Watch Out for False Prophets - Nov 8, 2009

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Sermon:

May God’s love for you rest on your hearts. And may the undeserved mercy of Christ fill you with peace. Amen.

The world that we live in is filled with fakeness.

One of the places where we see fakeness nearly every day is the way in which products are sold. Every company wants to outsell the competition. So, they design and package their products in a way that makes they seem better than the rest, even if they aren’t.

Studies have shown that with certain products consumers believe that heavier means higher quality. So, if a company designs an incredibly light cell phone or laptop, they might actually end up put weight panels into it so that consumers will pick it over the competition.

Or think about all the buzz words you see on food items. “25% percent more!”. “All Natural”. “Light”. They question is, 25% more than what? You might assume that “Light” means less calories. Nope. It could actually just mean lighter in color.

Have you ever noticed how many pizza shops and restaurants have been voted #1 by someone, somewhere. Maybe by the owners, who knows.

My wife really likes how Kohl’s ads are forever proclaiming, “Lowest Prices of the Season”. What they don’t tell you is that Kohl’s seasons are only six weeks long.

The world is full of fakeness, and lies. But, some of these lies are more harmful than others.

Just a couple days ago I caught news show talking about a how some seniors had been scammed out of their retirement money.

Some little company claimed they could get really good investment returns for Seniors. They had a good presentation. They seemed legitimate. But really, they were just using the money they got from seniors to invest in some pretty unstable places.

They scammed millions of dollars from the elderly before they got caught. The scammers ended up going to jail. But the money was pretty much gone.
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In our reading for today, Jesus is going to talk about fakeness.

We’re just about to the end of our study of Jesus’ sermon on the Mount. He’s just finished talking about the broad road that leads to hell and the narrow road that leads to eternal life. That narrow road that is Jesus.

Now He’s going to warn His listeners about false prophets. False prophets who don’t just want to sell them a bag of chips. False prophets who don’t just want to scam away their retirement money. False prophets who would to take them away from Jesus and set them back on the broad road that leads in hell.
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Turn to Matthew 7, verse 15. This is what Jesus has to say about false prophets.

“15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21“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. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:15-23 NIV).

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There are two kinds of false prophets. There are unbelieving false prophets, and there are believing false prophets.

Paul talks about believing false prophets in 1 Corinthians 3, verse 10. Turn there for a moment. There it says,

“10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (NIV).

Paul is talking about a believer in Christ who is teaching falsely. He escapes God’s judgment because of his faith in Christ, but everything he built by his false teaching is destroyed.

This was Paul talking, but when Jesus warns about false prophets in the Sermon on the Mount, He’s NOT TALKING ABOUT BELIEVERS who are making terrible mistakes. He’s talking about UNBELIEVING FALSE PROPHETS.

We can tell by how Jesus describes them.

First, Jesus describes them not as stumbling brothers in Christ, but as CARNIVOROUS HUNTERS DISGUISED AS GENTLE CREATURES.
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Secondly, Jesus describes these false prophets as BAD TREES, NOT GOOD TREES.

Jesus isn’t talking about two apple trees, one that’s healthy and one that’s unhealthy.

Jesus is talking about DIFFERENT KINDS OF TREES. A good tree is a KIND of tree that will produce EDIBLE FRUIT. A bad tree is a KIND of tree that will NEVER PRODUCE EDIBLE FRUIT.

You see a good amount of holly bushes around this area. Did you know that holly berries are poisonous to humans? It’s what Jesus would call a bad tree. It will never produce edible fruit. If you found one in your orchard, you’d cut it out and burn it.

But an apple tree, that you’d leave. No matter how badly you neglect an apple tree, it won’t ever produce poisonous berries. It’s what Jesus would call a good tree.
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At the end of our reading from Matthew, in verses 21-23, Jesus tells these false prophets that He never knew them. They are not His followers, no matter what they claim. This makes it clear. Jesus is talking about UNBELIEVING FALSE PROPHETS.
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And this is why they’re so deadly. They seem like followers of Christ, but they’re not. They don’t trust in Jesus as their Savior, and they don’t want us to either. But you’d never be able to tell that from just looking at them. They’re disguised very well.

A while back I reviewed some animated DVD’s of Bible stories. I thought, hey, maybe we could use these. One of the stories I watched was Jesus’ Temptation in the Wilderness. What I didn’t like about it was that whenever Satan appeared to tempt Jesus the sky would go dark and this ominous robed and hooded figure would appear. This was obviously the Devil. I doubt that Satan appeared like that to Jesus. I mean, what kind of temptation would that have been?

Satan’s best lies are the ones mixed with a little truth. And his most effective temptations come from people we know and trust. And when Satan sends false prophets to deceive us, they don’t wear labels.
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But that’s okay, because Jesus tells us how to identify them. He says, Look at their fruit. Look at what they say.

Now, when the Bible talks about the “fruit of something”, it can mean anything that is PRODUCED. The fruit of the womb is a baby. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is good words, attitudes and actions. The fruit of a missionary is people converted to Christ.

But the best “fruit” to use in identifying a false prophet is the fruit of their mouths. The words that they say. We could look at their actions, but that can be a little tricky. God’s prophets sin, but that doesn’t make them false prophets, just sinners. On the other hand, false prophets do their best to behave in front of the people, but that doesn’t change their message. Judging what a person says about God is the more reliable. Is this person teaching what God’s Word says?

That’s how Jesus says to identify the good or false prophet. And that’s one of the most important reasons why WE NEED to be familiar with what God’s Word actually says.
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Turn back and take a look at verse 21 of our sermon reading. Matthew 7, verse 21. Here Jesus takes another look at the disguise of the False Prophet. One of the reasons that the False Prophet is so effective at fooling people is that he sounds just like a Christian!

“21“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” (Matthew 7:21 NIV).

The False Prophet talks the talk. He knows the right words to say. He may even speak the message of Christ, and then he’ll add to it. Or take a little away from it. Alter it slightly.

The False Prophet will also walk the walk. He’ll act like a Christian. In fact, he might even do things that seem like amazing acts of faith. Verse 22.

“22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’” (Matthew 7:22 NIV).

But Jesus will not be fooled by their words and actions. Words are worthless when not mixed with faith. Even prophecy, driving out demons and working miracles amounts to nothing, if it is not mixed with faith. Faith in Jesus.

In Hebrews 11, verse 6 it says,

“…without faith it is impossible to please God…” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Jesus tells His followers that there are going to be people on the last day who approach Him and claim a connection to Him because they used His Name. There are going to be people on the last day who approach Jesus and claim a connection to Him because they did amazing things connected with His Name. But Jesus says,

“Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:23 NIV).

Words and deeds cannot secure heaven. Words and deeds cannot secure heaven. Only a simple trust in Christ can do that. Only faith in His all sufficient suffering in our place on the cross of Calvary. That’s what secures heaven for sinners. By faith we know Christ, and He knows us.

Turn to Philippians 3, verse 8. Here Paul says

“…I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith” (Philippians 3:8-9 NIV).

This is the Gospel Message. The righteousness that makes sinners clean COMES FROM GOD, through His Son Jesus. And sinners receive this righteousness THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS.

That’s what the False Prophet doesn’t believe. That’s what the False Prophet would have us forget.

Watch out for false prophets.
Recognize them by their words.
And hold tightly to Christ, your only Savior. Your complete Savior.

I’d like to end this message with a prayer. Please join me.

Prayer: Father in heaven, you have made us your own people through faith in Jesus as our great Savior from sin. Thank you. Help us to be in your word consistently so that we can recognize the voice of the false prophet when we hear it. Send Your Holy Spirit to us and never leave us alone. Without You we would be easy prey to the wolves, and would soon be stumbling down the broad path again. For Christ’s sake, for all He did in our place to earn our salvation, keep us in His Faith dear Father.

Amen.

The Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

The Way of Life - Oct 25, 2009

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Sermon:

Do you have any idea how many times the term “Christian” is used in the Bible? This week I was surprised when I found out. What do you think? How many times is “Christian” used in the Bible?

“Christian” or the plural, “Christians” is used only THREE TIMES in the whole Bible. It’s used once in Second Peter, and twice in the book of Acts.

Followers of Jesus were first called Christians in the city of Antioch. Open your Bibles to Acts 11, verse 25.

“25Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 11:25-26 NIV).

You know, the funny thing is, we don’t even know whether this was a name that they chose for themselves, or whether it was a derogatory term that others put on them, “Oh, they’re just a bunch of ‘Christ-ians’”.

Either way, it’s a great name. Christian: one who belongs to Christ. Christian: a person who believes that Jesus is the Christ, the chosen Savior of sinners.

But this wasn’t the first name for Jesus’ followers. There was another title and it was a good one too.

Turn to Acts 9, verse 1. What we’re going to read here takes place before Saul became a follower of Jesus. This is when Saul was still trying to round up the followers of Jesus in order to stamp them out.

“1Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:1-2 NIV).

The term for “Christians” here is “The Way”. What a fitting name. For we all are on a journey. That might sound a little corny, but it’s true. All people, not just us here in this church building, but ALL HUMAN BEINGS in the world are on a journey. That’s what the Greek word “hodos” means: a road, way or journey.

All people are headed down one road or another towards some final destination.

But Christians are on the road of Jesus. A Way that is not obvious. A Way that is in some ways very narrow and restrictive. A Way that is not heavily travelled.

The Way of the Christian faith is the Way of Life. That’s what Jesus is going to talk about today in the Sermon on the Mount. Turn to Matthew 7, verse 13.

“13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV).

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This is the picture that Jesus paints: There is a grand, wide archway. Like an archway cut into a castle wall. It’s huge. And this huge archway stretches over a grand, wide road. A six lane highway of sorts. And this roadway stretches out to the horizon, where it drops off a cliff into the abyss of hell. This roadway is filled with travelers. There is plenty of space for everyone, but the road is full of people. All of them shuffling steadily down the road like lemmings.

But off to the side, set in the wall, there is a small door. It’s about the size of a man. It’s unobtrusive and easily missed. It’s almost hidden by its simplicity. Unlike the huge archway, this door must be pointed out to travelers or they will miss it altogether. Which would be tragic indeed, for behind this little door is a way, which though it may be narrow, leads to the very throne room of the Creator God. This way leads to heaven. These are the two Ways that Jesus describes.

So, what is this small gate? What is this narrow road? It is Jesus Christ. The small gate is Jesus Christ. The narrow road is Jesus Christ.

The Turn to John 10, verse 7. Here Jesus says…

“…“I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:7-10 NIV).

Jesus also calls Himself “the Way”. Turn to John 14 verse 6.

“6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NIV).

Jesus is the Way of life. He is the Way to heaven. But like the little door in His parable, this fact is not obvious. This truth doesn’t come naturally to the minds of sinful people like you and me and everyone else. This truth has to be revealed by God. God uses His Bible to do that revealing. The Holy Spirit speaks to the sinner’s heart through the message of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

If you were going on vacation to a new place, you wouldn’t pack up the car and start on your way without having a map. Or at least some good directions.

If you were going to meet a friend at Starbucks you would want to tell them which one, and how to get there.

If you want to watch a TV show you have to have directions! Which channel? When?

These things are pretty obvious. Pretty common sense to most people. But when it comes to getting reaching heaven, people are naturally stupid. We naturally figure we can find the way ourselves. But we need directions. The Way must be revealed. For there is ONLY ONE WAY.
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A while back I got a Global Positioning System as a gift. This thing is awesome. I just stick it on my windshield and turn it on, and I’ve got an instant navigator to tell me which way to go.

The satellites communicate with this little gadget and give numerous choices for how to get to a location. I can pick the fastest way, the shortest distance, the way that uses most highways or the way that uses least highways.

Usually there are a number of different routes that will get me to my desired destination. But, not always. Sometimes there’s just one dirt road that will bring me to where I’m trying to go.

That’s the way it is with the Way Jesus describes. It’s a restrictive Way, for there is only ONE Savior.
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Some religious teachers say that there are many roads to heaven, and it really doesn’t matter which path we pick. That obviously isn’t what Jesus says. And that isn’t what the rest of the Bible says either.

The Way of Jesus says that He suffered Hell on the cross so that sinners wouldn’t have to. All who trust in Jesus ALONE for COMPLETE salvation are forgiven. They are on Jesus’ Way. The Way of Life.

Any faiths that DO NOT look to Christ alone for salvation are not teaching the Way of Life.

There are religions that completely reject Jesus. They are directing people to the broad road.

There are religions that use Jesus’ name, but deny that He is the Son of God and the compete and only Way to heaven. They are directing people to the broad road.

There are people who claim a connection to Christ, but whose hearts do not trust in Him. They are on the broad road.

There are people who claim to be Christians who’s real hope is in their own righteousness. They compare their own lives to the lives of others, and believe that because they’re not as bad as others God will accept them. But God doesn’t grade on a curve. They are on the broad road.

Some people claim that they believe Jesus is their Savior, but live lives which deny Him. Like the practicing homosexual who says, I follow Jesus also. He is on the broad path.

Jesus teaches that all sin is utterly unacceptable. It is damning. But Jesus also teaches, that He is the only Savior. And that He has completely served the sentence for our crimes against God.

The Way of Jesus is as wide and as narrow as His Word teaches.
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There are two very sad words in this section of Jesus’ sermon: Many and Few. Let’s read it one more time concentrating on these two words.

“13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV).

It’s hard to stand alone. There is strength in numbers. But numbers alone do not decide the truth. Jesus says that there are MANY on the road to destruction, but only a FEW on the way of life. But it’s still the way of life.

I mentioned my Global Positioning System earlier. You know, sometimes I don’t even use it to get to a place. I just use it as insurance in case I get lost. If I get lost, all I have to do is turn on the GPS and put in my address.

When this happens, sometimes the directions are not at all what I would have expected. I can see a busy road up ahead. It’s got stop lights and lots of cars. It looks like the road I should be on to get home. But the GPS says, turn left down this alleyway. And then turn left again because your going the completely wrong way.

Sometimes the obvious way is the wrong way. The road with the most people on it, leads away from home. But it doesn’t matter to me what the road looks like when I know the GPS is leading me home. I know it’s the right way, even if there’s hardly anyone else on it.

Sadly, the Way of Jesus is the road less traveled. But it is not God’s fault that only a few find it. Satan would love you and me to blame God for this, when instead we should rejoice that God has taken us from the broad road and placed us on the Way of Jesus by faith in Jesus.

Instead of being saddened by the few travelers, let’s be thankful that we are among them. And let’s direct others to that small door, that narrow way. For it may be small and narrow, but it leads to life. And let me tell you, life’s not all about the journey, it’s really about the destination.

Imagine for a second how this might have sounded to Jesus’ listeners. To the Jewish people crowded on the hillside around Him. To the Pharisees who put so much stock in the consensus of opinion among their scholars. To the little band of disciples sitting at His feet. Might they have had doubts about Jesus? I’m sure they did. Perhaps some of those doubts huddled around numbers. There were so few of them. They were the only people in the world that believed Jesus was the Savior. Maybe they were wrong. Could they really think the whole world was wrong and they were the only ones who got it right?

But Jesus said it. Enter through the narrow gate... small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

It’s not the number of people who testify to it that matters. It’s the Holy Spirit that testifies with them saying, this is true.

And the same comfort comes to us today, so far away in time from this Sermon. We have doubts too, don’t we. Most of the world says the Bible isn’t to be trusted. Most of the world says Jesus is not God. We’re part of a small group of people who believe that Jesus is the Savior. Is the whole world wrong and we’re on the way of life?

That’s what Jesus says.

Prayer: Father in heaven, thank you for taking us off of the broad road which leads to eternal destruction. Thank you for calling us by the Good News of Jesus. Thank you for washing our sins away completely through His Sacrifice. Thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit so that we can believe this precious thing. Guard our walking on Jesus’ Way, so that we NEVER put our hope or trust or sense of worth in our own lives and actions, but let our everything be Jesus. To whom we belong. To whom we owe everything.

And help us to be joyful followers Jesus. Help us to be filled with light and happiness because we remember our failings are erased. Our sins are forgiven. Our souls are cleansed. And help us to joyfully get the attention of those who still walk on the broad path. An by our message and Your Spirit make them our brothers and sisters.

Amen.

The Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The Christian Life - Oct 18, 2009

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Sermon:

Grace and Peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Risen and Living Savior, Jesus Christ.

We just sang hymn 454 from The Lutheran Hymnal. In the fifth verse of that hymn we sang…

“Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath”

The point isn’t that a person has to pray in order to become a Christian. The point is that prayer is an ongoing part of a Christian’s life. It’s as much a part of spiritual life as breathing is a part of physical life.

Jesus talks about the Christian’s life of prayer in our reading for today. Open your Bibles to Matthew 7, verse 7. In this part of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus sums up the life of a Christian. It is a life of trusting God and loving others.

One way a Christian expresses faith is through his constant prayers to God. Another expression of his faith is the way he treats those around him.

Jesus says…

“7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened“ (Matthew 7:7-8 NIV).

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Jesus appeals to our common sense. Those who ask, RECEIVE. Those who actually seek what they want, FIND IT. If you want to enter a building and the door is locked, it’s a good idea to KNOCK on that door until someone comes to open it. Jesus tells His disciples, Pray to God like this.

It might be a THING that we’re praying for. It might be an ANSWER to a Bible question that we have. It might what we should do in a certain situation. Whatever it is, Jesus says, talk to your heavenly Father about it. Then, also make an effort to find what you are asking for.

Bible study is a good example. When we read a puzzling verse in the Bible we should ask God to give us the correct understanding of it. But, then we need to listen to Jesus and go further. We need to PICK UP our Bible and read the chapters surrounding the verse in question. We need to read the cross references that connect that verse to other parts of the Bible. We need to ask our brothers and sisters in Christ how they understand this verse. We need to ask our pastors to help us consult the original Hebrew and Greek.

Jesus adds one more thing, Keep on knocking. Keep on returning to God in prayer. Keep on going back to the Bible, expecting an answer, until God opens the door.

A Christian prays persistently because he KNOWS that when his prayer isn’t answered IMMEDIATELY that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t care. When we pray persistently we are telling God…

…Hey, I believe in You. You promise that because of Jesus my sins are forgiven and I can approach You as Your own son or daughter.

…I know that You WANT TO BLESS ME, because Jesus died for my sins long before I came to know You. I know that You WANT TO BLESS ME because You sent Your Holy Spirit to ME when I was a unbelieving sinner! You took the time and effort to make me Your own by faith in Your Son.

…Of course I know You want to bless me in this littler thing that I’m praying about. So I’ll wait until you do. I’ll keep praying, until you do.

Persistent, expecting prayer expresses our belief that God’s promise of forgiveness is true, and His love and power are real.

Think about it like this. When a miner believes that there is gold in a mountain, he finds a good place and begins to dig. But if the miner really believes that there is gold to be found there, he digs deeper than two feet. With the first shovel full of dirt the miner ASKS. With the shaft dug deep into the mountainside he SEEKS. And with repeated days, weeks, months of digging he KNOCKS on the mountain’s door.

We know that all good gifts, spiritual or otherwise, come from the God of the Bible. So we knock on His door.
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Jesus appeals to common sense again in verse 9. Turn to Matthew 7, verse 9. If God is our Father, than let’s take a look at what fathers do. Jesus says…

“9“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11 NIV).

My daughter Marnie a very happy child. She flits around like a little beam of sunshine. But the weather of her mood can change very abruptly.

When she was younger she would get terribly upset about the most trivial things. One time I was sitting at the kitchen table when I heard Marnie let out a horrible wail of anguish.

I jumped up and rushed to her room expecting a broken bone or a bleeding cut or some kind of injury. But when I reached the bedroom, there she was, sitting on the floor trying to get a shirt on without unbuttoning ANY of the buttons.

Over and over we would tell her, Honey, settle down. It’s okay. You don’t need to get so frustrated little things like this. All you need to do is ASK FOR HELP.

And her sad little voice would come back: Dad, will you help me?

Dad: Of course I will. Come here.

Brothers and Sisters, don’t get so frustrated. Your heavenly Father is beside you, WANTING TO HELP, WAITING to help. Ask him.
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Or how about this one. Ever have a child trying to find something?

Mom, I need my shoes for practice!

Well, did you look in your room?

No.

Thirty seconds later…

Mom, I still can’t find my shoes! I need them for practice!

You didn’t look very hard, you were only in there for thirty seconds!

That’s us sometimes isn’t it?

Heavenly Father I need an answer to this question. It’s very important, but I just don’t know where to find the answer! Help me!

Did you look in the Bible?

No.

Try looking there. And don’t just glance. Dig in and root around in there till you find the answer. My Holy Spirit will help you. And I bet you’ll find some answers you’ll need for tomorrow too.

It’s common sense. He who seeks, finds. So lets make sure that seeking is an ongoing part of our life. Seeking through the Lord’s message to us. Mining the Scriptures. Finding answers for today and gems for tomorrow. Let’s USE the precious gifts that our Heavenly Father has given us. Let’s PRAY! Let’s HEAR His Word!
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Turn to Matthew 7, verse 12. Up to this point Jesus has been talking about our relationship with God. Now He changes direction and talks about our relationship with one another. Jesus says…

“12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12 NIV).

In the Old Testament God gave the Israelite Nation a handy summary of His will. We call that summary the Ten Commandments.

The first part of that summary deals with how God wants us to treat Him (Commandments 1-3). The Second part of that summary deals with how God wants us to treat each other (Commandments 4-10).

Here Jesus takes that second part and condenses it further. He gives His followers an axiom, a rule of thumb, a guide for knowing how to treat each other.: Do to others what you would have them do to you.

Now, if you study other religions you can find statements similar to this “Golden Rule”. Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism all have teachings that sound like Jesus’ Golden Rule. But they’re not quite the same.

A famous Rabbi, Rabbi Hillel is quoted as saying, “What is hateful to thyself do not to thy neighbor”. But here’s the difference. Jesus doesn’t say to be REACTIVE. He doesn’t say to wait till someone does something bad to us and then be sure not to do that.

Jesus teaches His followers to PROACTIVE. He says, Think about how you want others to treat you, and then do that to them FIRST!
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It’s just like Martin Luther explained the Seventh Commandment. You shall not steal. Sure God doesn’t want us to take what isn’t ours, but there’s more to it than that. God also wants us to, as Luther put it…

“…HELP (our neighbor) TO IMPROVE AND PROTECT HIS PROPERTY AND WAY OF MAKING A LIVING” (Sydow Catechism).

As Jesus said in another place,

“…‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39 NIV).

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And here lies the greatest reason why prayer truly IS the Christian’s vital breath. Because we haven’t done either thing. We haven’t loved God with all that we are. We haven’t loved our neighbor as we love ourselves. We have sinned against God’s whole Law, over and over and over.

These sins weigh our hearts with guilt, fill our minds with regret, and make our souls unfit for heaven. But when the Christian feels this unworthiness, he prays: Father, forgive me. Wash away my sin in the blood of Your Son. Without Him, I am lost.

And God hears, and answers that prayer. By His Son’s death on the cross He has put away our sin forever. By His Holy Spirit and through His Word He makes this known to our hearts. He breathes LIFE into the one who trusts His Son.

The Christian life is one of persistent prayer to our loving Father, who teaches us to love others by revealing how much HE loved us. So pray to Your Father in Heaven, for He loves You dearly and wants to bless Your in every way. And love each other as yourself.

Amen.

The Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Don't Be Judgmental - Oct 11, 2009

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Sermon:

Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Matthew 7:1-6 (NIV)

1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

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What does it mean to judge? Interestingly enough, the Greek word here means the same exact thing that the English word means. To judge is to say that someone or something is either good or bad. Thumbs up, or thumbs down.

Jesus doesn’t mean that we should never make a judgment about anything. What He is saying is that we should never make a SHALLOW judgment. That’s what He said to the Pharisees. Turn to John 7, verse 24.

“Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment” (John 7:24 NIV).

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There are lots of ways that people make shallow judgments about other people. One person might see someone with tattoos so thick on their arms that it looks like sleeves. That person is probably not a good person. Probably spends most of his time in bars and other places of sin. Maybe he does drugs. I certainly wouldn’t want my daughter to go out with THIS kind of guy.

That’s being judgmental. Assuming you know all about a person because of one outward characteristic.

Sometimes we judge people who belong to other churches. We might say, I know that Baptist churches teach that baptism is only a symbol and isn’t for infants at all. They say it’s a something we do for God, not something He does for us. They probably believe this because they think Christianity is all about doing things for God, not trusting in what God did for us. Baptists are not very faithful to God, and certainly not to be trusted.

That’s assuming quite a bit about a person’s faith because of their church connection. That’s judging their whole character without even knowing them. Without even having a conversation with them.

Pastors can be judgmental too. For example, I know that the Bible says that Christians shouldn’t give up meeting with each other. They should gather together to worship God. In the Old Testament God even told the Jews to dedicate one day every week to worshipping Him and hearing His Word.

So, when I see one of our members who I NEVER see at church. I think, they’re not reading their Bible at home. They’re not praying. They’re certainly not growing in faith. I wonder what they really believe? I mean, if they really value Jesus and His forgiveness, then WHERE ARE THEY ON SUNDAY?

But their bad habit doesn’t justify my excessive judgment. I don’t really know all those things about their faith life. One person I asked about this actually said, well yeah, pastor, I am studying the Bible at home. My sister and my brother and me study together over the phone.

Yeah. My judgment of her faith was shallow and wrong. If I’m concerned about someone’s church attendance and what it means, I should talk to them. I should reach out in Christian love and say, how are you doing? How’s your Bible reading going? What about your prayer life? Where do you think you can grow in your relationship with Christ? How can I help you do that? That’s what my response should be, not a shallow, self-righteous judgment.
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Now, what this passage doesn’t mean. Lots of people are familiar with this part of the Bible. Well, at least the first part, “Don’t judge”. When a Christian what someone is doing is wrong, the reply comes back, “Who are you to judge me? I thought Christians weren’t supposed to judge? How dare you judge me!”

A response like this means, “You’re not allowed to tell me something is wrong, because that’s judging.”

But like I said earlier, Jesus doesn’t mean that we should never make any judgments of any kind. What he means is that we shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. We dare not make shallow judgments. We don’t want to be JUDGEMENTAL.

You don’t have to look far to find examples of judgments that we are supposed to make. Turn to Matthew 5, verse 20. Jesus says…

“20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20 NIV).

Jesus is judging the faith of the Pharisees! He’s saying, they don’t have any! They think they’re righteous before God because they don’t sin as much as other people. That’s not righteousness before God! Jesus wasn’t being judgmental. He was making a good judgment. He knew what the Pharisees were like.

Jesus doesn’t tell His followers NEVER to make a judgment. Never tell someone, what you’re doing is wrong. That’s the kind of judgment that we should make. Point it out to them and help them.
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Another way of looking at judging is this. Judging people is like drawing a circle around someone and saying they’re bad, and I’m good.

That’s what the Pharisees did. They looked at people around them and saw tax collectors and prostitutes and they said, these people are bad. They circled them and said, these people are hopeless. They will never be anything other than damned sinners, so don’t go near them.

Jesus doesn’t want us to do that with people. He doesn’t want us to go, I’m so much better than this other person. They’re a sinner, I’m not because I don’t do what they do. No! That’s now what matters. We’re all sinners. Any sin that you say about someone else, oh, look at them they’re a sinner in this way – you have broken that same commandment.

Turn to Romans 2, verse 1. Paul just got done listing off a bunch of things that godless people do. They’re greedy, envious, murderers, liars, gossips, arrogant, boastful, disobedient to their parents, heartless, ruthless and so on. But then in chapter two Paul turns the finger around and says,

“1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” (Romans 2:1 NIV).

The same sins we see in the world around us, we can also find in our own hearts and lives. We’re not righteous before God because we’re better than others. We’re not righteous before God because we’re not prostitutes or career criminals. The only reason that you and I are righteous before God is because we are covered with Jesus’ righteousness.

He lived a perfect life to God, so that He could take that life and, through His sacrifice on the cross, offer it to us. Through faith in Jesus we put on His righteousness like a long white coat. THAT is how we are righteous in God’s sight, through faith in Jesus.
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Turn to Matthew 7, verse 3. Jesus continues by saying…

“3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5 NIV).

This is what the Pharisees were doing to the sinners around them. With the “plank” of their own self-righteousness, they were looking around at everyone else saying, here, let me help you get that sin out of your eye. Here, learn to live your life as good as me and then you’ll be right with God.

But they had the “plank” of self-righteousness in their eye! They weren’t righteous before God! And even if they could convince a prostitute to stop and to live like them, that wouldn’t help at all!

Turn to Matthew 23, verse 15. Here Jesus is laying into the Pharisees. They told everyone, we’ve got the way to heaven and we’ll teach you what you need to do. But all they were teaching was self-righteousness that leads to hell.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are” (Matthew 23:15 NIV).

I don’t have to point out that Jesus is judging again, do I?

The Pharisees needed have their self-righteousness removed before they could EVER help anyone else spiritually. They needed to understand they were sinners. They need to see that only Christ could clean them of their sins before God.

With their self-righteous replaced with repentance and faith, THEN they could help others. They could say, Look, I’m a sinner, but in Jesus I am forgiven. I see you have something in your eye, but Jesus can help you with that.
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We have to do the same. We have to come to people AFTER we have confessed our sins to God. We have to say, Lord, look, I’m a sinner. I do these things wrong just like they do. I don’t want to do that anymore. Forgive me. Change me.

By faith in Christ that’s what happens. We are made new. We are declared righteous by Christ. Then after repentance and faith, after the plank is out of our eye then we can go to people and say, look, I see you’re sinning. Let me show you how to get rid of that. Let me introduce you to Jesus.
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People look at this section about the plank and the speck and they say, what that means is that I can never tell someone they’re doing something wrong unless my life is perfect first.

But it’s not about being perfect before you can reach out to someone else. It’s about being repentance and forgiven by Christ. Then you can turn to other people and say, I had something in my eye, and so do you, let me show you the Man who can take it out.
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Turn to Matthew 7, verse 6.

6“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

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This last part here kinda seems to come out of nowhere. Jesus was just talking about not judging people and then all the sudden we’ve got dogs, pigs and pearls. So, what’s up here?

There is a definite connection to judging, but before we see that we need to study up on dogs and pigs. If you look through the rest of the Bible for dogs, you’ll find that dogs were considered to be low animals. Incapable of much. They were also disgusting animals. They ate dead things. They had the lovely habit of puking up something and then returning later to eat it again.

Sorry. I know it’s gross, but those are the things that the Bible associates with real dogs. It’s not to hard for us to understand what’s being said when God calls people dogs.

Turn to Revelation chapter 22, verse 14. There John is quoting Jesus. Jesus is describing heaven and those who are locked out of heaven. He says…

“14“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Revelation 22:14-15 NIV).

Dogs are people who refuse God and embrace evil instead.

Pigs are pretty easy to understand too. In the Old Testament God told the Jews they were not to eat pork. The pig was to be considered a ceremonially unclean animal. It wallowed in the mud. It was dirty.

Figuratively, pigs and dogs are the same. People who hate God and His Word.

Jesus doesn’t want us to judge people around us as “sinners” who will never change. But there are people we will meet who show their hatred for God and their opposition to anything that comes from Him.

There are times when the Christian must not lay the Good News of Jesus before a person like this. It would be like offering communion wafers to a rabid dog, or trying to put your expensive pearls on a pig. They’ll only make fun of the precious message of Jesus, and they may even turn on the messenger.

Be compassionate. Be forgiving and not judgmental. But don’t be foolish in your personal ministry. Take care of what is sacred and precious, and take care of your self as well. Don’t be a martyr unless that is God’s will for you.

Prayer: Father in Heaven, help me not to condemn and shun people because of some THING they say or do. Even if that thing is a sin. Make me wise and compassionate, enable me to reach out in love – pointing out sin, but also pointing out Your Son who died to take our sins away.

Father, don’t judge me by my sins, for they are many. Instead judge me by Jesus, who’s righteousness covers me by faith. Amen.

The Peace of God which surpasses all our understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Your Father is God, DON'T WORRY!

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Sermon:

Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Everybody knows the story of David and Goliath. But the world thinks that David’s young victory is about a little guy triumphing over amazing odds. The world puts the story of David and Goliath on the shelf next to the “Little Engine that Could”.

But David and Goliath is not primarily about determination, perseverance or even courage. Sure David was courageous, but that’s not the main point. What happened on that battle field 3,000 years ago happened because of David’s FAITH.

David knew God had promised that no one could stand in their way as Abraham’s descendants as they took possession of their God-given homeland. Turn to Deuteronomy, chapter 20.

“1When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3He shall say: “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. 4For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” (Deuteronomy 20:1-4 NIV).

When David first saw Goliath taunting the Israelites he said, “Who is this… that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26b). When King Saul told David that he was too young and inexperienced to face Goliath, David replied that Goliath would die because he had “defied the armies of the living God.” (1 Samuel 17:36 NIV).

David believed that God would KEEP HIS PROMISE and would fight against the enemies of Israel. David knew that when God is the Commander of your army, fear is silly.
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Today in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says something very similar: If God is your Father, than worry is silly.

Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)

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 important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look 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? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If 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, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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Worry makes us near-sighted. It causes us to focus on details that may or may not matter. Sometimes at the expense of what more important.

When David told King Saul that he would fight Goliath, Saul’s mind thought of the little details of battle, not the big promise of God. He tried to discourage David, saying that Goliath was far more experienced.

When David refused to turn away, Saul turned to other details. Saul dressed David up in his own gear of war. Armor, sword, etc. He figured David would need these to stand a chance against Goliath.

David tried them on, and then took them off. He wasn’t used to wearing these things. Instead David took his shepherding stick and went down by the stream to get a few stones for his sling.

The truth is, David would have defeated Goliath if he had walked into that showdown armed only with a feather duster. The victory wasn’t in the sling. The victory wasn’t in the stones. It wasn’t in the boy. It was in the God whom the boy trusted.
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And when it comes to you and me, our LIFE and HEALTH doesn’t depend on food and clothing alone. Our culture values these things highly. But food and clothing are just the details. True life depends on having a faith connection to the Creator.

In verse 33 of our Sermon text Jesus promises…

“…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33 NIV).

Being part of God’s Kingdom means believing His promises and basing our decisions on them. That’s what it means to seek God’s rule in our lives. First believing Him, then living by His Word. When we do this, we have God’s guarantee that He will provide our food and drink. A good King takes care of His subjects.

We have God’s righteousness when we trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of sins. In fact, God says that through faith in Jesus we no only OBTAIN forgiveness, we BECOME the righteousness of God.

Turn to 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. There Paul writes…

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV).

Through faith in Jesus we are declared as sinless and perfect as God is.

These are the things that really matter! Not whether we’re eating macaroni and cheese or prime rib. Not whether we’ve got a pair of shoes for every occasion or just one pair of holey sneakers. Faith in Christ. Participation in the reign of God, right now.
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Look again at verse 26. Jesus says…

“26Look 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?...
28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If 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, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:26, 28-30 NIV).

Jesus was sitting on a large hillside when he said these words. The people could no doubt hear the birds and maybe they could see the flowers around them, too.

What if tomorrow God forgot to make the flowers grow? What if tomorrow God forgot to feed the birds and they all died? These are silly questions. Here’s another silly question. What if tomorrow God forgot to care for the sinners He redeemed with His own Son’s blood?

Paul said it like this:

“31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32 NIV).

If the God of the Bible is our Father, and Jesus says that by faith He is, then we never have reason to worry.

He’s not a stupid Father! He’s not a weak Father! But that’s what we treat Him like when we worry. As if He could forget His own people. As if we might need to pick up the slack for God when He forgets to give us what we need.

He’s given us His Son to be our Savior, our Ever-living, raised-from-the-dead Savior and even calls Him our brother! He will not fail to provide what we need. We ARE far more valuable to our Father than all the little creatures and plants that He feeds and clothes every moment of every day.
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Worry settles into the heart when we take God’s responsibilities on our own shoulders. King Saul and his whole army were dismayed when Goliath challenged them because they thought that their sword and skill that had to win the battle.

We too, can lose heart when we begin to think that forgiveness depends on us sinning less tomorrow. But it isn’t our doing better that kills the giant called SIN, it’s Jesus’ perfect life that did that. We just trust in the promise, just like David.
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Now, Jesus isn’t saying never prepare for the future.

In Proverbs 10, verse 5 it says…

5 He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son” (Proverbs 10:4-5 NIV).

Preparation for the future is different than worry. Peter says that all Christians should be prepared to tell people why they trust in Jesus. (1 Peter 3:15) Paul says that we should prepare ourselves to face the Devil’s temptations by putting on God’s armor. (Ephesians 6:11)

Letting our minds race around what might be said, or what might be done, or what possibly could go wrong – is not an exercise of preparing, but of worrying. It is also not an exercise of faith, but of doubt. Preparation for the future is different than worry.

Ever get stuck in the snow? Or mud? In your car I mean. Our instinct is to step on the gas. More power will help, right? But usually what works best is a steady foot on the gas. Let the weight of the car give the car some traction. Give just enough gas to move the care forward instead of polishing your own personal ice-rink with your tires.

That’s what worry is like. Spinning your tires. Thinking, oh, I can get out of this if I just put a little more mind power into it. Oh, no, it’s not working. Better spin faster. And on it goes until we’re tired and frustrated to finally sleep.

But Jesus wants us to know that even though our minds are attracted to worry, worry is really no good. Worry is not only powerless to help us, it is also a cumbersome weight that pulls us down.

Look at verse 27. Jesus says,

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27 NIV).

Worry is powerless to help us, and it is therefore foolish to waste our time and energy worrying.

I’d like to prove this fact for you right now. I’ve got a feather here. Just one single feather. I’m going to put it here in front of you. And now I’m going to move this feather onto the ground just by using the power of worry.

(Pastor concentrates hard on the feather, but nothing happens.)

Okay, maybe I’m not good at worrying. I thought I was a pretty good worrier, but I guess I’m going to need some help. Is there anyone out there who is good at worrying? Raise you hand if you’ve got some experience worrying?

(Pastor asks one person to help him “worry” the feather onto the ground. They both concentrate hard, but nothing happens to the feather.)

Looks like we’re going to need everyone’s help here. I need you all to help me worry about this feather. With our combined worrying we surely move mountains, we must be able to move this feather.

(Everyone in the congregation concentrates hard on worrying the feather to the ground, but again, nothing happens.)

Some of you are thinking, this is a very silly exercise. And Jesus would agree. Worrying about anything is a very silly exercise indeed. Worry is powerless to do anything, except waste our time, waster our energy and draw our attention away from our Father in heaven. That’s why Jesus commands His followers “Don’t worry!”, three separate times!

Did you notice that? Look at verse 25. Verse 31. Verse 34. Jesus knows that worry is a persistent problem.
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There’s one more thing Jesus wants us to know about worry. Look at verse 34. Jesus says,

“…do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34 NIV).

I think we would all agreed that it’s foolish to let the past weigh us down. Christ Jesus cuts us free from all our past sins. It would be foolish to let guilt over those sins weigh us down. It is equally foolish to look forward and borrow tomorrow’s responsibilities today. In the present we can’t really do anything about tomorrow’s problems. We can’t really even be sure what tomorrow’s problems will be!

Have you ever gotten all prepared for some problem that you just KNOW is going to happen, and then it doesn’t? Ever had to talk to someone about something very important and gotten all tense about what they might say or do, and it turns out to be no problem at all?

When we borrow from tomorrow’s problems we borrow weight that isn’t meant for today. Leave it be, Jesus says. Quit pretending you’re God and just trust in the Father. Let today be what it is, and trust that God will care for you tomorrow also. He’s your Father, you know. He cares for you.

I’d like to end this message with a prayer.

Prayer:

Father in Heaven,
Forgive us for the times we try to wrestle Your responsibilities away from You. Help us not to worry, but to trust in Your promises. Help us to grow in faith, trusting in You and Your Son, knowing that You’ll take care of all the little details of our lives.

Forgive us for the times we have treated you like you didn’t know what we really needed, or like you were powerless to give us the right things. When we worry, help us to remember the birds and the flowers, which you feed and clothe. And help us to remember the way you have already clothed us with Christ’s righteousness, totally apart from our help.

When we find ourselves worrying about something, help us to realize it, Lord, and to throw off our worry with prayer.

We pray all these things in Jesus’ name, through whom You have made all worry a silly thing.

Amen.

The Peace of God which surpasses all our understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Being Heaven-Minded - Sep 20, 2009

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Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We’re in the second part of the Sermon on the Mount today. In the beginning of that Sermon, Jesus addressed the FALSE TEACHINGS of the Pharisees. Here in the second part Jesus has been addressing the FALSE WORSHIP of the Pharisees.

Jesus hasn’t been using the word, “Pharisee”, but we can be sure they understood that He was talking about them.

When Jesus described how NOT to worship, He described how THEY worshipped! He said, don’t be like the people who love to give to the needy – IN PUBLIC so everyone can see how generous they are. Don’t be like the people who love to pray – OUTLOUD so everyone can hear what good followers of God they are. Don’t be like the people who love to fast – BUT TELEGRAPH IT to everyone by the way their faces look, so that everyone knows they GENEROUS and PIOUS and they even go BEYOND what God commands them to do. They fast not only ONCE a year but twice a week!

This was how the Pharisees “worshipped” God. And as Jesus later said, ““Everything they do is done for men to see…” (Matthew 23:5 NIV).

Their spiritually was a show. Their religion, a machine they used to get attention. Their thoughts were not focused on the God of Heaven, but on the things of earth.

True followers of God are HEAVENMINDED. And that’s what Jesus is going to talk about today, being Heaven-minded.
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Turn to Matthew 6, verse 19.

“19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV).

Where you invest, YOU are invested. Let me explain.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger made movies, he was selling himself. He was selling an image of strength, an Austrian accent, little lines like “I’ll be back”. He was selling his personality. Who he was and how he did things.

When you make money at your job, you’re doing the same thing. You take your talents and abilities, your personality and time and you turn it into a paycheck. You’re taking who you are and what you do and making it into money.

When you then invest that money in the stock market, you’re really investing PART OF YOU.

Think about the stock market crash of 1929. Some people had invested everything they had into the market. They had invested more than money. They had invested their hopes and dreams, their time and effort, their emotions – their lives into that stock market. When it failed, they felt they had NOTHING LEFT. Some even took their own lives in despair.

When you invest something of yours, you are investing part of YOU.

With this in mind, Jesus says we’ve got two investment choices. Either we can invest in this earth. In the physical things that we can see and feel. Or, we can invest in Heaven.

But Jesus says, if you’re going to invest in the world be aware of this – EVERYTHING in this world eventually FALLS APART, or DISAPPEARS.

But investing in Heaven is a different thing. In God’s presence NOTHING DECAYS and nothing can ever be STOLEN. The treasures of Heaven are secure and eternal.

So, let’s take it back to the Pharisees for a moment. In all their acts of fake worship, the Pharisees were investing in the world. Get me attention, get me a reputation. That’s what they were investing in. And all of that was going to fall apart eventually. The better thing to invest in was a relationship with God.
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Jesus says that the difference between a Heaven-minded person and an Earth-minded person is like the difference between someone who can see and someone who is blind.

Matthew 6, verse 22. Jesus continues by saying…

“22“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23 NIV).

Human beings are born into darkness. They are sinful from conception and without faith in God when they’re born.

But when the Holy Spirit brings the Gospel, these things change. Through the Bible, God shows people that they’re sinners, but He loves them. Loves them so much that He’s opened the way to Heaven for them. How? God’s sinless Son took the sinner’s place in hell. Jesus suffered their hell while He was dying on the cross. Because of His suffering, our sins have been paid for. In Jesus we have forgiveness.

And to prove that this all was not just some religious story made up to make people feel better about their mistakes, God the Father raised Jesus from the dead. Our Savior lives, now and forever.

Turn to First Peter 1, verse 3. First Peter is just a few books back from Revelation. Peter, John, Jude, Revelation. First Peter 1, verse 3. To fellow followers of Jesus, Peter writes…

“3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV).

Our first birth was into spiritual deadness and blindness. Through Jesus’ resurrection we are born all over again, forgiven and spiritually alive.

We sinners made saints. Blind beggars who can now see. Because of Jesus our Savior, we have been made princes and princesses of Heaven. Owners of an everlasting inheritance.

But if we replace God with something else, be it ourselves, or money or some false god, then darkness returns. And with darkness, stumbling and pain.
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When I was a kid, my Dad used to take the church youth group down to the Black Hills of South Dakota every summer for a camping trip.

We’d explore different parts of the Black Hills each time. Once we crossed over into Wyoming to see Devil’s Tower. Once we hiked up to the castle lookout tower on Harney Peak. And once we took a tour down into a deep cave.

In the cave the guide gave us each a simple lantern. It was a sideways bucket with a candle in it. Then he led us down into the darkness. When we had gone far enough he had us sit in a circle in a place where the path widened out a bit. When we were all there, he had us blow our candles out.

He said we were now experiencing complete darkness. We were far enough down in the cave that NO light could reach us. Try as you might, you really couldn’t see you hand in front of your face.

Now, the cave wasn’t much of a maze. There were only a few different paths that you might follow. So, on the way back out of the cave they let us explore on our own. Of course, everyone wanted to find their own special way up.

As I was finding my way out, my candle started to flicker. It had burned down to the end. The kids that were with me were either to far ahead or to far behind for me to use their light. So when mine went out, I couldn’t see a thing.

Stupidly, I tried to keep moving forward. Slowly, feeling my way along the walls. But even moving slowly, when I bashed my knee into a large, chunky boulder it hurt. A lot. I decided to wait until the grownups caught up.
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Turn to First Timothy 6, verse 9. The apostle Paul wrote this to a young pastor named Timothy.

“9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:9-10 NIV).

If we try to find our way through life without Jesus, we’re just groping in the dark, no doubt headed for some painful experiences.
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Turn back to Matthew 6, verse 24. There are somethings that seem grey in the Bible. Hard for us to understand. Hard to define. In this section Jesus is all black and white.

You can either invest in the world, or in heaven. You can either see through the eyes of faith, or you’re blind. And true devotion can’t be divided. Matthew 6, verse 24. Jesus says…

“24“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24 NIV).

Over 20 years ago a survey was taken in America (James Patterson and Peter Kim, The Day America Told the Truth (New York: Prentice Hall, 1991)). The survey asked people, “What would you do for 10 million dollars?” There was a list of things people could pick from. Things like…

“Abandon your family.”
“Abandon your church.”
“Become a prostitute for a week.”
“Leave your spouse.”
“Kill a stranger.”

The results were startling. For 10 million dollars…

…25 percent would abandon their family.
…25 percent would abandon their church.
…23 percent would become a prostitute for a week.
…16 percent would leave their spouse.
…7 percent would murder a stranger.

You can’t be Heaven-minded and Earth-minded. There is only one throne on top the human heart. Either God sits there as King, or something else.
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Part of being Heaven-minded is truly meaning what we say in the Lord’s Prayer. We say, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We’re saying, “God I want to do what you want me to do, just like the angels do. Perfectly.”

But being Heaven-minded also means confessing our sins to God when we fail to do His will. Being Heaven-minded means trusting Him when He tells us, “I forgive you. Because of My Son, I forgive you.”

Let’s be serious here. Maybe we’ve never been offered 10 million dollars to do something we know is wrong, but how many times haven’t we chosen evil over the good, for far less than a million?

How about every day.

That’s why the Master we serve is so special. His Word says,

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).

Invest in your relationship with the Father, not in things that never satisfy and won’t last.

Let Jesus illuminate your every step, by listening to His Words every day.

Serve the Master, by believing His promise and learning to live His way.

Be, Heaven-minded.

Amen.

The Peace of God which surpasses all our understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Jesus Teaches Fasting - Sep 13, 2009

To LISTEN to this week's sermon online click here. To DOWNLOAD an MP3, first right click here then choose "save link as" or "save target as".

Sermon:

Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

What I have in my hand right here is a flashlight. It has a working switch. It has batteries. It has a light bulb. It even has the one thing that makes a flashlight valuable. It has light.

However, if I don’t turn it on, it won’t help me find my way in the darkness. If I point it the wrong way, again, it won’t help me. If I shine it directly into my eyes, it’s going to make things harder to see, not easier. In order for this flashlight to be a useful tool, it needs to be USED PROPERLY.

TOOLS FOR WORSHIP

We have many tools meant to help us worship. We might think of the organ, the hymnal, the bulletin, the Bible, our voices, our emotions, our minds, our hearts. But, in order for these things to be useful in worshipping our God, they need to be USED PROPERLY.

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day had many of the same kinds of worship tools that we have now, and some different ones as well. But they didn’t use these tools properly. For example, when the Pharisees they pray out-loud prayers, they were actually talking to the people around them, not to God. That was an abuse of prayer.

Their acts of worship did nothing to help them see inside themselves, nor did their acts of worship help them to see God better. Their “worship” was done so that they would be seen by other men (Pastor holds flashlight above himself, shining on himself).

We’ve been studying Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount for a while now. We’re now in the middle of the second part of that sermon, at a place where Jesus is addressing the false worship of the Pharisees. Jesus is also explaining what true worship is like.

He’s already talked about the worship tools of charitable giving and prayer. Today Jesus talks about the worship tool we call “fasting”. Turn to Matthew 6, verse 16. There Jesus says…

“16“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men 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 6:16-18 NIV).

THE FASTING OF THE PHARISEES

The Pharisees fasted on Monday and Thursday, of every week. God didn’t command them to do this in the Bible, they simply chose to do it. They picked Monday and Thursday because Moses went up Mt. Sinai to receive the Law on a Thursday, and on Monday he came back down.

Monday and Thursday also happened to be the market days when people came into town from the country. Local courts were in session on these days also. Whether they intended it or not, on these days the Pharisees had a bigger crowd to see them fast.

And people would notice that the Pharisees were fasting. The Pharisees made sure of that. First of all, they made it known that Monday and Thursday were their fasting days. Then they made their time of fasting obvious by changing their appearance.

Jesus teaches that this is a MISUSE OF A WORSHIP TOOL. They were shining the “flashlight of fasting” on themselves so that others would notice them. But fasting is a worship tool that is mean to be used in secret.

THE NEGLECTED TOOL OF FASTING

Of the three worship tools that Jesus talks about in this part of the Sermon on the Mount, I think fasting is the least known to us and the least used. We know about charitable giving. We know about prayer. But how much do we know about fasting? Do we ever use this tool?

Do me a favor, raise your hand if you’ve EVER fasted with a religious purpose in mind.

Raise your hand if you consider fasting a very important part of your worship life.

If you look in our Catechism you won’t find fasting in the table of contents or in the index. You’ll find it mentioned in connection with the Lord’s Supper, but not explained in much detail.

So it isn’t surprising that we don’t consider fasting an important part of our worship. If you look in the Old Testament, God only required the Israelites to fast once a year. That doesn’t sound very important.

Even though God only commanded the Israelites to fast once a year, we find examples of people fasting all over in the Bible. Sometimes it’s an individual fasting as part of their worship in the Temple (Hannah). Sometimes it’s a congregation fasting before they send out a team of evangelists (Paul and Barnabas). Sometimes it’s a whole city fasting to God (Jonah’s Nineveh).

THREE KINDS OF FASTING

There are three basic kinds of fasting. There’s the NORMAL fast, when no food is eaten. There’s the ABSOLUTE fast, when food and water avoided. And there’s the PARTIAL fast, where only certain foods are avoided.

Simple enough. But the question remains: What is fasting good for? What exactly does it accomplish?

FASTING IDENTIFIES A DAY AS SPECIAL

You know how I said that God commanded the Israelites to fast once a year? That day when all the people were supposed to fast was the Day of Atonement.

The Day of Atonement was the only day of the whole year that God permitted a priest, and it had to be THE HIGH PRIEST, to enter the innermost room of the Temple. The Most Holy Place.

On this day a sacrifice was made for all the sins of the people of Israel. And the blood of that special sacrifice was carried into the Most Holy Place.

There were all sorts of things that made this day special. Unique. Set apart from all other days. Fasting was ONE of the things that helped to set this day apart. Fasting can help identify a time as HOLY or SPECIAL toward God.

FASTING IS ASSOCIATED WITH PRAYER

When we look up examples of fasting in the Bible, we find that prayer is associated with fasting. In fact, it’s more accurate to say that fasting is associated with prayer. Prayer is the bigger thing. Fasting is the smaller accessory. Fasting is added to prayer to make it stand out.

We often bow our heads when we pray. Ever think about why we do that? The Bible says that when Jesus prayed He actually “looked up to heaven”. Why do we look down? I think it’s a way of expressing that we are sinners who come before God in humility. He is so much greater than we are, so we bow in reverence and awe.

In moments of deep distress or need we might express this humble approaching of God even more intensely. We might actually fall down on our knees in order to pray to God. We might curl ourselves over more tightly than usual, or squeeze our hands together harder in our focused concentration.

That’s what fasting is. Fasting is a premeditated and more intensive “falling on your knees” or “bowing your head” before God.

A PHYSICAL EXPRESSION OF REPENTANCE

Turn to Jonah 3, verse 1. Jonah is eight books back from Matthew. Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. Here were see another thing that fasting expresses. Verse 1…

“1Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2“Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
3Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. 4On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” 5The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
10When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened” (Jonah 3 NIV).

Their fasting was a physical expression of their sorrow over sin. That’s why it was valuable to God. It communicated that they were repentant.

DO I HAVE TO FAST?

Sometimes we are drawn to fasting naturally. Our mind is so concentrated on something that food is the last thing we want to think about. We say, who can think of food at a time like this!

Usually, I can.

I’d always been curious about fasting. I never understood what was so special about it. So, I tried it a few times, thinking, maybe if I just do it, I’ll understand.

It didn’t work for me. I found that instead of being more focused on spiritual things, I was just more cranky and irritable.

Fasting is a worship tool, but maybe not one that is particularly beneficial for you. Or, maybe it is, but you need to learn it slowly. Easing into it instead of diving in like I did.

FASTING IS A FORM OF SELF-DENIAL

In the Psalm that we read together today, the Psalmist says that he humbled himself with fasting. That reveals one of the great benefits of fasting. It helps us to cultivate stronger SELF-CONTROL.

Fasting is a form of self-denial. What your body wants, you say no to. And that’s a good thing to practice. For there are many times when our hearts want things that will not be good for us.

Turn to James 4, verse 6. James is just a few books back from Revelation. James, Peter, John, Jude, Revelation. Verse 4…

“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6 NIV).

If fasting helps us to grow more humble. And God helps the humble, that alone is enough reason to fast.
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In Isaiah, God describes one last benefit of fasting. Turn to Isaiah 58, verse 7. There God is describing what fasting is for…

“7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
” (Isaiah 58:7-8 NIV).

In Isaiah God points out that fasting is not just abstaining from using what you have. Sometimes fasting is going without so someone else can have what is yours.
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That’s the kind of fasting Jesus knew all about.

He went without His fully glory as the Son of God every day that walked this earth as a Man. He went without food quite often because He was busy tending to the needs of the spiritually poor people of Israel. He went without justice, all the way to the cross, carrying our sins, suffering our pain, so that we could have life and forgiveness.

And on the cross He went without the Father’s presence. He felt the darkness of being truly alone. And He did all this so that we wouldn’t have to. So that we could know the loving embrace of the Father when we leave this world of sorrow.

Jesus went without forgiveness, so that we could have His.

Maybe that’s why Jesus never commands us to fast. He’s done our fasting for us already. But, if you decide to fast in your worship of the Father, remember to do it for the Father’s eyes only.

In fact, that’s Jesus’ underlying point in this part of His sermon. Do all your worship with the Father in mind. Worship to the Father. For the Father. In His way. Through His Son.

Amen.

The Peace of God which surpasses all our understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Jesus Teaches Prayer - Sep 6, 2009

To LISTEN to this week's sermon online click here. To DOWNLOAD an MP3, first right click here then choose "save link as" or "save target as".

Sermon:

Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The first part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is all about correcting the Pharisees’ FALSE TEACHINGS. The second part, is all about correcting the Pharisees’ FALSE RELIGION. That’s the part of the Sermon on the Mount that we’re in right now. Jesus is addressing the HYPOCRITICAL WORSHIP of the Pharisees.

The Pharisees were unbelievers. But they weren’t the type of unbelievers who avoided church. They were the type of unbelievers who go to church regularly so that others will see them there. They did all the outward things that God told the Israelites to do in connect with worship. They gave to the poor. They prayed. They fasted. They came to the Temple on all the special worship days. But they didn’t do all these things because they were interested in a RELATIONSHIP with their Creator. They did these things only to earn the REPUTATION as a follower of God. That pretty much sums up the Pharisees’ religion: A reputation, not a relationship.

Last Sunday we heard Jesus talk about how the Pharisees gave to the poor. They gave alright, but in very public ways so that they’d get attention. In doing this they rendered their charitable giving spiritually worthless in God’s sight. He was not pleased at all by their faithless giving.

This week Jesus moves on from charitable giving to another aspect of the Pharisees’ false religion – PRAYER.

Matthew 6:5-8 (NIV)

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 men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But 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. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

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Have you ever been in a public place and heard a parent disciplining their child? But as you listen, you hear that mom or dad’s words are really being spoken to the audience around the naughty child? I like to call this “supermarket discipline”. I’m sure you’ve heard it before.

Spoken in a voice that has no edge of seriousness in it at all:

“Nicole, you shouldn’t doo-ing that.”
“You get back here right now.”
“Do we have to go home right now?”
“If you don’t listen to me, there aren’t going to be any treats later.”

Everyone knows that mom or dad isn’t going to actually do a thing unless little Nikki smashes a king size jar of pickles on the floor. Everyone knows that mom or dad is actually talking to the strangers who are thinking, “Yikes, control your kid.”

This is really hypocritical parenting. Fake parenting. Pretend parenting.
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The Pharisees did the same thing when it came to prayer. Their prayers were not really spoken to God, they were spoken for the ears of the people who heard them praying. They were fake prayers. Pretender prayers.

Jesus told a parable to illustrate this to the people. It’s found in Luke 18, verse 9.

“9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14 NIV).

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The hypocrisy of the Pharisees was evident in their “look-at-me” prayers. Jesus says, Don’t be like them. They will be humbled in the end. Instead, when you pray – be real.

Look at Matthew 6, verse 6 again.

“6But 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” (Matthew 6:6 NIV).

If our prayers are really prayers, if they’re US TALKING TO GOD, than no one else besides Him needs to hear us. Why not go to a venue were nobody else can possible hear our words our see our bowed heads. A private place can help us to be GENUINE with God. To really speak what is on our mind. To talk to God with no pretense. To be real with Him in a way that we might find hard to do around other people.

This is one reason why evening and morning prayers are a really good idea. If we pray when we wake up and before we fall asleep that’s one place were we are IN OUR OWN ROOM, and we can pray to God openly. Genuinely.

It’s kinda like what people do when they get a cell phone call from someone they’ve got to talk to about a serious thing. They don’t stick around, they excuse themselves and take the call out of the restaurant. Where their conversation is not out in the open for all to listen in on.
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So, Jesus says, 1) don’t pray like a hypocrite, and 2) be genuine. And then He gives His followers one more direction on how not to pray. Matthew 6, verse 7.

“7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:7-8 NIV).

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The pagans thought of their gods like “big people”. Their gods had the same bad character traits that people had, they just also had a lot of power. Pagans figured that if they threw up enough prayers at their gods, they could push that god into giving them what they wanted.

Now, Jesus does teach us to pray repeatedly. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed to His heavenly Father three times about the same thing. Later in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says to KNOCK and the door will be opened. But Jesus never teaches us to use prayers like currency. You know, like if I pray enough times about this God will eventually listen and give in to what I’m asking. Or, if I ask enough other Christians to pray for me then I’ll have a better chance of getting the answer I want.

That’s a pagan thought. It’s really treating God like a human that we can manipulate if we use the right methods. Jesus says, don’t do that, your Father already knows what you need before you ask him – He’s not like you, He’s God.
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That leads us to a question: If God already knows what we need and what we’ll ask for, why does He want us to pray?

I’m sure there are more reasons than I can think of. But I thought of three reasons why God might want us to pray to Him, even though He knows what we need.

First, by praying we remind ourselves that we can do NOTHING without God, but with Him we can do EVERTHING. We can do everything through Him who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). Prayer keeps our hearts focused on God as the One who we are dependent on for EVERYTHING.

Secondly, we were made to interact with God in a Father to child relationship. Think about it for moment. God made Adam and Eve to be His children. In a loving relationship with Him. God wanted people to have this with, so He made the human race. But Adam’s sin destroyed this relationship. And as you know, only through Christ Jesus does this relationship get restored. Because Jesus suffered and died for our sins, we are forgiven and brought back into the family of God. That’s why Jesus teaches HIS FOLLOWERS to call God, OUR FATHER.

The point is, every time redeemed sinners like you and I talk to our heavenly Father, that restored relationship is being used! Our Father loves to hear us talk to Him, just like parents love to hear their children talk to them. Every time we say, “Father”, to Him, we identify HIM as our God.

Right now, my daughter Carmen has been busting out a lot of new words. She’s to that stage where she can mimic anything you ask her to, and she’s making more and more word connections to things.

Recently she started calling me Dad AND Papa. I can’t really explain how that makes me feel, but I’d guess that God feels something the same when He hears His followers talk to Him in the quiet of their private moments.

Thirdly, the Bible teaches us that peace if obtained through prayer. Turn to Philippians 4, verse 6.

“6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV).

Here Paul says, Don’t worry, pray, and God will replace your burden with His peace, the peace which comes from Jesus gives. That’s the peace which reminds us that our failings are forgiven. That’s the peace which reminds us that Jesus has promised to never leave us, but to guide us by His Word and His Spirit. That’s the peace which we have access to through prayer.
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So, Jesus has described how to pray and how not to pray. Don’t be a hypocrite. Be genuine. Don’t treat God like a human being. Jesus then gives an example prayer to His followers. Turn to Matthew 6, verse 9. You might be familiar with this one, we call it the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says…

“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 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.’

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This prayer is very short, very concise, but packed with meaning. Here’s a little exercise you can try at home. Open you Bible up to the Lord’s Prayer and try to make it shorter without losing meaning.

It’s just about impossible to do. The Lord’s Prayer is SHORT, BUT VERY SWEET. It’s so rich with meaning that in His catechism, Martin Luther devotes at least a page to each line! In fact, Luther says,

“Since our Lord is the author of this prayer, it is without a doubt the most sublime, the loftiest, and the most excellent. If he, the good and faithful Teacher, had known a better one, he would surely have taught us that too.

…It would be better for you to pray one Lord’s Prayer with a devout heart and with thought given to the words… than… all other prayers” (Luther, M. (1999, c1969). Vol. 42: Luther's works, vol. 42 : Devotional Writings I (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (42:21-22). Philadelphia: Fortress Press).

With this prayer, Jesus gives us a prayer to model our own after. Christian prayer should be short and sweet with meaning, for pagan prayers are long and full of emptiness.
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We don’t have time right now to go through each line of Jesus’ prayer. We could easily spend a sermon on each. But note this about the Lord’s Prayer, only one line is dedicated to a non-Spiritual request. The line about God giving us the food we need for each day. The rest are all about Spiritual things. We’re drawn to pray about physical things, when the Spiritual are so much more weighty.

Note also that Jesus includes in His model prayer, that we ask for forgiveness for our sins. This is a safeguard against ever forgetting that apart from God we would be damned. Only because of Jesus can we pray to God, for only the righteous can speak with the Father safely. And we have been declared righteous by Christ’s death and resurrection. As surely as He lives, we are redeemed. Connected to Jesus by faith, His righteousness is now ours. That’s why Jesus throws those last two verses in. He says,

“14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15 NIV).

The forgiven, forgive. We cannot claim to be God’s people if we refuse to forgive. We cannot ask FOR forgiveness day after day if we don’t extend that same forgiveness of Christ to those around us. It is the hypocrite who tries to claim forgiveness without giving it. Jesus says, you are no pretenders, so forgive just as God forgave you.
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Jesus teaches us that our prayer should be GENUINE, TO THE POINT, SPIRITUAL, and spoken from a forgiving heart of a forgiven child of God. I’d like to pray the Lord’s Prayer together now. But in a different way than we usually do. I’ll speak with my mouth, you speak ONLY with your hearts as I do. Say this prayer inside yourself with focus on its meaning, and with thought given to each word.

Though far above us, Your are Our Father,
May who You are be honored by all,
May your control permeate our hearts,
May what you desire be done by us as perfectly as the angels do.
Give us the portion of food we need for today.
Forgive our sins, in the same way that we forgive those who sin against us.
Don’t carry us into temptation, but away from Satan. Amen.

The Peace of God which surpasses all our understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.