Saturday, May 12,
2012, 7:37 a.m. – The Lord woke me this morning with the song “Be Still” playing in my mind. The song
is based off Psalm 37 and 46. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I
read Matthew 7:7-12 (NIV 1984):
“Ask and it will be
given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the
door will be opened.
“Which of you, if his
son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give
him a snake? 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! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do
to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
My Understanding: To
fully grasp the meaning of Jesus’ words here, this passage of scripture must be
understood within the context of Jesus’ whole sermon.
We are Blessed
Jesus began this sermon by telling his disciples that we are
blessed (favored and approved by God) if we have come to faith in Jesus Christ
by his grace via turning from our sin and turning to walk in faithful obedience
to Jesus Christ (the poor in spirit), if we have mourned and grieved over our
sin (those who mourn), if we are humble of heart (the meek), if we strongly and
passionately desire Christ’s righteousness within us and lived out through us,
if we show mercy to others as mercy was shown to us, if we have singleness of
heart and mind (pure in heart) in our devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ – a life
not mixed with willful sin and worldliness – if we share the love of Jesus and
the truth of his gospel with others (peacemakers), and we offer forgiveness to
others instead of malice and spite, i.e. if we are ministers of reconciliation,
and if we are persecuted because of Christ’s righteousness in us and because of
our witness and testimony for Jesus Christ and for his gospel.
Salt and Light
Next Jesus told his disciples that we are the salt and light
of the world. If we are the “salt of the earth,” we bring out the flavor in
spiritual food, i.e. we help people to see the truth, richness, sweet aroma,
the essence, the character, discernment, and judgment of God’s word. We help
people to know how to apply God’s word in all practicality to their daily
lives. We preserve (uphold; continue in; sustain; protect; safeguard and
defend) God’s word (not in an argumentative way, though). We die to our old
lives of sin, thus preserving our own lives for eternity, as well as we teach
this truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ to others in order to help preserve
their lives for eternity. We are to be Jesus to the world, and Jesus is the
Word, and the Word is truth, and thus it is salt, so to be salt to the earth
also means to be living representatives of Jesus Christ and his word to the
world around us.
Not only are we the salt of the earth, but we are the light
of the world. Jesus is the Light just like he is the Word, so again this is
speaking about being Jesus Christ’s living representatives in the world around
us. Light is also truth and divine revelation, in opposition to darkness, which
is evil. And light is purity, in opposition to moral filth. So, if we are to be
light, and the Word is also light, then we are to live the truth of God’s word
in our lives, and we are to live lives of moral purity, truth, integrity, and
love, etc. There is no place for waywardness and worldliness in the life of one
who is to be light and salt to the earth/world. It does not mean we will live
perfect lives, but we also will not use that as an excuse to continue in
willful sin and rebellion against God. We are to live exemplary lives.
Jesus’ Commands
We are to obey Christ’s commands. Jesus did not come to
abolish the Law and the Prophets, but he was/is the fulfillment of the Law and
the Prophets, for the Law was put in place to lead us to Christ and the
Prophets foretold the coming of Jesus, of his ministry, of his death and
resurrection, of the salvation he would bring, and of his coming again to reign
as Priest and King. Jesus is love, and love is the fulfillment of the law, as
well. Jesus summed up the commandments in two: 1) Love God and 2) Love others.
If we love God and others we will not commit murder, adultery, theft, betrayal,
spite, vengeance, malice, including we will even love our enemies, i.e. those
who hate, despise, mistreat, reject and abuse us.
Prayer and Attitude
We are not to be hypocritical in our good deeds, words,
prayers, judgments, fasting, etc. In other words, we should be who we are and
not pretend to be someone or something we are not just to impress others or to
try to meet their approval. We should not blend into our environment or act like
the people we are around just so they will like us, or to try to make ourselves
look good in their eyes. We should be true to who we really are. We should be
real, not phony.
We should address and treat God in prayer and in all that we
do and say with honor, dignity and respect, and not take God casually or make
light of him and his word. We should desire his righteousness and truth, not
only in our own lives, but in the lives of others on this earth to the point
that we participate and cooperate with him in his work on this earth in the
spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ and his love. We should trust him for
our daily needs, one day at a time, and we should forgive others as he has
forgiven us. As well, we should pray that we will not be led into temptation,
which means we should cooperate with God in not doing anything ourselves to
lead our own selves into temptation. And, we should pray for God to deliver us
from the evil one as we daily put on the armor of God in our battle against our
true enemy, Satan.
Worry and Trust
We should not store up a bunch of worldly and earthly
treasures, i.e. these are not the things we should focus our hearts, attention,
love, passion and desire upon. The things and people of this world should not
become our gods in replacing our love and affection, commitments, passion and
desire for our Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts. Light and darkness do not mix.
If our eyes and hearts are fixed on the things of this world and the pleasures
this world has to offer, that crowds out the light of Christ and his gospel. We
can’t serve two masters – God and Money, or God and Possessions, Position or
Prostitution (adultery).
We should not run after the things of this world. God knows
what we need. He will provide all that we need, too, i.e. the necessities of
life, though not necessarily our wants. We should not fret and worry about the
things of this life, either, because God will take care of us. If he takes care
of birds and flowers, and he is the one who created us, then he can take care
of us, too.
Ask, Seek and Knock
Lest we take this passage of scripture out of context and
try to apply it broadly either in subject matter or in audience, we must read
back through this entire sermon to get the correct perspective. Jesus is
talking to those who are his followers. These are people who have made a
commitment to learn from Christ and to obey him in doing what he says, to go
where he leads, and to say what he tells us to say.
Under the New Covenant relationship between God and his
people, these are those who have turned their hearts and lives over to Jesus
Christ in faith, committing themselves to leaving their lives of sin behind
them, and promising to follow Jesus Christ in obedience and surrender to his
will for their lives. They are committed to Christ and to the spreading of his
gospel of salvation. They have the things of God in mind and are not chasing
after the things of this world. They (we) are not perfect, but they will repent
when they sin and will daily choose to surrender to Christ and to his will for
their lives, i.e. they will take up their cross daily and follow Christ.
Because they have this right relationship with Jesus Christ,
or they are seeking to have a right relationship with Christ in all ways, and
in context of this entire sermon, we can conclude that Jesus is speaking to
those who are his true followers, who have in mind the things of God, and who
are seeking spiritual and kingdom blessings and not material blessings. Jesus
is saying that if we ask for Christ to change our hearts and to make us into
the people of God he desires us to be, as he described in this sermon, he will
give us those “good gifts.” He will give us his righteousness, and he will fill
our hearts to overflowing with his love, kindness, generosity, compassion, passion,
purity, etc. These are truly “good gifts.” If we are truly praying “Your
kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” then we are
praying not only in God’s will, but for what God desires.
When we say something is good, it means it was what it was
supposed to be (it met the standard), it is fit for the purpose for which it
was intended, it is virtuous and upright, it is undamaged by sin, it is
honorable, helpful, beneficial, favorable, it is likely to produce the right
results, it is genuine, and/or it is what is best for us or what meets a
legitimate need. God is not going to fulfill our every selfish desire and want.
He is not an ATM in the sky. When we ask for the right kinds of things with the
right heart attitude and motivation, then he will provide all that we need and
what is best for us, and sometimes he provides more than we need because he
wants to bless us and encourage us. He just wants us to seek his face, to ask
him, and to trust him to meet our needs and to not fear the results.
The Law of Love
Jesus concluded this section of his sermon with what some
have come to call “The Golden Rule.” Earlier in his sermon he had mentioned
that he was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Then, he said that
love was the fulfillment of the law. And, here he said that if we do to others
as we want to have them do to us, this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Basically, everything that Christ did for us and that he requires of us has as
its basis the law of love. If we love others, we won’t do harm to our
neighbors. If we love them, we will be the salt and light to them that they
need. We won’t hide the gospel, our faith and our testimony for Jesus Christ
out of fear of rejection or persecution, but we will shine our lights for all
to see. We will demonstrate acts of kindness to others, and we’ll love even
those who hate us and who say all manner of evil against us. And, we will pray
for others, too. If we love others like we love ourselves, and we treat them
like we want to be treated, we are doing well. Included in this is not judging
them for the very same things we are doing.
We are not perfect people, and certainly none of us can live
all of this all the time in absolute perfection. Yet, we should strive toward
this every day in the power and working of the Holy Spirit of God within us as
we cooperate with his work in and through us.
Be Still / An
Original Work / February 29, 2012
Based off Psalms 37 and 46
God’s our refuge and
our strength,
An ever-present help
in trouble.
Therefore we will not
fear,
Though the mountains
fall into the sea.
The Lord Almighty is
with us;
God of Jacob is our
fortress.
“Be still, and know
that I am God;
Exalted I’ll be.”
Trust in the Lord and
do good;
And delight yourself
in the Lord,
And He will give you
your heart’s desires.
Commit your way to the
Lord.
Trust in Him and He
will do this:
He will make your
righteousness shine
Like the dawn, the
justice of your
Cause – the noon-day
sun.
Be still before the
Lord,
And wait patiently for
Him; do not fear.
Fretting only leads to
evil.
Put your hope in Jesus
Christ.
If the Lord delights
in your way,
He makes your steps
firm and steady.
The Lord upholds you
with His hand,
So you will not fall.
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