Computer Crash

Due to a major Computer Crash I won't be posting my regular blog today. I'm away from home and helping to take care of my daughter's three older children. I'm also attempting to reload everything back on my laptop. Yeah!!! Computers. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Lord willing, Red Letter Discipleship will be back tomorrow. 

THE TROUBLE WITH VOWS

THE TROUBLE WITH VOWS

Matthew 5:33-37 "You have also heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the LORD.'  (34)  But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, 'By heaven!' because heaven is God's throne.  (35)  And do not say, 'By the earth!' because the earth is His footstool. And do not say, 'By Jerusalem!' for Jerusalem is the city of the great King.  (36)  Do not even say, 'By my head!' for you can't turn one hair white or black.  (37)  Just say a simple, 'Yes, I will,' or 'No, I won't.' Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

Christ does not forbid judicial oaths. Note, (1) God sometimes swears by himself (Gen_22:16-17); (2) Jesus made oath before the Sanhedrim (Mat_26:63); (3) Paul made oath to the Corinthians (2Co_1:23). He does forbid all profanity and idle oaths, such as were common among the Jews, and still so defile the mouths of men. –People’s NT Commentary

These oaths that Jesus speaks of here would have more to do with swearing to accomplish something such as revenge, or some great feat. The problem with such an oath is again a matter of the heart. It is saying, “I will accomplish what I set out to do and nothing shall stop me.” To add to that an oath such as, “by God,” or “as sure as the sun rises,” etc. is to claim yourself greater than God. As James points out in the passage below we do not know what life holds for us in the next few minutes, let alone in the long term.

James 4:13-16 Look here, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit."  (14)  How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it's here a little while, then it's gone.  (15)  What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that."  (16)  Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.

Jesus points out that anything more than a simple “yes” or “no” is from the evil one and James here reiterates this. It is evil because it is generated from a desire to build up ourselves as something special above what we truly are, which is exactly what Satan attempted to do long ago. We have already pointed out that we are to be humble in all of our dealings and that our wrath does not work the righteousness of God. Many oaths are made in a moment of anger with a desire for revenge. Romans 12:19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back," says the LORD.

This takes us to another matter of the heart – trust. When we feel the need to take revenge we refuse to trust that God will judge fairly and that He will keep His promise to bless those who are persecuted for His sake. On top of that we fail to respond with prayer, forgiveness and blessing toward those who use us and hurt us.

Other translations of Matthew 5 use the word, “Swear” and some commentaries include the use of ungodly language (cussing) when they discuss this passage. Along those lines let it suffice to quote the apostle Paul. Ephesians 4:29 Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Father in heaven, Thank You we can trust You to bless us and to judge fairly. Help us to yield to Your Holy Spirit in all our dealings. May we be found peaceful, trusting and faithful. May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

DIVORCE

DIVORCE

Matthew 5:31-32 "You have heard the law that says, 'A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.'  (32)  But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.

I know there are those of you reading this who have been divorced. Please understand that divorce is not the unpardonable sin. Also, there is more to the full story about marriage, divorce and remarriage than Jesus covers in this short passage. For the sake of this study I don’t intend to go into all of that, but urge you to study it further on your own. Jay Adams has an excellent book titled, Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage that covers all the scriptures dealing with this subject.

I quoted part of Malachi yesterday and will add a verse to it today. Malachi 2:14-16 You cry out, "Why doesn't the LORD accept my worship?" I'll tell you why! Because the LORD witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows.  (15)  Didn't the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are His. And what does He want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.  (16)  "For I hate divorce!" says the LORD, the God of Israel. "To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty, "says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. "So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife."

In God’s economy marriage is not a disposable commodity and yet, even in the church many treat it as such. God’s desire for marriage is the procreation of godly children. For that to happen the parents must be godly. In part, that means we treat each other with love and respect. Men, your wife is not a lesser creature. She is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Love her and live with her with understanding. (1Peter 3:7 my paraphrase)

Both men and women have come to me over the years looking for ways to make their spouses conform to the scriptures. Read this carefully… It doesn’t work that way. Your approach has to be to ask yourself, “Am I following the scriptures? Am I doing my part? Am I living out what I know the scriptures teach I am to do?” 1Pe 3:1b-2a “They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives.” This passage is speaking specifically to the wife’s duties, but that phrase can also be true of a husband who loves his wife God’s way.

God hates divorce. He says it “overwhelms her with cruelty.” The same is true when the wife divorces the husband. It is cruel in God’s sight. He sees marriage as a covenant. In a covenant each party involved agrees to do his/her part. In a contract each party only agrees to do his part if the other party does hers. I urge you to work with your spouse as much as possible by first making certain you are doing what the scripture requires of you. Treat your marriage as a covenant, not a contract.

Father in heaven, Your Word tells us that he who finds a wife finds a good thing. May we be found faithful in loving our spouses. Give us hearts that love as You love. Help us see our spouses as our equal partners in the gift of new life You have given us. And for those of us whose spouses are not following You and Your ways, may our godly, loving lives win them over to You. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

ADULTERY

ADULTERY

Matthew 5:27-30 "You have heard the commandment that says, 'You must not commit adultery.'  (28)  But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  (29)  So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, 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 hand—even your stronger 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 be thrown into hell.

I had a married friend who would look a pretty girl up and down lustfully and say, “Just because I’m on a diet doesn’t mean I can’t look at the menu.” The problem with that thought process is just like our devotional from yesterday. It spirals downward. A thought turns to a longing (covetousness). A longing turns to dissatisfaction with what we already have (ungratefulness). Dissatisfaction turns to bitterness and eventually it all turns to external, sinful action (adultery).

“You shall not covet,” is the tenth commandment. Taking a nonchalant attitude toward it is unloving and selfish. Remember, love is the fulfillment of the law. So it is unloving to covet, lust after what belongs to your neighbor. It is also unloving toward your wife. Malachi 2:14-15  You cry out, "Why doesn't the LORD accept my worship?" I'll tell you why! Because the LORD witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows.  (15)  Didn't the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are His. And what does He want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.

Note: Did you notice God’s desire for marriage? “Godly children from your union.”

I have sat with many a woman who has been cheated on by a husband caught up in pornography. They all ask the same question, “Why am I not enough?” They are devastated by the cruelty and rejection they feel involved with this act of their husbands “looking at the menu.”

Someone might say, “Well I’m not married, so this doesn’t pertain to me.” 1 Timothy 5:2 Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.

Loving your neighbor as yourself pertains to all of us. When we treat another person like a prize to be won we are being selfish, and rude. Love is not rude and does not demand its own way (1Cor 13).

Don’t get me wrong here. I understand, first-hand the struggle this can be. When I was 12 I stumbled upon a pornographic magazine. To my shame I looked and then I looked for more of the same. It became an insatiable appetite in me that is still a struggle to this day. I have to stop the temptation the moment it appears.

I have given my dear wife permission to hold me accountable. At any time she can ask me what I’ve been looking at, watching and doing. On my computers I have an application created by www.covenanteyes.com which sends a report of my internet activities to Evelyn each week. This clears up any questions about my internet activity.

By granting Evelyn this permission I’m proverbially plucking out the eye that causes me to lust and cutting off the hand that causes me to sin. If we all literally plucked out our eyes and cut off our hands for this reason, very few, if any of us, would be whole. I know a young single man who recognizes the problem that this sin is for him and so he refuses to have a computer or even a smart phone because he knows how easy it is to access things he shouldn’t be looking at.

One more thing. In the day we live in this is not just a problem for men. Women viewing pornography has been on the rise since the internet became available. So I say to all Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Father in heaven, the commandments You gave us are for our benefit. Forgive us when we fail to see that. Help us to say with Job Job 31:1 "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman.” Fill our hearts with Your love and help us men to show that pure love to all women, the older as mothers and the younger as sisters. Also, help us to be diligent to guard our own hearts and the hearts of children that we may truly be godly. In Jesus Holy Name, AMEN!!!

MURDER

MURDER

Matthew 5:21-26 "You have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.'  (22)  But I say, if you are even angry with someone [without cause], you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.  (23)  "So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,  (24)  leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.  (25)  "When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison.  (26)  And if that happens, you surely won't be free again until you have paid the last penny.

First I wish to point out that the word for “without cause” is not in all the Greek texts. That is the reason that phrase is grayed out in verse 22. James tells us very clearly that our anger does not work God’s righteousness (James 1:19-20). Therefore, I urge you to not use that phrase as justification for anger. And don’t use Jesus’ indignation in the temple as justification for your anger either. He is completely holy and can be angry and absolutely not sin. You and I need a lot of help with that.

Verse 22 is a warning against anger. The warning being that to allow yourself to become angry you put yourself in jeopardy of judgment. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:27 that undealt with anger gives Satan a foothold. And let me tell you, if Satan gets a foot in the door he will cause as much damage as he can as fast as he can. Anger is the proverbial Pandora’s Box.

The next part of the warning moves from just being angry to name calling. At this point our anger has moved from just a heart issue to a verbal assault. The next step is speaking curses against the object of our anger. Proverbs 18:21 “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” At the point you have begun to speak curses your anger has turned to rage and the next step after that is at least causing harm if not actual murder. So, it seems prudent to take action as soon as you see anger rising in your heart. I mentioned James 1:19-20 above. James 1:19-20 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  (20)  Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

Matthew 5:23 takes us to a deeper love for God and our fellow man. If anger causes such harm and devastation for the person who is angry then I not only need to keep my own heart in check, but I must also quickly clear up any matters in which I have offended another. If you are even at the altar or, in modern days, in your pew with your offering dangling over the offering plate and suddenly remember someone has reason to be angry with you, leave the offering, but go and do all you can to reconcile with that person. Then come back and present your offering to the Lord with a pure heart and a clean conscience.

I know someone is thinking, “But that person doesn’t have a right to be mad. I didn’t do anything wrong.” Are you sure? Read verses 25 and 26 above again. Search your heart and ask God to show you if you did anything offensive and then ask Him if you’ve responded to the offended person in an offensive way. He loves you and will show you if you approach Him with an honest heart. You don’t have to admit to things you didn’t do, but be honest and understanding with yourself and the other person.

Our adversary is Satan and he is also known as the accuser of the brethren. Years ago we knew a young lady who had opened herself up to demonic influence. One evening at a bible study she sat in our living room on the floor with her knees drawn up to her chest. Speaking in a voice that was not hers she began turning herself to face each of us, one at time and accusing us of various sins. I’ll be honest, I was a concerned about what she would say my sin was. I started rebuking that demon in the Name of Jesus telling it to get out, but it didn’t stop and I was getting angry. She got all the around to me and accused me of some pretty heinous stuff. I bowed my head and asked the Lord why this thing was able to do this. In that moment He reminded me of the passage above. The King James Translation says, “Agree with thine adversary quickly.” So I did. I looked that young lady in the eyes and said, “You are absolutely right. I’m a low life sinner full of lust, greed and all sorts of sin. But it’s all under the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.”

When I said that she screamed at me to stop it. We all started singing every song we could think of about the Blood of Jesus. A few minutes passed and she began to weep and to say, “It’s gone. It’s gone.” God set her free in that moment.

Had I allowed my anger to take control instead of admitting my failure and proclaiming the goodness and salvation of Christ Jesus, I believe that demon would have won a victory that day that could have effected everyone in the room. There would have been much trouble instead of freedom and rejoicing.

Father in heaven, It is so easy for me to get angry, for us to get angry. Help us to look to You and to trust You when others persecute us, pick on us, and treat us with contempt. Help us to honestly admit our own failures and to show our adversaries the love that You have given us. Thank You for the power and fruit of Your Holy Spirit that helps us in all things to glorify You. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

ACCOMPLISHING, FULFILLING THE LAW

ACCOMPLISHING, FULFILLING THE LAW

Matthew 5:17-20 "Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.  (18)  I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God's law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.  (19)  So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.  (20)  "But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

At first glance this passage may appear to be saying that we are to follow all the Old Testament Law and some even quote this to propagate that teaching. The key here is in the phrase, “until its purpose is achieved.” Jesus accomplished the purpose of the law. Romans 10:4 “For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in Him are made right with God.”

So what was the purpose of the law? Galatians 3:19 Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law (specifically the ceremonial part of it) was designed to last only until the promised child, Jesus Christ fulfilled the law through His death, burial and resurrection. God gave His law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. (Emphasis Added)

Does this mean we can forget about the law? Paul answers that question for us in Romans 3:30-31 “There is only one God, and He makes people right with Himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.  (31)  Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.”

Paul and Jesus talk about the law being fulfilled through love. Romans 13:8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God's law.

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied, "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' (38) This is the first and greatest commandment. (39) A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' (40) The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."

Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial parts of the law. After His death, burial and resurrection there was no longer a need for animal sacrifices and all that went along with them. According to Hebrews 9 Jesus died once for all. There is no need for Him to die over and over again because He was the perfect sacrifice that only needed to be offered one time. In that act of dying for us He fulfilled the requirements of the law for all mankind who would accept the gift He offered.

So, in Christ Jesus the law’s purpose is fulfilled. Those who believe in Him are then called to a life of good works which can only be fulfilled through faith and in love. One who loves his neighbor will not steal from his neighbor or lie about him or murder him, etc. No, love will demand that we treat our neighbor as we would desire to be treated.

As for being more righteous than the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees… Philippians 3:9b I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with Himself depends on faith.

In the following verses from The Sermon on the Mount Jesus takes the letter of the law and breaks it down to issues of the heart.

Father in heaven, thank You for the sacrifice of Jesus for our sin. Thank You for making it possible for all to come to You for salvation through faith in Your son. Help us now to show that we truly believe by filling us with Your Holy Spirit and empowering us to walk in love with one another and You. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

Mom's Funeral

Red Letter Discipleship will resume on Monday, LORD willing. Today is the home going celebration for my mother.

Keep doing right, loving mercy and walking humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

God bless you.
Brother Steve