(Note: from the message given June 20)
How do you connect with someone you are growing in love with? I am not talking about a kind of infatuation, but a deep growing connection. One of the things we can do is try to impress them. We bring them gifts, do things for them, we may act a certain way that we know pleases them. If you watch the commercials and look at the advertisements of today you’ll see an array of different ways to impress someone. Wear this cologne, use this toothpaste, chew this gum, drive this car, take this trip, dye your hair this color, have this tattoo, take this pill, use this cream, listen to this song, drink this beverage, use this fabric softener, spray this gunk, run this fast, have this phone, dance this way, perform-appear, impress.
All of it surface, all of it window dressing. Does this really connect you any closer with the one you are really, I mean really wanting to connect with? Not really. And even more so when it comes to God. God, quite frankly, is not impressed with what car you drive up to church in, or what clothes you wear, or the type of toothpaste you used this morning. He is not overwhelmed by our outward show. He sees through the façade, through the veneer and looks to the heart, looks to the character, looks to the soul.
I believe that each follower of Jesus wants to have that closer, more intimate connection with God. In fact, I believe that it is the deep desire and longing of every person. It is something created in us, that empty space that seeks, needs, to be filled and can only be filled with God himself. Blasé Pascal, Augustine of Hippo, many others through the ages have described it as a God shaped hole in our soul that only God can fill.
We long for that deeper connection, but we get caught up in the veneer. We can dress for success but inside be a mess, we can put on the makeup and look good, but inside we are breaking up and our hearts hurting. We can put on the clothes and wear the popular labels, but inside have a ripped and torn soul. We get caught in the business of life and lose track of the journey of the soul to God.
Jesus, in the sermon on the mount calls us to a life that goes beyond the appearance of religion. He beckons us to a life of rich fertile depth with the eternal God who made us and calls us to be in a relationship with Him. Imagine –being in a relationship with the Creator!
And people saw this in Jesus. They saw the reality of what he was talking about. They saw the saltiness of his soul and the light of his heart shining and they longed for the same thing, they saw the answer to the hole in their hearts lived out in Jesus Christ.
I would like to have us read together a very familiar passage of scripture. In fact it is probably the most well known of passages in our culture.
Read from Matthew 6: 9-13. Let’s finish this off with the rest of what we know from years of hearing and repeating –“For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen”
It was sometime later, how long we don’t know, but I imagine it happened more than one, when the disciples were watching Jesus. He had just come from a time of prayer and we read in Luke 11, one of the disciples said to Jesus, Lord, teach us to pray…
It is the only time I could find in scripture when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them something. They had been with Jesus for perhaps a year of more. They had seen him heal many people, heal a man with leprosy –but they didn’t ask him to teach them healing or to heal people of leprosy. They had seen him raise children from the dead –but they didn’t say, Lord teach us to raise people from the dead. They had seen Jesus calm a storm with just a word, but they didn’t ask Jesus to teach them to calm storms. They had even seen Jesus cast out a legion of demons from a man but they didn’t ask Jesus to teach them to cast out demons. They had seen Jesus feed 5000 men plus women and children with just a few fish and buns, but they didn’t ask Jesus to teach them to work miracles like that. Oh, Jesus gave them the power to do so, he even sent them out to do these and other things. But when they saw Jesus pray –not a big showy prayer, not a spectacular event like feeding 5000 or casting out demons, but a deep personal heart connection prayer –this, THIS, they asked, “Jesus teach us!”
This they wanted, this they longed for, this they wanted –teach us to pray. Not the words, Jesus, not the appearance, but the heart connection. They saw in Jesus not the shell of religious action but the relationship of adoration.
Let me give you my definition of prayer –prayer is our heart connection with the living God. More than words, more than posture, more than ritual, more than anything it is our heart connection with God.
The Pharisees had the words and the posture down. They had the ritual, they had the outward appearance, but they lacked an essential key –heart. Jesus, when he prayed, when he made this intimate connection with God, and these disciples saw it and wanted it. Lord, teach us to pray like that, like you do!
I can almost see Jesus shake his head and then with gentle patience say, “Don’t you remember, I told you about this before –back on that mountainside. When you pray, pray like this, “Father…”
This intimate name for God, this calling the creator of the universe, the Lord of heaven and earth, the El Shaddia, the calling of God Father was an extremely intimate connection. There are a few times in the OT where God is referred to as Father. One of the most interesting is found in Jeremiah 3:19. This is spoken by God to his people in the last days before Israel was conquered by the Babylonians. We read God declares, “I said to myself, how gladly would I treat you, like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation. I thought you would call me Father and not turn away from following me.”
Can you hear the longing of God’s heart for us to have that intimate, close relationship with Him? Lord, teach us to pray! When you pray, do not pray like the hypocrites who stand and do it for show, show do t for the praise of men, who do it to look good and be noticed. When you pray to your Father… (6:6).
17 times Jesus in the SOTM refers to God as Father. Over 100 times in the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to God as Father. This term was a reflection of the intimate connection –the heart connection, that Jesus had with God.
This wonder, this passion, this delight in God is anchored in the intimate heart connection we have with God as Father when we become His children. Jesus has already outlined for us how we begin and travel this path of a relationship with God in the first part of the SOTM –the beatitudes. Notice chapter 5 verse 9, “blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the sons of God.” The Apostle John, who records Jesus as referring to God as Father more than anyone else, says this in chapter 1 beginning at verse 12. It is through our faith in Christ, our being a follower of Jesus that we have the “right to become the children of God.” WOW! And then the Apostle Paul writes this “those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God, for you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of son ship, and by him we cry Abba, Father! (verses 14-15). And then again, the Apostle John in his first letter, I John 3:1, “How great is the love the Father as lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God. AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE!
Our heart speaking to his heart. Child to Father. Lord, teach us to pray like you pray, teach us to be close to God like you are! How do we grow in our closeness to God, how do we grow in our passion for God, how do we delight more and more in God, how do we get that “OH!” for God? When you pray, pray like this “Father…”
When you pray, seek to draw closer to God. It is interesting to see the parallel of this prayer with the earlier words of Jesus, particularly with the beatitudes.
-Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Thy Kingdom come
Blessed are those who mourn
-forgive us
Blessed are the meek
-your will be done
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst…
Give us this day our daily bread
Blessed are the merciful, and the peacemakers
-father forgive us as we forgive others
Blessed are the pure in heart
-lead us not into temptation
Blessed are those who are persecuted
-deliver us from evil (the evil one)
Let men see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven
-yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever!
I don’t want to stretch the parallel too far, but for me it keeps me connected to the spiritual path Jesus lays out in the beatitudes. How do we keep ourselves connected? How do we grow in our spiritual walk, when you pray, pray this…Father
This heart connection, this seeking to grow in a relationship with God gets beneath the veneer, the façade, the show and helps us to draw closer to the eternal lover of our souls, God our Father. This prayer is not to become a rote piece of speech that we sputter out, but a deepening connection with our amazing, saving, graceful Father in Heaven, who loves us and yes, longs for an intimate connection with us.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Do not worry -Matthew 6:25-34
(note this is from the message given June 27)
Worry. Stress. Anxiety. Words that sound familiar? These have words have become the focus of a major industry in our society. More antacids, aspirin and medication have been taken because of stress than any time in our society. More people are getting stressed out, burned out, hung out, fried out, dried out, and washed out. We worry about our jobs, our family, money, cloths, food, retirement, football, war, weather, politics and the Leafs. We stress out over cars, houses, mortgage, gardens, traffic, bills, deadlines and exams. We are anxious about relationships, fashion, technology, upgrades, downsizing, global warming, oil slicks, flooding rivers, rain forest fires and interest rates.
It is enough to get you depressed. And that is another sign of stress. With all this pressure that is on us, with all this potential for worry what can we do?
In our natural, human way, we see these are just some of the ways we deal with stress and worry. We use medication, alcohol, anger, we may pass it off, divert our selves, or just fret and fuss. Jesus says there is a better way, the way God intended for us. Authentic Disciples of Christ deal with worry by giving it over to God. What is God’s way? How can I deal with worry and anxiety God's way? Let’s look at what Jesus and scripture had to say about this.
Read Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. (4:4-7). And then Matthew 6:34.
Let’s set the stage here first. Jesus is speaking to a people that are experiencing some pretty tough economic stress, emotional stress, spiritual stress, social stress and physical stress. The people of Israel were a conquered people –Rome had been around for many years and Israel was under their rule –they were not a free people. Add to this the economic strain of a high tax base. We think we have it bad now with the coming of the HST, but there they were even taxed on the number of chickens they had. Spiritually they were a burdened people with the religious people placing rules and sacrifices and a heavy burden on them. They worried about their next meal, their taxes, their crops, whether their even coming together would constitute an illegal gathering, whether they were breaking some religious law or spiritual law.
We need to understand this because often we look at a passage like this and think it was different then –they had it easy. But I want us to see that things are not much different. Oh, they didn’t have the pressures and stresses we have today mortgage payments, car payments, school fees, HST, income tax, inflation, job loss. But they did have it, and probably worse than we think we have today. These were people who scratched out a living and for Jesus to say “don’t worry” would have raised some eyebrows.
The Word for worry literally "worry anxiously". It is a very strong word indicating preoccupation and excess. It is used only a handful of times in the NT, all by Jesus and all, except once, in connection to the scripture passage used today. Interestingly anxious is only used once in the NT and that by Paul in the passage read a moment ago. This worry, this anxiety is the kind of worry that can lead to despair, anger, obsession.
When Jesus talks about worry he also means it in opposite to trust or faith which is found hundreds of times in the NT –particularly trust in God. Jesus is talking about trusting in our heavenly father, trusting in God. R.T. France in his commentary on Matthew, says “worry is the antithesis of the practical trust in God which is the essential meaning of faith. Those who worry show their lack of faith.” (page 266). (cf. verse 30)
Jesus started off the sermon on the mount in giving us the beatitudes and within them is the strong thread of trust –blessed are the poor in spirit who need to trust the Father for salvation –blessed are the mourn who trust God for comfort and cleansing of sing, blessed are the meek who trust God and place themselves fully under his leading –and so on. Trust.
All through this sermon on the mount the thread of trust can be seen. Particularly in the prayer Jesus taught them, which we looked at last week –give us this day our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses, lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil –from the evil one –trust.
A further understanding of what Jesus is talking about here is looking at the immediate context. Jesus starts of verse 25 with the word therefore –this indicates we must look back to what Jesus has just talked about. He has given two powerful statements which we must keep in mind -6:21 and then verse 24 –“”Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” and “No one can serve two masters –you cannot serve both God and money.”
We keep this in mind as we come to the passage on worry. Jesus uses these startling contrasts to make the deep and powerful point of faith.
If your heart is on treasures on earth –you worry because moth and rust corrupt
If you serve money it can consume you because it can be stolen or lost and take away from your serving God.
Therefore do not worry about your earthly life –about treasures, about money, about food, about clothing –life is more important than these –the life you have in the Father, the life you have in your journey to get closer to God, the life you have that is blessed, life, this eternal life that you are building for heaven!
Our journey of drawing closer to God, to be a part of and to experience His kingdom, is one of trust. ¬Worry pulls us off the path, worry takes our attention off of God and His kingdom. Worry keeps us from seeing and receiving God’s blessing as we seek first His kingdom. Worry robs us of experiencing His blessings and the peace we can enjoy as His children. Worry is the opposite of trust.
Jesus says do not worry –do not take your eyes off of the Father. Keep Him center, keep him first. Seek first his kingdom (verse 33). What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God? Look to the beatitudes –look to the prayer, keep your eyes on Him and all these things, all what things? All these things you need will be added, poured out to you.
Jesus, remember is sitting on the side of a mountain. As he speaks I am sure he now points to a bird flying overhead, or perhaps pecking at the ground. God cares for this part of creation, are you not more valuable than they? He points to the flowers dancing in the breeze, will he not care for you?
And notice the contrast of faith in verse 30. Worry equals little faith. Trust God.
Now does that mean we just live a carefree sit back and chill life? No! And that is one of the interesting things about the illustration Jesus uses of the sparrows. Jesus says don't worry about food. Look at the sparrows, they get what they need and God provides for them. What Jesus is saying here is not that God will provide everything for you so kick back and enjoy. Rather we see that the sparrow is busy at work getting its food. The sparrow doesn't reap or sow or store in barns. It goes about its tasks in life and God provides.
I think that the lesson for us here is to do the best that we can, knowing that we have gifts and abilities that God has given us. We trust in God to provide for us as we do our part. We do not worry about what we cannot do, or what we wish we could do. As we realistically look at ourselves and do the best we can, God will provide! Worry, Jesus says, cannot add to your life.
In the NIV it says add a single hour to your life. The KJV says a span, referring to height, in that can worry make you taller. Jesus uses a hyperbole here to make the point –who here can add 18 inches to your height (as an adult?) Who here can add a span of time to your life?
Again, the word for worry literally "worry anxiously". It is a very strong word indicating preoccupation and excess. Jesus says, almost tongue in cheek, worry won't make you taller or live longer, so why worry!
Another side of this is using what God provides for us. Often we are looking for something bigger or better and fail to see what is already there. Worrying or looking to tomorrow can hamper our efforts today. We need to see what God gives us this day in our daily bread.
There is the story of the man who was caught in a flood. As the waters were rising he went to the top floor of the house. First a man comes by in a canoe and offers to help. He is refused. A man in a boat came by and offered to rescue him. The man refused saying God will rescue me. Soon the water drove him to the roof and a helicopter came by. Again the man refused help saying God will rescue me. Finally the man drowned and stood before God in heaven. Why didn't you rescue me God? the man asked. To which God replied, But I sent you a canoe, boat and a helicopter.
God provides for us, he gives us as we need and we need also to act.
The sparrow is an example of knowing our abilities and working with them. The flowers give us a picture of our limitations.
The flowers do not work, yet are beautiful because that is how they are created. Yet their beauty is quickly over and they are cast into the fire. The picture is one of using the dried flowers to start a fire or to bring a quick blaze. The lilies can do nothing to enhance or change their beauty, nor can they change what is to come.
We need to see the same in our own lives. There are certain things that we can do. We can work and use our gifts and abilities that God has given us. Yet there are things that are beyond our control, things that we can do nothing about. We cannot change the weather or stop the rain. We cannot slow the world from turning or the sun from shining. We cannot stop death, or bring the dead to life. Individually there are things that we know about ourselves. For me, I know I am never going to be wealthy, or famous. I am not mechanical or a concert pianist.
We need to realize both our God given abilities and limitations and live peacefully in them. The point that Jesus is making here is that worry adds nothing to this.
As we realistically see ourselves, our abilities and our limits, and place them in God’s hands He provides for us. ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU. IN this God will give us what we need and we will be satisfied. As we seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, He provides.
An Authentic Disciple of Christ is one who places all he has and is in God's hands. An authentic disciple is one who seeks to place God first and foremost in all he does. An authentic disciple seeks to honor God in what he does so that others will see and glorify God. An authentic disciple does not worry but trusts in God.
The issue for us as Christians, as ones who truly seek to honor God, is this. Do NOT WORRY. When we worry, we say we do not trust God. WHOA! Yes that is right, when we worry it says we do not trust God, nor do we have confidence that He will keep his word.
What testimony do we bring about our faith and trust in God when we do not give things over to Him? Well I trust God, but…What kind of salt are we in the world when we are caught up in things we can do nothing about? Well I put my faith in God, but…What kind of light are we when we are so anxious about tomorrow that it darkens all our thoughts and actions for today? Well, I trust God, but…
Authentic discipleship places our life completely in God's hands. Authentic Discipleship says I seek your kingdom first and your righteousness.
When things do start getting to us, when the worries do start to come what do we do?
In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul tells us to PRAY. Prayer is the release of that which concerns us. Prayer is the giving over to God and LEAVING IT THERE.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace that passes All understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Worry. Stress. Anxiety. Words that sound familiar? These have words have become the focus of a major industry in our society. More antacids, aspirin and medication have been taken because of stress than any time in our society. More people are getting stressed out, burned out, hung out, fried out, dried out, and washed out. We worry about our jobs, our family, money, cloths, food, retirement, football, war, weather, politics and the Leafs. We stress out over cars, houses, mortgage, gardens, traffic, bills, deadlines and exams. We are anxious about relationships, fashion, technology, upgrades, downsizing, global warming, oil slicks, flooding rivers, rain forest fires and interest rates.
It is enough to get you depressed. And that is another sign of stress. With all this pressure that is on us, with all this potential for worry what can we do?
In our natural, human way, we see these are just some of the ways we deal with stress and worry. We use medication, alcohol, anger, we may pass it off, divert our selves, or just fret and fuss. Jesus says there is a better way, the way God intended for us. Authentic Disciples of Christ deal with worry by giving it over to God. What is God’s way? How can I deal with worry and anxiety God's way? Let’s look at what Jesus and scripture had to say about this.
Read Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. (4:4-7). And then Matthew 6:34.
Let’s set the stage here first. Jesus is speaking to a people that are experiencing some pretty tough economic stress, emotional stress, spiritual stress, social stress and physical stress. The people of Israel were a conquered people –Rome had been around for many years and Israel was under their rule –they were not a free people. Add to this the economic strain of a high tax base. We think we have it bad now with the coming of the HST, but there they were even taxed on the number of chickens they had. Spiritually they were a burdened people with the religious people placing rules and sacrifices and a heavy burden on them. They worried about their next meal, their taxes, their crops, whether their even coming together would constitute an illegal gathering, whether they were breaking some religious law or spiritual law.
We need to understand this because often we look at a passage like this and think it was different then –they had it easy. But I want us to see that things are not much different. Oh, they didn’t have the pressures and stresses we have today mortgage payments, car payments, school fees, HST, income tax, inflation, job loss. But they did have it, and probably worse than we think we have today. These were people who scratched out a living and for Jesus to say “don’t worry” would have raised some eyebrows.
The Word for worry literally "worry anxiously". It is a very strong word indicating preoccupation and excess. It is used only a handful of times in the NT, all by Jesus and all, except once, in connection to the scripture passage used today. Interestingly anxious is only used once in the NT and that by Paul in the passage read a moment ago. This worry, this anxiety is the kind of worry that can lead to despair, anger, obsession.
When Jesus talks about worry he also means it in opposite to trust or faith which is found hundreds of times in the NT –particularly trust in God. Jesus is talking about trusting in our heavenly father, trusting in God. R.T. France in his commentary on Matthew, says “worry is the antithesis of the practical trust in God which is the essential meaning of faith. Those who worry show their lack of faith.” (page 266). (cf. verse 30)
Jesus started off the sermon on the mount in giving us the beatitudes and within them is the strong thread of trust –blessed are the poor in spirit who need to trust the Father for salvation –blessed are the mourn who trust God for comfort and cleansing of sing, blessed are the meek who trust God and place themselves fully under his leading –and so on. Trust.
All through this sermon on the mount the thread of trust can be seen. Particularly in the prayer Jesus taught them, which we looked at last week –give us this day our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses, lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil –from the evil one –trust.
A further understanding of what Jesus is talking about here is looking at the immediate context. Jesus starts of verse 25 with the word therefore –this indicates we must look back to what Jesus has just talked about. He has given two powerful statements which we must keep in mind -6:21 and then verse 24 –“”Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” and “No one can serve two masters –you cannot serve both God and money.”
We keep this in mind as we come to the passage on worry. Jesus uses these startling contrasts to make the deep and powerful point of faith.
If your heart is on treasures on earth –you worry because moth and rust corrupt
If you serve money it can consume you because it can be stolen or lost and take away from your serving God.
Therefore do not worry about your earthly life –about treasures, about money, about food, about clothing –life is more important than these –the life you have in the Father, the life you have in your journey to get closer to God, the life you have that is blessed, life, this eternal life that you are building for heaven!
Our journey of drawing closer to God, to be a part of and to experience His kingdom, is one of trust. ¬Worry pulls us off the path, worry takes our attention off of God and His kingdom. Worry keeps us from seeing and receiving God’s blessing as we seek first His kingdom. Worry robs us of experiencing His blessings and the peace we can enjoy as His children. Worry is the opposite of trust.
Jesus says do not worry –do not take your eyes off of the Father. Keep Him center, keep him first. Seek first his kingdom (verse 33). What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God? Look to the beatitudes –look to the prayer, keep your eyes on Him and all these things, all what things? All these things you need will be added, poured out to you.
Jesus, remember is sitting on the side of a mountain. As he speaks I am sure he now points to a bird flying overhead, or perhaps pecking at the ground. God cares for this part of creation, are you not more valuable than they? He points to the flowers dancing in the breeze, will he not care for you?
And notice the contrast of faith in verse 30. Worry equals little faith. Trust God.
Now does that mean we just live a carefree sit back and chill life? No! And that is one of the interesting things about the illustration Jesus uses of the sparrows. Jesus says don't worry about food. Look at the sparrows, they get what they need and God provides for them. What Jesus is saying here is not that God will provide everything for you so kick back and enjoy. Rather we see that the sparrow is busy at work getting its food. The sparrow doesn't reap or sow or store in barns. It goes about its tasks in life and God provides.
I think that the lesson for us here is to do the best that we can, knowing that we have gifts and abilities that God has given us. We trust in God to provide for us as we do our part. We do not worry about what we cannot do, or what we wish we could do. As we realistically look at ourselves and do the best we can, God will provide! Worry, Jesus says, cannot add to your life.
In the NIV it says add a single hour to your life. The KJV says a span, referring to height, in that can worry make you taller. Jesus uses a hyperbole here to make the point –who here can add 18 inches to your height (as an adult?) Who here can add a span of time to your life?
Again, the word for worry literally "worry anxiously". It is a very strong word indicating preoccupation and excess. Jesus says, almost tongue in cheek, worry won't make you taller or live longer, so why worry!
Another side of this is using what God provides for us. Often we are looking for something bigger or better and fail to see what is already there. Worrying or looking to tomorrow can hamper our efforts today. We need to see what God gives us this day in our daily bread.
There is the story of the man who was caught in a flood. As the waters were rising he went to the top floor of the house. First a man comes by in a canoe and offers to help. He is refused. A man in a boat came by and offered to rescue him. The man refused saying God will rescue me. Soon the water drove him to the roof and a helicopter came by. Again the man refused help saying God will rescue me. Finally the man drowned and stood before God in heaven. Why didn't you rescue me God? the man asked. To which God replied, But I sent you a canoe, boat and a helicopter.
God provides for us, he gives us as we need and we need also to act.
The sparrow is an example of knowing our abilities and working with them. The flowers give us a picture of our limitations.
The flowers do not work, yet are beautiful because that is how they are created. Yet their beauty is quickly over and they are cast into the fire. The picture is one of using the dried flowers to start a fire or to bring a quick blaze. The lilies can do nothing to enhance or change their beauty, nor can they change what is to come.
We need to see the same in our own lives. There are certain things that we can do. We can work and use our gifts and abilities that God has given us. Yet there are things that are beyond our control, things that we can do nothing about. We cannot change the weather or stop the rain. We cannot slow the world from turning or the sun from shining. We cannot stop death, or bring the dead to life. Individually there are things that we know about ourselves. For me, I know I am never going to be wealthy, or famous. I am not mechanical or a concert pianist.
We need to realize both our God given abilities and limitations and live peacefully in them. The point that Jesus is making here is that worry adds nothing to this.
As we realistically see ourselves, our abilities and our limits, and place them in God’s hands He provides for us. ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU. IN this God will give us what we need and we will be satisfied. As we seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, He provides.
An Authentic Disciple of Christ is one who places all he has and is in God's hands. An authentic disciple is one who seeks to place God first and foremost in all he does. An authentic disciple seeks to honor God in what he does so that others will see and glorify God. An authentic disciple does not worry but trusts in God.
The issue for us as Christians, as ones who truly seek to honor God, is this. Do NOT WORRY. When we worry, we say we do not trust God. WHOA! Yes that is right, when we worry it says we do not trust God, nor do we have confidence that He will keep his word.
What testimony do we bring about our faith and trust in God when we do not give things over to Him? Well I trust God, but…What kind of salt are we in the world when we are caught up in things we can do nothing about? Well I put my faith in God, but…What kind of light are we when we are so anxious about tomorrow that it darkens all our thoughts and actions for today? Well, I trust God, but…
Authentic discipleship places our life completely in God's hands. Authentic Discipleship says I seek your kingdom first and your righteousness.
When things do start getting to us, when the worries do start to come what do we do?
In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul tells us to PRAY. Prayer is the release of that which concerns us. Prayer is the giving over to God and LEAVING IT THERE.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace that passes All understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Judging versus grace -Matthew 7:1-5
(note: the images referred to are those of motorcycle riders) What would you think if this guy moved in next door? How would you react if these guys were passing you on the highway? What is going though your mind as you look at this guy? As your travelling along this summer and at the rest stop you saw a bunch of these would you pass by? What if I told you that all of these guys are Christian bikers? Would that change your view? Maybe, maybe not. My point is that each of us here had formed an opinion about people who may look like or dress like these guys. I happen to belong to a motorcycle club to which some of these guys belong. I ride a motorcycle. Does that change your opinion about me?
We all suffer to a degree with this ailment of judging others. Oh, admit it, you do. I admit that do. I sometimes will look at another person and think I have them figured out –just by a short glance. He’s riding a Harley, wears leathers and has a scruffy beard –biker –bad news! Or, he’s a pastor, he must be perfect! Yeah, right!
These little pre-judgments are normal to everyone. Where it grows to be a problem is when we see ourselves as better than someone and begin to judge them in relationship to ourselves. One of the clearest examples of this is the issue of slavery –particularly as it was played out in the history of the US. Because of skin color I am better than you! We can see the devastating impact such judgment of others can bring.
And as Christians we are not immune. There can be a tendency to think of oneself as “holier than thou.” We are better than someone else because we are Baptist, or we are long time members, or we have attended Sunday School for eons. When I was growing up we used to get these little pins (probably done here too) for attendance in SS. There was one gentleman who had pins each year for perfect attendance for over 50 years! He took great pride in this and often mentioned it almost looking down on others who had few if any pins.
In the time of Jesus this religious righteousness was quite prevalent. Jesus addressed it many times in his ministry. There was a particular group called the Pharisees who took great pride in their religious position. They looked down on others, even thanked God they were not like others. They judged people over the bridge of their nose! They thanked God they were not like the gentiles, or like women. They judged themselves as being better, more righteous, closer to God. Jesus gives a strong warning against spiritual pride and a call to live a life of grace rather than judgment.
Read Matthew 7:1-5.
Before we read the passage I mentioned that Jesus gives strong warning against spiritual pride and a cal to live a life of grace rather than judgment. Some of you who are bible scholars may immediately want to challenge me on that. Why? Well for one thing Jesus doesn’t mention the word grace in this passage, nor anywhere else in the Sermon on the mount. In fact, Jesus never utters the word grace that we can find in scripture. The only time it is mentioned is in a description of Jesus in the second chapter of Luke and the first chapter of John (read 14-17).
Even in the OT we rarely find this word grace (6 times -1in psalms, 4 in proverbs and 1 in Isaiah). It isn’t until after the resurrection as the church is emerging that we find this word grace becoming descriptive of the church and the follower of Jesus. Grace is mentioned or used in every other NT letter except I and II John. But does that mean we ignore it here? Does that mean we do not examine it for our lives and our growth in Christ? Of course not.
Look again carefully at John 1:14-17. WOW! Jesus is full of grace and truth. Jesus is the fullness of God’s grace! Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ! It is in Christ and through Christ that grace has been poured out, as John record here in chapter 1, from the fullness of his grace we have received one blessing after another (wave after wave!). But even more, Paul expands this in Ephesians.
Ephesians for me is one of those tingle books –When I read it I get all excited, my heart rate picks up, my energy increases. Even as I prepared this I noticed my typing reading I noticed I started to type faster and my pulse increased. Let me read some of these fantastic words by Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in his letter to Ephesus.
-1:3-8
-2:1-10
-3:14-21 (no mention of grace but you can hear it crying out in the background!)
4:1-7
By his grace we are justified, by His grace we are chosen, by his grace we are provided for, by his grace we are forgiven, by his grace we are given sufficient power to move ahead, by his grace we experience peace and joy and love, by his grace we may approach his throne, by his grace we saved and lifted up and seated in the heavenly realms, by his grace we are united by his grace we are given strength and purpose, by his grace we are helped in time of need, by his grace we are judged according to his grace, his love, his son Jesus Christ, by grace we are saved through faith, not of works that anyone should boast, be proud or stand in judgment of another! Do not judge lest you be judged!
Jesus uses an analogy from his own life –that of a carpenter. You can imagine him standing in the carpenter’s shops learning the trade from his earthly father Joseph. Like us, I can well imagine Jesus getting splinters and yes, even small pieces of dust or wood in his eyes (they didn’t use safety goggles!). And when that little splinter gets in there, it can be HUGE! It is a matter of perspective.
Just take your thumb and point it up and hold it as far away from your eyes as you can. Now slowly move it towards you left or right eye. Gets bigger! Now, if you want jab it into your eye! NO! has the size of your thumb changed? No, but the perspective has. Do not judge the splinter in another’s eye when you have a plank in your own!
Jesus says that we should look first to our own "speck/plank" before we look at others. Our sin is just as great as anyone else’s, we are all sinners, we all fall short of God’s glory and His righteousness. We are all saved by grace –not works, not righteousness, grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than all my planks! Do we see our own sin? Do we see our destitution before God? Do we cry out over our position?
Jesus says remove your own plank from your eye. How do we do this? We find the solution in I John, one of those letters I mentioned that does not mention the word grace, but let me read a verse many of you know –If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cease us from all unrighteousness. Let me put it to you this way. If we admit we have a plank –something in our life that is against God, that hurts his law, that hurts our relationship with others, that separates us, we confess it “I have a plank!” He, the only one who can, Jesus Christ, is faithful and just, he is the judge to come and say Yes you have a plank, he is faith and just to forgive, to remove our plank as only he can do by his grace, by his love, through his power showed in the cross (interesting that he who was killed on a plank now removes planks!) and cleanse out our eye of the plank, the unrighteousness, so we can see and he as he alone can do, and then he gives us clean eyes to see that others also have specks and we can help them as brothers in Christ, as forgiven followers and those who live by grace, as ones who have experienced forgiveness, then we can help those who have specks –not in judgment of their sins not in our own righteousness, but in Christ’s –because he has cleansed us we can now be peacemakers to show others the one who removes splinters!
Brothers and sisters, beloved in Christ, this is a powerful lesson for us all. Let us remember where the sermon on the mount started –with the beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit –those who know they are lost and separate from the Father, blessed are those who mourn over their sin. We all fall short, we all have planks in our eyes, we all are blinded because of our lostness. Blessed are those who in meekness place their lives in the hands of God, that He takes out the planks, that he removes out sins, that He is in control, that He and He alone pours out his grace, wave upon wave, into our lives, that he alone forgives and cleanses. Blessed are those who are merciful who after being shown mercy and having their planks removed are merciful to others. Blessed are the peacemakers, those who bring others to the Father that they may find peace with God and yes, have the linters in their lives removed.
Only when the planks are removed from our lives, only when we have received and experienced the carpenter removing out planks can we show others to the carpenter –and who better t know about removing splinters than Him!
I encourage you to read from Eugene Petersons “The Message,” a paraphrase of Matthew7:1-5, and then here is a rephrase verse 1-2 in terms of grace. “Show grace to one another and you too will be shown grace. For in the same way you show grace to others, you will be given grace and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
One of my biker friends, several years ago was not going to church. When asked why he said, “because I don’t have a suit. I am scared to go into a church dressed like this. The church that is supposed to love me will not accept me unless I look like them!”
Judge not, lest you be judged. Show grace and in the same way grace will be poured out to you!
Beloved, we must never forget that we all fall short of God’s glory and perfection. This passage reminds us that we are to find grace from God and give grace to others that they may find God.
The call to authentic discipleship is one that realistically sees yourself and seeks to help others, not to judge out of selfish arrogance and pride, but to live in grace.
We all suffer to a degree with this ailment of judging others. Oh, admit it, you do. I admit that do. I sometimes will look at another person and think I have them figured out –just by a short glance. He’s riding a Harley, wears leathers and has a scruffy beard –biker –bad news! Or, he’s a pastor, he must be perfect! Yeah, right!
These little pre-judgments are normal to everyone. Where it grows to be a problem is when we see ourselves as better than someone and begin to judge them in relationship to ourselves. One of the clearest examples of this is the issue of slavery –particularly as it was played out in the history of the US. Because of skin color I am better than you! We can see the devastating impact such judgment of others can bring.
And as Christians we are not immune. There can be a tendency to think of oneself as “holier than thou.” We are better than someone else because we are Baptist, or we are long time members, or we have attended Sunday School for eons. When I was growing up we used to get these little pins (probably done here too) for attendance in SS. There was one gentleman who had pins each year for perfect attendance for over 50 years! He took great pride in this and often mentioned it almost looking down on others who had few if any pins.
In the time of Jesus this religious righteousness was quite prevalent. Jesus addressed it many times in his ministry. There was a particular group called the Pharisees who took great pride in their religious position. They looked down on others, even thanked God they were not like others. They judged people over the bridge of their nose! They thanked God they were not like the gentiles, or like women. They judged themselves as being better, more righteous, closer to God. Jesus gives a strong warning against spiritual pride and a call to live a life of grace rather than judgment.
Read Matthew 7:1-5.
Before we read the passage I mentioned that Jesus gives strong warning against spiritual pride and a cal to live a life of grace rather than judgment. Some of you who are bible scholars may immediately want to challenge me on that. Why? Well for one thing Jesus doesn’t mention the word grace in this passage, nor anywhere else in the Sermon on the mount. In fact, Jesus never utters the word grace that we can find in scripture. The only time it is mentioned is in a description of Jesus in the second chapter of Luke and the first chapter of John (read 14-17).
Even in the OT we rarely find this word grace (6 times -1in psalms, 4 in proverbs and 1 in Isaiah). It isn’t until after the resurrection as the church is emerging that we find this word grace becoming descriptive of the church and the follower of Jesus. Grace is mentioned or used in every other NT letter except I and II John. But does that mean we ignore it here? Does that mean we do not examine it for our lives and our growth in Christ? Of course not.
Look again carefully at John 1:14-17. WOW! Jesus is full of grace and truth. Jesus is the fullness of God’s grace! Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ! It is in Christ and through Christ that grace has been poured out, as John record here in chapter 1, from the fullness of his grace we have received one blessing after another (wave after wave!). But even more, Paul expands this in Ephesians.
Ephesians for me is one of those tingle books –When I read it I get all excited, my heart rate picks up, my energy increases. Even as I prepared this I noticed my typing reading I noticed I started to type faster and my pulse increased. Let me read some of these fantastic words by Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in his letter to Ephesus.
-1:3-8
-2:1-10
-3:14-21 (no mention of grace but you can hear it crying out in the background!)
4:1-7
By his grace we are justified, by His grace we are chosen, by his grace we are provided for, by his grace we are forgiven, by his grace we are given sufficient power to move ahead, by his grace we experience peace and joy and love, by his grace we may approach his throne, by his grace we saved and lifted up and seated in the heavenly realms, by his grace we are united by his grace we are given strength and purpose, by his grace we are helped in time of need, by his grace we are judged according to his grace, his love, his son Jesus Christ, by grace we are saved through faith, not of works that anyone should boast, be proud or stand in judgment of another! Do not judge lest you be judged!
Jesus uses an analogy from his own life –that of a carpenter. You can imagine him standing in the carpenter’s shops learning the trade from his earthly father Joseph. Like us, I can well imagine Jesus getting splinters and yes, even small pieces of dust or wood in his eyes (they didn’t use safety goggles!). And when that little splinter gets in there, it can be HUGE! It is a matter of perspective.
Just take your thumb and point it up and hold it as far away from your eyes as you can. Now slowly move it towards you left or right eye. Gets bigger! Now, if you want jab it into your eye! NO! has the size of your thumb changed? No, but the perspective has. Do not judge the splinter in another’s eye when you have a plank in your own!
Jesus says that we should look first to our own "speck/plank" before we look at others. Our sin is just as great as anyone else’s, we are all sinners, we all fall short of God’s glory and His righteousness. We are all saved by grace –not works, not righteousness, grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than all my planks! Do we see our own sin? Do we see our destitution before God? Do we cry out over our position?
Jesus says remove your own plank from your eye. How do we do this? We find the solution in I John, one of those letters I mentioned that does not mention the word grace, but let me read a verse many of you know –If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cease us from all unrighteousness. Let me put it to you this way. If we admit we have a plank –something in our life that is against God, that hurts his law, that hurts our relationship with others, that separates us, we confess it “I have a plank!” He, the only one who can, Jesus Christ, is faithful and just, he is the judge to come and say Yes you have a plank, he is faith and just to forgive, to remove our plank as only he can do by his grace, by his love, through his power showed in the cross (interesting that he who was killed on a plank now removes planks!) and cleanse out our eye of the plank, the unrighteousness, so we can see and he as he alone can do, and then he gives us clean eyes to see that others also have specks and we can help them as brothers in Christ, as forgiven followers and those who live by grace, as ones who have experienced forgiveness, then we can help those who have specks –not in judgment of their sins not in our own righteousness, but in Christ’s –because he has cleansed us we can now be peacemakers to show others the one who removes splinters!
Brothers and sisters, beloved in Christ, this is a powerful lesson for us all. Let us remember where the sermon on the mount started –with the beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit –those who know they are lost and separate from the Father, blessed are those who mourn over their sin. We all fall short, we all have planks in our eyes, we all are blinded because of our lostness. Blessed are those who in meekness place their lives in the hands of God, that He takes out the planks, that he removes out sins, that He is in control, that He and He alone pours out his grace, wave upon wave, into our lives, that he alone forgives and cleanses. Blessed are those who are merciful who after being shown mercy and having their planks removed are merciful to others. Blessed are the peacemakers, those who bring others to the Father that they may find peace with God and yes, have the linters in their lives removed.
Only when the planks are removed from our lives, only when we have received and experienced the carpenter removing out planks can we show others to the carpenter –and who better t know about removing splinters than Him!
I encourage you to read from Eugene Petersons “The Message,” a paraphrase of Matthew7:1-5, and then here is a rephrase verse 1-2 in terms of grace. “Show grace to one another and you too will be shown grace. For in the same way you show grace to others, you will be given grace and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
One of my biker friends, several years ago was not going to church. When asked why he said, “because I don’t have a suit. I am scared to go into a church dressed like this. The church that is supposed to love me will not accept me unless I look like them!”
Judge not, lest you be judged. Show grace and in the same way grace will be poured out to you!
Beloved, we must never forget that we all fall short of God’s glory and perfection. This passage reminds us that we are to find grace from God and give grace to others that they may find God.
The call to authentic discipleship is one that realistically sees yourself and seeks to help others, not to judge out of selfish arrogance and pride, but to live in grace.
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