The Faith Log: The Sermon of Heaven on Earth

Showing posts with label The Sermon of Heaven on Earth. Show all posts

Friday, October 12, 2007

The Certainty of Heaven on Earth

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. (Matthew 5:17-18)

Jesus came announcing that the kingdom of heaven was now at hand (Matthew 5:17). By healing the afflicted and setting the captives free from demon oppression, He demonstrated the authority and power of the kingdom on earth (Matthew 4:23-24).

Nothing in Jesus’ words or acts should be taken as setting aside or breaking anything in the Law or Prophets. Quite the opposite, for Jesus was announcing that He is the fulfillment of all that is required by the Law and foretold by the Prophets. The focus of the Old Testament promises is on the coming of Messiah and the establishment of God’s kingdom. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, anointed by God to rule and reign — to be King — over His people. His anointing is to set the people free from bondage and affliction, to remove burdens and destroy yokes.

Jesus is the promised King and Messiah who assures us that everything God has promised will be fulfilled, on earth as well as in heaven. It has already begun.

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Keys to the Kingdom of God
in the Gospel of Matthew
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

The Sermon of Heaven on Earth

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them. (Matthew 5:1-2)

The traditional designation for the teaching Jesus presented in Matthew 5-7 is “The Sermon on the Mount.” As I study it, I see that it is about the kingdom of heaven breaking into the earth.

In Matthew 4, after Jesus passed the test in the wilderness, completely blasting away the deceptions of the devil, He began His ministry, starting in Galilee. His message was simple: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). “And Jesus went about all Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23).

As His fame grew throughout the region, multitudes gathered, bringing people who had various sicknesses, diseases and afflictions, the demon-possessed, the epileptics and the paralytics—and Jesus healed them all, demonstrating that the kingdom of heaven was truly present on earth.

Seeing the multitudes, Jesus began to elaborate about the kingdom, beginning with what is known as the beatitudes. This is not a short course in ethics, a checklist of do’s and don’ts, as some might suppose. Book-ended by the declaration of the kingdom of heaven (verses 3 and 10), it is a pronouncement of blessing on all to whom it has come.

The kingdom belongs to those who are poor in spirit, who trust in God alone (v. 3).
The kingdom brings comfort, encouragement and hope for those who mourn over sin and its consequences (v. 4).
The meek, who are not proud and arrogant but live humbly before God, inherit the earth from our Father in heaven. For the kingdom of God is not for heaven only, but also for earth (v. 5).
The kingdom brings fullness and satisfaction for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for it is how God’s rightness is being revealed (v. 6).
The kingdom brings mercy to those who allow mercy to flow through their lives to others (v. 7).
Those who are pure in heart (whose hearts are not divided, but are established in faith and set on God) shall see God, for it is His kingdom (v. 8).
In this kingdom, those who promote peace and goodwill are called the sons of God, for they have the wisdom from above (James 3:17) and show the character of God (v. 9).
The kingdom belongs to those who are persecuted for the sake of God’s way of doing and being right (v. 10). For we overcome the evil one by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of our testimony, and we love Him more than our own lives (Revelation 12:11).

In Matthew 5-7, Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom, that the kingdom of heaven is now here. I call it “The Sermon of Heaven on Earth.”

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Shining With the Light of Heaven

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

Jesus calls us the “light of the world.” That is a powerful declaration, for a number of reasons.

God is light. “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
God is the Father of Lights. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
Light overcomes the darkness. “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:5).
Jesus is the Light of the World. “The true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:9)
Darkness is passing away. “Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8).
God has delivered us from darkness. “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13).
God has caused the true light to shine in us. “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
God has made us light in the Lord. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).

As believers in Jesus Christ, we are the light of the world. We shine with the light that comes from the Father through the Son. It is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God seen in the face of Jesus Christ. This light is for all the world. Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus gave this command to His disciples:

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. (Mark 16:15-18)

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Jesus, Light of the World, authorizes us to take His light into all the world. He even supplies us with the power to overcome the darkness and shine for Him. He does not intend for us to be hidden away, but to be set up on a lampstand, and as a city on a hill, so that every one can benefit from our light and give glory to our Father in heaven. For the light is His, and heaven is where it comes from.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

The Salt of the Earth and the Flavor of Heaven

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. (Matthew 5:13)

The “Sermon on the Mount” is about the kingdom of heaven — the will of God being done on earth as it is in heaven. In this verse, Jesus tells all His disciples that we are the “salt of the earth.”

Salt was very important back in Biblical times (still is today). It was used as a seasoning, a preservative, and is a vital requirement of the human body. It was in integral part of the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament (Leviticus 2:13) and was the symbol of unbreakable covenant. Here, Jesus is focusing on salt as a flavoring.

If we are the salt of the earth, then what is the flavor? The kingdom of heaven. Jesus announced that His kingdom was now “at hand,” that is, now present in the world (Matthew 4:17). He went about “preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23). He not only preached the kingdom, he demonstrated its power to bring healing, wholeness and freedom. He brought the flavor of the kingdom — the flavor of heaven.

Jesus calls us the salt of the earth. Our job is to bring the flavor of heaven to the world, to manifest the kingdom of heaven on earth in all we do and say. We bring the teaching, the works, and the life of Jesus Christ to the world through the preaching of the gospel. It is only through faith and obedience to Him that we retain our saltiness and bring forth the savor of heaven.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Seek the Kingdom, Find Everything

Therefore do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

The whole world scrambles for food, clothing and shelter. The Gentiles, because they do not have a covenant with God, must do for themselves, which often leads to worry, fear, and even anger.

Jesus teaches a different priority for those who have covenant with God: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. He is not telling us just to put it on our “to do” list. He is not even telling us to put it at the top of the list, as if we are to seek the kingdom of God first and then seek after the other things. No, He is saying that there is only one priority — the kingdom of God and His righteousness. When we seek that, everything else will be added to us.

God always deals with His people on the basis of covenant, and the essence of covenant is exchange: We give Him all we are and have, and He gives us all He is and has. In other words, it means that when we belong to God, He will always take care of us. In the Old Testament, God made covenant with Abraham, and confirmed it with Isaac and Jacob. It was a covenant to bless, not only Abraham and his descendants, but also all the nations of the earth. In the New Testament, we see that this covenant is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who is called the “Seed” of Abraham (Galatians 3:16).

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:13-14)

Not only that, but the Lord Jesus is Himself the mediator of a new and better covenant, instituted in His own blood (Hebrews 8:6; Luke 22:20). Nothing is left out of it.

What does it mean to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness? The kingdom of God is His rule and reign; it is His will being done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). God’s righteousness, as the Amplified Bible notes, is “His way of doing and being right.” Seeking is about giving ourselves totally over to God, looking for His rule and reign and in everything, and obeying it. It is doing things God’s way, which is the right way and will always bring the right results.

When we make the kingdom of God our one and only priority, we will not have to seek after anything else; it will all be included. It will all be taken care of, because it has already been provided for in His will. In his old commentary on Matthew 6:33, Adam Clarke illustrates it this way:

This was a very common saying among the Jews: “Seek that, to which other things are necessarily connected.” “A king said to his particular friend, ‘Ask what thou wilt, and I will give it unto thee.’ He thought within himself, ‘If I ask to be made a general I shall readily obtain it. I will ask something to which all these things shall be added:’ he therefore said, ‘Give me thy daughter to wife.’ This he did knowing that all the dignities of the kingdom should be added unto this gift.”

You might say it’s a “package deal.”

Our job — first, last and always — is to seek the rule and reign of God, and His way of doing things, in everything. All else shall be added to us.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Beyond Forgiveness to Blessing

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:43-45)

Some Christians think that you don’t have to forgive unless the other person has apologized. But in the sermon on the mount, Jesus blows that idea out of the water. He tells us to love our enemies. He tells us to bless those who curse us. He tells us to do good to those who hate us. He tells us to pray for those who spitefully use us.

These are obviously not people who have repented and apologized to us, and yet, we are called to do much more than forgive them. To forgive means that we let go of the offense someone has perpetrated against us. We give up the right for pay-backs or revenge. We forgive, not just for their sake, but for ours as well. By releasing the offender, we release ourselves from the offense, and are no longer held back by it — we are free to move forward with our lives.

But it is not enough to take a neutral position, simply to refrain from hating our enemies, cursing those who curse us, doing ill toward those who hate us, and being spiteful to those who use us. Such restraint is wise and healthy and good. But much more is required of those who follow Jesus.

Now, someone will say, “But you don’t understand what so and so did to me.” And maybe I don’t. But Jesus does, for He was mocked and scorned and nailed to a cross. And He tells you to love and bless your enemies.

Yes, it is very difficult — even impossible — to live that way. In our own strength, we cannot do it at all. We need divine assistance. That’s why Jesus adds, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” The essence of fatherhood is inheritance, which means that a son is like his father. Our Father in heaven shows love and forgiveness even to those who hate Him. They may reject that love and forgiveness and so never enjoy His blessing, but that is because of their own unbelief and rebellion, not because the Father is unwilling.

And indeed, we might love our enemy and it won’t make one bit of difference to them. We might bless those who curse us, and find that they curse us still. We might do good for those who just continue to hate us. We might pray for the sake of those who spitefully use us, and they may yet persecute us.

No matter. It is the nature of the sons of God to manifest the character of our Father in heaven. Now, that is not how we become the sons of the Father. We become His sons through faith in Jesus Christ. “But as many as received Him [Jesus], to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Through faith in Him, we are born again, born from above, by the Spirit of God. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can begin to forgive, love and bless our enemies. When we do, we demonstrate that we truly are sons of the Father, because that is what He does. Indeed, we have the authority and power to act that way precisely because we are His children.

As children of God, we have the right to display His love, His grace, and even His power to the world. Jesus invites us to move past our own resources and step into divine sonship with Him, to let the love of the Father be revealed in and through us. It is a radical shift for us, but that is why He has given us the Holy Spirit. It is in this divine empowerment that we learn, not only how to forgive, but to move beyond forgiveness to blessing.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Doing the Works of God

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My father in heaven. Many will say to Me, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Jesus is still talking about false disciples and their fruit. There are many false disciples who will come to Him and say, “Lord, look at all we have done in Your name.” They come presenting themselves to the Lord on the basis of their works and behavior. But they do not know the Lord--in fact, Jesus declares, “I never knew you.”

They know nothing of the will of God. That is because they do not will to do His will and have no desire to fulfill His desire. They are into rules and regulations, not intimate relationship with God. They are entangled with the spirit of religion.

They eat from The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They suppose themselves to be doing good, but the good from that tree is as detrimental as the evil, for it leads them to trust in themselves and not in God. Jesus says that they actually practice lawlessness.

Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (John 6:29). Though these false prophets perform miracles in Jesus’ name, they do not believe in Him, therefore they do not do the works of God. Nor do they please God because without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Performance-based religion will never please God, because it is totally devoid of faith in Him. It is not good works and better behavior that is required, but a new birth from above. Always and in everything, we must be totally dependent upon God. Then we will be eating from the Tree of Life. This is the will of our Father in heaven.

Monday, October 24, 2005

Fruit Doesn’t Lie

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. (Matthew 7:15-20)

Jesus told us to beware of false prophets. How do we recognize the false prophet? By their fruit.

Every good tree bears good fruit.
Every bad tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit.
A bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

This means that if the fruit is bad, the tree is bad. If the fruit is good, the tree is good.

What is the fruit of false prophets? The spirit of religion. False prophets always seek to lead us away from trusting in God. They want us to trust in themselves, in their gods, or in ourselves (our abilities, strength, understanding, works, behavior). Those options always lead to death.

False prophets offer us the fruit from The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It may appear very pleasant, good for fruit, and the way to life. But it disconnects us from God and causes us to lean on our own understanding. The Bible says,

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

When we set our heart on the LORD and put all our trust in Him, He will direct our paths. We will be operating out of His wisdom and guidance. We will be tuned into life, dialed into prosperity. We will be eating from The Tree of Life.

Adam and Eve were deceived by the false prophet — the serpent in the Garden — and they were disconnected from the life of God. They thought if they could eat of The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would be able to direct their own path. But that path led them only to bitterness and death.

False prophets are false shepherds. Though they come pretending to care for the sheep, they are actually wolves — thieves who break in to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus, the Good Shepherd, came to give us the abundant life of God (John 10:10).

False shepherds come to sow tares in God’s wheat fields. The thing about tares is that they may look very much like wheat. But when they come into fruit, their true character is revealed — they are nothing but worthless weeds, destined for destruction (Matthew 13:24-30).

False prophets load us up with rules and regulations. They hit us with accusation, condemnation and rejection, on the one hand. Then they proffer rationalization and self-justification on the other. It is all bad fruit from a bad tree.

God offers us good fruit, from the good tree — the Tree of Life. It is the fruit of faith, trusting completely in God, and not in ourselves. It is the fruit of forgiveness and acceptance through Jesus Christ. It is the fruit of intimate relationship with Himself.

Fruit doesn’t lie. False prophets will never bear good fruit — it will always have a poisonous seed within. Jesus Christ always bears nothing but good fruit — it will always lead to abundant life with God. What is more, all those who know the Lord Jesus have the Holy Spirit within. It is the work of the Spirit to bring forth the fruit of Jesus Christ in their lives: love, joy peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Friday, October 14, 2005

The Narrow, Little Way

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

The world thinks there are many paths that lead to life, that the gate is wide and the way is broad. Truth is relative to them. “Whatever works for you is good for you, and whatever works for me is good for me.” “I’m OK, you’re OK.” Each becomes his own barometer for what is right. “Whatever floats your boat.” “Whatever gets you there.” Now it has been reduced to a shrug of the shoulders and “Whatever.”

But long ago, Jesus taught us something very different: “Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Many non-Christians and nominal Christians love to quote Jesus when He says, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (See Godly Discernment or Judgmental Spirit?). They don’t want their “many ways” ideology to be disturbed by anyone discerning between right and wrong, truth and error, good and evil. But who quotes Jesus when He says, “Narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way?”

G. K. Chesterton, brilliant Christian apologist of the last century (and author of the famous Father Brown detective stories) said that many people reject Christianity, not because they tried it and found it lacking, but because they found it difficult and so never tried it all.

“Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction.” There are many ways that lead to loss, ruin and misery. They are exceedingly easy to enter, and so many people pass through them. Not just heroin addicts, alcoholics, gamblers, prostitutes and the sad little lives featured on the Jerry Springer show. They pretty much know they are messed up, and the bitterness of their way is very near the surface of their lives.

But also politicians, corporate executives, university professors, even church leaders. So many of them have taken destructive paths, but they are able to rationalize their choices for a time. Until one day, their cleverness catches up to them and they find themselves on the broad path that promised them pleasure and plenty, but delivers only pain.

Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. God gave Adam and Eve the choice between the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (See The Tree of Life and The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil). The Tree of Knowledge seems very appealing, but its fruit is poison. The world spends itself in having intimate knowledge and relationship with good and evil, and the result is destruction. Broad is the way.

Jesus invites us to partake of the Tree of Life. “Enter by the narrow gate,” He says. In John 14:6, He spells it out clearly, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (another verse the world does not care to quote — too restrictive for politically correct multicultural diversity).

This little gate is so narrow that you cannot carry anything with you except total dependence upon God through the Lord Jesus Christ. But it will be all you will ever need. In fact, without faith, you cannot enter at all.

For without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

The gate the leads to life is narrow, and the way is restrictive. But Jesus invites you to enter into that gate, and He will lead you all the way. He IS the way, and it is in relationship with Him that you will find the abundant life of God.

Friday, October 7, 2005

God Gives Good Things

Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 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 good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:7-12)

Our way with God is always to be this: ask, seek, knock. It has already been promised that we will receive what we ask, find what we seek, and have the door opened to us. Why? Because God is a good Father who gives His children good things.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down for the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17)

When we go to Him, we can always count on Him to give us good things. Always. For there is not variation or shadow of turning with Him. That is, He does not change.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From the who walk uprightly.

(Psalm 84:11)

Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

(Psalm 103:5)

God does not deceive, He does not compromise, He does not hold back. If we ask for bread, He will give us bread. He won’t try to trick us with a stone that looks like bread. He won’t try to pass off a serpent for a fish. God may work in mysterious ways, but He doesn’t work in deceitful or stingy ways.

Even though we may be flawed fathers on earth, we still know how to give good gifts. How much more, then, will our Father in heaven, who is perfect in every way, give good things to us when we ask?

Now, Jesus adds something very interesting to the mix: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” We know this as the “Golden Rule.” Notice that it is preceded by the word “therefore.” An old saw in Bible interpretation says that, whenever you see a “therefore,” find out what it is there for. “Therefore” connects us to this passage on asking and receiving.

If you want to receive good things, are you willing to give good things? For our receiving comes not only from God, but from men as well. In Luke’s rendering of this sermon (in the same position, following “Judge not”) Jesus says this:

Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you give, it will be measured back to you. (Luke 6:38)

God is a good Father who gives good things to those who ask. Therefore, ask, and expect to receive good things. But remember that it will be measure back to you in proportion to the measure by which you give to others. You can be quite free to do that because you have the assurance that you will receive what you ask, find what your are seeking, and the door will be opened widely before you.

Wednesday, October 5, 2005

Godly Discernment or Judgmental Spirit?

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brothers’ eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me remove the speck from your eye”; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Jesus teaches us not to be judgmental, that is, not to be prejudiced and condemning. Everything we do and say needs to be done and said in love, for God is love (1 John 4:8). This does not mean, however, that we are not supposed to be discerning. We see this in Matthew 7:6:

Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

To obey this directive, we need to be able to discern what is holy and what are the pearls. We must also be able to discern what are the dogs and the swine. We also need to be able to discern the false prophets:

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. (Matthew 7:15-17)

In order to discern the false prophets, we must be able to discern their fruit, whether it be good or bad — whether it comes from the Tree of Life or from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

There is even a spiritual gift of discernment given by the Holy Spirit. It is the “discernment of spirits” (1 Corinthians 12:10), the ability to know whether something originates from God, from satan, or simply from the heart of man. The Greek word for “discernment” is diakrino and comes from the word for “judge” (krino) in Matthew 7:1.

God is light, God is love, God is life. His way will always be about those things which shed light, express love and promote life. When we have God at work in us, we have light, love and life at work in us. Because of light, we have the ability to discern. Because of love, we do not condemn. The judgment of discernment promotes life; the judgment of condemnation brings death.

We must always practice discernment, and there are even times when we must declare what we have discerned, but it is never right for us to condemn anyone. Before we seek to discern anything else, we must first discern our own heart. For how can we help someone with a tiny speck in their eye if we have a large plank hanging out of our own? But when our heart is clear, and operating in the light, love and life of God, then we will be able to see, discern and be of help.

It is always appropriate for us to discern, but it is never right for us to condemn. Godly discernment sheds light, shows love and promotes life.

Friday, September 16, 2005

Laying Up Treasure ~ Seeking the Kingdom

Therefore do not worry saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33)

Worry comes from laying up treasure on earth. When we invest ourselves in thinking the way the world thinks, acting the way the world acts, believing the way the world believes, we end up worrying the way the world worries. We look to the world to meet our needs because that is where we have treasured up our lives. In our heart we realize how fickle the world is, and fear that it will let us down — and it always does.

But when we learn to treasure up our treasure in heaven, all the needs we have on earth will be met. We will have more than enough, so that we can bless others.

Laying up treasure in heaven is about much more than our money and finances. It is about our whole lives. It is seeking the kingdom of God, which is His rule and reign. It is seeking the righteousness — the rightness — of God, which is His way of doing and being right. It is eating from the Tree of Life. Consequently, the life of God flows forth into every area of our existence. Seeking all from Him, we receive all from Him, for He is gracious in all things.

Call for the kingdom of God to come, as Jesus taught us to do. Lay up your treasure — your life, your being and all you possess — in heaven. Then call for the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven. You will flow with the abundance of heaven in all your earthly affairs. You will not only be blessed, you will be a blessing.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Laying Up Treasure ~ Only One Master

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24)

There are three decisions we must make about the treasure of our heart.We must choose where we will lay up our treasure — on earth or in heaven. We must choose whether our eye will be evil or good, whether we will be greedy or generous. We must choose which master we will serve — God or mammon.

“Mammon” is an ancient word that refers, not just to money, but to the god of money. The Greeks had Plutus as their god of money. The Jews never formalized such a deity, but there were some who idolized money just the same.

We cannot serve both God and money. For one thing, God will not share His glory with any other — the First Commandment declares, “I am the Lord your God … you shall have no other gods before me.”

For another thing, our hearts are not made to be divided. If we try to serve both gods, we will end up loving one and hating the other. It is the source of great confusion in both the inner and outer realms of our lives.

It is not money itself, but our attitude toward that is the problem. Some people think the Bible teaches that money is the root of all evil, but what it actually says is that the love of many is the root of all evil (or all kinds of evil). Many people love, serve and put their trust in money for their welfare. They have made it their god. Money can be a wonderful servant, but it is a tyrannical master.

A rich young man came to Jesus asking, “What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (He did not realize that good works do not gain us eternal life — they flow out of eternal life.) After establishing that the young man had kept the commandments — the six out of the Ten Commandments that deal with loving our neighbor as ourselves — Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” The Bible says, “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (This account is found in Matthew 19:16-22.)

This man failed in the very First Commandment. He did not trust in God alone and love Him with all his heart. He had already made a prior commitment to the god of money. His heart was chained to his possessions. He affected a fine religious tone, but he loved and trusted in his wealth and was unwilling to truly put his faith in God.

He could have treasured up his treasure in heaven, trusting God with everything in his life and serving Him alone — and he would have been full of joy. Instead, he remained the slave of his money, laying up his treasure on earth, and went away full of sorrow.

Who or what will you love, serve and trust? It will determine where you lay up your treasure, and whether that treasure will endure.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Laying Up Treasure ~ the Good Eye

The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23)

Jesus is not giving us an anatomy lesson here; He is still talking about laying up treasure. Just as we must choose where we will treasure up our treasure — on earth or in heaven, we must also choose whether our eye will be evil or good.

Speaking of the eye in this way, Jesus is using an ancient Hebrew idiom that describes whether a man is generous or greedy. We see an example of the “evil eye” in the book of Proverbs:

A man with an evil eye hastens after riches,
And does not consider that poverty will come upon him.

(Proverbs 28:22)

The man with an evil eye loves money. It has become his master and he trusts in it to see him through. But he does not realize that he is actually on the road to poverty and ruin.

We discover the source of the evil eye in the book of Deuteronomy:

Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart saying, “The seventh year, the year of release is at hand,” and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the Lord again you, and it become sin among you. (Deuteronomy 15:9)

The evil eye of stinginess starts as a wicked thought in the heart. The Hebrew word for “wicked” is belial and refers to that which is destructive, worthless, profitless. It does not add to the goodness of life but takes away from it. The man with the evil eye deceived to think he will profit by his greed. He will not even break even, but will lose all he has.

That is why Jesus said, “if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness … how great is that darkness.” He describes that darkness in another place:

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these things come from within and defile a man. (Mark7:21-23)

But enough of the evil eye; let’s talk about the good — that’s where the blessing is. Jesus said, “If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be light.” The Greek word used here for “good” literally means “without folds” or unentwined. It is simple, single, clear. The good, single eye, is not complicated by the greed of the evil eye. A man with a good eye is generous. He sows generously and reaps abundantly (2 Corinthians 9:6). Psalm 112 describes the blessing of such a man:

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
Who delights greatly in His commandments.
His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches will be in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;
He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
A good man deals graciously and lends;
He will guide his affairs with discretion.
…
He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever;
His horn will be exalted with honor.

(Psalm 112:1-5, 9)

This is a man who honors the Lord and follows His Word. It becomes light in his heart and he becomes light to all those around because he is full of grace and compassion. His generosity does not lead to poverty but to prosperity — wealth and riches will be in his house.

The greedy eye leads to lack, poverty, even destruction. The generous eye leads to prosperity and honor.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Laying Up Treasure ~ Where is Your Heart?

Do not lay up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

The discipleship of the present world-system teaches us that we must sock away our treasure on earth if we want to be secure. But that is trusting in our riches and soon leads to our enslavement, for we become servant to whatever we place our trust in. Jesus tells us to stop doing it.

In the Greek, the text reads something like, “Do not treasure up for yourselves treasure on earth.” There is nothing wrong in having treasure; the problem is where we choose to keep it. Jesus tells us to treasure up our treasure in heaven. Then He gets to the heart of the matter:

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Your treasury can be a great blessing or a great disappointment. The key is the attitude of your heart. If you store up your treasure on earth and set your heart only on the things of the world, it will soon let you down. It makes a poor master and is not worthy of your trust.

Both your heart and your money were made for better things. God wants to do something powerful and world-changing through them:

And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

The Hebrew word for “get” literally means to do, to make. In other words, God gives us the power not only to get wealth, but to create wealth. He does it for a specific reason: That He may establish His covenant. God has a covenant — all those who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ are a part of it — and He is in the business of establishing that covenant on the earth. Our ability to create and get wealth has the potential to bless the earth because it has the covenant-establishing purpose of heaven.

Some people think that laying up treasure in heaven is for when we die—then we’ll go to heaven and get to enjoy all the treasure we’ve laid up there. But that is not what our treasure is about. We will not need any of that treasure in heaven, for there is no need or lack there. We need the treasure here and now, but we need it to be blessed with the prosperity and purpose of heaven.

All those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ have been “born again” (John 3:3), literally “born from above,” that is, from heaven.
Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).
Jesus authorized us to command the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
Jesus said, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).
Jesus said, “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19).

See the pattern? God is in the business of transforming the earth with the substance of heaven. Jesus tells us to treasure up our treasure in heaven because that is how it will change the world.

Treasure laid up on earth will lead to poverty. Treasure laid up in heaven will lead to prosperity on earth as it is in heaven. There are many ways to lay up your treasure in heaven, but here are a few ideas to help you:

Sow your tithe into the work of God’s kingdom. The tithe is a tenth, not the last and the least but the first and the best, of all your increase. God will not only bless that first 10%, but the other 90% as well.
Give generously to the poor and those in special need. God always honors that and will pay you back with interest.
Treat every financial transaction with godly integrity.
Pay your bills from your treasury in heaven. Invest some prayer and faith into the process and expect divine blessing to come upon everyone involved.
Be a good tipper. Let the generosity and prosperity of heaven direct you in prospering others even in this small way.
When prices increase at the pump, in the grocery store, in your utility bills or wherever else, don’t panic. Look to your Father in heaven and expect His prosperity to take care of all your needs.
Call for the kingdom of God—His rule and reign—to come and take over in your finances. Command His will to be done on earth, in and through your finances, exactly as it is being done in heaven.
Understand that your treasure is much more than your finances. It includes your time, your talents, and everything else in your life.
In all you do, discover the purpose of heaven and let that be your purpose as well.

Treasure up your treasure in heaven, for that is where your heart will be.

Tuesday, August 2, 2005

Rain for the Just and the Unjust

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:45)

These are the “red words,” the words of Jesus. But often I hear people take the last line of the verse and grossly misuse it. They say, “Well, you know, God lets it rain on the just and the unjust,” and from the tone of their voice and the context of what they are saying, they mean it in a negative way. Like the old song that said, “Into each life some rain must fall.”

But Jesus meant this in a very positive way. For a day at the beach or a picnic in the park, you probably don’t want to see much rain. But for an agrarian economy, farmers looked for, even longed for, the early and latter rains. Rain is a very good thing.

So Jesus was not saying here that God sends bad things upon the just as well as the unjust. He is not even saying that God sends bad things upon the unjust at all. Quite the opposite: God sends sunshine for the those who are evil as well as those who are good. And He gives rain, not just for the just, but for the unjust as well.

Notice that Jesus started out by saying, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those you hate you.” Love, bless, do good—not just for your friends, but for your enemies as well. That is God’s way, and when we follow it, we show ourselves to be sons of the Father. “Sons” speaks of maturity, and our love and kindness toward our enemies demonstrates that we are indeed part of the family of God—we’re living up to the family name.

There are, without a doubt, battles and negative circumstances which God’s people must face, even as the unjust do. But they do not come from God. God gives only good gifts (James 1:17). So when He sends the sun, it is to bless, even the unjust. When He sends the rain, it is to do good, even to the unjust.

God’s purpose is for us to be a means of blessing. When He blesses us, it is not only for ourselves, but for all those around as well. In that way, even our very presence becomes a blessing to others, for God will always watch out for us and take care of us. He blesses with such abundance that we cannot help but for it to splash over onto others. It is designed for their benefit as well as ours, for the goodness of God leads to repentance (Romans 2:4).

We are called to partner with God in blessing. We are to demonstrate our love, even to our enemies, to bless even those who curse us, to do good, even to those who hate us. That’s what it means to be “grown up” in the Lord, and everyone will see who our Father is.

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

Not to Worry

Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? (Matthew 6:27)

These are words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount. He is talking about faith, and worry is not a manifestation of faith. To worry means to be anxious and troubled with cares. Worry is not life-giving, but something that sucks life out of you. It does not come from heaven. it comes from hell. It is not of God but of the devil, the accuser of the brethren. Be done with it. Jesus shows us how:

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow or reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:26)

So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the filed, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed life one of these. (Matthew 6:28-29)

If you’re going to be thinking about things, don’t focus on your lack. Focus instead on the provision made for you by the Father. When the Lord is your shepherd, you shall not be in lack.

Now if God so clothes the grass of the filed, which today is and tomorrow is thrown not the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:30)

You see what the problem is? It is “little faith.” It is not faith totally absent, but faith ungrasped, unexercised, unactivated. Its one thing to have faith, but quite another to live by it.

Most people, even many Christians, have no idea where faith comes from and how to use it. In fact, they don’t even realize that faith comes from somewhere and that there are definite ways to activate it. To them, faith is something like a fog that rolls in and can easily roll out again.

But the Bible says that faith comes from somewhere, and in a specific manner. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).

Ah, faith comes by hearing — but not just hearing any old thing. It comes by hearing the Word of God. You see, God’s Word is life, an incorruptible seed. When we receive that seed by hearing and meditating upon it, it gives birth to faith in our hearts. That’s a work of the Holy Spirit, sowing that seed and brooding over it within our spirit. The life of faith comes from that seed, believing what God has said in His Word. That’s why the man in Psalm 1 is such a blessed man — He constantly meditates on the Word of God, believing the promises and receiving their benefit.

Many people meditate on the lies of the devil — that’s what worry is all about. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God; worry comes by hearing the lies and accusations of the devil.

There are also definite ways to activate, or exercise faith. Jesus said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Luke 17:6).

The Word of God is a seed; faith is a seed. But it is not enough just to have them. You must plant them. The way you plant them is by speaking them out. You can say to the mulberry tree and it will obey you.

Many people speak out all their worries and fears. They are always talking about their problems and how things are getting worse. But nothing will ever get solved by worrying, and it will never get them anywhere with God.

The Bible says that, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). In other words, faith pleases God. Worry does not. Faith pleases God because it comes from Him in the first place; worry does not come from God but from the enemy. Faith is believing what God has said; worry is believing the whispers of the evil one.

Worry cannot add one cubit to your stature. It cannot make you any taller, although it might make you shorter as you hunch and slump under the burden of care. But I heard of man who added to his stature, not by worry, but by faith. His desire was to be on the police force in his community, but he was too short to qualify. With a strong sense of call to this work, he began to exercise his faith, believing God to make him tall enough to meet the requirement. And so he was. Worry could not do that. But faith certainly did.

I heard another man who believed the promise of God in Psalm 103:5 and began to confess, “God satisfies my mouth with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” One of the visible results is that his hair, which had been graying, began to turn dark again. Worry can only turn your hair gray, but faith can renew your youth and vitality.

Therefore do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For after all these things the Gentiles [pagans] seek. For your heavenly Father knows you need all these things. (Matthew 6:31-32).

“Do not worry, saying …” Notice that worrying is exercised by what you say, just as faith is. You have a choice about what you can say. You can speak words of worry, whispering fear over your life, or you can speak words of faith, confessing the Word of God over your life. (Hint: choose faith)

You see, it always comes back to God. That is why Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Faith is activated by believing the Word of God in your heart and speaking it with your mouth. Faith and worry do not mix. Therefore, speak only words of faith over your life.

Books by Jeff Doles

See WBM Bookshop for more. All of our books are also available at Amazon in paperback and Kindle, in epub at Google Play and in PDF at Gumroad.

There is Always Joy!
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The Focus of Our Faith
Paul’s Letters to the Jesus
Believers at Colosse
Bite-Size Studies Through Colossians
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Copyright Information

All blog entries are copyright by Jeff Doles on the date they are posted, unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved.

After January 1, 2015, unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from the New International Version. © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Before January 1, 2015, unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from the New King James Bible. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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