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!!!

HUMILITY

HUMILITY

Matthew 5:5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.

“Humility,” or “meekness” as many translations put it, is not weakness. It is the greatest of strengths. Psalms 119:165 KJV Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them (or cause them to stumble). Proverbs 16:32 Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

The humble person, like Christ, is not easily offended, does not strike back quickly, will not speak evil of those who speak evil of him. The humble person is quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. He sees no task as beneath him, no person unworthy of his time. The humble driver yields the right of way, does not demand his way but walks in God’s way.

The humble are blessed. They are blessed because they are at peace and content with God’s plan. Take all they own now and they do not fret for they know they shall inherit the whole earth. They have the promise, they believe the promise and it gives them great joy, peace and contentment now. They know whom they have believed and are persuaded that He is able to keep that which they have committed unto Him against that day (2 Timothy 1:12 my paraphrase). So they do not need to fight and grasp for the stuff of this life. They are already living the abundant life of trust in God’s everlasting and certain promises.

Are there tasks that are beneath you? Are there people not worthy of your time? When you drive do you rush to get ahead of the next guy? Will you kneel down and tie someone else’s shoe? When insulted do you feel you must insult back?

Father in heaven, You alone know our hearts clearly. Show us our humility level. Make us know who we really are and then re-make us to be like Jesus who is meek and lowly in heart and help us to find rest unto our souls. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

GODLY SORROW = REPENTANCE

GODLY SORROW = REPENTANCE

Matthew 5:4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

To “mourn” is to grieve. The Israelites mourned over the losses they had experienced through the years. The Temple at this time was a fraction of the size it was in Solomon’s day. It’s splendor had dwindled as well. The Israelites, though they had some religious freedom, were captive to the Roman government. This was another reason to grieve. But the biggest reason for them to grieve is the reason they and the Temple were in this condition. It was because of sin.

2 Corinthians 7:10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

We’ve all seen people cry on national television because some “indiscretion” has come to light. The question arises in us, “Is this person grieving because they got caught, or because they really see the devastation of their sin?” In other words, “Are they sorry enough to make a change?” I see it with my grandchildren. One will hit the other causing a cacophony of screaming, crying, wailing and gnashing of teeth. A parent will get involved and part of the discipline involved is to make the offending party tell the victim, “I’m sorry for hitting you.” Sometimes the apology comes with little cajoling and sometimes it comes after more screaming, crying, wailing and gnashing of teeth. Is it true godly sorrow or godly mourning if in 30 minutes we are re-living the entire scenario all over again?

Most theologians seem to agree that the type of mourning Jesus is talking about here is godly sorrow over one’s own sin, the sin of her people and her nation. Do you mourn over your sin? Do you mourn over the sin you see around you? Do you mourn over the sin of your nation?

Those who do so will be comforted. Mourning over your own sin that leads to repentance (See “REPENT” from July 8 for more on this) results in salvation. What an awesome comfort that is; saved from eternal death, from hell; saved to a new abundant life in Christ and saved to eternal life with Him forever. And He gives His Holy Spirit, the Comforter to each of His children (John 14:16).

Read this Old Testament promise in Isaiah… Isaiah 61:1-4 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon Me, for the LORD has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.  (2)  He has sent Me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD's favor has come, and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.  (3)  To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for His own glory.  (4)  They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations.

Jesus quotes from this passage in Luke 4. He is the fulfillment of this promise. Count the number of times the word, “mourn” is used here and look at the blessings that are coming to those who do so.

Today I urge you to see your own sin as God sees it. He does not laugh, nor joke about our sin. It breaks His heart and it causes great trouble for us and for our nation. Proverbs 14:34 NKJV Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.

Please note that this sorrow that leads to repentance does not lead to discouragement, depression or suicide. That kind of sorrow is worldly sorrow. See 2 Cor 7:10 above. 

James 4:7-10 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  (8)  Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.  (9)  Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.  (10)  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor.

Oh Lord God, May we see our sin the way You see it. May we truly grieve such that our hearts turn away from sin and turn to You and Your righteousness. May others see our lives and know we are Your true disciples because we keep Your commands and truly love each other. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

POOR IN SPIRIT

POOR IN SPIRIT

Matthew 5:3  "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him,  for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

The word “poor” here can be either literal or figurative. In this case it is often translated, “poor in spirit.” Either way it is a picture of one who sees his need for help which he cannot provide himself, nor can any human source. God alone can help. God alone can suffice.

Those who are humble enough to see they need God are the ones Jesus is talking about. We live in a world of “self-made men and women.” They take credit for all their accomplishments and claim to have no need of their Creator. In many cases they mock Him and proclaim, “Look what I have built, what I have done.” The Kingdom of Heaven is not theirs. It is reserved for the humble who know they need their Creator.

1.  The poor in spirit are those who are contentedly poor. They are thankful for what they have and set out to use it for God’s glory, but if all they have is taken from them they do not fret for no one can take their greatest treasure from them. No one can remove their Savior, Friend, God.

2.  The poor in spirit are humble and lowly in their own eyes. They value others more than themselves. When others are blessed they rejoice. When others weep they weep with them.

3.  The poor in spirit have no confidence in their own righteousness. They rely fully on the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary for their salvation. They do works of righteousness not to earn God’s love, but because they love God who first loved them. They are confident in His love, keeping their eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.

Father in heaven, grant that we may hold fast to You, keeping our eyes on Jesus. Help us to hold the things of this world loosely enough that should you see the need to remove them from us, we willingly release them with no sorrow. Rather may we release them with joy knowing that Your love has something better in store for us, knowing that You will never leave us, nor forsake us. Grant also, that we may serve You without fear of punishment, but with love for You. Free our hearts to by humble. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

-The idea for the three points on “poor in spirit” are taken from Matthew Henry’s commentary on Matthew.