Bible Talks - Sunday Night Church
Series: A Mountaintop Experience · Talk No. 5
Balance and Perfection
Sunday, 20 August 2006
Audio
Listen Now (19:10)
Extras:
Outline (PDF)
Feedback:
Share using:
Facebook · 
Delicious · 
Google · 
Twitter · 
Email
(suggest another share link)
Acknowledgements: Phil Campbell’s “Last call for Hungry Hearts” sermon series
Big Point: Don’t throw away the kingdom. Recognise that God wants his people to abbey him with their heart and soul, and simply ask for mercy and forgiveness, seek first his kingdom, and to him who knocks, God will listen.
Un-recognised Treasure
Rob Cutshaw owned a little roadside shop outside Andrews, North Carolina. Like many in that area, he hunted for rocks, then sold them to collectors or jewellery makers. He knew enough about rocks to decide which ones to pick up and sell, but he was no expert. One day, Rob found a rock he described as "purdy and big." He tried to sell the rock. He guessed the blue chunk was worth maybe $500 dollars, but he would have taken less if something urgent came up like paying his power bill. But when no-one was interested, he shoved it under his bed and forgot about it. That's how close Rob came to selling for a few hundred dollars what turned out to be the largest, most valuable sapphire ever found. The blue rock that Rob had shoved under his bed is now known as "The Star of David" sapphire. It weighs nearly a half a kilogram, and could easily sell for $2.75 million.
Rob had a treasure of great worth. He just didn’t recognise it, and so it got shoved under his bed. I wonder how many people here today have had a similar experience? Discovering that you almost let the dog chew on something that was actually of great value?
Well today, as we continue to look at the sermon on the mount, we’ll see that that is what Jesus is saying the Jews are at risk of doing. They are about to throw to the dogs something that is of great worth. They have a precious treasure, their identity as Gods people and their membership in the kingdom of God. And they are kicking under the bed. They’re throwing it to the pigs. They’re not recognising it for what it is truly worth, and they are at risk of losing it altogether.
Chapter 7 verse 6 of Matthew is somewhat of a highlight of today’s passage. Indeed, some would even claim it’s the climax of the Sermon on the Mount. It says:
6"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
What’s the Jesus mean when he talks about a pearl? Interestingly, later in Matthew we hear Jesus compare God’s kingdom to something of great worth. Something that you wouldn’t throw to the pigs! Jesus compares it to fine pearls in Matthew 13:45-46, where he says:
45"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
See, the pearl is the kingdom of God, and its of great worth! The merchant in the parable was willing to the sell everything he had to get it! Well Israel are already members of the kingdom of God. They are the people of God. But like our mate Rob with the $3M sapphire, they are not recognizing how valuable it is. And by ignoring God with their heart, they are throwing his Kingdom, a pearl, to the pigs.
See, the Israelites are at risk of throwing their identity as Gods people to the pigs, because it seems they have forgotten what that identity looks like, and how valuable it is! They were told how to be God’s people, just before they entered the Promised Land. That’s what the book of Deuteronomy is about! They were told that being one of God’s people isn’t about a mechanical observance of the law. It’s about obeying God with all your heart and soul according to the law that Moses delivered to them. We see that in Deuteronomy 30:2-3
“…when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.
So being the people of God is not just about raw obedience of the law. It’s about obeying God with all your heart and soul. But is that the type of Israelites we see here in Jesus day? Take the Pharisees, the Scribes, and the Religious Leaders. We’ve heard a bit about them so far in this series. They strut around in their fancy robes, pray impressive prayers in public, and give huge sums of money to the needy when everyone is looking. They’re putting on an impressive display of law obedience on the outside, but are they doing it with all their heart and soul? Where is the love? Where is the humility? Where is the mercy? Their identity as God’s people is not visible.
See, they have settled upon a religion that is focused on an outward observance of the law, but ignores the inward. There is no heart and soul. They believe it is wrong to murder, but it’s OK to hate[1]. They believe it is wrong to commit adultery, but it’s OK to lust[2]. They’re like a roast beef that’s been put in the oven while still frozen (and yes… I have done this). They’re all brown and juicy on the outside, but cold and hard on the inside! And if they continue in this half cooked, half frozen state, they are at risk of being thrown in the bin! Because they have taken something precious - their identity as Gods people, their membership in kingdom of God - and thrown it to the pigs.
The sermon so far
So that’s what Jesus has been pointing out so far in his sermon on the mount. And we have been following the build-up over the last few weeks. Jesus has been stepping over their outward observance of the law, and pointed out what obedience with all your heart and soul really looks like. And so we see in chapter 5:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[…]
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
See that’s is the kind of obedience God wants. Obedience that comes from the heart. But if that’s what obedience with heart and soul looks like, then it certainly doesn’t remind me of a Pharisee. When I visualise a Pharisee, I certainly don’t think of someone who is meek, poor in spirit, or merciful. In fact the word Pharisee conjures an image of someone who is quite the opposite in my head! So we have a problem.
Jesus continued to talk about some of the things they appeared to be doing right, but were doing with the wrong attitude. He said:
“Don’t just love your neighbour, love your enemy as well!”[3] and
“When you give to the needy, do it because you actually care, not because you want to make yourself look good!”[4] and
“When you pray, it’s between you and me, not a performance for others!”[5]
See it’s that half roasted half frozen thing again. Even though they appear to be doing the right thing, well cooked on the outside, they are still frozen in the middle. Their heart and soul is not in it. In all their rules and glory in following those rules, they have forgotten one important thing, and Jesus reminds them of it just before today’s passage. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus says:
“But seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness…”
God’s Kingdom is God’s people, in God’s place under God’s rule. And being God’s people under God’s rule means obeying God and the rules he has laid down. But not mechanically! Not seeking your own righteousness. Rather, obedience with all your heart and soul. Not just with your roasted exterior! But seeking God’s kingdom and his righteousness. Obeying God because you want to, in response to what he has done for you.
And so that is why in today’s passage Jesus is warning them:
6"… do not throw your pearls to pigs…”
He’s saying that if they want to keep their place in the kingdom, then they need to stop feeding it to the pigs! They need to remember what being a part of the kingdom is, and have a change of heart.
The theme continues (v1-5)
And so in today’s passage, that need for a change of heart continues. In chapter 7 from verse 1, Jesus points out the last hypocritical trait in the Pharisees. And it is one that is seemingly core to their being… Judging others. The problem is that the Pharisees are so keen to measure up everyone else, that they forget to ask whether they can measure up to their own standards.
Chapter 7:1 reads
1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Now this next part I love. In fact when I was a kid, and I first read this verse in bed one evening, I burst out laughing! Because this next part presents such a graphic image. But that image illustrates exactly how stupid their judgementalism is. From chapter 7 verse 3:
3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
You just get this image of some guy with a plank of 4x2 sticking out of his eye, completely oblivious to it, and pointing out the speck of dust in someone else’s eye.
But that is exactly what the Pharisees were like. Ready to nit-pick at the slightest opportunity. Ready to point out the faults in others, but completely oblivious to the fact that they have even bigger faults of their own.
So we see it again. Cold, hard, hearts, seeking their own righteousness not Gods. For their arrogance, for their judgementalism, for their lack of mercy, they’ll be judged. If they don’t repent and have a change of heart, they’ll throw away the biggest treasure ever - their place in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The solution: Grace (v7-11)
So, what hope is there for the Pharisees, indeed the Israelites who are heading towards a badly cooked roast destiny? How do you warm a cold hard heart, so that it becomes a warm obedient heart? Well, you simply ask, seek and knock.
See, what’s been the point that Jesus has been making all along? The ones who are going to be blessed are the ones who are humble and hungry. The ones who are going to be blessed, who’ll be part of the kingdom, they’re the merciful. They are hungry and thirsty for righteousness. They are seeking it for all they’re worth. They are saying, “I need a saviour! I need to change! What I want more than anything else is a warm heart. What I need most is a heart that wants what’s right”.
So Jesus says in Matthew 7:7-10
7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
He says, ask. That’s all you’ve got to do. If the Pharisees, indeed anyone, wants to become a part of, or remain a part of God’s Kingdom, they just need to ask. Because God is a God of mercy and forgiveness. Ask and it will be given to you.
Seek, and you will find. Remember the key thing the Pharisees were missing? It was to seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness. Jesus promises “seek it and you’ll find it”.
And to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Jesus concludes today’s passage with a guarantee of sorts. He says:
9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
See God doesn’t delight in the Pharisees judgementalism. But if they, or anyone else asks their father in heaven for change, then he will give it to them. He wants to delight in their humility. In their mercy.
So, a brief recap before we figure out what this all means to us. The Israelites are members of the Kingdom of God. They are God’s people, and they have been so since Abraham. But Jesus is warning them that they are at risk of losing this membership. They’ve forgotten what it means to be a member. They’ve forgotten what a great thing the kingdom of God is. And so they’ve almost tossed it to the Pigs.
Jesus has spoken the Sermon on the Mount, to remind them of what it means to be God’s people. In particular, he’s reminded them that obeying God is about more than a mechanical exterior obedience of the law. It involves a changed heart that is seeking first God’s kingdom and his righteousness. In today’s passage that involved getting rid of judgementalism. Recognising that they can’t even meet the standard that they set.
But we’ve also seen a ray of hope. God will mercifully give a warm obedient heart to those who ask, seek and knock. Because those are the type of people that God wants in his kingdom.
Application
So what can we, Christians living 2000 years after this event, apply to our lives from this week’s passage?
Well it’s an incredible irony in a way that the public perception of the modern Christian is of someone who’s always ready with a criticism. Always ready to tell you where you’ve gone wrong. And in many ways that that perception is true isn’t. We’re very quick to point the faults in others, but very slow to recognise our own. Well Jesus words have the same meaning now as they did back then, Don’t Judge.
But sometimes, it feels like we as Christians need to judge, to take a stand. Like standing against the ordination of Gene Robinson as a Bishop in the Episcopalian church in America. Gene Robinson is openly homosexual. And the church there is very deliberately flying in the face of the bible’s clear teaching that homosexual practices are sin. They’re saying, we’re happy to appoint leaders who openly disagree with the word of God.
Now it’s clear we need to stand against a decision like that, and to distance ourselves from it. But it’s equally clear from today’s passage, that we need to take care how we do that. We need to do it in a way that shows charity and humility and love. We could easily say some incredibly uncharitable things about people who struggle with homosexuality. But in doing so, forget that there are other sins logging up our own eyes.
Here’s the bottom line. Thanks to the grace of God, being a part of his Kingdom is not all that difficult. We simply ask, seek and knock, and the door to his kingdom is thrown wide open. And the welcome is warm. But it’s only really open to the hungry heart. And not the proud one. Which is going to say something about the shape of the kingdom that it is. And the shape of the people that are part of it.
When Jesus finished the sermon on the mount in verse 28, Matthew tells us the crowds are amazed at his teaching. Because he taught with such authority, unlike their teachers of the law. But there’s no point hearing, or even being impressed, or even a little bit challenged, if you’re not going to ask for that change of heart that the Sermon on the Mount calls for. If you’re not going to hear the words of Jesus and put them into practice.
So what type of Roast are you? Are you well cooked all the way through? In other words, do you obey God with all your heart and soul? Are you poor in spirit, meek, merciful? Or are you like the type of Roast that I have been know to cook? Brown and juicy on the outside, but frozen in the middle? In other words, you look and act like a Christian, but on the inside you don’t really care. If that describes you then you’re in danger of doing what our mate Rob almost did. Of what the Pharisees were warned they were doing - throwing away something incredibly precious. Undervaluing a treasure worth more than you could ever imagine. Being an undercooked roast!
But if hear these words of Jesus Sermon on the Mount, and put them into practice, then you will be like a certain wise builder, who built his house upon the rock, who we will hear about next week so that I do not get in trouble for stealing Neils thunder!
Amen.
