41. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - How about Good Works? Part 1

In the previous post, we discussed forgiveness, which encompasses a lifestyle of giving and serving. As our last passage stated, “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles,” (Matthew 5:39-41).

The next passage continues from the above, although it puts more emphasis on the generality of love rather than focusing on people offending us.

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:42)

Think for a moment about this passage. How many people have asked you for things that you haven’t given?

But must we give to everyone who asks of us? What about beggars who buy liquor with the money they receive? Must we keep on feeding their habit?

I have struggled with this for a long time. I have given clothes away only to find out the recipient sold them for drinking money. An elderly lady, previously a neighbor of ours, once made a delicious sandwich for a beggar only to discover the food thrown away in the garden hours later. The beggar was not hungry; he wanted money for a drink. Once a man came to our door, telling us a sad story about a sick child and that he needed money to take the boy to the doctor. Several months later, though, the man came by again, telling exactly the same story, obviously hoping no one would remember hearing it before.

A pastor told of a beggar who asked him for food money. The minister gave him a few dollars, warning him to buy bread with it and no alcohol. Then my friend followed the man, who led him straight to the liquor store. As the beggar set a bottle of wine onto the counter, the pastor confronted him. The beggar’s eyes opened wide as his gaze dropped to the bottle. “I don’t believe it. I asked them for bread, and look what they gave me.”

The world is full of conmen trying to wangle our hard-earned money from us so they can waste it on sin. So what does the Lord want from us in the light of the above scripture?

Like many things in life, it is all about attitude. The Bible is not a book of rules that we must follow to the letter. It is a book full of directions, aimed at guiding our attitudes. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:12: “‘Everything is permissible for me,’—but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible for me,’—but I will not be mastered by anything.”

God made us with a free will. We are not robots to be manipulated by God or man (the church). All our sins have been paid for at the cross and are forgiven. God treats us as adults, allowing us to make our own decisions, not as children. He does not enforce his rules, holding a whip in His hand.

It is quite simple. In the end, Jesus will judge our works. If we did a lot of good works, we will receive a lot of rewards. If we did no good works, we will receive no rewards. “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books” (Revelation 20:12). We will not be punished, because Jesus already took our punishment on Himself, and we have already been disciplined on earth whenever it was necessary.

Our attitude, in approaching those who ask, is therefore what counts. It is best to decide beforehand how you will deal with beggars. I have, for example, decided that I will under no circumstances give money but will always give food. It doesn’t matter what the beggar does with it. It is also important to be a good steward of both your money and your food, because your family is your first priority.

We know a widow who has a kind and gentle heart, too kind to avoid abuse by beggars. She gave to them until they became a problem and a nuisance. Finally, it became too much for her, and she consulted the Lord. He reminded her of 2 Thessalonians 3:10b: “‘If a man will not work, he shall not eat.’”

The next time a beggar turned up, she gave him a rake and asked him to rake up some leaves in payment for his food. Before long, the beggars stopped coming. After several months, a man knocked on her door again. “Madam, I am hungry. Please give me the rake.”

God’s Word is alive. To make it effective, He always works together with it, turning it into rhema. The commands in the Word are not hard and fast rules. We must apply them with wisdom that comes from the Lord. If our attitude is one of wanting to obey the Lord and please Him, He will guide us in doing good works the way He wants them done. Remember, it is He who prepared the good works for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). We are His arms and legs here on earth. This is the ideal Christian life: walking closely with the Lord, doing what He would have liked to do Himself but chose to do through us instead. To be continued.

For children and adults who are prepared to learn in a childlike way. For more information see http://t-a-c.co.za.

40. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - How to Forgive

You have heard that it was said, ”Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.” But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. (Matthew 5:38-41)

The above passage can be summarized in one word: forgiveness. But what is forgiveness? We hear “forgive and forget,” all the time. Also, “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins,” (Matthew 6:15).

When I was a young pharmacist, my friend John, a Christian man, gave me a position managing his pharmacy. Being inexperienced, I acted very ethically, which is not always good for business. The customers complained to John, and he, being a nervous, impulsive man, said that we need to either cancel the contract, or I would spend the rest of the contract time sitting in the back of the pharmacy while he managed it.

I agreed to cancel but was bitter. In the weeks following, it so happened that I had to walk past the pharmacy to the post office every day to get my mail. I grumbled at him every time I passed the shop, but he didn’t know. Then late one evening, after the shop was closed, the Lord told me to stop. He then told me to forgive John.

“I forgive him,” I said willingly, for I loved to obey the Lord, and started to walk on.           

“Wait,” the Lord whispered, “now you must bless him.” 

“Bless him?” I said. “If he prospers, it will prove to him that I’ve made a mess. No, I can’t bless him, but I’ve forgiven him.”

The Lord just gave me that all-knowing frown of His. I quickly blessed my brother’s business.

A few days later, I remembered that John had promised me a percentage of the profit as an annual bonus, so I went to claim it.

“You ruined my profit,” John said. “You don’t deserve a bonus.”

Since it was not true, my anger rose, and I started to storm out of the shop.

“Tell him he doesn’t have to pay you the bonus,” God spoke to my heart.

I have learned that when the Lord speaks, you do what He says. So I told John, trying not to sound like “you can stick your bonus up your you-know-what.”

“You don’t need to pay my bonus, because I’ve forgiven you.”

But the Lord was in control. Not long after that, my bonus cheque came in the mail. To this day, John and I are good friends.

Since then, I can’t hold anything against anybody. I can’t sue or force money from anybody. I can’t stay angry for longer than a few moments, and I do have quite a temper. I have lost a lot of money, but because God is true to His Word, I have been forgiven a lot as well. I also maintain the principle that when someone overcharges me or doesn't pay me back or stole from me, I bless them with the money. That way I receive my blessing since I haven't lost something to someone, but has given it away. This attitude sets one free.

If you read our passage once again, you’ll see that this testimony is a practical example of what Jesus tries to say. Forgiveness is more than words or thoughts. It is a lifestyle of giving and blessing for the sake of peace and a good testimony. If our focus is on the Lord and His plan and desires for us, we won’t even notice other people’s wrongs toward us. What God thinks of us is what will be important.

“Do not repay evil for evil or insult for insult, but with blessing,” (1 Peter 3:9a). “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be the sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked,” (Luke 6:35). See also Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27.

True love is an action and not a feeling. Do you think that anybody ever feels like doing good to their enemies? There is a reason why he is your enemy. You don’t like one another, and you don’t feel like helping him or caring for him. If love was a feeling, how could one possibly love his enemies? However, since love is not a feeling, how do we love our enemies? Isn’t it by doing love, even if you don’t feel like it? You don’t have to like him to love him. This is what this passage is all about—doing things that will astonish a world of people accustomed only to giving and being polite as long as it does not affect their personal comfort.

The Lord expects us to love one another as well as our enemies. Then His name will be glorified, and His Kingdom will grow. Our pride causes us to retaliate and harbour bitterness. God is the one who will sort out our enemies. The Lord said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” (Deuteronomy 32:35).

Apart from forgiveness, our verse also highlights an attitude of humility and trust. The carnal nature and pride demand that we look after ourselves, that we fight for what is rightfully ours; in short, that we stand on our rights. If someone demands that I walk a mile with him, I’ll dig up some money for bus fare instead. If someone takes my tunic, I’ll slap him, shoot him, or take him to court, not to mention what I’ll do if he hits me. This is often how we feel, isn’t it? Human nature and pride want to retaliate, cover, and protect our own interests, but the Lord wants us to expose ourselves, make ourselves vulnerable so that we can learn to rely on Him and trust Him. He wants us to be the least because the world expects retaliation. If they see humility and love, it makes them wonder about the God of these Christians and thus brings Him glory. It also opens the opportunity for us to testify about the Lord’s goodness.

The closer we live to the Lord, tapping from the sap of the Vine, the more we will learn to love and trust our Advocate to sort out our enemies.

A Must-read Golden Nugget - The "Translation Disaster"

    

 For most of my life I’ve mainly read the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible because it reads so easily. I knew of the errors it has, but I reasoned that it’s okay for general reading. During the times of serious Bible study, though, I would compare different versions and would then identify the errors.

It seemed I was not the only one to use the New International Version as a base, for in one particular verse, which I’m going to discuss now, three little words were added and taught, which affected the faith of billions. What am I talking about?

     In Matthew17:14-29 we read of the healing of the demon-possessed boy and how the disciples asked Jesus why they could not drive the demons out. Jesus answered them in verse 20:

     He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

     Do you see the words “as small as”? Was it correctly translated like that?

     It is general knowledge that the King James Version is the most accurate translation of the Bible into English, as are the 1933 and 1953 translations into Afrikaans. Let’s look at this verse in the following translations.

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. (Authorised King James Version AKJV))

So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. (New King James Version NKJV)

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (English Standard Version ESV)

     The paraphrases of the Bible I compared also refer to the size of the mustard seed. These are read widely because they are so easily understood and many sermons are preached from them.

     But it seems that an assumption was made that Jesus referred to the size of the mustard seed. I believe the Holy Spirit, however, showed me something entirely different about the meaning of these words of Jesus based on the correct translations, which will affect the lives of believers significantly.

Based on the NIV version of this verse, I have made the statement for years that most people don’t even have faith the size of a mustard seed, for how many believers see powerful things happen in their lives, such as healing, deliverance from demons, etc? Because of this passage believers also tend to put the focus on their faith with statements like:

“I did not have enough faith.”

“Her faith was not big enough.”

     Immediately the focus is turned from the great God we serve to the size of our faith. This causes us to either become boastful because of our great faith when God answers our prayer or feel timid and inferior when we feel our faith is small.

     But let’s look at faith from the perspective of the Bible versions that translate this passage as follows: If you have faith as (or like) a grain of mustard seed (KJV, NKJV, and ESV).

     A mustard seed is a very small seed, but it becomes a very large tree. I’ve seen a picture of such a tree – it’s extraordinarily large. The tiny mustard seed has a great expectation of becoming this big tree, and it actually does. If seeds could talk and the mustard seed had to tell the acorn what the size of his expectation is, the acorn, looking at this tiny seed compared to itself, would probably have a good laugh. ‘How could it be possible,’ it might have thought.

     Therefore, if we look at the meaning of Jesus’ comparison of faith to mustard seed from the perspective of these translations, we see it’s not the size of our faith that counts, but our expectation. He compared our expectation in faith to the expectation a mustard seed has of what it would become. Our faith does not have to be great, but we ought to expect great power and results from a great God. Just as the mustard seed, being so small, expects to become an extremely large tree, so we must expect powerful results, not from our great faith, but based on the Word of a great God.

     Verse one of the famous chapter on faith, Hebrews 11, reads: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (KJV) The word hope does not have a negative meaning such as we often talk; “I hope things will change,” but I don’t really believe it would. No, the word hope in this context actually means “having a glad expectation”, and expectation of something great to happen!

What do we hope (have an expectation) for? Do we hope (have an expectation) that our faith would be big enough to convince the Lord to do something? Or do we hope (have an expectation) that the Almighty God we serve will actually keep the promise He gave us from His word and do what we ask for?

     The attitude we have in our hoping and in asking often also determines the result of our prayer. If we, for instance, pray for healing and silently hope to create a great impression with the onlookers, it’s very likely our prayer won’t be answered, for God is much more interested in our character than in our well-being. But if we pray with the hope, the expectation that God will be glorified and that the faith of the person being healed would be boosted, our prayer would likely be answered. For example, we ought to truly expect to see the healing taking place there and then.

We have been trained in praying for healing, and have learnt to expect healing to take place there and then. Now I usually see healing take place every time I pray for healing.

     I hope this will affect your perspective about faith like a mustard seed in our Almighty God and that when you pray, you will not rely on the size of your faith, but on the great power of God, expecting results.

39. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - Why was Jesus so adamant in Matthew 5:33-37?

Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.” But I tell you, do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” ”No”; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:33-37)

These words were motivated by the Lord’s love for His people. He knew the power of the tongue, of words. He knew that spiritual forces, good or bad, are activated by words. He knew the responsibility that one takes by calling the Holy God as a witness. He, therefore, knew the trouble his children could land themselves in by vowing and swearing.

We play with the evil forces in the sense that they will eagerly get involved in manipulating our lives according to our vows. We are in spiritual warfare. In an ordinary war, information or intelligence is of cardinal importance, because if you know what the enemy is up to, you are able to get ahead of him or manipulate his next move. Information gives us power to fight with.

In the same way, if we give the evil forces anything to fight with, they will use it against us to their advantage. If we make a vow and can’t keep it, or if we tell a small lie as part of a vow, the devil will be quick to tell you about it. “You filthy sinner, you call God as a witness to your lies. What kind of Christian are you?” Often he reveals it to an unbeliever, and it can become a stinking mess or at least leave you with guilt feelings. He will also accuse you before God, and then Jesus must cover for you once again. In a few translations of Ephesians 4:27 we read: “and give no opportunity to the devil,” (ESV), “Neither give place to the devil,” (MKJV), “And do not give the devil a foothold,” (NIV), “And don't give the devil a chance,” (CEV). Do not create a situation where the devil will have the right to attack or accuse you.  

So what must you do if people don’t want to believe you? It’s quite simple. Just live an honest life with the Lord as your Master and let your “yes” be “yes” and our “no,” “no.” Then God Himself will verify the truth of what we’re saying. This is what faith is all about. We don’t have to cover for God. He can look after Himself. I refuse to take an oath in any form. The police always have to change their documents if they take a statement from me because, based on this passage, I object to taking the prescribed oath. I then make only a solemn declaration, and nobody ever questions me, because my “yes” is “yes” and my “no,” “no,” and the Almighty verifies it.

If you have to swear, it creates the perception that something is wrong with your relationship with God, because you have to try to prove that you can be trusted. The real problem is that, instead of relying on faith in God to help you through an inner relationship rather than an outward vow, you try to do things in the flesh. It is important to experience God as an invisible, powerful friend who walks with you all the time and will assist you in whatever situation you find yourself.

For children and adults who are prepared to learn in a childlike way. For more information see http://t-a-c.co.za.

38. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - A Real-life Example of Consequences

In the previous post, we were discussing the consequences of disobedience to the Word of God relating to marriage and promised a real-life example. These are not real names.

Jenny was married to Jock. Neither was born again. Julia and I became friends with them before Jock left Jenny for another woman and Jenny filed for divorce. It was not a pretty divorce. We followed it closely because Jenny and Julia had built a strong friendship. The court stipulated that the children must remain with Jenny and may visit Jock at certain times. Yet every time the children came back from Jock’s house, they were confused because Jock and his new woman tried to lure the children away from Jenny.

Then Jenny met Mark. He had three children with his ex-wife, Theresa, and they were about the same ages as Jenny’s. Eventually, they decided to get married. Shortly after their marriage, Theresa, who loved her freedom and was not exactly maternal, realized that she could dump her children—usually unexpectedly—on Jenny. During these visits, Jenny realized how neglected the children were. In time, Theresa proved so bad a mother that Jenny and Mark agreed to look after the children permanently.

Unfortunately for Jenny, Mark’s children were troublemakers. Before long, Mark only punished her children and spoiled his. If this had been the only problem, it might have been tolerable, but Mark wasn’t as he appeared. All the signs were there that he did not love Jenny. He hardly ever took her side, covered for her, or protected her.

Then one day a hard blow hit Jenny. Jock had the children for the holidays, and when they returned, he suggested that they come and live with him. There they would each have their own room and attend an excellent school. After some research, Jenny discovered that he had spoiled them with gifts, attention, and their own rooms, while in her house they had to share rooms with troublesome step-siblings. The worst for Jenny was that Mark took Jock’s side because the burden of her children would then be off his shoulders. Jenny ended up raising another woman’s children while a stranger raised hers.

Did God intend for Jenny to have such a life? No. Did Jenny honour God by getting a divorce? No. Did she honour God by marrying again? No. Did God bring all these problems on her as punishment? No. Why then did it come upon her?

King David received forgiveness after he had realized what he had done when he committed adultery with Bathsheba, but he still had to bear the consequences of his deed. Achan repented when God demanded consecration, but he had to bear the consequences. If God had withdrawn the consequences, He would have declared Himself a liar, for he expressly warned them of the consequences of disobedience.                       

Jenny, through her disobedience, committed adultery with the evil forces, causing a separation between herself and God. The door then opened for the evil forces to do what they wished with her circumstances.

I assume that there are happy second marriages, but the previous partners cannot be wished away, and neither can the enemies of God. Even though things might appear happy on the surface, perfect happiness is often impossible because of external influence. The same applies to the influence of impure thoughts on a relationship due to pornography and previous sexual relationships.

I do know of Christians who assist divorced persons, through counseling, to make their second marriages more successful. However, this is how we should live: God said it, I do it, and that settles it. God chose one man for one woman, and He is more than able to make any marriage happy, providing the couple submits to His authority and everything is undertaken under His personal supervision. 

Having said all this, however, it is important to remember that in verse 32 of Matthew 5 Jesus made an exception by which divorce is acceptable, which is marital unfaithfulness. This includes marriage partners who refuse to keep their marital vows to love and to both physically and emotionally care for their spouse. A woman who divorced under this condition will therefore be exempt from the command concerning remarrying and is not considered an adulteress when she remarries.
I do realise that many Christians have been divorced and remarried, and I don't think it should be an issue for condemnation. All Christians have made mistakes that caused disobedience to God's Word. However, we should all strive to live as obedient as possible to all of God's commands as written in His Word. This way we will have more joy, power, victory, and revelation of who Jesus is (John 14:21, 23).

For children and adults who are prepared to learn in a childlike way. For more information see http://t-a-c.co.za.