Matthew 5:31-33 Keep Your Vows!

Matthew 5:31-33  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.  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."

In the above passage, we see Jesus talking about a very solemn arrangement between man and woman in the Jewish society: marriage.  In the Jewish culture and in most cultures of the world, marriage is foundational in maintaining a cohesive society.  In the Christian and Jewish traditions, this union is brought before God, for him to recognize this relationship as a permanent condition, verifying what God intended in the beginning of time.  “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”  (Matthew 19:4-6)  As with the beginning the two are to be one, expressing the totality of God’s personality: femininity and masculinity.  Eve was brought out of Adam, established as a separate entity because Adam needed relationship with someone like him.  In marriage these two natures will conceive children.  This relationship established by an oath of fidelity to one another is before God, and it is to be a permanent one.  Because of the spiritual nature of the marriage ceremony and because other people are involved in certifying this relationship as one, marriage is something that cannot be broken easily.  Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard.  But it was not this way from the beginning.  I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”  (Matthew 19:8-9) If we are desiring to be accepted as one before God, we are establishing a permanent record in heaven, and which one of us can break a covenant that God has written down as permanent—no man or woman can do that.  No person can reach into heaven and change the established record that God has recorded in his book of relationships; we cannot scratch out a condition of oneness that He has affirmed.   Breaking an oath of any kind is dangerous with God or man, but breaking a marital vow is extraordinarily dangerous, for marriage has been authenticated by God.  Breaking up a marriage has divine consequences; but it also has natural consequences on Earth.  When people fail to keep their marriages intact, whole, by seeking other relationships, they harm the children who have been conceived in these ephemeral relationships.  The lack of permanency, consistency, and security in children’s lives from divorce may bring dissension and instability in the surrounding culture.  Children need parents in their lives who model commitment, servanthood, and enduring love.  Jumping from one marital situation to another or from one mate to the other does not produce the security and guidance that young people need to have successful and productive lives.  Marriages should serve as a permanent, foundational base, a building block for growing strong individuals and society as a whole.  Without such a condition, breaking the marital contract often brings disruption to everyone involved in the dissolution of a marriage.  Mom used to serve school districts by testing students’ writing skills.  Often they wrote about a significant event in their lives.  Many young people wrote about their parents’ divorce and its effect on them.  One young man said, “The worst thing about divorce is that it never ends.”  We have never forgotten his heartfelt cry.  The pain, the sorrow, the feelings of guilt, the longings to go back to how it was when things were good—it never ends.  Do parents really understand what they do to their children’s hearts and minds?

In God’s economy we are not to break the marriage covenant, for it is a very solemn event—one that man and God stamped with their approval.  But mankind is an inveterate covenant breaker.  That is why Moses had to give the Israelites permission to break their marital agreements.  Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard.  Jesus, the Son of God, judged the condition of their hearts as the opposite of soft, as unmalleable as stone.  They would not keep their marriage covenants even though they were made before God.  They disdained and rejected the fact that the living God knew and recorded who they were to be permanently attached to as one entity.  They did not care; they did not fear God’s judgment because they were natural covenant breakers.  They were not going to be obedient to any authority but their own.  They felt free to break any covenant, whether solemn or just on a minor issue.  Jesus said, Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.  Of course in the ancient societies, cooperation and stability were dependent on a man’s words.  If he made an oath to someone or to the community, he was expected by everyone to fulfill that oath.  If he failed to keep his word, he would bring problems and disruption into that society.  People would no longer trust this person.  Today, police officers keep order within a community, enforcing the written laws established for people to follow for the good of all.  In our society, we have the expectation that those around us will be peaceable, organized, and cooperative.  We also trust in law enforcement and the legal system to protect us when laws are broken or people become disorderly.  In older cultures, without police and established commandments, ones words or oaths were essential in keeping things orderly and functioning well.  If people failed to fulfill their vows to others, the people who were affected had to rectify the situation.  To keep the Israelite community from breaking down into violence and chaos with people taking vengeance on each other because of marital disputes, Moses allowed divorces.  He developed a procedure for orderly and possibly amicable separation, but Jesus said it was the hardness of the people’s hearts that necessitated this procedure of divorce.  Jesus said that people with hard hearts do not want their deeds exposed to God’s light.  He said, Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  (John 3:19)  In this same passage, Jesus goes on to say, that when we walk in light we walk in truth, and that everything we do is seen by God.  We deceive ourselves if we think we can hide our evil thoughts and actions from an all-seeing and all-knowing God.

As with all hardness of the heart, God had to provide for a way to save the deceivers, the covenant breakers.  Jesus the Son of God became THE WAY.  He said, I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  (John 14:6)  Marriage before God is a permanent condition in the annuals of God.  All oaths are written down as permanent before God.  Our words and actions will meet us in heaven when we die, for God is a just God, his ways are always right and true.  We will not escape any part of our lives if we come to him alone in our righteousness.  Every wayward act or lack of allegiance to him will be judged; every sin we committed will be judged in eternity.  No unrighteousness will enter into heaven.  Well then, what about marriage?  What about the sin that God knows we have committed?  How will we escape the judgment of God if we are intractable covenant breakers?  Of course the answer is that WE NEED A SAVIOR.  We need someone who makes the record in heaven as white as snow, who brings himself before God, rather than the record book of rights and wrongs.  The Good News is that God has paid the price for all of our failings and poor decisions.  Marriages might be dissolved for many reasons, sometimes for very good reasons, such as a man or woman is abusive and harmful to the wellbeing of the others.  No man or woman sits in a poison patch and expects to not be poisoned.  If you sit in a clump of nettles, you will be stung.  If you sit in a den of vipers, you will be bitten.  All situations are different in a marriage, but God has ordained marriage as a condition of stable relationships between man and woman, one that can bring forth healthy children.  But marriage can also be harmful to children if the family is inherently evil.  God knows all about the situation, and He is a God of mercy and grace.  He does not expect people to remain in a harmful or injurious place.  I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.  (Jonah 4:2 NLV)  Only one can rectify the mistakes we make in life, only one can forgive us, only one can turn the world 180 degrees around, so that goodness can come out of disruption and evil.  Jesus Christ is his name.  Yes, we should keep our oaths; our allegiance to others and to laws should be kept.  Yes, we should be completely honest in all of arrangements with others, but we are humans.  The human nature needs a Savior if it is going to abide with God in a perfect state called eternity.  WE NEED A SAVIOR!  Praise God for Jesus who died on the cross for us.  He will strengthen you by the power of the Holy Spirit to keep your promises and your vows.  Amen!  Love, Dad and Mom  

Matthew 5:27-30 Choose Life!

Matthew 5:27-30  You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.  It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away.  It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Breaking covenant with a mate is not an unreflective act.  No, a covenant breaking attitude originates in the hearts and minds of people.  The eye, the hand, or any part of your body does not originate thought, only the mind.  When people desire to be unfaithful to their spouse, they plan it in their minds, not in their hands nor in their eyes.  They intend to commit an act of unfaithfulness, failing to fulfill their marital vows to their spouses.  In the above focus Jesus talks about an earnest oath to another person and also to God.  No other commitment is greater than a solemn covenant with others in this world.  Jesus see this covenant breaking between two people as so serious that He says their destination in the afterlife is involved: It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.  Why hell, if the adulterous behavior is accepted by both members of the union.  Some marriages are brokered with that kind of condition: both partners are to be free to hook up with someone else whenever their desires are toward others.  While this agreement of licentiousness may not work too well in reality, at least there is a written or verbal agreement between the couple about adulterous affairs.  Why should two people with such an arrangement be considered hell-bound, if they both agree that sexual promiscuity is an acceptable activity in their married lives?  The solemnity of the marriage covenant is not based on what men or women think about it; honoring the vows of marriage is based on what God thinks about the relationship.  To God, a covenant is a blood agreement, or so serious that the bond “till death do us part” cannot be dissolved by carnal decisions.  As Paul wrote, For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him.  (Romans 7:2)   In a marriage ceremony we are binding ourselves to another permanently.  We are asking God to see us as a new creation, under one name, not two.  In essence, we swear an oath to God to see us as one in him.  However in the reality of how people tend to behave, we do not have to believe in God or any power beyond our own words.  But in society as a whole man’s agreements with each other depend on the validity and reliability of our words, oaths, and covenants.  If our words mean nothing or are capricious, disorder and confusion is the result.  When every man or woman does his or her own thing, cooperation and harmony fall apart.  When vows are not important or are broken easily, chaos ensues.  Whether or not you place your solemn oaths before God, the consequences of breaking covenants spawns disruptions, quarrels, mayhem, and with countries even wars.  Of course, this is the problem with God’s creation, realized or not.  His intentions for his creation is longevity, peace and unity, not hurt and death.  Yet rather than following God and keeping our word, we all, like sheep, have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way.  (Isaiah 53:6)

In today’s verses, we see Jesus talking about marriage covenants, but in reality he is referring to all covenants, including with the agreement between God and man in the Garden.  Man was to accept the Creator’s authority, the relationship with God was to be permanent, never ending.  But, because of an adverse decision to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, man moved away from God’s absolute authority.  Man became an entity unto himself.  He now inherited not life, but death, for God is the giver of life.  By breaking the covenant of life with God, a destructive force became the dynamic covering human existence: sin.  Sin became a way of life; covenant breaking became a way of life.  To obey God and be part of the intended bonded relationship between man and God was now dependent on man’s heart.  Would he be faithful to the Creator or would he go his own way; would he keep covenant with God or would he seek his own authority or other gods?  In leaving the safety and protection of the Garden, the decision to stay bonded was not God’s purview but man’s.  Would man chase after other authority or gods or wayward lifestyles or would he remain faithful to the One who made him?  But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.  You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.  This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.  For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  (Deuteronomy 30:17-20)  Moses warned the chosen, delivered from the hands of Satan, the deceiver, to remain faithful to God, to keep their covenant with God.  Of course, even the chosen were unable to keep their own words of “We will do it.”  We will keep our covenant with the Almighty God.  They failed so miserably to keep their oath to God that God finally dispersed them throughout the world.  Judgment fell on them because they failed to keep their marital commitment of being faithfully bonded to God forever.  When God’s creation fails to choose life, they automatically choose death and reject God’s gift of life.  As the Bible tells us, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 6:23)  

Breaking covenant with each other or with God is not something the hand does or the eye does—it is a heart condition.  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  The heart’s decision is paramount in breaking any allegiance.   We decide in the heart what we want to do or what we do not want to do.  We often do not want to accept our decisions as something that emitted from our hearts, but every sin begins from the sin within us.  Our excuses will be that others distracted us, caused us to make aberrant, hurtful decisions.  If only our spouses knew how to talk to us better or understood us better or would love us better, then I would not have fallen into illicit activity.  Excuses attempt to hide the heart’s wickedness.  Of course, all of this is true of our relationship with God.  We complain, “God just does not come across when I really need him.  He seems to be aloof from me, not giving the richness in life that I deserve.  I am better suited to another life, a more self-oriented life.  Why should I serve a god that seems unknowable, and so on.”  We give ourselves justifications for breaking our covenant with him based on our wants.  Jesus told the people, Verily, verily, I say unto you, You seek me, not because you saw the miracles, but because you did eat of the loaves, and were filled.  (John 6:26)  As we said earlier, covenant breaking is serious in God’s eyes, for failure to keep your word depicts the initial waywardness of man’s heart: Adam and Eve’s decision to break from God.  Covenant breaking is the most serious mistake humans can make in this life, illustrative of man’s disobedience, his errant decision to turn from God.  We are to keep our oaths with men and with God.  The solemn union of marriage should be considered as something God desires and approves.  If we swear allegiance to someone in a marital contract before God, we ought to keep our word, foregoing the wandering eye or the coveting of the flesh.  Our allegiance to our spouse should be strong and enduring.  Although God considers covenant breaking serious, we are all covenant breakers.  We all have wandering eyes or we are unfaithful in our hearts in other areas at other times.  As we read in the word, For as he (a man) thinks in his heart, so is he.  (Proverbs 23:7)   We might be faithful to our marriage, but we in many ways find ourselves unfaithful to the Creator as we lust for worldly things.  He made us, He deserves our everlasting allegiance to him.  We should keep the commandments of God: his authority should be evident in our thoughts and our actions.  But God heals covenant breakers through the blood of Jesus Christ.  Even though we find ourselves not completely faithful at times in thoughts and actions, the enduring love of God has sent us a Savior to heal the broken parts of our lives.  No matter what covenants you have broken with man or God, Jesus has paid the complete price for those wayward decisions, those broken relationships.  He is completely good to us, for He has redeemed us from our faults and weaknesses.  Bring your brokenness to him and He will make you whole again.   

Matthew 5:21-25 Just Say No!

Matthew 5:21-25  You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment."  But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.  Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, “Raca," is answerable to the court.  And anyone who says, “You fool!" will be in danger of the fire of hell.  Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.  First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.  Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court.  Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.  Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

In this passage we see Jesus making the road straight as far as the intent of the heart.  Sometimes people hide malice against others in their hearts, a condition of desiring to hurt others with words or actions.  Left to fester such animosity can reach such a crescendo in an individual’s heart that he or she strikes out to end the life of the hated person.  Murder is the unlawful, premeditated killing of someone.   We see as one of the tenants of the Ten Commandments, You shall not murder.  (Exodus 20:13)  God deals with murderers harshly.  As we see in today’s verses, when Jesus repeated this commandment, He added murders will be subject to judgment.  When the landscape in our hearts is not smooth and quiet towards others; we can find ourselves as a volcanic mountain, ready to explode, spreading hurt on those we dislike and even on those we love.  Sometimes our negative feelings result in passive aggression: unwillingness to interact with someone, refusing to talk to the person who offended us, or maybe just acting out of sync with the individual, not acting with them in a typical manner, interacting coldly or indifferently.  But  other times the fire kept within can erupt into verbal abuse or physical actions such pushing the person who is the target of your actions.  Sadly, the disruptive heart can also plan and even carry out killing someone, an act of madness, destroying a person made in God’s image.  Jesus in the above focus addresses levels of anger towards someone that can lead to physically hurting or murdering a person: calling an individual Raca or fool, worthless, undeserving of respect—having a derogatory and belittling manner towards another human being.  Such attitudes and behaviors towards others will lead to harsh judgment by God.  They are disruptive ways of thinking that will spawn physical hurt and pain in a community.  As the Bible teaches us about the power of a man’s thoughts: For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.  (Proverbs 23:7)  As Christians we must beware of fleshly thinking and be quick to surrender any negative attitudes or ideas to the Lord, remembering always that we want to have the mind of Christ as we are led by the Holy Spirit.  As Paul wrote, Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 2:5)  

Instead of holding angry and murderous spirits in your heart, Jesus tells his listeners that if you really want to please God and stay away from his judgment, you should be sensitive towards how others perceive you.  When you go into the Temple to offer your gifts to God, think about how your life might have adversely affected others.  Clear the way for God to honor and bless you by going to those who have something against you and make your relationship right with them.  Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.  First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.  Likewise when Christians take communion, they are to discern the body’s needs.  They are to make right anything that seems to be wrong between them and fellow believers.  Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.  For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.  (1 Corinthians 11:28-29)  The Christian community should be one of harmony and peace.  If anything is disrupting this condition of love and caring for others, then the troublesome situation should be brought before God in prayer and in consideration of the community of brothers and sisters in Christ.  Jesus says to settle disputations out of court, away from the world’s courts.  Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court.  Anger and malice can lead to the court and the consequences might be grim; but in every situation, we should function as servants of others, looking to do good works as living examples of the light Christ brought into the world.  For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.  (Titus 2:11-14)  If we have lost some of our eagerness and zeal to live a godly life and to resist the temptations of this world, then we must seek the Lord in prayer and read his word.   

It is compulsory that we should stay away from vain disputations or conflicts with others.  We should live in peace as much as we can.  Paul wrote, Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.  (Romans 14:1)  We are meant to be servants, not controllers.  The world wants to control, to dictate what is right and wrong, good or bad.  We should be advocates of everything that is good and right, but our lives are fixated on Jesus Christ and a home that awaits us in heaven.  Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.  At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.  We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.  But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.  (Titus 3:1-7)  We were once part of this world living with malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.  We lived the opposite of a Christian life, living in darkness and death, but when the kindness of God appeared: JESUS CHRIST, we lived a different life, one that represents the mercy and goodness of God.  Instead of being controllers, we became the servants to all.  Instead of telling people what is right and wrong, we served them regardless.  Jesus turned the world upside down: the world hates this.  They do not want to love, but they want to hate, to despise, to keep records of wrong.  But Jesus came and saved us, keeping no records of wrong.  He did not evaluate us on our works, but on God’s mercy and grace.  He took the murder out of our hearts; He caused the volcano within us to cease.  Jesus paved the way to a life forever with God.  We now have the Spirit of Goodness in our lives, a Spirit that will motivate us to do good deeds on Earth, to forsake the garbage of this world: sin and death.  This world will always be a violent place, a home of turmoil.  Wars and strive will always exist here, but our home is in another dimension called heaven.  Jesus in today’s focus describes this earthly environment.  He foretells God’s judgment on the natural condition of the unruly, the unregenerate, the unrepentant.  You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment."  But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.   Variance from God’s perfection will always face God’s wrath.  Dear friends, live IN CHRIST, in his goodness,kindness, and holiness, and He will say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”  Love, Dad and Mom  

Matthew 5:17-20 Walk Confidently!

Matthew 5:17-20  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.  For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.  Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

The law and the concomitant regulations were to set apart the people of Israel from all other people on the face of the earth.  They were to be God’s people, his chosen ones.  But as God’s people, they must serve him wholeheartedly with reverence, not using his name in vain or abusing his name by using it in any oath to validate that they would fulfill their obligations to others.  The law affirmed to them that there was only one God and that they should serve him only.  You shall have no other gods before me.  You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.  (Deuteronomy 5:7-9)  To show full respect for the Creator who is at rest on the Seventh Day and who delivered them from Egypt, they were to rest on the Seventh Day, revealing God had completed a new work.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.  (Deuteronomy 5:12)  The Jewish people were to respect their heritage.  Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.  (Deuteronomy 5:16)  They should live in their community in harmony and cooperation.  You shall not murder.  You shall not commit adultery.  You shall not steal.  You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.  You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.  You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.  (Deuteronomy 5:17-21)  These specific laws provided the Jewish people with an understanding of how unique they were.  The regulations they followed controlled their everyday experiences.  Such a manner of living produced a people who knew they had one primary purpose for their existence: to demonstrate to the rest of the world’s people that they served the Creator of all things.  Even today, the Jewish people are at odds with the rest of the world, for their very existence reveals that there is a God to serve, a Creator of heaven and Earth to honor.  Consequently, they have faced persecution wherever they have gone.  The devil hates their existence, for they reveal the reality of God’s existence and God’s will for men to serve him.  As Jesus said when He resisted Satan: You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve.  (Matthew 4:10 NKJV)  

Even as the chosen people of God with a historic event in their past—delivery from slavery in Egypt—the Israelites could not be true to the commandments of their Deliverer.  They violated God’s commandments, causing them to face horrendous judgment, a dispersion throughout the world.  Even the chosen, who experienced a miraculous journey to a promised land, could not be faithful to the God of their deliverance.  This waywardness that all men have in their hearts to a generous Creator reveals the obstinance of human beings, their hostility to the God of all things.  Mankind lives in a house of rebellion with the door blocked against God’s perfect will.  Within the heart of humanity is a covenant breaking attitude, desiring no controls over their lives.  This waywardness is often hard for us discern within our hearts, but it exists in both Jews and Gentiles.  What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage?  Not at all!  For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.  As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”  (Romans 3:9-12)  In human history we have seen periods where whole societies were flipped, where the oppressed were now given the position of authority, but what happens is the oppressed become the oppressors, doing the same things to the ones who are now without power as they once experienced.  This of course happened in the French revolution and in the communist societies that were developed in the twentieth century.  Some people say that over 50 million people who were perceived as authority figures were killed in these revolutions, even teachers with no agenda of violence faced death in those countries.  We see in our generation, that in many of these countries, the formerly oppressed have now become the oppressors, for within the hearts of men is great wickedness, uncontrollable by law or even the concept of justice.  Life becomes as it was when there was no king in Israel and every man did that which was right in his own eyes.  (Judges 17:6)   When mankind is in absolute control, people will do what is best for themselves, not for others.  Why then is the law of God different from man’s attempt to right injustice and corruption by flipping societies upside down?  God’s law places a divine power in charge of mankind’s daily lives.  Of course, nothing is hidden from God’s view, so eventually all of man’s actions and attitudes will be judged by a righteous God.  But even if mankind felt that was an eventual happening, that there is a just God, he is still out of control, for rebellion is part of his makeup.  Consequently, his heart must be changed, a new creature must be made, for the old is flawed by sin and lawlessness.  We need a Savior.  As Paul wrote, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  (1 Timothy 1:15)

Jesus came to fulfill the law, that which men made in God’s image could not fulfill, for man holds rebellion deep within him.  Jesus satisfies every demand that God placed on mankind.  He alone brings people to the throne room of God.  The Jews, chosen by God, could not satisfy the requirements of God on their lives.  The Gentiles would never have been able to complete the work of righteousness, for they had lived in darkness, away from the light of the commandments, justifying themselves in their own eyes.  Neither group could please God with their allegiance to themselves rather than to God.  Following the law did not help Paul find God.  His best efforts failed to please the righteous God.  I consider them (his accomplishments) garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.  I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.  (Philippians 3:8-11)  When the council of leaders in the early church met to consider circumcision and following of Moses’ laws as a necessary step in the conversion of the Gentiles to Christ, Peter denounced this belief as a requirement for new believers.  Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.  And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.  Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?  But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”  (Acts 15:7-11)  Peter exclaimed the true nature of men in his comments to the council.  None of them could claim that they were always faithful to the law, satisfying the requirements of law in their daily lives.  In other words, they were all lawbreakers: a yoke. . . that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear.  He states as Paul does many times in his writings: righteousness comes through the work of Jesus at the cross and not through the works of men.  Jesus came to satisfy completely the law of God.  Only He is truly righteous, only He is perfect, and only perfection will inherit eternal life with God.  Righteousness does not come through obedience to the law; righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.  Nothing needs to be added to Jesus’ work; no other card placed on the table will win eternal life for those of us who are in the game of life.  We win because Christ has won the hand for us.  We are more righteous than the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, for we have God himself on our side of the table of life.  We will inherit everlasting life because Jesus IS everlasting and He IS ours through faith in him and his victory over sin and death.  For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.  Amen.  Walk confidently by faith in your freedom in Christ Jesus!      

Matthew 5:13-16 Be Salt and Light!

Matthew 5:13-16  You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.  “You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

People enjoy attributing saltiness to themselves.  Of course, all people desire to be viewed as good, wholesome, honest, capable, intelligent, and the like.  Who would not want to associate with such people?  Our acquaintances should love us because we possess those wonderful attributes.  A high self-esteem is beneficial and healthy; however, Jesus is not talking about humans in general or about those who believe they are salty, worthy of acceptance and love.  No, He is talking about a certain group of people, often hated and despised by the general public.  Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  (Matthew 5:11-12)  They are followers of Christ, reconciling people to God through his life and death.  These are the people who God will bless and someday reward for their faithfulness to Jesus and subsequently to God himself.  They are the ones who will be glorified, presented to all of creation as God’s own children.  As we see in Jesus’ life and later in Paul’s life, the unsaved will abuse those who believe God is alive and that He created all that was made in heaven and Earth.  In today’s world, someone with a strong belief in Jesus or God is seen as naive at best or just a ninny, unworthy of respect.  Even in our modern world, in some countries Christians face imprisonment or death for their faith.  Salt has always been viewed as a valuable and treasured commodity for its uses with animals and humans.  Historically, large and small towns grew around or near salt mines.  Traders carried salt hundreds of miles to those communities that were not near salt deposits.  When salt was once considered by many as valuable as precious metals, traders of salt became very wealthy.  Humans everywhere have valued salt because it not only enhances the flavor of food but it preserves food so that it will not spoil.  As a healing substance, even today doctors will recommend warm salt water as a mouth wash.  Salt’s importance is found in the Bible where in the Old Testament salt was an oblation to God, a gift during the ritual of sacrificing animals to God.  When Jesus speaks of believers as salt and light, He is saying those who present themselves to God wholeheartedly are a gift to God, even though resented by an unGodly world.  Paul enumerates for the Corinthians how much he suffered for his testimony of Jesus Christ to the world.  Often he was treated as a prisoner of war, bound and tortured by the kingdom of darkness: those who hate Jesus Christ and his kingdom.   In summarizing his life IN CHRIST, Paul talks of the difficulties and his perseverance in serving the living God:  Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots — regarded as impostors—known, yet regarded as unknown — dying, and yet we live on — beaten, and yet not killed — sorrowful, yet always rejoicing — poor, yet making many rich — having nothing, and yet possessing everything.  (2 Corinthians 6:4-10)  In his work for the Lord, Paul seemed to believe God himself had bound him head and foot for his glorious work, not just as a slave to the Lord, but as one unworthy of the calling to those he served.  Jesus said, Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  (Matthew 5:11)  Are we willing to fulfill Jesus’ words as Paul did or are we believing only for the blessings of God: peace, security, prosperity, and so on?  

Can we lose our saltiness?  Will a prophet stop prophesying?  Can the flames turn to embers?  Yes, God always allows our will to be the determining factor in following him.  We can stop our mouths; we can close our ears to God.  We are not automatons, carrying on with prescribed orders; no, we are free-willing creations.  We can make decisions to do God’s will or not to do God’s will.  That is why we are so precious to God when we choose him and eventually, as followers of him, we will be called children of God.  As Jesus Christ came to do the Father’s will, we also are willing to be obedient to God in all situations.  For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.  (John 6:38)  This obedience to God is the main characteristic of the born again life.  However, we can decide as Mark John decided, not to follow through on a specific ministry as he did with Paul’s first missionary excursion.  He did not lose his saltiness, for he is mentioned later in the scriptures, but he did cause Barnabas and Paul to split over his failure to follow through on his commitment to them as a helper on the first journey.  Others lost their saltiness permanently because they deserted the mission to minister the Good News to the world: Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.  (2 Timothy 4:10)  By going back into the world’s culture, Demas would escape persecution and isolation.  He would not carry the saltiness that Jesus said would be blessed by God.  Escaping the responsibility of the cross, he would die as a man of the world, no persecution in that, but for Christians from the beginning of time, the cross of Jesus has also been imprinted on their lives.  John said to lose your life for Christ is to gain life, but to win the world and its acceptance is to lose your life.  We can say of every believer who wholehearted serves the Lord: You are the salt of the earth.  Sadly, the same could not be said about Demas.  As we read in the last book of the Bible: So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  (Revelation 3:16)

Jesus also said that those who are persecuted for his name are lights to the world.  Their lives should be put on a stand, not hidden under a bowl.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.  (Matthew 5:15-16)  How many of us light up the room when we enter?  How many of us are known as passionate Christians who want to talk about Christ and his goodness, forsaking the concerns of the world?  Conversations with other Christians should center on Jesus Christ and his concerns.  We are not to be experts on worldly situations, for we are aliens here, temporarily marking time until we see Jesus.  Yes, we can be knowledgeable about the world, but not steeped in the world and its interests.  Some Christians know more about the celebrities in the world than they know about the scriptures.  Sometimes we feed at the media trough, consuming the daily mush, but neglecting the spirit of life in us.  We spend hours devouring the content of the world, but forget fasting and praying as the apostles and the nascent church in the New Testament demonstrated for us.  How can we live a new-creature’s life if we feed mainly at the old creature’s culture and lifestyle.  We are fooling ourselves if we follow this pattern, expecting spiritual fruit.  No light will emit from the old culture, the old lifestyle.  We are darkened in our presentation if we only know the old things in our lives.  This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  (John 3:19)  We are not to concentrate on the things the people of the world love, for they love darkness.  Instead, we are to do the will of the Father because we are his children, loved greatly by him.  Faith is not faith if there is no light in it or no harvest of fruit.  Faith will produce good deeds, good works; let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.  James says, What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?  (James 2:14)  Believing and then sinking your life into the world is not saving faith.  The world is full of self-interest, self-glorification, and a lack of servanthood.  But light is turned on when we illustrate by our works that we believe in Jesus Christ and in the salvation message.  Abraham demonstrated his faith by offering up Isaac to God, his work of faithfulness.  Through Isaac God’s promise to Abraham was to be fulfilled.  We are Jesus’ offspring, the promise of life to the world.  As salty children of God, as people of faith, we reflect God’s light in the world.  We present the world with God’s reconciling message through the acceptance of Jesus Christ’s work on the cross.  When we express the light of God rather than the concerns of the world, we can accept Jesus’ words: You are the light of the world.  Let us shine, let the Spirit place us on a stand for all to see.  Then God will be glorified.