Mission 66 (English podcast)
Matthew 07 An Efficient Spirituality
God wants us to, instead of wasting anxiety or pulling our hair out, badmouthing others, maybe, and complaining, being nervous and upset, instead of doing that, he wants us to stop, to pray and turn those things over into his hands, learning to depend on him. Welcome to Mission 66, a daily dive into God's Word. I'm Rob Dempsey. Today, we continue our focus on the Gospels. Mission 66 originates from the Ministry of Bible Teacher and Pastor Dr. Luis Ciao, and is produced and heard in multiple languages around the world in partnership with Trans World Radio. Let me remind you to download your free study guide of the Gospels. You'll be able to go deeper into God's Word and follow along with each day's program. It's a great companion resource of the audio teaching of John Matthews and Esther Sussullo. To get your free study guide of the Gospels, visit Mission66.org. That's Mission66.org. John Matthews is our teacher. His co-host, Esther Sussullo, gets us started today. This is Mission 66, greetings to you, my friend. I'm so glad that you could join us today on our journey through the 66 books of the Bible. Well I'm your host, Esther, and this is a series of studies on the Gospels of the New Testament, and currently we're studying Jesus' Sermon on the Mount which covers three chapters in the Book of Matthew. Now Jesus is wrapping up his sermon with an exaltation about putting faith into practice. And our teacher, John Matthews, brings us to chapter 7 with the theme "An Efficient Spirituality." We're good to be with you once again, John. Thanks very much, Esther, and so good to be with you, and so good to be with all our listeners again today. A very warm welcome to you wherever you're listening to Mission 66. Now by "Efficient Spirituality," we mean, I suppose, a spirituality that works, that is practical, we move from the theory to doing. The practical side of what Jesus was preaching, and the first verse of chapter 7 sets a tone here. These are the words of Jesus when he says, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Why do you see the spec that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me take the spec out of your eye," when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite. First, take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the spec out of your brother's eye. Some powerful words there. You know, John, I've seen some people have taken this to mean that we should never criticize anyone for their sin, or never try to correct anyone who is going astray. But this isn't what Jesus meant, is it? No, it wasn't what Jesus was talking about, Esther, because Jesus meant this passage mainly as a rebuke to the Pharisees. They were the religious experts of their day who were very quick and very easily passed judgments on others over pretty minor issues. While they themselves, they were full of greed and self-indulgence. Jesus is basically saying, "Well, we should judge ourselves first before we try to correct another person." Yeah, that makes sense. And I think Jesus was also saying that we shouldn't make rash judgments. We shouldn't be quick to believe the worst in people, right? Yeah, you're right. Absolutely not to judge others' motives either, because we don't always know, or actually rarely do we know what people's motives are. You know, we can't see inside their hearts. We don't have all the information. But God does. He knows everything. So he's the only one who's qualified to make a right judgment. But you know, if we know that someone is walking in sin and walking in something that is really holding them back and bringing them down, well, actually, the loving thing to do is to try to get them back in the right place and on the right road and other parts of the Bible, they confirm this idea. And there are times when we have to make judgments. For example, just imagine if somebody murders a child or Rob's bank runs off with my partner. You know, we can't simply say, "Well, who am I to judge?" We are to call evil what it is. And in our hearts, we know when evil is evil. And when we're to see illegal activity, then we're to call it. But you know what this is, Esther? This is a call for us to be discerning of others' motives. And so be careful with whom we engage and debate, particularly if we're debating with people who in reality want nothing to do with the truth. And so sometimes we have to make these judgment calls later, actually, in the chapter. We'll see the warning about false prophets, how to recognize them. But for now, let's continue reading this chapter and see what comes next. And Jesus is speaking to those who were following and were willing to listen to him. And he says in verse 7, "Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened, or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent. If you, then, who are 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? So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them. But this is the law and the prophets. You know, this last verse sometimes is described as the golden rule treating others as we would like to be treated ourselves. And that I suppose is efficient spirituality, the kind of spirituality that really works. Oh, thanks for that, John. You know, I noticed you mentioned asking, seeking and knocking on the door of heaven. Jesus is talking about prayer here, isn't he? Yeah, and this is a wonderful promise that Jesus is making, and that is that God answers. And this is a spirituality that works, you know. We can do this. We can pray for answers and direction not once, but often God's best provision, his best guidance, his best information, his best direction is for those who take the time to ask. And everybody gets an answer from God. Sometimes it's yes, sometimes it's no, sometimes it may be not yet. Yeah, and you know, it's that not yet that I believe is the hardest one, isn't it? You know, when God doesn't answer right away and we have to wait and wonder, it can be really difficult, but I think we are to persevere here. Is it wrong to keep insisting in prayer? Well, Esther, as incredible as it may sound, this is exactly what Jesus seems to be suggesting. We should do here, you know. He was always encouraging people to pray more, suggesting that persistence is a good thing. You know, Jesus once told this parable in a different place, but this parable was him telling of this poor widow who was pounding on the door of an unright just judge, and it was late at night and she was shouting out, judge, help, my creditors are after me. And, you know, they're going to take my two sons as their slaves, and in this parable, the widow keeps on pounding on the door, even though it's late at night, and this unrighteous judge was so irritated that he gets up out of his bed, and he helps this poor woman just because he realizes that he's not going to get any sleep bot, however, unless he does something for her effectively, to shut her up. And after telling the parable, Jesus says this, you know, this unrighteous judge is willing to crawl out of bed, get himself dressed, and do something just because he's so irritated. Just imagine how eager your heavenly father is to answer those people who worship him and whom he loves. You know, there's a word called "importunity," which means to keep asking and knocking, even past the point of irritation. You know, in Genesis, you have Jacob who wrestles with the angel of the Lord, all night saying, "I'm not going to let you go until you bless me." So God is not irritated with our continual asking, and we should read this passage here in chapter 7 with that in our minds. You know, in fact, God is glad when we keep asking, seeking, and knocking, Jesus asks us to insist on praying because he loves, absolutely loves to hear from us. Even if we ask him again and again, you know, God wants us to, instead of wasting anxiety, pulling out our hair or badmouthing others and complaining, often a sign that we don't feel great about ourselves or being nervous and upset, instead of doing all that, we should stop, pray, and surrender those things into God's hands, learning to depend on Him. But keep asking, don't give up just because it's taking longer than we want. Okay? So let's move on. Let's check out verse 13, and this is what Jesus says here, "Enter by the narrow gate for the gate is wide, and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many, for the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." You know, there are only two roads, according to Jesus. There's the right way and the wrong way, the good path and the evil path. And all of humanity is traveling on one or other of those paths. There does not appear to be a neutral path. The broad path that Jesus is talking about is the way that most of the world chooses to take, following the many allures and appeals of the world, the things that capture our senses and toxicate us for a time, but then fade fast. Also those doing evil and headed for eternal destruction as well. And Jesus is calling his followers to turn not down this wide and busy road, but to take the road less traveled. You know, the way to eternal life is narrow, and those who go on this road are few. And the reason for that is because it's harder, self must be denied, daily temptations resisted, a lusts kept in check. How hard is that? Sometimes, you know, there are a duties which must be done, which the ones on the broad road refuse to do. Those on the narrow road may not be permitted to do things that those on the broad road are doing and yet consider the destination, eternal life. And this hope alone should prompt us to press on toward that bright and glorious end. And then Jesus continues saying, "Beware of false prophets, and how do we know which ones are false?" Well, Jesus tells us. He says, "Those who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly, are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruits is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, you will recognize them by their fruits." You're listening to Mission 66. I'm Esther, and our teacher John Matthews is leading us in understanding Jesus' sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5 through to 7. And as we near the end of the sermon in chapter 7, we are considering what John calls an efficient spirituality, one that is practical and useful. So we're now at the place where Jesus is warning about false prophets who are recognizable by their fruit. And I guess now the question becomes, what sort of fruit should we be looking out for, John? Yeah, good question, Esther. How does this true authentic spirituality work? It's not a spirituality that is superficial, only on the outside. I think we know that. It can't be a spirituality that's merely liturgical or a ritual or tradition, a repetition that involves no reflection. If someone claims to be, let's say, a teacher or a preacher of God, then there should be fruits. We're supposed to first verify the fruits of that spirituality. If they preach against sexual sin, for example, are they committing sexual sin? Are they given to outbursts of anger? Do they show an unhealthy interest in money? Are they reasonable people? Can they be easily approached? And another thing to examine is, is their doctrine, are they sticking to the truth of the Bible? Or do they only offer their own opinion? Yeah, there's lots to consider there. And you know, John, there are preachers who sound so good when they are behind the pulpit. And what kind of person are they at home? I'm guessing only their family members would have the answer to that question. Yeah. Well, you know, Esther, this is a challenge to every one of us, isn't it? What are we like when it's really hard, when the door is closed, when we're with our loved ones? That's a challenge. But in this context, you know, Jesus continues in verse 21 by saying this, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will actually enter the kingdom of heaven. But the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven, on that day, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." You know, I know some non-Christian people, some may even consider themselves atheists who really are doing wonderful humanitarian works. They're giving a lot of money to charity, you know, they're friendly, outgoing, always ready to help someone who's in need. And quite frankly, I would consider them to be better people than even myself in many ways, even though I believe in Jesus Christ and they don't. Do their works count for nothing? Yeah, it's a compelling and really important question yesterday. You know, there are people who seem to live really caring and good lives and, you know, you'd never be able to accuse them of wrongdoing or working against Christ. And, you know, we've already talked about it's not our place to judge others' motives far from it, you know, that's God's work. But by the same token, just because someone does great humanitarian things, things that we would all say are worthy, righteous, whatever word you want to use. It doesn't necessarily mean that they belong to God or that they recognize the things that they do or do the things that they do in the name of Christ. And I think that's the really important bit, recognizing that we owe all to God. And so he must become the center of our motivation. And God is the one who will judge not just works, but the motivation, the posture, I've said it before this phrase, the posture of our heart. Yeah. That motivation coming up once again, something that we should really take note of, John. So I was just thinking, imagine dying and standing before Jesus and thinking you're automatically going to be welcomed into heaven. I mean, it must be devastating when you then hear Jesus say, "Get out of here, you evil doer." Yeah. It really is, isn't it? It's a sobering thought. And again, I repeat that God alone is charge of these things. But we know what Jesus himself says, the deciding factor will be, don't we, and that is, whether or not Jesus knows them on a personal level, you know, whether or not we have asked Jesus to be our Lord, whether or not we've sought to do the will of God found in the Bible. If one lives his entire life with no interest in Jesus and no interest in helping the kingdom of God, no interest in improving moral behavior, then that person has no right to assume that they are going to heaven. No matter how wonderful people say that he or she may be, you know, what proves whether or not we belong to God is whether we obey him in the practical things, those who live doing what is evil make it very clear that they're heading down the wrong path. And the Bible continues and once again tells us about this need for an efficient spirituality, one that is practiced. This is what Jesus says in verse 24, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell and great was the fall of it. You know, it's too easy sometimes to hear the word of God and never do what it says and to these people, I think Jesus' message is clear. Practice what he preaches do what it says in the Bible. Something else that I've observed, John, a common practice for today is that people criticize Christians, you know, saying that we judge others and we're not practicing what we preach. So how do we answer someone who accuses us of judging others? Well Esther, you know what Jesus said exactly was this, judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. In other words, the same standard by which we judge other people is the standard by which God will judge us someday. If you say, I'm not measuring up, God will say to you, well, you know, let's see how you measure up based on the standard that you set for that other person and the second chapter of Romans deals with this in even greater detail and to an even greater depth. It basically says, you who teach others, do you not teach yourself? If you teach people that they should not steal, do you steal? If you say people should not be sexually immoral, are you sexually immoral? If you say we should not worship idols, are you an idolater? And all over the world, you know, the name of Christ is defamed sometimes because of the hypocrisy of some of its followers who say one thing and do the opposite. But you know, we don't have to be hypocrites. We can follow Christ with all honesty and firmly resolve to keep away from evil with and through his strength. Wow. Another powerful conclusion to today's conversation, John, I really want to get a sense of how we can summarize what we've learned in Matthew chapter 7. Yeah. Today on Mission 66, we've finished looking at the Sermon on the Mount and today's theme was An Efficient Spirituality. And you know, Esther, as we and all our dear listeners have observed here today, Jesus questions the act of judging others. He emphasizes the importance of prayer, shows us that in the Kingdom of God, our actions are measured. So let's then ask ourselves in the privacy of our own hearts, what side am I on? Because the fruit of my life, that is the evidence of my actions seen and hidden, reveal my loyalty to God, do I practice the things that please God and are according to the will of the Father, because there is no in-between option. Either we do the will of the Father with our heart, or we may be heading down the wrong path, and we'll end up in trouble. Thanks so much for that, John. And thank you, beloved listener, for joining us here on Mission 66 as we proceed through the pages of the Bible. Well, next time, we will move into Matthew chapter 8 and we'll see more of the remarkable and miraculous earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Don't miss out on that. We'll look forward to joining you next time. Goodbye and God bless you. That wraps up today's episode of Mission 66 with John Matthews and Esther Sisulu. Follow their daily teaching by downloading your free study guide of the Gospels at mission66.org. Go deeper into God's Word and discover how each day's teaching can apply to your life. James chapter 1 verse 22 tells us to be doers of the Word, not just hearers. Find your free study guide at mission66.org and have it for our next program. That's also where you can leave a comment or make a donation to continue Mission 66 here and around the world. That's mission66.org. Mission 66 is a ministry of Transworld Radio in partnership with Dr. Louis Ciao. I'm Rob Dempsey. (drum beats)