Jesus: The Light of the World
John 8: 12 – 30.
I. Introduction.
You know how men are when it comes to power tools. Every man wants to have a set of power tools he can be proud of.
Several months ago, I had to buy a new drill. I had the same drill for over ten years, and it finally quit taking a charge. I thought about buying a new battery for the drill, until I discovered that a new drill cost about the same as a new battery. So, I went to the hardware store to buy a new power tool.
I’m sure I fell for the marketing gimmicks, because I bought the drill that came with a “free” gift. A drill and a flashlight. Of course, this was no ordinary flashlight. It uses the same rechargeable battery as the drill. In fact, I got a package deal. A drill; a flashlight; a battery charger; two rechargeable batteries; and a handy-dandy carrying case.
Just when I started feeling good about myself, a friend told me about his new flashlight. He bought a Sure Fire flashlight. Have you ever heard of Sure Fire? They are widely heralded as “the world’s greatest flashlights.” If you look at their website, you will discover that they don’t like to refer to their products as flashlights. They call them “illumination tools.” They market their “illumination tools” to the U.S. military and to local law enforcement agencies. They make the brightest flashlights on the market. They are designed to temporarily blind an assailant at close range. Some of their flashlights are so bright, they are rumored to blind through closed eyelids! Sure Fire illumination tools range in price from $69.00 to $479.00.
All of a sudden, my flashlight doesn’t seem so manly! I still like the drill.
You know what flashlights are for, don’t you? Hurricanes. Actually, that is not the only time we need flashlights. We also need them for ice storms and for hunting for things in the attic. Actually, we need flashlights any time there is no light.
There is an interesting thing about light. Human being can see light, but we cannot produce light. In order for us to see, we need an external light source. The human eye is an amazing organ. The gift of sight is a wonderful sense. However, the eye and our sense of sight are worthless without external light.
Ancient people knew more about light and darkness than we do today. For example, I rarely find myself in complete darkness. Every room in my house has an overhead light. Most rooms in my house have extra lamps. Some rooms in my house have night lights that plug into the wall and come on automatically when the room is dark. Even when all the lights are turned off in my house and the night lights are unplugged, there is still a glimmer of light peaking through the windows from the street lights outside.
This was not the case in the ancient world. This was not the case in the days before electric lights. During the day, it was light. At night. It was dark. If it was a cloudy night or if the moon was not high in the sky, it was completely dark. And the human eye and the sense of sight are worthless when it is completely dark. Perhaps it is no surprise that Jesus used light as a religious symbol. It was something everyone could relate to. And, it was a common religious symbol.
Light and Dark are usually considered to be the only Universal Religious Symbols used in exactly the same way in almost EVERY religious system. Dark = Evil…The Personification of Evil…Satan…The Evil Divinity in Pagan Theology. Light = Good…The Personification of Good…God…The Good Divinity in Pagan Theology…
Look at what Jesus had to say about light in John 8…
Read John 8: 12 – 30.
More than likely the background for this passage is the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. John tells us in chapter seven that Jesus’ followers had encouraged him to go to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. They wanted him to go and reveal himself publicly. However, Jesus insisted that his time had not yet come. It was not the right time to disclose fully who he really is. So, Jesus’ brothers and disciples went to Jerusalem to the feast without him.
The Feast of Tabernacles was one of three important feasts on the Jewish calendar. The Law stated (Deuteronomy 16: 16) that all Jewish men we to travel to Jerusalem to observe all three of these feasts every year in the Temple. Jesus’ brothers and disciples were only doing what the Law commanded and expected them as Jewish men. Yet, Jesus would not be forced into revealing himself. He would do this on his on free will and at the time appointed by the Father.
Imagine how confused Jesus’ followers must have been when they arrived at Jerusalem and found Jesus, teaching in the Temple. Jesus did go to the Feast of Tabernacles, but he did it on his own terms. Not because his followers insisted.
The Feast of Tabernacles actually served two purposes. On one hand, it was a harvest festival. Each Fall, the Jewish people traveled to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage to celebrate the fact that the work of harvesting the crops was complete. The work was done for the agricultural year, and they could take a break. They celebrated with food and wine, giving glory to God as the One who had provided for their physical needs. On the other hand, this was a religious pilgrimage.
The Feast of the Tabernacles was also a time for the Jewish people to remember the forty years their ancestors had wandered in the desert before entering the Promised Land. During the forty years, God’s people had lived in tents and had worshipped God in a special tent. We don’t usually use the word tent to describe this time period. We use the word “tabernacle,” but a tabernacle is actually a tent. It is a temporary dwelling place. God’s people lived in tabernacles while they were in the desert, because the desert was not their permanent home. God’s people worshipped God in a tabernacle because they had not yet built a permanent Temple.
During the Feats of Tabernacles, the landscape of Jerusalem was filled with tabernacles. One of the ways the Jews remembered their ancestors was by sleeping and eating all their meals in tents. For seven days and seven nights, they lived like the people who had escaped from slavery in Egypt. They remembered by experiencing life as their ancestors experienced the forty years.
Each night of the feast, the people gathered in the courtyards of the Temple for an elaborate candle lighting ritual. There were candles, torches and four huge Menorahs. The entire Temple was filled with light. More than likely, this served as a reminder of how God was present with his people during their years in the desert. God showed himself to them every day by a pillar of cloud. God showed himself every night with a pillar of fire. The light was a symbolic reminder of the presence of God.
II. Light of the World.
John 8: 20 tells us that Jesus gave this discourse while standing in the Temple treasury. This was the most accessible area of the Temple, often called the Court of the Women. Any and every Jewish person was allowed in this area. It was the place where the financial gifts were received in thirteen trumpets. It was a common area for teachers and preachers to address an audience. It was the place where the Menorahs were lighted each night of the feast.
Since Jesus was at the Temple for the Feast of Tabernacles, we can assume one of two things. Either, this took place on one of the seven feast days. Or, this took place immediately after the feast.
If it was after the feast, then imagine Jesus’ words on the back drop of four huge Menorahs that were completely burned out. The wicks of the candles were shriveled up and black. Perhaps they were still smoldering from the seven nights of light.
Jesus did not say, “I am enlightened,” or “I have been illumined.” Jesus said, “I am the source of light for the world.”
The lights in the Temple area had run their course. They had burned for seven nights. They had shone brilliantly…for a time. Their time had come and gone. Now, Jesus tells us that he is the source of a light that cannot be extinguished.
The lights in the Temple had been a reminder of the light in the desert. As long as the pillar of fire was burning, God’s people knew that God was present with them. As long as God was present with his people, they did not experience true darkness. They had light…Even in the middle of the darkest night. And, here Jesus assumes that role for himself. Whoever follows Jesus, follows in light. Whoever follows Jesus, follows in the presence of God himself.
This is an amazing claim. Jesus claims light and the presence of God for himself. Jesus is claiming to be One with God.
Jesus’ words caused something of a controversy with the Pharisees. After making such a bold proclamation about his own character and Oneness with God, we might expect the Pharisees to challenge Jesus. However, we don’t expect them to react the way they did. The Pharisees did not say, “How dare you claim to be light and the presence of God.” Instead, they challenged Jesus on a legal technicality: “You don’t have enough witnesses.”
The Law did not allow for someone to witness for themselves. Every witness needed to be corroborated by at least two witnesses. Jesus has another witness: His Father. God himself has testified that Jesus really is who he claims to be. That witness is written throughout the Law, the Prophets and the Writings of the Old Testament. The witness of the Father is available to anyone who will hear.
Again, the Pharisees challenge Jesus. They don’t challenge his claim to be light of the world. They catch him on another technicality. They ask him “Where is your father?” Perhaps this is a snide remark about Jesus’ birth. Perhaps they are accusing Jesus of not actually knowing who his father really is. After all, Jesus’ mother conceived him before she was married. Perhaps Jesus’ father is Joseph the carpenter. Perhaps Jesus’ father is another man altogether.
The Pharisees have really done the very best they can do. They tried to catch Jesus in a legal technicality. They tried to challenge his birth. They really can’t challenge his claim to be the light of the world. That is because, light cannot be challenged. Light is either light or it is nothing at all.
When we turn the lights on in a dark room, we can’t question the light itself. Either it shines, or it doesn’t shine. Light can be experienced. Light can be judged (adequate or inadequate). But, light cannot be challenged. There are no philosophical arguments about light. Since we cannot produce light for ourselves, all we can do is experience the light and make judgments about the light, based on what the light does for us. Either, it illumines us and our surroundings, or it does not.
The Pharisees could not challenge Jesus’ claim to be the light of the world, because they refused to open their eyes. They refused to allow Jesus to lead them and give them the presence of God.
III. Three “I Am” Statements.
Notice that Jesus used the expression “I am” three different times in John 8: 12 – 30. The first is John 8: 12, “I am the light of the world…” The second is John 8: 24, “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am, you will indeed die in your sins.” The third is John 8: 28, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.”
In verses 24 and 28, the New International Version places brackets around the phrase “the one I claim to be.” I think you should take out your pens and mark out that phrase in both verses. The NIV uses brackets to indicate that this phrase does not appear in the Greek New Testament. The phrase is added to help it make sense in English.
The Gospel of John likes to use phrases that carry multiple meanings. I believe this is one of those cases. But, if we add the phrase “the one I claim to be,” we are choosing one meaning and discarding the others. I see four possible meanings…
1. I am the one I claim to be…Jesus claimed to be “from above” and said the Pharisees are “from below.” Therefore, they are not willing and able to comprehend who he really is…
2. I am the One sent from the Father…This is a claim to be the promised Messiah. However, Jesus refused to use this language in describing himself. The last time he fulfilled a Messianic prophesy (providing bread from heaven) the crowds tried to make him their king. Jesus did not come to fulfill the political hopes of Israel. Jesus came to fulfill the spiritual hopes—forgiveness of sins, relationship with God, eternal salvation and life…
3. I am the light of the world…The original claim Jesus made in this context. When all other sources of light have run out and been extinguished, Jesus is the only light that still shines. Jesus is the source of all religious “enlightenment” and the only source for the presence of God…
4. I am…This is the language of God from the Old Testament. This is the divine name, offered to Moses in answer to his questioning at the burning bush. Moses asked God, “Who are you? And, whom shall I say has sent me?” God answered, “I am.”
IV. Conclusion.
Anyone who refuses to acknowledge that Jesus is “I am,” will die in their sins—without forgiveness, separated from God.
The only way to recognize that Jesus is who he claims to be is look to the cross. When you see the Son of Man “lifted up” on the cross, then you will know. Jesus is who he claimed to be. Jesus claimed to be God himself.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sunday Morning, February 21, 2010: Jesus, the Bread of Life
Jesus: The Bread of Life
John 6: 25 – 42.
I. Introduction.
Is Jesus God? This is the question that separates the Christian faith from all other religions.
Many people outside of the Christian faith like to say that Jesus never claimed to be God. They insist that this is a modern development. They claim the church first made this claim about Jesus hundreds of years after Jesus’ crucifixion.
Over the next seven weeks, I want to explore seven statements Jesus made claiming to be one with God. These seven statements are found in the Gospel of John. They are commonly called the “I Am” statements. This is significant, because “I Am” is the name of God given to Moses at the burning bush of Exodus 3. Moses asked God for his name. God said, “I Am.”
Therefore, Jesus used the Old Testament name of God to refer to himself. Jesus claimed to be one with God.
If Jesus did, in fact, claim to be God, then we must make a choice. We can simplify this by saying it is a choice between “yes” and “no.” Either, Jesus is God, or he is not.
However, it is more complicated than that. If the Bible is a trustworthy source for telling the story of Jesus, then we have to accept that Jesus made these claims about himself. This means, we must ask ourselves…Is Jesus a liar? A lunatic? Or, is Jesus the Lord?
Read John 6: 25 – 42.
Our Scripture picks up in the middle of a very familiar story from the life of Jesus. This story is familiar, because it is the only miracle that appears in all four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Jesus and his disciples were traveling through the Northern part of Israel, on the banks of the Lake of Galilee. John tells us that Jesus had performed many miraculous signs that attracted a large crowd. For some reason, Jesus felt the need to provide food for the large crowd.
Jesus first approached one of his disciples named Philip and asked him where they could find enough food to feed the crowd. Philip was originally from this part of Israel, so Philip would know the best way to provide food. However, John tells us that Jesus merely said this as a test—for he already knew what he planned to do.
Philip didn’t have a good answer for Jesus’ question. Jesus asked “where” they could find food. Philip said they could not afford to feed the crowd. It would cost eight months’ wages just to give everyone a small bite of food. There was no way they could afford a complete meal.
Another disciple—Andrew—came forward with a young boy who had brought his own meager lunch. He had five barley loaves (of bread) and two small fish. Andrew brought the boy to Jesus, but he was realistic in his expectations. How far will this small lunch go among so many people?
This is when Jesus performed one of his most famous miracles. Jesus took the bread and fish, blessed it, broke it and gave it to the people sitting on the grass. Philip didn’t think they had enough money. Andrew didn’t think they had enough food. Jesus performed a miracle. In fact, Jesus provided so much food that his disciples actually collected twelve basketsful of leftovers.
The twelve basketsful leads me to believe this was a true miracle. Others have tried to discount this as something other than a miracle. For example, William Barclay says that Jesus did not multiply the food. Instead, the crowd saw the faith of a little boy, who gave his food to Jesus. Then, other people pulled out their food so there was enough for everyone to eat. Another example is the view that Jesus is here instituting the Lord’s Supper. Therefore, this was not an entire meal. It was just a bite of bread and a bite of fish. These interpretations seem far fetched when we see Jesus’ concern that none of the leftovers go to waste.
It also seems far fetched when we look at the response of the crowd. The people were so excited about what Jesus had done for them. I understand why they were excited. They received an unexpected blessing. They got to eat without spending any money. I understand their excitement. But, I don’t understand their response.
I would understand if the people were so excited that they put their faith in Jesus as the Son of God. I would understand if they had responded by asking Jesus more about faith and the Kingdom of God. That is not what they did. Instead, they tried to make Jesus the King of Israel.
This probably explains why this miracle appears in all four Gospels. The Jewish Rabbis made a connection with the story of Moses in the Old Testament and the coming of the Promised Messiah. Moses was the Redeemer whom God used to rescue the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt. Moses spoke for God both to the Hebrew people and to the Egyptian Pharaoh. When Pharaoh let God’s go from their slavery in Egypt, Moses led them across the Red Sea into the desert. God’s people spent forty years in the desert before they entered into the Promised Land. During those forty years, God provided for all the needs of his people. One miraculous provision was the manna. Six days a week for forty years, the Hebrew people woke up to find bread on the ground. This bread sustained them every day in the desert.
The Rabbis taught that the Messiah would be another redeemer like Moses. The Messiah would be sent by God to rescue his people from the Romans. The Roman Empire had robbed Israel of her identity. As long as Rome was in charge, Israel was nothing more than a colony. Sure, they still had their Temple in Jerusalem…But, they were no longer a distinct people. And, they had no power. When the Messiah came, he would rescue them from Rome and re-establish Israel as God’s favorite nation.
When Jesus produced food out of nowhere, the people thought he must be the Messiah. This was one just like Moses. He could ask God for bread, and the bread would come. This must also be the King for whom they had hoped and waited!
Yet, notice what Jesus did when the people tried to make him King by force. Jesus resisted. Jesus did not come to be a political leader. Literally, Jesus hid from the people and escaped to the other side of the Lake of Galilee.
II. Missing the Point.
It didn’t take long for the crowd of people to find Jesus and his disciples on the other side of the lake. The disciples traveled by boat. Jesus walked across the top of the water. We don’t really know how the crowd travelled. They could have taken boats. Or, they could have walked around the lake. However they traveled, we know they found Jesus in the synagogue at Capernaum.
When the crowd first approached Jesus, he chastised them for missing the point. He had just performed a miraculous sign. And all they could think about was more bread.
One interesting characteristic of the Gospel of John is the way John organized his Gospel around Jesus’ miracles. John tells us that Jesus performed numerous miracles, but he doesn’t tell us what they are. He readily acknowledged that he left out part of the story, because it would be too long. However, John describes seven of Jesus’ miracles in great detail. He just doesn’t call them miracles. He calls them signs. Like the feeding of the five thousand. This was one of Jesus’ seven miraculous signs.
John carefully selected seven miracles and described them as signs. A sign is something that points to something else. In other words, the feeding of the five thousand is a miracle. But it is also a sign. It does not simply deal with Jesus’ power over the earthly and physical. It tells us about Heaven and the spiritual realm. We are not simply to focus our attention on the miracle. We are to look beyond the miracle and focus on what the miracle tells us about Jesus.
The best way I know to find the significance of this sign is to compare it to two things Jesus said earlier about bread and food.
In Matthew 4, Jesus went into the desert to be tempted by Satan. Satan’s first temptation was to tell Jesus to turn stones into bread. Jesus was at the end of a forty day fast, and he was hungry. He probably wanted to eat. He probably thought the stones looked pretty appetizing—especially if they were loaves of bread. Yet, Jesus resisted this temptation by quoting from the book of Deuteronomy.
In Matthew 4: 4, Jesus said, “It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
In John 4, we read the story of Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus witnessed to this woman while his disciples went into town to buy some food. When the disciples returned, they were shocked to find Jesus at the well, engaged in conversation with an unclean, foreign woman. When the woman went off to tell her friends and family that she had met the Messiah, the disciples tried to get Jesus to eat something.
John 4: 31 – 34… Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work…
In other words, bread and food are important to physical life. However, bread and food are not the most important things in life. There is something even more important than food. There is something even more important than eating.
THIS is what the sign points toward. Just as physical food keeps your physical body alive, there is a spiritual food which is more important than bread. Jesus himself is the bread of eternal life.
III. The Bread that Is Better than Bread.
After Jesus chastised the crowd for looking for more physical food, they reveal their ignorance by asking for a sign…
John 6: 30 – 31… So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
These verses are thick with irony. They asked Jesus for a sign. Isn’t that what he had just performed? He fed a crowd of five to ten thousand people with five loaves of barley bread and two small fish. Then they asked him for manna. Barley loaves were too common. They wanted something they had never tasted before. Ironic.
Before we judged the crowd, we need to acknowledge that we make the same kinds of requests of Jesus. We pray, “Jesus, if you will heal my grandmother, then I will believe you and commit my life to you.” “Jesus, I don’t ask a lot of you, but I really need to make a good grade on this test (or win this contract at work, or excel at my job interview). Just do this one thing for me, and I will forever serve you.”
Jesus has every right at this point to say, “Look at what I have already done!” But, he resisted. Instead, he points to himself. There is a Bread that is better than bread. There is something Jesus can give us that is beyond what we could ever ask of him.
John 6: 33… For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
We are just like the crowds. Jesus has performed miracles and signs all around us. Yet, we insist that what Jesus has done is not good enough for us to believe in him and trust him with our lives. Jesus has already given us his very best. If we will not believe and trust him based on what he has already done for us, then no miracle will cause us to believe and trust.
IV. Jesus Is the Only Thing that Satisfies.
The people wanted physical bread that would not last. Jesus wanted to give them spiritual Bread that would last eternally.
Jesus described a Bread that is better than bread…not barley loaves, not wheat loaves, but Jesus himself!…Jesus is the only Bread that will last eternally.
The Greek word for bread was often used for food in general…But in this culture, bread was the most basic kind of food available…Meals were made up of piece of bread and maybe some beans or vegetables…Often entire meal was nothing more than bread…Meat was only eaten by the extremely wealthy…Common folks only ate meat at festivals…
Jesus defined himself as the most basic food in their diet…In other words, the most basic thing people were to rely on for their existence…Without bread, a person would lack proper physical nourishment and potentially starve to death…Without Jesus, a person would lack the proper spiritual nourishment and therefore have no spiritual existence. . .purpose, reason for living.
Jesus has called us to depend on him for our very existence…He is the one who gives us sustenance, survival.
Jesus is not the Ribeye Steak of Life. . .he is the Bread of Life…Jesus is what is common, ordinary, daily, mundane…Jesus is what we should depend on daily
V. Conclusion.
This story ends with a division in the crowd. Some of the people believed Jesus and followed him. Others thought Jesus was a liar or a lunatic.
What about you? Will you make a choice this morning? Jesus claimed to be God by telling us he is the source of life on earth and the source of eternal life in Heaven. Was Jesus telling a lie? Was Jesus acting like a lunatic? Is Jesus the Lord?
John 6: 25 – 42.
I. Introduction.
Is Jesus God? This is the question that separates the Christian faith from all other religions.
Many people outside of the Christian faith like to say that Jesus never claimed to be God. They insist that this is a modern development. They claim the church first made this claim about Jesus hundreds of years after Jesus’ crucifixion.
Over the next seven weeks, I want to explore seven statements Jesus made claiming to be one with God. These seven statements are found in the Gospel of John. They are commonly called the “I Am” statements. This is significant, because “I Am” is the name of God given to Moses at the burning bush of Exodus 3. Moses asked God for his name. God said, “I Am.”
Therefore, Jesus used the Old Testament name of God to refer to himself. Jesus claimed to be one with God.
If Jesus did, in fact, claim to be God, then we must make a choice. We can simplify this by saying it is a choice between “yes” and “no.” Either, Jesus is God, or he is not.
However, it is more complicated than that. If the Bible is a trustworthy source for telling the story of Jesus, then we have to accept that Jesus made these claims about himself. This means, we must ask ourselves…Is Jesus a liar? A lunatic? Or, is Jesus the Lord?
Read John 6: 25 – 42.
Our Scripture picks up in the middle of a very familiar story from the life of Jesus. This story is familiar, because it is the only miracle that appears in all four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Jesus and his disciples were traveling through the Northern part of Israel, on the banks of the Lake of Galilee. John tells us that Jesus had performed many miraculous signs that attracted a large crowd. For some reason, Jesus felt the need to provide food for the large crowd.
Jesus first approached one of his disciples named Philip and asked him where they could find enough food to feed the crowd. Philip was originally from this part of Israel, so Philip would know the best way to provide food. However, John tells us that Jesus merely said this as a test—for he already knew what he planned to do.
Philip didn’t have a good answer for Jesus’ question. Jesus asked “where” they could find food. Philip said they could not afford to feed the crowd. It would cost eight months’ wages just to give everyone a small bite of food. There was no way they could afford a complete meal.
Another disciple—Andrew—came forward with a young boy who had brought his own meager lunch. He had five barley loaves (of bread) and two small fish. Andrew brought the boy to Jesus, but he was realistic in his expectations. How far will this small lunch go among so many people?
This is when Jesus performed one of his most famous miracles. Jesus took the bread and fish, blessed it, broke it and gave it to the people sitting on the grass. Philip didn’t think they had enough money. Andrew didn’t think they had enough food. Jesus performed a miracle. In fact, Jesus provided so much food that his disciples actually collected twelve basketsful of leftovers.
The twelve basketsful leads me to believe this was a true miracle. Others have tried to discount this as something other than a miracle. For example, William Barclay says that Jesus did not multiply the food. Instead, the crowd saw the faith of a little boy, who gave his food to Jesus. Then, other people pulled out their food so there was enough for everyone to eat. Another example is the view that Jesus is here instituting the Lord’s Supper. Therefore, this was not an entire meal. It was just a bite of bread and a bite of fish. These interpretations seem far fetched when we see Jesus’ concern that none of the leftovers go to waste.
It also seems far fetched when we look at the response of the crowd. The people were so excited about what Jesus had done for them. I understand why they were excited. They received an unexpected blessing. They got to eat without spending any money. I understand their excitement. But, I don’t understand their response.
I would understand if the people were so excited that they put their faith in Jesus as the Son of God. I would understand if they had responded by asking Jesus more about faith and the Kingdom of God. That is not what they did. Instead, they tried to make Jesus the King of Israel.
This probably explains why this miracle appears in all four Gospels. The Jewish Rabbis made a connection with the story of Moses in the Old Testament and the coming of the Promised Messiah. Moses was the Redeemer whom God used to rescue the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt. Moses spoke for God both to the Hebrew people and to the Egyptian Pharaoh. When Pharaoh let God’s go from their slavery in Egypt, Moses led them across the Red Sea into the desert. God’s people spent forty years in the desert before they entered into the Promised Land. During those forty years, God provided for all the needs of his people. One miraculous provision was the manna. Six days a week for forty years, the Hebrew people woke up to find bread on the ground. This bread sustained them every day in the desert.
The Rabbis taught that the Messiah would be another redeemer like Moses. The Messiah would be sent by God to rescue his people from the Romans. The Roman Empire had robbed Israel of her identity. As long as Rome was in charge, Israel was nothing more than a colony. Sure, they still had their Temple in Jerusalem…But, they were no longer a distinct people. And, they had no power. When the Messiah came, he would rescue them from Rome and re-establish Israel as God’s favorite nation.
When Jesus produced food out of nowhere, the people thought he must be the Messiah. This was one just like Moses. He could ask God for bread, and the bread would come. This must also be the King for whom they had hoped and waited!
Yet, notice what Jesus did when the people tried to make him King by force. Jesus resisted. Jesus did not come to be a political leader. Literally, Jesus hid from the people and escaped to the other side of the Lake of Galilee.
II. Missing the Point.
It didn’t take long for the crowd of people to find Jesus and his disciples on the other side of the lake. The disciples traveled by boat. Jesus walked across the top of the water. We don’t really know how the crowd travelled. They could have taken boats. Or, they could have walked around the lake. However they traveled, we know they found Jesus in the synagogue at Capernaum.
When the crowd first approached Jesus, he chastised them for missing the point. He had just performed a miraculous sign. And all they could think about was more bread.
One interesting characteristic of the Gospel of John is the way John organized his Gospel around Jesus’ miracles. John tells us that Jesus performed numerous miracles, but he doesn’t tell us what they are. He readily acknowledged that he left out part of the story, because it would be too long. However, John describes seven of Jesus’ miracles in great detail. He just doesn’t call them miracles. He calls them signs. Like the feeding of the five thousand. This was one of Jesus’ seven miraculous signs.
John carefully selected seven miracles and described them as signs. A sign is something that points to something else. In other words, the feeding of the five thousand is a miracle. But it is also a sign. It does not simply deal with Jesus’ power over the earthly and physical. It tells us about Heaven and the spiritual realm. We are not simply to focus our attention on the miracle. We are to look beyond the miracle and focus on what the miracle tells us about Jesus.
The best way I know to find the significance of this sign is to compare it to two things Jesus said earlier about bread and food.
In Matthew 4, Jesus went into the desert to be tempted by Satan. Satan’s first temptation was to tell Jesus to turn stones into bread. Jesus was at the end of a forty day fast, and he was hungry. He probably wanted to eat. He probably thought the stones looked pretty appetizing—especially if they were loaves of bread. Yet, Jesus resisted this temptation by quoting from the book of Deuteronomy.
In Matthew 4: 4, Jesus said, “It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
In John 4, we read the story of Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus witnessed to this woman while his disciples went into town to buy some food. When the disciples returned, they were shocked to find Jesus at the well, engaged in conversation with an unclean, foreign woman. When the woman went off to tell her friends and family that she had met the Messiah, the disciples tried to get Jesus to eat something.
John 4: 31 – 34… Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work…
In other words, bread and food are important to physical life. However, bread and food are not the most important things in life. There is something even more important than food. There is something even more important than eating.
THIS is what the sign points toward. Just as physical food keeps your physical body alive, there is a spiritual food which is more important than bread. Jesus himself is the bread of eternal life.
III. The Bread that Is Better than Bread.
After Jesus chastised the crowd for looking for more physical food, they reveal their ignorance by asking for a sign…
John 6: 30 – 31… So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
These verses are thick with irony. They asked Jesus for a sign. Isn’t that what he had just performed? He fed a crowd of five to ten thousand people with five loaves of barley bread and two small fish. Then they asked him for manna. Barley loaves were too common. They wanted something they had never tasted before. Ironic.
Before we judged the crowd, we need to acknowledge that we make the same kinds of requests of Jesus. We pray, “Jesus, if you will heal my grandmother, then I will believe you and commit my life to you.” “Jesus, I don’t ask a lot of you, but I really need to make a good grade on this test (or win this contract at work, or excel at my job interview). Just do this one thing for me, and I will forever serve you.”
Jesus has every right at this point to say, “Look at what I have already done!” But, he resisted. Instead, he points to himself. There is a Bread that is better than bread. There is something Jesus can give us that is beyond what we could ever ask of him.
John 6: 33… For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
We are just like the crowds. Jesus has performed miracles and signs all around us. Yet, we insist that what Jesus has done is not good enough for us to believe in him and trust him with our lives. Jesus has already given us his very best. If we will not believe and trust him based on what he has already done for us, then no miracle will cause us to believe and trust.
IV. Jesus Is the Only Thing that Satisfies.
The people wanted physical bread that would not last. Jesus wanted to give them spiritual Bread that would last eternally.
Jesus described a Bread that is better than bread…not barley loaves, not wheat loaves, but Jesus himself!…Jesus is the only Bread that will last eternally.
The Greek word for bread was often used for food in general…But in this culture, bread was the most basic kind of food available…Meals were made up of piece of bread and maybe some beans or vegetables…Often entire meal was nothing more than bread…Meat was only eaten by the extremely wealthy…Common folks only ate meat at festivals…
Jesus defined himself as the most basic food in their diet…In other words, the most basic thing people were to rely on for their existence…Without bread, a person would lack proper physical nourishment and potentially starve to death…Without Jesus, a person would lack the proper spiritual nourishment and therefore have no spiritual existence. . .purpose, reason for living.
Jesus has called us to depend on him for our very existence…He is the one who gives us sustenance, survival.
Jesus is not the Ribeye Steak of Life. . .he is the Bread of Life…Jesus is what is common, ordinary, daily, mundane…Jesus is what we should depend on daily
V. Conclusion.
This story ends with a division in the crowd. Some of the people believed Jesus and followed him. Others thought Jesus was a liar or a lunatic.
What about you? Will you make a choice this morning? Jesus claimed to be God by telling us he is the source of life on earth and the source of eternal life in Heaven. Was Jesus telling a lie? Was Jesus acting like a lunatic? Is Jesus the Lord?
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010: Foundation on the Rock
Foundation on the Rock
Matthew 7: 24 – 29.
I. Introduction.
What do you do when you visit a friend’s house for the first time? Often, I find myself going on a tour of the house. This is especially true if our friends have moved into a new house…or even a new-to-you house. If Shauna is with me, we usually split into two groups. The men go in one direction, and the women go in the opposite direction.
The reason the men and women split up for the tour, is so the hosts can point out the aspects of their new home they are most proud of. That is usually different for the woman and the man. The woman is usually most proud of her closets and the decorative features of the house. The man is most proud of manly things like …
I’ve had men show me their fireplaces. My brother likes to build a screened-in back porch with a porch swing facing a rustic-looking fireplace. It’s a pretty neat place to gather and swing and burn the wrapping papers from Christmas gifts.
One time, my friend Steve took me outside to look at his manly gas grill. He got tired of replacing the gas bottles on his grill. So, when they moved into a new house, he had them connect his grill to the main gas line of the house. No more changing bottles, and no more running out of gas.
And then there is the story of a man in our church… I’m not going to tell you who it was, but you know who you are. We split up into men and women. The man told me he wanted to show me the thing he was most proud of in his new house. I had no idea what he was going to show me, but I knew it was going to be something manly. We walked outside the house. Then, we walked around to the side of the house…And there it was. The air conditioning unit. It was brand new, and it was HUGE. It was probably the biggest air conditioner I had ever seen that was not attached to the roof of a church. It brings a tear to my eyes just remembering it.
I have had men show me almost every part of their houses. I say almost every part of their houses, because there is one part no one has ever shown me. No one has ever shown me their foundation.
On one hand, that might be unusual since the foundation is one of the most important parts of the house. On the other hand, it’s probably not unusual since the foundation is not something that is visible. Once the house is completed, the foundation is out of sight and out of mind. We take it for granted, as long as the foundation is doing its job.
The last house we lived in in Mississippi had some foundation problems. It was the church parsonage. We had several doors that wouldn’t close properly, and there was a crack beginning to form in the wall of our dining room. That was a fairly common occurrence for people in our area. The dirt in that area was known as Yazoo clay. It absorbed a lot of water then became very hard when it was dry. Over time, foundations would shift and move. And, sometimes people had very big problems.
As Jesus closed out his Sermon of the Mount, he told a parable about the importance of a good foundation…
Read Matthew 7: 24 – 29.
The parable is about two men who built two houses. However, this story has a deeper meaning. The primary story teaches a secondary lesson. The secondary lesson is actually the point Jesus wants us to understand. This is ultimately not an example about how to build a strong house. It’s a story about how to build a strong life.
The first builder is a wise man. He thought long and hard about where he would build his house. He didn’t build a house on the Yazoo clay of Mississippi, and he didn’t build on the dry sand of the desert. This man built his house on a rock.
Rock was the best choice for a foundation in ancient Palestine. They didn’t have concrete or reinforced steel. Rock was the way to go in the ancient world.
The second builder was not wise. In fact, Jesus tells us he was a foolish man. He did not build a house that would stand the test of time. Instead of building on a rock, he chose to build directly on the dry sand.
More than likely these two houses had a lot in common. For example, it seems that the two houses probably looked a lot alike. Jesus never mentioned whether or not one house was bigger or fancier than the other. They were ordinary houses.
It also seems that the houses were built in the same neighborhood. The same storm affected both houses. There was rain…There was a flood…There was a strong wind. Both houses faced the same storm.
However, the storm revealed something different about the two houses. The house built on the rock was strong enough to weather the storm. The house built on the sand collapsed with a great fall.
Remember, this is not a story about how to build a house. It’s possible that Jesus knew something about building houses. After all, he grew up in the home of a carpenter and probably learned how to build things with his hands. But, it’s not a story about building houses. Instead, it is a story about building your life.
Your life might not look much different from my life or from your neighbors’ lives. We all live in the same neighborhoods, and we all face the same “storms of life.” However, the storms of life reveal the strength of your life.
The storms of life are the same for everyone. It makes no difference whether you are a Christian or a non-Christian. There will be storms in your life. There will be rain for the righteous and the unrighteous. There will be cancer and heart attacks and hurricanes and earthquakes for Christians and non-Christians. Economic recession, divorce and death are no respecters of person. Jesus makes no promises that Christians will live a storm-free life.
The difference is not in the storm. The difference is in something unseen that helps us weather the storm. The foundation. Your life is not much different from the rest of the world. Your problems are no different. But your problems will reveal the unseen foundation of your life.
It is possible that Jesus is here referring to a common Old Testament theme. For example, Psalm 18 says: “I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (vv. 1 – 2)…As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God (vv. 30 – 31)?”
Then, we read in Psalm 46: 1 – 3, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah.”
In the Old Testament, God is the Rock. God is the only sure foundation to help us weather the storms of life. But, is this what Jesus is saying in Matthew 7?
Notice what Jesus said in verse 24… "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7: 24).”
The rock Jesus is talking about is hearing and obeying the words of Jesus. The wise man hears and obeys. The foolish man hears and does not obey.
As I read Jesus’ conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount, I find two key concepts: hearing and authority.
II. Hearing.
There are several ways we can hear the words of Jesus. Jesus simplifies it for us and separates it into two categories. I see multiple options, but ultimately Jesus is right. There are only two ways.
For example, it is possible for us to hear the words of Jesus and obey. It is possible to hear Jesus’ words and not obey. But, is it possible to hear Jesus words and select the words we want to obey?
A lot of Jesus’ message in the Sermon on the Mount is hard. Some of us would prefer to select about 85% of Jesus’ words and discard the 15% we don’t want to follow.
Like Jesus’ words in Matthew 5: 43 – 45… "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
That is a hard commandment. I will stick with his teachings about murder and hate; adultery, lust and divorce; telling the truth; and revenge. But, I think I will skip over the part about loving my enemies and praying for people who don’t like me.
Or, perhaps we can drop what Jesus said in Matthew 6: 14 – 15… “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Forgiving other people the way God has forgiven me is really hard. I don’t mind following Jesus’ instructions on giving money, praying, fasting storing up treasures in heaven, worrying and judging other people. But, come on. Can I really be expected to forgive other people? I don’t plan on taking revenge on them for what they have done to me, but I will be happier if I can be miserable. Carrying a grudge is what makes me miserable and happy at the same time.
In this final parable, Jesus only gives us two choices. When we hear the words of Jesus, we will either obey them or reject them. There is no in between. There is no 85%. There is no such thing as a “B” in the Kingdom of God.
You could quickly dismiss what I’m saying today by claiming it is either an impossible standard of perfection or that it is legalism. Before you dismiss me, let me assure you it is neither an impossible standard nor a salvation based on works. Rather, this is obedience to Jesus.
There is no such thing as accepting Jesus as your Savior without following him as your Lord. Jesus is Lord, or he is not Savior.
Of course, none of us is capable of getting things right all of the time. We are still humans…We are still sinners…We are still imperfect. BUT…Christians are a work in progress. When we stumble and fall, we know it. God is at work in our lives to shape us and change us into the men and women he wants us to be. We may not get it right all of the time, but we are growing. We are becoming more and more like Jesus everyday.
III. Authority.
The second key concept is Jesus’ authority. It is very closely connected to the concept of hearing, because authority determines how we will hear Jesus.
When Jesus spoke, the crowds noticed something different about him. They compared him to the Scribes and Pharisees. Whenever the Scribes and Pharisees taught, they quoted from other sources. They quoted from the Old Testament, and the quoted from the teachings of famous Rabbis of the past.
It’s the same thing I do when I preach on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings. I do not come to you claiming any authority. I can’t tell you how to live your life. I have no right to make claims about your ethics and morality. However, I can read and interpret the Bible. That is what the Scribes and Pharisees did. That is NOT what Jesus did.
The only times Jesus quoted from the Old Testament, he did so to re-interpret it perfectly and finally. In Matthew 5, Jesus used six Old Testament quotations. All six follow this format, “You have heard that it was said…But, I say to you.” In other words, Jesus placed himself ABOVE the Old Testament. Jesus claimed to understand the intent of the Bible.
Also, throughout the Sermon on the Mount Jesus claimed to know who would be blessed (The Beatitudes) and who was truly going to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, Jesus told us in Matthew 7: 21 – 23, that Jesus himself will be the final judge on who enters into Heaven and who does not.
The Sermon on the Mount describes a new way of life for the followers of Jesus. However, it is much more than that. Jesus did not speak these words as just another human Rabbi. Jesus spoke the Words of God himself.
Now, what are you going to do with the Words of Jesus?
IV. Conclusion.
Imagine that your doctor tells you that you have cancer. However, the type of cancer you have has a high rate of recovery for people who follow three courses of action: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. It is possible for you to hear the words of your doctor and then do nothing. But it is unlikely. You trust your doctor as an authority, so you follow the doctor’s advice.
Imagine that you have trouble with your back. You meet with a physical therapist who instructs you to follow a set of exercises three times a week. These exercises have relieved back pain for hundreds of people in the past. Again, it is possible for you to hear what the therapist says and think you are too busy to exercise. But it is unlikely.
Imagine that you are building a house by the ocean. Your first thought is to build the house on the sandy beach, but your expert builder counsels you to build it farther back…on the rock. He tells you that a house on the sand will never withstand the wind and rain and the tides. It’s possible that you will ignore the expert builder and do what you want. But it is unlikely. He is the expert. He is the authority. You trust him.
Now, what will you do with the Words of Jesus?
Matthew 7: 24 – 29.
I. Introduction.
What do you do when you visit a friend’s house for the first time? Often, I find myself going on a tour of the house. This is especially true if our friends have moved into a new house…or even a new-to-you house. If Shauna is with me, we usually split into two groups. The men go in one direction, and the women go in the opposite direction.
The reason the men and women split up for the tour, is so the hosts can point out the aspects of their new home they are most proud of. That is usually different for the woman and the man. The woman is usually most proud of her closets and the decorative features of the house. The man is most proud of manly things like …
I’ve had men show me their fireplaces. My brother likes to build a screened-in back porch with a porch swing facing a rustic-looking fireplace. It’s a pretty neat place to gather and swing and burn the wrapping papers from Christmas gifts.
One time, my friend Steve took me outside to look at his manly gas grill. He got tired of replacing the gas bottles on his grill. So, when they moved into a new house, he had them connect his grill to the main gas line of the house. No more changing bottles, and no more running out of gas.
And then there is the story of a man in our church… I’m not going to tell you who it was, but you know who you are. We split up into men and women. The man told me he wanted to show me the thing he was most proud of in his new house. I had no idea what he was going to show me, but I knew it was going to be something manly. We walked outside the house. Then, we walked around to the side of the house…And there it was. The air conditioning unit. It was brand new, and it was HUGE. It was probably the biggest air conditioner I had ever seen that was not attached to the roof of a church. It brings a tear to my eyes just remembering it.
I have had men show me almost every part of their houses. I say almost every part of their houses, because there is one part no one has ever shown me. No one has ever shown me their foundation.
On one hand, that might be unusual since the foundation is one of the most important parts of the house. On the other hand, it’s probably not unusual since the foundation is not something that is visible. Once the house is completed, the foundation is out of sight and out of mind. We take it for granted, as long as the foundation is doing its job.
The last house we lived in in Mississippi had some foundation problems. It was the church parsonage. We had several doors that wouldn’t close properly, and there was a crack beginning to form in the wall of our dining room. That was a fairly common occurrence for people in our area. The dirt in that area was known as Yazoo clay. It absorbed a lot of water then became very hard when it was dry. Over time, foundations would shift and move. And, sometimes people had very big problems.
As Jesus closed out his Sermon of the Mount, he told a parable about the importance of a good foundation…
Read Matthew 7: 24 – 29.
The parable is about two men who built two houses. However, this story has a deeper meaning. The primary story teaches a secondary lesson. The secondary lesson is actually the point Jesus wants us to understand. This is ultimately not an example about how to build a strong house. It’s a story about how to build a strong life.
The first builder is a wise man. He thought long and hard about where he would build his house. He didn’t build a house on the Yazoo clay of Mississippi, and he didn’t build on the dry sand of the desert. This man built his house on a rock.
Rock was the best choice for a foundation in ancient Palestine. They didn’t have concrete or reinforced steel. Rock was the way to go in the ancient world.
The second builder was not wise. In fact, Jesus tells us he was a foolish man. He did not build a house that would stand the test of time. Instead of building on a rock, he chose to build directly on the dry sand.
More than likely these two houses had a lot in common. For example, it seems that the two houses probably looked a lot alike. Jesus never mentioned whether or not one house was bigger or fancier than the other. They were ordinary houses.
It also seems that the houses were built in the same neighborhood. The same storm affected both houses. There was rain…There was a flood…There was a strong wind. Both houses faced the same storm.
However, the storm revealed something different about the two houses. The house built on the rock was strong enough to weather the storm. The house built on the sand collapsed with a great fall.
Remember, this is not a story about how to build a house. It’s possible that Jesus knew something about building houses. After all, he grew up in the home of a carpenter and probably learned how to build things with his hands. But, it’s not a story about building houses. Instead, it is a story about building your life.
Your life might not look much different from my life or from your neighbors’ lives. We all live in the same neighborhoods, and we all face the same “storms of life.” However, the storms of life reveal the strength of your life.
The storms of life are the same for everyone. It makes no difference whether you are a Christian or a non-Christian. There will be storms in your life. There will be rain for the righteous and the unrighteous. There will be cancer and heart attacks and hurricanes and earthquakes for Christians and non-Christians. Economic recession, divorce and death are no respecters of person. Jesus makes no promises that Christians will live a storm-free life.
The difference is not in the storm. The difference is in something unseen that helps us weather the storm. The foundation. Your life is not much different from the rest of the world. Your problems are no different. But your problems will reveal the unseen foundation of your life.
It is possible that Jesus is here referring to a common Old Testament theme. For example, Psalm 18 says: “I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (vv. 1 – 2)…As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God (vv. 30 – 31)?”
Then, we read in Psalm 46: 1 – 3, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah.”
In the Old Testament, God is the Rock. God is the only sure foundation to help us weather the storms of life. But, is this what Jesus is saying in Matthew 7?
Notice what Jesus said in verse 24… "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7: 24).”
The rock Jesus is talking about is hearing and obeying the words of Jesus. The wise man hears and obeys. The foolish man hears and does not obey.
As I read Jesus’ conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount, I find two key concepts: hearing and authority.
II. Hearing.
There are several ways we can hear the words of Jesus. Jesus simplifies it for us and separates it into two categories. I see multiple options, but ultimately Jesus is right. There are only two ways.
For example, it is possible for us to hear the words of Jesus and obey. It is possible to hear Jesus’ words and not obey. But, is it possible to hear Jesus words and select the words we want to obey?
A lot of Jesus’ message in the Sermon on the Mount is hard. Some of us would prefer to select about 85% of Jesus’ words and discard the 15% we don’t want to follow.
Like Jesus’ words in Matthew 5: 43 – 45… "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
That is a hard commandment. I will stick with his teachings about murder and hate; adultery, lust and divorce; telling the truth; and revenge. But, I think I will skip over the part about loving my enemies and praying for people who don’t like me.
Or, perhaps we can drop what Jesus said in Matthew 6: 14 – 15… “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Forgiving other people the way God has forgiven me is really hard. I don’t mind following Jesus’ instructions on giving money, praying, fasting storing up treasures in heaven, worrying and judging other people. But, come on. Can I really be expected to forgive other people? I don’t plan on taking revenge on them for what they have done to me, but I will be happier if I can be miserable. Carrying a grudge is what makes me miserable and happy at the same time.
In this final parable, Jesus only gives us two choices. When we hear the words of Jesus, we will either obey them or reject them. There is no in between. There is no 85%. There is no such thing as a “B” in the Kingdom of God.
You could quickly dismiss what I’m saying today by claiming it is either an impossible standard of perfection or that it is legalism. Before you dismiss me, let me assure you it is neither an impossible standard nor a salvation based on works. Rather, this is obedience to Jesus.
There is no such thing as accepting Jesus as your Savior without following him as your Lord. Jesus is Lord, or he is not Savior.
Of course, none of us is capable of getting things right all of the time. We are still humans…We are still sinners…We are still imperfect. BUT…Christians are a work in progress. When we stumble and fall, we know it. God is at work in our lives to shape us and change us into the men and women he wants us to be. We may not get it right all of the time, but we are growing. We are becoming more and more like Jesus everyday.
III. Authority.
The second key concept is Jesus’ authority. It is very closely connected to the concept of hearing, because authority determines how we will hear Jesus.
When Jesus spoke, the crowds noticed something different about him. They compared him to the Scribes and Pharisees. Whenever the Scribes and Pharisees taught, they quoted from other sources. They quoted from the Old Testament, and the quoted from the teachings of famous Rabbis of the past.
It’s the same thing I do when I preach on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings. I do not come to you claiming any authority. I can’t tell you how to live your life. I have no right to make claims about your ethics and morality. However, I can read and interpret the Bible. That is what the Scribes and Pharisees did. That is NOT what Jesus did.
The only times Jesus quoted from the Old Testament, he did so to re-interpret it perfectly and finally. In Matthew 5, Jesus used six Old Testament quotations. All six follow this format, “You have heard that it was said…But, I say to you.” In other words, Jesus placed himself ABOVE the Old Testament. Jesus claimed to understand the intent of the Bible.
Also, throughout the Sermon on the Mount Jesus claimed to know who would be blessed (The Beatitudes) and who was truly going to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, Jesus told us in Matthew 7: 21 – 23, that Jesus himself will be the final judge on who enters into Heaven and who does not.
The Sermon on the Mount describes a new way of life for the followers of Jesus. However, it is much more than that. Jesus did not speak these words as just another human Rabbi. Jesus spoke the Words of God himself.
Now, what are you going to do with the Words of Jesus?
IV. Conclusion.
Imagine that your doctor tells you that you have cancer. However, the type of cancer you have has a high rate of recovery for people who follow three courses of action: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. It is possible for you to hear the words of your doctor and then do nothing. But it is unlikely. You trust your doctor as an authority, so you follow the doctor’s advice.
Imagine that you have trouble with your back. You meet with a physical therapist who instructs you to follow a set of exercises three times a week. These exercises have relieved back pain for hundreds of people in the past. Again, it is possible for you to hear what the therapist says and think you are too busy to exercise. But it is unlikely.
Imagine that you are building a house by the ocean. Your first thought is to build the house on the sandy beach, but your expert builder counsels you to build it farther back…on the rock. He tells you that a house on the sand will never withstand the wind and rain and the tides. It’s possible that you will ignore the expert builder and do what you want. But it is unlikely. He is the expert. He is the authority. You trust him.
Now, what will you do with the Words of Jesus?
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010: Mistaken Identity
Mistaken Identity
Matthew 7: 13 – 23.
I. Introduction.
One Sunday afternoon, when we were living in a different town, we came home from church to find a note from the Police. The note read, “Andrew Pittman, Please call Detective John Smith at Police Department, phone number 123-4567.”
I wouldn’t say that we were freaking out, but it can be a little unsettling to find a note from the Police on your front door.
When we checked our answering machine, there was a message from the Police. The message said, “Mr. Pittman, This is Detective John Smith with the Police. Please give me a call when you get home. My number is 123-4567.”
At this point, we were a little closer to freaking out. I had a note and a phone message to call the Police.
I quickly called the phone number and got a switchboard operator. I introduced myself and made a point to say, “My name is Andrew Pittman. I just got home from church and got a message to call Detective John Smith.”
The operator put me on hold while I waited on the Detective to answer. When the Detective answered, I told him that I got his messages when I got home from church. The first words out of his mouth were… “Mr. Pittman, Is there anything you want to tell me?” I said, “No Sir. There is NOTHING that I want to tell YOU.”
At this point he started laughing and said… “I found the Andrew Pittman I was looking for, but I wanted to give you an opportunity to confess …Just in case.”
My story was a case of mistaken identity. I didn’t do anything intentionally to resemble the person the detective was looking for, but we had the same name.
Have you ever been confused for someone you are not? Sometimes it is good to be mistaken for a famous person. But it’s not so good to be mistaken for someone who is wanted by the Police.
What about your spiritual life? Do people look at your life and automatically think you are a follower of Jesus? Do your actions reveal that you love God and love your neighbors? Or, perhaps you have learned how to pretend to be Christian. Perhaps, your heart is far from God, but your actions have everyone around you fooled. Not everyone is fooled. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us that in the final day of judgment there will be no more mistaken identity. Jesus will know you for who you really are!
Read Matthew 7: 13 – 23.
We have come to the end of the Sermon on the Mount. There are no new teachings in the rest of the sermon. Jesus has arrived at his conclusion. I’m sure the First Century listeners closed their Bibles and gathered up their purses, because they recognized that the sermon was coming to an end.
Instead of introducing new material, Jesus is here making an emotional appeal to his listeners. He gives them a series of illustrations that demonstrate how they are forced to choose what to do with Jesus’ words.
II. Verses 13 – 14… "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The first illustration describes a choice between two roads. It’s possible to read this illustration as a warning that only a few people will ever be saved and that the majority of the world is going to Hell. And I suppose that is a valid interpretation. However, the Book of Revelation contains a vision of what Heaven will look like. In that vision, John tells us there are so many people in Heaven that no one person could ever count them. For this reason, I think we must think of this as a secondary understanding of Jesus’ words. The primary meaning must have something to do with discipleship, since that is what the Sermon on the Mount has been about thus far.
Jesus’ words are reminiscent of words that were spoken by Moses to the Hebrew people as they were wandering in the desert for 40 years. In Deuteronomy 30: 15 – 20, Moses said:
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
There are two roads in life. One road leads to life. The other road leads to death and destruction. It seems obvious that both Moses and Jesus are referring to Eternal Life and eternal death. These are the roads that lead to Heaven and Hell.
The road to Heaven is a very difficult road that requires us to be obedient to all of God’s commands. The road to Hell does not require anything. The difficulty of the road to Heaven is offset by the great reward at the end. The comfort and ease of the road to Hell is offset by the destruction that comes at the end.
The road to Heaven is a difficult road, because it is a narrow road. This road is defined by clear boundaries on all sides. The boundaries on the road to Heaven are God’s expectations. Since God’s expectations are contained in the Word of God, we might even say that the road to Heaven is defined by the Bible itself. If you are following the Bible, then you are traveling on the narrow road. This is not the most popular road. This is not the road with the most travelers. It is not an easy road. In fact, it is a narrow and difficult road with very few travelers.
The road to Hell is a very wide and broad road. It is an easy road. It is a very popular road. It is popular, because it is an easy road. It doesn’t matter which side of the road you drive on: you can drive how ever you want to drive in whatever direction you want to travel. There are no laws, no requirements, no expectations. People who drive on the road toward death make their own rules. No one follows the same rules, because no one has a right to tell another person how to live on the road to Hell.
Does that sound familiar? The road to Hell is the road most of our culture is traveling. There are no absolutes on the road to death and destruction. Each man or woman decides for himself or herself what is right and wrong. Morality is subjective. No one has the right to make absolute claims on the lives of others. Lifestyle choices do not matter. The only rule that is absolute is the rule of toleration. Everyone is accepted and tolerated on the road to Hell.
III. Verses 15 – 20… "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Then Jesus turned his attention to the church. These are the people who are traveling on the narrow road defined by the character, morality and ethical teachings of the Bible. Jesus refers to the people who travel on the narrow road as the sheep.
In fact, it is Jesus’ use of sheep in these verses that leads me to believe he is describing the church. “Sheep” was a common image in both the Old Testament and the New Testament to refer to the People of God.
Most families in Ancient Israel kept their own sheep. Sheep provided the family with wool, milk, meat and sacrificial offerings. Jesus’ audience knew about sheep. And, they knew that wolves are the sheep’s natural enemy.
So, Jesus’ illustration of a wolf in sheep’s clothing would have been easily recognizable to his audience. If a wolf could disguise himself as a sheep, then he could easily sneak into the flock undetected. Once the flock accepted him, he could destroy the entire flock. He wouldn’t have to settle for just one sheep.
Wolves can’t disguise themselves as sheep. But, people can disguise themselves as anything they want to be. If sheep is a common description for the people of God, then a wolf in sheep’s clothing is a description of a person who disguises himself or herself as a member of the community of faith in order to destroy the entire flock. So, Jesus gave us a test to determine the difference between true sheep and wolves pretending to be sheep.
The test is in the fruit. I know it’s a mixed metaphor. Wolves don’t grow fruit. Plants and trees grow fruit. But the fruit of a plant reveals two things about the plant: the character and the condition.
Grapes can only come from one kind of plant: a grape vine. Figs can only come from one kind of plant: a fig tree. Don’t look for figs on a grape vine, and don’t look for grapes on a fig tree. The same thing can be said about people.
Only Christian people produce Christian fruit. Non-Christian people cannot and will not produce Christian fruit. We don’t need to complicate the definition of fruit in this illustration. Jesus is using this illustration as a conclusion to his Sermon of the Mount. Therefore, fruit is not a new concept. It is the prevailing concept throughout the entire Sermon. Christian fruit is the kind of righteousness and Christian morality Jesus has been describing all along. Just as the fruit of a plant reveals what kind of plant is growing, the fruit of a person reveals what kind of person is growing.
Fruit also reveals the condition of the plant. If the plant is good, it will produce good fruit. If the plant is bad, it will produce rotten fruit. If the plant is dead, it cannot produce any fruit at all.
IV. Verses 21 – 23… "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
In this final illustration, Jesus turned his attention to the future, final judgment. One day all people will stand before Jesus in judgment. This final day of judgment will determine your eternity. Some will be granted eternal life in Heaven. Others will face an eternity of death and destruction in Hell.
Jesus used a consistent theme in all three illustrations. The narrow road is the road that leads to Heaven. The narrow road will not be easy, because it is defined by obedience. Sheep are the true People of God. They are not like the wolves. Sheep are more like a good tree that produces good fruit. This fruit is obedience. On the final day of judgment, the only ones who will be welcomed into eternal life in Heaven are the ones who have been obedient.
V. Conclusion.
Obedience is an important part of being a Christian. The most important part of being a Christian is faith in Jesus. But, obedience is a very close second place. Christian faith is not supposed to be a private thing or something that is reserved for Sunday mornings. True faith is an obedient faith.
The Christian life is not a cafeteria plan. When I was a kid, I used to love eating Sunday lunch at the Morrison’s Cafeteria. I knew that I could choose everything I wanted and nothing that I didn’t want. This is not the Christian faith. Yet, there are people who try to live this way.
“I want Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, French Fries and a Baked Potato. Don’t give me anything green.”
“I want Jesus to be my Savior and extra Grace and Forgiveness. But, don’t give me any judgment.” … “I want all the Blessings and none of the discipline.”
“I want Jesus to be my Savior, but I want to hang on to my Anger (Matthew 5: 21 – 22)…I want Jesus to forgive me of my sins, but I want to commit Adultery, look at Pornography and hang on to my Lust (Matthew 5: 27 – 28)…I want to call myself a Christian and still get an easy Divorce (Matthew 5: 31 – 32)…I want to go to Heaven, but I don’t want to tell the truth (Matthew 5: 33 – 34)…I want to be a Christian, but I’m still going to get revenge on my enemies (Matthew 5: 38 – 39)…I am going to call myself a Christian, but don’t expect me to love people who are not like me (Matthew 5: 43 – 44)… I want to go to Heaven, but I don’t want to give away my money (Matthew 6: 2)…I want Jesus to be my Savior, but I’m not going to Pray and Fast (Matthew 6: 5, 16)…I want to go to Heaven, but I’m going to store up money and possessions on earth (Matthew 6: 19)…I want to be a Christian and continue to worry about temporary things (Matthew 6: 25)…I want Jesus to save me while I criticize and judge others (Matthew 7: 1)…”
This is not a salvation based on works! This is salvation by Grace through Faith in Jesus. The truth is, none of us can accomplish these things for ourselves. This is fruit! Obedience like this can only come as a result of Jesus working in our lives. Salvation is not accepting Jesus as your Savior. Salvation is allowing Jesus to be your Lord. Giving him absolute control over every area of life.
The faith that saves you will also change you.
Matthew 7: 13 – 23.
I. Introduction.
One Sunday afternoon, when we were living in a different town, we came home from church to find a note from the Police. The note read, “Andrew Pittman, Please call Detective John Smith at Police Department, phone number 123-4567.”
I wouldn’t say that we were freaking out, but it can be a little unsettling to find a note from the Police on your front door.
When we checked our answering machine, there was a message from the Police. The message said, “Mr. Pittman, This is Detective John Smith with the Police. Please give me a call when you get home. My number is 123-4567.”
At this point, we were a little closer to freaking out. I had a note and a phone message to call the Police.
I quickly called the phone number and got a switchboard operator. I introduced myself and made a point to say, “My name is Andrew Pittman. I just got home from church and got a message to call Detective John Smith.”
The operator put me on hold while I waited on the Detective to answer. When the Detective answered, I told him that I got his messages when I got home from church. The first words out of his mouth were… “Mr. Pittman, Is there anything you want to tell me?” I said, “No Sir. There is NOTHING that I want to tell YOU.”
At this point he started laughing and said… “I found the Andrew Pittman I was looking for, but I wanted to give you an opportunity to confess …Just in case.”
My story was a case of mistaken identity. I didn’t do anything intentionally to resemble the person the detective was looking for, but we had the same name.
Have you ever been confused for someone you are not? Sometimes it is good to be mistaken for a famous person. But it’s not so good to be mistaken for someone who is wanted by the Police.
What about your spiritual life? Do people look at your life and automatically think you are a follower of Jesus? Do your actions reveal that you love God and love your neighbors? Or, perhaps you have learned how to pretend to be Christian. Perhaps, your heart is far from God, but your actions have everyone around you fooled. Not everyone is fooled. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us that in the final day of judgment there will be no more mistaken identity. Jesus will know you for who you really are!
Read Matthew 7: 13 – 23.
We have come to the end of the Sermon on the Mount. There are no new teachings in the rest of the sermon. Jesus has arrived at his conclusion. I’m sure the First Century listeners closed their Bibles and gathered up their purses, because they recognized that the sermon was coming to an end.
Instead of introducing new material, Jesus is here making an emotional appeal to his listeners. He gives them a series of illustrations that demonstrate how they are forced to choose what to do with Jesus’ words.
II. Verses 13 – 14… "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The first illustration describes a choice between two roads. It’s possible to read this illustration as a warning that only a few people will ever be saved and that the majority of the world is going to Hell. And I suppose that is a valid interpretation. However, the Book of Revelation contains a vision of what Heaven will look like. In that vision, John tells us there are so many people in Heaven that no one person could ever count them. For this reason, I think we must think of this as a secondary understanding of Jesus’ words. The primary meaning must have something to do with discipleship, since that is what the Sermon on the Mount has been about thus far.
Jesus’ words are reminiscent of words that were spoken by Moses to the Hebrew people as they were wandering in the desert for 40 years. In Deuteronomy 30: 15 – 20, Moses said:
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
There are two roads in life. One road leads to life. The other road leads to death and destruction. It seems obvious that both Moses and Jesus are referring to Eternal Life and eternal death. These are the roads that lead to Heaven and Hell.
The road to Heaven is a very difficult road that requires us to be obedient to all of God’s commands. The road to Hell does not require anything. The difficulty of the road to Heaven is offset by the great reward at the end. The comfort and ease of the road to Hell is offset by the destruction that comes at the end.
The road to Heaven is a difficult road, because it is a narrow road. This road is defined by clear boundaries on all sides. The boundaries on the road to Heaven are God’s expectations. Since God’s expectations are contained in the Word of God, we might even say that the road to Heaven is defined by the Bible itself. If you are following the Bible, then you are traveling on the narrow road. This is not the most popular road. This is not the road with the most travelers. It is not an easy road. In fact, it is a narrow and difficult road with very few travelers.
The road to Hell is a very wide and broad road. It is an easy road. It is a very popular road. It is popular, because it is an easy road. It doesn’t matter which side of the road you drive on: you can drive how ever you want to drive in whatever direction you want to travel. There are no laws, no requirements, no expectations. People who drive on the road toward death make their own rules. No one follows the same rules, because no one has a right to tell another person how to live on the road to Hell.
Does that sound familiar? The road to Hell is the road most of our culture is traveling. There are no absolutes on the road to death and destruction. Each man or woman decides for himself or herself what is right and wrong. Morality is subjective. No one has the right to make absolute claims on the lives of others. Lifestyle choices do not matter. The only rule that is absolute is the rule of toleration. Everyone is accepted and tolerated on the road to Hell.
III. Verses 15 – 20… "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Then Jesus turned his attention to the church. These are the people who are traveling on the narrow road defined by the character, morality and ethical teachings of the Bible. Jesus refers to the people who travel on the narrow road as the sheep.
In fact, it is Jesus’ use of sheep in these verses that leads me to believe he is describing the church. “Sheep” was a common image in both the Old Testament and the New Testament to refer to the People of God.
Most families in Ancient Israel kept their own sheep. Sheep provided the family with wool, milk, meat and sacrificial offerings. Jesus’ audience knew about sheep. And, they knew that wolves are the sheep’s natural enemy.
So, Jesus’ illustration of a wolf in sheep’s clothing would have been easily recognizable to his audience. If a wolf could disguise himself as a sheep, then he could easily sneak into the flock undetected. Once the flock accepted him, he could destroy the entire flock. He wouldn’t have to settle for just one sheep.
Wolves can’t disguise themselves as sheep. But, people can disguise themselves as anything they want to be. If sheep is a common description for the people of God, then a wolf in sheep’s clothing is a description of a person who disguises himself or herself as a member of the community of faith in order to destroy the entire flock. So, Jesus gave us a test to determine the difference between true sheep and wolves pretending to be sheep.
The test is in the fruit. I know it’s a mixed metaphor. Wolves don’t grow fruit. Plants and trees grow fruit. But the fruit of a plant reveals two things about the plant: the character and the condition.
Grapes can only come from one kind of plant: a grape vine. Figs can only come from one kind of plant: a fig tree. Don’t look for figs on a grape vine, and don’t look for grapes on a fig tree. The same thing can be said about people.
Only Christian people produce Christian fruit. Non-Christian people cannot and will not produce Christian fruit. We don’t need to complicate the definition of fruit in this illustration. Jesus is using this illustration as a conclusion to his Sermon of the Mount. Therefore, fruit is not a new concept. It is the prevailing concept throughout the entire Sermon. Christian fruit is the kind of righteousness and Christian morality Jesus has been describing all along. Just as the fruit of a plant reveals what kind of plant is growing, the fruit of a person reveals what kind of person is growing.
Fruit also reveals the condition of the plant. If the plant is good, it will produce good fruit. If the plant is bad, it will produce rotten fruit. If the plant is dead, it cannot produce any fruit at all.
IV. Verses 21 – 23… "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
In this final illustration, Jesus turned his attention to the future, final judgment. One day all people will stand before Jesus in judgment. This final day of judgment will determine your eternity. Some will be granted eternal life in Heaven. Others will face an eternity of death and destruction in Hell.
Jesus used a consistent theme in all three illustrations. The narrow road is the road that leads to Heaven. The narrow road will not be easy, because it is defined by obedience. Sheep are the true People of God. They are not like the wolves. Sheep are more like a good tree that produces good fruit. This fruit is obedience. On the final day of judgment, the only ones who will be welcomed into eternal life in Heaven are the ones who have been obedient.
V. Conclusion.
Obedience is an important part of being a Christian. The most important part of being a Christian is faith in Jesus. But, obedience is a very close second place. Christian faith is not supposed to be a private thing or something that is reserved for Sunday mornings. True faith is an obedient faith.
The Christian life is not a cafeteria plan. When I was a kid, I used to love eating Sunday lunch at the Morrison’s Cafeteria. I knew that I could choose everything I wanted and nothing that I didn’t want. This is not the Christian faith. Yet, there are people who try to live this way.
“I want Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, French Fries and a Baked Potato. Don’t give me anything green.”
“I want Jesus to be my Savior and extra Grace and Forgiveness. But, don’t give me any judgment.” … “I want all the Blessings and none of the discipline.”
“I want Jesus to be my Savior, but I want to hang on to my Anger (Matthew 5: 21 – 22)…I want Jesus to forgive me of my sins, but I want to commit Adultery, look at Pornography and hang on to my Lust (Matthew 5: 27 – 28)…I want to call myself a Christian and still get an easy Divorce (Matthew 5: 31 – 32)…I want to go to Heaven, but I don’t want to tell the truth (Matthew 5: 33 – 34)…I want to be a Christian, but I’m still going to get revenge on my enemies (Matthew 5: 38 – 39)…I am going to call myself a Christian, but don’t expect me to love people who are not like me (Matthew 5: 43 – 44)… I want to go to Heaven, but I don’t want to give away my money (Matthew 6: 2)…I want Jesus to be my Savior, but I’m not going to Pray and Fast (Matthew 6: 5, 16)…I want to go to Heaven, but I’m going to store up money and possessions on earth (Matthew 6: 19)…I want to be a Christian and continue to worry about temporary things (Matthew 6: 25)…I want Jesus to save me while I criticize and judge others (Matthew 7: 1)…”
This is not a salvation based on works! This is salvation by Grace through Faith in Jesus. The truth is, none of us can accomplish these things for ourselves. This is fruit! Obedience like this can only come as a result of Jesus working in our lives. Salvation is not accepting Jesus as your Savior. Salvation is allowing Jesus to be your Lord. Giving him absolute control over every area of life.
The faith that saves you will also change you.
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