By Grace Alone

Moving on Up

2007-02-24T17:06:00.000-06:00

I'm back in the blogosphere, and I'm now posting, using WordPress, at karisblog.org. So change your feeds, fools...

Joe Thorn on "In The World, Not Of It"

2007-01-10T13:15:00.000-06:00

Joe Thorn, a fellow Southern alum, has some great words about how, we as Christians can be "in the world, not of it." Most of us are not "in the world" one bit. Read here.

Farting, Belching, and Grunting and Men's Ministry

2006-12-11T12:14:00.000-06:00

Dr. Mohler speaks here about a new movement in men's ministry that isn't exactly progress.

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=836

Here's Why I Decided to Plant a Church

2006-12-11T12:11:00.000-06:00

I wanted to be in a great college town like Columbia, and I didn't want to leave anybody "vandal"ized.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2693805

“Choosing the Way of the Gospel of Grace”: 10.08.06

2006-10-09T15:22:00.000-05:00

My wife Amy tells a story about a time her father took a wrong path. Apparently they were driving in St. Louis and were trying to get over the Mississippi River. They were in a bad part of town and he was in a bit of a hurry, and he quickly turned and began driving on a bridge. As soon as they drove onto it, however, they all realized they were driving on a rickety railroad bridge. It was narrow and clearly not built for cars, so they all got really nervous. Her brother opened his car door and prepared to jump. Her mom was freaking out. Amy was laughing. Her dad, of course, acted like nothing was wrong and made his way across the bridge.

Now taking that path could have led to destruction. Her dad chose that road and they could have all paid the price for it. Not too far from the car, Amy and her family could see the right bridge, where cars were safely crossing the river. In today’s passage, Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus gives us a choice of two paths. We can choose one path that leads to life. We can choose another one that leads to death. The choice is ours.

As I noted last week, the body of the Sermon on the Mount runs from Matthew 5:17 to Matthew 7:12. This morning, we begin looking at Christ’s conclusion. In this conclusion, Christ gives four warnings. In these four passages of warning are found two alternatives. Verses 13-14 present us with two ways. Verses 15-20 present us with two trees. Verses 21-23 give us two claims. Verses 24-27 show us two builders (Carson, 188).

Jesus gives us in the body of his Sermon on the Mount a description of the true, kingdom righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisee and pagan, and here, in the conclusion, he commands us to choose that righteousness. He gives us two choices, and only two. We live in a world of choices. I was amazed a couple of weeks ago, when I had lunch with Ira over at Plaza 900 on campus. This was a dormitory cafeteria, and you had about 900 choices of things to eat. It’s a far cry from Schurz cafeteria back in my day. We also live in a world of gray. People don’t like to hear talk of right and wrong. Absolutes of any kind are not in fashion, for sure. But Jesus gives us something very cut and dried. He gives us once choice and it’s very black and white. Choose Him or die. Choose His kingdom or else. Let’s read this morning’s passage and begin with prayer.

Matthew 7:13 "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. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

As we look at the two paths Jesus offers this morning, let me prepare you for our path together. Jesus speaks here of two gates, two paths, two groups, and two destinations. First, we will look at the meaning of Jesus’s statements. Second, we will apply those teachings in four realms: culture, church, gospel, and you.

First, let us consider Jesus’s words. He gives us two ways from which we must choose. This, we know, is not uncommon in the Bible. Turn with me to Psalm 1.

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

We know that the Psalms, like all the books of the Old Testament, are all about Jesus. He, as it says in Matthew 5:17-20, fulfilled the law. It all pointed to Him. Jesus stands in front of a bunch of Jews who would have known the beginning of their beloved music book, and He seems to say, “That choice David mentioned. That pointed forward to me, the Son of David, the true King. What will you do with my teaching? Which way will you choose?” He gives us two choices, but He mentions four aspects of those two choices. Let us look at those in turn.

He says, first, enter through the narrow, not wide gate. We see two gates. One gate, He says, is “narrow.” The other is “wide.” For those of you that have flown on a plane recently, getting on the plane is a chore. You must go through all these checkpoints and ID verifications. And, once you’re on, you can only take certain things with you. Jesus, in speaking of two gates, I think says something about how you get in to the kingdom and what you can bring along.

One may only enter this way through Christ. You may be familiar with John 14:6 that reads, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The early church carried on this teaching of their Lord. In Acts 4:12, Peter says, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Elsewhere in John, in 10:9, Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” There is only one gate, and it’s Jesus. That, my friends, is pretty narrow.

One must also leave much behind when entering this door. The Beatitudes present a number of things that must be pursued and refused. It begins, of course, with “blessed are the poor in spirit.” This, as we mentioned before, is just “blessed are you poor” in Luke 6.
There is certainly a sense in which our possessions can keep us from our Lord. But this in Matthew primarily speaks of our perceived spiritual resources. We can’t enter the kingdom of heaven due to any good deeds we’ve done. And, conversely, we can’t enter through the gate with a bunch of bad deeds, either. No, we don’t have to be perfect before walking through, but we do have to repent of our sins. We have to change directions and turn away from sin and to the Lord. We can’t take any baggage through this gate.

As Jesus says, in Matthew 19:24, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” This speaks of material riches, yes, but nobody can enter based on perceived spiritual riches, either. I’ll never forget debating this guy who said that Jesus spoke of some long-lost gate in the temple wall of Jerusalem called “the eye of the needle.” Therefore, he argued, you can take riches in! But Jesus says the exact opposite. The gate is narrow. We must enter through Christ alone. We must come empty handed. Choose your gate.

He says, second, take the hard, not easy, path. Jesus says, “The way is easy that leads to destruction.” He teaches, “The way is hard that leads to life.” This, of course, reminds us that the way of Christ is not comfortable. The word translated “easy” is often seen in other versions as “broad.” It has the idea of being spacious and roomy. It’s like sitting in first-class on that plane. You can spread your legs out and relax. It’s easy street.

That, however, is no accurate picture of the Christian life. Following Christ’s way brings much persecution and opposition, even from friends and family. Our Lord was persecuted. So were the apostles. And, as we saw in Matthew 5:10-12, this shows God’s favor upon our lives. It shows that we are “blessed.” It puts us in the company of the prophets. It shows we will be in the “kingdom of heaven.”

We must remember this, because the way will be hard. And it will be, as the text says, often quite “easy” for unbelievers. This is something that we will undoubtedly wrestle with as Christians. In Psalm 73, the psalmist Asaph speaks of his struggles with this. He says, in verse 1, “Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.” But hear verse 2: “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.” He then spends some time speaking of how the wicked prosper, while the righteous struggle. He then concludes with his change of heart.

Psalm 73:13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. 14 For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. 15 If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed the generation of your children. 16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, 17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.
18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. 19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!

Yes, the way of Christ is “hard.” And it will often be “easy” for the wicked.

This contrast, however, doesn’t just apply to persecution we experience or life struggles we face, but the Christian life itself. It’s not easy to “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” It’s not easy to be “merciful.” It’s hard being a “peacemaker.” It’s difficult to not hate and to not lust and to be faithful to your spouse and to keep your word and to turn the other cheek and to love your enemies. It’s difficult. In fact, it’s impossible apart from God’s grace. Once we receive His grace, when we’re right with God, the struggle really begins, as we allow God to work His grace in us, bit by bit. It’s difficult.

But, I’m sounding morbid. The Christian life also has great joy. In Mark 10, Jesus says:

Mark 10:29 Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Yes, there will be much difficulty on the way of Christ, but there will be much joy. As we live in the presence of God, and among the people of God, we will experience much delight. But it is but a foretaste. Now it will be sweet, yet imperfect. One day it will be perfectly amazing. The path of Jesus is hard, not easy. We must choose our path.

Christ says, third, that we must join the small, not large, group. He says that “those that find it”—His way—“are few.” And “those who enter by it”—the easy way—“are many.” This reminds us, of course, that God’s way is not found by looking at public opinion. I get this e-newsletter from Christianity Today “At The Movies.” They gave a bad review to Facing the Giants, a sports movie on the big screens that was produced by Christians. Basically, they liked the message, but said it wasn’t great filmmaking. Well, people freaked out that persecution was coming from Christians to Christians. Somebody wrote and pointed out how well it did at the box-office. Editor Mark Moring responded with this:

But box office numbers don't prove anything about a film's quality either—look no further than Jackass 2, which actually debuted at No. 1 the previous week, for evidence of that.

See, majority support doesn’t often mean much. No, our course that we follow is marked by signposts of revelation, not public opinion.

This also reminds us that God’s way is not found by looking to the approval of others. In Matthew 6, Jesus condemns the Pharisees for giving, fasting, and praying in ways to impress men instead of God. If we look to please the majority, and we follow them, we’re doing it at our own peril. We are to join the small group, not the large one.

This, I don’t think necessarily means that only a few of us will be with Christ in glory. Revelation 7:9 speaks of a “great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” We need to keep these two passages in tension. Likely we could conclude that, as Stott puts it, we will always be a “despised, minority movement.” But, the saints from all the ages combined will comprise an amazing group of worshippers of Christ on the last day. If we want to be there, on that day, we must choose the minority, not the majority.

The reason Jesus gives is that those who follow the crowd end up in judgment. This reminds me of a video game I played as a youngster called Lemmings. Lemmings are small rodents that live near the arctic. A myth was popularized by an old Walt Disney movie that these little mammals follow each other mindlessly, plunging off of cliffs, following the lemmings in front of them. The video game played off of this and was all about digging holes to make sure the animals fell to safety instead of their death. Sadly, like lemmings, most human beings mindlessly follow the majority, plunging into their own destruction.

Jesus, then, says, fourth, choose life, not death, as a destination. He talks about the easy way “that leads to destruction,” as well as the hard way “that leads to life.” An American film classic is, of course, Dumb and Dumber. In that movie, a witty scene is when one of the dumb guys loses it while driving to Aspen, Colorado, and takes the long route and ends up in Wyoming or Montana or something. That was problematic for them. They ran out of gas and almost killed each other. But neither one truly died.

Jesus says here that choosing the wrong path has eternal consequences. One heads a person over the cliff, like a lemming, into hell. One heads a person right into life. The one who chooses Jesus experiences life, in its inceptive form, here on earth, but experiences it perfectly forever. Heaven and hell, life and death, hinge on this important decision. Those who enter the “narrow gate” wind up in life. Those who take the “hard” way spend an eternity with Jesus. Those who make up the “few” that choose the right path rule with Him on a new heavens and new earth. We must choose life, and not death, as a destination.

I have shown you four aspects of this passage: two gates, two ways, two groups, and two destinations. I’ve touched on the application, but let me take it further. We have talked much here at Grace Church about culture, church, and gospel, largely thanks to our study of The Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll. What I want to do now is take a look at how these four teachings of Jesus impact our understanding of those three things—culture, church, and gospel—as well as how they affect how we view ourselves. Many of these points will be obvious to you, but hopefully they’re good reminders as we seek to bring God’s grace to “The District” here in Columbia.

First, let’s take culture. Consider the two gates. Recently an article in USA Today called Oprah “The Divine Miss Winfrey” and said she has emerged as the “spiritual leader for the new millennium.” Reed College Professor Kathryn Lofton said, “She’s a really hip and materialistic Mother Theresa. Oprah has emerged as a symbolic figurehead of spirituality.”

This, of course, is sadly true. What type of spirituality, you might ask? It’s pluralism. It’s the idea that there are plural, or many ways to God. Oprah both reflects and has shaped the culture. The idea of one narrow gate is intolerable today. Oprah is quoted on one broadcast as saying, “There couldn’t possibly be just one way.” A lady in the audience then said, “What about Jesus?” Oprah responded, “What about Jesus? Does God care about your heart or does God care about if you call his son Jesus?” Of course, the audience erupted in cheers (Driscoll Blog, 2006).

But, as I said, Jesus did say that He was the way. The apostles said, “There is salvation in no one else.” Jesus said the gate is narrow. It’s Him. Bob the Tomato was recently censored and no longer says, “God made you special and loves you,” when NBC bought the rights to Veggie Tales. The executives of NBC didn’t want to favor any religion. But, the Muslim that says Jesus was not god, and we that say Jesus is God can’t both be right. We must point out the goofiness of pluralism. As we minister here in the District, we must present clearly what Jesus has said. He, and He alone, is the gate.

Consider the two ways. We live in a world that revolves around comfort. We are encouraged to take the path of least resistance. Our goal is to play at our work and work at our play, and retire in an RV playing golf and laying on the beach. John Piper likes to speak specifically of a couple of elderly people, living in Florida, who are interviewed in a magazine and speak about their desire to collect sea shells in their retirement. This is the mentality of our culture. Sea shells! Sadly, the path of least resistance is also the path without lasting joy! In Psalm 16:11, David says, “In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Full joy. Forever joy. That’s what we’re promised. Sea shells don’t really fulfill. They don’t last an eternity. Jesus said to choose the hard way. We must faithfully proclaim that as we minister here in “The District.” But, we must also share with them of the joy that goes alongside the difficulty, that blesses us now and will be showered upon us for eternity.

Consider the two groups. We live in a country that is beginning to think that, just because the polls say something, it must be right. Politicians watch those polls and do whatever it takes to make those people happy and get themselves reelected.

As we live here in Columbia, we must expect the majority of people to oppose our gospel. We must come to grips with the doctrine of sin, understanding that the world is held in the grip of the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). The majority is deceived. Truth does not depend on us. Nazi Germany was pretty much in agreement, but they were wrong. If 75% of Americans think there are many roads to God, it doesn’t nullify what God has told us through divine revelation. We must encourage those around us to spurn the majority and listen to Jesus.

This in turn should lead us to expect opposition. If we are in the minority, we will be ridiculed. As our society shifts from Christendom, where the church rules, to a post-Christian society, where the church doesn’t, we will lose power and respect and privilege. We will be treated like the minority. We should expect this. But we must fight for the advancement of the gospel and not cling to influence of days gone by. We must live as a minority group, sharing an unpopular message with love to the citizens of our city. And we must let people know the dangers of believing that “might equals right.”

Remember the two destinations. I read this article this weekend on MSNBC.com that spoke of the high costs of life-prolonging drugs, particularly in cancer patients. One man is quoted as saying, “It’s better to pay the money than sleep with the worms” (msnbc.com, 10/2/06). That, my friends, is the fruit of modernism, that science rules. If evolution is true, this life is all there is, and we just rot in the ground.

A shift to postmodernism has brought a new wave of spirituality. But, like modernism, that predominant way to view the world leaves no room for divine judgment. People look forward to visions of angels and grandparents and us all holding hands. The idea that God would send anyone to hell is ridiculed. But we must proclaim in “The District” that Jesus talked more about judgment than anyone else. We must teach that Jesus will come back on a white horse and destroy His enemies.
And we must point out that a heaven with grandma and grandpa holding hands with Joseph Stalin and Jeffrey Dahmer isn’t much of a heaven. And a Jesus that won’t punish child molesters or ethnic cleansers isn’t worth being worshipped. We must proclaim the folly and sadness of not believing in divine judgment.

Second, let’s take the church. Think again of the two gates. I mentioned pluralism before—the idea that there are many ways to God. What is gaining popularity in the church today is what is called inclusivism. This is basically an effort by liberal Christians to say that the man on the island that has never heard of Christ may be saved by Jesus and not realize it. In other words, one does not have to place conscious faith in Christ to be saved by Christ. This is an attempt at a halfway point between what they call Christian exclusivism and non-Christian pluralism, but it ends up making both sides mad. We’re mad because they deny Jesus’s words here that He is the gate. They’re mad because the inclusivists are still rude enough to say that everybody is saved through just Jesus.

They make their arguments in several ways, but let me give you two. First, they often say that the man on the island is saved by general revelation. This is God’s revelation that goes to all persons in all times in all places. This is generally referring to God revealing Himself through His creation. In other words, they say that the man on the island can see the trees and sun and then be saved without naming Christ. The problem with this is Romans chapter one.

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

This passage teaches that one can’t be saved by looking at the creation. He can only be judged by looking at it. General revelation can only condemn, not save. It’s the fact that the man on the island is condemned by general revelation that compels us to take the gospel to Him, which is special revelation.

A second argument they use is that the Spirit works in that man on the island, bringing him to God, apart from the name of Christ. How dare we put the Holy Spirit in a box, they say! But Jesus, in John 16:14, speaking of the Spirit, says, “He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you.” The Spirit is called in the Bible “the Spirit of Christ.” He never works apart from Jesus (Rom. 8:9; 1 Pet. 1:11). He was sent by Christ and lives to glorify Him.

This sort of mentality makes missions unnecessary and dangerous. Unnecessary is easy to see—if they don’t need to embrace Jesus, we don’t need to go.
Dangerous isn’t quite as easy to see—if they can come to know God without Jesus, by going to tell them, we risk their rejection of Him, which would truly make them worse off than had we never come. So, church, let us never pander to the majority, cave to pluralism, and deny and dishonor our Lord by saying that there are other ways to Him.

Consider the two ways. We not only have inclusivism in the church, but we have prosperity theology or health/wealth teachings. This is Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn and all the other nut-jobs on TBN. This is telling people that the way is not hard, it’s easy. If you put your trust in Jesus, they say, you’ll be fat and sassy. You’ll have cash and health. And, if you’re not healthy and wealthy, then that must mean you don’t have much faith. We must not tell the world, church, that Christianity is easy. It’s not only a lie. It’s stupid. Could Jesus or Paul or Peter or any of the other martyrs fathom such a message?

Consider the two groups. We could easily point to liberal churches that teach universalism, the idea that all people will be saved. This is common, and it is a heresy easy enough to see in today’s passage. But, I read an article about a year ago in World magazine where Gene Edward Veith spoke of Indiana parents who were suing a church because their kid was manipulated into chewing up a “mixture of dog food, sardines, potted meat, sauerkraut, cottage cheese, and salsa, topped off with holiday eggnog.” He was then encouraged to spit it into a glass and convince others to drink it. Several students got sick and this led to the lawsuit. Veith points out rightly, having seen some of these things in youth camps, that this does three things: 1) It encourages them to lose their inhibitions. 2) It teaches them to cave to peer pressure. 3) It instructs them that Christianity is stupid. The point of the article is that this teaches youths to follow the majority.

We see the church follow the majority when she follows business practices of the world and ends up looking like a big Wal-Mart Supercenter. We see the church take polls, see what people like, and implement it so that the majority will come. We see the church reinforce this when it says, “That church is really big and tons of people like it,” so, therefore, it must be doing things right. Pragmatism rules. Popularity determines success. Might equals right. We must declare, church, what Jesus said, that His road will be the way of the few.

Consider the two destinations. Inclusivism isn’t the church’s only problem. Annihilationism is. This is the idea that, when we’re judged, we don’t suffer forever in hell, but rather we’re destroyed or annihilated. John Stott, whose commentary I’ve used much for this study, and who is a terrific and much-loved scholar, has adopted this idea. The problem with this is that Matthew 25:46 says this: “And these will go into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” It’s punishment for an eternity.
If this punishment is only for a time, the parallelism of the passage demands that heaven is only for a time, too. And, if people say, why infinite punishment for a finite crime, here’s your answer: Sin is against an infinite God—an infinitely glorious being. And that demands forever.

That idea of annihilationism is some big theological word that you can’t relate to and you never would argue for, but here’s something you can relate to: have you ever had a friend’s relative die, and you knew he wasn’t a Christian or you weren’t sure if he was and you said, anyway, “Well, you’ll see him again someday.” Limp-wristed preachers do this every day. Church, we must tell the truth Christ says here. One may choose the way of life or the way of death.

Third, let’s take the gospel. Think again of the two gates. Do we present a message that exalts the life, death, and resurrection of Christ—the true gospel, or do we have this vague, general message to people: believe in God, or, better, trust in Jesus. An assumed gospel is not a transforming one. We can tell people to have faith or be born again or forsake sin or love God without ever talking truly about Jesus. We can totally forget to talk about the gate.

Consider the two ways. We can present a message to people that sounds something like this: come to Jesus and have a wonderful life. We can have sermon series in our churches and share the gospel as individuals in a way that presents the Christian life as a bunch of shiny, happy people holding hands, when it’s a lie. We can totally forget that Jesus said His way was hard.

Consider the two groups. Similarly, we can present a message to people that they can join the “in crowd,” what everybody is doing. They can be one of the “cool kids” and hook up with us. We can appeal to exciting church activities or the allure of a wealth of friends. We can have a message that is less about Jesus, and more about what’s cool.

Consider the two destinations. We can tell people a gospel that isn’t good news, because there is no bad news. We can ignore hell, because it turns people off, but then, when we ask people if they’re saved, they ask, “Saved from what?” Our sin merits eternal punishment. If sin doesn’t mean death, then who needs Jesus?

Fourth, let’s take you and me. Think again of the two gates. Unbeliever, are you embracing the idea that Jesus is the only gate? Christian, are you living a Christian life that is cognizant of the fact, all the time, that you only stand before God thanks to the person and work of Jesus Christ? Are you truly relying on the gate?

Take the two ways. Unbeliever are you taking the easy way out now, only to experience what will be truly hard later? Believer, are you fighting for your own comfort and ease and security or are you embracing the idea that your journey with Christ will be exceedingly hard but overwhelmingly joyful? Theologian Carl Trueman recently said this:

What always challenges me about prosperity doctrine is that many of us who repudiate it in theory still practice it in reality. Every time we suffer a minor setback and are tempted to curse God in our hearts, that's practical prosperity doctrine. Every time we measure our success by the size of our churches, or the near-eschatological importance of our conferences by the number of attendees and the calibre of the speakers, or our self-worth by the Reformed megastar names we can drop in conversation, we make ourselves vulnerable to accusations that we too are committed to a form of the prosperity doctrine, more subtle and all the more deadly precisely because of that subtlety. We are what we are in Christ, nothing more, nothing less. And in his final hours, Christ was friendless, an embarrassment to his disciples, with the fair weather followers and even his closest friends having long since abandoned him; and then, to cap it all, he was crucified. We shouldn't be complacent about the prosperity doctrine; it's not just a problem for 'them'; it's a problem for us too (Blog, Justin Taylor).

Remember the two groups. Unbeliever, are you playing to the applause of people or will you listen to Jesus? Believer, are you content being a part of Christ’s few, or do you crave the attention of the majority? Or have you Christianized your desire to be with the crowd, pursuing whatever exciting church stuff can be found?

Remember the two destinations. Unbeliever, do you reckon with the fact that there is a judgment that awaits? Believer, do you truly believe that your actions deserve eternal punishment and that Christ suffered on the cross in your place, that you might avoid that? And, when you look at your unbelieving friends and neighbors around you, do you truly believe in hell, or are you a practical universalist?

Brothers and sisters, society is opposed to Christ’s teachings in Matthew 7:13-14. The church has imbibed some of the world’s opposition. Our watered-down, inoffensive gospel has been affected. And, sadly, we have embraced such ideas more than we want to admit. As Joshua said in chapter 24, verse 15, “Choose this day whom you will serve”—Jesus or other, false gods. Will we believe Jesus when He says that there are only two choices: two gates, two ways, two groups, and two destinations? We must proclaim the truth of this passage to our own and to the world. However, I began with the context of the passage, so I’ll end there. We must, as Ephesians 4:15 says, preach the “truth in love.” This warning of Jesus is couched in a context of love for enemies, of mercy to others, of pursuing peace. We can talk about Jesus as the only way and the reality of judgment without being jerks. Jesus did. And we are His. And the Sermon of the Mount is a sermon against the Pharisees. In preaching against pluralism, let’s not offer them legalism either. Jesus, my friends, would not approve.

Free Blog Design

2006-09-20T09:20:00.000-05:00

Bluebird Blogs is having a drawing to give away a free blog design. Check it out here.

College Football Goin' Seeker-Friendly

2006-09-15T21:40:00.000-05:00

A rule change is trying to make college football games shorter. The clock is starting on the ref's signal, and not the snap of the ball, at changes of possession. The clock starts now when the kicker kicks the ball, and not when the returner catches it. This is all in an effort to make games shorter.

This sounds similar to what many say today in modern evangelicalism-- shorten the service, cut the sermon, axe long Scripture readings-- otherwise seekers will leave. This reminds me of some words from John MacArthur that I quoted in a sermon I gave recently.

"If you are going to be a Bible expositor, forget the twenty- and thirty- minute sermons. You are looking at forty or fifty minutes. In any less than that, you can’t exposit the Scripture. The purpose of a sermon is not to get it over, but rather to explain the word of God. My goal is not accomplished because I am brief. My goal is accomplished when I am clear and I have exposited the word of God."

MacArthur sounds a lot like Texas Tech coach Mike Leach:

"I think they’re really on to something here. I think what they ought to do is limit both teams to 20 plays. Then they’d really get over quickly. Then everybody can go out and tailgate."

What about the people that just love football... or Jesus?

Are We Inhibiting Movements to Christ?

2006-09-09T16:02:00.000-05:00

The latest issue of Mission Frontiers has a super article about contextualizing the gospel. Here is one quote:

"...we often introduce the gospel into another culture with signficant amounts of cultural and religious traditions associated with it. This 'baggage' makes it harder for a new people to embrace the gospel because they see it as a foreign cultural and religious system, rather than a relationship with the person of Jesus that they can pursue within their own cultural and religious traditions." (Bob Goldmann)

"Humbly Hungering for the God of Grace"

2006-09-09T15:58:00.000-05:00

“Humbly Hungering for the God of Grace”
Kevin P. Larson, Grace Church of Columbia, Sept. 3, 2006

Did you know Katie Couric has lost some weight? Well, actually she hasn’t. But recently a CBS employee airbrushed about 20 pounds off of her in a publicity photo in their own Watch magazine. According to Reuters, a network photograph was “digitally altered to give the incoming CBS news anchor a trimmer waistline, darker clothing, and even a thinner face.”

Now Couric didn’t appreciate the alteration. She is quoted as saying she liked the original photo, because, she said, “There is more of me to love.” But the Pharisees would have encouraged such a thing. We have seen here in Matthew 6 of the Sermon on the Mount how the Pharisees took good religious acts like giving, praying, and, here, fasting, and made them into a spectacle to get praise. The Pharisees, we find in today’s passage, Matthew 6:16-18, were doctoring their appearance to make them look godly. If they would have had digital photography and a copy of Adobe Photoshop, they would have lost weight, as well.

Today’s passage begins with “and when you fast.” That “and” connects this morning’s text to last week’s that dealt with prayer, and the previous week’s that dealt with giving. The Pharisees, we found, were praying ostentatiously in the synagogues and on the street corners, so that people would see them and laud them. The Pharisees were also, we saw, sounding trumpets when they gave, letting everyone know of their generosity. Today we see that they were doing whatever they could to let people know they were fasting.

Read with me again Matthew 6:1. It states, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 6:16-18, like the previous two sections, follows the format of that verse. Jesus says, beware of practicing fasting before men—describing how the Pharisees did just that. He then explains that, by fasting that way, you’ll receive only man’s applause that is fleeting and unsatisfying. He then instructs His disciples how to fast, promising that their practice will be seen and rewarded by the Father in heaven.

Let us read this morning’s text and begin with prayer.

Matthew 6:16 "And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Quite similar to our outline for the previous two weeks, I want you to see this morning, first, the fasting of the Pharisee, and second, the fasting of the Christian.

First, the fasting of the Pharisee. Again, Jesus says, in verse 16, “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.” We know from Luke 18:12 that devout Pharisees fasted twice a week, likely on Monday and Thursdays. In addition, particularly devout people fasted even more. The widow and prophetess Anna, who greeted the newborn Christ, we know from Luke 2:37 “did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.” This is in addition to the special national fast on the Jewish religious calendar, the Day of Atonement, that was commanded by Moses, as well as other special times that the nation would humble themselves with prayer and fasting before God.

What happened is the Pharisees utilized these times of fasting as opportunities to display to everyone how godly they were. They looked “gloomy.” They labored to “disfigure their faces.” We’re not completely sure what they were doing, but they were trying to look pathetic. They were possibly not exercising good personal hygiene. They were maybe spreading ashes on their faces to make them look pale. They likely wore old, beat-up clothes. They perhaps messed up their hair, going outside with bed-head. And they put on sad, contorted faces, so that everyone would know that they were godly people.

Jesus says, in verse 16, that they did all this “that their fasting” would “be seen by others.” We’ll talk more about the purpose of fasting later, but they took this exercise of self-discipline and put all the emphasis on the “self” part. As they gave with trumpets, and prayed for the crowds, they fasted in costume and with grandeur, so that people would applaud them.

As I mentioned, they likely fasted on Mondays and Thursdays. The Pharisees claimed this was because those were the days that Moses took his two trips to receive the law at Sinai. In reality, however, those were apparently the big market days in Jerusalem. The city would have been full of farmers and merchants and buyers. It conveniently made the streets a stage for them.

Jesus says, once again, “They have received their reward.” People saw. People applauded. And that’s all the reward they got. When I was a teenager, I remember there being a buzz about the singing duo Milli Vanilli. I might even have owned the album. Two African-American men, Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus, won a Grammy in 1990 for “best new artist.”

As some of you will know, in that same year, in a concert in Connecticut, they were singing their hit “Girl You Know It’s True.” The recording got stuck, and it began repeating the line “Girl You Know It’s” over and over. This led to public scrutiny which resulted in the men admitting that they didn’t sing on the record. Shortly thereafter, their Grammy award was revoked. They received public praise, but it was short lived. They were exposed as frauds.

Jesus said that the Pharisees wouldn’t receive a reward beyond that applause. And we know biblically that one day, Pharisees of all stripes and eras will be exposed for what they really are. It could take place at the end, when Jesus, as he does in Matthew 7:23, “I never knew you; depart from me.” Or it could happen sooner, as in the case of Milli Vanilli. The reward of hypocrites is temporal and ultimately unsatisfying.

Let us look at the fasting of the Christian. In verse 17, Christ states, “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face.” In other words, get up in the morning and groom yourself. In that day, anointing one’s head with oil was the normal thing to do. It was often scented. It likely styled the hair. Jews, like us, washed their faces; they got cleaned up for the day. Jesus is saying, look normal. Take care of yourself. Get up and clean up, as you always do. In other words, don’t do any of these tactics like the Pharisees to make yourself look disheveled. Hide the fact that you’re fasting from men, so that it is seen by the one that counts, and not by human beings.

Once again, Jesus said, in Matthew 6:3, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” He said this when speaking of giving. This also applies to praying, last week’s passage, and today’s on fasting. We should not only avoid fasting in such a way that pleases others. We should avoid fasting in such a way that causes us to inwardly applaud ourselves.

Of course, we can hide that we are fasting from others, perhaps even ourselves, but we can’t from God. Our “Father who is in secret” sees all. He is omnipresent; He is everywhere at the same time. He is omniscient; He knows everything. Psalm 139 puts it like this. Listen to verses 1-12.

Psalm 139:1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. 7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, 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 cover me, and the light about me be night," 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
Our God sees all, and if He sees us fasting from genuine motives, as with praying and giving, Jesus says, in verse 18, our “Father who sees in secret will reward [us].”. Again, seeking a reward, if it’s the right kind—the reward of God Himself—is not a bad thing. It doesn’t put us at the center, as the Pharisees were trying to do. It glorifies God. If we go to God, believing like Hebrews 11:6 says, that “He rewards those who seek Him,” we glorify Him greatly. We say that God meets all our needs, that His presence is satisfying. This lifts Him up.

If I tell Amy, “Being with you is rewarding. It is delightful. It satisfies me completely,” that glorifies her. She isn’t going to look at me and say, “You are a selfish pig. All you care about is what you want!” No, by me saying that I want her, it honors her. It’s the same way with God. John Piper compares it to running up to a beautiful, mountain spring and putting your head in and taking a big drink of water. If we do this, if we say, “That is the most refreshing, wonderful water I’ve ever tasted,” we honor the spring. We are satisfied. The spring is glorified. This is how it is with God.

Therefore, pursue finding reward in God. Again, we’re not doing these religious acts like giving and praying and fasting to earn rewards from God in some works-righteousness sort of way. We have tasted the goodness of God, and we’re doing these deeds to more and more eat and drink and be satisfied in Him.

Apparently, in the theatre of Rome in Jesus’ day, a key part of the performance was the chorus. The chorus would sing and the actors would “answer to the chorus.” This is what the Pharisees were doing. Again, the term “hypocrite” refers to a stage actor. They were answering to the chorus. They were seeking their approval. The Christian is concerned about the audience of one, our Lord. We are concerned with what He sees. We are concerned about His reward. We want the reward that lasts, not the temporary one.

This week I passed by “Speaker’s Circle” a few times and saw Brother Jed and his cohorts doing their “preaching.” I thought about walking by and screaming, “Fee Fi Fo Fee, I see a Pharisee” and marching on, but I restrained myself. It sickened me to see Jed and some other guy, standing out there, basking in all the attention, glorifying themselves. Others, like our own Brenda, were sitting in the circle, trying to share the true gospel, out of the sight of the masses, but in the sight of God.

No, Brother Jed and friends weren’t attracting positive attention, as perhaps the Pharisees of Jesus’s day were. But they are still Pharisees. Jed and friends applaud themselves in their hearts, of course. This is their main concern, I’m convinced. But if they get some praise from others, great. However, if they don’t, great, too. They can play the “martyr” card.
Either way, blessing or cursing, the attention they receive feeds their egos within. And that’s the chief concern of Pharisees—to make themselves the center of the universe. It’s idolatry. It’s self-worship.

Christians worship God. That is our chief concern. And we do it through Christ alone. Christ is the only one who gave, prayed, and fasted perfectly with perfect motives. Those that repent and believe in Him have His perfect life given to them, so that they may stand blameless before the Father. He also died a cruel death for those that have failed to give and pray and fast as they should. Those that repent and believe have His perfect death given to them, as well. He lived for us. We can stand before God the Father perfect. He died for us. We can stand before God the Father forgiven.

But those that repent and believe do so because they’ve been reborn. And this rebirth takes our hearts of stone, as Ezekiel 36 puts it, and replaces them with hearts of flesh. We are given new hearts that now love God and can serve Him sincerely. God then sanctifies us, making us more and more like Him, purifying our hearts more and more. We are changed to meet these demands in Matthew 6 through Christ alone. We can now give, pray, and fast rightly.

So this calling of Matthew 6:1-18 should make us incredibly dependent upon the gospel. We need Christ’s life and death to stand before God. We need the Spirit to change us into people that can serve sincerely.

Christian fasting, therefore, like Christian giving and praying, is done in God’s power for His glory. It’s not done in our strength for our praise. It’s done for the audience of one.

This, of course, begs a question that I hope to answer in our remaining time this morning. What is Christian fasting? Jesus says again, in verses 16-18, “when you fast.” He assumes we will fast. But what is it? I will attempt to answer this question from six angles that reflect the six big questions journalists try to answer in each news story. I learned these in my writing days, and I think they help us as we try to look at the contours of most any issue. We will look at who, what, when, where, why, and how.

First, who fasts? We’ve answered this in a way already this morning—Christians fast. But some would disagree with this. Notice how much more we hear about the first two topics we’ve seen in Matthew 6. Everybody knows we should give and pray. But who talks about fasting? I’ll never forget the time that I was speaking about this passage in another church. The pastor I worked with actually told me that I should skip it, because nobody knows much about it or does it!
Some would argue that it’s a Jewish practice that was abolished thanks to Christ. Others would say that it is a Catholic thing that good Protestants should avoid. But here’s the problem with that: Jesus fasted, as we know, in Matthew 4, He assumed we would do it here in Matthew 6, and He taught that believers would one day do it in Matthew 9. Turn with me to Matthew 9:14-15. It reads,

Matthew 9:14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" 15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

Jesus’s answer here teaches that, when He is taken away, or when He ascended to heaven, His disciples would fast. That time is now, brothers and sisters. Fasting is intended to be a normal part of the Christian life until we rejoice again in the presence of the bridegroom. In addition, the early church, as told in Acts, fasted. Fasting is a Christian, New Covenant practice. All believers should fast.

Second, what is fasting? First, here’s what it’s not. It’s not simply a powerful political weapon. Ghandi is one known for fasting for political purposes. His country’s laws read that a creditor could only collect from a debtor through shame. The creditor would sit in front of the debtor’s house without food for as long as it took for the debtor to be shamed into paying. Said Eric Rogers,

This very Indian technique worked for Gandhi. His fasting undoubtedly touched more hearts than anything else he did. Not just in India, but practically everywhere, men were haunted by the image of a frail little man cheerfully enduring privation for the sake of a principle. The Bible speaks of something much greater than a hunger strike.

Fasting is also more than just a sound medical practice. If one searched on the World Wide Web, one would find numerous sites dedicated to the health benefits of fasting.
I remember when I lived in Chicago briefly a man who was the superintendent over the Jewish synagogue I lived in. The other seminarians and I worked for him in taking care of the grounds and the facilities. This man, a Russian immigrant, annually fasted for 30 days for health reasons. He claimed it was very beneficial and many experts would agree. One would die quickly without water but can live days without food. It’s considered a healthy thing to do. But any good health that results is but a secondary benefit of the fasting Jesus speaks of.
It’s also not just another religious practice. All cultures and nations and religions everywhere fast and have historically done so. Muslims do so during Ramadan. The high caste of the Hindus, the Brahmans, fast quite seriously.
But it even goes broader than that. Listen to John Piper in his helpful book, Hunger for God,

The Andaman Islanders... abstain from certain fruits, edible roots, etc. at certain seasons, because the god Puluga... requires them, and would send a deluge if the taboo were broken.... Among the Koita of New Guinea a woman during pregnancy must not eat bandicoot, echidna, certain fish, and iguana; and the husband must observe the same food taboos.... Among the Yoruba, [at the death of a husband] widows and daughters are shut up and must refuse all food for at least 24 hours.... In British Columbia, the Stlatlumh (Lilooet) spent four days after the funeral feast in fasting, lamentations, and ceremonial ablutions.... Before slaying the eagle, a sacred bird, the professional eagle-killer among the Cherokees had to undergo a long vigil of prayer and fasting.... [Other] American Indian youth [often undergo prolonged austerities] in order that by means of a vision [they] may see the guardian spirit which will be [theirs] for the remainder of [their] life.... Among the tribes of New South Wales, boys at the bora ceremonies are kept for two days without food, and receive only a little water (Piper, 27).
So fasting is more than just going without food for spiritual reasons. Almost all religious movements do that. We’re talking particularly about Christian fasting here. I think it primarily is an expression of a longing for the bridegroom that He himself speaks of in Matthew 9:15. We’ll get more to the why later. Christian fasting has to do with abstaining from food as an expression of faith in and repentance toward Christ. If it’s not about Jesus, it’s not Christian fasting.

Let’s briefly consider the when of fasting. I’ll remind you again what Matthew 9:15 teaches. Jesus says, “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” This was Jesus’s explanation for why His disciples didn’t fast, unlike those of John. It also implies that, when we join with Christ again one day in a new heavens and new earth, we’ll no longer fast. Fasting will give way to feasting. We will be with the bridegroom again. Now, in the interval between Christ’s first coming and His second, we fast.

But we obviously don’t fast every day. When, more specifically, do we fast? The only commanded fast in Scripture is the one associated with the Day of Atonement in the Law of Moses. Leviticus 16:29-30 says,

Leviticus 16:29 "And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. 30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins.
We know, however, that Jesus changed all of that. As Matthew 5:17-20 states, he fulfilled the law. Hebrews 10:10 teaches that “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Christ’s death was the Day of Atonement, the day the previous Jewish event foreshadowed. That day of fasting is no more. Now certain fasting days are not required. Believers are free in Christ, however, to fast.
We see circumstances in Scripture where the people of God fasted. Primarily, these times are grouped into two categories—penitence and prayer. First, regarding penitence, we see when Jonah preached to Nineveh, as found in Jonah chapter 3, the Ninevites repented and fasted. Listen to verses 4-10.

Jonah 3:4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. 6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish." 10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
In Daniel 9, Daniel went to God on behalf of His sinful people. Daniel said, in verse 3, “Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking Him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.”

Here is one last biblical example. The King Ahaz was so wicked that 1 Kings 21:25 says, “There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab.” But, when the king heard the impending judgment of God, he repented. Verses 27 and 29 state,
1 Kings 21:27 And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. 28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 "Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the disaster upon his house."

Fasting is connected much in Scripture with repentance. Many other examples could be given. As with Ahab, God listens to those who fast with penitence.

Fasting is also associated with prayer. In the book of Ezra, the prophet calls for a time of fasting and prayer prior to the nation’s return from Babylon to Israel. He and God’s people fast to ask God for protection. Listen to Ezra 8:21-23.

Ezra 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, "The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him." 23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

Other examples are found in the book of Acts when fasting accompanied the beginning of ministry. In Acts 13, the leaders of the early church sent out apostles with fasting and prayer. Verses 2-3 state,

Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

In Acts 14:23, fasting is associated with the ordaining of elders. Luke says there “when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” About this passage, John MacArthur had this to say:

Only the Lord knows how much the leadership of the church today could be strengthened if congregations were that determined to find and follow the Lord’s will. The early church did not choose or send out leaders carelessly or by popular vote. Above all they sought and followed God’s will. Fasting has no more power to assure godly leadership than it has to assure forgiveness, protection, or any other good thing from God. But it is likely to be a part of sincere dedication that is determined to know the Lord’s will and have His power before decisions are made, plans are laid, or actions are taken. People who are consumed with concern before God do not take a lunch break.

So those are two main circumstances for fasting in Scripture—repentance and prayer. Obviously there is much overlap between the two. Other examples could also be given. That answers part of the “when” question—those are occasions for fasting. As far as frequency, there is freedom as believers to decide this. However, Jesus says again, “when you fast.” He assumes we will do so.

Let’s turn to where. Fasting can take place in private or in public. Last week, we discussed the fact that, just because Jesus is warning His disciples about praying to get praise from humans, there are public prayers all over Scripture. He wasn’t condemning all public prayers. The same applies to fasting. We see group fasts in Scripture. There is a difference between fasting “before others” and fasting to “be seen by others.” Matthew 5:16 tells us to let our light shine. But the shining is for the glory of the Father. Public fasts, as long as they glorify God and not the group, are biblical and good. But we are sinners. Beware.

Next, let’s consider why. Let me answer this simply. We fast to express a humble dependence upon God. The term often used for fasting in the Bible is to “humble your souls.” In Leviticus 16:29, which we just read, it says, “You shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work.” That phrase “afflict yourselves” is a common phrase for fasting and literally means “humble your souls.” We also see it in the passage read earlier, in Isaiah 58:3. Isaiah, quoting the Jewish people, says, “Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?” That phrase, here translated “humbled ourselves” is the same as in Leviticus 16. Here, that expression for fasting is placed parallel with a more technical term for fasting. See, biblically, fasting and humility are linked. This act of religious devotion is an expression of our great neediness as humans and, more particularly, our great neediness for the Lord.

Think about it for a second. Our body needs nothing more than food. We can lay around naked for awhile. We can live on the streets for awhile. But we can’t go too long without food. It is necessary. Our greatest need, however, as humans is for God.

Fasting, as John Piper puts it, can function as the “handmaid of faith.” Jesus said, in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Jesus warned, in verse 27, “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.” In verse 51, He says, “If anyone eats of this bread, He will live forever.” In verse 54, He teaches, “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Faith could be defined as hungering for Christ. Fasting, as we are reminded of our great hunger for food, can cultivate in us a deeper hunger for our Lord and Savior.

And this great hunger for God once again glorifies Him. The Pharisees, if they were asked, “Why do you fast?” would have answered in spiritual-sounding words. But their motivation was clearly to glorify self. Our motivation must be to bring glory to God. As we fast, we cultivate in our hearts a hunger for God, or faith, that brings Him honor. So, when asked, “Why do you fast?” we should answer, “To express and cultivate our hunger for God for the glory of God.” In other words, as we’ve seen here in Matthew 6:16-18, we fast to express that God is our reward and to receive our reward from the Father. Christ Himself is our reward, but let me give you some other secondary rewards here that further answer the question, “Why do we fast?”

1. It reminds us that Christianity is a matter of desire. Christianity is not just a matter of the intellect. Even the demons have that. It’s not just a matter of the will, of making choices. We make our choices for a reason. Our choices are made based on the strongest desire at the time. Fasting reminds us, as we long for food, that our desire for things other than God amounts to sin and our desire for God amounts to faith. Our task is not to kill our desires. It is to focus them on the right object that can truly satisfy, namely God.

2. It reminds us that God must be our strongest desire. Christianity is a hunger for God. Fasting reminds us of that. We must long for Him and need Him like we long for and have need of food. Each hunger pang should remind us of that. In fact, we must love the giver of bread, the Bread of Life, far more than the bread on our kitchen table. We must not be idolaters, falling in love with the object rather than the reality it represents. Fasting helps us to fight that.

3. It reminds us that we’re sustained by His every word. Matthew 4:4 states that “man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." As we are dependent on food for physical life, so are we dependent on His food for spiritual life. Without it, we perish. With it, we grow and mature. Fasting reminds us of this. In reality, fasting is feasting. We feast on the word while we fast from the food. Fasting reminds us that the word is the true feast, as well as the source of sustenance.

4. It reveals to us our sin. In His book Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster states that “more than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us.” He goes on to say,
This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed in to the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately. David writes, “I humbled my soul with fasting” (Ps. 69:10). Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear— if they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger; then we will realize that we are angry because the spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice in this knowledge because we know that healing is available through the power of Christ.
5. It reminds us to live in moderation. We are to be disciplined at all times and fast at some times. Fasting reminds us of this, that no physical things should control us.

6. It brings us back into focus. One of the proven physical benefits of fasting is a renewed clarity of mind. But it goes deeper than that. Fasting will renew our focus and realign our priorities. It will get our hearts back into prayer.

7. It helps us to identify with and care for the hungry. In the passage we read earlier, Isaiah 58, God is angered that His people are fasting, acting spiritually great, while not helping the poor. God says,

Isaiah 58:6 "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Fasting helps us feel their pain. We also can use the money for the food we pass up to ease their pain.

8. It allows us to see God move. God has willed to work through fasting and prayer. We will see Him, as He wills, respond and work in our lives and in the lives of others.

What about the how question? What should our approach to fasting be? We see at least three types of fasts in Scripture. First, in Matthew 4, it says Jesus, after “fasting forty days and forty nights,” was “hungry.” Then Satan challenged Him to turn stones into bread. He tempted Him with food, not water. This is the normal way of fasting in the Bible—abstaining from food, sometimes for an extended period of time, while drinking water.

Sometimes we also see absolute fasts. In Acts 9:9, it says Paul was blind for three days, following his conversion, and “neither ate nor drank.” In Esther 4, when the Jewish people were threatened, and the new queen was preparing to plead before the king on behalf of her people, she commanded the Jews, in verse 16, to “not eat or drink for three days, night or day.”

Scripture also mentions partial fasts. For example, in Daniel 10:2-3, it reads, “In those days, I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.” It’s possible the Pharisees got the idea of not anointing themselves with oil from this passage. Regardless, Daniel just did without meat and wine. This is a partial fast.

The Bible also speaks of fasts from other things— like marital relations. 1 Corinthians 7:5 states, “Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” This devotion to prayer is likely, as the King James translates it, fasting. Fasting from sex was for the purpose of fasting from food. I take that to mean that depriving oneself from food is a higher thing than depriving oneself from sexual relations or other things. Man can live without sex, but he can’t live without food. Nothing like eating and drinking illustrates our need for God; nothing like fasting reminds us of our superior need for Him.

So fasting really necessitates forsaking food. Some would want to fast from TV or the elevator or whatever. Those might teach us to rely more on God, but never in the same way that food can. We can’t live without food.

We also can’t forget, regarding the how question, that we fast with much struggle and difficulty. I remember people honestly whining about getting headaches or getting grouchy. That’s the point, folks. Our bodies need food. They get sick without it. They bring out the bad stuff on the inside. Going without food reminds us how much we need God. It is an exercise of self-discipline. Expect to feel terrible when you go without food. Our sin numbs us from seeing that we’re really terrible without God. Fasting helps us to break through that sin.

To summarize, who: Christian believers are expected to fast. What: Fasting is abstaining from food to express a longing for the great bridegroom. When: This interval before the consummation, when penitence and prayer should be expressed, is the time for it. Where: Public or private realms are appropriate, provided the believer does it for God’s glory. Why: Ultimately God’s glory is the reason we fast, as we express our humble need for Him. We seek the Father as our great reward. How: Primarily fasting is abstaining from food, not water. It is a struggle as our bodies remind us of exactly how much our souls need God.

Brothers and sisters, my desire is that Grace Church would be a place where people fast—where we express our great need for God individually and as a church. This Wednesday would be a perfect place to begin as we start our second “Grace Group” and move into a new phase. Would you fast with me?

The Pharisees fasted. But they did it to be seen and rewarded by men. Jesus tells us to fast, but to do it to be seen and rewarded by God. We need Him, the great Reward. Nothing reminds us more of this than fasting. He is the “bread of life.” He is the “living water.” Everything about fasting screams that we should see ourselves as small and God as big. But our sin is great. We need God to change our hearts so that we see our great need for Him and the great hunger we should have for Him. We need grace to save and transform sinners like us.

In this past week’s Columbia Tribune, there was this sickening story about a Columbia woman named Sarah Herman who faked having terminal stomach cancer to pilfer her friends out of money. She claimed that she didn’t have money to go to the Mayo Clinic and get the treatment she needed. Her friends started the S.O.S campaign, which stood for “Save Our Sarah.” They had a benefit concert at the Blue Note that raised $1800.

But, one day some friends tried to send flowers to the Mayo Clinic, and they hadn’t heard of her. Her friends grew suspicious when they saw no symptoms. Her friends confronted her about it, and she claimed she had been cured. Friends didn’t buy the story and neither did the police. She finally confessed to duping them and faking cancer. Now she faces criminal charges and as much as seven years in jail.

Brothers and sisters, these were the tactics of the Pharisees—acting on the outside something that wasn’t on the inside, for their personal gain. Maybe the masses were fooled. But God wasn’t fooled. He sees the heart. He rewards the sincere. He judges the hypocrites. Let us pray that God will make us people, whether in giving, praying, or fasting, or any other Christian deeds, who honor Him, and not self.

"Praying Sincerely and Intelligently to the Father of Grace"

2006-09-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

“Praying Sincerely and Intelligently to the Father of Grace”
Kevin P. Larson, Grace Church of Columbia, Aug. 27, 2006

Last night, we watched and discussed Bruce Almighty, a quite hilarious comedy in which Jim Carrey gets the opportunity to be God for a few days. The movie is replete with problems but makes great points. It was great fodder for discussion. The director Tom Shadyac, who professes faith in Christ, was interviewed by a Christian magazine, The Voice Behind, about the movie. Who made the decision to have Bruce and his girlfriend Grace live together, they pushed? Others wondered why bad language had to be used. Wouldn’t this have been a fine movie without that, they reasoned?

Shadyac responded,

You know, I have been going to church since I was a babe. And I go to church today. And I think one of the challenges of our church, and churchgoers in general, is to accept humanity as it is. We have people in churches acting out, because they don’t accept the whole human being. They deny that we are sexual human beings. Or, that we can be angry. I, as a filmmaker, am not going to deny that. I am going to embrace that. I think it’s important to embrace the whole of humanity, and to say we are imperfect. By the standards of most Christians today you could not read your Bible. I mean, the Bible is chalk full of some pretty racy stuff, folks. There’s a lot, a lot, a lot of sexual impropriety. There is violence—all kinds of things. It’s not about a moment. It’s about the entire journey. If the Bible had not ended where it ended, it would be a pretty downer of a book. It ends with redemption. So, if you take one sentence out of the Bible, like with violence or sex, and you just focus on that sentence, you would not want to go near the Bible. But, if you look at the Bible as a whole, it’s redemptive and beautiful and it’s God’s love story to mankind (Ransom Fellowship, 2006).

Brothers and sisters, I doubt that, if we wrote the Bible, we would include some of the racy characters there. Would we make Rahab the prostitute a hero? I’ll never forget debating with one woman about whether or not she was really a prostitute. Would we make David, with all of his rough edges, one of the chief characters of the Bible, a type of Christ—this man who watched Ancient Near Eastern pornography from his rooftop, had the power to actually get the woman and sleep with her, and then knocked off her husband to cover up what he had done? Is this how we would write the Bible?

Why would we not want Bruce to be a fornicator and a foulmouth? Why would we focus all our attention on that? It’s because we naturally want to be Pharisees. We want to focus on the sins of others, demonstrate how we are godly people, and go to bed feeling good about ourselves.

Bruce “Almighty” and Grace look like the real world. They sleep with each other before marriage. They throw around the “F-bomb.” So we criticize. And why we do this, I’ll argue, because we want to direct our attention to the fact that others sin, we don’t, and we’re ok, and they’re not. Those are sins, for sure, and they are serious. But so also are the larger problems, the greater sins we share with Bruce.

If we watched Bruce Almighty with sensitive eyes, we would see that Bruce looks just like us. He’s incredibly self-centered. He’s mad at God because things don’t go his way, and once he gets to be God, he makes the world revolve around him. See, by focusing on the cohabitating and cursing, we write ourselves out of the movie instead of making ourselves the main character. This is the way of the Pharisee. We see this in Matthew 5:17-48. There Jesus hit the Pharisees hard, showing those self-righteous jerks that they were twisting God’s law, enabling themselves to “keep it,” while condemning others. And He tells them they weren’t keeping God’s law at all.

Last week, New Yorker Ryan Leli, a huge Mets fan, decided he wanted to get closer to the players. The 18-year-old man forged an NBC press pass and wormed his way into the locker room before the start of a Mets-San Diego Padres baseball game. Apparently he tried to use the pass again for a Mets-Rockies game, and team officials got suspicious and called authorities. He was charged with “criminal possession of a forged instrument, falsifying business records, larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, criminal impersonation, and criminal trespass” (CBS News, 8/19/2006).

Luke began a new section last Sunday, Matthew 6:1-18. In this section, Jesus says that, not only are the Pharisees breaking all God’s commands, doing bad things, but they’re doing “good things” in bad ways, as well. On the outside, they were godly, loving people—sports reporters—but on the inside, they were wicked and hateful. They were imposters. Last week we looked at the giving of the Pharisees. This week we’ll look at their praying. Let us read Matthew 6:5-15.

ESV Matthew 6:5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

I have made the point throughout our study of the Sermon on the Mount, leaning heavily on Tim Keller’s teaching, that Jesus is calling us to differentiate ourselves as Christians, from both Pharisees and pagans—from religious hypocrites and irreligious idolaters.
As we live and love here in beautiful Columbia, Missouri, we have to show unbelievers how we differ from the hypocrites they hate so much, while showing them how we differ also from them. We have to show how we differ from the stereotypes of Christians they might have, while also showing them that we’re not just like them—that we’re not just another way of “finding God” in a pluralistic culture. In other words, we need to show people the gospel.

Let’s turn to our text. We’ll look this morning at the praying of the Pharisee, the praying of the pagan, and, finally, the praying of the Christian.

First, let’s examine the prayer of Pharisees. Read with me again verses 5 and 6 of chapter 6.

ESV Matthew 6:5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Luke pointed out last week the format of each of these sections on giving, praying, and fasting. Jesus warns His hearers not to perform the particular act like Pharisees, with a view to obtaining praise from others. He warns that doing so will only result in one reward—that attention and praise. He then explains the conduct of a Christian, promising the reward of the Father, instead of the passing applause of men.

What is Jesus not saying here? He’s not saying that the posture is the issue. He says, “For they love to stand and pray…” Jesus assumed people would sometimes stand to pray in places like Matthew 11:25 and Luke 18:11-13.

He also is not saying that the place is the issue. Jewish men would often stand, in front of the ark, in the meeting of the “synagogue,” as the passage says, and offer a prayer, much like people might pray in our gathering today. In addition, during the corporate fasts of Israel, often trumpets would sound, and this would indicate that one of the men should offer a prayer—perhaps right there on the “street corners.”

No, Jesus isn’t condemning all public prayers. If He was, the early church didn’t follow him well, as they prayed in public. He isn’t dealing with posture or place. He’s dealing with purpose. He is condemning prayer that is meant to be “seen by others.” He’s condemning showy, ostentatious prayer. Jesus says, if you’re trying to get man’s praise, then that’s all the reward you get. You’ll get the approval of human beings, in this lifetime, but it usually lasts far less than that. It usually lasts a minute or two, and then you need to go back to impressing them.

Jesus says, if your tendency is to be showy, deal with it radically. He said earlier that, if you struggle with lust, maim yourself. Here He says, “Go inside to an interior room, shut the door behind you, and pray to the God that is there as much as on the street corner.”

Are our prayers a means for us to be glorified by others or for us to bring glory to God? Do they help us find joy in God, or do they encourage joy in self? In other words, do they encourage worship, or do they facilitate idolatry? If they do the latter, we must act swiftly.

Christ teaches here that meeting God in that secret place, which again affirms the omnipresence of God—that He is everywhere at the same time—will result in great reward by Him. Not only will we receive an eternal reward of living on a new heavens and a new earth with Him, but we’ll experience the goodness of His presence right now—a temporal reward. Don’t show off with your prayers, Jesus says. Go for the reward that lasts.

This reminded me, of course, of one of my favorite comedies, Meet the Parents. Greg, if you remember, sits down at the dinner table with his girlfriend’s difficult folks, and is asked to offer the table blessing. You may remember these lines:

OK, Oh…Dear God. Thank You. You are such a good God to us; a kind and gentle, accommodating God. And we thank you, oh sweet, sweet Lord of Hosts for the smorgasbord you have so aptly lain at our table this day… and each day… by day… day by day. Oh, Dear Lord, three things we pray: To love Thee more dearly; To see Thee more clearly, to follow Thee more nearly day by day… by day. Amen.

His mother-in-law-to-be praised him for his great prayer, no matter if it was ripped from a song in Godspell and from the prayer of St Richard of Chichester before that. It got applause. This is the praying of the Pharisee. Pray so that people will see you and praise you.

How does this apply to us? When you’re asked to pray up front in our Gathering, or do something else like read Scripture or make an announcement or teach a lesson, do you do it so that you will shine or so God will?

Or let me take it the opposite direction. Are you thinking, “Man, am I glad that I have such a super prayer life!” or “I am so spiritual.” I am thankful that I don’t have that problem. In our last passage, Jesus said that, when you give, even in secret, you should “not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” In the same way, you should pray in such a way that you don’t become proud of yourself, either.

Or let me take it even further. Hypocrite, as Luke pointed out last week, is a term used in that era for a stage player. Actors in those days, however, didn’t act with their facial expressions; they wore masks. Perhaps when you are in a church setting, maybe here on Sunday, or at our Wednesday night Grace Groups, you put on a mask and look as spiritual as you can. Maybe you don’t let anyone see who you really are. Maybe you’re too proud. But the reward of looking good is temporary and shallow. And you rob not only God of glory, but also yourself of the joy of being authentic with others and being authentically loved by others.

Let us look at the praying of the pagan. Hear again verses 7 and 8.

Matthew 6:7 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

What is Jesus again not saying? He’s not saying that prayers can’t sometimes be repetitive or long. Jesus, after all, prayed all night at times (Luke 6:12). In the garden of Gethsemane, the night He was betrayed, Matthew 26:44 says, “He went and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.” In addition, in Jesus’s famous words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do,” we know from the Greek verb tense that Jesus was likely repeating that over and over again. Jesus isn’t making an absolute prohibition of praying repetitively or long. In fact, in Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable of a widow that kept going and going and going to a judge, asking for mercy, in order to teach us “that we ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1).

What is Jesus saying? The Greek word translated “heap up empty phrases” is a puzzling term. It’s only used here, and most scholars have trouble knowing what it means. It’s battalogeo, which is more than likely an onomatopoeic word. What’s that, you might ask? We use words in English that get their name from how they sound. A good example of this is the word “buzz.” Another might be “moo.” It’s likely that Jesus is saying, “Don’t go ‘battala-battala-battala’ when you pray.” Jesus is addressing Jews here, saying, “You’re sounding like the Gentiles who babble.”

That’s how pagans pray. This reminds me of 1 Kings 18, when the prophet Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a duel. Those prophets cried and cut themselves and chanted, “O Baal, answer us” all day long. Elijah, however, responded with a simple, intelligible prayer. He said,

1 Kings 18:36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back."
God answered. In Acts 19:34, we see the people of Ephesus, in opposition to Paul and his friends, shouting to their favorite goddess. The verse says, “For about two hours they all cried out with one voice, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’”

Jesus says again, in verse 8, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” In other words, you don’t serve this weird, far-off God who lives who-knows-where who responds to chanting and babbling and quantity of words more than quality of them. You have a heavenly Father that needs zero words. He already knows. This again affirms God’s omniscience. He knows all things. But He particularly knows and deeply cares about the needs of His children.

You might ask then, “Why pray?” If God already knows, what’s the point? We don’t pray, just so you know, to inform God of anything. He knows it all. We don’t pray to persuade God. His will alone will be done. We rather pray to bring ourselves in line with God’s purposes. We pray to glorify God and increase our joy in God. We pray, as our prayers are part of the means God uses to do His purposes. Why tell God what we need? Because we need to hear what we need. We need to see what we think we need brought in line with what we really need. And God works in response to us telling Him what we need. So let us pray.

So how does this section apply to us? We can look at the culture around us and see obvious expressions of pagan praying. Transcendental meditation and its repeated, mindless repetition of a mantra in order to go deeper in divine consciousness is an obvious example. Everybody can picture somebody sitting with legs folded chanting, “Ummmmm.”

But looking within what might be called Christendom, the Catholic practice of the rosary certainly applies. If you’re unfamiliar with that, it involves using beads to repeat memorized prayers. This chanting, often given as penance by priests, sounds pretty pagan, as one goes through this ritual to appease God for his or her sins.

Looking inward, to evangelicalism, of which we’re a part, The Prayer of Jabez, a book by Bruce Wilkinson, has been an international bestseller. This book yanks 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 out of context and recommends it be prayed in almost mantra-like fashion for blessing. The prayer goes like this:

ESV 1 Chronicles 4:9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." 10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!" And God granted what he asked.
Wilkinson states in the book:

I challenge you to make the Jabez prayer for blessing part of the daily fabric of your life. To do that, I encourage you to follow unwaveringly the plan outlined here for the next thirty days. By the end of that time, you'll be noticing significant changes in your life, and the prayer will be on its way to becoming a treasured, lifelong habit.

Now, don’t be too hard on yourself if this book is on your shelf; I once recommended it to people. I’m ashamed of that now. Praying this prayer repeatedly, like Wilkinson recommends, amounts to praying like a pagan.

We can also pray like a pagan when we chant the same prayer before we eat our supper, before we lie down to sleep, and in our devotional times. Sadly, we can even do this when praying our prayer in this passage’s immediate context—the Lord’s Prayer. We can say it so often and so repetitively that it has no meaning for us.

Some of you might be thinking right now, “Hey, we recite readings here as a congregation. What’s up with that? Aren’t we doing what Jesus says not to do?” Not necessarily. Of course, we can say things here in our Gatherings that don’t come from the heart, much less the head. We can just read things without it affecting us. Therefore, our whole meeting isn’t filled with such things.

But we can do things that are spontaneous or extemporaneous that violate Jesus’s words here, as well. I can get up here and say a prayer without prior preparation that is laden with Christianese and repetitive phrases that doesn’t connect with my head and heart, much less yours. We can babble endlessly with words displayed on the screen or not.

So what we might call “liturgical” elements are not necessarily bad. If we did nothing but them, and we did the same things each week, we might have a problem. But used in moderation, they can help us express ourselves in worship in deeper, more timeless ways that extemporaneous prayers simply can’t.

Why should we not pray in repetitive, thoughtless ways? It’s because we have a heavenly Father. He loves us and cares for us. He is good and kind. If we think about it, both types of prayers condemned here are rooted in distorted conceptions of God. The Pharisee has a false god that exists for personal exaltation. The pagan has a false god that responds to verbal manipulation. John Stott puts it this way:

It will be seen that the fundamental difference between various kinds of prayer is in the fundamentally different images of God which lie behind them. The tragic mistake of Pharisees and pagans, of hypocrites and heathen, is to be found in their false image of God. Indeed, neither is really thinking of God at all, for the hypocrite thinks only of himself while the heathen thinks of other things.
What sort of God is it who might be interested in such selfish and mindless prayers? Is God a commodity that we can use to boost our own status, or a computer that we can feed words into him mechanically? (Stott, 152).

Because we worship our Father in heaven, our prayers must be marked by sincerity and intelligence. He wants our hearts and our minds. And we must show this type of praying to a lost world. We must show the Columbian who, when he thinks of prayer sees the Pharisee praying for personal glory, that we pray to honor God. We must show him who, when he hears about prayer, sees pagan chanting and babbling, that we pray to a personal God who hears us and cares about our every need.

Let us now turn to the praying of the Christian. Here, in Matthew 6:9-15, we see the Lord’s Prayer, or what would better be called the “Disciples’ Prayer.” John 17 deserves the “Lord’s Prayer” title. This prayer is for His people, not Him. Let’s hear it again.

ESV Matthew 6:9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Now because of the way we have the sermons planned for this series, I’m going to have to be briefer in looking at this section than I’d like. But, as we go through these verses, I want us to think about how these prayers, if answered, might change us individually, our church corporately, and our city evangelistically. I also want us to see how each prayer accords with the gospel of grace that we treasure here.

Notice first, however, that Jesus says, “Pray then like this.” He gives us a model prayer, an outline for praying, a strategy for praying through life. In the parallel passage, however, in Luke 11:2, Jesus says, “When you pray, say…” and then gives us the Lord’s Prayer. Why is this important? Some emphasize this is a model, in reaction to mindless chanting of this prayer, but miss the fact that Jesus says also in Luke to say these words exactly. My point? We should use this as an approach to prayer. But we can also use it as a prayer we repeat, individually or corporately.

Let’s next look at the way the prayer begins. It reads, “Our Father in heaven.” Notice two things about this. First, it says “Our Father.” We live in a culture that is very individualistic, and this has gotten its foot in the door of the church.

Recently I was talking to a man who doesn’t go to church much. He’s very athletic, running and biking in competitions. I asked him about his church. He said he goes “when he can.” But he said, “I have Larry over there that I meet with every week. He’s my ‘personal trainer.’”

Biblically, God always works with a people, not a person—Israel then, the New Israel, the Church, right now. So we should pray together, not just as we gather here on Sundays, but also when we pray in private. We should pray as a person who is part of a people. We should not pray as an individual, in isolation.

Second, it says, “Our Father in heaven.” Now for us, calling God our Father sadly isn’t that big of a deal. But for the Jew, it was a huge deal. The Jew preferred to call God “Sovereign Lord” and lofty titles like that, all of which are good. But Jesus comes along here and teaches people to pray to a Father.

Don’t miss however, that the word “heaven” is there. The word isn’t referring so much as to His abode, but rather to His authority and sovereignty. Think of this—the Father, who is in heaven, the Sovereign Lord, is also our Father. No matter what your earthly Father was or is like, the one who made all and the one who rules over all is your Dad. This is amazing.

While Jews emphasized the majesty of God, however, the modern evangelical church tends to exalt our intimacy with God. Most of us have been raised in churches that paint God as some cosmic grandfather with a smile. For it to mean anything, this God who is our Father must also be the Ruler of the universe. Here at Grace Church we must emphasize both aspects and revel in both.

Let us turn to the six petitions in turn. First, in verse 9, Jesus prays, “Hallowed be Your name.” Biblically, a name represents who someone is. That’s why in the Old Testament, the Hebrew names for people have those cool meanings for them. This prayer isn’t just that God’s name be hallowed. It’s for God Himself, for who He is, what His name represents to be “hallowed.” Now “hallowed” may sound like Greek to you, but it is just the verbal form of holy. This prayer is that God would be holy.

Of course, we know that God is already holy. By praying this, we won’t make him more holy than He already is. This is a prayer that as individuals, as a church, and as a city, we would see God’s holiness and delight in it. Holiness refers to the fact that God is set apart in terms of majesty and purity from us. He is high and lifted up. He is good and right. This is a prayer that people would see Him and cry, “Holy!”

Seeing God as holy affects us, not God. It causes us to fall down, like Isaiah in chapter 6 of his prophecy and say, “Woe is me! For I am lost (Isaiah 6:1). We look at God and cry, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” as Isaiah did. We see ourselves individually as broken, pleading for His holiness.

As God’s people, the church, we are called to “be holy as [He] is holy” (1 Peter 1:16). But this doesn’t come from making up legalistic rules that we keep that make us feel holy. It comes by us admitting that we’re a hodge-podge of broken sinners and by pleading with Him to make us like Him.

What our city doesn’t need to see is a bunch of self-righteous “holy” Pharisees, but rather people that have seen God’s holiness, have exulted in it, and have come to Him to be changed. But they must see how we’re different from them, also. We must ask and see God make us set-apart, as different from the culture.

We can pray for revival, but it starts with us. It begins with God showing us His holiness, working in us that holiness, and then changing the culture through us. Is this our prayer? The gospel is that we who stand before a holy God can be seen and made holy thanks to the holy life of Christ. May that begin in us and spread throughout our city!

Second, Matthew 6:10 states, “Your kingdom come.” We’ve discussed numerous times here at Grace Church the kingdom of God, but I’ll review. Biblically, the kingdom of God is spoken of in two senses. God rules over all things. He is the sovereign over the earth, ruling in providence. All things go exactly as He pleases. He is king.

However, the kingdom of God is spoken of in another sense in the Scriptures. Jesus came to bring a saving rule. When Jesus came saying, “The kingdom of God is here,” and the apostles preached “the kingdom of God,” they were speaking of Christ’s rule that began at His coming and would be consummated at the last day. So, we are a part of this saving reign of God. We have embraced Christ by repentance and faith. Not all submit to Him as king. But we do. Thanks be to God!

This is a prayer that this saving reign would spread. It is a prayer that it would be consummated. Because it will be consummated at Christ’s return, it is a prayer for that, as well. We pray as individuals that we would deepen our submission to the king, that our church would be a glorious expression of His kingdom, and that more and more of those around us would be drawn to us through Him and enter His saving reign.

As we interact here in Columbia, we can’t let the stereotype that we’re trying to set up a right-wing Christian kingdom continue. We can’t let “The District” see Pharisees. But we can’t also let them think we’re pagans like them. We can’t act and live like people that don’t have a king—that live however they want. The gospel is that we who have rejected the Lord’s kingship can be brought near to Him, can be made a part of His kingdom, through the victory of the Davidic King Jesus Christ. We must show them this gospel.

Third, Matthew 6:10 also states, “Your will be done.” As we discussed Wednesday night, sometimes the Bible speaks of God’s will that is always done. Ephesians 1:11 speaks of the God “who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” God’s will reigns. Nothing happens apart from His choosing.

But other times in the Bible, God’s will is spoken of as something that is not always done. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3, it reads, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality.” Down the page, in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, it says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Obviously, tons of people are sexually immoral all the time, and millions of people don’t thank God for anything. So God’s will is always done, and it’s not always done in another sense.

This prayer is not regarding God’s sovereign will, the first option, but rather God’s moral will. We pray and plead that God’s will would increasingly be done across the face of the earth. This must start with us. Will we do His will? And will we be people who dig deeply in the pages of Scripture to find it? Will we as a church seek and find and follow His will? If we do, God can use us to answer this prayer more broadly. He can use us to help our community desire, know, and do God’s will. They must see, however, that we’re different from them; we are not the center of our universe. But we’re not Pharisees either. They exist to have everything revolve around them and praise them, also. The gospel is the truth that we who were rebels and desired only our will, thanks to Christ Jesus that always did His Father’s will, can be changed into people that submit to Him alone.

And notice the language of the petition. It says, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” As Christ rules, as His will is done, in the heavens currently, and ultimately in the new heavens and the new earth—we pray for that scenario right now. We want a taste of heaven, a taste of the consummation right now. Is this our prayer?

Let’s turn to the fourth petition. Notice that here, and only here, is a change. The first three petitions deal with God and His glory, kingdom, and will. The second three petitions then turn to us. Aren’t we so backwards in this as a people? When we gather for prayer, our prayers sound more like the reports Amy would give her fellow nurses before she changed shifts at the hospital. We talk about our grandmother’s pacemaker and our credit card debt and the like. Jesus tells us to start with God and His name. Then and only then we can see our needs in proper light, in relation to Him. Only then can we see what are truly needs. Only then can we truly see the One who will meet those needs. If we get the cart before the horse, we don’t have a God that can really care for us.

Fourth, Jesus teaches us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” We recite quite often the Lord’s Prayer with our son Hadley. The last several times he has looked at me with this puzzled look on his face and said, “Bread? Why bread?” I think he pictures God giving us nothing but a house-full of bread. I think Hadley hopes he can have a bit more variety in His diet. Jesus is, of course, using a term to refer to all of our needs—not just our food needs, but all our physical needs. He is teaching us to pray to God for those things.

We live in a very affluent culture. But the culture Jesus addressed knew their need for “daily bread.” They were primarily workers that were paid at the end of each day. They made enough to eat the next day. They lived “hand to mouth,” as the old expression goes. We can’t feel the force of what Jesus is saying, because we’re filthy rich compared to those days and to most of the world today.

I got a bit of a feel of this when I was in Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere. The missionaries we worked with explained to us that different donors had come in and tried to help the Haitians set up their own businesses, but it was so counter-cultural that it never worked. They couldn’t conceive of taking profits from one day and buying materials with which to earn profits for the next day. So, if they had set up a sewing business, for example, there would invariably be no money to buy cloth the second day to use to sew more clothes and make money. You see, they were so used to living “day to day” that they couldn’t make the leap.

We can’t conceive of the opposite. We are so rich and fat that we scarcely feel need, and we therefore scarcely think of God meeting those needs. The word used here for “daily” has baffled scholars for years. It’s translated “daily,” but it could also refer to tomorrow’s needs. But somehow, in our culture, we must pray this prayer from the heart, understanding that everything we have today and will have tomorrow will come from God.

God, of course, uses means. God normally doesn’t throw manna and quail from heaven. He normally uses us as we work hard at our jobs and manage carefully those resources we earn. So this is no excuse not to work. God gives our “daily bread” through our work.

And this is bread, not caviar. Our prayer lists often amount to the prayer list of a TBN televangelist. We want Rolls-Royces and million dollar houses. We are called to pray for necessities, not luxuries. As Christians, we should even be resistant of luxuries, if we have means to buy them, so as not to grow numb to God’s provision and to grow deaf to the cries of the poor.

Individually, are we people that trust God to meet our needs and credit Him for doing so? Do we do this as a church? If we want our city to look to the heavens, and see a heavenly Father, and trust Him, not self, we must model this. We can’t look like fat, self-sufficient Pharisees. But we can’t blend in as greedy, “the end justifies the means” pagans, either. The gospel teaches the glorious truth that we have a Father who cares for us and showed us ultimately this truth by giving us His Son. As Romans 8:32 states, “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will he not also graciously give us all things?”

Fifth, Jesus teaches us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Sins here are conceived of debts, not at all uncommon in the culture to which Jesus taught. Because we have sinned, we owe God something. We owe restitution. We owe payment.

Jesus tells us to regularly pray for forgiveness. We regularly lift our eyes to the Lord and ask Him to forgive us. I remember while living in Indiana a man who was trying to claim that he was now perfect and without sin. Why, then, would Jesus tell us to pray this prayer? He teaches us that, until the end of the age, we will always be sinners in need of forgiveness.

We are to pray for forgiveness, it says, “As we also have forgiven our debtors.” Does this teach that we are forgiven because we forgive others? Is this teaching a works-salvation? Verses 14-15 make it worse. They read:

ESV Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

The idea isn’t that we earn forgiveness by forgiving. It argues that, if we’re not the type of people that forgive others, it demonstrates most clearly that we have never been forgiven. Salvation comes from repenting of our sin and trusting in God’s forgiveness. If we look at those that have wronged us and don’t forgive, something’s wrong.
It is indisputable evidence that we have never truly understood the depth of our sin and how much we have been forgiven. Jesus told a parable to explain this idea in Matthew 18:23-35. There a servant owes an enormous debt. He can’t pay it, so he pleads for the king for mercy. The king forgives the debt. But that same man then went out, grabbed someone who owed him pennies, and choked him until he paid up. The king then got wind of it, and he threw him into prison. Jesus interprets the parable by saying, “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” If we have been forgiven, and we daily live in light of our need for forgiveness, we cannot help but forgive others.

Are you, Christian, cognizant of your sin and your daily need for forgiveness? Are we “poor in Spirit,” as a church, pleading with God as a people for His mercy? If we want people in “The District” to cry out for forgiveness, they must see people that are living in constant desperation for that forgiveness themselves. They can’t see Pharisees that stick their chests out and are proud. And they can’t see us as pagans like them, that have no understanding of sin, that do whatever they want. The gospel, of course, is that we can be forgiven thanks to the payment made by Christ on the cross that freed us from our debt.

Sixth, Jesus teaches us to pray, in verse 13, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” What can this possibly mean? The Greek word used there can be translated as “temptation” or as “trial.” We know, of course, that God won’t tempt us. James 1:13 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” We also know, from the same book, that going through trials is good for us. James 1:2-3 states, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” So God won’t tempt us. God will test us. What can this mean?

D.A. Carson, I think gives the best explanation. He says this expression is litotes, which is a “figure of speech which expresses something by negating the contrary.” You say, “What?” Let me give you some examples. I remember being with some guys in college that would use the expression, “She’s not ugly.” That, of course, would be their way of saying that the girl was attractive. Or you might say, after leaving today, “That Luke—he’s not a bad singer.” Of course, that would be your way of saying that Luke is a good singer. John 6:37 uses a similar expression when it says, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” That expression—“whoever comes to me I will never cast out”—is a litotes. Jesus’s point is that whoever comes He will embrace! And that is a great encouragement.

Here Jesus is teaching us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” which means, on the contrary, lead us into righteousness. Don’t send us that way. Send us the other way. So we shouldn’t get hung up on the word for “temptation.” This is our way of telling God to lead us away from temptation into godliness.

Jesus also teaches us to ask God to “deliver us from evil.” Again, “evil” could refer in this context to either the “evil one,” who is Satan, or evil in general. We will be tempted in this world, by the evil one. We will be tested in this world, amidst evil. Only God Himself can bring us deliverance from both. This is our prayer. We are dependent upon Him.

Believer, are you dependent upon God to take you down the right path and preserve your spiritual life? Church, are we actively choosing, by His grace, to forsake temptation and to resist evil? If we want those around us, here in beautiful downtown Columbia, to pursue righteousness and to forsake evil, it must start with us. But it must come from Him.

The gospel is that God doesn’t just save us by His grace, and then we proceed to fight Satan on our own. Rather, He delivers us from Satan by His grace. Paul prays in 2 Timothy 4:18, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom.” God promises to do the same for us. Again, we can’t show Columbia a group of people that fight the Christian fight in their own flesh for their own glory. But we can’t show them people that don’t fight either. We must show them the gospel—that Christ saves us completely by grace.

That completes our six petitions. Notice, as John Stott points out, that they meet our every need. We see our material needs met—“our daily bread.” We ask for our spiritual needs to be met—“forgive us our debts.” We plead for our moral needs to be met—“lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” And they’re met by a glorious God in the gospel. Again, that comes first here. He is the one whose name must be “hallowed.” He, the glorious One whose “kingdom” will come and whose “will” shall be done—He is the one who meets our every need. You see the Trinity in the second half of this prayer. The Father of creation and providence provides our bread. The Son died that we might be forgiven. The Spirit preserves us from the attacks of evil. God loves us. He is good to us. We should rejoice.

To summarize, God wants our prayers to be sincere, over against the Pharisee. He wants our prayers to be intelligent, over against the pagan. We pray to a God that must be “hallowed,” not us, who builds His “kingdom,” not ours, who does His “will,” not yours or mine. He won’t stand for hypocrites. We also pray to a God that we can call “Father.” He knows all our needs, but commands us to ask Him in an intelligible way, for His glory and our good. He is not a computer or a slot machine. He won’t stand for babbling pagans.

Jesus begins by saying “when you pray.” He assumes we will. And He commands it in beginning the “Lord’s Prayer.” He says, “Pray then like this.” How is your prayer life? Are you dependent upon prayer? And, when you do, do you pray like a Christian? Jesus wants us to do just that. Surpass the Pharisee. Don’t be like the pagan. Pray like one who has a Father.

Several years ago, Britney Spears was on stage wowing the audience when either the song ended or the show ended and she went backstage. She was apparently angry with some of her stage hands and blew up at them, going on a lengthy, profanity-laced tirade. What she found out later was that her mic was still on backstage. And all her fans got to hear the real Britney in action.

However, I would argue, as a cultured, music lover, that not much was happening on the stage anyhow. To me, it’s nothing more than a bunch of drivel to a thumping backbeat.

Brothers and sisters, what’s going on behind the curtain with you? Does it match what happens onstage? Are you just seeking applause? And are you saying anything on stage anyhow? Or is it just babbling? Is it meaningless? Our Father in heaven cares. Beware how you pray.

Brad Watch 2

2006-09-03T16:13:00.000-05:00

Brad Smith left Mizzou as the greatest football player in school history. He was drafted in the fourth round by the New York Jets. An outspoken Christian, Brad's character is well-known to even surpass his jaw-dropping athletic ability. In his final preason game, Smith, who has been converted to a receiver, actually got some snaps at quarterback. He, of course, scored on a dazzling play. Here is the article. Here are two great videos from YouTube.

Brad Smith vs. Eagles 1
Brad Smith vs. Eagles 2

This amazes me that I can just search on YouTube and find the game! How times have changed!

Also, check out this career highlight video. I'm a Chiefs fan at heart, but I'll certainly be rooting for the Jets.

Albert Mohler on Theological Triage

2006-08-27T17:31:00.000-05:00

I've shared with our Grace Church crowd some about Dr. Mohler's approach to viewing cooperation between churches and denominations. He writes here about what he calls "theological triage."

Renaming the Trinity?

2006-08-27T17:28:00.000-05:00

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has recently discussed whether or not the persons of the Trinity could rightly go by other names. Somebody (besides me and God) doesn't like that idea? Read here.

Tattoos: Mainstream?

2006-08-27T17:22:00.000-05:00

Read this post from Aaron Menikoff of 3rd Church in Louisville. I have nothing against tattoos. I kinda think they're cool. But that says quite a lot more than I might have thought.

Bunches of Babies and Those Who Breed Them

2006-08-24T14:51:00.000-05:00

Check out this fabulous article from Christianity Today arguing for large families. In addition, Dr. Mohler discusses it on his broadcast found here (by the way, I highly recommend subscribing to his podcast).

Grace Church will not be a place where people are legalistically manipulated into having large families. However, I want it to be a place where large families are embraced and are seen as normal. I want it to be a place where they are encouraged. Let us not have our values shaped by the world, but let us, as the church, transform things.

P.S. Every time I hear a whiny Christian conservative complaining about an election's results, I want to tell him to look at his 1.8 children and slap himself.

Driscoll on Denominations and Liberalism

2006-08-21T16:50:00.000-05:00

Mark Driscoll comments here on the current state of mainline denominations in America. Imagine Bruce Willis as a pastor kickin' his enemies around.

Brad Already in the NFL Endzone

2006-08-21T09:27:00.000-05:00

We're proud of Brad Smith here in Tigerland. He's already scored a wild touchdown in the preseason for the NY Jets. Check it out here on YouTube.

Dever on Inflated Church Rolls

2006-08-15T14:33:00.000-05:00

Mark Dever shares some super thoughts here about why we shouldn't allow our church rolls to become inflated, exceeding the number of persons actually attending. This is so wise. It's disappointing that the SBC resists such wisdom.

"Loving Like Our Father Through the Gospel of Grace"

2006-08-15T00:31:00.000-05:00

Loving Like Our Father Through the Gospel of Grace
Matthew 5:43-48, 8/13/06, Kevin P. Larson, Grace Church of Columbia

Some of you may remember the lyrics of an old song that found its roots in the “Jesus Movement” of the 60s and 70s. It goes, “They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love. They will know we are Christians by our love.”

My question we begin with today is this: would Columbians say that Christians are known for their love? Would they say something like this: “See a group of people showing love to others and they must be Christians”?

I don’t think they would. Grab a random non-Christian on the streets of the District, and I think he might say something like this: “On the surface, they love each other, but I’m not even sure that’s the truth. If they do love each other, they certainly don’t love people that aren’t like them. They hate those that don’t agree with them, that don’t look just the same as them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they even prayed that God would judge us and send us to hell right now. They like the people in their little club, but they don’t care for any of us on the outside. When I read the Bible, they don’t look anything like the loving God I see there. Christians aren’t known for love; they’re known for hate.”

Does this hit home? Am I far from the truth? Of course, this response is partially a product of the pluralistic, postmodern society we live in. All ways lead to God. Truth is relative. To say that you know the way or the truth is arrogant and intolerant. So, in a sense, we are often misunderstood. If we say we’re against gay marriage, we’re accused of hate crimes. If we say that Buddhism is a false religion, we’re called hate mongers.

But hasn’t this attitude been reinforced by so-called Christian behavior? People turn on the TV and see some wacko saying that 9-11 was a judgment on America’s sin. They turn on FOX News and see Kansas “minister” Fred Phelps picketing the funerals of homosexuals and soldiers. They walk down Ninth Street and get broad-sided by somebody with the Ten Commandments. They walk through speaker’s circle and hear somebody say, “You whore! You pervert! You’re going to hell.” It’s no wonder you see bumper-stickers that say, “Hate is not a family value.”

It reminds me of the recent arrest of Mel Gibson. This man who was accused of making an anti-Semitic film, The Passion of the Christ, which only cast the Jews as the Bible casts them, was pulled over for driving drunk and proceeded to spew out hateful slurs against Jews. This is how, I’m afraid, unbelievers see us. We hate those that disagree with us.

How the world views us is exactly how Jesus views the Pharisees in today’s passage. We love our own, and hate those on the outside, they say. We don’t look anything like the God we say we worship. That is the way of the Pharisee.

What we need to show them, however, is the way of Jesus. We will see that in this passage. But within this passage, we also see the way of the pagan. Not only do we have the challenge of showing how we differ from the Pharisee through the gospel, the way of Jesus. But we must also show them how we differ from the way of the pagan, the unbeliever. The only way we can do this is by being gripped and changed by the amazing gospel of grace. Then we can impact our city with power.

Let’s read our passage for this morning. Turn with me to Matthew 5:43-48.

Matthew 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Last week, we looked at Jesus’s teaching that those transformed by grace forgo personal retaliation. Instead of responding with justice, they respond with mercy. This week Jesus goes beyond even that. Not only are we called not to fight back against those we might call our enemies, but we are also called to love them.

I want you to see three things as we move through this passage this morning. First, we’ll look at the teaching of the Pharisees. Second, we’ll consider the teaching of Jesus. Third, we’ll talk about the calling to perfection, which is also, of course, a teaching of our Lord.

First, what was the teaching of the Pharisees? We see this in verse 43 of chapter 5. Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'” You probably wonder, “How the heck did they get that? Hate your enemy!? Good question! As we have worked our way through this section, chapter 5 and verses 21-48, we have seen a progression in the messed up way that the Pharisees saw the Bible. The first two weeks, regarding murder and adultery, we saw that they got the command right, but they didn’t get to the heart of it. Then we saw that they were using a law God gave to regulate divorce to justify unrestrained divorce and remarriage. The next week, we saw how they used God’s commands to guard truth—to keep oaths made in His name—as a way to get around the truth by swearing by other things.
Last week, we saw how the Pharisees were using a verse designed to limit personal revenge as a proof-text for exactly that—“an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” This week, we see the Pharisees had gone so far as to use the law to teach the exact opposite of what it said. They were actually teaching and practicing, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”

How did they get to that point? The first thing we need to remember is, like I said last week, we have sinful hearts that want to justify themselves. Not only do we naturally want to sin, but we want to make excuses for it. So we have to look at this passage humbly thinking, “How do I try to prop up my sin?” The Pharisees were doing that; they were just bold enough to use the Bible itself to do it.

How, then, were they getting their Bibles to teach, “Hate your enemy”? All of this is speculation, but let me offer some ideas. Leviticus 19:18 says, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” Nowhere does it say, “Hate your enemy.” First, they probably took the command to love their neighbor as exclusive. In other words, it meant, “love only your neighbor.” They accented the sentence this way: “love your NEIGHBOR.”

Second, they may have said that the command to “love your neighbor” meant that the opposite was true. In other words, if you are to love neighbors, it follows that you should hate enemies.

Third, they likely interpreted this command as referring only to Jews. The verse I just read, verse 18, speaks of not being vengeful or grudging against the “sons of your own people.” In addition, this section, in Leviticus 19:2, begins with God saying to Moses, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them…” The command to “love your neighbor” is talking about Jews, they reasoned. Therefore, hating non-Jews must be O.K. or even required.

Fourth, they might have appealed to the conquests of Canaan in support of their hatred. “Hey, Joshua went in with his armies and wiped out all those vile pagans. Now those pagans are ruling our country!” You can see, I’m sure, how one could jump easily to thinking, “Hey, if God said it was O.K. to kill them all back then, surely it’s ok to simply hate them now.”

Fifth, they might have quoted what have been called the imprecatory Psalms. To imprecate means to curse or call down evil on something or someone. These are the Psalms that you want to pray to God about your girlfriend after she dumps you on your head, but shouldn’t. Psalm 58 is an example. It reads,

Psalm 58:1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly? 2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth. 3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. 4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, 5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter. 6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD! 7 Let them vanish like water that runs away; when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted. 8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun. 9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away! 10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 Mankind will say, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth."

It’s not hard to see how you could reason, “If our great king David hated his enemies and cursed them, even in the Bible, how much more can we hate those blankety-blanks.”

It’s not hard, then, to see how they might get to “hate your enemy,” but it’s obvious that isn’t the biblical teaching, right? How then should we answer them?

The great Charles Spurgeon called this idea a “parasitical growth” on God’s law. Yes, something foreign to God’s word had attached like a tick and sucked the life out of it. “Hate your enemy?” Some would say, “I see how he gets this. After all, the Old Testament is all about holiness and judgment, and the New Testament is where you see love and grace.” Is that true? Well, of course not.

First, the Pharisees’ sin was so deep and entrenched that they couldn’t see even what was on the same page. As a man, I’m notorious for yelling at Amy from the other room, “Amy’s where’s the Advil?!” I get really frustrated. Amy comes and points and it’s literally right in front of my nose. Well, the Pharisees were teaching to hate your enemies from Leviticus 19:18 when the opposite was taught right in front of their nose!

Listen to Leviticus 19:9-10.

Leviticus 19:9 "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.

In other words, don’t hate the poor foreigner in your midst. Love him enough that you don’t go back to your vineyard or field and pick up all the stuff that falls off. Leave it for him.

Look also at verses 33-34 of the same chapter.

Leviticus 19:33 "When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Again, the Pharisees were likely reasoning that the command to love your neighbor includes only the people of Israel. But this passage, just down a few verses, teaches that one is to love the sojourner, the non-Jew. God says, “You were once a foreigner in Egypt. You know how it feels. Love him, too.”

Second, John Stott points out that, according to the law, one was to treat the sojourner, or enemy, in almost precisely the same way as the native Jew. For example, turn to Exodus 23:4-5.

Exodus 23:4 "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. 5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.

Now look at Deuteronomy 22:1-4.

Deuteronomy 22:1 "You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. 2 And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. 3 And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother's, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. 4 You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.

Notice how similar the two commands are. Enemy or neighbor, the action required is the same. Love him by rescuing his ox or donkey.

Third, the Pharisees again would have known Proverbs 25:21, which Paul, a converted Pharisees, quotes in Romans 12:20. It reads, “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.” You certainly weren’t called to hate him.

Fourth, regarding the conquests of Israel, they were one-time points in redemptive history, where God, to protect his people from idolatry, wiped out people in the land he was preparing for His own. God gave them that land. They forfeited it, because they then hooked up with idols anyway. No more such conquests would happen again, because land wouldn’t be given to his people again. That land pointed forward to the New Heavens and New Earth, and that is our hope today. Now our battles are not against flesh and blood, but are spiritual ones.

Sadly, it’s by modern evangelical leaders viewing America as “the land” that some of this ridiculous, hateful speech happens today. They like to look as unbelieving Americans as Canaanites, people that we’re against, people with whom we’re fighting for “the land.” That’s ridiculous. The Pharisees couldn’t appeal to the conquests for an excuse to hate, and neither can we.

Fifth, regarding the imprecatory Psalms, David speaks there as the representative king of Israel who is calling down curses on God’s enemies. He is pleading for God’s justice upon those who curse God and His people. Those statements aren’t designed for individuals, and especially not those in the New Covenant era. We are called, as we shall see, to love our enemies.

So, in review, the idea that hatred for enemies is taught in the Old Testament is ridiculous. The immediate context of Leviticus 19:18 teaches love for enemies. So does the broader teaching of the Old Testament. Once again, the Pharisees were twisting God’s law. The law intended to restrain hatred was being used to justify it. Notice also that they left out the words “as yourself.” Not only were they to love their neighbors. They were to treat them as they would themselves. They had taken a very high standard of God and dumbed it down considerably. They were teachers that were hating their enemies, and they were teaching their students to do the same.

Second, what is the teaching of Jesus? Jesus says, in Matthew 5:20, that those transformed by grace must exceed the so-called righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus, the one to whom the Law points, the only one qualified to authoritatively interpret it, takes us again deeper, into the realm of the heart in verses 44-47. He says, once again, this:

Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

It’s not enough to not retaliate, as we saw last week. Even then, we saw that we are to extend mercy, giving freely to those who ask. Here, however, Jesus makes that idea even more explicit. Not fighting back isn’t enough. That is passive. What Jesus wants is active. He wants us to love and pray for those we would call enemies.

Let us take each of those two words in turn—“love” and “enemies.” First, love is not limited to activity. It certainly is more than sentiment. It’s action. As James says, in 2:16, if we desire for someone to “warm and filled,” but we do nothing, that’s not love that evidences true faith. Loving our enemies means doing good to them. It’s as we read earlier, which Romans 12:20 quotes—feeding him if he’s hungry, and giving him drink if he’s thirsty. Love involves action.

But love is also more than action. In 1 Corinthians 13:3, Paul says, “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

One can certainly do actions—give to the poor and submit to martyrdom—and not truly love. One can feasibly do things on the outside that don’t reflect the inside. As we’ll see, in chapter 6, this is what the Pharisees were highly skilled at. No, true love includes emotion. Being “patient and kind,” choosing not to “envy or boast,” not being “arrogant or rude,” not insisting on its “own way,” not being “irritable or resentful” or rejoicing in “wrongdoing,” along with bearing, believing, hoping, and enduring all things—everything found here in our famous 1 Corinthians 13 passage—these are all matters of the heart and not just the hands. Love involves both action and emotion.

Second, love is not qualified by lovability. Obviously, if these people are our enemies, it’s assumed that it won’t be the easiest to love them emotionally. They are our enemies. If we wait for people to be lovable before we love them, we never will.

Third, love is not preceded by charity. Again, if these people are our enemies, we should not expect them to love us before we love them. If we wait for them to love us first, then we’ll never get to loving them.

Fourth, love is not contingent upon reciprocity. If these people are our enemies, we shouldn’t expect them to return our love with love. We don’t care for them expecting anything in return. If we wait until the point when that is guaranteed, we will never love.

Therefore, this love Jesus speaks of is deep and rich and truly divine. We are not just called to love—we are called to love our enemies. And that takes the love required so much deeper. It’s easy to love those that love us, as we’ll see. It’s hard to love people from the heart that aren’t that likeable, who don’t love us first, and who probably never will. But that’s what enemies are like. The point: we are to love those that hate us.

Let’s next look at this word “enemies.” We’ve already considered it a bit, discussing what sort of love is required to love them. To go further, let us look at Jesus’s famous teaching about the Good Samaritan. Turn with me to Luke 10:25-37.

Luke 10:25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" 27 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."
28 And he said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live." 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who showed him mercy." And Jesus said to him, "You go, and do likewise."

We see here a beautiful expression of love. We see action. The man helped the robbed man, bandaging up his wounds, carrying him to a hotel, giving him further care, and even picking up the tab.

We also see emotion. Verse 33 says that, “when he saw him, he had compassion.” Both his hands and his heart were engaged simultaneously.

But we can’t neglect something very significant about this passage. Jews and Samaritans were the worst of enemies! Samaritans again were known as half-breeds by the Jews. They came about from the intermarrying of Gentiles and Jews during the time of captivity. They had their own Bible—which only included the first five books. They had their own places of worship—which we know from the Old Testament was a big “no-no.” Jews hated them.

Think of how the story could have been told differently. Jesus could have told the story so that the Jew was the hero rescuing the poor Samaritan. That would have been counter-cultural. But Jesus makes the Jews the bad guys. They pass by the man on their way to their religious duties. And He makes the Samaritan the hero. Jesus makes it so that the young lawyer can identify with the victim, not the godly rescuer. Christ doesn’t even say, “Who was the neighbor that was loved?” He says, “Who ‘proved to be a neighbor to the man’”? Jesus’s story is so counter-cultural, that the man, instead of saying, “the Samaritan,” can’t even utter his name. He says, “The one who showed him mercy.”

What’s our point here? The lawyer quoted the verse we began with this morning—Leviticus 19:18—which reads, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus then shows what that means. Our neighbor is anyone in need, including our enemy. We are to love him or her, from the heart, in tangible, physical ways. This includes people that are not lovable, that don’t love us first, that won’t love us back—our enemies.

Now I don’t want to do this often, but pause for a second, close your eyes, and picture someone who right now might be called your enemy.
Jesus, however, takes us even beyond this. Listen again to verse 44. Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” He specifically here mentions persecutors. This hearkens back to Matthew 5:10-12 where Jesus says that those who are persecuted are blessed and should rejoice. Here Christ says that He wants those blessed, persecuted souls to pray for their persecutors. As we minister here in the District, we will no doubt, just by proclaiming truth, create enemies who become persecutors. Not only are we to love them. We are to pray for them.

Jesus modeled this, as you will remember. As recorded in Luke 23:34, Christ, while hanging on the cross, cried out to His Father, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

But this certainly applies broader than simply those who persecute us for our faith. It includes all those that stand opposed to us, with whom we do not see eye to eye. God commands us to pray for them.

This week, Amy and I are going to take a bit of a vacation. We will be traveling to Bloomington, Indiana to see my sister Krystal and her family. We are very much looking forward to it, but three or four years ago, this never would have happened. See, Amy wasn’t too fond of Krystal then. And, when you’re married, it’s not too much fun when your wife doesn’t like your sister. Women, you see, are pretty territorial about their men. They don’t want some other girl telling him what to do or demanding his attention. So problems often ensue.

Anyway, Amy didn’t like her at all. Family gatherings were always very awkward. And it caused a lot of tension between Amy and me. My wife, however, began praying for Krystal. She began asking God to bless her. She began asking God to help her love her. God did some amazing things in Amy’s heart. The two reconciled. And now Amy enjoys seeing Krystal.

As D.A. Carson notes, one way we show our love for our enemies is by praying for them. He writes, “Praying for an enemy and loving him will prove mutually reinforcing. The more love, the more prayer; the more prayer, the more love.”

Do we want to love our enemies? Let us love them by praying for them. Let us pray for them that we might love them more.

John Stott writes,

Jesus seems to have prayed for his tormentors actually while the iron spikes were being driven through his hands and feet; indeed the imperfect tense suggests that he kept praying, kept repeating his entreaty, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). If the cruel torture of crucifixion could not silence our Lord’s prayer for his enemies, what pain, pride, prejudice, or sloth could justify the silencing of ours?

Take some time now, bowing your heads and closing your eyes, to pray for those people you mentioned earlier. Ask God to help you love them with your actions, as well as your emotions.

Why, then, does Jesus say that we should love our enemies, and pray for our persecutors?

First, in Matthew 5:12, Jesus says, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Scholar D.A. Carson states this: “To be persecuted because of righteousness is to align oneself with the prophets; but to bless and pray for those who persecute us is to align oneself with the character of God.”

Our Lord Jesus says, in verse 45, “So that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” You may remember Matthew 5:9. It reads, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” Why do we make peace, loving our enemies and praying for our persecutors? So that we may be known as the “sons of God,” those of our “Father in heaven.” Now that doesn’t mean that we show love and that we earn our sonship. Jesus isn’t teaching salvation by works. He is teaching, like in Matthew 5:9, that loving and praying for enemies evidences that we are God’s true children. By being peacemakers through our love and prayers, we display the love of our God, our Father, demonstrating that we are truly His sons.

Many would claim the name of Christ, would say they’re children of God, but don’t love and don’t pray in order to make peace with enemies. Regardless if someone has prayed some mantra or has been immersed in some water, such a person is not authentically saved. Why? Because, if we are a child of God, we must look like our heavenly Father.

Ever since Hadley was born, people have said that he looks just like me. Now, you could do a blood test or a DNA test and prove that he’s mine, but it’s not necessary for most people, because we look so similar. In the same way, there is no such thing as a “Holy Spirit” test, where we can take someone’s spiritual temperature or draw blood and know whether or not they’re saved. However, we can look at them to see if they resemble the Father.

And here we see the connection between verses 44 and 45. We should love our enemies and pray for them—indeed, true believers will—because our heavenly Father loves His enemies. Jesus says, “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Tomorrow morning, apart from the return of Christ or their death, the sun is going to rise over the house of our unbelieving neighbors, just like it will for us. There are farmers out there who work Sundays, who don’t follow Christ, who rely on, and will receive, rain from God on their crops. God is totally in control of the rising and setting of the sun, as well as the water cycle, and He doesn’t just bless Christians with both. He blesses non-Christians, as well.

This is what Calvin and others since have called “common grace.” Wayne Grudem defines it like this: “Common grace is the grace of God by which He gives people innumerable blessings that are not part of salvation.” This is opposed to special grace, which brings salvation to God’s people. He goes on to point out that common grace is different from special grace in its results. It does not bring salvation. It is different in its recipients. Common grace is given both to believers and unbelievers. It is different in its source. Common grace doesn’t flow directly from Christ’s work on the cross, as special grace does.

So, as we look at the world, all things good come from God, and, by His goodness, even unbelievers experience some of those blessings. Anytime we see an unbelieving scientist find an amazing cure, we see God’s common grace. Anytime we hear beautiful music come out of the mouths and through the hands of an unbeliever, we see His amazing common grace. Anytime we see an unbeliever tell the truth or help an old lady across the street, we see common grace. I could go on. God is good to those that are unlovable, that haven’t loved Him first, that won’t love Him back.

I love Hadley and Melia. I love them more than the neighbors across the street. I have an intimacy with them that I don’t have with those other kids. I share things with them that the other kids don’t get. They’re my family. God, in the same way, shows His salvation, and the blessings that correspond with it, only to His children. But He still pours out His goodness in amazing ways to all. He still gives many good gifts to those who don’t call Him Father. This is common grace.

God is good to unbelievers in countless ways, and, biblically speaking, those people are His enemies. Romans 8:7 teaches that the unbelieving heart is “hostile to God.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 says that the sinful heart finds God’s truth to be “foolishness.” Listen again to Romans 5:8-10.

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Brothers and sisters, we once were enemies of God. We were hostile toward Him. His wrath was upon us. But He saved us. He reconciled us to Himself. Take a few minutes right now, bowing your heads and closing your eyes, and ponder where God has brought you.

Now, if God loves His enemies, and that once included us, how can we not love our enemies? God has every right to pour down his wrath on every unbeliever in the world, right this minute, fire and brimstone and all, but He doesn’t. He pours out His grace. How dare we pour out wrath! Why, again, should we love our enemies? Why should we be good to those who hate us? Because we should image the character of our Father in heaven, and He does exactly that.

And, folks, as I began, unbelievers are rightly skeptical. They look at the Bible and see a loving God, and they meet people wearing nametags that read “Christ” who look nothing like Him. They turn on the television and see so-called Christian leaders spewing out venom at lost people. They then say, “You don’t look anything like God. I don’t want you.” They reject the church, God’s community.

Or, worse, they look at unloving, wrathful, so-called Christians, and they associate them with the God of the Bible. They look at them and say, “If that’s what God is like, I want nothing of Him.” And they reject God himself.

What they need to see, brothers and sisters, is a group of people who love God and others. Unbelievers need to witness a church that reflects God’s loving character and makes God our Savior attractive. They need to be won to a loving church and a loving God, and usually it takes place in that exact order. Will we look like our heavenly Father?

I read a news story this week about a man who led a policeman on a high-speed chase. The criminal looked up and saw a cloud of dust, realizing that the patrolman had been in an accident. He drove back and helped the policeman, saving his life. I wonder, brothers and sisters, if we looked behind us, if we would find enemies, in our dust, to whom we should return to repent and love.

Why, then, should we love our enemies? We’ve seen that, by doing that, we reflect our Father’s character. But, second, we should love our enemies, because we should be different from the world. Listen again to verses 46 and 47 of chapter 5.

Matthew 5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

Christ’s point is simple. Non-Christians love those who are lovable, those who love them first, those who love them back. Unbelievers love their buddies. They love their family members. They love anyone that is good to them. When we say that unbelievers are depraved, it doesn’t mean that they don’t do anything good. They still in some way reflect God’s image. They do love. But it’s generally love for their own, and not for their enemies.

Jesus talks about the “tax collectors” here. Now, we dread it if the IRS comes knocking on our door, but tax guys were hated in those days. Basically, the Romans had this pyramid system of men that collected taxes from the people of the Empire. A Roman boss would have people under him. Those people would have people under them. Somewhere down the chain were found the Jews whose job it was to collect from their own people. Apparently, each person was required to get a quota, and whatever else he could get, he was able to keep. Therefore, corruption was widespread. These men were by and large extortionists.

Not only were they thieves, but they were seen as traitors. They were working for the Romans, taking money from the chosen people to give to vile pagans. They were seen as sell-outs.

In addition, they were also seen as dirty. Their business meant that they frequently interacted with the Roman bosses, making them ceremonially unclean. Jesus says, "Those tax collectors that you find wicked—even they love their babies!" Even they love their friends! Even they enjoy their fellow tax thieves!

Jesus also mentions the “Gentiles.” Not only did the worst of their people love their own, but those outside of the people of God did, as well. Those that Jews often called “dogs,” the Gentiles, those that they saw as enemies, as we’ve seen—they greet their own. It reminds me of growing up in small-town Missouri, in Drexel, where every car or truck or pedestrian you encountered you waved at—unless, of course, you were a total snob. Even the Gentiles, the “dogs,” show courtesy and respect to one another by giving them a greeting, wishing them wellbeing. They say, “Hello” or “Good Morning” or flash a friendly wave or smile!

He first says, “What reward do you have?” If you don’t love your enemies, if you only love those who love you, you don’t get a reward. You get what the tax collectors and Gentiles get—no reward or, better, judgment. Only those that look like the Father get an eternal reward with him.

He second says, “What more are you doing than others?” This is a key sentence. How are we separating ourselves from the Gentiles, the unbelievers? If we’re not loving our enemies, we’re no different from the world. We’re doing what regular people apart from Christ do.

A new friend of mine was telling me about a concert she attended that turned into a political bashing session. One minute she was hearing music, and the next she was hearing screaming about conservatives and Christians and the like. Those people who probably also say that Christians hate seemed to not throw much love our direction. They primarily love those that love them.

Here is the key: Jesus wants us not only to go beyond the Pharisee—those who say they love in God’s name, but really hate those different from them, but also the pagan—those who may defy God but end up only loving those like them anyway. As we move and live in the District, where there are many unbelievers or “pagans,” we have to show how we’re different from the Pharisaic picture of religion that they have seen, while also showing how we differ from them, as well. We have to “exceed” the love of the Pharisee and the pagan.

The world operates, as John Stott says, through extending retaliation and recompense. Like we saw last week, you show me evil, and I’ll show you evil right back. It works the same way with good. “You show me good, and I’ll show you good right back. You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.” Loving those who love you isn’t that big of a deal. Everybody does that.

In addition, loving and greeting people just like you is what we call narcissistic. We get that term from Greek mythology, from the Greek man named Narcissus who rejected the love of a nymph named Echo, and was judged by the gods to fall in love with his own reflection in the water. He got so frustrated from that that he ended up turning into a flower.

Brothers and sisters, when we surround ourselves with people that look just like us and love them exclusively, it’s like we’re looking at our reflection. We’re being vain, egotistical, and selfish. We’re narcissists. We’re loving extensions of ourselves. And this comes naturally to fallen humans. Everybody does it.

This is why we must not only love people different from us outside of the church, but we also must love people different from inside of the church. My prayer is that we will become a church that is diverse—generationally, ethnically, socio-economically, and otherwise.

Then Columbia will look at us and say, “My how those people love us—people who don’t agree with them. And, look at how different they are, and they still love each other!”

The love of Christ should propel us toward loving people that don’t look just like us—inside the church or out.

As Alfred Plummer once said, “To return evil for good is devilish; to return good for good is human; to return good for evil is divine.”

Take a moment now and pray once again. Ask God to search your heart. In what ways are you not living differently from those in the world?

I want to turn to our last point for this morning. Third, let’s examine the calling to perfection. Jesus says, in Matthew 5:48, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Now some people have tried to argue that this teaches perfectionism, but that is ruled out by the context. One that is “blessed” is “poor in spirit,” says Matthew 5:3. One who is “blessed” also “hungers and thirst for righteousness.” He never arrives, at least not in this life. In addition, the one transformed by grace prays as Jesus commands, in Matthew 6:12, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” We will be imperfect sinners needing this prayer until we are with Christ. This passage doesn’t teach that we can be perfect in this life.

What, then, does it teach? This verse seems to cap off today’s passage, as well as Matthew 5:17-48 as a whole. Turn with me, if you will, to Leviticus 19:1-2. Interestingly, this is in the same context as our “love your neighbor as yourself” statement. It reads, “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” This is similar to Matthew 5:48 with two key differences. First, the word “perfect” is substituted for “holy.” The law was given in order that men and women of Israel might reflect the character of God. The Sermon on the Mount, however, paints a higher standard, that exterior rules, God-given or man-made, can’t accomplish what God wants. God demands a perfection that goes deep into the heart, changing someone from the inside-out. Perfection, not holiness, is demanded, although perfection is really true holiness. We’re not just called to be set-apart for God. We’re called to be perfect like God.
But the new standard—perfection—is accomplished by a change in orientation. Second, the word “Father” is used. This moves from the covenant name of God, Yahweh, to a term of familial intimacy, “Father.” We are not just God’s people. We are His children. We have been born again and adopted into His family. He is working His perfection in us. And one day, He will make us, His children, perfect.

Note also quite importantly that, in the gospels, God is only called the “Father” of believers and of Christ. Others are His creation, but they are not His children. Only we are being transformed—not pagans, not Pharisees—to display the radical sort of righteousness we see in the Sermon on the Mount.

Note also that this passage reminds us that the church has now replaced Israel as the people of God. They were to be holy as He is holy. We are to be perfect as He is perfect. We are the new community of the faithful. As 1 Peter 2:9 puts it, we are a “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.” We are the new Israel, the church of the living God.

What, then, does verse 48 teach? It teaches, once again, that what is required by our Lord, here in the Sermon, is not a sham of holiness that is external and false, but a true, inner perfection in the heart—one that is taught and caught by others. And here, it refers to an amazing, divine sort of love.

In conclusion, I want to take you back to the Good Samaritan story that we looked at in the beginning. First, Jesus asked the man, in response to his question, what the law taught about salvation. The man responded with the words: ‘love God and love neighbor.” Jesus responded then with “Do this and you will live.” Christ was clearly trying to get the man to see how far he fell short of those two commandments. The lawyer then responded by asking, “Who is my neighbor?” The passage then says that he was doing this, “desiring to justify himself.” He was trying to get Jesus to dumb down those commandments, making them manageable for him, making them keepable by him. But Jesus responds with the shocking story of the Good Samaritan. As we look at the demands of the Sermon on the Mount, as we look at this call for perfection, we should fall on our knees, being “poor in spirit.”

Our only hope is the perfection of Christ. He lived a completely perfect life, completely keeping the law, and He died a perfect death, perfectly suffering for those who don’t keep the law. When we trust in Him and not ourselves, unlike the young lawyer here, we are clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ, are seen as holy in God’s sight, and God is glorified. Our only hope is Christ in us.

Second, the man asked Jesus, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responds with the two greatest commandments and the story of the Good Samaritan. Our loving our enemies does not gain us salvation, but it reflects it. The transformation God performs in His children by grace leaves them loving God passionately and loving neighbor fervently. They look like Him, different from those who don’t call Him Father, loving their enemies and praying for their persecutors.

Not only does the gospel bring us to God and clothe us in Christ’s perfection. But it transforms us, working the perfection of Christ, albeit slowly, within us. Only those who love their enemies will be called sons of God. We need His grace that justifies us to sanctify us as well.

I will never forget going to hear missionary Steve Saint speak at Evangel College down in Springfield. His father was martyred, along with Jim Eliot, by Indians in Ecuador. Saint came to speak, and right beside him was an Indian friend who had speared His father. Elizabeth Eliot and his father’s sister, Rachel Saint, had returned to that village to minister to those people after their husbands’ deaths. Steve Saint later went and lived there after the death of his aunt. Steve and other members of his family had, by God’s grace, learned to love their enemies and those enemies were now their brothers and sisters in Christ.

I want to finish in a way consistent with the rest of this sermon. As a church, we are committed to reaching the District, downtown Columbia with the gospel. We know that this part of the city is perhaps more hostile to the gospel than any part of the city and most parts of the state. Close your eyes, bow your heads. Picture some of those people. Pray for them. Pray that we would reach them. Pray that they would know we are Christians by our love. Then I will close in prayer.

"Forgoing Justice through the Gospel of Grace"

2006-08-15T00:30:00.000-05:00

“Forgoing Justice through the Gospel of Grace”
Matthew 5:38-42, 8/06/06, Kevin P. Larson, Grace Church of Columbia

Last summer, tragedy struck on Mizzou’s Faurot Field. Young linebacker Aaron O’Neal collapsed on the field following a workout and died. The community was shocked and grieved along with the football team. The local medical examiner found that the young man had viral meningitis, and this caused his untimely death.

Shortly thereafter, his estranged father, Larry O’Neal, brought a lawsuit against several officials from the university. He was seeking damages for apparent neglect by employees of the athletic department. In the face of great tragedy, this man sought justice. I begin with this question this morning: is that the proper, Christian way to respond?

Let us read our text for this morning. Turn to Matthew 5:38-42.

Matthew 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

We are nearing the close of a major section in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:21-48. In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus speaks of the Pharisees—those that would take God’s law lightly and teach others to do the same. He then says, in verse 20, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” In verses 21-48, Christ then details what they were doing and what they were teaching, showing clearly what the righteousness that surpasses them looks like.

Last week, we looked at Christ’s teaching on oaths. The Pharisees were using oaths, not as they were intended—to encourage truth, but rather to evade truth. Jesus calls us to be people that are so full of truth, that we don’t even need to swear. Just a simple “yes” or “no” should suffice.

This week, we see the Pharisees again abusing God’s law. We again hear them quoting something God has said, and we see them misapplying it and using it to their own ends. Let us begin this morning by looking at, first, the teaching of the Pharisees. Second, we’ll look at the teaching of Jesus.

First, let’s consider the teaching of the Pharisees. To broadly summarize, Jesus’s opponents were teaching that God’s people should personally administer justice toward others.
Where did they get that idea? They got it from the Old Testament. Listen again to Matthew 5:38. It reads, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’” This statement, unlike those of the past two weeks, is directly from the Old Testament. Read with me three times where this phrase is used.

First, turn to Exodus 21:22-25.

Exodus 21:22 "When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

Next, turn over to Leviticus 24. Look at verses 19-20.

Leviticus 24:19 If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him.

Third, look with me at Deuteronomy 19:16-21.

Deuteronomy 19:16 If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, 19 then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. 20 And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. 21 Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

This phrase, as you can see—“eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”—is used three times in the Old Testament. But what was the meaning of these words?

I’ve taught most of you the benefits of doing Bible study in a “coma.” COMA is an acronym for context, observation, meaning, and application. You examine what surrounds the words, their context. You look at the words themselves—what they mean, how they fit into a sentence. That is observation. You then look at the meaning. What was the author’s original intent by those words, by that sentence? Finally, then, and only then, you get to application. How does this passage apply to us—right here, right now?

The Pharisees, I argue, did the observation and the application part. We’ll see what their specific error was in a bit. But to rightly understand the phrase, we need to understand the words’ context, as well as the words’ meaning.

Regarding their context, we see particularly in the Deuteronomy passage that those words were given as part of a legal code for a nation. There you have individuals involved in a dispute gathered before judges. The judges hear the case, make a decision, and then administer justice. The “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” idea was not meant to be applied by individuals toward one another. It was given to the nation of Israel.

Regarding their meaning, it’s important to understand what the statements sought to accomplish and what they sought to prevent. First, as John Stott notes, they “defined justice.” What punishment fit certain crimes? Second, they “restrained revenge.” What were the limits of justice? The statements gave us the principle of “exact retribution.” Yes, crimes deserved punishment. But they deserved only so much punishment. In other words, if a friend knocks out your tooth, he doesn’t deserve to have his neck slashed. He only deserves to lose his tooth.

As you know, sinful human beings are rarely satisfied with simply giving precise justice and no more. Across America, just last night, undoubtedly hundreds of people were shot and killed over drug money. Obviously getting the money back or the drugs wasn’t enough. Somebody had to die. Such is human nature. We typically aren’t satisfied with exact retribution.

So the statements were given to a nation. And the statements were given to define and limit punishment. What had the Pharisees done with these words?

Again, they had observed the words rightly. They could read. They could understand what they communicated. But they didn’t get their meaning. They missed their context. They went straight from observation to application and used these terms to justify individual action, against their context, and personal revenge, against their meaning.

Two weeks ago, we saw how the Pharisees took regulations on divorce and used them to justify divorce itself. Last week, we saw how the Pharisees took statements about oaths and used them to evade the truth. This week, we see that the Pharisees had taken a statement in the Old Testament that was designed to limit individual retaliation and had used it to support it.

So, in other words, they were teaching, “If he pokes my eye out, then I’m gonna poke his out.” “If he insults you, curse him right back.” “If he takes your cow, go grab his.” They were angry, vengeful people, and they even had a Bible verse to support such actions. This was the teaching of the Pharisees. Administer justice individually. Give that guy what he deserves. The Bible says you can. And we have every indication that they were actually practicing this.
This should give us pause for a second. First, consider how careful we must be with our Bibles. Truly, you can support anything you want with the Scriptures. Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason, a podcast I highly recommend, has a little pamphlet entitled, “Never Read a Bible Verse.” In it, he argues just how dangerous it is to read verses apart from their context. We should never read just one verse. Why? Because it’s impossible to get the meaning of a verse without understanding the context of that verse.

Second, our hearts, apart from grace, want to twist the Scriptures. You can look at the Pharisees here and think, “What a bunch of wicked idiots!” We may think we’re above them, and we would never do such a thing. But the Bible portrays humans, apart from Christ, as depraved. Not only are we prone to misunderstand the Scriptures, but our sinful nature wants to twist them. That’s why you can search on the internet and find people using the Bible to defend all sorts of wicked things. Apart from the Holy Spirit, this is where we all would be. The Pharisees look more like us, apart from Christ, than we would like.

God gave this “eye for an eye” principle of exact retribution in these passages to reduce violence among His people. He gave it to them as a nation to be exacted in their courts of law. The Pharisees, however, took this principle and used it to justify individual vengeance, ignoring, of course, that the law forbids that, as well. In Leviticus 19:18, not far from the “eye for an eye” passage we read earlier, we hear God say, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” This is exactly what the Pharisees were doing, and they were pitting God’s word against itself, justifying their actions by quoting another verse. They had used a verse limiting retaliation to justify retaliation. They had ignored the context surrounding their proof-text.

The book of Proverbs that the Pharisees would also have known spoke against this. Proverbs 20:22 teaches, “Do not say, ‘I will repay evil’; wait for the LORD, and He will deliver you.” Additionally, Proverbs 24:29 says this: “Do not say, ‘I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.’” But this is exactly what the Pharisees were doing! They were taking the law in their own hands, paying people back for their wrong.

Now, it is doubtful that, at this point in their history, the Jews were actually poking out eyes and yanking out teeth. It seems clear that, should someone get his eye gouged out, he would receive a payment of damages from the offender. He likely wouldn’t get the man’s eye poked out. This brings the passage even closer to our day. If a man got injured by another, he would just sue. He would get money. The Pharisees were thinking, “He hurt me. I’m going to take everything he’s got.”
They had wicked hearts that were being evidenced by teaching and practicing personal vengeance. This was the way of the Pharisee.

Second, let us consider the teachings of Jesus. The way of the Christian, the one transformed by grace, surpasses that of the Pharisee. He says this, once again, in verses 39-42:

39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

While the Pharisees were teaching that one should administer justice, Jesus teaches that His own will rather administer mercy. Before we look at exactly what Jesus says, let me review what I mentioned many weeks ago when we looked at Matthew 5:7. How should we understand justice and mercy?

First, all people, as sinners standing before a holy God, deserve justice. All deserve retribution for their sins. God is a just God. He punishes sin. Of course, as we look in the Bible, we see some people don’t receive justice. Some get non-justice. Some people don’t get what they deserve.

Second, in the category of non-justice are found both injustice and mercy. Injustice involves not getting what you deserve in a bad way. Mercy involves not getting what you deserve in a good way. Biblically speaking, as we’re all sinners, and we serve a good and holy God, no one receives injustice. If we receive punishment, it’s just.

Some, however, do receive mercy. Those of us in Christ don’t receive the penalty for our sins that we deserve. God is merciful to us in Christ. We don’t receive justice. He is merciful to us.

This is important to understand, as it frames salvation in its proper light. We’re not all morally o.k. people who deserve to be saved. We’re all sinners who deserve judgment. For God to save any of us is amazing grace. It’s pure mercy.

Third, it’s God’s job to administer justice. It’s not ours. Our command now, as we’ll see next week, is to love our enemies. Only God ultimately judges people, now in part, but in the future in full. Turn once again to Romans 12.

Romans 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20 To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Vengeance is His, not ours. We can be 100% confident, as we interact with those around us, that either Christ was punished on the cross for their sins—they are or will become a Christian, or, one day, they will be punished by the Father eternally for their sins—they are lost. So, as people wrong us, we know that that sin will be paid for one day in one way or another. Punishing that sin is not our job. Punishing them is inflicting double-jeopardy upon them.

God, of course, has put in place certain institutions that are used by Him to punish sin. First, in Romans 13, right where we just were, it says this:

Romans 13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

Governing authorities are put in place by God to execute “judgment,” to “bear the sword,” and to administer God’s “wrath.”

Second, God has also put in place His church. It is not the responsibility of His church to punish the world, but rather her own. This is why we talk much here about something practiced very little in today’s evangelical world—church discipline. If one of us strays from our covenant vows in doctrine or morals, we will discipline him or her. We will execute judgment—excommunicating that person from the church, if absolutely necessary.

Third, God has also ordained the family. Just as there are persons in authority in the government, governors and presidents and the like, and the church, her elders, God has set up parents as authority figures in the home. Fathers and mothers execute God’s justice, punishing children who disobey for their good.

As Proverbs 13:24 states, “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.” Whether in the home or in the church or in the state, faithful leaders use the “rod” for good. Withholding discipline results in chaos and great harm.

This administration of justice, however, is never meant for the individual level. This is the realm Jesus speaks of in this passage. Each of the realms I have mentioned, means by which God judges on earth, are corporate. On an individual level, we are not to administer justice, but rather mercy. This is the point of Jesus’s teaching here. Let us look at each of those ideas in turn.

First, verse 39 teaches that we are not to administer justice. Jesus says, “But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil.”

What, first of all, does this not teach? First, it’s clear in the Bible that we are to resist evil and the evil one, Satan. 1 Peter 5:8-9 reads like this,

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

In addition, James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Ephesians 6:13 seems broader than just Satan. It states, “Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Clearly we are to stand firm against evil.

Second, think again of those three instituted spheres that I just mentioned. In the family, evil must be resisted. Parents that don’t discipline their children will live to regret it. In the church, evil must be handled swiftly and decisively. Otherwise, as 1 Corinthians 5:6 states, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.” The heresy or immorality will spread and wreck the church. In the state, evil must be resisted. As we said earlier, the state must wield the sword, punishing wicked citizens.

This, I am convinced, includes, at all three levels, not only punishing those on the inside, but protecting from those on the outside. The head of the household, the man, is called to protect his family. He can’t sit there and quote Matthew 5:38 while some slasher murders his children. In the church, the elders must protect the sheep from wolves that come in to destroy. In the state, the governing officials must protect civilians from invaders. This, I hold, is part of what it means for the authorities to “bear the sword.”

So, no, I don’t believe that this passage, as Tolstoy and others have argued, teaches pacifism. I don’t think it shows conclusively that believers should always oppose war. Although aggressive, offensive wars should be protested, God has given government to citizens to protect them from invasion. In fact, if we say armies are bad, then so are police forces. Both protect the nation, using force when necessary.

In addition, there is no indication that God has not called some believers to faithfully serve in the state, wielding the sword of judgment. John the Baptist, in Luke 3:14, when questioned by soldiers as to how they should follow God, doesn’t tell them to leave the military. He tells them to be godly in the military.

In addition, the immediate context of the passage indicates that not all resistance is barred. In last week’s passage, Jesus says, “Do not take an oath at all,” but it is clear from biblical precept and example that oaths are permitted, and Jesus is saying, “If you’re going to use oaths to evade the truth rather than ensure the truth, don’t swear.” Just as there are times for oaths, there are times to “resist people.” I already have mentioned some of those times. If we don’t take seriously the hyperbolic nature of what Jesus is saying in the Sermon on the Mount, we’ll all be sitting around with gouged-out eyes and cut off hands, and we won’t be able to serve in the military if we wanted to.

I will also argue in a minute that, if this means that we never resist evil people, then verse 42, which says to “give to the one who begs from you,” says that we must never refuse a beggar either. The context seems to indicate we shouldn’t take Jesus’s statement that absolutely.

Third, you might say, “Ok. I can see that we might at times resist evil in defense of others, but we certainly can’t resist evil when it comes to us personally.” Of course, as we’ve already read, when confronted spiritually by the Enemy, by his schemes, or by his agents, we must resist. But, there is also no indication from this passage that we can not defend ourselves physically. If we witnessed a young lady being attacked, if police were not present, we would act as good citizens and Christians by defending one powerless from evil. In the same way, if we were abducted and someone had a knife to our throat, this passage doesn’t prevent us from defending ourselves.

Why? Because this passage does teach that we must not engage in personal retaliation. The Pharisees were using the “eye for an eye” passage as a proof-text for getting even. Jesus is saying, “Don’t get even.” He isn’t saying, “Don’t fight off a burglar.”

This verse teaches, once again, that we are not to administer justice. We are not to get revenge as individuals. Why? As we read before, that is the Lord’s job. He is the one who will execute vengeance—now in part, but future in full.

This reminds me of my wife’s story that I believe many of you have not heard. When Amy was 12, her mother died as a result of a failed tonsillectomy. The doctor made a mistake, sent her home, and she essentially bled to death right before my wife and her brother in their home.
A huge lawsuit and settlement resulted. Amy began receiving large payments at age 18, which resulted mainly in a bunch of sin and rebellion in her life. She looks back and swears that suing the doctor was the wrong thing to do. We have honestly had arguments in the past, where I tried to convince her that it was right and just. But the more I ponder it and consider this text, I think she is right. It is not our job to “resist the one who is evil,” as this passage teaches. God is to be our defender. Vengeance is His. We are not to administer justice.

Second, verse 42 teaches that we are to administer mercy. Verse 42 once again reads, “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” What this doesn’t teach is a new law—that we must empty out our pockets to whoever asks whenever he asks. The book of Proverbs speaks of the potential foolishness of giving to strangers. Chapter 11, verse 15 reads, “Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm, but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.” Just as verse 39 doesn’t mean that we must never resist evil, this doesn’t mean that we always must give. If somebody mugs us, we’re free to run. If we know someone is taking money right to the liquor store, we’re not wise to give.

I read this news story this week that spoke of Indian doctors trying to convince beggars there to amputate their limbs to grow their earnings. One doctor was quoted as saying something like, “If you have two beggars there, and one of them is lame, the lame one is going to get more money.” There are truly those out there to whom it is not wise to give.

What this passage is teaching is for us to be generous people, willing to share freely and loan freely. The Old Testament law required this. Listen to Deuteronomy 15:7-11.

Deuteronomy 15:7 "If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, 8 but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. 9 Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, 'The seventh year, the year of release is near,' and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin. 10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. 11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, 'You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.'

In addition, numerous Old Testament texts indicate that our lending should be done without interest. Deuteronomy 23:19 states, "You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest.”

Jesus’s point here is that we are to be in the business of administering mercy—giving people what they likely do not deserve. And as Deuteronomy 15:10 says, it should be done “freely” and without hearts that are “grudging.”

Several weeks ago, we were approached as a church by a man seeking help. He had started a new job and needed some money to get to his next paycheck. He also needed money for a shuttle ride to Kansas City to do some training for his new job. He asked for some help. He viewed it as a loan; we viewed it as a gift. We assisted him. We have never heard from him since. In fact, he sent his $3400 emergency room bill to our P.O. Box, something we’re clearly not obligated to pay. Did we do the right thing? I’m convinced we did. We gave freely and not grudgingly, believing the best, trusting God to guide the situation. We won’t always do everything right in this regard, but I think this illustrates how I want us to handle dealing with the needy in the future.

It comes down to our “default mode.” When you open up Microsoft Word, it launches a new document, and it comes up in a Times New Roman font that is 12 point. That’s what it defaults to unless you tweak it. What do we default to? Do we default to avenging ourselves? Do we default to hoarding what God has given us? Or do we freely give and trust God as our defender? Our “default mode” indicates where are hearts truly are found. And, in this Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is calling us to have a deep, inner righteousness of the heart.

We are called, in this passage, not to administer justice, but to administer mercy. Both of these were modeled by Jesus. 1 Peter 2:23 says, “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” He didn’t seek revenge. And we know that He gave freely. He fed the 5000. He healed people. He gave His life. And the rest of the passage says that He did this because “He continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” In other words, God the Father would avenge Him. He would meet His needs. Verse 21 teaches that we are to follow His example in this, walking in His steps.

Both of these are limited by biblical love. Our non-resistance must cease when love for our brothers is encroached. We can’t sit there while the sheep are slaughtered. We can’t watch while one of our children is kidnapped. Additionally, our giving must cease when love for brothers is compromised. Our giving of mercy must be limited by mercy itself. In other words, sometimes we must let people feel the consequences of their irresponsibility. That is merciful. We give unconditionally up-front, but we give conditions as we proceed, so that we enable the poor to be freed from their condition and not just supported in it. We should say, as Tim Keller writes, in his great book, Ministries of Mercy,

Friend, we are not withdrawing our mercy, just changing its form. We will continue to pray for you and visit you, and the minute you are willing to cooperate with us and make the changes that we believe are needed, we will resume our aid. Please realize that it is only out of love that we are doing this! (Keller, 98).

Both of these—not administering justice and administering mercy—however, must not be stacked with endless qualifications, so that we lose the “shock value” of what Jesus is teaching. We shouldn’t focus on the exceptions, but rather the rule. God wants us to be people who share with others freely, just as we’re also people that aren’t known for fighting back. These are radical statements Jesus is making, and they absolutely need to be heard.

If someone criticizes you, do you immediately defend yourself, returning the criticism?

If you meet a beggar on the street, do you instantly close up your heart toward him, not even considering that you could give?

What is your default mode?

Let us look at the three illustrations Jesus gives to teach these two principles. First, in verse 39, Christ says, “But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” What should be noted about this verse is that this deals with insult more than assault. It likely refers to a blow with the back of the hand, which was seen as grossly offensive in those days and still is today in that part of the world.

What also must be understood is that this is for us verbal as much as it is physical. Sure, there may be times where we take this quite literally and, if punched in the face, we give someone the opportunity to do it again. But more likely, we will be insulted by the words of others. We will then decide whether we will administer justice or mercy. Will we give them what they deserve or what they don’t deserve?

When someone at work looks at a project you’ve worked on and calls you a failure, what will you do? Or when someone tells you how to do something that you learned about months ago, what will you do? Will you hit back? Will you tolerate being insulted?

Second, in verse 40, our Lord says, “And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.” What is important to note is that, for the Jew, your coat couldn’t be taken away. The poor needed it to keep them warm at night and function as somewhat of a bed, so God made sure they would be protected. Exodus 22:26-27 says this:
Exodus 22:26 If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, 27 for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

The point is that we shouldn’t even cling to that which we consider to be our “rights.” We should be ready to be taken advantage of.

What should be understood is this for us is financial as much as material. For us, it’s less likely we’ll have somebody take an important possession, as it is that we’ll be wrongly cheated out of some money.

What do we do when we’re at the auto shop, and we know the guy fixed something that didn’t need fixed? What will we do when we get rear-ended in our car and one of those lawyers on TV tempts us to sue? Will we tolerate having our rights violated? Will we dispense justice or mercy? Will we give them what they deserve or what they don’t deserve?

Third, in verse 41, Jesus says, “And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” This likely refers to the fact that, in the days of Roman occupation in Palestine, a Roman soldier could grab a Jewish person and command him to help him—often having him carry his pack for as much as a mile. We see something similar in Mark 15:21 when Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry the cross of our Lord.

What should be noted is that this can be humbling more than it is tiring. Not only was this work, but it was insulting. You were forced to aid the enemy. You were his slave, if only for an hour.

What do we do when we’re forced at work to do more than our fair share? How will we react if our teacher asks us to start a paper completely over? Will we tolerate being “taken advantage of?” Will we dispense justice or mercy? Will we give our bosses or co-workers or instructors what they deserve or what they don’t deserve?

The question we must ask with each of these is, “Do we have a heart that desires to glorify self or God?” Do we seek to defend self by taking justice in our own hands or preserve self by withholding mercy from others? Our Lord resisted vengeance, letting the Father be His defender. Our Lord shared mercy, trusting the Father to be His provider. Will we be like our Lord, humble and seeking His Father’s glory? Or will we strike back, fight for our rights, protest extra work?

The great George Mueller once said:

There was a day when I died, utterly died, died to George Mueller and his opinions, preferences, tastes and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame of even my brethren or friends; and since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God.

Could you say what Mueller said there? Are we living for ourselves and our pride or for God and His glory?

I have been slowly reading through this excellent book, How People Change by Timothy Lane and Paul David Tripp. In it, the authors argue that trials in our life, what they call “heat,” show us what is in our hearts. They show us what our idols are. The trials either produce “fruit” or “thorns”—good, godly responses to trials, or wicked, ungodly responses to them. In other words, what is our “default mode?” Do we, when under “heat,” come back with seeking justice or showing mercy? Do we produce fruit or thorns?

The great missionary of old, Hudson Taylor, was apparently waiting one day for a boat ride across a river. A rich Chinese man walked up, seeking also a ferry, and, seeing Taylor in his traditional Chinese dress, he thought he was a peasant and pushed him out of the way, into the mud. The boat reached the shore and the wealthy man prepared to hop in. The man in the boat, however, who had witnessed it all, said, “The foreigner here was first. He will get into the boat.” The rich man was quite embarrassed as Taylor got into the boat. But, much to his surprise, the missionary beckoned the man into the boat with him. And, riding across the river, Taylor shared the good news and explained why he loved as he did. Brothers and sisters, that is mercy defeating justice. Taylor responded with fruit.

Let me close by giving three points of application. I think it is helpful to look, as I’ve done numerous times before in our grace group, as well as here on Sunday mornings, at ideas in four broad categories—God, gospel, church, mission. We’ve already considered how this relates to the doctrine of God this morning. Let’s consider the final three.

First, related to gospel—this shows our need for the gospel, as well as the work of the gospel. The only way that we can produce fruit and not thorns in the heat we experience is by the cross. We need the transforming power of the gospel to live in this way. We don’t naturally turn the other cheek, hand people our coats, or go the extra mile. We need God to radically change our hearts.

I remember during seminary somehow messing up my laptop so that it always defaulted, in Microsoft Word, to a 13-point, Arial font. This was very aggravating, because not only did that make my note files much longer and bulkier, but it caused things to open in Word looking messed up. Maybe you feel as if your default mode is messed up this morning. You can’t respond with mercy. You need the gospel. Come to Christ in faith.

This also shows us the work of the gospel. When Christ grabs a person, He makes him one who is radically different. That person, this side of heaven, is not perfect, but he desires to glorify God by entrusting Him with justice and by freely extending His mercy. In the face of heat, he more and more produces fruit. We can’t tolerate a gospel that leaves people unchanged. For example, we can’t call a head of a household saved who is harsh and violent with his family. Either he must repent or he must be evangelized.

Second, related to church—this withholding of justice and dispensing of mercy must be freely practiced within. The church must be a place where people honor Christ by not seeking vengeance against one another. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul is chiding the Corinthians for bringing lawsuits against one another. He says, in verse 7, “Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” How dare we be people who hammer each other with justice! It would be far better that we sucked it up and were hurt than avenge ourselves, bringing reproach to Christ. We must be a household of love.

In addition, we should be a place where people honor Christ by extending mercy to one another. In Acts, the early church is clearly seen as a group of people who shared with one another freely, even saying that they “had everything in common” (Acts 4:32). Acts 4:34 says that there was “not a needy person among them.” The church should be a picture of heaven on earth, where no one is needy and all are shown mercy. If we see needs in our community, Grace Church, we have to open up our wallets and deal with them.

Third, related to mission—this withholding of justice and dispensing of mercy must be boldly displayed without. The world must see us, once again, as a dynamic counter-culture. And, if we embody the radical teachings of Jesus in this passage, we will certainly look different. We live in a sinful world, and we live in America, where an entitlement mentality is coupled with rugged individualism. I have my rights, and I’m going to get what’s mine. The ideas presented here—forsaking personal retaliation and giving and loaning freely—are radically counter-cultural. Americans don’t turn the other cheek; they hit back. Americans don’t toss in their coat. They sue and take the shirt off your back. Americans don’t go the extra mile. They complain during the first mile. Our sinful nature resists these ideas, and our American upbringing reinforces that.
If we can embody these things as a church, the world will look in and see the difference the gospel makes. They’ll see that we don’t beat each other up. They’ll see that we rather show kindness to one other.

If we can embody these things as believers in the culture, outside of our church, the world will look and see a difference in us. They will mark the strange way we live. In our interaction with unbelievers, we won’t seek vengeance. We will rather give freely. The world will notice. They will be drawn to Christ. They will see people who look like Jesus, and they will want to be with us, as well as with Him.

When I first thought about this sermon, I had a different ending in mind. I thought I would bookend my opening illustration, of the Aaron O’Neal lawsuit, by contrasting the lawsuit of his father with the mercy of his mother. I remember his mother, Deborah O’Neal, initially making statements evidencing a faith in Christ, showing no desire to bring a lawsuit.

My research, however, leaves us with another ending. In July of this year, she joined the lawsuit. Brothers and sisters, I’m not in their shoes. I don’t directly feel their pain. But their conduct serves as an example for us, for good or bad. Will we, when faced with heat in life, respond in such a fashion? Knowing what I have heard of Aaron O’Neal, I doubt he would have wanted this. Will we seek justice or will we pursue mercy? I pray, as the church of God, that we will run hard after the latter.

As Jesus said in Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

Mars and Venus on Sesame Street

2006-08-06T18:04:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite Southern profs, and an insightful cultural commentator, Dr. Russ Moore, discusses Sesame Street's recent decision to add a "girly girl" to the popular kids' show. Check it out here.

Cut Off Your Hand?

2006-08-05T11:57:00.000-05:00

In our recent look at Matthew 5:27-30, we saw how God tells us to be drastic with our sin, even cutting off our hands and gouging out our eyes to save our souls.

Read about this Colorado climber. He really did it.

Would you do this to save your life? What about your soul?

Forget Something?

2006-08-02T15:39:00.000-05:00

Apparently MTV is now 25 years old. I'll never forget as a junior high kid, when my small Missouri town got cable TV. I then was explosed to a steady dose of Nickelodeon, The Brady Bunch reruns and MTV. I still remember the MTV video interlude--a rocket exploding upward, followed by an MTV flag waving on the moon, overdubbed by a rockin' guitar riff that will likely never escape my mind. Then came the music. I am an 80s kid. Now, when I see hear one of the melodies of my youth, it's often combined in my head with a video I saw during those formative years. Who can forget Cyndi Lauper's band of girls in "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun?" Who can forget Michael Jackson's "gang fight" in "Beat It?"

MTV used to play music. Now when you turn on the network, you get a steady barrage of sleazy reality shows. Rap videos have given way to house tours with rap stars. Where's the music? Many have noted how significantly MTV has impacted pop culture today. It has helped create a shallow, plastic, immoral "pop" culture.

My question for "By Grace Alone" readers: how much has MTV in particular, and pop culture, in general, shaped the church? Could not one visit many evangelical churches today, even those that have relatively conservative theology, and leave thinking, "Where's Jesus?" Video killed more than the radio star. It killed the video star. Has an absorption of pop culture into our churches led to a disappearance of the "Bright Morning Star?"

Bono on Worship

2006-08-01T17:04:00.000-05:00

"What we've got to do in the music business is destroy the image that has got through … which has [given] God Almighty and Jesus Christ … an image of a weakling. A slightly effeminate image. A sort of Sunday image. A religious image. This is not the case. … This is something we're trying in U2 to do something about."

Bono, in a recently released 1981 presentation to a weekend retreat for Christian musicians with fellow band members the Edge and Larry Mullen Jr.
Christianity Today

HT: Josh Otte

Amy Wilhoite Cleared!

2006-08-01T14:40:00.000-05:00

Check out Amy Wilhoite's blog today. She has been cleared. Her chemo got the leukemia! Rather, the Lord used the chemo to get the leukemia!

Of course, now the big battle is that she would remain disease-free until her immune system is back in speed.

Thanks be to God!!!

http://wilhoite.blogspot.com/2006/08/results.html

Word-Keeping Through the Gospel of Grace

2006-07-31T21:56:00.000-05:00

“Word-Keeping Through the Gospel of Grace”
Matthew 5:33-37, 7/30/06, Kevin P. Larson, Grace Church of Columbia

One of the first things that made me sure I wanted to marry Amy was when I found out she was a huge fan of The Brady Bunch. Now that may make you laugh, but it made me happy. You see, I grew up watching the Brady Bunch. No, I don’t mean that I grew up in the 70s and saw the shows when they originally aired. I mean that I saw them on reruns and on reruns and on more reruns in the 80s. When I was a kid, my parents let me watch way more TV than Hadley and Melia will ever watch, and The Brady Bunch was on TBS and WGN and every other channel looking for something to fill up time. Consequently, I think I’ve seen every episode. I almost have some shows memorized. I was raised with the Bradys.

Those of you deprived of such a childhood may not remember one key episode. Greg, their oldest son, learns a lesson on honesty and legalism. He gets excited about getting these tickets to some hip rock concert. Bobby, the youngest son, squeals on him for bad driving and his parents ground him from the car for a week. He can’t get any other friends to help him get the tickets. They’re selling out fast. He calls one friend who would like to help but is sick. Greg borrows that kid’s car, gets the tickets, and gets ready for the show. His parents, however, find out, and they’re really mad. They told him he was not to drive for a week. Greg, however, points out that, no, they didn’t tell him he couldn’t drive—they told him that he couldn’t drive their car. Those were their exact words. Mike and Carol relent and let him get off the hook. But they have a plan. They want Greg to learn what it is like to truly live with exact words.

So Greg goes on with his week. He quickly finds out how loose he is with his words and how much grace his parents have been showing him. He ends up washing the car and doing dishes at midnight one night, because he had told family members he would do that. It reaches a boiling point when he realizes that he had already promised before he had gotten the concert tickets that he would take his two brothers, Peter and Bobby, to a frog-jumping contest. He is livid, but his parents, as well as his brothers, remind him that those were his exact words. Those of you that have seen the episode will remember that Greg ended up deciding to take his date to a movie after the frog-jumping contest. His brothers forget to take the frogs out of the back seat of his car, and they jump all over his date, even hopping right in the middle of their pizza. Greg learns the hard way that loose words and legalistic thinking are not fun.

We know from Matthew 5:33-37 that the Pharisees were using words much like Greg Brady. Rather than using their words honestly, they were using them manipulatively. But unlike Greg, they didn’t learn their lesson at the end of the program.

Let us read Matthew 5:33-37 and begin with prayer.

Matthew 5:33 "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.

Let me begin this morning by reviewing from where we have come. Back in Matthew 5:17-20, we saw that Jesus is the one to whom the Old Testament law points, the one who is eminently qualified to interpret the law and clarify its true meaning. Jesus then speaks of those that would violate the heart of the law through their practice and encourage others to do the same through their teaching. Finally, in verse 20, Jesus says that they who do this, the Pharisees, have a righteousness that must be surpassed by those in God’s kingdom; that is because their righteousness is no true righteousness at all. It is exterior only and extremely shallow. That which is on the outside is insufficient and ultimately quite ugly.

Put in reverse order, and worded positively, the one transformed by grace is changed inwardly, given a deep righteousness of the heart. He displays this outwardly and teaches others to do the same. He follows the teachings of Jesus who is the focus of the Bible and our right guide to understanding its teachings. This is the way of the Christian, the one transformed by grace.

Matthew 5:17-20 introduces and leads into verses 21-48. In those teachings of Jesus, we see that the way of the Pharisee differs greatly from the way of the Christian. The Pharisee teaches, as we saw in verses 21-26, that committing murder with the hands is all that matters and holds anger in the heart that slips out as insults on the tongue. He also teaches, according to verses 27-30, that committing adultery with the body is all that matters and holds lust in the heart that evidences itself in roving eyes and careless hands. He also teaches, we learned last week in verses 31-32, that abandoning one’s spouse is not that big of a deal, finding even a Bible verse to support adulterous desires fed through repeated divorces. According to Jesus, the way of the Christian, the one transformed by grace, pursues reconciliation, purity, and fidelity.

In the coming weeks, we’ll see ways that Jesus corrects the teaching and practice of the Pharisees regarding personal retaliation and interaction with enemies. This morning, we’ll examine how the Pharisees dealt with oaths. Jesus says here that the Christian is to teach and live in a way consistent with one transformed inwardly by grace. That reality of salvation should affect the way that we use our words. This morning, we’ll look at “Word-Keeping through the Gospel of Grace.” First, we’ll look at the “way of the Pharisee.” Second, we’ll look at the “way of the Christian.”

First, what were the Pharisees teaching and practicing? Here, as we have seen so far, in verses 21-32, Jesus summarizes their teaching. He then follows with a condemnation of their practice of that teaching.

What was their teaching regarding oaths? Verse 33 reads, “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’” This, just like last week’s passage, is not an accurate quotation of any Bible verse. Unlike last week, however, it’s not really a bad summary of what the Bible says. Listen to these verses which form the basis of what the Pharisees taught.

Exodus 20:7, in the Ten Commandments, says, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”

Numbers 30:2 says, “If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”

In Deuteronomy 23:21-23, God says this:

Deuteronomy 23:21 "If you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. 22 But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. 23 You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God what you have promised with your mouth.

Finally, Leviticus 19:12 says something similar. It reads, “You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.”

The Pharisees summed up those verses saying, as Jesus quotes them, in verse 33, “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’” The problem was that they were teaching that what was to be performed to the Lord was only what was sworn in the name of the Lord.
In other words, if you took an oath in his name and didn’t do it, it was a problem. If you swore in other ways and did not do it, it was not a problem.

It is as if they had taken Leviticus 19:12—“You shall not swear by my name falsely”—and emphasized certain words to their own advantage. Instead of reading it like this: “You shall not SWEAR by my name FALSELY” they read it like this: “You shall not swear BY MY NAME falsely.” As John Stott has pointed out, they shifted the emphasis from the vow itself and the need to keep it to the formula used in making it.

It’s just like Greg Brady was doing, as I began. His parents said, “You can’t DRIVE the car for a week.” Greg said, “No, you said I couldn’t drive THE CAR for a week.” It’s moving the emphasis from the POINT of the statement to the FORMULA of the statement. Like Greg, the Pharisees were manipulating words to justify their dishonesty.

We see this in the elaborate legal code built by the Pharisees around oaths. The Jews had this book of religious law called the Mishnah which contained an entire, lengthy section dealing with oaths. In this text, there was much discussion over when an oath was binding and when it was not. Scholar D.A. Carson mentions that one Rabbi taught in that book that, if you swore by Jerusalem, you were not bound, but if you swore toward Jerusalem, you were.

The key point was that if you swore by God’s name, you were definitely bound to keep your oath. However, if you swore by other things, whether or not they were binding or not was uncertain. What happened was the Pharisees taught others to use oaths in deceitful, manipulative ways.

This was their practice, as well. They would swear by things we see in this passage at hand—by “heaven,” by the “earth,” by “Jerusalem,” or by their “head,” and not keep their vows, because either they didn’t call specifically on God’s name or they were a loophole in their cute little oath-word-game. They would say, “I wasn’t bound to keep that. Didn’t you hear my exact words?”

As you can see, this was quite child-like. They had this complex system of swearing where no one was exactly sure, except the initiated, what the rules were and what would actually be kept. It’s like it is on the playground. What is the difference between swearing and “pinky swearing” and “swearing on a stack of Bibles?” Do you have to say, “Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a million needles in my eye?” Did they have their fingers crossed behind their backs? Did they double or triple swear? Were they really being honest? Who really knows?!

The problem is that the Pharisees were not using oaths, as designed, to guard truthfulness, but for the opposite: to practice deceit. The Pharisees were proud of their oath-keeping, but they had violated the heart of the law because of their wicked hearts, by teaching and modeling oath-breaking. They had used oaths to aid them in wickedness rather than in righteousness. They had again lowered the standard of the law to something manageable, had lived up to it, and had taken pride in it—all the while their hearts were full of wickedness. They lived up to what they thought was the letter of the law, but they totally missed the spirit of the law.

Oaths were given to encourage veracity and gravity when making agreements. Regarding veracity, people swore to ensure that they would tell the truth. Regarding gravity, people swore to ensure that they would see the seriousness of what they were doing. They were standing before the God of truth. He was their witness. So they had better keep their word.

You should be able to see how today’s passage relates to last week’s now. You have all heard, “I Joe, take you, Judy, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy will.” When couples marry, they make vows. They gather in God’s presence and the presence of others to share this promise. Friends and family are called to witness the vows and hold them accountable to keeping them. But, more importantly, God is called to witness the vows and hold them accountable for their oaths. The oaths express the gravity of what is taking place.

But they also encourage, once again, veracity. Those that ignorantly say, “Why can’t we just have our own vows in our apartment? Why do we need a church and a minister and all these other people?” are misguided. We don’t just have weddings to take pictures and have great warm and fuzzy feelings. It’s not just about sharing the love. It’s about protecting from sin. It’s about the wickedness deep within the bride and the groom. They’re sinners. They wouldn’t stick together if they didn’t make these vows. It’s hard enough when they do. But the vows are taken to ensure they’ll be true to their word. Hebrews 6:16 says, “For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.” You see there both aspects: gravity—someone greater is present, and veracity—people are bound to the truth.

Oaths were given as a concession to sinful hearts that have a tendency to lie. We don’t naturally stay committed to one another. We don’t by our fallen nature do what we say we’re going to do. As John Stott puts it, “Swearing is really a pathetic confession of our dishonesty.”
Oaths were being used by the Pharisees to promote deceit, but originally they were used to promote truth. God set up marriage as one man and one woman for one lifetime, but hearts became hard from sin, and divorce got out of control, and Moses gave legislation to curtail it.

In the same way, God’s original desire, it seems, was for people of truth with no need for oaths. But due to the fall and the resulting hardness of heart, people got good at lying, and God provided for oath-taking to curtail it.

The Pharisees used God’s word on divorce to justify an improper use of divorce. And, as we’re seeing this morning, they used God’s word on oaths to justify an improper use of oaths. They were being used to obscure truth rather than protect truth. They didn’t see that they needed oaths, because they were poor, needy sinners. They were proud of the fact that they kept their vows, all the while they were using those vows to evade the truth. Their hearts were dark.

What does Jesus, then, say about the way of the Christian? Jesus says three things here that I want you to notice this morning. Listen again to Matthew 5:34-36.

Matthew 5:34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

First, Christ tells us not to swear by any of those things because everything still comes back to God. Swearing by “heaven” is still swearing to God, because it’s his “throne.” Swearing by the “earth” is still swearing to God, because it’s His “footstool.” Swearing by “Jerusalem” is swearing by God’s city, and therefore to God. Lastly, he says that swearing by one’s “head” or one’s life is swearing in God’s name because He is the creator and sovereign over life. How can we put our life on the line when God rules over our life? We can’t change the color of the hair on our head, much less control whether or not we live tomorrow or die.

Jesus’s point is that oaths sworn by other things than God are still binding because, first, God is still present and still will hold men accountable for their oaths. If you’re not calling on God as a witness, He is still there as a witness. And, secondly, the objects or places sworn by belong to God. God rules over the things you’re swearing by. One couldn’t get around God with such evasive oaths. God is omnipresent. He is sovereign.

Jesus makes this same point over in Matthew 23. Listen to verses 16-22.

Matthew 23:16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

Here Jesus is making a statement about the absurdity of their oath-taking. He points out how ridiculous the distinctions they are making really are. But he ends by making the same point of our text for today. Whatever you swear by, you’re still really making an oath to God because He is everywhere present and everywhere ruling. Christians are to be careful making promises. God hears.

Second, Christ states that oaths should be unnecessary for the child of God in daily conversation. He calls us to not only keep our oaths, but to be the type of people who don’t need to take oaths in order to be believed. Jesus says, in verse 37, “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’” A simple “yes” or “no” will suffice. He doesn’t want us to couch our everyday speech with a constant “I swear” and “I promise.” He wants us to be men and women of credibility and integrity. He wants our hearts to be transformed so that they pour out truth rather than falsehood.

Man one could walk into his boss’s office and be requested to do a task. He could answer, “You have my word. I promise I’ll do it. I swear. Don’t doubt me a minute.” Man two could walk in and simply say, “Sure” and walk out. God wants us to be like the second man. There should be no need for babbling oaths. We are the children of God.

You may have heard the fable about the “boy that cried wolf.” The boy ran in, I think to his parents’ house, but I can’t remember, crying, “Wolf! Wolf!” He did that over and over until no one believed him when a wolf really came. Those transformed by grace are not the type of people that need to say, “I double-pinky swear by my Grandma’s grave that there’s a wolf out there.” Yes or no must be enough.

Swearing is needed by those that don’t keep their word. Only dishonest, unreliable people need to fight for their credibility through vows. God wants us to be people whose simple words “yes” or “no” are believed by all we come in contact with.

Third, Jesus teaches that such swearing results from evil. Jesus says here, according to the ESV, “Anything more than this comes from evil.” If you open up an NIV, it reads, “Anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
It says “evil” versus “evil one.” The reason for this is that the construction in the original language could be taken either way. This dishonesty characterized by such oaths either flows from the evil from within our hearts, or it flows from the evil one himself, Satan. Listen to John 8:43-45.

John 8:43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.

Why do we, in an unbelieving state, manipulate with our words? It’s because, as Jesus says, “[our] will is to do [our] father’s desires.” Our hearts want to do what our father wants to do. He is “a liar and the father of lies.” This manipulative oath-taking of the Pharisees, and any dishonesty, comes not from God but from His enemy, the devil. This is why unbelievers lie and don’t care unless they get caught. This is why we as believers lie, as well. We succumb to the temptation of our enemy. We give in to remaining sin within.

The book of James has much in common with the Sermon on the Mount. In James 5:12, it reads, “But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” Not only does this dishonesty flow from evil. It also leads to the fate of those evil. It leads to “condemnation” or eternal judgment.

Now a couple of questions result from this teaching. First, some would say, does this not mean that we should never take any oaths at all? Should we take oaths in a courtroom? What if we run for public office? Are we defying our Lord? The historic movement called the Anabaptists, as well as the modern-day Quakers refuse to take oaths of any sort.

First, godly saints in the Old Testament used oaths and were approved by God. If there is any key, godly figure of the Old Testament, it’s Abraham. In Genesis 14:22-23, Abraham confirmed promises to Sodom’s king with an oath. He said,

Genesis 14:22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.'

Just a few pages over, in Genesis 21, Abraham gives an oath to Abimelech. Abimelech said,

Genesis 21:23 Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned." 24 And Abraham said, "I will swear."
In Genesis 24:1-4, Abraham, when he sent his servant Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac, made him promise under oath.

Genesis 24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac."

Abraham is an example of one in the Jewish Scriptures who on solemn occasions called on God to witness to and hold parties accountable to an agreement. We also know, of course, that the passages we began with this morning allowed for oaths, only stipulating that one not break them, taking God’s name in vain.

Second, godly saints in the New Testament also made vows. If there’s one key character of the New Testament, other than Jesus, it’s Paul. In 2 Corinthians 1:23, he wrote, “But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth.” Over in Galatians 1:20, Paul writes, “In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!” Paul used oaths, and he is a key model of godliness for Christians.

Third, Jesus even spoke under oath. In Matthew 26:63-64, the high priest Caiaphas said to him,

Matthew 26:63 "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." 64 Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Jesus had the opportunity to refuse speaking under oath, but He didn’t. Jesus didn’t say, “I swear,” but it was understood that he was speaking under oath before God.

Fourth, God the Father, throughout Scripture, uses oaths. He, of course, doesn’t use them to establish truthfulness or gain credibility. He uses them to build faith in us. A beautiful example of this is found in God’s covenant promise to Abraham in Genesis 22. It reads, in verses 15-18, like this:

Genesis 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, "By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice."

In Hebrews 6, what Brandon read earlier, this same oath is mentioned. Hear once again verses 13-18.

Hebrews 6:13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

Again, verses 17-18 say that the purpose of His oath was to make it clear to us the “unchangeable character of his purpose.” He wanted us to believe it. And it says that through His oath we might “have strong encouragement.” God wanted us to trust His promises in our hearts.

Note also here verse 16 again. The writer of Hebrews assumes that oaths take place and makes no negative statement regarding them. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament affirm oath-taking through explicit teaching, as well by clear example.

So, the point here isn’t that if my friend Richard Hicks becomes a judge that he shouldn’t take an oath of office. It’s that, for him, as well as for us, oaths shouldn’t be a necessary part of our everyday speech.

It seems interesting to me that one could focus on Jesus’s negativity toward oaths here and miss the point just like the Pharisees. One could have a mouth that never says, “I swear,” but still overflows with dishonesty. So, no, I don’t think Jesus is condemning all oath-taking here.

Second, some would ask, what’s the big deal about honesty? Why should we be so concerned? Let me argue that it’s related closely to what we believe about God and what we believe about the gospel.

God, we know from the Bible is a God of truth. Isaiah 65:16, itself a passage affirming the taking of vows, says, “So that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth, and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hidden from my eyes.” The Father is called the “God of truth.” In addition, the apostle John repeatedly refers to the Spirit as the “Spirit of truth.” Twice in his gospel, in 15:26, as well as 16:13, the apostle, quoting Jesus and speaking of His sending of the Spirit, calls the Holy Spirit the “Spirit of truth.”
Of course, a familiar passage to many of you will be another text in John, in chapter 14 and verse 6. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

We worship a triune God who is truth. Made in the image of God, we were also made to image truth. Now, living in a fallen world, as believers we are being restored to that image. 2 Corinthians 3:18 speaks of us “with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” We are being made once again to bear His image rightly. And one way we display Him is by being people of truthfulness.

Rather than look like our previous father, the devil, the father of lies, we are now called to look like our heavenly Father, the Father of the truth. Anytime we as human beings in general, as well as redeemed humans in particular, lie or deceive, we tell a lie about God’s nature. God is not a liar. We, as His children, can mislead those around us about what our Father is really like.

The gospel is a gospel of truth. The Bible speaks of becoming a Christian numerous times as “coming to a knowledge of the truth.” A couple of good examples are in 1 Timothy 2:4 when Paul says that God desires “all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth,” as well as 2 Timothy 2:25, where Paul speaks of God granting unbelievers “repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.”

Once we embrace the truth of the gospel, we begin living in truth. We walk in a way consistent with that truth, and obviously, one way we do that is by being truthful people. This connection is made in Ephesians 4. Let’s read together verses 17-25.

Ephesians 4:17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!- 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Now notice what that passage teaches. We were taught, as verse 21 puts it, the truth “in Jesus.” We are therefore, to put off the old self and to put on the new, and one key way we do this, as verse 25 states, is by putting away “falsehood” and speaking “truth with [our] neighbor.” Why are we to do this? Because “we are members with one another.” We are one body, the church.
If the key way that we display the fact that we have come into a love relationship with God is by loving our brothers and sisters, then being dishonest is the exact opposite of that. It is a very unloving thing to do.

Think of the gospel. God revealed Himself to us. He did it in His word. He has done it in His creation. He revealed Himself ultimately in His Son. He gave us the gospel. He lovingly revealed Himself to us, and He revealed to us truth. Therefore, if we reveal false things about our self or about the world, it is an incredibly unloving thing to do.

Why do we speak truthfully? God is truth. We worship Him as truth, and we image His truthful character to the world. If we don’t speak honestly, we lie about who our Father is. And in the gospel, God revealed truth about Him in love. As we extend the gospel, we love our brothers and neighbors by speaking truth. By not keeping our word, we spread lies about the transforming work of the gospel.

Third, you might ask, how do I respond to this text? The Pharisee, again, dumbs down the demands for honesty and keeps those lowered standards, being prideful of His accomplishment. The pagan or irreligious person, at worst, disregards God’s commands and lies freely, only experiencing guilt when caught. At best, he strives to live as an honest person in his own strength and for his own glory. What is the right response?

It’s important to remember that the God of truth demands perfect truth, and no less. In Psalm 51:6, David teaches us that God delights in “truth in the inward being.” In addition, Psalm 15:1-2 teaches this: “O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart.” Psalm 24:3-5 adds even more. Writes the Psalmist:

Psalm 24:3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

God requires us to have “truth in the inward being.” Only a person who “speaks truth in his heart” and “does not swear deceitfully” can ascend the hill of the LORD in worship. In other words, to be with God, we have to be word-keepers.

But who among us never lies? Who among us never deceives? We are fallen sinners, each of us, who dishonor God and keep ourselves from the “hill of the Lord” through our disobedience.

How can we ascend that hill? Both the Pharisee and the pagan answer, “By my own effort!” But the Christian answers, “By the effort of the Son.” Jesus, who again calls Himself the “truth” in John 14:6 is also spoken of in 1 Peter 2:22 as the one who “committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.” Jesus never sinned, and He certainly never deceived. And he went to the cross, dying for people that struggle with word-keeping.

Our only hope is to run to Him in faith, pleading for His righteous life of honesty to be applied to us. Our only hope is that His sacrificial death for dishonest people would be applied to us. In faith, we cry out to Him. His life and death are given to us, and we stand as sinners declared righteous by His grace before the Father. We can “ascend the hill” through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Now, as Hebrews 4:16 puts it, we can “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.” Because of Jesus, we can worship the Father. That is the gospel.

Although God has declared us as righteous, seeing us as holy thanks to Christ’s life and death, we still look at ourselves and see much unrighteousness. We have been justified, but we have not been fully sanctified. We look in the mirror and don’t see someone who acts consistently like Jesus. We must ask the Father to work that righteousness in us. That is our only hope of having hearts of good, not evil, of being people who don’t need oaths, of being people that speak to others conscious of God’s omnipresence. We need to ask ourselves tough questions, searching our hearts, praying that the Father would sanctify us by His Spirit. Christian, let me leave you with some questions this morning:

Do you frequently make commitments to serve at church or otherwise and “drop the ball”?

Do you often make promises you know you can’t keep in order to make a good showing for yourself?

Do you sometimes say you’re going to be somewhere and fail to show up?

Do you frequently renege on commitments, calling back to cancel?

Do you often fudge on details in order to make a point?

Do you ever exaggerate stories to get a good audience?

Do you ever say things like, “we ought to have dinner sometime,” and have no intention of doing it?

Do you ever catch yourself bending the truth and then bending it again to cover yourself?

Do you manipulate others through excessive, dishonest flattery?

Do you fail to provide an authentic portrait of yourself to others in order to impress them or protect pride?

Do you often get around the truth by appealing to your “exact words?”

Do “yes” and “no” suffice in your daily conversation or do you constantly have to adorn your sentences with “I swear” or “I promise” or “believe me!?”

Do we “say what we mean” and “mean what we say?”

Or do we often act too much like the world around us? The Tribune again had a story this week about the Vertical Group investments scandal. Columbian Mike Trom was cheated out of $175,000 by a man he thought was his best friend, Nate Reuter. Reuter and his friend Daryl Brown swindled people all over America out of millions of dollars. Trom went hunting with his next-door neighbor Reuter, but he found out later that his best friend was really hunting for his bank account. Brothers and sisters, this is the way of the world. Will we live as people transformed by grace?

The Jewish sect known as the Essenes was known for their honesty. The Jewish historian Josephus spoke of them like this:

They are eminent for fidelity and are the ministers of peace. Whatsoever they say is also firmer than an oath. But swearing is avoided by them, and they esteem it worse than perjury, for they say that he who cannot be believed without (swearing by God) is already condemned.

The Essenes had their faults, the chief being that they didn’t embrace Jesus as the Messiah. But they also hid in the caves around the Red Sea, calling themselves “sons of light,” while keeping it under a basket. Let us have the honesty they exemplified, and take it public, and make it all about what Jesus has done.

Daniel Webster once said, “There is nothing as powerful as truth and often nothing as strange.” In an age when honesty is seen as “not that big of a deal,” let us be strange. Let us be a dynamic counter-culture in Columbia that uses its words honestly, and therefore, lovingly. Let us be transformed people in our conversations with others, attracting lost people to Jesus.

All of life, as the Reformers put it, is lived coram deo, or “before the face of God.” We live in the presence of God, under the authority of God, for the glory of God. He hears our every word. Let us live in a way consistent with that truth, showing a dying world that the God of the universe is near.

Divorce Defeated by the Gospel of Grace

2006-07-31T21:53:00.000-05:00

Divorce Defeated by the Gospel of Grace
Matthew 5:31-32, 7/23/06, Kevin P. Larson, Grace Church of Columbia

Last week, I began and ended with the question, “What as a church are we going to do about lust?” I argued that lust and immorality and pornography are rampant in the culture and in the church, and we must act.

This week, the subject matter doesn’t get any easier. What will we do about divorce? I could spend a bunch of time quoting statistics to you today, but I won’t. You have all heard that as many as 50% of marriages end in divorce. Former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating once said it was easier to get out of a marriage today than it is a Tupperware contract. And you have also likely heard that, in conservative, evangelical churches, divorce is at least just as common or is perhaps even more common. What will we do about divorce?

Last week, we looked at Matthew 5:27-30 dealing with lust and adultery. We saw that the Pharisees were proud that they were not committing adultery, but they were simultaneously filled with lustful desires for women not their wives. Jesus teaches that there is more to sin than just external actions. One who desires in his heart one who is not is wife is guilty of breaking the heart of the commandment against adultery. Therefore, Jesus commands us to take drastic measures to fight lust. Otherwise, we will experience judgment, the just condemnation for all of those that disregard God’s law.

This week, we look at Matthew 5:31-32. This passage is grammatically connected to our previous passage by a Greek “and” that isn’t reflected in your translation. But it’s also thematically attached to our last passage. The Pharisees were proud that they weren’t committing physical adultery, but they were lusting. And the Pharisees were divorcing. Their liberal views on divorce and marriage were making them commit physical adultery over and over again. But they didn’t get it. Jesus’ teachings here are pointed partially at them, but they are primarily here to teach his disciples and those that would become such, what it means to be a child of the kingdom.

Let’s read the passage and begin in prayer.

ESV Matthew 5:31 "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

This morning, we’ll be looking at what a passage in the Bible teaches about divorce and remarriage, but first, let’s look the whole Bible teaches about marriage. I’ll give you ten points as we begin.

First, marriage was instituted at the beginning. In Genesis 2, Eve is created from Adam, and she is immediately called his wife. Marriage is seen as good and right. In fact, after God repeatedly said in chapter 1 that his creation of the world was “good,” we see the Lord say, in verse 18 of chapter 2, “It is not good that a man should be alone.” Something wasn’t right. Therefore, God created Eve, and, in the process, created the institution of marriage. Made at the very beginning, marriage is seen as something good and right.

Second, marriage was designed, at the beginning, to be a permanent union between a man and a woman, where each left their mother and father, committed their loyalty and exclusivity to each other, and became one flesh—not just meaning that they had sexual relations, but that they formed a new family unit. Marriage was to be one man with one woman for one lifetime. As Genesis 2:24 reads, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Third, marriage is seen biblically as a covenant. Malachi 2:14 states, “But you say, "Why does he not?" Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.” A covenant refers to a man and a woman coming together, formally committing themselves to one another through solemn vows, publicly agreeing to certain stipulations, calling upon God as the chief witness. It is more than a contract. It is for life, and it is before God.

Fourth, marriages therefore are rightly formed in public ceremonies where human witnesses are present and the Divine Witness is called upon. Weddings publicly recognize that a man and woman are leaving, cleaving, and becoming one flesh. This is why private ceremonies are pointless and secular ceremonies are meaningless. When one breaks his or her vows, he sins against his spouse, against the community of faith, and ultimately against God. Proverbs 2:17 speaks of an adulteress “who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.” Weddings are not simply about the couple or about their commitment with God. It’s also about a community that stands there to encourage them in, and hold them accountable to, keeping their vows.

Fifth, the man was created by God to serve as the head of the family, with the wife lovingly following his lead. 1 Corinthians 11:3 states, “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” This headship is rooted in the Trinity. As God the Father is the head of His Son, Jesus, so is the husband the head, or authority, over his wife.

Sixth, this headship includes, along with guiding his family, protecting and providing. 1 Timothy 5:8 reads, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” The man bears the ultimate responsibility for his wife and children. Not following Adam’s example, he is called to keep His wife and children from harm.

Seventh, this headship was distorted by the fall. Right after their tragic mistake, God says, in Genesis 3:16, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” In other words, the divinely instituted authority of the husband, as well as the submission of the wife to that leadership, were distorted by the great sin. Now she would “desire” to rule over her husband. His “rule” would be distorted by wrong desires. Always intended to rule, His authority would now degenerate into harsh, unloving authoritarianism.

Eighth, divorce that resulted from sin angers the Lord. States Malachi 2:16, "For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong," says the LORD of hosts. "So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously."

Ninth, the marriage relationship is seen biblically as a picture of God’s covenantal love with His people. Listen to Ephesians 5, beginning verse 22.

ESV Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Marriage is meant to proclaim something about God—about how He loves those who are His and how those that are His love Him back.

Tenth, we also know that the death of a spouse ends the covenant. This is taught in Romans 7, as well as 1 Corinthians 7. The widow of a deceased person can rightfully be remarried.

So there are a few opening thoughts about marriage. Much more could be said. Let’s turn, however, to today’s passage. First, what were the Pharisees teaching about marriage?

Jesus quotes them in Matthew 5:31. It reads, "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' Based on everything I just said, you might ask, “Where on earth did the Pharisees get such an idea?” Their teaching was a messed up understanding of Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Let’s read that to get to what they were teaching.

ESV Deuteronomy 24:1 "When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, 2 and if she goes and becomes another man's wife, 3 and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, 4 then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the LORD. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.

What had happened was that the Pharisees had taken this Old Testament passage and used it to justify all sorts of divorce. We can see that from another key passage in Matthew dealing with divorce, chapter 19, and verses 3-12. Keep your finger in Deuteronomy 24 and turn there.

ESV Matthew 19:3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" 4 He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." 7 They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?" 8 He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." 10 The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." 11 But he said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it."

Notice two things in the two questions the Pharisees ask Jesus. First, they say, in verse 3, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” What had happened is the Jews of Christ’s day had focused on the phrase in Deuteronomy 24:1 “some indecency in her.” Two schools of thought existed in that day—the Shammai school and the Hillel school. The Shammai guys were the conservatives. The Hillel guys were the liberals. Shammai taught that “indecency” referred to some kind of serious sexual sin. Hillel taught that it referred to any blemish a man might see in his wife.

For example, it’s commonly stated that Jewish men in that day would divorce their wives for simply burning a meal. Like it says in Matthew 5, they would “give her a certificate for divorce,” and she would be over. The well-known Jewish historian, Josephus, a Pharisee, as well as a divorcé, said divorces could be obtained “for any causes whatsoever.”

Apparently, “indecency” could be claimed if the woman just looked unappealing compared to another woman. So, the Jews in Jesus’s day were going through marriages right and left, and they wanted to know from Jesus, “Are you with the conservatives or the liberals?”

Secondly, they say, in verse 7, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” Now, look at Deuteronomy 24:1 again, and you’ll quickly see that it says nothing of the kind. It says, "When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house,” and it goes on. There are all of these “ifs,” but there is never a command. Basically, the Pharisees had taken Moses’s teaching, had turned it into a command, and had turned it into a command to divorce your wife if she cooked your eggs scrambled, when you asked for over-easy. This was the teaching of the Pharisees.

We’ll discuss in just a bit what Moses was teaching, but what we should understand now is that the Pharisees were walking around smugly, proud of the fact that they had never committed adultery, when they were going through wives like they were toilet paper. They had this view of adultery that made committing that sin more about stealing someone else’s wife than dishonoring the one you had. So If a Pharisee got sick of his wife, no matter if it was for gross sexual sin or for just having bed head, all he had to do was file a little paperwork, and she was gone. And, even better still, that Pharisee had his own proof-text from the Bible that propped up his actions. There he was, proud of the fact that he hadn’t committed adultery, while his heart was wicked to the core, and he had committed adultery numerous times.

In Matthew 5:20 again, Jesus said, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus, here, as in his other teachings, exposes the error of the Pharisees and takes the issue from external so-called obedience to internal, true righteousness. He also explains, here and in Matthew 19, as the one to whom the law points, how they had wrongly interpreted Moses.

Jesus says, “But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Notice two things Jesus says here.

First, divorce leads to adultery. Now, folks, this isn’t rocket science, but it’s as simple as this: just because you have a piece of paper that says you’re divorced that doesn’t make you divorced. If you have something from the government that says your marriage has ended, that doesn’t change the fact that God says marriage is for one man and one woman for one lifetime. So, those Pharisees then, and those of us now, that dump our wife and get remarried, as Jesus says, it “makes her commit adultery.” In Jesus’s day, way more than today, a woman had to get married to survive. She had to have a man. It’s as if Jesus is assuming she will remarry. Today, it’s still very likely a woman will remarry, if not for other, social reasons. Regardless, if you send her away, you cause her to commit adultery, because she’s still married, in God’s eyes, to you.

Jesus also says here, “Whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Not only is that woman committing adultery by getting remarried, but the man who marries her is committing adultery. Why? He’s marrying someone else’s wife. In God’s eyes the two are still married.

Over in Matthew 19, in verse 9, Jesus words it slightly differently. He says, “Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” Of course, the initiator is guilty, as well. The point is simple. The covenant vows are still binding. People can get divorced, but they’re still married. People who get divorced and remarried sin by committing adultery, and they cause others to sin, as well.

Second, Jesus says divorce is permitted for sexual unfaithfulness. Notice here what has been called the “exception clause”—“except on the ground of sexual immorality.” What does He mean by this? There are a number of things people have argued here. First, some have said it refers to fornication—premarital sexual activity. This is how the King James Version of the Bible translates it. But this seems too narrow. The Greek word used here is porneia, which as you can see is the root of the word “pornography” and seems broader than that. Second, some have said it refers to adultery alone. But there is another word in Greek that means adultery, the word moicheia. Jesus chooses not to use that word. Third, some have said it refers to a broader range of sexual sins, and I think that is right. But, for married people, it primarily has to do with unfaithfulness to one’s spouse in a gross, physical way.

In the Old Testament, adultery brought stoning. Deuteronomy 22:22 says, "If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.” In Jesus’s day, living in the Roman Empire, the Jews didn’t follow the stoning laws. But it’s almost as if Jesus here is saying that, if your spouse is sexually unfaithful, you can act as if the man or woman is dead. In all other cases, divorce and remarriage amounts to adultery, but when the spouse has been sexually unfaithful, the victim can divorce and remarry without sin. The marriage covenant has been broken already.

Let me make two simple statements about that, before going on. First, we must keep in mind that Jesus doesn’t command divorce in that situation. In Matthew 19:8, in response to the Pharisees labeling of Moses’s words as a command, Jesus says, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives.” He changes the language from that of command, to permission. Jesus is saying here in Matthew 5:32 that the victim isn’t bound to the marriage, but he doesn’t come near to commanding them to get a divorce. If we use that sort of logic, we’re imitating exactly what the Pharisees were doing. They looked at a passage of Scripture that spoke of allowing divorce and tried to turn it into a command to fuel their sin.

In fact, if we look at the Sermon on the Mount, we see a pattern of seeking reconciliation, even with our enemies, and that certainly should include a husband who cheated on you.

If we look even broader, in the entire Bible, we see God remaining faithful to His people despite their great unfaithfulness. This is what the book of Hosea is about. God tells Hosea to pursue an unfaithful harlot just to make a point—He pursues His people even when they’re not true to Him. Rather than look for a loophole to “get out,” it seems as if we should “trade up” as Christians and seek to model God’s radical covenantal love for His people in marriage. As the church father Chrystostom said, “For he that is meek, and a peacemaker, and poor in spirit, and merciful, how shall he cast out his wife? He that is used to reconcile others, how shall he be at variance with her that is his own?”

Second, we can’t dwell on what “sexual immorality” means and desperately try to see if it applies to us. Then, we’re just like the Pharisees again. Just like they were debating like crazy about the word “indecency” in Deuteronomy 24, we can debate about our word here in Matthew. We can focus on what can get us out of a marriage. Jesus focuses on having a heart that wants to stay in. So, we can’t turn this into a command, and we can’t turn it into a “catch all” term to justify our divorces. Otherwise, we’re missing the fact that Jesus is telling us to surpass the Pharisees, not just look like them.
What, then, was Moses teaching in Deuteronomy? Let’s look at it again.

ESV Deuteronomy 24:1 "When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, 2 and if she goes and becomes another man's wife, 3 and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, 4 then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the LORD. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.

What we see here is Moses recognizing divorce is happening and giving regulations to it. You see all these “ifs” here: if a man finds indecency and gives her a certificate and sends her away, and if she marries another man, and if that man divorces her and kicks her out or dies, then the first husband can’t take her back. What you have here is God, through Moses, protecting women from hasty, jerky husbands. A man had to get a certificate. He could never marry the same woman again. So he’d better be honest about any indecency, and he had better be sure that he really wants to divorce her.

Remember, Jesus says, in Matthew 19:8, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” What you don’t see in Deuteronomy 24 is an endorsement of divorce, and certainly not a command, but a concession by God to regulate the practice, in order to protect His people. His people were hard-hearted fools, divorcing against His will, so He gave Moses regulations to protect them.

It’s as if you walk onto the playground, see some kids fighting, and you say, “If you’re going to fight, fight, but no punching the head, and no hitting below the belt.” You’re not telling them to fight. You’re not telling them it’s ok to fight. You’re just giving them rules so that no one is seriously hurt.

What was “indecency?” We’re not really sure. Again, adultery brought stoning, not divorce, so we’re not certain. Likely it was some sort of terrible sexual sin that stopped short of physical adultery. The point is not to supply an “out” to marriage. The point of the passage is to restrict divorce, protecting God’s people.

That is what Moses does in Deuteronomy 24. But, as Sinclair Ferguson puts it, “A passage intended to regulate man’s rebellion against God’s purpose in marriage was distorted to provide an excuse for divorce… The hard hearts that this law was meant to restrain used it to their own ends.”

Jesus teaches that divorce results in adultery. He, like us, was preaching in an era where divorce was rampant, proclaiming its evils. But Jesus was speaking to people that had twisted God’s words to say that the Lord had commanded divorce and divorce for any reason. Jesus says, “No!” Divorce results in adultery, except in one case—when marital unfaithfulness dissolves the covenant, giving freedom to the victim.

Biblically, we know of one other situation where divorce and remarriage is allowed. Look at 1 Corinthians 7:12-15.

ESV 1 Corinthians 7:12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.

Believers are to remain faithfully married to unbelieving spouses who keep their vows. However, in verse 15, the word for “separates” frequently was used for divorce and likely means that here. If an unbeliever leaves a Christian and divorces him or her, that believer is no longer bound or “enslaved” and may remarry.

So, Jesus says divorce is not permitted and results in adultery. But, what, you may ask is the big deal about divorce and adultery? Primarily, it tells falsehoods about God in two ways.

First, it lies about His creation. We see this in Matthew 19:4-6. Let us look at those verses once again.

ESV Matthew 19:4 He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."

Jesus says, as I began with this morning, that God made one man and one woman to leave, cleave, and become one flesh for a lifetime. Divorce, just like homosexuality or polygamy or cohabitating without marriage, tells a lie about how God designed the family, the fundamental building block of society.

Second, it lies about redemption. Again, Ephesians 5:32 says, “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”
Again, as I began this morning, marriages are a human picture of the relationship of our Lord with His people. Luke and Ann and I are reading Douglas Wilson’s book, Reforming Marriage. In that book, Wilson writes,

In this passage in Ephesians, Paul tells us that husbands, in their role as head, provide a picture of Christ and the church. Every marriage, everywhere in the world, is a picture of Christ and the church. Because of sin and rebellion, many of these pictures are slanderous lies concerning Christ. But a husband can never stop talking about Christ and church. If he is obedient to God, he is preaching the truth; if he does not love his wife, he is speaking apostasy and lies—but he is always talking. If he deserts his wife, he is saying that this is the way Christ deserts His bride—a lie. If he is harsh with his wife and strikes her, he is saying that Christ is harsh with the church—another lie. If he sleeps with another woman, he is an adulterer and a blasphemer as well. How could Christ love someone other than His own Bride? It is astonishing how, for a few moments of pleasure, faithless men can bring themselves to slander the faithfulness of Christ in such a way (Wilson, 25).

So divorce and adultery lie about God. We can talk and talk about the harm and hurt divorce brings to men, women, and their families. But the primary problem is that it tells a lie about God and His nature. Marriage is a covenant primarily because God has worked to redeem His creation through a covenant.

God’s good creation was marred greatly by the fall. But God did not abandon that which He made. He committed Himself to His creation through covenants—those with Abraham, David, and ultimately the New Covenant. Each of these covenants found their fulfillment in Christ, the One who lived, died, and rose again to redeem His people, the Church, as well as all His creation.

So, not only was marriage part of the shalom of creation—“the way things ought to be” as theologian Cornelius Plantinga puts it. But marriage paints a picture of the way that shalom is restored—through the covenant faithfulness of Christ to His creation. God made one man and woman to covenant together in faithfulness. God covenanted Himself with His creation in faithfulness.

When we divorce and remarry we lie about the “way things ought to be,” as well as the way God ensures that things will one day be the “way things ought to be,” through His covenantal faithfulness to that which He has made. It lies about creation and redemption.

The issue is again about the heart. Are we like the Pharisees, dirty on the inside, desiring adultery, and displaying that through our pursuit of divorce? Or are we broken, humble people touched by the gospel, who are clean on the inside, who deeply want to honor God by loving our spouses as He calls us to do?

I want to conclude this morning by looking at our response to this passage of Scripture in two ways. It should first humble us and draw us to the gospel. Again, as I’ve been pushing throughout this series, two thieves stand on each side of the gospel that we must avoid.

First, we must avoid the thief of relativism or irreligion. This is the way of the pagan. This would look at this passage and say, “Who cares?” This is the attitude of our culture. This says, “I’m no longer happy or fulfilled with her.” I want out. I don’t care what God thinks. That attitude, as you know, leads to divine judgment.

Second, we must avoid the thief of legalism or religion. This is the way of the Pharisee. This could have several forms. We could look at the fact that we haven’t been divorced, look in the mirror, and be proud of our goodness. Close to that form, we could dumb down Christ’s commands, keep those, and be proud. This is what Jesus is condemning in today’s text. Or we could be a Pharisee in the opposite direction. Rather than boasting in our goodness, we could beat ourselves up for our failings. This is just the same pride wrapped in different clothing. We still see keeping Jesus’s commands as contingent upon our obedience.

Both “thieves” must be avoided that sit on each side of the gospel. Rather, we must look at Jesus’s demands and be broken. We must be “poor in Spirit,” seeing in ourselves no ability to keep Christ’s demands. Marriage is hard. God’s expectations are high. Our only hope is to fall down before Him, claiming Christ’s work on our behalf. We need the gospel. Are we people that look for loopholes in what God has said or do we deeply desire to obey Him from the heart? That is what the gospel produces in people.

It is only His covenant faithfulness to us that enables us to keep a covenant with another human being. We need His righteousness worked in us. We need new hearts. Only through His Spirit can we be faithful to a spouse.
We need the gospel. By falling down in need of the gospel, we glorify God, and not self. We humble self and exalt Christ.

Second, it should motivate us to live out the gospel. I’ll speak to those among us that are married first. As people who have embraced the gospel, we are called to extend it to others, and that certainly starts with our spouses. We see this in Ephesians 5. We see husbands loving their wives as Christ loves the church.
We see wives submitting to and respecting their husbands as the church does to Christ. We see husbands, who get most of the teaching in this passage, being called to sacrifice for her, sanctify her, nourish her, and cherish her.
What we see here is our experience of the gospel produce an extension of the gospel to others—the church in general, and our spouses, in particular.

So, if we want to keep our wedding vows, it will be due to Christ’s work in us, but Christ’s work in us looks like this: we are more and more gripped by Christ’s love for us in the gospel and then more and more share that love with our spouses.

Let me speak to single people for a minute. We have many singles here. How does this message apply to you? First of all, I want you to embrace the cumulative effect of expositional preaching and not get frustrated when a particular sermon doesn’t apply to your situation at one particular moment. John Piper says that he preaches God’s sovereignty week after week so that, when you’re on your death bed, dying of cancer, he doesn’t have to. In the same way, being exposed to texts like this one shapes you over time into a person that, when married, can, by God’s grace, keep your vows.

And most of you will be married, I’m sure. So this will shape your thinking now for something that you’ll experience later. But, right now, what can you do to ensure that later on, when you are married, that you can honor God by remaining faithful to your spouse? Let me suggest a few things.

First, become a person, by God’s grace, that can stay married. In other words, as I’ve already mentioned, grow in your understanding of, and love for, the gospel, and begin extending it with others. One of the best things you can do is to covenant yourself with a church in membership and begin dying to self and loving sacrificially those in your local body. Lose the tough guy, Lone Ranger approach to the world. Give yourself to Christ’s local expression of the church. Marry Christ’s church “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part.” There is a reason why local congregations have used church covenants, as we do here. We’re called to marry the church, not just to date her. If you begin loving God’s people in this radical, counter-cultural fashion, you’ll find yourself better prepared to marry a person. You’ve already been married to a bunch of people.
Second, date like one who plans to get married and stay married. It is so easy for us to act like our surrounding culture acts when it comes to dating. We date someone until we get bored, where it loses its magic, and then we move on. We date someone until things get a bit difficult, when there are points of disagreement, and we bail and move on.

It’s no wonder why, after doing that over and over again, it’s easy to fall back into that in marriage, covenant ceremony or not. Only date with the intention to marry. Only date someone you’d consider marrying. And resolve not to jump from person to person when things get boring or hard.

It doesn’t mean you should stick with someone you’re not compatible with or meant to be with. Simply, remain humble and open to God’s instruction. Maybe you’re just fighting the loving, sacrificial commitment that is necessary for marriage.

Third, cultivate in your life biblical masculinity and femininity. Whether you’re dating someone or you’re frustrated that you’re not, read the biblical picture of what a husband or wife looks like and imitate it. Men, allow God to shape you into someone that can be a head of a home, who can love your wife as Christ loves His church, who can protect and provide and guide a family. Women, let God make you into a biblical woman, not a woman the world celebrates. Cultivate the “gentle and quiet spirit” 1 Peter 3:4 talks about. Make yourself one who can submit to a man. Become a lady who can build a home and can nurture godly children. It’s better to work to become that type of person, by God’s grace, now rather than later. Spend time with husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, that display some of the qualities you long for. Learn from them.

I’ve addressed singles and marrieds. Lastly, I want to address us as a church as a whole. What should our response be to this passage?

First, we must proclaim God’s truth about divorce and remarriage in love. We must unapologetically teach what Jesus says here and must see it practiced in the life of our church. In other words, we’ll call divorce a sin. We won’t perform unbiblical marriages. We won’t tolerate compromise. On the other hand, in our culture, we will undoubtedly minister to many here who have been divorced and are genuinely repentant. We must share love with those who have been hurt and affected by divorce. We must have truth and love.

Second, and related, we must “close the front door” and “open the back door” on this issue. I used that type of language last week, which comes from Mark Dever. When admitting members, we must exercise great care, only welcoming those that display God’s Spirit by valuing and protecting their marriages.
In addition, we shouldn’t allow those to join who have unbiblical divorces and are resisting reconciliation. We have to be cautious when opening the “front door” of the church. We can’t compromise our stance on divorce when it comes to admitting members.

Regarding the “back door,” we must discipline those who divorce and remarry without biblical grounds. I’ve heard enough horror stories about a man who cheats on his wife, marries another, and then takes his place on the pew just behind her in the same church. This must not be!
We must deal with such sins as a church, removing unrepentant divorcés and adulterers, if necessary, from church membership. This is for God’s glory, for the purity and witness of the church, and for the wellbeing of the offender.

We must boldly deal with the problem of divorce in our churches. Why do they say that divorce is now more common inside the evangelical church? Yes, it’s partially because we have imbibed the teachings of our culture and have succumbed to a “no fault” divorce mentality. But, it probably has more to do with the fact that the church won’t deal with the issue at her front door or back door. We allow people to join that have unbiblically divorced and show no repentance. We don’t remove people from our midst when they secure unbiblical divorces. It’s no wonder that our churches are filled with people that are divorced. Grace Church, we must be different.

We must take this issue seriously. Several years ago, a high-profile radio preacher separated from his wife. He promised at the time that, if his marriage was ever divorced, he would step down from his pastorate. The marriage ended some time later, and he took back his promise and said that he had decided to be “faithful to God’s call.”

Justifying the church’s actions, their administrative pastor stated this to an applauding congregation. He said, “It is my biblical, spiritual, and personal conviction that God has positioned Dr. So and So in a place where his personal pain has validated his ability to minister to all of us.”

As well-known radio commentator Chuck Colson put it, “In other words, the pastor’s divorce enables him to be a BETTER shepherd of his flock?” Colson called the pastor to keep his promise and step down from the pulpit.

Brothers and sisters, I need God’s grace to keep my wedding vows. I’m not above this type of sin, as none of us are. But this just shows the ridiculous way the church has begun to view divorce and remarriage. It’s no wonder we’re such a mess when it comes to marriage.

Third, we must practice “preventative medicine” as a church regarding this issue. We must be actively involved in each other’s lives, enabling us all to keep our marital vows. This is why our gender prayer groups are so important. We can challenge and encourage one another in this area day by day so that the big problems will by and large be avoided.

Fourth, as a church, we must again strive to become a dynamic counter-culture in Columbia. We are called to be a “city on a hill.” We can be that city within a city by showing the beauty of marriage in a nation where the divine institution is increasingly not valued. Our solution isn’t to picket and yell and kick and scream when people don’t celebrate marriage in our culture. The solution is for us to display, as a church, what marriage looks like, what commitment looks like, what families look like, what godly husbands and fathers and wives and mothers look like, what difference the gospel makes in the nitty-gritty details of life—like marriage. Because, if the gospel doesn’t help in the realm of marriage, it’s not worth much. If, by God’s grace, we can shine on this issue, Columbia will notice.

Brothers and sisters, let us become people, by God’s grace, and for His glory, that will bring honor to Him among the world by keeping our covenant vows. Let us not look for loop-holes to get out of marriages and still be proud of ourselves. If tragic circumstances arise, let us look at them on a case-by-case basis. But let us default to the idea that God intended, in creation, for marriage to be permanent. Let us remember that nothing images God more than being patient with wayward, stubborn sinners. That is what we have received in the gospel. Let us extend it to others, especially our spouses.

Jesus said, in Matthew 19:6, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” He who has ears, let him hear.

Die for Baptism?

2006-07-31T16:36:00.000-05:00

My friend Eric Schumacher posts his sermon of the week here. He gives some great thoughts about the meaning and importance of baptism.

9 Marks Newsletter: 2 Great Articles

2006-07-26T13:36:00.000-05:00

9 Marks Ministries just sent out their monthly newsletter. Check out these two key articles:

"Praying Beyond Health Concerns" by David Powlison

"Separating Insiders and Outsiders" by Mike McKinley

Dever on Evangelism

2006-07-25T22:26:00.000-05:00

Check out Baptist Press's coverage of Mark Dever's address to pastors at the recent convention.

Christians and the Creation

2006-07-24T19:21:00.000-05:00

Dr. Russell Moore once again stood in for Dr. Mohler on "The Albert Mohler Program" the other day. On this broadcast, Dr. Moore talks about how Christians should relate to God's creation. Should they follow the ways of many conservatives and say goodbye to green? Or should they become pagan earth worshippers like many liberals? Listen here.

Lust Tackled by the Gospel of Grace

2006-07-22T12:04:00.000-05:00

Lust Tackled by the Gospel of Grace
Matthew 5:27-30, 7/14/06, Kevin P. Larson, Grace Church of Columbia

Matthew 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

Men here at Grace Church of Columbia are strongly encouraged to install a program called “x3 watch” on their computers. This software emails an accountability partner every month or so any questionable websites visited. It’s a super program, and I think it has benefited each of us tremendously.

Recently, the leaders of the ministry that produce the software, called XXXchurch, attended and set up a booth at L.A.’s “Erotica Expo,” which is billed as the world’s largest pornography trade show. They handed out hundreds of copies of The Message paraphrase of the Bible that were emblazoned on the front with “Jesus Loves Porn Stars.” Now, I want to mention this again at the end of today’s sermon, but right now I want to say that this expresses at its heart a desire that the church needs to have—a desire to take lust and pornography and immorality in our culture head-on. We need that kind of zeal. We need that type of commitment. We, as the church, must do something.

Let me begin explaining why there is a need for such measures. Most of these will seem obvious to you, but they need to be said, regardless.

First, lust and pornography that incites it is rampant in our culture. If we take Merriam-Webster’s definition of the term “pornography,” that it is the “depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement,” then we don’t just see it in America, we live in it.

If we use the terms of the porn culture, referring to soft-core or hard-core porn, we swim in an ocean of soft-core pornography. The media provides a constant barrage of lust to us daily. Turn on your TV at night and you will see countless shows about sex—reality shows about Playboy bunnies, documentaries about breast implants, and game shows about people “hooking up.” Stand in the checkout line at Moser’s and you see countless magazines covered with provocative pictures and headlined with sayings that make you blush. We’re bombarded with sexual immorality today in America. Most people, however, don’t even notice it. If you ask a fish what it’s like to live in water, he would say, “What’s water?” This is where we live.

Last April, in the Los Angeles Times, a reporter named Shawn Huber interviewed teenage boys on the subject. One 16-year old boy is quoted as saying, “Pornography is just a part of the culture now. It’s almost like it’s not even, like porn.” One 18-year old said, “Porn is just another form of entertainment now.” Gilbert Herdt, who directs the National Sexuality Resource Center in San Francisco, is quoted as saying this in the article: “What we once called porn is just mainstream sex now, and what we think of as pornography has shrunk to a tiny, tiny area. We’ve expanded the envelope of normative sex so much that there’s not much room for ‘porn’ anymore.” Again, we swim in this.

If we speak of hard-core pornography, millions and millions of men and women are accessing it today regularly on the internet. What experts call the “Triple-A Engine”—accessibility, anonymity, and affordability—is reeling people in right and left. Believe it or not, now the pornography industry makes over 10 billion a year—more than Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Football league combined! Apparently there are over 200 new porn sites uploaded to the web a day! So more and more people are delving into the hard-core.

Second, therefore, most people, but men in particular, have been exposed significantly to pornography that has fed and increased their lust. The fact that men are naturally visually stimulated has been exacerbated and further twisted by their osmosis of a pornographic culture and their penetration into an evil world of internet porn. I often tell young people today that I can’t imagine the thought of growing up in a culture when, beginning at puberty, you’re one click away from pornography. It makes me feel old, but it makes me glad that I am.

Third, women have therefore been more and more objectified by men in particular, and society in general. This has led to an all-around disrespect for women and higher incidences of violence toward females. Despite this, women have by and large embraced this:
· Passively, they have succumbed to status as a sex object by focusing on externals or by accepting casual sex as necessary to obtain affection from men. I have mentioned this before, but Amy once told me about how, in a conversation with her fellow nurses at her hospital in Louisville, she found out that almost all of them had breast implants and also took antidepressants. The ubiquity of cosmetic surgery and the infatuation with physical fitness demonstrates women have given up. This never-ending race to have the perfect body to attract the perfect man who then dumps you when he gets bored would put anybody on Prozac.
· Actively, women have embraced attitudes and actions previously characterized by the wickedest of men.
I mentioned several weeks ago an article in Rolling Stone discussing the culture of sex at Duke University, one of our nation’s most prominent universities. This article interviews women almost exclusively and it is shocking. Here is the attitude I’m talking about. Writes, Janet Reitman, the author:

Today's female college students are the impressionable middle-schoolers of the late 1990s -- the ones who made Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera icons of sexy, powerful young-womanhood. Now, these girls, too, can have sex -- with whomever they choose and whenever they might want it, in a number of ways, without even thinking about what it all means. And they do, says a sophomore I'll call Naomi, ''Sometimes, girls will be like, 'I'm just _______ and I want to have sex,' '' she says. ''I think you'd be a lot more pressed to find that attitude a little longer ago.''

That’s for sure. One of the things Reitman tries to show in the article is the irony that, in an age of perhaps the highest opportunity for women, those same women are degrading themselves sexually. Duke has some of the best and brightest women in America and they’re excelling academically during the day and are being degraded sexually at night. Times have changed.

Fourth, the result is a society that has confused, perverted, and idolized sexual activity. This is a culture of lust. We live in a messed up place. When I say confused, I speak of Adriana Lima, an adult model Mark Driscoll mentions on his blog. Lima is Catholic, pro-life, plans to wait until marriage for sex, and has appeared numerous times naked for teenage boys to lust over. Writes Driscoll:

Having been raised as a Catholic boy, I can sadly say that I think I understand how she got to this weird point of being the naked porn fantasy of men across the world while simultaneously being devoutly committed to sexual chastity before marriage. It seems that she only sees sins of commission and does not understand sins of omission. This explains why she is proud of not committing the sin of fornication (sex before marriage, for anyone to whom that is a new f-word). And it also explains why she does not see her sin of omitting her clothes from her body as a sin. Apparently, she does not see lust as a sin but does see sex as a sin, which is the kind of theological reasoning one would expect from a supermodel.

Confusion is right. When I speak of perverted, an example would be HBO’s newest series Big Love which glamorizes polygamy. When I speak of idolized, I think of porn filmmaker Ron Jeremy coming to Mizzou for a debate and hundreds come, not to protest, but to cheer him on. We are in a sexually messed-up world. Friday night, Amy and I were watching a Dateline NBC program talking about internet sex predators. Dateline’s team posed on the internet as young girls or boys in major cities, as well as in the country, and tried to get men to come to a house for sex with them. What happened was shocking. They came and came and came to the door. There were probably 250 men that got their face on national TV for walking into a house expecting to have sex with a youngster they had met on the internet. At one house, so many men came that the police didn’t have the manpower to arrest them all!

Separated from the wedding covenant, from the committed companionship God designed, from the childbearing sex is supposed to entail, sex is now everything, while it simultaneously means nothing. We live in a culture of sexual confusion. But lest we get too upset, let us remember that Jesus and the apostles ministered in the Greco-Roman world where, if you went to worship a god, you more than likely did it with sex. Everything was a go in Rome, and it is that way now here in America. It’s no wonder why if you question gay marriage that people look at you with a blank stare. Most have no category in their head for the question. If you’re a fish, it’s hard to see many distinctions in the water.

Fifth, this culture of lust has impacted the church. Our churches are filled with people shaped by it. To say anything else would be ridiculously naïve.
· In our worship times are men and women who are absorbed in lust and porn and don’t care.
· In our gatherings are men and women who struggle with lust and porn and want to get free.
· In our meetings are men who struggle with guilt from past and present sexual sin; we also have women who experience the same, but also those who have been hurt by husbands enslaved to lust.
· In our midst are men who are trying to or need to reprogram their minds to see women with God’s eyes; we also have women who are trying to or need to go against the culture and cultivate their interior over their exterior.
Lust and pornography and immorality are rampant in churches across America. The question is, “what are we going to do?” Are we going to take it “head on” as a church or are we going to pretend like it doesn’t exist? Are we going to be proactive or reactive? Are we going to just react when things get out of hand? Or are we going to take it “head on” with the hearts of the leaders of XXXchurch? How will we respond? Here in Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus gives us teaching about how to view lust, as well as how to fight it. Will we listen?

Remember that, in Matthew 5:17-20, we saw that Jesus was the fulfillment of the law. All of it pointed to Him. It was all about Christ. Therefore, He makes it clear that if anybody has the authority to teach what the law really means, it’s Him. Last week, Scott explained that the Pharisees who taught God’s commandment not to murder were filled with anger in their hearts and insults in their mouths. Jesus said, “If you’re angry and you insult, you’re going to be judged.” Jesus proclaimed the full extent of the commandment not to murder. Jesus said, in Matthew 5:20, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Here, in Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus shows how far the command not to commit adultery extends. It, as well, goes to the heart, a place where the righteousness of the Pharisees never touched.

What was the teaching of the Pharisees? They taught the seventh commandment, which says, “You shall not commit adultery,” and were proud of the way they kept it. But, just as the Pharisees thought that they were O.K. as long as the knife blade stopped right before it slit somebody’s throat, so they thought that if they stopped right before they had sex with someone not their wife, they were obedient. They had a “you can look, but you can’t touch” view of the commandment. Therefore, they had a very narrow definition of sexual sin and a very broad definition of sexual purity. They had drawn the lines so that they perfectly enclosed their behavior. And they were proud. They had not slept with another woman. They had not committed adultery.

However, we’ll see next week that their liberal practice of divorce and remarriage, often letting go a wife because she burned their breakfast, had made them commit physical adultery over and over again. So they were guilty of adultery as they interpreted it. Jesus, however, says that they’re guilty of even how He interprets it. And for that, they were in trouble. Jesus takes it deeper.

Jesus teaches three things I want you to notice. First, He tells us of the extent of committing adultery. Second, He speaks of the urgency of fighting lust. Third, He tells us of the danger of ignoring lust.

First, let’s consider the extent of adultery. Jesus says, in verses 27 and 28, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Now some would say that here lust equals adultery. Scott again taught us well about murder and anger last week. You, I’m sure, would rather me hate you or call you a moron than shoot you. In the same way, Amy would rather I look at a woman wrongly than have sexual relations with her. So the idea that a “sin is a sin” is not exactly true. Different sins have different consequences. Some affect us and others around us more than other sins. They are not equal in a sense. However, they are equal in another sense. Both violate commandments of God and leave one liable of judgment.

Notice what Jesus doesn’t teach here. He doesn’t say, “Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent commits adultery with her in His heart.” He says that whoever does that has already committed adultery. Thinking about last week’s passage, by the time we call someone a name and berate him, we’ve long ago hated him in our heart and broken the heart of the commandment not to murder. Here, the lustful look is not the adultery. It is an expression of a sinful desire in the heart. Think of our heart like a drug dog sniffing around for cocaine at an airport. We have a sinful desire in our heart that looks around and looks around and looks around for something to satisfy that lust.
So the lustful look is an expression of an adulterous desire. The desire is the problem. That’s what Jesus means when he says that one “has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

So the problem, much like with murder, is a problem of the heart. When Jesus said that we must surpass the scribes and Pharisees in terms of righteousness, that’s what He meant. We must surpass them by not just being pure on the outside, but also being pure on the inside. If we want to enter the kingdom, we must be different on the interior.

Sin is primarily a matter of desire. Sure, we do things outwardly, but they are expressions of what is going on inwardly. Jesus teaches this elsewhere, in Matthew 12:34-35. He says,

Matthew 12:34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.

Bad actions come out of bad hearts. And the Pharisees were doing bad actions. Not only were they really committing adultery ironically through marriage, like I mentioned, but their eyes and hands were committing lust. Just as the anger and insults were coming out last week, so we see lustful looks coming out this week. But, if we’re not careful, we can take the Pharisees’ legalism in a different direction. We can say, “Hey, I’ll just not look. I won’t touch. I won’t tell my friend, ‘Hey, look at her,” and I’ll be o.k. But it’s the wicked desire in the heart that is the problem.

That desire, as with the Pharisees, often comes out with us. It comes out with lustful actions. It comes out by clicking on websites or watching raunchy TV programs or staring at an attractive person of the opposite sex. But, as Scott pointed out last week, what keeps us often from going straight to adultery is the fear of being caught, the concern with losing the family, the thought of getting exposed as an ungodly person. This no doubt was what was stopping the Pharisees. And it sadly is what often stops us. We are more wicked than we will admit.

What is Jesus teaching? He’s saying the desire to commit adultery is what brings judgment, not simply the act itself. I think back to my teenage years as an unbeliever. If I could have looked at pornography every day on the internet, I would have. If I could have slept with the pretty girls at school, I would have. I didn’t have opportunity, because I grew up in the eighties, and because I was a geek and couldn’t get the girls. But I was a wicked, depraved sinner deserving of judgment. I committed adultery in my heart.
Jesus teaches authoritatively as the one to whom the law pointed, that such desires break God’s command and merit judgment.

Now, some of you might be thinking, “How could you have committed adultery while single?” We have many singles here. You could be thinking, “This passage is talking to married people.” We have many women here. You could be thinking, “This passage is talking to men alone.” But, if you think such things, you’re resorting to the same goofiness practiced by the Pharisees. You draw a box with the passage that makes you fit and you look in the mirror and think you’re ok.

Single men, the seventh commandment, at its surface only, certainly prohibited having sex with anybody that was not your wife. It included fornication. Jesus here forbids having sexual desires for anybody not your wife. It includes desires for fornication. So, this most certainly applies to you.

Ladies, single or married, this applies to you, as well. Yes, men are naturally more visually stimulated. But women are naturally more emotional. They may not look at a man on the street and have a sexual fantasy right there. But the danger is that a woman may look at another man, see how he cares for his wife and family or people in general, see how he loves the Lord and may lust for Him in her own, feminine way. You’re more likely to get online, not to look at pictures, but rather to chat back and forth with another man, attaching your heart to another. Writes Charles Mylander, in his book, The Christ-Centered Marriage,

Both men and women lust, they just happen to lust in different ways. Let me contrast the ways... Men tend to lust impulsively. That is, they see a woman, they see a picture, they see something that prompts them to lust. Women tend to lust selectively. They locate someone who's special in their mind and they become preoccupied with that special person. Men tend to lust through their eyes the things that they see. Women tend to lust through their ears the things that they hear. How they long for the compliments to come. The affirmation to be given. Even a meaningful conversation in which a man really listens to them and if that isn't experienced through their husband, quite often that leaves them vulnerable to experience that temptation through what other people say to them. Men tend to lust for physical pleasure. Have physical fantasies. Women tend to lust for the emotional pleasure.

Women, this applies to you, as well. You can have a sinful heart that is expressed in longing for someone else’s man or someone who isn’t yours yet. You can lust in your own way. But, again, as I already said, times have changed. And I fear many women lust like men today.

Jesus’s teaching applies to all of us here. In a society that is getting softer on adultery, Jesus gives us a more stringent command. Today, when preachers or politicians commit adultery, it’s just a speed bump along the way. It’s just seen as a minor mistake.
It even is sadly seen as a way that such a person can identify with the average person. I remember this was argued by some on Clinton’s behalf. But I have even heard of it in the church.

Not too long ago, a church here in town was considering a man who had come out of an adulterous affair. It came out of the mouth of a friend of mine something like, “Well, he can sure understand people that have gone through that.” As society and the church are less serious about adultery, Jesus again takes it deeper. Even the desire to commit adultery merits judgment. In our culture, the physical act isn’t that big of a deal. Jesus says it is, and beyond that, the sinful desire is even a bigger deal.

Let us turn to the urgency of fighting lust. Jesus says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.” Now this has been taken literally in history. The church father Origen castrated himself based on this text. He found out, I’m sure, after doing the deed, that his lust didn’t go away. This isn’t meant to be taken literally, but figuratively. It is Jesus using hyperbole to make his point. Our Lord is telling us to take drastic measures to deal with our sin. He is saying, “Do whatever it takes to deal with lust.” So here he’s talking about mortification, putting sin to death, rather than mutilation.

Now you might ask, “Why does Jesus speak of the eye and the hand here?” First, the use of the eye is obvious. The eye expresses and fuels lustful desire. Some have said that the hand is used to emphasize that adultery involves theft. It is taking something that is not yours, either in deed or thought.

Second, others have said that the hand refers to masturbation. Now that probably isn’t a word that you’re comfortable with me saying anywhere, much less church, but let me tell you something: if we don’t talk about it here, we’re going to learn about it out there. Do I want Hadley to hear that word from me, in hopefully a godly and thoughtful way, or by junior high boys, in a crass, immoral way? That’s an easy decision for me. Jesus could be saying here that, if your hand fuels your lust through masturbation, cut it off!

Third, in Matthew 18:8-9, Jesus returns to this idea. Listen:

Matthew 18:8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

Notice that Jesus adds “foot” in this text. Some have therefore argued that the eye refers to what we might see, the hand refers to what we might touch, and the feet refer to where we might go.

To what do “eye” and “hand” and “foot” refer? I’m not sure. The point is to deal drastically, violently, and immediately with whatever causes us to stumble.
Regarding our eyes, this must include:
· Not allowing ourselves to take second gazes and fantasize about those we encounter of the opposite sex.
· Not allowing ourselves to watch late night smut on TV.
· Not allowing ourselves to look at certain websites, rent certain videos, read certain magazines or take in certain books.
Now some would say that I’m being legalistic here. I’m not. I haven’t given you any specific rules. We must guard ourselves, however. We have to be proactive about fighting lust and adultery. We have to guard our eyes. As Job says, in Job 31:1, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how could I then gaze at a virgin?”

For believers, some things should be undoubtedly off-limits. Other things, however, might lie in the area of gray. Some people can watch certain R-rated movies, while others can’t, for example. Rules aren’t the answer, or we’re back where the Pharisees were. We’d be where my former Mormon neighbors were—not watching R rated movies, but watching all kinds of PG-13 ones, and lusting just as much as the next guy. Each of us, in our own way, needs to make a covenant with our eyes. By and large, however, our approach to fighting lust with our eyes should look pretty similar. For example, I can’t see in this culture, how any Christian parent could grant unfettered access to the television and internet to those he loves. Every TV should have certain things blocked. Every computer should have blocking software of some sort. Otherwise, we’re simply being naïve and risky.

Regarding our hands, we must not touch ourselves or others in ways that incite lust.
· We must see inappropriate sexual touching of ourselves as sinful. We must recognize masturbation as an unnatural, sinful, and inherently selfish expression of sexuality against God’s design. What was designed for two in the context of marriage can’t be practiced in a godly manner by just one. And that practice almost always is an expression of lust and encourages lust.
· We must see inappropriate touching of others in dating relationships as sinful. We could have the same attitude as the Pharisees. “We can do anything but sex, and we’re O.K.” But that inappropriate touching and “making out” expresses lust and encourages lust.
Again, I’m not promoting legalism. I didn’t tell you how long to kiss or what to do on dates. I’m arguing that we must be proactive and aggressive in how we fight lust. And if cutting off our hands means anything, it surely applies to touching ourselves and others in inappropriate sexual ways.

Regarding our feet, we shouldn’t go to places that cause us to sin.
· We obviously should not frequent strip clubs or adult video houses or the like.
· But we should also avoid going to places where people are there to “hook up” and where people are clad in garments specifically designed to incite lust.
We must do whatever we can to make sure our feet don’t cause us to desire sin.

The first explanation of hands and feet helps, I think. The 10th commandment condemns coveting. We’re not just commanded not to steal. We’re commanded not to covet what others have. In the same way, Jesus takes this command deeper, as if to say, don’t just not commit adultery, but don’t desire adultery. Don’t covet what is not yours. So being aggressive about lust means not putting ourselves in a position to desire something sexually that isn’t rightly ours.

The point again is not to walk around with gouged out eyes or stubs for arms. The point is that we’re to deal drastically with sin. I remember one time in my house in Springfield, when I was living with three other guys that I was cooking some morels on the stove. I guess I put in too much oil and turned up the stove too high or something. The pan burst into flames. I didn’t know what to do, so I noticed the window was open. I jerked the screen up and threw the frying pan out the window onto the driveway. I hated, of course, to part with those mushrooms. Those of you have hunted them will know that they’re hard to find, and they’re very valuable. But if I didn’t do that, I would burn up myself and the house, as well. I had to take drastic measures.

Some would say, “Kevin, this doesn’t deal with the heart that you’re saying has to be pure. This is only dealing with the exterior.” Yes, our primary strategy has to be to love Jesus and love His people enough that lust loses power over us. But, we have to start with where we’re at.

Lustful looks not only naturally flow from a dirty heart, but they also create a dirty heart. As one once said, “Sow a thought and reap an act. Sow an act and reap a habit. Sow a habit and reap a character. Sow a character and reap a destiny.” As Jesus says elsewhere, in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 6:22, the “eye is the lamp of the body.” If the eyes of our hearts fix themselves on light, our hearts will be light. If they fix themselves on dark things, our hearts will be dark. Simply put, if we don’t fight on the exterior level, our interior will soon be dirty. As my old professor and elder, Bruce Ware, puts it, we fight right now for what we want to be like five years from now.
Sure, we have a positive strategy. We fight fire with fire. We seek the Lord, a greater desire, to push out the lesser desires. But we also have a negative strategy. We take drastic measures to deal with whatever is causing our hearts to sin.

If you walk out to a garden full of weeds, you could stand there and beat yourself up, saying, “Man, I’m an idiot. I should have kept those weeds from growing in there.” You could do that forever. Or you could get in and pull the weeds. If you don’t you won’t see any fruit. They’ll choke it up. We have to start wherever we’re at. We have to do whatever it takes. We have to, as Proverbs 4:23 puts it, “Keep [our] heart[s] with all vigilance, for from it flows the springs of life.”

Brothers and sisters, this can’t be done without pain. Just like you can’t cut off your hand or gouge out your eye without pain and blood and tears, so you can’t fight off adultery without having withdrawal and agony and suffering. But we must do it.

Brothers and sisters, this can’t be done alone. We need others to encourage us to desire Christ. We need others to tell us to fight sin. We need a body of believers to encourage us in this direction. This is why we strongly encourage, and may at some point require, gender-specific groups here at Grace Church, where there is accountability and prayer for our struggles against sin. We can’t do this alone.

I think of the famous “office linebacker” video that circulated the internet several years ago. If you don’t remember it, a company hired this ex-football player to come in and tackle people who were not doing their jobs. It’s pretty hilarious. We need each other to function in that way for us. We need people to come up and drill us and ring our bell when we are being stupid. We need someone to be standing in our ears screaming, “Cut it off! Gouge it out!” We are sinful and stubborn. We need help.

On July 20, 1993, Donald Wyman was clearing land in Pennsylvania as part of his work for a mining company. In the process, a tree rolled onto his shin causing a severe break and pinning Wyman to the ground. He cried for help for an hour but no one came. He concluded that the only way to save his life would be to cut off his leg. So he made a tourniquet out of his shoe string and tightened it with a wrench. Then he took his pocket knife and cut through the skin, muscle, and bone just below the knee and freed himself from the tree. He crawled thirty yards to a bulldozer, drove a quarter-mile to his truck, then maneuvered the standard transmission with his good leg and a hand until he reached a farmer’s house one-and-a-half miles away.
Of course, his leg was bleeding profusely. Farmer John Huber Jr. helped him get to a hospital where his life was spared. Mr. Wyman knew that if he didn’t cut off his leg, he was going to die. The same applies for us, if we don’t fight sin, it will kill us. Will we do what it takes?

Let me turn to the final aspect of Jesus’s teaching. He tells us the danger of ignoring lust. Jesus says, after speaking of cutting out the eye and cutting off the hand, “It is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” Jesus says, if we don’t fight adultery in the heart, we’ll go to hell. I’ll come back to that, but first let me say something about the doctrine of salvation and something about the doctrine of the church.

First, we can be in danger of shielding ourselves from texts like these through a foolish understanding of “eternal security.” When I speak of eternal security, I mean the idea that we may have walked an aisle or prayed a prayer or been immersed in the water, and we can’t lose our salvation, no matter what we do, so this passage doesn’t apply us.

Historically this doctrine has been called the “perseverance of the saints.” Put most simply, it means that true believers, those who have truly trusted in Christ, persist in trusting Him and fighting sin. They persevere because they are preserved by God. As Jesus says, in Matthew 24:13, “The one who endures to the end will be saved.” True believers persevere.

So, you may ask, do I believe that Christians can lose their salvation? No. But what does salvation look like? You may ask, do I believe “once saved, always saved?” Yes. But what does it mean to be “once saved?” Salvation means not just being saved from the penalty of sin, but also the power of sin. True believers desire holiness and see sin as less and less a part of their lives because of God’s work in them. God not only saves. He also sanctifies.

Therefore, if any of us are not growing in holiness, or are not desiring to do so, with sexual sin in particular, and all sin in general, we are in danger of eternal judgment. One in that situation should have no security whatsoever. Eternal security, by that definition, is a lie from hell that sends people to hell.

Second, we must guard the front door of the church and open up the back door of the church as we deal with this issue. Let me give you an example. Last weekend, Amy and I were at a family birthday party. One of the people at the party was a lady who was a member of Amy’s brother’s church. Amy was about to feed Melia, and we grabbed this child seat with a tray where we could feed her more easily. Well, that lady got really upset, and made some really rude remark that Amy could hear like, “I was going to feed her in that seat, but she took it.” Now, she could have been having a bad day; we all are sinners. But, in talking to Amy’s brother Jon, I didn’t get that idea. She was simply not evidencing the love of Christ that demonstrates salvation. She should not have been welcomed as a member of that church, and she should be brought under discipline by that church for her behavior. She shouldn’t have gotten in the front door. She should have been shown the back door.

As Baptists, we hold to regenerate church membership. This means that we strive, by God’s grace, as much as we are able, to only allow authentic believers, those who have been born again, into the membership of this church. This doesn’t mean members will be perfect. It just means that they will desire to fight sin and pursue God.

With the lust issue, we must make sure that entering members are fighting lust, and we must deal with those that aren’t. Because those that don’t gouge out their eyes and cut off their hands are going to hell. And the point of regenerate church membership is to have people as members of your church that are not going to hell. For God’s glory, for the church’s purity and witness, and for the good of the one stumbling, we must deal as a church aggressively with sexual sin, as well as all sin.

So, the point is twofold. Don’t presume you’re saved if you’re not fighting sin. You shouldn’t feel secure. And, this church expects you to fight sinful desires and plans to help you to do so. We assume you don’t want to lust. You assume we will come tackle you when you do.

What does Jesus say here? First, He says that, if we don’t deal drastically with adulterous desires, they will take us to hell. Second, He says it’s better to lose nonessential parts of us that cause us to sin than lose it all. This is a reminder for us to keep sexuality in perspective. We were made with sexuality. We were made to be united with a member of the opposite gender in marriage. We were made to experience sex in its right context.

But sexuality is not all that comprises our identity. No matter what people say today, sex is not everything. We will die without food, but we won’t die without sex. We can live without it. How much better is it to lose completely or put off indefinitely this aspect of our humanity than to lose it all—to have our whole body thrown into hell! You can live without an eye or a hand. Cut them off!

Jesus says here that those who give into lust completely and unrepentantly will be judged for their sin. They will go to hell and experience conscious, eternal torment.

And let me add this, yes, you will experience judgment after this life, but who knows if you won’t experience judgment in this life? Your sin could be the beginning of a downward spiral. Who knows if clicking on that site will one day lead to you losing a family that you now don’t even have? Who knows if you won’t open up the door of a house and find TV cameras in your face asking, “Sir, you are on Dateline NBC. Why are you here soliciting sex from a 13-year old?”

Now, how will we respond to this teaching? On one hand, we could say, “I’ll try harder.” I’ll lust less and seek God more. I’ll conquer this. You respond like a Pharisee. This, as we’ve discussed, either leads to despair for inevitably failing or pride for redrawing the lines so that you accomplish it.

On the other hand, you could say, “Ah, forget it,” and indulge yourself. You could reason that you can’t meet these demands, so why not “eat, drink, and be merry?” But that response, just like the Pharisaical response, sends you to hell. Both see the problem as one to be solved in our own strength.

You could respond by seeing your great spiritual poverty, seeing that you’re “poor in Spirit” as Matthew 5:3 says. Who has not and does not break Jesus’s teaching regarding this commandment? You understand that you’ll never be able to do this alone. You cry out to God pleading the merits of Jesus’s totally righteous life and His sacrificial death. You know you need that life and death and resurrection given to you. You plead for the Spirit to work it in you. You recognize that you can only obey this command in God’s strength.

Matthew 5:27-30 brings us to the gospel once again, as Scott’s text last week did. How can we live up to Jesus’s command never to lust or never to be angry? We can’t. We need heart transplants. We need His grace. This should drive us to our knees.

Before we move on, and conclude, let me make two practical, related comments. First, single men who are here today, seek a wife. God was in it, and I’m incredibly thankful for Amy, but I waited until I was 29 to marry. Most of you shouldn’t be 28 and single. If you find yourself fighting lust, perhaps it’s because people 50 years ago married about 10 years earlier than you are right now. Your body wasn’t designed to be single for that long. Now I know many of you are genuinely seeking a wife and haven’t found her yet. But most men today won’t commit to a woman. They dilly-dally around, looking for Miss Perfect when they’re far from perfect. There are godly women all around them, but they’re putting off manhood, and they’re selfishly looking for the woman that will meet their needs. As Michael Lawrence, an elder at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, recently put it, they test drive their girlfriend for several years and then try to return her to the lot and start over. And they wonder why they struggle with lust!
As Douglas Wilson put it in his book Reforming Marriage, God has given us protection against sexual immorality. It’s called sexual activity. If you don’t want to lust, get a wife and have sex with her.

Speaking of that, ladies, when you marry a man, strive to meet his sexual needs. As 1 Corinthians 7:5 puts it, “Do not deprive each other.” Women’s needs are more emotional, as we’ve seen. This is no excuse for men to be insensitive jerks. But wives, your husbands shouldn’t lust. Your sexual relationship with him protects him from that. It’s that simple.

Second, ladies, don’t incite lust. One thing we’re going to tackle and not be afraid of in this church is modesty. You all should know the difference between seeking to be attractive and seeking to be seductive. I’ll never forget standing up on the platform at my previous church, playing in the worship band, seeing repeatedly, week after week, this young teenager dressed like she was straight out of a rap video. Grace Church of Columbia will not tolerate such a thing. We will not ignore this issue of modest attire.

Interestingly, right before the cross-reference for today’s text, in Matthew 18, just before it talks about maiming ourselves, it says, in verse 6, “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Verse 7 says, “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom temptation comes!” Jesus isn’t just talking about not causing children to sin here. He’s saying we’re all to be like little children in our faith. He’s talking about causing any believer to sin. And then he goes on to say, whoever causes a believer to sin will be judged greatly by Him. He then turns to our passage about gouging out eyes and cutting off hands.

A clear application from the text, because of its context, is that those who incite sexual sin will be judged. Oh, the judgment of all the girls involved in pornography out there! And oh, the judgment of those who, by not using discretion in their dress, cause brothers to stumble! Listen to this quote by an old dead guy, A.W. Pink:

If lustful looking is so grievous a sin, then those who dress and expose themselves with the desire to be looked at and lusted after...are not less but perhaps more guilty. In this matter it is not only too often the case that men sin but women tempt them to do so. How great then must be the guilt of the great majority of modern misses who deliberately seek to arouse the sexual passions of young men. And how much greater still is the guilt of most of their mothers for allowing them to become lascivious temptresses.

So, ladies, be careful what you wear. Some of you swim so much in the ocean of our culture that you may not even notice that what you’re wearing is seductive. Others of you have been knowingly wearing something on the edge. Either way, repent and listen to the admonishing words of other sisters in Christ. Help each other in this regard, so that men don’t have to awkwardly step in and say something.

How awful to go to hell because you never could commit to a godly woman and lived in lust! How awful to send people to hell because of what you wore!

Let me speak to those who might be unbelievers this morning. Why should you care? Why should you not engage in lust? If a fear of hell won’t affect you, let me offer something else. You were made for something better. As C.S. Lewis put it, you are making mudpies in the slum when you could be making sandcastles by the sea. Our sexuality is designed to show the intimacy between Christ and His Church. But you are making an idol out of the metaphor. You’re not seeing where the metaphor points. You’re taking something beautiful and making it something very ugly. Your head is in the toilet. You’re drinking the toilet water of lust and you don’t know any better.

Believer, why should you care? Why not lust? First, don’t go back to the toilet. Experience sex in its right context, as a beautiful thing. See where the metaphor points. Don’t let lust separate you from Christ. Don’t settle for sin instead of the Savior. Listen to what Hebrews 11:24-26 says about Moses:

Hebrews 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

Don’t take the “fleeting pleasures of sin.” Look ahead to a greater reward.

Second, believer, consider this issue more broadly as the church of the living God. As we saw in Matthew 5:13-16, we are called to be a “city on a hill.” We are to be a vibrant counter-culture that displays a right view of sex to the world. Sex is not bad. It’s beautiful. It is not something to be feared, as some traditional churches do. We must discuss it. It is not something to be idolized, as secular society has done. We must keep it in perspective. Sex for us is something to be grasped and seen in light of the gospel. What we need to do is demonstrate, as the people of God, what sex looks like through the gospel grid. We must display what it looks like, in all its glory, when in its right context.

If we do this—if we distance ourselves from our culture by showing what God says about sex AND distance ourselves from traditional churches by reveling in what God says about sex, unbelievers will see and notice. Sex isn’t bad. It’s great. It’s amazing. It’s beautiful. It is one of God’s great gifts.
It is only bad when we separate it from the context of marriage that was created to image the relationship between Christ and His church. When it no longer is seen as being a metaphor for the intimate worship between Christ and His church, it becomes something we worship itself. Everything is turned on its head. It means everything. It is an idol. Yet it means nothing. It is separated from Christ.

Believer, let this passage drive you to the gospel time and time again. God will not settle for anything less. He is holy. He will justly judge, so repent. Come to Christ.

Church, let us, regarding this issue, be a beacon of the gospel to those around us. Let us be a city within a city that knows what to do with this part of life called sex. God desires to show His light through us, drawing men and women to Himself.

In closing, let me return to my opening statement about XXXchurch. Albert Mohler and others have rightly commended them for their faith. He writes in his daily blog, “I do not doubt the evangelistic sincerity of those who lead this ministry. Furthermore, I am quite certain that middle class evangelicals are far too risk-averse in evangelistic outreach to those outside our comfort zones. This is to our shame.” But he then goes on to say that “this is a question of judgment, principle, and strategy -- not a question of motivation.” Yes, Jesus loves porn stars. Yes, we should minister to them. Yes, we should take pornography head on. But is it wise for a couple of men to set up a booth in a porn convention? Can two men be in that environment and not sin? I know I couldn’t. Who here could not, no matter how much fasting or prayer or other preparation you made?

Yes, we want to take lust on with the ferocity of the “office linebacker.” But we need to be constantly cognizant of our weakness. Lust is powerful. It is dangerous. We’re not a muscle-bound stud on this issue. We can’t go into this naïve. We want to take on lust full-barrel, with guns loaded. But we can’t charge an army with a squirt gun. As Tim Keller puts it, "We are more sinful and flawed than we ever dared believe.” We must guard ourselves, brothers and sisters, not just as individuals, but as a body. But he also states that simultaneously, "We are more accepted and loved than we ever dared hope." God is at work in us, as well. Let us have confidence in Him, but let that be a humble confidence.

Grace Church, lust is out of control in America. It is harming the church of Christ. What will we do? How will we respond? We can’t have a bunch of men with their heads down, defeated from lust, trying to lead our families and our church. We can’t have men afraid to deal with these issues in a godly manner. The glory of God, the purity of the church, and her witness to the world are all at stake.

Would Jesus wear a WWJD bracelet?

2006-07-21T18:05:00.000-05:00

Check out this sad article in the L.A. Times-- Christians peddling their junk to one another.

Will we create our own "parallel universe?" Or will be salt and light?

Inspired by the Nooma-- or not?

2006-07-19T13:03:00.000-05:00

Rob Bell, pastor of Grand Rapids, Michigan's Mars Hill Bible Church (not the Mars Hill Church in Seattle led by Mark Driscoll), is well-known for His "Nooma" videos that are being used all across the country. The word "Nooma" is a transliteration of the Greek word for Spirit.

Anyway, his church recently embraced egalitarianism in the church-- meaning that women can now hold the office of elder. Read this account of this change. It is shocking in a number of ways.

Who is inspired by the "Nooma"-- the Bible or Rob Bell?

HT: Jim Hamilton

Are You Kinderphobic?

2006-07-19T09:02:00.000-05:00

For my first try at premarital counseling, I'm reading through Reforming Marriage by Douglas Wilson with Luke and Ann. In the book, Wilson says that a purpose of marriage is godly children. In the book he says something like, "Godly children aren't a purpose of parenting, they're a purpose of marriage." See the distinction there?

Read what Dr. Russ Moore has to say about "kinderphobia" here.

The Edge on Community

2006-07-18T20:18:00.000-05:00

Check out this recent quote from the Edge from U2. I love his guitar riffs, but this quote is even better.

"There is that community sense that I would associate with the Christian ideal of looking after your neighbor. But it isn't always pretty; in fact it's often very rough. Like do you care enough about someone to risk confronting them with the truth, if it is going to hurt them? That's love in action, real commitment to one another, real community, and it has nothing to do with being nice to everyone at all times. So in some ways rather than being a once a week concept, it's sort of the way we try and live here. And the challenge is to try to move it out further, so there's not just your immediate small community but it's asking, can you get it to be bigger and bigger?"

Do we care enough to tell the truth?

HT: Matthew Smith

Is the Consumer King?

2006-07-17T15:00:00.000-05:00

Check out this insightful Leadership Journal article. As one strives to plant a church on the edge of the Bible belt, how will we proceed? Will we bow to the consumer or our Christ?

HT: John Divito

Death by Suburb!

2006-07-17T09:57:00.000-05:00

Dr. Russell Moore sits in for Dr. Mohler on the recent "Albert Mohler Program." In it, Dr. Moore speaks of a new book entitled Death By Suburb. Moore's thoughts on here are fantastic about how Christians struggle to live in the madness of suburban American life. Listen to it here. However, I'm sure most of you don't have time to listen anyway, and that proves the point of the broadcast. How's that for manipulation? Seriously, listen.

Stop Test Driving Your Girlfriend!

2006-07-13T16:24:00.000-05:00

Single men, check out this super article from Michael Lawrence of Capitol Hill Baptist Church on Focus on the Family's Boundless Webzine.

The Law Fulfilled by the Gospel of Grace

2006-07-12T09:07:00.000-05:00

The Law Fulfilled by the Gospel of Grace
Matthew 5:17.20, 7/2/06, Kevin P. Larson, Grace Church of Columbia

Matthew 5:17 "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. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Have you ever wondered what to do with the Old Testament? This is a Christian church here, right? This is not a synagogue. Often times, I think we view the Old Testament as something we need, but we’re not sure why. We know its difficult parts mean something, but we’re not sure exactly what. We know it fits with the New Testament in some way, but we’re not sure exactly how. Today’s text helps us answer some of those questions. We will get to some of that shortly, but let me first make two introductory remarks.

First, this passage is exceedingly difficult, yet exceedingly applicable. We are tempted to come to this passage, throw up our arms, and give up. It’s very difficult to understand.

We are also tempted to dismiss it as not very relevant. Often times, people act today like, if we can’t run out of this room following our gathering, and immediately do something, the sermon is a waste of time. Some would say that about this section of Jesus’ teaching. If we can get a handle around it mentally, what difference would that make anyhow? Is it even applicable?

I want to defend the idea that we can understand this passage, and that it is extremely applicable.

Second, this passage begins the body of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount and demonstrates Christ’s desire to express His relationship with the Old Testament. We recently finished eight studies on the Beatitudes, as well as, last week, discussing what it means to be salt and light. Some would argue that section, Matthew 5:1-16, serves as an introduction to the Sermon on the Mount. In addition, others have pointed out that chapter 7, verses 13-29, function as a kind of conclusion. Jesus moves there from teaching to calling for a response. He says, “Pick a gate. Choose a way.”

This structure is displayed by the fact that the phrase “the Law and the Prophets” is used in both chapter 5, verse 17, and chapter 7, verse 12. Those two uses of the phrase function as brackets, showing us the body of the Sermon.
In addition, it says something about what Jesus wants to get across. He wants us to see His relationship to the Old Testament. He wants to answer our questions that I began with this morning. How does this Jesus fit with the law? This morning’s passage, as well as the rest of the body of Sermon, will answer this question.

Jesus says, in verse 17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.” Here, Jesus is likely responding to critics who were saying that He was tearing down God’s Word. The words “Law and Prophets” seem clearly to be a technical term referring to all the Old Testament. Jesus responds here and says, regarding their words: “I didn’t abolish them.” “I didn’t change them.” “I didn’t say they’d go away.” “I didn’t say that they would fail.” “I didn’t tell people not to practice or teach them.” In other words, he says, as John 10:35 puts it, “Scripture cannot be broken.” Jesus says that, instead of coming to tear down the law, He actually came to build it up.

However, Jesus, while showing great respect for the law, isn’t arguing that it applies at all times in the exact same way. For example:
· Have you eaten any great crustaceans this week? Leviticus 11:10 condemns this.
· Do you happen to have on a shirt with 2 types of fabric today? Leviticus 19:19 says this is evil.
· Wearing any tattoos on your body? Leviticus 19:28 prohibits this.
· Did you have bacon for breakfast this morning? Leviticus 11:7 says you should not do this.
· Have you sacrificed any animals lately? The Jewish law repeatedly commands God’s people to offer blood sacrifices for their sins.
· Have you stoned any blasphemers lately? Leviticus 24:16 commands that, if someone blasphemes the Lord, He should be stoned by everyone.

Now, the reason why we haven’t done any of these things isn’t because we’re disobedient. It’s because we believe Jesus has, as it says here, in some way fulfilled the law.

First, we know from Matthew 15:1-20 that the Jewish food laws have been abolished. Turn with me to Matthew 15. Look first at verses 10-11. Jesus says,

Matthew 15:10 And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."

Look also in verses 16-20.

Matthew 15:16 And he said, "Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."

Jesus here seems to be abrogating the food laws of the Old Testament. The author Mark, in his gospel, makes this explicit. He says, interpreting the event, in Mark 7:19, “Thus he declared all foods clean.” What Mark explained to his Gentile audience was obvious to Matthew’s Jewish audience. Jesus was saying the food laws had changed. Jesus said he didn’t “come to abolish the Law or the Prophets,” but he clearly abolished the rules about food. You don’t have to shop in the kosher section at the grocery store.

Second, we also know from the Bible that the sacrificial system was abolished by Christ. Turn to Hebrews 10. Listen to verses 11-18.

Hebrews 10:11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," 17 then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

The author of Hebrews says that “there is no longer any offering for sin.” He says it’s because forgiveness has come. The once-for-all sacrifice was made. Verse 1 says that the “law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities.” The reality is here, so the shadow is over. As Hebrews 8:13 says, Christ made the first covenant “obsolete.” The old sacrifices don’t work anymore. They are not needed. Jesus said he didn’t “come to abolish the Law or the Prophets,” but he clearly abolished the sacrificial system. So don’t be slaying any lambs, as it won’t help, and it insults Christ!

Third, hasn’t the detailed Old Testament legal code been abolished, as well? Contrary to what many other preachers will be preaching today on July 2nd, our country is and never will be a theocracy. This is not really “one nation under God” and it never was and never will be. Therefore, all the laws in the Old Testament that detailed precisely how Israel was to live together don’t apply. They have been abolished. So don’t stone anybody.

Let me explain to you one predominant way this idea of Christ fulfilling the law has been understood, particularly by the Reformed community, of which we’re basically a part. For hundreds of years, Christians have divided the law into three categories: the ceremonial, the civil, and the moral.

Ceremonial refers to the worship of Israel and includes the sacrificial system, the feasts, the food laws, and the like. Civil law refers to the government of Israel, including the detailed legal code. Moral law speaks of the ethics of Israel, summarized best in the Decalogue, also known as the 10 commandments.

Those scholars then proceed to argue that the ceremonial law is abolished with Christ’s death on the cross. The civil law is abolished because we’re no longer a theocracy. The moral law, however, has not been abolished, they argue. The Ten Commandments are an eternal expression of God’s desire for humanity. So they remain. Therefore, when Jesus says, in verse 18, “until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished,” he is talking about the “law” of the Ten Commandments. They will remain forever.

This, however, has its difficulties. Let me share some of those. First, this distinction seems artificial. This threefold distinction is never mentioned in the Old Testament.

Second, when Jesus says, in verse 18, that “not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished,” it sounds more comprehensive than just the Ten Commandments.

Third, “Law and Prophets” in verse 17 and “Law” in verse 18 seem to be used in parallel. Is Jesus moving from speaking of the entire Old Testament to just the Ten Commandments? It seems like a stretch.

Fourth, it seems odd to limit the “moral law” to only the Ten Commandments. Something “moral” is by definition something that God considers good. Therefore, obeying all the civic and ceremonial laws would also be moral. If God says something’s wrong, it’s immoral—regardless of where it’s found in the Bible.

It seems better to say, therefore, that Christ fulfilled the “Law” and “Prophets” in some other way. To understand fulfillment, we need to understand prophecy, particularly how it’s used in our gospel at hand, Matthew.

Sometimes in the gospel prophecy amounts to just a simple prediction. For example, Micah 5:2 says specifically that the Messiah will come out of Bethlehem. Matthew says, in 2:5,

Matthew 2:5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 "' And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

This is a straight-forward prediction. Other times, however, prophecy is more like what could better be called typology. The author’s intended meaning of the Old Testament passage ended up meaning something much more than he intended. Consider Hosea 11:1. It reads, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” Matthew 2:15 then takes this verse and says it pointed forward to Jesus, along with His parents, coming back from Egypt after the death of Herod.

Here is another example. In 1:22-23, Matthew writes, regarding the virgin birth,

Matthew 1:22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us).

Isaiah 7:14, what Matthew quotes here, refers to a completely different baby in a completely different historical situation. Yet the gospel writer says that it reaches forward, pointing to Christ.

Look also in Deuteronomy 8:1-3.

Deuteronomy 8:1 "The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

In Matthew 4, Jesus is in the midst of forty days in the desert, and He quotes verse 3 to the devil. You get this sense in reading the New Testament in general, as well as Matthew, in particular, that all the Old Testament—obvious prophecy, law, poetry, and history—all pointed to Jesus. This is exactly what Matthew 11:12 says. It reads, “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.” Notice that not just the prophets prophesy. The law does, also. But again, this is more likely just a way to refer to the entire Old Testament. All the Old Testament prophesied about Christ. All of it spoke about the gospel! Why does he mention John? John was the one who announced and ushered in Christ. That which was prophesied had come—Jesus!

As Jesus says himself in John 5:39,

John 5:39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Jesus tells the religious leaders, “You are studying your Bible, the Old Testament, from cover to cover, and it’s all about me, and you don’t get it!”

Turn also to Luke 24. The resurrected Jesus is walking along the road to Emmaus with two of the disciples, and they can’t tell who He is. They are sharing with him their discouragement regarding His death, and He says to them, in verse 27, “‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Note what Luke says there. He writes, “Beginning with Moses.” Jesus isn’t just spoken of in the prophets. He is spoken of in Moses, what is properly called the Law. Now look in verse 44. It reads,

Luke 24:44 Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."

Not just the Prophets, and not just the Law, but the “Psalms” pointed to Christ. All the Old Testament pointed to Him. It all was fulfilled by Him. He was its goal. This, I think is the best way to understand Christ fulfilling the Law. He not only kept it all. He was its point.

So it seems this is what Matthew means. The Law was superseded by Jesus. The food laws no longer apply. The sacrifices no longer are necessary. And, no, the Sabbath is no longer binding on us. Listen to Colossians 2:16-17.

Colossians 2:16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Once the substance has come, the shadows are no longer necessary. Once what is prophesied is fulfilled, the things that foreshadowed are abolished. So, in some sense, in His fulfillment of the Law, He has also abolished it.

But Jesus says here, “I have not come to abolish them.” What does Jesus mean? I think He means that, if they all point to Him, He, in another sense, far from abolishes them. He establishes them.

Here He affirms the immutability and the permanence and the infallibility of the law. Listen again to verse 18.
Jesus states, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

“Iota” is Matthew’s way of expressing what Jesus likely referred to—the “yod,” the smallest Hebrew letter. The “dot” likely refers to a “horn,” a small mark separating two very similar Hebrew letters. Speaking to scribes and Pharisees that paid the most careful attention when copying manuscripts, they knew what he was saying. One of the reasons why we don’t have tons of Old Testament manuscripts is that the scribes were so careful and particular that, if they made one minor goof, they would trash it and start over. Jesus is saying that not the tiniest little part of one Hebrew letter will be changed. That word is unchangeable or immutable.

He also says that the truths of the Law are permanent. He says the word won’t be abolished “until heaven and earth pass away.” Until the end of the age, it will remain. It is not forever. But it’s permanent.

He also speaks of the word’s infallibility. He says “until all is accomplished.” Until the entire divine purpose prophesied in Scripture takes place, it will remain.

So Jesus says, until this age ends, or until everything gets done, nothing will be changed in the Law. In other words, in both statements, He’s saying that the Law and Prophets will remain until the consummation of the kingdom of heaven spoken of so much in the Sermon on the Mount. The consummation of the kingdom ends this age. The consummation of the kingdom signals all has been accomplished. One day, God’s people will be in God’s place under God’s rule. Then we’re not going to need our Bibles anymore. The kingdom of God in Christ will mark the end of the Law and the Prophets.

So, Jesus is by no means abolishing the law. It’s going to stand prophesying until it all happens. Some of it has been already fulfilled. Some of it awaits fulfillment. How can the one who the Law is all about be accused of tearing it down? Listen to this great quote by D.A. Carson.

Jesus does not conceive of his life and ministry in terms of opposition to the Old Testament, but in terms of bringing to fruition that toward which it points. Thus, the Law and the Prophets, far from being abolished, find their valid continuity in terms of their outworking in Jesus. The detailed prescriptions of the Old Testament may well be superseded, because whatever is prophetic must be in some sense provisional. But whatever is prophetic likewise discovers its legitimate continuity in the happy arrival of that toward which it has pointed (Carson, 37).

What, then, does Jesus mean by verse 19? He again says,

Matthew 5:19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The question is clear: what “commandments” are Jesus referring to? Some say that Jesus is speaking clearly of the Sermon on the Mount—His commandments found right here. This has some merit. Others say that, in this context, it clearly refers to the Old Testament again. Jesus says “therefore” and ties this verse to the others.

The latter seems best. However, it really doesn’t make that much of a difference. Here’s why. Jesus, in verses 21-48, deals with passages from the Old Testament, either those quoted rightly or those perverted by the Pharisees, and explains their true meaning. The Old Testament commandments Jesus refers to here need to be practiced and proclaimed, but they need to be practiced and proclaimed in a different way based on verses 17-18. Again, they all pointed forward to Christ and His teaching. They are only rightly now obeyed by obeying His Word. Listen to Carson again:

The law pointed forward to Jesus and His teaching; so it is properly obeyed by conforming to His word. As it points to him, so he, in fulfilling it, establishes what continuity it has, the true direction to which it points and the way it is to be obeyed. Thus ranking in the kingdom turns on the degree of conformity to Jesus’ teaching as that teaching fulfills Old Testament revelation. His teaching, toward which the Old Testament pointed, must be obeyed (Carson, 146).

So, those who are in trouble here are those who disobey and don’t teach the law, but more specifically those who don’t teach it as it is fulfilled by and clarified in Christ. The Pharisees, those Jesus is likely talking about in its immediate context, fit this description.

But what warnings should we see in here for the church? I’ll give you four:

First, it warns us not to ignore the Old Testament. Again, as New Covenant people, we can avoid way more than half our Bibles, directly violating what God has said here. It is to be taught and practiced.

Second, if we are people that don’t ignore the Old Testament, it warns us not to make it a collection of moral maxims or helpful fables teaching values. If that’s the case, we might as well use Aesop’s book of fables or Bill Bennett’s book of values. We must see the Old Testament as one book that has an unfolding story of redemption that leads to Christ. Every part of the Old Testament must point to Christ and His gospel.

In our men’s theology club, we’re reading through Graeme Goldsworthy’s According to Plan. Listen to what he says when teaching about Moses and the Exodus. He writes,

Moses’ ministry is to be the human instrument through which God will act to redeem his people. It is vital that we understand the place given to certain key figures, such as Moses, in Old Testament revelation. Their significance for us is not primarily in the way they stand as examples of godliness and faith, but rather in the role they play in revealing and foreshadowing the nature of the work of Christ. Moses is the divinely appointed man to whom God reveals his purposes and will for his people.

Third, this warns us against antinomianism. What does that big word mean? It is a word that means “anti-law.” We can think that, due to our newfound freedom from the law in Christ, the fact that He fulfilled it for us, we can now live however we want. Remember the end of the book of Matthew. The Great Commission says that we are to baptize, “teaching them to observe all that [he] commanded [us].” Again, we’re not saved by our obedience. But we’re saved to obedience. This verse warns us against not teaching or practicing God’s word.

Fourth, this verse warns us that teachers must exercise great care. We must carefully teach. And we must practice what we teach. This is a warning for me. And it is a warning for whomever else God would call to lead along with me here in Grace Church. James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

Jesus says here that those who don’t lead well will be called “least in the kingdom of heaven.” Some have argued that this teaches that those who don’t take God’s commands seriously will have less of a reward. Others say that this is just a Jewish way of saying they won’t enter the kingdom. That makes most sense to me, as Jesus is talking about the Pharisees here, who, in verse 20, he says won’t “enter the kingdom of heaven.” Teachers will be judged very strictly.

Let’s turn to verse 20. Jesus states, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” As I mentioned several weeks ago, this is one of two key theme verses in the Sermon on the Mount. The other is perhaps Matthew 6:8, where Jesus tells the disciples, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Our Lord is encouraging them not to live like pagans there. I mentioned back then that the two opposite worldviews that are equally dangerous are moralism and relativism.
Usually we see relativism or irreligion as the real enemy. Blatant unbelievers are those who threaten us or who need our evangelism. Pagans are the problem.

However, in today’s passage, Jesus says that moralism or legalism is just as wicked and dangerous. He is condemning the Pharisee. The hypocrite is just as much a threat and should be just as much an object of our evangelism.

The Pharisees, we see in verses 21-48, were teaching and practicing the law. And they perceived that both made them right with the Lord. But it’s clear that their “righteousness,” which was no true righteousness at all, was outward only and was designed to bring glory to themselves. And, on further examination, the outward wasn’t that beautiful. It was ugly.

In verses 21-26, we see they were proud that they had not murdered, but they were angry and insulting to their brothers. In verses 27-30, we see that they were proud of their marital faithfulness, while their hearts were filled with lust. In verses 31-32, we see Jesus correcting their disrespect for the covenant of marriage. In verses 33-37, we see the Pharisees’ pride in their oath-taking while using it as a cover-up for their dishonesty. In verses 38-42, we see the Pharisees using a command designed to make the punishment fit the crime, “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” as a proof-text for personal retaliation. In verses 43-48, we Jesus confronting the Pharisees’ complete perversion of the law—that you should “hate your enemy.” Matthew 5:17-20 introduce that section of Jesus’s teaching. Here is the type of righteousness the disciple is called to “surpass.” One that is false, outward, and self-glorifying. One that is from a dirty heart that ultimately produces dirty deeds. Jesus says elsewhere, in Matthew 15:8, quoting Isaiah, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” They were hypocrites. In other words, they were stage-players. They were acting on the outside something that wasn’t on the inside. And they weren’t doing a very good job.

So, while verse 19 warns against antinomianism, verse 20 warns against the opposite, legalism. We can have a system of religion where we rely on our own moral attainments. We necessarily dumb down the commands of God, making them attainable. We conform on the outside, while not being transformed on the inside. We then look in the mirror and are proud, all the while others can see a very different angle on us. This is what Jesus says we must surpass. Otherwise, we will go to hell. We won’t “enter the kingdom of heaven.”

This passage brought to the forefront of my mind once again the alcohol issue. Now, I don’t drink. I never have. But I don’t think the Bible forbids it. It only forbids drunkenness.
For us to argue that members of our church or that people in our denomination can’t consume anything alcoholic smacks of Pharisaical legalism, plain and simple. How dare we put rules on people that the Bible doesn’t place on them! Listen to these words from John Piper, back many years ago, when he argued that his church’s requirement that members not be allowed to consume alcohol should be removed from their constitution.

I want to hate what God hates and love what God loves. And this I know beyond the shadow of a doubt: God hates legalism as much as he hates alcoholism. If any of you still wonders why I go on supporting this amendment, after hearing all the tragic stories about lives ruined through alcohol, the reason is that when I go home at night and close my eyes and let eternity rise in my mind I see ten million more people in hell because of legalism than because of alcoholism. And I think that is a literal understatement. Satan is so sly. "He disguises himself as an angel of light," the apostle says in 2 Corinthians 11:14. He keeps his deadliest diseases most sanitary. He clothes his captains in religious garments and houses his weapons in temples. O don't you want to see his plots uncovered? I want Bethlehem to be a place Satan fears. I want him to be like the emperor in "The Emperor's New Clothes." And we will be the babes (not in thinking! 1 Cor. 14:20) who say, "Look, he thinks he is clothed in white, but he is naked and ugly."
Listen as I uncover one of his plots. Legalism is a more dangerous disease than alcoholism because it doesn't look like one.
Alcoholism makes men fail; legalism helps them succeed in the world.
Alcoholism makes men depend on the bottle; legalism makes them self-sufficient, depending on no one.
Alcoholism destroys moral resolve; legalism gives it strength.
Alcoholics don't feel welcome in church; legalists love to hear their morality extolled in church.
Therefore, what we need in this church is not front end regulations to try to keep ourselves pure. We need to preach and pray and believe that "Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision, neither teetotalism nor social drinking, neither legalism nor alcoholism is of any avail with God, but only a new creation (a new heart)" (Gal. 6:15; 5:6). The enemy is sending against us every day the Sherman tank of the flesh with its cannons of self-reliance and self-sufficiency. If we try to defend ourselves or our church with peashooter regulations we will be defeated even in our apparent success. The only defense is to "be rooted and built up in Christ and established in faith" (Col. 2:6); "Strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for all endurance and patience with joy" (Col. 1:11); "holding fast to the Head from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together … grows with a growth that is from God" (Col. 2:19). From God! From God! And not from ourselves.

Brothers and sisters, John Piper is a teetotaler. And I think he’s absolutely right here. We so much have to resist legalism. And how ridiculous is it for us to codify it as churches or denominations! We can’t just throw off all restraints, but we can’t set up man-made rules, either. Comparing the abuses of alcohol with the effects of legalism, legalism simply costs more!

Church of God, what we need to “enter the kingdom of heaven” is a heart transformed by the grace of the gospel—one that does good works on the outside, but does them because of a heart saved by grace and one desiring to glorify the God of grace—a change on the inside.
We must guard ourselves from legalism. We must have a true, inward righteousness. We must have one that far “exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees.”

Notice that Jesus demands more than what they demanded, not less. The Pharisees were proud of how thoroughly they kept and taught the Law. But Jesus said it wasn’t good enough! In fact Matthew 5:48, also in this Sermon, states, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Our only hope is to have a righteousness given to us by Jesus and worked into us by Jesus. Then we can go beyond the Pharisees and be saved. Then, we can “enter the kingdom of heaven.” But we can’t do it in our own strength. We need God’s grace in the gospel.

So, as I began, this is a difficult passage, but I think it’s one we can understand. Simply put, Jesus came to fulfill the entire Old Testament. It all pointed to Him. Because it came to fulfillment, the nature of the prophecy changed for today. It still stands. It still must be taught and lived. But it only is to be studied and taught and lived as it relates to, and finds fulfillment in, Christ Jesus our Lord. And this Old Testament points to a new kind of righteousness that goes beyond keeping the law externally to keeping it internally by God’s grace and for His glory.

Let me show you why I think this passage is so applicable.

First, it brings freedom. This is a weekend where many preachers will be talking about American freedom. We never want to forget to thank God for that. But, the key thing is that, thanks to Christ’s work on our behalf, we are freed from the Law. We are no longer bound to keep any of it. Jesus obeyed it all on our behalf perfectly. As I mentioned earlier, He won all the blessings for us. He took all the curses on our behalf. Now we’re free!

Second, it brings responsibility. Again, Jesus didn’t free us from the law to provide for our lawlessness. 1 Corinthians 9:21 and Galatians 6:2 tell us that we’re now under the “law of Christ,” which primarily is expressed, as the New Testament shows us, through love. It isn’t as if being freed from the law removes all constraints. All of the Ten Commandments, except one—the Sabbath command—are repeated in the New Testament. His “yoke is easy, and [His] burden is light,” as it says in Matthew 11:30, but we’re still called to take it upon ourselves. We are now free to obey Christ.

Third, it comes with power. As we read previously in Jeremiah, the coming of the kingdom of Christ, the era of the New Covenant, would bring a Holy Spirit that would create a people that would obey God deeply from the heart. Listen to Ezekiel 36:25-27.

Ezekiel 36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

As New Covenant believers, we have these promises. We have a power to obey God.

Fourth, it gives us great hope. Looking at what God demands in the Old Testament, particularly in the Ten Commandments, brings great fear. But to know that Christ fulfilled it all gives us amazing hope! His life, death, and resurrection—the gospel—was the point of it all.

And, brothers and sisters, we are the ones who are experiencing that hope. We stand here beyond the time of Christ, seeing His fulfillment of the Law and Prophets, experiencing the gospel in the church, the climax of redemptive history. We’re experiencing what 1 Peter 1 says the prophets longed to see, and couldn’t, and angels long to look into, and can’t. That should give us great hope!

Fifth, it gives us a story. When we see Christ as the point of the whole Bible, it turns the book of Scripture into something more than a bunch of unrelated, quaint tales. It then becomes a complete worldview—a lens through which we can see the world. In a postmodern, pluralistic world, we need more than a religion. We need a worldview. And, as we see the Bible going from creation to fall to redemption to consummation, we see a common thread—Jesus and His gospel. And that becomes our story.

Some of you may be unbelievers this morning. You know that you need freedom. You know that you are responsible to one vertical from you and to those horizontal from you. You know that you have no power to do what is needed. You know that you are without hope. You know you want to get caught up in something bigger, something greater.

Unbeliever, run to Jesus.

Believer, revel in that Jesus this morning. The Law is fulfilled by the gospel of grace. You are experiencing that gospel! This is true freedom. America may pass away. But Jesus and His kingdom are forever!

Women Crushing Men

2006-07-10T09:33:00.000-05:00

Look at this story in the New York Times. It describes the way women are crushing men academically on college campuses across America. From the article:

"Yeah, and it boggles my mind because I don't have my life planned for the next 10 minutes. Women see the long-term benefits, they take their classes seriously, and they're actively learning. We learn for tests. With us, if someone calls the night before and says there's going to be a test, we study enough for a C."

Liberal Christianity Is Payin'

2006-07-10T09:20:00.000-05:00

Check out this recent story from the L.A. Times. I couldn't have said it better myself.

HT: Albert Mohler

Amy Wilhoite's Blog

2006-07-08T20:03:00.000-05:00

Our friends Brandon and Amy Wilhoite have a new blog. Amy was diagnosed this past week with leukemia. Please pray for her. Look at her blog and be encouraged by her trust in our Sovereign Lord. We have been drawn closer to Him because of her faith. Lift up Brandon in prayer, as well.

Being Salt and Light: A Great Quote

2006-06-28T10:33:00.000-05:00

People, this is exactly what I was talking about on Sunday. How dare we have a "parallel universe" that never intersects with the world!

Spreading the Salt and Light of Grace

2006-06-28T09:50:00.000-05:00

“Spreading the Salt and Light of Grace”
Matthew 5:13-16
6.25.06 . Kevin P. Larson . Grace Church of Columbia

Last week, we finished eight weeks of study on the Beatitudes in our series on the Sermon on the Mount entitled “Transformed by Grace.” In those verses, we saw what could be called the character of those transformed by grace. In today’s passage, Matthew 5:13-16, we see what could be called the influence of those transformed by grace.

It has been implicit in Matthew 5:1-12 that Christians can’t practice the Beatitudes privately. Being “meek” involves others. The call to be “merciful” presupposes relationships. “Peacemakers” can’t fulfill their calling in the closet. And, most clear, living out those characteristics results in being “persecuted for righteousness’ sake.”

But here, in Matthew 5:13-16, that idea becomes explicit. Christians are called to have an influence in society. They are to be “salt” and “light.” They can’t be “poor in spirit” and “mourn” for their sins and “hunger and thirst for righteousness” and be “pure in heart” in private. They must take it public. Not only are those Beatitudes not intended for the closet, but the last Beatitude, that teaches persecution will come, can’t send us back there. Despite the certainty of persecution, Jesus commands us to take our faith to the world. We are commanded to have an influence. Let’s begin by reading the passage.

Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how
shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be
thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 "You are the light of the world.
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it
under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In
the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good
works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.We’re going to cover quite a bit of ground this morning, so let me tell you where we’re headed.

· First, we’ll look at what the passage presupposes.
· Second, we’ll discuss who the passage addresses.
· Third, we’ll examine where the passage applies.
· Fourth, we’ll see what the passage demands.
· Fifth, we’ll take a look at what the passage condemns.
· Sixth, we’ll talk about how the passage looks.
· Seventh, we’ll discuss why the passage matters.

First, let us look at what the passage presupposes. As I will detail further shortly, I argue that the primary meaning of being the “salt of the earth” has to do with serving as a preservative. This means that Jesus assumes that the world is corrupt and deteriorated and spoiled. Let’s read two lengthy passages in Romans. Listen to Romans 1:18-32.

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to
them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine
nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in
the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they
knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became
futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to
be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for
images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore
God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of
their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for
a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is
blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable
passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are
contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women
and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts
with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And
since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased
mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of
unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder,
strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God,
insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31
foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's decree that
those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give
approval to those who practice them.

This is what the people of our world look like. We have suppressed the knowledge of God, refused to worship Him, and have turned our minds and hearts to idols instead. So God has given us what we wanted and has let us plummet into a destructive downward spiral of sin.

Romans 8, however, says that this doesn’t just apply to humans. It applies to all of the creation. Listen to verses 18-23.

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not
worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation
waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the
creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who
subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its
bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of
childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have
the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as
sons, the redemption of our bodies.

It wasn’t this way in the garden, but, since the fall, the entire creation, including humanity, has been subject to corruption. 2 Timothy 3:12, which we read last week, says that “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” But the reason for this follows.

It says, in verse 13, “While evil people and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” The reason why we need to be “salt,” as well as the reason why we will be persecuted, has to do with the fact that the world is corrupt.

In addition, this passage also presupposes that the world is dark. John is the apostle that emphasizes that Jesus is the light. At the beginning of His gospel, he says this, in verses 4 and 5: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Jesus came shining His light into a dark world. Later in the gospel, in John 12:46, our Lord said, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” Our world is a dark place.

D.A. Carson writes regarding “light” that, “in the Old Testament as in the New Testament, it most frequently symbolizes purity as opposed to filth, truth or knowledge as opposed to error or ignorance, and divine revelation and presence as opposed to reprobation and abandonment by God.” The world is trapped in impurity, ignorance, and separation from God. We see this as people stumble around, unable to get their bearings, unable to see things as they really are. We have all been there.

I don’t know how anyone could deny this corruption and darkness after watching Invisible Children last night. The fact that thousands of children could be kidnapped and forced to be brutal murderers for an evil warlord is staggering. How awful is it, when probably the only solution to the problem is to destroy the army which is largely made up of children!

Most of you have probably heard about the Duke rape scandal involving the lacrosse team. This blog I read all the time quoted an article at Rolling Stone discussing the culture of sex on the campus of one of America’s most prestigious universities. It is shocking how some of our nation’s brightest women degrade themselves repeatedly on a nightly basis. Our world is corrupt and dark.

But, it’s really not that much different from Jesus’s day. We can’t have historical amnesia and think that we’re the only generation that has dealt with such things. Jesus is talking to people in the Roman Empire, after all, where there were wicked soldiers and temple prostitutes. Our Lord is telling His original hearers, as well as us, that the world is corrupt and dark.

Second, let us look at who the passage addresses. You can’t see this in the English, but there are two interesting things about the word “you.” First, Jesus says, “you are the salt of the earth,” and “you are the light of the world.” The pronoun is first used emphatically in the verse. Some of you know Spanish. “Hablo espanol” means “I speak Spanish.” However, if you add the pronoun, “Yo,” which means “I,” you don’t just have “I speak Spanish.” You have “I speak Spanish.” I speak Spanish as opposed to you speaking Spanish. The use of “yo” is for emphasis.

The same thing is happening here. The Greek word for “you” is used at the beginning, when it is unnecessary, in order to provide emphasis. It’s as if Jesus is saying, “You and only you are the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.” If we, his disciples, don’t fulfill this, nobody will.

Notice that I said “we.” Second, the word “you” is plural. Jesus isn’t speaking to individuals here, calling them to be salty and shiny. He’s talking to a group of people. This is critical, because God wants us to change the world corporately. He wants us to be on mission, but He wants our missionary success to build His church.

He wants our individual witness to be in the context of community. He doesn’t just want us to win converts, but He rather wants us to bring them into the fellowship of the church. And He wants us to have a corporate witness through the practice of community. As people see us love one another, as Jesus says in John 13:34-35, all people will know that we belong to Him. So, when Jesus says “you” are salt and light, he’s not talking about individuals—he’s talking about His church corporately. We obey Jesus here as a group.

Third, let’s examine where the passage applies. Now this is obvious from the passage, but it’s worth noting. We are slow and sinful. We need reminders. Jesus says, in verse 13, “You are the salt of the earth.” In verse 14, he says “you are the light of the world.” This obviously teaches that we have to be on the earth and in the world. We can’t function as “salt” and “light” if we’re not there.

In John 17:15-18, Jesus prays this:

John 17:15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep
them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the
world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into
the world, so I have sent them into the world.

Notice what Jesus says here. First, he does not ask the Father to take us out of the world. He wants us there. Second, He prays that God would protect us, while in the world, from the enemy. Satan will attack us. Third, He says that, like Him, we are not of this world. We’re citizens of a greater kingdom. Fourth, He asks God to sanctify us or make us holy by His word while in the world. We will need help to withstand this earth.
Fifth, He says that as He was sent into the world, He has sent us there. He made us His missionaries, as He was the Father’s missionary.

So there’s no doubt from this passage, as well as Matthew 5:13-16, that Christ wants us in the world. Do we believe that? Do we acknowledge that He has chosen, instead of taking us now to be with him, to send us into the world on mission? Do we believe that He will make us holy while on earth and that He will protect us from Satan while in the world? Do we trust Him that He can use us as missionaries in this world, and also bring us safely to our home in the new earth?

I fear that the phrase “we’re in the world, but not of the world” has become meaningless Christian jargon. Are we really in the world? Or have we so often separated ourselves from the world, avoiding the mission to which Christ has called us? I listen to a very limited amount of Christian music. But I have noted before on my blog how the CCM group Avalon recorded a well-known song called “In It, Not of It.” Listen to just a few of the lyrics:

I hide me far away from trouble
The world outside me grows darker by the day
So I promise to stay here close beside Him
Surely God would want His children safe
Then reading, how my eyes were opened
I find that He is leading us out into the world
Into the middle of fallen saints and sinners
Where a little grace is needed most

Not bad lyrics, huh? Sounds like this passage! Now I don’t doubt their motives at all. But the irony is that this song proclaiming our need to go into the world was sung into a culture of people that rarely do so. It was a song by Christian musicians to a Christian subculture. Now, maybe we’re not of the world, but, in the modern evangelical church, we’re rarely in it either.

We often claim to be spreading salt, but it’s a lot like how the trucks do in the winter. They drive through really fast, throwing salt all over everything, making a terrible mess, and don’t come back.

We often claim to be shining light, but it’s more like a police search light from a helicopter. We fly over and shine the light, but then we go back to headquarters where it’s safe.

We may go in the world from time to time, but do we live there? Do we make this earth our temporary home, as Christ did? More often, our salt and light looks more like spiritual drive-by shootings or evangelistic flashing.

What causes us to avoid being in the world? Let me suggest just three things. First, I would argue a fear of being corrupted by the world keeps us out. We don’t have confidence in our Lord to protect us from Satan and make us holy, so we stay out.

Second, I would argue a desire to pursue light hinders our mission. Some of you may be familiar with the acronym “DTR.” You start hanging out with a person of the opposite sex, things start getting awkward, expectations start coming, and you have a “DTR.” You “define the relationship.”

Well, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had something similar with Christians over the years, and I’m fairly young. I get to know another younger believer. He starts taking off spiritually. Before you know it, I’m having a “DTR” with him, as he’s trying to figure out how to define his relationship with God. He starts growing and he assumes that he should certainly be involved in full-time ministry. It doesn’t occur to him that God could use him in society, in the workplace, in the world as a banker or construction worker or a chef. Others reinforce this idea, telling him that he should certainly go to bible college or seminary and get in ministry.

This fear of being corrupted by the world and this desire to pursue the light smacks of a protestant monasticism or clericalism where real Christians become monks and leave or become priests and do ministry. It has at its root an unhealthy distinction between the sacred and the secular, assuming that some things are spiritual, where other things aren’t.

Some people are called to preach and lead the church, and they’re called to be paid for that. I think I’m one of them. But I think those are few. In general, I think God wants most of us being normal Joes, cultivating the earth as Adam did, but trying to be “salt” and “light” in the process. It’s hard to be the “light” of the world if you’re not there. If you’re not content in your work, if it’s hard, that’s part of the curse of Adam. It doesn’t mean you need to be a pastor. And just so you know, that’s not always easy either. The point is that most of us should be in the world, being “salt” and “light” for Christ. That’s honestly why I keep working at the Cherry Street Artisan when I don’t necessarily have to.

Third, I would say that an apathy or arrogance toward the darkness prevents us from being “light” there. We can get to where we don’t care about the world. Or, worse, we can get to where we don’t think the world is worth saving. We look down our noses at lost people or we don’t look at them at all. But this dishonors God in two ways. First, God thought the world was worth saving so much that He sent His Son to live and die. How can we not care? And, we are one of those people He saved. How can we be arrogant?
Second, God ultimately is drawing worshippers from every nation to praise Him. If we become so self-absorbed and self-righteous that we don’t share the gospel, really we’re acting as if we don’t care if God receives more worship.

So, let us repent of our disobedience. Let us go into the world. In Jesus’s day, if you headed about 100 miles south, the Jordan River ran into the Salt Sea. This sea was so salty that it was also called the Dead Sea. Right there, a monastic community of people called the Essenes lived in caves overlooking that sea, trying to avoid the wicked world. They called themselves the “Sons of Light.” But their light never left those caves. And their salt never got anywhere, much like the deposits lining that sea. They were anything but the lights of the world or the salt of the earth. Sometimes I think we look too much like them.

Fourth, let’s examine what the passage demands. We are told, in verse 13, that we are the “salt of the earth.” Some have said that the whiteness of salt means that we’re called to be pure. Others have said that salt brings flavor, and so are we to do that in the world, making Christianity attractive. Others have pointed out that salt in wounds stings, and so should our words of truth bring discomfort. Others have noted that salt brings thirst. Likewise, Christians should cause others to “hunger and thirst for righteousness.”

We could note biblical support for each of those ideas, for sure. But it’s doubtful that’s what Jesus meant here. Salt, in that day, was primarily used as a preservative. It was rubbed into meats to hinder spoiling.

God, of course, is the ultimate preserver of the universe. By God’s common grace, evil is restrained and corruption is hindered. If God pulled back His hand for even a moment, things would get out of control.

But Jesus here calls us to be salt. He wants to rub us into the world, hindering its decay and restraining corruption. God has ordained the state and the family to restrain evil, but more than anything, he has given the world the church. Our presence keeps the world from being as rotten as it could be.

We are told, in verse 14, that we are the “light of the world.” This means primarily that we are to shine forth with the truth of Christ during our sojourn here.

Jesus, of course, calls himself the same thing. In John 8:12, he states, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” His words and deeds loudly proclaimed the truth about God during His incarnation.

But He has made us lights, as well. Colossians 1:12-13 speaks of believers “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” He has brought us into the light. Now, we are like the moon. We don’t create our own light. We reflect the light of the Son so that the earth can see Him.

Listen to Ephesians 5:8-11.

Ephesians 5:8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the
Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that
is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

Once we were a part of the darkness and corruption, but now we’re “light in the Lord.” We’re now called to proclaim and display what is “good and right and true” and the converse. We’re also called to “expose” the “unfruitful works of darkness.” Being “light” primarily has the idea of us giving the truth about what is good and what is evil to a fallen, dark world. We emit light, displaying the truth about who God is and what His gospel entails. We illuminate the darkness, showing evil for what it really is.

Many have pointed out that being “salt” is primarily a negative thing, while being “light” is primarily positive. As “salt” we stop decay. As “light” we emit truth. It’s one thing to hinder evil. It’s another thing to present good. We are called to do both.

To bring this a bit closer to home, let me use two illustrations from cross-references dealing with “salt” and “light.” Listen first to Colossians 4:6. It reads, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer each person.” Ponder how easily our words can hinder corruption in conversations in the workplace, for example. It doesn’t mean that we’re prudes. It doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. It doesn’t mean that we go around rebuking people. But just a few simple, serious words can bring a whole conversation and a whole afternoon out of the gutter.

Listen second to Philippians 2:14-16.

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may
be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a
crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16
holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud
that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

Here’s a great statement of how we can display his light. Who historically did much “grumbling or questioning?” The Jews did, from the Exodus to the Promised Land—throughout their history. They constantly questioned the loving providence of God, blaspheming Him and causing the nations to blaspheme Him because of their lack of faith. Do we want to shine in this world? One way that we can do it is by looking at God’s providence and trusting Him, not worrying and not griping.

This is exactly what Jesus says later in the Sermon on the Mount. He says, “Don’t worry about food and clothing. You have a heavenly Father, unlike the pagans.” If we fret and complain just like lost people who don’t have God as Father, we will fail to be lights to them.

One day God will refine the heavens and earth, and this corrupt world will be restored. There will be no more decay. One day, as Revelation 22:5 puts it, “Night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” Until that time, however, we are commanded to live as “salt” and “light.”

Fifth, let’s discuss what the passage prohibits. We notice first that verse 13 says,

"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

Some have noted that salt can’t really stop being salt. Sodium chloride is a very stable compound. However, salt in Jesus’s day was fairly often filled with impurities. It had other materials in it. As the salt was more soluble, it could be washed out, and all you had left was a white powder that looked like salt but wasn’t salty. Apparently this was thrown on Jewish roofs or on roads where it was trampled upon.

What is Jesus’s point? It’s that, if we lose our saltiness, our ability to restrain corruption, we’re worthless, just like that white powder. This passage prohibits becoming the corruption we’re called to restrain. We can become so much like the world that we become part of the problem instead of part of the solution.

Verses 14 and 15 state,

Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.

This passage also prohibits restraining the illumination we’re called to exude. Jesus says, “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” We are not to gather in a valley, out of view, but rather on the hill where all can see the light of Christ in us.

Today, we are very rarely away from light. But we could go to places on the globe where, at night, we would be miles and miles from anything and, if there were no stars in the sky, we could hold up our hand in front of us, and we couldn’t even see it. However, we could walk over a hill and see a city with lights blazing, illuminating the darkness.

Jesus wants us to be like that city, placed up on the highest hill where all can see. Again, some will be drawn to the light. Others will cower back into the darkness. But that rests in God’s sovereignty. Our job is to shine.

Jesus goes on to say, “nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” People of Jesus’s day would light an olive-oil lamp and place it on a stand where it could illuminate the house. Just as it’s ludicrous to cover it with some sort of basket, it’s also ridiculous for God’s people who remain on earth simply to shine for God to hide that light.

Jesus prohibits His people from not being salty and not shining. When we abandon either, we no longer fulfill the purpose for which we remain on earth—to restrain evil and promote good. What good is salt without saltiness? What good is light that doesn’t shine? Both are worthless.

The image of the “city on a hill” may have also brought to mind in Jesus’s readers Old Testament prophecies describing Jerusalem lifted up with all nations streaming to her. Listen to Isaiah 2:2-5.

Isaiah 2:2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the
house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and
shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 3 and
many peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the
LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that
we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the
LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide
disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and
their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore. 5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in
the light of the LORD.

Now, we’re not certain this is what Jesus had in mind. But it’s possible. And brothers and sisters, we’re the fulfillment of that prophecy. We are the new city, the new people of God, the church. We are called to be lifted up, with our light shining, to call all nations to God.

Sixth, let’s talk about how the passage looks. Let me just mention four spheres where Christians must be present to be “salt” and “light.” You could think of more.

Take business. The presence of believers can hinder oppression and reduce unjust gain as “salt.” They can promote sound, fair practices of commerce as “light.” The Cherry Street Artisan, where I work, is an example of this. I see all the time how the place makes choices not simply based on dollars and cents, but on truth and righteousness.

Take education. The presence of Christians can hinder instruction that glories in godlessness. They can proclaim objective truth in a pluralistic, postmodern world. I’ve heard numerous times that the philosophy department here at Mizzou has many Christian professors. They can be salt and light on a corrupt, dark campus.

Take the arts. The presence of Christians can hinder the decline of music, film, sculpture, and the like into the gutter. They can exhibit the creativity and beauty of God. I think of the hardcore band Thrice that I’ve been listening to lately. They haven’t taken their music to a Christian label where youth groups would only hear them. They’re singing where the world can hear. I’ve been thumping this song “Image of the Invisible” lately that speaks loudly about the biblical truth that we’re made in the image of God. But it isn’t just about making Christian songs that nonbelievers like. You can play the cello or paint a sunset or direct a film like “Invisible Children” and still serve as “salt” and “light.”

Take government. The presence of believers can hinder the decadence of Washington and Jefferson City, where it sadly generally has to do more with pleasing people back home and getting reelected than truly serving the people. They can stick up for the weak, protect life, and promote the common good. I think of my friends Merilee Crockett and Richard Hicks, both assistant prosecuting attorneys, who are striving to stand up for victims of domestic violence and sexual misconduct in a way that honors God.

Brothers and sisters, we can’t exit all these realms. It’s not an option for us based on Matthew 5:13-16. We can’t peddle WWJD junk to each other and call that business for the glory of God. We can’t just all move to teaching and learning in Bible colleges. We can’t live in a bubble with our own art and music and Veggie Tales videos. We can’t buy our own country and move there and let everybody else go to hell. We are called to be “salt” and “light.” We are commanded to display to a corrupt, dark world the difference a Christian worldview makes in all the spheres of life.

In each of those realms, as well as others, we can proclaim and display the four key aspects of the gospel: creation, fall, redemption, consummation—where we came from, what the problem is, what the solution is, where we’re going. And we don’t have to do it in a cheesy way that only is heard within a Christian subculture. We can show those truths in creative, winsome ways that earn dialogue. True, most people don’t want to hear the gospel. But Jesus just tells us to be faithful as “salt” and “light.” He will draw people to Himself through us.

Seventh, let’s discuss why the passage matters. Read again Matthew 5:16. It says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

We are told to do “good works” to be seen. We’ll see soon in chapter 6 of Matthew that the Pharisees did things to be seen, as well. They gave to the needy, prayed, and fasted in ways that people would see them and glorify them.

We, however, are called to do works that bring glory to God the Father. Again, we are to display light but not light that is our own. We are to be like prisms that take in the light of Jesus and refract it in beautiful ways. People see it and acknowledge its beauty, but they have no doubt where it comes from. It comes from Christ.

If we do this, we will be fulfilling the purpose for which we were created. If we ask my two-year-old son Hadley, “What is the chief end of man?” he will reply, “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” That is why we were made. If we do good works, serving as “salt” and “light,” we will bring glory to God and be what we were made to be.

However, note that we are told here to bring God glory in a certain way. We are to bring God glory through mission. In other words, this passage clearly doesn’t deal with our worship. It deals with us inciting worship in others. It deals with making disciples. We do good works, people see them, and then they worship God. It’s important for us to see that worship is the ultimate aim of evangelism. We share the gospel of Jesus. People come to worship Jesus. As Piper says, “Missions exists because worship doesn’t.”

Here at near the beginning of Matthew is a preview of the end of the book. Jesus gives the Great Commission there. He says,

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them
to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to
the end of the age."

We share the gospel of Christ with our words. But here, in Matthew 5:16, it teaches that we also share the gospel through or works.

We also see here a preview of the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13. There Jesus prays, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” As we serve as “salt” and “light” faithfully, this “Father who is in heaven” will be “hallowed” or glorified more and more as His will is done more and more here on earth.

In doing this, we will fulfill the prophecies spoken about Jesus and about His people in the Old Testament. In the “Servant Songs” of Isaiah, the prophet speaks of Jesus, who would come as a light in the world. Read Isaiah 49:6.

Isaiah 49:6 he says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to
raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will
make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of
the earth."

God says, “It would be too easy for me to just have you redeem Israel. I’m going to have you redeem the earth. You will be my light.” In Acts 13:47, Paul and Barnabas preached that this also applied to Christ’s church. As His “light of the world,” we proclaim and live in such a way that people from all nations come to glorify the Father through Christ Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus wants us to be people of a certain character. We saw that in the Beatitudes. He also wants us to be a people of influence. We see that in our passage this morning. We have this amazing opportunity to be in the world, in the culture of Columbia, yet standing as a counter-cultural community within that restrains corruption and proclaims truth. In the midst of our wonderful city, we can stand as a “city on a hill,” a preview and foretaste of the city of God, calling all people to flow to Christ, the “light of the world.”

Do we understand the world is dark and corrupt?
Do we recognize that we and only we are charged to deal with it?
Will we own up to our calling to be sent into the world?
Will we restrain corruption and exude light?
Will we refuse to become corrupt or hide our light?
Will we take that salt and light boldly into society?
Will we live to see others come to worship God in Christ?

Will we be a “city on a hill?”

Some of you today may be still trapped in corruption and mired in darkness. You need to come to the “light of the world,” Jesus Christ, repenting of your sin and embracing Him by faith. You need to see His holiness, your sin, and His marvelous cross that brings reconciliation with God. Come to Christ in faith.

Others of you have begun to look like the earth. You have become part of the problem, instead of the solution. You’ve not shined your light. You’ve hidden it. You’ve forgotten why you’re here in the world. Come to Christ in repentance.