Monthly Archive for May, 2008

Matthew 7:7f

Published on May 31, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Matthew

 

Ask, and it will be given to 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.

 

7:7

“Ask,
We ask for what we do not have. The three commands of this verse are present imperatives: ask, seek, knock. The tense of “ask” is keep on asking. The idea is persistence in prayer. Persistent prayer is no indication of God’s unwillingness to answer prayer. It is an issue of God’s sovereign plan in answer to prayer. The imperative is a command. Prayer is not an option.
and it will be given to you;
God will give us an answer. The responses to the first (ask) and third (knock) commands are in the passive voice; it is God who will do something about our action.
Seek,
The grammar of “seek” indicates to keep on seeking. The word “seek” is to look for. We seek for what is valuable. When we seek for something of value, our heart is definitely in it. This is the kind of prayer that Jesus prefers.
And you will find;
In this case we do the finding (active voice). Our volition is active here because God wants us involved in the process—we “find” on purpose, not by accident. But we are still recipients because God will let us obtain what we seek. “Find” here is to find on purpose, not by accident. God will let us obtain what we seek.
Knock,
Again the grammar indicates we should keep on knocking. We knock to be welcomed into an area where we are currently shut out.
And it will be opened to you.
God will open the door (passive voice).
7:8
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
The grammar of “asks,” “seeks,” and “knocks” here indicates the process of doing what they are doing (present participles).
The three following verbs (“receives,” “finds,” “opened”) emphasize God’s faithful response to prayer. The language is absolute—will receive, find, open.
The piling up of the verbs of verses seven and eight is very forceful. God does not answer grudgingly but gladly. We do not need to coerce Him to answer prayer. All we need to know is that He answers prayer.
PRINCIPLE: God faithfully answers prayer.
APPLICATION: The walk with God is in part a walk of prayer. The basic idea of prayer is dependence on God, who is faithful to answer prayer. It is the request of someone talking to God. Prayer is not blind desire but communion with a Person that offers the promise of answered prayer. The way of life of the kingdom requires trust in God. The emphasis is on the certainty that God answers prayer. Prayer brings results.
Prayer is not a blank check for getting whatever we ask. It is a not magical custom whereby God functions as a genie. We see God as a genie if we think rubbing the rabbit’s foot will get us what we want. But remember that the rabbit’s foot did not do the rabbit any good.
Share

Matthew 7:6

Published on May 31, 2008 in Matthew. 2 Comments
Read Introduction to Matthew

 

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.

 

7:6
“Do not give what is holy to the dogs;
Both dogs and swine were unclean animals according to Mosaic Law. Dogs were not pets in those days but roving scavengers. The “holy” here is the truth of God. We do not present truth to people who radically reject its truth.
nor cast your pearls before swine,
Swine were wild and vicious in Palestine. Since they were unclean, they were not for food.
lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
The picture here is of a wild dogs and boars tearing their prey into pieces. That is a symbolic picture of those with very high negative volition toward the gospel. These people mock the gospel as indicated by trampling it under foot and even going further in tearing apart the gospel message itself.
PRINCIPLE: There is no need to present the gospel to those with negative volition toward God.
APPLICATION: It is wrong to try to force the gospel on people. There is no need to share the gospel with people who reject it outright. We have responsibility to carry the gospel to everyone, but once we make the presentation, the responsibility lies on the individual to choose negative or positive volition. If a person chooses negative volition, then there is no necessity for any further presentation of the gospel. Once a person clearly rejects the gospel, there is no further reason to present the gospel to them.
Jesus did not talk to Herod (Lu 23:9) and Paul drew limits when speaking to people who rejected the Word (Ac 13:46).
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Mt 10:16
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words. Pr 23:9
Share

Matthew 7:3f

Published on May 31, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Matthew

 

And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s 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.

 

7:3
Verses three to five illustrate the principle of verse one—do not judge. Judgment is valid but only with qualification; we must first judge ourselves.
And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?
Note the contrast between the “plank” and the “speck.” A speck is a small piece of dust and a plank is a large beam of wood. Jesus exaggerates the contrasts between the critic and the person he criticizes. He contrasts the least significant and the most significant.
The terms for seeing—“look” and “consider”—are different words in the Greek. The word “consider” means to carefully consider. We see the faults of others easily but it is difficult to see faults in self, so we must carefully consider ourselves. The word “look” is superficial observation. Superficial observation towards other people causes us to make misjudgments about them.
7:4
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?
This verse repeats the content of verse three, except this one emphasizes what we say about it.
7:5
Hypocrite!
A hypocrite is someone who is inconsistent. The hypocrite here is one who judges another but has a greater sin.
First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
It is hard to see with a plank in our eye; if we pull it out, we will have better vision of the reality of things.
The word “remove” is cast out. The issue is not only the ability to see the problem but to correct the problem.
PRINCIPLE: God expects us to judge ourselves before we evaluate others.
APPLICATION: It is easy to see small faults in others while we miss the big issue in our own lives. It is ironic that the person with the bigger problem has the temerity to criticize another.
Self-criticism spares us from criticism of others. When we recognize sin in self, our criticism of others’ sin is quickly subdued.
David prayed that God would give him a “clean heart.” He wrote Psalm 51 after his sin with Bathsheba and murder of her husband.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Ps 51:10
After this prayer, then David could “teach transgressors.”
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. Ps 51:13
Share

Matthew 7:1f

Published on May 31, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Matthew

 

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.

 

7:1
The first five verses demonstrate the standard of our relationship to others in the kingdom.
“Judge not,
This judgment is a judgment about motives arising from hostility and bitterness. None of us can know the true motives of others. A critical, fault-finding attitude that makes judgment not based on fact is the issue here. Some people can find nothing good in anyone. It is the censorious spirit that Jesus judges, not objective evaluation.
that you be not judged.
We will reap what we sow; our judgment will come back on us. God will administer judgment on us based on how we judge others.
7:2
For
The word “for” explains the phrase “that you be not judged” in the previous verse. God will apply the principle of your own judgment to you.
With what judgment you judge, you will be judged;
God judges unrighteous judgment in kind. When we judge, we set the standard for our own judgment.
And with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
The unjust verdict we make about other people is the basis for our judgment. Our own judgment judges us.
PRINCIPLE: Judging the motives of others is God’s role, not ours.
APPLICATION: We cannot judge motives of others, for that requires the capacity to see into their souls. Only God has that capacity. However, Christians can make objective evaluation about factual issues. No fair judge will hand down a determination until he has all the facts. If I see a tree with apples hanging from it and I call it an “apple tree,” that is not judging the tree; it is asserting a fact that the tree is an apple tree. If, on the other hand, I spot a tree in the distance and am unable to determine its bark or leaves or fruit but decide it is an apple tree, then I am being judgmental because I do not have the facts to make the judgment.
Since all of us sin, we do not have the right to be self-righteous. We view others through the lens of our own sinfulness. Acceptance of others does not infer that we condone their sin. Total approval of any and all sin violates God and His Word. We can discern their sin without judging their motive. God does not ask us to become jellyfish who flabbily yield to any and all viewpoints.
This passage does not forbid all judgment regardless of the facts. The Bible has many cases of legitimate judgment. We see some of these cases in the following:
1.    We judge with righteous judgment, Jn 7:24; Mt 7:16
2.    We judge spiritual things, 1 Co 2:15
3.    We judge unruly believers, 1 Th 5:14
4.    We judge carnal Christians, 1 Co 5:9-13
5.    We judge legal cases, 1 Co 6:1-8
6.    We judge doctrinal issues, 1 Co 14:29; 2 Co 11:4
Share

Matthew 6:33f

Published on May 21, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Matthew

 

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

 

6:33
Jesus comes to the climax of His argument. The kingdom is the ultimate focus for every believer.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
The kingdom of God is more important than our personal agenda. The idea of the kingdom is the main subject of the Sermon on the Mount. The kingdom is to be our controlling priority.
This verse picks up the same word for “seek” as in the last verse. “Seek” carries the idea of concentrating on, making the kingdom one’s highest priority. “Seek” is in the imperative mood and calls for burning attention to the kingdom. The grammar also indicates a constant seeking. The idea is to “Make the kingdom the center of your life.”
The word “first” itself indicates priority and is emphatic in the sentence. We put kingdom issues above everything else. The idea is to put material things second. Believers are not to allow themselves to become distracted by personal needs from God’s purpose for them.
God’s righteousness characterizes His kingdom. This is the kind of kingdom that believers are to pursue.
And all these things shall be added to you.
“All these things” are material things. This refers to the Father knowing what we need in verse 32. The word “added” indicates that God will meet our needs as a matter of course. “These things” are the necessities of life.
6:34
This verse gives us the seventh reason not to worry: Worry for more than what is at hand compounds worry.
Therefore
The idea of “therefore” draws a conclusion: “Since God meets the necessities of life, there is no need to be filled with anxiety. Seek pursuits of the kingdom freely.”
do not worry about tomorrow,
We are to exercise our faith on a daily basis. Worry is distrust in God.
This phrase is not a mandate against providing for the future or planning. However, it is a warning against fearful preoccupation with the future.
for tomorrow will worry about its own things.
Focus on tomorrow robs us of today. Tomorrow has its own problems. Worry for more than what is at hand compounds worry.
Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
We compound our problems by worrying about two days. One day’s trouble is enough to deal with. The idea is not to compound your troubles. Each day has its own set of problems. Why double our trouble?
Today is the tomorrow that we worried about yesterday. Each day that passes proves the worry of the previous day was unnecessary.
PRINCIPLE: Believers need to understand the hierarchy of priorities.
APPLICATION: It is very easy to become preoccupied with the material dimension of life. Jesus wants us to focus on the greater issue of His kingdom.
We need to put in priority the things of greatest value. Kingdom pursuits are of greater value than material pursuits. The issue is whether we are self-centered or God-centered. We cannot commit partially to kingdom issues.
Share

Matthew 6:31f

Published on May 21, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Matthew

 

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.

 

Jesus concluded His remarks on the futility of anxiety (6:31-34). The fifth reason for not allowing anxiety to control us is that it is characteristic of unbelief and the sixth reason is that it is characteristic of unbelievers.
6:31
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
Jesus challenged His followers not to live lives of anxiety. Anxiety manifests itself by questions indicated by “What.”
6:32
For after all these things the Gentiles seek.
Unbelieving Gentiles live in the world of anxiety about temporal things. Believers do not function like the lost. “Seek” indicates aggressive pursuit of financial issues autonomous from God.
This is the sixth argument against worry—anxiety is characteristic of non-believers.
For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Believers have a heavenly Father who meets our needs. God is more aware of our needs than we are. If He functions as a Father, He will meet our needs. Since He knows everything at every point, His capacity to meet our need is unlimited.
PRINCIPLE: Anxiety about material wealth is to live like the lost.
APPLICATION: It is unreasonable for a believer to establish the goal of anticipating every need. We would never know whether we have accumulated enough funds in our investments. “Who knows whether the market will collapse?” Obsession with material needs displaces our true purpose in life.
It is a pagan (Gentile) mode to live in anxiety about the necessities of life because it discounts God’s capacity of unlimited provision for our lives.
Share

Matthew 6:27f

Published on May 20, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Matthew

 

Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

 

The third argument against anxiety is that it is useless.
6:27
Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
Worry is futile. A shorter person by worry cannot add one cubit (length of forearm to the tip of the middle finger, approximately 18”) to his stature. Jesus spoke with hyperbole here. This is a totally unreasonable goal and is an exercise in extreme futility.
This phrase has the possibility of referring to adding time to one’s life.
6:28
The fourth argument against anxiety is that man’s being the crown of creation shows the futility of worry.
“So why do you worry about clothing?
The Lord takes up the issue of a basic need—clothing.
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
This is an argument from the lesser to the greater. Lilies cannot make clothes for themselves; they are uncultivated vegetation. The lesser (lilies) cannot compare to the greater provision of God’s clothing of a believer (v.30).
6:29
and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Neighboring nations viewed Solomon’s royal vestments as the standard of excellence, but even these garments were not as glorious as the lilies of the field. Solomon clothed himself, but the lilies did not clothe themselves.
6:30
Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,
God providentially provides for the temporal grass of the field.
will He not much more clothe you,
God guarantees clothing for followers of Christ far more than for insignificant grass in the field. If God gives abundantly to grass in the field, how much more will He do for man as the crown of creation?
O you of little faith?
The antithesis of anxiety is faith. Jesus spoke commonly of followers with “little faith” (Mt 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20). “Little faith” is failure to trust God in life’s situations.
PRINCIPLE: Anxiety is a form of unbelief.
APPLICATION: There is a worthlessness to worry. All the worry in the world does not benefit us. Anxiety and fretting does not add anything to the quality of our lives. Trust in God for basic needs is what God wants from us. Anxiety is a form of unbelief because it places the onus on us rather than on God.
Share

Matthew 6:25f

Published on May 20, 2008 in Matthew. 4 Comments
Read Introduction to Matthew

 

Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

 

6:25
This section of the Sermon on the Mount gives seven arguments against worry:
1.    If God gave life, He will sustain life, 6:25
2.    It is God’s nature to supply for His creatures, 6:26
3.    Worry is useless, 6:27
4.    Man as the crown of creation shows the futility of worry, 6:28-31
5.    Worry is characteristic of unbelievers, 6:32a
6.    God’s providential care shows there is no need for worry, 6:32b-33
7.    Worry for more than what is at hand compounds worry, 6:34
“Therefore I say to you,
The “therefore” draws a conclusion from the impossibility of dividing our service between two masters (v.24).
do not worry about your life,
The word “worry” is a compound word from two Greek words: part and to divide. Worry is dividing care into parts. Worry is the division of two objects: (1) Will the bad thing happen to me, or (2) will the good thing happen? Anxiety is suspension between two points. The idea is to be drawn in different directions at the same time. The person is not in either the bad or good area but in a state of suspension between the two. A better translation would be anxiety in this context.
What you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.
The argument here is not absolute. Jesus did not argue for irresponsibility in taking care of one’s family.
Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
This is an argument from the greater to the lesser. The words “more than” give an argument from the greater to the lesser (a fortiori). Life is of greater priority than meeting the mundane issues of daily living. “Life” means soul but here it carries the idea of self. Overemphasis on daily living will distort the priority of life.
Thus, Jesus’ first argument against worry is this: if God gave life, He will sustain life.
6:26
Jesus offered three illustrations of anxiety in verses 26 to 30.
·         How God cares for birds
·         How God cares for lilies
·         How God cares for grass
The first illustration is how God cares for birds.
Look at the birds of the air,
The birds of the air illustrate God’s providential care.
for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns;
Birds fly here and there seeking food but they do not grow their food or put food into storage.
yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
God providentially cares for birds.
Are you not of more value than they?
This is an argument from the lesser to the greater. Believers are of more value than birds. Since they are more valuable, God will care for them even more. Believers are dearer to God than creatures without souls.
The second argument against worry is that it is God’s nature to supply for His creatures. Believers are of more value than birds so He will care for us even more than them.
PRINCIPLE: Worry pulls us apart.
APPLICATION: Materialism gives a false sense of security. When it fails us, as when the stock market goes down, then we enter into an unsettled state. God wants us free from cantankerous care. He wants us free from the tyranny of necessity.
There is a contrast between worry and trust in God. Anxiety fails to understand God’s providence and care of the individual. Worry cannot make any change and it cannot help in coping with problems.
Share

Matthew 6:24

Published on May 10, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Matthew

 

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.

 

6:24
This verse puts a cap on verses 19 to 23, which speak of singleness of heart. Serving God is incompatible with materialism.
No one can serve two masters;
Slaves in the Roman Empire had no rights. Masters made absolute demands on their followers. Service or commitment to one master precludes loyalty to another because it involves exclusive thought and pursuit. 
for either he will hate the one and love the other,
“The other” implies distinction in quality rather than a numerical distinction. This is another of a different kind. If we have two masters, we cannot do justice to both. Hate and love are here expressions of absolute versus partial devotion.
or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.
The choice between God and mammon is mutually exclusive. We cannot serve both at the same time, so we must make a choice between the two. Divided loyalty is not an option. It is either God or materialism, but we cannot serve both.
You cannot serve God and mammon
The word “mammon” connotes wealth, property. The idea is what is stored up. If we choose materialism, we reject God. The overriding issue is unqualified devotion.
PRINCIPLE: It is impossible to serve God and materialism simultaneously.
APPLICATION: Different masters make different demands and we have to make a choice between masters. God expects undivided loyalty. Double-mindedness attempts to sit on the fence. God rejects this half-hearted commitment. Materialism will enslave us if we devote ourselves to it. There is no alternative to both/and; it is either/or. Either we serve materialism or God, not both. The believer must choose between competing loyalties.
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? Ro 6:16
There is nothing wrong with making money or holding possessions, but there is something wrong with making money our master.

 

Share

Matthew 6:22f

Published on May 10, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Matthew

 

The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of 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!

 

6:22
Verses 22 to 23 continue the thought of verses 19 through 21. However, Jesus changed the analogy from treasures to the eye.
“The lamp of the body is the eye.
The eye is the means of illumination for the body. The eye is not light itself but a way to see light. The soul has no inherent light, but it is the vehicle to receive light; it is the lamp, not the light. The eye is what makes sight doable. The eye here stands for spiritual understanding and attention.
If therefore your eye is good,
The word “good” is simple, clear, sound, undivided. Metaphorically it means singleness of purpose. This person can look directly at its object as opposed to seeing two objects at once. This is undivided purpose of a person who can form a single image of what he sees.
Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil. Pr 4:25-27
your whole body will be full of light.
God is the source of light.The person with a single eye sees things clearly. When the believer sees with God’s eyes, he sees with God’s viewpoint.
6:23
But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.
If the eye cannot see clearly, then the body operates with impaired vision.
If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Seeing incorrectly is worse than blindness. If we open our eyes in the dark of man’s viewpoint, darkness about God permeates our being.
PRINCIPLE: God’s viewpoint brings light to the whole person.
APPLICATION: If we cannot distinguish the highway from the waterway, we have a problem. A person with unmixed motives has a single motive to understand and please God. This floods light into his entire being.
The person with impaired spiritual vision sees some things in the will of God and some things out of the will of God. This is spiritual double vision. The spiritual state of our perception makes for significant orientation to God’s viewpoint and plan for our lives.
Share