The Invisible Good?

Matt 6:1 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. 5 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, 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 this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. 14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 16 "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 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 lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

It is very normal and expected that we do things to be seen by others. That is a given.

How much of the good that is done would have been done if no one had seen what was done? Another question like it: Would any good be done if it was not possible for the good being done to be seen by men?

It is interesting to contrast how we don’t want the bad things we do to be seen by men, and we will do all we can to keep them hidden, but we sure do want the good things we do to be seen. Being seen seems to be our motive, if we really are truthful about it.

Jesus teaches us to forget about being seen by men, and to concern ourselves ONLY with being seen by our Father, Who is in heaven. This teaching places doing good squarely in the realm of faith, as we are challenged to do good without expecting or even desiring an earthly reward. Now, do you believe THIS?

-Pastor Bill

A Matter of the Heart

Matt 5:21 "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.' 22 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. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 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. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. 27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 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. 30 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.

There are two great towering sermons found in the Bible. One is found in Deuteronomy, and is given by Moses. The other is found right here, and is given by Jesus Christ. One is found in the Old Testament, and is a re-stating of the Law, and the other is found in the New Testament, and is revolutionary revelation of how the Law applies.

Both messages get right at the heart of every person who ever lived.

Moses tells the Jewish people how they are to apply the Law to their lives, and he does so by revealing to them - and this is revolutionary - that God looks on the heart. If you are keeping the Law, but have a stiff neck toward God, than the fact you are keeping the Law, (forgetting for the moment it is impossible for man to keep the Law,) than your stiff neck removes any credit you may receive for doing what you do. Keeping the Law because you ‘have to’ is not the same as keeping the Law because you ‘want to.’

Jesus ratifies all Moses has said and takes it even further – and this is the revelation. Jesus’ sermon is unlike anything ever preached, proposed, or thought of by man. I would go so far as saying I believe it is impossible for man to think these kinds of thoughts apart from being shown to think these kinds of thoughts by God.

Jesus is saying you are guilty of breaking the Law by the attitude of your heart - even if no physical act is committed. Anger in the heart = murder. Lust of the heart = adultery.

Moses said you receive no credit for keeping the Law if your attitude is bad; Jesus says you are guilty of it.

  

Truly, it is only God’s Holy Spirit alive in you that produces not only the ‘want-to’ of keeping the Law, but also the ‘want-to’ of purifying the thought life, which we now see judged as sinful once it goes beyond temptation to consideration.

Jesus teaches us the origin of sin is in the heart, (as Moses alluded to,) and that the attitude of the heart is judged right along with and even prior to the commission of the sin. More than ever we realize our need for a Savior. We also see the life the Savior brings to the heart of those who receive Him described. This is the most amazing teaching ever known to man.

-Pastor Bill

A Blessing to Be a Blessing

Matt 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13 "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. 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

What a great blessing it is to be taught by Jesus Christ.

What a great blessing it is to see and understand Jesus desires His disciples to be blessed.

Now, understand most of the kings of the earth who have ever lived cared only for what their subjects could give them – and they could have cared less about the condition of their subjects. In fact, many, and probably even most earthly rulers have thought it best to not only keep their subjects down mentally, weak physically, and impoverished economically, but to also keep them in a downtrodden state spiritually, so that all their weakness remains continually apparent even to themselves, lest they rise up at some point to oppose the one who rules over them. Despotism has always been the pre-dominate trademark of the rule of man. And despotism is not old-fashioned or ancient; it was practiced more in the 20th century than in any prior time in history.

Consider Jesus the ‘anti-despot.’

By His glorious teaching to the down-trodden He begins to unfold and reveal the heart of God for His people. This, He says, is the way to live a blessed life – and this is the chief message of His sermon on the mount.

How fitting then, that Jesus would begin by teaching how blessed we may be according to the principles of God’s heart, as revealed through this message. Everything He teaches is a paradox compared to the thinking of man. It is inside-out and upside-down, and yet it is immediately the most comforting and blessed set of words ever known to man.

-Pastor Bill

Practically Calling

Matthew 4:12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned." 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him--from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

It is fascinating where Jesus headed to begin the works of His ministry. He headed away from the bright ministry lights and history of Jerusalem to the dark northern extents of the country.

And it’s a good lesson to us in the sense that Jesus chose to begin His ministry at home, in the territory He was most familiar with.

We are told Jesus chose to leave the south, and the region surrounding Jerusalem for Nazareth, and eventually Capernaum, because John the Baptist had been arrested by Herod.

We have already seen Jesus led by the Holy Spirit, spiritually – into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil himself. Having completed this important test, now we see an example of the Holy Spirit directing in a very practical way. The assumption is Jesus fled to escape the same kind of fate suffered by John, and we see result of this kind of practical direction…

The men Jesus would call to Himself would not be the religious types assembled in and around the temple at Jerusalem, they would be the practical types at the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. The type of men used to hard work for a living rather than sumptuous robes. The type men who smelled of fish, with calloused hands, who could tie knots blind-folded in a driving rain-storm. The types of men who knew their business, but were also used to reading the signs to insure the practical success of their mission.

They may not have been greatly Spiritual men when Jesus called them, but they would be by the time He was finished with them. Jesus would take these men used to hard work and devotion-to-task to accomplish success, and He would forge them into the kinds of men who would found the church. That was no business for men in soft robes. That was the business for men with calloused hands.

-Pastor Bill

Never Alone

Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." 4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' " 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' " 7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.' " 8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me." 10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' " 11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

Why would the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into the desert where He may be tempted by the devil? (One thing we can be certain of – Jesus is facing the devil himself, not just one of his minions.)

There is much to be learned from this example. First, we note Jesus can be led by the Holy Spirit. In fact, one thing we may say about Jesus, (among many, many things,) is that He is ALWAYS led by the Holy Spirit – and in this He is always a great example for us.

Secondly, and this is the most obvious point of all: Jesus IS our example.

Be reminded: we have a Great High Priest Who can and does sympathize with us in everything. One of the difficulties of following God Incarnate, (Jesus, The Christ,) is that we can at times forget His humanity – and we can forget that He is THE example of how we are to conduct ourselves in our humanity. We can say to ourselves, “well Jesus is God, and therefore He is perfect,” (which IS true,) but then we can go on to say, “since He is God HE did not really struggle against temptation the way I do – because after all He is God.”

At some point along the road to Spiritual maturity, we must reconcile this notion of Christ AS our example, lest He never will be. (And, He IS intended to be.) And so He must be tempted in all points – just as we are – (see Hebrews 4:15,) to demonstrate for us and to us how it is we are to resist temptation.

And here we have His example, and His example is only provided by the fact He allowed Himself to be led into the desert for forty days and nights by the Holy Spirit. That is NOT where you may have expected Jesus to be led, is it?

Following His baptism of ordination into being our High Priest, you may have expected Jesus to be led immediately to a place of ministry – not separation and solitude. But here’s another point we are also to notice, that Jesus is NEVER ALONE as He faces the devil’s temptation – and neither are we. The WORD is ALWAYS with Him, just as it is always with us.

-Pastor Bill