructed them only to gather enough for one day. When they gathered enough to last to the next day, the leftover manna spoiled. You and I are more accustomed to pray for enough money to make it to the end of the month or the end of the year. Jesus demonstrates that we are to be so dependent on God that we could not live through today without his provision.
The fifth petition: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…”
“Debt” is one of the ways the Bible describes sin. It is a debt we owe to God. But, it is a debt we cannot pay. The only hope we have is that God will forgive our debts, or cancel our sins. Again, we are needy in the presence of God. We cannot solve our own problems.
I don’t like the second half of this petition. I don’t want God to forgive me “as I have forgiven others.” I want God to forgive me “better than I have forgiven others.” But, there is a connection between my forgiveness and God’s forgiveness. The person who has been forgiven knows how to forgive. But forgiveness is a gift from God. God gives us forgiveness for our own sins, and God gives us a forgiving spirit.
The sixth petition: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one…”
Where the fifth petition dealt with past sins, the sixth petition deals with future sins. On one hand, we need God’s forgiveness to deal with our past sins. On the other hand, we need God’s protection to prevent sins in our future.
God does not tempt us or cause us to sin. However, there is a biblical precedent that God does test our faith. The purpose of temptation is to bring about a negative result—sin. The purpose of testing is to bring about a positive result—increased faith and resistance to sin. This leads me to believe that Jesus is teaching us to pray about our weakness.
In Psalm 26: 1 – 3 David prayed, “Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.”
But when David saw Bathsheba, he failed miserably. David was not strong enough to resist temptation. Jesus was strong enough to resist 40 days of temptation from Satan in the desert. I am not strong enough. Therefore, I must pray for God to keep me away from all temptation.
V. Conclusion.
When Jesus taught us about prayer, he did two things. First, he gave us a teaching about what prayer is and what prayer is not. Second, he gave us an example.
I believe this demonstrates that prayer is something that can be learned. But, the best way to learn prayer is NOT by reading a book or attending a class. The best way to learn prayer is by practice. Listen to Jesus' teachings on prayer, then follow his example...
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009: Righteous Praying
Righteous Praying
Matthew 6: 5 – 8.
I. Introduction.
In the hymnal rack in front of you, you will find a couple of cards. One card is labeled “Welcome.” This is the information card we want you to fill out if you are visiting with us today. Many people choose not to fill out this card and remain anonymous. But, we want to get to know you and share with you more information about out church. The other card is labeled “Prayer.” This is a way for you to submit your prayer requests to us.
Our church prays for all the requests that come to us. We have individuals who pray privately for each other and share their requests by email. We have a prayer room ministry. The prayer room is located on the Second Street side under the portico. People sign up for one hour per week, with the goal that we will have people praying for the needs of our church and community around the clock. And, we have a prayer service on Wednesday nights.
All told, this demonstrates that our church believes in prayer. Perhaps it would be better to say, we believe God answers prayer. The idea that God answers prayer is central to the Christian faith.
In the past twenty years, there have been numerous scientific studies conducted to prove the power of prayer. Three of these studies took place in 1988, 2002 and 2006. In 1988, patients undergoing heart by-pass surgeries were divided into two groups. One group was prayed for. The other group was not prayed for. The prayed for group recovered from the surgeries quicker. In 2002, cancer patients were divided into two groups. One group prayed for themselves. The other group did not. The group of people who prayed for themselves did not have better health results. However, the study revealed that these people were better able to cope with the effects of their disease.
The 2006 study focused on heart by-pass patients, but there was something different about this study. This study used the best scientific methods known to researchers. It is called a “double blind” study. This time, there were three groups of people. One group was told that they were being prayed for by a group of strangers. The second group was told that they MIGHT be prayed for by strangers, but were not prayed for. The third group was told that they MIGHT be prayed for by strangers, and were prayed for. Of the three groups, the group that knew they were being prayed for had the most post surgical complications. Some of the researchers interpreted the results as proof that prayer does not work.[1]
How many of you are going to stop praying now that a group of scientists has “proven” that prayer does not work?
I find all three of these studies questionable—even the first two that allegedly “prove” the efficacy of prayer. These studies are questionable, because God cannot be measured or observed by scientific method.
Read Matthew 6: 5 – 8.
In this passage, Jesus described three people praying…
II. Verse 5…"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
The first person Jesus described was the hypocrite. A hypocrite is an actor, a person who puts on a mask in order to pretend to be something he is not. There are two types of spiritual hypocrites. First, there is the person who does spiritual things for outward show. He pretends to be spiritual on the outside so that other people will congratulate him, reward him or even vote for him. Second, there is the person who does spiritual things to make himself feel better about his own life. This hypocrite thinks that by acting spiritual he can cover over his own sinfulness and spiritual inadequacies.
Jesus was describing the first kind of hypocrite. Notice that Jesus said the hypocrites “love to pray.” If Jesus had just stopped right there. If Jesus had placed a period after the word pray. This would be a great compliment for any Christian, ancient or modern. Wouldn’t you love to be recognized as a person who loves to pray?
Jesus didn’t stop there. The hypocrite does not “love to pray.” The hypocrite loves to pray where other people can see him praying and hear the words of his prayers.
I think the key to interpreting this verse is found in the purpose clause. There is nothing wrong with praying in church or praying on the street corner. It is wrong to pray anywhere for the purpose of being seen by others. There is a place for public prayer in worship and even public prayer on a street corner or other public gatherings. There is no good reason to pray for the purpose of attracting attention to yourself.
Ultimately this is what it means when we use the phrase, “give glory to God,” or the phrase, “glorify God.” To glorify God is to give God the credit; to acknowledge that God is the one working in our lives; to acknowledge that the power within us is not from our own strength and abilities…it is the power of God. Attracting attention to ourselves takes attention away from God.
Jesus does not give us a definition of prayer in this passage—he will define it for us in chapter 7. In this context, all Jesus is concerned with is our attitude toward prayer. But, perhaps we need a definition…
I like to say that prayer is “depending on God.” People who need God are people who pray. The opposite of that is also true…People who pray are people who need God. How many times have you thought that you could handle certain situations in life on your own strength? When we think we are smart enough and strong enough, we neglect prayer. We think we can do it on our own strength.
When we act out of our own strength, abilities and intelligence, who gets the glory? I get the glory and the credit when I am the one who performs. A good example of this was last Wednesday night in game one of the World Series. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cliff Lea was incredible. He pitched a complete nine inning game against the New York Yankees (The Evil Empire). He gave up only six hits, no walks and one unearned run. The Phillies won 6 – 1. After the game, everyone wanted to interview Cliff Lea. I watched him say the same thing in every interview: “I wasn’t nervous. Why should I be nervous? I am playing the same game I have played my entire life. I put in all the work and all the practice to get to where I am today. I’m doing what I always wanted to do.”
Baseball is not necessarily a spiritual activity. So, it’s probably a good thing that Cliff Lea put in all the work and practice to get to where he is. The way he pitched against the Yankees shows that he is very good at what he does. I would want him on my team. But, he took all the credit and the glory for what he accomplished.
This is not the way God wants Christians to live. Honestly, there is nothing we can do for ourselves. All human beings are sinners, and our sin separates us from God. We cannot resolve our sin problem and our separation from God. So, God sent his Son to die on the cross to provide us with the only solution. Therefore, we owe our spiritual lives to God and not to ourselves.
Of course, spiritual life is not all that God provides. God is the source of our physical lives as well. All of our strength comes from God. All of our financial resources comes from God. Even the breath that we breathe, comes from God. Without God, we could do nothing. Prayer is the way we acknowledge to God and ourselves that we owe everything to God.
The hypocrites do not love to acknowledge their dependence on God. The hypocrites love for other people to think they are spiritual people.
III. Verse 6…But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
The second person Jesus described was the person who prays with the right attitude. True prayer happens in a private, intimate encounter with God.
Again, allow me to emphasize that Jesus is not condemning the practice of prayer in public worship. We know this because of the way Jesus talks about rewards. Proper prayer seeks God’s rewards over the rewards of other human beings. Other people might reward us when we pray beautiful, spiritual, public prayers. God rewards us even when our prayers are secret prayers.
The most obvious reward God gives us is answered prayers. However, not all our prayers are answered the way we want them to be answered. I have always believed that God answers all prayers. Sometimes God says “Yes.” Sometimes God says “No.” Sometimes God says “Wait.”
When God answers our prayers with a “Yes,” there is an obvious reward…A new job, a healed body or a restored relationship.
When God answers our prayers with a “No” or a “Wait,” the reward is not so obvious. Yet, there is still a reward. The reward might not be what we had hoped for, but there is a reward. The reward in God’s “No” or God’s “Wait” is the reward of greater faith. Perseverance makes our faith grow stronger. Perseverance demonstrates that we do not have the strength to make it on our own and that our desires are not always the best thing for us. God knows what is best for us and shows us his ways are higher and better than our ways by answering “No” or “Wait” to some of our prayers.
The reward of faith can only come from a private prayer life. The reward of being applauded and congratulated by other people comes by praying for show. However, you can only have one of these rewards. You must choose which you prefer. If you pray for applause, that is the only reward you will receive. If you pray for increased faith, that’s the reward you will receive…But be prepared. You might not like the way God grants increased faith. Sometimes it comes through the answers “No” and “Wait.”
IV. Verse 7…And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
The third person Jesus described was the pagan. These were the men and women of Jesus’ day who worshipped false gods. Some of these gods were depicted by idols. Others were internal gods like the human spirit or human intellect.
People who prayed to false gods did not receive answers to their prayers. There is an obvious reason for that…False gods do not have the power to answer prayer. When their prayers went unanswered, the pagans had to develop reasons to explain what was going on. A simple explanation was that they were praying to the wrong gods. A more complicated but more popular answer was that they did not pray in the proper formula. So, the pagans developed complicated and repetitious formulas for their prayers. Their prayers were heavy on naming their gods and praising their gods for what they thought the gods had done in the past. Only after naming the gods and praising them could the pagans begin to list their petitions. They thought they could flatter the gods and thus coax them to answer prayers. If the prayers went unanswered, the pagans thought they must not have prayed properly, didn’t use the god’s preferred name or perhaps did not flatter the god enough.
Jesus tells us that prayer is not about flattering God or coaxing God to act on our behalf.
V. Verse 8…Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
God already knows what we need. God is already interested in your life—your spiritual life and your physical life. God wants to intervene in your life. You do not have to coax God into your life. He stands ready and willing to step in when you call.
VI. Conclusion.
Three times (verses 5, 6 and 7), Jesus said “When you pray.” Notice that Jesus did not say, “If you pray,” and he did not say, “I command you to pray.”
In Jesus’ view of the Christian life, prayer is such an important part of our lives that he assumes we already know we are supposed to pray. Not only do we know we are supposed to pray, but we are already practicing the discipline of prayer.
More than likely, it would be easy for me to make you feel guilty about how much you pray. You know you are supposed to pray, and you probably know you should pray more. But, I don’t think Jesus’ words are intended to make us feel guilty. Jesus’ words are intended to encourage us in our prayer life.
There is no exact formula for praying to God. God loves you so much that he sent his Son to provide you with forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation. God knows your deepest needs—spiritual and physical.
However, there is a proper attitude for prayer. Do not think of prayer as a way to show off your spiritual life. Think of prayer as a private and intimate conversation with your Heavenly Father, who loves you and wants to bless you physically and spiritually.
Since Jesus used the phrase “When you pray,” we should think of prayer as an important part of our spiritual lives. All Christians are expected to pray. But, we should not think of prayer as a duty or an obligation. This would make us “Prayer Pessimists.”
Jesus wants us to be “Prayer Optimists.” God loves us and wants to hear from us. Prayer is more of a privilege than an obligation. Prayer is more of an occupation than a duty.
[1] http://www.physicianscholar.org/print/id/117083
Matthew 6: 5 – 8.
I. Introduction.
In the hymnal rack in front of you, you will find a couple of cards. One card is labeled “Welcome.” This is the information card we want you to fill out if you are visiting with us today. Many people choose not to fill out this card and remain anonymous. But, we want to get to know you and share with you more information about out church. The other card is labeled “Prayer.” This is a way for you to submit your prayer requests to us.
Our church prays for all the requests that come to us. We have individuals who pray privately for each other and share their requests by email. We have a prayer room ministry. The prayer room is located on the Second Street side under the portico. People sign up for one hour per week, with the goal that we will have people praying for the needs of our church and community around the clock. And, we have a prayer service on Wednesday nights.
All told, this demonstrates that our church believes in prayer. Perhaps it would be better to say, we believe God answers prayer. The idea that God answers prayer is central to the Christian faith.
In the past twenty years, there have been numerous scientific studies conducted to prove the power of prayer. Three of these studies took place in 1988, 2002 and 2006. In 1988, patients undergoing heart by-pass surgeries were divided into two groups. One group was prayed for. The other group was not prayed for. The prayed for group recovered from the surgeries quicker. In 2002, cancer patients were divided into two groups. One group prayed for themselves. The other group did not. The group of people who prayed for themselves did not have better health results. However, the study revealed that these people were better able to cope with the effects of their disease.
The 2006 study focused on heart by-pass patients, but there was something different about this study. This study used the best scientific methods known to researchers. It is called a “double blind” study. This time, there were three groups of people. One group was told that they were being prayed for by a group of strangers. The second group was told that they MIGHT be prayed for by strangers, but were not prayed for. The third group was told that they MIGHT be prayed for by strangers, and were prayed for. Of the three groups, the group that knew they were being prayed for had the most post surgical complications. Some of the researchers interpreted the results as proof that prayer does not work.[1]
How many of you are going to stop praying now that a group of scientists has “proven” that prayer does not work?
I find all three of these studies questionable—even the first two that allegedly “prove” the efficacy of prayer. These studies are questionable, because God cannot be measured or observed by scientific method.
Read Matthew 6: 5 – 8.
In this passage, Jesus described three people praying…
II. Verse 5…"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
The first person Jesus described was the hypocrite. A hypocrite is an actor, a person who puts on a mask in order to pretend to be something he is not. There are two types of spiritual hypocrites. First, there is the person who does spiritual things for outward show. He pretends to be spiritual on the outside so that other people will congratulate him, reward him or even vote for him. Second, there is the person who does spiritual things to make himself feel better about his own life. This hypocrite thinks that by acting spiritual he can cover over his own sinfulness and spiritual inadequacies.
Jesus was describing the first kind of hypocrite. Notice that Jesus said the hypocrites “love to pray.” If Jesus had just stopped right there. If Jesus had placed a period after the word pray. This would be a great compliment for any Christian, ancient or modern. Wouldn’t you love to be recognized as a person who loves to pray?
Jesus didn’t stop there. The hypocrite does not “love to pray.” The hypocrite loves to pray where other people can see him praying and hear the words of his prayers.
I think the key to interpreting this verse is found in the purpose clause. There is nothing wrong with praying in church or praying on the street corner. It is wrong to pray anywhere for the purpose of being seen by others. There is a place for public prayer in worship and even public prayer on a street corner or other public gatherings. There is no good reason to pray for the purpose of attracting attention to yourself.
Ultimately this is what it means when we use the phrase, “give glory to God,” or the phrase, “glorify God.” To glorify God is to give God the credit; to acknowledge that God is the one working in our lives; to acknowledge that the power within us is not from our own strength and abilities…it is the power of God. Attracting attention to ourselves takes attention away from God.
Jesus does not give us a definition of prayer in this passage—he will define it for us in chapter 7. In this context, all Jesus is concerned with is our attitude toward prayer. But, perhaps we need a definition…
I like to say that prayer is “depending on God.” People who need God are people who pray. The opposite of that is also true…People who pray are people who need God. How many times have you thought that you could handle certain situations in life on your own strength? When we think we are smart enough and strong enough, we neglect prayer. We think we can do it on our own strength.
When we act out of our own strength, abilities and intelligence, who gets the glory? I get the glory and the credit when I am the one who performs. A good example of this was last Wednesday night in game one of the World Series. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cliff Lea was incredible. He pitched a complete nine inning game against the New York Yankees (The Evil Empire). He gave up only six hits, no walks and one unearned run. The Phillies won 6 – 1. After the game, everyone wanted to interview Cliff Lea. I watched him say the same thing in every interview: “I wasn’t nervous. Why should I be nervous? I am playing the same game I have played my entire life. I put in all the work and all the practice to get to where I am today. I’m doing what I always wanted to do.”
Baseball is not necessarily a spiritual activity. So, it’s probably a good thing that Cliff Lea put in all the work and practice to get to where he is. The way he pitched against the Yankees shows that he is very good at what he does. I would want him on my team. But, he took all the credit and the glory for what he accomplished.
This is not the way God wants Christians to live. Honestly, there is nothing we can do for ourselves. All human beings are sinners, and our sin separates us from God. We cannot resolve our sin problem and our separation from God. So, God sent his Son to die on the cross to provide us with the only solution. Therefore, we owe our spiritual lives to God and not to ourselves.
Of course, spiritual life is not all that God provides. God is the source of our physical lives as well. All of our strength comes from God. All of our financial resources comes from God. Even the breath that we breathe, comes from God. Without God, we could do nothing. Prayer is the way we acknowledge to God and ourselves that we owe everything to God.
The hypocrites do not love to acknowledge their dependence on God. The hypocrites love for other people to think they are spiritual people.
III. Verse 6…But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
The second person Jesus described was the person who prays with the right attitude. True prayer happens in a private, intimate encounter with God.
Again, allow me to emphasize that Jesus is not condemning the practice of prayer in public worship. We know this because of the way Jesus talks about rewards. Proper prayer seeks God’s rewards over the rewards of other human beings. Other people might reward us when we pray beautiful, spiritual, public prayers. God rewards us even when our prayers are secret prayers.
The most obvious reward God gives us is answered prayers. However, not all our prayers are answered the way we want them to be answered. I have always believed that God answers all prayers. Sometimes God says “Yes.” Sometimes God says “No.” Sometimes God says “Wait.”
When God answers our prayers with a “Yes,” there is an obvious reward…A new job, a healed body or a restored relationship.
When God answers our prayers with a “No” or a “Wait,” the reward is not so obvious. Yet, there is still a reward. The reward might not be what we had hoped for, but there is a reward. The reward in God’s “No” or God’s “Wait” is the reward of greater faith. Perseverance makes our faith grow stronger. Perseverance demonstrates that we do not have the strength to make it on our own and that our desires are not always the best thing for us. God knows what is best for us and shows us his ways are higher and better than our ways by answering “No” or “Wait” to some of our prayers.
The reward of faith can only come from a private prayer life. The reward of being applauded and congratulated by other people comes by praying for show. However, you can only have one of these rewards. You must choose which you prefer. If you pray for applause, that is the only reward you will receive. If you pray for increased faith, that’s the reward you will receive…But be prepared. You might not like the way God grants increased faith. Sometimes it comes through the answers “No” and “Wait.”
IV. Verse 7…And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
The third person Jesus described was the pagan. These were the men and women of Jesus’ day who worshipped false gods. Some of these gods were depicted by idols. Others were internal gods like the human spirit or human intellect.
People who prayed to false gods did not receive answers to their prayers. There is an obvious reason for that…False gods do not have the power to answer prayer. When their prayers went unanswered, the pagans had to develop reasons to explain what was going on. A simple explanation was that they were praying to the wrong gods. A more complicated but more popular answer was that they did not pray in the proper formula. So, the pagans developed complicated and repetitious formulas for their prayers. Their prayers were heavy on naming their gods and praising their gods for what they thought the gods had done in the past. Only after naming the gods and praising them could the pagans begin to list their petitions. They thought they could flatter the gods and thus coax them to answer prayers. If the prayers went unanswered, the pagans thought they must not have prayed properly, didn’t use the god’s preferred name or perhaps did not flatter the god enough.
Jesus tells us that prayer is not about flattering God or coaxing God to act on our behalf.
V. Verse 8…Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
God already knows what we need. God is already interested in your life—your spiritual life and your physical life. God wants to intervene in your life. You do not have to coax God into your life. He stands ready and willing to step in when you call.
VI. Conclusion.
Three times (verses 5, 6 and 7), Jesus said “When you pray.” Notice that Jesus did not say, “If you pray,” and he did not say, “I command you to pray.”
In Jesus’ view of the Christian life, prayer is such an important part of our lives that he assumes we already know we are supposed to pray. Not only do we know we are supposed to pray, but we are already practicing the discipline of prayer.
More than likely, it would be easy for me to make you feel guilty about how much you pray. You know you are supposed to pray, and you probably know you should pray more. But, I don’t think Jesus’ words are intended to make us feel guilty. Jesus’ words are intended to encourage us in our prayer life.
There is no exact formula for praying to God. God loves you so much that he sent his Son to provide you with forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation. God knows your deepest needs—spiritual and physical.
However, there is a proper attitude for prayer. Do not think of prayer as a way to show off your spiritual life. Think of prayer as a private and intimate conversation with your Heavenly Father, who loves you and wants to bless you physically and spiritually.
Since Jesus used the phrase “When you pray,” we should think of prayer as an important part of our spiritual lives. All Christians are expected to pray. But, we should not think of prayer as a duty or an obligation. This would make us “Prayer Pessimists.”
Jesus wants us to be “Prayer Optimists.” God loves us and wants to hear from us. Prayer is more of a privilege than an obligation. Prayer is more of an occupation than a duty.
[1] http://www.physicianscholar.org/print/id/117083
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009: Righteous Living
Righteous Living
Matthew 6: 1 – 4.
I. Introduction.
Last Sunday, we read Jesus’ most difficult teaching: Love your enemies. Remarkably, Jesus’ words don’t get much easier this week.
Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7 contain the longest collection of Jesus’ words. Traditionally, we interpret these words as a single unit and refer to them as the Sermon on the Mount. If our traditional interpretation is correct, then Jesus gave his most difficult teaching to love enemies and followed it up with a teaching about the least popular subject…Money.
I have never counted the verses in the New Testament before, so I can only repeat what I have heard others say. I’ve heard it said that Jesus spoke more about money than anyone else in the New Testament. If this is true, then I should not shy away from preaching about money…And…Christians like you and me ought to accept that there is a Christian way to think about our finances.
Even though Jesus preaches about money, he doesn’t have a lot to say about budgeting or whether or not to use credit cards and debit cards. Instead, Jesus’ words focus on using our financial resources in godly ways. If God is the source of our finances, then we ought to use our money in God-honoring ways. One God-honoring way is to give money to those who are in need.
Read Matthew 6: 1 – 4.
Jesus has just made a subtle shift in his preaching. He has just completed a series of six illustrations about Greater Righteousness. In Matthew 5: 20, Jesus said, “…unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
We usually think of the Pharisees as hypocrites. But that was not what Jesus’ original audience thought. The Scribes and the Pharisees were the most righteous people in first century Judaism. BUT…
The Scribes and Pharisees kept the letter of the Law and followed the literal meaning of every commandment in the Old Testament. They followed the Law with their bodies, but did not follow the Law in their hearts.
Jesus moved the boundary between sin and obedience from the body to the heart. The Greater Righteousness Jesus requires for his followers is a righteousness of heart and body.
For the past five weeks, we have read Jesus’ teachings and focused on what Christians think and feel and believe. But, today we witness a shift. Righteousness is not just about your heart and mind. Righteousness also requires that we do something.
II. Verse 1…"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Notice how the words “acts of righteousness” are in quotation marks. Literally the verse reads, “Be careful not to do your righteousness before men…” In other words, righteousness is not simply a matter of the heart. Of course, the heart is an important part of what it means to be righteous. Righteousness is only possible when Jesus changes the human heart. However, when the heart is changed the external life will be different.
In some ways, Jesus seems to contradict himself in this verse. In Matthew 5: 16, Jesus said, “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
It seems like Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 to do “good deeds” in public and then in Matthew 6 to do “righteous acts” in private.
The key to understand this apparent contradiction is the way we interpret the purpose clauses… “praise your Father” in Matthew 5… “to be seen by them” in Matthew 6. There is a place for public acts of righteousness, as long as they direct people to give God the glory. There is no place for public acts of righteousness, if they are motivated by a desire steal the credit from God.
Also notice that Jesus did not say there is no reward for people who steal the credit from God. If you do good deeds or acts of righteousness so that others will congratulate you and applaud your actions, you will get a reward. In fact, you will get exactly the reward you are looking for. The problem is…This reward comes from human beings and not from God.
My dad used to teach me to look for the good in people instead of looking for the bad. He used to tell me, “You will find what you are looking for.” If you look for good qualities in other people, you will find their good qualities. If you look for bad qualities in other people, you will find their bad qualities. We can probably say the same thing about my sermons… If you look for mistakes, you will find mistakes. If you look for a word from God, you will find a word from God. We can say the same thing about rewards… If you want other people to applaud you and tell you how spiritual you are, that is what you will get. But, you will miss out on God’s rewards.
III. Verse 2…"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
This verse teaches us something about the way Jesus thought about his disciples and the way he thinks about you and me. Jesus assumes that anyone who is his follower is already doing righteous things. Specifically, Jesus assumes that you are giving money to the poor. Jesus did NOT say, “If you give to the needy…” Jesus said, “WHEN you give to the needy…”
Giving money to people in need is a requirement Jesus has for all his followers, both the ancient disciples and the modern Christians. It is such an obvious requirement that Jesus doesn’t even command us to do it. Instead, he assumes we already know about giving and that we already practice giving. How well do you measure up to Jesus’ assumption? Do you give money to the needy?
I like to think that Jesus has a sense of humor. In fact, the longer I serve in Baptist churches, the more I am convinced Jesus has a sense of humor. Just look around the room. Look at the different shapes and sizes, hair color, nose shapes and sizes, nose hair colors…It’s a reflection of the diversity of creation and the humor of God. There is no other explanation.
Verse 2 is another example of Jesus’ sense of humor. He describes a hypocrite leading a parade of people with shouting people and marching bands and trumpets blaring. I cannot imagine a person creating this much commotion just to show others that he is giving money to the poor. This leads me to believe Jesus is not referring to an actual event or a practice. Rather, Jesus is speaking in hyperbole…exaggerating about the way some people give their religious offerings. Specifically, Jesus is describing the hypocrites.
You have heard me say that the Greek word “hypocrite” is the word for an actor who wears a mask. Actors were regular people most of the time. But when they were on stage, they put on a mask and pretended to be someone else. They had a part to play. For some people, the church is a stage. Some people put on their masks when they walk through the doors of the church and pretend to be someone they are not.
When it comes to religious activity, there are two types of hypocrites. The first type of hypocrite is the most obvious type. This is the person who puts on a show so that others will think he or she is a very spiritual person. These are the people who seek the praise of humans over the blessings of God. Again, Jesus warns us…If you seek the approval and praise of other people, that is exactly what you will receive. But you will not receive the blessings of God.
The second type of hypocrite is a little more difficult to see. This is the person who does righteous acts in order to fool themselves. If I read the Bible, pray, go to church, give money to the poor, then maybe I will feel better about myself. Jesus has a warning for these hypocrites as well. Righteousness begins in the heart, not the body. Righteousness of the heart will always change the way you and I live in our bodies. But, changing our behavior will not change our hearts. Only Jesus can change our hearts.
IV. Verse 3…But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
This is the second time Jesus used the word “when.” Again, Jesus assumes that you and I are practicing righteousness. He assumes that we are making financial contributions to the needy.
God was consistent about this throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament. God tells his covenant people to take care of the widows, the orphans and the strangers (or the aliens) living among us. These three people were the most vulnerable in the ancient world. They were usually poor, forgotten, overlooked and often oppressed by the people in power.
More than likely, Jesus is here referring to a Jewish offering for the poor that was taken up as a part of synagogue worship. Jewish synagogues collected numerous offerings. One was similar to what we might call a benevolence offering used to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and take care of widows and orphans. This is probably not a reference to direct giving from one person to another.
On one hand, there was no such thing as a Christian church when Jesus spoke these words. His disciples were followers of Jesus and still connected to Jewish synagogue worship. For this reason, it might be difficult to interpret this as modern day church giving.
On the other hand, there was no such thing as a Christian church when Jesus spoke these words…Notice that I said the same thing twice. I am using the same logic to arrive at two different viewpoints. Since there was no church, the only place the disciples could give their benevolence offering was the synagogue. Today, we have a church. The church has the same charge to take care of the poor as the synagogue. God did not change his mind about the poor when he changed his covenant with his people. The church has the same command to take care of the poor, hungry, naked, overlooked and oppressed in our society today.
However, taking care of the poor is not the only charge given to the church. We are God’s people with the assignment to do God’s work in the world. God’s work includes taking care of the poor and spreading the Gospel around the world. We also have the assignment to lead worship and to grow disciples. These assignments are God’s work and the work of the church. In this sense, I think we can interpret a parallel between giving to the poor and giving to the church.
Five ways to give…
1. Church Budget…Bring all the tithes into the storehouse.
2. Worldwide Missions (local, state, domestic and international)…
3. Benevolence…One percent of our $1.5 Million budget goes to Love INC; CISC; Mosaic Center; GodTel; and we plan to add Buckner Family Place in 2010. A small line item in our budget goes to benevolence ministries…Each time we observe the Lord’s Supper we receive a designated offering for benevolence…
4. Building Fund…We have a building fund that is available year round…The parlor renovations were completed using the building fund…
5. Designated Gifts…Certain projects in our church get accomplished through designated giving…
In my view of the tithe as storehouse giving, I believe we should all tithe to the church budget to accomplish God’s work in each area of church life. Gifts over and above the tithe can be given to accomplish specific elements of God’s work.
V. Conclusion (Verse 4)…so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Other people might not know how much money you give to the church, but God knows. Nothing is hidden from God’s eyes. God sees what is done in secret and will reward you for your secret giving.
But, what is God’s reward? Is it financial reward? That is what many TV preachers tell us. They teach stewardship as an investment strategy. Give to God, and he will return your investment with interest. I don’t find that in Jesus’ words or anywhere else in Scripture.
Be warned…If you serve God for money, then you will serve the devil for more pay.
I believe the reward Jesus has in mind is a reward of faith. The more we give, the more God blesses us with the faith to trust him. In God’s economy, 90% of our resources is greater than 100%.
Matthew 6: 1 – 4.
I. Introduction.
Last Sunday, we read Jesus’ most difficult teaching: Love your enemies. Remarkably, Jesus’ words don’t get much easier this week.
Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7 contain the longest collection of Jesus’ words. Traditionally, we interpret these words as a single unit and refer to them as the Sermon on the Mount. If our traditional interpretation is correct, then Jesus gave his most difficult teaching to love enemies and followed it up with a teaching about the least popular subject…Money.
I have never counted the verses in the New Testament before, so I can only repeat what I have heard others say. I’ve heard it said that Jesus spoke more about money than anyone else in the New Testament. If this is true, then I should not shy away from preaching about money…And…Christians like you and me ought to accept that there is a Christian way to think about our finances.
Even though Jesus preaches about money, he doesn’t have a lot to say about budgeting or whether or not to use credit cards and debit cards. Instead, Jesus’ words focus on using our financial resources in godly ways. If God is the source of our finances, then we ought to use our money in God-honoring ways. One God-honoring way is to give money to those who are in need.
Read Matthew 6: 1 – 4.
Jesus has just made a subtle shift in his preaching. He has just completed a series of six illustrations about Greater Righteousness. In Matthew 5: 20, Jesus said, “…unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
We usually think of the Pharisees as hypocrites. But that was not what Jesus’ original audience thought. The Scribes and the Pharisees were the most righteous people in first century Judaism. BUT…
The Scribes and Pharisees kept the letter of the Law and followed the literal meaning of every commandment in the Old Testament. They followed the Law with their bodies, but did not follow the Law in their hearts.
Jesus moved the boundary between sin and obedience from the body to the heart. The Greater Righteousness Jesus requires for his followers is a righteousness of heart and body.
For the past five weeks, we have read Jesus’ teachings and focused on what Christians think and feel and believe. But, today we witness a shift. Righteousness is not just about your heart and mind. Righteousness also requires that we do something.
II. Verse 1…"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Notice how the words “acts of righteousness” are in quotation marks. Literally the verse reads, “Be careful not to do your righteousness before men…” In other words, righteousness is not simply a matter of the heart. Of course, the heart is an important part of what it means to be righteous. Righteousness is only possible when Jesus changes the human heart. However, when the heart is changed the external life will be different.
In some ways, Jesus seems to contradict himself in this verse. In Matthew 5: 16, Jesus said, “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
It seems like Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 to do “good deeds” in public and then in Matthew 6 to do “righteous acts” in private.
The key to understand this apparent contradiction is the way we interpret the purpose clauses… “praise your Father” in Matthew 5… “to be seen by them” in Matthew 6. There is a place for public acts of righteousness, as long as they direct people to give God the glory. There is no place for public acts of righteousness, if they are motivated by a desire steal the credit from God.
Also notice that Jesus did not say there is no reward for people who steal the credit from God. If you do good deeds or acts of righteousness so that others will congratulate you and applaud your actions, you will get a reward. In fact, you will get exactly the reward you are looking for. The problem is…This reward comes from human beings and not from God.
My dad used to teach me to look for the good in people instead of looking for the bad. He used to tell me, “You will find what you are looking for.” If you look for good qualities in other people, you will find their good qualities. If you look for bad qualities in other people, you will find their bad qualities. We can probably say the same thing about my sermons… If you look for mistakes, you will find mistakes. If you look for a word from God, you will find a word from God. We can say the same thing about rewards… If you want other people to applaud you and tell you how spiritual you are, that is what you will get. But, you will miss out on God’s rewards.
III. Verse 2…"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
This verse teaches us something about the way Jesus thought about his disciples and the way he thinks about you and me. Jesus assumes that anyone who is his follower is already doing righteous things. Specifically, Jesus assumes that you are giving money to the poor. Jesus did NOT say, “If you give to the needy…” Jesus said, “WHEN you give to the needy…”
Giving money to people in need is a requirement Jesus has for all his followers, both the ancient disciples and the modern Christians. It is such an obvious requirement that Jesus doesn’t even command us to do it. Instead, he assumes we already know about giving and that we already practice giving. How well do you measure up to Jesus’ assumption? Do you give money to the needy?
I like to think that Jesus has a sense of humor. In fact, the longer I serve in Baptist churches, the more I am convinced Jesus has a sense of humor. Just look around the room. Look at the different shapes and sizes, hair color, nose shapes and sizes, nose hair colors…It’s a reflection of the diversity of creation and the humor of God. There is no other explanation.
Verse 2 is another example of Jesus’ sense of humor. He describes a hypocrite leading a parade of people with shouting people and marching bands and trumpets blaring. I cannot imagine a person creating this much commotion just to show others that he is giving money to the poor. This leads me to believe Jesus is not referring to an actual event or a practice. Rather, Jesus is speaking in hyperbole…exaggerating about the way some people give their religious offerings. Specifically, Jesus is describing the hypocrites.
You have heard me say that the Greek word “hypocrite” is the word for an actor who wears a mask. Actors were regular people most of the time. But when they were on stage, they put on a mask and pretended to be someone else. They had a part to play. For some people, the church is a stage. Some people put on their masks when they walk through the doors of the church and pretend to be someone they are not.
When it comes to religious activity, there are two types of hypocrites. The first type of hypocrite is the most obvious type. This is the person who puts on a show so that others will think he or she is a very spiritual person. These are the people who seek the praise of humans over the blessings of God. Again, Jesus warns us…If you seek the approval and praise of other people, that is exactly what you will receive. But you will not receive the blessings of God.
The second type of hypocrite is a little more difficult to see. This is the person who does righteous acts in order to fool themselves. If I read the Bible, pray, go to church, give money to the poor, then maybe I will feel better about myself. Jesus has a warning for these hypocrites as well. Righteousness begins in the heart, not the body. Righteousness of the heart will always change the way you and I live in our bodies. But, changing our behavior will not change our hearts. Only Jesus can change our hearts.
IV. Verse 3…But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
This is the second time Jesus used the word “when.” Again, Jesus assumes that you and I are practicing righteousness. He assumes that we are making financial contributions to the needy.
God was consistent about this throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament. God tells his covenant people to take care of the widows, the orphans and the strangers (or the aliens) living among us. These three people were the most vulnerable in the ancient world. They were usually poor, forgotten, overlooked and often oppressed by the people in power.
More than likely, Jesus is here referring to a Jewish offering for the poor that was taken up as a part of synagogue worship. Jewish synagogues collected numerous offerings. One was similar to what we might call a benevolence offering used to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and take care of widows and orphans. This is probably not a reference to direct giving from one person to another.
On one hand, there was no such thing as a Christian church when Jesus spoke these words. His disciples were followers of Jesus and still connected to Jewish synagogue worship. For this reason, it might be difficult to interpret this as modern day church giving.
On the other hand, there was no such thing as a Christian church when Jesus spoke these words…Notice that I said the same thing twice. I am using the same logic to arrive at two different viewpoints. Since there was no church, the only place the disciples could give their benevolence offering was the synagogue. Today, we have a church. The church has the same charge to take care of the poor as the synagogue. God did not change his mind about the poor when he changed his covenant with his people. The church has the same command to take care of the poor, hungry, naked, overlooked and oppressed in our society today.
However, taking care of the poor is not the only charge given to the church. We are God’s people with the assignment to do God’s work in the world. God’s work includes taking care of the poor and spreading the Gospel around the world. We also have the assignment to lead worship and to grow disciples. These assignments are God’s work and the work of the church. In this sense, I think we can interpret a parallel between giving to the poor and giving to the church.
Five ways to give…
1. Church Budget…Bring all the tithes into the storehouse.
2. Worldwide Missions (local, state, domestic and international)…
3. Benevolence…One percent of our $1.5 Million budget goes to Love INC; CISC; Mosaic Center; GodTel; and we plan to add Buckner Family Place in 2010. A small line item in our budget goes to benevolence ministries…Each time we observe the Lord’s Supper we receive a designated offering for benevolence…
4. Building Fund…We have a building fund that is available year round…The parlor renovations were completed using the building fund…
5. Designated Gifts…Certain projects in our church get accomplished through designated giving…
In my view of the tithe as storehouse giving, I believe we should all tithe to the church budget to accomplish God’s work in each area of church life. Gifts over and above the tithe can be given to accomplish specific elements of God’s work.
V. Conclusion (Verse 4)…so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Other people might not know how much money you give to the church, but God knows. Nothing is hidden from God’s eyes. God sees what is done in secret and will reward you for your secret giving.
But, what is God’s reward? Is it financial reward? That is what many TV preachers tell us. They teach stewardship as an investment strategy. Give to God, and he will return your investment with interest. I don’t find that in Jesus’ words or anywhere else in Scripture.
Be warned…If you serve God for money, then you will serve the devil for more pay.
I believe the reward Jesus has in mind is a reward of faith. The more we give, the more God blesses us with the faith to trust him. In God’s economy, 90% of our resources is greater than 100%.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009: Greater Righteousness 5
Greater Righteousness 5
Matthew 5: 43 – 48.
I. Introduction.
Today, we are going to look at one of the “hard sayings of Jesus.” Some of the things Jesus said were obviously wise teachings. Some of these teachings have been admired by religious and irreligious people of all eras. They contain good, common sense wisdom that anyone can recognize the wisdom of Jesus’ words. Today is not one of those teachings. This one is hard. In fact, it is so hard, many Christians probably wish Jesus had never said this.
However, we must remember what Jesus said to his disciples the last time he spoke to them on earth. After the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus gathered his eleven remaining disciples at the top of a mountain. This was the last time the disciples would see Jesus on earth. They would be reunited one day in Heaven, but not yet. Before they could enter into Heaven, the disciples had work to do on earth. In the meantime, Jesus gave his disciples the commandment we know as the Great Commission… Matthew 28: 18 – 20, “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey EVERYTHING I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
As Baptists, we are a missionary people, so we typically read this Great Commission as Jesus’ instructions to spread the Gospel around the world. However, there is another important part of the Great Commission. Jesus told his disciples—and us—to go, to baptize and to teach. Specifically, we are supposed to teach other to obey EVERYTHING Jesus has taught us. If Jesus wants us to teach everything, then everything Jesus said must be important. Everything is not restricted to our favorite passages. Everything includes the hard teachings Jesus gave us.
One of our favorite passages from the life of Jesus took place in the context of a controversy with the Pharisees. One of their experts challenged Jesus with a question, “What is the greatest commandment in the Old Testament Law?” Jesus’ answer is one of those commandments we don’t mind that he said… Matthew 22: 37 – 40, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Now we like that commandment. It is simple. It is wise. Probably all people—religious and irreligious—can recognize that following these commands will make the world a better place to live. Loving God and Loving Neighbors will make the world a better place.
This command also demonstrates how important “love” is for Jesus and anyone who is a follower of Jesus. This is not an isolated command. In another place, Jesus told us to “Love one another,” and that “Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Love your neighbor. Love one another. Love your friends. This is good stuff! And, then we come to Jesus’ words in Matthew 5…
Read Matthew 5: 43 – 48.
This the is sixth and final teaching Jesus gave about Greater Righteousness in the Sermon on the Mount. He begins this teaching with the same formula he used five times before, “You have heard that it was said…But, I say to you.” In the first five teachings, Jesus quoted either a commandment or a precedent found in the Old Testament. This time, Jesus quoted something that was NOT found in the Old Testament. Actually, the first half of this quote does appear in the Old Testament, but the second half does not. The Old Testament taught the Jews to “love their neighbors,” but it never taught them to “hate their enemies.”
More than likely, the phrase “hate your enemy” is the result of interpretation or application of the command to love neighbors. I don’t know if we could ever find a written interpretation that suggests Jews should hate their neighbors. But, I do know that whenever we place narrow restrictions on the literal words of the Bible, this is what can happen. For many first century Jews, the commandment to love neighbors could be narrowly interpreted to apply only to the people who are related by race and religion. In other words, love your neighbor meant simply to love the Jews—love people who belong to the Jewish race and the Gentiles who have converted to Jewish religious practice.
In twenty-first century East Texas, we might be guilty of the same kind of narrow, literal application. Everybody loves love. We love to love other people…especially nice people; safe people; people who can help you out through relationships or political connections. Yet, this is NOT what Jesus said.
In fact, verses 46 and 47 show us that everybody loves love. The tax collectors know how to love. The pagans know how to love. But Jesus calls us to have a greater love than the love found in the world. It might help us to understand Jesus’ words if we ask ourselves, “What am I doing that is greater than the Pharisees? The tax collectors? The pagans? Other religious people?” Is my love greater than the love found among people who are far from God?
II. Loving Enemies = Sons of God.
The Greater Righteousness Jesus requires is not an impossible standard. I used to interpret Jesus’ words as proof that you and I can never measure up to God’s standards. Since we cannot measure up, then we must trust in Jesus’ righteousness that is available to us through his sacrificial death on the cross. The only problem with this interpretation is that it leaves no room for the power of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, I believe that none of us will ever achieve a righteous status in God’s eyes. We need the crucifixion of Jesus to make us righteous. However, Jesus places specific expectations for righteousness on us. He truly expects us to love our enemies. Loving our enemies is the way we show the world that we are “children of God.”
It is important to note that the concept “sons / children of God” is not a universal concept in the Bible. The Bible NEVER says that all human beings are God’s children. In John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to Spirit. There is no evolution from flesh to Spirit. There is no natural, human progression from a regular human being to a spiritual human being. There has to be a spiritual birth. The Apostle Paul used a slightly different image to describe what it means to be a child of God. Paul never used the phrase “born again.” Rather, Paul described our relationship as being adopted sons / children of God. Both images communicate the same idea. You do not begin your earthly life as a child of God. You must be born again through a spiritual rebirth, or you must be adopted by God. Both spiritual rebirth and adoption come as a result of faith in Jesus: crucified and resurrected.
If all human beings are not sons / children of God, then it is a short step for us to project that some people live their lives as “enemies” of God. How does God treat his enemies? This is the meaning of Jesus’ illustration about sunshine and rain.
Do you remember drawing pictures when you were a child? Or, perhaps you have a young child or grandchild who likes to draw. Often those pictures have a large yellow sun in one of the top corners of the picture. Usually, the child draws a smiling face on the sun. Sometimes, there is also a grey rain cloud in the picture. What kind of face do children usually draw on the rain cloud? Usually, a frowning face. To a child, sunshine is a good thing, and rain is a bad thing. Do you think this is the way Jesus intended his words in Matthew 5: 45? God sends both good and evil equally to the righteous and the unrighteous.
The first century world was an agrarian culture. People grew their own crops. Families raised their own livestock. They lived off the land. Rain is NOT a bad thing for agrarian people. They cannot live without sun and rain. Sun and rain are the GOOD gifts that God gives to all people to sustain life on the earth. God gives indiscriminately to all people…his friends and his enemies.
In Romans 5: 10, the Apostle Paul tells us something else about how God treats his enemies: “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
On one hand, God gives sunshine and rain indiscriminately to his children and his enemies. On the other hand, God gave his only Son Jesus to die on the cross and rise from the grave so that the enemies of God could become children of God.
III. What Is Love?
If loving enemies is the way we demonstrate that God is our Father, then it stands to reason that we should love as God loves.
I just gave two illustrations of the way God loves his enemies: God gives sunshine and rain to support life on earth and God gave his Son as a sacrifice to reconcile his enemies to himself. Notice that God demonstrates his love by giving.
In the Bible, love is not a feeling. Love is an action. Love is a specific kind of action that is self-sacrificial and benefits another person.
Jesus did not say “Like your enemies.” He said to love your enemies through self-sacrificial actions that benefit your enemies. You don’t have to like them!
IV. How Can We Love Our Enemies?
Practically speaking, Jesus gave us three examples to help us understand how to love our enemies.
A. Speak to your enemies…
In verse 47, Jesus commands us not to use the “silent treatment” against those we dislike. He specifically used the word “brother” in this context, which is often used to refer to church members. We should ask ourselves how we treat people who are not a part of our church. This is not about the Baptists and the Methodists. This is about Christians and non-Christians. Do you treat non-Christians differently than Christians? Outsiders different than insiders? In this sense, it can apply to members of First Baptist Church and visitors? (Should I ask the visitors to our service this morning how they were greeted?) What about people who are not members of your group of friends? Do you treat outsiders differently than insiders?
B. Meet your enemy’s needs…
Ultimately, the word “love” can be defined as “meeting needs.” When you love someone else, you place their needs and desires ahead of your own needs and desires. God has modeled this for us in the way he sends sunshine and rain to support life and the way he sent his only Son to die on the cross for our sins. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 12: 20, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
We are not capable of causing the sun to shine or the rain to fall. We cannot provide forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation. However, we can meet basic physical needs and share the life-changing story of the Gospel with anyone in need…including those we count as enemies.
C. Pray for your enemy…
In verse 44, Jesus said we should pray for our enemies who persecute us. Let me offer a couple of suggestions about praying for your enemies. Yes, you should pray for your enemies by name. No, you should not do this during the offertory prayer. Pray in private for your enemies, and don’t put this on a public prayer list.
Second, I don’t believe Jesus intended for us to pray for our enemies to experience calamity. Sure, all he said was to pray. And you can keep the letter of the law by praying for your enemies to be killed. There are at least two pastors who have gained notoriety for praying for Barack Obama’s death. This was not Jesus’ intent. When you pray, pray for God’s blessings. Pray continuously. You will discover that your attitude changes as you keep on praying.
V. Conclusion: Be Perfect as God Is Perfect.
The final statement Jesus made is a command to be perfect. Another way to understand the word “perfect” is “mature” or “complete.” In the context, it seems that Jesus is calling us to have the same kind of perfect, mature or complete love for others that God himself has demonstrated.
Martin Luther King, Jr. is known for saying “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”[1] However true this statement might be, Jesus never promised that love would transform enemies into friends. In fact, the opposite may happen. Love may bring out the worst behavior from our enemies. But we weren’t commanded to make everyone our friends. We were commanded to love with no ulterior motive. The true test of our faith is the way we treat people whom we are naturally inclined to hate.
Christians are to reflect the character of God in our love. We are called to love what God loves and hate what God hates. God loves people and hates sin.
[1] http://www.martinlutherkingjrdayeveryday.com/Martin-Luther-King/Dr-Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Day-Products-Famous-MLK-Quotes-Love-Only-Force-Capable-Transforming-Enemy-Into-Friend.htm
Matthew 5: 43 – 48.
I. Introduction.
Today, we are going to look at one of the “hard sayings of Jesus.” Some of the things Jesus said were obviously wise teachings. Some of these teachings have been admired by religious and irreligious people of all eras. They contain good, common sense wisdom that anyone can recognize the wisdom of Jesus’ words. Today is not one of those teachings. This one is hard. In fact, it is so hard, many Christians probably wish Jesus had never said this.
However, we must remember what Jesus said to his disciples the last time he spoke to them on earth. After the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus gathered his eleven remaining disciples at the top of a mountain. This was the last time the disciples would see Jesus on earth. They would be reunited one day in Heaven, but not yet. Before they could enter into Heaven, the disciples had work to do on earth. In the meantime, Jesus gave his disciples the commandment we know as the Great Commission… Matthew 28: 18 – 20, “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey EVERYTHING I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
As Baptists, we are a missionary people, so we typically read this Great Commission as Jesus’ instructions to spread the Gospel around the world. However, there is another important part of the Great Commission. Jesus told his disciples—and us—to go, to baptize and to teach. Specifically, we are supposed to teach other to obey EVERYTHING Jesus has taught us. If Jesus wants us to teach everything, then everything Jesus said must be important. Everything is not restricted to our favorite passages. Everything includes the hard teachings Jesus gave us.
One of our favorite passages from the life of Jesus took place in the context of a controversy with the Pharisees. One of their experts challenged Jesus with a question, “What is the greatest commandment in the Old Testament Law?” Jesus’ answer is one of those commandments we don’t mind that he said… Matthew 22: 37 – 40, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Now we like that commandment. It is simple. It is wise. Probably all people—religious and irreligious—can recognize that following these commands will make the world a better place to live. Loving God and Loving Neighbors will make the world a better place.
This command also demonstrates how important “love” is for Jesus and anyone who is a follower of Jesus. This is not an isolated command. In another place, Jesus told us to “Love one another,” and that “Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Love your neighbor. Love one another. Love your friends. This is good stuff! And, then we come to Jesus’ words in Matthew 5…
Read Matthew 5: 43 – 48.
This the is sixth and final teaching Jesus gave about Greater Righteousness in the Sermon on the Mount. He begins this teaching with the same formula he used five times before, “You have heard that it was said…But, I say to you.” In the first five teachings, Jesus quoted either a commandment or a precedent found in the Old Testament. This time, Jesus quoted something that was NOT found in the Old Testament. Actually, the first half of this quote does appear in the Old Testament, but the second half does not. The Old Testament taught the Jews to “love their neighbors,” but it never taught them to “hate their enemies.”
More than likely, the phrase “hate your enemy” is the result of interpretation or application of the command to love neighbors. I don’t know if we could ever find a written interpretation that suggests Jews should hate their neighbors. But, I do know that whenever we place narrow restrictions on the literal words of the Bible, this is what can happen. For many first century Jews, the commandment to love neighbors could be narrowly interpreted to apply only to the people who are related by race and religion. In other words, love your neighbor meant simply to love the Jews—love people who belong to the Jewish race and the Gentiles who have converted to Jewish religious practice.
In twenty-first century East Texas, we might be guilty of the same kind of narrow, literal application. Everybody loves love. We love to love other people…especially nice people; safe people; people who can help you out through relationships or political connections. Yet, this is NOT what Jesus said.
In fact, verses 46 and 47 show us that everybody loves love. The tax collectors know how to love. The pagans know how to love. But Jesus calls us to have a greater love than the love found in the world. It might help us to understand Jesus’ words if we ask ourselves, “What am I doing that is greater than the Pharisees? The tax collectors? The pagans? Other religious people?” Is my love greater than the love found among people who are far from God?
II. Loving Enemies = Sons of God.
The Greater Righteousness Jesus requires is not an impossible standard. I used to interpret Jesus’ words as proof that you and I can never measure up to God’s standards. Since we cannot measure up, then we must trust in Jesus’ righteousness that is available to us through his sacrificial death on the cross. The only problem with this interpretation is that it leaves no room for the power of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, I believe that none of us will ever achieve a righteous status in God’s eyes. We need the crucifixion of Jesus to make us righteous. However, Jesus places specific expectations for righteousness on us. He truly expects us to love our enemies. Loving our enemies is the way we show the world that we are “children of God.”
It is important to note that the concept “sons / children of God” is not a universal concept in the Bible. The Bible NEVER says that all human beings are God’s children. In John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to Spirit. There is no evolution from flesh to Spirit. There is no natural, human progression from a regular human being to a spiritual human being. There has to be a spiritual birth. The Apostle Paul used a slightly different image to describe what it means to be a child of God. Paul never used the phrase “born again.” Rather, Paul described our relationship as being adopted sons / children of God. Both images communicate the same idea. You do not begin your earthly life as a child of God. You must be born again through a spiritual rebirth, or you must be adopted by God. Both spiritual rebirth and adoption come as a result of faith in Jesus: crucified and resurrected.
If all human beings are not sons / children of God, then it is a short step for us to project that some people live their lives as “enemies” of God. How does God treat his enemies? This is the meaning of Jesus’ illustration about sunshine and rain.
Do you remember drawing pictures when you were a child? Or, perhaps you have a young child or grandchild who likes to draw. Often those pictures have a large yellow sun in one of the top corners of the picture. Usually, the child draws a smiling face on the sun. Sometimes, there is also a grey rain cloud in the picture. What kind of face do children usually draw on the rain cloud? Usually, a frowning face. To a child, sunshine is a good thing, and rain is a bad thing. Do you think this is the way Jesus intended his words in Matthew 5: 45? God sends both good and evil equally to the righteous and the unrighteous.
The first century world was an agrarian culture. People grew their own crops. Families raised their own livestock. They lived off the land. Rain is NOT a bad thing for agrarian people. They cannot live without sun and rain. Sun and rain are the GOOD gifts that God gives to all people to sustain life on the earth. God gives indiscriminately to all people…his friends and his enemies.
In Romans 5: 10, the Apostle Paul tells us something else about how God treats his enemies: “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
On one hand, God gives sunshine and rain indiscriminately to his children and his enemies. On the other hand, God gave his only Son Jesus to die on the cross and rise from the grave so that the enemies of God could become children of God.
III. What Is Love?
If loving enemies is the way we demonstrate that God is our Father, then it stands to reason that we should love as God loves.
I just gave two illustrations of the way God loves his enemies: God gives sunshine and rain to support life on earth and God gave his Son as a sacrifice to reconcile his enemies to himself. Notice that God demonstrates his love by giving.
In the Bible, love is not a feeling. Love is an action. Love is a specific kind of action that is self-sacrificial and benefits another person.
Jesus did not say “Like your enemies.” He said to love your enemies through self-sacrificial actions that benefit your enemies. You don’t have to like them!
IV. How Can We Love Our Enemies?
Practically speaking, Jesus gave us three examples to help us understand how to love our enemies.
A. Speak to your enemies…
In verse 47, Jesus commands us not to use the “silent treatment” against those we dislike. He specifically used the word “brother” in this context, which is often used to refer to church members. We should ask ourselves how we treat people who are not a part of our church. This is not about the Baptists and the Methodists. This is about Christians and non-Christians. Do you treat non-Christians differently than Christians? Outsiders different than insiders? In this sense, it can apply to members of First Baptist Church and visitors? (Should I ask the visitors to our service this morning how they were greeted?) What about people who are not members of your group of friends? Do you treat outsiders differently than insiders?
B. Meet your enemy’s needs…
Ultimately, the word “love” can be defined as “meeting needs.” When you love someone else, you place their needs and desires ahead of your own needs and desires. God has modeled this for us in the way he sends sunshine and rain to support life and the way he sent his only Son to die on the cross for our sins. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 12: 20, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
We are not capable of causing the sun to shine or the rain to fall. We cannot provide forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation. However, we can meet basic physical needs and share the life-changing story of the Gospel with anyone in need…including those we count as enemies.
C. Pray for your enemy…
In verse 44, Jesus said we should pray for our enemies who persecute us. Let me offer a couple of suggestions about praying for your enemies. Yes, you should pray for your enemies by name. No, you should not do this during the offertory prayer. Pray in private for your enemies, and don’t put this on a public prayer list.
Second, I don’t believe Jesus intended for us to pray for our enemies to experience calamity. Sure, all he said was to pray. And you can keep the letter of the law by praying for your enemies to be killed. There are at least two pastors who have gained notoriety for praying for Barack Obama’s death. This was not Jesus’ intent. When you pray, pray for God’s blessings. Pray continuously. You will discover that your attitude changes as you keep on praying.
V. Conclusion: Be Perfect as God Is Perfect.
The final statement Jesus made is a command to be perfect. Another way to understand the word “perfect” is “mature” or “complete.” In the context, it seems that Jesus is calling us to have the same kind of perfect, mature or complete love for others that God himself has demonstrated.
Martin Luther King, Jr. is known for saying “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”[1] However true this statement might be, Jesus never promised that love would transform enemies into friends. In fact, the opposite may happen. Love may bring out the worst behavior from our enemies. But we weren’t commanded to make everyone our friends. We were commanded to love with no ulterior motive. The true test of our faith is the way we treat people whom we are naturally inclined to hate.
Christians are to reflect the character of God in our love. We are called to love what God loves and hate what God hates. God loves people and hates sin.
[1] http://www.martinlutherkingjrdayeveryday.com/Martin-Luther-King/Dr-Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Day-Products-Famous-MLK-Quotes-Love-Only-Force-Capable-Transforming-Enemy-Into-Friend.htm
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009: Greater Righteousness 4
Greater Righteousness 4
Matthew 5: 38 - 42
I. Introduction.
“Revenge is a dish best served cold.” That is an old saying most of us have heard before. Perhaps there is a new, more modern update to that idea…I saw a T-shirt this week that read, “Life’s too short not to get even.”
Revenge is a normal and natural part of what it means to be human. In fact, just this week there were at least revenge stories in the news.
Have you kept up with the Jon and Kate Gosselin saga? I wish I didn’t know this, but I feel like it has been foist upon me. Jon and Kate have eight children. They were the “stars” of their own reality television show, “Jon and Kate Plus Eight.” But, Jon and Kate are getting a divorce. So, the producers of the TLC TV series has decided to change the program. They announced this week that the program is changing to “Kate Plus Eight.” They are dropping Jon from the show. How did Jon Gosselin take the news? He hired an attorney to file an injunction that Jon no longer thinks it is such a good idea to have his children on TV. It sounds like revenge to me. If he can’t be on TV, he doesn’t want his soon to be ex-wife on TV either.
What about the drama surrounding late night comedian David Letterman? A man tried to extort $2 Million out of Letterman by threatening to reveal details of Letterman’s illicit relationships with some of his female staff. Well, we discovered this week the man really wasn’t after money. He was trying to get revenge. Letterman was having relations with this man’s girlfriend, and he wanted to destroy Letterman’s life.
On a lighter note, we had the Monday Night Football game between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. Two years ago, the Packers decided Brett Favre was too old to be their quarterback. Favre came out of retirement (twice) in order to play for the Packers’ rivals. He got his revenge Monday night by beating his former team on national television.
These three examples demonstrate how normal and natural it is for us to seek revenge when someone hurts us. If someone hurts you, the normal thing to do—the natural thing to do—is to get even…to hurt them as they have hurt you. It may be the normal and natural thing to do. Everyone might understand why you are behaving as you are. However, Jesus has called his followers to be different from the rest of the culture. It is never acceptable for followers of Jesus to be normal and natural. We are to live by a different and higher standard. Jesus calls us to Greater Righteousness.
Jesus’ words to us today are some of the least normal and natural words in the Bible. When someone hurts you, don’t get revenge.
Read Matthew 5: 38 – 42.
This is our fourth week to explore Jesus’ interpretation of the Old Testament. There are some people who think Jesus came to earth to destroy the Law of the Old Testament. Yet, Jesus specifically told us this was not his purpose. Rather than destroying the Law, Jesus actually fulfilled the Law. One important way Jesus fulfilled the Law was the way he interpreted it finally and perfectly for us. In many ways Jesus’ interpretation made the Law MORE difficult rather than LESS difficult. He took the external boundaries of the Law and moved them to the heart. And, he increased the demands from some of the Old Testament teachings. This is one example how Jesus’ demands are greater than the Old Testament. “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” comes directly from Leviticus 24.
Read Leviticus 24: 17 – 22.
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is often interpreted as the basis for a barbaric society…But that is not the case at all…Believe it or not, this is actually Justice…
On one hand, this Old Testament teaching sets a standard for justice. If you are guilty of harming your neighbor, you will have to pay the price. On the other hand, this teaching actually sets a limit to the amount of punishment a person can face for the crime. There are specific standards for murder, assault and killing animals.
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth actually limits the punishment that can be carried out when someone commits a crime. For example, if someone knocks your tooth out, the law allows you to knock his tooth out…Nothing more…The punishment cannot exceed the crime.
Also, notice how certain crimes demand more severe punishments. The Old Testament places a higher value on human life than on anything else. A human being has intrinsic value as one who was created in the image of God…And there is no compensation sufficient to repay for a lost human life. If a man is guilty of murder, then an eye, a tooth, even a hand cannot repay for the loss of another human life…And the opposite of that is also true…Human life is too high a price to pay for the loss of an eye or a tooth or the death of your donkey…
Imagine how barbaric the ancient world would have been without these kinds of limits…
More than likely, these standards were intended for the judicial system of the ancient world. They were not intended to encourage vigilante justice. But, over time, people interpreted these words to apply to personal relationships and to acceptable measures for personal revenge.
Jesus stepped into this context and said, “Don’t seek revenge.” Technically, Jesus said, “Do not resist an evil person.” But that phrase needs a little explanation the way it shows up in our English Bibles.
The word “resist” is used several different ways in different contexts. For example, we often come to church and talk about “resisting” temptation. The temptation to sin is something we face every day. To resist temptation is to refuse to “give in.” Sin can be attractive, appealing, something we desire to do. To resist temptation is to refuse to sin. The opposite of “resist” is something like “submit.” In the example of temptation, when we do not resist temptation we submit to temptation. So, does this mean that Jesus is telling us to “submit” to evil people?
Another way we use “resist” is in the sense to “oppose” something. Typically, we hear this in a military context. For example, the American troops in Afghanistan have met “resistance” from the Taliban. In this sense, “resist” refers to a show of force or violence. This is how Jesus used the word “resist” in this context.
We are not called to submit to evil people and allow them to take advantage of us. No. We are called to refuse to “fight back” or to seek revenge against people who have hurt us. It’s normal and natural to fight back. But we are not normal. We are followers of Jesus, who have been called to a higher standard—Greater Righteousness.
Jesus made his point very simply with a single command: Do not resist and evil person. Then, Jesus gave us four illustrations to clarify his point.
II. Turn the Other Cheek.
This illustration is one of the most famous things Jesus ever said. But, it is often misused. I have to admit, I have misused this in the past. Sometimes we use this verse to say Jesus wants us to allow others to take advantage of us or to abuse us. Jesus does not want you to be abused! This verse is about shame.
The ancient world was much more concerned about shame and honor than we are today. In fact, they were just as competitive in the ancient world as we are today. They just competed for something different. We compete for money and fame. They competed for honor. Marriages were arranged in order to gain honor by marrying into an honorable family. Certain careers and occupations were more desirable, not because they paid better, but because they were more honorable. Social interactions were competitive, inasmuch as one could gain more honor for himself by shaming another person.
We can see this is what Jesus is talking about if we will just read his words literally. For example, how can you strike someone on the “right cheek?” Today, we would immediately think of using our left hand to strike someone on the right cheek. Yet, ancient people did not often use their left hands. Another option would be to use your right hand to slap the person with the back of your hand. Even today, a backhanded slap is a great dishonor in the Middle East.
If Jesus’ words are about allowing your attacker to abuse you, then “turn the other cheek” would mean “allow your attacker to hit you again.” However, if Jesus’ words are read in the context of honor and shame, then he is saying something entirely different. In this case, to turn the other cheek is an instruction to remain in control of the situation. Turning the other cheek is a physical way to communicate to another person, “Your actions do not bring shame to me. You can hit me or disrespect me as much as you want. But you will not take away my honor.”
III. Give the Shirt Off Your Back.
The second illustration can also be understood as a reference to honor and shame. Ancient people did not dress like you and me. They didn’t have digital cameras and Facebook, so we don’t have an accurate picture of their dress. But we do have descriptions. The typical person wore two garments. The “tunic” was a kind of undergarment, made of a thin material and worn next to the skin. The “cloak” was the outer garment, made of a thicker material and worn on top of the tunic. The poorest people of the ancient world did not own property or houses. If they didn’t have a house, they didn’t have a bed to sleep in. For the poorest people, the “cloak” served a double purpose. It was their outer garment, AND it served as their bedcovers at night.
When these poor people tried to borrow money or cut a covenant, they had no collateral to bring to the deal. So, Jewish Law allowed a poor person to use their “tunic,” or undergarment, as collateral. But, it was forbidden to use the “cloak” as collateral. If the poor person defaulted on the loan or covenant, they would lose their bedcovers.
Again, Jesus is speaking about honor and shame. If someone sues you for your “tunic,” which they are allowed to sue for, give them your “cloak,” which they are not allowed to sue for, as well. It would be shameful for a person to take all your clothes. Jesus said, “Don’t le them take your clothes. Give them away.”
IV. Go the Extra Mile.
Most of us know that at the time Jesus spoke these words, Israel was occupied territory. They had lost their sovereignty as a nation and every day they saw Roman soldiers in their land as a reminder. The Jews resented the Romans. It made matters worse that there was a Roman law requiring the Jews to carry military baggage for a maximum of one mile. Any Roman soldier could enlist any Jewish man to carry his bags for a mile, and all Jewish men were obligated to comply.
Since the Romans were the hated enemies of the Jews, this was another shameful practice. There was no honor in being forced to carry your enemy’s luggage. Once again, Jesus removed the shame from the practice. When you are forced to do something shameful, turn the table on your aggressor and volunteer to go an extra mile. Of course, it was illegal for the Romans to demand more than one mile. Therefore, Jesus is instructing us to volunteer good to those who give us nothing but shame and evil.
V. Give to the One Who Asks.
Jesus’ final illustration is about loaning money to people who cannot repay us. This is another example of the honor and shame culture. One way to gain honor for yourself was to help out someone else and hold them in your debt. Loaning money, bailing your neighbor out of a bind, helping someone move… None of these good deeds were ever done out of kindness. They were done so that other people would owe you.
Jesus said, “Don’t do good deeds for manipulative reasons. Do good deeds, expecting nothing in return.”
VI. Conclusion.
In each of these illustrations, Jesus tells us to respond to evil by doing good deeds toward our aggressors. By doing good deeds toward others, we are refusing to accept the shame and exposing the shame and evil or our aggressors.
The Apostle Paul said something similar in Romans 12: 16 – 21, “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Matthew 5: 38 - 42
I. Introduction.
“Revenge is a dish best served cold.” That is an old saying most of us have heard before. Perhaps there is a new, more modern update to that idea…I saw a T-shirt this week that read, “Life’s too short not to get even.”
Revenge is a normal and natural part of what it means to be human. In fact, just this week there were at least revenge stories in the news.
Have you kept up with the Jon and Kate Gosselin saga? I wish I didn’t know this, but I feel like it has been foist upon me. Jon and Kate have eight children. They were the “stars” of their own reality television show, “Jon and Kate Plus Eight.” But, Jon and Kate are getting a divorce. So, the producers of the TLC TV series has decided to change the program. They announced this week that the program is changing to “Kate Plus Eight.” They are dropping Jon from the show. How did Jon Gosselin take the news? He hired an attorney to file an injunction that Jon no longer thinks it is such a good idea to have his children on TV. It sounds like revenge to me. If he can’t be on TV, he doesn’t want his soon to be ex-wife on TV either.
What about the drama surrounding late night comedian David Letterman? A man tried to extort $2 Million out of Letterman by threatening to reveal details of Letterman’s illicit relationships with some of his female staff. Well, we discovered this week the man really wasn’t after money. He was trying to get revenge. Letterman was having relations with this man’s girlfriend, and he wanted to destroy Letterman’s life.
On a lighter note, we had the Monday Night Football game between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. Two years ago, the Packers decided Brett Favre was too old to be their quarterback. Favre came out of retirement (twice) in order to play for the Packers’ rivals. He got his revenge Monday night by beating his former team on national television.
These three examples demonstrate how normal and natural it is for us to seek revenge when someone hurts us. If someone hurts you, the normal thing to do—the natural thing to do—is to get even…to hurt them as they have hurt you. It may be the normal and natural thing to do. Everyone might understand why you are behaving as you are. However, Jesus has called his followers to be different from the rest of the culture. It is never acceptable for followers of Jesus to be normal and natural. We are to live by a different and higher standard. Jesus calls us to Greater Righteousness.
Jesus’ words to us today are some of the least normal and natural words in the Bible. When someone hurts you, don’t get revenge.
Read Matthew 5: 38 – 42.
This is our fourth week to explore Jesus’ interpretation of the Old Testament. There are some people who think Jesus came to earth to destroy the Law of the Old Testament. Yet, Jesus specifically told us this was not his purpose. Rather than destroying the Law, Jesus actually fulfilled the Law. One important way Jesus fulfilled the Law was the way he interpreted it finally and perfectly for us. In many ways Jesus’ interpretation made the Law MORE difficult rather than LESS difficult. He took the external boundaries of the Law and moved them to the heart. And, he increased the demands from some of the Old Testament teachings. This is one example how Jesus’ demands are greater than the Old Testament. “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” comes directly from Leviticus 24.
Read Leviticus 24: 17 – 22.
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is often interpreted as the basis for a barbaric society…But that is not the case at all…Believe it or not, this is actually Justice…
On one hand, this Old Testament teaching sets a standard for justice. If you are guilty of harming your neighbor, you will have to pay the price. On the other hand, this teaching actually sets a limit to the amount of punishment a person can face for the crime. There are specific standards for murder, assault and killing animals.
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth actually limits the punishment that can be carried out when someone commits a crime. For example, if someone knocks your tooth out, the law allows you to knock his tooth out…Nothing more…The punishment cannot exceed the crime.
Also, notice how certain crimes demand more severe punishments. The Old Testament places a higher value on human life than on anything else. A human being has intrinsic value as one who was created in the image of God…And there is no compensation sufficient to repay for a lost human life. If a man is guilty of murder, then an eye, a tooth, even a hand cannot repay for the loss of another human life…And the opposite of that is also true…Human life is too high a price to pay for the loss of an eye or a tooth or the death of your donkey…
Imagine how barbaric the ancient world would have been without these kinds of limits…
More than likely, these standards were intended for the judicial system of the ancient world. They were not intended to encourage vigilante justice. But, over time, people interpreted these words to apply to personal relationships and to acceptable measures for personal revenge.
Jesus stepped into this context and said, “Don’t seek revenge.” Technically, Jesus said, “Do not resist an evil person.” But that phrase needs a little explanation the way it shows up in our English Bibles.
The word “resist” is used several different ways in different contexts. For example, we often come to church and talk about “resisting” temptation. The temptation to sin is something we face every day. To resist temptation is to refuse to “give in.” Sin can be attractive, appealing, something we desire to do. To resist temptation is to refuse to sin. The opposite of “resist” is something like “submit.” In the example of temptation, when we do not resist temptation we submit to temptation. So, does this mean that Jesus is telling us to “submit” to evil people?
Another way we use “resist” is in the sense to “oppose” something. Typically, we hear this in a military context. For example, the American troops in Afghanistan have met “resistance” from the Taliban. In this sense, “resist” refers to a show of force or violence. This is how Jesus used the word “resist” in this context.
We are not called to submit to evil people and allow them to take advantage of us. No. We are called to refuse to “fight back” or to seek revenge against people who have hurt us. It’s normal and natural to fight back. But we are not normal. We are followers of Jesus, who have been called to a higher standard—Greater Righteousness.
Jesus made his point very simply with a single command: Do not resist and evil person. Then, Jesus gave us four illustrations to clarify his point.
II. Turn the Other Cheek.
This illustration is one of the most famous things Jesus ever said. But, it is often misused. I have to admit, I have misused this in the past. Sometimes we use this verse to say Jesus wants us to allow others to take advantage of us or to abuse us. Jesus does not want you to be abused! This verse is about shame.
The ancient world was much more concerned about shame and honor than we are today. In fact, they were just as competitive in the ancient world as we are today. They just competed for something different. We compete for money and fame. They competed for honor. Marriages were arranged in order to gain honor by marrying into an honorable family. Certain careers and occupations were more desirable, not because they paid better, but because they were more honorable. Social interactions were competitive, inasmuch as one could gain more honor for himself by shaming another person.
We can see this is what Jesus is talking about if we will just read his words literally. For example, how can you strike someone on the “right cheek?” Today, we would immediately think of using our left hand to strike someone on the right cheek. Yet, ancient people did not often use their left hands. Another option would be to use your right hand to slap the person with the back of your hand. Even today, a backhanded slap is a great dishonor in the Middle East.
If Jesus’ words are about allowing your attacker to abuse you, then “turn the other cheek” would mean “allow your attacker to hit you again.” However, if Jesus’ words are read in the context of honor and shame, then he is saying something entirely different. In this case, to turn the other cheek is an instruction to remain in control of the situation. Turning the other cheek is a physical way to communicate to another person, “Your actions do not bring shame to me. You can hit me or disrespect me as much as you want. But you will not take away my honor.”
III. Give the Shirt Off Your Back.
The second illustration can also be understood as a reference to honor and shame. Ancient people did not dress like you and me. They didn’t have digital cameras and Facebook, so we don’t have an accurate picture of their dress. But we do have descriptions. The typical person wore two garments. The “tunic” was a kind of undergarment, made of a thin material and worn next to the skin. The “cloak” was the outer garment, made of a thicker material and worn on top of the tunic. The poorest people of the ancient world did not own property or houses. If they didn’t have a house, they didn’t have a bed to sleep in. For the poorest people, the “cloak” served a double purpose. It was their outer garment, AND it served as their bedcovers at night.
When these poor people tried to borrow money or cut a covenant, they had no collateral to bring to the deal. So, Jewish Law allowed a poor person to use their “tunic,” or undergarment, as collateral. But, it was forbidden to use the “cloak” as collateral. If the poor person defaulted on the loan or covenant, they would lose their bedcovers.
Again, Jesus is speaking about honor and shame. If someone sues you for your “tunic,” which they are allowed to sue for, give them your “cloak,” which they are not allowed to sue for, as well. It would be shameful for a person to take all your clothes. Jesus said, “Don’t le them take your clothes. Give them away.”
IV. Go the Extra Mile.
Most of us know that at the time Jesus spoke these words, Israel was occupied territory. They had lost their sovereignty as a nation and every day they saw Roman soldiers in their land as a reminder. The Jews resented the Romans. It made matters worse that there was a Roman law requiring the Jews to carry military baggage for a maximum of one mile. Any Roman soldier could enlist any Jewish man to carry his bags for a mile, and all Jewish men were obligated to comply.
Since the Romans were the hated enemies of the Jews, this was another shameful practice. There was no honor in being forced to carry your enemy’s luggage. Once again, Jesus removed the shame from the practice. When you are forced to do something shameful, turn the table on your aggressor and volunteer to go an extra mile. Of course, it was illegal for the Romans to demand more than one mile. Therefore, Jesus is instructing us to volunteer good to those who give us nothing but shame and evil.
V. Give to the One Who Asks.
Jesus’ final illustration is about loaning money to people who cannot repay us. This is another example of the honor and shame culture. One way to gain honor for yourself was to help out someone else and hold them in your debt. Loaning money, bailing your neighbor out of a bind, helping someone move… None of these good deeds were ever done out of kindness. They were done so that other people would owe you.
Jesus said, “Don’t do good deeds for manipulative reasons. Do good deeds, expecting nothing in return.”
VI. Conclusion.
In each of these illustrations, Jesus tells us to respond to evil by doing good deeds toward our aggressors. By doing good deeds toward others, we are refusing to accept the shame and exposing the shame and evil or our aggressors.
The Apostle Paul said something similar in Romans 12: 16 – 21, “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009: Greater Righteousness 3
Greater Righteousness 3
Matthew 5: 33 – 37.
I. Introduction.
“Spiritual, but not religious.” That is a term you will read in today’s issue of the Parade magazine (Parade is the free magazine that comes in the Sunday newspaper.) I read the article yesterday afternoon on the Internet.
In a recent Parade magazine poll, most American readers claim to be religious people, who practice prayer on a regular basis. But, Parade noted that there is a new category of American religion. People continue to claim Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and other religions. Yet, there is a growing number of Americans who claim to be “spiritual, but not religious.”
I think there are at least three ways to interpret the phrase “spiritual, but not religious.” First, it might be something like we Baptists like to claim: “We are not religious, we just love Jesus.” Relationship with Jesus is more important than religious adherence. Second, it might refer to the growing number of people who have become dissatisfied with church and dropped out. These people probably have some reference to faith in their background and probably practice prayer, but they do not participate in any kind of worship or faith community. Third, it might refer to the people who have become so tolerant of any and all world religions that they have syncretized all world religions into one. In this case, spirituality is a combination of Christian prayer and Eastern mysticism.
For the past several weeks, I have been preaching from the book of Matthew chapter 5. This is the first chapter of the text we have come to know as the Sermon on the Mount. Some people have interpreted the Sermon on the Mount as a connection between Jesus and Moses. In the Old Testament, Moses went up on Mount Sinai and received the Law from God. Jesus went up on the mountain and gave his followers a new law to replace the Old Testament Law. However, this is not what Jesus tells us.
In Matthew 5: 17 Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
A few verses later Jesus continued, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5: 20).”
In other words, Jesus does NOT give us a new law. There are certain ethical requirements of being a follower of Jesus. On one hand, Jesus does not abolish the Law. On the other hand, Jesus does not call us to be “spiritual, but not religious.” Followers of Jesus are supposed to have a greater righteousness than the most righteous adherents of any other religious group.
The greater righteousness Jesus requires is not a new law. Rather it is a new and proper interpretation of the old Law. He illustrates this by interpreting six commandments or teachings from the Old Testament.
The first illustration comes directly from the Ten Commandments. In Matthew 5: 21 – 22 Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.”
The second illustration also comes from the Ten Commandments. In Matthew 5: 27 – 28 Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
The third illustration is not an Old Testament commandment at all. Rather it is a precedent that was described in Deuteronomy 24. Jesus said, “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery (Matthew 5: 31 – 32).”
In two of these examples, we can see that Jesus has moved the boundary between obedience and sin. Sin is not limited to what you do with your body (e.g. murder and adultery). Sin is a matter of the heart. Murder and adultery continue to be sins. But, it’s not good enough to resist murder and adultery while harboring hate and lust in your heart. When your heart sins, your whole person is guilty. Greater righteousness is living up to a higher standard than following the letter of the Law.
Jesus’ teaching on divorce is a little different. Jesus didn’t move the boundary from the body to the heart. Rather, Jesus completely obliterated the boundary. With only one exception, Jesus tells his followers not to get divorced.
Since Jesus’ teaching on divorce breaks from the pattern of the first two teachings on murder and adultery, we might say that something else is at work here. What do all three of these teachings have in common? All three of these teachings call us to become more like the character of God.
For example, murder and hate do not reflect the character of God. In the very first book of the Bible, we learn something about the character of God. God is the creator of all life. If we are to become like God, we will be life givers and not life takers. We also read throughout the Bible that “God is love.” If we are to become like God, we will demonstrate love, not hate, toward others.
Adultery, lust and divorce can probably be addressed together. The Old Testament often used adultery as a metaphor for Israel’s idolatry. Whenever Israel chased the after false gods of their neighbors, the prophets often described their actions as adultery. God was the faithful marriage partner. Israel was unfaithful. Adultery, lust and divorce represent the opposite of God’s character—faithfulness. If our relationships are to reflect the character of God, we will be faithful in marriage and all other relationships.
I have been using this model for interpreting Jesus’ words for almost fifteen years now, after reading Josh McDowell’s book Right from Wrong (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1994). In the book, McDowell describes the results of a 1990 survey by the George Barna Group.
In 1990, the Barna Group conducted a national survey of “churched” high school seniors. Now, I need to stress that these teenagers were “churched.” For all practical purposes, Barna defined this group by those high school seniors that attended church at least twice a week: that is any two of Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night or any other church activity. And the astonishing thing is that 65% of these “churched” high school seniors did NOT believe there was such a thing as absolute right and wrong. Instead they believed that it was possible for something to be wrong for one person but OK for someone else.
So, Josh McDowell wrote Right from Wrong as a way for parents and churches to teach their youth absolute truth.
For some of us absolute truth has never been something we questioned. I have seen a bumper sticker that sums up our beliefs, “The Bible says it; I believe it; that settles it.” But that does not reflect the world we live in. The world says something like, “The Bible says it. Why does the Bible say that? What is the Bible?”
Josh McDowell teaches a three-part model for determining absolute truth. He’s obviously a preacher, because all three parts start with the letter P: Precept, Principle, Person.
The model works like this. Every biblical Precept (another word for precept is commandment) teaches a universal Principle that applies to every human being. These Principles are universal and thereby absolute truth, because they are grounded in the Person of God himself. Precept: “Do not murder.” Principle: Respect all human life. This applies to everyone. Person: All life is a gift from God the creator…God is a life giver and calls us to reflect his character by giving life to others.
Now, let’s look at Jesus’ fourth interpretation in the Sermon on the Mount…
Read Matthew 5: 33 – 37.
We could build a case that Jesus is here referring to one of the Ten Commandments. It’s possible this is a reference to the Ninth Commandment: “Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.” This commandment gave specific instructions on how God’s people should behave in a court of law. Or, Jesus could be referring to the Third Commandment: “Do not take the LORD’s name in vain.”
It was common practice in the ancient world for people to take oaths. It was even acceptable for a person to “swear” in the name of the LORD that they were telling the truth. It was not a sin to “swear” in the name of LORD. It was a sin to “swear” in the LORD’s name while knowing that you were telling a lie.
Eventually, the Pharisees developed a hierarchy of oaths. In addition to the name of the LORD, people could take an oath by swearing on the Temple, the king of Israel, the altar, or even the gold of the altar. An oath in the name of the LORD was binding, but an oath in the name of the Temple was not as binding. This created a kind of loophole, allowing people to “swear” falsely without being guilty of breaking the Third Commandment. Taking the Temple in vain was not a sin.
Jesus did to this Old Testament teaching the same thing he did with the teaching on divorce. He didn’t move the boundary. He obliterated the boundary. Jesus said, “Do not swear at all.” Do not take any kind of oath. Let your “yes” mean yes and your “no” mean no.
If you think about what Jesus is teaching, it makes sense. A person who has to be “under oath” to tell the truth is not a truthful person. If you have to swear in the name of the LORD in order for me to believe what you are saying, then there is a trust problem between us. Cut out the oaths, and always tell the truth.
Ultimately, Jesus’ words to us today are a challenge to tell the truth in all areas of life. Precept: Tell the truth without taking an oath. Principle: It is wrong to lie. Person: God is Truth. Compare Jesus’ own words in John 14: 6, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.”
God has called us to be men and women who conform to his image and likeness…That we would allow the Holy Spirit to mold us and to make us like Jesus. And if we are to become men and women like Jesus, then we will become men and women of the Truth. In Jesus’ own words to his disciples, “Let your Yes be Yes and your No be No.” In all that we do, in all that we say, we are to rest on the Truth. Because the Truth should not be Compromised.
If we compromise the Truth, then there are consequences…
II. Compromised Relationships.
To compromise the Truth is to compromise all your relationships…Truth is the foundation of every human relationship…Women, you don’t want to be married to a man who is comfortable lying to his parents or lying to his employer…If he lies to others, what makes you think you can trust him?…There can be no other foundation for a relationship…
III. Compromised Character.
To compromise the Truth is to compromise your character…As Christians, we are called to be conformed into the character of Christ…And how can we have the character of the one who is the Truth without making a personal commitment to truthfulness?…
IV. Compromised Witness.
To compromise the Truth is to compromise your witness…Ultimately God is concerned about the truthfulness of his people, because it is a reflection on himself…In Acts 1: 8, Jesus told his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my WITNESSES in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”…
How could the lost in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth believe the witness of men and women who compromise the Truth?
How can we reach the lost of Angelina County with the truth of the Gospel if our neighbors cannot believe what we say?
Matthew 5: 33 – 37.
I. Introduction.
“Spiritual, but not religious.” That is a term you will read in today’s issue of the Parade magazine (Parade is the free magazine that comes in the Sunday newspaper.) I read the article yesterday afternoon on the Internet.
In a recent Parade magazine poll, most American readers claim to be religious people, who practice prayer on a regular basis. But, Parade noted that there is a new category of American religion. People continue to claim Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and other religions. Yet, there is a growing number of Americans who claim to be “spiritual, but not religious.”
I think there are at least three ways to interpret the phrase “spiritual, but not religious.” First, it might be something like we Baptists like to claim: “We are not religious, we just love Jesus.” Relationship with Jesus is more important than religious adherence. Second, it might refer to the growing number of people who have become dissatisfied with church and dropped out. These people probably have some reference to faith in their background and probably practice prayer, but they do not participate in any kind of worship or faith community. Third, it might refer to the people who have become so tolerant of any and all world religions that they have syncretized all world religions into one. In this case, spirituality is a combination of Christian prayer and Eastern mysticism.
For the past several weeks, I have been preaching from the book of Matthew chapter 5. This is the first chapter of the text we have come to know as the Sermon on the Mount. Some people have interpreted the Sermon on the Mount as a connection between Jesus and Moses. In the Old Testament, Moses went up on Mount Sinai and received the Law from God. Jesus went up on the mountain and gave his followers a new law to replace the Old Testament Law. However, this is not what Jesus tells us.
In Matthew 5: 17 Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
A few verses later Jesus continued, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5: 20).”
In other words, Jesus does NOT give us a new law. There are certain ethical requirements of being a follower of Jesus. On one hand, Jesus does not abolish the Law. On the other hand, Jesus does not call us to be “spiritual, but not religious.” Followers of Jesus are supposed to have a greater righteousness than the most righteous adherents of any other religious group.
The greater righteousness Jesus requires is not a new law. Rather it is a new and proper interpretation of the old Law. He illustrates this by interpreting six commandments or teachings from the Old Testament.
The first illustration comes directly from the Ten Commandments. In Matthew 5: 21 – 22 Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.”
The second illustration also comes from the Ten Commandments. In Matthew 5: 27 – 28 Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
The third illustration is not an Old Testament commandment at all. Rather it is a precedent that was described in Deuteronomy 24. Jesus said, “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery (Matthew 5: 31 – 32).”
In two of these examples, we can see that Jesus has moved the boundary between obedience and sin. Sin is not limited to what you do with your body (e.g. murder and adultery). Sin is a matter of the heart. Murder and adultery continue to be sins. But, it’s not good enough to resist murder and adultery while harboring hate and lust in your heart. When your heart sins, your whole person is guilty. Greater righteousness is living up to a higher standard than following the letter of the Law.
Jesus’ teaching on divorce is a little different. Jesus didn’t move the boundary from the body to the heart. Rather, Jesus completely obliterated the boundary. With only one exception, Jesus tells his followers not to get divorced.
Since Jesus’ teaching on divorce breaks from the pattern of the first two teachings on murder and adultery, we might say that something else is at work here. What do all three of these teachings have in common? All three of these teachings call us to become more like the character of God.
For example, murder and hate do not reflect the character of God. In the very first book of the Bible, we learn something about the character of God. God is the creator of all life. If we are to become like God, we will be life givers and not life takers. We also read throughout the Bible that “God is love.” If we are to become like God, we will demonstrate love, not hate, toward others.
Adultery, lust and divorce can probably be addressed together. The Old Testament often used adultery as a metaphor for Israel’s idolatry. Whenever Israel chased the after false gods of their neighbors, the prophets often described their actions as adultery. God was the faithful marriage partner. Israel was unfaithful. Adultery, lust and divorce represent the opposite of God’s character—faithfulness. If our relationships are to reflect the character of God, we will be faithful in marriage and all other relationships.
I have been using this model for interpreting Jesus’ words for almost fifteen years now, after reading Josh McDowell’s book Right from Wrong (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1994). In the book, McDowell describes the results of a 1990 survey by the George Barna Group.
In 1990, the Barna Group conducted a national survey of “churched” high school seniors. Now, I need to stress that these teenagers were “churched.” For all practical purposes, Barna defined this group by those high school seniors that attended church at least twice a week: that is any two of Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night or any other church activity. And the astonishing thing is that 65% of these “churched” high school seniors did NOT believe there was such a thing as absolute right and wrong. Instead they believed that it was possible for something to be wrong for one person but OK for someone else.
So, Josh McDowell wrote Right from Wrong as a way for parents and churches to teach their youth absolute truth.
For some of us absolute truth has never been something we questioned. I have seen a bumper sticker that sums up our beliefs, “The Bible says it; I believe it; that settles it.” But that does not reflect the world we live in. The world says something like, “The Bible says it. Why does the Bible say that? What is the Bible?”
Josh McDowell teaches a three-part model for determining absolute truth. He’s obviously a preacher, because all three parts start with the letter P: Precept, Principle, Person.
The model works like this. Every biblical Precept (another word for precept is commandment) teaches a universal Principle that applies to every human being. These Principles are universal and thereby absolute truth, because they are grounded in the Person of God himself. Precept: “Do not murder.” Principle: Respect all human life. This applies to everyone. Person: All life is a gift from God the creator…God is a life giver and calls us to reflect his character by giving life to others.
Now, let’s look at Jesus’ fourth interpretation in the Sermon on the Mount…
Read Matthew 5: 33 – 37.
We could build a case that Jesus is here referring to one of the Ten Commandments. It’s possible this is a reference to the Ninth Commandment: “Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.” This commandment gave specific instructions on how God’s people should behave in a court of law. Or, Jesus could be referring to the Third Commandment: “Do not take the LORD’s name in vain.”
It was common practice in the ancient world for people to take oaths. It was even acceptable for a person to “swear” in the name of the LORD that they were telling the truth. It was not a sin to “swear” in the name of LORD. It was a sin to “swear” in the LORD’s name while knowing that you were telling a lie.
Eventually, the Pharisees developed a hierarchy of oaths. In addition to the name of the LORD, people could take an oath by swearing on the Temple, the king of Israel, the altar, or even the gold of the altar. An oath in the name of the LORD was binding, but an oath in the name of the Temple was not as binding. This created a kind of loophole, allowing people to “swear” falsely without being guilty of breaking the Third Commandment. Taking the Temple in vain was not a sin.
Jesus did to this Old Testament teaching the same thing he did with the teaching on divorce. He didn’t move the boundary. He obliterated the boundary. Jesus said, “Do not swear at all.” Do not take any kind of oath. Let your “yes” mean yes and your “no” mean no.
If you think about what Jesus is teaching, it makes sense. A person who has to be “under oath” to tell the truth is not a truthful person. If you have to swear in the name of the LORD in order for me to believe what you are saying, then there is a trust problem between us. Cut out the oaths, and always tell the truth.
Ultimately, Jesus’ words to us today are a challenge to tell the truth in all areas of life. Precept: Tell the truth without taking an oath. Principle: It is wrong to lie. Person: God is Truth. Compare Jesus’ own words in John 14: 6, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.”
God has called us to be men and women who conform to his image and likeness…That we would allow the Holy Spirit to mold us and to make us like Jesus. And if we are to become men and women like Jesus, then we will become men and women of the Truth. In Jesus’ own words to his disciples, “Let your Yes be Yes and your No be No.” In all that we do, in all that we say, we are to rest on the Truth. Because the Truth should not be Compromised.
If we compromise the Truth, then there are consequences…
II. Compromised Relationships.
To compromise the Truth is to compromise all your relationships…Truth is the foundation of every human relationship…Women, you don’t want to be married to a man who is comfortable lying to his parents or lying to his employer…If he lies to others, what makes you think you can trust him?…There can be no other foundation for a relationship…
III. Compromised Character.
To compromise the Truth is to compromise your character…As Christians, we are called to be conformed into the character of Christ…And how can we have the character of the one who is the Truth without making a personal commitment to truthfulness?…
IV. Compromised Witness.
To compromise the Truth is to compromise your witness…Ultimately God is concerned about the truthfulness of his people, because it is a reflection on himself…In Acts 1: 8, Jesus told his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my WITNESSES in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”…
How could the lost in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth believe the witness of men and women who compromise the Truth?
How can we reach the lost of Angelina County with the truth of the Gospel if our neighbors cannot believe what we say?
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009: Greater Righteousness 2
Greater Righteousness 2
Matthew 5: 27 – 32.
I. Introduction.
Three years ago, I preached a series of sermons on the Ten Commandments. I taught you an easy way to use your fingers to remember the Ten Commandments in their proper order. The Seventh Commandment literally reads, “Do not commit adultery.” However, I usually edit this one when I am with children to say, “Do not break your marriage promise.” Ultimately, that is what adultery is. On one hand, it is a sexual sin. On the other hand, it is breaking the lifelong marriage promise between a man and a woman.
On Thursday night of last week, the ABC News program “Nightline” broadcast an episode from a church in Texas. Evidently they are doing a series on the Ten Commandments, and Thursday night was dedicated to the Seventh Commandment.
The program consisted of a panel discussion with the Nightline reporter sitting in the middle of the stage. On her right were two people who were arguing IN FAVOR of adultery. On her left were two people arguing against adultery. I didn’t get to watch the entire program, but the entire 90 minute panel interview is available online at www.abcnews.com under the “Ten Commandments” link.
The idea that two people would publicly argue IN FAVOR of adultery would have been a big surprise to Moses. I’m sure that when Moses presented the Ten Commandments to God’s people on Mount Sinai, he probably thought this was one of the more obvious commandments. Do not commit adultery, or do not break your marriage promise, is an obvious commandment. When marriages break down, the society is not far behind. Marriage is the backbone of the culture.
I realize that not everyone present today is married. But, when Jesus spoke these words, he wasn’t speaking only to married people either. I think you will notice that Jesus took an Old Testament principle for married people and expanded it to include married people, people who hope to get married some day and singles. In other words, Jesus took a marriage principle and applied it to everyone—at least it applies to all Christians.
In Matthew 5: 20 Jesus said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” This verse tells us that following Jesus as a Christian requires a “Greater Righteousness.” Then, Jesus took six Old Testament commandments and showed us how our righteousness is supposed to be greater than the Pharisees. Today, we are going to look at his second and third examples.
Read Matthew 5: 27 – 32.
The Old Testament understanding of “adultery” was a very specific understanding. It did not refer to sexual relations before marriage. It only referred to sexual relations outside of marriage—a husband or a wife cheating on their spouse.
Interestingly, the Old Testament afforded more sexual freedom to husbands than wives. For example, the Old Testament allowed a man to have more than one wife in cases where his first wife was not able to provide him with children. However, a woman was never permitted to have a second husband.
Jesus’ teaching on adultery is very similar to his teaching on murder—which we looked at last Sunday. The commandment “Do not commit murder” places the boundary between obedience and sin at the wrong place. In other words, it is possible to keep the commandment “Do not murder,” while still being guilty of anger, hatred and calling other people hurtful names. Jesus took the external commandment about murder and moved the boundary. It is not good enough to resist the temptation to murder while harboring anger and hatred in your heart. Anger and hatred are just as sinful as murder.
II. Lust = Adultery of the Heart.
There are several key words and phrases in verse 27, which demonstrate how Jesus has moved the boundary of this commandment.
Adultery…Again, this is a word that refers specifically to “breaking a marriage promise.” In the Old Testament, both men and women could be guilty of adultery, but there was a double standard. A woman was guilty of adultery if she was married and had sexual relations with any man other than her own husband. A man was guilty of adultery ONLY if he had sexual relations with a wife of another man. If a husband had relations with an unmarried woman, it was not considered adultery. This kind of activity was still considered a sin, but it was not adultery. Instead, it was more like stealing, because the ancient world viewed women as the property of the men in their lives. A wife was the property of her husband. An unmarried woman was the property of her father. A man who had relations with an unmarried woman had stolen something from her father
Anyone…This is why I say Jesus was not just speaking to married people. Adultery is “breaking a marriage promise,” and it only applies to married men and women. But Jesus did NOT restrict his words to married men. Jesus said, “anyone” can be guilty of adultery. It does not matter what your marital status might be—married, single, widowed, divorced. It does not matter how old you might be—teenager, young adult, middle aged, senior adult. Jesus has given this commandment to “anyone.”
A Woman…This word could present us with some unusual problems with interpretation. For example, we could take this literally and say that Jesus is only talking to men. Women are exempt from this teaching. But there are at least two reasons why we shouldn’t be so literal. First, lust is a sin which affects men significantly more than women. Second, Jesus is reinterpreting the adultery commandment and expanding it equally to apply to both men and women. The Old Testament—and the application of the Old Testament—created a double standard. Men had more loopholes to help them avoid the prohibition against adultery. Not anymore. Men, Jesus is holding you to a higher standard. This standard is not higher than Jesus’ standard for women. It is higher than anything required in the Old Testament.
Lustfully…The pastor in the Nightline program on adultery was Ed Young, Jr. of Dallas. He made a great statement on the program: “Lust is a God-given desire gone haywire.” In fact, the Greek word for lust is the same as the word for “desire.” It will help us to understand the concept of lust by thinking of it as “the desire to have” something. This is similar to the Tenth Commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor (Exodus 20: 17).” Notice that the Tenth Commandment includes a man’s wife as one of his possessions: wife, ox and donkey are described as things. This is what it means to lust after a woman: to think of a woman as a piece of property—or a thing. There is a big difference between a person and a thing. A person is an equal—he or she has been created in the image of God, just as you have. Things have not been created in the image of God—they are simply objects to be used for our pleasure. To lust is to objectify women, to think of women as objects to serve my desires rather than a person created in the image of God.
In His Heart…Jesus has moved the boundary for this commandment. Adultery is a sin of the body. Lust is a sin of the heart. And Jesus equates the two. It is not enough to resist the temptation to commit adultery. If you objectify women by harboring lust in your heart, you are already guilty of sin.
III. Lust Requires Radical Avoidance.
We can summarize Jesus’ teaching on adultery by saying that lust is a sin of the heart that affects a man’s soul. There are eternal consequences at stake. This is not simply a matter of living up to a certain ethical standard. Jesus said this sin can affect your soul. That is what he means by referring to Hell.
On the negative side, lust is a matter of Heaven and Hell. On the positive side, Jesus teaches us that lust can be controlled. Jesus does not agree with the modern day theories that men cannot be faithful to their wives. Jesus does not provide men with excuses such as “It’s in the nature of men to look at pretty women.” No. Jesus says that lust is a radical sin of the heart, which requires radical action to avoid falling prey to sin.
He illustrates this with two radical and grotesque examples: If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. This is not the only place where Jesus makes this statement. In Matthew 18, Jesus repeated his words about plucking out your eye and cutting off your hand. Then, he added: “If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off…”
I do not believe this is to be taken literally. If we were to follow Jesus’ words literally, How many of us would be blind AND crippled? The church is not a place for perfect people to gather to keep ourselves separate from the sinners outside. The church is a place for sinners to find forgiveness and remedy—like a hospital for sinners.
I believe this is hyperbole. Jesus is stating a couple of extreme examples to show us how we should take extreme measures to avoid sin.
First, there is a message for men. There are no excuses for lust. It is not the result of your God-given desire. No. It is a perversion of your God-given desire. A husband’s desire is to be limited to his own wife. And there is no excuse for thinking of women as objects to serve your desires. These kinds of desires can be controlled ONLY if we take radical steps to avoid lust. You won’t have to pluck out your eyes if you discipline yourself to look away—as if you are blind to sin. You won’t have to cut off your hand if you put filters on your Internet (and let your wife be the only one who knows the password)—as if those websites do not even exist. You won’t have to cut off your foot if you have someone in your life to keep you from going places where you should not go—accountability among men is one of the best ways to avoid tempting situations.
Second, there is a message for women. Women, men notice the way you dress. (I truly believe you already knew this, but now that I have said it, you can’t say you didn’t know.) I am in no way trying to blame the victims, legislate how you dress or take away your freedom. But you need to know that men like to look at pretty things. Have you ever noticed the way men look at a new pickup? When a man gets a new truck, he drives it to his friends so they can look at it and grunt. The same thing is true about a fishing boat. We look at the truck and boat and dream about having one just like it. Women, you are not a truck or a boat. You are a person created in the image of God. But sometimes you dress like you want us to look at you like a boat.
IV. Jesus’ Teaching on Divorce.
Adultery and lust are both sins against God. When David confessed his sin in Psalm 51, he said, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…(Psalm 51: 4)” Yet, the consequences of these sins affect marriage.
Jesus’ teachings on divorce are probably the hardest teachings in the entire Bible. I think this is the first time I have ever addressed these verses in my 10+ years as a pastor. This is a hard teaching, because it comes from Jesus. I am not inclined to read Jesus’ words and interpret them by saying, “What he said is this, but what he meant was…” This is Jesus talking! He said what he meant. It is also hard, because this is not the only time Jesus said these words. Matthew, for example, records this teaching of Jesus twice: Matthew 5 and 19. (And Paul makes a similar statement in 1 Corinthians 7.) If Jesus said this more than once, then we have to take Jesus’ words seriously.
Certificate of Divorce…There is no Old Testament commandment that defines how a man can divorce his wife. Deuteronomy 24: 1 – 4, describes a divorce case and assumes a precedent for divorce. This precedence includes a reference to a “certificate of divorce.” Most scholars indicate that a man could divorce his wife by giving her a written pronouncement that included the words, “You are free to marry any man.” Divorce gave the ex-husband and ex-wife the freedom to remarry.
Marital Unfaithfulness…This is the only exception Jesus mentioned. The NIV translates this as “marital unfaithfulness,” but the literal Greek word is porneia, which is a reference to sexual sin in general.
Causes Her to Become an Adulteress…This is the phrase that gives us the most trouble. But this is not the best translation. Literally, this says, “makes her commit adultery.” As strange as these words sound to our modern ears, this is ultimately a statement about marriage as a divine institution.
If the state of Texas declares a man and woman husband and wife, then the state of Texas can dissolve that union. However, if God declares a man and woman husband and wife, then the state of Texas has no jurisdiction to dissolve what God has done. If God put a couple together, then regardless of what the state of Texas says, the couple is still married. Relations outside of that union are adultery.
Remember how I said that Jesus addressed his words about adultery and lust to married people and singles? Here Jesus is only speaking to married people. If you are married, these are Jesus’ words to you. This is a warning and prohibition against divorce. If you are already divorced, then I think there is another message.
Adultery is a sin. But it is not beyond the grace of God. You can be forgiven and restored. Divorce is never God’s plan for your life. If you are married, don’t get divorced. If you are divorced, you are not beyond the grace of God. You can be restored. God can redeem any circumstance of your life.
V. Conclusion.
Christian marriage is a reflection of God in the world. On one hand, Christian marriage is supposed to be free from sexual sins—adultery and lust. On the other hand, Christian marriage is to reflect Christian forgiveness and reconciliation. If we cannot forgive the people we live with, how can we forgive others? If we cannot reconcile the relationships closest to us, how can we be reconciled with the world?
Matthew 5: 27 – 32.
I. Introduction.
Three years ago, I preached a series of sermons on the Ten Commandments. I taught you an easy way to use your fingers to remember the Ten Commandments in their proper order. The Seventh Commandment literally reads, “Do not commit adultery.” However, I usually edit this one when I am with children to say, “Do not break your marriage promise.” Ultimately, that is what adultery is. On one hand, it is a sexual sin. On the other hand, it is breaking the lifelong marriage promise between a man and a woman.
On Thursday night of last week, the ABC News program “Nightline” broadcast an episode from a church in Texas. Evidently they are doing a series on the Ten Commandments, and Thursday night was dedicated to the Seventh Commandment.
The program consisted of a panel discussion with the Nightline reporter sitting in the middle of the stage. On her right were two people who were arguing IN FAVOR of adultery. On her left were two people arguing against adultery. I didn’t get to watch the entire program, but the entire 90 minute panel interview is available online at www.abcnews.com under the “Ten Commandments” link.
The idea that two people would publicly argue IN FAVOR of adultery would have been a big surprise to Moses. I’m sure that when Moses presented the Ten Commandments to God’s people on Mount Sinai, he probably thought this was one of the more obvious commandments. Do not commit adultery, or do not break your marriage promise, is an obvious commandment. When marriages break down, the society is not far behind. Marriage is the backbone of the culture.
I realize that not everyone present today is married. But, when Jesus spoke these words, he wasn’t speaking only to married people either. I think you will notice that Jesus took an Old Testament principle for married people and expanded it to include married people, people who hope to get married some day and singles. In other words, Jesus took a marriage principle and applied it to everyone—at least it applies to all Christians.
In Matthew 5: 20 Jesus said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” This verse tells us that following Jesus as a Christian requires a “Greater Righteousness.” Then, Jesus took six Old Testament commandments and showed us how our righteousness is supposed to be greater than the Pharisees. Today, we are going to look at his second and third examples.
Read Matthew 5: 27 – 32.
The Old Testament understanding of “adultery” was a very specific understanding. It did not refer to sexual relations before marriage. It only referred to sexual relations outside of marriage—a husband or a wife cheating on their spouse.
Interestingly, the Old Testament afforded more sexual freedom to husbands than wives. For example, the Old Testament allowed a man to have more than one wife in cases where his first wife was not able to provide him with children. However, a woman was never permitted to have a second husband.
Jesus’ teaching on adultery is very similar to his teaching on murder—which we looked at last Sunday. The commandment “Do not commit murder” places the boundary between obedience and sin at the wrong place. In other words, it is possible to keep the commandment “Do not murder,” while still being guilty of anger, hatred and calling other people hurtful names. Jesus took the external commandment about murder and moved the boundary. It is not good enough to resist the temptation to murder while harboring anger and hatred in your heart. Anger and hatred are just as sinful as murder.
II. Lust = Adultery of the Heart.
There are several key words and phrases in verse 27, which demonstrate how Jesus has moved the boundary of this commandment.
Adultery…Again, this is a word that refers specifically to “breaking a marriage promise.” In the Old Testament, both men and women could be guilty of adultery, but there was a double standard. A woman was guilty of adultery if she was married and had sexual relations with any man other than her own husband. A man was guilty of adultery ONLY if he had sexual relations with a wife of another man. If a husband had relations with an unmarried woman, it was not considered adultery. This kind of activity was still considered a sin, but it was not adultery. Instead, it was more like stealing, because the ancient world viewed women as the property of the men in their lives. A wife was the property of her husband. An unmarried woman was the property of her father. A man who had relations with an unmarried woman had stolen something from her father
Anyone…This is why I say Jesus was not just speaking to married people. Adultery is “breaking a marriage promise,” and it only applies to married men and women. But Jesus did NOT restrict his words to married men. Jesus said, “anyone” can be guilty of adultery. It does not matter what your marital status might be—married, single, widowed, divorced. It does not matter how old you might be—teenager, young adult, middle aged, senior adult. Jesus has given this commandment to “anyone.”
A Woman…This word could present us with some unusual problems with interpretation. For example, we could take this literally and say that Jesus is only talking to men. Women are exempt from this teaching. But there are at least two reasons why we shouldn’t be so literal. First, lust is a sin which affects men significantly more than women. Second, Jesus is reinterpreting the adultery commandment and expanding it equally to apply to both men and women. The Old Testament—and the application of the Old Testament—created a double standard. Men had more loopholes to help them avoid the prohibition against adultery. Not anymore. Men, Jesus is holding you to a higher standard. This standard is not higher than Jesus’ standard for women. It is higher than anything required in the Old Testament.
Lustfully…The pastor in the Nightline program on adultery was Ed Young, Jr. of Dallas. He made a great statement on the program: “Lust is a God-given desire gone haywire.” In fact, the Greek word for lust is the same as the word for “desire.” It will help us to understand the concept of lust by thinking of it as “the desire to have” something. This is similar to the Tenth Commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor (Exodus 20: 17).” Notice that the Tenth Commandment includes a man’s wife as one of his possessions: wife, ox and donkey are described as things. This is what it means to lust after a woman: to think of a woman as a piece of property—or a thing. There is a big difference between a person and a thing. A person is an equal—he or she has been created in the image of God, just as you have. Things have not been created in the image of God—they are simply objects to be used for our pleasure. To lust is to objectify women, to think of women as objects to serve my desires rather than a person created in the image of God.
In His Heart…Jesus has moved the boundary for this commandment. Adultery is a sin of the body. Lust is a sin of the heart. And Jesus equates the two. It is not enough to resist the temptation to commit adultery. If you objectify women by harboring lust in your heart, you are already guilty of sin.
III. Lust Requires Radical Avoidance.
We can summarize Jesus’ teaching on adultery by saying that lust is a sin of the heart that affects a man’s soul. There are eternal consequences at stake. This is not simply a matter of living up to a certain ethical standard. Jesus said this sin can affect your soul. That is what he means by referring to Hell.
On the negative side, lust is a matter of Heaven and Hell. On the positive side, Jesus teaches us that lust can be controlled. Jesus does not agree with the modern day theories that men cannot be faithful to their wives. Jesus does not provide men with excuses such as “It’s in the nature of men to look at pretty women.” No. Jesus says that lust is a radical sin of the heart, which requires radical action to avoid falling prey to sin.
He illustrates this with two radical and grotesque examples: If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. This is not the only place where Jesus makes this statement. In Matthew 18, Jesus repeated his words about plucking out your eye and cutting off your hand. Then, he added: “If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off…”
I do not believe this is to be taken literally. If we were to follow Jesus’ words literally, How many of us would be blind AND crippled? The church is not a place for perfect people to gather to keep ourselves separate from the sinners outside. The church is a place for sinners to find forgiveness and remedy—like a hospital for sinners.
I believe this is hyperbole. Jesus is stating a couple of extreme examples to show us how we should take extreme measures to avoid sin.
First, there is a message for men. There are no excuses for lust. It is not the result of your God-given desire. No. It is a perversion of your God-given desire. A husband’s desire is to be limited to his own wife. And there is no excuse for thinking of women as objects to serve your desires. These kinds of desires can be controlled ONLY if we take radical steps to avoid lust. You won’t have to pluck out your eyes if you discipline yourself to look away—as if you are blind to sin. You won’t have to cut off your hand if you put filters on your Internet (and let your wife be the only one who knows the password)—as if those websites do not even exist. You won’t have to cut off your foot if you have someone in your life to keep you from going places where you should not go—accountability among men is one of the best ways to avoid tempting situations.
Second, there is a message for women. Women, men notice the way you dress. (I truly believe you already knew this, but now that I have said it, you can’t say you didn’t know.) I am in no way trying to blame the victims, legislate how you dress or take away your freedom. But you need to know that men like to look at pretty things. Have you ever noticed the way men look at a new pickup? When a man gets a new truck, he drives it to his friends so they can look at it and grunt. The same thing is true about a fishing boat. We look at the truck and boat and dream about having one just like it. Women, you are not a truck or a boat. You are a person created in the image of God. But sometimes you dress like you want us to look at you like a boat.
IV. Jesus’ Teaching on Divorce.
Adultery and lust are both sins against God. When David confessed his sin in Psalm 51, he said, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…(Psalm 51: 4)” Yet, the consequences of these sins affect marriage.
Jesus’ teachings on divorce are probably the hardest teachings in the entire Bible. I think this is the first time I have ever addressed these verses in my 10+ years as a pastor. This is a hard teaching, because it comes from Jesus. I am not inclined to read Jesus’ words and interpret them by saying, “What he said is this, but what he meant was…” This is Jesus talking! He said what he meant. It is also hard, because this is not the only time Jesus said these words. Matthew, for example, records this teaching of Jesus twice: Matthew 5 and 19. (And Paul makes a similar statement in 1 Corinthians 7.) If Jesus said this more than once, then we have to take Jesus’ words seriously.
Certificate of Divorce…There is no Old Testament commandment that defines how a man can divorce his wife. Deuteronomy 24: 1 – 4, describes a divorce case and assumes a precedent for divorce. This precedence includes a reference to a “certificate of divorce.” Most scholars indicate that a man could divorce his wife by giving her a written pronouncement that included the words, “You are free to marry any man.” Divorce gave the ex-husband and ex-wife the freedom to remarry.
Marital Unfaithfulness…This is the only exception Jesus mentioned. The NIV translates this as “marital unfaithfulness,” but the literal Greek word is porneia, which is a reference to sexual sin in general.
Causes Her to Become an Adulteress…This is the phrase that gives us the most trouble. But this is not the best translation. Literally, this says, “makes her commit adultery.” As strange as these words sound to our modern ears, this is ultimately a statement about marriage as a divine institution.
If the state of Texas declares a man and woman husband and wife, then the state of Texas can dissolve that union. However, if God declares a man and woman husband and wife, then the state of Texas has no jurisdiction to dissolve what God has done. If God put a couple together, then regardless of what the state of Texas says, the couple is still married. Relations outside of that union are adultery.
Remember how I said that Jesus addressed his words about adultery and lust to married people and singles? Here Jesus is only speaking to married people. If you are married, these are Jesus’ words to you. This is a warning and prohibition against divorce. If you are already divorced, then I think there is another message.
Adultery is a sin. But it is not beyond the grace of God. You can be forgiven and restored. Divorce is never God’s plan for your life. If you are married, don’t get divorced. If you are divorced, you are not beyond the grace of God. You can be restored. God can redeem any circumstance of your life.
V. Conclusion.
Christian marriage is a reflection of God in the world. On one hand, Christian marriage is supposed to be free from sexual sins—adultery and lust. On the other hand, Christian marriage is to reflect Christian forgiveness and reconciliation. If we cannot forgive the people we live with, how can we forgive others? If we cannot reconcile the relationships closest to us, how can we be reconciled with the world?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
