We are continuing in the Red Letters today and discussing Adultery.

Where does it start? What do we do with it? What far reaching impact can our actions have on our lives and the lives of others?

Matthew 5:27-30 Where does it start? Jesus tells us that it starts with a look.

“Lust is conscience baffled or biased: Biased, if it say nothing against the sin; baffled, if it prevail not in what it says.” - Matthew Henry

You see, we are either ok with the sin or the idea of lusting or we are always wresting with why it is so difficult to overcome.

So… what do we do with it? People need to stop looking other people with lust! On the flip side of that is that people need to stop dressing in ways that draw attention and cause lustful thoughts to take place. Jesus wasn’t playing around. Matthew 5:29 Jesus uses hyperbole to reinforce His point that even just looking lustfully has caused you to sin. But it speaks to just how important it is to understand this principle of sin and the extreme measures we should be willing to go to avoid sinning and going to hell.

1 Corinthians 6:18

So… what far reaching impact can our actions have on our lives and the lives of others?

Adultery trickles over into divorce. Matthew 5:31-32 No one wants to take blame for causing others to sin: man’s standard. Jesus is telling us that is exactly what we are doing: God’s standard. Matthew 19:8-11

Man’s standard justifies its actions and issues a certificate of divorce. But does God’s standard change? Are we guilty of making allowances? Have we allowed man’s ways, man’s logic, man’s standards to creep into the church and trump God’s ways?

We need to be more concerned about living up to God’s standards… and forgetting about man’s. James 4:7-8

Can I tell you some Good News? Can I share a message of hope with you?

Today we covered adultery and divorce, a couple of weeks ago, murder and anger, but there is lying, cheating, stealing, greed, there is premarital sex (fornications) and all the rest that many of us here today are guilty of as well.

So guess what, no one in here is the only one here with sin. The Good News is that there is a Savior that can cover those sins, and His name is Jesus!

Will you humble yourself today and surrender your sin to God, whatever it may be?

Tithing is an act of worship to God. Tithing seems basic, at first, and it is. However, that is not exactly where God is going to leave us. Tithing requires a great deal of trust. Evenything we have belongs to the Lord on High and when we tithe or do anything for the glory of God, remember He will always be enough for you. You have to trust in God! Do you think you can do better than God to give you what you need? Be faithful, trust God always!

We continuing our reading in Matthew where Jesus is giving us a breakdown of man’s standards vs. God’s standards. And today we are looking at murder. Exodus 20:13

That commandment seems pretty simple to understand. But as we so often do, we allow our limited scope of thinking leads us astray. So you may be sitting here today and asking yourself, “Yeah, but, can I really be found guilty of murder?” Matthew 5: 21-26

How many of you looked at vs. 21 and 22 and were like, that makes no sense!!! We justify, it’s only words! verse 19

Jesus tells us, “Murder begins in your hearts!” vs. 21& 22 “Yeah, but, can I really be found guilty of murder?” Jesus is telling us, “YES!” It is not the act of murder that makes you guilty, in God’s sight. It’s our hearts! We All Need a Savior, And the Answer is Jesus! Matthew 5:23-24

It is interesting to see the implication on Jesus’ part that we are already guilty of calling people idiots and forgetting about it. 22 and 23

And Jesus is calling us out on it!! How callused have we become? How insensitive to others. More over how insensitive to God’s standard. “Yeah, but, can I really be found guilty of murder?”

You may be sitting there looking at me and thinking… “No one can live up to that!!! And you are right!! We All Need a Savior, And the Answer is Jesus!

Matthew 5:25-26 Jesus is telling us we need to be quick to make things right.

And the act of “making things right” will be a much longer process than if we never caused offense in the first place.

Don’t let things go unresolved! Seek out forgiveness!

What happens when you make murderous comments and don’t “suddenly remember” and continue to do it over and over and over?

“What you give your thoughts to, you give your heart to. What you give your heart to, you give your actions to. What you give your actions to, you become.” (Unknown)

We can all be found guilty of spiritual murder. Romans 3:23

But it is what we do in those moments that reveal our hearts.

We need to be quick to remember that God’s standard is higher than our own standards.

We need to be quick to repent.

We need to be quick to be peacemakers.

We are into the Sermon on the Mount and we have covered the Beatitudes and being salt and light, as ways of living.

You see, we don’t get to set our own standard. God does. And it is not about being good. No one can ever be good enough.

Have you always loved God with all of your heart, you mind and your strength?

Have you always loved others as much as you love yourself?

We have all missed the mark even with 2 simple commandments. Matthew 5:17-20

Jesus is reinforcing that God’s standard does not change.

He tells them and us that the standards established by God will never pass away!

We make concessions for our shortcomings and the sins of others and then sell others on the acceptability of our shortcomings.

And Jesus says those who do, “shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.”

Has anyone heard about telling “little white lies? And we claim to be light.

We church things up and say, “God knows your heart.”

Well in that moment when someone chooses their way and sins over God’s way… He does know their hearts. In that moment, they have created an idol called, SELF! And “yes,” God understands… He understands that we missed the mark. He understands that we need to repent! We need to turn from our wicked ways and turn to His Son and believe in Him and the trust in the Word for direction!

And when we do that and teach others to do the same Jesus says: but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus was talking to the common person.

And the common person could never live up to the standard of even the Pharisees, much less that of God! Heck, the Pharisees were not even living up to the standards of God because they were living according to the Letter of the Law instead of the Spirit of the Law. Romans 2:28-29; Romans 7:6-7

So when you are presented with a standard that you can never measure up to… what do you do?

Do you turn away? Do you give up? Or do you repent and take the hand of the standard bearer? Do you repent and realize, “I need a Savior, and the answer is Jesus!”? Have you fallen short? I have.

You see, God does love you! He sent His Son into the world to die on a cross and pay the penalty for us. Because without that sacrifice, we have no hope! We all need a Savior, and the answer is Jesus!

There is nothing worse than regret! Last week we discussed the Beatitudes and the Supreme Blessings a person can receive from living them out.

There is nothing regrettable about that. What is regrettable is to live a life to its end and not having made an impact for Jesus?

We need to ask ourselves, honestly, is: Am I making a difference? Matthew 5:13-16

Salt is used for many reasons. It has many functions: flavoring food, preserving food, drawing out impurities and infection. Are we adding flavor to people’s lives? Are we a blessing to those we come into contact with?

Are we a preserving agent for others? Are we helping people in their walks?

Are you making a difference? But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

We don’t want to lose our flavor! I don’t want my life here on earth to be to reflect that I was worthless except to be walked on because I had no Godly value.

No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

We are called to be light. You don’t light a lamp and then cover it! Acts 13:47

Jesus gives us permission to shine!!! We need to come to a point in our lives where it is all about God!

You see, just as salt can make or break a recipe… the saltiness of the Gospel being lived out in our lives can either make or break someone’s life.

Just as too much light can be blinding or too little can be dangerous, we need to properly light people’s paths to God.

We need to come to the point where we ask ourselves: Am I making a difference for you God? What is the value of living if I don’t point anyone to You, God?

No one wants to live with regret.

Jesus gave us in the Sermon on the Mount and outline for living, the “Beatitudes.” Beatitudes means “supreme blessedness”. These are examples of how we should be striving to “be” attitudes. Matthew 5:2-12

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This has nothing to do with your financial position in life. It has everything to do with your spiritual condition.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are those who feel bad, who grieve, and whose heart is broken for sinning against God… because they are driven to the Cross when they repent and they will be comforted by God! Supreme blessing is available to those who mourn for the souls of others, because they carry compassion. Romans 12:15 Supreme blessings can be experienced through tears! Revelation 21:4

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (land). Supreme blessings of the meek is their quite nature, their calm spirit, their good nature that points people to God, they will inherit the earth, the land, heaven.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are those who strive to be Christ like, also wanting God’s righteousness to prevail, their efforts will not be in vein!

Blessed are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. What supreme blessing to know that your acts of mercy will not go unnoticed! Lamentations 3:22-23

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. It all starts in the heart! King David knew that when he wrote: Psalm 51:10-11 What a supreme blessing to be able to see God in everything??

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who pursue peace, regardless of the cost! What a supreme blessing to have God call you His child because of your efforts in maintaining peace!

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. The Disciples rejoiced for being counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. Acts 5:41 Supreme blessings come with persecution!

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” There is a supreme blessing that we cannot even understand coming our way when we endure persecution for Christ’s sake. How different does your life look a day from now, a week, a month, a year from now as you work to master these attitudes? Are you willing to be like King David and say, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Will you live for the supreme blessings that only come from truly living for God? Or has God’s word fallen on deaf ears today?

Tricia Collins from Child Bridge tells us her story and talks about how we can get involved in the foster care system.

Today we are going to look at two different events on 2 different Sundays.

These accounts are found in Matthew 12:1-14; Mark 2:23-3:6; Luke 6:1-11.

Let’s look at the 1st account where Jesus’ disciples picked some corn to eat while walking through a field.

It was the Sabbath, a day to keep holy. Exodus 31:13-7

Now the Pharisees, were watching Jesus and His disciples closely.

And the Pharisees questioned Jesus about their behavior claiming it to be sin.

But the disciples were feeding themselves the same way the Pharisees would “work” to feed themselves at home. Let’s look at what Jesus has to say: Matthew 12:3-8 Mark adds this statement, which is a statement I want to focus on later. Mark 2:27-28

Which brings us to the 2nd encounter with the Pharisees on a separate Sabbath, as recorded by Luke. Jesus is at church and there is a man with a withered hand. And the Scripture says that they Pharisees watched to see if Jesus was going to heal on the Sabbath… which in their eyes… was work. Look at His wisdom! When they ask if it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, Jesus doesn’t argue, “Yes or no” “right or wrong”, He makes it personal for them. Matthew 12:11-13; Mark 3:4 and Luke 6:9 When asked what they would do, they realized they were busted.

I want to go back to that passage I told you we would revisit again. Mark 2:27-28 God made the Sabbath for us. Church is God’s gift!

Matthew Henry’s Commentary says this: “The Sabbath is a sacred and divine institution; but we must receive and embrace it as a privilege and a benefit, not as a task or drudgery.” - Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Church is a place where you come to hear God’s word! Church is a place where you see and hear about God’s healing! Church is a place where we learn about God’s forgiveness! Church is a place where we experience God’s love! Church is a place where you go and are humbled that an all loving God would look at you in your sin and know that you are destined to great things! Church is a place where you go and tell God, “I’M NOT WORTHY!” and He tells you, “YES, YOU ARE!” Church is a place where restoration takes place.

Why in the world wouldn’t you want to go to church?

Jesus said, “For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

We come to celebrate Jesus! There is so much good that goes on here!

And as Jesus said, “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” I’m going to go with Jesus on this one.

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, “Out with the Old, In with the New”? Ultimately, we are talking about changes.

Jesus was confronted a number of times about how He was changing ministry in His day. And Jesus did not condemn the old ways… He simply explains that His way is new way. The passage regarding all of this found in Matthew 9:14-17; Mark 2:18-22 & Luke 5:33-39 By this time, people have seen Jesus do some pretty amazing things. His teachings have amazed crowds and they have even commented that He teaches with an authority they have not seen before. But now people are recognizing some other new behavior and they are asking, “why?” Jesus’ disciples were living with God, our Messiah! How much closer could they get than face to face with God? Luke 5:34-35

Jesus gives 2 illustrations of what He is talking about. The New Garment / The New Wine and Wineskins Luke 5:36-39

Jesus is ushering in a new teaching, a better way, the way of faith through grace. Paul explains it like this: Galatians 3:19-25

The law was necessary until Jesus came. He brought salvation through faith not by works.

The process of fermentation makes adding new wine to old wineskins a bad idea. The wine will burst through spilling the wine and destroying the wineskin.I love this analogy because in order for it to work everything has to be new. The wine is new, the container is new, the growth is harmonious and it happens inside the new you. It is a filling of the Holy Spirit, that new wine, in you a new creation or new wineskin, when you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior!

We all made a change when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Why did you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Luke 5:39

We were all there once. We didn’t want to change. But something drew us in. It’s called the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is speaking to you today, whether you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior or not, and He’s letting you know that today is the day you need to let some old things go.

I want to encourage you to respond to the Holy Spirit!

Take that step of faith!

Don’t fear change... Jesus was a champion of it!

This week we see His desire to know us. Matthew 9:9-13

Have you ever seen someone that was wrong and everyone knew it, including them, and they continued being wrong… like they are saving face by sticking to their guns? It is a sad sight to see! And so often that is us when it comes to sin in our lives. Romans 1:28-32

Thank God for those people He sends into our paths who let us know, “we have missed the mark.” We see in today’s passage that Jesus came to be that “someone”.

There are 2 examples of how Jesus ministered to people this in this very short passage!

1st Group) The Tax Collectors

You see tax collectors were considered scum, dirt bags, criminals, traitors, extortionists, the bottom of the barrel. Matthew 9:9-10 Jesus called Matthew, while he was at work, steeped in his sinful way of employment and said, “Follow Me.” The Holy Spirit does the same thing in our lives. And He does it for every sin in our life, it’s called “Sanctification,” the process of becoming holy!

He calls us while we are at work in our “sin” and says, “Follow Me.”

Behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciple.

Jesus is willing to get into our world, our business, our lives, our homes, our clicks so that we can know Him.

And often times we cringe and think, there is no way He wants to know me!!! He is so holy and I am so not!!! But He sits at the table and allows us to join Him there.

2nd Group) The Pharisees.

And Jesus shares with them that they missed the mark! Matthew 9:11-13

And He points them to the passage they need to learn. Hosea 6:6

Jesus let them know that He desired handing out mercy by getting to know the sinner and being in relationship, rather than receiving a sacrifice of obligation by someone who was self-righteous.

God wants relationship over religion! How humbling that is that God and His Son want to know us!

So the question is: “Who are you today?”