Category Archives: Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

The Savior’s Sermon–Matthew 7:28,29

10 Sunday Oct 2010

Posted by in From the Pulpit, Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

 

Anyone who dies and goes to eternal judgment instead of eternal life does so because they deny Jesus, not because of the sins they committed.

 

[This sermon is one of a series entitled “Sermon on the Mount, Concentrating on the Beatitudes,” which is being preached on Sunday mornings by Pastor Tim Senter.  You may access previous messages from this chapter, which may be referenced in this message by clicking here.]

Last week we talked about laying a foundation in the solid rock of scripture and salvation in Christ as opposed to the foundation of shifting sand, which is relativism and man’s sociological musings. When we see two homes built on different foundations, we find that eventually one will crumble while the other will stand fast in the storms of challenge. When we look at scripture as a standard, and we search out the truths therein to apply them to our lives, through prayer we begin to bend our hearts more toward God and submit more readily to His instruction and desire in our lives. If we permit God to build the foundation, frame the home and even decorate it, we build a place that will withstand the challenges of the world. We do all this recognizing that sin will challenge the purity of God’s word and His precepts.

Many, if not most, do not realize that you are never truly independent. God is in control and His will will be done. Equally, Satan is a wicked and powerful being who is capable of influencing things around us, either positively or negatively. Satan has the power to “bless” and help, as well as to destroy and hurt. This sets up a very wicked paradox for people to figure out. The only way we can absolutely find the source of a blessing is to ask whether the blessing came from a godly source. If you are experiencing blessings for committing sins, be assured it is not God blessing you. God permits trials in life to strengthen and instruct us while Satan uses them only to destroy.

Satan is on the prowl to devour any Christian he can get his hands on. He will do anything to pull people away from God, including giving them a sense of independence or self-reliance. He will seem to bestow blessings as well as curse the lives of people to accomplish his wickedness. A home built on a shaky foundation may look beautiful. Satan can build it to look just like a godly home. However, it is easy prey for the wise deceiver. Most deception comes in the form of pride, and that pride is mostly the result of the question, “Why can’t I do what I want to do?” The truth (what is accepted by the world) is that you can do whatever you want within the laws of society. However, the godly believer asks, “Have you searched the scriptures, sought counsel from godly folks and submitted yourself to those things to find what God would have you do? Is that addition to your home godly or a deception of Satan?” Continue reading →

Advertisements

Foundations: Sand or Rock (Mt. 7:24-27)

03 Sunday Oct 2010

Posted by in From the Pulpit, Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

[This sermon is one of a series entitled “Sermon on the Mount, Concentrating on the Beatitudes,” which is being preached on Sunday mornings by Pastor Tim Senter.  You may access previous messages from this chapter, which may be referenced in this message by clicking here.]

Where one looked at the surroundings and determined that the river right next to his home may very well rise and become a problem in stormy seasons, the other just looked at the river as a thing of beauty and thought nothing of how it could change in this sin cursed world.

Last week we looked at three things: God’s will as opposed to our will; the defense of our flavor or kind of Christianity as opposed to God’s requirement for entrance into Heaven; and what we expect versus the reality set forth by God. When we considered these things, the conclusion must be that Christ –nothing more – is sufficient for entry into Heaven. We found no ceremony, no community service, no inherently good thing in us and certainly no sense that we work off any bad things we have ever done in last week’s study. The only way we get through the narrow gate of verse 13 is through Christ’s salvation, accepted in its full glory. That is quite liberating if you think about it.

It is the practice of man to say, essentially if it is going to be right, I am going to do it. This is much like the “ends justifies the means” attitude that throws the rules out as long as one gets results in the process. With respect to eternal life, what we find in these passages is a discrediting and disproving of this philosophy. When it comes to entering a kingdom we have no control over, we have never seen and we are given specific guidelines to enter, we must submit to the rules. Scripture is replete with statements concerning our works alone not being good enough (Ps 51:16-17; Eph 2: 8-9; Titus 3:5). Face it, man can never be good enough and that reality is the point. Actually, man knows it, but his pride gets in the way of admitting it.

We all need to change – to be Christlike. That is the goal of the Christian. He, the Savior, knows far better than we do how to live. Further, the Holy Spirit who inspired scripture, God the Father who planned it all and is in charge of it all, and Christ, the Son of God, who created it all and died for us all, –live in Heaven. They not only know what it takes to be there, they also make the rules that we must follow to get there. When it comes to entering Heaven, the scriptures are the only thing we should listen to. No man knows.  Only God knows.

Today we finish our study of the sermon proper when we look at verses 24 through 27 of Matthew chapter 7. As Jesus wraps up His exposition with this illustration, so too, must we incorporate all His teachings when we consider these verses. We have made this a practice throughout; therefore it should be no new exercise for you to consider all that was before as we look at the foundations of existence in Heaven, and whether you make yours out of shifting sand or solid rock. Continue reading →

Does He Know You? (Matthew 7:21-23)

25 Saturday Sep 2010

Posted by in From the Pulpit, Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

[This sermon is one of a series entitled “Sermon on the Mount, Concentrating on the Beatitudes,” which is being preached on Sunday mornings by Pastor Tim Senter.  You may access previous messages from this chapter, which may be referenced in this message by clicking here.]

Last week we finished an extensive discussion about good and bad fruit. My prayer is that you do seek to assess your fruit regularly. Here are a series of questions you could ask yourself in an effort to perform that self-analysis, a systems check if you will. We will walk down through the Beatitudes and develop questions that are opposite the Kingdom saint to illustrate how we should be changing.

  • Have I displayed pride, arrogance or an air of superiority in anything that would detract from what I am supposed to be, which is a poor spirit?
  • Have I displayed angry, haughty, hateful or unbiblical/wicked activity, attitudes or behaviors in my life because someone has wronged me? This, opposed to mourning because of the wickedness of man.
  • Have I communicated a self-reliant spirit to others, braggadocio or simply been cocky or a tough guy/gal pushing to get what I want? Am I inflexible and un-teachable rather than being meek?
  • Have I forsaken time in God’s word, praying, fellowshipping or worshipping with God’s people for personal time, my hobbies, my desires or to fulfill my own wants, as opposed to hungering and thirsting for righteousness?
  • Have I presumed the worst of people, accused them (whether true or not), questioned the character of others or in some way impugned them, publicly or privately, when I know I am supposed to be merciful?
  • Have I just reasoned through broad presumptions, given God only cursory consideration, or thought through some basic Christian principles and developed my own conclusions about life, rather than seeking to purify my heart through an honest and thorough study of the scriptures?
  • Have I promoted reveling, do I go on a rampage, develop negative testimonies, hurt people with my words, actions or behaviors, or am I a peacemaker?
  • Have I suffered persecution, been derided, received ridicule or been belittled for my faith in Christ, or am I accepted by everyone around me as just another “good” person? Do I present a light in the sea of darkness, or am I gray and indistinguishable?

If we still do the negative things, we are growing rotten fruit, the fruit of the world. We have a Savior to help us change these behaviors.  God loves us. The question is, are you letting Christ influence you or the world and the things they accept? I pray you all realize that good fruit exhibits the positive side of these questions, meaning:

  • A poor spirit recognizes its lost and bankrupt position.
  • Kingdom saints mourn because of personal sins, and the sins of man.
  • The meekness never self-promotes or considers one’s self more important than another.
  • There is a hunger and thirst for righteousness that is quenched only with a consistent feeding and drinking of the pure word of God.
  • Christians have a mercy that never thinks evil of another, but always attempts to forgive others while facing the truth.
  • The pure of heart studies the scriptures and shuns wickedness, sin, evil or worldliness.
  • The Kingdom saint makes peace among fellow man regardless of raised emotions or passions of anger.
  • Ultimately, we suffer persecution in whatever form because we are distinguishable as Christians. Continue reading →

Fruit: Good and Bad (Matthew 7:17-21)

11 Saturday Sep 2010

Posted by in From the Pulpit, Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

[This sermon is one of a series entitled “Sermon on the Mount, Concentrating on the Beatitudes,” which is being preached on Sunday mornings by Pastor Tim Senter.  You may access previous messages from this chapter, which may be referenced in this message by clicking here.]

At first glance this section of the scriptures (vv15-23) seems to have either a few different divisions, or is one solid paragraph. If we take the entire sermon into our perspective, we get a far better picture. We must keep forefront in our minds that this sermon primarily describes Kingdom saints. From the Beatitudes, to loving our enemies, through how we pray and on to even other more individual worship such as fasting, Kingdom saints do not just portray themselves as living spiritual, they actually do live life spiritually. Jesus turns to a discussion about false prophets – a warning if you will. He wants us to become Kingdom saints but He is fully aware that there are wicked ones out there who desire to pull believers away from the Kingdom through deception. Satan is more active in the world today even than he was then. Make no mistake, Jesus knows this.

This wickedness, the propensity for man to deceive, is driven by his desire to be accepted (part of both Eve first, then Adam’s sin) or to dominate. This desire to be in the crowd coupled with a belief that if you can reason through something, it is acceptable is part of what we discuss today. This has been much of the discussion of our Lord since Matthew 6:25 – that we sin almost inadvertently and these sins are at times indicators that we simply do not know the Savior as we claim to know Him. We must be weary of our own hearts even more so than we should point to others (judgmentalism and beam/mote again). In fact, we must be wary of our own hearts when we find ourselves considering others’.

In that light, any negative descriptions in the scripture would imply those not worthy of entry into God’s kingdom. Yes, the words “worthy of entry” are purposeful although they may be painful to some. The truth is that no one who denies the Son is worthy of entry into the kingdom. This means denial in any form. The form of denial we most concern ourselves with today is that the Lord is necessary for our salvation because we are wicked. We are pointed to His sufficiency. The true Christian knows their true and complete capability for wickedness. They will honestly admit the things they have contemplated understanding that this contemplation made them capable of that sin. Therefore, the saved soul is fully aware of their personal capability to sin and the absolute need for a Savior. This base truth will show itself in the true testimonies of the true Christian in life – meekness and humility. Continue reading →

Deception is Rampant–Matthew 7:15,16

08 Wednesday Sep 2010

Posted by in From the Pulpit, Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Child of God – I beg you to soften the granite that beats in your chest.

[This sermon is one of a series entitled “Sermon on the Mount, Concentrating on the Beatitudes,” which is being preached on Sunday mornings by Pastor Tim Senter.  You may access previous messages from this chapter, which may be referenced in this message by clicking here.]

Last week we talked about the great differences between the straight and wide gates, the straight and wide paths. I pray you realized that the wide path is no path at all and the wide gate really has no closure to it. We could almost envision this as a straight, narrow path leading in one direction to a narrow gate amid the throng. The gate the throng will enter is wide and unrestricted; so much so that there appears no gate at all, simply a mass of people flowing toward destruction. This mass fills the areas on both sides of the narrow path and rounds the end of the narrow path at its beginning. The Christian steps on the narrow path at salvation and walks that path through sanctification. Though many begin their walk on the path early in life; there are entry points closer to the narrow gate for those saved later in life.

Another aspect of the path is that individuals who do not belong there can get on the path with true Christians. They ask for help, climb up on the path, then walk along the path but attempt to change everyone and everything around them that is on the path to make themselves feel better about their own sins. Eventually, they either jump back off the path arrogantly thinking they can get on and off anytime they desire, or they continue to disrupt the flow of the path and when they get to the narrow gate, they hear four words: “I never knew you.” In scripture, there are many dynamics to this path but the dynamics that represent this deceptive group are those which we will address today.

Though many would say you are either on the path or not, we must contend that this is not entirely true. As we just noted, you can be on the path but attempting to pull people off of the path into the throng headed for the wide gate. There are also people in the throng reaching out to the people on the path and attempting to grab their feet, trip them up or pull them down off of the path into the throng.

I believe another aspect of the narrow path is that although it is straight, it is not necessarily level. By that I mean there are some things on the path that may correlate to some things that happen in the world. After all, He who created the narrow path also created the world that was ruined by our sin. This means that there are times when the narrow path may rise far above the throng. It also can undulate down to levels almost in tandem with the throng. Morality and business ethics are good examples of this undulation. Christians are called to be moral people and the world has some sense of morality that is celebrated. Make no mistake; there is still clear distinction between the narrow path and the vast area off of the path, even at the points where the two seem to be at the same level. I believe these are points of great danger when we see individuals at almost an equal level with those on the narrow path. We have to wonder…why are they not on the path, if they are so close to it.

This has all been a great exercise in imagery, true. That is the image the Lord Jesus paints for us in this section of scripture. After He tells us there are two different types of people, either believers or unbelievers, and nothing in between; He tells us there are many who will claim faith and never have it. They will attempt to teach their kind of faith, but never really exhibit true faith. There are those on the path who will try to deceive others into thinking they belong there, but they are secretively scheming against those people on the path, the leaders Jesus has placed in their charge and even Jesus Himself. These are wicked people. Continue reading →

Access to God–Matthew 7:13,14

01 Wednesday Sep 2010

Posted by in From the Pulpit, Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Ignorance has never buttoned the lips of the foolish; it has always loosened them.

[This sermon is one of a series entitled “Sermon on the Mount, Concentrating on the Beatitudes,” which is being preached on Sunday mornings by Pastor Tim Senter.  You may access previous messages from this chapter, which may be referenced in this message by clicking here.]

In opening this message, we should recognize we are moving from one concept in our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount to another. Most commentators agree that the separation at verse 13 represents a shift in proposition. We just finished a section concerning judgmentalism and judgment. There is probably no better summation than the one provided by Lloyd Jones:

“His [Jesus’] object of this sermon, as we have seen, is to bring Christian people to realize first of all their nature, their character as a people, and then to show them how they are to manifest that nature and character in their daily life. Our Lord, the Son of God, has come from heaven to earth in order to found and establish a new kingdom, the kingdom of heaven. He comes into the midst of the kingdoms of this world, and His purpose is to call out a people unto Himself from the world and to form them into a kingdom. Therefore it is essential that He should make it quite plain and clear that this kingdom He has come to establish is entirely different from anything that the world has ever known, that it is to be the kingdom of God, the kingdom of light, the kingdom of heaven. His people must realize that it is something unique and separate; so He gives them a description of it. We have been working through that description. We have looked at His general portrait of the Christian in the Beatitudes. We have listened to Him telling these people that, because they are that kind of person, the world will react to them in a particular way; it will probably dislike them and persecute them. Nevertheless they are not to segregate themselves from the world and become monks or hermits; they are to remain in society as salt and light. They are to keep society from putrefaction and from falling to pieces, and they are to be its light; that light, apart from which the world remains in a state of gross darkness.”[i]

Now our Lord tells us to apply what we have learned. This is not just, “Have you heard me?” It is instead, “Now, get on with the Lord’s business.” We should ask ourselves if we, who call ourselves intellectual, or commonsensical or just plain moral people, supposed to just hear how scripture describes the people in the Kingdom of God? Or are we supposed to act upon what we hear? Are we supposed to do something? Are we just supposed to sit here in the pews and be in church to put our time in? Or are we called to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind”(Rom 12:2)? Our hearts are supposed to exhibit “the fruit of the Spirit [which] is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Gal 5:22). Christians exhibit these things because we are not “conformed to this world,” because “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Rom 12:2; Gal 5:24). We are Christlike because we are Christians. We are not Christians because we act Christlike. Continue reading →

Summing the Proper Attitude–Matthew 7:12

19 Thursday Aug 2010

Posted by in From the Pulpit, Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

[This sermon is one of a series entitled “Sermon on the Mount, Concentrating on the Beatitudes,” which is being preached on Sunday mornings by Pastor Tim Senter.  You may access previous messages from this chapter, which are referenced in this message by clicking here.]

Last week we considered bread and stones. We looked at fish and serpents. We thought about eggs and scorpions. The conclusion we came to was that our heavenly Father will provide us good things to give to others that need them. He will give us these good things because we ask for them. In turn, we are to give these same good things to others who ask us for them.

We probably should mention something here that I am not confident we covered at all last week. Although in dealing with individuals and their problems we may truly desire to help, we tend to often look at them in comparison to ourselves, and our success or failures. We tend to see things only through our own eyes, our own perspective. What we should understand is that a consistent theme in all of the passages from Matthew 7:1 through 11 and even (especially) in today’s verse is to look at things from a biblical perspective, not a personal one. Many times we are encouraged to see things from another person’s perspective. In this case, we are encouraged to consider our personal perspective first as compared to scripture. We need to be careful that this is not a haughty legalism, but a loving compassion. This personal consideration, though, is not a filter, but more of a sensor that opens and shuts two valves. It should not be something we run things through to purify them. There should be a valve that releases the good things and re-routes all the bad stuff. We are given this sensor when we are saved. The sensor is the Holy Spirit who lives within us. If we seek His face, look for His guidance, and ask Him how we can best testify of Christ in us He will tell us.

Matthew 7 and verse 12 is a very commonsensical summation of Jesus teachings in this section. This is that “golden rule”: Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. We have applied the scriptures in this chapter very specifically in context as we studied through them. We will endeavor to apply this scripture in the same fashion.

This is a small tidbit of history that I thought you would appreciate. A gentleman named James Cash Penney (1875-1971) was a preacher’s kid born in Hamilton, Missouri. His father was a Baptist pastor of a small church in his hometown. Failing in health, Penney moved to Colorado, where for a short time he established a butcher store. Though this venture failed, his next business did not. After the butcher shop failed, he bought a partnership in a store in Wyoming. Soon, the store was doing well and he decided to expand establishing other stores in the state. He based his philosophy off of our verse today, Matthew 7:12, and called them the “Golden Rule Stores.” This store chain was so popular that it was one of the world’s largest merchants of its time, having over 1,700 stores. J. C. Penney was a humble servant who poured his heart out upon those around him, always seeking to do unto the customer as he would have done unto him. Continue reading →

Prayerful Love for Others–Matthew 7:9-11

11 Wednesday Aug 2010

Posted by in From the Pulpit, Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

[This sermon is one of a series entitled “Sermon on the Mount, Concentrating on the Beatitudes,” which is being preached on Sunday mornings by Pastor Tim Senter.]

Last week we talked about asking, seeking and knocking. We saw “asking” in Matthew 7:7 (sermon here) tied to the changes our hearts must make to glorify the Lord in our lives and in our spirits. We found “seeking” to be a Christian’s desire to change for Christ where he would actively and purposefully pursue purity. Finally, when we looked at “knocking” we found that the door on which we knock may not be ready for us to enter. This develops for a number of reasons. First we may need to go back to ask and seek again – we need to change. Second, we may need to be patient on the Lord and wait for His timing and preparation. Third, we may find we walk through the door not only to help others, but also to further sanctify ourselves. We should recognize that there is no promise to change what is on the other side of the door. The promise is that the door will be opened. There is no promise tied to what will be revealed.

On the heels of this direction and hope for change, we find specific examples as to why asking results in receiving, seeking results in finding and knocking results in opening. Jesus tells us of the motivation of the Father in dealing with the changes we must undergo. We are encouraged that we too should have this motivation – to change and to care for others in their need to change.

In Matthew 7:9 we find Jesus using a little irony to make his point. This is not the only time this is used in scripture by our Savior. We find other examples of this in Luke 6:39 where Jesus makes the point that the blind cannot lead the blind. We also find this in a rather convicting passage, later in Luke 6, verse 46. Jesus says, “And why call me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” Ironically, many of us refer to Jesus as “the Lord” Jesus Christ but we struggle to implement His teachings in our lives. Jesus uses irony, therefore, to depict many of the most serious tenets of Christianity – namely submission, obedience to Him and to the Word of God.

I found the following illustration very interesting. Although it applies somewhat to last week, and probably more specifically to another message, its application is universal enough to apply even here.

Wallace E. Johnson once said,

“I always keep on a card in my billfold the following verses and refer to them frequently: Ask and it shall be given you: seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you: for everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened (Matt 7:7-8).

“These verses are among God’s greatest promises. Yet, they are a little one-sided. They indicate a philosophy of receiving but not of giving. One day as my wife, Alma, and I were seeking God’s guidance for a personal problem, I came across the following verse which has since been a daily reminder to me of what my responsibility as a business is to God: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15).

“Since then I have measured my actions against the phrase: A workman that needeth not be ashamed.”

Mr. Johnson was the President of Holiday Inns from its inception (began in his plumbing shed in 1953), until he became Vice President Emeritus in 1979.

I find this applicable today because without proper application, the verses from last week do appear to be one sided. We are looking for things for ourselves, even though they are changes in the heart. We also appear to be looking for these changes only so we can knock on a door of opportunity. When we look at our scriptures for this week, we find an illustration of why we have these great promises. In Mr. Johnson’s case, he found a dedication to properly understand and divide the word of God to address a personal problem. In our case, we should find a dedication to properly apply the changes in our hearts such that we can give others the best that Christ in us has to offer. Continue reading →

Prayerful Sanctification in His Will–Matthew 7:7,8

03 Tuesday Aug 2010

Posted by in From the Pulpit, Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

[This sermon is one of a series entitled “Sermon on the Mount, Concentrating on the Beatitudes,” which is being preached on Sunday mornings by Pastor Tim Senter.]

Last week we discussed the dog and the swine. Before that, we talked of the beam in one eye compared to the speck in another. We identified a speck as possibly being the remnants of a beam. There is one spiritual application of this that we should all understand. Any unbeliever that tells a believer how to live has a beam in their eye. The believer may very well have beams too, but unbeliever’s lost condition is a beam that regularly beats the believer in the face. Whether dog, swine or just needing the gospel to be converted, the unbeliever has a beam that regularly disrupts the life of the believer.

Another aspect of this analogy that we did not cover is that Jesus is talking about a singular beam and speck focused upon a specific challenge. Truly, if we looked at our lives objectively and compared them to scripture, we would have enough Douglas fir sticking out of our face to build a new three-story log cabin. None of us has just one beam or even one type of beam. Further, none of us has just one speck, if we have a speck. Many misconstrue their personal beams as specks. Only in the spiritual world can a bit of saw dust become a 2x12x16 pressure treated (to make it long lasting, we would not want it to deteriorate in our eye now would we, that would be annoying) floor joist. We so often find this happens though when dealing with our worldliness. We can make a mountain out of a molehill without really trying at all.

Today we move to a solution to these problems. We find ourselves faced with several questions:

  • How do we judge not?
  • How do we deal properly with others?
  • How do we not make that speck into a beam?
  • How do we identify the dog and swine?
  • How do we distinguish them from the rest of the world?

The answer to all of these things, in a nutshell, is something so simple that no one ever does it in earnest. Everyone fails at it. No one really has a prayer life like Polycarp who is said to have had deep calluses on his knees. We pray. Continue reading →

Discernment is Necessary–Matthew 7:6

28 Wednesday Jul 2010

Posted by in From the Pulpit, Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

[This sermon is one of a series entitled “Sermon on the Mount, Concentrating on the Beatitudes,” which is being preached on Sunday mornings by Pastor Tim Senter.]

"Christians are spiritual beings. The rest of the world is not."

Introspection is a great thing when applied in a Christlike manner. When we look at ourselves through the prism of our Savior, we find that any light beam that emanates from us is tainted with black specks. Some of the light beams in fact may only emit dark hues of barely distinguishable color. That is why we need Jesus. If we see light beams from other believers that tend toward the darker side, we must approach this knowing the darkness we emanate as well.

We last discussed the issues dealing with introspection and identifying sins within ourselves before attempting to help others deal with theirs. Let me just say that the best way to help a beloved Christian brother or sister is through a testimony on how you yourself overcame a specific sin with the Lord. I pray you realize that when you have come through a difficult time your brother or sister can benefit from that – but only when it is conveyed in love. If you have come through a trying time, or a time of great sinful behavior where through the Lord you were delivered and not destroyed, that is a very comforting thing for others to know. However, it may just be a small speck or splinter and if you approach the situation inappropriately, you run the risk of making it a beam in the eye of another. You have a testimony, that is wonderful, and testimonies normally help others. The best testimony given to others in the wrong attitude or with an improper heart can hurt more than help. When a testimony is not desired, one should not give it. This is the road Jesus takes us down today.

Look at Matthew 7:6 please. Many wonder how this verse is connected to those above. Redactors[i] would say this is a break in the traditional recounting that was modified. However, with careful and proper application of the teachings in verses 1 through 5 we begin to understand the connection in verse six.

At first this scripture seems completely disconnected from the previous discussion. However, considering carefully what came before, this is further warning to be discerning, make the most of your witness and testimony. Trust your spirit which is under the influence of the Holy Spirit within you.

You may not have an opportunity to witness to someone as you think you should. I know I have waited with baited breath to say something to an individual and could not steer the conversation in the proper direction to save my life. I have purposefully gone to places and begun a conversation on spiritual things only to find that the individual was antagonistic, un-teachable or just as negative as they might possibly be. I have stood in doorways, on street corners and side walks talking to people with a clear and focused mind only to find that when the opportunity came about, the words left my mind without ever reaching my lips. I have also met stern and almost virulent criticism or ridicule for sharing Christ with people. All we have to say is, “Jesus died for your sins” and sometimes we cannot even get that out without a profane diatribe in retort.

As mentioned above, one must discern when their testimony will be beneficial or when it will be mocked, derided and ignored. There are times still when our testimony may fall prey to one of these wicked things by some, but others in the crowd may see it for what it is, purely of Christ (this assumes that the testimony is exactly that – of Christ). Continue reading →