Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Jesus says there is no "easy divorce."

Consider this: the "easiest" way to get out of a marriage is DEATH.  That means that everything else is MORE DIFFICULT than death.

Why is divorce so hard?  Well, here is the principle that it is founded upon. GOD DOES THE JOINING.  Yes, there are relational bonds, dna bonds (children), financial bonds, companionship bonds, and sexual bonds.  But the big bond is marriage is not given by the bride, the groom, the parents, or the pastor/priest/judge/ship captain.  It is given BY GOD.  God does the joining.  God does the joining.  God does the joining.

If so, then breaking that God- given joining is not lightly done.  Thanks for listening.  Share this podcast with someone who knows divorce is hard.

Osteosarcoma is a nasty bone tumor that grows aggressively, spreads aggressively, and basically it aggressively wants to kill you.  Similarly, little old lust has the same pattern. So rather than a response of, "It's no big deal. Everybody does it. I'm OK", today's passage sounds a loud alarm.

Everybody you meet today is going to be wrestling with this issue.  Certainly, if it is in our power, we would do best to consider how my behavior can best help my neighbor.  But the meat of the passage is the PERSONAL RISK that is at stake by letting this cancer go unchecked.  First, call it a cancer.  It is not ok.  It is not to be ignored. Second, be ready for some radicalness in treatment.  That is, this cancer is SO BAD, that even surgery is required many times.  Why so radical?  To save your life.  To save from judgement.

The passage today reeks of COMPASSION, even though it mentions HELL twice.  It is a warning:  Get this right so that you DON'T end up in judgement.  Help each other if you can.  Ask for the Lord's help too.  Share this site and podcast.  Try to find someone who doesn't deal with this issue.  Good luck with that.

Looking can lead to looking with lustful intent.  This is bad because it is equated with adultery. Who says so?  Jesus is clarifying the 10 commandmentsin his sermon on the mount.  We understand this to be so because He says so, and He is the author of the Old and New Testament truths.  

Adultery is taking something that is not yours to take. This may be someone else's spouse or their future spouse.  Adultery is receiving something that was not theirs to give.  This may be someone else's spouse or their future spouse.  Though we have this wonderful, God-created and God-given sexuality, we are not free to do just any and everything with it.  We have sexual agency within the created purpose.

If lustful intent leads to adultery, let's just consider some of the consequences of adultery.  It leads to destroyed families; losing the respect of your children; losing the trust of your spouse; breaking your word and vow before friends and family; losing positions of trust in your neighborhood and church; financial ruin; the end of marriage; further loneliness and ironically, sexual isolation.  It is short term pleasure for long term harm.

Obviously, none of this is good.  Let's work hard to replace lustful intent with loving intent! Subscribe right after that at bewithme.us. 
 

You won't like this lesson on anger anymore than yesterday's.  He goes all practical on us and reminds us that stuck human relationships can result in a stuck relationship with God.  He tells us that ongoing anger is equal to ongoing MURDER.  So, He doesn't want it in His church. Or, at least He wants us to major on the major and go first and fix our MURDER problem before coming to worship.  He feels quite urgent about the topic.  Why don't we?

He deeply cares about our relationships with each other.  Maybe you are saying, "my relationship with God just isn't going anywhere."  If so, just consider this as a source.  Perhaps there is a stuck human relationship that He has asked you to go and reconcile.  Let's say that you have said NO to God about this and love your anger towards this person more than obedience.  Do you think that God is going to have a boatload of other sweet revelations of Himself to you while you have said a vehement NO to the last thing He said to you?  Probably not.  See how one might get stuck with GOD because of getting stuck with a PERSON?

Consider your relationships today.  Be of courage if some reconciling might need to take place.  Think of your unhindered worship that may be before you after you fix it!  Share this podcast. Like this podcast.  Subscribe to this podcast.  You won't hate every little message. ;-) 

Listening to this podcast for 7 minutes will probably make you angry.  I'm angry that the Lord lowers the bar of murder all the way down to anger.  Specifically MY ANGER.  But I LIKE being angry sometimes.  I LIKE calling people names.  I LIKE wreaking havoc with my mouth every now and then.  I have always been like this.  I don't want to change.  

Here is something you won't like:  We are LIABLE for our anger, verbal abuse and name calling.  That is, someday we will be rightly accused about it, and an answer will be required.  You will not have an answer for that requirement.  Then judgement will ensue and we'll have nothing to say about it. Or...

We can use our power now.  We can ask for help.  We can acknowledge our tongue.  We can change.  We can deliver a soft answer.  We can respond gently.  We can hold back the single harsh word, and the 1000 harsh words that follow it.  We are probably going to need some help.  

Jesus says that if you don't do this task, you will NEVER enter the Kingdom of God.  We probably should pay pretty close attention to that task.

What is it? Being BETTER in keeping all the Old Testament laws than the current world record holders of that sport: the Pharisees.  In fact Jesus says that even THEY don't make it.  The line exceeds what they accomplish.  In fact, it is perfection.  Good luck with that.  So, though the Bible reveals all kinds of divine character, it also has a check list that nobody has ever met, until Jesus came.

So the very point of the Bible is that you CANNOT meet its criteria.  Nobody keeps kosher, so to speak.  We all fall short.  We all end up bereft if we put our eggs in the basket of earning.  Jesus says we could NEVER do it.  That is the sharp point of the Bible.  

But wait, there is good news.  We got a Guy who met all the requirements perfectly and is ready to have us climb on His back by faith. Come back tomorrow and let's learn some more stuff about Him.  Meantime, subscribe on PlayerFM, Deezer, TuneIn+Alexa, Podchaser, Pocketcast Index, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Today in 7 minutes we assess our characteristics, our location and our purpose. We are to be a shiny, influential, purposeful person and group of people.  We are to be using our gifts and using them in the right way and in the right location.

Today we look at ourselves via pictures of a CITY, a LAMP, and a bit of SALT.  You just gotta love Jesus.  Then we look at the place, the LOCATION of these influences.  Finally, we see if we are hitting the goal of glory.

There is a charge today to get shining, serving, teaching, mentoring, singing, giving, feeding, being faithful, and encouraging.   Use the gifts He's given, in the right places, for the glory of...

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On the first day of the High School my kids went to, the seniors greeted the incoming freshman buses.  They cheered and encouraged the incoming freshmen.  Basically, they said, "you can do this...be encouraged...you can walk this walk...you can take the hardships...the reward is great!" It was a gauntlet of encouragement.  So are the beatitudes.  This is the final line.

You are not the first.  You are not alone.  Your difficulties are well known to those who have gone before.  Your hardships are seen by the Lord.  A kingdom is coming and you are going to be a part of it.  It is OK now, but it is going to be really great in the end.  This is all part of being in His family.  You got adopted in and there are a few trials.  I will be with you, just like I was with the prophets before you.

You are getting a kingdom and a reward.  Represent Him! You are part of His family and will receive an inheritance of a whole lotta Him. Get some eternal perspective.  It is all worth it. Others did it before you, and you can do it well too.  Be encouraged.  Be steadfast!

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The beatitudes are a little crazy.  They say that I am BLESSED if somebody REVILES me.  That is, they use the harshest verbal attacks possible.  The modifier is that my representation and reflection of Jesus' characteristics is such that it is not really an attack against ME, but against HIM.  It is for His sake.

He tells us how to respond to REVILING in 1 Peter 2: 21-23.  He suffered in exactly this way and leaves us an UNDERWRITING, or an example.  We are supposed to exactly TRACE over the example of Jesus when we are reviled.  So don't keep us waiting, how did Jesus do it?

Here is the problem:  we are going to be tempted to do exactly the WRONG thing.  We are going to be be tempted to return-revile-fire in the worst way possible.  We are going to want to respond OUTSIDE when He shows us by example the INSIDE response.  He wants us to keep our mouths shut and ENTRUST.

Persecution=Purchase, Possession & Presence Mt5:10 s4e126

Don’t be surprised if following Christ leads to some push back.  The holy living and the good news is all very confrontational.  At this very moment, brothers and sisters are being persecuted for their faith.  Ironically, it is one of the surest signs of the Lord’s purchase, possession of us and His presence in our lives.  I have even heard Christians YEARN for persecution.

There is an expectation of suffering in our passage today.  We basically should be planning and preparing for the future.  It might not end pretty.  Meantime, let’s be counter-cultural, as much as the Lord’s Word requires.  Don’t expect it to end well from here.

Do expect it to end well from There.  After all of this, we get a kingdom.  There is a pretty nice reward beyond the suffering. The gain will be great for a faithfulness through the persecution.  If this is you today, may you have the eyeballs to see the great gain that is past the pains.  May the Lord help us.  (He already has. Spoiler alert!)  Come back tomorrow and you’ll see what I mean.  

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