A friend emailed this to me. It is something he found on a Christian Professionals Group forum. What a great testimony and what a great encouragement:

I often find myself waiting for tomorrow thinking that when it comes my life will be so much better. As if there was some thing out there that I don’t already have that will make my life complete. The weird thing is that everything is already really great in my life – I just don’t have a job. In the last months I was allowing this to over-shadow the truth until I found myself full of sorrow and self-pity and anger. Not any more! 

A lot of people’s unhappiness is due to a sense of “entitlement” about life. It’s an unrealistic view of what they “deserve” in life. Most of us are in the top 1% riches people in the world and we live in great country where we can still worship God without fear. Yet we feel we deserve so much more and when we don’t get it we become unhappy.

I understand the pressure to make money or as we call it “make a living.” The problem is that I have set my standard of living so high (certainly compared to the world but even compared to families just down the road a few miles). We’ve also spent most all of what we’ve earned each year so now we expect God to be our banker and cover our expenses. I’ve made a ton of money over the years that I’ve been working but it’s all been spent on “stuff” and now that I don’t have a paycheck coming in each week there is a tendency to look at God like he’s not there for me. We forget all the money He already gave us for years and years and how we used it how we saw fit. So we end up feeling stressed, worried and bitter at the world around us and even our GOD.

What does God promise us in His word?

The Bible tells us that EVERYTHING in heaven and earth is the Lords.
He alone allows us to be successful even when we think we have made the wealth ourselves. It is HE who has given us the skills and situations that brought us success and money thus far.

Job said after losing all he had (except his very life) “ Naked I was born and Naked I shall Die. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job was real about his life as it was falling apart around him and although he lost it all he still kept his focus on who he was compared to GOD.
- Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers but later he saved the nation of Israel from starvation.
- Ruth was taken as a slave into a foreign country and then ended up as wife to the King of Babylon where she would later save the nation of Israel from massacre.
- Paul was arrested, beaten and homeless for years as he spoke boldly for Christ and he said “to live is Christ and to Die is gain”

Here’s a thought – maybe you already have the “good stuff” and you’re still looking for more?

I Timothy 6:6-8 “But Godliness with contentment is a great source of gain. For we have brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” Can you say this about your life today?

What do you feel you are DUE from God today that you don’t have?
A job? Your health? A spouse who you love? Good kids? A cool house or stuff? Is the lack of these things making you unhappy?

Christ came to give us joy and peace that are not bound by our situations and if we are not experiencing this then we have lost our focus.
Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

If you are not experiencing His Joy and Peace it’s because you are not willing to take it in the format that GOD has decided to give it to you. It is right there to be taken if you want it but you have to be willing to take it the way GOD serves it up. It requires you see God for who He is and realize that if you are walking in righteousness before God then this is EXACTLY what he wanted for you. The things in your life today are a representation of His love for you and not that He has forgotten you.

So today I say to me and to you … “Man Up” and get going!

Find out what God wants of YOU today and do it.
Don’t hold back your heart from Him or others around you.
Serve the Lord gladly and serve others too.
Trust that He is able to do more immeasurably more than we could possibly ask or imagine according to HIS power that is in us!

Stop waiting for tomorrow but consider each day as the best GOD has for you and stay focused on Christ love for you and truth of God’s word.

Join us Saturday, May 30th, 12 noon, at the Lake Mary Pub on East Crystal lake Ave in Lake Mary (Right next to our church offices at the Loft).

I received two text messages the other day from someone I know……… that obviously had me in his cell phone. I am not even sure he realized that he sent me these messages:

The first one read: “Yo man….. can you find me a bag of dope? I need a quarter.”
The second one read, “Yo girl………..think I can get some **sex** tonight?”

This person is married……….his wife is out of town. He probably has no idea that he sent me these messages. Nor will I probably ever tell him.

There are two morals to this story:
1. We are not what we portray on the outside…..we are who we really are. Jesus knows our heart.
2. If you put your pastor’s number in your cell phone…..be careful when you send a text message.

We have made our way through Jesus’ message to the heart of the Sermon on the Mount. Today we will look at Jesus’ words that emphasize one of the bigger temptations and sins in our society immoral sex and lust. One of the major problems of today’s society is the ”rationalization” in our minds that has reduced the ”realization” of the serious nature of sin or wrongdoing in our hearts.

As we talk about this next lesson and great truth that Jesus shares with us we will talk mainly of sexual sin, however, the lessons of how to deal in a healthy way with this sin in our lives is applicable to whatever our temptation is……..

• temptation to steal
• temptation to lie
• temptation for greed
• temptation for anger that results in hate….gossip…..pain
• you name the temptation or the struggle……we can apply these truths.

In our last discussion Jesus elevated our minds beyond what we could easily accept to a higher standard that stretched our hearts :

Matthew 5:21-22 ( TNIV )
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’  22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment….

Today we will go even deeper into the teachings of Jesus that may make some of us uncomfortable because these concepts run contradictory to our world. Let’s look the next great truth that Jesus shares with us in His Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:27-30 ( TNIV )
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall 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 stumble, 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 [Gehenna].  30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, 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 [Gehenna].

Today’s message is very deeply rooted in the Beatitudes. In fact, it is so deeply rooted in the Beatitudes that I want you to see the reality of temptation and struggle in your life and how God intended us to deal with it.

First, let me say that for many hundreds of years this teaching that we are studying called the Sermon on the Mount, and even specifically, the Beatitudes themselves, was looked at as an impossible ideal in the lives of God’s people. I have heard it said that to live the Beatitudes one would have to be perfect. I have heard it said that there is no sense in trying…… because it is an impossible goal to live up to Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount. There are those scholars that have doubted that Jesus even uttered these words because they are so impossible to achieve…..at least in their minds they are.

But here is what I say……….I SAY that those thoughts are counter to what Jesus intended as He shared this wisdom with us. I SAY that those thoughts are far from the truth. I SAY that Jesus was not talking about a legalism or perfection, but WAS talking about our “day to day” temptations and struggles and how we can take those temptations and struggles and live in the kingdom of God…the kingdom of heaven.

What Jesus is telling us is that “it’s all about our hearts”. It’s not about the legalism that would have us think that “there is no way we can be perfect” therefore we either have to put up a front or simply to give up and abandon the struggle all together. In other words, ”Satan here I am. Take me. I give up”.

As christians we have a few choices as we face any sin in our life:

• We can bury our sin, hide it and become self righteous.
• We can give in to the sin, accept it in our life, give up on the battle and we basically create a chasm between us and God…… which leads to spiritual destruction.
• OR….we can face our sin and the struggle, put up barriers, continue to turn to God and Jesus for help…. for refuge (spiritual poverty), mourn the sin and work through the struggle. In doing these we are living out the Beatitudes…..thirsting for righteousness,  mourning our sin and the sin of others,  seeking God’s help (spiritual poverty) instead of rationalizing that all is okay,  showing mercy to others that have the same temptation and struggle by helping them through their temptation and struggle.
   

So…let’s look closer at what Jesus is telling us. Follow me on this journey as we dissect a sin and as we look at how Jesus teaches us about dealing with that sin.

Matthew 5:27-30 ( TNIV )
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall 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.

Again Jesus quotes one of the Ten Commandments….the seventh commandment:

Exodus 20:14 ( TNIV )
14“You shall not commit adultery.

In the Old Testament God tells us, His people, that a person must not have sex with someone other than his or her spouse. But again, I believe that people missed God’s heart. Jesus “fulfills” the Law here and explains God’s heart by telling us, But I tell you” that even the “desire” to have sex with someone other than who you are married to is mental adultery and is wrong. Again, Jesus emphasized our heart. If the ACT is wrong…… then so is the desire to do the act. For a man or a woman to look at someone and lust is the same as committing adultery. 

What does “lust” mean? It means the desire for an illicit relationship. If we simply avoid the act of adultery but we have a mind filled with lustful thoughts and desires for someone else we miss the point of God’s law.

Let me say this first though Jesus was not condemning our natural interest in the opposite sex or even healthy sexual desire……my gosh, if you want some heart pounding sexual imagery, read the Old Testament book “Song of Songs”.

Within the context of marriage our sexual, and I believe, spiritual desires for our spouse are a gift from God. So why would sex outside marriage be wrong? First, would you agree that sex with someone creates a bond of sorts?  Maybe even a bond that is not based on the person but on the desire? My next question is: should a relationship be based on this sexual desire or on the whole person?

I believe that our sexual desire is a complement to our marriage and should not at all be the basis for our marriage….in any way shape or form. Sex is a complement to the marriage relationship. In Hebrew, the word for this would be “dode”…in Greek it would be “eros”……obviously where we get the word “erotic” from.

Why would adultery be wrong?  That seems pretty obvious. Why would lust be wrong? Maybe that doesn’t seem so obvious. First, lust so very often leads to action. The realization of our societies attitude toward sexual behavior has created major problems. Abortion would be no problem if the immorality that feeds it was addressed. Many cases of HIV/AIDS could be handled much more successfully if the morality that feeds it was addressed. Sexually transmitted diseases are not an issue when Biblical morality is practiced. 

Inside marriage, the deepest of relationships, lust leads to hurt. If you know that the person you love lust after others, what does that do to your self esteem….how you feel about yourself? What about physical affairs ……….they break up marriages. So now comes the big question, with so much sexual imagery around us, on TV, at the newsstand, on the internet, in the way we dress, and on and on….how do we control this lust that so very often leads to hurt relationships and to a hurtful view of ourselves? The answer may not seem as obvious. Listen to Jesus’ answer first and then let me explain:

Matthew 5:29-30 ( TNIV )
29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, 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 [Gehenna].  30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, 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 [Gehenna].

When Jesus tells us to get rid of our eye or our hand, he was speaking figuratively. I do not believe that Jesus meant for us to gouge out an eye….…because even a blind person can lust. I believe that what Jesus was saying was that we need to surgically remove anything in our life that cause us to stumble or sin. 

I like how the theologian John Stott put it:

“What does this involve in practice? Let me elaborate and so interpret Jesus’ teaching: ‘If your eye causes you to sin because temptation comes to you through your eyes (objects you see) then pluck out your eyes. That is……don’t look! Behave as if you had actually plucked out your eyes and flung them away and were now blind and so could not see the objects which previously caused you to sin. Again, if your hand or foot causes you to sin because temptation comes to you through your hands (things you do) or your feet (places you visit). then cut them off. That is: don’t do it! ……….Don’t go! ………..Behave as if you had actually cut off your hands and feet and had flung them away, and were now crippled and so could not do the things or visit the places which previously caused you to sin.”

  www.covenanteyes.com

Job 31:1 (TNIV)
“I made a covenant with my eyes….”

Am I suggesting a new “legalism” with all this?  No way!    Jesus says, “If your right eye causes you to sin …” , not anyone else’s eye……but YOUR eye. We are all different…….. we stumble over different things. One thing may arouse one and leave another unmoved.

I want to also point out here that  Jesus tells us the result of sin…….
 
Matthew 5:30 ( TNIV )
It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell [Gehenna].

There are many words in the Bible that are translated as “Hell”. The word Jesus uses here is “Gehenna”. Gehenna was a place a place in the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem. It was a dump, a place where the filth and dead animals of the city were cast out and burned, a place full of worms eating the filth, a place that fires never ceased.

Think about it, with any addiction, with any sin: drugs or alcohol, stealing, lying, even greed…..and yes…..immoral sex….the fire never goes out, we are never quenched…we are always longing for more. It becomes HELL….doesn’t it?

As Christians, as followers of Jesus Christ, we have a few choices as we face any sin in our life:

• We can bury our sin, hide it and become self righteous.
• We can give in to the sin, accept it in our life, give up on the battle, and we basically create a chasm between us and God……which leads to spiritual destruction.
• OR….we can face our sin and the struggle, put up barriers, continue to turn to God and Jesus for help……..for refuge (spiritual poverty), mourn the sin and work through the temptation and struggle.

In doing this we are living out the Beatitudes…..

• – we are seeking God’s help (spiritual poverty) instead of rationalizing that all is okay and we will see the kingdom of heaven…because God is king in our lives
• – We are mourning our sin and the sin of others….and we will be comforted.
• – We are humbly facing our temptations and struggles through the meekness of our heart before God and others…….and we will inherit the earth…we will find fulfillment in this world.
• – We are now hungering and thirsting for righteousness….and we will be filled….we will be proud of our strength through Jesus.
• – We will show mercy to others that have the same temptation and struggles by helping them through their trials………and we will be shown mercy.
• – As we turn away from these sins in our lives and surgically deal with them…….we will see a transformation of purity in our hearts…….and we will be able to start to see God clearly in our lives.
• – We will come to a place where we can actually be at peace with ourselves….we come to a place where we can help others heal and be at peace with themselves and God………and we can feel like children of God in a real sense.
  – And yes……for all those that don’t even think that our temptations are wrong or valid…….we can……….through strength of character……. and through the peace and fulfillment that we have seen in Jesus Christ…. endure criticism and persecution for doing what is right….. and we will see the kingdom of heaven….…because God has given us the key to hope….fulfillment and happiness.

There was a time that I hated my father. Why….because he didn’t treat my mother well. Because he had affairs and it broke up our family. I was angry at him. I began hate him. I had a hard time forgiving him. If you were to have asked me back then……”well….how is that workin’ for ya?” I would have responded “not so good”. This was a time when I turned away from God. This was a time when I turned to my friends and drugs to take away the pain in my heart and in my life. It was during this time that I started to hate myself and I had little love for others. As I look back at this time in my life, it wasn’t only him that I wanted to murder in my heart…it was me too. 

To set the record straight, I forgave my father years later and, especially in the last months of his life, we became closer than we ever had been.

We continue this journey into the heart of Jesus’ message…..a message we commonly call “The Sermon on the Mount”.  I believe that Jesus wants us to take a deep, deep, look at our inner selves. In the Beatitudes He shares with us these simple truths:

• To trust and have dependance on God in our daily life
• To  mourn….to care, love others 
• To have the strength of character to be meek (not weak)
• To hunger and thirst for doing what is right
• To have a heart to help others and show mercy….grace in action
• And with  all these things……Jesus tells us to have a pure heart
• Jesus tells us to make peace with those around us
• And to have the strength of character to endure persecution for loving Him and doing what is right.

These, I believe, are the secrets…..the mysteries….the truth upside down…. upon which we can build happy and fulfilled life.

Jesus was preparing his listeners THEN ….and is preparing us NOW……for some very strong stuff….again…the truth upside down. If we live out the Beatitudes, we will start to see fulfillment in our lives. If there is a breaking down in these simple truths…….we’ll have trouble understanding the strong truths that He presents us NOW and in the coming weeks. If we internalize and apply these “inner truths” to our lives, we can’t  be defeated. The reason some people don’t survive spiritually,  is that they don’t pay the price for maturity.

Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:20) we heard Jesus say that the righteousness of His people must exceed that of the Pharisees. Who were the Pharisees? The Pharisees were the religious leaders of Jesus day that often lived in hypocritical ways. The Pharisees were EXTERNALLY correct…. and appeared to be God’s people. What Jesus is sharing with us is how to be INTERNALLY correct……. and to TRULY be God’s people.

With the stage set……let’s continue our journey into the “Sermon on the Mount”:

Let’s look at the next teaching of Jesus that is found in Matthew 5:21-26. This is where Jesus starts to express the result of applying the Beatitudes to our lives.

Matthew 5:21-26 ( TNIV )
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 

22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ [a way of calling someone “empty headed”] is answerable to the Sanhedrin. [The Sanhedrin was the Jewish high court]  And 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 or sister has something against you,  24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to that person; 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 together on the way, or your adversary 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 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Something that we have to remember is that Jesus elevated the standards of God’s wisdom, the standards Christian living. He elevated these standards above just  SIMPLY KEEPING THE LAW.

As we will see in the coming post in this series, Jesus will say six times, “You have heard that it was said … but I say to you” ……what Jesus is telling us is that his teaching goes beyond what the Ten Commandments and the Torah say. The Torah is the name for the Hebrew “Law”. He is speaking to the interpretations by the Rabbi’s that were passed down through the ages [this collection of interpretations of the meanings of the law; according to rabbinic tradition is called “the Mishna”]  and Jesus was setting the stage to explain what God really meant.

Jesus shows us the true intent of God’s Law. The people don’t need to be more righteous than the Pharisees by the NUMBER of laws that they kept… they need to be more righteous in the WAY they kept the laws.

Let’s look at the first example that Jesus gives us:

Matthew 5:21 ( TNIV )
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 

I looked closely at this Greek word translated as “Murder”. The Greek word is “phoneuo” [phone-you-o]. Jesus, of course, is speaking here of the 6th commandment, “You shall not murder” (found in Exodus 20:13 as well as Deuteronomy 5:17). The original Hebrew word used in the Old Testament Scriptures is “rasah”. Both of these words mean to kill, primarily with intent and premeditation, which is “murder”. The Pharisees were teaching that the command against murder, referred JUST to the taking another person’s life. They read this law, and not having literally murdered anyone, they felt righteous. 

Scripture also tells us that murderers were subject to judgment (to death) through legal proceedings………also described in the Law.

Exodus 21:12-14 ( TNIV )
12 “Anyone who strikes someone a fatal blow is to be put to death.  13 However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place I will designate.  14 But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately, that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death.

So……..what is the point here? If Jesus did not come to abolish or change the Law…..how does He “FULFILL” the law? He fulfills the Law by telling us it’s true meaning as God intended.

Matthew 5:22-24 ( TNIV )
22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca, ’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. And 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 or sister has something against you,  24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to that person; then come and offer your gift.

Jesus tells us that we should not even become angry enough to murder…….because then we would already have committed murder in our heart. Killing is a terrible sin…….but anger is just as bad because it also violates God’s command to love. The “Anger,” here…….refers to a seething, brooding….and  bitterness. Jesus saw a direct connection between anger and murder…a connection that we so very often deny.

Why do we so often deny this?   I believe because we often feel “justified”….we want rationalize our anger and hate. Jesus taught that our intention  is a significant part of wrongdoing. Think about it……”anger”….. leads very quickly to a whole range of emotions and actions……… a whole range of emotions and actions that we so very often regret. Anger tends to be like a hurricane that reeks a path of destruction.. Anger can destroy us as well as anything or anyone against which we direct it. What can we do to stop this “hurricane” …….to direct it’s path to the see where it will subside and die out?

• Confrontation—we can express anger in appropriate ways ….speaking in love
• Contemplation—we can examine why we are angry, looking at the surrounding circumstances
• Confession—we can ask God and others for help in dealing with our anger

Is all anger a sin? No, it’s not. Righteous anger and anger that is dealt with in a healthy way is not a sin. 

• It is not wrong to be angry at the inappropriate response of others towards us….it is wrong to hate them.
• It is not wrong to be angry at the pain and wrongdoing of others in the world…..it is wrong if that anger is manifested in hate and retribution.

I think you get the point……the point is to love….. not to destroy the spirit in those around us.

Let’s look at this last thought that Jesus shares with us about murder and anger:

Matthew 5:25-26 ( TNIV )
25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary 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 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

It is very practical advice to resolve our differences with our enemies, with those who make us angry, before their anger causes more trouble. Not all disagreements end in going to court or end in having someone else arbitrate the matter. The point is……..even small conflicts mend more easily if you try to make peace right away. In a even a bigger way, Jesus is telling us to get things right with our brothers and sisters before we have to stand before God.

Do you see the difference between destroying a person physically and destroying a person spiritually?

• In the case of physical destruction, civil authorities will do the punishing.
• In the case of not loving those around us, God will do the punishing.

I have found that as I have applied this wisdom to my life, that a wonderful transformation took place….. a transformation for the better….because I decided to willfully  live up to a divine standard, the truth upside down. When we make this choice to change (which, I would add, is not instant or always easy), relations ships in our lives change, homes and communities change, and people’s attitudes toward us often change.

In recognizing that we are nothing without God we become merciful….loving those around us. When we become meek…strong in who we are….as our hearts become pure….it makes it easier for us to have a good attitude toward all those around us and ultimately……..they have a better attitude toward us.

We had a great time at the Lake Mary Easter Egg Hunt this morning!

<<– Our LifePoint Booth—–free water, jelly beans and Easter baskets—-Yay!

<<– This is Pastor Phil, Sean Barry, Miss Mary (our Children’s Director), and me.

I even got to sit on the Easter Bunny’s lap! This is Todd, our Youth and Young Adult’s Pastor —>>

As we continue our journey through the Sermon on the Mount, we will begin to consider some of the more serious implications of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. 

We have looked at the truths of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) ….and we have discussed how….. “if we actively apply and live out these attitudes in our lives” …….we will have set the foundation for a happy and fulfilled life. All of these essential attitudes are rocks upon which we can build our lives…..a foundation that will help us survive anything that comes our way. 

Last week we looked at what is expected of us when we begin to live this life  (Matthew 5:13-16). 

• Jesus tells us that as we build this foundation of truth in our attitudes that the result will be that we will be salt :
       — We will be a preservative that will help prevent the decay of our society.
       — We will enhance the flavor of this world by bringing out the very best in life.
       — Just like salt, we will create thirst, we will create a thirst in those around us as they see our lives and the joys we experience.
  

Jesus tells us that as we build this foundation of truth in our attitudes that the result will be that we will be the light of the world:
     — By living this life in a healthy way, by having healthy attitudes towards ourselves and others, we will drive back the darkness that permeates the lives of so many people around us…….we will push back the darkness of this world.
     — Jesus tells us that we can depart from the darkness in our life and have the light of life.

 Let’s take one more  small step further into the truth:

Matthew 5:17-20 (TNIV)
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

18 Truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

19 Anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

If we look closely, it is clear that this is a call to righteousness rather than just “religious” living. This is a call to strength and truth as opposed to shallowness and the deception of living a certain way outwardly but not in our heart. I believe that there is too much religion in the world without the reality of Jesus.

So….let’s look at what Jesus is telling us about the fulfillment of the Law:

If the righteousness (or the goodness) of people who believe in Jesus, Christians……. if these attitudes that Jesus shares with us were more evident in our lives, people would be more interested in coming to know Jesus….and their lives could be changed for the better. This is why Jesus came, the promised Messiah, He came as part of the redemption of this world and to share with us how we also can be apart of that mission of the redemption of this world.

The lack of commitment and consistency in the lives of some Christians has put a cloud over all of us. The relationships in our homes needs to be a model to the world that reflects God’s plan for families.For some there are questionable business practices. For others…… social behaviors don’t reflect the attitude of Jesus.

Let’s look at Matthew 5:20 first:

Matthew 5:20 (TNIV)
20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

If we live the Beatitudes, these attitudes in our heart…or inner being, the Ten Commandments will be no problem and our “standard of righteousness” WILL exceed that of those who live by the letter of the law. You see the Pharisees and the teachers of the law in that time lived by the letter of the law…to a fault….and Jesus points that out.

“The Law” says in Exodus 20:13 “You shall not murder”….. however……Jesus tells us that God’s intention was that we should not only not kill someone but we should not hate because hate is killing someone in our heart.

“The Law” says in Exodus 20:8 to “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy”….the day that God prescribed for our rest……..the Pharisees and teachers of the law broke that down to where you could only walk a short distance on that day and it was work to help someone in need and many, many other restrictions….all punishable. Jesus tells us that God’s intention is that we take a day of rest….but we never circumvent our care for others…..because caring for others is Holy.

“The Law” says in Exodus 20:14 “You shall not commit adultery”………Jesus tells us that if we look at someone else in a sexual way….…we are committing adultery in our heart.

Let’s get to the point of things here………let’s look at the beginning of what Jesus is teaching us here:

Matthew 5:17-20 (TNIV)
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

18 Truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

The point is that Jesus didn’t come to change the wisdom that God revealed to us in Scripture (the Law) and from the prophets……..Jesus came to set the record straight! If we are not careful, just like in that day, we pervert God’s Law. We “don’t kill”….however….we “kill” others in our heart because of our hate. We don’t commit “adultery”……. however….we  stray outside our marriage by lust in our heart. I believe that Jesus came to reveal truth and put the “Heart” into what was taken as a set of rules.

As followers of Christ our goal is that our “doing right”  is based on the heart. Remember the Beatitude: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”  and “Blessed are the pure in heart”? As we apply these attitudes to our heart our righteousness will surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law in Jesus day. Our goal is to live in peace, harmony, in love and commitment, to God and others Ours is a DEEPER righteousness. We should not be content with simply obeying the letter of God’s Law. Jesus is telling us that to live full and fulfilling lives we must have an inward righteousness of mind and motive. Because God looks at our heart.

1 Samuel 16:7
….The Lord does not look at the things human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Luke 16:15 (TNIV)  [this is Jesus speaking]
He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts….

Let’s take a look at the next verse…in verse 19 Jesus tells us:

Matthew 5:19 (TNIV)
19 Anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

People who cause others to struggle in their faith are in real trouble with God. I drink an occasional beer. However, if I have people over to my house and I know (and if I don’t know I often will ask) that they have struggled with alcohol or addiction…….I won’t have a beer as we cook out on the grill. I would be tempting them to stumble.

Jesus is calling those who believe in Him to live beyond the commandments and thereby challenge the world to a higher standard of living. God, indeed Jesus, challenges us to live with a pure heart……loving others, showing mercy to others, helping to bring peace on all levels…from peace in our relationships to peace in the world. God, indeed Jesus, tells us that when we live this way that we will not only find happiness and fulfillment in our lives but that we will help other find happiness and fulfillment in their lives by being the light of this world and pushing back the darkness. By being the Salt of the earth, we will enhance the flavor of this world by bringing out the very best in life.

God’s mission for us is to be a part, not only of our own redemption and restoration to a life of fulfillment….but also to be a part of the redemption of this world. This condition begins by recognizing our absolute dependence upon God.  This leads us to a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees who depend upon their laws and ceremonies. Unless our righteousness exceeds external religious external practices….we do not belong to the kingdom of God.

The real test of a holy and fulfilled life is our relationship to God…….our love for God….and our love for each other. When we truly love God, living up to righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees will be no problem for us. As our hearts transform, as we do these things and apply these principals to our lives, our lives transform. We become citizens of the kingdom that Jesus spoke so often about, the kingdom of heaven/ the kingdom of God. And….the world transforms……..redemption is at hand….through us and our interaction with this world.

<<– INTRODUCING Aiden Michael Monroe….my Grandson! Looks like he’s a prankster already (is he sticking his toungue out?)

Grandpa and Liam Jacob. Liam is 4-1/2 months –>>

<<– Liam in his sit-up seat. I love this boy!

<<We had a great time at the Lake Mary Trailblazer 5k run. LifePoint had a booth and gave out free water to all the participants as they crossed the finish line.

<<– Here is our booth. That’s Miss Mary, our children’s director….she’s shy

This me, Cathy (Miss Mary’s daughter) and Pastor Phil –>>

<<–Miss Mary and Cathy handing out water as the runners cross the finish line.

<<– On the left is  Matthew, Micah and Drew Jeter. Micah and Matthew came in 1st and 2nd in their age group.

Mickey Mahaffey came in first in his age group……GO MICKEY! –>>

<<– Pastor Lenny and Faulk and his friend from The Rise Community Church here in Lake Mary. Lenny….what’s up with the gloves? LOL