Least Or Great In God's Kingdom?

Now, we’ve got a warning and a promise of blessing in Matthew 5:19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

As a side light, has anyone ever said to you that we can’t rate sins – that no sin is greater than another?  And they say it with such authority that you think you must be wrong to believe otherwise, but something inside you says that molesting a child is worse than wishing you had your neighbor’s car.  Well, people may have said it, but Jesus didn’t.  It’s true, even the least sin causes us to fall short of God’s standards – but there are least sins and there are greater sins. 

Yet, even the least sins are important to God.  And whoever breaks one of the least of the commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.  Called – they shall be called least by God. From God’s viewpoint He is affected by even the least sin.  What exactly does that mean – you know, I’m not really sure.  Do you need to know?  Why?  So you can determine if it’s worth it to break the law or not?  The new law is still based on the old law, but it’s motives are different.  Just as the Pharisees concentrated on the outside rather than the inside, the heart – those who followed the law before Christ, followed it for fear of consequences.  Those who follow the law after Christ, follow it simply because of love. Don’t do it and certainly don’t teach others that it’s ok.  Jesus is teaching us a higher way of life here.  Yes, we are no longer under the demands of the law as far as its penalties. But, don’t think for a moment that God sees violation of His standards any different than He did before Christ died.

Remember what Jesus said John 14:15  "If you love Me, keep My commandments. Yes, we are under grace.  Yes, God forgives us.  And – Yes, we still break the heart of God when we sin – even when we violate the least of His commandments.  On the contrary when we do even the least and teach them, we are called great in the kingdom of heaven – we bless God.  God still has rules.  He still expects us to follow them – even more so now that we have the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to do so.

To those who love Him, that is not confining.  When God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle, He gave him very specific instructions to pass on to the artisans who would complete the work.  Artisans – artisans are artistic people. They don’t like to color inside the lines.  They like to be creative.  Instructions stifle artisans.  They like to take artistic liberties.  But, they built that tabernacle exactly as God told them to – and Moses checked them to be sure. Too many believers take artistic liberties in the way they follow the Lord.  They claim that living by the law is legalism. No it’s wisdom, God’s wisdom - if they are living by God’s laws.  Legalism is living by man’s laws.

What are you like when you get that bicycle that has to be put together along with a bag of screws and bolts and a sheet of paper with line by line instructions?  Do you follow them – or do you think that’s unnecessary and put it together yourself?  What do you think when you are all done and you have 10 screws left over?  Do you allow your child to get on the bike?

The screws are the least of the parts – yet the manufacturer of that bike says they are important.  Are there areas in your life that aren’t working, where you aren’t seeing Biblical results? (notice, I said Biblical results – not the results you may think you want).  I challenge you to ask God where you took creative liberties by incorporating your own ideas, your own standards and your own wisdom.  God gives us lots of opportunities to be creative – we can paint a house or a picture any way we want to, we can decorate any way we want to, we can write, or sing or build anyway we want to.  But, when it comes to building God’s kingdom, we are not given the freedom to be creative.  Jesus is going to show us God’s pattern for kingdom living. It’s a whole lot different than the Pharisees taught.  It’s higher.  Their righteousness was all about coming up with and following their own theories.  God’s righteousness is about following His ways.

Oh, how freeing is the higher law.  How attainable is God’s righteousness compared to that of the Pharisees.  We are the salt and the light sent to influence others for the Giver of the higher law.


May 2011 be a year that you grow in your love of God's law. May you appreciate in a greater way, the fact that Jesus fulfilled its requirements, because you couldn't.

Jesus Came To Fulfill The Law

Before Jesus continues His sermon, He clarifies that what He is teaching and what He is about to teach is in absolute harmony with the teachings of the Old Testament Scriptures.  There is nothing in His teaching which in any way contradicts them.  He is letting them know that He is in complete disharmony with the teaching of the Pharisees and scribes.

So, He clearly told them “no, I did not come to destroy the law and the prophets” – but, rather He came to fulfill. Our verse today, Matthew 5:18, Jesus stated – For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one title will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  He’s dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s in the law.  He’s changing nothing.

Jesus wasn’t changing the law. They had changed it.  They changed it by trying to clarify it and define what it meant. 

Now the law is simply the righteous standards of God.  God is holy and cannot handle sin – even the least of them.  Unfortunately, we can’t relate to that. Sin doesn’t bother us nearly enough.  Because He is holy, any sin separates us from Him.  It is much like  someone who was allergic to perfume needig to separate themselves from someone wearing it.  

Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets.   How did He do that? 

1.  He kept the law perfectly, without committing one sin

2.  He fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophesies about Him

3.  He fulfilled the  ceremonial law.  He was the substance of the Old Testament shadows in the ceremonial law.  The priesthood, the sacrifices, the feasts – all pointed to Him and the finished work on the cross.  Much of the book of Hebrews is dedicated to proving that fact.

4.  He paid the penalty prescribed by the law of God. 

And 5.  He gave His followers the power to obey the law – through the power of His Spirit.

2 Corithians 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

Look at that list – do you know anyone who in all of history could make that claim and keep it?

Praise Him that He can; praise Him that He did. Praise God that the blood of Jesus Christ is the antidote to wash away the stench of our sins in God's sight.

Jesus and the Law

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20

  

Do not think – Jesus knows what many of them are thinking – so, He’s cautioning them not to think that way.  They had seen Him violate the Sabbath. They had seen Him hang out with sinners. They had seen Him stand up to and rebuke the Scribes and Pharisees. The Scribes were the writers of the Law. The Pharisees taught the people what it meant.  They had not been taught to mourn over their sin or to display meekness.  They had not been taught that mere man could be light.  The religious leaders did their deeds to be seen of men, for the praise of men – certainly not for God’s glory.  Was Jesus abolishing the law and the prophets – the teachings and predictions about Him by Moses and the prophets?

 Because Jesus had so disregarded the man-made rules of the day, that they had attached to the law of Moses, the people thought that He was against the law. You see, Jesus didn’t sound like the Pharisees, and He didn’t sound like the scribes.  It had been over 400 years since a prophet had spoken. So they really didn’t know what a prophet “sounded” like.  He didn’t echo the prevailing theology of the day.  He kept putting emphasis on inward morality.  They had not been taught that.  It would be natural to wonder whether He was really of God or not; whether His teachings were of God or not. 

Sadly, too many are making that same determination today – comparing the teachings of Jesus with current thinking – and then rejecting it because it doesn’t comply. Too many are saying, “Times have changed, the Bible doesn’t fit anymore.”  When the truth is – the way that things are today don’t fit the Bible anymore.  It’s today that is wrong, not the Bible. Jesus is telling them much the same – it’s the teachings of today that are wrong, not the true law of God.

Jesus was in total agreement with their father, David, who wrote in Psalm 119:97 I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. After all - Jesus wrote it!

Jesus Showing Through His People

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand,

 and it gives light to all who are in the house.

  Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

 Matthew 5:14-16

Luke 1:77 tells us why Jesus came:  Luke 1:77-79 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins,  [78] Through the tender mercy of our God,  With which the Dayspring from on high (that’s Jesus) has visited us;  [79] To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace."

This Christmas season, I am reminded of the prophecy of Isaiah 9:2… the people who  walked in darkness have seen a great light.  Those who dwelt in the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.  That light is Jesus.

Since Jesus is THE LIGHT and we are little lights, our shining should take the same form as His.  We should be giving people the knowledge of salvation,  give His light to those who are in darkness and proclaiming Him to be the guide into the way of peace.

The gospel of John refers to Jesus over and over again as the light of the world.  In the first chapter, John the Baptist comes on the scene.  John 1:8 He (John the Baptist) was not that Light (Jesus), but was sent to bear witness of that Light (Jesus).  We too are lights that bear witness to the light – or reflect, the Light

2 Corinthians 4:6 NASB⁶ For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Jesus, when He was here, was like the light of the Sun.  When the sun goes down (leaves) the moon comes up.  The moon is a picture of believers – it shines, but it doesn’t shine by its own light.  It shines only because it reflects the light of the sun.  It glows only because of the sun.  We, too, shine only because of the Son; we glow only because of the Son. That’s why Jesus said to believers, you and you alone are the light of the world. 

I read a story of a man returning from a journey that brought his wife a matchbox that would glow in the dark.  After he gave it to her, she turned out the light, but it could not be seen.  Both thought they had been ripped off.  Then the wife noticed some French words on the box and asked a friend to translate them.  The inscription said:  If you want me to shine in the night, keep me in the light.

We have looked at how we are to shine.  Matthew 5:16 tells us why we are to shine.  It’s good Jesus added that, because all too often we shine and then forget where the light came from, don’t we?  Verse 16 tells us:  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 

John 3:19-21 niv This is the verdict (or, this is why people are condemned) : Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. [20] Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. [21] But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

Just like persecution can be the result of walking in the beatitudes, people will reject the light that you shine.  Neither are God’s intention – it’s just the down side of the light.  But, God’s purpose for the light is good – and those who live by His truth come into the light, and reflect that light, - so that it may be seen plainly that what He has done has been done through God – or as we see in Matthew 5:16, men will see our good works and glorify God or give God the credit or literally, get a proper opinion of God.  We are to live our lives in such a way that people get a proper opinion of God – know what God is really like.

One Sunday on their way home from church, a little girl turned to her mother and said, “Mommy, the preacher’s sermon this morning confused me”  The mother said, “Oh?  Why is that?”  The little girl replied, “Well, he said that God is bigger than we are.  Is that true?”  The mother replied, “Yes, that’s true, honey.”  And he also said that God lives in us?  Is that true, Mommy?  Again the mother replied.  Yes, that’s true honey.  “Well,” said the little girl, “if God is bigger than us and He lives in us, wouldn’t He show through?”

Over and over again in the Old Testament, God told Israel to separate themselves from the gentile nations – for the simple reason that they would be corrupted by those nations.  But, interesting...that’s not Jesus’ message.  In fact, the religious leaders chided Him for associating with sinners and tax collectors.  Here in this sermon, He is calling us to be influences on who?  The earth, the world – Everyone, but surely including people who do not know Him.  The difference?  Because of the work of the Holy Spirit, believers are now salt and now light.  We now have the power to influence others for Jesus.  Salt that has no flavor doesn’t influence. Light that is hidden doesn’t influence.  If we are not being salty and we are not shining the light of Jesus, we should not be around those in the world – for certainly they will trample us under their feet.  But, when we salt them and when we shine our light, they are affected by us.  That’s what the LIGHT, Jesus, did around sinners and that’s what we are to do.

Lights Are Expected To Shine

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand,

 and it gives light to all who are in the house.

  Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

 Matthew 5:14-16

Light, like salt, has many purposes. Jesus focuses on one here.  He tells us something we are to do with our light and something we are not to do.We are to shine our light and we are not to hide our light. As we concluded that the earth is saltless without the influence of believers, so too, the earth is dark without the influence of believers. 

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  As they sat on that hill on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus was preaching this sermon, they would have had such an awesome illustration of what He was talking about.  For the Galilee is surrounded by hills, and they built cities on those hills.  It’s a gorgeous sight at night as you can look across the sea and see dozen of cities all lit up by their shining lamps.  You can’t hide a city that is built on a hill.  Cities are built to be seen.  Consider Matthew 5:15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand.  Just as a city is built to be seen, a light is meant to be seen.  You don’t light a lamp and then put something over it to block out the light.  Because of the elements in the Israeli desert, the windows in the houses were often very small – so, even in the daytime, the light in the homes was minimal.   So, they would have a lamp lit all the time. Their lamps were not always very big.  The lamp would be set on a lampstand – a table, often in the middle of the room, that would give (as verse 15 tells us) light to all who are in the house.  It would be ridiculous to light the lamp and then put something over it.   So, just as light gives light to all who are in the house, verse 16 tells us that we are to let our light shine before men (not just in our own house) that they may see. 

Light influences darkness.  Darkness doesn’t influence or effect light – does it? And it shouldn’t influence light in the spiritual since.  In other words, if we are shining, darkness can’t put us out.  Light can eliminate darkness.  But, darkness can never and will never eliminate light.  Darkness really only makes us look brighter.  But, if we are hiding our light, darkness wins and we find ourselves even influenced by it, don’t we? Darkess can’t eliminate our light, but we can hide it.

This spiritual light reveals something very different than a physical light.  A physical light enables us to see the path before us, it helps us see if there are any dangers in the room.  A spiritual light does that, and it does this – it causes people to see our good works. 

1 Peter 2:9  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;    

What does 1 Peter teach us?  Jesus came to redeem us to be His own special people.  What did He redeem us to do?  The reason given in this verse is that we may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

We are able to shine when we live in His marvelous light.  All believers have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light. His calling upon us? – Shine, show forth His light.

Light is an important word to God.  Thus He uses it often in His Word.  Let’s use the comment section and post some of those verses.  Refrain from posting verses that refer to Jesus as the light.  We will discuss that tomorrow.

Shine on….

You Are The Salt Of The Earth

Matthew 5:13  "You are the salt of the earth; 

but if the salt loses its flavor,

 how shall it be seasoned? 

It is then good for nothing 

but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

Jesus moved from the beatitudes to the similitudes – comparing one thing with another.  Jesus used two similitudes in comparing the believer to two things that we are all very familiar with – salt and light.  So, we have seen how we are to think, we have seen the result of that kind of thinking and now Jesus is going to tell us who we are – as believers – each and every one of us who name the name of Jesus as our Savior.

Something happened to you when you decided to become a follower of Christ.  We know we became new creatures. Here we have two aspects of that.  We have become salt and we have become lights.  And notice – the structure of each sentence that begins you are the salt and you are the light has the sense of you and you only, or you and you alone.  A person that is not a believer is not and can not be either salt or light in this world.  Here’s an assumption I think we can safely make.  Since we and we alone are the salt of the earth – then the earth is saltless, flavorless without the influence of believers.  It does not satisfy, it’s like flavorless egg whites.

Someone did a whole lot of research and claims that there are over 14,000 uses of salt.   We could get real intense over that and want to find that list, thinking if we are salt, that God wants us to function in all of those 14,000 ways – but, that is not His intent. 

Rather than review all or many of the uses of salt that parallel how a believer should behave, let’s concentrate on what Matthew 5:13 seems to be pointing to – salt’s ability to season food.  Man has understood that purpose for thousands of years.   Job 6:6 Can flavorless food be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

Paul confirmed this in Col. 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Look at the next part of verse 13 in Matthew 5 – it begins with a term of contrast.  We are salt.  But, if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned.  So, only believers are salt – But, we can be flavorless salt.  Our effect, if we lose our flavor? We are good for nothing, spiritually, but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men

It’s pretty hard for salt to lose its flavor.  You can leave it out all day and it’s still the same.  But, if you lay salt on dirt (or for our lesson today, on the earth), it loses its flavor.  There’s a story of someone buying a huge quantity of salt.  It was piled in a warehouse on a dirt floor.  When they went in to scoop it up to send it out, it had lost its flavor – so, what did they do?  Exactly what this verse says – they scooped it all up and threw it outside and it was trampled underfoot by men.  Now, Jesus is talking about effective kingdom living here – not salvation.   Ephesians 2:8,9 very clearly remind us that we have been saved by faith not of works.  But, Paul didn’t stop there, lest we get lazy.  Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

We are His workmanship.  Creators, builders – create and build things for a purpose.  Our purpose on this earth while we are waiting for heaven is to do good works – not just any good works, but the good works He has individually chosen for each one of us.

When, we as salt, aren’t salty – we are of no use in this life.  Salt influences what it is put on, right?  But, rather than being put on people to flavor them, to influence and affect them, we are put under them and stepped on by them and treated as nothing – of no value or worth to them. Rather than being an influencer of the things it touches, salt, when it loses its flavor, becomes influenced by the things that touch it.

How do we flavor? Just like salt does.  All lives outside of Jesus, are bland – blah – without purpose, without meaning, without fulfillment.  Salty believers can offer them what or really who, alone, can give them those things. We show them what a salted life is like.  The message of the salty believer is this: Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! And his actions prove that he believes it.  

This Morning's Message from Pastor Dale

Let's take today and reflect on this morning's message.  I encourage you to post a comment.  I love the way the Lord is using the comments.  Please keep posting - and thank you to those of you who are obeying God's "nudging".  Your comments have been a blessing. 

Love in Jesus,

cathy