Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘discipleship’

The Only Thing That Will Matter On The Final Day

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on January 4, 2009|

I spent a lot of time in school in my life, probably too much. But its left me with a certain mentality. In any class I wanted to know, “What am I responsible for?” “What’s going to be on the final exam?”

And so when I think about my faith and about the last day; the final judgment, I think in a similar way – “What am I accountable for?” “How will I be judged?” I want to know what really matters, so that I can be prepared.

And so this morning I want us to look at the Scriptures to help us all to know how to be prepared for when Jesus returns. What is it that will really and truly matter on the final day?

And let’s just get to the point here:

Jesus said in Matthew 16:27 – “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”

Paul says it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:10 – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he or she has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

And again in Romans 2:6-8 – “He will render to each one according to his or her works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”

The answer is quite simple. We will each be judged based on what we have done, whether good or evil. What we have done is the only thing that will matter on the final day. This is what we are accountable for.

Let’s look at this more closely by noting what will not matter . . .

1. It won’t matter what you have said about your faith; your religious professions. “I’m a Christian.” “I believe.” You have prayed the sinner’s prayer. You have confessed that “Jesus is Lord.”

Jesus says in Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

This is talking about the final day when we all stand before Jesus. There will be some who confess Jesus as Lord, but they will not make it in.

Who will enter into the eternal salvation of the kingdom of God? Jesus said, “the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

  • What matters is not what you say by way of religious profession, it is your deeds of obedience.

2. It won’t matter how correct your beliefs are. You may well know all about Jesus’ second coming. You may know the Bible better than anyone else. You may know the historic creeds of the church. But that doesn’t get you very far.

James talks about correct beliefs in part when he talks about “faith” in  James 2:14; 18-19 – “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? . . . But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder.”

The demons have correct beliefs. They know that “God is one,” that is, that there is one God; the Shema. But they do not have correct behavior, and so they shudder.

The same is true for us, if we only have correct beliefs, such a faith won’t save us.

  • What matters is not how orthodox your beliefs are, what matters is your deeds based on these beliefs.

3. It won’t matter if you exercised gifts of the Spirit in Jesus’ name. Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-23 – “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Here we have people who have gifts of the Spirit (prophesy), who have cast out demons and have done miracles in Jesus’ name.

But Jesus focuses in on the fact that they were disobedient; they were “workers of lawlessness.” They will not make it in.

  • What matters is not manifestations of the Spirit, it is your obedience to God.

4. It won’t matter if you did what is right according to the standards of others – so that others can look on and say, “What a good person!” “What a religious person!” So that the world can say, “What a clean-cut, straight-laced person!” “What a decent moral person!”

You can spend your whole life living up to human-made standards, and miss the mark that God sets.

In a context of talking about God’ will, Jesus said in Matthew 23:10 – “You have one teacher, the Messiah” Jesus teaches us what God’s will is and we are to do what he says.

Remember the rich young ruler? He kept all kinds of commands, and must have come across to others as very righteous. But he did not do what Jesus asked of him, and according to Jesus, would not enter the kingdom of God.

  • What matters is doing the will of God according to Jesus

5. It won’t matter if you used to do the deeds of Jesus, but stopped. Ezekiel 18:24 – says it about as clearly as you can – “But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.”

In the New Testament, in Matthew 24:45-51 in a parable about his second coming, Jesus teaches that the disciple who is doing his will when he returns will be blessed. But the disciple who changes and then acts wickedly will be thrown into hell.

  • What matters is not what you used to do, it is that you continue on in doing the will of God according to Jesus.

6. It won’t matter if you did the deeds of Jesus – if you did them without love. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:3 – “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

These are deeds of Jesus: Jesus talks about selling your possessions and giving to the poor in Luke 12:33. And Jesus talks about taking up your cross and losing your life in Mark 8:34-35.

But if you don’t do these out of love for God and others, Paul tells us, then you gain nothing.

  • What matters is not just doing empty outward actions, it is doing the deeds of Jesus out of love.

As you can see from all these different angles, when you stand before God and the Lord Jesus to give an account for your life, the only thing that will matter is that you have continued to do what Jesus taught out of love for God and others.

Now if you ask . . .

Why does God look at our deeds?

Why doesn’t God just look in our hearts to see if we have faith; to see if we have been born again; to see if we have received the grace of his salvation? The answer is that what is in our hearts, is what comes out in our deeds. What is within is what comes out in our words and actions.

It is just as Jesus said in Matthew 7:16-17, “You will recognize them by their fruits. . . . Every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.” All God has to do is to look at our deeds and he knows what is in our heart.

And since you can’t continue to do what Jesus teaches out of love without God’s work of salvation, and God’s continuing grace, and God’s continuing forgiveness when we fail, because its impossible to do all this in our own strength – the deeds are the evidence of God’s grace working in our lives.

A Plea

If you are a Christian here this morning, hear what the Scriptures clearly teach us – God will judge your deeds. Are you ready?

Don’t be deceived thinking that because you have said the right things, or you have correct beliefs, or you have amazing spiritual gifts, or you are a decent person by the world’s standards, or you used to be faithful, or you can look like a Christian to others – that you are OK.

Deal with the sins in your life that you knowingly choose to do over and over again!

Let the grace of God work its work in you so that your life will bear forth the fruit of righteousness; the fruit of continuing to do what Jesus has taught us, out of love for God and others. Turn from your disobedience and let God do his work in you.

And if you’re here and are not yet a Christian, turn from your unrighteousness and receive God’s grace of forgiveness and new life. And let God transform you from within so that the fruit of righteousness begins to spring forth in your life; so that you too can be ready to give an account on that final day.

William Higgins

Read Full Post »

Jesus Calls us to Work for the Kingdom

Posted in Matthew 25, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on October 19, 2008|

We are talking about serving God and working to advance God’s kingdom this morning. Let me begin by saying that . .

Jesus was a man with a mission

He worked hard to promote the kingdom, to make it a reality on earth. As Matthew 9:35 says, “Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.”

Jesus gave himself to this completely and constantly. Serving God was his life focus and orientation. As he said in Luke 4:43 – “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”

The Gospels tell us that Jesus

  • taught God’s way
  • healed the wounded
  • loved the loveless
  • served the needy

He served God in all these ways in order to spread God’s kingdom message and to build up God’s kingdom community.

Jesus also calls other people to be a part of his mission

During his earthly ministry we are familiar with how he frequently said to people, “Follow me.” Now this phrase included in it an invitation to repentance and faith in Jesus – but most especially it was a call to “Come and work with me to advance God’s kingdom.”  

Let’s look at one example of this in Mark 1:16-20:  

“Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.”

Jesus called many people when he walked this earth. And now that his earthly ministry is over,  Jesus calls us to work hard to spread the kingdom and finish the mission he began.

Drawing on the familiar parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), as well as other passages where Jesus talks about God’s mission, lets look at some 

Lessons we learn from Jesus about working for the kingdom

These are things we can take away from these scriptures that will help us, encourage us and equip us for the task.

1. Each of us are given tasks to advance God’s kingdom. Just as the servants in the parable of the talents were to take what was given them from their master and increase it, so we are each given kingdom responsibilities and we are to advance the kingdom in those areas. 

We all have responsibilities, according to our ability. Some have heavier duties, some lighter.

Please note: You are not released of your responsibilities because you have a pastor here now, a full time pastor, or a pastor supported financially by the church, however you want to say it. So please don’t think, “The pastor will take care of it all.” That’s a good way to send me over the edge, but more importantly and the focus here, is that it is an abdicating of your God given responsibilities.

A healthy church needs to have all of its parts working together to accomplish God’s mission. No one person can do it all, or even most of it.

Also note: You are not released of your responsibilities because you are retired. Indeed there is no retirement age in kingdom work. We work for a God who didn’t even begin to fully use Moses until he was eighty years old! Age is no barrier. No, as long as we have health and ability, we are to serve God in one way or another.

So don’t say, “We did our work and now its time for others to do the work.” It is good to make room for others to come along and work as well, but that doesn’t mean that you quit.

As long as the Lord gives you breath and you are able, that is how long you are to carry out your responsibilities to serve God and work for the kingdom.

So, each of us have been given tasks by God and we must work at them to promote the Kingdom.

2. These tasks can be anything that further God’s kingdom. Just as with Jesus’ example, we can

  • teach God’s way
  • heal the wounded
  • love the loveless
  • serve the needy

Whatever God assigns to us to spread his kingdom message and to build up his kingdom community.

So, find out what your gifts are and use them. Find out what God wants you to do, and what God has gifted you to do; what brings joy to you – and get busy at it!

But also, help out with whatever needs to be done, even if you don’t feel tremendously gifted, or called in that area. In any Christian community there are things that just need to be done for the community to work. And you don’t need a heavenly vision or a warm and fuzzy feeling to do it – just a servant’s heart. Give of yourself in these areas as well.

3. The focus of all our work is bearing witness to Jesus. It is about testifying to the coming of the kingdom with Jesus; it is about sharing who he is and the salvation he gives.

Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” – Acts 1:8.

  • We do this as individuals, sharing as we have opportunity about what Jesus has done in our lives; inviting people to church.
  • And we do this as a community. Jesus calls us “a city set on a hill” (Matthew 5:14) As a community, we live by a different standard than the world around us, and this is a witness to Jesus.

Let’s remember that Jesus tells us don’t put your lamp under a basket, but let your witness shine before others – Matthew 5:14. We don’t need to be fearful. And he tells us don’t be ashamed of him before the world – Mark 8:38. We are to share our faith in Jesus boldly with others.

4. The goal of our work is to make disciples of Jesus. In the words of Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” We are to bear witness to Jesus so that people will make the commitment to be a disciple themselves; to be a part of the kingdom of God. 

5. Jesus calls some to give their whole lives to working for the kingdom. They may have to leave family behind, and their career plans to help finish the work Jesus has begun.

As we saw in Mark 1:16-20, the first disciples did this. And in Mark 10:29 Jesus speaks of those who leave family and homes behind “for my sake and for the gospel.”

And might we not hope and pray that God would raise up from among us missionaries and pastors and others who will give their whole lives over to kingdom work? Are you open to hear what God has for you?

6. Jesus calls others to stay in their place in life and work for the kingdom. To the healed demoniac who wanted to be a traveling missionary with Jesus, he said in Luke 8:39 – “’Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.”

It was God’s will for him not to go, but to stay home and serve and witness there.

7. We are to support those who give themselves fully to working for the kingdom. Jesus said, speaking of these, “the laborer deserves his wages.” – Luke 10:7. They can’t do what they are called to do without your support. And, by the way, we are still looking for more support for Gary and Denise for their work in The Gambia.

8. God’s Spirit gives us the power to work for his kingdom. Just as Jesus was empowered by the Spirit, so are we.

Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses . . ..”

We can’t do anything in our own strength. We need God working in and through us to accomplish something for the kingdom.

9. Be prepared to give an account. This brings us back to the parable of the talents. We have each been given tasks, and we will have to give an account for how we have done. The parable is meant to impress in our minds the exacting nature of our master.

It teaches us: Don’t be lazy, doing nothing to increase God’s kingdom; doing nothing to finish Jesus’ mission. For those who do nothing, will not enter the kingdom on that final day when Jesus returns. And the parable ends with this ringing in our ears in order make an impression on us.

Rather, find out what God wants you to do and work hard! Give your all for the work of God. Be a man or woman with a mission, just like Jesus.

And if you do, you will be blessed to have joy with Jesus for eternity. This is a reward that far surpasses anything we give up to work for him; anything we have to sacrifice to advance God’s kingdom

A final thought

We all go through times when we need to step back and take a rest, or move into another area. So this is not about making anyone feel guilty. We have to be aware of our limits, and I don’t want anyone to get burned out. All of our lives are so busy today. It is a part of our culture that we are always doing things. So we each need wisdom and there is no reason to judge the decisions of others.

But having said that, let me challenge you a bit: Are we really burning out because of doing too much work for the kingdom? Or is it because we over commit in other areas of our lives?

My plea is that you keep a “a final day perspective” – What will God really care about in terms of all you do when you stand before him on the final day?

What I am saying is, of all your many commitments, make serving God and working for the kingdom the top commitment. And schedule the rest of your lives around that.

William Higgins  (edited)

Read Full Post »

Count the Cost. Luke 14:25-35

Posted in Luke 14, tagged , , , on October 5, 2008|

Luke 14:25-35

“Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

So therefore, any one of you who does not give up all his own possessions, cannot be my disciple.

Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile.’”

When I hear this passage, it reminds me of how Jesus is so very different than we are. We think – “Wow! Look at the big crowd!” Isn’t this the ultimate mark of success today; to draw a crowd?

But what does Jesus do? Jesus turns to them and tells them “give up everything and if you can’t, don’t even try to be my disciple.”

Jesus simply isn’t interested in casual, nominal, half-hearted followers. He wants people who will give up everything for him and the kingdom of God.

Crowds are great (don’t get me wrong) but it has to be a crowd that understands and accepts what Jesus requires. Lets look at what Jesus requires in this passage.

He mentions . . .

Three things we must give up to follow him

1. Our family – v. 26 – “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters . . . he cannot be my disciple.”

He pretty much covers it all – parents, spouses, children and siblings.

The word “hate” certainly stands out. What does this mean? Well, in Matthew 10:37 he says it this way – “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” To hate our family means that we love Jesus more than our family.

So Jesus is saying in comparison to our commitment to and love for him, it will appear that we hate our family.

What Jesus is saying is that:

  • If they reject you for your commitment to Jesus, you will still choose Jesus. Your love for him is greater, so from their point of view it looks like you hate them.
  • If Jesus calls you to serve and you have to leave family behind – you will do what Jesus says. In Mark 10:29 Jesus talks about those who must leave behind family for his sake.

Jesus calls us to give up our family for the sake of the kingdom. Jesus comes first.

2. Our own life – the rest of v. 26 says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate . . . even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

Again, the idea is that in comparison to our love for and commitment to Jesus, it will look like we hate our own life in this world.

  • If you have to give up your own worldly dreams and aspirations to be faithful to Jesus – you will.
  • If you are ridiculed because of him – you will give up your reputation.
  • Or more extremely, if you are threatened with death because of him – you will give up your life.

Jesus calls us to give up our very lives for the sake of the kingdom. Jesus comes first.

3. Our possessions – this comes from near the end of the section, in v. 33 – “Any one of you who does not give up all his own possessions, cannot be my disciple.”

To give up means to forsake or to renounce; to let go of. “Possessions” or “all that we have” – means all that we own, anything that is ours – property, houses, cars . . . whatever we own.

  • If God asks you to be generous and give of what you have (like he does with everyone) – you will.
  • If God asks you to leave it all behind (like the apostles) to follow Jesus – you will
  • If God literally asks for it all (like with the rich young ruler who was told to give it all to the poor) – you will.

Jesus calls us to give up all our possessions, for the sake of the kingdom. Jesus comes first.

So as we can see from these examples:

We have to give up everything to follow Jesus

v. 27 sums all this up – “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

Crosses are instruments of death. It was the electric chair of the ancient world. You take up an instrument of death, for one reason, to kill something. In this case, to kill your worldly life.

Family, possessions, your own life, all have to be on the altar. All are crucified for the sake of the kingdom. Whatever God asks for, we will give.

This is a total and complete giving up of everything for the sake of the kingdom. If you think this is extreme . . . well, it is! Which might well lead us to ask . . .

Why do we have to give it all up?

Jesus repeats three times – v. 26, 27, 33: if you don’t give all this up, you “cannot be my disciple.” He doesn’t mean, you know, you can’t be in my club. A kind of hoop you have to jump through. He is saying, you are not able to be my disciple.

The answer is that the demands of the kingdom are so strenuous, so absolute, unless you pursue it above all else, unless you “seek first the kingdom of God,” unless you give up everything, you will fail; you will wash out. In the words of vs. 34-35: “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The kingdom requires everything of us, and so we must be willing to give everything. Otherwise we will not be able to follow Jesus.

Next, we look at the two parables that are sandwiched in the middle of all this teaching, which sum up . . .

Jesus’ challenge

The point of both of these illustrations is the same. Don’t start something you can’t finish, whether it be a tower or a war. Before you start, make sure you have what it takes to come through on the commitment.

  • Make sure you can finish the tower, otherwise you will be embarrassed when you can’t.
  • Make sure you can overcome your opponent, otherwise send for terms of peace so you don’t lose.

What’s going on here is that Jesus notices that it has become popular to follow him, and so he says to the crowds – “Have you counted the cost?” “Are you sure you want to be my disciple? Because it will take everything you have.”

But we are so different today, in fact, we have things all upside down.

We have everything backwards

We have domesticated Jesus so well, that we can’t even hear his radical call anymore. We have tamed Jesus and turned him into his opposite. Instead of us giving up everything for the kingdom, we have Jesus giving us everything we want including, our desires for our lives, family and all the possessions we would like to have.

  • We have the “get me to heaven” gospel, where Jesus gives me salvation and my life doesn’t have to change. Jesus gives me everything, and I don’t have to give him anything.
  • We have the “self-help” gospel, where Jesus gives me self-fulfillment. Jesus helps me in my quest for self-actualization, and happiness.
  • And then we have the “prosperity” gospel, where Jesus makes me prosperous and able to be self-indulgent like the rest of our culture and society around us.

What a spiritually bereft generation we are a part of! We are so trivial, so self-centered, so spoiled. We ask, “What can Jesus do for me?” “How can Jesus make me happy?” You know, what’s in it for me?

We want to be Christians, but without the cost. We want to call ourselves faithful, but without the cross.

But life is not about us, and Jesus is not about meeting our selfish desires and promoting our self-serving dreams.

What does Jesus say to us?

. . . we, the crowds of us who gather around him today? Well, Jesus doesn’t change. He says the same thing today that he said to that crowd of old:

“If you cling to family, life, and possessions above me, you are not able to be my disciples.”

“It is only when you give up everything for me, that will you be able to be my disciple. Only then, will you be able to finish what you have started in your life with God.”

May we hear and respond to Jesus’ challenge to us today. William Higgins

Read Full Post »

Getting God’s Attention – Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18

Posted in Matthew 6, tagged , , , , on July 6, 2008|

Today we look at a familiar passage from Matthew 6. As we will see, it teaches us about seeking out God’s attention, and we all need God’s attention and help with our concerns and needs.

Our text is found right smack in the middle of what is called the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7) a section of this gospel that pulls together much of Jesus’ teaching on righteousness.

Read through this text, if you will – Matthew 6:1-18 

1. Jesus is calling us to engage in these activities

that is, almsgiving (or giving to the poor), prayer, and fasting. These were all central practices of Jewish spirituality. But notice in this – Jesus assumes that we will be practicing these as well, for he says,

  • “when you give to the needy” – v. 2
  • “when you pray” – v. 4
  • “when you fast” – v. 16

. . . not “if” or “if you happen to get around to these.”

We are to be giving to the poor, praying and fasting. And so we might begin by asking ourselves – “When was the last time we prayed seriously?” or “Specifically gave to the poor?” or “Fasted in any form?”

Jesus assumes we are doing these things, and he is simply teaching us how to do them in the right way.

2. Each of these practices seeks God’s attention and favor

This is important to understand if we want to get Jesus’ point. This comes out in our verses because he is saying , when we do these things in the right way:

  • God will take note of us
  • God will respond to us

Or as Jesus says three times – “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Now Prayer is obvious enough. It’s all about seeking God that God will hear us and help us. We want God’s attention and God’s mercy.

Fasting is often connected to prayer. In fact, fasting is a particularly intense kind of praying, usually when someone is upset, distressed or grieving. Your situation is so bad that you must have God’s attention and favor. You are desperate. And Scripture notes that God responds to this kind of intense seeking.

Almsgiving – might seem puzzling here, but it is seen in Scripture as giving you favor before God and in your seeking of God. Lets look at this one just a bit more . . .

The principle behind this is clear – “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” – James 5:16. The one who is righteous or obedient has powerful prayers; they have favor with God.

In Judaism, and also here with Jesus, giving alms is a, if not the token of a truly righteous person. In fact in Judaism giving alms became synonymous with the word for “righteousness.” So, given our principle, giving to the poor gives power to your prayers.

An example: Acts 10:4. Remember the story of Cornelius? He prayed and had a vision from God where an angel came to him. Our verse says, “And he stared at the angel in terror and said, ‘What is it, Lord?’ And he said to him, ‘Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.’”

Notice, his prayers and his alms came up before God. And because of this he had God’s favor. So God sent Peter to preach the gospel to him.

  • His alms gave potency to his prayers.
  • His alms gave him favor with God.

So, all of these practices have to do with seeking God’s attention and favor – “they are seeking activities.” Prayer is seeking God and both almsgiving and fasting  are, as it were, “prayer enhancers.” They are ways of strengthening our praying and seeking after God. They come alongside our prayers, to make them more effective.

Now let’s look at . . .

3. What Jesus is forbidding here

. . . because we sometimes miss the point.

  • Jesus is not saying that we can’t give alms publicly. For instance in church – in our offerings. Remember how in Luke 21:1-4 Jesus commends the widow who gave to the temple treasury, in public?
  • Jesus is not saying that we can’t pray publicly. For instance how we pray in church. Both Jesus and the apostles prayed in pubic, not in a closet.
  • And as well, Jesus is not saying we can’t fast publicly. Paul and others fasted publicly as we see in the book of Acts (13:2: 14:23).

No. Jesus is saying – Don’t draw attention to yourself when you do these things – for instance:

  • Blowing a trumpet when you give alms. (Now this is probably not literal, but just a figure of speech for getting everyone’s attention).

  • Praying where the most people can see you.

  • Disfiguring your face so everyone knows you are fasting, the idea being to emphasize that you are suffering as you fast.

Rather than all this, Jesus teaches us to make sure we don’t draw attention to ourselves. And he drives this idea home with typically extreme statements:

  • With regard to giving – don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

  • With regard to prayer – go off into a closet to pray.

  • With regard to fasting – dress up as if you are celebrating.

This is all hyperbole or intentional exaggeration. As I said, Jesus didn’t always pray in a closet (if ever). His point in all of this is simply – Don’t draw attention to yourself!! Or as Jesus says at the end of each example, engage in these practices “in secret”- for God to see.

Now this doesn’t mean that others won’t see us . Jesus talks about this in Matthew 5:16. We are to let our light shine before others so that people will see our good works and glorify God. But, our text teaches us, we are not to do these things in order to be seen!

This brings us to . . .

4. The central contrast that Jesus is making

These three practices are meant to seek God’s attention and favor.  But we often use them to seek human attention and favor. They are meant to be focused on God and God’s reward. Not on people and the reward that they give.

Thus Jesus rightly says in each case, don’t be like the “hypocrites.” For hypocrisy is when appearances are not as they seem:

  • we appear one way on the outside (good & righteous)
  • but we are really another way within (unrighteous, full of pride or deceit)

In this case, we are doing righteous things: praying, fasting, giving to the poor. But we are doing them for the wrong reason. Instead of trying to please God, we are trying to please people, to gain human praise, notice and honor. (And this wrong motive often affects the character of our righteous acts . We tend to do them in exaggerated ways, trumpets blowing and all the rest, to make sure people notice).

Jesus wants us to do what is right, but that’s not all. To move beyond hypocrisy, we are to what is right, for the right reason.

5. Finally, there is a promise in these verses

It is not for those who seek to be seen in their praying, giving to the poor, and fasting. As Jesus said three times – “Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”

We get nothing from God, because we already got what we were really looking for – whatever human attention or praise we received from other people. We are nothing more than hypocrites.

But the promise is – if we give alms, pray and fast to gain God’s attention and favor (that is, with right intention and a pure heart) then God will reward our seeking of him. As Jesus said three times – “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

This is the promise of Jesus to us – when we seek God as he instructs us to, we will get God’s attention. God will reward us; God will care for our needs and answer our prayers. William Higgins

Read Full Post »

The parable of the vineyard workers – Matthew 20:1-16

Posted in Matthew 20, tagged , , , , , , on June 20, 2008|

This is a Sunday school lesson from last summer.
This parable is difficult to make sense of. I have spent quite a bit of time wrestling with it  over the years. We won’t have time to do it full justice either, that is, all the issues and possible interpretations. What I want to do is give you a point of view, and see if perhaps it makes sense to you as well. Here is the parable:

Matthew 20:1-16 – “[1] For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. [2] After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. [3] And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, [4] and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ [5] So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. [6] And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ [7] They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ [8] And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ [9] And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. [10] Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. [11] And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, [12] saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ [13] But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? [14] Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. [15] Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ [16] So the last will be first, and the first last.” 

Basic background

 These things are clear –

  • The vineyard owner hires day laborers in town 
  •  The workday at this time was 12 hours long. About 10 hours of actual work (then time for meals, prayers). The last worker only worked an hour.
  • A “denarius” equals a days wage (something like minimum wage today)
  • The workers get paid at the end of each day. For those who live hand to mouth, they must be paid so that they can feed their families (Deuteronomy 24:14-15).

There are also . . .

Some basics from the parable

 . . . that are fairly clear.

1. The point of the parable is clear. That’s because of a literary structure called an inclusion. This is when similar statements function like bookends. In this case we have similar statements just before and at the end of the parable, which reiterate the point of the parable.

  • 19:30 – “But many who are first will be last, and the last first”
  • 20:16 – “So the last will be first, and the first last” (this last phrase has “so,” or “thus” in front of it. In this way the last will be first. It offers an explanation for the saying of 19:30)

Also, the  language of last and first shows up throughout the parable itself  – vs. 8-9.  

Now, although in other places this phrase “the first will be last and the last will be first,” means reversal (Luke 13:30) . . .

2. Here “the first and the last” speaks of equalization. The last are treated like the first and the first are treated like the last – which is not about reversal.

The climax of the parable in verse 12 shows this. Those who worked the longest complained, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” The issue here is how all the workers were treated equally, even though some had done more work.

3. The basic identities of the first and the last

  • Verse 12 makes it clear that “the last” – refers to those hired last, who worked the least – the one hour workers.
  • Verse 10 makes it clear that “the first” are those who have worked all day – the 12 hour workers. They are the ones who complain about the last – the one hour workers.

This much is clear. But who, specifically, are the 12 hour workers and who are the one hour workers? What is the context of this? How should we apply it? What’s the point we are supposed to take away from this? As I said, there are many . . .

Different interpretations

  • The first = the Pharisees, and the last = tax collectors. And they are made equal.
  • Similarly, the first = Jewish Christians, and the last = Gentile Christians. Certainly this is possible, but these are not being discussed before or after this, and the idea doesn’t fit into the flow or context here, especially of  19:30.
  • Along similar lines, but more remote still – the first = long time Christians, and the last = those saved late in life
  • The parable is meant to teach – you shouldn’t serve Jesus for reward. Its about motivations. Its a rebuke to Peter, who in 19:27 asks “What then will we have?” But, as we will see, he is not boasting or serving for the wrong motives. He’s concerned about whether he will be saved or not.
  • The parable teaches that there are no levels of reward. We all get the same thing no matter whether we work much or little. But this goes against other teaching in Matthew, as we will see later, there are levels of reward in the kingdom.

The context of the parable is the key

That is, the preceding story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-30. Lets look at this:

1) The rich young ruler asked: “What good deed must I do to have eternal life?”- Matthew 19:16

2) After enumerating many of the commands, Jesus demanded that he sell his possessions and follow him. Then he will gain eternal life (19:16-22). Apparently Jesus saw that he had a problem with a desire for wealth and a desire to keep it for himself, which is not a loving of his neighbor. 

3) Jesus talks about how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom. It is, basically, impossible (19:23-24). (This is not talking about an actual camel’s gate in Jerusalem. This interpretation comes from the middle ages. It is a proverb that expresses something that is impossible.)

4) The disciples are astonished by all this. They ask, “Who then can be saved?”

5) Jesus replies that God can make it possible (19:25-26). God can help those who have more than they need to give up self-indulgence and to share with the needy.

6) Peter is concerned about whether they (the twelve) will make it into the kingdom, because they are not doing as much as was demanded of the rich man. Peter said, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?”  (Matthew 19:27). You told him to have life  he had to sell all. We have left all. Is that enough?

7)Jesus reassures them: Yes, they will enter the kingdom and will have 12 thrones and judge the people of God. Then he expands it beyond the 12 in Matthew 19:29. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.”

So we have a situation where:

  • Jesus is more demanding of the young man – sell all and follow me, and
  • Jesus is less demanding of the 12 & others – leave everything behind and follow me

 Yet both would receive eternal life!

So I want to interpret the parable in this context, but before I do – let me say briefly that . . .

Side note

Jesus is not saying that we earn our salvation. That salvation is a gift is always assumed by Jesus for both the Old and New Covenants. But for Jesus, to enter the kingdom or to inherit life (to take part in the resurrection) you do have to obey God. He says this over and over again, constantly, and in different ways –

  • Jesus says, “If you would enter life keep the commandments” – 19:17
  • He also said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” – 7:21

Our obedience is necessary, but it doesn’t earn the gift. As Jesus said in Luke 17:10 – “When you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'” We have only done what we were obliged to do in the first place – obey God. There is no merit to that. We never have a claim on God.

Back to the meaning of the parable 

We learn from our context in Matthew 19 that God asks some to do more (by way of difficult obedience) and God asks some to do less to  enter the kingdom or inherit eternal life. This rightly raises the question – “Is this fair?” – which is what the parable is all about. So lets interpret the parable in this context. 

  • The first are those whom Jesus demands much from – sacrifice and hard work (like the young man who has to sell all and work). They work 12 long hours in the heat of the day.
  • The midday workers are those whom Jesus demand something less from – (perhaps the 12 disciples who leave all – something less than what the first have to do)
  • The last are  those from whom Jesus demands relatively little (perhaps ordinary Christians who don’t even leave all. They stay at home and support those who do).

In a nutshell: We all have to obey (everyone in the parable worked some). But God requires of some more sacrificial obedience than others – yet all (who do what God calls them to do) will receive eternal life. The last is like the first and the first is like the last, in that they all enter the kingdom.

So the parable is a footnote to the conversation about the rich young ruler and wealth and the saying in 19:30 about the first and the last.  

The purpose of the parable

 #1 – It is a part of the reassurance of Jesus to the 12 (and others by extension – ordinary Christians) that even though they do less than others,  they too will enter the kingdom/have eternal life.

#2 – It is to warn those in the church who are called to greater sacrificial obedience, not to complain because of God’s generosity to others.

An example: Paul

Paul says in  1 Corinthians 9:16,  “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” For Paul preaching (a difficult ministry of preaching) is necessary to enter the kingdom – “Woe to me if I do not.” For others it is not. God has not laid that on them. It all has to do with God’s sovereign choice.

What about rewards?

 There are still differences in rewards based on what we do in the context of what God calls us to do. Jesus speaks of:

  • In Matthew 5:19; 11:11 he speaks of the least in the kingdom
  • In Matthew 5:19; 18:4; 23:11 some are great; or the greatest in the kingdom
  • In Matthew 19:28 he says some will  have thrones, and some are ruled by these
  • In Matthew 20:20-28 he says some are at the right and left hand of Jesus, and Jesus gives instructions for how to be great in the kingdom
  • In Luke 19 (a version of the parable of the talents) some are given rule over ten cities or five cities. 

So the question is, if, for instance you are called to preach – how well, or how hard did you do this? Or if you are called to support those who do full time ministry – how well, or how much did you do this?

William Higgins

Read Full Post »

Jesus heals ten lepers. Luke 17:11-19

Posted in Luke 17, tagged , , , on June 15, 2008|

updated 5/24/19

The literary structure of Luke 17:11-19

We are looking at the story of the ten lepers from Luke 17:11-19. I have always liked this story, and I want us to see what we can learn from it this morning.

Luke 17:11-19 – “On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.’ When he saw them he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went they were cleansed.

Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.’”

Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem

Verse 11 says – “On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.”  The idea of Jesus traveling up to Jerusalem one final time is a real theme in the gospel of Luke, beginning in Luke 9:51. This says – “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” We also have several other notices of Jesus’ final trip to Jerusalem – (e.g. – Luke 9:53, 13:22)  So in our passage we are once again reminded that Jesus is taking his last fateful trip to Jerusalem.

Here we encounter him “between Samaria and Galilee.” It was normal for Jews to travel south from Galilee to Jerusalem and not go through Samaria, but to skirt around in on the border.

Verses 12-14 recount the . . .

Healing miracle

 . . . that is at the center of this story. Verse 12 says, “And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance.” Now leprosy in the Bible is not just what we call leprosy, or, Hansen’s disease. It referred to various kinds of diseases that affect the skin; that make it inflamed, scaly or splotchy. This would include things like psoriasis or eczema. Perhaps some of us would qualify as lepers according to the law of Moses because of our skin ailments!

So the problem is not necessarily that it’s life threatening, rather it’s a matter of ritual uncleanness according to the law of Moses. Leviticus 13:45-46 lays out some of the rules for lepers – “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ . . . His dwelling shall be outside the camp.”

This last phrase explains why they “stood at a distance.”

  • Because they were unclean, lepers were social outcasts, who lived in small groups or colonies. (This would be similar today to the mentally ill or drug addicted who are homeless and live in camps or shelters apart from others.)
  • Although they were outcasts they stayed near enough to roadways to ask for alms (donations) which is why they see Jesus about to enter the village.

Verse 13 says – “and (the ten lepers) lifted up their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.’”  They apparently had heard about Jesus. They knew his name and called him “Master” – a title of respect. They most likely knew of him as a miracle worker.

Although lepers did call out for mercy for alms – here, when they say – “have mercy” it’s a call for healing. Have mercy on us by healing our leprosy.

Verse 14 says, “When he saw them he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went they were cleansed.” The phrase – “Show yourselves to priests” – refers to what Moses commanded when someone’s leprosy went away. They go to the priest, who certifies that they are clean and takes them through the rituals necessary to re-enter society (Leviticus 14). This certainly confirms to us that Jesus honored the Mosaic law in his ministry to Jews. He told them to do what Moses commanded.

But what is really interesting, in terms of the healing, is that Jesus tells them to go before they are healed. You are supposed to go after the skin condition is gone, and the priest certifies this. But he tells them to act as if it is already done!And amazingly, they did what Jesus said. They acted in faith. Simply based on the word of Jesus, they go to find a priest.

And then it says, “as they went they were cleansed.” As they acted in faith, God granted their request. For a leper to be cleansed is to be healed (v. 15). They are “made well” or literally saved from their condition (v. 19).

Healing a leper was a significant event. In Jesus’ day it was held that only a miracle from God could cure a leper. It was like raising someone from the dead (2 Kings 5:7). Here Jesus heals ten at once.

And again, this is not just a physical malady. It’s a social one. They are able to be a part of society again; to be with family; to work; to have dignity and honor.

The thankful Samaritan

Verses 15-16 say, “Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.” Here we learn that one of the now healed lepers is a Samaritan. From a Jewish point of view he was a double outcast – a leper and a Samaritan, since the Samaritans were viewed as enemies and heretics, which is why most Jews avoided going through Samaria.

Well, he’s the only one who, when he notices his healing, turns back to praise God and fall at Jesus’ feet to thank him. What a twist in the story! The good guy is the Samaritan, and not the other, presumably Jewish lepers.

He recognized that Jesus was the key; the means of his healing. (This is the only place in the gospels where you have thanks given to Jesus.)

Jesus’ response

Verses 17-18 say, “Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ “ He told them to go to the priests! So this seems kind of odd that he is criticizing the nine. But, of course, this didn’t preclude them from stopping and giving thanks once their healing was apparent.

Jesus is saying, the nine should have also given thanks to God and specifically to him for his role in giving them God’s mercy.

Verse 19 says, “And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.’” The last phrase can be translated “you faith has saved you.” And because of this some think that the Samaritan is given something more than the nine – true salvation or a true healing. But it’s really just Jesus’ way of saying, “yes, you’re healed, now you can go live your life.” He does this in other places as well. (See also Luke 7:50; 8:48; 18:42.)

3 lessons from this story

1. Jesus loves to give God’s grace to outcasts – whether it be sinners, tax collectors or prostitutes. We see this all the time in the gospels. And here it is a Samaritan and a leper.

Are you an outcast? Are you excluded and put down? There is good news in the Gospels – Jesus loves you and wants to bless you with God’s grace.

But this raises the question for us as followers of Jesus from the other end. “How are we when we encounter outcasts?”  How do we respond to those our society considers unclean – the homeless, the drug addicted, prostitutes, those in same-sex relationships?

Do we minister God’ grace to bring healing and restoration? Or do we avoid them, put them down, hate and exclude them?

Jesus loved outcasts. And it’s a good thing because we are all simply sinners and outcasts, whom Jesus has had mercy on. And we are to pass this mercy on to others as well.

2. We need to act in faith. They had tremendous faith in Jesus. They acted before they saw the reality, just based on Jesus’ command. They still had their leprosy!

But isn’t this the essence of faith? As Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” They believed that if they did what Jesus said, they would be healed.

This is an example to us. When we ask God for something and God responds by telling us to do something, do we sit back and wait? Do we wait for some results first, some evidence that we can see? Or do we move forward according to what God tells us to do, expecting God to be faithful?

3. We need to give thanks for what God has done in our lives. Specifically, it is always appropriate to stop and give thanks to God and our Lord Jesus.

We can be so focused on duty, doing what God has told us to do (like the nine) that we don’t realize and acknowledge what God has done for us.

So, don’t be one of the nine. Yes, they had faith and were blessed. But don’t be like them! Be like the one who was blessed and also showed gratitude.

So many people ask God for things, “God help me with this problem!” “Fix this crisis!” But how many, when God has mercy, turn and give thanks? Be one of the few who give back thanks to God and his Son, for his great mercy in our lives.

Read Full Post »

Righteous Speech: Getting to the Heart of the Matter

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , on June 1, 2008|

We are bringing our series on righteous speech to a close today. We’ve been looking at this topic because . . .

Our words get us into trouble

James 3:2 says, “For we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect person . . ..”  James teaches us that in terms of righteousness, the hardest of all things is our speech. It’s a struggle for all of us.

It’s not that we always say the wrong thing. We usually say what is right. But we still mess up. So we are saying good things some times, but also bad things some times; we are doing both.

It’s like what James 3:9-10 says, – “With our tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.” Right? During the church service we praise God and then on the way home when someone cuts us off, we curse them.  James goes on, “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My sisters and brothers, these things ought not to be so.”

A pointed example of this struggle comes from the life of Peter:

In Matthew 16:16-17, when Jesus asked the disciples who they thought he was, “Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.’” Peter used his mouth to speak out words that came from God. 

In Matthew 16:22-23, just a few moments later, when Jesus spoke of the cross it says, “Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.’” Peter used his mouth to speak out words that came from Satan.

In just a few moments he went from allowing God to speak through him and being commended by Jesus to having Satan speak through him and being rebuked by Jesus.

We often are the same way. We say good things but also unrighteous things. God speaks through us, but also we allow Satan to speak through us. When we do the latter we have to recognize that . . .

We sin through our speech

This is not a trifling thing. We dishonor God with our words and we hurt and wound others with our words.

And as Jesus says in Matthew 12:36-37 – “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” If even our careless words will be judged, then all of our words will be judged. As one of you commented when looked at these verses before – “We are all in trouble!” 

So in this series, we’ve been looking at . . .

What should we do?

I’ve given you three guidelines, so far:
1) Don’t talk a lot. Proverbs 10:19 says, “when words are many transgression is not lacking, but the prudent are restrained in speech.”
2) Be slow to speak. James 1:19 says, “let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak.” Think carefully before you speak; be thoughtful.
3) We need to learn what righteous speech is and then guard our mouths to make sure that when we do speak, we speak words of righteousness. Proverbs 13:3 says, “Those who guard their mouths preserve their lives.”

So to this end, we have looked at different aspects of righteous speech:

  • Honoring God’s name
  • Speaking the truth
  • Not swearing promises but simply keeping our word
  • Not boasting
  • Using words that build others up rather than words that tear down

And we could add many more. For instance:

  • How we should be a people filled with thanksgiving instead of complaining – Philippians 2:14; 4:4.
  • How we should cease sexually immoral language – Ephesians 5:3.

And on and on . . . And we learn about these so that we can guard our mouths and learn to speak righteously.

Today we look at a fourth guideline and the most important one. Yes, you need to know what righteous speech is. But that is useless if you don’t get to the root of the problem of your unrighteous speech . . .

You have to deal with your heart

This brings us to Matthew 12:34-35 – “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.”

Jesus gives us this principle: Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So then, evil words come from an evil treasure; an evil heart. But also, good words come from an good treasure; good heart.

There is this unbreakable connection between what is within you, in your heart, and what comes out of your mouth.

So, for instance, do you have:
– boastful words? Look for pride in your heart.
– critical speech? Most likely you have bitterness or discontentment.
– abusive speech? Perhaps you have anger or woundedness in your heart.

And so again – if we want to have righteous speech we have to deal with our hearts – our unrighteous, evil hearts. It like mowing weeds and thinking this will kill them, when the roots are still there and so they keep growing. We can try to guard our mouths all we want to but without this we will fail. We have to go to the root.

There are two ways we can act to change our hearts:

1. Ask God to renew your heart: Ask the Spirit to come into your life and give you a new heart, with new desires and attitudes.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 talks about this. The Lord says – “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

God can change your heart, just as when you were born again and given a new heart, so God can continue to come into your heart and transform you and make you new in righteousness. This is the work of the Spirit of God, who works in our hearts to bear good fruit. As Paul says in Galatians 5:22 – “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.”

Do you have pride, bitterness or anger in your heart? God can deal with these, or whatever it is – if we let him. And for sure it often means we have work to do, for instance with bitterness choosing to forgive. But the point here is that God can transform your heart if you will let him.

God can bring healing and help, which will then show up in our words. As Jesus said, “The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good” – Matthew 12:35. Ask God to help you and he will do a work in your heart.

2. Nurture your heart in righteousness: Be careful what you receive into yourself through your eyes and ears, from the world and it influences. And then be careful what you focus on, meditate on and give attention to in your heart. You are what you ruminate on. This becomes a part of you and shapes your heart.

What you put in is what comes out and if you put garbage in, you will get garbage out!

So receive into your heart the things of God, that will support and work with God as he seeks to renew your heart. As Paul says in Philippians 4:8 – “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Ruminate on these things.

And as we cultivate and focus on these good things of God, this will affect the treasure that is in our hearts. And this will show up in our good words that flow out of the abundance of our hearts.

So here are our four guidelines for righteous speech:
1. Don’t talk a lot
2. Be slow to speak
3. Guard your mouth
4. Deal with your heart

William Higgins

Read Full Post »

Words That Build Others Up

Posted in Ephesians 4, tagged , on May 28, 2008|

We talked before about how our words are a dangerous power. Today we look at how they can be dangerous in terms of hurting and wounding others; how they can be a destructive power.

We have all felt the devastation that comes from another’s words and also, no doubt, have done our share of hurting others with our words.

As Christians, we need to tend to our relationships with each other and guard them. And a part of this is that we must be careful with our words to each other. We must be careful not to use destructive words, but rather words that build each other up.

Focus Verse

“Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear” – Ephesians 4:29 (NRSV)

We have a building or construction metaphor in this verse. We are all like a house, that can be torn down or built up. And this verse tells us that our words can serve to build someone up or to tear them down. And we have to choose which it will be.

Destructive words

So first we look at some examples of speech that tears down with a view to how evil these are from God’s point of view.

1. Angry words that tear down. Jesus talks about this in – Matthew 5:21-22 – “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

Jesus is talking about angry insults and name calling (“you fool”). If we see another person as a house, these words are meant to damage and destroy it.

How serious is this? Well, Jesus is talking about the 6th commandment against murder in this passage. He is saying that angry insults and name calling that tear down and wound others are like unto murder. And we see the serious warning of judgment as well.

2. Words of gossip. There are different kinds of gossip, but here I am focusing on spreading true, but negative information about others in order to tear down their reputation.

In other words, it is done to dishonor, degrade the person in the eyes of others. Again, if we see another person as a house, gossip is designed to damage and destroy that person.

How serious is it? In Romans 1:29 – “Gossip” is likened to ruthlessness, murder and hating God. And Romans 1:32, talking about all these things and more says, “those who practice such things deserve to die.” God sees it as deadly serious.

3. Slanderous words. These are lies or half-truths directed at destroying someone’s  reputation and to damage their relationships with others. It can be done secretly, and so be a form of gossip, or it can be done openly for all the hear.

Again, slander seeks to damage and destroy another person, like a wreaking ball coming down on a house.

How serious is it? Jesus says in Matthew 15:19 – “For out of the heart come evil thoughts . . . slander.” It comes from a heart that has evil thoughts.

4. Destructive criticism. This is not constructive criticism that comes from concern or love for the person – to help them. Rather, it seeks to discredit and diminish the person.

It comes from a critical spirit where you are looking for what is wrong. It is using disagreements to destroy and  damage the person – to deconstruct them.

How serious is it? James 5:9 says, “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.” Once again, God judges those who use words that tear down other people.

We can mention other kinds of destructive speech:

  • destructive humor
  • false accusations
  • complaining
  • backbiting
  • expressions of contempt

Any words that tear down, demean and attack; that are harsh, abusive or belittling; words that are mean, nasty, unkind, hurtful and malicious – all of these are unacceptable.

This all points us back to what we saw before – our words can be weapons of destruction. We can have “tongues like swords” and “words like arrows” – Psalm 64:3. Certainly we can see why James says that the tongue is “set on fire by hell” – 3:6 and that “it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” – 3:8.

Just as with the first example of angry words, all these words that tear down and destroy are verbal assault and murder. Let’s be clear here. These kind of words do not come from God. They come from Satan who has been a murderer from the beginning, as Jesus tells us.

So we need to guard our mouths from these . . . and that means also watching over our hands as we write . . .

Emails!

Email (or letters, or texting) can get us into such trouble.

  • Its easier to be mean from a distance, when you are not in the person’s presence, not looking them in the eye. The lack of presence can make you be more cold hearted than you otherwise might be.
  • Emails are also easy to misconstrue – things get shortened, you can’t hear the tone of the words, you can see the nonverbal body language. Especially when there is conflict – it is easy to read into them your own feelings.

So please don’t use emails (etc) when there is a conflict. Face to face is the better way to go.

Edifying Words

Now back to our text as we finish – “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear” – Ephesians 4:29. Lets look at three points:

1. “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths.” This would certainly include what we have just looked at, plus more. We must guard our mouths and not allow Satan to speak through us to destroy our sisters and brothers.

2. Speak words that build up and impart grace. Speak “only what is useful for building up . . . so that your words may give grace to those who hear.” This is the opposite of words that tear down. If we think of a person as a house, it means building them up.

  • Words that lift up, encourage, strengthen, give hope
  • Words of concern – how are you? can I help you?
  • Even words of correction, when someone is taking the wrong path. This is speaking the truth in love (if done rightly). This keeps them from tearing themselves down.
  • Words of blessing and praise

Why do we do this? Because “love builds up” – I Corinthians 8:1. And so our words to others should be loving and life giving.

3. “As there is need.” This means not just being aware of your concerns. See where they are at and what their needs are. This is what love is about. And then speak according to their need to build them up.

1 Thessalonians 5:14, which talks about words that build up, says, “And we urge you, sisters and brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted . . ..” We don’t encourage the idle in their idleness. And we don’t admonish the fainthearted – rebuking those who are hanging by a thread.

We say the right words according to the situation. Find out what the need is and then minister God’s grace to that need with words that build them up.

As we hear this teaching may God give us a heart of love and kindness for one another and may we speak accordingly.
William Higgins

Read Full Post »

More on oaths . . .

Posted in James 5, Matthew 5, tagged , , , , on May 7, 2008|

Another Look at Swearing Oaths

Read Full Post »

Let your word be ‘yes,’ ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ ‘no’

Posted in James 5, Matthew 5, tagged , , , on May 4, 2008|

Click here for more on oaths –

We are continuing on in our series on righteous speech, learning what the Word says, so that we can guard our mouths.

Swearing oaths is not a topic that is talked about much anymore, but I think there’s some good stuff in this and I want us to dig into it this morning.

We will focus on – Matthew 5:33-37 –

“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not break your oath, but carry out the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes,’ ‘Yes,’ or ‘No,’ “No,’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”

What are oaths?

Swearing doesn’t play a big role in our society today, like it did in Jesus’ day and even up to about a hundred years ago. As a result, we don’t actually know much about swearing today.

We use the word “swearing” very broadly to cover things that it doesn’t cover biblically. For instance expletives – foul or vulgar language, profanity or cuss words. However you want to say it. These all basically boil down to various alternative words for “idiot,” “poop” and “sex.” This is not swearing biblically considered.

Swearing is when you call upon God (or some other power) to guarantee your word – that what you say is true or that what you promise you will do. The guarantee equals a curse in that if what you say isn’t true or you don’t fulfill your promise, God himself will deal with you. (The kid’s version goes, “cross my heart and hope to die.”)

The introduction of a higher power lends credibility to the statement by putting pressure on the swearer to come through, for their own sake.

There are three parts to an oath: 1) I Swear . . .  this phrase indicates that you are placing yourself under an oath. 2) By . . . this is a reference to some power greater than you.  3) To . . . this refers to the oath statement itself. This is what you are asserting as true or promising to do.

An example is: “I swear/ by (to) God/ to help you tomorrow.” To swear an oath, you don’t have to go through the entire formula, you can say simply, ‘I swear I will help you’ or ‘by God I will help you,’ for instance.

Two basic kinds of oaths

1) A testimonial oath: You invoke God to testify that something is true or false. In Matthew 26:72/74 – Peter swears, “I do not know the man (Jesus)!” – with curses stated as well.

2) A promissory oath: You invoke God to guarantee that you will, or will not do a thing. In Matthew 14:7 Herod swore a promise to Herodias “to grant her whatever she might ask,” which got John the Baptist killed.

The Mosaic law on oaths

Swearing oaths is fine in the Old Testament. As long as you only use Yahweh’s name – Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:20. To use another god is to put yourself under that god’s power. You must also keep your oath – Leviticus 19:12. It is a breaking of the third commandment – using God’s name in vain (Exodus 20:7) if you don’t. Swearing is intended to promote righteous speech.

Now we come to our text and look at . . .

Jesus on promissory oaths

We’ll see as we go through this that Jesus is only talking about promissory oaths. Our first clue is that testimonial oaths are used in the New Testament. Just to give one of many instances – in Galatians 1:20 Paul says, “before God, I do not lie,” which is a testimonial oath.  With this in mind lets look at Matthew 5 and break this passage down into three points:

1. Jesus is teaching us not to swear promissory oaths – “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not break your oath, but carry out the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear . . .” – Matthew 5:33-34.

With these words Jesus forbids promissory oaths. (Now some translations say “vow”  here, but that’s not the word and swearing is what Jesus is talking about).

That Jesus is talking only about promissory oaths can be seen in the phrase “carry out” in v. 33. Other translations say,  “repay,” “fulfill,” “perform,” or “keep.”  Since there is nothing to repay or carry out in the instance of a testimonial oath – you have either told the truth or not – this shows that Jesus is forbidding promissory oaths, where you make a promise and have to come through on it.

2. Jesus is teaching us not to swear any kind of promissory oath – “Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black” – Matthew 5:34-36.

Jesus is here rejecting substitute oaths. By the first century people were reluctant to swear by the name of Yahweh, for it was no longer thought fit even to pronounce the Name out of reverence.

This led to much discussion about what substitutes could be used for the Name, and thus which oaths were really binding, and which might not be truly binding . . . and you could use to deceive people.

Jesus gives the examples of heaven, the earth and Jerusalem. His argument here is that all of these substitutes point back to God (Isaiah 66:1; Psalm 48:2), and so they all invoke God, and thus are all binding. [He also makes this point in Matthew 23:16-22].

So when Jesus says, do not swear “at all” he means that all promissory oaths are forbidden – explicit God oaths and substitute oaths without God’s name since these imply God, too.

3. Why we shouldn’t swear promissory oaths – “for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes,’ ‘Yes,’ or ‘No,’ “No,’; anything more than this comes from the evil one” – Matthew 5:36-37.

Jesus forbids swearing promissory oaths because of our inability to do things – “to make one hair white or black.” The focus is on human weakness. We can’t always carry through on our promises.

Although it is not stated, looming behind this is, no doubt, Exodus 20:7 – don’t take God’s name in vain. Since we cannot always come through on our sworn promises, we should not entangle God’s holy name with our fallibility. This brings the Name to dishonor and brings judgment upon us.

The phrase – “anything more than this comes from the evil one” probably refers to the arrogance of those who do not see their limitations regarding the future and then involve God’s name in this. We are to be humble about what we can perform in the future.

James 4:16 makes this same point. After talking about boasting over tomorrow, it says – “Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”

Jesus then says, “Let your word be ‘yes,’ ‘yes,’ or ‘no,’ ‘no.’” This means, let our yes be truly a yes and our no truly a no. That is, simply keep your promises; the commitments you make – without using oaths.

Practical application

Jesus does allow testimonial oaths, when we are sure what the truth is, as we see Paul doing from time to time.

His teaching on promissory oaths, however, excludes the traditional political oath of office; the military oath; and the court oath. These are all promissory oaths. You promise ahead of time that you will do a given thing.

But in all of these cases today, as far as I can tell, you can affirm instead of swear – so that you make the commitment simply by giving your word, and not involving God in it. If you find yourself in a court setting, I encourage you to use the affirm option.

In general Jesus’ teaching on promissory oaths calls us to:

Integrity – we should come through on our promises and commitments (without the use of an oath) – Matthew 5:37. Let your reputation for keeping your word be all the credibility you need.

Humility – We are limited in our ability to carry out our intentions. We do not know the future and cannot guarantee it. To try to do so is boastful, arrogant and evil – Matthew 5:33-36; James 4:13-16.

The reverence of God’s name – we especially should not involve God’s holy name by means of an oath with our human weakness and fallibility – Matthew 5:33-37, James 5:12.

William Higgins

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »