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This week is Part 2 of the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus continues with topics on Prayer, Money, Worry & Judging in Matthew 5-7. Some music will be scattered out during the week for you to download and hopefully will encourage you on the day of your reading. Before we start with Monday's teaching, let me give you a date on the calendar to mark down… Our Finishing Well CHRISTMAS EVENT this year will be on Tuesday December 10th with a program entitled, "MAKE ROOM". The tickets are $15 and include beverages and dessert. Our Finishing Well BAND will be there along with some special guests . You can purchase tickets here. We hope you can be with us and invite a friend! MONDAY..."the Lord's Prayer"
(Matthew 6:9-15) I love listening to the Lord’s prayer being spoken in unison in the church service. There's something so uniting and reverent about that. If you grew up with a Catholic influence, you would most likely refer to the scripture today as the "Our Father" prayer. And if you grew up in a protestant church, you most likely were told at some point that this isn't really the Lord's Prayer, it's "The Model Prayer", since John 17 appears to be the "prayer for unity" that Jesus had for all of His followers. But today, let's not worry about making a big distinction on what the "title" of this prayer is. I just want to encourage you, here as we start the week, to let Jesus' teaching on how to approach our Heavenly Father be YOUR prayer! To WHOM are we praying?
Our Father....whose name is holy. What are our REQUESTS?
That His Kingdom & will would be accomplished here on earth, just as it is being accomplished in heaven.
(A God who RULES) That He would provide for our daily needs. (A God who PROVIDES) That He would forgive us our sins as we forgive others. (A God who FORGIVES) That He would lead us away from temptation and deliver us from evil.
(A God who GUIDES) Today as we pray, may we begin with the acknowledgment of OUR Father, who made us in HIS image, for HIS glory, to do HIS good work. We are totally dependent upon Him for everything. He is the one who provides, forgives, and guides our lives. We can approach Him at any time with boldness because of the work Jesus, His Son did on the cross. Our request for forgiveness acknowledges our "willingness" to forgive others. Let's not conveniently look past that aspect. It's easy to say, but hard to do. It is very important though. That's why Jesus, in verses 14 & 15, makes it clear that we are to "funnel" our forgiveness from God to others. We're not to "receive" God's blessing of forgiveness without "offering" the same to others. Jesus actually makes it "conditional", which should get our attention. Forgiveness is to "release or untie". A return to "trust" isn't commanded, but forgiveness is. Today as we pray, let it be from our hearts to God. And after you pray, take a moment, if you have time to listen to this song of THE LORD'S PRAYER" by Andre Boccelli. TUESDAY..."Secret FASTING & True WEALTH"(Matthew 6:16-24) Jesus continues the "SECRET" theme today with the spiritual discipline of fasting, just as He did with prayer and giving earlier. He reiterates the fact that we're not to draw attention to ourselves, but allow God to reward us as He sees fit. Then Jesus talks plenty about money. We can choose to store up wealth on this earth, or we can store it up in heaven. The two verses that jump off the page are verses 21 & 24. Verse 21 says, "...for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." That means the placement of our financial resources reveals what our heart values and holds in high priority. As a side note, that's why faithfully giving to the Lord (with a % sign more than a $ sign) is an act of honor, trust & declaration of affection. It reveals where our hearts call home. And of course, the second verse that jumps off the page is the last one in the paragraph, verse 24, which says, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Nothing like getting to the heart of the matter, Jesus! Now I've always wondered why Jesus said "WHAT He said WHEN He said it"? And right after this teaching on serving him rather than money, he goes right into us not worrying or being anxious about things in life. But I'm getting ahead of myself. That's tomorrow's topic. And here’s another song today to remind us of our "source of blessing". Love you guys... Doxology...the Wilson's WEDNESDAY..."a Cure for ANXIETY"
(Matthew 6:25-34) Oh my... what a major part of the Sermon on the Mount! Worry.... our national pastime! Jesus said when it comes to food, drink, and clothes, don't worry about it! Sounds like those obsessions have been around for a long, long time! He points out the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, and how God cares about them… And how much more important we are to the Lord than they are (with all due respect). He points out WORRYING, doesn't help anything. It won't add a single day to your lifespan. Jesus also mentions that the Gentiles seem to obsess over these things implies that it's really not becoming for God's people to worry about his provision. And then He defines the moment with two phrases. One in verse 33. And one in verse 34. Verse 33..."But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you". Rather than worry, we are to seek His kingdom. Like Paul tells us in Colossians 3:1 , "your life is hidden in Christ, so seek those things that are above, not below on this earth." Now those are red letters that jump off the page! His will is to be our passion and pursuit, and He promises to give us everything we need along the way. And Jesus closes this thought in verse 34..."Don't worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of itself." in the immortal words of the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz…"Ain't it the truth, ain't it the truth!" So as it hard as it is at times... ...when we get referred to a new doctor ...or get Medicare information in the mail and have to determine, is it truly federal or another scam? ...or hear another weather report about what's going on in the southeast part of our country & the name of the new hurricane that jeopardizes some of our family and friends who live in those areas... ..... where we realize the struggle that our kids or grandkids are in right now... In all of these things we could be tempted to worry. Then God says, "trust me." TRUST Me...in the stormy, as well as the sunny weather. ASK Me... When you feel like you're forgetting everything you once knew for certain. RELY on Me... When the nation appears to be more divided… More hostile… Less respectful… and virtually polarized over the values that once united, which were based upon the God of all creation. Yes, tomorrow will have enough trouble of its own. As the old saying goes, "We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow". He's got the whole world (as defiant as it is at times), "In His hands"! And you knew I'd have a song for you this week! Actually have 2. And no, it's not Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry Bout a Thing"....or "Don't Worry, Be Happy". Hope you guys like them... Link to "DO NOT WORRY" by Ellie Holcomb (just heard this one this past week!) Link to "Seek ye First" by Praise Band (this one will take you back a few years!) THURSDAY..."JUDGING Others"
(Matthew 7:1-6) Three of the most overused words by non-believers are…"do not judge". And while we're not to judge, we are to discern. Sometimes it can be pretty confusing. But when we look closer at the Bible, and not just isolate one little phrase and take it out of its context, were able to put together a little more of a broader understanding of what Jesus would have us do and not do. In our passage today, Jesus goes on to say that we shouldn't give dogs what’s sacred or our pearls to pigs. A few verses later, he talks about false prophets, and how we will recognize them by their fruits, which seems to indicate we have to make a judgment call about who is giving godly truth to us and who isn't. I really appreciate the writers at the website called, "Got Questions", who through the years have given good explanations to many difficult teachings in the Bible. One of their authors recently wrote it's good to understand the different types of judgments which he suggested there are five. One is SUPERFICIAL judging, which is basing it solely on appearances, as in John 7:24. Proverbs 18:13 warns us of jumping to conclusions before investigating the facts. And in Luke 7, Simon, the Pharisee passes judgment on a woman based on her appearance and reputation and he got "spanked pretty good" by Jesus and was embarrassed in his own home. Then there is HYPOCRITICAL judgment, which is what this passages about. Paul even mentioned in Romans 2:1 that when we point out the sin of others and commit the same thing we do ourselves. Moving along there is also HARSH, UNFORGIVING judgment, which is just the opposite of what Paul told Titus in chapter 3 verse two that they were always gentle toward everyone, which would indicate anything but harshness. The list continues with SELF-RIGHTEOUS judgment, which is epitomized by Jesus and the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18. James, in 4:6 reminds us that we are called to humility and God opposes the proud. And rounding out the top five would be UNTRUE judgment, Which is straight out of the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20 of not bearing false witness, and reiterated by Paul to titus in 3:2 that we are not to slander anyone. Jesus does tell us that we are to judge in a proper way, though, especially when we see another person, and God's family overtaken in the fault. Spiritual people in Galatians 6:1, were told to go "restore" a person like that. And that means we have to make a judgment call and approach humbly, in love, & if need be, even confront and rebuke (which means not expecting a positive response). Why? Because people matter to God! And if we're going to finish well, in the kingdom of God, we will need to offer "deep encouragement", as opposed to "shallow judgment", for those around us. May today be a day we feel the calling to be God's people of "conviction & compassion". It's very easy to fit in with our culture and become "careless & critical commentators". But may we bring more "light than heat" as Jesus did to those who needed to see our Heavenly Father as He truly is! FRIDAY..."a Day of REFLECTION"
(Big sermons take time to process) Once again… All I have is a WOW! Jesus brought so much beauty this week in the midsection of the sermon on the mount. From the model prayer...to understanding how money can mess us up… to the cure for anxiety… And now the warning about judging others, flippantly, but discerning in developing others intentionally. Now in writing these things the week before they're read, you never know what will have taken place during the week's time. I'm writing this on a Thursday night, knowing that some friends & family in Florida have dodged a bullet…and others are devastated… some of our family actually had an electrical fire and lost major portions of their home and even business. Our prayers are with them all, that God would be gracious and continue to provide help through his people and many others to pay and come to their aid. I sent this song to my good friend Gary Cox in Fort Myers, who wrote the Beatitudes portion of the devotion for us last week… and John Walker of Blessing Ranch ministry in the Tampa area, whom I have the tendency to quote his wisdom about every other sermon. It's a song that was redone by Rich Mullins, a Christian singer years ago. May we be ready for every storm… The tornadoes that precede...The hurricanes that invade…and the storm surges and tropical winds that typically follow in our lives. May we be ready for the storm when it comes our way, knowing that if we're in the boat with Jesus, he may not calm every storm, but he will help us through it! Love you guys...and here's one more song for you... george Dougie Maclean's READY FOR THE STORM
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