A REVELATON OF....... THE 3 PRIESTHOODS

THE PRIESTHOOD OF AARON

With the growth into a nation, a new type of priesthood was required. Gone were the simple family relationships. Now the priesthood had to minister to millions of people.

As a written language had been acquired from the Egyptians, information that had formally had to be passed down orally from generation to generation could now be recorded in written form. Hence the capacity now existed for the people to record large amounts of information.

THE LAW

In the perfect timing of God the situation now existed for a new priesthood, one based on recorded law that could be available and understood by a large number of people. Of course, because it was in written form, God could lay out in much greater detail the way in which He desired His people to live.

I am advised that “according to the Talmud there are 613 mitzvoth ("commandments") in the Torah. There are 248 positive mitzvoth and 365 negative mitzvoth given supplemented by seven mitzvoth legislated by the rabbis of antiquity.”

Obviously, these would not have been possible to memorise – with my memory anyway!

The Old Testament law was given to Moses on Mt Sinai by God himself, after the people had escaped from Egypt.

Exodus 19:9


The Law comprehensively covered all aspects of daily living as well as setting out the way in which God desired to relate to His people. God explained this to Moses.

Exodus 19:3-6


The people agreed (temporarily as it turned out!) to abide by the Law.

Exodus 19:7-8


Moses was given the universal laws of the Ten Commandments and rules for daily living, including instruction about Idols and Altars, Hebrew Servants, Personal Injuries, Protection of Property, Social Responsibility, Laws of Justice and Mercy, Sabbath Laws and instructions for The Three Annual Festivals and the construction of the Tabernacle.

THE SEPARATION OF KINGS AND PRIESTS

One important feature of the creation of the Jewish nation was the separation of the temporal ‘kingly’ functions from the spiritual, ‘priestly’ ones.

However, in spite of this separation, there was a much closer relationship between the two than, for instance, we would see today.

Of course, this relationship depended, to a large extent, upon the attitude of the king towards God. The story of the Jewish nation is recorded in Kings and each succeeding king is first described by his attitude towards God, as that set the pattern for his reign. There were godly kings such as Hezekiah

2 Kings 18:1-3


to go along with the ungodly, such as Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh.

2 Kings 21:1-2


The ups and downs of the history of people of Israel were largely determined by the attitude of their individual kings to God.


THE ROLE OF THE PRIESTHOOD

The Biblical definition of a priest is:

"A chosen officer or prince with the capacity to draw near to God and minister. He alone is responsible for offering the divinely appointed sacrifices to God, for executing the different procedures and ceremonies relating to the worship of God, and for being a representative between God and man." (http://www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4The_Priests.htm)

A priest is an intermediary between man and God offering God’s blessings in return for sacrifice for man’s sin.

Sacrifice of a life for a life, is a basic principle of God. Why? We don’t really understand but it doesn’t alter the fact that all sin requires a blood sacrifice;

Leviticus 17:11


While we don’t know the form of the sacrifice that Melchizedek offered to God, there would have been one. With the Aaronic priesthood however, the sacrifices were very clearly set out in the instructions Moses received from God. For example;

Leviticus 6:8-13


These instructions were often given in great detail;

Leviticus 8:14-17


Accompanying the sacrifices, as a sign of sin forgiven, was the blessing;

Numbers 26:22-7

A REVELATON OF....... THE 3 PRIESTHOODS

A look at the 3 priesthoods of the Bible and what their progressive development means for us today.

INTRODUCTION
We continue and conclude our look at the priesthood of Melchizedec.

THE PRIESTHOOD OF MELCHIZEDEK continued

GAPS IN THE BIBLE

To get a true understanding of the developing revelation of God in the Bible it is necessary to understand that the Old Testament, rather than being a group of books covering a single time period, is really split into two, with a break of 400 years between them, of which there is no record. There is also a similar break of 400 years of unrecorded history between the Old Testament and the New.

Therefore, the Bible is split into three:
1. Genesis,
2. Exodus to Malachi and
3. Matthew to Revelation.

This means that there is to be an individual priesthood that applies to each of the three.

MELCHIZEDEK - PRIEST TO A FAMILY

Abraham was chosen by God to reestablish His godly line upon the earth. God made a covenant (today a contract) with Abraham, promising him, who had no children that he would be the father of a godly line, which continues spiritually, through to believers today.

Genesis 15 :1-6


The godly line would only pass down through one member of the next generation, through Isaac and Jacob, thus continuing to limit the godly blessing to a specific family.

Presumably the reason for this is found in the nomadic nature of the people of the time. As the sons grew up, they would get married, leave their parents and form their own nomadic group, or family. The godly line remained restricted to a family until Jacob and his sons went to Egypt, where effectively, the Jewish nation was born.

We do not know how long Melchizedek was around, or even whether he met Abraham again, let alone Isaac or Jacob. But the family based principle of the Melchizedek priesthood was established through what is recorded in Genesis.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD
Most of what we know about Melchizedek is contained in the New Testament book of Hebrews. The writer would have known of Melchizedek through Jewish tradition, handed down from generation to generation, but must also have had a revelation from God about the special role he played.

1. MEANING OF HIS NAME:
In these times, your name reflected you character and role in life.

Hebrews 7:2b


2. AN ONGOING PRIESTHOOD:
Without entering into arguments about his immortality, the key revelation here is that, like Jesus, his ministry is eternal. While we cannot fully understand this, the key point is the ministry of Melchizedek remains, even to today.

Hebrews 7:3


3. GREATER THAN ABRAHAM, FATHER OF THE LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD:
By implication, the priesthood of Melchizedek was greater than the Levitical one. This is then confirmed, when it is said that the Levitical priesthood effectively tithed to Melchizedek.

Hebrews 7:4, Hebrews 7:9-10


4. OF THE SAME ORDER AS JESUS:
Wow! Amazing! Beyond our comprehension!

Hebrews 7:17


5. OF SIMILAR CHARACTER TO JESUS:
Being of the same order implies a similar character. Hence why Melchizedek was greater than Abraham, who in spite of his admirable attributes, had his share of human failings also.

Hebrews 7:26


6. PERFECTION NECESSARY TO ENTER THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD:
Jesus is the only other one who has reached the mark of proven perfection to become a member of the Melchizedek priesthood.

Hebrews 5:7-10

A GAP OF 400 YEARS

Between the end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus there is a 400 year gap of unrecorded history.

Of course this does not mean that nothing was happening! Over the 400 years of living in Egypt the family multiplied and became a nation. The Egyptians taught them agriculture and crop production, which was necessary to a settled, as opposed to a nomadic lifestyle. The Egyptians also gave the Jews a written language and taught the governance skills necessary for a settled society to maintain itself.

In people terms, we move from Joseph to Moses. Over this time the Jews lived in the same physical location growing the formerly nomadic families into a settled nation of many, many people, perhaps 2.5 million. They had become a vital cog in Egyptian society, hence why the Pharoah was so reluctant to let them leave!

A REVELATON OF....... THE 3 PRIESTHOODS

A look at the 3 priesthoods of the Bible and what their progressive development means for us today.

INTRODUCTION
To truly know where we stand in our relationship with God now, on a personal basis, it is extremely helpful if we understand the development of the 3 priesthoods of the Bible.

It will open your eyes to the amazing priesthood of the believer we share in today.

THE PRIESTHOOD OF MELCHIZEDEK

INTRODUCTION

Melchizedek reigned, as king/priest, in (Jeru)Salem

Hebrews 7:1a


during the time of Abraham, 3,000+ years ago.

Abraham was born in Ur, in modern day Iraq, which many regard as being the oldest city in the world. More like a settlement in modern terms. Basically though, the family were nomads. Eventually, Abraham travelled to Canaan, at the Lord’s command.

http://www.wwj.org.nz/teachings/ttverse.php?id=4922


He lived there for approximately 100 years.

http://www.wwj.org.nz/teachings/ttverse.php?id=4923


Salem was in Canaan.

While living there, his nephew Lot was captured by some local raiders. Abraham took his 318 trained fighting men and recaptured Lot and his family.

It was at this point that he met with Melchizedek.

WHO WAS MELCHIZEDEK?

The identity of Melchizedek is shrouded in mystery. Was he human? Was he divine?

There are arguments both ways, none of which we are going to get involved in here.

Jewish tradition identifies him as Shem, the son of Noah, who could possibly still have been living at the time. However, this verse in Hebrews would appear to contradict this tradition.

Hebrews 7:3


What is of importance though, is that he did not die in a conventional sense, for his ministry was a continuing one, right through the ages.

For the purposes of this study, his ongoing priesthood is the key factor in our understanding of his life and ministry.

THE MEETING WITH ABRAHAM

There was a battle between 2 groups of local ‘kings’, four against five.

Genesis 14:8-9


The group including the Kings of Sodom (where Lot, Abraham’s nephew, and his family were living) and Gomorrah, were defeated and the family captured, along with others, and all their possessions.

Abraham set out on a rescue mission. By employing clever tactics Abraham and his 318 men rescued all those who had been captured.

Genesis 14:15-16


A very grateful King of Sodom came out to meet Abraham at the Valley of Shaveh, which is just north of Jerusalem.

Genesis 14:17


At that time, Melchizedek came out from (Jeru)Salem and blessed Abraham with bread and wine, so establishing what was to become the ongoing symbol of priesthood.

Genesis 14;18-20a


In return for the blessing Abraham gave a tithe of 10% of his own possessions that he had recovered during the battle and those of the others that he had also recaptured.

Genesis 14:20b


The remaining possessions belonging to others were returned, in spite of protestations. For Abraham did not want his future to be associated with theirs. Which was really good sense, as it turned out later, in the case of the King of Sodom!

Genesis 14:21-4

THE ROLE OF MELCHIZEDEK

Melchizedek had a dual role in life, being that of a ‘king’ combined with that of a ‘priest’.

Hebrews 7:1a


The common religion of the time was the worship of a multiplicity of Gods, so both Melchizedek and Abraham were unusual in their era.

Additionally, society was primarily organized on the basis of extended families, most of whom were nomadic. Townships were very small, and most likely, family based.

This makes the both the person and the role of Melchizedek most unusual, for he had no family tree. Therefore he would not have been aligned to a particular family group, such as Abraham’s.

Who lived in Salem, we do not know. Whoever they were, and it would have only been a very small number, Melchizedek had temporal, kingly authority over them. Whether these people followed the one true God, we also do not know.

However, Abraham did. And so Melchizedek was able to bless Abraham in his position as the priest of the Most High God.

A priest always has two functions – to bless and to sacrifice.

Hebrews 8:3a


We don’t know what the sacrificial role of Melchizedek was. If we did, it would resolve once and for all the argument over whether he was God or man. However God, in His wisdom, has not chosen to reveal that to us.

Melchizedek blessed Abraham with a literal meal including bread and wine, for he and his men were hungry after the battle they had been in, giving thanks to God for their victory.

Genesis 14:18-20


As we will see as we continue this study, bread and wine are symbols of the priesthood and therefore, in a spiritual sense, can only be dispensed by priests.

SERMON ON THE MOUNT concludes

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. (Matthew 7:15-21)

EXPOSITION:

In the two last verses, we are told what impressions Christ’s discourse made upon the auditory. It was an excellent sermon; and it is probable that he said more than is here recorded; and doubtless the delivery of it from the mouth of him, into whose lips grace was poured, did mightily set if off. Now, 1. They were astonished at this doctrine; it is to be feared that few of them were brought by it to follow him: but for the present, they were filled with wonder. Note, It is possible for people to admire good preaching, and yet to remain in ignorance and unbelief; to be astonished, and yet not sanctified. 2. The reason was because he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. The scribes pretended to as much authority as any teachers whatsoever, and were supported by all the external advantages that could be obtained, but their preaching was mean, and flat, and jejune: they spake as those what were not themselves masters of what they preached: the word did not come from them with any life or force; they delivered it as a school-boy says his lesson; but Christ delivered his discourse, as a judge gives his charge. He did indeed, dominari in conscionibus—deliver his discourses with a tone of authority; his lessons were law; his word a word of command. Christ, upon the mountain, showed more true authority, than the scribes in Moses’s seat. Thus when Christ teaches by his Spirit in the soul, he teaches with authority. He says, Let there be light, and there is light. Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.

TESTIMONY:

Jesus taught with authority. He practised what He taught. Of course, He had an advantage as He knew the Word sdrawkcab and forwards, as He was, and is, the Word!

We have likely all heard many, many sermons and teachings. A few great, some good, many ordinary and a few, downright bad.

I am sure that all who have been 'up the front' have asked themselves the question, "How do I give an inspired sermon/teaching that will help the people - every time!" This is a problem that seems insoluble! And it is! In fact our 'good days' are often very rare!

Yet the system is such that the preacher or teacher is expected to produce 'a gem' every week, every time they preach/teach. This is impossible - unless we are Jesus! And He has not yet returned!


The simple answer is that if we cannot change people to be continually inspired, then we need to change the system to one where we only speak when we truly do have inspiration from God.

You see, my friend, this principle is at the heart of the difference between 'kings' and 'kingdom'. Under the current church system the leader, the king, by whatever title he or she is known, is required to bring a kingly dissertation to his or her subjects, the congregation, every 7 days. So we have seminaries preparing people in the art of giving a good sermon. A joke to start, 3 good points, repeated for emphasis, followed by a punchy conclusion. Okay, I may be exaggerating, but you get the picture!

I remember once, in my pre Jesus days, being asked by a 'degree-d' minister friend what Scripture he could use to justify a point, a conclusion, that he wished to get across to his people. Don't know why He asked me! But the point is, no matter how good and relevant the point may have been, even I, in my pre-Jesus state, could see that it was the wrong way round of doing things. The cart before the horse.


In the kingdom, where our leader is Jesus, unless we inspired to bring a message through the leading of the Holy Spirit, there is no pressure to bring one at all. Someone amongst those attending may have the message for today, or we need not have a message at all, as the Holy Spirit leads. Maybe today, we are to pray for and encourage one another, or simply worship, or even help a person in need in the community. Flexibility to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit is the key.

If the Holy Spirit truly inspires us in what to say, we will indeed have the authority of Jesus as we speak.


However, the greatest difference between Jesus and the Rabbis was that He practised what He preached. Ultimately our lives are our greatest and most effective sermon. This is, and has always been, our greatest challenge. As we conclude our series on the 'Sermon on the Mount' I will leave you with both the example and the words of Jesus;

John 13:12-17

SERMON ON THE MOUNT continued

The Wise and Foolish Builders
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.” (Matthew 7:24-7)

EXPOSITION:

The hearers of Christ’s word are here divided into two sorts; some that hear, and do what they hear; others that hear and do not. Christ preached now to a mixed multitude, and he thus separates them, one from the other, as he will at the great day, when all nations shall be gathered before him. Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.

TESTIMONY:

Jesus uses this graphic illustration as the conclusion of His great sermon, to define the difference in eternal destiny between 'hearers' and 'doers' of His Word.

We live in an area that is prone to earthquakes. In a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in 1931, here in Napier, 236 people were killed including one of my aunties, aged 6 at the time.

Some time ago, we took a lease on a building in our sister city of Hastings, also affected by the earthquake of 1931, in order to open a new Seekers clothing shop. The local Council required the landlord to spend over $300,000 on strengthening the building before allowing a change of use from storage to retail. The deal fell through.

Our prospective landlord would have loved to have us there, but he wasn't prepared to 'pay the price' necessary for our occupation.

How much that is like us! We love the idea of having Jesus in our life but we are not prepared to pay the price of changing our habits, our traditional way of doing things, be they good or bad. Strange as it may seem, many times we are happy being unhappy, as we are comfortable in it. For change is never comfortable!

The problem with foundations is that while they take much effort to build, in the final analysis, they are hidden from view! Yet, as Jesus illustrated, without the foundations of trials and testings, of submission and obedience to the Father, of developing the character of Jesus in our lives, living well, going to church and doing good deeds of the publicly seen walls and roof of the house of our life, will be futile. A showy waste of time when it comes to the storms of persecution, and to Judgment Day.

My life is not perfect! These words apply to me as much as to you. The Lord has changed, even transformed me, over the years of my Christian life, but there are still areas remaining to be dealt with. Some I know about, others that He has not yet revealed to me. While I have considerable natural determination and willpower, I have discovered that there are very few changes that I have been able to make in my own strength. Particularly as one matures in Jesus, foundational aspects of our character are exposed and change required. For example, while it may be relatively easy to stop the negative behaviour of stealing, it is be a lot more difficult to develop a positive, generous, giving personality. Such things take time.

I am slowly learning to stop trying to 'do it myself', but to go to the Holy Spirit with an open heart, mind and will, and give Him permission to change me. It does work, in His timing.

As Jesus himself said, prior to His death;

John 16:13

May we submit to our Lord, allowing Him to build solid foundation in our life that will withstand the storms and carry us through to eternal life with Him.

SERMON ON THE MOUNT continued

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 perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:15-21)

EXPOSITION:

Note, A man may be a preacher, may have gifts for the ministry, and an external call to it, and perhaps some success in it, and yet be a wicked man; may help others to heaven, and yet come short himself.......This should be an awakening word to all Christians. If a preacher, one that cast out devils, and wrought miracles, be disowned of Christ for working iniquity; what will become of us, if we be found such? And if we be such, we shall certainly be found such. At God’s bar, a profession of religion will not bear out any man in the practice and indulgence of sin; therefore let every one that names the name of Christ, depart from all iniquity. (Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.)

TESTIMONY:

As we saw last week, there are a good number of passages warning about imposters in ministry. Likewise, there are also many ordinary people in the church who proclaim themselves to be followers of Jesus, who really aren't. The tares will be separated from the wheat in due course.

Today's message is a warning. Be careful who you allow to influence your walk with Jesus. Do they truly 'practice what they preach?' If you don't know, it is safer not to follow their leading.

There is a problem with big ministries. Of necessity, the leaders are so far removed from the people, that it is just about impossible to check them out. We see many leaders being exposed at the present time, which comes with tremendous hurt and damage to the people, numbers of whom will never grace a church again, and may well throw away their faith.

Beware of the spiritual 'super salesman', who will likely look good, perhaps with a 'trophy wife', who likes to acquire the good things of the world rather than sacrifice the material in order to seek and find the spiritual. Most prosperity preachers fall into this category.

Secondly, be careful not to confuse anointing with godliness. I say this not from a position of jealousy, but as a caution from one who has been blessed with an anointing. Most times I speak, the Holy Spirit will come in power at some time during a series of meetings. It amazed me the first time it happened and has continued to surprise me ever since, for I do nothing. He simply turns up.

With the criticism I took the first time it happened, I went into depression for several months which killed any more public ministry for several years. When I did start speaking again, I did not know what would happen, but the Spirit again turned up, and I was, through having gone to hell and back (figuratively speaking!), so deepening my relationship with Jesus, better able to handle the situation.

For the past 3 1/2 years I have not done any public speaking, as our efforts have centered around setting up our second hand clothing business, Seekers Megamarts. However, as we become established, I sense that the time may be coming nearer when some speaking will return. Will the Holy Spirit turn up then? I don't know for sure, but feel it highly likely He will. But I take nothing for granted!

You see, anointing is given, and often remains, even when the receiver walks away from the Lord. And the temptations for anointed people to walk away are great, for satan is continually on your case! From personal experience, do not pray to receive anointing unless you are prepared to pay the price! I never did pray to get it, but God still gave it, for I guess He knew me better than I know myself. Like everything in God, the greater the blessing, the greater the cost. We all want the blessings, but are we really prepared to price of receiving them?

But I digress.......

While anointing may be a sign of one to listen to, it may not be, also. Note that I didn't say 'to follow'. For the only one we are to follow is Jesus! We may learn from a person, but we are only to follow Jesus. If our spiritual life is built upon the leadership of a human being, we are not 'walking in The Way'. Our primary relationship must be with Jesus. We are to get to know Him through reading The Word for ourselves until, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Jesus becomes part of us, and we, part of Him. No man, no woman, can be a 'Jesus substitute' in our lives. Yes, we need good mentors. But most of all, we need Jesus!

As leaders, only relationship with Jesus will stop us from going astray. As followers, may we follow Jesus, not a person.

The church age has encouraged us to follow leadership, but in the coming kingdom age, in the final days, our attention and focus is to be upon Jesus. For it is only He who can turn the church into the pure white bride for whom He is to return.

Revelation 19:7-8

SERMON ON THE MOUNT continued

Judging Others
7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For 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? 4 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?

5 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. (Matthew 7:1-5)

EXPOSITION:

In essence; we are to judge ourselves - but not others. If we do, the standard we use in judging them will be applied to us by the Father!

TESTIMONY:

Sadly, in my Christian experience I have found this to be one of the least observed of all the instructions of Jesus. Christians are so often regarded, not without cause, as being harsh and self-righteous in the manner of the Pharisees that Jesus was specifically criticising in this passage.

It is not easy to take stands about, for example, abortion and homosexuality, without coming across as judgmental to those on the other side of the argument.

In more personal matters too, such as swearing and drinking, retaining personal standards without seeming to be putting down others can, at times, be a challenge.

All these areas are real, practical tests of the love and grace of Jesus in our lives.


However, to me, the greatest application of 'reverse judgment' will be applied to us in our treatment of our brothers and sisters in Christ. That is, in our attitude to other Christians. Sadly, 'judgmentality' between believers is one of satan's prime weapons in his battle to destroy the church! And we let him twist and turn the knife of division in our lives and in our church situations. "My theology is better than your theology!" "Our denomination has the truth!" "We will not mix with you for fear of contamination!" "We are (or are not) Spirit filled!" "We are Traditional....Evangelical..... Pentecostal.....etc. and have the truth!" And so on...... and so on..... and so on......

How sad God must be with the behaviour of His children! For when it comes to dealing with each other, we are indeed more often children than mature believers.

I understand how it happens. The more passionate we become about what we believe, (which is a good thing in many ways) the less tolerant we can so easily become of those whose views are different to our own. So divisions grow. This is particularly true in pentecostal circles where, the '(unholy) spirit' seems to divide and splinter the people rather than bringing us into the promised unity of the Holy Spirit.


Why is this? Passion for Jesus is not enough! For passion must be harnessed with obedience to the will of the Father for our lives, in order to bring unity and maturity to the body of Christ.

Of course, each and every one of us needs to be corrected. But this needs to be done in the love and grace of God rather than the criticism and judgment of our human nature.

Many years ago, early on in my public ministry, I was given an 'ear bashing' after a meeting in which the Holy Spirit turned up. It sent me into depression and stopped me doing public ministry for several years. Of course, the Lord uses these situations to teach and develop us also. But had this situation been handled with love and grace instead of anger, Kathy and my lives may well have taken a different course.

The effects of judgment and ungodly criticism do affect each one of us.

As we will see in next week, these words of Jesus sum up the situation very well.

Luke 6:31


Next time we are about to think or open our mouths in judgment upon someone else, may we remember and apply these words of the man who gave His all for us on that 'awe-full' cross upon Calvary's hill.

Also, on the other hand, by judging ourselves we avoid God's judgment upon us!

1 Corinthians 11:21

Worth thinking about? And acting upon!

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 7:6)

EXPOSITION:

This may be considered, either, (1.) As a rule to the disciples in preaching the gospel; not that they must not preach it to any one who were wicked and profane (Christ himself preached to publicans and sinners), but the reference is to such as they found obstinate after the gospel was preached to them, such as blasphemed it, and persecuted the preachers of it; let them not spend much time among such, for it would be lost labour, but let them turn to others, Acts 13:41. So Dr. Whitby. Or, (2.) As a rule to all in giving reproof. Our zeal against sin must be guided by discretion, and we must not go about to give instructions, counsels, and rebukes, much less comforts, to hardened scorners, to whom it will certainly do no good, but who will be exasperated and enraged at us. (Henry, Matthew, Matt hew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.)

TESTIMONY:

While this is generally seen as applying to wisdom in sharing with non believers who are either not interested or downright opposed to the Gospel message, my experience has shown that it applies to sharing with other Christians equally as well.

For we, as believers, are all at different places along the road in our walk with Jesus. What makes sense to a mature Jesus follower may be incomprehensible to a new believer.

This is easily illustrated through the natural growing process of life. We are born a child, then grow through our turbulent teenage years before entering adulthood. Our understanding of the world changes dramatically as we grow older.

So it is also in the Spirit, although maturity has little to do with time, but all to do with commitment and obedience to the will of the Father in our lives. Long time Christians can still be babes while, in other cases, a fully committed new believer can grow spiritually quite rapidly.


Many of the problems in the church today are caused by misunderstandings between people at different stages of spiritual development. As is the case of parents in the natural it is the responsibility of spiritually mature believers to help 'spiritual babes' grow in their faith and spiritual understanding. So what you can share with a spiritual child is different to a teenager, and different again to a mature believer. This calls for great wisdom. It is a reason why it is so difficult to deliver an effective sermon to a disparate group of people, for levels of understanding are so different. Generally we overcome this by aiming at the lowest common denominator. Then we wonder why our people do not grow spiritually. This is a particular problem in larger fellowships.


Our spiritual walk is about discipleship. It has been proven discipleship is best developed on a one to one basis or in small groups. We can use the natural comparison of a school and a family. A school (church service) can impart knowledge and perhaps teach general morality, but it is parents who impart values through an understanding of their child, teaching, correction and personal example. On a personal level we can meet people where they are at. Then we can share the wonder of Jesus at a level they can understand. Over time the amazing depth of relationship with our Lord that is available can be imparted. Wonderful! PTL!

SERMON ON THE MOUNT continued

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

9 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

11 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! (Matthew 7:7-11)

EXPOSITION:

There is a 3 stage process towards getting gifts from God. First we must 'ask'. Many Christians stop there. Secondly we must 'seek'. Do something positive. Push on the doors to see if they will open. And thirdly, we must 'knock' and keep on knocking, which involves perseverance through faith. God is our Father and He will give gifts that are good for us, as He decides, according to our circumstances, as would any good parent.

TESTIMONY:

The area of God answering prayer is one that gives rise to questioning and disappointment, as well as joy when our prayers are answered.

First of all, we need to understand that God is not a big Father Christmas in the sky raining down gifts to satisfy our every whim. Oh dear, how sad! We have all seen the result of parents meeting a child's every desire and understand the consequences in the development of a self centered, greedy, uncaring child - the exact opposite of what we are to be as followers of Jesus!

So let's understand, the Lord is not there to satisfy our every selfish want, nor to make us rich materially, which face it, we would all like to be, a fact which teachers of the prosperity doctrine prey upon to get followers, often in order to enrich themselves. If believing in Jesus was a way to guaranteed riches on earth, 'the world' would flock to the church!

On the other side, I see faithful believers in poor countries who do not have sufficient to eat. 'Why Lord', I ask, for their material needs are so much greater than mine will ever be. The desire to help these people is at the heart of our Seekers Megamarts operations.

As explained in the EXPOSITION, receiving is not simply a function of wanting something and asking for it. We need to seek and knock also, to prove our desire. Generally the effort required sorts out the wheat from the tares in our own life. 'Easy come' and 'easy go' are great bedfellows but certainly not part of God's ways.

New Christians, being spiritual children, may well given what appears to be a frivolous gift by the Lord in order to build their faith. But as we mature in Christ, our ways and prayers are to change to be more in line with His desires and His ways. Our prayers will then ask for the things that are on God's heart as well as our own. When our motivation is pure, as God's motivation is pure, then our prayers will be answered. For like any parent, God wants us to come to maturity and reflect 'the family values' - His values, in our life.

I have had prayers answered, prayers still to be answered, and others that have been answered in the negative, which I now realise, as I grow spiritually, were not in my best interests anyway.

Jesus tagged a very interesting verse onto the end of this section which goes a long way towards explaining His attitude towards our prayers.

May we reflect upon whether our prayer requests are truly glorifying God or are centered upon ourselves.

12 So 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)

EXPOSITION:

Our Lord Jesus here presses upon us that righteousness towards men which is an essential branch of true religion, and that religion towards God which is an essential branch of universal righteousness. I. We must make righteousness our rule, and be ruled by it......Fitly is the law of justice subjoined to the law of prayer, for unless we be honest in our conversation, God will not hear our prayers, Isa. 1:15–17; 58:6, 9; Zec. 7:9, 13. We cannot expect to receive good things from God, if we do not fair things, and that which is honest, and lovely, and of good report among men. Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.


I quoted the above directly from Matthew Henry in case you thought that which follows is just 'David'!

The simple, if harsh, reality is that we cannot expect answers to our prayers when we are not leading godly lives ourselves. It is no accident that Jesus incorporated the 'universal commandment' with His statement on prayer.

As I have learned and experienced more of God I have come to understand that everything of God is conditional. God makes us a promise. Then we need to live it out in some way. But how about salvation, David? Surely salvation is free? Yes it is! But to live, to work out, our salvation, costs us our life! If our life doesn't change when we come to Jesus, our conversion is not a true one. For Jesus is to be not only Saviour but also Lord. One goes with the other. Of course Lordship takes time, a lifetime in fact, to develop. As butter is to bread, making it palatable, so the Lordship of Jesus in our life displays our salvation to the world.

This is not a well promoted truth amongst Christians. We prefer to say come to Jesus for His blessings, without talking about the accompanying sacrifice of ourselves that is also required.

The same principle applies to prayer. If we expect Jesus to answer our prayers, we need to live a godly life to the full extent of our understanding of godliness at the time. None of us is perfect - certainly not me. Yet we are to grow in godliness from glory to glory as Jesus reveals more of Himself to us throughout a lifetime of growing spiritual maturity. A new, 'baby' Christian is not expected to be a spiritual 'adult'. But we are expected to grow up to spiritual maturity. I have been saved, am being saved, and will be saved, as I give up more and more of myself to the Lord.

1 Corinthians 13:11-13

I don't want this word to sound harsh. My desire, both for you and for me, is to see Him face to face. My heart cries out for His people to know Him more. I believe that this is the heart of Jesus also.

As we reach out to know Him more, so we can expect Him to act upon our petitions and prayers, for they will be of His heart, not our own. Selah.

SERMON ON THE MOUNT continued

Judging Others
7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For 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? 4 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?

5 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. (Matthew 7:1-5)

EXPOSITION:

In essence; we are to judge ourselves - but not others. If we do, the standard we use in judging them will be applied to us by the Father!

TESTIMONY:

Sadly, in my Christian experience I have found this to be one of the least observed of all the instructions of Jesus. Christians are so often regarded, not without cause, as being harsh and self-righteous in the manner of the Pharisees that Jesus was specifically criticising in this passage.

It is not easy to take stands about, for example, abortion and homosexuality, without coming across as judgmental to those on the other side of the argument.

In more personal matters too, such as swearing and drinking, retaining personal standards without seeming to be putting down others can, at times, be a challenge.

All these areas are real, practical tests of the love and grace of Jesus in our lives.


However, to me, the greatest application of 'reverse judgment' will be applied to us in our treatment of our brothers and sisters in Christ. That is, in our attitude to other Christians. Sadly, 'judgmentality' between believers is one of satan's prime weapons in his battle to destroy the church! And we let him twist and turn the knife of division in our lives and in our church situations. "My theology is better than your theology!" "Our denomination has the truth!" "We will not mix with you for fear of contamination!" "We are (or are not) Spirit filled!" "We are Traditional....Evangelical..... Pentecostal.....etc. and have the truth!" And so on...... and so on..... and so on......

How sad God must be with the behaviour of His children! For when it comes to dealing with each other, we are indeed more often children than mature believers.

I understand how it happens. The more passionate we become about what we believe, (which is a good thing in many ways) the less tolerant we can so easily become of those whose views are different to our own. So divisions grow. This is particularly true in pentecostal circles where, the '(unholy) spirit' seems to divide and splinter the people rather than bringing us into the promised unity of the Holy Spirit.

Why is this? Passion for Jesus is not enough! For passion must be harnessed with obedience to the will of the Father for our lives, in order to bring unity and maturity to the body of Christ.

Of course, each and every one of us needs to be corrected. But this needs to be done in the love and grace of God rather than the criticism and judgment of our human nature.

Many years ago, early on in my public ministry, I was given an 'ear bashing' after a meeting in which the Holy Spirit turned up. It sent me into depression and stopped me doing public ministry for several years. Of course, the Lord uses these situations to teach and develop us also. But had this situation been handled with love and grace instead of anger, Kathy and my lives may well have taken a different course.

The effects of judgment and ungodly criticism do affect each one of us.

As we will see in next week, these words of Jesus sum up the situation very well.

Luke 6:31


Next time we are about to think or open our mouths in judgment upon someone else, may we remember and apply these words of the man who gave His all for us on that 'awe-full' cross upon Calvary's hill.

Also, on the other hand, by judging ourselves we avoid God's judgment upon us!

1 Corinthians 11:21


Worth thinking about? And acting upon!

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 7:6)

EXPOSITION:

This may be considered, either, (1.) As a rule to the disciples in preaching the gospel; not that they must not preach it to any one who were wicked and profane (Christ himself preached to publicans and sinners), but the reference is to such as they found obstinate after the gospel was preached to them, such as blasphemed it, and persecuted the preachers of it; let them not spend much time among such, for it would be lost labour, but let them turn to others, Acts 13:41. So Dr. Whitby. Or, (2.) As a rule to all in giving reproof. Our zeal against sin must be guided by discretion, and we must not go about to give instructions, counsels, and rebukes, much less comforts, to hardened scorners, to whom it will certainly do no good, but who will be exasperated and enraged at us. (Henry, Matthew, Matt hew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.)

TESTIMONY:

While this is generally seen as applying to wisdom in sharing with non believers who are either not interested or downright opposed to the Gospel message, my experience has shown that it applies to sharing with other Christians equally as well.

For we, as believers, are all at different places along the road in our walk with Jesus. What makes sense to a mature Jesus follower may be incomprehensible to a new believer.

This is easily illustrated through the natural growing process of life. We are born a child, then grow through our turbulent teenage years before entering adulthood. Our understanding of the world changes dramatically as we grow older.

So it is also in the Spirit, although maturity has little to do with time, but all to do with commitment and obedience to the will of the Father in our lives. Long time Christians can still be babes while, in other cases, a fully committed new believer can grow spiritually quite rapidly.


Many of the problems in the church today are caused by misunderstandings between people at different stages of spiritual development. As is the case of parents in the natural it is the responsibility of spiritually mature believers to help 'spiritual babes' grow in their faith and spiritual understanding. So what you can share with a spiritual child is different to a teenager, and different again to a mature believer. This calls for great wisdom. It is a reason why it is so difficult to deliver an effective sermon to a disparate group of people, for levels of understanding are so different. Generally we overcome this by aiming at the lowest common denominator. Then we wonder why our people do not grow spiritually. This is a particular problem in larger fellowships.


Our spiritual walk is about discipleship. It has been proven discipleship is best developed on a one to one basis or in small groups. We can use the natural comparison of a school and a family. A school (church service) can impart knowledge and perhaps teach general morality, but it is parents who impart values through an understanding of their child, teaching, correction and personal example. On a personal level we can meet people where they are at. Then we can share the wonder of Jesus at a level they can understand. Over time the amazing depth of relationship with our Lord that is available can be imparted. Wonderful! PTL!

SERMON ON THE MOUNT continued

Do Not Worry
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?

26 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?

27 Who 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. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these

30 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, O you of little faith?

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
(Matthew 6:25-34)

EXPOSITION:

The essence of this principle of Jesus revolves round where our heart is. Is our heart motivation centered upon the world with it's cares and worries or focused upon the kingdom of God? If we focus upon the kingdom our earthly requirements (not wants) will be provided for us.

TESTIMONY:

In our family, as we grew up, my mother was the worrier. Now, in her later years, she has almost overcome this trait. Dad, on the other hand, was the super optimist. It is said that opposites attract! Certainly applied to my parents - in this area at least.

I am of course, a mixture of my parents, but my nature tends towards the optimism of my father, although expressed in a less exuberant way. The result of my mothers influence.

However, this teaching of Jesus was not really about optimism and pessimism, but rather, about what is the focus of our life. What is our priority in life? Are we focused on the spiritual or the natural? Looking after ourselves in the here and now, or building up treasures in heaven? Building our own kingdom, or building the kingdom of God upon the earth?


There is indeed a battle in all our lives in this area. So easily the 'tyranny of the present', the reality of our circumstances, overrules the seemingly ethereal requirement of Jesus to build His kingdom, both in our lives and in the world in which we live.

For me, a major test, which I failed at the time, came 10 years ago, when Jesus called me into a fulltime, unpaid ministry. As I have explained previously, I first tried to make provision for myself and my family which turned out to be a disaster, resulting in bankruptcy.

That certainly challenged my focus and determination! Would I give up on the ministry, or rely upon Him to provide for us?


The past 10 years has been an interesting journey for us. No, we haven't had all our 'wants' met, but our 'needs' have been. Although we never have been profligate spenders, we did formerly have the choice to do many things, overseas holidays being one example, that we do not have the option to do now. We certainly live more simply, having the things we need, although not all we might want.

We do not have property or savings, so are reliant upon Him for our future provision. A worry? Being honest, sometimes, when we look at our friends. But I, in particular, for Kathy has never been particularly money orientated, have had to learn to believe what Jesus promises here. Yes, it is foolish in the eyes of the world. Many would regard me as irresponsible. But I do place my trust in His promises.

How about you?

NEXT WEEK: SERMON ON THE MOUNT continues...

... A longer teaching, on judging others. Something we are all prone to do!

A NOTE FROM DAVID

Worry prevents us from achieving our potential in God, as well as stopping us enjoying day to day life.

To stop worrying, we need to truly believe the promises of God. Helping others also helps, for it takes our mind off ourselves.

BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY

EL AMARNA LETTERS

Could these tablets contain records of Joshua and the Hebrews conquering the land of Canaan?

Tel el Amarna was in ancient Egypt near the Nile River about halfway between Memphis and Thebes. In 1988 there were about 400 cuneiform tablets discovered at this site which were part of the royal archives of Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) who reigned about 1400 BC.

Among them were letters written in Babylonian cuneiform script to these Pharaohs of Egypt by various kings dwelling in the land of Canaan and Syria, they were written during the time of Moses. They provide the first evidence of the Hebrew tribes entering into the land of Canaan in ancient times.

Some of the tablets were anxious letters written from Jerusalem (Urusalim), warning the pharaoh an invasion by the 'Habiru [Khabiru]', who were approaching from Trans-Jordan.

It is interesting that Akhenaten's new capital, Akhetaton, which he built with his queen Nefertiti was at the same place as modern Amarna (Tell el Amarna).

The Amarna Letters discovery is highly important in the study of Biblical Archaeology because they refer to events in the middle east in the 15th and 14th centuries BC. They refer to the Hebrews, they give evidence of the trustworthiness of the book of Judges. They mention a lot about Canaan, the half of Israel to the west of the Jordan. This name "Canaan" has been found in Egyptian inscriptions of the New Kingdom. The king of Babylon used the word Canaan to designate the entire Egyptian province of Canaan when he wrote to Pharaoh: "Canaan is thy land and its kings are thy servants" (El-Amarna 8, 25)

The Tablets are from 3 inches wide and anywhere from 3 to 9 inches in length, and they are inscribed on both sides. The letters were written in Akkadian, which had been the language of international relations for some time. Today the Tell el Amarna Tablets are mainly in the British, Berlin and Cairo museums.

The original name of Jerusalem was Babylonian, Uru-Salim, "the city of Salim," shortened into Salem in Gen 14:18 and in the inscriptions of the Egyptian kings Ramses II and Ramses III. In the Tell el-Amarna Letters (1400 BC) Jerusalem is still known as Uru-Salim, and its king bears a Hittite name, implying that it was at the time in the possession of the Hittites. His enemies, however, were closing around him, and one of the tablets shows that the city was eventually captured and its king slain. These enemies would seem to have been the Jebusites, since it is after this period that the name "Jebus" makes its appearance for the first time in the Old Testament (Judges 19:10,11).

"But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him. And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it." Judges 19:10-11

SERMON ON THE MOUNT continued

Fasting
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.

17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so 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)

EXPOSITION:

What is fasting? 'It is an act of self-denial, and mortification of the flesh, a holy revenge upon ourselves, and humiliation under the hand of God.' Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.


In this passage, Jesus was speaking against hypocrisy in fasting, once again warning about following the practices of the Pharisees, who fasted twice a week.

The practice of fasting was not questioned.

Matthew 9:14-15


Fasting was practiced by the early New Testament church.

TESTIMONY:

I have dreaded writing this testimony! For regular, twice weekly fasting until 4pm, was part of my life for 7 years until the time when we started our African clothing project. Then I found, with the hard physical labour involved (clothes are heavy in bulk!), that I needed to eat in order to be able to do the work.

However, as I have contemplated this writing during the week the Lord has given me some revelation.

While we primarily think of fasting as abstaining from food, this is only part of the story as we see an example of here;

1 Corinthians 7:4-5


God has shown me that we have 3 primary areas of human gratification - food, sex, and stimulants. Food and sex are obvious, but stimulants to make us feel good, was a surprise to me. But every society has them. The most 'popular' stimulant is alcohol, but there are a variety of drugs from the mind altering such as cocaine and cannabis, to the gentle 'pick-me-up' of tea and coffee. Tea and coffee? Try stopping drinking them and see if you get a headache! Yes, they are stimulants too.

Twelve years ago now, I was praying for a man in our church at the time, who was an alcoholic. He had been prayed for many times. As he stood there I simply said to him, 'You know what you have to do - stop drinking!'

The Lord hit me with a (metaphorical) hammer! It hurt! 'David, I have been telling you to stop drinking for some time, so how dare you say that to him!!!'

I have not had another drink since!


You see, for the couple of years before this, I had had this prompting to stop drinking. I didn't drink to excess. But I enjoyed a wine or a beer. 'Lord, surely it's not really you, just 'Christian culture'!' It wasn't! It was Him! Why? Why me?

But the Lord knew what He was calling me in to. For within a year or so He would have me travelling to Africa and Asia where, had I been a drinker, even in moderation, my ministry would not have been accepted. For, because of the harm alcohol has caused there, one defining characteristic of becoming a true Christian is to give up drinking. A necessary self sacrifice.

Saturday was my birthday. We went out for dinner with some friends to celebrate the (inauspicious at my age!) occasion. Everyone, except me, had a glass of wine or beer with their meal. I would have loved to have joined them!

But, as I sat their musing about it, the Lord showed me that this was indeed my fast for Him. For I have given up something I enjoyed, and which had no control over me, for Him.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not saying that you have to give up drinking for enjoyment. Unless the Lord tells you to as He did me, or unless you choose to. No condemnation from me.

You may be asked to sacrifice yourself, to fast, in another area. We need to be open to the Lord's leading individually.

Treasures in Heaven
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For 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. 23 But 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

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)

EXPOSITION:

We have a choice of where our 'treasure' is built, on earth or in heaven. We cannot build treasure in both places, for we are not capable of serving more than one 'god'.


TESTIMONY:

I am a natural, born businessman, an entrepreneur, a risk taker. My life has been a series of ups and downs, financially. Have been a millionaire twice and bankrupt twice! So I know about having money, and also, not having money.

Firstly, I had money without knowing God in a personal way. Then I went bankrupt and found Jesus.

Then, I had money again, tried to provide for myself to go into ministry and went bankrupt again. When bankrupt, I got closer to Jesus.

I think you can see from this brief testimony the truth in my life of what Jesus was saying! With money, our life, time and energy is pulled in two different, incompatible directions.


This is so much against the understanding of both the worldly world and the doctrine of much of the church.

The course I have taken, as a result of my experiences, is to take what Jesus said literally. While this may be easy in places where people have nothing, or very little, in a modern Western economy such as New Zealand, it is actually a very difficult thing to do! It is tough on my wife too, for women do like the security that possessions bring.

We now own just a few household possessions that are necessary (and a few that are not!) to live life in our society. We also live on a minimum income, earned by Kathy, that allows us to meet our daily needs, but not to save money.

I am accused of being foolish and irresponsible for not owning a home, nor having money set aside for retirement. And I certainly am from a human perspective.

Perhaps these verses may help you understand me!

Matthew 7:24-7


Over the past 2 1/2 years we have, unexpectedly to me, built up what is becoming a large (in New Zealand terms) second hand clothing business. But this time I don't own it - and I work in it for no personal income. The business is owned by a Charitable Trust, the primary objective of which is to send money and clothing to Africa.

Yes, I am still using the business skills the Lord has given me, but this time, for His benefit, not my own.

After our first bankruptcy, when I had become a Christian, our mail order business of the time prospered. We were able to provide generously financially both to the church and other causes. We distributed a discipleship course free of charge to many thousands of people, for which the Lord provided the funds through the profits of the business. We did lots of good things for God and others. We were a Christian success story. Yet in the end I, (not Kathy) became reliant upon myself, not God.

For when I was called into 'fulltime' ministry (not a term I like using for we are all in fulltime ministry, but you will know what I mean) I tried, worthily in a human sense, to provide funds so that we would not be reliant upon others for support.

It all went 'pear shaped' as the saying goes, and I was bankrupted again.


But you see, that was where Jesus, where God, wanted me. Dependant upon Him. I had nowhere else to turn. He gave me a depth of relationship and revelation that He could not have done before. No money to help others or build church buildings. But no matter. Most of all He wanted, not my money, but me, and He wants you too - all of you.

I am now back in a difficult situation - for life is never easy! Seekers can become all consuming. I could, and do from time to time, fall back into a situation of self dependency. In spite of not receiving financial rewards, my heart can so easily turn towards doing good works rather than to maintaining and growing my relationship with my Lord.

"Lord, protect me from myself, I pray!"

You may not understand what I have been saying. That is okay. And I am not saying you have necessarily to walk the same path. That is okay too. But I would ask that you meditate and pray upon this Scripture and listen to what God says to you personally. And then, of course, apply it. You may learn about the real you - where your heart truly lies. For money and possessions truly do sort us out!

Where is your heart today?

SERMON ON THE MOUNT continued

Prayer
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.

6 But 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.

8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:5-8)

EXPOSITION:

Note, Those who would not do as the hypocrites do in their ways and actions must not be as the hypocrites are in their frame and temper. He names nobody, but it appears by ch. 23:13, that by the hypocrites here he means especially the scribes and Pharisees. Now there were two great faults they were guilty of in prayer, against each of which we are here cautioned—vain-glory (v. 5, 6); and vain repetitions, v. 7, 8.
Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.

TESTIMONY:

This is such a huge subject on the one hand, yet so simple on the other!

Breakdowns in communication, both between people and between people and God, are at the heart of most of the problems of our daily lives, between nations, and between the church and God. The heart of the problem is that we look at life through the coloured spectacles of motivation and prejudice, hearing what we want to hear and saying what our life experience programmes us to say. In our humanness, being basically self-centred, most of us tend to speak (or think) somewhat more easily and often than we listen.

In our relationship with God, our humanness tends to come out even more, as God is physically unseen, yet has power over the universe. We so easily feel we can ignore His desires for us while giving Him a shopping list of how He can make our lives more comfortable! Sorry to be so straightforward, maybe even outrageous, but it applies to me as much as anyone else! How often do we regard our God as a great Father Christmas in the sky?


Of course, we give God thanks, may praise and worship Him too, and pray for others. All very worthy and good. But seldom do we simply sit in the solitude of internal quietness and let Him speak His heart out to us and for us. We want to hear His word for us through the prophet, yet do not wait upon Him to talk to us directly. Yet good two way communication is at the heart of every successful relationship, in both the natural and the spiritual.

Over the years, as I have grown a little in God, I have come to realise and appreciate that it is not all about me, but progressively developed through Him and me to finally, all about Him. I try now to seek, sometimes more successfully than others, His will for me, rather than mine for Him! This doesn't happen all the time, for at times I am closer to Him than at others, or He might choose to test me for a season by letting me be seemingly alone for a time.

The 'vain glory' and 'vain repetition' that Matthew Henry mentions above, are classic examples of communication breakdown. We easily try to impress others, rather than speaking to the intended recipient, or repeat others' words because we don't know what to say ourselves.

The ideal for me, which I have not yet achieved, is to have an open conduit to God 24/7, so we can talk to each other on an ongoing basis. A spiritual cellphone! 'Txts' to God!


Prayer meetings are good to bring people together and to petition God on behalf of a group, but the essence of prayer is personal communication with our Lord, away from the public eye, on a one to one basis. And most importantly, is then doing what He tells to do.

I am far from perfect. My prayer life, my cellphone with God, sometimes runs out of battery (of spiritual charge) or I wander outside the reception area (of desire or sin)!

I guess both you and I are 'works in progress'. May we be open to His leading and guiding in our lives, through prayer, today.

May we too, be like Jesus at Gethsemane, who was obedient even to a death, a death more horrible than anyone else has ever experienced.

Matthew 26:39


Now for the second part of Jesus' instruction on prayer.

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.’ (ADDED FROM KJV 13b. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.)

14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:9-15)

EXPOSITION:

There are 3 parts to what we know as the Lord's Prayer (More accurately the 'Disciples Prayer'.)

1. THE PREFACE - stating whom we are addressing our prayer to.
2. THE PETITIONS - of which there are 6, the first 3 relating to God and the last 3 to our own concerns.
3. THE CONCLUSION - in which all glory is given to God.

TESTIMONY:

It is impossible to discuss the multitudinous aspects and depth of this amazing 'model' prayer here.

Sadly, over the years, through many repetitive, rote utterances, the 'sacredness' and depth of meaning of this prayer has been largely lost, until (particularly in charismatic and pentecostal churches) it has become largely ignored in worship services.

Yet there is a new revelation of its meaning coming to a wider and wider group of people who are starting to understand that this prayer is talking not about the future, but the establishment of God's kingdom upon earth in the here and now.

If the petitions of this prayer were fully reflected in our behaviour God's kingdom would come upon the earth! For the coming of His kingdom (your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven) is dependant upon our complete devotion to Him and full submission to His will. If we truly lived the lifestyle of the remaining petitions, 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.’ we really would be kingdom people. Not forgetting of course, the 'conditional key' contained in the final verse. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Oh dear!

Yes, you may accuse me of being idealistic! And I fully concede that I don't live up to this prayer all the time. And I cannot in my own power. But there is a new day dawning, one when the Holy Spirit is to be poured out upon the earth in greater measure than we have experienced in the past.

Joel 2:28-30


At this time, through the power of the Holy Spirit, those who choose to make the sacrifice will herald the return of Jesus becoming the pure, perfect bride whom Jesus is coming to marry.

Revelation 19:7-8

Impossible? Not according to God's Word. What will you, what will I, choose to believe?

SERMON ON THE MOUNT continued

An Eye for an Eye

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

42 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)

EXPOSITION:

This is a change from the Old Testament law of retaliation. There, the decisions were only meant to be applied by a magistrate, and except in the case of murder, a monetary compensation could be substituted. However, by the time of Jesus this law was being misinterpreted, to wrongly allow individuals to take the law into their own hands.

In essence, Jesus is teaching us two things here.

1. We must not seek revenge from those who hurt us.
2. We must only not hurt our neighbours, but seek to do them good at all times.

TESTIMONY:

We have a legal system! We have rights! (In fact today, we are taught our rights but not our responsibilities!) Surely then, we should use them to get justice for ourselves?

Not according to Jesus!

Forgiveness is a hard lesson for all of us to learn. Some say 'revenge is sweet', but what I have observed is that the desire for revenge leads to bitterness which remains, even when revenge is obtained!


Bitterness eats away our soul like a voracious cancer. Forgiveness, on the other hand, is a soothing balm to the soul.

But our human nature screams out for revenge when we are hurt. That is our immediate reaction, both mine and yours, when we are wronged.

To not hold grudges, is something I have had to learn over the years of my walk with Jesus. This is particularly true with other Christians and in the church, where many are hurt the most!

I remember one occasion where I was accorded a position by a denominational grouping, not at my request, but which was then protested and revoked by my local pastor, as I had not done the formal training and filled in the proper paperwork.

When my pastor told me, I was graceful about it, and he commented that I took it very well. Of course I learned a lesson from it, but have not held any grudge. And I have an inner peace about it that I could not have had, had I become bitter about a perceived injustice.


Often, those closest to us hurt us the most. One Saturday night I was at a meeting where the speaker, one of New Zealand's more prominent pastors, talked of a recent experience where his daughter had offended him greatly. He wanted her to apologise and she wouldn't. He got bitter about it and it starting affecting his enthusiasm for ministry.

Finally, in a meeting in our neighboring country of Australia (yes - some good things come out of Australia! [Just friendly Kiwi - Aussie rivalry! Don't worry I am not getting bitter!]), the speaker had a word of prophecy directly for him as he sat far away, up in the balcony, "Love the one who has wronged you." Not exactly what he wanted to hear! But his enthusiasm immediately returned! He came home, took his daughter back into their home and simply loved her. Within a week she had apologised to all the family for her actions.

Not all cases work out as well as this, but even if she hadn't expressed forgiveness, the pastor himself was back in the place where his ministry could regain its effectiveness.

Yes bitterness can happen to anyone at any time.


"Lord may I be open and responsive to your wisdom in my dealings with others."

Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 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. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)

EXPOSITION:

This is an exposition of the true meaning of the fundamental law, 'love thy neighbour'. The Jews had incorrectly, according to the Law, come to the understanding that loving their Jewish neighbour was different to loving their enemies in the area, eg Samaria, or country, eg Egypt, next door. They had fought with these people for centuries and now Jesus was reminding and telling them, and us, to love our enemies!

Jesus realised that this would be the ultimate challenge, hence the call to perfection.

TESTIMONY:

I am of a generation born after World War 2, living in an island nation that has had no real human enemies during my lifetime. While we have been caught up in other people's wars, our army has consisted solely of volunteers, not conscripts. Therefore personally, I have not experienced war. I appreciate that this may be different for you. So I cannot honestly testify in that area.

Inevitably, in the course of life, particularly if we are ones who stand up for principles, and do things, rather than simply go with the flow, we are likely to offend, indeed anger, others. Sadly, it is a fact of life that relationships do break down from time to time. This is particularly hurtful when it is with those whom we have previously been close to. 'Family feuds' are classic cases of this.


In our church family too, disagreements easily grow out of control, the devil sticking in and twisting his knife with great glee in order to separate and alienate God's people. And we, all too often, are willing targets! Friends become enemies, all in the name of 'religion' or 'theology'. Certainly not in the name of Jesus!

While hatred has never been a particular trait of mine, lack of love certainly has. Interestingly, I have learned that enemies in the personal area are largely created by my actions, not theirs. An enemy becomes an enemy only when we allow them to be one.

For sure people may hate us, but if we react to them in love rather than respond in like manner, their hatred is likely to be challenged. Hatred builds hatred. While we might hate peoples actions we are to love the people. Unfortunately, when we rightfully stand on moral principles, we too often condemn the person as well. And hatred develops.

Homosexuality is an example of this. I do understand that people will attempt to vilify us for our stand, but the ideal of Jesus, expressed here, is that our reaction is not to match theirs, but rather, still to be as Jesus to them. Even when we are misunderstood. As Jesus well understood, this is particularly hard to do. Hence His perfection comments.

It is hard for us not to let hatred affect us. I have had a family experience of this. My father (unwittingly) became one of the leaders of the anti-homosexual lobby at the time of the bill to legalise homosexuality in New Zealand. Undoubtedly, the criticism and undeserved hatred he received shortened his life.

None has reached perfection yet (if we had we would not die!) so we are all 'work in progress' in this area.

Lord, give us the revelation and will to love our enemies, for we cannot do it in our own strength.

SERMON ON THE MOUNT continued

Murder

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 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.

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

. 25 “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.

26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5: 21-26)

EXPOSITION:

This is generally considered to be an extension of the Sixth Commandment 'Thou shalt not kill'. However this is not actually correct, as the Rabbis had interpreted the commandment too narrowly. Jesus gave us the true explanation of the meaning of the commandment, which applies to thoughts and motivation as well as actual actions. In essence, we are to readily forgive and live in peace with one another.

TESTIMONY:

It would be fair to say that each of us has broken the 'Jesus explanation' of this commandment many times. I am no exception! For anger and resentment are part of the human condition.

While I have never had more than a 'normal(!)' anger problem, I certainly noticed a difference in my behaviour once I gave my heart to Jesus and tried to walk more in His image. Part of this may be due to the mellowing of age, but more to an understanding that getting angry and retaining resentment or unforgiveness does not do me any good!

Of course, we must learn from bad experiences, but carrying their memory simply leads to a bitterness of personality that is likely to shorten our lives as well as being most unattractive to others.

Self control does have a part to play in controlling anger, as seen in the 'anger management' programmes taught in the world. Understanding our triggers and walking away from potentially explosive situations certainly helps.

However, like the rest of the Mount Sermon, the only real answer is a change of character through submission to the will of the Father through the guidance of the Holy Spirit to become like Jesus in character.

This is not an formula for instant success but a process that takes a lifetime. I am still 'work-in-progress' in this area, as in many others of my life.

I trust you are too.

Adultery

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 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. 30 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. (Matthew 5:27-30)

EXPOSITION:

Like the previous exposition about anger being included with murder, so this explanation of the seventh commandment was again given by Jesus to correct earlier incorrect teachings by the Pharisees. Thoughts as well as actions were to be included.

TESTIMONY:

Before commencing this series, I read through the Scripture, saw this section, and dreaded having to write about it! For I am red blooded man and being honest, have heaps of problems in living out the righteous 'Jesus interpretation' of this commandment.

I know that many male readers will experience the same challenge with these words of Jesus too! Females - I don't know about, nor will I pretend to understand!

I understand the importance Jesus placed on this with his descriptive advice of what to do about it! Fortunately He said it to make a point, not be taken literally, otherwise nearly every man would be blind, at the very least!

'Girls, gold and glory' are the three '3G' major downfalls of men. (How about 'glamour, gossip and generational' for women?)

I simply ask for His forgiveness and pray that as I take on more of His character, I might become more like Him. Please help me Lord.

SERMON ON THE MOUNT continued

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12)

EXPOSITION

The final and most highly emphasized beatitude!

1. We are to be hunted down as 'wild beasts'.
2. Reviled, mocked and persecuted.
3. This is all to develop righteousness in us.

We will be blessed to stand up for Christ, shall inherit the kingdom of heaven now and also receive heavenly reward. The prophets suffered in the same way and we must rejoice and be glad in our suffering.

TESTIMONY

Living in the Western society which is New Zealand, with its relative freedom of religious expression, it is difficult to comprehend this final beatitude. Certainly, Christianity has gone from being mainstream when I was growing up, to now, a minority grouping within society. We may receive ridicule from the humanistic elite and, as has always been the case, from those who choose to live of 'debauchery'. Yet, at this time, 'persecution' is not a word that could be applied to my life experience.

When I look back through history and round the world today however, it is clear that persecution has always accompanied cutting edge Christianity. To make matters worse, Christian has even persecuted Christian!

Christianity, with it's message of internal peace (as we saw last week) in an antagonistic world, is a revolutionary message and way of life. Jesus was a 'peaceful revolutionary'! Hard for believers to understand with our human understanding, and impossible for the world to comprehend.

Jesus promised us persecution!

John 15:20a


To the martyr comes the ultimate reward.

Revelation 6:9-11


Real, all out, full on, Christianity develops most rapidly under persecution. The persecuted church both exists and is growing today. The 10 countries where the greatest persecution exists, according to International Christian Concern are; 1 North Korea, 2 Iraq, 3 Saudi Arabia, 4 Somalia, 5 India, 6 China, 7 Pakistan, 8 Iran, 9 Eritrea and 10 Vietnam.

To be honest, I have no real desire to be persecuted! Yet, I can see how persecution both tests and strengthens the faith of genuine believers.

Lord, may your will be done in me, no matter the cost.