April 17, 2011 "Follow the Leader"

MATTHEW 5:33-48                                                                                   APRIL 17, 2011

                                                                            

“FOLLOW THE LEADER”

Many adults are playing the game “follow the leader” without realizing the implications and consequences of following the crowd. It is not always easy to discern to whom one should give allegiance. Following Jesus on the day he entered Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover would have been easy and a fun filled day, in which everyone was praising God and waving palm branches. Yet following Jesus five days later when he was arrested required a greater commitment. The church has always been plagued with insincere followers, who desire cheap grace. Cheap grace is when one wants the benefit of being forgiven for one’s sins without actually living in obedience to the will of God. It is much easier to talk about love and forgiveness without actually having to forgive others and “turn the other cheek”. This passage in Matthew 5 lays out how Jesus expects his followers to act and react.

The swearing of oaths to verify the truth of your words was standard daily practice in the days of Jesus. As always the Pharisees had developed an elaborate guide in making either positive or negative vows. The Old Testament permitted people to make an oath using the name of God to indicate your sincerity and commitment.  People began to swear an oath that allowed a bit more freedom to fudge just a little. They would say, “I swear by heaven” or “I swear by the earth”. These oaths were not seen to be as binding as swearing by the name of God.

Matthew 5:33-37 (NIV) ³³ "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' ³⁴ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. ³⁶ And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷ Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Christians are to be men and women who are truthful at all times. We should be known for speaking the truth without needing to make an oath declaring our truthfulness. It has been my sad experience when I’ve ridden with law enforcement to discover that when someone says “I swear to God”; every single time the person has been lying. Satan loves it when we “feel” that we need to declare that this time we are telling the truth. God holds us accountable for every word. Jesus said in Matthew 12:36-37 (NIV) “³⁶ But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

One of the hard lessons of growing up is to realize that life is not fair. Every human desires justice to be fair and impartial by what ever governing authority is in charge. God established governments to protect their citizens and to punish wrongdoers. Yet the harsh reality is that in this life Christians will encounter those who will not be fair or honest and will seek only what is in their best interest. How are we to respond? The Old Testament standard of fairness was found in “an eye for an eye, and tooth for tooth”. Understand that most societies would often provide punishment that did not fit the crime, so that the biblical standard was a step forward. Yet Jesus asks us to go even further. Matthew 5:38-42 (NIV) ³⁸ "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' ³⁹ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰ And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. ⁴¹ If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

It was an insult when someone struck another person on the cheek. It was similar to the old movies where an offended person would use a glove to strike another on the cheek. Jesus demands that we not take offense when insulted and we are called to not retaliate at all. Roman soldiers would force civilians to make and repair roads or to carry loads down the road. Jesus says basically to not be offended but to go the extra mile as a kindness, instead of being forced. When people are seeking to cheat us Jesus says to give them even more. In living like this we will be responding like our Heavenly Father who continues to give even when we will fail to even say thank you to God for what He has already provided for us. When we return good for evil we are reflecting the love of God. God will judge those who continue to do wrong. They will be held accountable.

Living for Christ means changing how we respond to those who are our enemies. From the Message, “You’re familiar with the old written law, “love you friend, and its unwritten companion, Hate your enemy. I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best – the sun to warm and the rain to nourish – to everyone, regardless: the good and the bad, the nice and the nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run of the mill sinner does that. In a word, what I’m saying is Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”

As Christians we understand what most in this world refuse to believe. God is real and He has sent his son to save us from the coming judgment. Because of our belief we are called to live differently. We are to follow our Leader who set us the example of how to really live. We are called to show love even to our enemies, not to condemn them but to respond in love. God hates the sin, but loves the sinner. We are called to do the same. 2 Peter 3:9-13 (NIV) “⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. ¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.”

We will never be perfect in this life. Yet we must not allow our human failings to be used as an excuse for not seeking to live by Christ’s example. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV), “²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” We are righteous before God because of our faith in Jesus Christ. May we follow our Lord Jesus, wherever He leads. It is time for the church to follow Jesus.

Let us pray.

April 3, 2011 "What Goes on at Communion?"

What Goes on at Communion?

Old Testament Text:  Exodus 24.3-8

New Testament Text:  Hebrews 8.6-13 and 9.13-15

Introduction:  One of the things that Jesus warns us about in the Sermon on the Mount is against the use of vain repetitions in our prayers, and the ironic part of this is that this warning is immediately followed by the Lord’s Prayer, which we repeat every Sunday, often without even thinking about what those words mean – in other words: a vain repetition. 

    Now the same thing may happen in the Communion Service which we celebrate every month.  We may even know the words by heart.  And once we get the words down by heart, we can disengage our minds and start thinking about something else, like, “Did I turn off the stove before we left home this morning”, or “Did I lock the door of the house, or the car?”

  So, today, I would like to concentrate on just one of the phrases that Jesus used at the Last Supper: “This cup is the New Covenant in my blood. ”The key words in this phrase are “Covenant” and “Blood”.

I.            First:  Covenant.  What is a covenant?  A Covenant is an agreement, a contract, an alliance, a pact between two parties based on a mutual commitment and promises made by both parties.  The most common covenant we know about is the marriage covenant between husband and wife, based on their mutual commitment to each other, and on the promises they make to each other.

But also, any contract, an insurance contract, a mortgage, even Social Security is a covenant in which two parties agree to commit themselves to each other, making promises to each other.

Now, God is a God who likes to make covenants with people.  He has done this all down through history, beginning with Adam and Eve.  He did it with Noah.  He did it with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  He did it with Joshua for the conquest of Canaan.  He did it with David and Solomon for the establishment of David’s Dynasty in Jerusalem.

But the Biggies, the most important covenants in the Bible, are   so big that our entire Bibles are divided up between them, and they are called the “Old Covenant” or Testament, and the “New Covenant” or Testament.  In a moment we will be talking about the difference between the two.

But first, why do we find so  many covenants in the Bible?  Good question!  And, the only answer I can give you is that That is simply the way God is!  God likes to work with people.  He loves people, and even when we may not like him, or try to keep him at arm’s length or ignore him, He keeps on loving us, and pleads with us, Work with me, People!

God is a people God.  He used to come down and stroll in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. One hot afternoon, he came to Abraham’s tent and had pancakes and cheese with him and Sarah.  One time, he wrestled all night long with Jacob!

Then, he came in the person of Jesus to spend 33 years in the midst of his people.  So that in Revelation 21.3 at the end of the whole human story, at the tag end of the Bible, we read the final conclusion of the Bible, “Behold, the dwelling place of Gopd is with his people.  He will live with them.  He will be their God and they will be his people.”

II.          Now we come to the Blood of the Covenant.  We saw in Exodus 24 and Hebrews that both Covenants, the Old and the New, have blood attached to them.

    In the Old Testament, whenever the Old Covenant was celebrated, they sacrificed a young bull and took that blood and sprinkled half of it on the Altar and half on the people.

    Now, what is this thing about the blood?  According to Leviticus  17, Blood means Life.  Ancient peoples, including the Hebrews observed that when a person was wounded and lost enough blood, he or she died – so they concluded that the life of the person was in the blood.  And, it is true.  Even today in our sophisticated scientific society, lives are saved by blood transfusions!  Blood means life, and blood poured out means life poured out – life sacrificed!

    Now, in the Old Covenant, that blood belonged to a young bull or another animal such as a heifer or lamb or goat.  But they had to be without blemish, healthy, not lame, and completely clean – externally.  They also cost something!  They cost the owner a valuable head of livestock, and of course they cost the life of the animal sacrificed.  The only thing was that this unblemished perfection of the animal was only external – on the outside!  That was the old system – and an externally clean sacrifice could only purify worshippers on the outside.   (Read Heb. 9). It could never penetrate the conscience of the worshipper!  The key question is, How can any sacrifice penetrate and change the conscience of the worshipper?

   What the author of Hebrews is saying is this externally unblemished costly blood sacrifice was a foreshadowing of things to come: the infinitely costly sacrifice of Jesus, the perfect Son of God.  So now we need to compare and contrast the difference between the sacrifice (blood) of an externally unblemished irrational animal with that of Jesus, the perfect Son of God.

a.              Irrational animals under the Old Covenant had to be clean on the outside.  Jesus was clean on the inside.  Jesus was innocent of all sin.  Not because he was not tempted.  He was tempted as no other human being ever was.  Satan exhausted all his powers of temptation with Jesus, and He resisted them all!  Have you or I ever resisted temptation until Satan walked away totally frustrated with us?  Not really.  If he doesn’t get me on Monday, he will on Tuesday, and if not on Tuesday, he will get me on Wednesday!  But Jesus resusted, and emerged from His temptations totally clean –inside!

b.               Irrational animals could never understand what was happening to them at their sacrifice.  They had to be lead to their death!  Jesus, by contrast, went to his death voluntarily.  Listen to what he says in John 10,18: “I lay down my life for my sheep…no one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own accord.”

c.             Now, think of this:  The difference between the value of a human life as over against that of an irrational animal.  But if you run over a human being;  that is infinitely more traumatic.

     So, the value of this blood, the life-blood of Jesus is infinitely greater than any blood shed by an irrational animal.  And when we consider that this is not just any human being, ,but the absolutely innocent Son of God who gave up his life-blood for us under the New Covenant, does not this reach into the very heart of your conscience?

III.        Now, just a final word about the Promises of the New Covenant.  Remember that we said that all covenants of the Old Testament included promises?  According to Heb. 8.6, the promises of the New Covenant are better than those of the Old Covenant.  In all of the Old Testament Covenants, God promised land, fertility, prosperity, military victories, large families, longevity, political longevity and material wealth.

Today, I want to focus on just one of the promises of the New Covenant, and here it is:  “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”  I will forgive and forget!  Think about that!

It may be relatively easy to forgive an offense you have suffered – maybe after some time has passed, but to forget (!)  Almost impossible!  It costs too much to my pride.  If you think it costs us too much for a simple offense, how much do you think it costs God to look down on his perfect Son in whom He has always been pleased, to suffer hour by hour on the Cross?!  At the Communion service, we learn how much it costs our Heavenly Father, because Jesus said,  “This cup is the New Covenant in my blood  which can be also expressed, “This is the New Covenant at the cost of my blood. God in Christ established the New Covenant, of infinite forgiveness, but it cost him his life-blood.

In Conclusion, a final word about what we call Baptism and Communion.  They are called sacraments.  Sacrament is an interesting word.  You won’t find it in the Bible, but you will in the dictionary.  It is a word that the early church came up with to describe Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

The word “Sacrament” originally in the Latin meant a Military oath of allegiance , or a sum of money deposited by two parties to an agreement, sort of like “earnest money” in a financial agreement.  So, Sacrament was a commitment of loyalty, and that is a very appropriate way to describe the Lord’s Supper or Communion.  When we partake of this meal, we commit ourselves to Him to be faithful in “announcing the Lord’s death until he comes.”

So, as we gather around this table, let us remember and be thankful that our God is a people God, who seeks to work with us in this Covenant and who has proven his commitment with the life-blood of his beloved Son and has freed us from all our wickedness and sins:  forgiven and forgotten!

And, may we be faithful in witnessing in our life and works to the Lord’s death – until He comes!

MARCH 20, 2011 “SEEING THROUGH THE LENSES OF CHRIST!”

MATTHEW 5:17-20                                                                             MARCH 20, 2011

                                                                            

“SEEING THROUGH THE LENSES OF CHRIST!”

Many people visit either an optometrist or ophthalmologist several times during their lives. As a result most of us have experienced peering through the machine in which we seek to determine which lenses are clearer or more visible. I’ve heard that this machine has been updated and is much quicker and easier. Yet the principle is the same in that to see most clearly we must determine which set of lenses we need to use. I often come across Christians who are frustrated with the Old Testament. They are frustrated with seeking to understand the role of animal sacrifices, the laws and purity requirements, the role of the Temple and how the people worshipped, as well as the role of prophets, priests, and the king. These four verses in Matthew provide us with the Rosetta stone; the lenses Christians need use to have a clearer view of the Old Testament.

Gossip, rumor and innuendo are not recent inventions, but they are vices that have existed since Adam and Eve got neighbors. As soon as Jesus began his ministry he gained a large number of critics who accused and maligned him with a great number of falsehoods. The Pharisees had several different schools of thought (on how to interpret the scripture) and everyone was trying to make Jesus choose between one of the groups. Some of his critics had apparently accused Jesus of seeking to dispose of the Law all together. Matthew 5:17-20 (NIV) Jesus said ¹⁷ "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Jesus refers to the Law or the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, & Deuteronomy. The Prophets included the major and Minor Prophets, and all of the other books. (61 books) Jesus did not play by the rules of the religious leaders as he did not choose one of the established theological schools of interpretation. He obeyed the rules of his father. Jesus came from God to set things straight. Jesus confronted the accusation of disposing of the Law, with a bold announcement that he came not to abolish the Old Testament scriptures but to fulfill them. 

Some have thought that Jesus being perfect meant that he had completely fulfilled the requirements of the Law. Jesus did obey and follow all of the commandments but Jesus came to do even more than be perfect in his actions. Jesus came to open our eyes, hearts, and minds to understand more fully what God intended. The Sermon on the Mount is the best example of Jesus showing his followers how to go deeper in loving and serving God.

Jesus said “¹⁸ I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Some of the letters in the Jewish alphabet are very similar and they are only distinguished from one another by a small stroke of the pen. I have heard some Christians say we do not need the Old Testament. Yet, I doubt they would argue with Jesus! (Then again, I’m not sure.) All of the scriptures, the Old Testament and the New, are the Word of God and we ignore any part of it at our peril.

Look closely at the two phrases that begin with the word until. “Until heaven and earth disappear” and not “until everything is accomplished” indicates that the scriptures will remain until the end of time of this earth. God has provided his word and then Jesus, the Son, even came to clear up humanity’s misunderstanding of the word. So, we must not ignore the Old Testament. I simply do not understand how Christians (those who identify themselves as Christians) can reject any part of scripture. The 12 disciples understood the full authority of scripture as did Paul. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) “¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Jesus said  ¹⁹ Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. What did Jesus mean by talking about the least of the commandments? The teachers of the Law (scribes) taught that there were two classifications of the commandments: the light and the weighty. The light commands were those like the obligation to tithe even your garden vegetables. One of the weighty commands was taking God’s name in vain, or keeping the Sabbath, or not cheating the poor or widows. Some of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law twisted the scriptures for the sake of their own traditions (see Matthew 15:1-20) and taught ways to get around even the weighty commands of scripture. A Christian should not be judgmental, but neither should we be so lax as to indicate that we can ignore those scriptures we do not like.

The current presidential administration has gone too far in not upholding marriage as being between a man and a woman. The attorney general announced a few weeks ago that the department of Justice would no longer support traditional marriage. Whenever a government fails to uphold the moral structures of society and promotes the breaking of God’s law in supporting same sex marriages and abortion then the church must speak out against these evils. Not one part of God’s law is to be ignored.

Jesus said ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Do not misunderstand Jesus. Jesus was not condemning the Pharisees for obeying the commands of God. However, Jesus was condemning the Pharisees for separating external obedience from having an inner call to love the Lord. The Pharisees had twisted the meaning of obedience to only mean an external compliance of the law. This is what is meant by “the letter of the law”. The scripture has always taught obedience must come from the heart. Psalm 51:16-17 (NIV) “¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. ¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” One of the prophecies Jesus fulfilled was from Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NIV) “²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Obedience must originate from the heart.

Jesus when asked what the greatest commandment was, responded in Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV) “³⁷ Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." This is what Jesus taught. We are to read and study the Old Testament through the lenses of Christ who completely fulfilled the Law. We can now understand the Old Testament because Jesus taught us how to do so. We are saved by God’s grace. Because of that amazing grace the Spirit works a wonderful change in us as we draw closer to our Lord and seek to follow Him. The change must begin within our heart and yet one can observe the changes begin on the outside and work their way slowly into every part of our body, our mind, and our soul. A young believer will make external changes: like going to church and being baptized. As we read the word of God it works into our minds to then change attitudes and habits. These inner changes are a part of our spiritual growth. Do not let Satan rob you of the richness of love, grace, and mercy that flows from Christ through all of the Word of God. Read the Old Testament through the lenses of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Look at the pattern Jesus used in the Sermon on the Mount to then read the Old Testament. And you will then be blessed!

Let us pray.