Jesus' Radical Teaching (Part III) | Series: Jesus-The Perfect Example | 04-06-08 note:We had some technical difficulties but we were able to clean up the audio file so there are only small spots of noise.
Speaker: John Robinson
Series: Jesus - The Perfect Example
Jesus went up into a mountain and
selected His 12 disciples.
He comes down to a large flat area and
begins teaching a huge crowd from all over the region.
Now, Jesus was a radical teacher.
His teachings go against human nature.
His teachings are counter-culture.
But most importantly, Jesus lived as He taught.
That made His teaching powerful.
Jesus begins by speaking to the crowds that
were following Him.
Since we follow Jesus,
those promises are for us as well.
Jesus pronounces 4 blessings on us.
We have a special happiness from God,
even when people hate us.
Then Jesus turned to the Jewish religious leaders
who were there trying to figure out
what they could do to Him.
Even though Jesus' ministry was just beginning,
they were already plotting against Him.
He pronounced 4 "woes" on them.
We don't use the word, "woe" much any more.
The thesaurus on my computer gives
6 synonyms, words that have a similar meaning.
Listen to them.
Anguish. Affliction. Despair.
Misery. Sadness. Wretchedness.
Jesus was not saying nice things to them.
If fact, He even warned them,
"Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets."
Then Jesus turns back to His followers.
He tells us how we are to be radical.
He tells us how we are to be dramatically different
from the world.
How we are to be bright lights in a dark world.
We are to LOVE OUR ENEMIES!!!
We are to do good to them.
We are to be generous.
We are to do to others as we want them to do to us.
And then we come to today's text.
Again Jesus turns back to the Pharisees.
He begins by warning,
I. Do not judge critically.
Luke 6:37-38. "37Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
So often this important teaching of Jesus
is taken out of context.
Letting the Scripture interpret Scripture,
Jesus was NOT referring to
1. Judging in a court of law.
In Deuteronomy 16 God was giving rules and regulations
to the nation of Israel.
God actually told them to
appoint judges in every town.
So, judging in a court of law is part of God's plan.
2. Nor is Jesus talking about
making judgments concerning people in the Church.
I Corinthians 6 tells us Christians
should not be taking each other to court, but rather to
let disagreements be decided by fellow Christians.
So there is a place for judging in the Church.
3. Nor is Jesus commanding us
not to make a decision as to
what is right and what is wrong.
Passages like
Romans 16:17, I John 4:1, and I Corinthians 5:11
tell us to make judgments concerning
people who cause trouble,
people living in sin, and
the accuracy of teaching.
So there is a place for judging right and wrong.
So, what is Jesus warning against?
What is the context?
Remember. The reason the Pharisees were there
was to find a way to condemn Jesus.
They were not there to examine the evidence and
judge as to good and bad, right and wrong.
Jesus is saying that if you run around condemning others
you will be condemned.
We tend to make judgments of people
without trying to find out why they are like they are.
Professor and author, Knofel Staton, was in the Air Force years ago just after World War II.
An older Master Sergeant in the unit
came to work drunk twice in one week.
Several got together to file a formal complaint.
They said,
"This man was incompetent coming to work drunk.
He needed severe discipline."
But the Colonel sat them down and said,
"Now before you file your complaint,
I want you to know the facts.
This man was captured by the Germans in World War II and tortured unmercifully, but
he would not tell any of the crucial facts he knew.
They had also captured his brother.
They brought his brother into his presence,
put a gun to his brother's head and said,
'If you won't tell us what you know,
we're going to shoot your brother.'
He wouldn't tell.
They shot his brother and
his brother's blood splattered on his face.
When the war ended,
this man weighed 75 pounds.
He was sent to Walter Reed Hospital for 4 years.
They gave him so much pain medication
he became addicted.
So then they faced a dilemma:
To give him a medical discharge or
keep him in the military service.
They knew that to discharge him
would make him a homeless derelict.
The alcoholic condition in the service
would render him nearly useless.
But they chose the latter."
Then the colonel said,
"Now what do you want me to do with this complaint?"
Suddenly they all changed their minds.
Was it right for the sergeant to come in drunk?
No.
But knowing why he was that way
made it easier to deal with him.
Knowing why he was that way
brought mercy instead of condemnation.
Jesus knew people's hearts and backgrounds.
That's why He could be merciful and
love the sinful Samaritan woman at the well.
That's why He could be merciful to Zacchaeus,
and love a thieving traitor of a tax collector.
And that's why He can be merciful and
love you and me.
And we need to have the mercy and love of Jesus.
But unlike Jesus,
we don't know all the facts.
We need to be very careful about judging other people.
A co-worker is grumpy and
biting people's heads off all the time.
You want to grump right back.
Sometimes what you don't know is that
that person is going through a nasty divorce.
Their whole world is caving in.
Maybe what they need is a merciful friend.
Or that person that doesn't communicate.
It's irritating.
It can create some problems.
Do you blow up at them?
Maybe what you don't know is that
they grew up with everyone knowing their business and
now that they are out of the situation,
they go to the other extreme to
protect their precious privacy.
Or that stingy person that refuses to part with a penny.
He's a scrooge!
She's so tight, she squeaks when she walks!
Sometimes what you don't know is that
that person grew up in a very poor family.
Squeezing every penny until it squealed
was called survival.
And the list goes on.
When someone irritates you,
"Walk a mile in their shoes."
It doesn't excuse their behavior
or say it is proper.
But it does make it easier to
treat them with mercy and love.
It makes us want to gently help them,
just like Jesus treats us with mercy and love,
in spite of the things we do.
I was working as a dean at camp.
One of the preachers working with me
brought along a young elder.
The man was great with
both the kids and the adults.
I made a comment about
how fortunate he was to have a man like that
on the eldership.
The preacher got quiet for a few moments and then
he said,
"He hasn't had enough hard knocks in life, yet.
He's still too hard on people."
Too often, people who are hard driving, over-achievers
expect perfection in the people around them and they
expect others to be as hard driving as they are.
That is totally unrealistic.
Our expectations of other people should not be
to demand perfection and total commitment.
Rather, our goal needs to be to gently lead them
where they need to go.
Be like Jesus, full of mercy and love.
Remember, how you judge others
is how they and God will judge you.
II. Judge your leader.
Luke 6:39-40
"39He also told them this parable: 'Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.'"
If you want to learn how to hit home runs,
you don't go to Carl Lindner,
you go to Ken Griffey, Jr.
If you want to learn how to make money,
you go to Linder, and
not Griffey.
Why?
Because each has excelled in their field.
When you choose someone to follow,
you need to ask yourself,
"Is that what I want to become?
Do I want to hit a ball like Lindner or like Griffey?
Both are great men.
And it is the same in the spiritual realm.
Jesus was telling this crowd that
if they followed the Pharisees,
the religious leaders of the day,
they would become like them:
They would become hypocrites,
telling others to do what they wouldn't or couldn't do;
Holding to long lists of do's and don't's that
sometimes went against God's will.
Even today we need to watch who we follow,
who we imitate
who we listen to.
You don't want to be the blind being led by a blind man.
The Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., is the pastor of
the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.
He also happens to be Barack Obama's Minister.
Thursday, March 6, 2008 the Washington Insider
carried an article entitled,
"Obama Minister's Hatred of America"
It begins, "In a sermon delivered at Howard University, Barack Obama's longtime minister, friend, and adviser blamed America for starting the AIDS virus, training professional killers, importing drugs, and creating a racist society that would never elect a black man as president."
After listing several venomous quotes,
the article continues:
"Indeed, Obama has described Wright as his "sounding board" during the two decades he has known him. Obama has said he found religion through Wright in the 1980s and consulted him before deciding to run for president. He prayed privately with Wright before announcing his candidacy last year.
Aside from showing poor judgment, it's difficult to imagine that Obama could be so close to Wright without agreeing with at least some of his views."
Now, I refuse to bring politics into the Church, but
right or wrong,
whether or not Obama agrees with his pastor,
a lot of people are beginning to question
who Obama has been following and
where he would lead them.
They don't want to be the blind being led by the blind.
We even need to do that in the spiritual world.
It is so important that you pick a church
that is firmly grounded on the Bible.
No human is flawless.
Even the Apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 11:1,
"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."
That's why the Bible is so important.
It is the only thing I know that is absolutely true.
As long as we follow it,
we know we are going in the right direction.
We will not be the blind being led by the blind.
We will be led by the light of God.
After telling you to judge your leaders,
Jesus then tells you to
III. Judge yourself.
Luke 6:41-42. "41Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
It doesn't take as much to make people laugh
in many other countries.
Things that we'd roll our eyes on,
will have others rolling in the isles.
The people of Jesus' day loved exaggeration.
Saying that someone was so thin that
if they turned sideways they could
run through the rain without getting wet,
would have them laughing their heads off.
And Jesus uses some humor in his sermons.
Picturing a blind person leading another blind person,
would have them rolling.
They would laugh at the thought of them both
falling into a hole.
And this idea of trying to get a speck of dirt
out of your friend's eye
while you have a board hanging out of your own eye
would have the place roaring with laughter!
But there was a point to the laughter.
Remember the Pharisees?
They would get so picky picky about
following rules they had made up,
while ignoring the more important matters
of things like justice and mercy.
They were picking at specs in others' eyes
while they had a planks hanging out of their own eyes.
But before we get too down on their hypocrisy,
maybe we need to do some judging of ourselves.
Do you ever want someone in the Church to do something,
but not be willing to join in the work yourself?
Do you ever complain that someone never talks to you, but
never go say hi to that person?
Do you ever stand around at work and
it's not break time, but
you spend 15 minutes talking to someone about
the lazy people who do more talking than work?
[Think about it!]
For some reason, we tend to view our faults as trivial,
but other people's faults as major.
If we tell a little white lie to get out of trouble, it's O.K.
But if someone lies to us, we are incensed!
Do you condemn the person who smokes because
they are ruining their health,
while you drink 2 gallons of pop and
and eat 2 bags of chips a day?
Do you ever try to get a speck out of your brother's eye
while you have a plank hanging out of yours?
Judge yourself.
Then Jesus says you can
IV. Judge others' fruit.
Luke 6:43-45. "43No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
Jesus is telling us to examine
the results of a person's life and teaching.
Now, no one is perfect.
Don't look for perfection.
Look for consistency.
Does the person consistently live like a Christian?
Does the person consistently talk like a Christian?
Does the person consistently work like a Christian?
Does the person consistently give like a Christian?
The Pharisee who would give to the temple
when everyone was watching, but
refused to help his parents out
when they had a need,
were producing evil fruit.
Today, we have all seen people who
quote the Scriptures and lead prayers on Sunday and
then on Monday cuss out their co-workers.
We've all seen the person who would
talk about the love of Jesus, but
never give a penny to the church
so the love of Jesus could be shared.
James writes in James 3:9-10
"9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be."
James is saying we need to be consistent.
How we talk on Sunday should be
how we talk on Monday.
Again, James writes in James 2:14-16
"14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?"
In other words, what kind of fruit is being produced?
And by the fruit being produced,
you will know what God thinks.
Is the person consistent?
Do you see the same smile on Monday
you saw on Sunday?
Is the person generous?
Those are the good people bringing good fruit.
That's one of the things I love about Harvest Pointe.
Your generosity warms the soul.
By your fruit you are known.
V. Judge your life.
Luke 6:46-49. "46Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
Whenever I read this passage I think of 2 places.
The 1st is Michigan.
We lived in Michigan for 7 years.
We had a new house on Lake Huron.
Now, the ground up there is different than here.
Let's say you want to set up a light pole.
And you want it to be in the ground 5 or 6 feet deep.
What kind of tools would you need?
In Michigan all you need is a shovel.
All you're going to hit is sand.
Yes, like on a beach sand.
And you can dig a hole that deep
in a matter of minutes.
That's a good thing if you are setting a pole.
But it is not a good thing if you are building a house.
The foundations go deep,
but they are still on sand.
They are not on solid rock.
Every spring you notice cracks radiating from
the corners of your doors.
The other place is where I grew up - Kentucky.
Now, the soil in Ky. is thin and the rock is thick.
My parent's house is 100 years old.
It's foundation is made of rocks.
No concrete.
No mortar.
Just plain old rocks.
And that rock foundation sits on rock.
And that house hasn't budged since it was built.
It has been through a tornado,
heavy rains,
heavy snows,
hail storms,
ice storms, and even
children!
That house has been through it all,
but it stands firm because
it's foundation is on a rock.
McGarvey and Pendleton write, "The word rock suggests Christ himself. No life can be founded upon Christ's teaching unless it be founded upon faith and trust in his personality. For this we must dig deep, for as St Gregory says, "'God is not to be found on the surface.'"
Does your life have a firm foundation,
deep upon the rock of Christ?
When all the troubles and heartaches of this world
smash into you like a tornado,
When problems rain down upon you,
When you are snowed under by all you have to do,
When you feel beaten down by the hail storms
of disappointments and failures,
When you endure the ice storms of friends or family
giving you the cold shoulder,
When the children of what ever age come
crashing through your life,
messing up whatever,
does your house, your life,
stand firm upon the solid rock?
Is Jesus your rock?
He can be,
if you listen to Him and obey.
If you are ready to make Jesus
Lord and Savior of your life today,
come forward as we stand and sing and
we'll help you
confess your belief in Him and
be baptized into Him.
Or if you've already done that and
you would like to place your membership with us,
come as we sing.
Harvest Pointe Christian Church, Milford Ohio is a non-denominational Christian Church (Church of Christ) on the Eastside of Cincinnati OH
