"For the past several weeks, principally
on Sunday evenings, we've been studying about the life of Jesus,
as revealed to us in His own words in the four Gospels. As I've
said a number of times, it's especially important that we dwell
on the Gospels because these are where Jesus is quoted directly.
If we really want to know who He is, how He feels, and how He
wants us to act, the Gospels are the places to go.
"Matthew 6 and 7 cover a lot of ground.
It's ground that is extremely important to you if, like a number
of us, you are seeking answers to the question: how would Jesus
live my life? This is direct instruction, with more constructive
advice than you'll find anywhere else in the New Testament. Let's
look at a couple of the topics he covered.
"First, in reading verses 1 through
18 of Chapter 6, you might come away with the impression that
Jesus was down on religion. In verse 1, He tells us not to make
a big show of it - our religion, that is. Verse 2: don't broadcast
your good deeds. Verses 5 to 7: don't pray in public, and don't
pray long prayers. Verses 16 to 18: if you are fasting, hide it.
"What do you think He is saying to
us? Is He telling us that we shouldn't have church services with
singing and praying and testifying and taking offerings and all
those church exercises that we love? Is He saying we shouldn't
praise Him aloud, and that we shouldn't tell other people when
good things happen? No, I don't believe He's saying any of those
things.
"What I think is that He's continuing
the message He started to deliver, and that we covered last week,
about the real meaning of the Law. As you'll recall, He was deeply
concerned that people were living by rules and regulations without
any thought to the message behind them. Many people, including
some who were considered very 'religious', were just following
a set of mechanical regulations, thinking that if they lived by
the letter of the Law, they could divorce themselves from any
feeling or from any responsibility for those around them. He clearly
told them - and us - that they - we - had missed His whole meaning.
Obedience to God's law has to originate in the heart, then move
on to the head. It doesn't work in reverse.
"These verses in Chapter 6 continue
to address the same issue. Praying long prayers doesn't make you
holy. God knows it all, anyway. Jesus suggests that some folks
babble on and on, thinking that the more they say the more likely
that God will hear them. Not so! Similarly, crowing about your
good works may sometimes win you the favor of men and women (those
you don't turn off by it, anyway), but it doesn't do anything
for God. He also says that fasting isn't a spectator sport; if
we do it, it's in obedience to God. Putting it bluntly, Jesus
suggests that a lot of folks who are outwardly religious are just
showing off! His commentary on this outward show of religion is
short and to the point: don't expect any more from God, because
you have your reward, already!"
"I read a book a year or so ago,
with this eye-catching title: 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People' [by Stephen R. Covey (1989), Fireside Books, New York].
I really liked the book, and I thought at the time that I got
a lot out of it. However, it's only been in the past few weeks
that I've begun to see how important the message is, and how much
it parallels Jesus' message to us here in Matthew 6 and 7. The
author, Stephen Covey, notes that for a number of years we have
been living in a culture here in the United States that traffics
in techniques for success. Books, tapes, seminars, and magazine
articles all have success to sell: if you do this, you will get
this. You learn how to dress for success, how to talk, how to
negotiate (either tough sell, or soft sell), and even how to smile
with sincerity. Mr. Covey labels this approach to life as the
'Personality Ethic', an approach that says that if you just do
it right, fortune will fall at your feet.
"Covey examines this 'Personality
Ethic' in some detail, but then rejects it as being superficial,
manipulative, self-serving, and rarely the hallmark of the truly
successful person. He doesn't reject all the techniques and self-help
instructions, because some are truly positive and useful. What
he concludes is that those who really live effective lives have
a different approach to living, one he labels the 'Character Ethic'.
This ethic is based not on techniques, but on principles. You
do things because they're the right things to do, not because
doing them will get you somewhere. You know they're the right
things because you have a philosophy of life that has developed
over time. You're comfortable with yourself, and because you know
who you are, you can react in your own inner confidence, without
need for gimmicks, or manipulations, or worrying about 'getting
what you deserve'.
"Getting back to the Gospels, I think
that Jesus is telling us that a lot of so-called 'religion' is
identifiable with Covey's 'Personality Ethic', emphasizing outward
appearance, gimmicks, and self-serving behavior. But Jesus wants
us to approach life with a 'Character Ethic', doing things because
they're the right things to do, not for the reward. In the rest
of Matthew 6 and in Matthew 7, He describes some of the manifestations
and the fruits of living the 'Character Ethic' kind of life.
"First, we don't worry. (Easy for
Him to say, right!) But seriously, He's saying that we can learn
not to worry, that it's an unprofitable exercise. Why should we
worry, He asks. Do birds worry? No, and they do just fine. How
about flowers? 'Consider the lilies of the field.' He's made them
beautiful. Here's one I especially like: how many of you have
added an inch to your height by worrying about how tall you were?
In all probability, worry is more likely to shrink you! And of
course, the classic: why worry about tomorrow? We've got plenty
of problems today!
"To digress a little bit, I think
some folks have missed the point of this set of scriptures, and
have interpreted Jesus' words to mean that we shouldn't plan or
anticipate. Don't think about tomorrow, they say. Actually, I
believe one of the great gifts available to us through the Holy
Spirit is the ability to look ahead. Planning keeps us out of
unnecessary trouble, and it helps us to use our time and resources
wisely. Also, looking ahead can be one of the most delicious pastimes
there is - sweet anticipation! I think that's good stuff, as long
as we don't take our fantasies and retreat into some dream world.
No, what I think Jesus was talking about was needless worry -
anxious thoughts, as one Bible translation states it. If you're
worrying needlessly, then you're not letting the Holy Spirit work.
"Point one: you don't worry. Now
for point two: you aren't judgmental. There are two very famous
sayings from Jesus that explain why we aren't to be judges. One
is right here in Matthew 7: who are you, Jesus asks, to be upset
about a speck in your brother's eye when you have a whole two-by-four
in your own? The other is in John 8, where people bring an adultress
before Jesus, to get Him to condemn her to death (which was the
Old Testament punishment for that particular transgression). Remember
what Jesus told them: the one in the crowd who had never sinned
could cast the first stone. There were no stones cast that day!
"Jesus' point, of course, is that
no one but God is without some sin in his or her life, so only
God has the credentials to be a judge over the human race.
"To digress again, this sounds a
little like Jesus is telling us to let everyone do their own thing,
and not interfere no matter how wrong or how harmful the actions
are. After all, it would be 'judgemental' to try to correct a
fault in someone else, wouldn't it?
"If you all had your Greek dictionaries
with you, you could look up the definition of the word that is
translated 'judge' in the New Testament. You'd find that it means
to act like a judge in a courtroom - to pass a final judgment,
to condemn, and to decide on a punishment. We clearly are not
in any position to do that kind of judging. On a less lofty plane,
we're also not in any position to think less of any person because
they think or act differently than we do. Clearly, Jesus had this
full spectrum in mind when He told us not to judge. He meant don't
take the law into your own hands, but He also meant don't succumb
to the self-righteous, disparaging 'I'm better than you' type
of judging, either.
"But what about trying to get a friend off drugs, or counselling someone who you know is stealing from work or having an extra-marital affair? Is that 'judging'? Well, I suppose there could be some judgmental attitudes involved, so check your motives and actions carefully. But I think that this type of 'interference' is a manifestation of the 'new commandment' that Jesus gave us, as recorded in John 14:34: a new commandment I give you, that you love one another just as I have loved you. It isn't love to sit by and let another human being self-destruct. If this kind of intervention - this proactive, caring, there's something wrong and I need to try to help approach - involves 'judging', it certainly isn't the kind Jesus told us not to do. In fact, it's the approach that Jesus Himself used time after time, and that is embodied in His exortation to us in Matthew 7:12, the verse that has come to be known as the 'Golden Rule': always treat others as you would like to be treated. Wouldn't you like people to care for you unconditionally, and to always be looking out for your best interests? It sounds pretty good to me!"
"This morning, we talked about how
Christians act and what they do, as described to us by Jesus.
You remember we found out that Christians don't worry - at which
point you all laughed, politely."
"We also learned that Christians
don't judge. Tonight, I want to talk about two more Christian
attributes: expectancy and discernment. Let's begin at Matthew
7:7. These next five verses have a powerful promise in them. The
promise is that God is really here for us, and if we ask for His
help, we will get it. The one stipulation is that we believe strongly
enough to ask Him and expect Him to reply.
"Look at the formula: we ask, and
we receive; we seek, and we find; we knock, and the door is opened
to us. Why? Because God loves us! He loves us far beyond any love
that we can really imagine, but He tries to explain it to us in
the next verses. He reminds us of how we love our own children,
and how we want to provide for them and give them the things they
want and need. If we do that, imperfect humans that we are, think
how much better God can do it for us. And He gives what I think
is a great example to show why we should trust Him to do what
He says He will. He asks if any of us would give a child of ours
a snake when he wants a fish, or a stone when she needs bread.
Of course, we wouldn't, and neither would God. We can trust Him
to do good for us.
"We're studying specifically about
what Jesus said, but there are a lot of references in the New
Testament that show it was common understanding at the time that
Christians should expect God to answer prayers, and to answer
them in a big, God-like way. For example, James 5 talks about
our right to expect God to give us wisdom. He reminds us that
God is a generous giver who neither refuses nor reproaches anyone.
In one of my favorite passages, Ephesians 3:20, Paul describes
how fully God answers prayers. He answers exceedingly abundantly
beyond anything we could possibly ask or even conceive of. We're
Christians, and He's God. Anticipate, ask, and receive!
"The second attribute I want to talk
about is discernment. Do you know what that means? It's the ability
to look beyond the obvious exterior appearance or circumstance
to see what's really going on. Discernment is a gift that God
gives liberally through His Holy Spirit, and it is a requirement
for Christians who want to know and do God's will.
"Why do we need to be discerning?
For one reason, because it's a rough world out there, and things
are not always as they seem. Satan is definitely at work in the
world, and Christians are not exempt from being confused, fooled,
and led astray. God doesn't want us to go looking for trouble;
in Matthew 10:16, Jesus tells us to be 'innocent as doves'. But
just before that, He compares disciples - and that includes us
- to sheep among wolves, and exhorts us to be 'wise as serpents',
also. Earlier, starting in Matthew 7:15, He tells us to beware
of false prophets who might lead us astray. They may look good
and sound good, but we need to discern how they really are.
"There's another discernment that
Christians have access to, one with a more positive feel to it.
It's the ability to see what people want and need. You know that
people don't always tell us their real troubles; sometimes, they
don't even know what they are. Still, with the Holy Spirit's help,
we can see below the surface and get to the real problem, so God
and we can help resolve it. This is a powerful gift because healing
brings strength to the Christian body, not just to the individual
but to the whole Body of Christ.
"Freedom from worry; lack of a judgmental nature; the right to expect great things from God; and the ability to discern: these are only a few of the attributes and rights of a Christian. There are more. In fact, the message I'd most like to leave with you tonight is that there is always more! God has so much He wants to give us, so much He wants us to do, that we can probably never understand or get it all. But we can have a whole lot more than most of us have right now."
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NOTE: This sermon by Pastor Josh Felton is from Chapter 49 of "If God is God" by Sandy Wilbur. Read more of Josh's sermons, or get the whole book.