Jesus' words, known as "the Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew 5-7), need to
be taken as a whole. We're not to pick out the bits that we like, and
ignore the bits that we don't like so much. We're not to come, looking
for "comfort" (Matthew 5:4), if we're not also seeking for
"righteousness" (Matthew 5:6). We're not to look for peace, if we're not
preparing ourselves for persecution (Matthew 5:9-10). We're not to read
one verse, and say, "This is great", and then skim over the next verse,
as if it wasn't even there.
We're called to be "salt for the earth"
and "light for the world" (Matthew 5:13-14). How can we be "salt" and
"light" in a world that has turned its back on the things that matter
most in life? Can we do this by "setting aside Moses' teaching or the
Prophets" (Matthew 5:17)? No! Jesus says, "No." He says, 'This is what
we must never do. We cannot preserve true Christian living, if we set
aside the Word of the Lord. A stripped-down ethic, which changes from
one generation to another, is no substitute for a Christian that is
grounded in the Word of God, which is unchanged, unchanging and
unchangeable. Who are we come to the Word of God with the attitude that
we can decide that there are some things that are "unimportant" (Matthew
5:19)? When God calls something important, we must also say, 'This is
important.' It's not to be changed because it doesn't fit in with our
modern outlook. Sometimes, people disregard what God's Word says because
they think that they have the right, to say, 'This is important. That
is unimportant.' When we say this kind of thing, what are we really
saying? We're saying, 'I am more important than God. I know better than
God." Such an attitude can have no place in the hearts of those who
want, through their lives, to "praise their Father in heaven" (Matthew
5:16).
"You have heard that it was said ... But I say to you ... "
(Matthew 5:21-22,27-28,31-32,33-34, 38-39,43-44). When we see the great
contrast between what has been said in the past and what Jesus says to
His generation and our generation, we must remember Jesus' words, "Don't
ever think that I came to set aside Moses; teachings or the Prophets"
(Matthew 5:17). What does Jesus mean? Clearly, He doesn't just repeat
what's already been said. Jesus says, "I didn't come to set them aside
but to make them come true" (Matthew 5:17). Jesus doesn't contradict the
Old Testament. He brings out its deeper meaning. He reveals its fuller
meaning. Jesus is expounding the Word of God. He enables His hearers to
see things in a new light - but He doesn't do this by setting aside
God's Word. The Word of God stands - for every generation. It is not to
be tampered with. It's to be upheld. At the heart of upholding God's
Word, there's a very real question we must ask, "What are you saying to
us, Lord, here-and-now?"
Jesus speaks about prayer (Matthew 6:5-15),
doing good works (Matthew 6:1-4) and fasting (Matthew 6:16-18). He
emphasizes that we're not to be like the hypocrites (Matthew 6:2,5,16).
Sometimes, it is difficult to work out where Jesus is leading us with.
In Acts, there's a strong emphasis on God's people praying together. In
Matthew 6:6, Jesus is emphasizing the importance of praying "in secret."
Is there something about us that leads us in the direction of hypocrisy
whenever we are praying with others? We find the same emphasis in
Jesus' teaching about doing good and fasting. - "Make sure that you
don't become like the hypocrites." When we move into the public sphere,
we run the risk of hypocrisy. We must never forget this - and we must
pray that God will deliver us from hypocrisy.
The values of our Lord
Jesus Christ, Gospel values, Kingdom values are very different from the
world's values. It's the difference between "treasures on earth" and
"treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:19-20). When we treasure the things of
earth, we will worry about the things of earth. Jesus says that we are
not to worry about these things. We are to have a higher priority than
'looking after No. 1'. We're to be concerned about "God's Kingdom and
what has His approval" (Matthew 6:33). When the things that matter most
to God are not the things that matter most to us, other things will take
over our lives. What matters most to you? This is what Jesus is asking
us. Are the things that matter most to God becoming the things that
matter most to us?
Jesus calls us to be both holy and loving. We need
both - holiness and love. We're not to be hypocrites who've given up on
holiness. We're not to be content with keeping up appearances. We're to
seek holiness of heart. This is the heart of holiness. We're not to be
hypocrites who show no love for other people. How can we have much love
for God if we don't have much love for other people? A life that's
centred on ourselves is very different from a life that's centred on
Christ. A life that's being shaped by Christ's love will be a life of
receiving His love and sharing His love. He's teaching us how much He
loves us. He's helping us to show His love to other people.
Jesus
calls us to be both holy and loving. What will it mean to live a life
that is becoming both more holy and more loving? It begins with being
reached by the love of God and changed by the love of God. We cannot
make ourselves more holy. We cannot make ourselves more loving. When we
catch a glimpse of the great God, who is both holy and loving, we see
ourselves as we really are - sinners, and we also see the Saviour who is
reaching out to us, the Saviour who can and will change us. How does he
change us? He shows us our sin. He forgives our sin. Seeing our sin as
it really is, we cannot be, like the Pharisee who looked down his nose
at the tax collector (Luke 18:11). Seeing our Saviour as He really is,
we know that there is hope for every one who comes to the Saviour. We
have His precious promise - "I will never turn away anyone who comes to
Me" (John 6:37). When the love of Christ reaches us, we rejoice in this:
"Every offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon
receives." Thankful to the Lord for His love, which has reached us, we
pray that His love will change us. We pray that we will become more like
Jesus - more holy and more loving. We will say, 'Lord, Your love has
reached us. May Your love change us. May your love inspire us to live a
life that is pleasing to you - a life of holiness, a life of love.' We
cannot change ourselves. We need to be changed by the Lord. Let us pray
for His help. Let us pray that He will fill us with His love. This is
where true holiness comes from. It comes from the love of God, reaching
us. It comes from the love of God, changing us. The love of God - This
is the real power that lies behind a life of holiness and love. We need
more holiness. We need more love. These are not things that we can reach
out and grasp for ourselves. We must always look away from ourselves to
the Lord - "How much more will your Father in heaven give good things
to those who ask Him?" (Matthew 7:12).
The choices that we make while
we are here on earth will decide whether we will spend eternity with
him or apart from Him. This is the message of Matthew 7:13-14. "False
prophets ... vicious wolves" will seek to lead us away from the Lord
(Matthew 7:15-16). We must pray that the Lord will deliver us from
paying lip-service to Him without living our whole life for Him (Matthew
7:21-23). How are we to live for the Lord? - We must hear His Word and
obey it (Matthew 7:24). Obedience to God's Word begins with hearing His
Word. Hearing God's Word leads to obeying His Word. May God help us to
build on Christ, always receiving His Word as the Word that speaks to us
with His authority.
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