Mathew 7: A Short Walk Through Some Difficult Teachings

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 24 Aug. 2013

By Captain Michael Ramsay

Today's sermon is going to be a little bit different than most of ours mostly because I haven't had a lot of time this week to find myriad stories to illustrate my points. I have been able to read quite a few different articles on this pericope so today we will take a little bit of a walk through Chapter 7. First I do have a story and a comic. The story is from Al Meyers:

With the new distracted driving laws in place across this country the RCMP are used to pulling over teenagers on their cell phones, making phone calls or even texting but what this one police officer saw was quite different. He saw an older lady knitting as she was driving down the highway. He put on his lights behind her but she didn't see him. She just kept driving so he pulled up behind her and yelled, “pull over”

“No”, She replied, “Sweater.”

This comic is one that was shared for us at Officer/family retreat this past week: There is this Baptist pastor about to baptize one of his parishioners. He goes to the tank. He holds his parishioner's hands. He says a prayer and then he looks at his friend and tells him that now when you are baptized all of you and everything that goes under the water belongs to God. This picture is the last frame of that comic.

We shouldn't necessarily judge the new convert for his actions in our story today - or should we? Let us look at our text today, Matthew 7:1-2: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (See Romans 2:1).

First thing here: What does it mean when it says do not judge? Does it mean that we are not supposed to discern right from wrong? Does it mean that we aren't supposed to make judgements at all? Does it mean that we are supposed to just go with the flow? No. The Apostle Paul is quite clear in calling us to judge the actions of other believers. 1 Corinthians 5, especially Verse 12, Paul tells us explicitly to do so.

And Jesus is recorded as saying a few times that it is necessary to apply sound judgement (cf. Matthew 7:15-20).[1] Matthew records Jesus’ call for excommunication if a person is judged to be non-repentant: Matthew 18:15-17.[2] Matthew records right in this book that we are looking at together over the next few weeks, Jesus' own words on making good judgements and look here at the next few verses. Verses 3-5:

“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? How 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? You 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.

Jesus here refers to the right judgement that there is a speck in your brother's eye. He is not saying that you should ignore that. Jesus is simply saying that you should not be judgemental when you bring your discernment to your neighbour's attention (cf. Genesis 41:33-39; Deuteronomy 32:28-29; 2 Samuel 14:17, 1 Kings 3:9-12; 2 Chronicles 2:12; Psalm 119:125; Proverbs 1:5, 10:13, 14:33, 15:14; Daniel 2:21; 2 Corinthians 2:14; 1 Corinthians 11:29-31; Philippians 1:10).

For example, this weekend we had a divisional conversation about the LGBT community brought about because of some of its more militant members' attacks on TSA recently. There was a good conversation about our local experiences with these sort of sexual ethics. The Salvation Army has had quite a few very good interactions with people in and around this lifestyle. One point that came to my mind about this quite simply would be if someone in our group here started condemning someone for a LGBT lifestyle who themselves is involved in adultery or serial marriages or fornication or pornography, that person would be a hypocrite; if someone who is 'living in sin' as they say were to try to pluck a spec from an adulterer’s eye, that would be hypocritical (cf. John 8:1-11; cf. also Matthew 5:28-32, 19:9; Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18). Now that is not to say that if I see that you are having sex outside of marriage that I shouldn't discern that as wrong and try to encourage you to a holy lifestyle. As a matter of fact, Matthew records Jesus as saying in Matthew 18:15-17 that that is exactly what I am supposed to do and likewise that is exactly what you are supposed to do for me should the need arise. Does this make sense? We are supposed to judge right from wrong but we aren't supposed to be judgemental in dealing with people who are struggling with and suffering the effects of sin.[3]

Next in Matthew's record of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, we have Verse 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 turn and tear you to pieces.” This is basically saying that if people do not accept the gospel message when you first present it, don't pester them with it, don't nag them with it, don't harass them with it - they won't appreciate what you are trying to do for them and therefore they may turn on you. Rather if someone is argumentative about the Scriptures and Salvation, just walk away, pray for them in silence and you or someone else may have another opportunity to speak with them about a better way to spend this life and the next. Matthew 10:16: Jesus says, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”

This brings us to Matthew 7:7-8: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Does this mean that God will give you everything that you ask for? What if you ask for something evil? What if you ask for a lot money when Jesus has just said in this same speech (Matthew 6:24) that you cannot serve both God and money? Will God give you everything you ask for if you are simply persistent enough?[4] No. It says that God is a loving father and it says, Verses 9-12:

 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If 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! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

A loving father would not give his children snakes and rocks when they really need fish and eggs. God gives His children good gifts. And it is these good gifts that we should come to our Father in Heaven about for He knows what we need even before we ask for it and so we need not worry about these things, simply bring them to our Lord, our Father who loves us.

Now let us look at verses 13-29 as one unit. We could break it up further but that would take quite a lot of time and I do have a bus to catch today so… Verse 13ff:

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. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

The keys to unlocking this section that we just read, I believe lie in Verses 21-27. Verse 21, Jesus tells us quite plainly: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” This is serious. Not everyone who goes to church goes to Heaven. Not everyone who calls Jesus ‘Lord’ will go to Heaven. In all likelihood not everyone in a church in Swift Current this morning will go to Heaven after her final morning on earth.

Not only that but – Verses 22,23 – even some people who prophesy in the Lord’s Name will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven; even some of those who successfully perform miracles in the Lord’s Name will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven; even some of those who actually do drive demons out of people will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This is serious stuff. Not only will not everyone who goes to church go to Heaven but not even everyone who does all of these things we’ve mentioned will go to Heaven. Not everyone who calls Jesus ‘Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Cf. 2 Timothy 2:19 and Acts 2:21).

Then who of us will? If not some people who do miracles, cast out demons, prophesy and call Jesus their Lord, who will get into heaven? Well, the gate to Heaven is small and road to Heaven is narrow. So, who of us gets there? Those who – Matthew 7:15-20 – bear good fruit. Those who – Matthew 7:24-37 – put into practice everything that Jesus has said in His Sermon on the Mount. The good fruit that one will bear when one is a follower of Jesus, according to Matthew’s record of the Sermon of the Mount are love for one’s enemies, giving to the needy, forgiving others, not doing things for money or for the praise of other people, refraining from condemning others and persistently asking, knocking and seeking the will of God. As noted in 2 Timothy 2:19, Paul tells us “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

But wait a minute, you might say. I read my Bible and I read my Bible as a child. I did my memory work for Sunday school. I know that the Bible says, Acts 2:21, that everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved. So, how can that be? How cannot everyone who calls Jesus ‘Lord’ be saved and how can everyone who does call on the Name of the Lord be saved. That seems contradictory.

What is this list all about? I know that God says that there is nothing that we have to do obtain everlasting life but we must be born again, John 3; there is nothing that we can do to obtain everlasting life. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” John 3:16 records that “God so loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life”

So how does the Grace of God as reflected in Acts 2:21,“Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be Saved” fit with Matthew 7:21 “… “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”?

It is quite simple actually. There is quite a difference between calling Jesus ‘Lord’ and actually calling upon Jesus as Lord.[5] If you are in the holding cells in town here and you call someone your lawyer, that doesn’t mean that he actually is your lawyer. If you were to say that Jack Hoffard or Amy Anderson were your lawyer, it doesn’t mean that they are and it doesn’t mean that they will represent you in court and release you from your situation. If however, you call on them; if you call their offices and they agree to represent you then they will be your lawyer and only then will they save you from the charges you are facing.

It is the same with us. If we just call Jesus our Lord He will not save us from the charges of sin we are facing but if we call Him, if we call on Him, He promises that indeed He will save us from our sins and when we are saved from our sins than all of those other behaviours will naturally follow because that is what it does look like to be free of sin.[6] So today, if there are any of us today who are not yet free of the prison cells of our own sins; today if there are any of us who are not experiencing that perfect freedom in Christ; today if there are any of us who have not called upon the Name of the Lord, come talk to someone after church, say a prayer, or come now to the Mercy Seat at the front here and receive a free gift of Salvation.

Let us pray.

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[1] Cf. Douglas R.A. Hare, ‘Matthew’, (Interpretation: Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1993), 77.

[2] But Cf. Dale C. Allison Jr, ‘A review of The Sermon on the Mount: A Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount including the Sermon on the Plain (Matthew 5:3-7:27 and Luke 6:20-49)’ in JBL pp37-38.

[3] Cf. M. Eugene Boring, ‘Matthew’, (NIB 8: Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1995), 212.

[4] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, ‘The Ethics of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel as reflected in parables spoken en route to Jerusalem’, Presented to William and Catherine Booth College (Fall 2006). Available on-line: http://www.sheepspeak.com./NT_Michael_Ramsay.htm#Ethics of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel

[5] cf. R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), S. 153

[6] Cf. Ellen T. Charry, 'The Grace of God and the Law of Christ,’ Interpretation 57 (2003): 35.

Matthew 6 Sense and Non-Cents.

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 18 August 2013
and 614 Warehouse Mission, 15 April 2018

by Captain Michael Ramsay

Some one-liners for you:

Ø      Venison for dinner again? Oh Deer!

Ø      I used to be a banker…until I lost interest

Ø      England has no kidney bank but it does have a…Liverpool

Ø      I tried to catch some fog but I…mist

Ø      Broken pencils are… pointless.

Ø      I know a guy who says he’s addicted to break fluid but he says he can stop anytime.

Ø      How long do marriages typically last? 16 years: 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poor

Matthew Chapter 6 is an interesting chapter. It is a portion of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, which does address times that are for better, for worse; for richer or for poor. Matthew 6 contains in its lines, the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), further teaching on prayer (6:5-15), teaching on fasting (6:16-17) and some of Jesus’ very clear teaching on money and possessions (6:1-4, 19-34). Chapter 7, which we may examine next week, also adds to this some of Jesus’ other well-known insights on the matter (7:7-12).

Matthew begins Chapter 6 with Jesus’ words about money and giving to the needy. He warns us not to do this for show, not to do this to please others, but to do this because we love God. Matthew then records that Jesus teaches us the same thing about prayer and fasting (cf. Luke 11:2–4). The point of our praying and fasting should not be to become known as pray-ers and fast-ers or even faster prayers. The purpose of prayer is to come before God, having already forgiven our enemies, to seek His will in our lives and the purpose of fasting is likewise not to be rewarded by people but by our Lord.

Matthew then, returning to his record of Jesus’ teaching on money (6:19-24), notes that you should not acquire possessions on earth where they will just get wrecked over time anyway, but rather you should concentrate your efforts in that regard on storing up treasures in heaven where decay and destruction have no claim to them.

Jesus is telling us here then that our hearts are going to be with what we value, our hearts naturally are committed to that which we treasure. If we treasure our possessions then that is where our heart is. This makes sense. Nothing is too complicated about that. So Jesus tells us that we should not give to the needy just for show, to impress others (Matthew 6:1-4); Jesus tells us that if we do invest our time in acquiring possessions on earth, then that is where our emotions will be invested and that is a very poor investment indeed (6:19-21).

Now in case there is any remaining doubt about what Jesus is saying, as recorded in Verse 24, Jesus is quite clear when He says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” The word translated ‘money’ or ‘Mammon’ here can refer to any or all belongings or material acquisition.[1] Jesus is quite clear you can either invest in material gain or you can invest in heavenly gain. You cannot invest in both.

To use the analogy of the stock market: if you only have enough money to buy one share in IBM, then you cannot also buy one share of Apple. And if you have tied up all of your money into IBM and Apple increases in value but IBM does not, you are not entitled to a cheque from Apple.

Or another gambling analogy: If you bet all of your money on the Roughriders to win but they cannot contain John Cornish, then the person with whom you placed your bet is not going to give you any money for a Stampeders win. Quite the opposite: he is going to be looking for you to pay what you owe him!

Or another sports analogy. If you are playing in the Grey Cup game yourself and the team you are playing for loses, you do not get to hold the Grey Cup; you do not get to take a ring home with you.

With God and money, like with playing football, you also can’t hedge your bets: you can’t spend the whole game trying to play for both teams. If you come out and start playing defence for one team and then when ball possession switches, all of a sudden you line up playing defence for the other team; one or both teams, or the referee, or the league itself will throw you out of the game. You will not win the prize.

If we work to acquire material wealth for ourselves, then we are not working to acquire eternal wealth in the Kingdom of Heaven.[2] You can strive for one or you can strive for the other; you cannot strive for both. There is an old expression: You cannot eat your cake and still have it to look at and show off to all your friends; you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Does this make sense? You can’t serve both God and money.

There are a few natural questions that arise from this then: If I cannot work for both money and God, then what should I do about planning for the future? Don’t I have a responsibility to ensure that I make enough money to feed my family and myself? Don’t I need to make enough money to make sure that my children can go to college or to make sure that I can retire someday? I’ll get you to think about these questions for a while; we will come back to them in a moment…if we can’t serve money/ material acquisition/ life savings, then how do we save for the future? Let this percolate for a moment and we will come back to it. First though, I want to look at Matthew 6:22-23. Right after Jesus says,

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”;

He says, Verse 22-23 (see Luke 11:34-36),

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

Then he says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

So how does all of this about light in ourselves and in our eyes relate to money and material acquisition and the eternal savings plans that we are talking about today?[3]

This parable of the eye – due to its placement in the text - obviously relates to our relationship with money; so, what does it mean? It says that A) my eye itself is a lamp: lamps give off light but how does that relate to our eyes and our possessions? And it says that B) If your eye (the lamp) is unhealthy you will be full of darkness, so much that the light itself that is within you will turn to darkness?[4]

Now this is a controversial text and scholars do not unanimously agree upon an interpretation but I will let you know what I think based on the journal articles that I have read. I think that it is really speaking to what we focus on. If we focus on God we will be enlightened but if we focus on money we may be blinded by greed or develop a dependency upon acquisition and so fall into that bottomless pit of eternal separation from God.[5]

Now this brings us quite logically – if not necessarily so nicely – to the questions that we left to percolate on the coffee counter of our brain a little while ago: if we can’t work for money/ material acquisition/ monetary life savings, then how do we save for the future? How do we plan ahead? How do we plan for retirement? How do we plan for our children's education? How do we make long term plans without putting trust in money that is held in trust for the future? These are the questions that Jesus answers in our next pericope today.

When the listeners to these comments heard them the first time, they were probably thinking the very same sort of thing as we are talking about. What about the future then? Even more: First Century Judea wasn’t nearly as wealthy as 21^st Century Canada. They weren’t worried about college or retirement. They were probably tempted to worry about whether they could even afford clothes or food to eat. To them and by extension to us then Jesus says, Verse 24-25 “You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes?” To those who are thinking that they need money to plan for the future, Jesus says you can’t serve both God and money so don't worry about money at all.[6] You serve God and God will take care of your money and other needs.

Remember Jesus’ disciples. Remember when Peter tells Jesus that they have given up everything for Him (Matthew 19:27, Mark 10:28). They have left their jobs. They have left their homes. They have left everything. Jesus continues, Verse 26 on:

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

    “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

When people who are living in an occupied territory, without much food, let alone money, are worrying about having enough for the future; Jesus tells them, “don’t worry about it.” Don’t waste your time with useless plans. Don’t work for your retirement. Don’t work for your financial security. Jesus says rather we should work for God, Verse 33: “seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Now this is important. I am not saying that we should all quit our jobs and live off welfare. That would be dishonest and God is not a liar and God will not be mocked (cf. Galatians 6:7). Welfare and EI are for people who cannot work. The Bible says we are to work at all things as if we are working for the Lord. (Colossians 3:23; Cf. Ephesians 4:28; cf. also John 6, Acts 20:35, Romans 4:4-6, 1 Corinthians 12:6) What I am saying is that we need to trust God for the future. There is no point in putting our faith in investments, if 1929 taught us anything it is that investments can be wiped out in the twinkling of an eye.

Now I will tell you that there are a few verses in the Bible that are indeed very near and dear to my heart. As a child, I was never the best at memory verse work but I have memorized Matthew 6:33: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” This verse has been very important to me in my life. It was important to me when I was a child; it was important to me when I was a young adult and a university student who at times couldn’t make ends meet. It was important to me when I was a businessman experiencing times of richer and poorer, better and worse. This verse -“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things (whether we will have enough to eat, drink, or wear, or whatever) shall be added unto you.” - is important to me when I think of others who suffer today in the world and when I think of you who are going through struggles here in the corps. This verse -“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” - is important to me when I think back to our decision to give up our whole lives and become first urban missionaries and later Officers with The Salvation Army. This verse is very important to me when I am overwhelmed with life. This verse is very important to me when I am plagued by deadlines, pressures, and the emotional toll, of not only my work, but also of my family and my own emotional and spiritual health. I sometimes am tempted to pack it all in, move back to Vancouver or to the Island, buy another business or two and earn money like I did before I came into ministry so as to better save for the future.

Now I do enjoy my life here immensely. No one could ask for a better corps (church) or a better community than this one here. We have the best people: congregation members, soldiers, adherents, volunteers, employees… We are so blessed to be here. No one really understands when I tell them just how good this community is. But nonetheless the Enemy can still catch us off guard and cause us to wonder about the future and to worry. I honestly sometimes look back to the certainty that we left on the coast and forward to the uncertainty of what’s ahead and sometimes I may feel like crying but I claim this promise: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” And I claim this promise often. God knows our problems and God knows what we need. God promises that if we seek first the Kingdom of God then all these things will be added unto us so we should not worry about tomorrow for each day does have enough trouble of its own.

These are words of comfort. So today I want us all to take our worries, our cares, our struggles, and our burdens and leave them at the cross as they say; I want us all to be free from them. We don’t need to worry about starving children in China; we don’t need to worry about our debts; we don’t need to worry about our eviction notices, we don’t need to worry about where we are going to live or whether or not we are going to eat. We need instead to seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and He will take care of the rest. He promises. God takes care of the birds of the air and the grass of the field and each of us here today are so much more important to Him than these. So today I ask us to cast all of our burdens upon Jesus. Today I ask us to seek first the Kingdom of God – and everything will be okay – one way or another – everything will be okay. God knows what we need even more than we do and He loves our children and He loves us even more than we do, so please let us just seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness through praying and reading the Scriptures and through loving Him and then He promises that everything will be okay.

Let us pray

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[1] R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), S. 143

[2] Cf. M. Eugene Boring, ‘Matthew’, (NIB 8: Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1995), 210.

[3] Cf. Sinai "Tamas" Turan, 'A neglected rabbinic parallel to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:22-23; Luke 11:34-36)', Journal of Biblical Literature 127, no.1 (2008): 81-93.

[4] Cf. Thomas Zockler, 'Light within the human person: a comparison of Matthew 6:22-23 and Gospel of Thomas 24', Journal of Biblical Literature 120, no. 3 (2001): 487-499.

[5] Cf. R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), S. 143

[6] Cf. Ellen T. Charry, 'The Grace of God and the Law of Christ,’ Interpretation 57 (2003): 40.

Galatians 5:13-6:10: Test of Faith

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 04 August 2013
by Captain Michael Ramsay

A version of this sermon appears in Issue 88 of the Journal of Aggressive Christianity:  http://armybarmy.com/JAC/article4-88.html

Name that province associated with these items (answers below)[1]:           

1.      Anne of Green Gables

2.      Blue Nose

3.      Oil / Texas north

4.      Wheat / Watch your dog run away for 3 days

5.      Mosquitoes / Lois Riel

6.      Mountains / Lumber Jacks / Canucks and Lions

7.      The Rock / The Salvation Army

8.      The centre of the universe / Capital

9.      To separate or not to separate / Maple Syrup

10.  Bi-lingual Herring-choker

How do they train experts to identify counterfeit bills? Study the real bill and then anything that is not like the real bill is ipso facto a fake. Today we are looking at Galatians 5 and 6, specifically Galatians 5:13-6:10. And today during our homily today we are going to take another test but this is a more serious test: This test is entitled, How to know when you are a Christian. Galatians says that we can either serve Christ or we can serve the flesh: one or the other. So this is an important test. This is a self-test. This isn’t a test for you to do for someone else; this is a test for you to do for yourself. And another important thing about this test is that if you don’t score as well as you like, it is easy to do your corrections for homework. Today we are all invited to take the test; so, let us begin. Paul says that you can either serve the Spirit or you can serve yourself, which he refers to as 'the flesh'.[2] Paul says “the acts of the flesh are obvious” so then let’s take this test and see whether we have in us the acts of the Spirit or the acts of our self, the flesh.

Test of Faith/Flesh

1. Do you ever fall victim to ‘sexual immorality’ (adultery / fornication)?

The word translated sexual immorality in our Sanctuary Bibles (NIV) is sometimes more accurately translated as ‘adultery’ (Strong’s 3430). Deuteronomy 5:18 (Exodus 20:14) records, ‘You shall not commit adultery’. Jesus says, Matthew 5:27-28: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman [person] lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Have we ever committed adultery in our hearts?

2. Do we ever fall prey to impurity (uncleanness) or debauchery (lasciviousness / fornication)?

 Impurity refers to vaguely enough to ceremonial uncleanness (Strong’s 167). And debauchery, variously translated ‘lasciviousness’ or ‘fornication’ (Strong’s 766), can apparently by extension mean any lustful longing or greed.[3] Do we ever display any lustful longing or greed? Do we ever wish we had our neighbour’s car? Do we ever lament that we don’t have a job as cushy or with as big a paycheque or with as many holidays as someone else’s? A big part of the advertising that helps prop up our whole economic system in this country is the desire to have what someone else has? Do we ever need to ‘keep up to the Joneses?’ Do we ever fall prey to that temptation? Do we ever covet someone else’s life or someone else’s possessions? Do we ever fall prey to impurity and debauchery?

3. Do we ever fall into the traps of idolatry and witchcraft?

We have spoken here about kokopelli’s, Christine C_________ and the occult in Swift Current before and I don’t imagine that anyone here is tempted by those but that is not all that is referred to by idolatry and witchcraft.  Also included in idolatry and witchcraft are horoscopes, fortune cookies, tarot cards, tea reading, a lot of yoga, spiritual readings, spirit guides, a lucky horseshoe or a lucky rabbit’s foot – and idolatry also includes anyone or thing that you turn to instead of God in a crisis. So I ask us, do we ever fall into the traps of idolatry and witchcraft?

4. Are we ever caught up in hatred, discord, or jealousy?

We have already spoken about coveting our neighbour’s belongings. Do we ever get to the point where we hate someone? Do we ever say, ‘if so-and-so is going to be involved with that then I won’t come’? Do we ever threaten, ‘well if you want me to help with that, then so-and-so better not be there because I will leave’? This is hatred. This is discord. Do we ever gossip? Do we ever repeat things that we have no business repeating that we hear other people say? I have heard people do that and that causes so much discord.  Hatred, discord and jealousy are very serious indeed. Matthew 5:21-22 records Jesus as saying,  “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Are we ever caught up in hatred, discord, jealousy?

5. Are we ever overtaken with fits of rage?

Do we ever get to the point where we are so mad that – as they say – ‘we can spit’? Do we ever get so mad that we punch a wall or swear at someone? Do we ever get so worked up that we yell at someone? Do we ever hear others -when they see us coming- cautiously ask people around what our mood is like? Do people ever ‘walk on eggshells’ around us? Are we ever overtaken with fits of rage?

6. Are we ever subject to our own selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy?

We have already spoken about covetness, jealousy, and envy; we have already spoken about dissentions and factions as they relate to discord. Do we ever try to get people on ‘our side’? Do we ever play politics? Do we ever try to whip up support for ourselves or our position at the expense of others? Do we ever talk to others about so-and-so and such-and-such instead of approaching the matter head-on? If so we are guilty of dissentions and factions. And much of this – if not all – can be seen as a result of selfish ambition. If we don’t have the need to be right all the time, if we don’t have the need to be thanked every time we do something, if we don’t need for people to appreciate what we do for them, then why would we fall prey to envy and the like? We probably wouldn’t. So, are we ever subject to our own selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy?

7. And the last question: Do we engage in drunkenness, orgies, and the like?

Do we spend our nights – or days for that matter – drunk, or involved in chaotic parties? I think this also applies to drugs as well as alcohol. I would say as well that if you feel the same way about a piece of cake or a can of pop that an alcoholic feels about her addiction; if you immediately, when someone leaves the house, run and grab the chocolate chips that you have squirreled away; or if you are incapacitated -not from a hangover- but because you were up all night playing video games, I think the same sentiment probably applies. So do we engage in drunkenness, orgies, and the like?

That concludes the test. Now let's check our tests. The correct answers are:

 1. Do you ever fall victim to ‘sexual immorality’? No.

2. Do we ever fall prey to impurity or debauchery? No.

3. Do we ever fall into the traps of idolatry and witchcraft? No.

4. Are we ever caught up in hatred, discord, or jealousy? No.

5. Are we ever overtaken with fits of rage? No.

6. Are we ever subject to our own selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy? No.

7.  Do we engage in drunkenness, orgies, and the like? No.

I won’t have any of us to share how we did. I imagine that everyone aced the test. Now, just in case we didn’t. On the off chance that we didn’t pass this test, the Apostle Paul says, Galatians 5:21, “I warn you, as I did before, that [those who do not pass this test] those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Now I know this probably doesn’t apply to any of us but as you can tell this is still serious stuff. 

Let us think about this for a moment because I know that we all have been faithfully reading through the book of Galatians over these past few weeks and we know that Paul is quite upset with people’s suggestion that new Christians become Jewish Christians and follow some elements of the old Jewish Law.[4] Paul says that the Kingdom of Heaven isn’t like that and he says that we are under a curse if we place ourselves under the Law (Galatians 3:10) but by adding a list such as this, is that not exactly what Paul is doing… saying that unless you avoid all of these things you will not enter the Kingdom of God? What is the difference between Paul’s list and the Old Jewish lists?

Professor Frank J. Matera answers correctly that “Paul's answer is simple and direct. Those who are no longer under the law are led by the Spirit which [itself] produces its fruit in their lives (5:22) so that their faith expresses itself in love (5:6). Consequently, even though believers are no longer under the law, they fulfill the law through the love commandment (5:14). This vision of the moral life, as life under the guidance of the Spirit, is probably the most optimistic statement of Paul's ethical teaching…”[5]

“…The fruit of the Spirit [Paul says, Galatians 5:22-24] is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Biblical Scholar, Richard B. Hays declares that “in the summarizing sentences of this unit, Paul returns explicitly to the problem raised in vv.13 and 16, ‘Those who belong to Christ’ (cf. 3:29) will not, despite the Missionaries warnings, be overwhelmed by the impulses of the flesh, because they have ‘crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.’”[6] James Montgomery Boice explains that ‘Christians are delivered through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit from the necessity of serving sin in their lives.”[7]

Paul says that those of us who do actually belong to Christ Jesus have already crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. We don’t need to go to a 12-step program to rid ourselves of these vices; Christ has already crucified them. Simply by our turning to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will replace the fruit of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. Like it says in 1 Thessalonians, when we have Christ, he will make us holy (1 Thessalonians 5:22-23). We are now free to not sin.[8]

So then as that is the case one might ask, ‘why do I sometimes give into those vices mentioned on the test instead of experiencing all the  blessings of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, forbearance [perseverance], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and things such as these? Why, one might ask, according to this text and this test, do I have the fruit of self and of the flesh instead of the fruit of the Spirit? Am I really in danger of the fires of hell? That can’t be, can it? I’m here aren’t I? Doesn’t that prove that my name is written in the book of life (Psalm 69:28; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12)? ’  No, it doesn’t.

I can’t tell you or anyone else whether your name is written in the book of life. I don’t have the ability to judge your salvation based on what I see and I’m not even going to try (Matthew 7:1, Luke 6:37). That is between you and God. That being said, if you see some areas where I need to be encouraged to grow in holiness, you certainly do have a responsibility to let me know about that and to help me through it (Galatians 6:1-2). And even more importantly, if we do not see the fruit of a relationship with Christ in our own lives, we might want to ask Jesus to come into our hearts. And if we have done that at some point but we are still struggling with the acts of self, the acts of the flesh, we may wish to come to the Lord in prayer both now and often. We may wish to spent more time with Jesus, we may wish to pray and read our Bible everyday, we may wish to show our love to Jesus by actually spending some time with him because Jesus promises that He will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5; cf. Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5), and Jesus promises that if we seek Him we will find Him (Matthew 7:7-12; cf. Deuteronomy 4:29, Proverbs 8:17, Jeremiah 29:13); and Jesus promises that as we find Him we will be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:3-25 cf. also Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:5-7; Psalm 89:35; Matthew 5:48; 2 Corinthians 13; Colossians 1:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Hebrews 11-12); and we are promised that we will experience love, joy, peace, forbearance [perseverance], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and things such as these. As we seek God, he promises that we will find him. No matter how we scored on our tests today, let us take comfort in that and no matter how we scored on our tests today, let us commit to spend even more time getting to know our Lord and Saviour.

Let us pray: this prayer for us from 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, ‘May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you (us) through and through. May your (our) whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you (us) is faithful and He will do it.’

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[1] PEI, 2. Nova Scotia, 3. Alberta, 4. Saskatchewan, 5. Manitoba, 6. BC, 7. Nfld., 8. Ontario, 9. Quebec, 10. New Brunswick

[2] Cf. R. Alan Cole,: Galatians: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1989 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 9), S. 211

[3] Marvin R. Vincent, “Of uncleanness” in Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament, Vol. 4, (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009), 22.

[4] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, Galatians 4:8-11: Vs. Old Jewish Law, (Swift Current, SK: Sheepspeak.com, 28 July 2013), http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2013/07/galatians-3-4-vs-old-jewish-law.html

[5] Frank J. Matera, “Galatians in Perspective: Cutting a New Path through Old Territory”, Interpretation, (July 2000), 244

[6] Richard B. Hays, Galatians, in NIB, Vol. 11, ed. Leander E. Keck, et. al. (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2000), 328.

[7] James Montgomery Boice, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM: Galatians/Exposition of Galatians/III. The Call to Godly Living (5:1-6:10)/C. Life in the Spirit (5:13-26)/1. Liberty is not license (5:13-18), Book Version: 4.0.2

[8] J. Lewis Martyn, “The Apocalyptic Gospel in Galatians”, Interpretation, (July 2000), 255.