Matthew 5:14-16 ¹
February 15, 2004

Introduction

Just about a week ago, on a flight from Los Angeles to New York, an American Airlines pilot came over the loudspeaker on the plane and asked all the Christians to raise their hands. Then he asked those who didn’t raise their hands to use the four and a half hours of their flight to talk with the Christian passengers about their relationship with God.

Although he denies it, some passengers claim the pilot said that anyone who wasn’t a Christian was crazy. Given the super-sensitive security consciousness of air travel after the 9-11 attacks were carried out in the name of religion, the pilot’s remarks caused some passengers to fear for their safety. One of them said,

“Just given the history of what’s happened on planes in this country, anything can happen at this point. So we weren’t sure if something was going to happen at takeoff, if he was going to wait until JFK to do something, but there was definitely the implication there that we felt something was going to happen.”

I imagine that the pilot is now having some second thoughts about whether that was the most effective way to encourage people to consider a relationship with Jesus Christ.

In fact, Jesus might also have something to say about that question. We’ve been studying Jesus’ words in Matthew 5-7, also known as the Sermon on the Mount or what I’m calling The Kingdom Handbook, designed to tell us about life in God’s Kingdom. It’s part of the Jesus Curriculum, our study of the major lessons Jesus taught his followers.

At the beginning of the Handbook, Jesus talks about the character of God’s Kingdom. He describes what we’re really going to like about the kingdom and then he turns to the question of life here on earth while we’re waiting for the kingdom to come. Jesus tells his followers that here on earth, we can expect to be insulted, persecuted, and slandered. But he also tells us that we have a special role while we’re here on earth.

In verses 13-16, Jesus uses two metaphors”two word pictures”to describe the role his followers will play during their “layover” here on earth. If you are a follower of Jesus, these two pictures tell you what you’re here for. Jesus says you are salt and light.

Last week, we talked about his first picture, “You are the salt of the earth.” Jesus wants us to make this place more palatable and pure. He wants us to live a life of goodness”a life of moral purity and good deeds. This week, we move on to the second picture,

A Metaphor: Light

Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world.

Light is a very common metaphor in the Bible. Along with darkness, light is often used to contrast knowledge and ignorance. Here, it almost certainly stands for the world’s opportunity to perceive the truth about Jesus. The world is “in the dark” about God, but Christians “turn on the lights”. Light allows people to see. Christians allow the world to understand how much God loves them and what Jesus has done to restore their relationship with him.

Being the light of the world, we actually carry out the same purpose that Jesus had in coming to earth. The gospel of John says that when Jesus was born,

John 1:9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

Jesus himself said,

John 8:12 "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

John 12:46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

John 12:36 Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light."

Jesus came to earth to show men that God loved them and to demonstrate what he was prepared to do to have a relationship with them. In a dark, dark world, that revelation was like a piercing bright light.

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God… made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But now, Jesus is gone. He has left the earth and he has left us to fill the role of bringing light to the world”of bringing the world knowledge of God’s love and forgiveness. That’s what Jesus means when he says,

Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world.

If you remember, we saw last week that salt can lose its saltiness”that Christians can become ineffective in their witness if they lose their purity.

In the same way, light can also become ineffective. How? By being hidden. Light is meant to be seen and to allow people to see. Hiding it defeats the purpose of light. Jesus uses two examples to demonstrate that hidden light is ineffective:

[14] "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

A city in Jesus’ day was usually built on top of a hill and could be seen for miles. It was very visible.

[15] Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

The bowl Jesus is talking about here was about as big as this bowl and was used for measuring grain. The purpose of lighting a lamp was so everyone could see. If you put it under something, then the purpose was defeated.

In the face of persecution, a Christian might be tempted to hide their identity. But Jesus says if people don’t know about our relationship with Jesus, then it defeats the purpose of our “layover” here on earth. That’s the way it is with our witness in the world. If we are going to be effective in the role that Jesus gave us as his followers, then we need to be visible.

[16] In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

We must allow ourselves to be visible to the world around us. Notice the emphasis here in verse 16 is allowing the world to see our good deeds. This refers back to the basic goodness we talked about last week that should characterize us as followers of Jesus. Not only should we be good, but we should let the world see our goodness.

The hope, the goal, is that people will give praise to God. This is an important point to catch. The goal is not that people will say, “What great people those Christians are. Look at all the wonderful things they do to help people. Look at how honorable their lives are.” Rather, the goal is that people will say, “What a great God they follow.”

You know, the only way that will happen is that if we make it clear that the reason why we are living moral lives and doing good deeds is because we are following Jesus. If we don’t give God the credit, then we are not being a light to the world. I think this means that in every good thing we do for our fellow man, it is important that we give God the credit. If we do good, but fail to point people to Jesus, then we haven’t done what light is supposed to do. Being “salt” means that our lives should be characterized by goodness. Being “light” means that people are able to SEE that God is the source, and purpose and cause of our goodness.

Several years later, Peter repeats the same idea in his letter.

1 Peter 2:11-12 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

[12] Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Once again, the emphasis is on people giving God glory because they can clearly see our goodness. That is why our purity is so important.

OK, so we know what Jesus says we should be: a visible presence in the world that attracts people to God because they experience our goodness.

But just how do we go about that? How do we function as the light of the world? How can we make sure that the people of the world get to see the good things that God has produced in our lives?

In the rest of the time we have, I’d like to look at some of the things we’ve tried. (I believe that unfortunately many of the things that we’ve tried to do in order to be good have not helped our visibility.) And then I’d like to suggest what we need to do”what I think Jesus had in mind when he told us through this metaphor that we should be a visible example to the world of the goodness that God can produce in a human being.

What We’ve Tried

As we consider the issue of our visibility in the world, first, let’s look at some of the things that we’ve tried.

Isolation

The first is isolation. It probably first started as an attempt to preserve our own goodness, to keep ourselves, as James 1:27 says, from being “polluted by the world”. But in an effort to do things differently than the world, we created organizations that would allow us to spend our time with believers instead of unbelievers. Besides various church activities, we created Christian businessmen’s directories so we could do business with other Christians. We built Christian schools for our kids or schooled them at home. Soon many other organizations started popping up: Christian radio stations, Christian publishers, Christian counselors, Christian musicians, Christian newspapers, Christian artists, Christian television and Christian movies. The more immoral the world around us has become, the more alternative Christian organizations have multiplied.

I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with these things. They all have their advantages. They all have their place. My point is, they also all tend to isolate believers from the culture at large. Though Jesus decided NOT to pull us out of the world, sometimes we have pulled ourselves out.

While there is nothing wrong with these Christian alternatives in and of themselves, the more occupied we are with other believers, the less involved we are with unbelievers”the more isolated we become from the people of the world and the more we need to work at building new connections with the folks that God intends to see us. Isolation makes us invisible”it hides the light that we are meant to shine.

But isn’t this isolation necessary in order to keep the church morally pure? Listen to what Paul said to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people” [10] not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral…

In that case you would have to leave this world. [11] But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is . immoral.

The way we keep the church pure is by dealing with sin in the church, not by isolating ourselves from sinners in the world. If our lights are going to be seen by the world, then we must be involved in the world, not isolated from it.

Proclamation

A second thing that we have tried is proclamation. Usually from our isolated position, we try to spread the good news about Jesus with persuasive words. Stop to think for a minute about how most non-Christians might hear the message of the Bible today. It’s true that some people wander into churches and hear the gospel, but most do not. Some of the most prominent tools are TV evangelists and preachers, or big evangelistic crusades like Billy Graham. Then there are gospel tracts or books, people who go door-to-door, and street preachers.

Once again, there is nothing wrong with these tools of communication. Each of them has helped people meet and trust Jesus. But you know what else? Each of them tends to be impersonal and non-relational. Each of them relies heavily on words instead of example. But listen to what Paul says about his ministry among the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 2:4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power.

It isn’t that Paul didn’t speak to them. He certainly explained the gospel. But he also lived out the power of the gospel in his own life, right in front of them, right where they could SEE it. Again, I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with crusades or tracts or street preaching. What I’m saying is that it is not enough. If we are going to be the lights of the world that God intends us to be, then we need to be seen and not just heard. To be visible, we need to get up close and personal.

I think that whenever these tools we’ve mentioned incorporate personal contact between an unbeliever and a believer, then they tend to have a greater impact. Let’s continue to use whatever tool will help someone discover Jesus.

What We Need to Do

But I also think that there are other, more visible, more effective ways for us to shine the light of truth on the world. Here are some things we can do to become more visible:

Make Contact

Get out and rub shoulders with the people of the world. Many of you work in environments everyday with unbelievers. Some of you belong to the Boy Scouts or PTA or a community sports team. What a great opportunity to get to know people and allow them to see the light of Jesus in you through your goodness. When Jesus left us here, that’s exactly what he intended. Listen to the words of his final prayer for his followers:

John 17:11, 15, 18 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. …

[15] My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. … [18] As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

We are to remain “unpolluted by the world” but the place we belong is “in the world”, right in the middle of it, involved everyday with people who need to see the light of Jesus in us.

Build Relationship

I think it’s clear that the normal avenue for the truth of the gospel is through relationship. It doesn’t need to be a long-standing relationship, but it must be relational. We must care for unbelievers as people, not as potential converts. Our love should be demonstrated in our willingness to serve. Here’s the way Paul described his own ministry among unbelievers in the Greek city of Thessalonica:

1 Thessalonians 1:5 You know how we lived among you for your sake. …[2:7] We were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.

[8] We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

Notice that the message was communicated in both words and works. Paul and his partners let these people see them live life. They demonstrated on a day-to-day basis what life in Jesus looked like. The Thessalonians could see the goodness that Jesus produced in his followers and so they longed to experience that kind of life too.

[9] Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel.

Be Available

When you live that kind of goodness out in front of others, it will cause some to desire the same kind of life we have. The third thing we need to do is be ready for the day when someone, drawn by our goodness, asks us where we got it. We need to be ready to tell them where they can get it, too.

1 Peter 3:15 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

I once worked with a waiter named Kevin. He was about as immoral and godless a person as you can imagine. Kevin knew I was a Christian and occasionally he’d tease me about being such a goody-goody.

He didn’t seem to have any interest at all in spiritual things. But Kevin was married and had a little girl. And one day he and his wife decided that in order to give their little girl a proper upbringing, they ought to do something for her spiritual education. They were looking for a church. How would they find one? Well, Kevin knew this guy at work. That’s right. He came to me and asked me if I could recommend a place where they could go. When he wanted to find a Christian, he knew where to find one, because I was not afraid to be a visible light in a dark place.

Point to Jesus

The final point is that we need to point people to Jesus. It isn’t enough to let people see our goodness. We need to let them know that it is Jesus that makes us good and produces that goodness in us.

You probably remember this verse from last week:

Philippians 2:14-16 Do everything without complaining or arguing, [15] so that you may become blameless and pure,

children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe [16] as you hold out the word of life.

I want you to notice the last phrase. “You shine, AS you hold out the word of life.” It’s really important that we follow up our good behavior and our good deeds by pointing people to Jesus. If we don’t then we are shining our light on emptiness instead of shining it on the world’s only hope.

Conclusion

You are the salt of the earth. You are meant to live morally pure lives and to do great good deeds to benefit the people of this planet.

You are the light of the world. As you live out this goodness visibly in front of the people of the world, your life will point them to Jesus where they too can find life that is real life.

That is the task that Jesus has left you on the planet to accomplish. We can still worship him when we get to heaven. We can still serve him when we get to heaven. We can still fellowship with each other when we get to heaven. But one thing we cannot do in heaven is help other people discover how they can get there too.

In April, our church is going to do something that we have never done before. We’re going to have a program called “Forty Days of Purpose”. It involves 7 weeks of Sunday morning worship services. It involves everyone in the church reading together for 40 days through a devotional book. It involves meeting in a small group for six weeks. I think this experience will revolutionize our church. We will probably never be the same. I’d like you to be praying about this, because God can use this to do some exciting things in our church.

But there’s something else I’d like you to be praying about. 40 Days of Purpose is also a great opportunity for you (yes, I mean you, not the person next to you). 40 Days of Purpose is a great opportunity for you to put into practice what we have been talking about today, being a light to your world. You can host a small group at your home and invite anyone to come over and be part of your group. This book is a national best seller and a lot of people have heard of it. You don’t need to know anything about the book. You don’t need to teach. All you need to do is ask people to come over to your house for six weeks.

I’d like you to start praying now about doing that. Some of you are probably feeling like you cannot do something like that. Start praying about that. This is an easy opportunity to make contact with non-Christian friends and build a relationship in a very normal, non-threatening way. It’s a great opportunity to be a visible Christian to your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers or your relatives. Let them see the light of Christ in you and then be available to talk, because they might just ask you how they can find what they see in you.

If you’re feeling nervous, don’t worry. You don’t have to do it now. All I’m asking is that you begin to pray about what God would want you to do and start thinking about who he’s brought into your life to see your light.

¹ Copyright © 2004 by Lewis B. Bell III. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 5 in the The Kingdom Character series delivered by Chip Bell at Fellowship Bible Church Arapaho in Dallas, TX on February 15, 2004. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with credit.

Matthew 7:15-23¹

Introduction

[Print real bulletin and fake bulletin (Bible studies on prosperity, race hatred, healing, universalism, Jesus as example, homosexual marriage)]

Beware of Sheep Imitations

The last one arrived just about two weeks ago. It was in a plain, simple white envelope. But the message inside was anything but ordinary. Besides the words which explained why the letter had been sent, the message really consisted of only two words: “Go out.” The thing which made this message extraordinary was that it claimed to be a message from God. The letter was from a woman whom I have never met and who, as far as I know, has never been to our church. But, she claimed, God had given her a message to deliver to us: “Go out.” The staff debated for a while whether that meant we should evacuate or head to the restaurant before we finally decided that it must be about evangelism. Every once in a while we get a letter like that here at the church from someone who claims to have a message for us from the Lord.

Or perhaps you’ve received an email from some Christian in Nigeria who has recently come to possess a huge amount of money that is being hidden from corrupt government forces. They’re writing to you because they want the money to be used for God’s work. So if you’ll just help them get a million dollars or so out of the country, they would be happy to share with you what God has provided.

All around us are voices that claim to speak God’s truth. They tell us what to believe, what to do, how to vote, how to spend our money and our time, how to raise our children and how to navigate our relationships. They claim to tell us our destiny. They claim to tell us the truth. But the truth is that many of the voices out there that claim to speak to us on behalf of God—most of them are fakers, cheats and phonies.

All you need to do is wander through any bookstore or flip your way through a few religious programs on TV and you will encounter the fakers. Their words are confident and persuasive. Their followers are many. Their results are remarkable. But they do not speak the truth.

The Bible is a dangerous book—perhaps the most dangerous book in the world—dangerous because it claims to be God’s own words, the infallible, inerrant, authoritative voice of God. So it is no wonder that people turn to the Bible to back up their own ideas and values. Down through history, and in our own day, the words of this book have been twisted to support all kinds of perversions. The reason people use the Bible that way is because they hope to draw from its authority. They are trying to tell us, “This isn’t just my idea. This is what God says. So you’d better listen to him.”

Nobody likes to be told what to do. And given the choice, most of us would choose to be given a choice. We want selection. We like to leave our options open. We want to be able to decide things for ourselves. And fortunately for us, we have a choice.

Series: You Have a Choice!

God gives us a choice. He lets us decide certain things for ourselves.

As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, we’ve come to the final section, where Jesus presents his followers with three choices:

Where are you going? Who are your guides? and What will you change?

Last week, we talked about Where Are You Going? We saw that we are presented with two paths in life. One is a broad path where the going is easy and the travelers are many. That path looks like the right one, but it leads to death. And then there is another path: narrow, twisted and torturous. Not many people find it, but that path leads to life. In fact, that is the only path that leads to life. Jesus says we get to choose which of those two paths we will take.

Today we come to our second choice: Who Are Your Guides? Which voices will you choose to follow?

The Bible says there are Two Teachers you can listen to for directions. And you are free to make the choice. God gives you that freedom. But as you decide, there is something you should know about these two teachers. One of them speaks the truth and the other one doesn’t. One of them is genuine and the other is a phony, a faker. The path you choose will determine whether or not you find the WAY. The teacher you choose will determine whether or not you find the TRUTH.

Who are your guides?

Baaad Disguise

Be alert for false teaching. (15)

In reminding us that we have this choice, Jesus also gives us some advice. Beware, he says, of sheep imitations. Not everything that looks genuine really is genuine. Not everyone who claims to speak God’s truth really does. There are a lot of voices out there. It’s easy to suppose that someone is speaking the truth because they use God’s name or because they quote the Bible. But Jesus says we must be on the lookout for false teaching.

Matthew 7:15-23 [15] "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

Prophet: not someone who tells the future, but someone who speaks for God.

Sheep’s clothing: they appear friendly & harmless, like a brother

Ferocious wolves: Dangerous. Their desire is to fleece you. Devour you. But you cannot tell that from their words or their outward appearance.

It’s the falsehood that devours you.

Be alert for false teaching. (15)

Jesus calls us to healthy skepticism. Be careful about the truth. Don’t swallow everything just because the name Jesus is on it. Don’t be so naïve. Amazing how naïve we can be. For example, The Declaration of Independence is often referenced as part of our nation’s deep Christian roots because it refers to “God” and “the Creator”. Yet the man who drafted the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson, clearly rejected Jesus Christ as the Son of God and rejected the Bible as God’s authoritative Word. The parts he found convenient he kept and the rest of it he literally cut out. We cannot accept something as true just because it comes from a Christian or someone who sounds like he might be Christian. (Movies where people talk about “Jesus”.) We must be alert for false teaching.

How can we tell the difference? One important way is by their words.

The test for a true prophet was, “Does his message agree with the rest of the Bible.” That’s a good test for anyone’s teaching, any book, any preacher, any idea, any philosophy, or any message supposedly from God. Apply it to me. Apply it to everyone you hear.

That’s why it’s important to know what the Bible says and know how to study it and understand it. That’s why we offer classes Wed nights.

Class: Unwrapping the Meaning of the Bible.

Wednesday nights, Jan 5 to Mar 9, 6:30, Fellowship House

So how do you tell the difference between true teaching and false teaching? One way is to compare the teaching to the rest of the Bible.

But there’s also something else you can use to evaluate.

Plastic Fruit

Evaluate teaching by what it produces. (16-20)

Jesus says we should evaluate teaching by what it produces. That is, what is the outcome of this teaching? What happens in the lives of the people who follow this guide? (Not the results. Not just the immediate outcome, but the long-term outcome.) How would God judge it?

Jesus uses an illustration, a metaphor, to describe what he means.

[16] By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

[17] Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

[19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Evaluate teaching by what it produces. (16-20)

One of the best ways to tell the difference between a teacher who is genuinely teaching God’s Word and one who is falsely claiming to teach God’s Word is by their lifestyle. Does their life support their claim to follow Jesus? Do they themselves obey? (Not like the Pharisees.)

Be wary of spiritual leaders who live by different rules than the rules that apply to everyone else.

Doesn’t mean perfect obedience. No one is perfect.

But this is why a significant moral failure destroys a pastor’s ability to preach or lead a church.

Almost anyone can put on a good act. But no one can hide forever. Someone’s true character eventually comes out in their actions.

That’s why ministry in relationship. mini church

You will recognize them by their fruit.

In v. 21, Jesus has one other warning to give us about false teachers.

Name Dropping

Not everyone who names God knows God. (21-23)

A lot of people who claim to be Christians do not really have a relationship with Christ.

[21] "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Entering the kingdom: being saved.

It isn’t a profession of faith that matters. It’s doing God’s will. Obedience.

Again, this doesn’t mean perfect obedience. It doesn’t mean we earn our way to heaven by doing the right thing.

It means that real faith (trust) will always result in obedience. “Let loose.”

Not saying “God”, but living differently because of God. CHRISTMAS

[22] Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'

Note that Jesus presents himself as the one who will be the ultimate Judge on Judgment Day. He’s not just a nice guy. He’s not someone who is so full of love that He will let everyone into heaven in the end.

He presents himself as the one who will even tell some of his followers that they have deceived themselves and they will not be allowed into the kingdom.

[23] Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Never knew: no relationship

Not everyone who names God knows God. (21-23)

People may admire Jesus. They may claim to believe in Him and even to follow him. But profession is not enough. Serving him is not enough. Even doing miracles in his name is not enough. It’s all about relationship. If you know Jesus, then you’re part of his kingdom.

If you know Jesus, then you obey him. maybe not perfectly, but deliberately.

If you don’t know him, if you don’t have a relationship with him, then you will be excluded. (not by me!) But you will be excluded by Jesus.

Conclusion

This morning when you walked in, you got a bulletin.

Everyday you have a choice. Who will you listen to? Where will you go to find out the truth?

The world is full of all kinds of ideas. The Bible is even used to promote widely divergent and sometimes contradictory doctrines. You have a choice—you can either choose to listen to the truth or you can listen to lies. We need to be aware that everything we hear is not true. Every interpretation of the Bible is not true.

How can we tell the difference between truth and error? Jesus says we need to evaluate teaching by what it produces, by its outcome or effect. This does not mean a utilitarian approach (if it “works”, then it must be true). This does not mean a popular approach (if it’s widely accepted, then it must be true). This does not mean a rational approach (if it makes sense, then it must be true). This does not mean an existential approach (if it satisfies me, then it must be true). This means that true teaching is going to lead us to produce the kind of righteousness that is described in the Bible: faith in Christ alone, dependence upon God, humility, love for others, moral behavior (biblically defined), and commitment to God’s eternal kingdom and righteousness. If any teaching is producing effects that contradict these values, then it is false teaching.

There are people (and teachers/preachers) who claim to act in the name of Jesus, and who actually prophesy, exorcise demons and perform miracles, but do not have a relationship with Jesus, do not know him, and do not have eternal life. So we must always carefully evaluate the message of anyone who claims to be teaching or acting on behalf of God.

The truth is out there. But so are all kinds of fakers, phonies and liars. You have a choice. Who will be your guides?

¹ Copyright © 2004 by Lewis B. Bell III. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 2 in the Kingdom Choices series delivered by Chip Bell at Fellowship Bible Church Arapaho in Dallas, TX on December 5, 2004. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with credit.

Matthew 5:17-20
March 7, 2004¹

Introduction

Title: Good Enough?

You’ve probably heard this question before: If you were to die tonight and stand before God and he said to you, “Why should I let you into heaven?” What would you say to him?

When I ask people that question, a large part of the time the answer I hear back is, “I would tell him that I think I’ve lived a pretty good life. Hopefully the good I’ve done will outweigh whatever bad I’ve done.”

Maybe some of you feel the same way. Here’s the problem: Just how good is good enough? How good do you need to be to get into heaven?

What exactly is the cut off point?

It is not just a question that we ask today. It was also a question that people in Jesus’ day were very interested in. Knowing that, he answered it very clearly. Today, we’re going to look at his answer.

The Jesus Curriculum

We’re continuing our study of the Sermon on the Mount, a lesson that Jesus taught to his followers. It’s a kind of handbook for the kingdom of God. Last month, we studied the character of God’s kingdom and the character of the kingdom’s citizens.

The Kingdom Code

Today we come to the beginning of a new section: The Kingdom Code.

If you remember where we left off, Jesus has just said that his followers should let the world see their goodness and that will have a profound effect on the people of the world. In this next section, Jesus goes on to describe what goodness looks like. Exactly what did Jesus mean? What kind of goodness was he looking for? And exactly how good was good enough?

The code is still in place.

Jesus begins by saying that he’s not starting all over from a blank slate.

Matthew 5:17-20 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

“Law and Prophets” was typical way of referring to the Scriptures, what we call “The Old Testament”.

Jesus is trying to head off any misunderstanding.

Someone might think that if the spiritually bankrupt belong to the kingdom of God, then Jesus must be saying that it doesn’t matter if you’re good—that it doesn’t matter if you obey the law.

But Jesus is saying, “I am not doing away with it, I am fulfilling it.”

It means that the OT points to him and by his life, his teachings, his death, his resurrection, and his return he completes the OT—he makes it happen, he brings it into reality. Jesus is not setting it aside and starting over with something different. He’s finishing the incomplete masterpiece that was begun in the Old Testament.

Several things in the Old Testament are radically changed by the coming of Jesus Christ. In the completed masterpiece, there are temporary measures that are no longer needed, like sacrifices. But that is like removing the scaffolding. It is far different than erasing the masterpiece.

[18] I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter,

The smallest Hebrew letter is yod.

not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

The least stroke is probably talking about the small differences between some Hebrew letters. he, hait, tov; vav, zion, dalet, resh

Basically, he’s using two expressions to say that no part of the Old Testament, no matter how small, no part can be set aside without being fulfilled, as it is being fulfilled right now in the life and teachings of Christ.

Since that is true, it is important that we keep to the code.

The code is to be practiced and taught.

[19] Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven,

Better translation for “breaks” is “relaxes”.

but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The one who is really fulfilling his role as a citizen of God’s kingdom is one who follows God’s commands and teaches others to do so too. They will be recognized as the great ones in the kingdom.

The code requires perfection.

[20] For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law,

The Pharisees were theological conservatives. They believed God. They believed his word. They wanted to live lives that demonstrated their devotion to God. So they were very careful about their behavior. They went to great extremes to make sure they were not disobeying God’s law. To the people of the day, there was no one more righteous than the Pharisees. But Jesus says, “If you aren’t better than them—the most righteous people you know—then

you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

In essence what that means is that no one is good enough to enter the kingdom of heaven. How good is good enough? Perfect. 100%. Better than you are. More righteousness than you have. Even the most righteous people are not qualified to enter the kingdom.

If you’re thinking that when you’re standing at the entrance to heaven, you’ll be hoping that you’ve been good enough to get in, then Jesus says here in these verses that you’re in for a big disappointment. No matter how good you are, it’s not good enough. That leaves us all in a tough spot. It means that no one is qualified to enter God’s kingdom.

So…where does that leave us?

After reading these verses,
I realize that I need…

It means that we need something. These verses tell us four things that we need when it comes to being good.

…righteousness

I’m not righteous enough to enter the kingdom. Correct.

You need someone else’s righteousness.

Romans 3:20-22 No one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law. … But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

When we put our trust in Jesus, he gives us his righteousness. In God’s eyes, he makes us completely righteous.

Romans 8:3-4 What the law was powerless to do …God did by sending his own Son …to be a sin offering …in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us.

The law has not been abolished. It’s still there and it still reveals God’s will. But through Jesus, I have met all its requirements.

There’s a second thing from these verses that we know we need.

…the Old Testament

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

This is speaking of the Old Testament. It is still God’s guide for us. It is still a revelation of his righteous character.

A third thing Jesus says that we need.

…to do right

We don’t need to do the right thing in order to win God’s love and acceptance. We already have that. God’s love and acceptance are based not on what we do, but on what Jesus did for us.

We don’t need to do the right thing in order to look good to others. It doesn’t matter what other people think of us.

There are three good reasons why we need to do the right thing.

1st, the best reason to do the right thing is because it is good for us.

We often think of sin as a restriction from something good. “Keep away from that!” But sin is not a candy; it’s a poison. The reason God tells us to keep away is because it will kill us. So doing right is good for us.

Second, doing right is what we were made for. Good is what we were meant to be. He gave us righteousness (that means he forgave us and declared us righteous) so that his righteousness would change who we are, effecting every area of our lives. Christ saved us so we could become like him, not just in right behavior, but also in right thinking and believing.

Third, and perhaps most important, when we do right, we are preparing a gift to bring pleasure to the most important person in our life, Jesus. If you have been forgiven and you understand what Jesus has done for you, how can you not love him and want to show him that love? We often show love to people by giving them gifts. Do you know how we show our love for God?

1 John 5:3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 So we make it our goal to please him, … [10] For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Reading this verse, it’s easy to think of this judgment as a trial. We immediately feel guilty (like getting called into the principal’s office).

But that’s not what this judgment seat of Christ is like. Think of it instead as Dad’s birthday party. The family’s all sitting around. Now it’s time to open the presents. Everyone’s a little curious to see what each person got Dad for his birthday. As the presents are opened, they reveal each person’s creativity, thoughtfulness and affection for Dad.

One day we are going to stand before God at a celebration in his honor. By the way we live our lives we are preparing a gift for him, the one who created us, forgave us, rescued us, cared for us and brought us back to life forever. On that day, the gifts will be opened and the contents revealed. What will you be giving the King at his celebration?

When I was a much younger man, I had a best friend (let’s call him “David”). Both raised in Christian homes. Both committed to follow Jesus. David and I were both dating and we told each other everything. Both of us occasionally pushed the limits of “how far can you go?”, but we were trying to “save ourselves” for marriage.

One day, David and his girlfriend “went all the way”. At the time it seemed all right, since, after all, they were planning to get married soon. And so they decided to have sex “on credit”. (the lay-away plan)

As you probably guessed, shortly after, they broke up. David was sick, physically sick. Not just because it hurt to break up, but because he had spent something precious that he could never again recapture. A few years later, David met another woman and when they married, I know that David’s greatest regret was that he couldn’t offer his wife the wedding present that he really wanted to be able to give her: his virginity.

Please don’t misunderstand. That didn’t diminish David’s love for his wife or his commitment to their marriage. And she still loved him deeply—whether he was a virgin or not. But because of the mistakes he had made, David was unable to offer her the one-of-a-kind, unique, specific gift that would best communicate his singular devotion to her. It wasn’t until his wedding day that he realized the value of what he had left behind.

I believe that is the situation with our gift for Jesus. Only while we are here on earth do we have the opportunity to prepare our gift for him—a gift designed to bring him pleasure—our obedience.

(I know right now, heaven seems a long way off. Maybe you don’t really feel like preparing a gift for Jesus—you’d rather please yourself. I know. I often feel that way.)

But when we all stand before him on that day, I think we will suddenly realize fully the extent of what Jesus has done for us. On that day, we’ll finally get it. And we will want to be able to give Jesus everything. We’ll want to show him our love, our complete devotion and allegiance. But at that point, all the shopping days will be over. Whatever gift we have prepared is the only one we will have to present.

On that day, when all the gifts are opened, we might want to give Jesus more, but we will only be able to honor him with what we have already done with our lives here on earth. That is why it is so important to do what is right. Because of God’s grace, our relationship with him will never be threatened, but at his celebration, we will want to please him with the way we have faithfully followed him.

This verse also gives us another reason to do right. At that same celebration to honor Jesus, after we have honored him by opening our presents, the Bible says that we will be rewarded for what we have done. What does that reward look like? That’s for another day.

But let’s go back to our list. After reading these verses, I realize that I need…

…to be genuine

Jesus said, “Your righteousness must be greater than that of the Pharisees. Although Pharisees were on very good behavior, Jesus criticized the Pharisees and scribes for being hypocrites.

Matthew 23:25 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

Play acting vs. sincerity.

Academy Award for best performance as a righteous person

External performance vs. Internal reality.

This is followed by six specific examples or applications.

What does it look like to be genuine in our obedience?

We’ll leave that for next week.

¹ Copyright 2004 by Lewis B. Bell III. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 1 in the The Kingdom Code series delivered by Chip Bell at Fellowship Bible Church Arapaho in Dallas, TX on March 7, 2004. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with credit.

Matthew 5:27-30
March 21, 2004¹

Introduction

The message today is rated PG. It includes a discussion of sexual issues. Parents may wish to take their younger children to Kids’ Church.

Title: Flames of Desire

It’s happened so many times that it’s almost clich. When they stood at the altar, he loved her—more than anything else in the world. They bought a home together and worked late into the night to fix it up. Together they created children and watched them grow. They supported each other through many challenging and difficult times—soul mates, lovers, partners.

But then one day, he has an affair with another woman. She, too, was “happily” married—a devoted wife and mother. She loves (or at least she used to love) her husband. Of course she still loves her children. But this is something different—something just for her. She deserves it.

It is not amazing that men and women get involved in sexual sin.

What is amazing is how much they are willing to pay for it.

Long-standing relationships of love and trust are shattered. Kids lose their parents and are scarred by sorrow and guilt. People surrender their careers, their reputations, their homes, their savings, their friends and their relationship with God—all in the pursuit of happiness—happiness that vanishes with an ever-diminishing half-life.

It’s particularly distressing when we see this done by a pastor or promi-nent Christian leader. We expect that somehow they should be made out of something better than the average person. But at the end of the day, too many of them demonstrate that all of them—just like the rest of us—have feet of clay. However, when they fall into sexual sin, the price often includes the destruction of churches, ministries and people’s faith.

What would make someone do that—risk so much to gain so little?

Three things.

First, you usually don’t realize how much sexual sin is going to cost.

It rarely comes with a visible price tag attached. The cost is hidden, and besides that, it’s pleasure purchased on credit, with unmentioned payments due for the rest of your life.

Second, sex is a powerful force. It compels people to voluntarily do things that they would never think themselves capable of doing under normal circumstances. The combination of sexual and emotional attraction is an undertow that captures people who are merely wading by the beach, sweeps them out to sea and does everything possible to drown them. Sex is powerful, but also deceptive, because those who are being swept out to sea are willing and excited about going on this adventure into deep water.

Third, sexual sin doesn’t begin with glaring and blatant transgressions.

It starts with something very small and innocent—something that looks so harmless, it’s easy to allow. It starts with a desire.

The Jesus Curriculum

Today we’re studying Matthew 5:27-30, a passage where Jesus talks about sexual sin and the desires that lead up to it. This passage is part of the Sermon on the Mount, or what we’re calling, “The Kingdom Handbook” because in it Jesus teaches his followers about life in God’s kingdom.

The Kingdom Code

This particular section of the handbook is about The Kingdom Code, the rules we ought to follow as citizens of the kingdom.

We don’t follow the rules to get into the kingdom—the only way to get in is by trusting in what Jesus has done for us. The reason we follow the rules is because we are already in the kingdom. Since we trust God to tell us the truth, when he says something is off limits, we believe that he’s got our best interests at heart and that he’s trying to spare us from the pain and destruction that sin would produce if we gave it the chance.

But as Jesus lays out the Kingdom Code, it becomes obvious that he is explaining not just the letter of the law, but also the spirit of the law, the law’s intent. Jesus says it’s not enough to avoid certain external sinful behaviors. We also need to honor God with our thoughts, our motives and our attitudes—the inner things only God can know about us.

Matthew 5 contains six comparisons between this “external performance” and the “internal obedience” that God desires. Jesus talks about anger, lust, divorce, lying, revenge, and hatred. In each case, he calls us, his followers, to commit ourselves not just to obeying the external requirements of the law, but also to allowing the Kingdom Code to govern our thoughts, our motives and our attitudes.

Last week we talked about anger. It’s not just the external behavior of murder that’s wrong. It’s also wrong to maintain unresolved anger toward another person. Today we’re going to talk about the second of these six contrasts as Jesus teaches us about lust. In God’s Kingdom, it’s not only against the law to cheat on your spouse. It’s also against the law just to entertain the desire to have an affair with someone else.

Unrestrained Desire is Sin

Matthew 5:27-30 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'

The OT law was clear: adultery was wrong. Sleeping with someone else’s spouse, but could refer to a broader spectrum of sexual sins.

[28] But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Jesus says adultery is not the only thing to avoid. Adultery is an external behavior. But Jesus goes for the internal thoughts and motives.

The key word in this sentence is “lustfully”. However, that’s actually not a very good translation of this Greek word. The English “lust” carries a decidedly negative and sexual connotation—both of which are missing in the Greek word, epiqumew. It simply means, “to desire something or to long for something” and it is strictly a neutral term. In other words, whether desire is good or bad depends entirely on what you are desiring. The Bible uses this same word to say that one who wants to be an elder “desires a noble task”. Paul “desires to depart” this life and be with Christ. Jesus “eagerly desired” to eat the Last Supper with his disciples. The prophets in the OT “longed to see” the Messiah and angels “long” to understand our salvation. When Jesus uses this word, it is usually positive. But here it is obvious that he is talking about a desire for a woman that God has placed “off limits”. To desire that woman, says Jesus, is wrong, just as adultery itself is wrong.

There are a few misunderstandings about this verse. So I’d like to take a some time to say what this verse does NOT mean.

First, this does NOT mean that desire is adultery or that desire is just as bad as adultery, i.e., as soon as you’ve desired, then you’ve already had adultery, so having the thought is the same as if you acted on the thought. It is NOT the same. Notice that it doesn’t say, “you’ve already had adultery with her”, but “you’ve already had adultery with her in your heart.” Desire for an inappropriate sexual relationship is emotional adultery, not physical adultery. What this is saying is that it is not only wrong to consummate an “off limits” relationship. It is also wrong to desire an “off limits” relationship. Both are wrong, but they are not the same.

Second, this does NOT mean that sexual desire itself is wrong. God created sex and He created us with strong sexual desires. He also gave us the perfect context to indulge those desires—the marriage relation-ship. Unfortunately, many churches have left people with the impression that sex is evil and that God is pretty upset that somehow people figured out how to do this. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. (In 1981, Pope John Paul II said that a man could violate this verse even with own wife by lusting after her. That is completely contrary to what the Bible says.) Sex is God’s invention. He came up with the idea. He made it attractive and pleasurable and fun. He wants his followers to enjoy the best sex on the planet and so he designed marriage as the perfect context for it.

But to use God’s gift outside the context of marriage is to violate the operating instructions in the owner’s manual. Sex wasn’t designed to work outside marriage. It won’t work outside marriage. Instead of bringing us the fulfillment that God created sex to produce, it will bring us temporary pleasure and then long-term destruction and heartache.

Proverbs 6:25-29, 32

Do not lust in your heart after her beauty

or let her captivate you with her eyes,

for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread,

and the adulteress preys upon your very life.

Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?

Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?

So is he who sleeps with another man's wife;

no one who touches her will go unpunished.

A man who commits adultery lacks judgment;

whoever does so destroys himself.

Have you ever put something together without reading the directions?

Look, here’s glue. Let’s squirt it on. Then you read the instructions: “Warning: do not put the glue on part C until you have first connected part A to part B.” By that time it’s too late. It’s ruined. It will never work the way it’s supposed to. That’s what happens when we use sex outside of the context of marriage. It messes things up. It destroys. That’s why God says it’s “off limits”. He loves us and wants us to have the best. He didn’t send us assembly instructions to keep us from having fun. He sent them so that we could get the maximum enjoyment out of his gift.

Third, I believe that this verse is NOT saying that merely to have a desire for an inappropriate relationship is wrong. I believe that to entertain or nurture that desire is wrong. Remember when we talked about anger last week. It isn’t wrong to be angry. It’s wrong to leave it unresolved. In the same way, I believe that it isn’t sin to be attracted to someone besides your spouse or even to desire a sexual relationship with that person. However, to hang on to that desire, to feed it or act upon it—that is wrong.

Like anger, desire is initially a response, not a choice. We probably have desires for inappropriate relationships so often because we’re fallen—so in that sense even that initial desire is sinful. But it’s not a sin in the sense of a choice I make to disobey God. When it first strikes, I think desire is more of a temptation than a sin. It’s what we choose to do with desire and what we choose to do because of desire that makes it sinful.

It’s unrestrained desire that is sinful. That is the point that Jesus is trying to make in this verse. It’s not only the external behavior of adultery that is wrong. It is also wrong to harbor and nourish a secret internal desire for an illicit relationship. Physical adultery is wrong. But so is emotional adultery or mental adultery or attitudinal adultery.

Purity is Important

That’s why purity is important—not only purity in actions, but also purity in thoughts. Jesus goes on in verses 29-30 to explain just how important it is.

[29] If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Notice the parallel thought in the next verse:

10. [30] And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

These verses are not suggesting that we should fight sexual sin by literally plucking out our eyes and cutting off our hands. I’m confident that even if we had only left eyes and left hands, we would still be able to find a way to have inappropriate sexual relationships and inappropriate sexual desires.

What these two verses are saying is that sexual purity in both action and thought is very important. It’s so important, that it’s worth sacrificing some otherwise good things if they might lead us into sin.

Colossians 3:4-5 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. [5] Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; [4] that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, [5] not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; [6] and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. [7] For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

Off course. Titanic about to run into an iceberg.

Some Practical Advice

I’d like to close today with some practical advice about dealing with sexual. Some of these are not explicitly from the Bible, but are some practical things I have learned about trying not to let desire turn into sin.

1. Desire is an alarm.

Like a proximity alarm. Action needs to be taken to avoid a collision.

2. Recognize you are vulnerable.

3. Watch your input.

4. Dress thoughtfully.

5. Watch your circumstances.

6. Think consequences.

7. Satisfy each other in marriage.

Proverbs 5:15-20 Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. [16] Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? [17] Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. [18] May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. [19] A loving doe, a graceful deer-- may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. [20] Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife?

8. Tell someone else.

9. Run away.

10. Rely on God’s Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the [flesh].

¹ Copyright 2004 by Lewis B. Bell III. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 3 in the The Kingdom Code series delivered by Chip Bell at Fellowship Bible Church Arapaho in Dallas, TX on March 21, 2004. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with credit.