Life on the edge

Will the Real Church Please Stand Up?

Introduction

September 25, 2011

Matthew 16:13-19 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 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. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Over the next 5 to 6 weeks my desire is for us to take a journey toward a greater understanding of how to define the church, what makes a church successful and why we need to support and participate in the life of the church. During this series we will look at a number of things:

1. How do we define the church?
   
2. What does a godly church look like?
   
3. What is the mission and purpose of the church?
   
4. Why do we have so many different denominations?
   
5. Why do some churches make it and others fail?
   
6. What are the ordinances of the church: baptism and Lord’s Supper? How do we interpret these and how do we apply them into the life of the church as well as into personal lives.
   
7. How do things work here at PCC? How are decisions made? Who runs the church?
   
8. What is the vision and purpose of PCC?
   
9. What does it mean to be a member of a local congregation? Why should I consider membership?
   

These and other questions will be answered during the course of this study. The goal of this series is to be biblical, to be fun, to be practical and to be able address as many questions about the church as possible.

This morning I would like to begin the series by looking at how we should define the church. In our scripture text, we see Jesus asking an important question; “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” This is an important question because our response to the question “Who do people say that the son of Man is?” or “Who do you say I am?” will determine our view of the church and of our life as a believer. Secondarily, our view of Christ is will determine the kind of church that we will have since Christ is the foundation and focus of the church. We must remember that he is the Great Shepherd and we are the under shepherds.

As our understanding of Christ grows so will our understanding of the church. In the world there are many different thoughts about who Christ is. Some say that he is only a great teacher, others say that he is only a great prophet. There has also been some that have an understanding that Jesus is a mystical being that does not have any impact in the world today. Others believe that while Jesus lived he did not do the miracles that were ascribed to Him. Others believe that whatever we ask He will give us even though what we ask could be against His will. IF you have a small view of Christ you will have a small view and a misguided view of what the church should be. But to be effective we must know that Jesus is a teacher and he is a prophet but he is the Messiah, the promised one who will redeem the world. As our understanding grows we will begin live as if He is real and that He will do what He says that He will do.

Peter who is often the spokesman for the group answers the question on behalf of the other disciples. He states that you are Christ, the son of the living God.” Peter is recognizing that Jesus is more than a church planter but that He is the one who will build, keep and redeem the church.

It is at this stage that Jesus makes a prophetic proclamation. He proclaims that “Upon this rock I will build my church.” It is critical that we look at a couple of things in this passage. First, Jesus uses a play on words here. When he says “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” what he is saying is “Peter you are a small stone (PETROS) but on a great solid rock (PETRA) I will build my church.” Two things can be seen through this passage. For one Peter might be a part of the church but he is not the foundation or the basis of the church. As 1 Peter 1:5 states we are all living stones that are built into a spiritual house. Peter may be a part of the church but he is not the church by himself. All of the disciples and all believers past and present make up the church.

Secondly, we must see that this is a triumphant promise which represents Christ’s authority. In essence, the church’s success is not ultimately dependent on human initiative or human wisdom or human perseverance. It is ultimately dependent on the power and wisdom and faithfulness of the risen and living Christ to keep the promise that “I will build my church.” Not, “You will build my church.” Or, “Missionaries will build my church.” Or, “Pastors will build my church.” But, “I will build my church.” That is the promise and that is what we must hold onto.

When Jesus references the church here he is speaking of the church-at-large – the universal church. We must understand that there is a local expression of Christ’s church but here in this passage Jesus is relating to the church as a whole and not just a local expression.

The basis of a good understanding will be realized as we understand that His church will be built on the revelation that He is the Messiah and all that He accomplished on the cross and in the Resurrection. He died for the church so that the church will be a powerful influence in the community and to bring the reign of God into every sphere of influence they may have.

What Jesus wants us to know is that there is nothing that can destroy God’s church. Not even the gates of hell can destroy the universal church. Unfortunately, we have seen some local churches fall apart and be destroyed. While time does not allow us to facilitate a complete discussion of this issue at this time we will cover this issue in full in a later sermon.
 

To fully understand the church we must also recognize that there is the visible and invisible church. The visible church is what everyone sees regardless of their commitment to Christ. When you drive down the road you will see churches of all sizes, shapes and beliefs but that does not make them a true church of Christ. The invisible church is made up of those within the visible church that have made a commitment to follow Christ whatever the cost. You see the church is not a building. It’s a people, with or without a building.

While Jesus promised that the universal church would not be destroyed there are challenges for both the local church and the universal church, today. What are some of these challenges?

• First, the church has lost its influence in the culture.
  
• Secondly, many churches have compromised the gospel.
  
• But this does not mean that God’s church will not be successful because it is His church. You see Jesus says that this church is my church and “I will build my church.” God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). And not only us, but millions more scattered throughout the earth (John 11:52). And he has many people in this community that follow him and serve him (Acts 18:10). Each one of these has been bought by his own blood (Acts 20:28). And he makes us a kingdom of priests that will serve and follow God completely. We will be and are his church. We are not their own. We are bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). We are his. He will gather us to himself and He will build his church.
  

 Matthew 7:28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

As Matthew brings the Sermon on the Mount to a close, he gives us the mood and the sense of the environment when Jesus had completed His teaching. Those who heard Him teach were astonished at His teachings because He spoke as one who had authority and not as the other teachers of His day. He spoke with clarity. He spoke truth. But, He did so with great passion and love. This was the kind of message that you would either love or you would hate depending on your spiritual position.

If we needed to we could sum up the entire message of the Sermon on the Mount with one phrase. We are people of the Kingdom. And, if we are people of the Kingdom then we need to learn the lessons of the Sermon on the Mount and then begin to make application of these truths in our lives. Therefore, if we are people of the kingdom then we should do the following not out of quilt or to punch our good deeds card but because we love God and we desire to honor Him with our lives.

When you are a member of the Kingdom of God there is an understanding that we should live and act differently. As Kingdom minded followers of Christ, we should be setting the tone in our communities, on the job and in our personal relationships. We should be the most trusted and respected people around not because we are in some way special or better than anyone else but because we allow the light of God to shine through us and it is He who draws people to us. But, too often the society in which we live dictates who and what we will be. But Jesus reminds us that:

• We are salt and light (Matt, 5:13-16). We are called by God to make an impact in our community and in the sphere of influence we may have.
• We are the light of the world. We do not have to become light; we simply allow the light of Jesus to shine through us. As we are in His word and in pray God will begin to transform us into His image.

When we are a member of the Kingdom of God we should live within the margins established by God. By margin I mean that we do not see how close to the line we can live and not get hurt but we understand the line and take two steps back. In many cases the concept of margin applies to the business of our lives but that term applies here as well. Do we leave enough of a margin in our lives to provide protection and safety?

• How we treat others (Matt. 5:21-26; 5:31-32; 5:38-41; 5:43-48;7:1; 7:12-14). How do you treat others? Do you treat as you want to be treated or do you use them and abuse them? When living in God’s margin we treat others as we would want to be treated.
• How we handle our thoughts (Matt. 5:27-30)? Do we allow unhealthy and destructive thoughts to guide our lives or do we take every thought captivity for the glory of God (
• How we keep our word (Matt. 5:33-27). Can you be trusted? Do you follow through with what you have committed to do? If not, are you willing to admit that you can’t and seek release from the commitment?

When we are members of the Kingdom of God our goal must be to please God and not men.

• The way we give (Matt. 6:1-4).
• The way we pray (Matt. 6:5-14).
• The way we fast (Matt. 6:16-18).

The problem with the religious leaders of the day they were more interested in what people thought or how they were perceived in the community rather than putting weight in what God thought of them. In all we do, we do it to please God and know to receive the praise of men.

When we are members of the Kingdom of God we must trust in God for our sustenance and the provisions of our needs.

• We will lay our treasure up in heaven (Matt. 6:19-24).
• We will seek the Kingdom of God first (Matt. 6:25-34).

When we are members of the Kingdom of God we will put into practice what we have learned.

• We will be obedient to God’s Word (Matt. 7:15-20; 21-23).
• We will build on the solid rock (Matt. 7:24-27).

Sermon on the Mount

September 11, 2011

How’s your Foundation

Matthew 7:24-27 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Jesus continues to use contrast and hyperbole to teach important life lessons. Thus it is interesting to note in this passage that we have several contrasts and comparisons used by Jesus.

1. He contrasts two kinds of people.
• The first person is described as “wise.” The term here for “wise” has more to do with the quality of the individual rather than specific acts or even one’s right actions. The wise man will build on the foundation of Christ and Christ’s word. Note that this is more of an attitude and a characteristic of who the person is rather than necessarily something that is done. It was not just the act of building on a form foundation that made this person wise but his was his ongoing mental state that made him wise.
• The second person is described as “foolish.” One who is foolish is one who manifests a mental dullness or physical sloth. It is one who is lacking sense, judgment, or discretion. This person would rather cut corners and take the easy way out rather than doing what is necessary to have their life built on a firm and solid foundation. Once again this speaks of the moral character of the person rather than the simple act of building or not building on a firm foundation.
2.  He contrasts two kinds of responses to God’s Word.
• The first person obeyed Christ’s words. Jesus over and over spoke about obedience being a factor of the success of one’s walk with God. In fact, in the Old Testament Samuel spoke to Saul and said that “Obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). In other words, it is possible to do all the right things but in the wrong way because of one’s stubbornness and impatience. In 2 John_1:6 John reminds the passionate follower of Christ that “This love I speak of means that we must live in obedience to God’s commands. The command, as you have all heard from the beginning, is that you must all live in love.”
• The second person rejected or trivializing the word of God. Those who want a religious experience rather than a relationship with a living God. Notice that this is not just a matter of rejecting God’s word but also a matter of trivializing the word. The word “trivialize” means to make it appear unimportant. 
• Have you ever tried to put something together and ignored the directions. I remember a time when my clutch cable broke on a car I had. I got my tools together, took the old cable off and began the process of installing the new cable. After several hours of cracking my knuckles, throwing a wrench or two and mumbling some inappropriate words under my breath I deceived to go to the library and look at the Chilton’s auto repair book for my car. When I looked at the directions I realized that if I started on the other end of the cable that it would go on really easy. So, I went home and in 10 minutes I had the project completed. You see, I didn’t think the instructions were important so I ignored them and it cost me dearly. 
• So it is with the Word of God, we can ignore it or we can believe that it is not important and it will take us longer to get where we are going and will face more frustration and negative response to life than is necessary.
3.  He contrasts two kinds of foundations.
• One man built on a solid foundation. He built upon the solid rock. It was Paul that reminded the Corinthian church that there was no other foundation than the one laid by Jesus and the Apostles. Ephesians 2:20
• The second man built on a sandy foundation. This foundation was not capable of handling what was to be built on it. Paul reminded the Corinthian church that anything but a foundation built on Christ will fail. 1 Cor. 3:12
• We should note that the foundation of a house is a somewhat invisible and sometimes ignored component of the building. It is increasingly evident, however, that attention to good foundation design and construction has significant benefits to the homeowner and the builder, and can avoid some serious future problems.
• Tony Evans tells of a story about a problem he was having with a wall in his home. There was a crack in so he called in a contractor to repair the crack. He came and repaired the crack but to Tony’s amazement a few months later the crack reappeared. So, he called in yet another person who came and repaired the crack. Once again in a short few months the crack reappeared. So he called in yet another person. This person, however, looked at the crack and began to investigate possible causes. In a few moments, he returned to inform Tony that the problem was not the crack in the wall; the problem was with the home’s foundation. The foundation had been settling and thus the crack kept appearing. The cause of the problem was the sheetrock but it was the foundation.
• The is true of us if our spiritual foundation is not solid we will find that we have spiritual cracks that can only be repaired by repairing the foundation.
4. He contrasts two different results.
• The one house endured the storm without damage or concerns.
• The second home suffered great loss (a great fall). One of the reasons this was a great fall was that it was unnecessary. The Word is our guide and it establishes the foundation in our lives. Had the owner built on a firm foundation, he would not have suffered such a great loss.

While Jesus used many comparisons we must also recognize that there are also many similarities in the passage.

1. Both men answered to the same God.
2. They received the same Word.  In this, I am reminded of the parable of the sower (Matt. 13:3-9; Luke 8:5-15). The seed was the same, the sower was the same but the response to the seed was different.
• Some of the seed fell on the path which been hardened by the walk of life and so the seed could not take root. This speaks of the believer who has hardened his/her heart against a specific truth of the Gospel.
• Some seed fell of the rocky ground where the dirt was shallow. The seed took root but was easily destroyed by the heat because it lacked any real root system.
• Some seed fell on the thorny ground which took root but was quickly consumed by the cares of life and issues they confronted.
• But, thank God some seed fell on good soil and flourished.
3. They experienced the same storm. When you think about storms in your life I bet you don’t think about thunderstorms or snowstorms. You probably think about …
• … dealing with a difficult or broken relationship
• … going through a financial crisis
• … withstanding legal problems
• … unpleasant or painful health problems
• … the death of someone you love
• … dealing with rebellious children
• … facing something that brought public disgrace
• … being laid off from work
• … dealing with a conflict situation at work or in church

We all face storms in life but it is the foundation of all our lives that determine the results. It should be noted that building on a solid foundation does not prevent the believer from ever facing difficulty. We will all face storms in our lives. It is how we face the storm that makes all of the difference.

Their decision to obey and follow God’s word makes all of the difference in the outcome. Passionate followers of Christ are those who are passionate about obeying God’s word and following His commands.

As passionate followers of Christ we must recognize that the Word of God and the instruction of Jesus is not just a good book but it gives us instructions for life and in obedience we grow and become effective for Christ.

Peninsula Community Church

September 1, 2011

Two Hearts and a Contrast of Trust

 Jeremiah 17:5-8  Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

If someone wants to sell you a product, one way to get you interested in that product is to get you to imagine what your life would be like without it. For example, if the product is laundry detergent an advertiser might show scenes of children playing in the mud, or spilling red juice on a white t-shirt. Then they might show you a split screen. On one side, the competing product gets the t-shirt almost white, but their product makes the t-shirt come out as white as when it was new. They show that contrast to get you to buy their products. It encourages you to use their soap if you want clean clothes. Thus, they are encouraging you by means of contrast.

Jeremiah presents a Contrast for Encouragement

In this passage, Jeremiah is teaching his readers about the definition of and results of trusting in God vs. the one who trusts in himself. He does this by way of a comparison or contrast between a stunted shrub and a towering tree. What is revealed, in essence, is a clear division between one’s attitude and one’s commitment to follow God with all of their heart.

Description of the man who trusts in his own strength:

1. The first thing we see here is that the man whose trust is in his own strength will be like a shrub in the desert. Shrubs in the desert have no root system so they are easily blown by any and every wind that comes along. This shrub may be alive but barely. This kind of person lacks security and is filled with fear because they do not know what the future may hold. They live a life filled with worry and concern. They try to resolve the issues of life with every kind new product, psychological techniques or medical studies. This kind of person represents a life out of control. This kind of person reminds me of the person that wants to get rich quick. This person will move from business to business without much success in any one of them. They will sell Amway, Shaklee, and join any pyramid scheme possible in hopes of making a fast buck. But these things most often than not leave people broke, confused and angry. Some will play the lottery not for the sport but to use this as a method to get rich.  
2. The second thing we see in this description of the man whose trust is in his own strength is that they will fail to see any good when it comes. When our eyes are on ourselves we can be easily blinded to the good around us. We in essence become negative. We begin to live an Eeyor existence. Remember Eeyor from Winnie the Pooh. He was always down and depressed. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, anhedonic, old grey stuffed donkey.  
3. The third thing we see here is that the man whose trust is in his own strength will dwell in the parched places of the wilderness. He will dwell in an uninhabited salt land. There will be no spiritual fruit in his life and very little other fruit for that matter. They will have very little existence except for a personal self-absorption that focuses on no one but themselves. This kind of person is robbed of joy and life itself. I have to brag on my wife a bit. As most of you know she has MS and battles with various physical issues. She can become tired easily and has pains in her feet, head and arms as a result. But, she has chosen to not allow the pain to affect her and as she often says, she will not waste the pain or allow the pain to distract from living life. Why can she do this? It is because her trust is in God.

Description of the man who trusts is in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord: Notice that this man is blessed and not cursed.

1. This kind of man will be like the tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream. This kind of man will receive his sustenance and vitality by being plugged into God’s strength. He is cognizant that he cannot live without God. His trust is in God and His ability to provide no matter what may come. In 1969 my family and I lived through Hurricane Camille which until Hurricane Katrina was the measure of all storms. During the storm we were in upstateAlabama. When we drove home the next day there was a phenomenon that we say on a number of occasions. In the area there were many pecan orchards which were destroyed by the storm but it seemed that in every pecan orchard there was the one oak tree that withstood the wind and the rain. How does one grow their roots and become established. They must be a student of the Word. They must be one who is consistent in prayer. And, they must be in fellowship with fellow believers.  
2. This kind of man does not fear when the heat comes for he his sustenance comes from God and not his own ability to make things work. While he is effected by the issues of life like everyone one else there is a trust in God that understands He will work things out for His glory and that God’s name will be praised and honored.  
3. This kind of man is not anxious in the year of drought for it does not cease to bear fruit. Even when everything else is dead you will bear fruit because you are plugged in God. He will never leave you nor forsake you. If you abide in me…

 In addition to Jeremiah 17 we also have other passages that encourage us to trust in God:

1. Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not to your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your steps.”
2. Psalm 147:10-11 “His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.”
3. Psalm 33:18-19 “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.”

Where is your trust? Which way of life would best describe you? If you trust self I challenge you to repent and begin a journey to understand what it means to trust God. It does not mean that life will be easy but God will sustain and keep you through whatever comes.

Peninsula Community Church

Sermon on the Mount – Knowing that We Know

September 4, 2011

Matthew 7:21-23  “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do. When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God’s message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’ Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!’

In our study two weeks ago, we saw that Matthew 7:15-20 speaks of false and unsound professions while our passage today, Matthew 7:21-23, speaks of unsound hearing and actions. We saw those who used there positions and there words to control and to use people for their own good. The wolf in sheep’s clothing is one that is all about deceiving others for personal gain and to improve their self-esteem.

While the last passage was about deceiving others for personal gain, the theme of the verse before us today speaks of a self-righteousness that leads to self-deception. In essence, this passage deals with the subject of professing one thing when in reality there is no fruit or evidence that one is who they say they are. This is one of the saddest passages in the Bible for me. It signifies those who were busy doing great things for God without ever establishing a relationship with God. There are those who believe they are doing right but they have never accomplished the one thing that is most important and that is receive Christ as their Savior.

Deception is always a difficult issue to deal with as we honestly believe that we are walking in truth and what we believe about ourselves is true.

As we pursue this discussion it is important for us to determine the reasons we become deceived:

1. One of the first reasons we are deceived is that we have a false assurance in our salvation because of an easy-believism and an acceptance of a cheap grace. 2 Cor. 7:9-10. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. What do I mean when I say an easy believism and cheap grace? I simply mean that we have received what Christ can do for us without receiving Christ. We have confessed but we have not repented. Detriech Bonnhoffer has written extensively about cheap grace. He says that a conversion experience that does not bring change is no conversion experience at all.
2. We come to Christ for the wrong reason because we misunderstand all that Christ has done for us. Eph 1:7, Eph2:7-10. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. In this regard we must understand that just because we were born into a Christian family does not guarantee that we are a Christian and yet so many pursue Christianity without ever developing a personal relationship with the living God. A second consideration here is that too often we want the gifts and benefits of God without the commitment to Christ that is needed.
3. We fail to do self-examinations. 2Cor. 13:5 – Paul calls the Corinthian church to do a self-examination of themselves. How has your life changed since coming to Christ? 
4. We have a fixation on religious activity. One final problem that presents itself is that too often we are fixated on doing things for God rather than being something for God. Those in our passage were effect in what they did but they never had a relationship to the one that they were doing the stuff for.

 How do we know we are believers?

1. We have made a confession of faith and there is an assurance in the heart that God has raised Christ from the grave. In other words there is a belief that Jesus is who He said He is. Romans 10:9-10 – But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
2. For a true believer there is an ongoing process of personal evaluation of one’s self. A part of this comes from the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the other comes from the desire to know that all issues of the faith have been dealt with. 2 Corinthians 13:5 – Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
3. There is a confirmation from the spirit of God. When you are around those who have Christ in their hearts there is a confirmation of this truth. Romans 8:14-17 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
4. A true believer will follow God’s commands and where they fail they will make every effort to bring change and allow God to transform that part of their life. 1 John 2:3-6 – And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
5. A believer will not only hear the words of God but will seek to make application of those words into their lives. They will find their place in the body and then begin to full their calling. James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves.

 The call of Christ is to be obedient to God’s Word and to do His will.

Peninsula Community Church

August 21, 2011

Sermon on the Mount – Fruit and False Prophets

Matthew 7:15-20  “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

It is interesting to note that in the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus dealt with the issue of judging others motives and judging others wrongly. But, in this passage we see that Jesus deals with an issue that requires us to judge another’s fruit and actions.

Once again Jesus uses hyperbole to draw a comparison and to get his hearers attention.  He describes a group of people that is in the church as false prophets and he paints a picture of them as being sheep in wolves clothing. He is saying that outwardly they look inviting and harmless but inwardly they are like ravenous wolves that have come to destroy rather than bring life.

This passage is a passage of warning to the body of Christ today. For one we have become an emotionally driven society. We make decisions most often on emotion or a whim rather than on fact and on the rightness of the decision. We elect people to office because they look good and can present themselves well but have few credentials to back up what they are saying. I have seen this in churches where a pastor is hired because he might be a great orator but that is the extent of their ability. While they are great speakers they fall short in an understanding of how to run the church, their people skills and a basic understanding of a pastor’s role.

Jesus and the early believers knew that there would be false prophets that would arise when see this is a number of passages:

• Matthew 24:11  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
• Matthew 24:23 -24  Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. It is interesting to note that Jesus in verse 14 of Matthew 24 exerts that the Kingdom of Heaven will not be revealed until the whole world has heard the message of Christ’s love.
• Mark 13:21-23  And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.
• 2Peter 2:1-3 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
• 1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

If this is an issue for the church then the question is begged, “How can you spot a wolf in sheep’s clothing?” How do we do this without falsely accusing or judging in a way that is condemned by God in the earlier passage? Let me give you a couple of characteristics of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I must issue a disclaimer and a warning at this stage that we need to be careful in judging others as all of us have foible and shortcomings that may fit into these categories but that does not on its own mean that we are a false prophet or a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

1. The first sign a wolf in sheep’s clothing is that while they appear humble and others oriented they are really self-centered and they are in ministry or a part of a church for their own profit and gain. This works something like this. You have a person who volunteers for things around the church but it is only those things where people will see them working. They will usually make a point of doing or saying something that will attract attention to what they are doing.  In their minds they are “running for office” so people will see how great they are. Their motivation is to get a position in the church so that they can change things or get things done because they believe nothing can happen without their talents and gifts to the body.
2. The second sign of a wolf in sheep’s clothing is that they will twist scripture to fit their needs and to accomplish their purposes. It is interesting to note that folks that fall into this category will have some strange interpretations of key scriptures that always seem to support what they are doing rather than what God desires. They are not interested in the truth but only twisting the scriptures to justify their ways or to manipulate others for their benefit. But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 4:1-7).
3. The third sign of a wolf in sheep’s clothing is that they are men exalters and people pleasers. Someone early in ministry made a statement that I have seen worked out in my life many times. He said beware of those that hug you the hardest because they often have a knife in the other hand. Wolves are men pleasers and they love to give an inordinate amount of praise to those around them.
4. A fourth sign of a wolf in sheep’s clothing is that there will be inconsistencies in what they preach/say and what they do. Wolves are often trying to bring division and disunity into the body so that they can destroy their prey. They will talk about the need for unity but in fact will be an instrument of disunity because they spread gossip and false accusations most often toward the leadership or pastor.

In this passage on two occasions Jesus stated that you will recognize them by their fruit. Give them time and the real person will be revealed. Another saying that has proven to be helpful to me has been “Give people enough rope and they will hang themselves.” In others give some time and people will show their true colors. If the heart is wrong it will not take long before the evil of the heart will be revealed.

Now that we know what a wolf in sheep’s clothing looks like we must then as the question of “How do you deal with a false prophet?”

• This may sound like it is counter to the passage we read but we begin by attempting to bring repentance and you speak the truth in love. I believe this is what is meant by John when he said “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). If you are suspect test the spirit by seeking to bring repentance and restoration to the person and watch how they respond and act.
• You administer great grace. Paul said that grace will cover sin and where there is great sin there will be great grace but that does not allow one to continue in their sin or ways of doing things that brings hurt and pain to others (Rom 5:20-21). Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,  so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
• You must remove them for the health of the body. When every room for repentance and the administering of grace have been advanced and there is evidence that they are in fact a wolf in sheep’s clothing we must remove them so that they cannot bring injury or more woundedness to the body.

While it is easy to point a finger at others we must also look at our own heart for we all have the propensity to act this way in our lives and walk. So how do we counter this for us personally?

• We walk in the Spirit. For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:13-26).
• We live in the word. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32).
• We exhibit  an obedient and repentant lifestyle. We must be approachable and willing to repent when someone points out a sin our life. We must walk in humility and in a prayerful attitude.

Peninsula Community Church

August 14, 2011

Sermon on the Mount – Do Unto Others

Matthew 7:12-14 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

To fully understand the intent of this passage we must understand that the “Golden Rule” is a continuation of the previous verses. Because when we are a member of the Kingdom of God we give good gifts to those around us. Just as God does not play tricks on us we should not do that to others but rather we should treat others as we would want to be treated.
 

This one passage, though it is small, contains more guidance on living life and getting along with others than the sum total of every book ever written. Living by this rule moulds the finest Christian character, one that is well pleasing to God and man. It is for that reason that this command has been called the “Mount Everest of Ethics.”

Because of the connection between the previous verses and the text before us now, we understand that we can and must live graciously with others not according to how they deal with us but according to how God deals with us. Every failure to live by this rule is the result of distrust of God’s gracious provisions. This is worship to God.

Someone has said that it is utterly vain to speak like angels when on our knees before God, if we act like devils in our transactions with men. I have seen this in the way that:

• Husbands treat their wives.
  
• Parents treat their children and the example that is set in the home.
  
• Employers treat their employees and vice versa. On Long Island there was a successful Christian business man who was very wealthy. We knew of several people that worked for him and each one told of stories of how he would abuse and misuse them. He would fail to keep his promises and would attempt to cause people within the organization to fight against one another. He would take the credit that deservingly should have gone to others. He would go into fits of rage at his employees when they made mistakes or failed to complete a project on time. And yet, he was a key leader in a local church.
  

This is a difficult proposition for us today because we are living in a self-centered society that is focused on what “I can get no matter who is hurt along the way.” Because of our self-centeredness we have been conditioned to, as one person has said, do unto others first and then run. In a self-centered society, the tendency is to think of one’s self and what one wants rather than what may benefit the other person.

How many are most resolute in standing up for their own rights, yet have no regard for the rights of others; who are very strict in demanding prompt payment from their debtors, yet are exceedingly slack in meeting the dues of their creditors; who hotly resent being slandered, yet care nothing of other men’s names; who are very hurt when friends fail to sympathize with them in their trouble, vet are callously indifferent to the sorrows of their neighbors. It is vain to parade our orthodoxy in doctrine and prate about the communion we enjoy with Christ, while we pay little or no attention to this important precept. God will not accept our worship if our conduct unto our fellows contradicts our Christian profession.

The ones who complain the most, the ones who gripe the most, who groan the most, that irritate the most, are the ones who do not know how to behave toward others the most. Sadly to say, I think that the philosophy of the world has infiltrated into the church. Their philosophy today is ‘dog eat dog’, do it to others before they do it to you. It is ‘give as good as you get’, but the Lord’s teaching is that you should behave toward others as you would like them to behave toward you. The way people behave towards you is not a gauge as to how you should treat them – if they’re nasty to you, well then they deserve to have a nasty comment made toward them. Whatever they do to you is a measurement of how you should do it to them – the Lord says that is not the measurement of how you should behave, but rather you should treat them as you think they should have treated you.

It is interesting to note, as well, that this passage is often misapplied when we want others to treat us “fairly” or we have been wronged. When someone treats us poorly we are quick to respond “you know the scripture says to do unto others as you would have them do unto you” but we fail to apply this passage to our actions with others. When we are wronged we suddenly expect to be treated fairly but we ourselves do not do this with others.

But, as always, Jesus commands a different attitude. To be a kingdom citizen we are to do to others what we want done to us. This means that quite often we must respond to others with an opposite spirit. If someone is being rude, you become gracious. If they are loud, you become soft. Remember a soft answer turns away wrath.

• We listen to others – One the societal problems today is that we have forgotten how to listen to one another. We are too busy rushing about our duties and responsibilities to really hear what others are saying. By listening to others we will begin to hear the heart of the other person. Tommy Nelson challenges us to listen with our face so that whole being is involved in the process.
  
• We must empathize with others. It is an amazing attitude changer to begin to empathize with others. When we stop to look at where another person is coming from, what they have experienced and what they may be going through our attitude toward that person is changed. To accomplish this we must put ourselves in the other person’s shoes.
  
• We must be other’s focused and not selfish. To accomplish this we must be others focused when dealing with another’s needs. It is like getting a birthday present from someone who gives you what they want you to have versus what you want or need.
  
• People want to be understood. While a pastor on Long Island there was this one pastor that seemed to rub everyone the wrong way. He would often say things that would irritate the other pastors and leaders. He would often tell pastors what they ought to be doing when he himself was not doing what he demanded (in so many words) other pastors to do. People were criticizing him and I got caught up in that criticism until I got to know him. As I got to know him I began to understand where he was coming from and began to understand that it was not his heart to create division. God actually used our relationship to soften his presentation and to show him the error of his ways but this would not have happened had I not spent time with him and began to understand that it was not his heart to wound or hurt others.
  
• We forgive others whether they deserve or not because it is what we would want for our lives. How quick we are to seek to be forgiven but are slow to forgive others the pain we have caused. We attempt to justice our actions instead of working through them.
  

Other passages to consider:

• Jesus in this passage reminds us that by fulfilling this command that we are fulfilling what had been established in the law and in what the prophets had proclaimed. Matthew 22:37-40 – And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord (Agape love that can only come from a life given fully to God) your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” It is in fulfilling the commandment before us today that we can truly have a love for our neighbor. Look at the good Samaritan story.
  
• Philippians 2:3 – Do nothing from rivalry (faction or contention) or conceit (self-conceit or emptiness), but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Humility is what should guide our hearts to fulfill this command.
  
• Romans 13:10 – Love (Agape love) does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. The basis and motivation of fulfilling this command.
  
• 1 Corinthians 10:24 – Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. This is Paul’s version of “Do unto Others as you would have them do unto you.”
  

 Finally, Jesus says that there will few who walk in this obedience and in the understanding of living a kingdom life. But it is many that will chose to live in a selfishly and self-centered lifestyle but this will not be a fulfilling life and it will lead to emotional destruction and turmoil.

Peninsula Community Church

August 7, 2011

Sermon on the Mount – Ask, seek, knock

 Matthew 7:7-14 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

 Prayer of the most powerful disciplines of the Christian faith and yet it is one of the most underused and misused disciplines. Often there are two extremes:

• There is the name and claim mentality where there is no regard for God’s will and purpose. When one is in this mode God is treated as Genie in the lamp or Santa Clause. If we have been good He will give us what we want.
  
• The other extreme is that we believe that God is going to give us what He wants to give us so there is no need to pray. But prayerlessness is one of the greatest diseases to hit the church.
  

Listen to these quotes by Men of God:

 “Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.”  (John Bunyon)

“God shapes the world by prayer. The more prayer there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces of against evil …” (E.M. Bounds)

“The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity. If we want to see mighty wonders of divine power and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and disappointment, let us answer God’s standing challenge, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not!'” (J. Hudson Taylor)

In this passage, many scholars find it interesting that Jesus diverts from the usual focus of countering the unrighteous works of the Pharisees to direct his hearers to the subject of prayer. We must not forget that this passage was a part of a message that Jesus preached at one sitting and was not divided up as we have over the last several months.

One of the reasons Jesus addresses the subject of prayer at this stage is that He wants to remind us that prayer is the greatest resource we have to totally fulfill the commandments listed in the Sermon on the Mount. If we are to be kingdom people who live victorious, righteous lives we must be people of prayer. He reminds those in His presence that to accomplish the things that He has purported, one must be given to prayer. These acts and attitudes described by Jesus cannot be accomplished or realized apart from prayer.

In this passage we see three terms ask, seek and knock. The three terms are verbs that carry the idea of continuing to do something. Therefore they represent a persistent faith. We ask and keep on asking. We seek and keep on seeking. We knock and knocking.

The terms defined –

Ask – a humble, earnest plea – While this term is a humble or earnest plea it also means to ask with urgency, even to the point of demanding. It represents the attitude of one in a lesser position from the one being petitioned. The asking takes on a sense of importance and seriousness. To ask means that we believe that someone is listening. There is also an implication that we are expecting him an answer. It has been noted that asking is what beggars do on the side of the road.

Seek – means to attempt to learn something by careful investigation or searching or to desire to have, experience or try to obtain something from someone. Seeking is asking plus acting. There is an implied petitioning with an active endeavor to fulfill needs. It is the proverbial putting feet to one’s faith. When you seek something you rearrange your priorities so that you can search for what you desire until you find it. If you need a job, you do not sit at home and wait for one to fall in your lap although that could happen. If you have a physical problem, you seek out medical help to solve the problem.

A good analogy here is Jesus’ illustration of heaven being like the merchant who sought fine pearls and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all he had and bought it (Matt. 13:45-46).

Knock – means to rap at a door to gain entrance and thus implies an even greater and more repetitive intensity than either asking or seeking. The English word “knock” comes from the German word “to press.” This speaks of persistent faith and persistent prayer. You know God is listening but you continue to pray until you have an answer. Knocking includes asking plus acting plus preserving. It is like someone who continues to pound on a closed door.

The companion verse that accompanies this verse is James 4:2B-3. James reminds us that to receive from God we must first pray and then we must pray with the right attitude and heart. You do not receive because you do not ask and when you do ask you ask in a selfish manner.

But here in our passage when we ask with the right heart we will receive, when we seek we receive, and when we knock it shall be open.

Form this passage we learn three things:

1. This serves as an illustration of God’s grace and love. We see through this passage that God will not give us anything that we do not need or that which will not benefit us. Notice that the text says that if we ask for a loaf of bread he will not give us a stone. Or if we ask for a snake, He will not give us a serpent. God is not into a bait and switch form of answering prayer. In this regard we must learn to pray according to His will and His plan.
   
2. It reminds us to look to God as our Father. Not withstanding the Word of God, Prayer causes us to turn our face forward more than any other religious exercise we are involved in. In our prayers we focus on who He is and His power to do the impossible.
   
3. We are disciplined and humbled to receive the Father’s gracious provisions so that we might live as kingdom citizens. Divine assistance is needed to carry out Divine requirements. The goal in prayer is to be prepared as citizens of the kingdom so that we can accomplish what He has called us to do and that is to bring God’s reign to the world.
   

Sermon on the Mount

Do Not Judge

Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

The Super Bowl is known as much for its commercials as it is for football, and Super Bowl XXXIX was no different. During that year’ Ameriquest Mortgage Company sponsored two ads. One had a man coming home with a bag of groceries and a bouquet of flowers. He begins dinner by starting a pot of spaghetti sauce. As it simmers, he quickly sets the table where he has placed candles and arranges the flowers. He wants to do something really nice for his wife. But as he cuts up vegetables with a large knife, their furry white cat gets on top of the counter and tips over the pan full of red sauce, landing on the floor in the middle of it. The poor guy picks up the cat dripping with bloody-red sauce with one hand while still holding the large knife in the other — just as his wife walks in the door. At that point the commercial flashes the sign: “Don’t judge too quickly. We won’t”

The second commercial Ameriquest aired had a man talking on a cell phone as he enters a convenience store. He is talking to a friend and says, “Well, that’s a lot of money for a deck.” He picks up a drink and goes to the counter as he says, “I hate to tell you this but you are getting robbed.” The owner of the store is behind the counter with his back turned, and when he hears what the man is saying he looks into the security mirror just as the man puts his hand inside his jacket and tells his friend again, “Did you hear me? You’re getting robbed.” At that point the store owner spins around and sprays him in the eyes with mace. The man’s wife runs out and shocks him with a cattle prod as her husband proceeds to wale on him with a baseball bat. As the man lies dazed on the floor, the words appear: “Don’t judge too quickly. We won’t.”

The passage of scripture, before us this morning, reveals a great truth about how we are to function as Kingdom minded people and how we are to live in a community of believers. In this passage, Jesus deals with the all important discussion about judging others. Jesus reminds us we are not to judge others without looking at our own life and what motivates us to judge.

To “judge” means to look unfavorably on the character and actions of others, which leads invariably to the pronouncing of rash, unjust, and unlovely judgments upon them.

As in previous passages of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is dealing with the pervasive religiosity of the Pharisees who proposed heavy laws and rules that they themselves were incapable of keeping. Again while the Pharisees are not mentioned it is understood that he is dealing with the Pharisaical attitude of judging:

• What they did not understand.
  
• People who were not like them
  
• From a condemning and judgmental heart
  

Jesus was attempting to counter the works and the ways of the Pharisee’s who were critical of everyone, they were curt in their criticism, they lacked compassion and empathy when they critiqued others.

This passage does not outlaw any kind of judgment. “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” John 7:24. So to fully understand this passage we must recognize that Jesus is prohibiting any kind of judgment because we must make judgments all of the time. For example, we are gearing up as a nation to vote for the president next year. In this process you will make a judgment about which candidate will best match our beliefs and our ideologies. So in a real sense we are to use good judgment when we analyze others. The kind of judging that Jesus is dealing with is the unfair, unloving and condemning kind. It is the kind that judges the motives of another without knowing their heart or their reasoning for doing what they do.

Judgmentalism has many forms and it probably sounds a bit too familiar. It happens when we make assumptions about people and when we make blanket statements about a who a person is (e.g., “He’s never going to change”, “She has always been full of herself”, “I know why she did that”). Judgmentalism is a subtle tone that can show up in how we ask questions (e.g., “Was he late again?”, “Did you see what Jane wore today?”, “Can you believe the let their kids do that?”). And it is also at the heart of racism (e.g., White people are so _________, Black people are ______________, Hispanics are so _____________, etc.)

The command about judging is not a retreat from absolute truth or courage to call something or someone out for what they are doing. Some people think that this verse commands no judging as all, as if the Bible’s ethic is relativistic and non-absolute. In other words, some might think that this verse precludes any evaluation of a person’s life or identifying that certain actions are wrong. This often how the verse is used – to back off a truth claim. In this case, people use this verse to claim that identifying someone’s actions as sinful and calling them to account for it is judging.

Lessons from the passage:

1. We will be judged by the same measure that we judge others. Jesus reminds us that the measure that we judge others is the measure of judgment that will be levied against us. It has been said that what we despise in others is often the very thing that has control over us.
   
2. We cannot judge others when we are guilty of the greater offenses. Jesus in this passage uses dramatic hyperbole when He says that we cannot deal with the speck one person’s eye when we have a log in our eye. The idea here is that we must judge that our motivation is pure and that we desire to see healing come to the other person’s life. Paul iterated this in Galatians 6:1 when he stated that Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
   
3. We should and must not judge others as a means to rationalize our personal sin. This is a critical aspect to this discussion of judging others as we often use the judgment of others as a means to rationalize our personal sin. We think that by pointing out sin in others that we are justified in our own sin.
   
4. To judge others we must begin by judging
   ourselves. “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.” 1 Corinthians 11:31 Judgment must begin in our hearts. If we are tempted to judge others we must first search our hearts to see if there be any wicked way in us so that God can bring the restoration we need.
   

Sermon on the Mount

Do not be anxious

Matthew 6:25-34 – “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

In our discussion this morning we will be looking at God’s call for us to refuse to be anxious about those things that we cannot control or change. If we are to be true kingdom people, then we need to be aware of our anxiousness.

The word, anxiety, is an interesting word, and for those of you who are Latin students, you may remember that lying back of our English word “anxiety” is the word angustia, and usually found in the plural form of angustiae.  It means something like, “constrictedness,” “narrowness,” “contractedness.”  The Latin verb ungo means, sometimes, “to throttle,” “to choke,” and it is derived from a Greek word, ungko, which means much the same thing.

The concept of anxiousness is defined by Dr Gary Collins as the inner feeling of apprehension, uneasiness, concern, worry and/or dread which is accompanied by heightened physical arousal.

Psychologists Rollo May has stated that anxiety is one of the most urgent problems of our day. It has been termed the official emotion of our age. It is the basis of all neurosis and it is the most pervasive psychological phenomenon of our time.

People become anxious when one:

• Is faced with a threat,
• Has unresolved and ongoing conflict in their life,
• Is full of fear,
• Has unmet needs,
• One responds to different stimulus.

In history, we have seen the story of kings who would attempt to cause people to surrender to their Lordship by creating anxiousness in their lives. They would withhold things so that they would look to the king to provide for them. And yet in God’s economy, things are different. Jesus does not want us to be anxious but desires that we depend upon Him for our needs because we see the value in it and not because we are forced to by some benefit of the king.

Three times in our passage today Jesus commands us not to be anxious:

1. Verse 25 – Do not be anxious about your life.
2. Verse 31 – Do not be anxious saying what shall we eat.
3. Verse 34 – Do not be anxious about tomorrow.

Seven Reasons not to be anxious: John Piper in his book “What Jesus Demands From the World” noted these seven reasons to be not be anxious.

1. Anxiousness causes us to lose sight of the greatness of life. V25- Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

1. We become anxious because we are afraid that we will:
   1. Lose some pleasures.
   2. Lose some human praise and admiring glances if we did not have nice clothes.
   3. Possibly lose our life if we had no food at all or weren’t protected from the cold.

In essence, we become anxious out of a heart of fear of what might be or what might happen. The key here is that we remember that life has not been given simply for the enjoyment of pleasure but for the enjoyment of God and what He has given us. When we lose sight of this we begin to image that what we possess can bring ultimate enjoyment but the truly real enjoyment comes from knowing God.

2. We don’t have to be anxious because God can be counted on to work for us tomorrow just as much as for today. V26 – Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? This passage is not a lesson in laziness. Birds dig worms; they pad their nests with twigs and leaves. They are busy doing what they know to do and God watches over them. Birds don’t anxiously hoard things as though God will not care for them tomorrow. They go about their work as if when the sun comes up tomorrow, because God will still be God 

3. Anxiousness does not get us anywhere, it is fruitless. V27 – And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
Worry and anxiety in itself does little to change our circumstances and the events of our lives. Whatever problem is causing you to be anxious you can be sure that worrying will not reduce the problem.

4. God delights in adorning His children… V28-30 – And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? The lily has no power in itself to adorn or clothe itself and yet there is a great beauty that is revealed through the lily. If God finds delight in adorning the lilies of the field which are here today and gone tomorrow how much more does he delight in providing for our needs? The adornment of Jesus does not mean that we will have exorbitant clothes, but that we will have what we need. The provision of God does not mean that He will make us rich or that we will even live (some of you will be put to death) but that he will give us all that we need to do the will of God. 

5. V32 – For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Anxiety shows that we are no different from unbelievers. We do seek after things in an anxious manner because one we would stoop to the level of the unbeliever as represented by the word Gentile. And, we understand that God knows what you have need of.

6. V33 – But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. It is a foolish thing to carry burdens which He promised to carry. God provides real things for real needs based upon what He has called us to do.

7. V34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Today has enough troubles without being anxious about what has not even happened yet. Do not bring today’s worries into tomorrow and do not bring tomorrow’s worries into today because each day will have its own issues and problems.

Philippians 4:5B-6 – The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.