Christian Living Today

I rarely share an extended direct quote from someone else. However, reading through ‘Random Thoughts, Vol 1’ - a newsletter written by Jim Osman, pastor of the Kootenai Community Church in Kootenai, Idaho - something struck me as incredibly important. I believe he put his finger on a major perception error which impacts us big time when we suffer affliction.

He said, “When I was on the Mexico Mission trip in April 2009, we had the privilege of experiencing four different worship services with our Mexican brothers. The entire services were conducted in Spanish and were unintelligible to us, apart from translation. At one point, the man praying spoke in Spanish and Bruce translated what he had prayed, saying, “We thank You for lending us life and health.” Bruce then commented, “That is how they pray, and I love that! I love the way they say that.”Notice how different that is from what we are used to praying. We are prone to say, “Thank you Lord for giving us life and health.”Which, I ask you, is the proper mindset? I have to say that I prefer the Mexican way of praying! Is it not better to think of life and health as benefits from God which He loans to us for a time instead of benefits that He gives to us? If I think of those blessings as things given to me, then it tends to create an entitlement mentality. When my health fails or a life is taken, we think that God has robbed us of something we deserve or something that we have a right to. We then will think that God took something from us after giving it to us. When they disappear we might be tempted to ask, “God, why didn’t you give these things to me?”If, however, I think in terms of only being a borrower of life and health, then I have a right mindset. God does indeed lend these things to us for a time. We are beggars who have no claim on such blessings. If we enjoy them, we are only borrowing them from God for a short period.Eventually my health will fail and my life will end. Thinking of myself as a borrower keeps these blessings in perspective. I have no inalienable right to them. I am not an autonomous, self-sufficient person who is gifted more than others. I am a beggar who borrows life from the Living God. When He no longer lends me these things, how can I cry against Him for not giving me something I have no right to in the first place? Is it not true that every blessing we have received has merely been lent to us?”I challenge you to meditate on this. Perhaps you will find it as eye opening as I did.

To borrow an illustration from a good friend: What happens if you drop your glove into a mud puddle. Does the puddle become glovy or does the glove become muddy?

I’ll admit in that context the question seems silly. However, that is the beauty of illustrations. They often reveal the foolishness in our thinking. While we know dropping a glove into a mud puddle will have a negative effect on our glove, we fail to make the logical connection that dropping our thoughts into a cesspool will have a negative effect on our mind.

What we put into our minds stays there! To indulge in thought sins is to molest our conscience. (Tit 1:15) We need to give this some serious thought. Images, fantasies, ideas - once introduced to the mind, live on through our lifetime. In other words, what we put into our minds (or allow our children to put into their minds) stays. By molesting our conscience, we show how little value we place on one of God’s most precious gifts.

What does our conscience do? Our conscience condemns or condones our thoughts and actions. It works as our soul’s warning system. (Rom 2:15). It is our best critic. It knows us better than anyone else because, it abides in the secret place in our heart.

Many times we rationalize sin. However, unless we have seared our conscience by repeated abuse, we can never fool that little voice. Thus, when we sin, our conscience hammers us; we feel guilty. In fact, our conscience speaks with such authority, we are forced to deal with it in one of three ways:

- we seek to cover our sin (ex: Adam and Eve, David and Bathsheba)

- we justify ourselves (Adam blamed God, today we say we are victims or call our sin a disease)

- we turn a blind eye - don’t heed our conscience - don’t seek to understand God’s law (if we don’t acknowledge the wrongness of our act we feel we don’t need to deal with the attitude behind the act).

Our conscience is God’s gift to us which reveals our guilt. Our guilt is produced by sin. How does the Bible define sin?

1 Jn 3:4 says, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” Sin is any transgression of God’s law.

1 Cor 16:22 says, “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!” Sin is failure to love God.

Jn 16:8-9 says, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me;” Sin is not believing in Jesus.

How does our culture view sin?

MTV says sin is based upon one’s own preference. “No sin is as evil as the kill joy attitude of those who think sin is an absolute standard that offends a holy God. Thinking that is the worst sin.”

Obviously there exists a major dichotomy. The two extremes will not be reconciled, yet without doubt one will impact the other. We need to realize today the world’s definition has infiltrated the church. John MacArthur says, “Christians are casualties of our culture’s redefinition of human behavior.”

Churches have allowed the world to redefine God’s law and character. They have created a god who is tolerant of evil. So suitable is this lie, so acceptable is it to our fallen nature, we MUST constantly be exposed to an accurate presentation of God’s Word. Only in this way will we see clearly to distinguish truth from error.

In his sermon, “Keeping A Pure Mind”, Pastor John MacArthur asks an extremely important question: What sin is the most serious? His answer: Sins of the mind.

Why? Sins which occur in our mind are known only to us and to God. A woman who would never consider committing adultery might fantasize over a novel character. A man who would never look at pornography might relish sexually explicit mental images. You know what I mean.

We easily indulge in thought sins. No one sees our mind. Nothing but our conscience stands between us and the internal sins we commit. These sins can happen anywhere and anytime. Furthermore, we cannot flee from our own thoughts.

All sin begins in our mind. Consider James 1:13-15: “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full–grown, brings forth death.”

Have you ever wondered why Jesus was so hard on the Pharisees? Weren’t they, at heart, good guys? Didn’t they have it right ‘for the most part’? Certainly their contemporaries saw them as really good guys.

The Pharisees’ issues were in their minds. In other words, they were great at outward compliance to God’s law. In fact, they even made it harder to obey by creating more laws. Certainly they looked righteous. However, Jesus saw their hearts. Their mind sins were great. This is why Jesus’ first major sermon was what we call ‘The Sermon On The Mount.’ He showed them (and us) who they really were!

What should be going on in our minds? Worship and love toward God. We are created to worship. Mind sins replace our worship with sinful thoughts. These sins are the ones we overlook the most, the ones we engage in the most, the ones we confess the least.

Do you want to know who you really are? Take a good look at your thought life.

How, then do we deal with thought sins? John MacArthur gives us four ways:

1) Confess our sins. Before we confess these sins, we must take an honest look at our thoughts. Dig deep. Cut to the quick. Then confess and forsake. It won’t be easy. If you are a Christian, it is necessary.

2) Refuse these sins. How? MacArthur suggests we make a covenant with God that we will, by His grace, refuse to indulge in thought sin. Remember what Job said, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?” (Job 31:1) I have used this as a powerful tool because, if I cannot keep my word to myself, I certainly can’t claim I will keep my word to anyone else.

Further MacArthur says we must feed on God’s Word. Not only because it is our sword in the battle with our mind, but also because it will sharpen our conscience. This, in turn, will make us more sensitive to thought sins.

3) Avoid these sins. Like any other sin, there exist tools which Satan uses to ‘tempt’ us. What triggers your thought sins? Identify and avoid these areas like the plague.

4) Cultivate our love for God. While the other points are reactive - ways to combat the sins when they attack - this proactive response is the most important of all. The real power for fighting our sin comes from a correct view of God which leads us to love and worship Him. From this flows the ability to conquer those sins which hinder us from communion with the One we love.

Let us never forget: “As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man.” (Prov 27:19)

I may be a little naive, but I suspect most true Christians today do not struggle with accepting God as sovereign. Granted there are some who preach and others who believe God is a hand-wringing deity, stymied by unexpected actions, scurrying around trying to plug holes in His plans. However, I also believe (at least I hope) more and more Christians understand our God’s sovereign and gracious control over every creature and every action down to its minutest detail.

However, just because one believes in the sovereignty of God, does not, necessarily, mean they have the right view of His goodness. This is a point Jeremiah Burroughs stressed in his book, “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.” It is the reason we ask ‘why’ when hard providence enters our life. It is the drive behind our anger and frustration when life takes turns we did not expect and do not desire. It is an area in which I have struggled.

A recent sermon along with personal reading and meditation brought new light to this subject. Not long ago I had the privilege of listening to Pastor D.J. Dickey as he reviewed Satan’s temptations of Christ. The underlying theme of Satan’s first temptation struck me hard. Satan was tempting Jesus to doubt God’s goodness!

In Matt 4:3-4 we read, “Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”"

At first glance it may seem Satan is simply tempting Jesus to appease His hunger. At its most basic level this is true. However, look a little deeper. By his very suggestion (that Jesus turn stones into bread), Satan is casting a negative light on God’s care and provision.

Satan is suggesting Jesus ask God, “Don’t You know I’m hungry? Don’t You care I haven’t eaten anything in 40 days? You sent Me here. You told Me to stay. I did what You said, and look how You’ve treated Me.”

Sound familiar? If not, you may have never been forced to accept from God’s hand something which, in every aspect, appeared to you not only bad but awful! Thus we see Satan is tempting Jesus (as he tempts us) to question God’s goodness and care.

You may say, “I’ve never said, or even thought, such things.” I wonder, though, do you ever worry? Do you ever stew about situations in life? Have you ever been angry at God? Have you ever quit trusting Him and taken things into your own hands - determined to take care of something He has obviously bungled?

Not only do we find Satan using this simple suggestion, “God is NOT good” to tempt our Lord, we see him using it to tempt Eve. Is that not what he said? “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’ ?”" (Gen 3:1)

What is Satan suggesting? Is it not that God is not good? After all, if God were good, why would He deny her access to something which is obviously so beautiful, and healthy, and desirable? Satan delights in causing Christians to doubt God’s care, and presence, and goodness. Certainly we can testify to this in our own lives.

Sadly, however, the comparison to Eve’s temptation and Jesus’ temptation end with the tempter’s question. As we all know (and experience daily), Eve fell for it (as we are prone to do). Jesus, however, did not. Why?

The answer is quite simple, really. Jesus focused on explicitly obeying God’s word. Look again at His answer to Satan in verse 4. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” What does this mean? Jesus is saying His will is to do the work He was sent to do. So should our answer be. Yet, how can it be?

First, we must not be caught off guard. As Burroughs pointed out in his book, the time to prepare is before the battle. No one goes into battle with half-made armor. No one goes to battle with a dull sword. No one goes to battle with a lame mount. If we are to prevail, we must prepare.

Even after everything Jesus had been through, even after suffering depravation for 40 days and nights, even when He is physically at His lowest, Jesus was not unarmed. His strength lay in God’s word. Thus the Psalmist can say, “My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (73:26).

Thus our Lord calls us to come to the standard. It goes back to knowledge. It goes back to commitment. It goes back to ‘who’ or ‘what’ really holds our heart. When Satan tempts us to question God’s goodness, we must return to what we know　is true. As our Lord showed by example, we must trust God’s word, regardless of what our eyes tell us is true.

May God grant us the grace that, with Paul, we may live our days proclaiming, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;” (2 Cor 4:8-9)

One cannot help but marvel at the hypocrisy which riddles our world. While we are often frustrated at how quick non-Christians are to call Christians, in general, hypocrits, the truth is we are guilty of this sin. And, while we might expect our culture’s dedication to a relativistic worldview to diminish the issue, reality shows it has not.

The church, as a general rule, is riddled by at least three different errors in judgment - or a combination of the three. We have church attendees who, for whatever reason, refuse to ever make a judgment or even state a strong opinion about the actions or attitudes of another. They take Jesus’ words, “Judge not that you be not judged” in Matthew 7 and ignore His admonitions to address a sinning brother or sister in Matthew 18.

Other church attendees take a branch off the pharisees’ vine. This group has absolutely no problem judging other folks. In fact they state their opinion as though they were ‘law’ about what others wear, where they live, how they school their children, what they eat or drink, or the activities in which they participate - in other words anything! Sadly these folks are not willing to discuss their judgments based on Scripture, but like we will see in the passage which follows, they are often excuse questionable (or possibly even sinful) activities in their own lives.

Thankfully there are also those who seek to attain a Scriptural balance. They seek to address sin first in their own lives and then, as they must, in the lives of those around them. They seek to leave heart judgment to God while tackling wrong actions in their own lives and humbling addressing them in the lives of those closest to them. They are far from perfect - and know it - but do not let their own imperfections stop them from seeking to obey Scripture if they see blatant sin in their own life or in their brother or sister’s life. Yet they spend much more time seeking ‘sin; in their own lives than looking for it in others.

Sadly the third group is the minority. I suspect the second believes they are actually part of the third while, in reality, most prefer to remain in the first thus escaping the command to examine our own lives, deal with our own sin, and open ourselves to accountability to one another. Yet, while Jesus did say, “Judge not that you be not judged” (a verse we hear quoted frequently), He also told us to make righteous judgments. Thus, in an earlier post, we discussed how the two can be reconciled.

Lately, however, I have been reminded of how the second group’s mentality has permeated our churches. We have folks who call themselves Christian who are not only judging those outside but are attacking their brothers and sisters on the inside.

While ‘attacking’ may seem a bit strong, this is how Jesus viewed similar accusations addressed at Him. In John 7 we find Him in the temple, during the feast, discussing the Scriptures with the people. They marvel openly at His understanding and wisdom. Then He asks a seemingly strange question (given the people’s current attitude and what appears to be a ‘teachable’ moment). He asks, ‘Why do you want to kill me?’

I do not believe the question just slipped out. His side of the conversation goes right from showing His own actions to be in accordance with God’s will to showing their actions as being in direct conflict with God’s will as revealed through Moses. In other words, He is using this opportunity to reveal their hypocrisy, yet again. In verse 24 we read: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Jesus is referring to His healing of the impotent man (Jn 5:9, 16, 18), and their response. Jesus is pointing to their own hypocrisy. If you remember, the Jews considered circumcision their identifying mark. Thus it played a very important role in their rituals. When it was time to circumcise a male baby - Sabbath or not - the deed was done. Thus Jesus is saying, “You will do work to keep tradition, but you wish to kill Me because I help someone on the Sabbath.”

So often our own hypocrisies are as obvious. Matthew Henry makes some very applicable and pertinent observations. He says, “It is contrary to the law of justice, as well as charity, to censure those who differ in opinion from us as transgressors, in taking that liberty which yet in those of our own party, and way, and opinion, we allow of; as it is also to commend that in some as necessary strictness and severity which in others we condemn as imposition and persecution.

“We must not judge concerning any by their outward appearance, not by their titles, the figure they make in the world, and their fluttering show, but by their intrinsic worth, and the gifts and graces of God’s Spirit in them.” (italics in original)

How quick we are, however, to judge others. How quick we are to forget who ‘we’ really are. How quick we are to set our standard as the standard instead of examining Scripture and seeking the balance only God can give. As John Trapp said, “Nothing is more ordinary with many than to precipitate a censure, to exercise their critics, and to reprehend that which they do not comprehend.” Hard words!

I end with a couple more hard statements from Trapp. I believe we all would do well to consider them carefully - because, to some degree, there is no doubt we are all guilty of this sin. He says, “. . .the Protestants force the Bible to follow them. . .our condemnation is so expressly set down in our own Bibles, and is so clear to all the world, that nothing more needs hereto than that they know to read, and to have their eyes in their heads, at the opening of our Bible.” Do you know what the Bible says on this subject?

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!

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!

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.

Our church is going through a transition time. Our pastor moved on, and we are still in the seeking process. Thus our pulpit has been filled with a variety of ministers and teachers over the last several weeks - some ordained ministers, some lay persons.

This week, my husband, a lay person, was asked to bring the message. His passage: Psalm 1. Thus my question: What makes you happy?

As Jeremiah Burroughs said in his book, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, if he were to place an advertisement in the local paper: “Local Pastor To Reveal Key To A Happy Life,” his church would be packed the coming Sunday.

We all want to be happy. Whether we realize it or not, we spend our lives pursuing happiness. We flee what makes us sad. We seek to build our self-esteem so we feel ‘good’ about ourselves. We avoid people who ‘bug’ us. We look for the perfect mate - the soul match who will fulfill us and make us perpetually happy. We strive for success. Wealth. Prominence. Importance. All with an underlying goal to be happy. And, we miss the mark every time!

Why? Why do these things not make us happy? Why are we constantly seeking and never filled? Why do we buy the lie that just a little more or just a slightly different location or just another mate or another job or another lifestyle - will make us happy?

We have bought Satan’s lie. We are right back in the garden with Eve. Do you remember why Satan was able, ultimately, to tempt Eve and bring mankind under sin’s control? Because she questioned God’s goodness - which, ultimately is believing He is withholding something or someone which will fulfill my life and make me truly happy.

This is the oldest lie, and we buy into it every day! Yet, as Psalm 1 points out, there is only ONE way to happiness - and it isn’t found in any human or any possession or even within yourself.

Psalm 1:1-2 tells us the way to happiness. “Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.”

Adam Clarke, in his commentary, says, “The word ashrey, which we translate blessed, is properly in the plural form, blessednesses; or may be considered as an exclamation produced by contemplating the state of the man who has taken God for his portion; O the blessedness of the man! And the word haish, is emphatic: THAT man; that one among a thousand who lives for the accomplishment of the end for which God created him.”

At its most basic form, blessed means happy. It is that simple. You want to be happy? The Psalmist has laid it out. True happiness consists of avoiding something and pursuing something else.

We know that. We practice it every day. We avoid that which makes us feel bad and pursue that which we think will make us feel good. However, our eyes are so often blinded by sin. Our minds and hearts have been taken in by Satan’s lies and the way of the world. Most of the time we are pursuing the wrong things!

What does the Psalmist say? First, he tells us to avoid three classes of people - the ungodly, the sinners, and the scornful. Aren’t they all the same? Yes and no.

If you look at the list, you will see it goes from bad to worse to worse yet. The ungodly, reshaim, means to be unjust. This speaks of the one who renders to no one their due. He withholds from God, from society, and from himself what is just and right.

Ephesians 2:12-14 says this is where we were before Christ. “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh––who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands––that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (italics mine)

The Psalmist begins with telling us to avoid the counsel of the ungodly. This is not an injunction to withdraw from the world, set up a commune back in the woods somewhere, and avoid contact with anyone who does not hold to our beliefs. In other words, the Psalmist does not say to avoid the ungodly - we cannot do that and bring the good news of Christ which, as we saw in Eph 2, was the element which changed us from being ungodly and brought us into the household of faith.

We are told to avoid the ‘counsel of the ungodly’. In other words, we should not be taking the advice of a man or woman who does not render unto God the honor and glory due His name. Adam Clarke says, “The ungodly man is unconcerned about religion; he is neither zealous for his own salvation, nor for that of others: and he counsels and advises those with whom he converses to adopt his plan, and not trouble themselves about praying, reading, repenting, live an honest life, make no fuss about religion, and you will fare well enough at last.”

THAT sounds like most of the people we rub shoulders with every day. They have little or no concern about anything but what makes them feel happy at the moment. However, we are not to buy into their lies. We are called to live as the godly, as children of the King. We are to have different priorities and a different goal in life. Thus we must not take their counsel!

Having warned us of the ungodly, the Psalmist moves on down the ladder to an even more dangerous counselor. He warns us of the sinner. The word translated sinners, chattaim, speaks of those who ‘miss the mark’, those who proceed beyond the prohibited limits, those who transgress. Adam Clarke says, “This man not only does no good, but he does evil. The former was without God, but not desperately wicked. The latter adds outward transgression to the sinfulness of his heart.”

We are not to ‘stand in the way’ of a person who is practicing sin. To stand in the way means we tarry, we stop, we remain, we spend some time, in today’s jargon - we hang out - with a person who is practicing sin. How often have you heard it? Bad company corrupts good morals! This is speaking to this situation.

The word interpreted ‘way’ here means more than just walking down the sidewalk with sinners. This has to do with spending time hanging out in areas where we are rubbing shoulders with, doing things with, and therefore being influenced by those who practice sin.

Again we can take this too far. Most of us work with sinners every day. Furthermore, we are called to shed the light of the gospel upon their sinful acts in the hope God will grant them repentance. In other words, we live in a world of sinners. We are called to bring the good news to sinners. We will spend some time with sinners. BUT, we are not to dwell in their presence. We are not to make our decisions based on what they are doing. We are not to put our priorities where they put their priorities. We are to, if you will, walk to the tune of a different drummer.

Finally, the Psalmist comes to an even lower character, the scorner. The word we interpret scornful, letsim, speaks of one who mock’s and derides God’s law. He hates God. He has set himself against heaven and makes sure everyone knows it. He is the atheist - he says there is no God and he hates Him!

Adam Clarke defines him thus: “He who has no religion; lives in the open breach of God’s laws, and turns revelation, the immortality of the soul, and the existence of an invisible world, into ridicule. He is at least a deist, and endeavors to dissolve, as much as he can, the bonds of moral obligation in civil society.”

Just as we are not to ‘hang out’ with sinners, we are not to ‘sit’ with the scornful. We are not to spend time where scorners hang out. We don’t go to their house. We don’t eat at their restaurant. We don’t attend their meetings.

While there are some who are gifted in speaking to and debating with those who hate and deride God, they are the few. Most of us would do well, when we meet a God hater, to turn and walk the other way. These are those who are in open defiance of heaven. Thus, in reality, they are diametrically opposed to everything we love!

We do well to take Solomon’s advise from Prov 4:14-15. “Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.”

Furthermore, we need to heed the Psalmist’s warning and realize how easily taking the counsel of the ungodly can lead us to sitting down with scorners. Again I turn to the wise words of Adam Clarke, “See the correspondent relations in this account. 1. He who walks according to the counsel of the ungodly will soon, 2. Stand to look on the way of sinners; and thus, being off his guard, he will soon be a partaker in their evil deeds. 3. He who has abandoned himself to transgression will, in all probability, soon become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin; and sit down with the scorner, and endeavor to turn religion into ridicule.”

So we have seen what we are to avoid. However, the Christian life is not all about ‘do not do’. It is just as much, possibly more, about ‘do’. What then are we to do if we want to be truly happy? Well, that will have to wait until the next post.