The Danger Of Morality Thinking

Morality apart from Jesus has no value. That is a truth to keep in mind as we progress through life. It is good to be good but it has no eternal value without a relationship with Jesus. Stay with me for a second here as we process this reality. The psalmist wrote:

O my soul, you have said to the Lord,
“You are my Lord,
My goodness is nothing apart from You.” (Psalm 16:2)

Our salvation is not found in ourselves because it is a free gift offered to us by Jesus. We can do nothing to save ourselves. Living a good life, being good, being kind, being a nice person is all well and good but it has nothing to do with our salvation. Our salvation begins and ends with Jesus because he is the only one capable of giving us salvation. What does it take to be saved? Believe and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In other words, admit you are a sinner, that Jesus wants to save you from that sin, and believe that he has. That is it.

We get it wrong when we push morality before relationship. We are saying being good will make us worthy of salvation. We probably don't think that way but it is how we act and how we present. We must remember that Scripture tells us "While we were still sinners Christ died for us". We were not required to be righteous, morally fit to receive salvation. It is hard sometimes to keep it straight in our thinking.

I have a couple of children who have yet to receive Jesus. I am not happy with how they have chosen to live but their actions are only a symptom of their lack of Jesus. Should my concern be about their actions or their heart condition? The fact they are without Jesus should be the topic of my prayers and my conversation, not an effort to convince them conform their actions.

"My goodness is nothing apart from you" should be the overwhelming message in the Church. Too many unsaved people are sitting in our pews thinking they are okay because their behaviour falls into the acceptable norm. True goodness springs from a heart possessed by Jesus Christ; we don't gain a possessed heart by our goodness.

I Want To Be Accused Of Being An Imitator

If you want to be extraordinary, love your enemies. If you want to be like Jesus, love your enemies. If you want to be called children of Father, love your enemies. If you truly want to belong to Jesus, to walk in his footsteps, to be everything he has called you to be, allowing the Spirit to work through you, then you must be determined to obey Jesus' commands and to do what he did. Jesus said:

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return ... (Luke 6:25a) 

You see, being a Christian is not a tradition that is handed down to you by your family. It is not a philosophy of living. It is not "pie in the sky" that ushers in utopia on this earth. It is a transformation that moves us to a place of extravagant love expressed through strong action. It is the denying of self for the purpose of promoting the welfare of others. It is an impossibility to manufacture in ourselves. It is far beyond the reach of our limited abilities but nothing is impossible for Yahweh.

The Word tells us what the Holy Spirit is doing in and through us. Our limited capacity is changed, walls come tumbling down, limitations are removed and we are filled with Father's capacity to love. That is what Jesus told us:

... your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. (v. 25b)

We will be transformed so that we will love like Daddy loves because we will take on his character. Every child takes on some of the behavioural characteristics of his parents. This is not passed on by genetics but is learned behaviour. The Spirit gives us new capacity through the transformation but it is only by observing Father (through the Son) that we learn what is expected of us. Love your enemies, do good without restraints. Don't hold back because of your thinking and prejudices. Don't allow personal feelings to get in the way of Father's extravagance in love. What does that look like?

If you want to know what Father's love looks like and how it has impacted us, look no further than the gift of himself through the Son, Jesus. He laid it all out for us, walking through the experience of torture so he could reach the goal of the sacrificial lamb, lifted high upon a cross. We can't even begin to describe such extravagance, but is the same unrelenting love we are to give to our enemies. Are you there yet?

Most likely most of us reading and writing these words are not near to being there yet. We live in a culture where you are more important than your neighbour. We live in a culture that holds up justice for the individual, as long as that individual is not in his mother's womb. We believe the individual is so important that we will stomp all over the rights of others just to lift up that one person. We fight for the equality of one group at the cost of inequality for all the others. The problem is, we all want to be that individual; we all want to be that special group; we want all the attention focused on us. This makes it hard for us to relate to "love your enemies". Nonetheless, it is what Jesus said we need to do, reflecting the character of Father who is "kind to the ungrateful and those who are wicked".

In case we missed the point, there is no room in the Christian vocabulary for the phrase, "How dare you ...", or, "I have the right...". We are too concerned with reflecting the character of Father to be worried about who did what against us and which of our many rights have been violated. Just think of how many rights Jesus set aside in order to demonstrate the extraordinary love of Father. To imitate Father should be the only thought on the minds of his children:

So imitate God and be truly compassionate, the way your Father is. (v.36) 

The Word says it, the Spirit does it but our will must desire it. There is no judgment coming from this writer but the facts should speak for themselves. Look in the mirror, reflect on your behaviour and attitude, ask yourself if your love for Jesus has brought you the point of obedience to his commands, and take careful note if you are imitating Father. Are you imitating him? Are you extraordinary because of your demonstrated love for your enemies? Do you do good every day without any restraints? You have been transformed by Jesus, changed, made new, and now you have the capacity to be an imitator of Father. It is a learned behaviour. Watch what he does, and do it.

Letting Them See Jesus

The other day one of our regular customers came into the store. It was a Sunday and the church was meeting in the dinning area for worship service. I had stepped out of the service to get something and saw the customer at the counter speaking with my son, so I went over to greet him. He shook my hand briskly and promptly told me that he knew I was a real man of God. He then went on to explain that every time he sees me he sees an aura around me and it makes him glad. He then expressed his affection to my son and me for our ongoing kindness to him and he promptly left.

I am not under some illusion that I walk around with an aura but I understood what this man was trying to express. He sensed the presence of God and he described it in the only manner he knew how. I share this with you, not with the intention of "hey look at me", but as an example of what some people are able to see in us. Everyone can see it but many choose not too because if they acknowledged it they would also have to acknowledge the conviction of the Spirit, and that would provoke a decision.

I remind you today that your time on this earth is not about you seeking the blessings of a comfortable life. You are a vessel of the Holy Spirit, the only presence of God that some people will ever experience. Wherever you go, Jesus is right there with you, not just for your benefit but for the sake of a dying world. But, are our behaviour, words and actions putting up a screen so that others cannot see Jesus, only our unkindness?

Words matter. So do actions. So does attitude; as does love, forgiveness, mercy and grace. All the things that God has done for us, we are to do for others. That's what Jesus said. "Freely you have received; freely give." Jesus also told us something incredible in his prayer for us as he spoke to the Father on our behalf:

I am one with them, and you are one with me, so that they may become completely one. Then this world’s people will know that you sent me. They will know that you love my followers as much as you love me. (John 17:23, CEV)

It is the "aura" that people see, our oneness with Jesus and each other. They see him in our unity and compassion for people. They see him in our words and actions. They don't see the kindness and love of people. They can find that in any good, well meaning organization. I am talking about the actual presence of God, the anointing that comes through our being possessed by the Holy Spirit.

Anyone can perform acts of kindness, but when that kindness is offered in the authority of Jesus Christ, his presence is also felt, and there is power behind that action. We can do nothing apart from Jesus. That is what he told us. He told us we have to stay connected to the vine, and he is that vine, or we would dry up and be thrown into the fire. Acts of kindness amount to nothing if they are done apart from Jesus. We are not here to perform acts of kindness but to carry the presence of Jesus, so that others will see him in us; the kindness will be provoked in us by the Spirit of God in us. They need to see the "aura", the anointing, the power, the thing that sets us apart from this world. They need to see Jesus.

My friends, it is not about a written code or meeting certain expectations. It is not about being well thought of or accepted as a kind person in this world. It is about total surrender to the Spirit, walking in obedience, getting out of the way and allowing people to see Jesus. It is about Jesus being lifted up in us, being one with him so that only he is seen in us. May they see the "aura" in you today.

A Great Big Pile Of Burning Coals

In our exploration of the deeper meaning behind the law of God we have dealt with some of the easier topics. Murder, adultery, divorce and oaths are rather light weight in comparison to some of the things Jesus is about to address in Matthew chapter 5. Perhaps these topics I have mentioned are some of the areas that we consider to be the "biggies" of sin because they are the more obvious, but don't forget that Jesus is dealing with the heart matters that underlie all of our actions. With murder it was hatred; adultery it was lust; divorce it was selfishness; and oaths it was lack of dependability. However, now we are about to enter the difficult parts of this demanding law that reveals the Father's heart and character.

Christians are very good at picking and choosing which parts of the Word we will adhere to. It is such a evolving revelation of God's heart that we forget sometimes that the beginning reveals the outward but the ending reveals the inner impact of following Jesus. Many Christians love to quote "an eye for an eye" from the law not understanding that Jesus gave us a greater responsibility than a simple act of revenge. "An eye for an eye" existed within the limited revelation of God but now Jesus was giving us the full revelation. He taught:

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)

Our human nature demands justice; if someone punches me I have the right to punch him back. If someone takes from me then I desire to take from him. If someone kills someone I love then I want to see him die as well. We justify this "giving in" to our nature with scripture from the Old Testament. We find it convenient to overlook the teaching Jesus gave us that reveals the deeper nature of the law. Come on, face it, we have always struggled with "turning the other cheek", of not resisting an evil person. Like the Pharisees we try to put some definitions on it so we can limit its impact on us, but its right there, as plain as day. It is hard to explain away.

It's even harder to explain it away when we see it on display in Jesus' living and interaction with people. The finest example we have is during one of the most stressful moments of Jesus' life. They came to arrest him and the world seemed to get turned upside down. His disciples tried to protect him against the armed thugs. There was yelling, pushing and in the heat of the moment someone's ear got cut off. It took Jesus to re-establish the calm again and in one solitary act of restoring that man's ear, Jesus revealed to us what it really means to have good character. It did not matter if this man stood there as an enemy, Jesus did not consider him an enemy. It did not matter that this man represented evil, he was still the object of the Father's love. This love compelled Jesus to show kindness to his enemy by healing his ear.

I doubt that these men who arrested Jesus had any idea that this would lead to his death, but they were still the instruments of evil. As they arrested and bound him I am sure our enemy, the devil, was squealing and dancing with delight. Later, as they spit on Jesus, slapped him, punched him, whipped him and scoffed him we tend to see him as a victim. Do we forget who he is and what was available to him? Do we forget the power that was his? Do we not think that the one who calmed the storm could easily blow off a few soldiers? He was the one who healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, restored useless limbs to life, raised the dead. What were these evil men to him? What they were is something we often forget; they were the objects of the Father's affection.

Why would Jesus teach us to "turn the other cheek", to walk twice as far as what was demanded of us, to give twice what was demanded? Why is he telling us to be generous in our suffering at the hands of injustice? Perhaps it has more to do with this:

   If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
       if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
   In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
       and the LORD will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21-22)

Our purpose is not to look out for "number one". He are not here to demand justice every time someone offends us. We are here representing the heart of the Father, which is hard to do when we don't understand some of the basic principles of his character. What we are talking about here is living a life of grace, where other people do come first in our thoughts and actions, when even being insulted and hurt will not stop us from demonstrating God's love and grace. Does our enemy deserve food and water from us? I doubt it, not according to our nature. But God's nature is different and his love demands it. We are not here for ourselves, we are here to help rescue everyone the Father loves, and that includes those that hate us and want to destroy us.

We need to lose the attitude that we are God's children so no one is allowed to touch us. Or the idea that people dare not touch the anointed of God. Do we actually think we are better than Jesus? We are not to look for revenge on anyone. We are to take the bruising, the name calling, the slurs and we are to pour kindness and love on it. We are to present the other cheek so it can be slapped too. We are to give more to our enemy than what they demand because we do not see them as our enemy but as objects of God's affection. The world may see it as weakness and our flesh may be calling out for justice but the Spirit in us is speaking peace and deep fellowship with God as his character shines out from us. This is where the Church is found and this is real spiritual maturity, far greater than any prophecies, any preaching, any teaching, any evangelism, any righteousness because this is the heart of the Father,

Something Worse Than Murder

We are picking up where we left off yesterday. Jesus had explained the importance of the law and that we are not to make the mistake of thinking he was removing the law or replacing it. He said that he had come to fulfill it, allowing the Holy Spirit then to write it on our hearts and to enable us to also fulfill the law through the grace of the Father. But Jesus also came to give us a greater revelation of it, a deeper understanding, to move it from mere performance to heart attitude.

The first topic he touched on was murder. You can't get much further away from "love your neighbour as yourself". Murder is probably the greatest crime that can be perpetrated against someone. To take away a person's life with no authority to do so is terrible but it is also only an outward action, a performance. If we only address outward actions we will never see real change in ourselves. We can change the outward actions but inside we are as rotten as a beautiful looking apple can be rotten. Jesus taught that we need to deal with the heart condition:

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matthew 5:21-22)

That's not putting too fine a point on it, "will be subject to judgment", "will be in danger of the fire of hell". Obviously this needs to be taken seriously but we seldom do. The Word of God is filled with instruction on how we treat others so we should take a clue that this stuff is important. But do we take our treatment and attitude toward others as a serious thing or are we more concerned about how we are treated? Do we give any consideration to our words, to needing to be right, to wanting to remain in a position of strength with people?

Consider this for a minute: which businesses or stores do you appreciate the most? Which are the ones that you tell your friends about? Which are the ones you really enjoy dealing with? Are they not the ones who are friendly to you, the ones who smile when you walk in, the ones who make you feel important and give you special deals just because its you? I have stayed with business who do not have the best products simply because of their attitude toward me. To my friends I talk about and promote businesses because of their customer care. I appreciate being treated with kindness and understanding. Now translate that to our treatment of other people. Would we be able to fit into a company like that; kind, friendly, caring, respectful? If a business can understand these principles taught to us by God, why can't we?

Now consider what Jesus teaches next about our attitude toward others. He tells us that this matter is so important to God that it needs to be taken care of before we do anything for God. Messed up relationships must be dealt with before God will accept any service from us:

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24)

This amazes me that Jesus puts this kind of emphasis on the matter. I used to be a great relationship guy but things happened in my life that made me withdraw into myself. Now I offend people easily, often putting myself first, not communicating my intention which complicates and magnifies hurts even more. Jesus has said this affects my service to God. How can I concentrate on loving God while ignoring loving others? I can't. And if we are sensitive to others then it would be our desire never to leave matters "up in the air". We cannot claim to be passionate about God while leaving bodies wherever we go.

Then Jesus presents it from another perspective:

Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:25-26)

It is for our benefit to take care of matters quickly. If we allow things to stay on people's hearts for too long it begins to grow and escalate beyond what it should have. By not dealing with people and perhaps the hurt or perceived hurt that you caused, it will balloon into something that will be deep and long lasting. An apology does not cost anything except for pride and what has pride ever benefited anyone? Make restitution. Give some peace offering but make sure you are sincere. Our motivation should be the fact that this other person is an object of God's love. It does not matter if they are Christian or not, God loves them. You have hurt someone God loves deeply so you had better do something about it. By doing this you will avoid a great deal of trouble.

If the person refuses to forgive you and you have honestly done everything you can with a sincere heart to reconcile, then there is nothing more to do than to pray for God to intervene and help change their heart. The important thing is that you understand and honour the importance God puts on the relationship we have with other people. Do not make the mistake of thinking that all that matters is you and God. If you think this then you do not know the Word and you do not know the Father's heart. Listen to Jesus' words, allow them to wash over your heart and see that it is more than your actions, it is what motivates your actions that is important to God. It is the deeper law that Jesus has revealed to us.

A God Thing

Come discover what a God thing really looks like and then get ready; Jesus wants you to experience it every day of your life.