Jesus's Commands - Matthew 5:11-12

Once again I am doing some backtracking.  I was reading the Beatitudes and realized that I had missed a command of Jesus.

After telling his disciples what kind of blessing comes from what kind of attitude Jesus ends this section by saying...

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Each beatitude; humility, conviction, meekness, righteous pursuit, mercy, integrity, peacemaker, and persecution bearing (which is an attitude in itself), each one of these is an attitude of Jesus himself.

What is man's purpose?  It is to be like Jesus.  If a person is to be like Jesus then they must expect to be treated like Jesus.  To consistently exhibit the attitudes found in Matthew chapter 5 is to be different from the world.  The world is afraid of those who go against "normalcy," and as a result of such difference in action the world will persecute, to some degree or another, those who persist on being different.  Every follower of Christ must expect a degree of persecution.  When it happens Jesus commands a proper response.

Notice that the proper response is not merely an inward expression.  I was tempted to write that the proper response was joy and gladness and though this is true it is also wrong for the response must not only be inward; it must be exhibited outward.  REJOICE!!!  Let your joy show through!!!  What an odd thing to say and yet we have examples of this kind of response found in Scripture.

Stories found in Acts of the Apostles suffering persecution show us an attitude of joy being expressed outwardly through rejoicing.  It is not a "look at me world!!!!" attitude.  It is a "I am counted as being worthy to suffer as Christ suffered" attitude.  Even then a measure of pride can creep in, and if this were to happen it would no longer be the attitude of joy (rejoicing) that Jesus is speaking of here.

Jesus is not saying to be proud in the sense of "look at me world!!!!".  On the other hand a level of pride is involved, but one that does not go to the head.  It is pride in knowing that your life is reflecting that of Jesus, and it is a pride that spurs you on to do greater things for him.  Even more then that, it is the evidence that you have true belief.  We can say we believe all we want but until we suffer for what we believe we will never truly know if we believe or not.  How do we know the prophets found in the Old Testament believed?  They continued to serve God in the face of persecution.

The belief is in the unseen but not unknowable future.  The belief that should spur every Christian is the fact that we will one day be in the presence of our Creator and Lord to live eternally with him.  The belief is knowing that there is nothing here on earth that can prevent this future from happening.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven!

Go forth and live your life according to your belief.

Jesus's Commands - Matthew 5:27-30

This passage today has got to be one of the most controversial passages of the Bible.

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut if off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."

Recently I showed a video to the youth that was put out by an atheist.  His argument against Christians was if Christians claim to be followers of Jesus Christ then why don't they obey what he says.  He used this passage to try and show the absurdity of Jesus's commands.

It isn't only atheists who struggle with passages like this.  Many Christians struggle with it as well.  I would say a majority of Christians, in their attempt to deal with this passage, tend to just over look it which in reality isn't dealing with it at all.

Was Jesus really commanding his followers to mutilate themselves?  The answer is an obvious no but a closer look at this passage needs to be taken to understand exactly what Jesus was saying.

We need to understand that Jesus was taking the law to a new level.  To interpret this passage literally would be to put Jesus in line with the Pharisees.  This might be the sort of thing a Pharisee would say if he really wasn't so concerned with his own physical welfare.

Notice that Jesus prefaces this command with a discussion about adultery.  Pharisees would say that the act of adultery is the sin.  As long as one did not commit the act they were okay.  In fact, this was the whole reason why the Pharisees developed an oral law that surrounded the written law.  In their attempt not to break the written law they added extra laws as sort of a security system.  Picture the written law as a lock box in a bank.  It is surrounded by a number of security measures.  It cannot be accessed until the door leading to the vault is unlocked and then the door of the vault where the security box is kept is unlocked.

Judaism had become a very "outward" religion even though its ancient texts (the Old Testament) portrayed it as being a very "inward" religion.  The people were more concerned about following the law then their relationship with God.  As long as they don't appear to be sinning then they are okay.  Many Christians have fallen into the same trap.

Jesus went even further by saying that sin isn't the action itself but the intention.  To even lust after a woman is to commit adultery.  If we were to go by the Pharisaical view then a person who wanted to stop sinning would take drastic physical measures, but this is not what Jesus was saying because he just got through saying it wasn't the action that is sin but the intent.

What causes us to sin?  It is not our eye or our hand.  What causes us to sin is a sinful nature.  It is a love for all that is selfish.  If one wants to be free from sin then a drastic measure must be taken.  A person must die to self!

What does it mean to die to self?  Look at Colossians 3

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  4 When Christ, who is your a life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. b  7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.  8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices  10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.  11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

If you want to quit sinning then you must do the drastic thing and give up control of your life and turn it over to Jesus.  What causes us to sin?  Self-will.  Self-will must be sacrificed and God's will must replace it.  What is God's will?  One word summarizes every command of God.  God's will for us is to love.

Let me end by saying this.  To love is perhaps the hardest command of all because it isn't just doing some physical action.  All of us have experienced obedience in such a way that we do what we are told but our heart isn't in it.  God wants our heart to be in it.  God showed the world that strict obedience to His law is impossible.  There is not one person who can obey it wholly for self-will will always be at odds with God's will, but the command to love changes this.  Love is not just an action it is a state of being that involves the physical, emotional and spiritual sides of human beings.  Love is the opposite of self-will.  Love is doing what is best and right for others.  Love is not looking at our own interests but it is putting the interests of others before us.  Love is the drastic change that needs to take place in the heart in order to stop sinning.

Do you want to stop sinning?  Then give your life completely to God.  Allow him to transform you into the loving being he created you to be.  Do something drastic!!

Jesus's Commands - Matthew 5:17-20

You might notice that I did a little back tracking today. Quite unintentionally, I began to read from verse 17 in chapter 5 instead of starting at verse 27. To think I almost missed one of Jesus' commands! Before you read any further go to your Bible and read Matthew 5:17-20. Did you find the command I almost missed?

Verse 17 says "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but fulfill them."

I know there are some non-Christians who would (and do) have a field day with this command. On the flip side, as we shall see, there are Christians who do as well. It is a matter of interpretation.

Before I go further I would like to say this. There are those who say that the interpretation of Scripture depends on the individual. In some Christian circles it is popular for people in a Bible study to go around their little group telling each other "what this verse means to me" and never really get anywhere to discerning what the passage they are studying truly says.

I come from the belief that there is truth and there is non-truth. There is very little (if any) information that lies within the middle. As it is, most of society has bought into the idea of relativism in some form or another. So it is hard for them to see this "truth".

The fact is, when the authors of Scripture wrote, they had a specific meaning in mind. As a result any given passage has one interpretation, but may have many applications. What I mean by this is there cannot be two or more ways to interpret a Scripture. It has one meaning which can then be applied to different situations.

Now I am not saying I have the correct interpretation. Interpreting Scripture is a life long process. I do, however, try to approach Scripture with honesty and a hunger and thirst for the truth it contains. I do not want to ever come to Scripture with a preconceived notion. Can I completely get away from doing this? Absolutely not, but just knowing where my preconceptions are helps me in my endeavor to be honest with the message Scripture presents.

Sorry for the rabbit trail. I just thought it important to consider especially in light of the passage I am looking at today.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets."

Why would Jesus issue such a command? My only thought is that there were those who might have been tempted to give over to this type of thinking. Why? The entire Sermon on the Mount seems to go against the grain of contemporary thought concerning Scripture (the Law and the Prophets). Jesus says some pretty radical things such as the entertaining of hate filled thoughts towards another being as bad as murder or lust being as bad as adultery. It would seem that on a surface level Jesus was taking these commands to a new extreme when in reality he was causing people to look inward instead of outward as the Pharisees were so keen on doing.

In today's age it is easy to go to another conclusion. Jesus died for our sins and therefore has done away with the law of the Old Testament. Some have even taken this to an extreme justifying their immoral actions.

We need to be real careful in our understanding of what Jesus did. Jesus didn't come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. He was the only human being who could perfectly abide by it. Through his actions he showed us that the legalism of the Pharisees was wrong. They had created man made laws that surrounded God's laws in an attempt to protect themselves from breaking his law, but they missed the point entirely.

Jesus's interpretation of the law was the most correct, being that he was its author. Obedience of the law is not found in outward adherence, but obedience is motivated by an inward attitude. Obedience of the law comes naturally to those who love God and love man.

Christians who truly love God and love man will not find it difficult to obey God's law. In fact, just as Jesus himself taught, we will find ourselves going above and beyond what was written so long ago. Again, we need to be careful of how we view what Jesus did. The law is not gone. It is still here, but true obedience doesn't come from trying to carefully observe it. True obedience comes through love, but love can be extremely hard sometimes. This is why we are in constant need of Jesus's help and guidance.

Before I end I said that non-Christians would have a field day with this verse. It could be pointed out that since Jesus said the law would never pass away we Christians are in constant disobedience of it. Doesn't it say not to eat certain foods? Doesn't it say to stone disobedient teenagers? Doesn't it say to wear certain kinds of clothes? How do we get around this?

We as Christians are no longer bound to the law. What does that mean? The law says that if a person who doesn't follow it breaks any part of it then they deserve to die. All of humanity, whether you want to accept it or not, has broken God's law. No one is innocent, that is except Jesus. It was his intention from the very beginning to rescue us from this debt. Because he was the perfect man he was able to take our debts and cancel them. This doesn't mean he did away with the law. The law still serves the purpose of showing people they are separated from God. Those who do not accept Jesus' gift are still bound by it. So it is not gone, but we as Christians are no longer bound to it. We follow a higher law now. That law is love, which brings us back full circle.

Go love God and go love others. Allow your inner attitude to motivate your obedience. Don't worry about trying to decide which laws you should follow and which ones you shouldn't. Do the one that Jesus commanded. LOVE!!!!!

Jesus's Commands - Matthew 5:21-26

I forget how much I like Jesus's Sermon On the Mount. 

Today's scripture gives more then one command, but as we shall see, they are focused on one theme.

"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."

“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.  I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny."

These commands follow a small discourse about how the act of being angry with someone is akin to the act of murder.  Let me say this.  Is all anger sinful?  Jesus himself was angry many times in scripture.  Anger is wrong when it is selfishly motivated.  We have to be very careful about our anger.  If we are going to act based on our anger we better be angry for a good reason and it shouldn't involve selfish interests.

With that being said, Jesus then commands us to go and reconcile any differences we may have with our "brothers" when we "offer a gift at the alter."  Why?  The answer is really simple.  How can we truly worship a God who has freely given himself for us and holds nothing against us when we harbor unforgiveness in our heart?  We can't because not being able to forgive will always be at the core of our heart and thoughts.  It is unforgiveness that leads to some atrocious and heinous sin.  This is why he commands us to be right with one another.

He then tells us to settle things outside of court.  This seems like a strange command, but again, it has to do with the heart.  I'm sure many of you have seen televised court hearings.  What strikes me about most of the cases is that there is, once again, unseated unforgiveness on at least one party's side.  To try and reconcile outside of court is to maintain a humble attitude in seeking forgiveness so that there is no chance of bitterness taking root being the result of sin.

Basically Jesus is once again telling us to love one another.  Love is a selfless act.  If we are angry with someone, even hating someone, it will lead to sin.  That is a guarantee.  If you have an issue with someone and you are having trouble letting your anger go then you need to make yourself seek reconciliation.  Go and forgive.  Isn't that what God has done for us?

Jesus's Commands Matthew 5:13-16

You probably will realize that I am skipping things Jesus says looking for where he specifically commands something.  So I am not making comments concerning the beatitudes.  Instead I am skipping to the passage from the Sermon on the Mount entitled (in the NIV) "Salt and Light".

The command here is found in verse 16 "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."  If there is any doubt about what Jesus is talking about as he describes salt and light it is dispelled here in this simple command.

Salt and light are a person's deeds done as a result of a changed life found in Jesus Christ.  The results of such deeds is a glorification of God.  To put it simply, our deeds reflect on God.  When we call our selves Christian we either make God look good or we make him look bad.

One might ask "what exactly is a good deed?"  A simple question, but a very profound question that needs to be answered.  What the world sees as good doesn't always correlate with what God sees as good.  Good actions are motivated by love, the very principle that God himself operates by. 

Even then we have to be careful.  I'm not talking about any mushy, gushy feeling that many of us equate as love.  Feelings can hide the fact that an action which may seem good is really harmful.  Good acts take all things into account.  They are acts done under the assumption that what is being performed is the best thing and the right thing for a person, the object of love.  When we do the best thing and the right thing for others we can be sure that God will receive the glory.

There are too many of Christians hiding our light.  We think that by not acting we are safe.  The problem is Jesus said "Let your light shine."  Inaction is just as wrong/sinful as bad action.  In essence, inaction is disobedience.

On the other hand, there may be a fear that "letting one's light shine" involves something like standing at a corner on a soap box proclaiming that the end is near.  Such thought places a deep seated fear in a person prohibiting them from doing anything.  Jesus didn't say this is what he was expecting.  Jesus merely said "your good deeds," or deeds produced out of love. 

What does this all mean?  Just be a loving person.  Let love be the motivation behind action.  Start with that and then see where God takes you.

Jesus's Commands - Matthew 4:18-22

I have a real problem with preachers/teachers allegorizing everything. In my mind not everything in scripture has a spiritual application. So in writing about this passage I feel like I am on the border of "over spiritualizing" the command found here. What keeps me writing about this command is the knowledge that Jesus restates it in different ways and to different people including all of Christendom. So even though this particular command is spoken to Peter and Andrew, and possibly James and John, I am including it in my study of Jesus's commands to us.

Just a side note. This command and the previous command are also found in Mark 1:14-20 in the same context.

"Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

This is actually a command with a promise. The command "follow me" and the promise "I will make you fishers of men." I have to ask myself, "Where's the appeal?" I know that may sound a little sacrilegious but I am constantly trying to look at Scripture the way a non-Christian might. I mean basically what Jesus was saying is "Give up your livelihood, possibly your family, respect of your peers and follow me. When you do this I will give you another task. You will show others how to do what you are doing." Am I reading too much into this? I really don't think so.

So where was the appeal? I think the reason why it may not hold such appeal today is the fact that we live in a tolerant society. How do the two connect? Easily. There was a time when people who believed in something strongly wanted to share it with others hoping that they would come to believe it as well, but in today's culture such a notion isn't very popular. In fact it is seen as being very narrow minded. The call is for everyone to accept everyone no matter how they practice or what they believe, which I wouldn't say I disagree with, but it goes further in demanding that none of us try to force our "beliefs" on anyone else. Forget that such beliefs could be the truth. Truth is relative. It is only true if one accepts it as true.

So the call to become "fishers of men" goes against the grain of society including those who call themselves Christian. There is no appeal to reveal truth to people. In essence this is the very call of Jesus. "Follow me and you will become people who draw others to me through revelation of the truth."

Our whole purpose for being here is to be like Jesus. What was Jesus' mission? It has been worded many different ways so allow me to word it this way. His mission was to bring truth (some call it light) to the world. If we want to be like Jesus then we must have a desire to bring the truth to those around us.

Where's the appeal? The appeal is knowing that there is a world outside of us that is lost and dieing. The appeal is knowing there is truth even though it is emphatically denied. The appeal is knowing that this truth is the key to freedom. Why should we desire to be fishers of men? Because if we don't those who are in the world will remain lost living purposeless and pointless lives.

Jesus said "Come and follow me" to his first disciples. The call didn't stop with them. It continues today through a differently worded command. "Go and make disciples of all nations..." If we are to obey Jesus then we must follow him in order to go and make disciples.

Jesus's Commands - Matthew 4:17

Matthew 4:17 reads “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Repent, literally means “to perceive afterwards” or in essence to change one’s mind after something has occurred.

The Jews understood repent. There was no need to go into an explanation of what repentance is. Of course today anyone can ask “What did Jesus mean by change your mind?” It is wise to keep things in their historical context.

What is the purpose of Judaism? To maintain a pure relationship with God that comes through the careful obeying of his laws. Of course Jews (no matter how the Pharisees acted) knew that humans messed up. The whole reason for the sacrificial system in Scripture was to temporarily cover the sin of the individual and the nation. So people mess up.

Repentance then is seen more fully as not just changing one’s mind but coming to an understanding that what was previously done, whether it be once or on a regular basis, is wrong. In order for real repentance to happen there must be confession that something is wrong and a perception that such action continues to perpetuate the chasm that exists between man and God. As a result of this confession and perception a person chooses to do the opposite.

Jesus said “Repent!!” Why? “For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus would later say “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the father except through me.” Whose kingdom is heaven? God’s kingdom. The only way to get there is through Jesus Christ. What did Jesus do? He took man’s penalty of death upon himself so that man could enter into a repaired relationship with God and become a part of his kingdom.

When a person accepts citizenship they accept all the laws and rules that go with it. Before we were citizens of God’s kingdom we were citizens of the world and fully accepted the laws and rules that went with it (basically live for yourself). How is God’s kingdom different? Live not for yourself but for others. First God and then those around you!

Paul said “Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” What Paul calls transformation is nothing more then repentance in action.

One question remains. Do Christians need to continue to repent? Absolutely!!! Where in Scripture does it say that we Christians become perfect upon the accepting of Jesus’ free gift? No where. We become righteous in God’s eyes as a result, but we do not become perfect. On the other hand we do begin a process of being perfected. Just like any other process there has to be some force that is in control of it. That force is God. So regular repentance needs to take place as we undergo our process of perfection and obtain full active citizenship in God’s kingdom.

Jesus's Commands - Matthew 4:1-11

Alright, let's begin.

I have chosen to start with Matthew and go straight through the Gospels.  Don't worry though.  I'm going to do it section by section.  For instance, today's commands come from the period where Jesus' wandered the wilderness for 40 days.  During this wandering he was confronted by the devil who tempted him in three ways.  Each time Jesus was tempted Jesus responded by quoting a verse out of Deuteronomy.  So let's see what he said and how these commands apply to us.

Matthew 4:1-11

In this section Jesus is being tempted by the devil.  He quotes three passages of Scripture that I feel fall under commands of Jesus.

Vs. 4 says “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  Though this sentence is not written in the form of a command it definitely serves to remind the Christian that life is more then just the physical.  Life is also, and arguably more importantly, spiritual.  The only thing that sustains the spiritual life, which extends into the physical realm, is God’s word found in the Bible.  What is the command?  Though not explicitly stated here, but definitely in other places, be in God's word, the Bible, regularly and live by what it says.

Vs. 7 says “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”  This definitely is a command from Deuteronomy 6:16.  The reference verse actually says “Do not test the Lord your God as you did at Massah.”  Massah is the place where Moses produced water from a rock for the wandering Israelites.  Upon coming to the place where they were to camp they saw there was no water.  As a result they begun to grumble and complain even hinting at the idea that Moses had led them there to die.  It came to a head when they basically asked the question “Is the Lord really among us?”

How is this testing God?  I think the question “Is the Lord really among us?” was not a question of whether God was really there, but was a question to provoke God to act.  Sort of like “If he has all this power surely he can produce water, but the fact that he isn’t producing water shows he really doesn’t have power.”  It was a provocation, an attempt to get God to use his power to provide for their want.

The real problem behind this is that there was no faith on the part of the Israelites.  If they really understood God’s nature they would not have tried to provoke him into providing water.  They would have had confidence that God would provide.

A question needs to be asked?   Were the Israelites successful in provoking God to act?  It would seem so, but the answer is no.  God acted not because he was provoked but because he knew the need.  God promised to provide for them.  He didn’t need provocation.  As a result of this instance it is used again in at least two places.  One, in Deuteronomy, to remind the Israelites that God is in control and cannot be provoked and in the passage we are looking at right now.   Jesus is being tempted, or an attempt is being made, to provoke God into action based upon what Scripture says.

We should never presume that we have any influence over God beyond what he allows through petition and intercession.  We cannot provoke God to act.  To think that we can wield some influence over God is to have a view that he somehow seeks man’s approval or has something to prove.  He does not.  God is in control.  We need our life to reflect this truth.

Vs. 10 says “Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”  Is there anything else more worthy of our worship?  If one believes God to be as the Scriptures reveal him, then the answer is a resounding no!  Only God deserves worship.  Why is this such an important command?  Man’s natural tendency is to worship something.  Such worship stretches from mundane things to perceived spiritual things to self, but there is nothing that deserves worship except for the God who has created and continue to sustain all things.

Three commands we need to live by.  Study and live by Scripture.  Do not test God but trust His promise to provide the necessities of life.  Worship Him only for He is the only one who deserves worship.

Upcoming Bible Studies

Surprise!! I know, I know. It has been quite awhile since I posted. I thought no one cared until I begin to hear that Suzy was missing my blogs. Thanks Suzy for keeping me accountable!!

I really enjoy blogging my personal Bible study. It helps me be faithful in doing it. A few ideas came to me about what my Bible study could be about. We are told to obey Jesus, but how many of us really know the full extent of Jesus' commands? We are told that our greatest purpose is to be like Jesus, but how many of us really know what Jesus was like? As a result of these questions I have decided to do an in depth Bible study on Jesus' commands and what Jesus was like. I am anticipating both of these taking quite a bit of time. I would also like to do a study on the power of Satan. Just how much power does this guy have and what are his limitations? That one won't come for quite a while.

So sit back and get ready to go on a journey with me through the Gospels discovering everything that Jesus has commanded us to do. My prayer is that God will convict us concerning these things and help us to fully obey Jesus. Why? Jesus said "If you love me you will obey my commands." I love him and therefore I want to obey him.