Christian Living Today

When you think about hospitality, what comes to mind? A gorgeously appointed dinner table with fresh flowers, classy place cards, china, and cut crystal? A perfectly prepared five course meal served on silver platters? A relaxed hostess with not a hair out of place?

If this is your idea of hospitality, I can almost guarantee you cringe when you hear the word. Furthermore, I suspect you do not practice hospitality. After all, which one of us can live up to that standard? Thankfully, that is not biblical hospitality. Granted it may be the standard our world would require, but it is not even close to the biblical definition of the word.

Here’s another picture. The stage: a tent under a shade tree in the middle of a hot, dry land. The time: mid-day with the sun burning high and hot overhead. The characters: A past prime man fanning himself in front of his tent and three hot, weary, dusty travelers coming on the stage.

I don’t know about you, but the idea of entertaining strangers while living in a tent - well, that is definitely not my idea of hospitality. Yet this is the setting for the second example of hospitality given in Scripture. You’ll find the story in Genesis 18:1-8. Here we read:

“Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.” So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.”

I have read this story many times but never really looked at it from a hospitality perspective. However when I did, I found some valuable lessons.

First: we see Abraham sitting in his tent door. Why? Most likely, since it was the hottest part of the day, he sought to catch any breeze which might pass his way. John Gill also says he sat there, “partly to cool and refresh himself, and partly to observe if any passengers passed by, to invite them in; this being a time of day when such needed refreshment, and it was proper for them to lie by a while, and not proceed on their journey until it was cooler.”

So the first principle we gain from this passage: A righteous man (or woman) looks for opportunities to be hospitable.

How often do we look for opportunities to practice hospitality? For that matter, how often do we even think about hospitality - in particular, being hospitable to people we do not know?

Matthew Henry suggests we are more likely to be comfortable with good works which we practice freely and frequently. In other words, we are more likely to be hospitable if we practice hospitality. Furthermore, he adds. “Where, upon a prudent and impartial judgment, we see no cause to suspect ill, charity teaches us to hope well and to show kindness accordingly. It is better to feed five drones, or wasps, than to starve one bee.”

Second: we should share what we have more than willingly - eagerly. When Abraham saw the three men, ‘he ran from the tent door to meet them.’ Now this is an interesting picture. Here you have a past-prime man in the hottest part of the day running to greet his guests. Was he that eager for company?

Not likely. John Gill says he did not wait for them to come to him, “but, to show how ready he was to entertain them, he arises from his seat at the tent door and ran to meet them, and gave them an hearty welcome to what he would provide for them.”

Let’s change the scenario a bit. You are standing in the vestibule of your church. In walks a young couple you have never seen. They wear decent clothes. Their smiles are pleasant. They seem a bit shy, but maybe it is just walking it a crowd of people they do not know.

What is your reaction? Do you promptly head their way? Do you shake their hand? Do you offer your name and inquire of theirs? If so, you’ve done the ‘norm’ - maybe even a bit more. However, is this really the modern-day equivalent to Abraham’s response to these strangers who entered his ‘space’? Hardly!

John Trapp reminds us, “Charity is no churl. “The liberal man deviseth liberal things”; {#Isa 32:8}“

Yet you may object. I don’t know those people. They could be scammers or thieves, robbers or rapists. True. However, do you really think it was safer in Abraham’s day? I doubt it. Yet he didn’t treat his proposed guests to anything less than a hearty and prompt welcome. Remember Matthew Henry’s words above - “Where, upon a prudent and impartial judgment, we see no cause to suspect ill, charity teaches us to hope well and to show kindness accordingly.”

If this is the way a righteous man acts, what does that make us to be if we do less?

Next time we will dig deeper into this passage. However, lest you are thinking you are off the hook (as it were) because Abraham knew who his guests were and thus treated them well because of who they were, I will close with these words from John Calvin:

“they appeared to be nothing else than men. And this was done designedly, in order that he, receiving them as men, might give proof of his charity. For angels do not need those services of ours, which are the true evidences of charity. Moreover, hospitality holds the chief place among these services; because it is no common virtue to assist strangers, from whom there is no hope of reward. For men in general are wont, when they do favors to others, to look for a return; but he who is kind to unknown guests and persons, proves himself to be disinterestedly liberal. Wherefor the humanity of Abraham deserves no slight praise; because he freely invites men who were to him unknown, through whom he had no advantage, and from whom he had no hope of mutual favors.”

The subjects of my reading are somewhat various right now. My time is FAR too limited. Thus, my thoughts are somewhat eclectic at times. I believe this is a good thing. After all, as cohesion comes, I am finding the various thoughts are really just branches of the main question: How can I best live my life to the glory of my Creator?

One of the areas I have been studying lately is the Christian mind. In fact, I read an entire book in two settings (okay, it was short, and I was trapped in the car) by John Stott which I will review in an upcoming post - excellent and a quick read by the way.

However, I just wanted to address why it all really matters.

Our minds are under attack. If you doubt this, try to take a more objective view of what you are watching on TV, what you see in the checkout aisle at the supermarket, what you hear on your radio. It is pretty bad, folks.

While we are far too much like the frog in the pan of water - as the heat turns up we just think we’re getting more comfortable - the world is bombarding our minds (and through them every aspect of our lives) with an ungodly mix which, were we to really hear and see it, ought to turn our stomachs.

John MacArthur asked a compelling question, and one we should all ponder, in his sermon on 2 Cor 1:12-14. While I will refer to this sermon more in the future, I want to highlight one point because I believe it is an understanding of this one point which shows why purity of the mind and filling our minds with what is true and good and lovely is so very important.

He asked the question: What sin is the most serious? The answer: The sin of the mind.

The biggest challenge we face as Christians is to keep a pure mind. To indulge ourselves in sins of thought (you know, those sins no one sees and we assume are, thus, no big deal) is to molest our conscience.

To combat mind sins, we must constantly confront our minds with God’s word. Our conscience is our only guard against mind sins. We must be strengthening our conscience with God’s word.

So, the question is: In a typical day, how much time do you spend feeding your mind on what is good and pure and lovely? Compare that with the amount of time your mind is bombarded by what belongs to and flows from the world in which you live?

Are you killing your conscience? Important question!

Douglas Wilson is an articulate, respected, well-studied Christian. Christopher Hitchens is a committed, outspoken, and verbose Atheist. What, therefore, could the two have in common?

At least three things, actually.

- Both enjoy PJ Woodhouse

- Both are committed to their beliefs

- Both belief systems have collided on several occasions

The new movie, Collision, directed by independent film maker, Darren Doane highlights the impact and distinctions of their differing belief systems while avoiding bias toward one or the other.

The movie is a collage of several independent interviews: three formal debates held by Wilson and Hitchens - one in New York, one in Pennsylvania, and one featured by CNN - and numerous more informal gatherings around meals or in small town-hall type settings in a local tavern.

The 90 minute movie is well laid and with the exception (in my opinion) of one section of rap music, is a compelling and enjoyable watch. Humorous, yet serious. Good natured, yet earnest. Well read and passionate. Both men are articulate thus it comes as no surprise both are prolific writers. Thus, as a side, I must admit I was amazed by one shot of Christopher Hitchens hunting and pecking across his computer keyboard.

My basic impressions:

Christianity is based on a reasonable premise but modern-day Christians prefer to throw out reason (doctrine).

Atheism says there is no reasonable premise and then tries to prove its point via a reasonable argument.

The primary questions the DVD focuses upon are two:

1 - Upon ‘what’ do you base your definition of right and wrong?

2 - What is your moral basis?

Hitchens says right and wrong are an innate quality within homosapians which we acquired by chance and natural selection. He believes there is no ultimate justice. On the other hand, he says this does not mean he cannot stand in awe of something as tremendous as a black hole even though its very existence is a product of chance.

Of course Wilson takes a diametrically opposed viewpoint. He contends our God-given conscience is our basis for right and wrong. He says the Bible gives us the standard by which we are to live our lives, and that there will be a day of final reckoning. He also concludes the very fact we stand in awe of something like the black hole is an argument for its Creator.

I would recommend this DVD to all Christians. While I do not believe every Christian (or even most Christians) should be actively engaged in debates with confirmed and committed atheists, I do believe this movie shows quite clearly the need for Christians to know what they believe and seek to articulate it clearly when given an opportunity.

Off and on, as I find time, I have been reading through a book put together by Grace Community Church in honor of Pastor John MacArthur’s fortieth year as their pastor. This book entitled “Truth Endures” is, primarily, a collection of congregation favorite sermons preached by Pastor MacArthur over the past forty years. I say ‘primarily’ because the book begins with a wonderful biography of Pastor MacArthur written by Iain Murray.

One of the most amazing thing about this collection is how these favorite sermons span the years. For example, one favorite is the first sermon John preached at his new church. Others are from the 70’s or 80’s - what most of us would consider the early years. Obviously, while Pastor MacArthur has commented on his spiritual and practical growth over the years, God had already blessed this man with a wonderful understanding of the foundational principles of Christianity. Furthermore, John was committed to expository preaching, right from the start. The depth of his early sermons reveals this.

As I have read through these sermons, I have been blessed and exhorted and encouraged and convicted. Each one is a hallmark for the truths it proclaims and its unrelenting commitment to God’s word.

While most books I read focus on one subject - and, I believe, this is good and necessary as a general rule - this book covers a gamete of subjects all interconnected by their tie to the teachings of God’s’ Word. I strongly encourage you to get it and read it for yourself.

Over the next few days or weeks maybe even months, I will be sharing excerpts from some of these sermons - excerpts which I believe will not only give you a taste of the value of this book, but will also, I pray, convict and encourage and uplift you as they are me.

Today I will focus on Pastor MacArthur’s Sermon from December 26, 1976. This sermon entitled, The Simple Gospel, has ‘endured as a favorite for more than thirty years.’ Pastor MacArthur’s text was John 8:21-30. His premise: “What happens when a person maintains the masquerade of Christmas, giving homage to an event, but not tolerating the individual in which that event finds its meaning? If receiving Jesus Christ results in an abundant and eternal life, then not receiving Jesus Christ results in receiving the curse of God.”

He then turns to John 8 which he calls a difficult passage which makes him “want to cry out with Richard Baxter, ‘Oh, for an empty hell and a full heaven!’” Let’s look at the passage:

“Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?”And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.” They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.”

As Pastor MacArthur points out, those ‘who give lip service to Christianity while rejecting Christ are engaged in the most foolish kind of fun.’ This is serious stuff. This is stuff we all should be paying attention to. Remember, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees. These are religious people. These people not only thought they were headed to heaven, they knew they were going there. What about me? What about you? How closely do our ‘convictions’ about our eternal destiny line up with theirs? More importantly, how closely do our reasons behind our convictions line up with Scripture?

Pastor MacArthur went on to point out several ways to ‘guarantee’ we will die in our sins. The first way he listed was to be self righteous. He said, “The first way to guarantee that you will die in your sin and not go to the Father’s house in heaven with Jesus is to be convinced that you don’t need to be saved, that you are spiritually all right. By far, those who deny their need of a Savior are the most difficult people to reach. . . Self-righteous people, who have developed a system that they believe gives them the right to enter God’s presence, are the hardest people to convince that they need a Savior because they already feel they are fine.” Upon what or whom is your salvation based? Is it really based on Scripture or are you being misled?

He went on to relate an article sent to a Melbourne newspaper by someone who had heard Billy Graham preach. The article read, “After hearing Dr. Billing Graham on the air, viewing him on television, and seeing reports and letters concerning his mission, I am heartily sick of the type of religion that insists my soul and everyone else’s needs saving, whatever that means. I have never felt that I was lost nor do I feel that I daily wallow in the mire of sin, although repetitious preaching insists I do. Give me a practical religion that teaches gentleness and tolerance, that acknowledges no barriers of color or creed, that remembers the aged and teaches children goodness and not sin. If in order to save my soul I must accept such a philosophy as I have recently heard preached, I prefer to remain forever damned.”

God be merciful!

The second way we can guarantee we will die in our sins is to be earthbound (vs 23). Pastor MacArthur said, “If you want to guarantee that you will die in your sin, just be part of the world system and accept what it offers. Then you can be classified as ‘sons of this age’ (Luke 16:8) entrapped in ‘this present evil age,’ from which Jesus seeks to deliver man (Gal 1:14). Opposed to the truth of God, the world propagates its own self-righteous system.”

Before you assume this is an area of no concern, think again. In my judgment, we are far too influence by our culture. We need to take a good hard look at Scripture (a good place to start might be the Sermon on the Mount) before we consider ourselves free of this pitfall.

The third way we can guarantee we will die in our sins is to be unbelieving (vs 24). Pastor MacArthur says, “You don’t have to go out and kill someone and be bad to go to hell, because hell is not just for criminals, it is for everyone and anyone who refuses Christ. If you refuse Christ in this life, God isn’t going to force you to dwell with Him forever in eternity. . .Because Jesus was identifying Himself with God, saving faith not only becomes a question of turning from sin, but trusting the Son as well. It’s a question of believing Jesus is who He claimed to be. You ask, ‘Am I going to die in my sin unless I believe that He is all that He claimed to be?’ That’s right.”

The last way to guarantee we will die in our sins is to be wilfully ignorant (vs 25). Pastor MacArthur said, “The Jewish leaders had enough evidence about Christ, they just refused to believe. . .They were wilfully ignorant of Christ’s identity. . .

“I wish we could transport ourselves back in a time capsule and meet those people so we could understand the tragedy of rejecting Christ. You would get a little idea of the intensity and the fearfulness of such a warning as Jesus made here.” I suspect we would be AMAZED at how much they are like most ‘Christians’ today. God grant we are not like them.

God grant us the grace to study His word that we may know beyond a shadow of a doubt the Jesus we are following, the Jesus we claim to believe, is the real Jesus - the only way to God. While the gospel is simple, there is only ONE TRUE GOSPEL! We must not settle for a carbon copy or a substitute spawned by man’s ideas or our own self-righteous conceptions.

I believe I ‘ranted’ a bit in my last post on hospitality. My apologies. Ranting really is not necessary. However, the hospitality issue has really been brought to the forefront in my thinking lately.

As a result, I am doing some research and reading. As usual, I will seek to consolidate my thoughts by writing them down. Thus I expect there will be some posts on hospitality in the future - this being one.

Have you ever taken a drive in the country? I did the other day. I was struck by the number of signs along the road. Besides the address placards, one sees name signs - “The Cooper’s” or “Lazy S Ranch.” However, the most common signs were: “Welcome Friends” or “No Trespassing.” I guess it is a sign of our times that the later far outnumbered the former.

What is sad is when we walk into a new church and feel like we somehow missed the ‘No Trespassing’ sign at the door. Granted, our attitude toward strangers is bound to be affected, at least to a point, by the general attitude of the community in which we live. If we live in an area where the ‘Welcome Friends’ signs outweigh the ‘No Trespassing’ signs (something I fear is growing more rare by the moment), we are likely to carry this attitude into our churches.

If we live in an area where the opposite is true, it will probably influence the way we treat the ‘strangers’ who walk through our church doors. The question is, Should it? The answer: no!

Krister Stendahl put it this way. “Wherever, whenever, however the kingdom manifests itself, it is welcome.” If we can’t be welcoming to those walking through our church doors, what does this say about our Christianity?

I’m not talking here about greeters or formal welcoming committees. I’m talking about how YOU respond when someone you do not know walks into your church. Do you go about your business and leave it to the ‘greeters’ to welcome them? Do you smile and turn away? Do you say ‘hi’, maybe shake their hand, then consider you’re part done?

In her book, “Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition”, Christine Pohl says, “Hospitality is a lens through which we can understand much of the gospel, and a practice by which we can welcome Jesus himself.”

Read that again. Does it ever cross your mind the way you treat the strangers who enter your fellowship is they way you treat Christ? Consider these verses from Matthew 25 verses 32 through 46:

“All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Did you notice the words, “righteous” and “cursed”? What is a mark of the righteous? The cursed? Hospitality! I am not saying hospitality is a requirement of salvation. This is not in keeping with the rest of Scripture. What I believe this passage is teaching is that hospitality is a ‘sign’ of salvation. In other words, as Christians we should be hospitable. If we aren’t, why not?

There really are just two churches out there - there is the church where you walk in and feel welcome. The people are friendly. They treat you like family - and they should. Then there is the church who is so superficial (if they are friendly at all), you wonder why they bother.

Most people who walk through our church doors are people we should expect to spend time with in eternity. Those who are not Christians certainly will not be impacted if we don’t reach out. So, there is NO ONE who walks through our church doors who we shouldn’t be happy to see.

Think about it. How do families treat each other? While there are dysfunctional families, in a ‘normal’ family, we don’t just say ‘hi’ or exchange smiles or shake hands. Think about a family reunion. At most family reunions, family members are brought together who rarely (or perhaps never) see one another. We consider the reunion a success if, at the day’s end, everyone is visiting with someone and there are no ‘cast-offs’ left to fend for themselves.

If you desire to be the ‘righteous’ who treat others as if it were Jesus to whom you were ministering, if you want your church to really exhibit a family atmosphere, if you want to exhibit the reality of your Christian profession, if you want all the family members who walk through your church doors to feel ‘welcome’ not ‘cast-offs,’ you must seek to connect to the strangers who cross your path - particularly within the circle of your church activities.

How do we do that? Do more than just say ‘hi’. Try to start a conversation. It is much easier than you might think. Ask about the other person. Volunteer similar information about yourself. Go beyond the ‘hi’ and hand shake. Show real interest in the other person. Better yet, invite those ‘strangers’ home. Show them your Christian label is real. You may be surprised at what you find.

If you find this whole idea inconceivable - If the idea of talking to a stranger more frightening than a trip to the dentist, I can sympathize. Friendliness to strangers is NOT my strongest character trait. However, we both need to remember the primary reason why we are so uncomfortable reaching out to people we don’t know. We are too proud!

Ouch! I know that hurts. I HATE to think of myself as a proud person, but reality is, the REAL reason we are uncomfortable in the presence of people we don’t know is we are far too focused on ourselves. We don’t know them well enough to be uncomfortable around them because of who ‘they’ are - it is because of who we ‘think’ we are. We don’t want to do anything which might put us at a disadvantage or make us look any less than how we ‘think’ we should look.

So, when you or I fail to reach out to someone else - well, we are committing at least two sins. We are failing to show we are Christians by our love AND we are allowing our pride to make us respond in a less than Christian way.

Philip Hallie put it very succinctly: “Deeds speak the language of the great virtues far better than do words. . .Words limp outside the gates of the mystery of compassion for strangers.”

What makes you tick? If you were to encapsulate your most driving passion, your greatest desire, the one thing you cannot live without, the one thing which would make you the most happy, what would it be?

I have been pondering these questions, and more, as I have read through John MacArthur’s sermon on Matthew 5:6. You remember Jesus words: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.”

As Pastor MacArthur said in his sermon, Americans, in fact most of the world, have no real idea what it means to hunger and thirst. We think we are hungry if we miss lunch. We think we are thirsty if our current beverage has run out. However, true hunger and thirst is a much deeper felt need. It is a driving force which overrides every other feeling and thought.

Righteousness is to God’s child what food and water is to the natural man. When the Bible uses these terms, it is speaking of something for which there is no quick fix. It is implying a level of desperation.

Am I desperate for righteousness? I’m not even sure I want to examine that question closely. I fear the answer may reveal more about my heart than I want to know. What about the flip question? Do I see the world’s offerings as vanity? Another hard hitting question.

Because this verse falls within a ‘list’ of things which Jesus says are the true source of happiness (blessed means happy), let’s step back and have Pastor MacArthur define the connection between this source of happiness and those which proceed and follow.

“When in meekness and morning and brokeness you see your true sinful condition and begin to hunger and thirst after righteousness which you know you need but cannot earn, which you know you need but do not have, you are giving evidence of being a kingdom citizen. . .Until you have hungered and thirsted after righteousness and then been satisfied, you can’t be merciful, pure in heart, and a peacemaker.”

So those which proceed lead into hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and those which follow are a result of our hungering and thirsting after righteousness.

As I mentioned above, the idea communicated by the words, ‘hunger’ and ‘thirst’ is more than a mild discomfort because my belly is not completely full or my mouth is a little dry. The word translated ‘hunger’ means to suffer want, to be in need. The word translated ‘thirst’ means to suffer thirst. These words convey a sense of desperation. Furthermore, they are both present participles. In other words, they speak of continuous action - a way of life.

The Psalmist felt this way. In Psalms 63:1 we read, “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.”

Have you ever felt this way? Have you every longed for God with this kind of intensity? John Darby said, “To be hungry is not enough. I must be starving to know what is in His heart toward me. When the prodigal son was hungry, he went to feed on the husks. But when he was starving, he went to his father.”

The god of this world has deluded so many. We think the real source of sustenance, the true fountain of happiness, lies in this world (with the pigs). We have grown so comfortable wallowing in the world’s mud, we think this is the best. Granted, few will say they wouldn’t be happier if only they had . . ., but as we have seen in our trip through Jeremiah Burroughs’ book, things never really satisfy. There is always something more we long to have.

If only we could get it through our thick skulls. True happiness comes from God. We do not gain happiness by seeking happiness. We gain true happiness by seeking God. As MacArthur said, “The one who pursues happiness is generally doomed to misery.”

Thus, dear friend, the question we must ask ourselves is: What am I passionate about? What is the driving force in my life? We all have one. We are all driven to attain or achieve or get something. We need to stop and take an honest look at our hearts.

As Christians we must be seeking God’s righteousness. If this is not our driving passion, we must make it so. If we don’t want to make it so, that in itself says something is seriously wrong.

What is righteousness? Righteousness means to be right with God. Pastor MacArthur said, “When the thing that consumes you is you want to be right with God, when the thing that consumes you is you want your sin dealt with, when the thing that consumes you is you want forgiveness, you want to enter in the fellowship with God, you want to dwell forever in His holy heaven, you want your sin forgiven, you want to be made right with God, that’s the issue.”

I suppose someone might say: I felt that way before I became a Christian. I even felt that way early in my Christian walk. But I’m a mature believer now. Isn’t it wrong to continue returning to this kind of talk?

Remember Romans 7? Romans, as you recall, was written by Paul. If you have spent much time in the New Testament, I’m sure you have come to realize Paul was no‘modern-day Christian.’ Paul was serious about his walk - sometimes we might even consider him too serious. After all, the level he strove for was over the top, wasn’t it?

The very reason we can ask such a question is because we have dropped our expectations so far. We no longer see knowing God as the ultimate. We no longer say with Paul, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom 7:18-24)

Have you ever felt this way? As a Christian, desiring righteousness should be a normal part of my makeup. Like Paul, I should increasingly hate my sin. I should be ‘working to have my own life conform to His character.’

While this world will never satisfy - we all know that - the righteousness which comes from God does. That is what Matthew 5 is saying. When the pursuit of God is our driving passion, we will know what it means to be totally filled. We will say with the Psalmist, “The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.” (Ps 34:10) “For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.” (Ps 107:9).

Isn’t this what you really want? If not, what does that say about your heart? Next time we will ask ourselves some hard, but necessary questions to help us determine just ‘what’ we are hungry and thirsty for.

Every culture has its taboos, its weaknesses, its quirks. This is as old as time and should come as no surprise. What should shock and concern us, however, is how easily cultural norms infect the church. Sadly, this too is as old as time.

In Jesus day the Jewish culture had been greatly influenced by the Pharisitical mindset. In fact, the teachings of the Pharisees had become so entwined with the teachings of Scripture the people often saw them as one. No surprise. The Pharisees taught them as one. Thus most of Jesus discussions with the Pharisees were focused on addressing these errors in their thinking and teaching.

Our culture has had much the same effect on the church. We are much more susceptible to sins which are condoned and encouraged within our culture. Furthermore, Christians are often confused about issues which our culture has defined as either good or bad　if they are not clearly delineated in Scripture - in other words not in direct conflict with the Ten Commandments. (Yet, we can see the depth of culture’s influence when we realize even the Ten Commandments are falling under our culture’s axe.)

However, Worse yet may be the tendency by many Christians to allow culture to define Scripture. I believe the passage in Matthew 7:1 is an EXCELLENT example of this sort of error.

In Matthew 7:1 we read: “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” What does this mean?

Most Christians and non-Christians (who care to say) would agree. It means you are not to judge anyone. Christians would probably add, God is the only Judge. We have no right to make judgement calls. In fact, if we do we will bring God’s wrath down upon our own heads.

Is this what the verse means? I would suggest we ought to be suspect of this definition for at least three reasons:

One - There are other passages in Scripture where we are called to judge. Since Scripture never contradicts itself, we need to proceed carefully to avoid error.

Two - This is one verse. We have not looked at the surrounding text. As we have discussed previously, God did not just give us one verse. Just like anything we say can be twisted to mean something completely different than intended if taken out of context, so can Scripture. We MUST read passages - especially controversial texts - in context.

Three - Our present day culture is based upon just such an interpretation. If our culture says it is right, we ought to at least be suspect!

So, let’s look at the context. In large context we are in the middle of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. As we narrow our focus we see chapter 6 began with an exhortation on prayer, followed by the Lord’s example prayer, which He closed with an exhortation to forgive. Next Jesus addresses a proper attitude toward fasting followed by the reminder that where our treasure’s location reveals heart’s home. The chapter closes with the exhortation not to worry about the future because our Father in heaven is in control.

Matthew 7:1-5 then says, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

From here Jesus goes on to talk about asking and receiving followed by the narrow and wide gate and warnings about false prophets.

We must remember, as we look into this passage, that Matthew does not record the Sermon on the Mount verbatim. In other words, he did not have a tape recorder and is now transcribing every word Jesus said. What he did record is what the Holy Spirit inspired him to record. Thus we must be careful on two sides:

One - we must realize we are not reading a novel where this chapter is a continuation of the chapter before and the chapter to follow. They do tie, and a serious review (like reading John MacArthur’s book on the subject) shows how well they tie together. However, there are several specific subjects addressed - each following the one before.

Two - we must realize every word we need to allow us to understand and correctly interpret this passage is included either in this passage or in the Bible as a whole. In other words, we do not need to go to the cultural gurus to gain enlightenment into what Jesus is saying here. So, what is He saying?

There are two very important pieces in this passage which allow us to gain a basic understanding of His meaning based on this passage alone. One is a descriptive word. One is an illustration. Jesus describes those to whom He is addressing this command. He calls them hypocrites! Further, He uses an illustration which shows ‘how’ they are hypocrites. He says, “why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?”

Thus, from the start we see this text is NOT telling us to make no judgement calls. It is telling us not to be hypocritical in our judgements. There is a BIG difference. There are really two extremes, and we tend to land somewhere in the middle.

Our culture says: Do not judge, which means: “I’m okay. You’re okay.” “Whatever feels good, do it.” “Everything is relative.” “What’s right for you may not be right for me.”

In other words, they say we cannot judge another. However, if I steal your car, your response is not going to be, “Whatever feels go, do it.” You will want ‘justice’. It becomes obvious our world view is not as extreme as we want everyone to think it is.

Our church says: Do not judge, which means: “You have no right to suggest something I believe or something I am doing is not biblical.” However, if the gal in the next pew makes a move on your husband because she said God told her he was to be ‘her’ man now, it is highly doubtful you will agree!

We make judgement calls every day. We tell our children to do or not to do things because we believe them to be right or wrong. And well we should. It would be impossible to discipline our children (as we are commanded to do - in a right attitude and with a proper goal), if we never made judgement calls.

Furthermore, we feel offended or ‘wronged’ because we judge someone’s actions or attitudes toward us to be negative. Even in simpler things - such as a trip to the grocery store - we make judgement calls. In fact, if we are honest, life would be impossible without our ability to make judgements.

But, you may say, this passage is talking about judging another person - which in fact it is. And, as I have shown above, as parents (or employers) we do judge other people and we must. However, briefly let’s look at this passage directly.

Adam Clarke put it about as succinctly as anyone when he commented on this passage. He said, “These exhortations are pointed against rash, harsh, and uncharitable judgments, the thinking evil, where no evil seems, and speaking of it accordingly. . .By a secret and criminal disposition of nature, man endeavours to elevate himself above others, and, to do it more effectually, depresses them. His jealous and envious heart wishes that there may be no good quality found but in himself, that he alone may be esteemed.”

Herein lies the key. Jesus is NOT saying we are not to make a judgement call. In fact, He says, in this passage, “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” In other words, take care of your own more grievous sin in this area, then you will be more fit to help your brother or sister as they fight against their sin.

Two other passages add insight. Romans 2:1 gives clarity. Here we read, “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” Note the inexcusable action　is that we condemn someone else for something while we practice the same things!

The other passage is Luke’s rendering of this sermon. In 6:37 we read, “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Again we read the word, condemn.

Barnes explains it this way, he says Christ does not “condemn our forming an opinion of the conduct of others, for it is impossible not to form an opinion of conduct that we know to be evil. But what he refers to is a habit of forming a judgment hastily, harshly, and without an allowance for every palliating circumstance, and of expressing such an opinion harshly and unnecessarily when formed.”

Thus we find judgement calls - or discernment - are NOT condemned. What is condemned is an unjust heart attitude which condones sin in ourselves while condemning it in others. Further we see the warning not to condemn. In other words, when we do make judgement calls, we need to avoid being harsh, hasty, and unbending. Or, to put it another way, we need to make sure we are as gracious in forgiving others, as generous in giving them the benefit of the doubt, as we are in doing the same for ourselves!

While I hope to share further studies I’ve done recently on this subject and look at it from a slightly different viewpoint, I will close with this: When we are commanded not to judge, we are basically commanded not to condemn someone else based on our interpretation of the motives and intents of their hearts. We cannot see another person’s heart. We have no idea why they made the decision they made or did the thing they did.

On the other hand, however, we MUST not condone sin, either (and most importantly) in our own hearts or in the hearts and lives of our fellow Christians. This is what Matthew 18 is talking about.

Third, and just briefly, when we realize we are in the presence of someone who hates God and all He stands for, we must not give them the opportunity to ‘trample under’ the Word of God - at least not with our help and at our hand. This is what Matthew 7 verse 6 is saying.

God grant us wisdom to discern - first in our own lives and then in the lives of others. God grant us courage to confront - the sin in our own hearts and, as necessary, in the lives of those whose lives are entwined with ours. God grant us grace to never condemn another when we have been forgiven for SO very much!

I must admit, I was amazed! We have been listening to (and greatly enjoying) sermons from a small church in a rural area. In fact, perhaps I had been anticipating our visit too much. Maybe my expectations were too high (although I had made a concentrated effort to not set them too high). Anyway, I was disappointed.

What did I expect? I guess I expected the body life to reflect the depth in the sermons. After all, the pastor has been there for several years. Surely if the people continue to attend, they are coming to hear the preaching. Surely if they are hearing the preaching, it is impacting their lives???

So why, I have to ask, was the church so cold? What happened to hospitality? Friendliness? Fellowship?

Sadly while I was completely unprepared for the disconnect at this particular church, the problem seems to predominate the church in America. What has happened? How on earth is the world supposed to know us by our love? Our love for own another?

I think we’ve taken this too far. After all, it isn’t that the people at this church (or the hundreds of other bodies out there with the same attitude) were unfriendly. In fact, they visited freely amongst themselves. So why did they treat us like we didn’t exist (with the exception of the pastor who did greet us and the greeters at the front door who said ‘hi’ and offered us a bulletin and a visitor’s packet)?

Why do we do this? Why do we treat visitors to our assembly as though they were suspicious? Why do we offer supperficial ‘hello’s without extending at least an attempt at real interest in ‘who’ they are and ‘what’ brought them to our house of worship?

Does not their presence express an interest in what we stand for? Does not their effort to attend our meeting suggest at the least a curiousity about ‘Who’ we represent? Then why do we treat them as though they were someone to smile at (if we will even meet their eyes) or to offer a ‘hi’ to (even if we will not offer our names) instead of a creature, created in God’s image who - very likely - is also a brother or sister in Christ?

I suspect this will color some future blog posts as I seek to understand this growing malaise in the Christian church - an attitude which I suspect is shaming our Lord and certainly not showing us as different than the culture outside our church doors.

Please, feel free to comment if you like. I’d really like to hear your thoughts on this subject as I ponder the causes and the implications and, obviously, the Scriptural voice on the subject.

I do not believe I am alone when I say much of my Christian life I have had only a hazy idea of my goal. I could define it in broad terms - to please God. I could define it in even broader terms - to escape hell. I might even define it in wrong terms - to be happy.

If others share this situation, it is no wonder Christians, and the church at large, often seem like they are crippled and unprepared for the task before them. I think we could compare our situation to that of an auto mechanic who knew next to nothing about cars. Imagine trying to fix a car without having an understanding of how a car is supposed to work.

What, then, are the key elements to our Christianity? What are the foundational principles upon which our faith rests? What things must a Christian never compromise? What is the goal of our lives?

I must say although I have been forming a clearer understanding of ‘where’ I am headed and ‘how’ I should act as I travel this road, I am, as so often happens, indebted to many Godly men and women who have helped me. Everything I read. Every sermon or Bible class to which I listen. Each one has helped bring me develop a more complete knowledge of my goal and purpose in life.

Pastor John MacArthur has done us all a favor by delineating these three aspects as the ‘Foundational Principles’ of our Christian life. In so doing, he has turned a spot light, as it were, on three key issues which should be foremost in our thinking at every turn of our lives. The three foundational principles which he points to as being the key points behind our existence are: The glory of God, the Lordship of Christ, and the Spirit’s plan for the church.

Today, with the help of Pastor MacArthur, I want to look at the first foundation of grace, the glory of God.

Years ago I learned parts of the Westminster Catechism. One answer has stuck with me through the years and thus I have known, on some level, this was my goal. The question asks: What is man’s chief end? The answer is: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

A simpler version, the children’s shorter catechism which I have been teaching to my little boy asks: Who made you? Answer: God did. Question three: Why did God make you? Answer: For His own glory. Thus, this point really ought to be foundation to our understanding. Children in our Sunday School classes should know more than just Bible stories. They should, to be effective they must know why they exist!

How do we glorify God? Pastor MacArthur listed 13 ways our lives can and should bring glory to God.

1 - By confessing Jesus Christ as Lord. No one can glorify God who does not confess Jesus as Lord. To deny this is to diminish God’s testimony. Remember what God said at Jesus’ baptism? If you deny Jesus Lordship, you call God a liar. Obviously this is not glorifying to God.

2 - By aiming my life at this purpose. This point ties in nicely with so many things I have been reading and studying of late. The point of my life is NOT to bring attention to myself. The point of my life is to point others to God. In other words, all my life should be lived to the glory of God. Sounds simple. I think we would all agree we cannot actually do something unless we are making it our end. However, what, exactly does this mean?

It means we are willing to glorify God no matter what the cost. It means we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ. It means what makes me feel good matters less than what makes Him look good.

It also means nothing hurts me more than to see God’s name drug through the mud. The Psalmist expressed this when, in Psalm 59, he said zeal for His house had consumed him. This is the one thing which aroused serious emotions in our Lord. Today it is far too easy to find examples of God being dishonored in places and amongst people who ‘profess’ to be for Him.

It also means I’m content when others are honored above me - no matter how hard I have worked - if God is glorified. Our pride is SO strong. This is harder to do than it sounds.

3 - By confessing sin. Remember the story of Achan in Joshua 7? Joshua told Achan to give glory to God by confessing his sin. By confessing our sin, we acknowledge God’s judgement upon us and our sin is just. By confessing our sin, we adjust our hearts to accept God’s chastening with a proper attitude. As Pastor MacArthur pointed out, a person who really understands the horror of their sin can / will never complain about their trials - no matter how frequent or difficult they may be.

4 - By trusting God. When our faith does not waiver, when we believe His word while all around people depend upon everything and anything else, when we believe although our outward circumstances make it seem as though He has abandoned us or lost control, this brings glory to God.

5 - By being fruitful. There are two types of fruit - the fruits of the spirit which are attitude fruits and the fruits we are to produce which are action fruits (Phil 1:11, Heb 13:15, Col 1:10). BOTH should be present in our lives if we are to bring glory to God.

6 - By praising Him. Praising God simply means we acknowledge and laud God’s attributes and His works and give Him honor and thanks for both.

7 - By praying. Why do you pray? Do you think you will convince God to act or change His mind? If we understand God’s sovereignty, prayer might seem a superfluous act UNLESS we realize our prayers acknowledge our dependence and thus, when God answers our prayers, His glory is further displayed.

8 - By using our spiritual gifts. God has given us these gifts for a reason. The Holy Spirit enables us to use them to the benefit of the church. This brings glory to God.

9 - By bringing other to Christ. God is glorified as His name is exalted across our nation and around the world.

10 - By proclaiming the Word. God’s Word, our Bible, glorifies God as it reveals to us the truths about who He is and what He has done and is doing.

11 - By being morally pure. In a word where lasciviousness reigns, a morally pure person is an odd person. It is what makes them odd which brings glory to God.

12 - By being united with fellow believers. Remember - they will know we are Christians by our love for one another. This, too, honors and glorifies God.

13 - By being content. This should have come to your mind almost immediately if you have been following our study on contentment. It is impossible for a discontented Christian to glorify God.

To God Be The Glory - GREAT things He hath done!

As we saw last time, true happiness is a double pronged fork. True happiness is found by avoiding something and by pursuing something else. We are to avoid sinfulness - even more particularly, we are to avoid getting our advise and patterning our lives after the world. John Calvin put it this way, “. . .it is necessary to remember that the world is fraught with deadly corruption, and that the first step to living well is to renounce the company of the ungodly, otherwise it is sure to infect us with its own pollution.”

However, Christianity is more than a list of ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’. While we are certainly commanded in Scripture to avoid certain things, we are admonished over and over again to pursue certain things. What we are to pursue is always Godward. In other words, a right relationship with God should always be our goal - and in THIS we find true happiness.

Thus after warning us to avoid the ungodly, the Psalmist says in verse 2 of Psalm 1: “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

The word, delight, speaks of where we find our pleasure or that which we long to do. Can you say that? Can you say you long to read God’s word? Can you say your greatest source of pleasure is the time you spend learning of and communing with your God?

Ouch - an honest evaluation of those questions hurt! We ‘delight’ in many things: our family. Our friends. Our possessions. Our position. Our success. But, do we delight in our God? I fear this is something almost alien to the American Christian.

There is a reason why Ezra (who most believe compiled the Psalms) put Psalm 1 first. The Psalms were not written in ‘chronological order.’ In other words, while a book like Genesis is written to show the passing of time and the events in the order in which they occurred, or a book like Galatians is written in letter form by one author to express the writer’s thoughts to the recipient, the Psalms were written by several people and then compiled as Israel’s song book.

Ezra placed Psalms 1 first, most likely, because it reveals the underlying theme of the entire collection. Thus we read in Psalms 19:9-10: “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.”

What should we desire above all else? The judgements of the Lord (God’s word). How valuable should they be to us? More than fine gold. (Remember the parable of the pearl of great price and the one of the treasure in the field - if you don’t, take a look. There you will see this same theme reiterated by Jesus, himself).

What is the longest chapter in the Bible? It is a Psalm. Psalm 119. It has 176 verses all focused on one theme. Do you know the theme? The word of God. For 176 verses this Psalm extols the wonder and greatness and goodness of God’s word. Take verses 47 and 48: “And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved. My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.”

What does the Psalmist love? God’s commandments. What does he delight in? God’s commandments. What does he meditate on? God’s statutes (laws). Sounds like Psalm 1 verse 2, doesn’t it?

So what does it mean to delight in God’s law? Adam Clarke says, “. . .his will, desire, affection, every motive in his heart, and every moving principle in his soul, are on the side of God and his truth. He takes up the law of the Lord as the rule of his life; he brings all his actions and affections to this holy standard. He looketh into the perfect law of liberty; and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word; and is therefore blessed in his deed. He not only reads to gain knowledge from the Divine oracles, but he meditates on what he has read, feeds on it; and thus receiving the sincere milk of the word, he grows thereby unto eternal life. This is not an occasional study to him; it is his work day and night. As his heart is in it, the employment must be frequent, and the disposition to it perpetual.”

So, it brings us to the real happiness question: How important is God’s word to me? How much do I really want to know God?

Sometimes we can fool ourselves into thinking we really want to know God - if we only had more time. We don’t spend much time in God’s word, but, then again, life is busy. If I just weren’t so busy - that is what I would do.

Is it?

Take a little ‘down time’ inventory. What do you do with your down time? How many hours to you watch TV a week? How many novels have you read in the last month? Do you really want to be happy? The answer is not found in anything the world has to offer.

Furthermore, just reading God’s word - information in, information out - is not the goal. We must meditate on it. Look at what the Psalmist said - he meditates DAY and NIGHT.

What do you think about? I’m not talking about every thought that passes through your head. We all have to remember to put gas in the car, swing by the grocery store and pick up a gallon of milk, get Susie to school on time or pick up Timmy from practice or do the laundry or prepare for the meeting at work. But, let’s revisit our ‘down time’.

When your mind wanders, where does it go? When you wake at night, what do you think about? As you go to sleep, where are your thoughts?

Romans 8 says our thoughts reveal not only a lot about what is most important to us, it also reveals our ultimate destiny. Verses 5 and 6 say, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

Are you really happy? Where is your life headed? Death? Life and peace? Your thoughts will tell you.