Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.           "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you; leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth; you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”  Matthew 5:19-26

        So this morning I hope to challenge all of us to “step up to the plate” and determine to be exactly what God has called us to be. The end result, of course will be much more joy and satisfaction than you have ever enjoyed in life.  In listening to a football game recently the commentator was talking about all of the injuries one man had suffered. But the player was standing on the sidelines, leaning on a pair of crutches, wishing he was back in the game. He did not think he was suffering. He knew that aches and pains are part of playing college football.

I like the story of the wealthy man that lived in the mountains in the 1800s. The only transportation available for his family was by horse and carriage. Needing a new driver, he advertised for help. As he narrowed the field of candidates he had one final question.

       “How close can you get to the edge of the road without going over the cliff?”

       The first man said, “Two feet.” The second candidate did not want to be outdone, so he said, “One foot.” The third man really wanted the job, so he said “Eight to ten inches.”

         All eyes were on the fourth man. He responded, “I have no idea how close I can get. I plan to stay as far away from the edge as I can get.” He got the job!

          So, since we believe that the Bible is truly the word of God, then let’s set out to obey all of it! Instead of wondering what we can get by with, let’s see how close to God we can get... both in thought and in action!

  When God sent Samuel to Jesse to look for a son that he could anoint as the man to replace King Saul, Samuel looked at Jesse’s oldest son that was tall, dark and handsome and thought, “Ah! Here is the man!” However the Lord spoke to Samuel and said, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

        As we serve the Lord we should never think that Jesus allows any of us to trifle with any of God’s commands. Jesus obeyed them all, and he wants us to do the same.

“Oh,” we say, “but I want to do it my way. I don’t think all of those things are necessary.” Sorry, but that is not the way it works. Close fellowship with God demands obedience. Even Jesus said, “On my own, I can do nothing!”

We cannot be saved without repenting of our sin. Salvation is more than agreeing that Jesus is the Son of God. It is obedience to God’s commands. Rather it is in submitting to Him in all areas of our lives.

Please understand that Christian maturity is a long process. Babies do not mature overnight, and new converts do not become instantly mature Christians.

We who live under the New Testament Covenant think we have it easier than the Old Testament saints. In many ways we do because the Holy Spirit dwells in us. However, Jesus raised the standard. He said, “Unless our righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees we will not enter into heaven.” (My paraphrase.)

The Pharisees interpreted rule-keeping as righteousness. Certainly that helps.  However, rule-keeping will not save us. It is the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

       Jesus taught us that the obedience must come from the heart and overflow into action.  The Jewish teachers watered down the word of God by teaching that nothing except actual murder was forbidden. (In doing so they took away the spiritual significance.)

Jesus showed the full meaning of this commandment. This is how we will be judged at the end of our lives!  All irrational, out-of-control anger is heart murder.

The word “Raca,” is a scornful word, and comes from a heart full of pride: “You fool,” or “you empty-headed fool” is a spiteful word, spoken from hatred.

To maliciously slander (gossip, use negative implications) against someone is to use a poison that kills secretly and slowly. Jesus tells us that unless we repent of such sins, we will be called into judgment for them.

We should carefully preserve Christian love and peace with all Christians even if they do not meet our personal standards.

Yes, now and then there may be an occasional quarrel. The early church had problems like that. But we do not have to sin every day in word or deed.

When we sin against someone, we should confess our fault, humble ourselves to the other person, and do whatever is necessary to restore peace and harmony. This should be done quickly; because, until this is done, we are unfit to take communion!

Anytime we are preparing to lead in worship, teach a class or preach, we should spend time in spiritual preparation and self-examination.

Getting angry at someone will not send us to hell for murder.  However, the anger will destroy the effectiveness of your prayer life.  It will take the joy out of your life, and may cause severe health problems.

Have you noticed the two verses that follow the Lord’s Prayer? “If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

Matthew 6:15 “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” 

Matthew 5:23, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

Next Jesus tells us to learn to get along with our adversary.

To paraphrase Matthew Henry, “Victory over the desires of the heart must be taken care of even though doing so causes us pain. However, it must be done. Everything God teaches us is to save us from our sins, not in them. All our senses and powers must be kept from those things that cause us to sin.

“Anyone that leads others into temptation to sin, by dress or in other ways, or leave them in it, or expose them to it, makes themselves guilty of their sin, and will be accountable for it.”

          The Christian life is not self-centered, rather it is Jesus-centered. When we arrive at that part of life then we can truly appreciate the hymn that says, “It is Joy Unspeakable and Full of Glory.”

          Not surprisingly, some people argue against the concept, “It’s not about you.” And perhaps they are right. All I know is that this pastor is miserable if he cannot serve others. My guess is that you feel the same way!

Thoughts from CS Lewis:

"To love at all is to be vulnerable.  Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal.  Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.  But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change.  It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable."

"There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.' "