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Finding Each
spring, Atlanta Bible College invites high school students and young
adults to its campus for a weekend we call ABC-I—The Atlanta Bible
College Invitational. We try to give students a small taste of
campus life, some time in a classroom, and a lot of time with others
who are checking things out, too. The
event draws more than just those who are interested in attending
ABC. Quite a few students attend for the fellowship, the fun, and
times of worship and teaching. The program includes several chapel
services (longer and louder than our typical chapel sessions),
interviews with staff members, service projects, and what we call
area tours. The
latest edition of the ABC-I hit town last month, and it has me
thinking this afternoon. The event carried a theme of “Finding My
Way” this year, and we had several viewpoints presented as to what
that means. Today, as I stare out my window while in thought, my
version continues to…percolate. Quite
a few jokes are made about men and their refusal to ask for
directions. Asking strangers for directions is not something I
particularly enjoy, either, so I cannot really disagree with the
jokes basis in reality. It is not just driving, either. I sometimes
have trouble asking for any directions. I don’t want to appear
inferior in knowledge and experience, even when I am. Why is that?
Like the beginning of so many of our troubles, this one seems to
start with pride. Pride
says, “I don’t need your help. I don’t need your guidance, the
benefit of your experience, or even your encouragement. Just let me
find my way on my own.” While
each of us must blaze our own trail in life, nothing should convince
us that we must blaze that trail alone. We take with us the
influence of parents, of teachers, of youth workers, of pastors. We
also carry the influence of relationships, both “good” and
“bad.” We carry the thoughts of those whose teaching we have
taken in, those whose books we have read, those whose productions
(movies, music, television, web pages, etc.) we have consumed. The
collective experiences of who we are through what we have taken in. Hebrews
10:19-25 says, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to
enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living
way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since
we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to
God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having
our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the
hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us
consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of
doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you
see the Day approaching.” This
is clearly the way that I want to go, though it does not give me
specific direction. Draw near to God. Hold to the Hope. Spur one
another on. Some general instructions that we can each take with us
as we find our way. Happy
trails!
Sermon
on the Mount - Offence After Jesus
confronts the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:19
and 20), he begins a series of teachings on six subject matters. The
sect of the Pharisees boasted themselves as the vanguard and sole
interpreters of the Mosaic Law. However, in reality, they were just
the opposite. They developed an enormous, extensive system of oral
traditions made up of commentaries and discussions about their
interpretation of the Scriptures. They regarded this work equal to,
if not more valuable than, the Word of God itself which was given to
Moses and the prophets. They ruled Israel by their oral laws and
demanded acceptance by all. Jesus
began each subject with the statement: "Ye have heard that it
hath been said...but I say unto you...." He introduces each
subject as such because he was providing clarity and insight to the
Scriptures and correcting the wrong concepts introduced by the
Pharisees. Had his concern been only the former, he would have said,
"You have read or heard by Moses, or in the Law...." Matthew
5:21 “Ye
have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not
kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the
judgment:” God
first spoke regarding killing to Noah after the flood, recorded in
Genesis 9:5 and 6. At Mount Horeb God included "Thou shalt not
kill" (Exodus 20:13) within the ten commandments, and later
qualified the difference between premeditated murder and accidental
killing (Exodus 21:13 and 14). The phrase "whosoever shall kill
shall be in danger of the judgment" was not recorded in the Old
Testament; rather it was added with the oral law. Jesus follows with
great insight. Matthew
5:22 “But
I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a
cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to
his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever
shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire.” Jesus
is the master communicator and used many effective techniques to
paint mind pictures of the truths he taught. Examples, comparisons,
stories, fables, props, history, contrasts, and parables are some
methods he employed. In the record at hand, he uses a figure of
speech which exaggerates to bring home a very important point. "Judgment"
is referring to the local court, usually made up of three men; while
"council" is referring to their supreme court, made up of
70 men, called the Sanhedrin. "Raca" is a term of reproach
used among the Jews in that day. We would say, "You, good for
nothing...." The exaggeration is found in that while the
offenses decrease, the consequences increase. Kill
- Judgment (Small Court) Anger
- Council (Sanhedrin) Fool
- Hell fire Obviously
the ruling judicial body of Israel (the Sanhedrin) would not hear
cases related to someone's anger, no more so than a person would
receive hell fire for calling someone a fool. All civilized
societies understand the severity of murder and have appropriate
laws of retribution. However Jesus emphasizes that which is seldom
acknowledged; that is, premeditated murder begins with lesser
offenses such as speaking degradingly of another and having anger.
If we deal with the lesser, the greater will never be an issue. All
ungodly acting out against another should be avoided. Apostle
Paul was inspired to write regarding this same matter. Regarding
evil speaking he penned: Ephesians
4:29, 31 “Let
no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which
is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the
hearers. Let
all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil
speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:” If
we harbor good thoughts rather than evil in our hearts regarding
others, then unwholesome words, clamor, or slander will never be a
concern. However if we entertain bitterness, wrath, anger, etc.,
then evil speaking will follow. On
the subject of anger, Paul wrote: Verse
26 “Be
ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:” Variants
from the same Greek root word, orge,
were translated as "angry" and "wrath" in this
verse. Orge most often refers to the mental state
of anger. If we do not deal with mental anger, it will grow and
eventually manifest itself in an aggressive outburst. In verse 31
the word "wrath" is the Greek word thumos,
while "anger" is again orge.
Thumos means an outburst of anger. Throughout
the Scriptures, thumos anger
is always condemned because it attacks others. We can have mental
anger that is not sin; but if it lingers, indeed it can grow into
sin. An outburst of anger is always sin. (See Psalm 37:7-9; Proverbs
15:1,18; 16:32; 27:4.) Jesus
teaches us not to offend anyone by calling him a fool, degrading
with words like raca, expressing anger, and, obviously,
committing murder. He further communicates what we should do if a
brother has something against us. Matthew
5:23 and 24 “Therefore
if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy
brother hath ought against thee; Leave
there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled
to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” We
are not to think we can carry on a relationship with God, while we
fail to live lovingly regarding a brother. I John 2:10 and 11 “He
that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none
occasion of stumbling [skandalon ]in him. But
he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness,
and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded
his eyes.” I
John 4:20 “If
a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he
that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God
whom he hath not seen?” The
phrase "occasion of stumbling" is the Greek word skandalon
which literally means the trigger of a
trap on which the bait is placed and which when touched by the
animal, springs shut causing entrapment. Skandalon is
also translated snare, trap, and offense. The parable of the sower
and the seed reveals that offenses are one of the two primary ways
in which the devil takes believers out. Belittling or disparaging
words and anger offend people. When someone is offended, he becomes
snared in the Devil’s trap. An offended one is tempted to react
with similar, ungodly behavior. The response can be returning evil
speaking and reacting in anger, both of which are sin. The offended
one may be baited into canvassing, division, strife, separation,
isolation, and eventually walking away from the family of God and
from God Himself. Jesus
warned that there would be offenses in the world (Luke 17:1; Matthew
18:1-6), and that in the latter days offenses would grow worse
because the love of many would wax cold (Matthew 24:10-12). However,
we do not want to be among those who cause offense (Proverbs 18:19;
Romans 14:20 and 21; 1 Corinthians 8:13; 2 Corinthians
6:3). When
we are offended, we must realize that we are snared in Satan's trap.
We should not respond in an ungodly way. The proper thing to do is
to go to the person and do what is necessary to resolve the problem
(Matthew 18:15-18); and then we are to forgive (Luke 17:1-4). If
someone is offended by something we have done or said, then we have
the responsibility to "Leave there thy gift before the altar,
and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother..." (Matthew
5:24). The person may be offended because he or she misunderstood or
read into something you said or did. Even if you did nothing wrong,
it is still your love responsibility to endeavor to reconcile the
difference. The issue is not who is right or what is just. Rather,
the real issue is that a brother has been baited and is in the
Devil’s trap, and if he does not get out of the trap, he will sin.
We must die to ourselves, and with the spirit of meekness, save a
brother (Galatians 6:1-3; 2 Timothy 2:24-26). Go apologize; share
your love and concern followed with an explanation, not a defense,
of your actions. Jesus'
final point in this section is to act quickly, or things will grow
worse and become nearly impossible to resolve. Matthew
5:25 and 26 “Agree
with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him;
lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the
judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily
I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou
hast paid the uttermost farthing.”
The
Key That Unlocks the Bible “I can’t
understand the Bible!” is a common complaint voiced by many who
open its pages. Yes, it is hard to understand IF you don’t have
the key that unlocks its mysteries. You are about to have in your
hand the crucial but much-neglected key that Jesus offers to unlock
the mysteries of the Bible: “And
the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them
in parables?" Jesus answered them, "To
you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. "For
whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an
abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be
taken away from him. "Therefore
I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see,
and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. "In
their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which
says, `YOU WILL
KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL
NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL
KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR
THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS
THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY
WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH
THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.' (Matthew
13:10-15) The
“scholars” of the day found the simple parables of Jesus
offensive. His disciples were also perplexed by his use of these
simple stories and asked for his reasoning in using them. His answer
has profound significance. He states that those who are willing to
hear his simple stories are given “the mysteries of the kingdom of
heaven (or kingdom of God, as is used in Mark and
Luke). Everyone who refuses to hear and accept this basic truth is
condemned to repeat the prophecy of Isaiah of hearing but never
hearing; seeing but never perceiving. Herein, then,
lies the secret to understanding the Bible: TO UNDERSTAND WHAT JESUS
MEANT BY THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS THE KEY WHICH UNLOCKS ALL OF THE
BIBLE. All who ignore this key truth are doomed to fulfill
Isaiah’s prophecy of hearing but not understanding; seeing but not
perceiving. To be ignorant of the truth about the Kingdom of God is
to literally work against God in understanding the Bible. It’s
like turning out the lights in the house on the darkest night and
trying to find one’s way around. Coming to
terms with what Jesus meant regarding the Kingdom of God is a big
topic—a subject all in itself. In fact, it is a lifelong quest.
But all we need do is begin by grappling with the basic question of
what Jesus meant when he spoke of the Kingdom of God. By starting
with this question we are well ahead of those who seek to study the
Bible in ignorance of it. We find ourselves studying the Bible with
the assistance of God’s Spirit whereas all others are literally
working against God’s Spirit in understanding. Let me
challenge you to begin with key Kingdom passages, such as Matthew 13
(quoted above). There are many kingdom parables in this chapter
which give us insight into what Jesus meant concerning the Kingdom
of God. From there do a word study of “kingdom of God/kingdom of
heaven” and carefully consider what you read. Write down your
thoughts and understandings. And from there begin to re-read the
entire Bible in the light of your new understandings. You are about
to begin the adventure of a lifetime!
Copyright 2006 - Church of God General Conference - All Rights Reserved |
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