Sean Gooding

Love God! Love Each Other! :: by Sean Gooding

Published on: by RR2

Matthew chapter 5:21-30 (continued)

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer and you be thrown into prison.

Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. 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 it 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.’”

Last time we explored how Jesus fulfilled the Law of God and that our salvation in Him is secure because He is perfect for us when we could not be perfect in ourselves.This is hard thing for many people to understand. They can’t bring themselves to either admit that they are sinners and in need of forgiveness. Others understand it but refuse to simply humble themselves under God’s hand and take His free gift.

Today we will look at how Jesus took the Law and how it is even deeper that what anyone understood at the time.Jesus said this in Matthew 22: 35-40:

“Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus told us in these verses that the entire Law hangs on these two principles: Love God and love your neighbor. Think about that.What if we could simply follow these two rules to the letter?What would our world be like if we lived that way?Well, Jesus is about to tell us that very thing in these verses we are exploring today. He is about to give us the tools to live out the “love your neighbor.”

We are about to find out that love is a lot more than we have been led to believe in our lifetime. Love requires more than mushy feelings and butterflies in your stomach.Love is certainly more that an emotion and is sustained or quelled by personal choice.The standards of living that Jesusset are the highest that you will ever see.

These are God’s standards of holiness and we are called to be holy not only in our actions, but more importantly in our thoughts.Psalm 44:21 tells us that God knows the secrets of the heart. He knows what you are thinking, even if you say the right things, God knows what you wanted to say; Jesus is about to deal with the “heart of man.”

This is the real seat of who we truly are and this doctrine is going to hit us hard and often.It will either infuriate you or humble you, but you will have a hard time simply ignoring the information Jesus is about to teach us. In Proverbs 23:7, we find these heart hitting words:

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.”

Jesus is talking about being real with people.He is telling us that God expects us to be genuine in our daily lives and not to walk around being fakes.

The purpose of this lesson in verses 21-30 is to tell us that the Law was never about changing the way that we behaved, it was about changing the way that we think. If God can change the way we think, then the way we act will quickly follow.I cannot love my fellow man as God loves me until I love God; man is made in His image.Once I love God wholeheartedly then having the right attitude towards my neighbor or my enemy will never be an issue.

This is also an insight into how God loves us; He is not two faced.We are truly sinful people but God says that He loves us and will always be there for us.His words are to be trusted because God thinks exactly what He says.So He is not using words of love to cover hatred, He is not using words of encouragement when He is thinking evil.God’s heart is pure and that is the way He thinks towards you and me.

Whoever Is Angry Without a Cause, Verses 21-23

We all get angry, even God does.So what is this trying to say?Getting angry can’t be sinful because God can’t sin, so what is it that Jesus is teaching here?The word ‘Raca” is the same root word as we find in Psalm 14:1: “The fool hath said in his heart there is no God!” God is able to make the judgment about a person being a fool since He can see the whole person inside and out, but we have limited vision.The word can also refer to someone of bad moral character; we are not in a position to judge a person’s heart. We see the actions but we cannot see the root of the actions.

Let me offer an example, in the book of Judges we come across a man named Samson.In Judges 13-16 we find the account of his life as a judge of Israel.He was a man who defied the laws of God.He married Gentile women, he touched dead animals, he had sexual relations with women who were not his wives and on and on we can go.If one were to read the story of Samson only in the book of Judges one would come away with a very negative opinion of his life.But God offers us a different view in Hebrews 11:32-33:

“And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.”

God mentions Samson in the same breath as David and Samuel two of the biggest spiritual champions of the Bible. He talks about his faith, how he worked righteousness and obtained promises.This was God’s view of Samson and it is the only one that matters for all of eternity. Be careful who you call worthless and a fool, only God has the power to truly judge a man and He will in His time.

We are called then to love every brother in the Lord with genuine love and to honor that brother not only with our lips, BUT ALSO with our thoughts.If you think rightly about them you will not slip up and say bad things accidentally.

This is a very convicting lesson for me.I will admit that my mind and my mouth often run opposite to each other. I in my sinful state have called my brothers and sisters in the Lord fools and so I have taken the place of God and that is not right.

What about you?

Have you become a judge as well? Have you belittled, even in your mind, the person that God has made and has provided redemption for?If so both you and me need to repent and get right with God. The people we condemn are often the very people God may revere highly as His servants.

Get Right with a Brother, Verses 23-24

We are told in the epistles not to allow the sun to set on our anger; we see this in Ephesians 4:26:

“Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.”

It is very important for us to never allow anger to fester.Like an untreated wound it will simply get worse and worse.Soon resentment and hatred will set in and people who were once our close friends will become our enemies.Jesus tells us in this section that it is very important to maintain proper relationships in the local church and in life in general.We must make sure that we do everything in our power to keep a right relationship with our brothers and sisters. In 1 John 4:20 we see this teaching:

“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen.”

This hits us really hard.We are eager to say how much we love God sometimes and we come to church and lift our hands and sing out loud but the Lord tells us that we need to be right with our brothers/sisters whom we can see, before we can claim to be right with the God we can’t see.

Jesus tells us here that it is important to go and make things right with a brother.If he has something against you, go and make it right.Later on in his teaching Jesus tells Peter that we need to be ready to forgive our brothers and sisters infinitely, that is what 70 times 7 means, Matthew 18; 21-22.

In the model prayer found in Matthew 6:9-14 Jesus tells us that we should forgive others in the same way that God forgives us.BUT, this also means that we have to be ready and able to ask for forgiveness when we wrong a brother.And more importantly we need to be ready to ask for forgiveness even when we don’t think we are in the wrong. The salvation of a relationship should be more important than personal pride.

“Above all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

“Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses” (Proverbs 10:12).

Missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

www.mississaugamissionarybc.com

We Are Light and Salt :: by Sean Gooding

Published on: by RR2

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world; a city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew chapter 5:13-16).

One of the hardest things to learn as Christians is that we are to have an effect on the world without letting the world affect us.  Jesus of course set the ultimate example, He came in to the world and affected it for the last 2000 years yet it had no effect on Him. It did not change Him in any way shape or form.

One of the greatest examples of the being light in a dark world is Daniel. He was able to be light in the middle of a foreign land, foreign culture and in a foreign religion.  He stood firm for the truth and lived openly for the Lord.  What an example he and his three Hebrew friends set for us.  There are some things that we are going to see in this short but powerful passage; things that will make us check our walk with the Lord.

I think that this is what the Beatitudes are really all about. God has given us a tangible measure to gauge our walk with the Lord.  These few verses here are the summary of what our lives will be like if we lived out the Beatitudes, we would be “Salt” and “Light.” These would be the natural fruits of living the Beatitude lifestyle. So let us take a look at what we are supposed to be.

Salt, Verse 13

Salt has become somewhat demonized in our time. Salt has been abused by processed food manufacturers leading to many diseases. But salt is essential to life on this planet.  First of all  salt preserves; over the years before refrigeration, salt was used to protect foods, like meat, from spoiling on long journeys.

We still have that today; foods like corned beef are simply salted foods that help in their preservation over long periods of time.  Likewise we preserve the world.  It began eroding on the very day that Adam and Eve sinned and we keep that erosion in check.  In 2 Thessalonians 2: 7, we see these words about preservation:

“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way.”

Salt cleans; often salt was put into wounds to kill the bacteria and to cleanse a wound.  It is still very effective today.  Salt on a wound will quickly kill bacteria and help the wound to heal.  Do you and I have a cleaning effect on the people we work with?  Do we participate in crude and rude jokes or conversation?

Do we swear and use the Lord’s name improperly?  Do we accredit our successes to luck and hard work rather than to the grace of God? Do we speak the truth at work even if we stand out like a sore thumb? Do we seek to fit in and mould to the people at work or are we a healing salve to them.

Do we humbly live for the Lord and offer them a viable alternative to the life they are living now?  Sadly too many of us want to fit in with the worldly life rather than stand out.  We want to be conformed to the world rather than transformed.  Our speech, mannerisms and behavior add to the infections of society and do nothing to kill off the germs.

Salt flavors; it makes things taste good.  Too much can be a bad thing but in the right amounts and in the right hands it brings out the flavors of the foods that we enjoy. Do you and I flavor the lives of the people that we live with and around?

Do we help them to taste the best that life in Jesus has to offer? All too often we leave people with a bitter taste about being a Christian.  Jesus made it clear that we are to be known by our love one for another (John 13:34-35).

Sadly, too many of us are the most loveless people most people ever meet.  We constantly point out the faults of other and belittle them rather than love them.  We are told that God so loved the world He provided away to cover sins and open a door for people to have fellowship with Him.  But we push people away from the same God who is trying to draw them.

This does not mean we don’t tell the truth or call sin as it is.  But we must earn the right to be frank with people by the way that we love them and show them that God loves them. Most people know that what they are doing is wrong or if it is sinful.

What they need is someone to love them when they can’t find a way to love themselves. They need someone to give them some hope in a hopeless world. That is what we are here for, to offer them life from God, the abundant life that never runs out, ever.

Salt is essential to life; your body needs salt to run its electrical systems and to make everything work right. The world system needs us. It needs our honesty and integrity to keep things honest.  It needs us to stand for right in a world bent on making wrong to be right.  It needs us to raise children that aid the world and make a difference.

The world needs us to keep it working right and God blessing it. Without us in the world God has no reason to bless them and send loving gifts to them. All too often we have made ourselves irrelevant by not adding to anyone’s life. We live in obscurity rather than openly righteous. We simply blend in and people get accustomed to living without us.  We have cheated ourselves out of a wonderful place of being needed.

Are you salt to the people around you?  Do you preserve them, bring flavor their lives? Are you a source of healing and balm? Are you essential the lives of the people you serve and love? God wants you to be all these things because He is all these things to people; and we represent Him and His kingdom.

Light, Verse 14

We are also called to be light. Light dispels darkness. This is the most important aspect of light, it dispels darkness. Darkness is just the absence of light. We live in a dark world, filled with the systems of evil just lurking around the corner waiting for unsuspecting people to pounce on. Our job as Christians is to be light sources.

Can anyone remember being a kid and having a night light? Some may. That night light was a source of comfort. It was a blessing if you had to go to the washroom, you could do so without all the overhead lights. It was amazing how such a small light could make such a big difference.

Let us apply this to us, we often feel like if we can’t make a difference, we are too small. We think we have no influence but even a small bit of light can and does make a difference to people.  Not every light needs to be a beacon or a light house; some of us are called to be night lights to one or two people.  We are there to be source of comfort and to offer sight to navigate this dark world we live in.

In John 8:12 Jesus said that He was the light of the world.  He then should shine through us and be light to those that are around us.  A compliment to this is that in John 14:6 Jesus said that He is the Way. Light helps us to find the way. It helps us to see and we are called to be lights so that others can see the way. Matthew 5:16:

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

We all know this verse from Sunday school, but do we live it.  We are to live as beacons pointing people to Jesus.  Jesus makes the point that no one lights candle and then covers it so that it cannot give off light. In like manner we should not cover the light of Jesus in us either by our lifestyle or by living as what I like to call “undercover” Christians.

We are called to live openly visible Christian lives. Sadly, too many are ashamed of the name of Christ and prefer to behave like they live in darkness when the Light of the world lives in them.  This is a disingenuous life, a life of lies that simply defeats the purpose of Christ dying.  He died to save us, so that we can in turn point others to Him so that He can save them, so that they can point others to Him.  This is how it works.

The way to turn on the switch and be the light that Jesus calls you and me to be is to live out the Beatitudes. Read them, memorize them, practice them and be light. You will see how God will bring people to you so that you can show them the way to Him. God will bring those in darkness to you since you are a source of His light. All it takes is one candle to light many others. Your flame can be the catalyst that God can use to win many souls to Him and win many who are on their way to hell, trapped in darkness.

Missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca