Reflexion Connexion

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord join us here today

It is easy for us to be distracted
In truth much in our culture encourages it
Our massive entertainment industry pumps out endless distraction
To soothe us
Pacify us
Our news outlets often leave us in a swirl
Of frustration
Overwhelm
And despair
Looking everywhere
All at at once
Hope fading

If we are not careful
Our lives can be consumed
By big doings over little things
Of focusing on other people’s business
The ups and downs
The comings and goings
Of things we can’t influence

Lord, give us a way through these days
And the days to come
To find and focus
On what is essential
What is real
What matters
But above all lead us to you
Our hope
Our rock
Our life
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” John 14:1-9

Intro: Reading the stories of Jesus,

Have you ever wished you could hear the tone of his voice?
– for instance, I imagine a note of disappointment or sadness when says,
“Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?”
• Philip was one of the first disciples to follow Jesus
◦ so he’s traveled with him as long or longer than the others
◦ if anyone should know Jesus, it’s Philip
• Jesus has completed his work, and his time with his disciples is winding down
◦ now, near the end, Philip doesn’t know Jesus as well as the Lord desired
– bear with me as I read through statements Jesus made re: himself
“I am the bread of life” (Jn. 6:35)
“I am the light of the world” (Jn. 8:12)
“You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (Jn. 8:23)
“I am the good shepherd” (Jn. 10:11)
“I am the Son of God” (Jn. 10:36)
“I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn. 11:25)
“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am” (Jn. 13:13)
In an ultimate statement regarding his person, “Truly . . . before Abraham was, I am” (Jn. 8:58)
And in this same conversation: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life”
In a few minutes Jesus will say, “I am the true vine” (Jn. 15:1)
• the cumulative effect of these self-revealing statements,
◦ should have convinced Philip he’s seen the Father in Jesus
• one insight we can draw from this conversation:
◦ Jesus wants to be known by his followers,
◦ and in knowing him, he wants us to know God, his Father

To know Jesus, we must face the challenge he presents

In John’s story, people were constantly baffled by what Jesus said
– the crowds, of course, but even his disciples
• what did he mean, he was the bread of life,
◦ the light of the world, the good shepherd, the true vine?
◦ how were they supposed to know what he meant?
• the times the disciples tried to treat his words as a riddle,
◦ using logic and taking him literally, they got it wrong
– some folks won’t like me saying this, but Jesus forces us to use our imaginations
• he came to lead us into a realm that doesn’t exist in our world
◦ he came to change our lives into something we’ve never been
• the only way to envision that realm or our new selves is with our imagination

If you know anything about period of the Reformation in Britain,
– then you’ve heard of Thomas Moore – one notable quote:
Moore, “True change takes place in the imagination”
• a French philosopher in 20th century picked that up
Paul Ricoeur, “If you want to change people’s obedience then you must change their imagination.”
• an American theologian also grasped importance of this idea
◦ Walter Brueggemann observed how Christians were shaped by culture
◦ he realized, any significant change begins with imagination
• I want to honor his passing this past week with several quotes
Brueggemann, “So the first question is How can we have enough freedom to imagine and articulate a real historical newness in our situation? . . . We need to ask not whether it is realistic or [politically] practical or [economically] viable but whether it is imaginable.”
– in one of his books, he emphasizes the role of the prophets, The Prophetic Imagination
Brueggemann, “The prophet engages in futuring fantasy. The prophet does not ask if the vision can be implemented, for questions of implementation are of no consequence until the vision can be imagined. The imagination must come before the implementation.”
◦ he also stressed the role of artists
Brueggemann, In totalitarian states “imagination is a danger. Thus every totalitarian regime is frightened of the artist. It is the vocation of the prophet to keep alive the ministry of imagination, to keep on conjuring and proposing alternative futures to the single one the king wants to urge as the only thinkable one.”
◦ in Finally Comes the Poet, he writes,
“The link of obedience to imagination suggests the toughness of ethics depends on poetic, artistic speech as the only speech that can evoke transformation. Even concerning ethics, ‘finally comes the poet.’”
• the biblical story of Samson begins with angel announcement
“he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines” (Jdg. 13:5)
◦ he wouldn’t finish the job, but someone had to start it
◦ that’s what defined his role as a judge in Israel!
• in one episode of Samson’s life, 3,000 men of Judah came to apprehend him and hand him over to the Philistines
They said to him, “Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us?” (Jdg. 15:11)
• they had surrendered to that situation as if it were an unalterable reality
◦ in Samson’s mind, he did not consider the Philistines as his rulers or being over him
◦ and in his own imagination of how things were, Israel’s liberation began

From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, his message was:

“Things can be different! People can change. Religion can change”
Brueggemann, “Jesus is presented and trusted as the one whose very person made a difference”
– Brueggemann lists ways Jesus demonstrated this message
• first, his birth challenged the rule of Herod and of Rome
◦ then his ministry of forgiveness, of healing (and on Sabbath!),
◦ his acceptance of, and association with outcasts, and then,
Brueggemann, “Jesus in his solidarity with the marginal ones is moved to compassion. Compassion constitutes a radical form of criticism, for it announces that the hurt is to be taken seriously, that the hurt is not to be accepted as normal and natural but is an abnormal and unacceptable condition for humanness.”
(At this point we might be tempted to think of Senator Ernst’s heartless comment this past week regarding cut backs in Medicaid,
“We are all going to die” – like’s it’s an inevitability, so we’ll just let it happen)
Brueggemann, “Thus the compassion of Jesus is to be understood not simply as a personal emotional reaction but as a public criticism in which he dares to act upon his concern against the entire numbness of his social context. Empires live by numbness.” And further on, “Jesus’ compassion is not only criticism of what is deathly, for in his criticism and solidarity he evidences power to transform”

Someone might assume I’ve been talking politics

I haven’t (except for that one crack regarding Ernst) – I’m not political and I don’t follow politics closely
– what I am–or at least what I try to be–is Christian,
• a follower of Jesus – so it affects me to hear him ask,
“Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me?”
• I have lots of questions and requests for Jesus
◦ I wonder how many of them he would give the same answer that he gave Philip
“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”
◦ or as he said to Thomas, who complained,
“Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
“I am the way . . . . If you had known me, you would have known my Father also”
• this isn’t political; it’s personal and relational
◦ it’s about knowing Jesus

Conclusion: I hope you find encouragement in this morning’s talk

That you’re not thinking,
“I’ve already learned this. And I already know Jesus.
I was hoping to hear something else this morning;
maybe something new, or more relevant or practical”

Okay, I get it. And maybe I’m only talking to myself
Like you, I’ve already learned this too
And I’ve shared the same message for years
But with all the energy and effort that I’ve put into knowing Jesus,
I still do not know him as well as I wish
And in this way, if not so much as in other ways,
I identify with St. Paul,
who after meeting Jesus for the first time,
and having served the Lord and his people for many years, wrote:
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things . . . in order that I may gain Christ . . . that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his sufferings, become like him in his death . . . . Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has ade me his own” (Php. 3:8-12)

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord
Join us here today

In all things let us give thanks
Make our hearts sensitive to the good you bring to us.
Fill us with gratitude
Make us noticers of your presence
Your hand
Your loving care
Let us feel our contentment in you
And live truthfully before you
Without mask
Without pretense
Without shame

Help us step out of our defenses
Our roles and stances
Our postures and reputations
And help us to step into you
Our need of you
Knowing you are trustworthy
Knowing you are kind
Knowing you are making us new
Whole
And for this we give thanks again
And again
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,
‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.’
So then each of us will give an account of himself to God Romans 14:10-12

Intro: For some theologians and many believers,

Paul’s letter to the Romans is the heart of the Christian faith
– but what they see as the central message isn’t my favorite part
• chapter 8 and this chapter speak directly to our need
• that is, our connection to God and life in the Spirit
◦ then chapter 14, where we learn what living our faith looks like in practice
– a natural division occurred in churches of the Roman Empire
• the split occurred along both ethnic and cultural lines
◦ they consisted of both Jewish and Gentile members
◦ Paul was clear re: his ministry, to Jews first and also to Gentiles
• in some churches, this became a problem – Galatians
◦ there is a hint of that same tension here (and in Colossians)
◦ only it has a slightly different look – based on practice

In verse 1, Paul introduces us to these two groups in Rome

He labels one group, “weak in faith”
– I think he’s being delicate by not labeling the other group as strong
• however, at the beginning of chapter 15, he does say,
“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak”
• in what way were some Christians “weak in faith”?
– this where I think we can discern Jewish roots
• what “weak in faith” means
◦ they were uncomfortable with idea of right with God by grace
• they had learned that obeying the law was their salvation
◦ so for them, they were saved by grace + something else
◦ Sabbath-keeping, dietary restrictions, circumcision
• those, strong in faith, didn’t share those convictions

I’ll pause here long enough for us to realize,
– there are many Christians who still carry similar beliefs
• we are saved by grace plus something more
◦ grace + baptism, grace + their doctrine, grace + politics
• some people will always struggle with grace
◦ at the same time, we must be aware of the danger of what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace”
◦ grace that makes no demands
– grace is life-transforming–result: we live differently than before
• but even still, the essence of grace is relational not legal or doctrinal

Paul had many run-ins and conflicts with the promoters of legalism

The first significant Gentile church was in Antioch in Syria
“But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ And . . . Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them . . . .” (Acts 15:1-2)
– in time, Paul reached the realization:
• he would never be able to change their minds
• they were as Christian as he was, despite their convictions
– so the challenge became working out a peaceful co-existence
• what he taught the Ephesians: Jesus is the bridge between the two groups
“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility . . . that he might create in himself one new [people] in place of the two, so making peace” (Ep. 2:14-15)

So now Paul makes a similar appeal to these two groups in Rome

He tells each group what they need to hear:
– to the weak in faith”
“Don’t judge, criticize, or condemn the others who don’t share your opinions”
– to the strong in faith:
“Don’t despise or look down on the others as less enlightened, spiritual, or educated”

The information Paul provides in the first nine verses is thorough
– but I get the feeling that he didn’t think that was enough,
• that it was important that they take the message inside them
◦ he wanted his Christian readers to live this truth
• so he moves to another way of communicating to them
◦ he doesn’t pour more information into them
◦ instead he challenges the to do some soul-searching
“Why do your pass judgment on your [Christian brothers and sisters]?”
– sometimes a “why” question is rhetorical
• the person who asks, is convinced there’s no valid answer
◦ other times, the question is real,
◦ but the person asking has another purpose than to get an answer
• if a Christian community is divided over an issue,
◦ it can be a wise move toward resolve and reconciliation,
◦ if everyone involved asks themselves,
why they feel as they do, why they hold their ground, and why they allow it to lead to division
– whether the question is effective in repairing the division,
• depends on each person taking the challenge seriously
◦ “why” must be answered as truthfully as possible
◦ to do that requires deep and thorough probing of our hearts
• I confess, it isn’t easy for me to get to my truth
◦ I must include searching my mind and heart–i.e., reason and emotion
◦ facts vs assumptions, my prejudices and preferences
also, what personal and cultural influences play into this?

When Paul asks us, “Why?” we must answer on our own
– it won’t work to refer to general consensus or public opinion
• as in the final judgment Paul mentions,
◦ we will stand alone before God and answer for ourselves
• I think my intention for saying this is the same as Paul’s
◦ I believe we must take this interior exploration seriously
– everyone finds it difficult to admit that they’re wrong
• especially if the person we’re debating is belligerent and aggressive
• knowing that it’s our spirit or attitude that is wrong, makes it even more difficult

Let’s get out the magnifying glass and take a closer look at the text

Paul get’s personal – he’s not talking about an anonymous crowd
– he says, “Why do you pass judgment”
• and he doesn’t make it “us” and “them” or “you” and “them”
◦ he addresses one group, “you,” and says, “Or you!”
– I can’t remember if I’ve noticed this before,
• that he says, “why do you despise your sibling”
◦ that is to say, “treat them with contempt”
– this is a frustrating defect of our human nature
• we cannot simply disagree with someone regarding a serious issue
◦ we are gripped with strong negative feelings toward them
• “despise” is a strong word, but sometimes we have strong feelings
◦ and this person, Paul says, is my brother, my sister
◦ we share a familial bond in Jesus

There is a key phrase in this section of Romans I want to emphasize

It is found first in verse 1, where Paul says, “welcome him”
– “Don’t judge, don’t despise, don’t argue, just welcome them”
• to welcome someone is to receive them, open you heart and your arms to them
• Paul comes back to this in verse 3
• and then again in Romans 15:7 (where Jesus is our example)

If Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son had a longer ending:
– the Prodigal–the little brother–, would have told his father,
“Don’t invite my older brother to my party! He’ll ruin it. He’s always judging me. He’ll ask how much everything cost. He’s too uptight. He always has to be right. Father, I want to be with you, but not him.”
• and his father would have answered,
“Son, never forget how much I love your older brother. He, too, is my son. And he hasn’t caused me as much heartache as you. True, he has taken fewer risks, but he’s always been very careful not to offend me. You love me. I love you and I love him, and I want you to love him as well.”
• in the longer ending, the brothers would have been reconciled
– that was what the message Jesus wanted his audience to hear and put into practice

Conclusion: Several times, I’ve started to respond to someone on social media

But I felt the Lord telling me, “Don’t do that”
– people are already doing too much name-calling, derision, and throwing obscenities at each other
• perhaps he wants me to use the platform for good

It’s one level of relief when we realize we can’t “fix” others
but there’s even greater peace when we realize, we don’t have to fix anyone else
God hasn’t put that on his list of things for us to do

Paul says “each one of us will give an account of their selves to God”
So which case should I be working on?
prosecuting my neighbor’s case or preparing my own?
Regardless of what everyone else may be doing,
we are ambassadors of God’s love in the world
Let’s commit ourselves to working on that

Podcast

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“When I call out, answer me, my righteous God.
In the straits, You set me free.
Have mercy upon me and hear my prayer” Psalm 4:1

Intro: Do you have a favorite psalm; for instance, Psalm 23?

Whether one psalm speaks to me and another one doesn’t,
– depends a lot on my mood at the time I read them
• the Psalms are moody, and some of them match my mood perfectly
• whenever a psalm speaks to me, it’s effect is palpable
◦ it not only gives me something to think about,
◦ but also stirs up significant feelings
– the Psalms speak to our frustrations, conflicts, and heartaches
• there are psalms that encourage and console
• others give us wise counsel and guidance
• more than once, a psalm has met me in my grief
• many psalms are reminders that God is with us

Walking through Psalm 4 yesterday morning was therapeutic
– what I want to do this morning,
• is share with you what that psalm did for me
– I am reading Robert Alter’s translation of the Psalms
• he is a scholar who appreciates the uniqueness of Hebrew poetry
• and is able to bring out the literary beauty of the Psalms

The psalm begins with what all of us desire when we pray
“When I call out, answer me, my righteous God.
In the straits, You set me free.
Have mercy upon me and hear my prayer” Psalm 4:1

When we call out to God, we want an answer — a word of advice:
I have found it’s best to not ask for a specific answer
• like most everyone, I have financial concerns
◦ but I know better than to ask God to rig the lottery
• we can specify our situation or our need,
◦ but prepare ourselves for however God chooses to meet it
◦ sometimes–maybe often–we get an answer like Paul received
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9)
– I can accept an answer like that, but can I accept it as well as Paul did?
“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10)
• I’m probably not there yet – and that may be God’s answer to my prayer;
• that I need to move to a place of greater maturity

In the straits – the Hebrew word translated straits means a narrow or tight space
– when we experience “dire straits” like intense stress or anxiety,
• our brains automatically fixate on the problem
◦ this is sometimes referred to as “tunnel vision”
◦ we lose sight of the big picture
• so the poet begins by recalling his history with God:
“In the straits, You set me free”
◦ more than once, a psalm has expanded my vision
◦ peace came immediately – and soon after peace, the answer arrived
– the poet’s opens his prayer with a third significant thought:
“Have mercy upon me”
• it would never occur to me, to think I deserve an answer (or anything from God)
◦ I’m well aware that everything that comes from God is a gift
“and hear my prayer”
• in Hebrew, “hear” combines two thoughts: listen and respond
◦ the same word is sometimes translated “obey”
◦ God’s mercy allows us to go forward with our prayer, anticipating his response

“Sons of man, how long will My glory be shamed?
You love vain things and seek out lies.
But know that the LORD set apart His faithful.
The LORD will hear when I call to him” Psalm 4:2-3
I doubt we could have seen these lines coming
– the voice shifts from the poet to God – with an immediate response
• God knows already what’s on the poet’s mind and the contents of his prayer
• besides that, God shares his concern–in fact, he takes it personally
– sometimes–many times–people are the problem
• in this instance, rather than honor God by right actions,
◦ they ignore God’s glory, as if it meant nothing, had no value
◦ they’re actions are an embarrassment to God (they shame his glory)
• the poet instantly picks up on that – he agrees with God
◦ this is the problem, and why he prays
– he definitely does not share the crowd’s values or actions
• but he is content to leave them in God’s hands
◦ and in that way he is enabled to go on and find the peace he craves
◦ God doesn’t always require us to butt heads with buttheads
• the poet belongs to God’s faithful followers, set apart from others
◦ now he’s confident that God will hear his prayer

After verse 2, there’s a strange little word in right hand margin,
– selah – and no one knows for certain what it means
• most conjecture that it’s a musical notation
• I usually ignore it, but sometimes I treat it like a prompt to “stop and think about this”

The remainder of the poem is a sequence of instructions

I assume that all of us are familiar with the agitation the poet felt
– the belligerent, hurtful, foolish, or threatening words of others
• the “vain things,” as God says in verse 2, and the lies that people rant
◦ empty words actions pouring out of empty heads,
◦ stirs up unpleasant emotions that can keep us awake at night
• the poet has some enlightened advice for us
◦ we’ll take it one step at a time

“Quake, and do not offend.
Speak in your hearts on your beds, and be still” Psalm 4:4
Quake: I think he’s saying, “Acknowledge your agitation”
– bring awareness to what you’re feeling – name it
• negative feelings and emotions have more force when not identified
• there’s a “part two” in this verse: do not offend – sin, miss the mark
◦ don’t ruminate on those feelings or act on them
◦ don’t make a bad situation worse
– then, do some “heart talk” – Speak in your hearts
• there’s a good example of this in Psalm 42
“Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?” (Ps. 42:5)
◦ another “part 2” in the second line: “and be still”
◦ develop healthy habits of self-soothing (it’s easy to adopt bad ones)
• when our brains are most reactive we find it hard to shut them off
◦ cultivate stillness – relax every muscle in your body
◦ release every thought in your mind

Next:
“Offer righteous sacrifices
and trust in the LORD” Psalm 4:5

Do the right thing when others are doing wrong things
– I suggest we go with modern meaning of sacrifice, which is above and beyond
– trust is the centerpiece of the psalm – of everything in the psalm and in the whole of the Scriptures
• I love the word TRUST, and God brings me back to it all the time
• this is what makes the other instructions work

Next:
“Many say, ‘Who will show us good things?’
Lift up the light of Your face to us, LORD” Psalm 4:6
– our response to the negative attitude of the “many” voices
• a dismal outlook, that nothing good is coming to us from any direction
– to dial into those good things, receive God’s benediction – his blessing
• that is essentially the thrust of the second line of this verse
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace (Nu. 6:24-26)

Then:
“You put joy in my heart,
from the time their grain and their drink did abound” Psalm 4:6
– look for joy – open your heart to joy

And finally:
“In peace, all whole, let me lie down and sleep.
For You, LORD, alone, do set me down safely” Psalm 4:7
– one of the great concerns in our nation today is safety and security
– this is a beautiful way for the poetic prayer to resolve
• we sleep peacefully while God continues to work through the night

Conclusion: I’ll wrap this up with lyrics from an old hymn

Be still, my soul! the Lord is on your side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul! your best, your heav’nly friend
Thru’ thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord join us here today
When you speak, help us be eager to hear you
When you call, cause us to come to you quickly

Let us grow weary of all of our ploys and workarounds and distractions
Let us grow weary of depending on our wealth and position and power
Let us bring our anxieties and fears and concerns to you instead
Trusting you to make us whole
Trusting you to bind up our wounds
Trusting you in and for all things
Knowing your great good love is
Our deepest need
And most valued treasure.
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

The story I am going read to is found in both Matthew and Mark, but each one highlights different details. I’ve combined both versions of the story, because I didn’t want to leave out any of my favorite lines.

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. [And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.]
And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region [a Gentile] [whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet] . . . crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
And he answered, “[Let the children be fed first, for] It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! [For this statement you may go your way . . . .] Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. [And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.] Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30

Intro: Jesus crossed an international border looking for rest

Matthew says, he “went away” and “withdrew”
– he needed space where he was free from the desperate crowds
• care givers have to be careful to care for themselves
• otherwise burn out can take out a care giver
◦ during this brief respite, Jesus and disciples were off the clock
– last thing they wanted was to hear the cry of a Gentile woman
• Jesus buries his face in a newspaper or checks his cell phone
◦ seeing that he ignores her, she begins pestering his disciples
◦ and it worked – in frustration they went to Jesus
“Send her away, for she is crying out after us”
• they broke but not because they were more merciful than Jesus
Helmut Thielicke, “They can’t take the woman’s misery. The woman clearly feels that too, otherwise she would have turned to the weary and therefore more helpful disciples. She realizes, however, that they are not merciful in yielding to her cry for help. They just have weak nerves.”
◦ so far, she has been rejected and not helped

This woman is a hero
– a desperate mom – she’s a mother who won’t give up
• up till now, her daughter has had no hope for a cure
◦ but she heard about the Jewish rabbi who came to Sidon
◦ a miracle worker – an exorcist who cast out demons with a word
• he wasn’t from her country or culture,
◦ but, if need be, she’ll become enough of a bother to wear him down
◦ she easily broke through his ring of bodyguards
– having crossed the line, she fell down at Jesus’ feet,
• and prayed this short prayer: “Lord, help me”
• now, for all her work, what does Jesus give her?
◦ a hard time, a refusal – he tells her,

“This isn’t right. You’re not a lost sheep of Israel.
What I have to give isn’t for you.
You’re torn to pieces over your daughter–I heard you,
but I have children of my own to think of, and to care for.
The needs of my children come first. My provisions are for them.
It wouldn’t be right to take food from them and throw it to the dogs.
Your name is not on my list. I can’t help you.”

• for a moment Jesus sounds like a stone-faced bureaucrat
“I can’t approve this for you. You don’t have the right papers.”
Or, “We’re returning your application because you signed on the wrong line”

If we feel uncomfortable with how Jesus acts in this story–and we do–,
– it’s not that it lacks beauty or power
• but because we don’t like seeing Jesus in this negative light
◦ we’re uncomfortable with the way he treats her
◦ if ever he’s rude or severe, it’s with self-righteous, judgmental, hypocrites
• how we see this scenario is:
“So what if she’s from the wrong side of the tracks? What does it cost Jesus to meet her desperate need?”
◦ this is not the lovely image of Jesus that we treasure
– so now, do we have to give up our idea of a loving and kind Jesus?
• should we fret that perhaps he isn’t always “nice”?
◦ whenever we find Jesus one-to-one with any person–e.g., Nicodemus, Bartimaeus, or Peter
◦ he is always working a specific strategy – he’s after something
• perhaps Jesus is testing this soulful mother
◦ challenging her like he did with two blind men in chapter 9, whom he asked,
“Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Mt. 9:28)
◦ if Jesus discourages someone, he has a reason; he makes his move to win them, not lose them

When Jesus says “dogs,” the suspense is tangible
– can this story in any way have a happy ending?
• it’s her move now, and she says, “Yes, Lord”

“Refuse my prayer that’s fine. Okay, I’m a dog. I have no right to bother You, no right to demand anything from You. I’m an outsider. But Lord, I’m not asking for the children’s bread! I’m not applying for discipleship. But about those dogs You mentioned? Well, even those dogs are allowed to eat whatever scraps fall from the table.”

◦ anyone who has children and a dog or two, knows for sure,
◦ more than a few scraps will fall under the table
(I wonder if there are any dogs that eat lima beans)
• before approaching Jesus, she had already decided no matter what he tells her, she will say “Yes”
◦ and that’s what Jesus wants–is her “Yes”
– do you remember what we’ve gone over these past two weeks?
(It’s okay if you don’t. I don’t either, but I have it in my notes)
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord, and not do what I command you?”
Why do you call me ‘Lord,’ but your actual response to me is not a ‘Yes, Lord’?
– here is a woman–a Gentile–who accepts the conceptual frame in which Jesus placed her
• but then she re-frames HIS concept to create a loophole for herself and her daughter
• it’s as if this were a game, like chess, and she just countered his move
“Yes, Lord, I’m a dog; but even the dogs get something”

“Then Jesus answered her, O woman, great is your faith!”

Was Jesus smiling when he said this? I think so. I think he enjoyed her riposte. After all, it was precisely the sort of response he hoped for, only perhaps even more clever.

– there’s another story like this, but involving a Roman centurion (another Gentile)
• Jesus said of him,
“Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith” (Mt. 8:10)
◦ the woman won the match, because her faith wouldn’t allow her to give up
◦ Luke, in his gospel, tells us that one time Jesus
“told . . . a parable to the effect that [we] ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Lk. 18:1)
• that describes this woman — she did not lose heart, even when rejected and insulted
– she won because she was ready to surrender
• ready to accept any deal Jesus offered, meet any demand he made
• and her surrender, her “Yes, Lord,” is what Jesus was after
◦ he did not want her to walk away discouraged or hopeless
◦ he did not want the rich young man to walk away discouraged, but he did
and that was because he wasn’t prepared to meet Jesus’ demands
his response was a, “No Lord, not that!”

Some of the people I love–and whom I know love Jesus–
– have given up on prayer – not that they stopped praying
• but they never ask for anything out of the ordinary
◦ they ask for assistance, forgiveness, safe travel, and their daily bread
◦ all the basic stuff and typical necessities
• they ask for God’s help with things they can also do on their own,
(just in case he doesn’t come through)
◦ but they avoid asking for anything that depends totally on God
– most people I know have a limit on how far they’ll trust God,
• and when they reach it, they “lose heart”
◦ I, also, have my moments of despair
◦ but when God is silent, I’m learning to listen more closely
• there’s often a message in God’s silence
◦ I’m learning to say,
“Lord, since You haven’t answered the question I asked, what’s the question I should be asking?”
Or, “Since You have given me what I requested, what should be my request?”
– that’s an important lesson, however, not today’s “big idea”

Conclusion: I have another point I wish to make clear

It’s not a law, or a rule, or a magic formula to get the answer you want to every prayer
– in fact, it’s rather simple:
• we don’t have to pray long prayers to get God’s attention
• its enough to pray, “Lord, help me!”

Every week I pray for my extended family – it’s a long list
– for years, I’ve prayed my heart’s concerns
(with lots of details and ‘suggestions’ for God)
• so working my way through that list took a long time
• one morning I realized God didn’t need all the details and instructions that I gave him
◦ after that, when praying, I paused at each person’s name, and without words,
◦ I felt, briefly, my concern for their needs and what I hoped God would do for them
– so in my prayers now, I respect God’s wisdom in deciding how he will assist them
• and that gives me more time to rest in his presence
• short prayers can be as effective as long prayers,
◦ if they are sincere and backed by faith and surrender

From the example of this desperate woman, we learn
that “Lord, help me” can be enough of a prayer
or, as in Peter’s case, “Lord, save me!”
(If he had tried to pray a longer prayer, he would have drowned)
God is not waiting for us to find the right words
He waits for our, surrender, our “Yes, Lord, your will be done”
With friends or walking alone, we can pray out loud if we want
(Public prayer must be prayed aloud, so that others can say “Amen” to our prayer)
anywhere else we can pray silently at the altar of our hearts
Because we make our prayers,
whether long or short, loud or silent, with tears or laughter,
to our infinite Father in heaven anything is possible – all things are possible

Podcast

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

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

Intro: My grandchildren have been helping me with social media, by interpreting a slew of new acronyms

Acronyms are abbreviations for phrases, titles, or names, using only the first letters of each word
– for instance, USA, BTW, or RFK
• acronyms look strange, initially
◦ a popular political insult is RINO: Republican In Name Only
• this came to mind when reading a quote by Justin Martyr
◦ a first century philosopher who became a Christian
– he quoted the part of Jesus’ Sermon we’ve been going over (Mt. 7:21-27)
Justin Martyr, “. . . let those who are not found living as He taught, be understood to be no Christians, even though they profess with the lip the precepts of Christ; for not those who make profession, but those who do the works, shall be saved . . . . And as to those who are not living pursuant to these His teachings . . . are. . . “Christians only in name”
• Jesus continues with his theme from last week
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”
◦ and now he concludes the Sermon with a parable

The parable illustrates two prerequisites for a stable future

Last week the theme was saying and doing; here it is hearing and doing
– this might remind you immediately of the letter of James
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (Jas. 1:22)
• this is a dangerous self-deception
• there are several people I worry about, because they assume they’re fighting a righteous battle,
◦ but what they’re doing is not of God at all
– Jesus sets two characters side-by-side; one wise, the other foolish
• this is a familiar contrast in the OT wisdom literature
“The wise lay up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near” (Pr. 10:14)
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice” (Pr. 12:15)
• both characters in the parable are building a house
◦ we could take this to mean that each one is constructing a life
◦ its stability depends the the values each one adopts and the habits they form

First there is the wise man, “who built his house on the rock”

Luke records the same parable, but there Jesus tells it differently
“he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock (Lk. 6:48)
– Soren Kierkegaard wrote an essay, “Love Edifies” (builds up)
• he stresses the important first stage in building up, which is “digging down”
Kierkegaard, “It is commendable that a man, before he starts to build, should reflect on ‘how high he will be able to build his tower,’ but if he decides to build, then let him take care to dig deep . . . .”
“In the simple story about a house, a building, everyone knows what is understood by the ground and the foundation. But what is, spiritually understood, the ground and the foundation of the spiritual life which shall support the building? It is simply love; love is the origin of everything, and, Spiritually understood, love is the deepest foundation of the spiritual life.”
• as you can see, he was a poet as well as a philosopher and theologian
– of course, he was right about love being the foundation
• Jesus has stressed that all through the Sermon
• love is the righteousness that exceeds that of scribes and Pharisees (Mt. 5:20)

Jesus then describes how sturdiness of house was tested
– rain fell, floods came, and winds blew and beat on that house
• no human person is immune from trouble
◦ inconveniences fall on us
◦ trouble comes to us
◦ storms rage and blast against us
• being a minister means that we have not only our own problems,
◦ but we’re exposed to the problems of many other people
◦ illness and injury, financial problems and job insecurities,
troubled friendships and aggressive enemies
all the usual (and some unusual) anxieties of life,
as well as our own actual losses and miseries
– all these things come as trials (think of a “trial run”)
• they test the stability of our lives
◦ and we’ve seen that whatever tests us can also tempt us
◦ but if we have a firm foundation, we won’t crumble
• that is what Jesus has provided us through the entire Sermon
◦ hearing his teaching is good–that much we can take for granted
◦ but doing as he says is like “building to code”
(then, even moderate earthquakes won’t bring our house down)

Now we come to the foolish man

Jesus makes it obvious that this person paid no attention to the foundation of his house
– not only did he fail to dig down to rock bottom,
• he didn’t even bother to consider the soils composition
◦ constructing a building in Orange County requires soils test
◦ builders need to know the compaction of the ground on which they will build
• what happens when you stand on a sandy shoreline and let the water roll over your feet?
◦ the water shifts the sand under your feet and undermines your stability
– in Luke, Jesus says, the foolish builder
“built his house on the ground without a foundation” (Lk. 6:49)
Jonathan Pennington, “the difference” between the two houses “is at the hidden level of the foundation.”
• maybe no one else could see how the builder cut corners
◦ no one else knew the way he violated building codes
◦ or failed to do what he heard Jesus teach
• but eventually, the truth came out

The assault on the foolish man’s house, was exactly the same as the wise man’s house
– but the foolish man’s structure was not prepared to pass the tests
• not only did it fall, but “great was the fall of it”
• that extra notation could cause me a panic attack
◦ ultimately, his was a life that served no purpose
◦ a life that did not benefit anyone–not even himself
– the obvious questions I need to ask myself are:
• Am I living Jesus’ Sermon On the Mount?
◦ am I becoming a kinder, more merciful person?
◦ am I practicing the true righteousness of the law?
◦ am I avoiding all the ways of acting like a hypocrite?
◦ am I learning to control my anxiety
◦ am I seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness?
• Jesus has brought us back to the crossroads
◦ the narrow gate that opens to the hard way
and the wide gate that opens to the easy way
◦ the wise way and the foolish way–one is ultimate success and the other is ultimate failure

Conclusion: We are not quite done
“And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.”
“When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him” Matthew 7:28-8:1

Matthew encloses Jesus’ sermon in a tidy envelope structure
– the sermon began when Jesus climbed the mountain, followed by a crowd
• and now it ends as Jesus descends the mountain, with great crowds following him
• but what stands out at the end of the Sermon, is that
“the crowds were astonished at his teaching”
and that because
“he was teaching them as one who had authority”
• how did they experience Jesus’ authority?
◦ who is Jesus? Why listen to him and then do what he says?
– Jesus exerts his authority all the way through the Sermon
• remember when he was saying (repeatedly):
“You have heard that it was said . . . . But I say to you”

Jesus, the Son of God is an astonishing person
He carries authority within himself
He doesn’t need a badge, a weapon, or a university degree
His is the truest, the most real kind of authority
The words of Jesus stay with us as we descend the mountain,
and return to the desperate crowds below
But we return with a new vision, and a transformed life
Amy-Jill Levine, “If you let the Sermon be your guide, you will not only have one foot in the kingdom of heaven but also be able to experience that kingdom in your life and in your heart.”

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord join us here today

Help us remember every good thing in our lives
Full of gratitude
And giving thanks from our hearts
Especially for the people we love and who love us too
Their kindness and care
Their affection and consideration
Show us how to love them well
Better than ever before
In our gratitude

And if we have caused pain in their lives
Or there are misunderstandings
Resentments
Help us to make repairs as needed
To make amends
To set things right
To bring peace into the world
And help us find ways to resolve our concerns
Our difficulties and problems
Without causing unnecessary hurt
So that as far as it depends upon us
We can be at peace with everyone
Especially those close to us

Make your life full in ours
Help us embody your way
Knowing our healing and wholeness comes
Through loving others
And help us become the sort of people
who have the capacity to love
As you have loved us
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Matthew 7:21-23

Intro: We’re nearing the end of Jesus’ Sermon

I think we must admit, there have been surprises along the way
– but it has been a journey of wonder, skirting the edges of the kingdom of God
• at the same time, the Lord has exposed us, to truth that is deep and difficult
• so, what does Jesus want to say to us this morning?
– though he’s never one to sugarcoat the hard things, Jesus is being rather blunt, don’t you think?
• maybe what we hear is a tone of voice that offends
◦ we ask, Where is God’s compassion and mercy?
• if Jesus must deliver this truth, couldn’t he at least be polite?
◦ but is there a polite way to shout, “The building’s on fire”? or “Run for your lives”?
◦ when Jesus is direct and rough, even then he loves us

in these verses, Jesus does not give us new information, but a clear application
– because, if we look closely, we find all the Sermon’s central themes
• the kingdom of heaven–from the Beatitudes on
• the heavenly Father–which like the kingdom, is in Lord’s Prayer
• the will of my Father–also in the Lord’s Prayer
• the Law (here: lawlessness)–and, by implication, true righteousness
– reiterating these themes, Jesus encloses them in a classic package:
“Actions speak louder than words”
• the scale is balanced between what one “says” and “does”
◦ after he makes his point, he illustrates it with a parable
◦ and again later in Matthew with another slightly different parable

“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you” (Mt. 21:28-32)

• people can change their minds about what they’ve said
◦ but they cannot change what they’ve done or not done

V. 21, The message is simple

In fact, it shouldn’t take longer to explain than it is to read
But if some people are in for a dreadful surprise, we need to see why
– next week, Jesus tells parable about two men building houses
• he told almost the same parable another time
◦ we find that one in Luke’s gospel, where Jesus introduces his story with:
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?” (Lk. 6:46)
◦ this is the heart of the problem; the huge inconsistency
• for now, Jesus is “Lord,” but only for those who do what he says
– entrance into the Father’s kingdom is contingent on doing what the Father says
• that is the one necessary qualification

V. 22, The credentials these people present are impressive

They do not look like your ordinary followers of Jesus
– in fact, that’s why the whole issue at the entrance to the kingdom of God is shocking
• if the miracle-workers are turned away, what hope is there for an average Christian like myself?
– I’m curious if this group will include preachers and evangelists,
• who think they’ve worked miracles in Jesus’ name
◦ and built multi-million dollar organizations with sprawling campuses and private jets
• do any of these famous, and infamous, people,
◦ assume amassing fortunes and building empires in Jesus’ name,
◦ is the sum total of what God expected of them?

Now, if you’re wondering, how a person who
– prophesied, cast out demons, and did many might works, “in Jesus’ name”
• would not make it into the kingdom of heaven, then you haven’t been paying attention!
• remember last week, “You will recognize them by their fruit” ?
◦ what fruit? — that’s the question we should be asking
– I try not to be hyper-critical – or even moderately critical,
• but there are many things people do in Jesus’ name, that have nothing to do with Jesus
◦ but everything to do with their own agenda, popularity, and profit
• they turn the name of Jesus into a banner,
◦ and wave it over their own projects and personal goals
◦ they use, and misuse, the name of Jesus to attract followers

I listen carefully to the words Jesus says,
– specifically, “On that day” – the effect those words provoke is chilling
• standing in the threshold of the kingdom of heaven,
◦ is not the place where you want to be surprised
◦ where you want to learn that you are not granted access
– what does Jesus say to these people who,
• use his name without his authorization?

V. 23, “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you’”

Now we learn what it was they were doing wrong:
“depart from me, you workers of lawlessness”
– to appreciate the point Jesus is making,
• we have to turn back a couple of pages
“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. . . . Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven . . . .For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:17-20)
• is it staring to come together for you?
– how does Jesus “fulfill” the Law and Prophets?
• by taking us below the surface of the “words” of the Law down into their intent
“You have heard that it has been said . . . . But I say to you . . . .”
◦ there is a superficial righteousness practiced by scribes and Pharisees
• Jesus revealed a greater righteousness
◦ when sifted to its essence, the Law’s true form is love (cf. Rom. 13:8-10)
◦ a righteousness that is not merely ethical or moral, but relational
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. 22:37-40)

Repeatedly in the Sermon Jesus has brought us back to this revelation
– what is the “fruit” Jesus wants to see in us and for us to look for in others?
“the fruit of the Spirit is love” (Gal. 5:22)

One year, reading these verses left me feeling disturbed

Especially by Jesus words of rejection: “I never knew you; depart from me . . .”
– I’m sure that many of those people who hear Jesus tell them this, ask,
“How could he have never known me?”
• so I asked myself, “How can I get Jesus to know ME?”
◦ obviously, not by boasting “big” displays of power or even miracles
◦ not by making a name for myself
• the answer was right in front of me:
“do the will of my Father who is in heaven”
“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love [them] and manifest myself to [them]” (Jn. 14:21)
“if anyone loves God, [they] are known by God” (1 Cor. 8:3)
– in Matthew chapter 12, Jesus redefined family
• his mother and brothers were outside wanting to speak to him
“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Mt. 12:46-50)

Conclusion: Now you and I have all we need to know

No one is going to talk or argue their way into the kingdom of heaven
Jesus knows those whose love for others is like his own
He knows those who “hear the word of God and do it”
It is the people who bear his family resemblance
In Matthew 25 we learn that Jesus is especially fond of those who
Feed people when they are hungry and have nothing to eat
Give drink to people when they are thirsty
Welcome strangers who need assistance
Clothe others when what they wear is inadequate for their need
Visit the infirm, the elderly, the prisoner

Whatever else you and I will be doing this week,
Let’s be on the lookout for someone who needs love
Don’t worry about “who” or “how” or “where” or “when”
Just show love
Be creative

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord join us here today

We know that not everyone who calls on your name is known by you.
Help us Lord
We know that flashy public displays of devotion are empty
Help us Lord
We know it is easier to pretend to be your follower than it is to follow you in our bodies, in our lives, moment by moment, day by day
Help us Lord
We know that it is easy to deceive ourselves, justify ourselves, and wear a mask that is acceptable in our circles but buffers us from your calling
Help us Lord
We know that common sense, the status quo, and standard operating procedures can lead us away from you
Help us Lord
We know that money and wealth and power are calling for our devotion
Help us Lord
We know your yoke is easy and that picking up our cross is a sacrifice
Help us Lord

Help us Lord
Help us know you and to be known by you
Make this our first thought, the organizing principle in our lives
Letting go of our other ambitions
Our claims to righteousness on our own terms

Instead let us be found loving others
Not blaming
Not demeaning
Not criticizing
Not condemning
Not judging
Heal our impatience
Heal our pride
Heal our anxiety
Heal our anger
Heal our loathing

Let us be found loving
Which is worthy of you
Loving the poor
Loving those without enough food and water, in war zones, in regions with famine, in the schools where there is chronic poverty
Loving the sick, the mentally ill, the addicted
Loving those in jail and prison
Loving strangers, aliens, foreigners
Those different, from other places, with different ways and different languages
Loving forgotten people,
Elderly, homeless, orphans, those emotionally isolated, and those living alone

Help us Lord
Let our faith be simple and true
Quiet and content
Let us be found loving
Give us a little something to do
Not all of it at once
Nothing too big
But our little opportunity to
Live life giving honor to you
And all you have done for us
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Matthew 7:15

Intro: Before we explore what Jesus is saying in these verses,

There are three issues that need to be addressed
First:
– belonging to a church family can sometimes be devastating
• I’ve met people whose first real family was their church
◦ it became their lifeline, until one day it fractured
◦ an angry and hostile faction split the church
• those on sidelines were so disillusioned, and so hurt,
◦ they never ventured into another church
◦ their church became their second destructive and dysfunctional family
– a similar sadness occurs when we discover a particular religious leader’s true colors,
• when the mask comes off and the real person is exposed
◦ maybe they were with us during a difficult time,
◦ maybe they quoted scripture and prayed with us
but now we see them for what they are
• perhaps what happened is they began as a sincere minister, but changed over time,
◦ or maybe they always had a different agenda from what their spiritual role required
◦ either way, eventually their true commitments and concerns came to the surface
“He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me . . . and I lay down my life for the sheep” (Jn. 10:12-14)
– so we need to be aware that the discovery of a false prophet is not only dangerous,
• it can also be very sad

Second:
There’s never been a time when Jesus’ warning wasn’t relevant
– it seems especially relevant for us in our own times
• I think this will be come clear as we work through it

Third
– how do we harmonize what Jesus says here this with verse 1?
“Judge not, that you be not judged”
• aren’t we “judging” a person when identify them as a false prophet?
• we will try to tackle this question now

Take a close look at the words Jesus uses

In verse 16 he says, “You will recognize them” – and the same thing again in v. 20
– condemning someone is not the same as recognizing someone for what they are
• but Jesus says, Do not judge, at the beginning of this section as a warning for us,
◦ because it’s almost always the first thing we do
(it is in our human neural system to immediately judge if a person or situation is dangerous or safe)
◦ “judge not” is a reminder; it is a practice that creates a boundary
◦ “recognize,” but don’t pass judgment (condemn)
• if someone poses a threat to the community, we must be aware of that
“I appeal to you, [my friends], to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the [teaching] that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive” (Rom. 16:17-18)
– when Jesus pronounced his predictions of what was to come,
• the very first words he spoke were:
“See that no one leads you astray” – further into his talk he says,
“And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray” – and, again,
“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand” (Mt. 24:4, 11, 24)
◦ we have to exercise discernment and recognize the danger
◦ but we also need to proceed with caution and with safeguards
• that means we must harness our attitude, indignation, and self-righteousness
“Brothers and sisters, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore [them] in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted” (Gal. 6:1)

“Beware of False Prophets”

I’m convinced, many Christians in U.S. do not take this seriously
– some of us are eager to follow anyone with generous promises
• that our every prayer will be answered,
◦ that we’ll enjoy prosperity or uninterrupted happiness
• or we’re suckers for religious celebrities and follow them around
◦ we confuse personal charisma for God’s anointing
◦ or we think the gifted Bible teacher is the one who entertains us
– perhaps we imagine a false prophet would look sinister
• not like that nice woman always inviting people to her home for meals
◦ or a false prophet wouldn’t quote scripture (especially not by heart)
◦ or it couldn’t be the televangelist with millions of followers
(in our American culture we frequently confuse material success and a large following with God’s blessing. We forget the Son of Man had nowhere to lay his head)
• anyone posing as a servant or messenger of God, can turn out to be a fraud
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 Jn. 4:1)

The false prophets who become cult leaders are typically very demanding
– in the same era as Jesus Movement two large cults emerged
• the Unification Church (founded by Sun Myung Moon)
and the Children of God (founded by David “Moses” Berg)
◦ they were demanding of their followers and treated them harshly
• their devotees were required to abandon their families, live in compounds, and turn their belongings over to the cult
◦ each morning they were driven into cities in fans to canvas the streets with tracts and beg for money to support their cult
– other false prophets are nicer and we meet them at the wide gate or on the easy trail (cf. v. 13)
• these leaders are kinder and oftentimes charming
“And no wonder,” Paul says, “for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:14-15)

Can you feel the tension in the two words, false-prophet?
– there should be no such thing
• yet they have appeared everywhere in biblical history and in the world
◦ Moses was already warning Israel against false prophets at founding of their religion (De. 13:1-3; 18:20)
◦ and they appear, with great influence, in the Book of Revelation
• what is most upsetting to me, is false prophets prey on innocent and vulnerable people
◦ they have compunction about exploiting people’s love for God – or fear of God
– in a sermon one Sunday morning, at least forty years ago, I said,
“You don’t have to send money to televangelists or religious organizations that send you newsletters, telling you that you must support them to carry on their mission. Most of them are already well-funded.”
• afterward, an elderly woman took my hand, looked in my eyes, and said,
“Thank you, so much. I needed to hear that”

Jesus returns to a familiar theme in his Sermon

Wolves in sheep’s clothing illustrate his emphasis on integrity
– he insists that our exterior life must be consistent with our interior life
• in this instance, the contrast is extreme and intentional — wolves and sheep
• they “look right” and at first they seem to fit in
◦ but the exterior is a disguise worn in a deliberate attempt to deceive others
– Jesus describes them a “ravenous” – greedy, insatiable
• some of them have a voracious appetite for money, others for power and total control
“I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30)

To help us recognize false prophets, , Jesus switches metaphors
“You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire Matthew 7:16-19

My suspicion is aroused when I hear a teacher give a flawed interpretation of scripture
– then, instead of using discernment, I make an assumption–and I “judge” that person
• but the truth is, no one has the one perfect interpretation of the entire Bible
• unfortunately, I also tend to make snap judgments regarding a person’s political stance
– so what are some legitimate criteria of fruit inspection?
▫ when people promote themselves, like Simon who we find “saying he himself was someone great” (Acts 8:9)
▫ “jealousy and strife” and “selfish ambition” (1 Cor. 3:3; Jas. 3:14-16)
▫ people who create and foment conflict (Jas. 4:1-2)
▫ seriously bad teaching – for instance, those who dismiss the Sermon on Mount, saying it doesn’t apply to Jesus’ followers today
– or who dismiss judgment Jesus describes in Mt. 25:31-46 “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me”
▫ all of Matthew chapter 23 provides examples
▫ then there is the ongoing care for orphans, widows, and resident aliens, repeated frequently (De. 24:19-21; Jas. 1:26)
▫ when a religious leader causes followers to suffer physical, financial, relational, or emotional damage

We find In Galatians 5 a famous list of the fruit of the Spirit
– not just one fruit, but more like a fruit salad
• fruits carry seeds that reproduce more fruit, so the DNA of love produces more love,
the DNA of joy produces more joy, the DNA of peace produces more peace, etcetera
• we can ask regarding leaders and followers (and ourselves):
◦ what does the fruit of love look like?
what does the fruit of joy look like?
◦ and so on, through the whole list
– in verse 19 we learn the destiny of false prophets;
• they’re not going anywhere

Conclusion: Jesus gives a recap in v. 20,
“Thus you will recognize them by their fruits”

Not by their clothing, their big Bibles or pious demeanor
(Jesus told us already in chapter 6, looks can be for show, not for God)
Not by their success, their religious jargon, or their passion
But especially by their love (see also John 13:37-38)
Amy-Jill Levine, “Leave the walking on water to Jesus; instead, feed the hungry. Leave the signs and wonders to the prophets of Israel and John the Baptist; instead, clothe the naked. Leave the deeds of power, the ‘mighty works of God,’ to God; instead, welcome the stranger. To do that is miracle enough.”

Podcast

“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