Murder, anger, insult, and hate

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Matthew 5:22

Jesus addresses the heart. It is the heart of anger that underlies conflict. Murder was addressed in the Law as the worst way humans go on the attack. And anger is an attack. Insults are an attack. Slander is an attack. And dare I say it?… Social media put downs are an attack. And Jesus places the ultimate peril’s consequence for hateful anger: hell fire burns for those motivated by attack upon others.

Jesus calls us to peace. It is so important to be at peace that unresolved conflict impedes worship according to the Lord. Reconciling with a brother is more important than sacrifice to God. Jesus recommends hasty, timely, prioritizing of conflict resolution as the motivation for those in conflict. Reconcile now! Reconcile ASAP! Avoid further damage in the conflict (Matthew 5:23-26).

In an age of hasty attack and political polarization, anger and judgment of others (even our brothers and sisters) is at an all time high. I have to think that Jesus’ warning should rule our motivations both in face-to-face conversation and online discussion. Will we love Jesus and check our attitudes?

The One Who fulfills the Law

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.

Matthew 5:17

Jesus came to show us what the Law was meant to do… to draw us in obedient love to God the Father. He was not a destroyer of the Law. He did not cast it aside as useless. Instead, His perfect life would fulfill all the obedience of the Law, and His perfect sacrifice would cover all the sin that the Law demanded by atoned. His resurrection would bring new life, and a new confirmation of His complete fulfillment of the Law, removing by His resurrection all the curses of breaking the Law for all who will believe Him.

Jesus fulfilled the Law by getting to the heart of the Law’s intentions. In fact, His teaching amplified and expanded the intentions behind the Law. Anger was bigger and at the root of murder. Lust was worse than sexual sin and was the root of adultery. Casual commitment was the root of failed marriages. Pride was the root of oath taking. Hateful retaliation and pride were at the root of conflict. Jesus shows light on the motivations and the deep roots of our sin, not just the letter of the law.

Jesus also fulfilled the Law by teaching us to hold to His heart standards as He transforms us. We do not relax either the commandments or His teaching about them (Matthew 5:19). Instead, we rely on a greater righteousness than the mere obedience of the Pharisees. We let the Savior look into our hearts. We let His Spirit and His Word root out our motivations. His redeeming, renewing work gets at our motivations, our deepest musings, our choices, and our hardest feelings. And then, clothed in the righteousness of Christ (because we are so aware of our insufficiencies as our core is exposed), we let His Spirit live in us, transform us, and call us to a better obedience, a better relationship, and a true understanding of our lives with God and with His Word.

salt shaken

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

Matthew 5:13

We are the salt of the earth. We Christians benefit the world by the spread of the gospel like so many grains of salt scattered abroad into the world. We flavor a tasteless culture and preserve a dying generation. We add the seasoning holiness of God so that some will thirst after God and His righteousness. We are indeed the ONLY salt of the earth.

As I think of being a living picture of this sermon metaphor from Jesus, my mind creates an acrostic to tease out the implications of being the salt of the earth. This is not inspired. It is not meant for this acrostic to exposit the phrase. Rather, it stirs thought for a few reflective applications:

S - Season what is bland. Their world is tasteless when it comes to holiness. Evil is now good. My life in Jesus are a few shakes of salt to flavor a world with the salt of righteousness in the gospel. That salt, when mixed with Christian community, adds holiness in distinct flavor differences to the garbage slop dishes served up in a rotten world.

A - Attract with the flavor of Jesus. Salt adds the attraction. Salty Christianity is winsome, not repulsive. Sinners flocked to the grace of Jesus. And so they should when the Church is truly salt.

L - Live in love. That’s how Jesus said the world would know His people to be radically different (John 13:35). The love of Christ is the saltiest seasoning, but it is not truly shaken out into the world unless it is sprinkled out by the reality of the gospel. A social gospel devoid of the cross and the resurrection is bland. We lovingly live and proclaim the love of God in Christ by proclaiming redemption and restoration in Christ. And we do it because God loves the world.

T - Teach the gospel generationally. The gospel will preserve Christ’s church as we make lasting impact to each new generation. We are always preaching the good news of the kingdom, always making new disciples of Jesus, always making Jesus known. We stop doing that? The salt has lost its saltiness and we are “no longer good for anything.”

The advantage of disadvantage

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3

Your kingdom Lord,

can be found

in my great need,

Vulnerable,

I will come

to You and believe.

Impoverished,

poor in spirit

nothing I bring.

Mourning,

bereft of hope,

still I sing.

Meekly aware,

O Friend of sinners

now with me.

Hungry and thirsty,

driven by want

to see You holy.

My need / Your supply!

My hunger / Bread of Life!

My thirst / Living Water supplied!

My inability / Your power!

My grief / Your comfort!

My poverty / Your riches!

O Lord,

Your kingdom comes.

Your will is done.

I come in need.

Your power exceeds.

I feel Your embrace

of enabling grace!

Amen

God is near our broken hearts!

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

The heart breaks so easily. It can shatter into a thousand precious shards. Some ways the heart breaks:

• Shattered dreams. They could be relational, vocational, or aspirational. But what we hoped to do or be is often broken by brutal reality. It is just not our experience. Our hearts break for the dream that is lost.
• Broken relationships. This is all too common in a day and culture where selfish visions screaming “Fulfill me!” hoist heavy sinful expectations on relationships. That will guarantee a broken heart eventually. But relationships don’t always break from a selfish overload. Often they break from the actions of the other person. Sinners who love sinners will inevitably hurt one another.
• Loss. Hearts will break in grief. We can grieve a hurt or an imperfect situation. We can and should grieve the death of someone we love. And a string of these can leave a person feeling alone, vulnerable, and broken-hearted.

Enough of these experiences can crush a person’s spirit. Some soul-crushing examples:

• Homes dealing with abuse, divorce, or desertion.
• Diseased bodies and minds struggling to get through each day.
• Cultural or societal upheavals like poverty, epidemics, war, famine, political instability, or persecution.

All these heart-breaking, soul-crushing experiences are all too common. But take heart… God is not distant! He is near! 

Jesus suffered with broken-hearted, soul-crushing agony for us, carrying all our sins and sorrows on His cross… wrongs we have done… wrongs done to us. He then rose again over death and death-like experiences. God is near in His Son and in His Holy Spirit. He saves us and mends broken hearts! God rebuilds and refills crushed souls!

It is written

But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:4

“It is written…”

those three words

make the devil turn

when the tempter lied

Jesus strongly replied

with “It is written.”

“It is written…”

the Word of God

from the Son of God

silenced temptation

Bringer of salvation

trusted “It is written.”

“It is written…”

So we must

confidently trust

scripture’s power

in our trying hour

believing “It is written.”

“It is written…”

will form our souls

will make us whole

in truth we live

victory He gives

because “It is written.”

watching and waiting safely

O my Strength, I will watch for you,

for you, O God, are my fortress.

My God in his steadfast love will meet me;

God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

Psalm 59:9-10

In times of trial, as we wait for the Lord to deliver us, to make His strength known in our weakness, to hide us in His fortress, we will know a faithfulness even as we wait. The waiting itself becomes sustaining. I have known this in ways deeper than I ever thought possible. God is near in the waiting. That nearness produces confidence in our faith.

David wrote this psalm from a specific circumstance. It was composed during that awful time before David’s kingship, when Saul was bent on killing him. The jealous rage of a commander-in-chief who had become unhinged had put David’s home under military surveillance. David thus could not go home. He had to hide. But David hid not in caves or the wilderness alone, but in the protective care of God. He fell back in faith into the fortress of His God. 

This was not a retreat of defeat. This was a turn to trust that hoped for the future triumph of God over anything that opposed David. David believed God Who had already anointed him king and made promises to David. He let God handle the details of his defense even as it looked like the system was irreversibly stacked against him.

Saul’s mania and minions would all run their course. The jealous king would eventually die by his own hand, wounded in battle against Israel’s foes. Saul would fail in his campaign against God’s plan. And in God’s timing, the forces aligned against David fell in one day. David’s wait, in faith, was well worth it when God’s timing came.

And so when we watch for God to work, let us take heart from this psalm of praise. God will surround us with His protection as we do so. God’s grace and power will lead us beyond the trial if we only stay faithful and lean in!

the well-pleasing Son

But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

Matthew 3:15

When Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized, John first prevented it claiming it was he who needed to submit to baptism by Jesus. But Jesus, the greater authority, explained to John, the lesser authority, just why he needed to do so. Jesus and John would “fulfill all righteousness” by Jesus’ baptism. There was something big going on. It wasn’t that Jesus was out of place to be baptized by John, rather it was that both of them would obey an even greater authority, God the Father.

The was immediately known after Jesus was baptized. The Spirit of God rested on Jesus like a dove. The voice of the Father from heaven proclaimed Jesus as “my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mathew 3:17). All righteousness was fulfilled as Jesus began His public ministry, confirmed by John the Baptist, by the Holy Spirit’s presence, and by the Father Himself.

Jesus fulfilled all righteousness. He did every righteous act revealed by God and demanded by the Law. His baptism showed the Father’s approval from the very beginning. This was going to continue all through His ministry in His teaching, healings, and by His miracles. It would culminate in His crucifixion to die for our sins to satisfy God, defeating death and sin by His obedient victory over sin’s curses forever! Jesus fulfilled all righteousness so that all who trust now in Him receive His righteousness by faith and come to the Father by the well-pleasing Son.

In His temple

The LORD is in his holy temple;

the LORD'S throne is in heaven;

his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.

Psalm 11:4

The Lord is in His holy temple

enthroned above

yet moved by love

He sees me

He redeems me

He frees me

The Lord is in His holy temple

from Holy place

He gives His grace

He sees us

He redeems us

through Jesus

The Lord came from His holy temple

life from on high

came here to die

to be here

draw us near

to break fear

The Lord returned to His holy temple

victory won

salvation done

free from the grave

our souls to save

no longer enslaved

The Lord dwells in His holy temple

His Spirit He gives

as in us He lives

He dwells within

He helps us win

no longer in sin

The Lord is in His holy temple!

God’s justice is poetic justice.

The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment;

the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

Psalm 9:16

The best justice is poetic justice and that is exactly how God’s judgment of the wicked works. The wickedness ends by the consequences playing out. The wages of sin is death. The justice is meted by the way in which evil falls by its own fatal actions. It burns itself out of fuel. It pushes limits until disease, derailment, derangement, downfall, or detonation end things inescapably. God’s justice prevails.

What bothers us as those whose lives must bear witness to evil events is that our perspective is limited. We do not see how the trap has been laid. We might live to see evil ensnared by a just set of ironies. We might not. But we must still believe that a merciful God gives every chance for the wicked to repent before they are brought to hell-bound ruin by their own actions. When it happens though, they will fall into pits dug for others and slip in forgotten nets hidden by their own deceit.

Lord,

I trust Your ways (Psalm 9:18-20). I wait for Your poetic justice. I know You will not let man prevail because all nations will answer in judgment to You. The needy are not forgotten by You and the hope of the poor shall not perish no matter what governments, communities, or hate groups will do. You let the nations know they are mere men and in ironic justice they will fall in their own sinful traps.

Amen

One named Jesus

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21

It was Joseph who was instructed to name Jesus. The righteous and just Joseph, who would be asked to be earthly father to the Son of God was given this honor to name Jesus, with the revelation that this was no mere child. Jesus was the Savior of His people. This saving work was unlike that of any previous king, judge, or deliverer from Israel’s past. Jesus would deliver from sin… a task no other earthly king could ever do.

Jesus is named a Savior while still in the womb of Mary. He is revealed to save from sins even as His earthly home is being pieced together in order to prepare for Him. The Son of God is already going to save before His first breath would be drawn in that Bethlehem manger. And his parents had to accept the enormous gift and responsibility for that coming salvation even as the fearful task of raising a sin-savior-son came to them.

Lord Jesus,

Joseph called Your name Jesus as the angel instructed him because he believed the Word of the Lord… that You would save Your people from their sins. This morning as I pray in grateful wonder because I am one whom You have delivered, I realize that although You are the world’s Savior, You are uniquely my Savior. I wrestle with my constant reminder of my need for You. I am indeed a sinner. I am a believer too. I trust You for saving grace. And I am still sadly quite broken. Honestly, a fitful night tossed around in that brokenness has me right where I need to be in appreciation for Your saving work. I am so broken that I screw up even my closest relationships with selfish nearsightedness that wounds others. And I am blind to it. It hurts when I realize I have done it. I need saving from myself. I need You, Jesus, to save me from myself… to save me from my sin. Thank God there is One named Jesus!

Amen

trinity blessing

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:14

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ

as known in His masterful words

disciples follow on His road

healing grace

helping grace

dying grace

forgiving grace

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

The love of God the Father

as shown in the gift of His Son

His sun and rain bestowed on everyone

tender love

active love

caring love

saving love

May the love of God the Father be with you!

The fellowship of the Holy Spirit

as felt in His constant presence

known in His powerful gifts

comforting fellowship

controlling fellowship

unifying fellowship

transforming fellowship

May the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you!

ministry ain’t easy

Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

2 Corinthians 11:29

Paul poured himself into the lives of those to whom the gospel ministry enmeshed his heart. For him, ministry was both highly public (he preached in synagogues and marketplaces, before rulers and crowds; he wrote intensive epistles full of doctrine, encouragement, and strong rebuke when needed) and his ministry was balanced by being intensely personal (he cared for leaders and individuals, naming them with affection in his writings; he built close ministry teams and trusted them). This led to deep engagement in the messiness of lives.

Paul uses two phrases to show how this type of intense ministry connection affected him: “daily pressures” and “my anxiety for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). Emotionally, gospel ministry is a high stakes game. It requires an “all-in” kind of commitment. It is personally, emotionally, and spiritually risky and draining. And it will take a toll. The pressures are real. The anxiety is real and rises up. And we must feel with and care for those to whom God has joined to us in dynamic discipleship and mutual ministry.

When a fellow believer is weak, we identify with their weakness and long for God to strengthen us together. We suffer mutually with them. If a ministry partner is made to stumble (even publicly… the Greek work for “made to fall” is related to the word for scandal), we feel the embarrassment and the burning desire to correct it and see repentance and restoration. Ministry is not for those who want no risk and just enjoy fun times for free. It is costly.

Lord knows I have the occasional sleepless night as I have felt the weakness of a dear saint or grieved the fall of a brother. I’ve come alongside in grief and loss, in sorrow and pain, in fear and confusion, in sin and regret, to express my empathy and point to Jesus. And I have had others consistently do the same when I have been the weak, hurting,  or faltering one! 

Intensive mutual ministry is a powerful and purposeful story. It is an exciting experience and the stuff of life! I’m so glad God calls the church together to such deep connection. I am intensely sad that so many settle for superficial mega-church peripheral inspiration that often has spirituality but little Jesus and does not demand deep connection. Or they fall for an insidious political MAGA-church scandalous misdirection that feels big or important, but is instead very petty and small without Jesus. The deep personal connection with believers around us is all our hearts were made for! It isn’t easy. We will feel it deeply. It is totally worth it.

the most generous gift

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

2 Corinthians 9:15

Grateful hearts are truly generous. When preparing a church to generously support the spread of the gospel to provide help for the hurting, Paul is confident that the Corinthians will give. And it is part of their worship of Jesus to do so. Generous giving flows from hearts that in gratitude realize that God has already been the most extravagant Giver through Christ to give us His inexpressible gift. God is the most generous. The gift of salvation by Jesus Christ is the inexpressible gift Paul shares in this praise. We could never give as God does. But we can give with joyful gratitude for what God gives.

This is a gospel-motivated generosity. This gratitude motives us to invest our lives in the power of the saving grace that transforms the hearts of all who believe. It is the gospel that will change lives in our world. It is the gift of Jesus’ saving life that will change lives forever. He brings peace in a traumatic situation. He bring power to the weak. He brings transformation to the troubled. And that inexplicable love (it really is mind-blowing and breath-taking in its scope and power) will eternally be our portion and our purpose. Thank God for His generous, inexplicably wonderful gift!

Lord,

May I love in this kind of love… love as I live this life… and give my all in the appreciative apprehension of the wonder of Your great gift in Jesus!

Amen

AWESOME!

Come and see what God has done:

he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.

Psalm 66:5

When thinking about what God does, I too say that He is awesome in His deeds.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound!

Worthy of praise… yes more than worthy is He!

Extravagant love poured out on me!

Salvation in Christ offered to all who believe!

Omnipotent King who rules all this world!

Mighty God Whom no person can oppose!

Every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord!

Yes Lord! You are awesome. You shower us with blessing and lead us in victory over everything that fails to defy You.

Yes Lord! You are awesome. I worship You, God of my salvation, Savior of my soul.

controlled by, concluded in, and committed to the grace of Christ

Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

2 Corinthians 6:1

What does it mean to receive the grace of God in vain? Paul’s urgent appeal here is best understood in the previous context in which he also made a strong personal commitment to the Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 5:13… For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. What had Paul and his ministry team in such a frame of mind? Why were they so worked up? The power of the message of the gospel is the answer. They were controlled by God’s love in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14). They concluded that all who come to Christ died in Him so that they no longer lived self-directed lives, but for the sake of a crucified and risen Savior. They were convinced that the Corinthians needed to live out the gospel this same way.

To not live for Him Who died and rose again would be to receive the grace of God in vain. The gospel reception isn’t just a nod to a set of statements. it is a transforming commitment to an all new life, directed by a powerful, loving, living Lord! It would call believers into tested commitments and potential persecution (2 Corinthians 6:4-10). It would result in new allegiance that made each believer a holy temple in which God resided… a call to holy living markedly different than the standards of pagan culture… holiness marks those who truly receive the grace of God (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

Since Jesus is Lord, there will be visible ways He is known in His people! He will bear me up in hardships and possible persecutions. He will deliver me, hold me near, and strengthen me in trials. He will transform those difficulties by grace into displays of His glory and power! He will also equip me by His righteousness to live a holy life in a world that is dark compared to the light of God’s holiness. Jesus will live in me… His temple.

satisfied with the goodness of God’s nearness

Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,

to dwell in your courts!

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,

the holiness of your temple!

Psalm 65:4

Lord,

You brought me near because Jesus came to do so. Jesus reaches out His nail pierced hand to extend to me the offer to draw near. He died and was raised again to life so that NOTHING would separate me from Your great love, O God! I grab hold of my Savior, drawn to the embrace of my Father, comforted and strengthened by the living presence of Your Holy Spirit. And now I dwell in Your courts.

And not only have You done it all for me to draw near, but You provide for all who by faith believe the gospel to find all of life’s satisfaction in You. My heart seeks to worship… and is fulfilled with the wonder of You. My self searches for identity and is remade to be what You intended in Christ. My relationships seek love and to be loved and all those relationships are fulfilled in You and Your people. My circumstances have me searching for meaning, and all purposes are completely satisfied with trusting You. Truly blessed am I and are all whom You choose to bring near!

Amen

The new has come.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Past sins and brokenness

used to define me

shackles would bind me

How I needed forgiveness!

Indecision and blindness

kept me from seeing

stopped me from believing

that You could give me Your kindness

My old life has gone

a new life has come

alive in the Son

by what You have done

New holiness and direction

clear in Your Word

loving my Lord

amazed at His perfection

New life and power

to live as He says

to love all His ways

to know Him each hour

My new life has come

and an old life has gone

this new creation now lives

in full life Jesus gives