Monsterlizard - Born Again

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.  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.

 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. (Matthew 7:1-6)

We all have sin.  We have all done and continue to do bad things, and what Jesus is saying is that we cannot judge others while we are not perfect. 

5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. (1 Corinthians  4:5)

10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11It is written:
   ” ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
   ’every knee will bow before me;
      every tongue will confess to God.’ “^[a] 12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. 
 13Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. (Romans 14:10-13)

This is not a small charge, it is repeated in the New Testament.  This is not saying that sin is ok, it is just that we are not worthy to be judges.  In John 8:1 - 11, Jesus shows the men attempting to stone the adulterating woman that since they are not without sin, that they cannot kill her.  However, he does admit that what the woman has been doing is wrong, “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

We should attempt to help each other get away from sin, not judge each other for that sin.

 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. (Matthew 6:25-34)

As Christians, we proclaim that we have faith.  However, I think we want to have faith.  Very few of us have real faith.  If we did, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this, and you wouldn’t be sitting there reading this.  I wouldn’t sit in front of a computer every day saying, “I wish I could do more to serve God, but I have to work to support my family.”  We need to let go of our lives and give total control to God.  However terrifying that may seem.

Prayer:
“Father, help me to have complete faith in you. Help me to allow myself to be under your control and not my own.  Give me the strength to go on the misson you are calling me to.  Amen”

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)

I have been thinking about this lately, and while I don’t think that Jesus was commanding us to fast, I think I might do it. I have never fasted before, but I think it is an opportunity to really talk to God. Anyway, I think what Jesus is getting at is to not do things for God and hope people will see you. We need to do things for God, not man because we serve one Master.

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.
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!
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 6:19-24)

I think storing up earthly treasures is something mankind has been doing since being cast out of the Garden. However, I find our present day to be pushing it to the extremes. The gluttony of today is mind boggling. I am constantly thinking about the next “thing” I will buy. Oh and don’t get me started on the cellphone commercials talking about the parents working 2 jobs to pay for their child’s cellphone bill: “forget the rod, parent the child.”

Verses 22 and 23 seemed strange to me, but I have found that the “evil eye” in the time of Jesus had to do with envy of money. Knowing this makes it fit nicely. If you don’t envy money your body will be good. You will do good things. But, if you do envy money, your life will be consumed by it.

The last verses some it all up. You can’t serve yourself and God. You can’t serve money/possessions and server God. If you try you will love one more. (Love and hate in the language of the time meant love and less love).

Prayer:
“LORD, please help me to not seek earthly things, but to use that desire to serve you. When I see others that have things, help me to not be envious. These things do not last forever, but your love is eternal. Amen”

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.  9“This, then, is how you should pray:
   ” ‘Our Father in heaven,
   hallowed be your name,
 10your kingdom come,
   your will be done
      on earth as it is in heaven.
 11Give us today our daily bread.
 12Forgive us our debts,
      as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 13And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from the evil one.’ 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 6:5-15)

I have a hard time praying out loud with others.  The evening that members from our church (Steve and Randy) came to our house to talk about becoming members, we talked about how I have to accept Jesus Christ as my LORD and savior.  I had done that in my own mind, but I had not professed it to others.  I was asked to do it, and I froze.  The words were on my tongue, but would not come out.  Steve saw that I was stuck and said, “just repeat this after me…”.  He started talking and I was repeating.  However, half way through, he stopped and said, “I’m sorry Aaron, let me just pray for you.”

I was planing on joining this church just on a statement of faith.  I was raised Catholic, and from what I understood I had been baptized.  I never gave thought to being baptized again.  However, the next day I was overtaken by the Holly Spirit and decided that I wanted/needed to be baptized.

This passage has given me much comfort when I am unable to pray out loud with others.  It is not the words that matter, it is desire.

“LORD, thank you for bringing Steve and Randy to me, for with their guidance, I was able to hear you.  Amen”

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. ”
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4)

This weekend, I had started reading this passage in preparation of this entry.  I was sitting at the kitchen table with my Bible, and my brother walks in.  He looks down at me and says, “I have a moral dilemma.  What would you do in this situation?”  Then, he drops a large wad of cash on the table.  He had found this money in a way that it would be difficult to find the rightful owner.  I started thinking and gave him the usual, “hold it and see if you can find the owner, if not it’s yours.”  Then I said, “ask Heather”.  I can’t remember what she had said because just then I was reminded of this passage that I was just reading in the other room.  I went back into the dinning room and got my Bible, still on Matthew 6.  I read verses 1 to 4 and I think we all knew the right thing to do with that gift from God.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)

This passage fits in with what Jesus later says are the 2 greatest commandments.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:38-40)

Our entire existence needs to revolve around love.  Love God, love our neighbors, love ourselves.  If these simple laws were followed, think how great our days would be.  Even in the midst of persecution and suffering we would live fulfilled and joyful lives.

These simple commandments ordered to be the most important, are the most difficult for me.  I pray that God will help me with these and remove the vengeful, judgemental thoughts and actions from me.

“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:33-37)

Our actions are really all we have to define us.  If we say “yes, I will do that”, or “no, I will not do that”, then we are bound to take those actions.  Anything else is out of our control.  We can swear by God, because who are we to control him.  We can swear by the earth because (as you see with the ridiculous global warming debate), we don’t have control over it.  We can’t even swear by our bodies because we can’t choose to grow old.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’  But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:38-42)

This is pretty straight forward: give.  Give your cloths, give your pain, give your presence.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’  But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 5:27-32)

I find these to be rather clear verses.  First, Jesus says that adultery begins much earlier than we tend to believe.  We rationalize our thoughts, but God knows our heart.  Next, He explains the one and only acceptable reason for divorce.  This is cut and dry and leaves no room for interpretation.  Adultery is the only reason.  The word that was used was ‘porneia’, which means several things alluding to sexual acts including homosexuality, sex with animals, and idolatry.  Now, if you divorce your spouse (I think in this day and age we can replace wife with spouse because these actions could occur the other way around), you are causing them to be an adulterer.  They cannot remarry without committing adultery according to Jesus’ definition, and the one that marries them commit the same act.  I believe Jesus was talking about people who divorced in order to marry up the social ladder.  If you love your spouse, these are easy things to obey.

I was lead to this chapter today (Romans 14), and decided to write about it instead of continuing with Matthew 5.  I will get back to Matthew tomorrow, but I felt this couldn’t wait.

Romans 14 really gets at what I think the Laws of Moses stand today.  So many questions I have had are answered in these verses.  The LORD alone is our judge.  We should not do things just because someone else tells us it is the right thing to do.  God gives us the answers in our conscience, we just have to listen.  In the same right, we should not judge others who choose to do things different from us.  If someone believes that what they are doing is correct, then it is.  Paul, in Romans 14 uses food to make this point.  I would imagine the diet restrictions of the Laws were on a lot of early Christians minds, just as they have been on mine.  However, I think food was just an example here, and anything in our modern lives can fit this teaching.

The teachings of Jesus were of loving your neighbor.  He taught to feed the hungry, to cloth the naked, to reconcile with your brother.  In Matthew 5:23-24, Jesus says, “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”  He doesn’t say, make your brother follow rule X, or do Y.  He commands that we reconcile.  I would think that reading this says that even if your brother has done something that is so vile (enter any number of atrocities here) you want nothing to do with him, that it is your duty to let it go.  Don’t push him away to make yourself feel better.  Never once can I find in the Scriptures where Jesus said to condemn anyone for anything.

So, we must remember that everything we do, we do for God.  Likewise, everything others do, they do for God.  We all will be judged alone.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For 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 5:17-28)

This has been one of the most difficult sections for me to understand in Matthew.  Heather has friends who are Messianic Jews.  They practice traditional Jewish law, but also believe Jesus is Christ. (At least that is what I think they believe, if I am wrong some please correct me.)  They are good people, and Joshua is going to teach us Hebrew which I am very excited about (but that is subject for another post).  Anyway, knowing them has started Heather and I on a journey to discover where the laws of Moses should sit with Christians today.  “Should we keep Kosher”, has been our biggest question.

As I have been readings other views on this section, I find people saying Jesus is saying that we must keep the law, while I find others saying that we don’t have to listen to Old Testament law.  Who is correct?  I think I have determined that both are. 

Abolish Vs. Fulfill
First, I don’t think you can study these 3 verses without looking at the semantics.  Jesus is saying that he has not come to abolish in the NIV and NASB.  In the KJV it says “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy…”  From my research I have found that abolish/destroy translated from the Greek “kataluo” which means “destroy, demolish, dismantle, do away with, abolish, annul, make invalid, repeal”.  While fulfill translates from the Greek “pleroo” which means “make full; bring something to completion, finish something already begun; by deeds, a prophecy, an obligation, a promise, a law, a request, a desire, a hope, a duty, a fate, a destiny; Complete, finish, bring to an end”  From here I see that Jesus is not getting rid of the laws.  So, then do we need to follow the laws of Moses as Christians?  It would seem so to me at this point, but we need to keep reading.

Practice and Teach the Commands
As I read verse 19, it would really appear that we should follow the laws.  “Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19)  It is right there in plain English.  Don’t break the commandments or teach others to break them.  It is looking really bleak that I will be eating sausage for breakfast tomorrow.

Righteousness
But wait, verse 20 throws a wrench in it: “For 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)  The Pharisees are the high priests.  These are the guys that make sure all Jews are following the law.  They are the ones that decide what the law really means.  How can we possibly surpass them?  I believe the answer is in the word “righteousness”.  Jesus doesn’t say don’t eat this or wash that a certain way.  He doesn’t say that the law must be followed to the letter.  He broadens it to “righteousness”.  As you read further through to the end of chapter 5, Jesus shows that it is not the robotic motions of obeying the law that are important.  It is doing good things in bad situations.  Not killing anyone during your life does not get you into heaven.  It is mearly the anger which casts your fate.  So, I believe that the Laws of Moses and the demands of the Prophets in the Old Testament are relevant today and should be followed by all Christians.  However, don’t get caught up in semantics.  It is the spirit of the laws that are important, not blindly doing things from muscle memory.

1 Corinthians 9
To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.  (1 Corinthians 9:20-21)
I don’t want to get into this too much until I am ready to discuss 1 Corinthians, but this line really caught my eye: “though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law”  Christ has redefined the law so as to make it relevant to all, Jews and Gentiles alike.