Prayer from the Depths

Prayer from the Depths

Ian Thomas

Jonah 2:1-10

July 21st, 2019

An encounter with God’s grace and steadfast love is an opportunity for prayer and praise. 

I. Praying in Distress (2:1-6a)

For the first time in the narrative, Jonah finally prays to the Lord in light of his dire circumstances. Prayer is the proper response to this situation, as it the first step of surrender and a recognition that we are helpless and dependent upon the Lord. 

Though Jonah is in the “belly of Sheol” (literally: the ‘womb of death’), God still hears Jonah. As Christians, we know even more powerfully that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (cf. Rom. 8:38-39).

As Jonah poetically recounts his downward descent of drowning, he begins to recognize the sovereign hand and action of God behind all of the events that have taken place: “You cast me into the sea… your waves and your billows passed over me.” 

“In spiritual terms, he is experiencing what every awakened person feels: the sense that God’s presence is so real and near that each event in life is seen to be under his control…When we are aroused from spiritual lethargy, we become conscious of the weight of God’s judgment; we recognize that we are in the presence of a holy God and yet have lived without a thought for his majesty. Every circumstance of life seems to be enlarged in its significance by his all-pervasive presence.” ~ Sinclair Ferguson

In the midst of his near-death experience of drowning, verse 4 is a critical turning point for the runaway prophet. Jonah realizes that he is “driven away” (banished) from God, which is ironically what he wanted when he fled from the Lord. However, it is not until this moment that he fully realizes the horror and terror of sinking to his death without the sovereign help of God.

Jonah models the first two steps of repentance in this moment: 

1. Repentance begins with turning our attention back to the Lord (“yet I shall look again”). Psalm 51:4: “Against you, you alone, have I sinned…”

2. Repentance means being specific about our sin and rebellion (“... upon your holy temple”). The temple was where God’s presence dwelt, which is precisely what Jonah is running from (cf. 1:3)

The presence of God is essential for our lives: we are helpless and powerless without it. In Christ, we have been given the indwelling Spirit of God, but in our sin the Spirit can be “grieved” (Eph. 4:30) or “quenched” (1 Thess. 5:19).

In Jonah’s turning back to the Lord, his prayer is saturated with the Word of God and direct quotations or allusions to the Psalms. “When a true child of God is in trouble, it is wonderful how dear the Bible becomes to him” ~ Charles Spurgeon

II. Proclaiming Steadfast Love & Salvation (2:6b-9)

Jonah prays in gratitude and praise that God has raised him up from the gates of death, even though his life had hit rock bottom and was near death. He remembers the Lord, who in his grace, won’t let Jonah get away. 

Jonah proclaims, “those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.” Idols are essentially “empty substitutes” for the real God, and they have no real power. 

Idolatry is a heart and a worship issue (“pay regard” = cherish or worship); idols are things that have captured our hearts more than God. We can make anything into an idol, and the subtle danger of idolatry is that they are often good things that we make into ultimate things. We look to them for our sense of identity, safety, security, and comfort.

Idols are “vain” because they will always over-promise and under-deliver. They cannot bear the weight of our worship and expectation in the way that God is designed to in our lives. It is only his “steadfast love” (covenantal love) that can fulfill our deepest desires.

“Jonah sees the literal idols that the pagans worship and doesn’t see the more subtle idols in his own life that keep him from fully grasping that he too, just like the heathen, lives only, equally by God’s grace.” ~ Tim Keller 

“Salvation belongs to the Lord” is the truth of the whole Bible. When we realize that salvation is fully of the Lord, it reinvigorates our faith. There is nothing we did to earn our salvation and there is nothing we can do to lose it. It is his work from beginning to end.

Jonah says he will “pay” what he has “vowed,” likely meaning he will fulfill his prophetic ministry and go to Nineveh. This encounter with the grace of God has recommissioned him to bring the Word of God to Nineveh. 

III. The Problem Within Jonah (2:10)

Jonah is unceremoniously “vomited” back onto the dry land, as the Lord continues to exercise his sovereignty over creation. This was not a pretty or pleasant experience, but it is again God’s surprising mercy and grace to his undeserving prophet. 

This is not the end of the story here for Jonah, however. Though Jonah repents in some sense here in chapter 2, he still has unresolved issues with God’s plan for Nineveh. He is genuinely grateful and thankful for his salvation and deliverance, but he will object when this is extended toward those he deems undeserving.

Jonah has now had a firsthand experience of God’s mercy toward the undeserving, but the story is still full of tension as he seems to reluctantly warn Nineveh and then acts in defiance and anger toward God’s mercy for them in chapter 4. 

We ought to recognize our own stories and our own repentance in the midst of the tension with Jonah. There is always a risk of experiencing the mercy of God firsthand, but then being unwilling to extend this to others. 

We also have access to the greater story that Jonah could not have known at this time. Jonah could only look to the temple (2:4, 7), but the temple set the stage for the sacrificial, atoning work of Christ on behalf of a guilty humanity. Through Christ, we have access to a greater resurrection, a greater salvation, and a greater mission. 

“Why did Christ come? Why was he conceived? Why was he born? Why was he crucified? Why did he rise again? Why is he now at the right hand of the Father? The answer to all these questions is, in order that he might make worshipers out of rebels.” ~ A.W. Tozer

Unrelenting Grace to the Undeserving

Unrelenting Grace to the Undeserving

Ian Thomas

Jonah 1:7-17

July 14th, 2019

God sovereignly pursues the undeserving with unrelenting grace, inviting us to respond with repentance and worship.

I. A Fragile Identity (1:7-10)

Since Jonah has been silent and indifferent on the ship up to this point, the sailors cast lots (something like dice) in order to determine what is going on with the divine displeasure of the storm. The lot fell on Jonah (cf. Prov. 16:33), who they already suspected at this time.

The sailors are asking key identity questions here. They are wanting to know Jonah’s:

1. Purpose: “What is your occupation?”

2. Place: “Where do you come from? What is your country?”

3. People: “... of what people are you?”

Jonah responds to their questions by leading with his ethnic identity (“Hebrew”). Though this has religious connotations, this was the primary way foreign nations would have identified the Israelites ethnically and racially. The fact that Jonah leads with his race hints that this is the most important part of his identity.

“While Jonah had faith in God, it appears not to have been as deep and fundamental to his identity as his race and nationality… if his race was more foundational to his self-image than his faith, it begins to explain why Jonah was so opposed to calling Nineveh to repentance. The prospect of calling people of other nations to faith in God would not be appealing under any circumstances to someone with this spiritually shallow identity. Jonah’s relationship with God was not as basic to his significance as his race. This is why, when loyalty to his people and loyalty to the Word of God seemed to be in conflict, he chose to support his nation over taking God’s love and message to a new society.” ~ Tim Keller

Then Jonah tells them who he worship: “The Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” This is both deeply ironic (he is fleeing the God of the sea on a ship) and deeply inconsistent (Jonah’s words ring hollow about worshipping the Lord).

Jonah’s fragile and fractured identity make him blind to the situation he finds himself in. His words here ought to serve as a warning for us to consider how we are building and understanding our identity. 

It is not only what Jonah includes that is instructive for us, but also what he does not say. Jonah never answers what his “occupation” and mission is because he is now in flux as a prophet of God. He has lost his sense of purpose and mission, which is the inevitable consequence of running from God and building an identity apart from him. 

II. Substitution at Sea (1:11-16)

The storm continues to intensify, so the sailors now ask Jonah what they should do, since he is the problem. Though we are unsure of Jonah’s motives,  he urges them to hurl him off the ship so that they might be saved. He does not seem ready to deal with God quite yet, but he does finally have some level of sympathy for those who are at risk because of him. 

The sailors continue to act admirably in trying to save human life, but it is clear that no effort of their own will save them or Jonah. Out of options, they cry out to Yahweh, the God of Israel, for there to be justice and no retribution for the reluctant action they are about to perform. 

Even though Jonah is a messy, imperfect character with mixed motives at best, this is ultimately an act of love to spare the lives of these sailors. There are echoes of Christ in his substitutionary and sacrificial act. 

Mark 4:35-41: On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

 Jesus refers to himself as “something greater than Jonah”(Matt. 12:41), because his substitutionary sacrifice is even greater than Jonah’s. In Christ, it was God himself who substitutes himself into the place of an undeserving humanity, so that we might receive mercy and grace. 

“Jonah’s willingness to die for the sailors points us to an infinitely greater sacrificial love that brings infinitely greater salvation. Unlike Jonah, Jesus was not thrown into the waters, because Jesus came to save us from a far greater peril than drowning. Jesus was able to calm the storm on Galilee and save his disciples because later, on the cross, he was thrown into the ultimate storm of divine wrath so he could save us from sin and death itself.” ~ Tim Keller

Tracing the escalating “fear” of the sailors helps us to see the proper response to the gospel:

• They generally fear the violence of the storm (1:5)

• They fear the God behind the storm (1:10)

• A “fear of the Lord” that is reverent worship, including sacrifice and vows (1:16). We are called to respond in the very same way to the sacrificial and subtituationary work of Christ. 

III. Mercy at the Bottom (1:17)

Jonah’s “downward” running now finds its end as he goes “under the sea” (the realm of death in Hebrew thought). But God’s mercy meets Jonah at the very bottom, through another surprising instrument of mercy: a great fish. 

The issue of Jonah being swallowed by a “great fish” and surviving for three days and three nights gives many modern readers skepticism regarding the account of Jonah. Rather than trying to prove this scientifically, we should seek to let the text stand by itself, which clearly claims that God miraculous and divinely acted to bring about this salvation from death. 

Likewise, there is little evidence that this story is just a “parable” or a “fable,” with a fictitious account with a true message. Jonah is a real person, Nineveh is a real place, and the story of the fish is presented in a straightforward account (not embellished in any way). 

Most importantly, Jesus was quite comfortable talking about the fish in Jonah, and he does so to point us to his own death and resurrection. (cf. Matt. 12:38-41). The true and miraculous story of Jonah and the fish is meant to point us beyond themselves to the greater true and miraculous story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“The fish represents an “unbelievable” theology: Yahweh wants to save the rebellious and the violent. Through the agency of the big fish, Jonah is forgiven and saved. Also unbelievable, the storm is stilled and the sailors worship the true God, and the Ninevites receive the message from Jonah, repent, and are saved. In this way the bigness of the unbelievable fish is finally about God’s saving way in the world. The big fish makes a specific point of God’s extravagant, unrelenting, pursuing, and saving love.” ~ James Bruckner

The “sign of Jonah” is offered to each of us. The message of Jonah is that we have run, rebelled, questioned God’s plans, and are undeserving. The good news is that God’s mercy meets Jonah when he reaches the end of himself. God’s unrelenting grace is offered to us, the undeserving: will we continue to run or will we respond with worship and repentance to the kindness of God? 

The Runaway Prophet

The Runaway Prophet

Ian Thomas

Jonah 1:1-6

July 7th, 2019

Main Idea: Though we are prone to run from God when we question his plan, God’s grace runs faster. 

The story of Jonah is not ultimately about a rebellious prophet or a big fish or a wicked city; Jonah is a book about God’s relentless, unstoppable, and mysterious mercy toward the undeserving. 

“Jonah is an old, old story. And yet it still offers to us insight, encouragement, and faith for living faithfully in our new world. In a world that is constantly at a pace unimaginable by Jonah and his contemporaries, we can still look to the simplicity of God’s dealing with Jonah to see what faith looks like in our world today. Jonah was a rebel. We are rebels too. Jonah was running. We run too. Many of us run as fast as we can away from God, but God’s grace is faster. God’s grace was great to Jonah. To us, God’s grace is greater still.” ~ Anthony Carter

I. Running From God (1:1-3)

Three things to observe in the introduction to this book: The Prophet, The Call, and The Response

1. The Prophet (1:1): Jonah, the son of Amittai; he is also mentioned in 2 Kings 14:23-27 as serving as a prophet in the Northern Kingdom during the reign of King Jeroboam II. He is presented as nationalistic as he supports agressive expansion for Northern Israel.

2. The Call (1:2): Jonah is called to go and “call out against Nineveh.” This is unique because Ninveh was not an Israelite city; it was the capital city of the mighty Assyrian Empire, one of the enemies of Israel. Jonah is to warn this city of its evil before the Lord. 

3. The Response (1:3): Jonah “arose”... and fled. He runs away from God because he does not agree with God providing a gracious warning to a violent, sinful, and wicked people like the Assyrians.

If Jonah goes through, he faced the threat of death or rejection from his own people. Despite these possibilities, Jonah’s issue is theological and with God himself: he does not think that the Ninevites were worthy of the grace of this warning. He believers they should be punished for their wickedness and evil. That is he why he “flees from the presence of the Lord.” 

“Jonah wants a God of his own making, a God who simply smites the bad people, for instance, the wicked Ninevites, and blesses the good people, for instance, Jonah and his countrymen. When the real God – not Jonah’s counterfeit – keep showing up, Jonah is thrown into fury or despair. Jonah finds the real God to be an enigma because he cannot reconcile the mercy of God with his justice. How, Jonah asks, can God be merciful and forgiving to people who have done such violence and evil? How can God be both merciful and just?” ~ Tim Keller

Jonah flees to Tarshish, which was as far away from Nineveh as you could go; he is attempting to do the exact opposite of what God has called him to do.

Jonah knows he can’t literally run from the presence of God, but he attempts to run from the functional, relational presence of God in his life. He is seeking to resign as prophet and build his own identity in a place far away where he can drown out God’s word and God’s voice. 

Jonah’s running ought to make us consider our own “running” from God. What are the things that make us want to run and how do we run? 

“Does God know what’s best, or do we? The default mode of the unaided human heart is to always decide that we do. We doubt that God is good, or that he is committed to our happiness, and therefore, if we can’t see any good reasons for something God says or does, we assume that there aren’t any.” ~ Tim Keller

To run away from God’s word is to ultimately run away from God himself. This running is exhausting and will lead to a dead-end. 

II. Grace That Runs Faster (1:4-6)

Though it wouldn’t look like it to those caught on the boat, this mighty storm is a mercy from God. He is chasing down his prophet and will not let him run away.

Storms are inevitable in this world because of sin. But we must remember how those on this boat ended up in the storm:

1. Some storms are a direct consequence of our own sin (Jonah)

2. Some storms are a result of living in a fallen and broken world where things are not the way they are supposed to be (the mariners/sailors)

No matter how we end up in a storm, God has a purpose in the midst of them. Even if we can’t see a good reason for what is happening, there is mercy deep inside of the storms of this life.

In the midst of the storm, it is ironically the pagan sailors who are more spiritually in-tune than the prophet of God. They sailors are the ones who pray and call out to their gods, and they take action by “hurling” their cargo off the ship, at great cost to themselves, in an attempt to preserve human life. 

Jonah is in a “deep sleep” while the sailors are doing all that they can. This is the logical conclusion to Jonah’s running which is always described as “going down” because sin always takes us toward a “downward” orientation.

Jonah’s running makes him indifferent to the plight of his fellow humanity, even though he is the one who knows that God has created all human beings in his image with worth, value, and dignity. 

The introduction to this book leads us to a messy, runaway prophet. But the good news of Jonah is that a greater Jonah has come; where Jonah flees from his call to follow the mission of God into enemy territory to an undeserving people, Jesus freely left the comforts and privileges of heaven to come to us, though we are undeserving. 

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?