Genuine Christianity
"The greatest
among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and
whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Matthew 23:11,12
There was a study
done by researchers at Yale University sometime back on what are often called
"bad hair days." This study found that on those days when our hair just
won't cooperate, we feel less smart, less capable, more embarrassed and less
sociable. What was surprising to the researchers was that men, not women, were
most likely to be affected by bad hair days. Of course, some of us men no
longer have to worry about bad hair days. We all like to look good.
It's like the story of a man who married a woman who was unattractive. But she had a beautiful singing voice. He loved to hear her sing--and for that he married her. One morning, however, he woke up and saw her sleeping next to him, hair in curlers, cream on her face. Desperately he tapped her on the shoulder and whispered, "Sing, Molly, sing." Anyone who says that looking good is not important is deceiving himself.
A few years back there was a poll on the Internet that asked this question, "Which one member of your family is the best looking?" You want to guess how respondents answered? The top rated answer in the poll was, "Me." A majority of the respondents listed themselves as the best-looking member of their family. That corresponds with another public opinion poll which asked people which member of their family was the smartest. Once again, "Myself" or "Me" were the highest ranked answers. But when asked which family member was most likely to tell a lie, "Myself" or "Me" only ranked ninth out of ten possible answers. So most of us think that we are better-looking, smarter, and more honest than the rest of our family.
The Pharisees were a group of Jewish scholars who were experts in the Law of Moses. In some ways they were the best people in the land. Following God's commands was the focus of their lives. Nothing wrong with that. But somewhere along the way, the Pharisees seemed to miss the point. In their desperate desire to obey God's laws, they begin piling on more and more rules. Soon, the Pharisees had compiled more than fifty volumes of rules and laws that a Jew must follow to be considered righteous
It's like the story of a man who married a woman who was unattractive. But she had a beautiful singing voice. He loved to hear her sing--and for that he married her. One morning, however, he woke up and saw her sleeping next to him, hair in curlers, cream on her face. Desperately he tapped her on the shoulder and whispered, "Sing, Molly, sing." Anyone who says that looking good is not important is deceiving himself.
A few years back there was a poll on the Internet that asked this question, "Which one member of your family is the best looking?" You want to guess how respondents answered? The top rated answer in the poll was, "Me." A majority of the respondents listed themselves as the best-looking member of their family. That corresponds with another public opinion poll which asked people which member of their family was the smartest. Once again, "Myself" or "Me" were the highest ranked answers. But when asked which family member was most likely to tell a lie, "Myself" or "Me" only ranked ninth out of ten possible answers. So most of us think that we are better-looking, smarter, and more honest than the rest of our family.
The Pharisees were a group of Jewish scholars who were experts in the Law of Moses. In some ways they were the best people in the land. Following God's commands was the focus of their lives. Nothing wrong with that. But somewhere along the way, the Pharisees seemed to miss the point. In their desperate desire to obey God's laws, they begin piling on more and more rules. Soon, the Pharisees had compiled more than fifty volumes of rules and laws that a Jew must follow to be considered righteous
And there were some
significant differences between how the Pharisees viewed the life of faith and
how Jesus viewed the life of faith. We
get our values right when:
1. WE VALUE RELATIONSHIPS OVER RULES
1. WE VALUE RELATIONSHIPS OVER RULES
Hundreds
of years before Jesus' time, the Jewish prophet Jeremiah talked about it. He
said that for the time being, the people had God's Laws carved into stone. But
someday, the Lord would make a new covenant with His people.
Jeremiah 31:33-34 says, "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, "Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the Lord. (NIV)
That's the promise of what happens when we are in a true relationship with God.
The Pharisees were caught up in following the rules. As we noted last week, Jesus was passionate about establishing relationships. Jesus has been teaching about loving God and loving one's neighbor. He's trying to say to the Pharisees and anyone else who will listen, "Faith's not about rules; it's about a relationship. It's about falling passionately in love with God. And once you know God and love God, then you will be inspired to live a pure and holy life. The rules will come naturally." (3)
2. WE VALUE AUTHENCITY OVER APPEARANCES. In other words, looking good was more important than doing good.
We live in what is arguably the most appearance-conscious nation on earth. From a young age, we are bombarded by societal messages telling us that appearance is more important than substance. And many of us have fallen into this trap.Pride and position were more important than sacrifice and service. The most important thing for the Pharisees became what other people thought..
3. WE VALUE RIGHTEOUSNESS OVER "RESPECTABILITY"
What makes the difference between a respectable Christian and a real one? Jesus makes that very distinction in verses 11 and 12: "The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Jesus never wore fancy robes with long tassels. He hung out with outcasts and sinners, not with the movers and shakers. Instead of expecting the place of honor at banquets, Jesus took the place of the lowest servant and washed his disciples' feet. "Respectable" members of society got nervous when Jesus entered the room. He didn't play by their rules.
Jeremiah 31:33-34 says, "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, "Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the Lord. (NIV)
That's the promise of what happens when we are in a true relationship with God.
The Pharisees were caught up in following the rules. As we noted last week, Jesus was passionate about establishing relationships. Jesus has been teaching about loving God and loving one's neighbor. He's trying to say to the Pharisees and anyone else who will listen, "Faith's not about rules; it's about a relationship. It's about falling passionately in love with God. And once you know God and love God, then you will be inspired to live a pure and holy life. The rules will come naturally." (3)
2. WE VALUE AUTHENCITY OVER APPEARANCES. In other words, looking good was more important than doing good.
We live in what is arguably the most appearance-conscious nation on earth. From a young age, we are bombarded by societal messages telling us that appearance is more important than substance. And many of us have fallen into this trap.Pride and position were more important than sacrifice and service. The most important thing for the Pharisees became what other people thought..
3. WE VALUE RIGHTEOUSNESS OVER "RESPECTABILITY"
What makes the difference between a respectable Christian and a real one? Jesus makes that very distinction in verses 11 and 12: "The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Jesus never wore fancy robes with long tassels. He hung out with outcasts and sinners, not with the movers and shakers. Instead of expecting the place of honor at banquets, Jesus took the place of the lowest servant and washed his disciples' feet. "Respectable" members of society got nervous when Jesus entered the room. He didn't play by their rules.
The
saddest secret in most churches is the number of people who sit in churches
week after week, year after year, and never develop a true relationship with
the living God. They keep all the rules. They look good. They are respectable.
But they are spiritually dead. Don't be one of those people! There is an
abundant life waiting for those who are willing to seek God's face and live in
God's will.
Terry
Risser
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright 2014- Terry Risser
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