Monday Reverb – 13February2023

 

Psalm 119:1-8 • Deuteronomy 30:15-20 • 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 • Matthew 5:21-37

In this sixth week of Epiphany, our theme is the challenge of righteous living. Speaking to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the promised land, God urges them to choose life over death by following his commandments and decrees. In Psalm 119, the psalmist extols the blessings of a life lived in accordance with God and laments the inevitable decline that follows a lapse in judgment. The Apostle Paul mourns that quarrels and pettiness have prevented the Corinthian church from learning the deeper lessons of faith. In our sermon passage from Matthew, Jesus declares the chilling challenges of leading a truly righteous life. In the Sermon on the Mount, he makes it clear that following all the laws and rules is insufficient when your heart is still led astray.

 

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SERMON REVERB

 

 

Mind over Matter, Jesus over Mind

Matthew 5:21-37

 

God’s binding goodness

In the final verse of the powerful 18th century hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, written by Robert Robinson, we find this line:

“May thy goodness like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to thee.”

Robinson here captures the conflicting emotions of gratitude and frustration that so often are a part of the Christian walk: gratitude for God’s streams of endless mercy and abundant grace, and frustration at how prone we are to wander from the love of Jesus and squander the righteousness he has given to us.  It is easy to love these lyrics for their positive approach to the subject — we do not lament a life floundering in sin, but instead we celebrate God’s ever flowing blessings that binds us to him so that we never wander too far.

In Matthew 5, Jesus brings many challenges to those who wish to live a righteous life.  Often read out of context, the passage can seem overwhelming and depressing — we cannot possibly live the life he describes here.  But there is good news, Jesus can.  The righteous life is the life of Jesus; he does what we cannot do so that we can reap the benefits of his righteousness and share in his life.

Let’s read the passage and see what we can learn from it today:

Matthew 5:21-26,27-30,31-32,33-37

 

Double standards

A friend of mine recounted speaking to some of his Christians friends about the woman he intended to marry.  He had always been cautious about dating and relationships, and this was the first relationship he had been in since his teens, and it was going splendidly.  Now into his 30s, he was excited at the prospect of marriage, but one thing concerned him.  She was divorced, and he wasn’t clear what the scriptures said regarding divorce, and he wanted to be sure before moving forward.

So, he sought the advice of his friends, not mentioning that he was speaking about his current situation.  He asked their opinions on getting remarried after being divorced and the response was swift and condemning: “Oh no, you can’t do that, Jesus himself said marrying a divorced woman is adultery.”  My friend was discouraged, and that’s when they asked him why he was asking, and he explained his desire to propose to the woman he loved.

Their tune changed swiftly.  If they had known the details, they insisted, they never would have come out so dogmatically on the subject.  It’s a complicated topic worth looking into more, they emphasized, and told him to give leeway for grace.  This only added to his confusion.

When he took the time to study our scripture for today, he concluded that these friends were either biblically illiterate or had a distinct double standard — maybe both.  His friends admitted to him that while they knew what the passage said and agreed with it, there could be extenuating circumstances.  Had they asked more questions, they would not have expected him to follow this passage to the letter.

The irony of this story is made clear when we understand both Jesus’ intent in our passage today, and the cultural reasons for his advice on re-marriage.  Jesus was helping us understand that in the kingdom of heaven there is no room for double standards or preferential treatment.  The laws of God were there to protect us and lead us into a deeper relationship with him.  They were not a tool to be applied to others for our own benefit — an endemic within his culture that has persisted to this day.

Your thoughts betray you

If we were to read Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 as a guidebook for righteous living, it would quickly become obvious that we’re not up to snuff.  Either we lack the will to engage in personal dismemberment by plucking out an eye or cutting off a hand, or we are probably going to end up burning in hell.

Thankfully neither of those options are the end result.

The Pharisees of the time had become the leading authorities on scriptural interpretation.  Their teachings called for fierce adherence to the Mosaic law, and in many cases, they went further, defining details to the law that were not explicitly present — just to be sure of their purity.  They had cornered the market on defining righteous living.

Jesus took their approach in his sermon and pushed it even further.  If righteousness is grounded in a perfect life, then it is not just the actions that must be perfect but the thoughts too.  This is sound logic, and it’s unlikely the Pharisees could disagree.

But this also isn’t just rhetoric. What Jesus is saying here is true — the wrongs we commit in our heart and mind are frequently of a sinful nature.  If your end goal is to lead the perfect life, then sadly, we’re out of luck; even a perfect outward life would be ruined by a single errant thought.  To take a line from Darth Vader: “Your thoughts betray you.”

Rescued by grace 

So, Jesus has established that perfect living is unattainable to a soul corrupted by sin.  This is part of the reason for Jesus’ incarnation — he came as a human to reveal the Father to us and to lead the perfect, righteous life that was needed.

The Pharisees and their disciples faced a very real risk that they would not understand their own need for salvation.  That remains true today.  As Christians, we are often at risk of reverting to legalism and suffering the associated loss: if we believe ourselves righteous by works, we will miss out on experiencing the full abundance of grace that awaits us.

The seemingly unattainable standard of living a righteous life also highlights the perfect life Jesus is living.  This perfect life creates the righteousness for us we are unable to obtain on our own.  It helps us understand more deeply that it is not our own righteousness that saves.  It is Jesus’ righteousness that saves us.  His righteousness rescues us from both the depths of despair and the pinnacles of pride that our attempt to live an upright life would inevitably bring upon us.

Yet still …

So, does this mean that everything we read in this passage is just hyperbole, or a description of a perfect divine existence inapplicable to our own experience?

No.  There is still a lot we can learn from what Jesus tells us here.  His statements are true, and his call to curate our thoughts with grace remains a cornerstone of a healthy spiritual life.

The application of this passage can be found in two examples given by Jesus in verses 31-37.   Let’s re-read each of these in turn:

It has been said, “Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.” But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 5:31-32)

Jesus brings up two common social practices to demonstrate how a law-abiding life without thoughts tempered by God’s grace leads to abuse and evil. The practice of divorce was a common one within his community at the time; the certificate of divorce mentioned was used liberally and in full accordance with the law. Yet only the men could use these certificates. This unhealthy power dynamic was being abused. Given the culture of the time, this could have devastating consequences for the women on the receiving end as they lost access to security and social status.

Certificates were granted for trivial reasons, from inadequate meal preparations to dissatisfaction with their wife’s aging appearance. Jesus’ limitation upon divorce forced the men to think through what they were doing and limited their ability to abuse the institution of marriage. This was an act of protection, made by Jesus on behalf of a vulnerable subsection of the Jewish society at the time.

This was a clear example where the letter of the law was being used to undermine the spirit of the law. The selfish thoughts that led to the men divorcing their wives were themselves sin. And by putting a prohibition of marrying a divorced woman, it prevented those women from being used again. It is important to note that the sin here lay solely upon the men involved. Only they could divorce, and only the men were committing adultery if they married the divorced woman. By saying that the women were victims of adultery, he ensured that a man who divorced his wife without cause would remain financially and socially responsible for caring for her.

Promises, promises

Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.” But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply “Yes” or “No”; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:33-37)

We’re beginning to see how controlling our thoughts can shine a light on practices we otherwise might assume are acceptable. For another example of that Jesus turns to the question of oaths. In this context, an oath is a commitment made with embellishments to placate the hearer into believing you will follow through. They are as common today as they ever have been in the past.

“I swear on my mother’s grave.”

“Cross my heart.”

“Pinky promise.”

These sayings are oaths, and though amusing or cute, they reveal a problem with our thinking. They all imply that either we cannot be trusted, or, if we insist on them being used, that we are lacking in trust (and so being judgmental). Either our normal commitments are unreliable, and we need to garner trust by embellishing our assurances, or we seek those assurances from others by asking for a promise.

All these oaths are meaningless. Your mother’s grave, symbols over your heart, and a bent pinky do nothing to ensure the earnestness of the person making the statement. Nor do they provide collateral should you fail to follow through.

This is a matter of our thoughts being put in order. Jesus’ solution is simple; just speak the truth always. To do that we must first be earnest with ourselves and others, shifting our patterns of thinking so that we truly do view our word as our bond. Doing so allows us to be a source of certainty and strength to those around us and creates a culture of trustworthiness in contrast to one that justifies the breaking of commitments that are not validated by oaths and promises.

Jesus uses these two distinctly different examples to highlight how our thinking can become perverse and warped. Both examples have victims who suffer, even though laws or rules might not have been broken.

Instead, we are called to follow Jesus, not just in act and deed, but with our thoughts as well. Because we have been given his righteousness, we can now share in his thoughts. Thoughts of abundant grace and unrelenting love will define how we live and act.

 

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IRRELIGIOUS HARDTALK

 

 

 

What Kind of God? (Part 1)

 

 

I chose that song because of one line in its chorus, which has these words …

    Jesus … we lift You on our praises  

    So every eye can see Your face  

    Your power and grace  

    Behold You as You really are  

    Brighter than … all the stars of heaven  

    Our worship is for You alone  

    We build You this throne of praise  

The line that caught my eye was line 4: “Behold You as You really are”

I think it caught my eye because one of the messages that I’ve been getting from our home office is … we need to see (and help other to see) GOD as He really is.

I think Christendom (religious Christianity) has sold us a bill of goods that have caused us to not see God as He really is.  For example, the doctrine of Hell, which causes people to think of God more as a God of wrath, than as a God of love.

So, the purpose of this section of the study is to look at some Bible passages which I hope will help us to see God a little more like He really is.

BUT, first, before you say “here we go again” I want to remind you of something Thomas Paine said …

“Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man.” ~ Thomas Paine 

Now, Thomas Paine was (I believe) a humanist, who didn’t hold to the traditional view of God … even though he did believe in God … so some may want to think that’s why he said what he said.  However, he is/was not the only one with that view.  Notice another, similar quote …

“Humans become the god we worship.”  ~ Richard Rohr 

Richard Rohr was/is a Christian, who holds to the traditional view of God.  So, we should not be surprised to find that his view is similar to that expressed in one of the Psalms.  Notice what we read in Psalm 115 …

 

Psalm 115 – a wonderful psalm that speaks to the love of God … but did you notice v.8 (Psalm 115:8)?  The psalmist is saying much the same thing that Richard Rohr said … and what Thomas Paine said …

POINT:  If what we read in Psalm 115:8 is true, then how we view God is VERY important because IF your view of God is skewed, THEN you could end up becoming like someone God didn’t intend for you to become.

So … that said … let’s begin our look at the God of the Bible.

Deuteronomy 6:4  “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! ⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

• Galatians 3:20  Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
• John 10:30  I and My Father are one.”
• John 14:9   Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 
• John 10:38   but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”

 

John 4:24    God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

 

Isaiah 5:16    But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.

 

 

 

1 John 1:5   This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

Hebrews 12:28-29   Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we ^[l]may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. ²⁹ For our God is a consuming fire.  

Matthew 5:44-48  ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  ⁴⁷ And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?  ⁴⁸ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Psalm 139:1-18,23-24   O Lord, You have searched me and known me.  2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.  4 For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O  Lord, You know it altogether.  5 You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;  It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Or where can I flee from Your presence?  8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;  If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.  9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,  And Your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me;  12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day;  The darkness and the light are both alike to You.  13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.  14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  Marvelous are Your works,  And that my soul knows very well.  15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret,  And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.  And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.  17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!  How great is the sum of them!  18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.

23  Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 and see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

• 1 John 3:20   For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
• Isaiah 46:10   Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure’.

Notice the next verse (Isaiah 46:11) …

• Isaiah 46:10-11   Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’  ¹¹ Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country.  Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass.  I have purposed it; I will also do it.

What does verse 11 tell us about God?

What other verses support that idea?

• Isaiah 14:24   The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand:
• Job 23:13   “But He is unique, and who can make Him change?  And whatever His soul desires, that He does.
• Psalm 115:3   But our God is in heaven;  He does whatever He pleases.
• Psalm 135:6   Whatever the Lord pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places.

Without a doubt, our God is indeed an awesome God.  And yet, I don’t believe we’ve looked at the most important aspect of God’s nature/character.  Notice the next two verses …

 

1 John 4:8   He who does not love does not know God, for God is love . . .

1 John 4:16   And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

 

If what John tells us about God is true … then we should be able to substitute the word “God” for the word “love” in each verse of 1 Corinthians 13 where the word “love” appears.

So let’s do that … and see what it tells us about God.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13   Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body ^[a]to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.   

⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 

So if we merge the idea of 1 John 4:8,16 with 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, we begin to see what it can mean when we say God is love …

 

⁴ Love (God) suffers long and is kind; love (God) does not envy; love (God) does not parade itself (Himself), (God) is not puffed up; ⁵ (God) does not behave rudely, (God) does not seek its (His) own, (God) is not provoked, (God) thinks no evil; ⁶ (God) does not rejoice in iniquity, but (God) rejoices in the truth; ⁷ (God) bears all things, (God) believes all things, (God) hopes all things, (God) endures all things.

⁸ Love (God) never fails.

 

Are those statements true?  Is God patient?  Is God long-suffering? Is God kind? etc…

Let’s see what the Bible tells us.

 

Love suffers long … God suffers long 

• 2 Peter 3:9   The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
• 2 Peter 3:15   and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation — as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,

 

Love is kind … God is kind 

 

Love does not envy … God does not envy

 

Love does not parade itself … God does not parade Himself

 

Love is not puffed up … God is not puffed up 

 

Love does not behave rudely … God does not behave rudely   

 

Love does not seek its own … God does not seek His own   

 

Love is not provoked … God is not provoked

 

Love thinks no evil … God thinks no evil 

 

Love does not rejoice in iniquity … God does not rejoice in iniquity

 

Love rejoices in truth … God rejoices in the truth 

 

Love bears all things … God bears all things 

 

Love believes all things … God believes all things 

 

Love hopes all things … God hopes all things   

 

love endures all things … God endures all things   

 

Love never fails … God never fails. 

 

 

 

 

Psalm 13:5   But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

 

Lamentations 3:31-33  ³¹ For the Lord will not cast off forever.  ³² Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According to the multitude of His mercies.  ³³ For He does not afflict ^[a]willingly, Nor grieve the children of men.

 

 

Job 2:2  ² And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?”   Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

 

 

1 Peter 3:10-11 ¹⁰ For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit.  ¹¹ Let him turn away from evil and do good;  Let him seek peace and pursue it.

 

Acts 10:34-35   Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. ³⁵ But in every nation, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

 

Acts 17:30-31 ³⁰ Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

 

Psalm 115:3  ³ But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.

Psalm 135:6  ⁶ Whatever the Lord pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places.

Isaiah 46:10-11   ¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ ¹¹ Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass.  I have purposed it; I will also do it.

1 Peter 3:10-11  For “He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit.  ¹¹ Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.

 

Acts 10:34-35  ³⁴ Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. ³⁵ But in every nation, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

 

Acts 17:30-31   Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained.  He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

 

Micah 7:19   He will again have compassion on us and will subdue our iniquities.  You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

 

1 Timothy 2:6   who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,

 

Ephesians 2:7   that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

 

Philippians 2:13   for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

 

Ephesians 3:20  ²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

 

Philippians 1:6   being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

 

Philippians 3:21   who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

 

Philippians 4:13   I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

 

Ephesians 2:10   For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

 

John 15:5  ⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

 

Romans 4:20-21   He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

Romans 7:18-19   For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. ¹⁹ For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.

Romans 7:23-25   ²³ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. ²⁴ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

 

Revelation 14:10  ¹⁰ he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.