Life on the edge

Sermon on the Mount

What’s Love Got To Do With It?

 

Matthew 5:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

 

Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

 

Jesus asserts that a passionate follower of Christ must not only love their neighbor but they must also love those who are considered to be their enemies. What Jesus was saying is that we should love those that we find difficult and hard to love. The fact is that all of us will most likely have someone in our life that we will find it hard to love.

 

In the case of the Pharisees, they held a narrow view of who their neighbor might be and a narrow view concerning whom their love was to be shown as commanded by God in Leviticus 19:18. “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”

 

In Luke 10:27, Christ poses a question to a lawyer who was most likely a Pharisee. Jesus asked him to define “what is written in the law?” The lawyer responded by saying “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus congratulated the lawyer for a correct answer. Then the lawyer in trying to justify himself asked the question of “Who is my neighbor?” You see this is an important question that must be resolved in our hearts. Jesus response was what we know now as the parable of the Good Samaritan. In essence Jesus was saying that anyone we come in contact with is my neighbor.

 

In the passage before us in Matthew 5 and Luke 6, Jesus says that we are not only to love our friends but we are to also to love our enemies. To understand this passage we must define who our enemies might be.

 

Who is our enemy?

1. V44 – Those who persecute us. The scripture says “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” These people are those who oppose you or intentionally try to hurt you. The word “persecute carries with it the idea “to pursue with harmful intentions.” It might include hostility like Christ Himself experienced.
   
2. V45B – Those who oppose you in less dramatic ways – These are the ones who resist your will. This might include the rebellious child or the cantankerous neighbor or the uncaring, non-listening, ill-tempered husband or wife. These can be the daily annoyances of our lives.
   
3. V46-47 – The enemy can be anyone who doesn’t love us. It may be hard to believe but there are people out there that do not love you. We all have them.
   

 

The idea expressed by this passage is that we don’t stop loving because the person does things to offend us, dishonor us, hurt our feelings, disappoint us, frustrate us, threaten us or even kill us. But He says to love them and to keep on loving them.

 

How do we express love to our enemies? Jesus says that we are to “love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you.” The result is that we will act like and be conformed to Christ’s image.

1. We bless them – V47. “If you greet only your brethren.” When you think of the person who is slandering you, and saying untrue and nasty things about you, find ways to work blessing into your thoughts. Speak a blessing out loud. When you are with friends, instead of complaining about your unjust treatment, go out of your way (actively) to speak well of your enemies. Why? To shame them? No — though it will. But to find it in your own heart to love them.
   
2. We do good to them. We find ways to practically meet their needs – V45. When you find a way you can do something good for one of your worst enemies, do it. Not to shame him, but because you are trying to find it in your own evil heart to love him for Jesus’ sake.
   
   1. Proverbs 25:21-22 – If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.
      
   2. Romans 12:19-21 – Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
      
3. We pray for them – V44 – Praying for one of your enemies is one of the deepest forms of love, because it means that you have to really want that something god happen to them. This goes beyond just wanting good things to being in the presence of God who knows our thoughts and the intent of our heart. When you’re praying, you probably pray for your family and your pastor, and your friends and family. Why don’t you begin to pray and intercede for your enemies? Actively. Start to ask God to help them. Ask God to heal the hurts in their lives that are some of the motivators of their evil actions. Ask God to bless them and show mercy to them. Why? To shame them? No, in order to find it in your heart to love them.
   

 

And if you’ll do good when you find opportunities, and bless when you think of them, and pray and intercede earnestly before the Lord, you’ll find that God will begin to put love in your heart toward your enemies. This will be actual love and at times it will sometimes bring loving emotions, too.

 

Why is this important?

It is amazing what happens when we honestly begin to pray and seek God on the other person’s behalf. Praying for others does the following:

1. We show by example what Christ has done for us. We characterize what Christ does for us. He prayed for His enemies on the cross when He prayed forgive them for they don’t know what they do.
   
2. We begin to see the other person as God sees them.
   
3. We allow God to begin to change the way we think about the other person.
   

 

Where does this kind of love come from?

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 we see that Paul explains the nature of love. He states that Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

 

In 1 Corinthians 14:1, Paul challenges the church to “Pursue Love” which in essence means to pursue God because God is love. As we know God we will know His love. You see we are powerless to accomplish these things apart from a work of the Holy Spirit.

 

What Paul in essence does is destroys the legalist act of trying to do these things. The fact it is love that does these things and it is only as we are consumed by God’s love can we accomplish these things.

 

1 John 4:16 – God is love and by pursing love we are in reality pursuing God’s love. Therefore any act of graciousness is actually a result of dwelling in and recognizing how powerful God’s love is.

 

Bertrand Russell a well known British philosopher noted that “The Christian principle, ‘Love your enemy’ is good… There is nothing to be said against it except that it is too difficult for most of us to practice sincerely.”

 

The Pharisees problem is that they were trying to keep the law rather than become the kind of person whose deeds are naturally conforming to the law of God. This kind of love is at the core of what we are or can become in fellowship, not something we do. Then the deeds of love, including loving our enemies, are what that agape love does in us and what we do as the new person we become.

So how do you do it? I don’t think we wait for emotions of love. Rather we start with actions of love, and emotions may follow later. We start doing what Jesus taught right here:

So “what does love have to do with it?” The answer is everything,,,,

 

Peninsula Community Church

Sermon on the Mount

April 3, 2011

Get Mad or Get Even?

 

Matthew 5:38-42 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

 

As I was preparing for this message, I was reminded of the sign in front of a church that read “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.” This was a quote from Gandhi who was a proponent of world peace. What is meant here is that if we react to the negative stimulus in our lives without control we will injure others in the process. This is the truth in many ways.

 

Once again the Pharisees determined that they would take the law into their own hands. If anyone did anything to them they felt justified in revenging the action with equal force. In essence they had misinterpreted God’s purpose behind the proclamation that they were to repay a sum of money equal to the value of the item taken or damaged. The Pharisees exaggerated the purpose of the scripture as dictated by God. They were quick to use the scripture to attack others and to retaliate for what others do.

 

What was proposed in the original law given by God was the law of equivalency which was an attempt to limit the extent of a punishment and to discourage cruelty. In the courts the judge would measure the penalty against the crime committed. In other words the punishment had to fit the crime. In other words if someone broke your arm you could not break both arms of the other person. However, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” as interpreted by the Pharisees promoted revenge, retaliation, and hatred.

 

Rather than respond from a position of love and grace the problem that here is that the Pharisees believed that whatever was done to them that they had the right to retaliate with equal power and aggression. So if you cut me off on the road, I could not rest until I cut you off regardless of the reason you might have done that. If you didn’t say hello to me, then I would ignore you. The problem here is that rather than settle issues the issue is not dealt with and often escalates the issues. This pharisaical teaching would mean that if I felt that someone had said or done something to damage my name or reputation, I must damage his name or reputation an equal amount. How do I know when it is equal? Revenge is so diabolical. This pharisaical teaching was just 180 degrees from the spirit and intent of both tables of the law of love. Love means self-sacrifice and self-denial. They taught the exact reverse of the law of love.

 

While the passage does not promote revenge, retaliation, or hatred the passage does not promote passivity either. Jesus promoted a reaction that is measured and controlled. In fact, the scripture promotes healthy reaction and purposeful assertiveness. This passage is often misinterpreted as that the church needs to be passive and non-assertive in the events of life. This passage is not a call to be a door mat but rather to properly respond to the issues at hand.

 

Three ways to deal with injury and hurt:

• Aggression – retaliation – fight and manipulation. Respond in such a way that would destroy the other person or set one up for a win/lose situation. The goal is to win at any cost.
  
• Assertiveness – face the issues.
  
• Passivity – no action – flight. One would rather run that deal with the issues at hand.
  

 

How to be assertive:

    The natural response to injury is to be either aggressive or to be passive in our approach but God calls to be assertive. When we are personally injured our world does not suddenly become our injury. In other words we understand who has propagated the injury and that it is only them and not the whole world.

• Stand up for one’s personal rights in a way that honors others and shows forth Christ love.
  
• Express thoughts, feelings and ideas in direct, honest and appropriate ways without violating other’s rights. This is not about winning but it is about solving problems.
  
• Christian assertiveness involves respect not deference. Because we respect one another we are willing to deal with the issues at hand.
  
• Christian assertiveness accepts one’s limitations and one’s worth as a child of God.
  

 

One of the issues that keep us from a biblical view of assertiveness is shame. Shame-based people cannot assert themselves because they feel inferior and lower than others. In conflict some fight sinfully but this can be forgiven but for one that fights with shame must be healed before they can fight according to God’s plan and purpose.

 

The tale of the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s feud. What began as a feud over the ownership of a hog, ended with 12 family members dead and several bounty hunters who wanted to cash in on the history of the family.

 

Let me close with this passage: Psalm 37 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

 

Sermon on the Mount – Keeping Your Word

March 27, 2011

Matthew 5:33-37 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

Once again, we find Jesus focusing on another area where the Pharisees presented an outward appearance of righteousness but inwardly they were misled and misguided. Jesus confronts the fact that the Pharisees were using oaths to present themselves as holy or above others. One of the reasons Jesus was countering this is that the Pharisees of the day had a way of swearing that was an attempt to impress others with their sincerity and reliability in order to gain favor and acceptance. The problem here is that they attempted to add weight to the promises they made. It became a competition of sorts of who could swear on the greatest of things.

• Heaven
• The throne of God
• The earth
• One’s head

The greater problem is that in many cases the Pharisees had no intention of following through with their commitment. They were focused on the oath and not the action that was to follow. But Jesus counters with the thought that our word ought to be our bond. When we make a commitment, we must seek to fulfill that commitment because our word should matter.

 What does your word mean? Do you keep your commitments and promises? An article in The Business Journal makes the following statement that is applicable to this discussion. “Keeping your word never goes out of style.” And if the business community recognizes the value of this truth how much more should we as believers keep our word. 

The author of the article continues by saying that “Meeting commitments, exceeding expectations and customer satisfaction are all 21^st century ways to say that keeping your word is not out of style. Unfortunately, I am very concerned, and more and more convinced, that we have raised a whole generation of businesspeople who believe that failing to meet a commitment is acceptable. Perhaps even a way of life. Perhaps even a business strategy.” (Bill Brooks, The Business Journal March 13, 2000)

The great philosopher Woody Allen may have been right when he said that “success is simply showing up.” Lots of people don’t show up at all – and if they do their ethics, honesty and commitment simply don’t.

Making false promises tends to be:

1. Manipulative – We attempt to get others to do what we want by making promises we cannot keep or ever intended to keep. It becomes an issue of what I say and not what I do. It has been said of certain politicians that they often discuss topics and speak to what they would do when in fact they do very little to bring change. When one is manipulative they will say or do anything to get you to do what they want.
2. Self-centered – We often make promises because we want to get someone off of our back or we want them to believe that we are more than we really are. Making oaths can be a self-centered exhibition of pride. But rather than swearing let your word be your bond.
3. Disrespectful of others – By not keeping our promises or commitments we are in essence “dissing” or disrespecting others but God has called us to love others.

 Most common promises:

1. I promise I will do it tomorrow. How many times have we heard of a politician promising to do something if they are re-elected? My question is that, if you are in office, why don’t you do that now.
2. I promise I will never tell anyone.
3. I will call you. Or, I will pray for you.
4. I will never do that again.
5. I promise I will always love you.

 

Pastor’s Discovery Class

The Process of Sin

One constant in our lives is the propensity we have to sin and make mistakes. It happens to all of us and none of us are immune to this event. It is a part of the depravity of mankind that propels him into sin if he does not guard himself. In fact, John states that it is a sin to think that we do not sin. He says “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). 

As I have studied the word of God there seems to be a defined pattern for sin that takes place over and over again. The purpose of this study is to look at this process and to establish ways to diminish the work of sin in our lives.

The pattern or process of sin is illustrated by Adam and Eve, Achan and David. Each of these very clearly followed this pattern. What is the pattern? It is:

• Each of them saw…..
• Each of them coveted…..
• Each of them took ……
• Each of them hid …..
• And, each of them was confronted…..

Let us look at the story of the fall of Adam and Eve and subsequently all of mankind:

Gen 3:1-13 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

A couple of comments before we look at the process:

The temptation to doubt God and to doubt the truth of His word is very real and can lead us into sin. The serpent deceived Eve with doubt and the life long battle of being like God. Notice that the serpent said “did God really say.” This is the one tool that is the most effective in our lives. When thoughts of doubt come we begin to doubt the truth of God’s word and whether or not He is who He says He is and so on. If the enemy can get us to doubt he has us where he wants us.

Secondly, the temptation to be like God is also very real. The serpent convinced Eve that the reason that God did not want them to eat of the fruit of the tree is that in so doing they would become like gods and God did not want that. This has been the battle since that time; e.g. man trying to get to God in his own way or in trying to lower God to his standard. Either way we fail. Today, the big issue is to diminish God and bring Him to our level by saying that we are all gods.

The process:

1. Eve saw that the tree was good for food. It is important to note that no sin had been committed at this juncture. It is not a sin to be tempted. In fact, the Bible says that Jesus was tempted in all points as we were but without sin. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:18) For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15). This is where we get in trouble because sometimes we are convinced that because we were tempted we might as well do the sin. That is wrong.

2. Eve coveted the fruit because she saw that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree would make one wise. Who would not want that but as we have experienced in our lives sin has consequences that must be paid. It is at this stage as we can begin to move into a state of sin when we begin to conspire to act out the sin. We say things like I would do this if no one would find out. James had this to say about being tempted. He stated “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

3. She took of the fruit and ate it and she gave some to her husband. For those who think that Adam was somehow innocent, this passage reminds us that he was just as culpable. He stood by and let his wife fall into the trap of sin that would change the face of the earth and all of mankind forever. Sin has its consequences and their innocence was shattered forever. They now saw that they were naked and they were ashamed.

4. They hid themselves by sewing fig leaves to make loin cloths to hide their nakedness. What God created had now become a shame to them. Think with me about how much in our society is geared towards nudity and sexual immorality. Not only did they attempt to hide themselves by covering up their nudity, they also hid from God. “I heard the sound of you in the Garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself.” In terms of our relationship with God our relationship with Him is always affected when we live in unconfessed sin. Man was cowering in fear and shame. He now had a diminished view of the capacity of God to love him regardless of what he had done.    

5. They were confronted by God. Notice Adam’s response. That woman you gave me. You will know the depth of your sin by how you try to shift blame or divert attention away from the sin you have committed. How do you respond when you are confronted by your sin:

 a. It was that wife or husband you gave me.

b. It was that friend.

c. It wasn’t me.

d. It was not my fault.

e. I didn’t know it was a sin.

 For personal study review the story of Achan and David:

1. The story of Achan – Joshua 7.
2. The story of David – 2 Samuel 11 & 12.

Sermon on the Mount – Pastor’s Class

“Me Angry”

Matthew 5:21-26 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

 Two ways to deal with anger:

1. We internalize it.
2. We vent it.

 What causes us to get angry?

Unmet expectations – when our expectations are not met we often become angry and lash out at those who have failed us.

We have not dealt with issues in the past. When we walk in unforgiveness we have opened a door for anger to take hold of our lives. This is why Paul states that we should not let the sun go down on our anger (Eph. 4:26-27).

Unresolved guilt. When we walk in guilt and condemnation we also open the door to for anger to be manifested in our lives.

We feel abused or used. When someone continues to use us or abuse we often respond in anger. Whether than take our anger out on the one causing the abuse we often take it out on the one we love.

We are angry at someone else but we take it out on others.

We see wrongs done and we see others get away with wrong doing. When we believe that a person is getting away with sin or wrongdoing we can become angry.

There is a difference between righteous anger and anger.

Steps for dealing with anger:

1. Realize there is an offense.
2. Leave your offering.
3. Go.
4. Be reconciled.
5. Then return and offer your gift.

Scriptures for anger:

Psalms 37:7-9 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.

Psalms 103:8-9 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.

Proverbs 14:29 Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

Proverbs 16:32 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

Proverbs 19:11 Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Proverbs 29:22 A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

Ephesians 4:26-27; 31 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Colossians 3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

James 1:19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Sermon on the Mount

“What Were You Thinking”

Matthew 5:27-30 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

In this passage Christ is once again dealing with the Pharisees righteousness. His intent is to show that it is not only the act that is the sin but it is the thought processes and the character of the heart that is just as critical. The reason this is important is that the physical act begins in the heart long before it actually is an action. By this I mean that too often we play out in our minds what it would be like to have item ‘x’ or to do whatever. The Pharisees taught that if someone thought lustfully about someone that no sin was committed because they never had actually committed the act.

Lust is defined as wanting something that one can’t have. Jesus taught that the thoughts of our heart, not surrendered to God, can become actions that wound and hurt others. But, as believers we must deal with our thoughts and emotions before they become actions.

Jesus wants us to understand that it is out of the heart that we respond to the stimulus around us. It is for this reason that we can desire something and yet know that it is very wrong all at the same time.

When we sin there is a process that takes place. We see this in Adam and Eve’s life, in Achan and in David. In each of these cases we see what will occur when we do not control our thoughts and emotions. In every one of these cases the process was the same.

They saw the apple, the gold and the naked Bathsheba.

They coveted the apple, the gold or the woman.

In each case they took what they coveted. Have you ever notice how much sin draws you.

And in the end they tried to hide what they had done.

But in the end each one were caught. God came walking in the cool of the day. The army of Israel was defeated at Ai. And David was confronted by Nathan…

To offend is the same word as a spring loaded trap. This is the reason that Jesus says that if our eye offends us or causes us to sin that we are to pluck it or if our hand causes you to sin then it should be cut off as well. If you do not guard your eyes and your life you will place yourself in the place where the trap of sin will overtake you.

It is for this reason that John states that we should (1John 2:15-17) – Not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions–is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

  How do we combat the lusts:

We take every thought captive by controlling what we see and what we read – 2Corinthians 10:3-6 – For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

We set up boundaries. Job said that he made a covenant with his eyes. (Job 31:1).

We meditate on the word of God. Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11.

We pray for God’s guidance and protection. The Psalmist said it this way Psalm 141:3  Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!

 What we put into our minds shape and mold who we are and it shapes and molds our emotions.

Let me close with this. I recognize that in this room there are those of that are dealing with many different things. But there is one thing that you need to know. God loves you. There is nothing that we can do to stop God’s love. He loves us now as much as He ever will and that means even when we sin or we make big mistakes, He still loves us.

The Righteousness of the Pharisees exposed :

 The following is a summary of Matthew 23 and Jesus’ criticism of their lifestyle.

1. The Pharisees did not practice what they preach. They are the do as I say group and not the do as I do.

2. The Pharisees burdened the people with rules and regulations that the Pharisees could not keep.

3. The Pharisees were more concerned about their outward appearances but inside they were dead and lifeless. Their righteousness was based on how they dressed and how they performed the tasks they were to do.

4. The Pharisees aimed to gain the praise of men rather than the applause of God.

 Twelve steps to being a recovering Pharisee: The following are taken from the book 12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee (like me) by John Fischer

 1. We must admit that we all tend to judge others.

 2. We must realize that we believe everyone else is lower than us in our minds..

 3. We realize that we detest mercy being given to those who unlike us, haven’t worked for it and don’t deserve it.

 4. We have decided that we don’t want to get what we deserve after all, and we don’t want anyone else to either.

 5. We will cease to apply teaching and rebuke to anyone but ourselves.

 6. We are ready to have God remove all these defects of attitude and character.

 7. We embrace the belief that we are, and always will be experts at sinning.

 8. We are looking closely at the lives of famous men and women of the Bible who turned out to be ordinary sinners like us.

 9. We are seeking through prayer and mediation to make a conscious effort to consider others better than ourselves.

 10. We embrace the state of astonishment and glorious reality.

 11. We choose to rid ourselves of any attitude that is not bathed in gratitude.

 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we will try to carry this message to others who think that Christians are better than everyone else.

Being a Church on Mission

How Are You Seasoning Those Around You?

Matthew 5:13-16 – “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

To be the salt of earth and the light of the world we must develop an understanding of what does it mean to be a Church on Mission – Being a church on mission means that we are intentional and deliberate about reaching others for Christ. It means we are missionaries without ever leaving our zip code. It means we do missions right where God has planted us—in our community, on the job, with family, at school or wherever you find people who are not churched or may be unsaved and have a need for a personal encounter with Christ.

 Notice two words in our definition:

1. We are intentional – We purpose in our heart to reach our community for Christ. This does not happen by accident, it must be a lifestyle that establishes in each of us a desire to those around us to come into a personal encounter with a living God.
2. We are deliberate – We watch for opportunities to share our faith with others. We watch for opportunities to be Christ to another. We might be Christ incarnate to others. Someone has said that we should preach all of the time and some times we use words.
3. We do so without ever leaving our zip code. This does not mean that we do not go on foreign mission trips; it simply means that we recognize our mission field is where we have a sphere of influence.

 Notice that word program is not used. This is not about establishing another program in the church but rather it is about a lifestyle of passionately displaying the life of Christ so that others can experience His love and touch of grace.

The core values of being on mission:

Every believer is a missionary and every believer is a minister.  In the NT we do not see a biblical distinction between evangelism and missions. In fact the word mission or missions is never used in the NT. We are called to share the message of hope to all we encounter that are open to hear the message.

2 Timothy 4: 5 –As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

 Acts 10:42 – And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

Colossians 4:6 – Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Matthew 28:18-20 – And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Mark 16:15 – And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

We need to build relationships because in building relationships with others they will be more open to hear the message of Christ’s love.  Spend time getting to know others so that trust will grow. Think about how you came to know Christ. Was it not from a personal encounter with someone who loved you enough to share Christ?

We need to love exceptionally because in evangelism our actions speak as loud as our words. Maybe you have become aware of some hardship or a project your neighbor or co-worker is facing. Is there some way that you and your family may help in these things? Jesus knew how our actions speak as loud as our message, so he teaches us to “let our light shine before other men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

We need to proclaim courageously as this kind of evangelism is different than proclamation evangelism, so you may not share the gospel the first time you meet. But, be sensitive to the Spirit’s work and if he opens the door, don’t wait too long before you lead the conversation to spiritual things and to the good news about Jesus Christ.

We must talk their language by speaking in their vernacular.

• The missional church avoids ‘tribal’ language, stylized prayer language, unnecessary evangelical pious ‘jargon’, and archaic language that seeks to set a ‘spritual tone.’
•  The missional church avoids ‘we-them’ language, disdainful jokes that mock people of different politics and beliefs, and dismissive, disrespectful comments about those who differ with us.
•  The missional church avoids ever talking as if non-believing people are not present. If you speak and discourse as if your whole neighborhood is present (not just scattered Christians), eventually more and more of your neighborhood will find their way in or be invited. Unless all of the above is the outflow of a truly humble-bold gospel-changed heart, it is all just ‘marketing’ and ‘spin.’

 We must practice Christian unity as much as possible on the local level. Today it is much more illuminating and helpful for a church to define itself over against the world’s values and the non-Christian culture rather than against other believers. It is very important that we not spend our time bashing and criticizing other kinds of churches. While we must align ourselves to denominations that share our distinctives, at the local level we must cooperate and reach out to and support other congregations and churches in our local area.

Characteristics of missional churches – Minfred Minatrea studied a number of missional churches. He defined missional churches as “Reproducing communities of authentic disciples, being equipped as missionaries sent by God, to live and proclaim his kingdom in their world.” He noted nine practices that they have in common (with my explanatory phrases in parentheses):

1. Having a high threshold for membership (high expectations for believers).
2. Being real, not real religious (being transparent, authentic, with one foot in “the world.”).
3. Teaching to obey rather than to know (a practical faith).
4.  Rewriting worship every week (Creative, participatory Sunday morning services).
5. Living apostolically (each believer as a missionary).
6. Expecting to change the world (aggressively engaged in transforming communities).
7. Ordering actions according to purpose. (Ruthless aligning of resources with mission) .
8. Measuring growth by capacity to release rather than retain. (Not megachurches but multiplying churches).
9. Placing kingdom concerns first (in contrast to denomination first. Thus, cooperation with other churches).

CONFRONTATIONAL vs. PRAYER EVANGELISM

Confrontational Evangelism has followed this sequence:

1. First knock on a door to meet a stranger.
2. You have no credibility because you look just like other religious groups who use this approach.
3. You intentionally patronize with a spiritual “one-upmanship,” i.e. “I have something you need,” or “your life is not right,” etc.

As you can imagine, the confrontational approach is threatening to the average believer, let alone the average resident who has faced too many of these situations before. As a result, only a small number of believers participate in evangelistic ministry, a ministry that is meant for all.
Prayer Evangelism follows the pattern of Luke 10:5-9:

1. Speak peace – give blessing.
2. Remain in the house – establish a relationship.
3. Heal the sick – discover felt needs and pray for them.
4. Proclaim the Kingdom of God is near – invite them to receive Christ.