Reflexion Connexion

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“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” Matthew 7:12-14

Intro: You may hear something today you haven’t heard before

So I’m going to try to make this as clear as possible
– we need to consider the larger context that surrounds and informs verses 12-14
• not only the context of this chapter, but in Jesus’ entire Sermon
– the first big idea is this:
• the key to interpreting these verses is love
• it may not look like it at first, so we jump to other verses to shed light on these
◦ but those similarities turn out to be coincidence and not real connections
◦ if we stay with the themes of the Sermon, we will see how these verses fit

Three times in Matthew we find the phrase, “the Law and the Prophets”
– two of those times occur here in the Sermon
• in one other place he says “the Prophets and the Law” — reversing the order
◦ there Jesus is referring to John the Baptist’s ministry, and he said,
“For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John” (Mt. 11:13)
◦ so maybe that is why he mentioned the Prophets first
• otherwise, here is what Jesus says,

1. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Mt. 5:17)
2. “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Mt. 7:12)
3. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord 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” (Mt. 22:36-40)
   • in the first quote Jesus adds, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”
     • we saw, that doesn’t mean we have to obey more rules,
     ◦ or we have to be more strict, or more religious than they were
     ◦ our righteousness must be of a different kind than the scribes’ and Pharisees’
     • ours must integrate both our heart and our actions
     ◦ we can’t put on our practice of righteousness for show
   • but the most important distinction is the nature of righteous
     • it is not primarily ethical or moral, but relational
     ◦ and that’s what we learn from the two other quotes
     ◦ the essence of the Law and Prophets is the way of love
     • Jesus takes love to an extreme degree: love your enemy
     ◦ love fulfills every law and every prophetic pronouncement
     “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Gal. 5:14)
     “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Ro. 13:8)
   • this is the righteousness that exceeds scribes and Pharisees
     • this is the background and context for our verses today
     • and that’s why I say, key to interpreting these verses is love

Jesus packs the essence of entire Sermon into a proverb
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:12

A proverb is one of our most useful “memory tools”
– wisdom is packaged into a short verse, of generally two lines
• “A bird in the hand . . .” – “A stitch in time . . .”
◦ if you’re as old as I am, you probably know two dozen proverbs or more
• if I were to ask, “What is a simple way to love my neighbor as myself?”
◦ an easy reminder is,
“Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them”
– the message is so clear, that I don’t need to explain it
• all we need is the reminder
◦ however, some people love to find (or create) complications
• for instance, a lawyer asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life
◦ Jesus proved that he already knew the answer, by asking him,
“What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “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” (Lk. 10:26-27)
◦ but after Jesus told him “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live,” the lawyer, wanting to embarrass Jesus with a tricky question, asked him, “And who is my neighbor?”
• this is a classic maneuver – it even has a name: “equivocate”
◦ it creates problems where there are none
◦ lawyers are especially adept at using it (to confuse a witness or a jury)

Please bear with me, because I don’t mean to offend, but clarify
– when we quote the scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself”
• many people will say, “But what if I hate myself?”
◦ they turn the quote into a psychological dilemma
◦ it suggests that we must first learn to love ourselves
• the Bible assumes that each of us do love ourselves
◦ only sometimes does biblical love refer to an emotion or feeling
◦ usually it refers to the way we behave toward someone or take care of others
“For no one ever hated [their] own body, but nourishes and cherishes it” (Ep. 5:29)
– if it’s true, that I don’t like myself, why not?
• is it because I want so much more for myself? believe I could be so much more?
◦ is it because I’m not satisfied with who I am, or pleased with what I am?
◦ these are all indications of our normal self-love
• in my deepest depression, when I just wanted to die, I may have felt like I hated myself,
◦ but it was because I loved myself that I could not stand to live in so much misery

If what I’ve said isn’t convincing, then forget it
– we can come at this another way
• let’s say you can’t love others as you love yourself
• well, Jesus has an alternative for you–a new commandment!
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (Jn. 13:34)
◦ (that’s enough to make me want to love others as myself! Jesus’ love for us cost him his life)
– Jesus hasn’t left room for excuses–as if we don’t know how to love
• the last thing we read last week was, as imperfect as we are, we still know how to give good gifts to our children
◦ being imperfect (evil) might be a valid excuse not to love
◦ but even still, we know what it means to do good
• we also know when someone has done something good for us
◦ and this can be something as simple as a pleasant smile

In these next two verses, Jesus does not change the subject
“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 s narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” Matthew 12:13-14

Jesus is still concerned with how we treat others
– that it is with love
• look, Jesus has already taught us, “Love your enemies”
• few of us are capable of doing this–or willing to do it
◦ and we’d never even consider if he had not said it
– Jesus instructions are clear; that is not the problem
• our difficulty is that it’s not easy to follow his instructions
◦ it’s like trying to squeeze through a narrow gate

Jesus is not an easy leader to follow
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt. 16:24)
– back in the days of the Jesus Movement, we sang this verse
• the words were put to a cute and lively tune,
• as if it were no big deal to die to ourselves and live for God
– the way of the Lord is hard – we don’t choose it because it’s easy,
• but because it is the only way to please God
◦ the only way to find and to be our true self
• Jesus is the way, the truth and the life
◦ in him we find truth, goodness, and beauty — and that is what we become

First, Jesus tells us, “Enter by the narrow gate”
– enter, where? – what new place are we moving into?
• perhaps the answer is in verse 21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven . . . .”
Or, “. . . unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:20)
• Luke records a similar statement Jesus made in answer to a quest
“And someone said to him, ‘Lord, will those who are saved be few?’ And he said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able’” (Lk. 13:23-24)
◦ the other side of the narrow gate is life–the eternal life of the kingdom of heaven
– showing love to others is the narrow gate
• if we find it difficult to live out the teaching of Jesus, we’re probably on the right trail
• in the Scriptures, there are always two ways
◦ and we are always given the choice of which one to take

Conclusion: I wish I could offer my own life as a better example

I’m still learning to broaden the range of my love for others,
and I a frequently forgetting to do that
Jesus said that there are few who “find” their way to life
So if we’re having a hard time finding it, what can we do
Ask – the same as last week – ask for directions
Seek – when we’re around others, look for the opportunity
Knock – a door will open somewhere
and when it does, squeeze through

Podcast

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

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 Matthew 7:7-8

Intro: Before we explore what God has for us in these verses,

We need to address a misconception about what Jesus is promising
– reading these verses closely, something piqued my curiosity
• in verse 7 Jesus encourages us to ask, seek, and knock
• then verse 8 is a virtual repetition of verse 7, only it’s more like a guarantee
◦ is is as though Jesus is saying, “Do this! You’ll see that it works”
– then–as if that were not enough–Jesus adds an illustration
• we’ll come to that in a moment, but the point is we can count on God’s favorable response
• why does Jesus make this effort to convince us to go to the Father to ask, seek, and knock?

I’m only guessing here, but perhaps his prompting is because
– he knows his promise will sound unbelievable to us
• after so many prayers that weren’t answered as we wanted, so many disappointments
◦ he knows we’ll naturally resist his instructions
• but he wants us to return to a childlike confidence in him and in our heavenly Father
– anyone who has walked with God for a few years, knows that they’ve prayed legitimate prayers,
that were denied
• a better job, rent before the end of the month, a child’s healing, or an end to famine or war
• we prayed so many failed prayers that we stopped believing – stopped asking for things
◦ and this in spite of the parable Jesus taught us that we should always pray and not lose heart (Lk. 18:1-8)

If we stick with prayer, in time we discover there are rules

If John had not told us, we would have figured it out anyway
“. . . this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (1 Jn. 5:14-15)
– of course we learned this already from Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane, “Not my will, but yours be done”
• naturally, God will not to do just anything for us or give us anything contrary to his will
– so what I’m poking at here, is the possibility,
• Jesus is trying to get around our disappointments, our discouragement, and our giving up on prayer
• here he’s not thinking of prayer in general (like the “Lord’s Prayer”)
◦ but prayer with a specific goal or concern
◦ and he’s telling us, there are prayers God is always willing to answer

What did we learn last week about chapter 7, its main subject?

Jesus is teaching us how to deal with the challenge of other people
– after we get through today’s passage, Jesus next statement begins with “So” or “therefore”
• today’s lesson leads into the next one–and what is that?
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (v. 12)
◦ as I said last week, this is “ground control” for whole chapter
• this is the context Jesus creates for “ask,” “seek,” “knock”
◦ God will definitely give us this kind of help when we go to him for it
◦ he’ll show us how to reach and respond to other people

Every person you will ever meet is a mystery

Even someone you’ve known for years can surprise you
– and we haven’t a clue what to expect from people we don’t know
• perhaps that’s why we refer to them as “strangers”
◦ their behavior, at first, looks “strange” to us – until we get to know them
• we must look just as strange to people who don’t know us
– some of you remember Tim Eba
• he was everybody’s friend
◦ even if you were unsure of him at your first encounter, he would soon win you over
• very few of us are like that
◦ I think the majority of us form friendships with specific types of people
◦ we stay with a circle that is familiar and closed
Clique: “a small group of people, with shared interests or other features in common, who spend time together and do not readily allow others to join them”

Jesus has already told us that our love has to cross boundaries

“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?” (Mt. 5:46-47)
– we can get charged up on challenges like this,
• but as soon as we walk into a coffee shop, we clam up
• other people are just too different
◦ we don’t know how to read them or what to make of them
◦ but, still, people need to hear and to know
. . . in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect (1 Pe. 3:15)

I’m going to back-up for a moment
– some people are dangerous
• if they do not pose a physical threat,
• they may still not be safe and should not be trusted
– Jesus began this section with “Judge not”
• that doesn’t mean we can’t recognize when a person’s done wrong
• what it means is we can’t stop caring about them or praying for them
◦ that we can’t write them off or give up hope for them
◦ it also means we can avoid them or set boundaries if necessary

But when it comes to others who are safe,
– how do we relate to them if they have walls up?
• what about the person who’s closed off?
◦ who is always angry and irritated?
◦ who only wants to argue and not to listen?
• what about all those we love who don’t know God?
◦ who could really use God’s love and help
◦ whose lives could be so much more if they knew and trusted him?

Ask God for his help in establishing a rapport with them
– to walk you into a conversation that will build a bridge
• or create trust and form a bond
• begin with prayer – for the person and for yourself
Seek the wisdom God is willing to share with you
– I think of Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman at the well
• she was at first sarcastic – then offended and shut off
• but Jesus worked his way through all that and found her heart
– earlier, Jesus told us to seek the kingdom of God
• we can seek God’s kingdom in every conversation
• I found his kingdom this week in two remarkable conversations
Knock at God’s door before knocking on any other door
– Jesus promises that God will open to you
• sometimes, what God does for you is this:
◦ he uses someone else or something else–like a dream–to speak to you
• or God works in the other person’s heart to bring them to you

Just in case we need more encouragement . . .
“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! Matthew 7:9-11

In this example, when Jesus refers to us as evil, he is using hyperbole
– that is to say, he is exaggerating the case to make a point
• we’re not perfect, but we know what to give our kids when they ask for something to eat
• a few weeks ago I explained a rabbinical form of argument
◦ from the lesser to the greater–“how much more”
◦ Jesus used it again here
“How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him”
– can you see that Jesus is really earnest in wanting us to know that God will give us the help we need?
• the Greek text does not have “good things” –simply “good”
◦ God gives us the good, whatever that might be, when we ask
• in Luke’s gospel where Jesus makes the same statement, he says,
“how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Lk. 11:13)

Conclusion: To get to know other people and how to help them,

We don’t have to become psychologists
What we need is to have open hearts;
open to God and open to others
God already knows everyone – and what everyone needs
Our part, yours and mine, is to trust him, be available to him,
and to ask and to seek and to knock

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord and join us today
We thank you for our time together
For this community
For our shared lives

Some of our number are ill today
Some are struggling with new and sudden symptoms
Some are living with ongoing, chronic conditions
Some are facing the end of their lives
And some just don’t know where they stand.

We ask you hold each and every one with your everlasting care
Envelope them in your grace and mercy
Give them strength to persevere
Give them courage to face their situation
Give them wisdom to make the best choices for them and for their families
Bring healing into their bodies
Give their bodies rest
Ease their pain
Clear their minds

And bring healing to their hearts
Grant them peace
Restore their spirits
Help them to tie up the loose ends of their lives
Warm and repair broken relationships
Let forgiveness flow from them and to them
Release them from their worry, their anxiety and their fear
Set each on the path of freedom with you and in you.

And for family and friends and caregivers we also pray
Grant them cheerful hearts, optimism, joy
As they love their people though these days
Help them rest and not fret
Comfort their sorrow
Lead them with discernment
Fill them with strength.

We know that sometimes this life brings suffering and we don’t like it
We also know that we never suffer alone
That you are with us
Caring for us
Welcoming us
And preparing a way for us.
For this we depend upon you
And for this we thank you
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Judge not, that yo be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measured you use it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2

Intro: Until recently, whenever I came to this chapter I felt lost

I was able to follow the continuity of Jesus’ Sermon this far,
– but I was not able to see how chapter 7 fit with what came before it
• I assumed that our Lord chose to add these random lessons as an afterthought
◦ but I made a mistake, and that was thinking I had come to a new chapter
◦ and the new chapter appeared different from the previous chapters
• but the truth is that the chapter breaks in the Bible are artificial
◦ they weren’t inserted in the Scriptures until 16th century
◦ this created the illusion of one thought ending and a new thought beginning
– the thread of the Sermon’s central themes continue through chapter 7 to the end
• previously, Jesus had been teaching his disciples with their spiritual development in view:
◦ this included:
The revelation of a true righteousness
Offering service to God without seeking recognition from others
How to eliminate anxiety by seeking first the kingdom of God
• now he makes a slight turn
◦ from our personal and internal development to relational issues
◦ in chapter 7, Jesus gives us the scoop on other people

This section is complicated, because the challenges we face with people are diverse
– there are all sorts of people that enter our lives
• our encounters with them differ, from healthy to toxic, from close to distant, from edifying to tearing down
• we need basic insights regarding how to respond to the great variety of human interactions
– I do not know why Jesus chose to address the specific issues in this chapter
• however, we might note that some of his sayings in this chapter have become famous
◦ like, “Judge not” – and, especially, the “Golden Rule,”
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (v.12)
◦ and this verse is actually crux of this entire last section of the Sermon

Unfortunately, this first “judge not” rule brings out the worst in us

There is no other verse in the Bible that motivates Fundamentalist Christians to work so hard to prove Jesus did not mean what he said
– and they have invented all sorts of reasons why we must judge others
– making judgments about people is built into our neurology
• our bodies are constantly on the lookout for danger
◦ we learn by experience that certain things cause pain (fire)
◦ and certain people can hurt our feelings – or worse
• we cannot turn off this automatic and mostly unconscious reactivity
◦ but we can learn to harness it, control it
– to be honest, this verse is a hornet’s nest for us
• the word “judge” has several layers of meaning
◦ the same is true for the Greek word – krino
◦ it means to separate, distinguish, discern, and condemn
A. T. Roberson, “Our word critic is from this very word.”
◦ it can also refer to bias or prejudice
• so which meaning does it have here?
◦ that has to be determined by the context and other passages that address the same issue
◦ the way I read it, to “judge” here means:
to observe the words and actions of another person
evaluate what we have observed
form a negative opinion of the person (as well as their words or actions)
and then condemn that person
• Paul, however, had this word of advice for the Corinthians:
“Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart” (1 Cor. 4:5)

We do the wrong kind of judging when:
– we look at a person’s appearance and form a negative opinion of them
“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (Jn. 7:24)
– we have a critical spirit (we’re bent on finding fault with others)
– when we’re overly concerned with what others are doing
– when we condemn the actions of others and those who perform those actions
Jesus told the Pharisees, who had criticized his disciples for violating their Sabbath rules, “if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless” (Mt. 12:8)
– when we write someone off as hopeless of salvation
(the verse that doesn’t get quoted as often as its twin: John 3:16)
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world may be saved through him” (Jn. 3:17)
• Jesus would not be a Savior if he came to condemn
◦ condemning a person does not do them any good
◦ we’re ambassadors of mercy
• can you imagine Jesus telling you, “stay in your own lane”?
“Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them . . . [and] said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about this man?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!’” (Jn. 21:20-22)

Jesus gives us an excellent reason to not judge others
“For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you” Matthew 7:2

Many years ago, a carpenter in the church volunteered to make a wooden pulpit (lectern) for the platform (stage). When he brought it to the church, I was surprised by his craftsmanship. I did not know he could do finish carpentry, and I blurted out, “I didn’t know you had it in you.” He just gave me a funny look.
Some time later, he dropped by the church while I was building a dividing wall in our office. When he came in and saw me working on it, he went out to his truck and held his level against one of the two-by-fours in the wooden frame. The wall was plumb. He smiled and said, “Wow, Chuck, I didn’t know you had it in you.”

If I’m hyper-critical of someone, if I’m unforgiving of faults,
– God will use the same rigid and precise standard on me
• if we dump a pound of judgment on someone else, we receive a pound of judgment on our selves
◦ if we dump a ton of judgment on someone one else . . . !
• here’s my question:
◦ How merciful do you want God to be with you?
◦ that is how merciful you will need to be with others
– let that sink in
• We can put this verse side-by-side with what Jesus said earlier
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Mt. 6:14)
“For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you”
◦ you get what you give, and to the same degree
◦ I find this the strongest motivation for showing mercy
• sometimes being merciful is difficult
◦ especially when someone persists in doing wrong to you or a loved one
◦ but it is strangely liberating to show mercy
to let go of the feeling that we need to criticize or condemn
◦ something is lifted off of our shoulders

I imagine Jesus saying these lines with a smile
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. Matthew 7:3-5

If you try to picture it, you get a scene out of the Three Stooges
– here we have a spiritual optical illusion
• the tiny dust particle of someone else’s wrong doing or wrong thinking looks like it requires immediate fixing
◦ while our giant flaws are hardly noticeable
• perhaps Jesus is still smiling when he says, “You hypocrite!”
◦ “You stage-actor” — “What a great performance. You play the role of a saint really well”
– before you try to help someone improve their sight, check your own vision first
• regarding the Pharisees, Jesus told the disciples,
“Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (Mt. 15:15)

Now does Jesus immediately qualify what he said or contradict himself?
“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not through your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you” Matthew 7:6

Jonathan Pennington says this is “the most difficult verse to understand in the sermon.”
I agree, and lots of people have problems with it
– but it’s not that difficult to decipher, if you look closely
• some people assume Jesus is immediately judging people
• referring to them as dogs or pigs
– I think it’s sad when a person has no imagination
• they probably find it difficult to understand poetry and art
◦ poetry is a kind of painting with words; using metaphors especially
• the Hebrew Scriptures are rich with word pictures and colorful allusions
◦ now look at the images Jesus uses in this verse:
◦ dogs, what is holy, pearls, and pigs

Jesus is not throwing insults at people
– the point he’s making is that dogs can’t appreciate holy objects
• give a crucifix to a dog and if he does anything with it, he chews it up
– likewise, pigs don’t have any interest in pearls
• throw pearls at wild boars and they’ll attack you to defend themselves
Amy-Jill Levine, “Disciples are to be generous and compassionate; they are not to be stupid.”
– some people couldn’t care less about what’s precious to us
• we’re wasting our breath talking about Jesus, and at the same time we’re irritating them
• we don’t want to create unnecessary barriers, as we do when we judge
◦ or preach at others when they don’t want to hear it
– Jesus is teaching us about building bridges and setting boundaries

Conclusion: There are people I’ve forgiven what they did to me — one hundred times or more

But, sadly, my perspective of them is still colored by their actions
I forgive them, but don’t respect them
I acknowledge them, but want to be around them
If today they asked for my support, I could not give it to them
I want God’s Spirit to work at that level of my heart
And so I pray for myself, and for you too,
that God’s light will go deep and drive out all the darkness
that lingers still within in us

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Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord join us here today
Please Lord, let us be of help.
Let us be your hands or your feet
Let us be your strong back to help lift and carry
Your tender shoulder for tears and comfort
Let us be your smile
Your safe and warm hug
Your knowing nod
Your welcome
Your full acceptance
Your compassion

Let us be a little bit of strength when someone needs it
Calm, patient when things are falling apart
Let us be your grace
Your generosity
Your wallet if need be
Let us be your selflessness
Your sacrifice, living in our bodies
If need be

And kindness,
Lord let us be your kindness
Let us be your gentleness
Let us be your mercy
When folk are afraid
Overwhelmed
Undone
When people are running out of hope
Place us there
Side by side with you
And be rock solid
Steady
Still
Make us like that,
Transform us
Teach us,
Move us,
Compel us Lord

Let us be your joy
Let us be your love
Let us, Lord,
Please
Let us be of help

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33

Intro: Did you know, many Christians avoid the Sermon On the Mount?

The problem is that they misread the Sermon
– they think Jesus demands a perfection that is beyond us
• what actually happens in the Sermon is that it empowers us
◦ we learn the way of sincerity, integrity, and mercy
• whatever else it might mean to be Christian,
◦ above all, it means to be a “good person”
◦ loving, caring, helping, serving
– I feel that what we go over today can’t be “just another talk”
• we need to know how to get Jesus’ teaching into our hearts, and minds, and our everyday lives
• this verse, that I skimmed over last week,
◦ teaches us where we need to go from here

By now we should be familiar with two key words in this verse

Kingdom and righteousness – we first encounter them in Beatitudes
– in this verse Jesus puts them together
• righteousness is a central concern in the kingdom of God
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17)
– there is a third important word in this verse: “seek”
• Jesus uses seek in the Sermon only two times
◦ first time, is in verse 32 (a slight difference; same word intensive)
• we encounter this concept frequently in the Old Testament
◦ God wants us to come looking for him
Seek the LORD and his strength;
seek his presence continually! (Ps. 105:4)
Seek the LORD while he may be found (Isa. 55:6)

What is it that Jesus expects us to do?

I think it’s obvious that he wants us to live the Sermon
– to put God before everything else
• and that means we live on the outside is what we are on the inside
• it means being the light of the world and salt of the earth
• it means being kindness and compassion, forgiveness and substantial help
◦ Jesus is concerned with doing a lot of internal work with us
◦ that is where integrity begins
– to seek the kingdom of God does not mean to be religious
• I heard that at the National Prayer Breakfast,
◦ two speakers stressed America needed more religion
◦ more religion is Taliban, Isis, an oppressive government like Iran
• to the church in Rome that was divided by religion, Paul said (again),
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17)
◦ God’s righteousness has been what the Sermon is all about to this point
◦ righteousness is “right relationship”

There is another part to seeking the kingdom of God

When Jesus first preached the kingdom, he said its “at hand” (Mt. 4:17)
– what does that mean?
• in Gethsemane when Jesus was arrested, told disciples
“See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed . . .” (Mt. 26:45)
◦ Matthew goes on to say,
“While he was still speaking, Judas came . . . and with him a great crowd . . .” (Mt. 26:47)
◦ “at hand” means it is happening already
• this is the mystery of the kingdom (Mt. 13:11)
“The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Lk. 17:20-21)
• we’re not sitting around waiting for the kingdom to arrive
◦ it’s already arrived, present with us in the here and now
– to seek the kingdom is to develop an awareness of its presence
• God hasn’t yet brought the fullness of his kingdom into our world
◦ but it is here in a way that it wasn’t before Jesus came
• awareness of its presence strengthens and sustains us

In our Lectio Divina, we’ve been in the parables of the kingdom

I want to demonstrate something about Jesus’ parables
– after Jesus cleared the temple of money changers,
• the chief priests and scribes came up to him and demanded,
“Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who is it that gave you this authority” (Lk. 20:1-2)
◦ since they were in charge, they knew he wasn’t authorized by the high priest or anyone else in charge of the temple and its services
• had they been sincere, he would’ve given a suitable answer no doubt
◦ but he knew with their mind-set, they’d reject any answer
◦ so he dodged giving an answer by asking them a question
– but then in his next move, Jesus did answer their question
• but he did it with a parable

And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone’? (Lk. 20:9-17)

◦ a story gave them an opportunity to hear his answer outside their preconceptions
◦ for instance, where did the vineyard owner’s son get his authority?

Jesus changed the context so that they could understand his answer!

• our challenge with being aware of the kingdom here, now, is that our culture is dominated by a materialistic worldview
◦ if it can’t be seen, measured, quantified it doesn’t exist
◦ but the message of the kingdom reveals another dimension beyond our four-dimensional universe
◦ there is a larger reality that the one in which we live our daily lives

Jesus used his parables to create for us a new context,
– one that would helps us grasp the idea of an invisible heavenly kingdom
• he explained this to his disciples
Then the disciples came to him and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (Mt. 13:10-11)
• something has to happen with us, in us
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:3)
◦ Nicodemus reacted just like his fellow Pharisees, priests and elders; i.e., within his own narrow context
◦ so Jesus spoke even more seriously,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (Jn. 3:5-6)
– I’m convinced, there is no expert here, no one with an easy answer or exercise to open our minds and hearts to the reality of God’s kingdom
Lonnie Frisbee, “We fail our way into the kingdom of God”
(I would say, “stumble our way into,” but same idea
• for me, the most difficult part is quieting my mind
◦ in the theater, before a movie begins, we hear, “Silence your cell phones”
◦ it is so difficult at first, but we can learn silence our minds and hearts to better hear God
(sometimes music can also be helpful — 2 Kings 3:15-16!)

Jesus does give us some idea of what might help awaken us to God’s kingdom

In the same chapter where Jesus said
“How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”
he also said,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Lk. 18:17-24)

How do children receive gifts? I’m guessing here, but it seems to me:
– With a sense of ownership
It’s only when they get older they ask, “Is this for me”? or “Can I keep it?” Other wise, what’s handed to them becomes theirs
– With curiosity
This motivates them to explore and to ask questions, like, “What does this do?” or “How do I open it?”
– With a feeling of bonding with the giver
They assume the giver’s love or care for them
– With trust in both the gift and the giver
– With eagerness
Have you seen posts on social media of children receiving an unexpected gift? It is so unbelievable to them that they were actually given a puppy, for instance. It can move you to tears

Conclusion: A word of caution

But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go it (Mt. 23:13)

There are blog sites and video streams hosted by religious watch dogs,
who take it upon themselves to warn us of worldly dangers
These are often people who haven’t experienced God for themselves,
and make certain to close the door to others who want to experience God’s kingdom
We can find an entrance into the kingdom in every present moment
Jesus invites us to enter the kingdom, with the promise:
Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Lk. 12:32)

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Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord join us here today.

Thank you for the times when we know we are doing as you have asked us
When we know that feeling bad doesn’t mean we are bad
That you hold us close
Make all things,
Including ourselves, new
You restore
You rebuild
You rejuvenate
You repair us

And sometimes we see the fruit
When something true becomes clear to another person who had been resisting it
When souls are gladdened by affection, attention, care
When hope is rekindled
When grief is lightened for a few moments by kindness
When others willingly, gladly pick up our burdens to share.
When hearts connect and share the desire to be good and useful
When people long to help and serve
When battles end
And the fighting stops
And the possibilities of new paths forward open up
And the ways of gentleness make their mark
And patience is rewarded
And joy is found and held tight
We thank you and thank you.
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“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? Matthew 6:25

Intro: Jesus is explaining and extending what he had said in verse 21
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”

In scripture, the heart can have several meanings
– here, it isn’t the physical organ that pumps blood through our bodies
• nor is it exclusively the seat of our feelings or emotions
• here the heart is the central hub of our entire inner life
◦ our perspectives, perceptions, and assumptions
◦ our thoughts, feelings, and emotions
◦ our needs, desires, and drives
◦ our motives, intentions, and habits
◦ our actions and reactions, beliefs, and commitments
– the heart stands for your complete interior “person”
• what Jesus wants is for our hearts to belong to God
◦ and that’s where we left off
◦ his last point is that we cannot serve both a heavenly Father and a materialistic god
• now Jesus’ links that statement with his next lesson, using the word “therefore”
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious”
◦ Jesus may be hinting that anxiety can be a form of worshiping materialistic deities
◦ a kind of service that the god of this world would extract from people

So what do we do when anxieties rise within us?

Because they do! Anxieties are as natural as joy and sadness
– first of all, everyone experiences stress – it’s a normal condition of life
• we don’t all experience it the same way or to same degree
◦ and not everyone deals with stress in the same way
◦ but our bodies react to anything perceived as a threat
Stephen Porges, “Our nervous system functions as a sentry by continuously evaluating risk in the environment. Through neural surveillance mechanisms . . . our brain identifies features of risk or safety.”
• anything perceived as a threat triggers instant two-way communication between the brain and our internal organs
◦ this is automatic and usually unconscious–at least initially
◦ fear often presents itself in forms of anxiety and worry
– there’s also good news regarding how anxiety can be regulated
• we can help each other relax and de-stress
Porges, “In the context of caregiving, the quality of the person-to-person interactions between a caregiver and those being cared for is critical for survival. ¶ Under optimal conditions, person-to-person interactions can be triggers within the human nervous system for adaptive biobehavioral systems that support health and healing. Both the giving and receiving of caregiving or love has the capacity to protect, heal, and restore.”
• this is the challenge of Jesus’ teaching in this part of Sermon
◦ what will we do with our anxiety when it is stirred up?

First, we need to enlarge our perspective on the issues

Negative emotions create tunnel vision
– we get fixated on problems and our limited resources
• so first Jesus asks us,
“Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
◦ the “miracle” is life itself and the body that is alive
• it’s interesting to me, Matthew doesn’t use a typical Greek word for “life” (such as bio or zoe )
◦ instead, he used psyche – “soul”; this is more than something that just lives and breathes
◦ even plants do that
– the soul is the living person,
• with all their quirks, and ideas, and dreams, and disappointments
• and also, Jesus is using a form of reasoning that has been classic among rabbis
◦ “from the lesser to the greater” – “if this, then how much more that“
◦ he will repeat the same use of this logic two more times

Jesus’ down home remedy for anxiety
“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?” Matthew 6:26-30

Jesus recommends two exercises – one is to look and the other is to consider

First, “Look at the birds” – for an afternoon become bird-watchers
– I won’t say that Jesus is telling us to contemplate nature
• however, he is demonstrating that he has done has contemplated the behavior of birds
◦ he did not only watch birds, he noticed what they did
◦ noticing is more than merely looking at something
• noticing is a special skill of artists, authors, poets, and generally wise people
(the wisdom literature found in the Old Testament frequently encourages its readers to “consider” )
◦ noticing is what you’re not doing right now, at least, not until I reminded
◦ you weren’t noticing the chair your sitting on, the lighting, or the room temperature
– to notice something is to bring greater awareness to our observation of it
• as long as we have labels for things, we will typically ignore them
◦ I see an object and identify it as a “tree” and then look away, because I know about trees
◦ but I don’t observe the tree, focus attention on this particular tree’s shape, bark, leaves, and so on
• there’s something about leisurely looking at clouds that brings fresh and a variety of thoughts to mind
◦ something that nurtures the soul, and at times inspire a whisper of praise or thanks

If birds do any farming at all, it’s by accident
– they drop undigested seeds here and there
• but they don’t put any work into planting or harvesting
◦ greed drives anxiety, but so does need
• Jesus isn’t saying we don’t have to work,
◦ he’s saying we don’t have to worry
◦ God is to us a “heavenly Father”–he will assist us
– the point that Jesus drives home, is our value to God
• if we do end up missing a meal or fail to make a months’ rent,
◦ we won’t be abandoned – we’re never alone in our predicament
• rich or poor, full stomach or empty stomach, God knows
◦ he cares, he hears us, he watches over us
◦ the times I have suffered, it meant everything to me, that God was with me

Between the birds and the next exercise, Jesus asks a question in verse 27
– the question is: What does anxiety actually accomplish?
• can it add an hour to your life?
◦ anxiety can ruin many hours of our lives
• or he could be saying, “Can anxiety add an inch to your height?”
◦ I’m keen to that, because he’s about to mention clothing and that has to do with our appearance
– advertising is an industry that is dedicated to making us feel dissatisfied with ourselves and our lives
• we’re constantly being told that we’re not enough
◦ not thin enough, not healthy enough, not having fun enough
• a lot of money goes into stirring up anxiety and discontent
◦ sad to say, many Christian organizations promote anxiety
◦ it seems that fear is a stronger motive to make donations than love
– anyway, Jesus reminds us anxiety has never solved anyone’s problems
• it doesn’t add even one good thing to our lives – anxiety is a waste of time and mental energy!
• what anxiety does, is spoil the moment we’re living in right now

Next Jesus tells us to Consider the lilies
– in the spring of 1974, I was in Israel with two friends
• we had spent the night in a youth hostel near Capernaum
◦ in the morning we hiked up a nearby hill overlooking the lake (“Sea of Galilee”)
◦ we went off, each by himself, to read the Sermon On the Mount
• I remember the hillside where I sat, carpeted in beautiful wild flowers
◦ it was a vivid illustration of God clothing the grass!
– when I’ve taken my walks from Scotty’s place, I’ve often photographed wild flowers
• even very tiny ones have intricate designs
◦ again, the point Jesus wants to drive home is God’s care for us
• but at the same time, he puts his finger on our biggest problem when he adds,
“O you of little faith”

Jesus repeats his point and sums up his counsel to us
“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.” Matthew 6:31-34

In place of “Gentiles,” let’s say people in the world who do not know God
– we don’t take our cues regarding how to live from people without faith
• anyway, if we can rid ourselves of anxiety, we’re free for something else
• and our first pursuit is for the kingdom of God
◦ first in importance, first on our to-do list, first in our love and loyalty
– Jesus has returned to where he began,
• having already told us not to worry about food and clothing, he now tells us not to worry about time
• you don’t have to worry about time,
◦ because when you get to tomorrow, it will have enough trouble of its own

Conclusion: Next week I want to come back to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness”

I think there’s a lot we need to learn regarding enlarging our view of reality,
and finding God present in our here and now experience

But until then, for now, keep renewing your soul in “grace and peace”
Relax, breathe;
we don’t have to be anxious,
because God is here, now

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Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord and join us here today

As alliances collapse
And friends and enemies switch places
And repairs are attempted
And new alliances formed
Please Lord, remember the children of Ukraine.

Every child that has lost their life
Every child wounded
Every child displaced
And particularly the tens of thousands of children that have been abducted and relocated.

We ask you keep their families strong
Give them hope that they will be reunited
And their families restored.

We ask you end the shelling of schools
Of hospitals
Of homes
And give the children rest,
peace
We ask that the powerful also become wise
That the powerful also become compassionate
That the powerful also become good.

We ask that leaders bind together with courage
Dedicated to the restoration of the lives of these children
That the criminals of war be held to account
That you establish a just peace

We ask you to care for our friends,
Steve and Oddny,
And for their friends as well
Who care for the children of Ukraine
Give them faith, courage, wisdom and grit
Give them every resource they will need
Money, ideas, new friends, and opportunity
So in the mess of this world
These children are loved and not forgotten.
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Intro: We’re still in the Sermon On the Mount,

But I’m going to begin by reading a of couple verses from Psalm 139
– this is one of the very popular Psalms
• its beautiful and haunting poetry are easy for us to follow
◦ and at the same time, carries us from heights of the heavens
◦ and depths of the ocean, to the abyss of our own souls
• it begins:
“ O LORD, you have searched me and known me!”
◦ but then it ends:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Ps. 139:1 and 23-24)
– although David begins confessing God has searched him and known him,
• he ends the poem with a request that God will search him
◦ I think that’s because he realizes God knows his heart,
◦ and he does not know it as well as God
• the truth is, we can fool our own hearts about how righteous we are

“The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
‘I the LORD search the heart and test the mind . . . .’” (Jer. 17:9-10)

I began with this probe into the human heart for my own sake
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

I have always been captivated by what Jesus says in these verses
– there is no other instance in which he makes it so clear that whatever we treasure, owns our hearts
• Jesus’ Sermon is an invitation to the kingdom of heaven
• my immediate response is, “Yes! That’s where my treasure is”
◦ but when I think about concerns that fill my mind most often,
◦ I have to question myself, “Where is my heart?”
– I don’t want to pretend that I practice this perfectly
• so as we go through these verses this morning,
◦ it’s with the prayer, “Search us, O Lord, and know our hearts”

Jesus threads a theme through the Sermon: There are two ways

What we’ve been tracking since chapter 5, verse 20,
– is an inferior righteousness and a superior righteousness
• the inferior righteousness wins inferior rewards:
◦ they are located in this world, short-lived, and come from other people (Mt. 6:1)
• the superior righteousness wins superior rewards
◦ they are heavenly, eternal, and from our Father who is in heaven
– so today we look at three other instances in which the two ways contrast:
• what we treasure – the contrast is between what is earthly and what is heavenly
• where our attention is focused – the contrast is between light and darkness
• who is our master – the contrast is between God and Mammon

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth”

In the 1979 movie, “The Jerk,” Steve Martin plays Navin and Bernadette Peters plays Marie
– Navin happened into making millions of dollars, so he and Marie purchased a mansion, cars, and lots of luxury items
• then after millions of law suits, the lost everything lamenting their descent into poverty,
◦ lamenting their descent into poverty, Marie moans,
“I don’t care about losing all the money. It’s losing all the stuff.”
• besides “the stuff,” the temptation of money is the promise of:
◦ security, opportunities (for travel and entertainment), and status
– in our world, we must have an income to survive
• but like bread, we cannot live on money and stuff alone
Amy-Jill Levine, “Stuff cannot save us. Instead, it draws us in. . . . and we generally find it easier to take in than to give away. Those of us who have known poverty and hunger want more stuff because we know what it is like to be without, and we never want to experience that feeling again. The problem then becomes that we can never have enough.”
• the promises of money are actually a chimera
◦ wealth does not guarantee security, but only the illusion of security
◦ the pleasures it affords are no greater than what a poor family enjoys at the beach
◦ and worst of all, you are forever driven by greed for more

“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is emptiness” (Ecc. 5:10)

If we’re not rich, if we live paycheck to paycheck,
– we can imagine we’re already living Jesus’ teaching
• that our treasures are in heaven, because they’re not here
◦ that may simply be our reality and not an advantage
◦ nor does being poor mean it is easy to accept poverty
• we can have nothing, but still be thinking about it constantly
◦ or long to have more or better stuff
◦ so then our hearts are stuck on here earth as much as any wealthy person
– Jesus undermines the security of wealth by describing the ways it can be lost
• moths, rust (anything corrosive), and thieves are typical
◦ the phenomenal proliferation of scams today puts anyone at risk.
◦ there are other risks too
My meditation, “Besides moth, rust, and thieves, there is also flood, fire, and economic downturns that can erase wealth and possessions. The things we own and the possibility of losing all can be a source of intense and ongoing anxiety. In fact, we can lose our possessions–in the sense of our enjoyment of them, while we still have them through worry. So Jesus could have added anxiety to the list of the ways our treasures could be lost or ruined. Jesus wants to protect us that distraction, and he continues this emphasis to the end of the chapter.
What if worldly treasure comes to you? I hear Jesus saying, “Don’t store more than what you will need in your lifetime. Live simply and give away as much as you can without impoverishing yourself. Understand that whatever money comes to you, it is a resource for doing good in the world, that in fact its only value is in this world, and whatever is excess, you can use to bless and save the lives of others.”
• our “heart,” in this context, represents our attachments
◦ what we value, what matters most to us,
◦ stirs our deepest feelings, and drives strongest commitments
– superior righteousness is a matter of the heart,
• and a righteous heart belongs in heaven and to heaven

So how do we lay up treasures in heaven? How do we add to our heavenly account so that we are looking forward to drawing on that, or relying on that account to deal with the present challenges of life?

“The eye is the lamp of the body”
 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” Matthew 6:22-23

Some commentators shift the metaphor from “lamp” to a window
– meaning, we can see what is in a person through their eyes
• there is another verse that may help shed light on this
The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD,
searching all his innermost parts (Pr. 20:27)
◦ in this verse, the lamp is illuminating what is inside a person
My meditation: The eye being like a lamp means that whatever you look at is what you let in. The eye is frequently the organ that focuses our attention on a particular object or person. Of course, there is more than the organ of sight. There is also intention, concentration, motivation, and so on. All of these actions ca be related to what do we choose to look at and from what we choose to look away. What I choose to set before my eyes—to desire, possess, or become—will either admit light into my inner self—whether a small dim ray or a flood—or it will block any light from entering at all. Ponder the metaphor of the eye. Let it speak to you and enlighten you.
• let’s jump back to the Beatitudes – specifically,
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God
◦ there, a person’s inner state affects their vision — a pure heart sees clearly
◦ and their vision affects their inner state
– the eye represents where we focus our attention
• what catches our eye? what interests us the most?
◦ what do we focus on when look outside?
• so like the previous contrast, this one also has to do with our hearts

Lots of things call for our attention
– some of us have become addicted to most recent news stories
• especially anything political
◦ how much of that is light and how much of it is darkness?
• what grabs my attention?
◦ is it enlightening? or is it blinding?
– Paul had several prayers for the Ephesians in his letter to them
• the first one is in chapter 1, where he prayed,
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you . . . (Ep. 1:16-18)

“No one can serve two masters”
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” Matthew 6:24

In this instance, Jesus suggests the two masters are enemies
– in the Bible version I’m using, it has Jesus saying,
You cannot serve God and money
• misses the point that an Aramaic word is used in Greek text
• it may be that Jesus is using Mammon as a proper name
◦ either referring to an ancient deity or personifying wealth
◦ the point is, materialism can become a god to some people
– it feels like Jesus is moving again into the area of the heart
• he uses words full of emotion: love/hate, devoted/despise
• so what, or who owns my heart?
◦ each day, what gets most of my thought and attention?
◦ what are my most intense concerns and desires?
My meditation: The attempt to serve two masters (the requirements of each of whom are contrary and opposed to the requirements of the other) would result in an impossible division. This is exactly the instability of the “double-minded” person James describes. This verse, like the previous verses, has to do with wholeness. We are wholly God’s or wholly Mammon’s. One or the other, but not both.

Conclusion: Jesus has given us a lot to chew on

I will not pretend that any of this is easy
We live in the tension between our immediate needs
(and those “needs” can easily become obsessions)
and the call of Jesus to the kingdom of heaven
It is not difficult to want heaven more than the world,
it’s just difficult to keep that in focus all day every day
For myself, the first challenge is to examine my average day
What is my first concern in the morning?
What are my thoughts in the afternoon?
How am I unwinding in the evening?
What is on my mind as I fall asleep?
I am looking for my heart to see whether it is in heaven
And that is my next challenge,
because if not, then I need to make an immediate adjustments

We won’t meet this challenge overnight,
but between here and there,
grace will carry us forward

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Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord join us here today.
Tender Lord, make us tender.
Dropping our defenses
Open to you
Your voice
Your moving toward us
Around us
Among
and through us.
Make us tender,
Willing
Receptive
Even broken a little
Even craving you a little
Even just openly acknowledging
our great need for you.

And make us tender to those you bring in our lives this week
Welcoming
Accepting
Feeling their hurts
Their pain and their fears
Let us share them
With them.
Be present with them

And Lord,
Help us to be tender with ourselves
To forego our inclination to judge ourselves
To condemn ourselves
To dishonor ourselves
Help us to hold on
To trust
To rely upon Your affection for us
As we make our way
Through our day
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18

Intro: This week I met with Harry Robinson – a few of you may know him

He is a man of God and a visionary, and for awhile we worked together
– he is also someone I love and respect
• during our long, rambling conversation, Harry said something that woke me up
• he said, “I’ve been finding beauty lately–everywhere”
– it seems I need to be awakened to beauty
• friends do this for me – though they don’t always know it
◦ maybe, I’ve been trudging through too much muck, concerned with
◦ the condition of our nation and disappointed with obnoxious Christians
• but since our meeting on Tuesday, I’ve been seeing more beauty

I’ll tell you why we begin with beauty today

Because Jesus has been warning us away from behavior
– we could describe as “ugly religion,”
• and it has been spreading through our culture in recent years
◦ it’s always been here: people who enjoy heated arguments
◦ who assume it’s their job to pronounce judgments,
◦ who will always act like they’re more righteous than others
• it’s possible you’ve seen your share of ugly religion
Through Isaiah, God addressed religious people like this:
“I spread out my hands all the day
to a rebellious people
who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own devices . . .
who say, ‘Keep to your self,
do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.
These are a smoke in my nostrils,
a fire that burns all the day” (Isa. 65:2-5)
– in this passage Jesus describes people,
• who make themselves ugly to appear righteous
“for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others”

My granddaughter, Addy, is now taking classes at Saddleback College

One morning she was telling me about an essay she was writing
– the first step was to create an outline, and give it to her professor
• I explained that I wrote outlines for every talk I give
◦ that surprised her, and she was duly impressed
• if we had an outline of the Sermon On the Mount,
◦ we would see that we’ve come to the end of a subheading
◦ this block of the Sermon began in v. 1,
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven”
– this is Jesus’ third example of displaying piety to impress others
• first charity, then prayer, and now Jesus moves on to fasting
• he could have made a longer list of ways people show off their piety
◦ for example: how many Bible verses they’ve memorized, how many missions trips they’ve been on
◦ all the Christian celebrities they’ve met, and all the Bible studies they’ve attended
◦ but three examples are enough to make his point
Jonathan Pennington, “The desire to have others reward one with praise for piety is a powerful drug.”
◦ the implication is that it can also become addictive

Jesus says, “When you fast”

Jesus assumes that there may be a time when his disciples fast
– he is not telling them that they have to do this,
• nor is he giving instructions for when to fast or how to fast
• but if they decide to fast, they must not advertise it
◦ like other spiritual disciplines, fasting is between them and God
– believers fast for a number of different reasons
• to clear their minds to listen to God, to clear a space to meet with God
◦ to increase their concentration on prayer – they both prayed and fasted in Acts 13
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off (Acts 13:2-3)
◦ fasting can be an act of humility, an expression of repentance, or simply setting one’s own needs aside
• fasting does not add power to our prayers, or twist God’s arm
◦ like a child who refuses to eat because they can’t get their way

More than once in the Old Testament, God criticized Israel’s fasting

“Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call that a fast,
and a day acceptable to the LORD?

“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free?
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house . . . ?” (Isa. 58:3-12; this looks a lot like “woke” fasting)
– and then in God’s word to the prophet Zechariah:
“When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh month, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?” (Zech. 7:4)
– a question about fasting comes up later on in Matthew and it’s worth looking at
Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. (Mt. 9:14-15)
• John’s disciples and the Pharisees fasted “religiously”
◦ perhaps they saw it as a necessary discipline, that it kept them on the right path
• there’s value in developing righteous habits
◦ but there’s also the danger those will become only habits, repeated mindlessly
– Jesus indicates that fasting is connected to loss and sadness
• it’s true, in the deepest experiences of grief, our bodies shut down
◦ we don’t want to eat – we, literally, cannot eat
• in those situations, fasting isn’t specifically spiritual (though we may feel God near)
◦ yet there are moments when we feel God near
◦ but the point is, fasting was not appropriate while Jesus was with them

Fasting can take different forms

Certain health conditions do not allow some people to not eat
– they might be able to abstain from one particular food (avoid a favorite treat, perhaps)
• or they may choose to take a break from television, the news, or contemporary music
• whatever the form, there must be some element of self-denial
– a strict fast from eating would include food and water–but it’s not wise to do this for too long
• or to fast food only, but still drink water
• Israel sometimes fasted specific foods–or ingredients
◦ no yeast could be used in baking breads the week before Passover
◦ a vow might require a person to avoid grapes, or wine, or any produce of the vine
– fasting for us may be one meal at a time
• perhaps most of us are used to skipping meals
◦ when it is a sacrifice we make for someone else’s benefit, consider making that loss an offering of love

Jesus stresses a point that is hinted at in the Psalms and hammered on in the Prophets

The effectiveness of Israel’s ritual sacrifices was conditional
– when I was young and first read Psalm 51, what David wrote shocked me
“For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering” (v. 16)
◦ I thought, “But God required those sacrifices!” I read on,
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (v. 17)
◦ David discerned the critical role that the heart plays in worship
• God’s word to Isaiah is much harsher regarding sacrificial rituals
“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?” says the LORD . . . .
When you come to appear before me,
who has required of you this trampling of my courts?” (Isa. 1:10-13)
◦ the answer, of course, is “You did!” But Israel’s faith and practice had gone off the rails
◦ God goes on to tell his people the service he wants
“cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless
plead the widow’s cause” (Isa. 1:16-17)
– the poets and prophets realized, if the heart doesn’t belong to God, the ritual doesn’t work
• worship wasn’t magical, it was covenantal
• Jesus says hypocrites have lost sight of true fasting
Jonathan Pennington, “They are hypocrites because they are not unified in heart and action; they actually do the right things, but they are not the right kind of people because their hearts are wrong.”

Conclusion: In his three examples, Jesus has emphasized the fact that we have a secret life

We share it only with God, our Father who is in heaven,
and is also encountered in secret
If we try to cash-out our religion in this life, we will have nothing in the next

“One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD” (Ps. 27:4)

When we leave that sacred space of encounter,
we discover that beauty is everywhere,
Our souls inhale the experience beauty and are refreshed
Beauty gives us a rest from the dark effects of human behavior
It flushes the gunk our of our brains, and expands our souls
We become larger than our thoughts and feelings
And our awareness of God is renewed – again and again

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Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord and join us today
Bind us together
Make us one in you

Thank you Lord for friends who
Love us without judging
Who listen without correcting
Who engage without controlling
Thank you for friends who
Help us up when we are knocked down
Who steady us when we are wobbly
Who are like rocks when we need to lean

Thank you for friends who
Will tell us the hard truth
Who hold our feet to the fire
Who expect the best from us.

Help us Lord to be these sorts of friends
And help us be the sort of community
that helps each other become better friends
Ready to love
Willing to love
Strong and gentle
Forgiving and long suffering
Kind
Patient
Steady
Full of joy
Full of goodness
Ready to trust

So our friends can know that they are loved
by us
In the way
we have been loved
by you
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Father of us, the One in the heavens,
Let be revered the name of You,
Let come the kingdom of You,
Let be done the will of You,
As in heaven also on earth.
The bread of us daily give to us today.
And forgive us the debts of us,
As also we have forgiven the debtors of us.
And do not bring us into temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
[Some later manuscripts add, For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever. Amen] Matthew 6:9-15

Intro: Jesus has given the world this incredible prayer

Recited every day and prayed in almost every language,
– it contains the essence of what everyone needs to say to God and ask of him
• and yet, when Jesus taught this prayer to his disciples,
◦ it was in a side comment he felt needed to be included
• up to this point, Jesus theme beginning in verse 1 was, “Don’t advertise your spiritual devotion and service to God”
◦ he follows this statement with three examples: charity, prayer, and fasting
• there are four parts to each example:
First, “Don’t be like the hypocrites, to be seen by others”
Second, “The hypocrites are rewarded when others notice them”
Third, “Serve God in secret, keep it between you and the Father”
Fourth, “Your reward will come from the Father”
◦ this was how he began this second example, “Don’t pray like the hypocrites”
◦ but then the Lord swerved onto a side-track
Don’t pray like the Gentiles
• and he was still off-topic when he taught them the “Lord’s Prayer” (AKA: the “Our Father”)
◦ the impression I get reading this is that Jesus felt this point required elaboration
◦ in a sermon that defines our spiritual life, prayer is key!

Jesus did not mean for “Lord’s Prayer” to be our only prayer

What he has given us is more of an outline or template for prayer
– perhaps if we think of bullet-points – abbreviated topics
• we personalize each point with our immediate concerns
◦ our joy or sadness, problems or opportunities, and so on
• following the template, the substance of our prayers comes from our own hearts
– there are other types of prayers–some of them cover extraordinary circumstances
• this prayer covers most the important and universal themes
• so let’s learn from Jesus a basic form of prayer

Sadly, lots of people have trouble with the first words

The more common issue, is the idea of God as a “father”
– man I worked with, explained his father abandoned him and his mother
• he was a Christian, loved God and prayed,
◦ but he found more resonance with Jesus as his brother than God as a father
• others sexually, physically, verbally abused by their father have trouble accepting God in that role
◦ so some of us need to rehabilitate the word father
◦ this is one reason why I appreciate the distinction Jesus makes: “our Father in heaven“
– another person I knew of wrestled with the first word, “our”
• their relationship with God is very personal and healing
◦ he is a refuge from an abusive relationship
◦ or from others – some who are dangerous
• they had trouble sharing God with them, and so stumbled over “our,”
◦ and idea they’re related to each other by a heavenly Father
– these are very real and serious psychological blocks
• we can’t expect people to bully their way through them
◦ that is not a sincere response, and it does not heal
• the Holy Spirit has been the source of my best therapy
◦ through the Scriptures mostly, but also through wise counselors too

Every prayer is an encounter with God

We’re not just floating balloons up into the air
– we’re entering a conversation with God, the Creator of heaven and earth
• it seems appropriate to begin with who he is and what he wants
– the first three requests are intertwined in one great project
• think of it as a threefold prayer, not three separate themes
◦ the big idea is the total completion of God’s will
◦ it is the culmination of all time and space

First, there is “hallowing” the name of God
– as I read through the Old Testament, I have to keep reminding myself:
• the Hebrew concept of a name means far more than it does to us
◦ a name is not just a word, it stands for a person,
◦ and everything that person is and represents
• one of God’s great concerns in the Old Testament,
◦ was that his name would not be “profaned” by the sins of his people
◦ that means that God himself would be degraded in the eyes of the world
• to be “hallowed” means to be treated as holy–
◦ that unique quality of God, so present and dangerous when he is near
◦ to show reverence for God’s name–is to show reverence to God himself
– this first request is that the entire world will one day revere God
(that would change everything!)
Second, Jesus teaches us to pray for God’s kingdom to come
– we have already seen his emphasis on the kingdom
• his central message being, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 4:17)
– it is present in a way that we can experience it now,
• but it has not yet come in its overpowering fullness
◦ that is what this part of the threefold request is about
◦ that his realm will break into our 4-dimensional universe
Third, we pray that God’s will would be done
– the way I imagine this,
• that God’s will would permeate the laws of nature
◦ like a universal principle that governs the behavior of all things
◦ from fundamental particles and forces of physics to the largest galaxies
and that it includes all living things

Finally, what ties these three requests together is the line, “on earth as it is in heaven”
– the perfect reality already exists in the (now hidden)realm of God
• the first request of the Lord’s Prayer is that the dimension of God’s realm would break into ours
• when that happens, I don’t think we’ll need to pray for anything else
◦ all that will be left for us to add is worship and praise

The remainder of the prayer covers practical needs of life
Give us this day our daily bread

The Greek construction of our request for bread is confusing
– some read it, “Give us tomorrow our daily bread”
• as if to say, “We’re good for today, please bless us with food again tomorrow”
• either way, we are looking to God for our provisions
◦ Jesus’s Sermon will soon take us further in regard to God’s provisions
– bread has already been an issue in Matthew’s gospel
• and I feel that we’re meant to see a connection
• it was the first temptation Satan tried on Jesus
“People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Mt. 4:4 NLT)
◦ so even when we pray for our daily food we aren’t to forget that something more important sustains us

Our prayers cover every physical need, but we also have spiritual needs and issues
“And forgive us our debts
as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

This is an interesting way of interpreting the wrong things we do
– if it’s true that we owe our lives and allegiance to God,
• then our sins create a deficit, a lost opportunity, an imbalance
• if a fine must be paid to correct the deficit, we cannot afford it
◦ we can only ask that our debt it will be forgiven

“And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one”

Amy-Jill Levine, “In Greek, the verb peiradzo and the noun peirasmos can be translated as both ‘temptation’ and ‘test’ or ‘trial.’ Both translations make sense because a test can become a temptation ….”
I don’t believe God leads us into temptation, but he allows temptations to test us
– it is not that God discovers what the test reveals about us
• that discovery is important for us, so we can see what needs work in our lives
– perhaps the best commentary on this is in James
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 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” (Jas. 1:12-14)
• “Lead us, O Lord, but not into an encounter with the evil one” (or, perhaps, evil in general)

Jesus adds a note of explanation
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespass Verses 14-15

Jesus explains the part of the prayer that spoke of forgiving debts
– I think it would have been wonderful if he gave a word of explanation regarding every verse in the prayer
• the issue of forgiveness must have been important to Jesus for him to go into this much detail
• it’s important to him that we accept our role in this part
◦ our cooperation is needed to answer the request for forgive
◦ some Christians become extremely agitated and upset over these verses
(if you’re one of them, Jesus said it so get over it)
– I know that sometimes forgiveness seems impossible
• and for us it is impossible; just as Jesus said that for us salvation is impossible (Mk. 10:26-27)
◦ God is always willing to work with us on forgiveness
• and I believe he gives us the time we need to heal, so that it becomes possible for us to forgive

Conclusion: Consider this, that you could be someone’s answer to prayer

Today there are millions of people around the world, praying that God will take up the slack resulting from shut down of food and medical supplies
They are begging God to provide their daily bread
and the medications that have been keeping them alive
God can use even our small donations to get help to them through one of the Christian an humanitarian organizations that are still able to operate

In the meantime, we can encourage ourselves with this encouragement from Hebrews 4:16
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”