Category Archives: Righteousness / Serving God

Storms Will Come. Will You Be Ready?

When we see hurricanes, tornados, blizzards, etc. coming, we prepare. We know there is a risk. We know they are coming. We get ready, or at least those who are wise do so. How much more so should we prepare for the storms in life that Messiah tells us will come? He even tells us how to prepare. Let’s read more.

Matthew 7:24-29

The Two Foundations

 24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

      28When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

It is a powerful metaphor. Take time to reflect on it. Start preparing now. Make it a priority to study and follow the instructions of our Messiah as Yahweh has recorded in the Bible. Do not simply listen to a pastor or scholar and assume they are right. Test everything against scripture, and sometimes that means even studying different translations to ensure you are using a good one. Consider a Greek and Hebrew key word study Bible. Any English translation is subject to interpretation of those who wrote it. The Greek and Hebrew key word study Bible’s help us test even the translations we read without needing to be reading in another language.

If you know storms will come, you should learn about how to prepare before they are at your doorstep. For example, if you live where there are hurricanes, do not wait for one to be tracking to shore before you learn about basic preparations that can help you. Do not wait until the storm is there to try to get insurance. So too we should prepare for the storms in life that Messiah says are coming. That means we need to study and applying what we learn to change our lives now, before the storms come.  Keep in mind… hearing the word is meaningless without acting on it, just like knowing how to prepare for a hurricane is useless without action.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Another Look at “Do Not Judge Others”

In a recent article we discussed guidance in Matthew 7 about judging others. This area remains misunderstood by many followers of Christ. We encourage you to review the prior article, What Does it Mean That We Should Not Judge Others?, before reading on.

There remains yet another important context clue for those who are reading within Matthew 7 that we must use discernment and judge good vs. evil. Understanding the context is very important and since this is literally the same book and chapter in scripture we should take heed.

Matthew 7 (excerpts)

Judging Others

      1“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

 A Tree and Its Fruit

      15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.

      21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM MEYOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Did you catch it? verses 1-5 speak about not judging others, until you remove the sin in your own life. Some take this to be never judging right from wrong in others. But then starting in verse 15 of the very same chapter we see that we are told to be cautious and judge prophets to determine who is true and who is false. I point out some additional considerations in What Does it Mean That We Should Not Judge Others? and if you did not read it yet from the link above, I would encourage you to read it now.

We are called to use discernment and wisdom and call upon the help of the Spirit to judge what and who is good and bad. That is an important part of our journey to live and walk with Christ. However, we must not be constantly judging rashly or hypocritically. We must work first on our own righteousness, remove the log in our eye, before we can truly be of help removing the speck in our brother’s eye.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Who Taught the Golden Rule and on What Authority?

Even in our highly secularized society, many of us have heard about the “golden rule”, to treat others as we would want to be treated. We are often not told who taught this first, who established this and upon what authority.

We find this in Matthew 7, and Yeshua is teaching.

Matthew 7:12

      12“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

For additional context, let us compare to some additional teaching that is used to describe the Law and the Prophets later in Matthew.

Matthew 22:34-40

   34But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. 35One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEARTAND WITH ALL YOUR SOULAND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

I would conclude rather simply that treating others as we would like to be treated is a simplified way of remembering how to love them and love Yahweh. This is not exclusively all that we are instructed to do to love Yahweh and love one another, but it is a nice, easy to remember guide to help us in many situations.  To understand all that the Bible records on this subject, we study the Law and the Prophets, all of it.

This does not mean that everyone wants everything exactly the same. That is not the point. For example, if I would want someone to give me a skateboard, that does not mean that my friend also wants a skateboard. But if I reframe it a touch to say, “I would want someone to understand my likes and dislikes, my interests and hobbies, to show that they really care about me”… that is spot on how we would want to apply this scripture.  So in this simple example, maybe my friend would want a fishing pole.

Of course there can be more deep application. If I did not know Yeshua, and someone else did, and they knew that I was going to be separated from Yahweh for eternity if I did not come to know Him through Yeshua, I would want them to tell me. I would want this even if it was hard for me and I would initially reject the message. Thus, I should flip that around and realize that I need to live out my life as a light for others to draw them to Christ and then tell them about Him. By definition this means I can not simply quietly blend in with society. That is like salt that has lost its saltiness. It is worthy only to be thrown on the ground and trampled under foo.  (Matthew 5:13-16).

Let us keep the simple “golden rule” in mind, but remember on who’s authority it was taught. Let us use that as a simple reminder to help guide us in loving others and loving Yahweh. Do not let that keep us from studying and understanding and applying the rest of the Law and the writings of the prophets. That is there to help us understand more deeply how to love others and love Yahweh. Do not miss that Yeshua, our Messiah, pointed to the Law and the Prophets as the authority for which we should abide in this instruction. This only makes sense in the recognition that the Law is not done away with, which is exactly what Yeshua emphasizes a few chapters earlier.

Matthew 5:17-19

  17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Pray and ask the Spirit to guide you in this application in your life.

A parting observation: It is worth noting for those of us who see the value in the golden rule, it only makes sense in the authority of Christ. It makes no sense when atheists who believe in evolution as route to creation of man apply this type of rule. It is contradictory to their main premise of the strong survive. I find it odd when they hold to some godly principles while denying the Creator.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Father Knows Best

The verses in Matthew 7 related to prayer, specifically answered prayer, are often misunderstood and taken out of context. Some are also even led away from the faith because they misunderstand this verse.

Matthew 7:7-12

      7“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9“Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? 10“Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

Let me preface my comments by saying that I am sure there could be a deep study on this subject and these verses. I mean that. I am going to keep it high level and try to leverage the metaphor the LORD gives us to shed some light on the surface.

People sometimes take this scripture to mean that whatever they ask for will be granted, as if Yahweh is some vending machine where we place our order and pull the handle to get what we want. When they ask for something He does not provide, they declare He is not real or the Bible is not trustworthy.

Read it from the context given, that He is our loving Father. Loving fathers do not always give their children everything requested. Of course the verse says we will not give a snake if they ask for a fish. That is true. But so also we can conclude a good father will not give a poisonous snake to a son who asks for it either.

The point is that when we ask for and seek after righteous things that are pleasing to the LORD, that He wants for us to have, to experience… it is then that He will answer.

The next point is one of timing. Again let us use our context of a father and son. If my son asks to know me better and spend more time together, that is awesome. Every dad should want that. Of course we can’t give that to our son in one sitting, all at once as it were. There is time required to be invested by both father and son to come to know one another better. Even if I simply want to give my son a fish he asks for, I still may need time to prepare for it. I may not give him a fish at that moment. I may prepare to give it to him later.

Let us trust that our Father is a loving father. He knows best. We should seek after things that please Him and draw us near to Him. Then let us trust in His timing to deliver as we continue to pursue relationship with Him.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Do Not Throw Pearls Before Swine

Our last article focused on Matthew 7:1-5 about judging others. We saved verse 6 to breakout in a separate article. Verses 1-5 are included again because they help set the right context for us as we read verse 6.

Matthew 7:1-6

  Judging Others

      1“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

      6“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

We discussed last time that we are to use righteous judgment and discern good from evil. That is a consistent message throughout the Bible. How can we engage people to repent if we are silent on sin. Sin is defined by that which someone is doing wrong which does not line up with guidance from Yahweh. Matthew 18:15-18 even shows us how to rebuke our brothers or sisters, which would make no sense if we are not to judge others at all. Matthew 7:1-5 is more about how we approach someone, including our attitudes and our own walk with God before we approach others as hypocrites.

Verse 6 should be understood in the context of the preceding verses. When we have addressed sin in our life and we can see more clearly to help others remove the speck from their eye, we should seek to help them. However, there is a distinction being made between rebuking brethren and those who are referred to as swine or dogs. (This is not a compliment in the Hebrew culture of the time, quite the opposite.) There are some people, or perhaps in some situations, where our effort to help someone address sin in their life will be not only rejected outright, but they will turn against us and “trample” us. We actually see this quite clearly in our society today, in particular when we try to correct some who are truly lost. They do not want to hear it. They will take our “pearls” of wisdom and guidance (from God, not from us) and get angry or at times even violent. I believe that verse 6 is a warning to use discernment before correcting all people for all their sin.

Perhaps one well known example involving Paul is recorded in Acts.

Acts 17:22-23

      22So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23“For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.

I suppose Paul could have started with “You are all pagans and going to hell if you don’t repent and accept Jesus.”, but that likely would have triggered the violent response warned about where the swine turn and trample the pearls underfoot. At the least, they probably would not have listened.  Paul used wisdom in approaching them.

Of course, we can always ask Holy Spirit to guide us and help us in this discernment. There are times where the LORD may ask us to boldly address a situation that we may not think wise. In those cases, obey the LORD. In fact, the example above seems to be just that.  Acts 17:16 tells us Paul’s spirit was being provoked to take action. So even in this case Paul did not just act on his own but was following prompting from Holy Spirit (Ruach Chodesh in Hebrew).

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

What Does It Mean That We Should Not Judge Others?

When Yeshua speaks about judging others, many misunderstand the context and it can lead to bad results.

Matthew 7:1-5

Judging Others

      1“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

If we take this to mean we should not form an opinion on what is right and wrong and that we should not rebuke what appears to be wrong behavior, then we contradict much of what has been spoken through scripture. One such example to consider is in Matthew 18.

Matthew 18:15-17

      15“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16“But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED17“If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Clearly we can confirm that Matthew 7 is not saying we should not use wisdom to discern what is right and wrong and rebuke what is wrong. That would be directly in conflict with Matthew 18.

Matthew 7:5 shows us an important key. We must repent and walk righteously with Yahweh in order that we will be better able to help others turn from their sin. If we condemn others for their sin, while accepting our own, we are certainly hypocrites.  (This does not mean that if we struggle with the sin of anger that we should not help others to recognize that unrighteous anger is a sin. However, we will not have much credibility if we come across as if our sin is not there and they are horrible because of the same sin in their life. In this case we would want to acknowledge our own struggle with the issue and invite them to seek Christ together on affecting change.)

We must make judgments on what is good and evil to obey Yahweh. Yeshua lived out this example in His earthly ministry, rebuking those who needed to be rebuked. However, we should judge how we want to be judged. Do not judge rashly and quickly. Seek first to view the situation through the lenses of grace and mercy. Remember the one who is sinning is not the enemy. Satan is the enemy. We can also refer to Matthew 18:15-17 (above) to remind ourselves how to approach someone who may be in need of rebuke. Let us approach them privately first, and then escalate as needed. Even if they refuse to repent, it does not mean we cast them off entirely. It means they no longer walk in our close circles and we keep them a bit more distant. Remember that Yeshua ate with tax collectors and Gentiles. He just did not have them in His closest circle of friends.  For Jews at this time, it was clear that Gentiles were to be interacted with at a distance in some regards. However, clearly we see that throughout the history of God’s people, there are mixed multitudes, implying that there was enough interaction with Gentiles that some accepted Yahweh as God and joined the Jews in following Him.  We see this also in the ministry of Paul and Peter after the resurrection of Christ.

So, should we judge others? Yes. But we need to judge fairly and with mercy and grace. We need to judge as we want to be judged. We are called to rebuke appropriately.

For some additional thoughts regarding the guidance not to judge in Matthew 7, consider reading the Barnes commentary.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

If There Was A Cure for Anxiety, Would You Want to Know About it?

Do not dismiss this as “cliche” or “sounds nice, but can’t really apply it”. These are the words of our Messiah, Yeshua. Take it seriously, even though it is very different than what we hear so often in our culture today.

Matthew 6:25-34

The Cure for Anxiety

      25“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28“And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32“For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

      34“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Let us not use trusting God as an excuse to be careless or not plan ahead. There are lots of easy things we can do to help use wisely what God has already given us. Do not use this as an excuse to be lazy and just sit around waiting on God to provide everything while you do nothing. Trust, but be diligent. Examples in the Bible such as Jacob or Abraham show that they worked hard and were blessed by the LORD. Of course, the LORD may provide more modestly for some than others. Yeshua and His disciples were not wealthy, but they had what they needed. Focus on being content with what He provides. Do not compare or compete with others and what they have.

Remember to be thankful and remember He provides! We do not do it on our own.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.