Discipleship in the Kingdom of Heaven

Discipleship in the Kingdom of Heaven

Ian Thomas

Matthew 7:21-29

June 30th, 2019

Main Idea: True disciples of Jesus not only know his teachings but also act upon them with a holistic righteousness.

True & False Disciples (7:21-23)

Four things here amplify the serious nature of what Jesus is warning: 

1. It is “many” who will be self-deceived

2. They have “right” and “orthodox” theology: Lord is a term of deity attributed to Jesus

3. They are zealous and passionate: Lord, Lord is an emphatic address

4. They had ministry success: they prophesied, cast out demons, and had mighty works all done in the name of Jesus. 

However, Jesus declares to them “I never knew you;” this does not mean that Jesus was unaware of these false disciples, but instead an indictment that he did not have a relationship with them. There is a difference between knowing about someone and actually knowing someone. 

Jesus calls them “workers of lawlessness,” which in the context of the Sermon on the Mount includes not just the “obvious” sinners, but those religious hypocrites who appear externally to be righteous, but internally are hollow and spiritually bankrupt.

Matthew 23:28: “So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” 

How is it possible that these false disciples had all of this ministry success, while not actually knowing Jesus? They were falling victim to the common temptation to assume that “success” or gifting automatically means God’s endorsement. 

“God was acting as he was not because he was endorsing my manner of living but because of his zeal for his own glory and his faithfulness to his promises of grace for his people. And God has the authority and power to use whatever instruments he chooses in whatever way he chooses to use them. The success of a ministry is always more a picture of who God is than a statement about who the people are that he is using for his purpose.” ~ Paul Tripp

All of these ministry successes were essentially external; these false disciples were equating gifting with true spirituality, and activity with godliness. The warning here is that it is possible to do all of these things without being truly changed by the gospel. 

What should we do in the face of this difficult saying? We must check what is happening at the level of our heart, soul, and motivations, not merely our external behavior, actions, or what we can “do” for Jesus. 

Luke 10:20: “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” We must never forget how our names are written in heaven: it is not by our own works or obedience, but only because of the grace and kindness of Jesus Christ. 

“Matthew 7:21-23 is not given to cause morbid introspection or undue self-doubt for the believer, but rather to exhort one not to be enamored with external gifts and powers and behaviors without paying attention to the soul and heart.” ~ Jonathan Pennington

True & False Foundations (7:24-27)

Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount by drawing a parable between the “wise man” who builds his house on the rock, and the “foolish man” (Greek: moros) who builds his house on the sand. This foundation matters because the inevitability of the storm which will reveal what is hidden beneath the surface. 

This again fits the theme of the Sermon, as Jesus invites his disciples to go deeper than what can be seen on the surface. The righteousness of the Scribes & Pharisees may look impressive, but it has a shaky foundation. Building a foundation on rock is hard work. It is not flashy or impressive, but it is the only thing that will ensure the house stands when the storm comes.

The “wise man” not only hears the words of Jesus, but actually does them. Building a foundation on the “rock” means building a life on the safety and security of Jesus himself, who is the cornerstone of the church (cf. 1 Peter 2:7-8). 

Conversely, the “foolish man” hears the words of Jesus, but does nothing with them. This is what James warns of elsewhere in the New Testament: James 1:22-24 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.”

Building on the sand represents the best of our own efforts and our own self-salvation projects.

Essentially what Jesus is inviting us to here is a life of discipleship. The life of true discipleship means entering the narrow gate and traveling the hard way; it doesn’t look like quick-fixes or mere behavior change. As Eugene Peterson has wisely said, discipleship is “a long obedience in the same direction.”

We must never separate this obedience from Jesus, however. The hard work of discipleship is impossible unless we are built upon the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our obedience comes as a response to being transformed by his grace. 

The True King & His Kingdom (7:28-29)

The crowd is “astonished” at Jesus’ teaching, because he was speaking with an authority that was undeniable. 

It is not enough to simply be “astonished” at the words of Jesus, however. This is an invitation to life in the Kingdom of Heaven, and to live our lives as citizens under the rule & reign of King Jesus. When the church lives in this way, the Kingdom of Heaven will be declared and displayed to a world that is in desperate need of the good news of the gospel.

The “astonishing” message of the Sermon on the Mount would continue to surprise, as Jesus continues to live a perfect life, is crucified in the place of a sinful humanity, but then is raised from the dead three days later accomplish salvation and secure redemption. 

Acts 17:6–7: And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 

“As the church awaits the return of the risen Savior, the disciple of Jesus are invited into a way of being in the world that leads them into an experience of the present-but-not-yet-full human flourishing, aligning them with the reason God created the world as the place of life and peace for his beloved creatures, and empowering them to be engaged in bringing flourishing to the world. Jesus is the sage and king who is inviting hearers into his coming kingdom of flourishing and life.” ~ Jonathan Pennington

The Church and Counterfeit Gospels

The Church and Counterfeit Gospels

Ryan Whitfield

Matthew 7:15-20

June 23rd, 2019

Jesus charges the Church to identify and distinguish counterfeit gospels while admonishing those who have fallen prey to its teachings.

I . Identify Counterfeit Gospels

1. Heresy – any deviation from the church’s historical teachings on foundational biblical doctrines.

2. Counterfeit Gospel – a fraudulent gospel that deceives

Ephesians 4:14 - “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

 Philippians 3:2 - “Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.”

 2 John 7 - “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.”

“Satan is crafty and he is battling to keep people from believing the gospel, and once they believe in that gospel the battle will not stop.” – David Platt

“You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.” – Matt. 7:16-18

II . Distinguish Counterfeit Gospels

ESV: “but a diseased tree bears bad fruit”

KJV: “but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.”

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” – Luke 6:43-45

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” – Matt. 3:7-10

The difference between a person changed by the gospel compared to someone that is subservient to a counterfeit is a heart that is in keeping with repentance.

“Repentance means turning from as much as you know of your sin to give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of your God, and as our knowledge grows at these three points so our practice of repentance has to be enlarged.” – J.I. Packer

“Living according to kingdom norms can be feigned for a time; but what one is will eventually reveal itself in what one does. However guarded one’s words, they will finally betray him.” – D.A. Carson

You’re not only given the anticipation and hope of growing in the image of Christ, but it’s presented to you as a promise.

“­Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” – Matt. 7:19-20

The Church is charged to admonish those who have fallen prey to counterfeit gospels.

·      The promise and reality of eternal life with Christ is as real as the promise and reality of hell and eternal separation from him.

1.     We are to admonish with urgency.

2.     We are to admonish in love.

3.     We are to present clear and biblical teaching.

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” – Gal. 5:25

The Inescapable Choice

The Inescapable Choice

Ian Thomas

Matthew 7:13-14

June 16th, 2019

Disciples of Jesus are to enter through the narrow gate and travel along the hard way that leads to life.

I.The Wide Gate & The Broad Way (7:13)

Three questions to ask of each option presented:

1. What is this gate & road like?

2. Who is on it?

3. Why are they on it?

The gate is “wide” and the road is “broad” or “spacious.” It is meant to be the obvious point of entry at first glance, and can accommodate the “many” travelers, pilgrims, or merchants who are attempting to enter a city.

The traditional interpretation of this passage tells us that those on the “broad” way are those who practice immorality, have no moral compass, and who are living with an “open-mind” that leads to overt sinful behaviors. Meanwhile, it is the religious, self-controlled people who travel on the “narrow” and “hard” way.

However, this is not the kind of person Jesus has been warning about in the context of the Sermon on the Mount. He’s been warning about the religious elites of the day (the scribes & Pharisees - the “hypocrites”). This broad way is even wider than we might initially think.

The gospel has two equal and opposite enemies:

• Relativist: avoids God by ignoring him altogether and running away in obvious, sinful rebellion (or: those who do not view sin as a problem because they are saved by “grace’)

• Moralist: obedient and compliant toward the commandments of God, but not to seek God for salvation; instead, they use God to achieve their own salvation. “I obey, and therefore I am accepted.”

There has to be enough room through this wide gate and broad road for both the relativist and the moralist, because there are only two choices presented. What is the connecting thread at the bottom of both of these approaches to life?

“In the end, moralism, and relativism in churches are not just equally wrong; they are basically the same thing. They are just different strategies of self-salvation built on human effort.” ~ Tim Keller

The pull toward the wide gate and the broad way where the majority travels is strong, because the natural path of least resistance is to lean into our flesh and self-salvation strategies. Where are we drawn to the traps of moralism or relativism?

II. The Narrow Gate & The Hard Way (7:14)

“Narrow” has the idea of being “restrictive” or “confining;” the KJV translated this as “strait” (like a “straitjacket”). “Hard” is a word used for suffering, hardships, and afflictions. Jesus is indicating that following this way hurts.

Because of the narrowness and the cost of taking this choice, only the “few” find it. It’s a gate not for the masses, but for the individual, leaving behind all that is necessary in order to ‘squeeze’ through.

The key to why we are invited to take this road is to recognize that not all “hurts” should automatically be avoided. Hardships, affliction, and the difficult tasks we are called to often have a formative role in our lives.

The hill, though high, I covet to ascend,

The difficulty will not me offend

For I perceive the way of life lies here.

Come, pluck up my heart, let’s neither faint nor fear;

Better, though difficult, the right way to go,

Than wrong, though easy, where the end is Woe.”

~ John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress

We must never lose sight of the destination: this narrow gate and this hard way described in the Sermon on the Mount ultimately leads to life. And we are called to enter into this life of the Kingdom. But the way we enter and remain is critical. The gospel of John reminds us:

• Jesus is the “door” for the sheep to enter (10:7-9)

• Jesus is the “Good Shepherd” who guides us on our way (10:11, 14)

• Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (14:6)

• Jesus came to give us life and life abundantly (10:10)

• Eternal life is knowing God and knowing Jesus (17:3)

Despite all of the different religions, philosophies, and ways of life that exist, this is why there are ultimately only two options. The wide road says “This is how you get to God,” while the narrow path of Jesus says “Got came to get you.” The narrow way is the way of Jesus.

“This is not a legal, but a gospel exhortation… [Christ] himself is the only gate, or the door, by which we can find admission, and the way to enter in through Jesus Christ is not by working, but by believing. Then, as to the strife we are urged to carry on, it is an earnest endeavor to steer clear of all the rocks, and shoals, and quicksands of popular fallacies and deceitful traditions, and to sail in the deep waters, with his covenant for our chart, and his Word for our compass, in simple obedience to his statutes, trusting him as our pilot, whose voice we always hear, though his face we cannot see.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

Relating to our Father

Relating to our Father

Ian Thomas

Matthew 7:7-12

June 9th, 2019

I. Our Posture Before God (7:7-11)

Jesus continues his discussion on rightly evaluating and judging others (7:1-6) by asking his disciples to consider their evaluations of God Himself.

These verses confront us with two questions:

1. What should we be asking, seeking, and knocking about?

2. Is this really true?

By this point of the Sermon on the Mount, the disciples and the readers have been confronted with our own shortcomings. We have been called to a “greater righteousness” than the Scribes & Pharisees (5:20); we have been called to sexual integrity, to make peace, to honor our commitments and word, not to store up treasures here on earth, to love our enemies, and to inhabit the Kingdom of Heaven as citizens.

However, none of this comes naturally to us in this “upside-down Kingdom.” Which means, simply: we need help. Jesus, in a moment of encouragement to his disciples, is inviting us to ask our Heavenly Father for help in these things. We are to ask, seek, and knock for Christ to be formed in and through us.

“I have a great need for Christ. I have a great Christ for my need.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

There are (at least) three different ways to pray:

1. Praying to a ‘Cosmic Genie’

If we view this invitation to ask, seek, and knock as an opportunity to satisfy our own lusts and desires, then we are essentially buying into the false and dangerous teaching of the prosperity gospel.

James 4:2b-3: “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

“Unless we know that God is the one thing we truly need, our petitions and supplications may become, simply, forms of worry and lust. We can use prayer as just another way to pursue many things that we want too much. Not only will God not hear such prayers (because we ask for things selfishly to spend on our own lusts), but the prayers will not reorient our perspective and give us any relief from the melancholy of self-absorption.” ~ Tim Keller

2. Praying to a ‘Boss’

If we approach God in this way, our prayers will be very formal and infrequent. We will feel the need to “clean up” before coming before God, and we will try to impress or manipulate him.

3. Praying to ‘Our Father’ (7:9-11)

The anecdote to these improper postures before God is to remember that he is our Father. Do we pray as if he is our Father?

If we really grasped that we are praying to our Father, we would pray:

• Constantly (knowing he desires to hear from us)

• Expectantly (knowing that he will give us good things and not evil)

• Persistently (trusting that “unanswered” prayer is because of his Fatherly wisdom and care)

“The only person who dares wake up a king at 3:00 AM for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access.” ~ Tim Keller

In all this, we can trust that our Heavenly Father is good, wise, and trustworthy because of the work of Christ. Jesus is the one who experiences separation from his Father (Matt. 27:46); he is given “stones and a serpent” (Cf. Matt. 4:1-11); he has the ultimate “unanswered prayer” (cf. Matt. 26:36ff). He does all of this so that we might be children of God.

“For most of us, the problem is not that we are too eager to ask for the wrong things. The problem is that we are not nearly eager enough to ask for the right things.” ~ N.T. Wright

II. Our Posture Before Others (7:12)

Every religion/philosophy has something like this “Golden Rule”, so what makes this different?

• Most state this in a “negative” sense, but Jesus calls his disciples to the harder work of seeing this positively. We are not just avoiding negative behaviors but actively looking for ways to love and move toward others.

• This commandment “is the Law and the Prophets.” This hints that this verse is a summary of everything Jesus has said from 5:17 to this point in the Sermon. It is the “greater righteousness” (5:20) and the fulfillment of the whole Law.

The “Golden Rule” is essentially the second great commandment. But we can’t forget the first great commandment (cf. Matthew 22:36-40). We will never be able to rightly move toward others with this kind of love until we have first loved God. Otherwise, we will be using others or asking too much of them.

“You cannot love your neighbor as yourself until you love God. You will never see yourself or your neighbor right until you have first of all seen both in the sight of God. We have to take these things in the right order. We must start with God. We were made by God and for God, and we can function truly only in relationship to God… But in turn, it also helps us to see others as we should see them. We see them as we see ourselves.” ~ Martyn Lloyd-Jones

7:7-11 is a reminder that God doesn’t deal with us as we deserve, but instead relates to us as a Father. He looks upon us with grace and mercy. The more we get wrapped up in this, the more we will move toward our neighbor in this same posture.

“Be kind because everyone you meet is fighting a hard, hidden battle.” ~ Scott Sauls

This is an invitation to put ourselves in the place of another. This is precisely what Christ has done for us. The only way to live this out is to follow the way of Jesus. The “Law and the Prophets” all point to Christ and his work. Now, by his grace, we are invited into a life that is marked by this same vision. We look to Christ as the only way, and we ask our Heavenly Father for help.

Jesus and our Judgments

Jesus and our Judgments

Ian Thomas

Matthew 7:1-6

June 2nd, 2019

Disciples of Jesus should avoid having a judgmental spirit toward others by remembering their own need for grace.

Judging & Judgment (7:1-2)

We must begin by defining our terms and setting the context here. Why is the common cultural interpretation (don’t judge or evaluate or criticize anyone at any time) incorrect?

“Our Lord’s injunction to ‘judge not’ cannot be understood as a command to suspend our critical faculties in relation to other people, to turn a blind eye to their faults (pretending not to notice them), to eschew all criticism, and to refuse to discern between truth and error, goodness and evil” ~ John Stott

Two things helps us arrive at this conclusion:

1. Context: Jesus assumes throughout the Sermon on the Mount that his disciples are making evaluations and judgments (cf. 7:6, 15)

“This passage certainly does not command the sons of God, the disciples of Jesus, to be amorphous, undiscerning blobs who never under any circumstance whatsoever hold any opinions about right and wrong” ~ D.A. Carson

2. Definition of “judge” (krino): it can mean “to discern, evaluate, decide, consider” or more narrowly “to condemn” or to “be judgmental”

Jesus is warning his disciples against having a critical & judgmental spirit toward others, from a position of self-righteousness. He is essentially saying: don’t judge harshly, unfairly, or improperly.

This has less to do with the action of making judgments and far more about the posture and attitude by which we do so. Consider the difference between:

• “Evaluating” vs. “Condemning”

• “Making Judgments” vs. “Being Judgmental”

A critical and judgmental spirit is the lesser “righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees” (cf. 5:20). It’s a posture of superiority and hypocrisy. But the danger is that all of us have a draw toward this “lesser righteousness”

How to know if we are falling into this warning:

1. We delight in judging others

2. We are quick to find faults and fixate on them

3. We do all of this to feel better about ourselves

When we take this posture toward others, we are playing God but without the credentials to be God. Jesus drives home this point with a sober warning in 7:2. “If we enjoy occupying the bench, we must not be surprised to find ourselves in the dock.” ~ John Stott

This is the same warning that Paul gives in Romans 2:1-4: “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

Specks & Logs (7:3-5)

Jesus gives a vivid and humorous analogy to help us understand what he means. Jesus is communicating a few things in this picture:

• Those who routinely take up the posture of condemnation and being judgmental toward others are far more aware of other’s sins than their own

• This posture toward others makes us blind to our own sin, which is a much bigger deal than we could imagine (logs vs. specks)

This person is acting as a “hypocrite” because they are acting just like the scribes and the Pharisees; they are judging others while lacking wholeness themselves.

Jesus is inviting us to a new posture and a new way of relating to others. He is teaching us how to inhabit the Kingdom of Heaven. In this Kingdom, our own sin and our own need for grace should always be a greater concern (“log”) than what we perceive in others (“speck”).

Importantly, the speck in your brother’s eye is still an intruder! It should still be removed. But it is only appropriate to do so with precision, carefulness, and gentleness. When we view our own sin before the Lord as a greater deal than our brother or sister’s, now we are in a place to help others toward restoration.

Galatians 6:1: Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted

Application: Who is our eye focused on? Are we overly concerned with what is going on in other’s lives? Or do we have a healthy awareness of our own need for daily grace?

Pearls & Pigs (7:6)

Jesus shifts the conversation away from a “brother” to one who is now outside of the family of God. “Dogs” are not domesticated pets, but wild animals and scavengers; “pigs” were considered unclean animals in Judaism (cf. 2 Peter 2:22).

The “pearl” elsewhere in the gospel of Matthew is clearly connected with the good news of the gospel and the Kingdom of God (cf. 13:45-46). In Judaism, it represented valuable and excellent teaching.

Dogs and pigs are most concerned about what they are going to eat; dogs don’t recognize “holy” meat as different than “unholy” meat; pigs can’t eat pearls, so it is useless to them. Instead of appreciating and treasuring the value of the pearl, it tramples on it and comes after you instead.

This suggests that we should move on from someone is persistently hostile, vindictive, hateful, and contentious over issues related to Jesus and the gospel (cf. Matt. 10:14, Paul in the book of Acts)

This connects to the prior teaching because it is an issue of rightly evaluating others. It also serves as a warning in the opposite direction: though we are not to be judgemental and condemning of others, we also shouldn’t act foolish and undiscerning in our relationships.

Applications of 7:6:

1)     We should expect unbelievers to act like unbelievers

2)     Our responsibility is to throw out the pearl, but it is God’s responsibility to changes hearts

3)     There are times where we might need to move on from a hostile response to the gospel

The issue for most of us is not whether the pearl of the gospel is being “trampled.” Instead, we ought to ask the question: are we even offering the pearl to others at all? Just as remembering our own need for grace helps us have a right posture before others, it also serves as the motivator to love others by sharing with them the universe-shattering good news of the gospel.

Seeking first the Kingdom

Seeking first the Kingdom

Rob Lourcey

Matthew 6:25-34

May 26th, 2019

First Call - Do Not Be Anxious (6:25-30)

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

“If God cares for you, why need you care too? Can you trust Him for your soul, and not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens, He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! have done with fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the hand of a gracious God” -Charles Spurgeon

Second Call - Do Not Be Anxious (6:31-33)

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

“The bottom line in most fear and anxiety is you simply don’t trust that God is good. Don’t lie about that. There’s no freedom for you if you can’t say, ‘I don’t trust that you’re good. I don’t trust that you have my best interests. I don’t trust that you’re going to provide for me. I don’t trust that you’re good enough. I don’t trust that you’ll be enough for me. So I have to take it and I have to worry about it.’ You have to get to the point where you’re not pretending that’s not in there. It’s of no help for anyone to pretend you trust God. You need to say it. You need to let the Holy Spirit break you in your confession of it. Then we can deal with fear and anxiety. Fear and anxiety are never going to lose their power over you until you can be honest about what drives them, namely that you don’t trust that God is good.” -Matt Chandler

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” Matthew 5:6

“Thus, the solution to anxiety is not a simplistic, ‘stop worrying,’ but a redirecting of the disciples’ vision to the proper heart orientation, accompanied by a promise of provision.” -Jonathan T. Pennington

Kingdom Living

Kingdom Living

Michael Mears

*For more information on Pastor Michael Mears & Aletheia Church, visit their website here: www.aletheiatampa.com

Matthew 6:19-24

May 19th, 2019

What We Work for:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with money bags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Luke 12:32-34

“I’m convinced that the greatest deterrent to giving is this: the illusion that the earth is our home” -Randy Alcorn

What treasure(s) on earth do you find yourself laboring for?

Where We Look:

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Where is your focus currently?

Who We Live For:

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

What does your spending of resources (money, time, thoughts, energy) show to be your functional king?

Practicing Our Righteousness

Practicing our Righteousness

Pat Kappenman

Matthew 6:16-18

May 12th, 2019

Jesus concludes a set of three illustrations intended to focus his disciple’s attention on becoming truly righteous people.

1. When we fast

WHEN we fast, we intentionally deprive ourselves of something normally regarded as necessary or desirable for physical life and wellbeing.

WHEN we fast, we are also revealing the nature of our righteousness

2. How we fast 

It is interesting that Jesus addresses how NOT to fast first. 

The hypocrites signal their virtue as “fasters” by modifying their mood and appearance to create the right impression amongst their desired audience.

In contrast, Jesus points out that when we fast, we should do everything possible to NOT virtue signal and to fast before an audience of One, namely our Father who sees in secret.

3. Why we fast

WHY we fast: We seek a REWARD that only God can give

WHY we fast: We seek a REWARD that only God can give and He SHALL give it.

“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next… It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.” 

― C.S. Lewis

The Lord's Prayer (Part II)

The Lord's Prayer (Part II)

Ian Thomas

Matthew 6:11-15

May 5th, 2019

Main idea: Prayer puts us in a posture of dependence before our Heavenly Father who provides, forgives, and delivers us.

“Ultimately there is nothing in the whole realm of Scripture which so plainly shows us our entire dependence upon God as does this prayer, and especially these three petitions.”  ~ Martyn Lloyd-Jones

I. PRAYING FOR PROVISION (6:11)

Many of us do not pray for daily necessities in this way. This is because most of us are unconcerned about where our next meal is coming from or if we will have what we need to survive tomorrow. But more dangerously, we don’t pray this way because it pushes against our bent toward self-provision.

The phrase “daily bread” is loaded with biblical meaning. The original hearers would have immediately connected to this to God’s provision of ‘manna’ in the wilderness (cf. Ex. 16). God literally provided for them daily bread and gave them strict instructions to collect it each morning while not storing it up. This was to teach them to fully depend and rely on him.

The Israelites didn’t follow these instructions, however. They stored up bread and were communicating to God: “What’s more sure than your word is our effort.” Where do we communicate the very same thing?

This temptation is the temptation that runs through the whole Bible. It goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden and the serpent’s temptation of Eve. It is also seen in Satan’s temptation of Jesus in Matt. 4:1-4. Can you really trust your Father? God is keeping something back from you. Grab hold of your own future. Lean into self-provision.”

Deuteronomy 8:3: “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

“Believers are invited into the experience of the Father’s care and the necessary of humility and dependence by praying for God’s daily provision, and this heart motivation is the state of true flourishing” ~ Jonathan Pennington

II. PRAYING FOR FORGIVENESS (6:12, 14-15)

Praying in this way pushes against our bent toward self-protection. We prone to withhold forgiveness because it is painful. Sin causes real hurts and painful consequences.

To forgive someone means to absorb the cost, which is heightened by the biblical language of “debt.” Demanding and receiving full restitution is often impossible when our hurts can’t be measured monetarily.

This prayer invites us to begin vertically before moving horizontally. We owe God our full obedience as our creator. However, all of us have fallen short and have a cosmic debt we are unable to pay back. That’s the very reason for the cross, which lies at the heart of the gospel message.

Colossians 2:13-14: And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross

The cross guards us from viewing others sin against us as blasphemy, while reminding us not to minimize and rationalize our own sin before the Lord. When we realize we have been forgiven of an infinite debt, we are compelled and empowered to turn and forgive others.

“I acknowledge that I am angry, but we have no room for hating, so we have to forgive. I pray God on your soul” … “We would like you to take this opportunity to repent. Confess. Give your life to the one who matters most: Christ. So that he can change it.” … “I pray everyday for Dylan, that God will forgive him. That he will do what the Lord tells him to do- to repent and believe and live to tell about it.” ~ Family members of victims in Charleston church shooting

“Unforgiveness is a relief that brings lasting hurt, but forgiveness is a hurt that brings lasting relief.” ~ John Onwuchekwa

Forgiving others does not earn our salvation, but it does serve as a litmus test for us: Do we really believe the gospel? Or do we only believe the gospel when it’s convenient and useful for us?

III. PRAYING FOR DELIVERANCE (6:13)

How does this prayer square with James 1:13-14? God, as our Father, is not leading us into a “bait and switch” or into destruction. But we do know from elsewhere in Scripture that God does test his people.

“Deliver us from evil” (or the “evil one”) is a reminder that evil really does exist in our world. Spiritual warfare is a real thing that is happening all of the time. But this prayer invites us to also consider how Jesus has victory over it all. God is more than powerful to deliver us.

Praying in this way pushes against our bent toward self-sufficiency. We are not nearly as strong as we think we are.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13: “… let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Temptation is a normal part of our Christian life, and this prayer is an invitation to turn to God in dependence to receive grace and find help in our time of need. The “way of escape” is the way of Jesus.

“To pray ‘deliver us from evil’ is to inhale the victory of the cross, and thereby to hold the line for another moment, another hour, another day, against the forces of destruction within ourselves and the world.” ~ N.T. Wright

The Lord’s Prayer is an invitation to pray his priorities until they become our desire. It’s an invitation to trust our Father in a posture of dependence. We can trust him with every aspect of our lives because the worst thing that could ever happen to us has already happened (crucifixion), and the best thing that could ever happen is already ours (resurrection). We pray all of this looking to Christ as our only hope.

The Lord's Prayer (Part I)

The Lord's Prayer (Part I)

Ian Thomas

Matthew 6:7-10

April 28th, 2019

Main idea: Jesus gives us a pattern to pray to our Heavenly Father so that his priorities become our desire.

“The Lord’s Prayer stretches from the Father at the beginning to the devil at the end, from heaven to hell, and in between, in six brief petitions, everything important in life.” ~ Frederick Brunner

I. WHY SHOULD WE PRAY? (6:7-8)

Matthew 6 began with a warning not to practice your righteousness before others for the purpose of being seen by them. He warns against giving for reputation and praying for recognition, and here he cautions of another false way to pray.

“Empty phrases” means babble; it is a mindless repetition or “many words” that was common in pagan prayers to their false gods (cf. 1 Kings 18:26; Acts 19:34).

Ultimately, the issue here is not with lengthy or long prayers, but with the attitude and posture of the heart. To pray in this way is a desire to manipulate God in order to get what we really want.

Instead, Jesus reminds us that we have Father who already knows our needs, even before we ask him. We don’t need to manipulate or impress him to get what we really want; he is a good Father who cares for his children.

But if God already knows what we need, then why should we pray?

Prayer puts us in a proper posture before God, and it is an invitation to experience God. Prayer is not about getting things from God but instead getting more of God himself. Prayer is not a “transaction” but a bridge between what we know about God and actually knowing God.

“Prayer is both conversation and encounter with God… We must know the awe of praising his glory, the intimacy of finding his grace, and the struggle of asking his help, all of which can lead us to know the spiritual reality of his presence. Prayer, then, is both awe and intimacy, struggle and reality” ~ Tim Keller

II. WHO SHOULD WE PRAY TO? (6:9A)

Jesus begins this prayer with a reminder of who we are talking to when we pray. Before we jump into our list of needs and concerns (even legitimate ones), we should “reset” for a moment.

Beginning our prayers with “our Father” is more than anything (in our cultural moment) a call to slow down and to remember the character, nature, and acts of God. It also sets the expectation for the rest of our prayer: are we viewing this as an opportunity to commune and talk with our Father or as something else?

Beginning our prayers in this way reminds us of two things:

1. God is personal (Our Father…)

2. God is powerful (... in heaven)

III. WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY? (6:9B-10)

Jesus models three petitions (or requests) here:

1. “Hallowed be your name”

This is a request to “make your name holy” both in our lives and in the world around us. We pray this first because no matter what is going on circumstantially, if we are God’s people, our greatest desire will be for him to be known and worshipped.

2. “Your kingdom come”

There is a tension between the “already” and the “not yet” of the Kingdom of God.

“The Kingdom of God is where the Father’s rule is exercised through the Son in the power of the Spirit so that it is willingly obeyed, gloriously displayed, and happily enjoyed among his people in his world.” ~ Steve Timmis

We we pray “your kingdom come,” we are drawn into a bigger picture than just our individual faith in Jesus; we are reminded that God has committed to set right all that has gone wrong and to renew all things.

“Jesus’ first followers didn’t think, for a moment, that the Kingdom meant simply some new religious advice – an improved spirituality, a better code of morals, or a freshly crafted theology. They held to a stronger and more dangerous claim. They believed that in the unique life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the whole cosmos had turned the corner from darkness to light. The Kingdom was indeed here, though it differed radically from what they had imagined…We are praying, as Jesus was praying and acting, for the redemption of the world; for the radical defeat and uprooting of evil; and for heaven and earth to be married at last, for God to be all in all” ~ N.T. Wright

This is not a prayer that disconnects us from this world, but rather invites us to see and live in our present time rightly. Until the “not yet” is fully realized, God has left his church as an embassy and an outpost of the Kingdom of God, representing the interests of King Jesus in the midst of “foreign” territory.

3. “Your will be done”

How can we trust that God’s will is best for us? We must look to Christ, who prayed this very prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (cf. Matt. 26:39). Though Jesus deserved to have his prayers answered, he submitted to his Father’s will so that we, who do not deserve to have our prayers answered, might have access to God.

“Your will be done” is not said with a shrug of our shoulders in resignation; it’s a prayer of humble trust and submission to our Father who knows what is best.

As we pray in the way Jesus models here, God’s priorities increasingly become our desires. Prayer fundamentally changes us in this way.

“Praying most often doesn’t get us what we want but what God wants, something quite at variance with what we conceive to be in our best interests…The task is not to get God to do something I think needs done, but to become aware of what God is doing so that I can participate in it.” ~ Eugene Peterson