We start a new paragraph topic in three parts: (Power of prayer) Part 1.
Christ now gives a new topic for comment in the power of prayer. In previous sermons in chapter 6 Christ has already told us to pray in secret and he has given us an outline for praying. Here he tells us that there is power in prayer. He tells us to ask, to seek, and to knock. In doing these things we will receive, we will find, and when we knock doors will be opened to us. He did not qualify our asking. He did not say what we should seek. He did not tell us what doors to knock upon or what doors we should stay away from. He gave us open statements. He, however, in previous statements told us that our heavenly father already knows what we need.
What then shall we ask for? Shall we ask for money? Shall we ask for a good job? Shall we ask for a spouse? Shall we ask for a new car? Shall we ask for a good grade on our tests? Shall we ask for material things or shall we ask for spiritual gifts? What shall we seek? Shall we seek fame? Shall we seek our own glory? Shall we seek earthly powers? Or shall we seek for righteousness and justice, and knowledge and wisdom and love? What doors shall we knock upon? Shall we knock upon the door of privilege? Shall we knock upon the door of wealth? Shall we knock upon the door of long life? Shall we knock upon the door of good health? Or shall we knock upon the door of heaven to let us in? Shall we knock upon the door of our hearts to be opened to the Holy Spirit to come and live with us, to guide us, to protect us against the evil one.
Christ gives us an open invitation. Choose what to ask for. Choose what to seek. Choose what to knock upon. For whatever you choose it will be given to you. Whatever you seek you will find. Whatever door you knock upon it will be opened to you. The choice is yours. Shall you choose the world to seek and find? Or shall you choose the kingdom of God to knock upon to be opened to you?
We live in a world that caters to its own whims, desires, and passions. And yet we are distinct from it. It will engulf us, surround us, consume us, if we do not exercise a choice, if we do not choose. Not making a choice is a choice in and of itself. For that choice allows us to continue in the world. And even when we choose other than the world, the world will continue to attempt to create doubt and fear in our hearts due to the constant barrage of questions that it throws at us on a daily basis to challenge our beliefs. Straddle the fence if you like. But half of you cannot live in heaven and half in the world. Our choice requires commitment. Our choice requires dedication. Our choice demands that we give our all and not half, or one third or one fourth. God wants us to live with him one hundred percent. The choice is ours to have. Choose correctly. Choose right. CHOOSE God and live by that choice.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
St Matthew, Chapter 7, verse:6, Sermon on the Mount: Do not give to dogs what is Holy nor to swines your pearls.
We continue our paragraph topic with: (Avoiding judgments) Part 3.
Christ end this paragraph topic with a very well known passage: "Do not give to dogs what is holy, neither cast your pearls before swine." He tells us this is dangerous because they will trample your pearls and then come to tear you. Holy things are to be kept holy and not given out freely. Precious things are the same. They are not to be given to any and everyone. One must understand the value of a spiritual item before one can appreciate how sacred it is. By giving us this warning Christ is telling us that there are dogs and swine our there that would do us harm.
Under the paragraph topic of judgement, what can we consider to be holy? What can we consider to be spiritually precious as pearls? A young student once asked a wise sage what is the path to righteousness. The sage replied, truth. Not having the wisdom to understand the response given to him the young student became critical of the wise man. He pondered what truth had to do with righteousness. He sought to understand how he could obtain righteousness through seeking truth. Yet his attempts did not yield his desired results. He became frustrated and bitter. And eventually gave up his search for righteousness. Upon seeing the wise sage on several occasions, he thought of him as foolish. When with his friends, he judged the sage and spoke evil of him. Finally, out of his own lack of understanding and sense of downfall, he spurred his friends to join him in an attack on the wise old sage. After being attacked and beaten by the student the sage looked him in the eye and said to him, "The truth of who you are has led you to this point in life. There within lies your righteousness."
Christ's words reminds us that we are in a battle. We are faced with an enemy that would destroy us. We must be diligent in who we allow to enter into our circle. Wolves come in sheep's clothing. The fox is crafty. The snake is beguiling and deceitful. And Satan will drag us to hell if it were not for the grace of God.
Judge not your brother or sister for they are weak and sinful, but judge the dog and the swine for they are deceitful and cunning. Judge not the actions but judge the intentions so that you are not misled. Be cautious with your precious gifts. Give love, give understanding but give in proportion to spiritual growth. If there is much growth then give much love. If there is little growth then feed like a child. Time allows us to determine the nature of the fruit, if we are patient. Upon first meeting, one does not know the true nature of a person. But time peels back the layers allowing us to truly see each other.
Christ tells us here to be cautious with our gifts. He warns us that there are vicious beings in the world that would do us harm. Guard what is precious to you in Christ. Love your brother as yourself but give the precious knowledge and the pearls of wisdom to those who are ready to receive them. Christ instructs us to not judge least we are judge by the same standard that we judge, but he also tells us to not be fools with our precious gifts.
Christ end this paragraph topic with a very well known passage: "Do not give to dogs what is holy, neither cast your pearls before swine." He tells us this is dangerous because they will trample your pearls and then come to tear you. Holy things are to be kept holy and not given out freely. Precious things are the same. They are not to be given to any and everyone. One must understand the value of a spiritual item before one can appreciate how sacred it is. By giving us this warning Christ is telling us that there are dogs and swine our there that would do us harm.
Under the paragraph topic of judgement, what can we consider to be holy? What can we consider to be spiritually precious as pearls? A young student once asked a wise sage what is the path to righteousness. The sage replied, truth. Not having the wisdom to understand the response given to him the young student became critical of the wise man. He pondered what truth had to do with righteousness. He sought to understand how he could obtain righteousness through seeking truth. Yet his attempts did not yield his desired results. He became frustrated and bitter. And eventually gave up his search for righteousness. Upon seeing the wise sage on several occasions, he thought of him as foolish. When with his friends, he judged the sage and spoke evil of him. Finally, out of his own lack of understanding and sense of downfall, he spurred his friends to join him in an attack on the wise old sage. After being attacked and beaten by the student the sage looked him in the eye and said to him, "The truth of who you are has led you to this point in life. There within lies your righteousness."
Christ's words reminds us that we are in a battle. We are faced with an enemy that would destroy us. We must be diligent in who we allow to enter into our circle. Wolves come in sheep's clothing. The fox is crafty. The snake is beguiling and deceitful. And Satan will drag us to hell if it were not for the grace of God.
Judge not your brother or sister for they are weak and sinful, but judge the dog and the swine for they are deceitful and cunning. Judge not the actions but judge the intentions so that you are not misled. Be cautious with your precious gifts. Give love, give understanding but give in proportion to spiritual growth. If there is much growth then give much love. If there is little growth then feed like a child. Time allows us to determine the nature of the fruit, if we are patient. Upon first meeting, one does not know the true nature of a person. But time peels back the layers allowing us to truly see each other.
Christ tells us here to be cautious with our gifts. He warns us that there are vicious beings in the world that would do us harm. Guard what is precious to you in Christ. Love your brother as yourself but give the precious knowledge and the pearls of wisdom to those who are ready to receive them. Christ instructs us to not judge least we are judge by the same standard that we judge, but he also tells us to not be fools with our precious gifts.
Friday, December 31, 2010
St Matthew, Chapter 7, verses:3 - 5, Sermon on the Mount: Be not a hypocrite, cast out thy own evil and then help others.
Today's paragraph topic is: (Avoiding judgments) Part 2.
We continue our sermon under the topic of avoiding judgement. Christ tells us today about being a hypocrite. He asks us why do we see faults in others and are unable to see our own faults. He calls our faults a beam as tough he is talking about logs of wood and the faults in others as a speck. While we have glaring faults, Christ ask us how it is that we tell our brother that we can help him remove his faults when we have large faults ourselves. This is like the old saying, the pot calling the kettle black, both are black and both have faults.
This can be a touchy subject for Christians, because for those in the church, who are saved, it is easy to be critical of others. Christ calls us a hypocrite. It is said that some of the biggest devils are in church. That the church has faults is a given, since it is filled with imperfect people seeking to know and imitate Christ. He is telling us here, to think about our own faults first. He is giving us the opportunity to deal with the faults and failures that we have as individuals. He is telling us that keeping the focus on ourselves is more important than trying to focus on others and help them with their problems.
When we join a church we are lost and need direction. We cling to those who we believe are in the know. We search for those that are active in the church and follow their example. Everyone wants to be a deacon. Everyone wants to be a church mother that is liked and respected by all. However, people talk, behind their backs, under their breathes, between their teeth, and under their tongues. People allow themselves to say things that should not be said in the streets. Gossip in the church is worse than it is in the beauty shop and barber shop. Who I saw at the bar with whom and who I saw coming out of whose house, is food for choice lips to spread throughout the fellowship. Who this person thinks they are and what they think they have are conversations whispered across the pews in church before services begin. If you want to hear the latest gossip get to church early. If you want to have something to talk about arrive early so you can get a good seat to see others arriving in the church and what they are wearing today. This is the nature of the talk that goes on in church today.
This is what we Christians do to fill our time and provide for entertainment in the church. And the preachers and ministers have a difficult time just doing their jobs without all of the other stuff going on in the church. Listen to any sermon and the preacher will, without a doubt, give an example of something that he has experienced, without mentioning any names. And the seats start to burn in the church and the gossip goes around after the sermon. Yet we are supposed to be loving church going believers. Christ tells us to remove the beam from our eye first. Christ tells us to stop gossiping about others first so that we can be an example. When we do this, when we remove the fault from ourselves then it is possible to show others how they can do the same.
How is this possible? Acceptance is the key. Acceptance of the truth that God the father is the final judge of all. Acceptance of the truth that we have no authority other than that given to us by God. Acceptance of his will for us. Acceptance of a simple truth that we are sinners, the lowest of the low, who without the grace of God would not be saved. We should walk in humility and gratitude that we are even alive. We should be thankful that God did not allow us to see death before we were saved. We should be ever mindful that Christ alone was perfect, everyone else cannot compare to him, including ourselves. We are imperfect beings, subject to make mistakes and to sin. It is only by God's grace that we are daily, able to fight the battle with sin and Satan.
Let us not become so righteous that we forget the depths from which we were delivered. Let us not exalt ourselves with such dignity that we forget that the respect we have comes from God and not ourselves. Let us humble ourselves, not in the eyes of men but before God that he may see in secret our true intentions. Let us get down on our knees daily and thank him for the peace that he provides from the storms of the world. Let us take the focus from others and place it upon ourselves so that we may truly know that we are sinners. Let us seek to know his love for us and his love for our brothers and sisters and to share that love with each other. Let us forgive freely and lovingly because God has forgiven us our sins.
As this old year comes to a close and a new one begins, let us resolve to be of one voice and one mind and one heart in Christ. As Christ is in one in the Father, let us be one in him in peace and love.
We continue our sermon under the topic of avoiding judgement. Christ tells us today about being a hypocrite. He asks us why do we see faults in others and are unable to see our own faults. He calls our faults a beam as tough he is talking about logs of wood and the faults in others as a speck. While we have glaring faults, Christ ask us how it is that we tell our brother that we can help him remove his faults when we have large faults ourselves. This is like the old saying, the pot calling the kettle black, both are black and both have faults.
This can be a touchy subject for Christians, because for those in the church, who are saved, it is easy to be critical of others. Christ calls us a hypocrite. It is said that some of the biggest devils are in church. That the church has faults is a given, since it is filled with imperfect people seeking to know and imitate Christ. He is telling us here, to think about our own faults first. He is giving us the opportunity to deal with the faults and failures that we have as individuals. He is telling us that keeping the focus on ourselves is more important than trying to focus on others and help them with their problems.
When we join a church we are lost and need direction. We cling to those who we believe are in the know. We search for those that are active in the church and follow their example. Everyone wants to be a deacon. Everyone wants to be a church mother that is liked and respected by all. However, people talk, behind their backs, under their breathes, between their teeth, and under their tongues. People allow themselves to say things that should not be said in the streets. Gossip in the church is worse than it is in the beauty shop and barber shop. Who I saw at the bar with whom and who I saw coming out of whose house, is food for choice lips to spread throughout the fellowship. Who this person thinks they are and what they think they have are conversations whispered across the pews in church before services begin. If you want to hear the latest gossip get to church early. If you want to have something to talk about arrive early so you can get a good seat to see others arriving in the church and what they are wearing today. This is the nature of the talk that goes on in church today.
This is what we Christians do to fill our time and provide for entertainment in the church. And the preachers and ministers have a difficult time just doing their jobs without all of the other stuff going on in the church. Listen to any sermon and the preacher will, without a doubt, give an example of something that he has experienced, without mentioning any names. And the seats start to burn in the church and the gossip goes around after the sermon. Yet we are supposed to be loving church going believers. Christ tells us to remove the beam from our eye first. Christ tells us to stop gossiping about others first so that we can be an example. When we do this, when we remove the fault from ourselves then it is possible to show others how they can do the same.
How is this possible? Acceptance is the key. Acceptance of the truth that God the father is the final judge of all. Acceptance of the truth that we have no authority other than that given to us by God. Acceptance of his will for us. Acceptance of a simple truth that we are sinners, the lowest of the low, who without the grace of God would not be saved. We should walk in humility and gratitude that we are even alive. We should be thankful that God did not allow us to see death before we were saved. We should be ever mindful that Christ alone was perfect, everyone else cannot compare to him, including ourselves. We are imperfect beings, subject to make mistakes and to sin. It is only by God's grace that we are daily, able to fight the battle with sin and Satan.
Let us not become so righteous that we forget the depths from which we were delivered. Let us not exalt ourselves with such dignity that we forget that the respect we have comes from God and not ourselves. Let us humble ourselves, not in the eyes of men but before God that he may see in secret our true intentions. Let us get down on our knees daily and thank him for the peace that he provides from the storms of the world. Let us take the focus from others and place it upon ourselves so that we may truly know that we are sinners. Let us seek to know his love for us and his love for our brothers and sisters and to share that love with each other. Let us forgive freely and lovingly because God has forgiven us our sins.
As this old year comes to a close and a new one begins, let us resolve to be of one voice and one mind and one heart in Christ. As Christ is in one in the Father, let us be one in him in peace and love.
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