Astonishing Authority

28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. (Matthew 7)
As a preacher, I have heard a number of impressive preachers.  Yet, none of them match the things we hear from Jesus' lips.  Often I find myself thinking I need to talk less and just read scripture more, letting it (and Him) speak for Himself.  As a preacher I have also had those "looks" - who are you to tell me what to beleive or how to live?  When speaking my own words and wisdom, this is true, but there is a sense in which Christ can still amaze through the wisdom and Spirit He has entrusted to those who speak on His behalf.  His authority still finds it's way through.  So, keep on listening, keep on trusting, keep on obeying Him.  He astonishes and amazes still.  

Building well...

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7)
It is interesting to travel to different places and see how and where people build their homes.  Some build on foundations; others on slabs.  Some like to be in the valleys near water; others in the woods away from civilization. What is amazing to see is the power of water to invade a home; even in the hills.  Mudslides, gullys in deserts that rarely see rain; even those on level fields can find themselves at the mercy of the waters.  The unifying theme is this: People feel self-confident in their choices and priorities; counting God out of the picture does not work.  So, wherever you choose to build: ask Him first, watch Him provide and protect, and build something of lasting value.  

Thy Will Be Done

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
We live in a world of short-term memory.  Yesterday's news is so... yesterday.  So most of us have forgotten that a little over a chapter before, as Jesus told us how to pray, He said: "Thy Will Be Done."  Live life to do what God wants.  Jesus came preaching and performing miracles, but even more so demonstrating what He taught and said. He was "love come down."  Following Jesus is not just what we say or even do.  God is not impressed by any demonstration of power on our parts - especially if done to impress or seek to show spirituality. He wants to see us live life to please and serve Him.  Do not go to worship today to impress God or anyone else. Go as a forgiven sinner, trusting in Him, standing together in His presence with other forgiven sinners, to worship Him and seek His will. 

Fruits and Nuts...

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (Matthew 7)
Beware of Nuts - spiritual Nuts.  Historically there have been many, and there still are today.  They ask you to believe things that are totally untrue, to follow them and do things they themselves do not do.  Jesus was often accused of being a nut, and His followers for going after Him. But neither was nuts. He was truth and lived the truth He taught. He and His followers are known by their spiritual truth. He lived totally faithful to what He said and taught. But His grace and power and Holy Spirit His followers learn to do the same. Don't follow a nut, and don't be one either. Follow Jesus.  

The Rules of the Path

12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

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. (Matthew 7)

This two statements are both well-known but not often read together.  Rules.  What are they for? Are they steps to blessing? Do or die? The path to guide us?   Few find the path.  Many decide another way is more advantageous or fulfilling.  God does not intend for His "rules" to afflict us, but to guide us to peace, to life, to Him.  The first statement helps us put things in perspective.  If the rules are all about us, we are missing the path. The "rules" will guide us to think about others too.  The path is not to be walked alone.

What do you think God is like?

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7)
After telling us how to pray, Jesus has really focused on how we view the character of God. He is forgiving. Are we? He cares for us more than the birds. He is a rightful judge who withholds due punishment. Do we care for others like He does?  Here, He reminds us that God is Good. He is not out to trick us with false promises; He does not ignore our calling out or coming to Him. He does not slip in something just to make us suffer. He is a good, good God; that's Who He is. He is worth and worthy talking to, listening to, asking from, and trusting in. 

Don't give them a bat!

“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. 6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. (Matthew 7)

This passage is often used to beat up on believers for their judgmental spirit. Possibly rightfully so.  Though we are to stand up for God's standards of holiness, He is more concerned with our righteousness than theirs.  Since we are not totally sanctified in this life, we already give an unbelieving world plenty of ammunition to accuse us of hypocrisy; we don't need to give them any more. Somehow, that little splinter grows into a bat or a two by four, or even a log, to knock us up side of the head.  May we, as Paul reminds us, humbly challenge and encourage one another to holy living, and live the life before a watching world. 

Don't do the "What If?"

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6)

Jesus was not anti-planning.  After all, He talked about "counting the costs."  But He was (and is!) definitely anti-worry.  Nothing disolves faith and hope like worry.  Worry in essence says: "God doesn't know; God doesn't care; God could not do anything about it even if He did." All of the above, of course, are not true. By His very character God knows all, loves us, and is all-powerful. It all begins in our hearts and minds when we say not only that we are not enough, but also that He is not enough.  We in this society centered on stuff are especially prone to this.  Again, this exhortation falls in lin appropriately right after yesterday's on not seeking stuff as our fulfillment in life.  Don't set your eyes on the stuff, or worrying you won't have enough of it; set your eyes on God, who made it all, owns it all, and provides for His own. 

The Stuff Sandwich - not very filling...

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys 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. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money. (Matthew 6)

Jesus had just given us instructions on how to pray, including an expression of dependence on God to know and provide for what we need.  He knows our tendency to live by want rather than need. He also knows our tendency to not trust God to provide, and thus pile up reserves beyond necessity, in case He bails on His promises.  These tendencies lead to our slavery to stuff, where we trust in stuff rather than Him; we live life for stuff rather than Him. At first glance, the middle paragraph above may seem out of place, stuck in between the two we have referred to in an awkward way. But it really is the heart, the meat of the sandwich. It is the lust of the eyes - we see and we want, that we are seeking to fulfull, but we find the stuff sandwich unfulfilling, leaving us empty and enslaved to the stuff we pursue.  Sad to say, that is where we find many professing believers in our society - slaves to seeking stuff instead of trusting and serving God.  Is that you?  It's time to stop eating stuff sandwiches and come to His table to be filled, trusting Him, seeking Him, serving Him. 

That pained look on your face...

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. (Matthew 6)
So few of us fast these days (at least for spiritual reasons) that it may be lost on many of us what Jesus is trying to say.  Having just talked about prayer, it is the next logical step to talk about prayer with fasting.  Like the other  things He has been addressing, there is always the temptation to make a show of one's spirituality - to give the appearance of holiness and devout faith. Of course the audience of such activity is not the Audience of One, but of as many as possible. We want people to be impressed with how spiritual we are.  True hunger hurts, but when we are fasting to draw closer to God, He feeds us so well that it is not seen for the joy that He gives within.  We are to go through life as "normal", so that if any attention is drawn to us - if anything seems "abnormal" - it reflects back to Him and His great grace.  So when we worship today (or the next time we are not frozen in...) may we do so for the audience of One, whether we are singing, praying, or even fasting.  

The Not-So-Fine Print

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. (Matthew 6)
After giving His "How-To-Pray" instructions, Jesus pauses to pull out one point of all those He has made.  This is not fine print at the bottom of the page, but obviously of major importance.  If we get nothing else out of His example prayer, it is this: Make sure you are forgiving other.  Earlier He had talked about making sure we are forgiven by those we have offended; here He reminds us to make sure we are not building up bitterness in our hearts. It hinders our relationship with God and ability to fellowship with Him.  We need to allow Him to interrupt us when we pray: "Father, forgive me", to hear Him say: "have you forgiven ________......?"  I cringe whenever I hear anyone say "I could never forgive him for what he did?" Never is a long time to not be forgiven.  Reread Jesus' words: They are not in fine print; they stand out in BOLD PRINT.

How to Pray (Not WHAT to Pray)

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.

(Matthew 6)

Notice that Jesus did not say: "Pray This", but pray LIKE this.  In Luke's presentation of the Gospel, this is placed in response to the disciples asking Jesus HOW to pray.  We need to pray worshipfully - acknowledging God as Soveriegn and able to respond to us.  He is wise enough to know what is best. We are not the center of the universe. We are to pray jointly - with oneness of spirit with others: Give and Forgive US, Lead US, Deliver Us.  We are also to pray with a reality and humility the expresses our vulnerability: we fail and we fall, needing His help desperately.  If we will just follow the how of prayer, then what to pray will easily fall into place. We will have no lack of things to talk with God about.  He will have an earful, and we will have our hearts full.  

How NOT to Pray...

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. (Matthew 6)

It's interesting here  that Matthew records the instructions we have for what we call "The Lord's Prayer" in the context of Jesus' correcting the disciples' concept of prayer.  They had seen it done wrongly so much they did not know how to "do it right."  Simply put: Do not pray to be seen or heard. Of course, if you are praying with others (which we are told and also given examples that this is a good thing), then others will see and hear our prayers.  The point is that we are not going to impress God with what we say or how we look, and we should not try to impress others. Praying is more about listening than talking. Praying is believing that God is listening, and not that we we need to get His attention: we already have it. He sees; He hears; He listens; He cares; He knows what is best.  So let's simplify our prayers. Talk to God like He's in the room(He is!), and that He knows everything on our hearts (He does!) and that He is able to do what needs to be done (He will.) Pray like He is the star of the show, because, in reality, He is.  

Don't Blow Your Own Horn

 “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. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.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. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (Matthew 6)

You could not only see them coming - you could hear them coming: snobbish "spiritual" show-offs with their fancy clothes and displays of "charity. It has been around for ages - in the temple courts, in the palaces of the Middle Ages, and on the pages of the latest town news.  There is no problem with the gift; it's the giver. The poor we will always have with us in this world, the Wise One once said; there will always be needs we as His people should respond to. The real issue is HOW we respond. Do we feel more spiritual because we have to give? Do we do so out of love and to glorify God? Do we want to see their response or His?  Do we want Him to be impressed, or do we want to be awed by Him? Do we love to give - anonymously, freely, joyfully? Do we Give and Forget?  Do we find ourselves asking: "Why is God being so good to me?" because we have only done what we ought to have done?  Respond. Give. Forget. Give Thanks. Quietly

Being "Perfect"

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. (Matthew 5)
In her dementia, my mother-in-law at times has called little red-headed boys or people who are nice to her "perfect".  We don't let it go to our heads, because we realize that she is appreciating one of the few things she can still enjoy - people being nice to her without expecting anything in return.  That is the kind of Perfect, complete, having the proper perspective that Christ is calling us to here.  Those who really get what it means to be a child of God view and treat others as He has treated us in Christ: that all people deserve to be treated with respect, even when they do not do the same. God has done so toward us with a call to respond to His love, repent, trust and live for Him. He just might do the same for others if we live in the same way.  So go ahead, be "perfect" today. 

The Worst Oath

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. (Matthew 5)
Jesus continues to flow naturally from one command to the other.  After warning us to watch our words in terms of promises, He moves on to "negative promises" or threats, like "I'm going to get you", which deep down mean "I will never forgive you."  The one who always lives for retaliation (who also often is one who struggles with the already mentioned issues in this chapter) is so bent on harming those who have hurt him/hurt that he/she hurts everyone in their path - even those innocent parties who need help.  It is a matter of having a hardened heart. If we allow those who abuse us to harden us, we are the one who suffers, and makes others suffer who have no part in us being hurt. We need to stop seeing ourselves as the victim who deserves revenge. Yes, we may have been hurt and deserve repentance and maybe even restitution, but never revenge. That belongs to God alone. And the truth is, if we receive revenge, we will find it does not truly satisfy, because anything we were not created to do will not be fulfilling.  Take the higher road.  Learn to forgive.  Let God fight for you.  Be more concerned about defending other victims than yourself. Do not let the hard things in life harden your heart.