Category Archives: Bible Study

Bible Study, Vision

Vision 2: The Haggai Church

Vision 2: The Haggai Church

The northern tribe of Israel had been decimated and taken away, never to return from Assyria.  Then came the time of judgment for the southern kingdom of Judah.  Now Babylon laid siege to the city of Jerusalem until it fell,  totally destroyed.  Its residents were either killed or taken away and the survivors would remain in captivity for 70 years.  All of these events had been foretold by the prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah over the years as the people of Israel continued to descend into greater degrees of rebellion against God.

The book of Ezra begins 70 years after the exile began with the first of three waves returning from Babylon as granted by king Cyrus (Ezra 1).  They began, first of all, by reconstructing the altar so the sacrifices to God could begin once again (Ezra 3:1-6).  Then they began collecting materials and initiating the laying of the foundation for the temple (Ezra 3:7-13).

Of course, once God’s people begin coming together to do great things they know that they will meet opposition and difficulties.  So, Ezra 4 details the opposition research project that Israel’s western neighbors began.  The final result of their complaint against the Jews was “Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill” (vs. 24).  No counter-letters of protest (king Cyrus himself had given them permission!), no resistance, no push back.  They just stopped.

ENTER HAGGAI

God’s vision, given to the prophet Haggai, among others, was straightforward: “Get back to work!” (Ezra 5:1-2; Haggai 1; my paraphrase).  After giving up their vision of rebuilding the temple, God asked them a question:  “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” (Haggai 1:4).

Overwhelmed by opposition and choosing not to fight the builders had simply stopped working on the temple and started fixing up their own houses.  I have often wondered if some of the collected materials dedicated to the temple construction had been taken to make paneling, adding insult to injury.  God makes it clear that this lackadaisical attitude toward the vision of rebuilding the temple is the reason why they had been personally unfruitful.

5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

HAGGAI CHURCH

The ‘church’ that Haggai encountered was one where the people had concluded that the temple could not be rebuilt.  Sure, it would have been nice and we can remember when it’s splendor was known all around the world  (Ezra 3:10-14).  But, it will be too hard.  Let’s just go home and take care of our own stuff.  We just got back from exile.  We don’t have the heart to face these challengers.

Conflict has a way of causing us to pause.  Difficulties often require that we take a moment to consider our options.  Sometimes the risks can seem so overwhelming that we just give up.  It is a sentiment that is not so much stated in words; it has more to do with actions.  The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) is great for others to do and it would be nice if we could obey Jesus’ command to “Go!” but….we’ve got our own things to take care of, first.

And so, we get cynical and it is easy to write off the task ahead because it’s too hard.  It will upset people.  It works for them over there but it won’t work for us here.  I’ve got better things to do with my time and money.  I’ll just mind my own business.   Sentences begin with “I need….” or “I have so much debt that….” or “I can’t….” or, the most defeatist statement of all, “I won’t….”

In the end, the effects of the Ecclesiastes and the Haggai churches look very similar.

THE VISION CURE

The cure is simple but almost impossible when churches get to this point.  A Haggai has to come along and help people recall their mission and vision so the Lord can do great things in their midst.  For Haggai, the people and the priests became convicted and they chose to “obey the voice of the Lord” (Haggai 1:12).  “The Lord is with you” Haggai declared,

So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God…. (Haggai 1:14).

Vision Links

  1. The Ecclesiastes Church
  2. The Haggai Church
  3. The Ezra-Nehemiah Church
Bible Study, Vision

Vision 3: The Ezra-Nehemiah Church

Vision 3: The Ezra-Nehemiah Church

Ezra and Nehemiah represent the second and third wave of return from the exile in Babylon.  Each of them came back to Jerusalem with a clear vision for what they had to do.  Many of the exiles with Ezra were the priests and Levites and their mission was to re-establish the priesthood at the temple in Jerusalem.

At the head of the third wave of returning exiles was Nehemiah whose vision was also clear: rebuild the wall.  Each wave encountered conflict and incredible challenges to divert them from their respective missions.  But, they did it!

One of my favorite books about this time in Israel’s history is written by Charles R.  Swindoll and it is entitled Hand Me Another Brick.*  The stress upon repentance and prayer, planning and vision, servanthood and leadership in the life and times of Ezra and Nehemiah is inspirational.

The appeal for vision from this perspective is simple because everyone knows how important it is to have one.  We also know the price to be paid when there is no vision.  The researcher, George Barna, suggested that one definition of vision is foresight with insight based on hindsight.**

PRAYER

God, give us Your vision that we might obey and become visionary in Your service to our neighbors, families and friends and to the furthest reaches of the world!  Make us like the great apostle Paul who became all things to all men so that he might give everyone an opportunity to see Jesus!  Give us the boldness and conviction of Ezra and Nehemiah that You might be lifted up to encourage us to fulfill Your will.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Vision Links

  1. The Ecclesiastes Church
  2. The Haggai Church
  3. The Ezra-Nehemiah Church

*Charles R. Swindoll, Hand Me Another Brick, Rev. Ed., (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1990).

**George Barna, The Power of Vision, (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1992).

Bible Study, Sermon On The Mount

One

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin 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 healthy,[c] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[d] 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 you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

-Matthew 6:19-24

Jesus has just specified three common religious practices–giving, praying and fasting–designed to lead the worshiper into a more intimate walk with God (Matthew 6:1-19).  Using these as a platform for advertising one’s personal holiness and devotion to God is a tragic mistake.  With each practice Jesus makes it clear that if we do these things to impress others, that fleeting praise will be the extent of our reward.  God is not impressed for His desire is that we desire Him more than anything else.

ONE COMPASS

To make this clear, Jesus then specifies three ways we must set our life’s compass.  This is necessary to help us to navigate through our tendencies to become side-tracked. The danger is that we may be lured away by cheap imitations that will not last into eternity.

ONE TREASURE

Single-minded pursuit of the one treasure helps us keep our compass pointing in the right direction as other treasures of much lesser value tempt us.  Without a clear direction in our lives we risk being enamored with treasures that will fail us in the pursuit of eternal values in the kingdom.

ONE LIGHT

The beginning of John’s gospel focuses upon Jesus as the One Light of the world (John 1:1-18).  “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind,” John tells us.  Further, this light “shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (vss 4-5).  The Apostle John assures his readers that John the Baptist was not The Light (vs. 8).  Rather, he pointed to Jesus Christ as “The true light that gives light to everyone….”

The metaphor of eyes and light could also be understood as a single window in a dark room.*   In that room are reflections of glass or metal that give some light such as, metaphorically, the logic of science, physics or philosophy, etc.  Devoid of light from The Source of The Light, however, only leads to darkness.

There are many lights in this world that seem to help us navigate the dark corners of our lives.  In many ways they are dim reflections of the true light of Jesus Christ.  Put too much trust in those lesser lights and you will find yourself, in the end, overwhelmed by  complete darkness.

ONE MASTER

A slave’s primary objective in life is supposed to be to please his master above everything else.  His master has total control over his very life, comfort and working conditions.  The idea of trying to please more than one master at a time means that there will be conflicts that lead to impossible choices.  “If I try to please Master #1, then there will be times when I will displease Master #2. I can’t do both at the same time.”

So it is with our desire for material wealth.   This is not so much a statement about ‘the haves’ versus ‘the have-nots’.  The desire for wealth is not exclusive to rich or poor; rather it is common to all.  Consequently, so is the danger that we will desire it more than we desire God.  And that, Jesus says, is unacceptable to God.  He is to be our obsession.  He is to be our foremost desire.  Nothing in this world is to overtake our desire to walk with Him, to know Him, and to talk, think and act like Him.  He is to be our Magnificent Obsession.

CONCLUSION

God insists upon an intimate relationship with us as we imitate His generosity, speak to Him in prayer and fast in order to underline our dependence upon Him.  Further, He tells us to make Him and His kingdom our treasure, to let His Light outshine all others and to choose Him as our Master.  With those principles in place we are now equipped for living our lives accordingly by trusting Him completely (Matthew 6:25-34).

The third soil Jesus describes in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23) refers to “The seed falling among the thorns” (vs. 22).  Jesus tells us that this “refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.”  Our compass in life will remain true to the treasures we pursue, the light we use to illuminate our way and the things we become enslaved to serve.  Pursue those things that will last!

* Carson, D. A. The Sermon On The Mount: An Evangelical Exposition of Matthew 5-7 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1978), p. 79.

Bible Study, Sermon On The Mount

Trust

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 than food, and the body more 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 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers 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—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.

–Matthew 6:25-34

Having an intimate connection with God through lives of generosity, prayer and fasting, we resist the temptation to seek after the praise of men (Matthew 6:1-18).  Further, we have set our compasses towards things of eternal value and kept those of lesser value in perspective.  Now we are ready to talk about how we live out our faith every single day.

TRUST ME. DON’T WORRY!

When someone says “Don’t worry about it!” we often know to put up our defenses.  More often than we would like to admit, we have all been deceived into trusting people who had ulterior motives.

On the other hand, when someone else says “Stop worrying about it!” it’s like asking someone to ‘be spontaneous.’  Just the very command to do something spontaneously, by its very nature, makes it impossible to do.

But, when God says “Don’t worry!” we should listen.  If our intimate relation to him is assured and our compass is set, trusting God with our needs and interests should begin to emerge as the way we do life.  After all, this is the God who provides birds with food, who can shorten or lengthen your lives and who clothes all of nature in all of its glory.  Need clothes, food or something to drink?

SEEK THE RIGHT THINGS

Jesus assures us that if we seek after His kingdom and His righteousness then everything is in place.  You can live forever on this diet!  And, by the way, as you pursue these things, your need for food, drink and clothing will find its proper place in your day-to-day lives.  Remember?  “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11, emphasis mine).

Of course if you want to worry about these other things then you can be just like those who do not trust in God.  They get tied in knots about things that have no eternal value.

But not you!

The God who speaks universes into existence has got you covered.

 

Bible Study, Sermon On The Mount

Fasting

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

…

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, 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 others 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.”

-Matthew 6:1, 16-18

THE FASTING TRADITION

Fasting has traditionally been understood as a voluntary withholding of all natural food from the body for a determined period specially appointed for moral or religious ends.  The Jewish Encyclopedia notes that almost every religious movement in the world includes some form of fasting.  In Jewish tradition, there were at least 25 occasions when the more devout were encouraged to fast, including the fast of Purim which is still observed.

Under the Mosaic Law there was only, ceremonially, one day of fasting: The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29, 31).  This event foreshadowed the the Passion of Christ (cf., Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17). The imagery of the scapegoat in Leviticus 16, is significant in light of the cross.

FASTING’S PURPOSE

However, in Isaiah 58:1-12 God specifies the purpose of fasting that goes way beyond a simple ceremony.  It strikes a fatal blow to the  duplicity of man’s heart.  This is not simply some pagan ritual that people do to please God to receive His blessing.  Fasting insults God when it is accompanied by godless behavior:

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
    and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

– Isaiah 58:3-5

God then, through Isaiah, redefines fasting.  It is loosening the chains of injustice, untying the cords of the worker’s yoke, setting the oppressed free, sharing food with the hungry, providing poor wanderers shelter, clothing the naked and receiving family members into their homes (Isaiah 58:6-7).  These activities are what open the door to the morning light, healing, righteousness, the Lord’s glory in their midst and a God who answers their cries for help (Isaiah 58:8-9).  God commands them to do away with oppressive yokes, pointing fingers and malicious talk.

It is difficult to read of this scolding of two-faced religion and not hear overtones in Jesus’ parable about the sheep and the goats on Judgement Day (Matthew 25:31-46)!

GENEROSITY, PRAYER AND FASTING

In Matthew 6:1-18 Jesus addresses three practices that are associated with religious practices all over the world: giving to others, prayer and fasting.  The overriding question that rules each of these practices is “Why are you doing this?”  In each case, if the purpose of doing these things is to impress others, you have missed the point of the exercise.

These are characteristics of your spiritual walk with God that are private, personal and intimately between you and God.  Fasting is the third of these characteristics.  The principle Jesus is sharing with us is not new and we would do well to listen to our hearts as we consider their place in our desire to be like our Father in Heaven.

FASTING SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

We all are absolutely, totally dependent upon God for all we have, all we are and all we need.  What separates the follower of Christ from the rest of the world is that we acknowledge our dependence upon Him and we declare our desire to be like Him.  That desire for Him is so strong that discipline of fasting simply places a physical exclamation point at the end of our hungering and thirsting for Him through our pleas for more before His throne.  Our desire for Him becomes so real in our lives that we cannot imagine ever walking away.  With practice, we become more and more enamored with His presence and, conversely, resistant to those things that would draw us away.

Fasting can be a sacrificial lifestyle before God.  A form of self-control or discipline that underlines our decision to be totally dependent upon God.  It can mean food or drink or music, temporarily giving up needed things to emphasize the reality of our total dependence upon God.  It can also mean permanently giving up anything that hinders our dependence upon—our hunger and thirst for–Him.

Bible Study, Sermon On The Mount

Prayer

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

…

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 others. Truly I tell you, 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.

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 And 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 other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

– Matthew 6:1, 5-15

Imagine standing in front of a crowd with trumpets sounding and heralders hearlding that you are now about to pause to pray!  “Silence!” the announcer cries out!  “It’s time for this holy person to pray!”

Just the thought of such a scene brings a wince to our faces as we consider the hubris of someone willing to announce their holiness to the world! 

And then I think of the times I have prayed publicly in church, before dinner or with a family in a hospital room wondering how my audience might respond to my special choice of words…and I hang my head.  Suddenly I don’t feel so holy after all.

THEY ARE NOT MY AUDIENCE!

“They are not my audience!” I cry out in shame.  Our audience in prayer is to be to The One and Only God of heaven who desires an intimacy with me that is just between the two of us.  There is only God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit that I should be focused upon.  He will attend to the hearts of the people around me!  It really is not about me!

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” – Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)

CLOSE THE DOOR!

Jesus’ elegant prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) shines forth to teach us.  And so we learn that our conversation with our God is unpretentious, not littered with mindless repetition, but straightforward, simple yet thorough.  It is a prayer that celebrates our total dependence upon God as we live life, wrestling with our pride and arrogance under the ever-cleansing flow of the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7).

Audience of One

“…go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” (Matthew 6:6)

Bible Study, Sermon On The Mount

Giving, Parts 1 & 2

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others 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 others. Truly I tell you, 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.”

Matthew 6:1-4

Citizens of the kingdom of heaven keep their hearts in check by living their lives of generosity quietly.  Jesus is concerned that we might focus upon the wrong audience for approval.  At least three ways to live generous lives are available to every person.

  1. Ostentatious: “Hey everyone, watch me help this poor person!”
  2. Prideful: “Hey God! Did you see that?  I’m really good in Your sight, now, aren’t I?  Not like that person over there.  I’ll bet he doesn’t even tithe, let alone give more like me!”
  3. Perfect: “God, help me be more generous in every way, just like You!”

Jesus makes it clear that the rewards for the ostentatious or prideful are the immediate gratification they get in the moment.  In the kingdom of heaven, however, that is where their blessing both begins and ends with nothing to show for it.

In this two-part series we spend time talking about the generous life that strives to imitate God’s generosity in part 1.  Part 2 focuses upon giving consistently in a planful way that honors the Lord in faith by putting Him first.  Also in part 2 we used three charts to illustrate our own giving patterns and to encourage each other to become every more intentional in how we give.  Here are the three charts:

 

 

 

 

 

Here we see a monthly average of giving since February 2012 with a clear uptick in our present giving.

 

 

 

 

 

Here, focusing in to the last 1 1/2 years, since January 2017, we see a similar pattern as we average each month’s giving patterns.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, we look at the week-to-week contributions over the last 1 1/2 years and the pattern swings more erratically.  This seems to reflect a more inconsistent tendency in our giving.  Hence, today’s lesson simply focuses upon making sure that we are being planful and intentional in our giving, putting God first in faith that He will provide.

Bible Study, Sermon On The Mount

Oaths

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath 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 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

Matthew 5:33-37

Oaths or vows are serious matters to God and not subject to the technical exemptions men may create to skirt responsibility for promises made and broken.  Jesus tells us that citizens of the kingdom of God are  transparent people to whom truthfulness is a critical characteristic.  When they say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ their word is their bond to which further affirmations are unnecessary.

Of course, this quality of truthfulness is a natural result of people who acknowledge their brokenness before God, mourn over their sin, meekly submit to the will of their Father, seek His  righteousness, practice mercy towards others and walk with purity of heart to help others resolve their differences, even to the point of selfless suffering (cf., Matthew 5:1-12).  The thought of deceitfully promising something while holding on to a loophole or escape clause is not conceivable to them.

“Oaths” – May 20, 2018

Bible Study, Sermon On The Mount

One

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to stumble, 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.  And if your right hand causes you to stumble, 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.

“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’  But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Matthew 5:27-32

CONVERSATIONS

It is interesting how quickly discussions about marriage  can gravitate to conversations about marriages gone bad.  Divorce, remarriage, fornication, adultery seem to be topics that work their way into the dialogue rapidly as we recall someone else’s recent divorce, betrayal or remarriage…maybe even our own.

Question: How often do we have conversations about what is truly great about marriage?

BEHIND THE CONTROVERSY

In this passage it is easy to become embroiled in the controversy that Jesus addresses among the religious leaders.  When we speak of marriage we assume we are all thinking the same thing.

And so, we are automatically drawn to the controversial rather than the generally accepted.  The religious rulers of Jesus’ day seem to have largely moved past discussions of marriage and gravitated towards divorce: a fertile field for debate and polarization across a wide spectrum of opinions.  This becomes even more explicit in Jesus’ answer to their divorce question in verse 3 of Matthew 19:1-12.

THE CHALLENGE

“Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,” God said (Genesis 1:26).  In John 1:1-4 John speaks of “the Word”, Jesus Christ, who was there at the beginning with the Father and the Holy Spirit bringing about the creation in all of its grandeur.  Mysteriously (to us) perfect singularity in purpose as One is now granted to mankind as man and woman unite to mirror the great Oneness, in whose image they are created.

So, it only makes sense that this mystery continues in mankind as man and woman unite in marriage:

23 The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”

24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Genesis 1:23-24

When we descend into the distortions of God’s intention the process of dissention and controversy begins as we analyze the aberrations of God’s intent rather than dwelling upon the grand design.  The religious rulers had been guilty of this very problem and Jesus goes right to the real problem: the heart of man.

THE DREAM OF ONE

Praying for all future believers, Jesus’ prayer on the night He was betrayed highlights this longing of God for a divine one-ness with those created in His image:

20 “…I pray also for those who will believe in me through their [the apostle’s] message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

John 17:20-23

THE GRAND DESIGN

Jesus prayed that those who would believe in Him would be one, just as Jesus and His Father were one.  This is why Jesus gave the glory that God gave to Him to those who believe, “that they may be one as we are one–I in them and you in me–so that they may be brought to complete unity” (John 17:22-23).

Taking the next step, Paul makes in clear in 1 Corinthians 10:31, everything we do is to be for the glory of God.  Whether individually or collectively as the body of Christ, “to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:21).

Now, what happens a man whose mission in life is to glorify God marries a woman whose mission in life is to glorify God?  In their one-ness they now work together to glorify God in their marriage and, in the process, become the mirror of divinity that God intended at the beginning.  They, too, become one in marriage as the Father, the Son and the Spirit are one as God.  The natural outcome is that their marriage glorifies God as God intended it to do.*

THE GRAND HORROR

In this context there are at least two things that do not make logical sense any longer.  First, the idea of adultery or fornication do not have a context.  Second, divorce itself wars against the very divine intention of a holy God.  “I hate divorce” God says (Malachi 2:16).  When two God-loving people whose only desire is to glorify God come together as one, just as the Father, Son and Spirit are One, how can one even conceive of the dissolution of the marriage?

As Jesus would say later in Matthew 19:8, the only conceivable way it can make any sense is when God considers ‘your hardness of heart.’

CONCLUSION: THE HEART OF THE MATTER

In Matthew 5:27 and verse 31 the issue is not a matter of the law and fornication, adultery and divorce.  It’s a matter of the heart.  Two people united as one in the desire of their hearts for God’s glory do not live by the latest marriage controversy of the day or try to justify adulterous, lustful hearts.  Rather, their focus is upon pleasing their God to His glory.**

* Thomas, Gary. Sacred Marriage: What if God Designed Marriage To Make Us Holy More Than To Make Us Happy? (Zondervan, 2000).

** Mason, Mike. The Mystery of Marriage: As Iron Sharpens Iron. (Multnomah Press, 1985).

Bible Study, Sermon On The Mount

Children

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 anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

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 children 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 own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:38-48

Children of the Father in heaven live by a radically new ethic when it comes to matters of justice and mercy.  Like their Father, the citizens of the kingdom of heaven turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, give beyond what is required.

This contrast with human nature is most stark when considering those who seriously injure us by their words or actions.

Jesus’ command?

Love them.

Why?

LOVING CHILDREN OF THEIR FATHER

Because when we love our enemies we begin to understand the love God has for us. As a result, we begin to become more like Him.  Love that is indiscriminate, unconditional and sacrificial.  A love that goes against every natural inclination of ours to seek revenge, to hate and to become embittered.

Children of the King and His kingdom do not seek out loopholes or technicalities to get around loving others like their Father loves them.  Rather, they choose to wrestle with their natural inclinations to bring them under His control, often acting mercifully when feeling resentful in hopes that one day the two will be in sync.

After all, learning to be perfect as our Father is Perfect is a daunting assignment that can only be accomplished by His grace!