Day 5: Matthew 7
This is another of those chapters that covers a lot of terrain. Another sermon series.... I see some wonderful 'what if's' in this chapter: What if we lived by the guidelines suggested, that however we thought about others, God would think of us, and to whatever extent we extend grace to others, God would extend grace to us? We cannot help but observe - but we are absolutely admonished to leave judgment to the Lord, pay attention to our own shortcomings, and treat others as we want to be treated. It's nutshell Christianity where the rubber meets the road.
Then in verse 13 the message switches to admonishments about how to get to heaven and whom to believe. There is only one way. Jesus is the narrow gate. No options. No other way. False prophets were warned against in Jesus' day - and they have been surfacing ever since - and misleading people with false promises and erroneous information. Just in quick review I can think of several: The Church of Jesus Christ Christian AKA The Aryan Nations, which was/is neither Christlike nor Christian (perhaps a redundant statement - but I want it to be perfectly clear!); Jim Jones & his Jonestown, Guyana mass suicide; David Koresh and the Branch Davidians; the Bahgwan Shree Rajneesh and his compound in Antelope, Oregon; and a plethora of -isms that fail to present Jesus Christ as the only way to God. False prophets bear fruit, but it is bad fruit.... Bad fruit poisons and misleads people. It may seem appealing, but it's like trying to make a 'balanced diet' out of marshmallows. Jesus' message is a message of His love. It welcomes our taking responsibility for our choice. He wants us to choose Him, but we aren't forced to. And - it's personal.
Perhaps the most compelling verses in this chapter are 21 - 23. "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...."
I just read a book written by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears: The Vintage Jesus. I read it because I wanted to find out if the teaching of Mars Hill Church was sound, and Mark is the head pastor. It is rock solid. One of his statements stuck with me. The gist of the statement is that Jesus saves us from ourselves. That's the point of Matthew 7:21-23. Are we doing our will - whatever that is - or are we doing God's will?
As for the book Mark Driscoll co-authored: truthfully, he shocked me a few times with his vernacular. He reaches people I would not normally connect with, and the 'audience' he directs himself to in his writing is not the over-60 crowd - but the theology is absolutely spot on. I have a minor issue where I disagree - - but it is not about who God is, but about who we are. I disagree on the same issue with my own church and have stated that, sometimes vociferously. The statement I disagree with is that 'we are all sinners.' I strongly object to that as our designation once we have accepted Christ so I take exception to that statement, and believe that it restrains people from living up to their best in Christ and as Christians. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.... If I think of myself as a sinner it excuses me quite easily from living up to the standard Christ sets for me. Our identity is to be in Christ - and it holds us to a very high standard. Our plumb line is straight - and it is Christ Himself. My identity is no longer 'Sinner' but child of God; dearly beloved (aka loved one); saint; redeemed; saved; friend; joint heir with Christ.
While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us - but once we accept Him, we are no longer identified as 'sinners' but as 'saved by His grace.' My daughter will ask for proof from scripture, so here it is:
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (note the past tense)
John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
John 13:33 "My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come...."
Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
John 15:14-15 You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
Romans 9:25-26 As he says in Hosea:
"I will call them 'my people' who are not my people;
and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one," and,
"It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them,
'You are not my people,'
they will be called 'sons of the living God.' "
Ephesians 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints
Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Luke 1:68 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.
We are the redeemed - our identity is not 'sinners.' That is not to say we do not sin - we do. But, just like a child, we live up to how we are identified. If you want a child to do well, you praise his strong points, rather than focus on the negatives. When a preacher says "We are all sinners" I react. It was my identity. Now my identity has changed. I realize Paul identifies himself as the chiefest of sinners - but he does us a disservice not to put it in the past tense. O K - I can get off that soapbox now....
Chapter 7 ends with the story of the the man who built his house upon the rock. When we build our lives on the solid teaching of Jesus Christ - our Rock - no storm can destroy our house - but when lives are built on anything else, it is like building on shifting sand, and when trouble comes - and trouble always will come - that house will not stand....
The children's chorus from my childhood has been wending its way through my brain all day.
The wise man built his house upon the rock....
Humor for the day:
Bill and Joe went on a camping trip. Joe took his old canvas framed tent to be their 'home away from home.' After they got it set up and organized with the cots in just the right places and all their gear appropriately stowed, they were worn out, so they crawled in and fell fast asleep. Several hours later Joe woke up, and waking Bill, asked him, "Bill - look up and tell me what you see."
Bill replied, "I see millions of stars."
"What does that tell you?" asked Joe.
Bill thought for a moment and then patiently responded, "Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies, and potentially billions of planet. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Timewise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it's evident the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day when we get up later today. What does it tell you, Joe?"
"Well," Joe observed, "It tells me that someone has stolen our tent."
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