“A Christian’s Prayer” – Matthew 6:9-13

Do you remember your first vehicle? Somebody tell me what it was. Mine was a ’75 Dodge Stepside pickup. This was about 1985 or 86. I was 16 years old and I loved that truck. I washed and waxed on that thing like crazy. It had a Slant 6 engine and I could actually stand in the engine compartment and work on it. The engine was almost clean enough to eat on.

But one night, some friends and I decided to take that little pickup down to the Lake Worth dam and do some mudding. My truck wasn’t four-wheel drive and the tires were street tires but, who cares? I mean, what could possibly go wrong? We took off and splashed around and slid around and that truck did great. We were having so much fun but you know this story isn’t going to end well. Pretty much none of my sixteen-year-old me stories end well.

We came around a corner and there was another mudhole and it looked like all the others. It couldn’t be too deep. So I charged ahead and got about half way through and the front end fell off a ledge under the water and I was stuck. I knew I was in trouble when muddy water started coming in the doors and the front of the hood was under water.

So, we got out and started walking until we found a house. It was well after dark but I knew I had to call my dad and since this was way before cell phones, I knocked on the door and a man came to the door. He was very nice and very understanding. He said it happened all the time and he even knew which hole I was in but he didn’t have anything that would pull me out. So, he invited me in and showed me to the phone.

I called Pop and we excused ourselves to leave when the man stopped me and said, “I have seen a lot of young guys get stuck in that mud hole and they always come to use my phone but this is the first time anybody has ever called their father to come get them!”

But I never thought to call anybody else. Oh, I knew I would be in some well-deserved trouble but I also knew my dad would know what to do and would get my truck out of the mud. I knew my dad was the one to call when I was in trouble.

How about you? Who do you call when you are in trouble? Or maybe you don’t call anybody. You just always try to fix it yourself. Or maybe you try to forget you are even in trouble. Maybe you distract yourself with work or hobbies or even drugs or alcohol. How’s that working out for you? Is that getting you out of trouble?

I think we all know in our minds that when we are in trouble, we should take our requests to God in prayer. We know we should but…we don’t. We know that our heavenly Father is the one to call on and we know He has the wisdom and power to help us but for some reason we hesitate to do it. We know those requests should be made with confidence because He tells us to come boldly into His throne room in Hebrews 4:16.

We know we should and yet we don’t for any number of reasons but let me suggest to you this morning that one reason we hesitate to pray is because we don’t really know how. Oh, sure, we have some knowledge of prayer and I’m not saying we are doing it wrong, necessarily, but maybe we aren’t really doing it right.

I think we will find as we study prayer more deeply that God’s ultimate purpose for prayer is not so you have a number to call when you need something but the ultimate purpose of prayer is for God’s glory and when everything you say in your prayers is backed up with that mindset, the more powerful your prayer life will be.

Have you ever been in a so-called conversation with somebody and you realize that they are only partly paying attention?  Does it seem like they are really only participating when they are talking?  What’s worse is when that person only wants to talk about themselves and when you try to steer the conversation elsewhere they always bring it back to them.  Well, I have heard enough people pray in my life to know that must be how God feels sometime.

So, do you ever feel like your prayer life is weak and ineffective?  If it feels that way, then it is weak and ineffective and it is weak and ineffective because your walk with God is weak and ineffective.  Your conversation with Him can only be as powerful or as weak as your relationship with Him and your relationship grows stronger as you learn to trust Him and obey Him.

Do you remember that old hymn, “Trust and Obey”?  It says in one of the verses:

Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet
Or we'll walk by His side in the way
What He says we will do
Where He sends we will go
Never fear, only trust and obey

Oh, that’s good stuff!  Do you want that fellowship with Him?  Do you want your prayers to be powerful and effective?  James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”  Well, to be righteous means to be right with God.  So, you can either be perfect or be forgiven and obedient.  I’ll have to be the latter.  But because I am right with God through His Son Jesus and I have been forgiven and when I am trusting and obeying Him, I can expect my prayer life to be powerful and effective.

But there is a good way to pray and there is a better way to pray.  Did you know that? The good way to pray is, “Aaaahhh!!! Lord, please help me!”  Sometimes that’s all we have time for or all we are able to do and that works.  God hears that prayer.  But there is a better way to pray and Jesus told us as He told His disciples who asked Him about it in Matthew chapter 6:9-13.  The Lord’s Prayer is found there and is a skeleton upon which we will fill in and flesh out what our fervent prayers should look like.

The Lord’s Prayer was never intended to be repeated as a prayer itself.  The disciples didn’t ask Jesus to teach them a prayer but to teach them how to pray and so Jesus gave them this outline. So, first turn to Matthew 6:9-13 and then we will look at Psalm 100 in a few minutes.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from the evil one.^”

I want you to use your imagination with me for just a minute and imagine that you are a private in the Army and your sergeant is showing you the new weapons system that has been developed.  It is fairly easy to use but there is a method to it and if used correctly, it will absolutely change the way wars are fought.

You saw this before (plastic gun) when we were in Boot Camp last year. Its name is the Patriots Right and Your Every Responsibility weapons system, more commonly known as P.R.A.Y.E.R. and all you have to do is cock it, take the safety off and fire and it will completely wipe out the enemy.  But because you weren’t really paying attention when the sergeant was demonstrating it, you get into battle and don’t use it correctly.  You pull the trigger but nothing happens and so you finally use it to poke the enemy in the eye or use it as a club but it doesn’t really seem very effective and you finally just give up on it.

That’s just how real prayer is.  There is a method to it and when used correctly, it is the single most powerful weapon on the planet because it is the power of Almighty God, the power of the Creator of the universe and the risen Savior of the world.  Here in Matthew, Jesus gives us the outline for using prayer and it can be broken down into four steps.  The first two verses are praise.  Verse 11 is asking for provision, verse 12 is asking for forgiveness or pardon and verse 13 is asking for protection.

Today, we are going to look at just the first step to real and powerful prayer.  If you want your prayer to be heard and for it to be effective, Jesus says to start out with praise to God.  That’s what Jesus was doing when He said, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” He is acknowledging that our Father is God and makes His home in Heaven because He is the Creator. He is our Father, which means He is our Supplier, Redeemer and Sustainer.

“Hallowed” is another word for holy and it means set apart and so we only use His name when we are talking to Him or about Him. I just need to say again that ANY use of ANY name or title of God outside of that is to use His name in vain. When we say “OMG” or any other name or title of God or Jesus, whether it is a word used in surprise or anger or shock, it is a sin. It is supremely disrespectful of Almighty God and will be punished as such. I know you don’t mean anything by it. That’s the point! It is not to be used for nothing. There is power in those names and they are to be used reverently and in praise.

So, what does true praise sound like or look like?  Well, I invite you to turn way left in your Bibles to the middle of the book; to the book of Psalms, specifically Psalm 100.

Do you appreciate what God does for you?  Do you enjoy being with Him and witnessing His glory and power?  Then just tell Him.  Expressing our love for God in praise doesn’t just tell God, it actually completes the enjoyment and appreciation.  Expressing praise is part of the enjoyment.  If you went to a football game and only clapped quietly when your team scored, that wouldn’t be much fun, would it? If all you did was say, “Amen, brother” quietly at a first down, that game wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable.  We don’t know who wrote Psalm 100 but he obviously can’t contain his praise.  Just look at the very first word.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
²     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

I want us all to read it again out loud. I don’t care what translation you have and I hope you see that the psalmist is praising God just because of Who God is and what He has done and not because of who the psalmist is or what the psalmist has done. Read it like you mean it.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
²     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Do you see how he praises God just for who God is and what He has done?  This first part is not about you.  If you have a hard time thanking God for who He is, then you don’t know who He is.  In whatever circumstance you are in, you should SHOUT your praise to God for His goodness, mercy, grace, love and forgiveness.  Without all of that, whatever you are going through would be immeasurably worse.  You shout for a football game that means absolutely nothing.  You should want to shout for all that God has done, is doing and will do in your life.

Now, I know that this psalm is not a prayer.  It’s actually a song but it involves the kind of praise that we should incorporate into our prayers.  Look at verse 2.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Now, obviously, this is talking about praising God when you are in a good mood, right?  When all is well, worship with gladness.  Praise God with joyful songs when you are happy.  Right?

Actually, this makes no such qualifications.  Every time we seriously pray, we should realize who God is and who we are and that should bring us joy to the point where we can pray with gladness and joy because we are talking to the Creator of the universe and Almighty God.  When we do that, we will start to see power in our prayer life just like Paul and Silas did in Acts 16.  In Acts 16, it tells of Paul and Silas being thrown into jail for something they had not done.  Not only were they thrown in jail, but they were whipped and put into stocks that would keep them from moving or finding any comfort.

How would you feel about that if it were you?  I have to admit, I’m afraid I would be seething mad.  I didn’t do anything wrong.  I’m in pain.  My rights have been taken away.  Most people would be miserable and mad.  But in beautiful verse 25, it says that Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the other prisoners were listening to them.

I don’t know what they were praying or singing but there is power in that kind of joyful, praising, worshipful prayer.  In the next verse it says that there was suddenly a violent earthquake and the foundations of the prison were shaken and the doors flew open and the chains were loosed.  Talk about “Chainbreaker”!  Tell me there’s not power in prayer.  Tell me again how you have it so bad you can’t pray.

Paul later went on to say, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11

You ought to SHOUT that to God in prayer! “Thank you, Lord, for what you are doing in my life and while I may not be comfortable, I know that because of my relationship with you that I can do all things through You who gives me strength!” And maybe that means that God will remove you or release you from your trouble like He did with Paul and Silas that time or…maybe He just gives you the grace and strength to get through it, praising Him because you know that the other prisoners are listening to you.

Because they are listening.  Other people hear your prayers and they want to know what kind of God you worship.  Do you worship a God that you only pray to asking for help and protection as you cry out in pain or do you, in the midst of pain, shout to God your praise just because of who He is and what He has done in spite of who you are and in spite of what you have done?  That’s a powerful way to start your prayer right there.

We all remember the story of Daniel in the lions’ den but do you remember what got him there?  He was caught praying and giving thanks to God.  What did Daniel have to praise God for?  He was in captivity in a foreign country, his country had been conquered with its capital city of Jerusalem in ruins and yet Daniel risked everything to praise God.  He must have been convinced of the power of prayer and especially the power of praise in prayer.

Or how about good old Job?  One day Job was the richest man in the world, blessed by God with everything he could want including seven sons and three daughters and the next day he lost everything including all his children and what did Job do?  It says as soon as Job got the word, he got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:20-21) Evidently Job, too, knew about the power of praise in prayer.

We know that the night before Jesus was arrested, He ate the Passover meal with His disciples, including Judas, and it says that as He took the bread, He gave thanks and as He took the wine, He gave thanks. (Luke 22) Jesus is eating what He knows will be His last meal with the very person who has betrayed Him sitting there with Him and yet Jesus gives thanks.  There must be power in praise. Why else would Jesus tell His disciples to pray starting with praise?

Let’s spend some time right now just praising God for who He is and what He has done.  Remember, this is not about you.  Praise God for His grace and mercy.  Praise Him for His love and forgiveness.  Praise Him just for being who He is and even though you don’t understand Him, you will trust Him and obey Him because He is God.  Do that right now, as the music plays.

If you don’t have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus then all you have to do is believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven and by His sacrifice on the cross, all your sins can and will be forgiven if you just ask.  Repent – turn away – from those sins and ask God to be Lord of every aspect of your life and open up the power of prayer in your life today.  Do it now.  Today is the day of salvation!  Thank you, Lord!

“A Christian’s Religion” – Matthew 6:1-6 & 16-18

Do you know who comedian George Lopez is? I’ve heard of him but I don’t know much about him. I saw this article on Fox News online the other day. Tell me what you think about it.

Comedian George Lopez claims he paid for a military service member’s plane ticket so that the man could be present for the birth of his first child. Lopez took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a story of a recent event he says happened at an airport bar. The actor and comedian explained that he was having a drink and taking pictures with fans when he noticed a young man next to him that appeared to be in the military. “I said to him, ‘thank you for your service, where are you headed?” Lopez wrote in a lengthy caption on Instagram. “He said he was taking leave to be at the birth of his first child, but he knew he wouldn’t make it “cause he had to go out of his way to report and he didn’t make enough to get an airline ticket.” The 58-year-old stand-up comedian says he then gave the man some money to buy a plane ticket to replace his bus ticket, which he was certain would not get him to the birth on time.

So, what do you think? Good story, huh? I’m glad he did that. I really am. Now, how do you think God feels about that story? Before I give my answer, let me tell you about another story I heard recently. Rick Perry, former governor of Texas, recently wrote an article for the Dallas Morning News that was titled, “Now that Ross Perot is gone, I can tell this story.” In it, Perry tells about meeting U.S. Army Cpl. Alan Babin Jr. who had been shot in combat the year before but was needing more medical treatment but couldn’t get to where he needed and couldn’t afford the treatment when he got there. So, long story short, Perry called Ross Perot and, without anybody else knowing about it, Ross Perot quietly flew the injured man to the hospital he needed to go to and then paid the hospital bill in full along with providing hotel lodging for his family and even bought him a handicapped-accessible van when he needed that later. Perot also insisted that nobody know it was him that did the good deed. That’s why Rick Perry waited until his death to tell it.

That’s a good story too, isn’t it? Which is better? Which one do you think God blessed more? Why? Do you think God blessed Perot more or Lopez more? Did God bless Perot more because he spent more? I bet Perot was richer than Lopez, so does that count?

Look, I don’t know the state of either man’s spiritual life. I don’t know if either or both are true Christians or not. But our scripture text for today tells us that one was blessed by men and one was blessed by God. Who would you rather have doing the blessing in your life? Do you want to be recognized and get glory and be blessed by the people of this world or by the Creator of this world?

That’s an easy question to answer sitting here in church but just wait until tomorrow when you have the opportunity to do something good for somebody. Are you going to take a selfie with that person you are helping and then put that on Instagram or whatever, with the story of how you helped them? It’s still good for you to help people. Just don’t expect to impress God with it. That’s all. Because the praise and glory of Instagram is all you are going to get.

Let’s read what Jesus said about it in Matthew chapter 6 where He actually says, “Thou shalt not put your good deeds on Instagram.” Do you believe me? That’s a mixture of the King James Version and the RNIV (Really New International Version). Ok, maybe not but if Jesus were here in bodily form today, I bet He would say something like that.

We have been studying the Sermon on the Mount for some time now and we have seen how a Christian is supposed to act and how we are supposed to influence the world and we saw Jesus said a lot about how to be righteous or be right with God. He said a lot of things that are counter-cultural about murder, adultery and divorce. Some of it has been hard to hear but if you truly want to be right with God, you will live this way.

Up until this point in His sermon, Jesus has focused on the teaching of the Law and what men believe or should believe. Now, we are going to see a shift and Jesus starts to teach on the practice of the Law or what men do or should do. The first section dealt with our inner, moral righteousness. The next part deals with our outward, formal righteousness.

Jesus starts by talking about giving which has to do with others. Then He talks about praying which has to do with God and then He talks about fasting which has to do with us. As we read this passage, I want you to notice that Jesus expects us to do all three. He says about all three subjects, “When you do this…etc” When you give, when you pray and when you fast. It’s not “if”, it’s “when.”

So, let’s read Matthew 6:1-6 and then skip over and read verses 16-18. We are planning to hit the Lord’s Prayer next week. Jesus continues in His Sermon on the Mount by saying, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Now, skip over to verses 16-18. "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Let me read that first sentence again one more time. “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.” Now, if you have been here and were listening (what are the odds?) this ought to make your ears perk up because this flat-out contradicts what Jesus just said in the previous chapter in verse 16 that we read a couple of weeks ago. There he said, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

So, which is it? Don’t practice your righteousness in front of others or let your light shine before men? The answer is both, according to your motives. The inner heart, the motivation, the reason you are doing something is what God looks at. If your desire is for God to truly get the glory, then He will get the glory and you will receive blessings by Him, some way somehow, in this life or the next.  If you kinda want Him to get the glory but, you know, you kinda wanna get some too, well then I hope you get a lot of it by the people that see because you get nothing from God.

It’s the same way with giving, praying and fasting so let’s look at those a little closer according to what Jesus said. Now, depending on what translation of the Bible you are using, in this first paragraph it may say “give to the needy”, “do your charitable deeds” or you gotta love the old King James, “doest thine alms.” Has anybody donest thine alms today? Mine alms hath yet to be donest, I’m afraid. (Gee, Todd, why don’t you use the KJV? If it was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me, right?)

It all means the same thing. It means to give gifts, to tithe, to give money or even time. When Morris comes up here during the week and spends hours working on the audio / visual stuff for our Sunday service, he is “doing his alms.” He is giving of his time and talent for the benefit of others and, by the way, doing it, not to receive glory or money, but to bring God glory.

I bring all this up because in pretty much every religion, giving alms, praying and fasting are part of what gets you to Heaven. Almost every religion says that giving, praying and fasting get you there and are proofs that you are going there. In the Koran, giving, praying and fasting are the chief duties laid out. It is said that prayer will get you halfway to the gates of Heaven. Fasting will bring you to the gates and alms will give you entrance.

As you can imagine, Christianity has a small problem with that. We believe that Jesus gets you halfway. Jesus gets you to the gate and Jesus gets you in. Period. But! Giving, praying and fasting are what Christians do. It’s what Christians are expected to do and if you aren’t doing these things, maybe you need to start with prayer right now, asking God if your relationship with Him is real or imagined. It’s that serious and it is between you and God and only you and God.

I say all the time that I understand that Christ Fellowship is not the church for everybody. Not everybody feels comfortable in a place with no rules. Some people might not like dogs. Some people might be intimidated by my height and rugged good looks. (It could happen!) And some people might not want to be part of a church that is called to minister specifically to the poor, the addicted and the incarcerated. I understand that is not for everybody.

But if you are called to be part of this family, is there a better way to minister to the poor, the addicted and the incarcerated than to give, pray and fast? Jesus says in verse 2 that when you give to the needy, don’t announce it. For Christ Fellowship, He says, when you give your time, talent and treasure to the poor, the addicted and the incarcerated, don’t announce it. When you give your tithes and offerings, nobody else needs to know. When you give your time and effort to the church or the community, that’s nobody else’s business.

I don’t know how many times this has happened. It happened again just a couple of weeks ago. Somebody came to me and handed me an envelope with money in it and told me to use it to minister to somebody in need. They didn’t want to be seen or noticed or mentioned at all. They just did it to help. They “dids’t their alms” for the right reason. And one of my favorite parts of my job is when somebody from the church or in the community comes to me with a need and I am able to say more than, “Be warm and well fed.” I am able to meet that need because of somebody else’s generous gift.

That happened just lately and that is fun! That’s what I’m talking about when people ask how the church is doing and I tell them that we are just having fun. It is fun to give, even when you don’t get any glory for it in this life. I believe that’s why God says in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that He loves a cheerful giver. Most of you know that literally means a hilarious giver; somebody that has fun with it, knowing that their treasure is in Heaven and they just want to help somebody in need.

So, giving should be fun and exciting. But what about prayer and fasting? Huh? There’s no way that’s fun. Let’s talk about that for a minute. What is prayer? It’s just talking to God, isn’t it? How does prayer work? I don’t have a clue. Do you? Isaiah 46:10 says this of God, “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'. Well, if that’s true, why should we pray? If God already knows everything, including what is going to happen in the future and is going to do whatever He wants to do, then why should we pray? What does it matter? What good does it do?

I don’t know how it works. I just know that it does. I know God expects us to do it. Jesus said so in this passage. And I know it works. I know prayer changes things because I have seen it with my own eyes. I just don’t know how. But that doesn’t keep me from doing it. I don’t know how electricity works but I don’t sit in the dark. I pray because it works and because I am blessed when I do it and I am commanded to do it. Philippians 4:6 says, “Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything.” That’s a command and when you are obedient to that command, then God answers the prayer, blesses you and that is fun!

Oh, good grief, I said it again. Prayer is fun? Well, praying is work. We are going to see next week that there is a right way to pray and that it takes work. It is more than just saying, “Sup God? Bless me, okay?” There is more to it than that but when done correctly; when you humbly but expectantly march into the throne room of grace, the office of the Creator of the universe and ask for help in your time of need and you stay there and wrestle with God like Jacob did and you pray back to God His promises like Abraham did and you plead with God but submit to His will like Jesus Himself did, then you get the power and the wisdom He wants you to have to do what He has called you to do, making Himself known in your weakness…WOO! That’s fun!

That’s like a roller coaster. Get in. Hang on. Be still. Be scared. Have fun! So, prayer really is fun when done right and done biblically. And I think most of you would agree with that if you have ever done it.

But now let’s talk about fasting. Uh oh. I know what you’re thinking. “You had me til now, pastor. I’m not really into all that fasting stuff. I’m no super-Christian. I’m no apostle or deacon or elder of the church. Besides, fasting is so Old Testament. I’m under grace, not fasting.” That last sentence is best said quietly with fingertips together and with upturned gaze…maybe blink a few times. I don’t know why.

I hear ya. But let me tell you about the benefits of fasting. Again, I did some exhaustive research this week (a quick Google search) and found out that fasting is all the rage right now with people for all kinds of reasons. According to some website I’ve never heard of before (so it must be true) if done correctly, fasting can help with weight loss, reduce insulin resistance which lowers blood sugar, reduces inflammation, reduces bad LDL cholesterol, increases brain hormones, may extend your life span and even prevent some cancers. So, obviously that’s why Jesus expects us to fast. Right?

No. Those benefits are on top of the spiritual benefits that fasting brings. Fasting can be done in several ways. It doesn’t always mean not eating. You can fast from anything you enjoy as a way of spending quality time with God with no distractions. I know folks that have fasted from just certain foods or their favorite thing to drink or music or TV. I don’t want to make a big deal out of it, but I personally am fasting from all cauliflower. No, I’m kidding. But you can fast from anything that might be a distraction when you want to spend some deeper time with God. That’s why prayer and fasting go hand in hand.

You know that sin that keeps drawing you back; that thing you do that you don’t want to do or that thing you ought to do that you don’t do? You know what I’m talking about. It bothers you but you can’t break free. Paul said in Romans 7, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” You have gone to God in prayer and asked Him for forgiveness a billion times and you have promised to never do it again and you had good intentions but it wasn’t too long until you found yourself right back there. It’s time to fast.

It’s time to tell God, with your mouth and your actions that nothing is more important than getting His help. Nothing will come between you and Almighty God, not even the food that is required for survival. I don’t know about you but I get easily distracted when I pray. But there is something special about fasting that helps to focus your mind. It’s spiritual. It’s physical. It goes beyond missing a meal.

Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." I heard one pastor say that fasting was feasting on God. I like that. It’s time to go to God in prayer and say, “Here I am and I’m not leaving. I need your help. I need your wisdom. I need you and all of you and so I am giving all of me. I may get distracted but I am doing everything I know not to so that I can hear from you. Show me in your Word what I need. Show me. Tell me. Speak to me, God!”

Now, there is nothing fun about missing a meal. I obviously don’t do it often. But it’s not supposed to be done every day or every week. I think it misses something when you plan it out as a regular part of your calendar. Fasting is meant to be an intimate time between you and God when you need a breakthrough. When you are desperate and needing to hear from Him and needing to be with Him and just giving Him lip-service isn’t cutting it.

I want you to picture this with me. There you are, a sinner mired down; bogged down, desperate and absolutely sick of your own sin but absolutely helpless to overcome it. You’ve tried and tried hard. It works for a while but you find yourself back there over and over and over. The knowledge of the hurt you inflict on Jesus is painful and the consequences are more than you can bear but you can’t stop. So you go to God one more time in prayer and in fasting and you pour out your heart for as long as it takes, forsaking anything that would distract you. And when you finally get up off your knees and you wipe your bloodshot eyes, you find a peace that passes all your understanding.

What’s that worth? Tell me now what great food you were missing. In fact, tell me anything you were missing while you felt the presence of Almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer, Redeemer and Deliverer. There is no better feeling than being right with God and I guarantee you that an hour and a half at church on Sunday morning is not going to get you there. It’s a good start but giving, praying and fasting should be part of your life; a part that nobody else knows about and done for the glory of God and Him only.

Now, all this giving, praying and fasting is only truly blessed by God when done by a true follower and disciple of Jesus. There’s nothing wrong with a non-Christian doing it, of course, but the real blessings of God for doing these things only come to those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. That’s what Jesus calls it when you admit you are a sinner and go to God for forgiveness and ask Him to come into your life and change it.

We have come to our time of prayer and invitation and I want to invite you to come to the front if you want to. Maybe you need prayer for wisdom. Maybe you have a physical need or a spiritual issue you need help with. Maybe you need Jesus as King and Lord of your life. Do that right now as the music plays.

“A Christian’s Righteousness” – Part 4 – Matthew 5:31-32

I was driving down the road with my mother this week – just her and me – and she asked me something, just out of the blue. She said, “Todd, can I ask you a question?” Now, anytime anybody ever asks you if they can ask you a question, you know it’s serious. But when my mother asks me if she can ask me a question, it can only mean one thing. I’m in trouble.

It brought back bad memories of high school when the question was, “Where in the world have you been?” or “Who were you with?” or “What time did you come in last night?” So, when she asked it, I tried to act all cool but inside I’m wondering what she knows and what my alibi is going to be. I’m 51 years old and my mind is racing with what I’m going to tell my mama and I don’t even know the question yet.

But, thankfully, this time I wasn’t in trouble. She really had a question for me. She asked me why I have never gotten remarried. As most of you know, I was married once for eight years and I have been divorced for nine years now. It was not my choice and I tried to make it work and even though neither of us cheated on the other, she was determined to divorce and so it happened. And yes, I’m sure hearts are breaking all over Texas right now but I’ll never marry again and I’ll tell you why.

First, when somebody asks me why I don’t remarry, for me it’s kind of like saying, “Yes, but Mrs. Lincoln, other than that, how was the play?” You know what I mean? There were some good times, but overall, it was not an enjoyable experience. So, I have no desire to remarry. It’s like taking your dog for a walk and he gets hit by a car. The next day when you grab the leash, the dog says, “Uh, no thanks. I’m good right here.”

But I have other reasons and one of them is found in our passage this morning. We are continuing our study of the Sermon on the Mount. It’s the message Jesus preached that set the world on its ear and continues to challenge Christians and non-Christians still today. It is found in Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7 but today we are going to look at just two verses in chapter 5.

When people talk about biblical divorce, there is often some confusion. Let me just say that the confusion is not on God’s part, nor is it because scripture is unclear. The problem seems to be that scripture doesn’t say what most of us want it to say and so we do some mental gymnastics and justify some of our actions and then substitute what we think it says and then misinterpret what we don’t want and come out with a jumbled mash of Satan-pleasing false-teaching.

I heard a preacher on the radio just this week say, “There is some confusion in what the Bible says about divorce. But what we do know is that God only allows divorce in cases of adultery and abuse.” I’ve heard that quite a few times in my life but, in fact, scripture is quite clear. There is no confusion. God permits divorce only in cases of adultery and even then, it is not recommended.

It makes sense to me that you should be able to divorce if the other person is abusing you, but I didn’t write the Bible. Jesus is plain in this passage and if you don’t like the way He says it, we will read a similar quote of Jesus in Matthew 19 later where He says the same thing and you won’t like that either. But, again, as with everything Jesus taught, He is not telling us this to keep us from having fun or because He likes being mean. He is saying this for our protection. So, let’s read Matthew 5:31-32 and see exactly what Jesus said.

31"It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' 32But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

Son: Dad, I’ve heard that in some parts of the world a man doesn’t know his wife until he marries her. Father: Son, that’s true everywhere.

That is true, isn’t it? You think you know somebody pretty well and then you get married and start to live together and then you really get to know each other. You see them at their best when they are dressed up and going to their new job and then you see them at their worst when they are sick and haven’t showered in three days. Marriage is fun and exciting and fulfilling…but it’s also hard. If you have been married for more than about 48 hours, you know that’s true.

But that’s why we make vows at our weddings. We actually stand up before our friends, family and God and promise to always love our spouse and never leave them. And yet, it still happens. I did some research (I googled it) and found some statistics on divorce. About 40% of first marriages end in divorce in the U.S. Second marriages end about 60% of the time and third marriages end about 70% of the time. But I saw a study done by Harvard University that said when the couple goes to church together regularly and prays and reads the Bible together regularly, they have about a 1 in 1250 chance of divorce. Interesting, huh?

Despite Jesus being very clear here and in other places, there is still some confusion about divorce, even in the church, so let’s look at what He said a little closer. There was confusion about divorce in the days of Jesus as well and probably for the same reasons. They didn’t like what the Old Testament said about it so they tried to change it up just a little bit to make themselves feel better.

In verse 31, Jesus again quotes what has been taught by the rabbis and the Pharisees and other teachers. He said, "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'” Yes, it had been said by Moses in Deuteronomy 24 that a man had to give his wife a certificate of divorce and so they interpreted that to mean that was all that was required. If the old hag burned your biscuits…scribble, scribble, here ya go. Hit the bricks.

Can you imagine how God felt about that? There is a fascinating story in the book of Hosea about how God told Hosea to take Gomer as his wife. Now, some of you didn’t know that Hosea was even a book of the Bible and most of you haven’t read it lately, I bet. But what is shocking is that God told Hosea to take this woman, Gomer, to be his wife even though she was a prostitute. And she continued to be a prostitute even after they were married but God kept telling Hosea to go and get her and bring her back. He once even had to buy her off the auction block and take her home.

God had Hosea to do that because it represented how God loved the nation of Israel and yet Israel was being unfaithful to God in their sins. In the New Testament, Jesus is said to be married to the church; the global church, and loves her with the love a man should have for his wife. I say all of this to ask you how it must make God feel to see His idea; His perfect plan of marriage of one man and one woman for a lifetime being so disrespected and taken for granted.

Marriage is a big deal to God. It was His idea and He blesses it when it honors Him but there are consequences when it doesn’t, and divorce was never part of God’s plan and will never be blessed or even recognized by God as a divorce except in the case of adultery. When somebody says, “Oh, I just feel led by God to divorce my husband and go be with that other man. I just have peace about that. I know God wants me to be happy.” Well, that’s hogwash.

In Genesis 2:24 it says, “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” One flesh. How do you separate one flesh?

*Pick up 2 x 2 piece of plywood, hammer and safety glasses*

Anybody know the secret to splitting apart this plywood? I think all you have to do is hit it on the edge just right with a hammer and it will probably come right apart. Maybe if I use this chisel. It’ll surely just split right apart then, don’t you think? Well, maybe I need to hit it harder. Hmm…still not working.

Do you know why it’s not working? Because these two sheets of wood have become one and you can’t separate them without doing a lot of damage to both pieces. It’s the same when two people come together in marriage. “They become one flesh.” When a couple divorces, it’s like a person cutting off an arm or a leg because it has a splinter in it. It may be a big splinter. It may be very painful but you treat the problem and you keep treating it. You don’t sever the leg.

In Malachi 2, God is pretty plain about how He feels about divorce. Let me read to you from Malachi 2:15-16. “Therefore, take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. 16 For the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one's garment with violence," says the LORD of hosts.” God is pretty plain that He hates divorce but when He says it covers one’s garment with violence, what does that mean?

It literally means to spatter your garment with blood. Divorce is a violent act. It severs a relationship that God has brought together. It splits what is now one flesh. It’s bloody. It’s violent and that is not to even mention the children involved. I fully believe that divorce is a form of child abuse. And I say that because I know of too many kids that have been warped by their parents’ divorce. And it doesn’t matter what age they are. I have a friend who was forty years old when her parents divorced and it messed her up.

Look at verse 32 again. It just gets worse. 32But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

The Pharisees were proud of themselves for not acting adulterous even though they were lustful and Jesus hammered on them with verses 27-30 that we looked at last week and here Jesus takes another swing at them with verse 32. The Pharisees would see a woman they wanted and would just give their wives a certificate of divorce and go get another one. Jesus said that divorce leads to adultery. When you divorce a woman without cause like that, you commit adultery and you force her to be adulterous if she marries again. Getting a divorce without cause of adultery is bad enough, but if either get remarried, it’s sin on top of sin plus their new partners have sinned as well. It’s a nightmare. No wonder God said He hated it.

So…here we are, a divorced man talking to, I know, a majority of divorced and remarried people. So, what do we do? First, divorce-proof your marriage. Do you ever go to the doctor for a checkup? You should. You should also go to the marriage doctor for a marriage checkup. Seriously. Do it once a year. I know you don’t need it but think of it as insurance. Go see a licensed Christian marriage counselor. It’s like taking your car in for a tune-up except your marriage is a lot more valuable.

Another part of divorce-proofing your marriage is just what Harvard found out. Invest time with your spouse in prayer, Bible-reading, and church attendance. Men, you are the spiritual head of the house. It is up to you to make this happen, not your wife. So, be a man and love Jesus first and then your wife. The closer you each get to Jesus, the closer you get to each other and pretty soon, there is nothing that could separate you except death, just like God planned. In fact, here’s your homework. Men, tonight lead your wife in reading 1 Corinthians 7 before you go to bed. Trust me. Now, if you read 1 Corinthians 7, you should have a question about another good reason for getting divorced. The first one that comes to me with that question will get a nice prize. Seriously.

Some other insurance you should invest in is making sure you are never alone with a member of the opposite sex if you aren’t married to them. I saw just this past week that a republican candidate for Mississippi Governor, Robert Foster, has said that no woman can be alone with him in a building or car even to interview him. The liberal press is outraged but that’s just smart and even more so these days with the #metoo movement where people are accusing each other of all kinds of stuff. Yes, it’s a hassle sometimes but it’s worth it.

So, from here out, you are never again going to get a divorce. But what about the past? I know a lot of you are divorced and most are remarried. Should you get divorced to make up for that sin? Of course not. 1 Corinthians 7 just happens to cover that as well. A sin can’t be undone. But you can make sure you have forgiveness.

If you realize that you have sinned in the past, you need to take that to God right now, by name, and ask for His forgiveness. I hope you have already done this but you might not have even realized what you did in the past was sin, so go to God in repentance and ask Him for forgiveness.

1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” With our heads bowed and eyes closed let’s do that right now. If there is any sin of any kind in your life, repent of that and ask God to forgive you. When you have done that, just spend a minute thanking Him for that forgiveness and what it cost Jesus on the cross.

This is our prayer time and invitation. If you need to come forward for prayer for anything at all, do that right now. If you want prayer or if you want to join the church or maybe rededicate your life or your marriage, I would love to pray with you about that right now as the music plays.

“A Christian’s Righteousness” – Part 3 – Matthew 5:27-30

You know how it is when you hear somebody bad-mouthing your friend or family member. It may be the truth but you get mad at them for saying it. It’s okay for you to say it but you don’t want anybody else too, right? I was in a Bible study the other day at Cates Street Baptist and this happened to me but my friend who was being bad-mouthed has been dead for thousands of years.

I’ve told you lots of times that I grew up reading about David in the Old Testament. I always loved reading about him and the story of David and Goliath is still my favorite story in the Bible. When I was a boy, I read about David as a boy and as I grew up, I read about David growing up and I have just always felt a connection to David, even what I call a friendship.

I’m sure when I get to Heaven, I’ll run up to David and say, “Hey, it’s me, Todd!” And he’ll call security on me or something. But, I still think of him as my friend and when my other friend, Ron, (a friend that actually knows me) starting telling about David and his sin with Bathsheba, I felt myself getting bothered, even mad – not because Ron was saying anything untrue and it was stuff that I have actually preached on - but it hurt me never the less.

I think it hurts me because when anybody talks about the life of King David, you can’t help but remember his sin with Bathsheba. Of all the great things David did, of all the battles he fought and wars he won, of all the good things he did and taught and the wisdom he showed, and I know he wasn’t perfect but it still hurts me to have to talk about that incident. God forgave him and even called him a man after God’s own heart and he is still recognized today as a man of great honor and will even be honored in the next life but he will forever be tagged with the sins he committed.

It all started with just a glance; a quick look. You know the story. (2 Samuel 11) For David’s sake and for my sake, I won’t go into details but the defining incident of David’s life – an incident that changed a lot of people’s lives and ended more than one life could have been avoided if David had just bounced his eyes. That’s what I was taught as a young man. You can’t keep from seeing some things but when you see them, you can bounce your eyes off them and onto something else.

I didn’t say it was easy but with practice and motivation, it can be done. We will talk about some other ideas to help with that in a few minutes but let David’s legacy be at least part of that motivation for you. Learn from his mistake because I’m sure David didn’t wake up that morning and decide to do something that would ruin his life. He didn’t walk up onto the roof of the palace and think, “Today is the day I mess everything up.”

Now, let me ask you a question. Did all of that happen to David (and Bathsheba, and Uriah and the baby and everybody else involved) because God is a big ol’ meanie-head? Did all of that happen – the loss of life, the shame, the pregnancy, the loss of David’s witness and respect – did all of that happen because God hates sex and is a prude and needs to get with modern times? No. Of course not. It happened as a consequence of sin.

As we have been going through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus has been saying some things that are difficult. They are difficult for some to believe, difficult for some to accept, difficult for some to do because they go against what the world teaches. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek, blessed are the persecuted.” That’s crazy talk if you ask the world’s opinion.

But Jesus is telling us all these things because He wants us to be blessed. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to live a full and abundant life (John 10:10) and we live that way as a consequence of doing what He says to do. You live with the consequences of sin when you live the way the world thinks is right. It’s that simple. Remember BOOCOD? There are blessings of obedience and consequences of disobedience.

Yes, Christian and non-Christian alike face trials of all kinds. We all get sick. We all suffer. We all die. But Jesus is telling us in this sermon of His how to make it the best that it can be. This is how to live with blessings instead of consequences in this life and how to be eternally blessed in the next life. This is most definitely not a prosperity Gospel kind of message. Far from it. But Jesus is telling us how to live in right standing with God and when we have that righteousness, we may still suffer in this life, but at least we won’t have to live with the horrible consequences of our sin.

Jesus continues to blow people’s minds in verses 27-30 of Matthew 5. He continues to take the 10 Commandments and make them personal and private instead of outwardly religious. He continues to say things that I just imagine had His followers of the day saying, “What did He just say?” Look at Matthew 5:27-30 with me and you too might be saying, “What did Jesus just say?”

Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If 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. 30And 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.”

I’m quite sure that every society since Noah has thought their world could hardly become any more sexualized. I wasn’t there for the flood. You’ll have to ask Troy. But I would say that our society is at least as sexualized as any before and the opportunities to commit adultery or lust are more numerous and easy as ever. And our society is paying the price for it. Through porn and lust, Satan has attacked our homes and churches and mutilated our blessed nation and so Jesus is telling us today to mutilate ourselves to keep it from getting worse. Do you believe that?

No, of course not. Jesus is not seriously advocating for us to chop off our hands or gouge out our eyes. If that was the case, most people wouldn’t have any hands or eyes at all. His point is that we are to do whatever it takes to cut that sin out of our lives and sever anything that leads us to it. But if Jesus were being literal here, it would still be worth it. Would you rather lose your hand and eye and be right with God? If that is a hard question for you to answer, then you don’t know God very well.

To be righteous – to be right with God – is the best, safest, most pleasurable, most rewarding place in the world. If you are right with God, you have no fear, no doubt, no worries. You have everything you need plus rewards in Heaven and that sounds great but first we have to get past lust.

Lust is a huge barrier for some people because it is a God-given drive that is mandated biblically to only be manifested in a one man, one woman, biblical and legal marriage. I know I just said a mouthful right there but if you study all of scripture and not assume anything or take anything out of context, it is obvious that sex was God’s idea and He only blesses it in the confines of marriage between a man and a woman.

But Satan knows how horrible the consequences are of sex outside of marriage and so he puts temptation in our way constantly. And while this can apply to any kind of lust, it is obvious Jesus is talking about sexual lust. If you want to be right with God and not punished by God and not have the natural consequences of lust, sever anything that leads you to it.

Paul said something helpful in Romans 13:14. I like the way the King James words it. “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” First, put on the Lord, Jesus Christ, not like a mask that you put on and take off when it suits you but more like clothes that protect you and cover you. You put on Jesus by abiding in Him and being right with Him and focusing on Him.

Next – and this is so good. It helps with any kind of temptation. Next, you make no provision for the flesh. But what in the world does that mean? Well, what is a provision? You provide for something. You give it what it needs to continue and, in this case, you provide Satan a toehold to come into your life. And you do that by not severing anything that leads you to sin.

If porn is your problem, then you make no provision for it by doing away with the internet. And I know in this day and age, that sounds crazy but that is just the kind of crazy Jesus was talking about when He said to sever your hand or gouge out your eye. You can live without the internet. Do not buy a smart phone. Save your money on the phone and internet and get a good old flip phone.

I told you it works for any sin. If alcohol is your problem, don’t keep it in the house and don’t let anybody else. Don’t even drive past the liquor store if you can help it. Take the long way home because here is what’s going to happen. You are going to be doing really well. Every day on your way home from work, you are going to pass the liquor store and say, “No way! Not today, Satan.” Except one day when you’ve had a long week and the boss was crazy and your wife is already yapping about something and you just got paid and you look over and see that liquor store and think, “Just a small bottle. Just a six-pack.” And pretty soon, well, you know how it ends.

It’s that way with any sin. Sever anything that leads you to do it. It may mean selling the TV, losing some friends, changing jobs or even moving. I know that sounds drastic but that was the point Jesus was trying to make. Do whatever it takes because there is nothing worse in this world than sin.

I want to go in another direction with this for a while. We will talk more about some ways to avoid sin, especially the sin of lust tonight at 6 pm and I really encourage you to come tonight. You may have some things that will help us as well as being helped, so please come tonight. This is a perfect example of the church needing you and you needing the church. I know not everybody will be able to make it tonight and don’t worry if you can’t. We understand…that you are backslidden and you are not really concerned about being right with God. We get it.

But I want to talk about another aspect of what Jesus has been talking about and what He will continue to talk about in the Sermon on the Mount. I railed last week, like a good Baptist preacher should, against abortion and homosexuality. I will say again that those issues are biblical and should make us mad that they are even being debated. We are on solid footing biblically when we go against those things.

Porn and lust and adultery are the same way. It is easy to find biblical justification for our anger against those sins. And Jesus has more to tell us in His sermon of things that some people do that should righteously anger us. Sin makes God angry and it should make us angry. Sexual sin is worse because the consequences are worse so it should make us angrier to see that temptation taking root, especially in our own lives.

The problem is, it’s much easier to see that sin and any other sin as a problem in somebody else’s life than it is in ours. It’s easy to get angry about it in somebody else, but in us, it’s not that big a deal. Christians love to say that God hates sin but loves the sinner and that’s true but when it comes to Christians, we sometimes get a bad rap about hating the sinner as well. Oh, we would never admit it and we don’t think we do but, just as one more difficulty in this world, we have to go above and beyond in our love for the sinner. And that shouldn’t be a problem…because we are that sinner.

Oh, we have a zero-tolerance policy for sinful lifestyles and Matthew 18 says there is a point where we are to tell the unrepentant sinner to leave and not come back. But when somebody is struggling with a porn addiction or a meth addiction or alcohol or an adulterous relationship or same-sex attraction or any sin, I want them to know that Christ Fellowship is still the church that helps people. I want them to know without a doubt that this church is full of sinners saved by God’s ridiculously amazing grace and if they are struggling but repentant that we will never leave them no matter how bad it gets.

And it will get bad. It always does. Sin always takes you further than you intended to go and takes away more than you expected. That’s why Jesus said it is better to sever all ties to anything that leads you to it. You’re not going to be appreciating the great wireless connection you had when you’re in Hell. Nobody in Hell is going to be proud of how much alcohol they could drink.

And there really is a Hell and there really is a Heaven and you have to decide right now where you want to go for all eternity. When you die it will be too late. Decide now to have treasure in Heaven. Decide now to be blessed in this life and also the next. Satan is prowling around like a roaring lion looking to kill you dead (1 Peter 5:8) and he wants you to think that a little porn is okay. He wants you to think that homosexuality is just finding love where you can. He wants you to think that since your wife isn’t interested, it’s okay to mess around with that other lady. And he wants you to hate people that sin differently than you do.

I’ve never been in a more loving, grace-filled, forgiving church in my life and I know God has blessed that. I think you truly understand that you have been shown grace, have been loved and forgiven by God and want to show that same grace and love to others. I know that a lot of people here have struggled and may still struggle with addictions and I believe that is at least partly why we have been called to minister specifically to the poor, the addicted and the incarcerated. We don’t have a lot of resources. We don’t have a half-way house here or an NA  group that meets here every week (at least not yet) but we have a church full of people that have been there and want to be support for those that struggle.

Whatever your struggle, whatever your sin or your addiction, there is almost no chance of beating it if you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. Some people might read this passage in Matthew 5 and think Jesus was a prude and that He doesn’t want us to have any fun but I hope you see now that He is trying to protect us from the horrible consequences of living that sinful lifestyle. It may take making some decisions that the world thinks are crazy but that’s okay. It is more than worth it.

Start today by bowing your head and going to God in prayer and like my friend David did, ask God to search you and try you and see if there is any wicked way in you (Psalm 139). Don’t leave here the same way you came in. We aren’t guaranteed another breath. Ask God to forgive you of your sins. Repent of those sins, which means to turn away from that lifestyle. Ask Him to be Lord of your life. All you have to do is believe and allow Him to change your life. He will help you with that. All you have to do is ask. Do it now as the music plays.

“A Christian’s Righteousness, Part 2” – Matthew 5:21-26

Francis “Two-Gun” Crowley. Ever heard of him? He was put to death in the electric chair at just 19 years of age and you may think that is a tragedy but his whole life was one tragedy after another. He started very young with a life of violence, robbery and then multiple murders, including at least one police officer.

In 1931, he was finally caught after a two-hour gun battle with police in New York City. When they found him, they discovered a blood-stained note in his shirt pocket that said, “Under my coat is a weary heart, but a kind one, one that would do nobody any harm.” In other words, I may have done some bad things, but I’m not a bad person.

What do you think about that? Was he a bad person? Do you think he had a kind heart? Can you have a kind heart and be a bad person? Are you a better person than he is? It may sound absurd to read a note like that coming from such a hardened criminal but that is exactly how a natural man thinks of himself. I may have done some bad things but I’m not a bad person.

It goes back to something we have talked about lots of times before. It goes back to having the right perspective. If your perspective is comparing yourself to somebody else, you might call yourself a good person. You’ve never murdered anybody. You don’t even have a nickname, much less a cool one like “Two-Gun.” Right? You must be a pretty good person. In fact, you don’t mind at all hearing a sermon about murder. “Amen! Preach that, pastor! Too much murder in this world!”

But, if your perspective is focused on God…well, that changes things, doesn’t it? That sets the bar a little higher. And I know what you’re thinking. We aren’t God. We can never be perfect. As long as I don’t do the really bad stuff, I ought to be okay. Especially if sometimes I do really good stuff. My average should be pretty high. I hear ya because it makes sense to me, too. But, unfortunately, God doesn’t grade like that. With God, it’s either pass or fail and to pass, you have to be even more perfect than the Pharisees of Jesus’ day.

That’s what Jesus said in the passage we looked at last week in the Sermon on the Mount that we are going through. If you have your Bibles, turn to Matthew chapter 5. Matthew is the first book of the New Testament. This is our 4^th study of the great sermon that Jesus preached and we saw last week that Jesus was, what we would call, thinking outside the box. Maybe it would be better to say He was thinking outside the law – the Law of Moses and all the laws that the Pharisees had added to it.

For some reason, the Pharisees thought if you looked good outwardly then all was well. If you looked righteous and acted like you were righteous, you must be righteous. If you followed the letter of the law and outwardly did what you were supposed to do and made sure everybody saw you do it, that’s what mattered. That’s what I tell my beautiful, sweet angel dog Sara. I tell her all the time that as long as you long good, baby. That’s all that matters. And that may be true for a perfect and precious sweet muffin blue heeler but that is not how we get right or stay right with Almighty God.

The Pharisees should have known because scripture is replete with passages that tell us that God looks at the inside. He looks at our hearts. Our actions are judged by our hearts and our motives and in our passage today in Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus says we are guilty of murder and deserve a murderer’s punishment, not just for murder but just for being angry at another person or even calling them “stupid” or “a fool.” Whoo, better get your steel-toed boots on for this one, folks. Let’s read Matthew 5:21-26.

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.' 22But 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 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, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; 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. 26Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

 Anybody here like to drive fast? I know Morris does and I like to ride with Morris in his car. That thing will set you back in your seat and make your eyes roll back in your head if you aren’t prepared. Now, imagine with me that you are about to drive a really fast sports car. It’s beautiful to look at. You open the door and slide into the driver’s seat, turn the key and the engine roars to life. You blip the throttle a couple of times and the whole car just shakes like jello in an earthquake.

Then you push in the clutch, put it in first gear, rev it up til the engine sounds like a rock concert and then drop the clutch. Mm, mm, that feels good, doesn’t it? Second gear, third gear, fourth gear and the engine is screaming and you are screaming. What a rush! But then, as you let off the gas, you realize that the brakes are gone. Nothing. No pedal. No emergency brake…and it’s too late. Crash and burn.

I tell you all that because that is a perfect description of anger. It’s so easy and it feels like the right thing to do and it feels good when you are doing it. When you get mad and just put somebody in their place with just the right amount of sarcasm and harsh words, that’s a rush. Throw in some profanity and it sometimes just feels right. They deserved it. You dispensed it. All is right with the world. And then you realize that the brakes are gone. Nothing. No pedal. No emergency brake…and it’s too late. Crash and burn.

You lose your job, your marriage, your friends, your witness, and most certainly your right-standing with God and was it worth it? Jesus says there is no difference in that and murder. Let’s look at what He said a little closer because anger affects us, it affects our relationship with God and it affects others.

Now, before we see what Jesus said, I’m going to say that there are three different types of people that are hearing this right now. The first type of person is the one who knows they have anger issues but are not really interested in changing. You believe that God made you this way and if people don’t want you getting mad at them then they shouldn’t do stupid stuff.

A lady once came to Billy Sunday and tried to rationalize her angry outbursts. "There's nothing wrong with losing my temper," she said. "I blow up, and then it's all over."  "So does a shotgun," Sunday replied, "and look at the damage it leaves behind!"

The second kind of person thinks that since they never really blow up at somebody in anger that they don’t have a problem. But maybe your anger issues manifest themselves differently. Maybe you have unforgiveness in your heart toward someone or maybe you have bitterness or discouragement or trust issues. Anger can manifest itself in all kinds of ways.

But I hope you are the third kind of person. The third person may or may not have an anger issue but knows that it can be a huge problem in anybody’s life including their own and so they will listen prayerfully with a heart open to change. Because it is a heart issue. That’s the point Jesus was trying to make in this whole section. Every religion, in fact, every culture, regardless of religion has laws against murder but being a disciple of Jesus means not even getting angry…or does it?

When you go back and look at the life of Jesus, there was more than once that Jesus got angry and I think some of us need to get angrier at what angers God. You have heard it said that God hates sin but loves the sinner. He also gets angry. Romans 1:18 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

Do you know what ought to make us angry? Look, I’m not going to tell you who to vote for and I’m not going to make this political but the Democrat debates this past week are perfect examples. There are 20 Democrats running for president and every one of them is all for abortion and gay marriage. Think however you want to about the border crisis and what we should do with North Korea and whether the women’s soccer team should be invited to the White House. God will give our president wisdom about such things IF he is right with God and no president can be right with God who advocates for abortion and gay marriage. Those are biblical issues and it should make you mad that those things are even being debated. If you have a problem with me saying that, then please meet me in the office after the service and bring your Bible.

So, God gets angry at the wickedness in people, and He opposes that wickedness in an effort to turn them from evil, that they may find true life and freedom in Him. But even in His anger, God’s motivation is love for people; to restore the relationship that sin destroyed. That might be a good litmus test to decide if your anger is justified or not. Are you angry at the sin and wish to bring the person into a right relationship with God…or are you just mad at the person?

Anger at a person affects us and our relationship with God. Anger at a person puts a barrier between us and God, not to mention that person. Jesus said just calling them names is the same as murder. That word “raca” in verse 22 can’t really be translated perfectly into English but basically it means something like “empty-headed” or “stupid” and it is slandering a person made in God’s image and therefore like slandering God Himself.

Even worse is to call someone a “fool” as it says at the end of verse 22. It means to be stupid and godless. It’s bad to be angry, worse to give vent to that anger and call them names. It is even worse to condemn a person’s character by calling him a fool. All those things make anger affect us and our relationship with God.

In verse 23, Jesus changes the emphasis from our anger to someone else’s anger and we see how that affects our worship. Did you know that your relationship to other people affects your worship? The Pharisees were all about doing worship right. They spent a lot of time offering sacrifices, saying big, loud, long prayers and making sure everybody saw when they tithed but it was all heartless, external ceremony.

They knew that sin put a barrier between them and God so they would offer a sacrifice of some kind of animal on the altar and walk off feeling clean as a daisy without ever having repented and they thought they were very righteous by doing it. They sure didn’t care if they offended somebody. What’s that have to do with worship?

You may have noticed, like several of us have, that there has just been something different, better and more powerful in our worship times lately and I have some guesses as to why that seems to be. It could be that I’m such an awesome speaker. It could be. But since it has more to do than just with the sermon, I don’t think that’s it. Which also leaves out how handsome I am or just how humble I am. I think we can rule all that out as well. In fact, imagine that, I don’t think it has anything to do with me at all.

My serious theory is that we have started to spend a little more time together and we are getting closer to each other and God has given us great unity and when people that love each other get together to worship the God they love, it’s just an amazing time. Just like when a married couple start to get closer to God, they get closer to each other. So, just be ready. Be expecting Satan to try to do something to put a wedge between us because he knows that when people are angry with each other, true worship is almost impossible.

We tithe and we sacrifice our time and energy in our worship times together and we should. But do you know what God wants more than sacrifice? He wants us to have healthy relationships with Him and other people. There is no place for anger in the church even if it’s not your fault. Jesus is saying in verses 23 and 24 that even if it’s not your fault and you didn’t do anything wrong but you remember that somebody has something against you, then you should solve that the best that you can immediately.

Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” You can’t change some peoples’ minds about you, but you can do your best to reconcile that relationship and if you can, then you have brought glory to God. Now go worship and thank Him. Because anger affects us and our relationship with God and it affects others, as well.

Jesus goes on in verses 25 and 26 to talk about a similar circumstance. Somebody has a grievance against us and it is important to do our best to reconcile immediately. One situation was in church and the other is in court but the basic lesson is the same. If somebody has something against you, you need to fix it NOW!

In the very act of worship, if we remember the grievance, we are to break off our worship and make it right. Also, in the very act of going to court, if there is a grievance, we need to settle it right away. Don’t let that disagreement, even if it’s not your fault, remain because it will do nothing but get bigger. That person will be all over town, “Did you hear what that sorry dog did to me? And he calls himself a Christian!”

So, what has happened? Your good name is ruined. Your witness, which is God’s good name, is ruined. And that person can’t worship or witness either and they are telling everybody they know about it. How many people have to suffer because you have something against somebody or somebody has something against you? Jesus is saying that it doesn’t matter whose fault it is. Fix it! And if you don’t then it is sin.

Now, when I say that, it brings up something that needs to be addressed. This is going to come up several more times as we go through the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is telling us, as His disciples, how to live in a way that is blessed by God. You want to be blessed by God, right? The opposite is to be punished by God and we obviously don’t want that. So, here’s what we need to know as it pertains to this passage in Jesus’ sermon and quite a few others as well. When Jesus says something is sin, think about this: (pick up glass marked “Arsenic XXX”)

Anybody want a sip? Oh, come on. Just a little sip. It tastes like lemon-aid. I know the label says arsenic but just a little won’t hurt you. C’mon. Why not? I’ll tell you what. Just a little will be fun but before it starts to do any real damage, I promise to take you to the emergency room. Fair enough? What’s wrong? You don’t want any poison in your body, do you? Just a little bit is too much. Then why would you allow any sin in your life?

Do you know what arsenic does? As soon as arsenic goes into your body, it starts to eat away at the tissue. It starts to do damage right away. The good news is that if you get to the emergency room right away, you’ll probably survive. But the damage has been done and it is usually irreversible.

Sin is very similar. Every sin – every “little sin” or “big sin” causes damage. Proverbs 11:21 says that the wicked will not go unpunished and some of you are thinking that you aren’t wicked. It’s just a little sin. This whole Sermon on the Mount was preached by Jesus to refute that kind of thinking. All sin is wicked, even what we consider to be small sins. We know we can ask God for forgiveness and we fall back on 1 John 1:9 that says if we confess our sins that He is faithful to forgive them. And that’s true but there is damage that has been done.

There is damage to our relationship with God, first and foremost. Every sin is a nail holding Jesus to the cross driven through flesh and bone and into wood by our hard hearts. Do you expect the Father to just say, “Well, boys will be boys”? Or “It’s not that bad. It’s not that big of a nail.”

Every sin. Whether Jesus is talking about anger or calling someone a name or using coarse language or disrespect as He does in this passage or, as He says in upcoming passages, when He talks about lust or divorce, all sin causes damage. It damages us, it damages our relationship with God and with other people. It damages our worship and our witness. Yes, thank you, Lord, for your forgiveness but I pray right now, God, that you will give us the strength to overcome in Your name.

God, I ask for that forgiveness right now for myself and this church. Forgive us for allowing what we consider to be little sins to continue in our lives. Lord, search us and try us and see if there are any wicked ways in us and then convict us of those sins so we don’t ever do them again. God, we appreciate the way that you have given us unity and have blessed us with your Spirit in this place. We want more of that. Please continue to show us your will and give us the strength to follow it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you would like to know for sure that you will go to Heaven when you die then you need to decide right now to ask Jesus to be Lord of your life and to come into your life to change it and be in control. Ask Him for forgiveness of your sins and then repent or turn away from those sins and He will forgive you. This allows you to have a relationship with our risen Lord, King Jesus, and that brings peace and joy in this life even in the difficult times. We are all sinners (Rom. 3:23) and what we deserve for that sin is eternal death in Hell (Rom. 6:23) but God the Father sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay the price for that sin (John 3:16) and all we have to do is believe. Do that right now.