Christ’s
Message to the World
Matthew
5:1-7:28
Jim Davis
Jesus
entered a beleaguered religious world. Jesus was born into a world where
the Caesars claimed to be gods. Temples were erected to promote worship
to the Caesars. Just to make sure they had all their bases covered an
altar was erected to the unknown god (Acts 17:23). The Jews endless
religious debates compounded the confusion. Jesus’ strongest rebuke was
against the teachers of the law and the Pharisees.
Matthew
23:15-16
15 "Woe to
you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over
land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make
him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
16 "Woe to
you, blind guides! NIV
It is
shocking. Those seeking to lead souls to God were blinded by their own
ignorance. It is scary to think the religious atmosphere in the Jewish
temple where Jesus worshipped left people so confused. They had no clue
the Messiah was in attendance.
It is hard
to fathom. John the Baptist heralds Christ as the Lamb of God who takes
away the sins of the world (John 1:22-31). And this makes John’s last
question just before he was beheaded mind boggling.
Matthew
11:2-3
When John
heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him,
"Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" NIV
Imagine!
God sends John to prepare the way for Christ. And John asks this
question in the final hours of his life. It would seem the one preparing
the way for Christ would have a clearer picture. He is as confused as
anyone. It is the direct result of the religious and political turmoil
surrounding Christ. Looking back today it seems to be an ongoing never
ending confusion throughout the ages.
Today
religious confusion leaves us questioning the very nature and purpose of
Christianity—the very nature of God.
How can we clear up the mass
confusion? It would be helpful to start where Jesus began. He began
dealing with the issues of the heart as he revealed God through his
humanity (John 14:9-14).
Understanding the Confusion
Christ
began his ministry seeking to establish the kingdom of God in the hearts
of men and women. He went out preaching the kingdom of heaven is near.
Yet, there was as much confusion about the kingdom of God in his day as
there is about churches today. It is hard to speak of the kingdom of
heaven or kingdom of God or the church without throwing us into
confusion.
The Jews
were expecting the kingdom of God to come as a neo-political world
order. They were expecting a Messiah who would set up an earthly kingdom
to overrule the political order. They were looking for signs to signal
its coming, but it was already present.
Luke 17:20-21
20 Once, having been
asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus
replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful
observation, 21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,'
because the kingdom of God is within you." NIV
John the
Baptist was as confused about the kingdom as we are about the church. It
is all because we fail to understand the nature of God’s kingdom. We
refer to the assembly of believers in a given locale in New Testament
times as a church. We translate the Greek word for assembly (ekklesia)
with the word church. In New Testament times the word simply referred to
an assembly of people. Yet, we spend our time seeking to recreate and
redefine the characteristics of the church/assembly.
The word
kingdom has to do with the rule of God in the hearts of those assembled
to worship God. Jesus doesn’t begin his teaching seeking to describe the
characteristics of an assembly or church. He begins his ministry
describing the nature of God’s rule in the hearts of those seeking God.
He begins with a vision of a new world order. It begins with God ruling
in one heart at a time. Jesus’ teaching challenges the heart issues of
those assembled to worship God. This is where the confusion lies.
The kingdom
of God was never more than the rule of God in the hearts of men and
women. Whenever and wherever God rules our hearts his kingdom reigns.
The kingdom of God was already spreading as Jesus spoke to those in
search of the kingdom. God was working as silently in the hearts of men
and women as salt that spreads its influence through a pot of stew.
Too often
our focus never goes beyond the church. We may end up only worshipping a
way of doing church. We may spend our time building churches while
missing the message of Christ altogether. In essence we may only worship
our ideas of what we think the church should be. Sadly, we spend our
days looking for a place to worship and fail to focus on the one who is
seeking to establish his abode in our hearts.
The
Samaritan woman was concerned about where to worship. Jesus seeks to
change her focus from a place to worship. He points her to the One who
is to be worshipped. He sought to focus her on the true nature of
worship.
John
4:19-24
19 "Sir,"
the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers
worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we
must worship is in Jerusalem."
21 Jesus
declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the
Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans
worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation
is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the
kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his
worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." NIV
This woman
reminds us of our quest. Where should we worship? Jesus doesn’t
encourage the woman to run from one mountain to another to worship. He
did tell her she didn’t know what she worshipped. He told her a day was
coming when worship would not be done in either place. What if Jesus
told us that we didn’t know what we worshipped? What if I told you that
a day may be coming when worship will not be done in the church building
where you are worshipping or in the church across the street? You may
get upset. But there are a lot of empty church buildings and cathedrals.
This is why
Jesus wasted no time focusing her on the true nature of worship. True
worshippers will worship God in spirit and in truth. Jesus changes her
focus from the place to worship to the matter of the heart. We might
ask, what does it mean to worship God in spirit? Do I look for a church
service to create a spiritual mood for me?
Those first
Christians were always reminded that they themselves made up the temple
of God. They were the living temple of God in whom God dwelled.
1
Corinthians 3:16-17
16 Don't
you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit
lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him;
for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple. NIV
1 Peter
2:4-6
4 As you
come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and
precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a
spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. NIV
God is not
trying to get us into a place of worship; he is seeking to carve out a
place in our hearts as his dwelling place. Believers make up a holy
priesthood through whom God, Christ and the Holy Spirit rein. Christians
are God’s temple. That is where true worship begins. Christians are a
kingdom of priest (Revelation 1:6; 5:10). The beautiful thing about God
is he is always present in the heart of a Christian.
It will
take more than reimaging the church to change hearts. God desires to
recreate his image in my heart.
Worshipping
God in Spirit
Matthew’s
gospel reveals how Jesus began his ministry in the midst of all the
confusion. It is really where we must begin.
In Matthew
4:17 Jesus began preaching the kingdom of God is at hand. In the next
three chapters of Matthew’s gospel, Matthew gives us a firsthand view of
Jesus’ description of the kingdom of God. Matthew chapter five through
chapter seven is actually Jesus’ condensed version of the entire
biblical teaching on the nature of God’s rule in the hearts of humanity.
It is a summation of all the law and the prophets. In reality it is a
clear description of the nature of God. It is the life Christ desires to
bring to life in each of his followers. It is the only way to salvage
life on planet earth and eternally.
It was on
this mountainside that Jesus revealed how God is sought in spirit and in
truth. Jesus describes for us the spirit of those entering his kingdom
and the truth designed to create this spirit as we are led into God’s
kingdom by the truth.
Matthew
5:1-12
5:1 Now
when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His
disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:
3 "Blessed
are the poor in spirit,
for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed
are those who mourn,
for they
will be comforted.
5 Blessed
are the meek,
for they
will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they
will be filled.
7 Blessed
are the merciful,
for they
will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed
are the pure in heart,
for they
will see God.
9 Blessed
are the peacemakers,
for they
will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed
are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed
are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds
of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great
is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the
prophets who were before you.
NIV
Jesus has
just described the spirit with which we must seek God.
Those who come to God with this
spirit are in a perfect mindset to be led by God’s truth. The kingdom of
God is prepared and made possible for those who humbly mourn over their
spiritual poverty as they hunger and thirst after God’s justice to be as
merciful and as pure in heart as God. These individuals will inherit the
kingdom of God and all the comfort it affords. They will truly inherit
the earth as they enjoy the greatest spiritual blessings God has to
offer. They will be called the children of God. They shall see God.
Jesus
assures us that if we begin seeking God with this spirit we will find
him (Matthew 7:7-8). If we seek God’s truth with the spirit Jesus
describes we can be reborn by the power of Almighty God as a child of
God.
Seeking God
in spirit has to do with a spiritual hunger for God?
If we lack this hunger, simply read
the remainder of Jesus’ teaching on the mountainside. The truth he
reveals is designed to reveal our spiritual poverty. Truth is designed
to create the spiritual thirst needed to seek God. Just listen to God’s
truth in the remainder of Jesus Sermon in the next couple of chapters.
Allow his truth to create this spirit within your heart.
Most of us
already have a deep gnawing hunger.
We just haven’t recognized it as a spiritual hunger. We have a hunger
that cannot be filled with anything this world has to offer. We seek one
pursuit after another and continually come up empty. Seeking to fill it
with anything but God leaves our lives in a constant state of upheaval.
This hunger is usually misdirected. We are in constant pursuit of a
higher standard of living economically. We find little or no
satisfaction as it is attained. We pursue one interest after another and
cry out with Solomon, all is vanity as we become tired and bored. Just
look around in the world—spiritual hunger is pervasive. It is just not
recognized as spiritual hunger.
Seeking God
brings us face to face with our spiritual poverty. The truth Jesus
reveals allows us to see our deepest need. The truth he reveals has the
power to influence and change the world. Responding to Jesus’ teaching
allows us to reflect God’s presence in a dark world.
Matthew
5:13-16
13 "You are
the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it
be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be
thrown out and trampled by men.
14 "You are
the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its
stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way,
let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and
praise your Father in heaven. NIV
Read the
remainder of Christ’s teaching on the mountainside and draw your own
conclusions about the life God desires to give you.
As you do this, think about how Jesus’ teaching has the potential of not
only salvaging your life but also life as we know it on planet earth. It
succinctly sums up the nature of Christianity.
As we read
Jesus’ sermon we will probably see a stark contrast in how we live and
how Jesus says we should live. We shouldn’t run and hide from the truth.
We must allow the truth to create in us the very spiritual hunger
necessary for worship. Jesus simply endeavors to reveal the truth in
order for us to see our spiritual poverty.
If we look
at the remainder of what Jesus says in the sermon and realize our lives
are out of sync with God, don’t panic. God already knows more about you
than you will ever know about yourself. Be sure you don’t try coming to
God by searching for a new mountain on which to worship God. Simply come
to God just as you are from where you are. To do otherwise would only
divert your attention away from the really important stuff. Humbly ask
God to forgive you for whatever is lacking. Christ died to assure us
safe passage into the arms of God. Ask God to open your heart to real
change that would allow him to rule your life as Lord. Accept God’s
forgiveness for what is lacking in your life. Accept God’s forgiveness
for all the bad choices you have made. You are more important to God
than the sum of all the mistakes you have made. You are more important
to God than all the problems you have created. Begin seeking his will.
God will begin revealing himself to you through his Spirit as he reins
in your heart to establish his kingdom on earth.
Where Does
It All Begin?
Recognizing
and accepting our spiritual poverty begins with respect for God’s law.
Jesus didn’t seek to
do away with the Law of Moses; he came revealing the living precepts of
the law. Jesus’ sermon was directed to those who thought they knew the
law of God, but didn’t know God. Jesus tried to assure them he wasn’t
abolishing the law—in essence he reveals the law in this sermon simply
and clearly. It is here that he challenges the religious and
nonreligious alike.
Matthew
5:17-20
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 I tell you the truth, until
heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least
stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until
everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks 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 practices and teaches these
commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell
you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and
the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of
heaven. NIV
Matthew
describes how Jesus reveals the very heart of God’s law.
He doesn’t just reveal the rules of
the law. He reveals the precepts of the law in living splendor. These
precepts give birth to the rule of law. To violate the precepts is to
violate the very basis of every law of God. These precepts reveal the
very heart of God—the nature of God. They reveal the life that must
spring up in every heart. It gives us a firsthand view of the spirit
with which we must come to God.
It is the
very spirit of God’s law Jesus describes in Matthew chapter five through
chapter seven that gives rise to Christianity as it is revealed through
the remainder of the New Testament. Take these precepts out of the New
Testament and everything collapses. It may define why so many churches
are collapsing.
The law of
God is about honoring God and man. The Ten Commandments revolve around
two major precepts—honoring God and honoring those made in God’s image.
The first part of the law is about giving God priority. Matthew 5:3-12
reveal how we do this as we hunger and thirst for God above all else.
The remainder of Jesus’ teaching in this sermon is about how we honor
and worship God through our relationships with others.
It Begins
with Personal Relationships
It begins
with understanding our need to control our anger through forgiveness.
When I begin to
control my anger through forgiveness, I experience the very nature of
God’s forgiveness toward me.
Matthew
5:21-26
21 "You
have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and
anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that
anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again,
anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin.
But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there
remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift
there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother;
then come and offer your gift.
25 "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. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until
you have paid the last penny. NIV
It begins
with honoring our sexuality through marriage.
Matthew
5:27-32
27 "You
have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you
that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed
adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin,
gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of
your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if
your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is
better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to
go into hell.
31 "It has
been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of
divorce.' 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except
for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and
anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery. NIV
It begins
with speaking the truth.
Matthew
5:33-37
33 "Again,
you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break
your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34 But I tell
you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 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 swear by your head, for you cannot
make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,'
and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
It begins
with a merciful attitude toward the unmerciful.
Matthew
5:38-42
38 "You
have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But
I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the
right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue
you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone
forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who
asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from
you. NIV
It begins
with love for our enemies.
Matthew
5:43-48
43 "You
have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute
you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun
to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and
the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you
get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet
only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even
pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is
perfect. NIV
Are you
beginning to feel as though you may not be measuring up?
Don’t run and hide. Jesus didn’t speak these things to make you run and
hide. DON"T PANIC read on—there is a solution.
It begins
in privacy with God.
Matthew
6:1-4
6:1 "Be
careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by
them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 "So when
you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the
hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by
men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your
right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. NIV
Matthew
6:5-8
5 "And when
you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing
in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell
you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you
pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is
unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward
you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they
think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like
them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
It begins
with God’s desires becoming my desires as I seek the rule of God’s
kingdom to come into the world through my heart.
Matthew
6:9-18
9 "This,
then, is how you should pray:
"'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
today our daily bread.
12 Forgive
us our debts,
as we also
have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead
us not into temptation,
but deliver
us from the evil one.'
14 For if
you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will
also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your
Father will not forgive your sins.
16 "When
you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure
their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they
have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on
your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men
that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. NIV
We are to
pray for God’s kingdom to come, but it begins with forgiving as we are
forgiven as we seek to overcome our temptations.
It begins
with seeking the rule of God in my heart as my first priority.
Matthew
6:19-34
19 "Do not
store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy,
and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where
thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also.
22 "The eye
is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be
full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full
of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that
darkness!
24 "No one
can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve
both God and Money.
25
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat
or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look
at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable
than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28 "And why
do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They
do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his
splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes
the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into
the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So
do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or
'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and
your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first
his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to
you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its
own. NIV
It begins
by being as merciful in my judgments against others as I want God to be
to me.
Matthew
7:1-6
7:1 "Do not
judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge
others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be
measured to you.
3 "Why do
you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no
attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your
brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time
there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank
out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck
from your brother's eye.
6 "Do not
give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do,
they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to
pieces. NIV
It begins
with trusting God to reveal his truth to me one precept at a time.
Matthew
7:7-11
7 "Ask and
it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will
be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds;
and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 "Which of
you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks
for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! NIV
It begins
and ends by living by the Golden Rule
Matthew
7:12
12 So in
everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this
sums up the Law and the Prophets. NIV
If you have
trouble understanding God’s law, it is here that Jesus sums up the
entire purpose of God’s law. This Golden Rule allows me to make sense of
the entire scope of biblical teaching. We all want to be on the
receiving end of everything taught in this sermon. We want people to be
truthful to us, we want to be honored in our marriages, we want others
to forgive us, we want others to be merciful to us, etc. Now turn all
this around and seek to do for others the very things you want them to
do for you. This sums up man’s responsibility to man. It sums up how I
truly worship God. It sums up my spiritual poverty.
This is
where we begin to make sense of all of God’s laws. It is where we begin
to understand what salvation is about. It is the only way to salvage
life for now and eternally. The difference in living like this and not
living like this is—the difference between creating a hellish
environment in which to live—and salvaging life presently and eternally.
It begins
with making a deliberate choice about life.
Matthew
7:13-20
13 "Enter
through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that
leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the
gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15 "Watch
out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but
inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize
them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17
Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad
fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear
good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Conclusion:
Jesus’
conclusion is this:
Matthew
7:21-29
21 "Not
everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many
will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your
name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23
Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you
evildoers!'
24
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain
came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into
practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain
came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell with a great crash."
28 When
Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his
teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as
their teachers of the law. NIV
Jesus
succinctly sums up God’s law as he defines the nature of Christianity.
He seeks to clear up
any confusion we might have about what it means to become a Christian.
I don’t have to look beyond the golden rule to understand my
spiritual poverty—my need to be led by the truth Jesus reveals is
unmistakable.
We Must
Come to Christ
Jesus
teaching in Matthew 5-7 reveals how we can come to Christ. We must come
to God spiritually hungering for God as we are led by his truth. It may
require dying to everything we once held as sacred.
John
12:24-26
24 I tell
you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it
remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25
The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his
life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me
must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will
honor the one who serves me. NIV
We have a
choice.
Deuteronomy
10:12-13
12 And now,
O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD
your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your
God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe
the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own
good? NIV
Deuteronomy
30:19-20
Now choose
life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love
the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.
Matthew
11:28
28
"Come to me, all you who are weary and [spiritually] burdened, and I
will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn
from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is
light."
We must
accept Christ’s forgiveness for our spiritual poverty as we trust God to
establish his rule in our hearts. Our sins were as much a part of
nailing Christ to the cross as those who drove the nails into his hand.
Acts
2:36-47
36
"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus,
whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah."
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the
heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we
do?"
38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one
of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for
all whom the Lord our God will call."
40 With many other words he warned them; and he
pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about
three thousand were added to their number that day.
42 They
devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to
the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe,
and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All
the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling
their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They
broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere
hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And
the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. NIV
