Not Like Everyone Else
Matthew: God's Promises Fulfilled • Sermon • Submitted
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The Sermon on the Mount expresses instruction and encouragement to be “different”.
The Sermon on the Mount expresses instruction and encouragement to be “different”.
Weird, uncommon, distinct— not like everyone else.
Jesus is explaining, with great detail, how the Kingdom of God is different than the Kingdom of the World. That we, as citizens of the Kingdom of God, will act differently, we will be different than those who are citizens of the Kingdom of the World.
Followers of Jesus are not like the world:
“Blessed are...” (Matt 5)
“You will be salt and light...”
“You’ve heard it said, but I tell you...” (anger, lust, divorce, vows, revenge)
“Give differently, pray differently, fast differently...” (Matt 6)
“Store up treasure in heaven...”
“Don’t worry like the world does...”
Peter would write a letter to believers and put it this way:
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
In chapter 7, he continues this line of teaching— heading into the big finish of this Sermon on the Mount.
There are three distinct sections of scripture we want to cover today— all with this similar theme that if we are disciples of Jesus, we will be continually learning to think and act differently.
Judgement vs. Judgmental (v. 1-6)
Persistence for the wrong things (v. 7-12)
The narrow gate vs. the wide super-highway (v. 13-14)
Judgement vs. Judgmental
Judgement vs. Judgmental
1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
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?
4 How 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?
5 You 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.
Many in the world today — even those that aren’t Christians, often want to quote this verse, and protect themselves when they are confronted:
“Don’t judge me...” or “Don’t judge lest you be judged too”...
I believe Jesus is not condemning us to be discerning and to make a conclusion about someone or something altogether— but I think he is making a distinction that there is indeed a correct way to come to a resolution or a conclusion on something— and there is a wrong way to do that— I might suggest that we could find a “godly” way to make a judgement— and a worldly, or evil way. The first way refers to making and having good judgement— but the other, which he is condemning here— is to be “judgmental”. I hope you can agree that there is a big difference between judging— and being judgmental.
It may look like this in the study of the words themselves:
Judgement: “discerning the truth based on facts.”
Judgmental: “finding fault, critical without cause, based on feelings or personal assumptions.”
Two basic ways we can fall into judgmentalism:
A conclusion based on appearance (physical or behavioral)
Prejudice is a word that means “to pre-judge” for some external difference or appearance we may have with someone.
Everything is not as it appears. And it is wrong of us to make a conclusion, or come to some resolution about something or someone based only on that outside appearance.
James describes this very thing in his letter:
1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in.
3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
James 2:9 (NIV)
9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
Jesus actually makes the distinction between these two things in John’s gospel account— I won’t give it all away now, but
24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
The mistake we make, is to come to some conclusion based on one little part of the story— and in today’s social media driven informational dynamic— there is an epidemic of rushing to judgement on pictures or videos, often taken out of context— and the world RUSHES to judgmental conclusions. Every day. We are tempted by the enemy to create a whole context of our own about a person, based on a tiny little snapshot of fact or appearance.
How about a little experiment:
I’m going to show you a picture of something very quickly— and I want you to call out what it is:
Here’s another good illustration: (It happens to be the second way we can fall into judgmentalism:
Two basic ways we can fall into judgmentalism:
A conclusion based on appearance (physical or behavioral)
A conclusion based on experience.
We tend to make judgments based on our own experience— if you’re an extrovert and like to be around lots of people, you might be tempted to pass judgment on a more quiet introverted person who needs some alone time. I
Jesus goes on here to reinforce the point— with the whole speck or splinter vs. the log or plank illustration. I love the way Jesus describes this— It would be pretty ridiculous for me to even consider trying to remove the speck from your eye— with this big plank sticking out of mine.
I may suggest that we sometimes believe that Jesus is describing people who have the same sin or same problem, but just at different “levels” of it— maybe not. That’s not exactly what he means here-- A speck of wood in your eye, and a plank of wood in mine.
Think about it this way— all sin is equal. It’s all missing the mark, missing the standard. But it might be about “proximity and perspective”.
Your sin - due to my proximity and perspective to it— probably seems pretty small. Like a speck or a splinter in your eye. But Jesus calls a person a “hypocrite” (v. 5)— My sin, because of my proximity and perspective— is like a PLANK or a LOG of wood in my eye---!!!!
I’m pretty foolish to think that I can help you with your speck. Regardless, we cannot quickly trust our own observation and experience alone to come to a conclusion. We are to be a patient, measured people. Gracious and willing to hear and receive the whole story.
Jesus lays it out here— that it’s not that we can NEVER help someone out by talking with them about their sin— But we need to deal with our own sin, and then graciously serve them with love.
How can I discern and make correct judgments?
In the right order (our own sin first!)
In the right heart (humility)
For the right purpose (to help a brother/sister)
To conclude this little section: You are not like everyone else...
Be more concerned about your own sin and have grace to help others with theirs.
Be more concerned about your own sin and have grace to help others with theirs.
Let’s look at the next section— It actually ends in verse 12 with what is often called the “Golden rule”:
12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Golden because it’s 1st— not silver, not bronze— it’s valuable, it’s precious.
Another thing I want you to note here in considering how Jesus is calling us to be different from the world— consider what we see the world do for what it really wants:
-A crowd at a concert, or sporting event, cheering and praying, and getting so excited for their team or for the artist they love.
-A hardworking, driven person going to work everyday, striving for excellence— whether that be at a job for more money, or working at a sport or musical skill, striving, working, driving hard everyday in everyway— to attain something they value.
Persistence for the Wrong Things (v. 7-12)
Persistence for the Wrong Things (v. 7-12)
Jesus is going to outline what is really valuable here— and it starts with a
Golden privilege:
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
It’s a progressive thing— Ask, seek, knock. Seeking is a little more intense than Asking— Knocking is more intense than seeking.
If you had a box of Amish Country donuts at your home— and you really love Amish Country donuts— you would
ask your spouse— “Hey— where are those donuts?”— They’re in the kitchen— Ah— yes, you’re going to go seek them— you don’t find them— hmmmm...
You look everywhere— on the counters, up above the refrigerator, in all the cabinets— But alas you are told that your child took them into their room with their friends!
AHH you will go directly to their bedroom door and you will KNOCK!!!!
It’s also persistent. The language here implies that we will ask— and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, and knock and keep on knocking.
Now lets think about this dynamic for a minute. We do this so readily with our earthly desires don’t we? I think we see this kind of ambition for all sorts of things in the world. And the world affirms that. We condone it— applaud it.
But Jesus isn’t talking about our earthly desires here— not asking and seeking and knocking the way the world does those things.
I was challenged this week that we often don’t show that progressive, persistent prayer with God. We don’t ask, seek, and knock continually approaching God with our needs, and concerns. Why not? I’m a pretty hardworking person— I’ve been told I have grit, and determination— I’m diligent, persistent— but guess what? I’m pretty proud also.
I think it’s easier for us to work hard and ask, seek, and knock for the earthly things— because it’s all up to us.
To ask, seek and knock for the things of God— that requires me to give up control.
Here’s where this gets really personal— I think we give up too quickly praying, because we don’t fully understand what it’s all about.
Prayer is not about bending God’s will to my will.
It’s about bending my will to God’s will.
E. Stanley Jones, missionary, author and pastor, once wrote:
“Prayer is surrender. If I throw a boat-hook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will with the will of God” - E. Stanley Jones, Missionary, Author, Theologian
Jesus asks some wonderful questions again:
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11 If 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!
Every decent, good earthly father would never give their kid stones and snakes.
That’s Jesus’ point— that if even a “good”, or even the best dad is still sinful— (evil)— how much MORE will God, who is good, love us and give us just what we need.
The whole foundation of prayer— asking and seeking and knocking of God—is the understanding that we have a good good father in heaven who knows us, who loves us, and knows what’s best for us. And it’s notable that Jesus adds “to those who ask him” on the end of his statement!
There have been times in my life when I was probably working, working, working, so hard to get a bunch of stones and snakes. And God knew that what I needed even more clearly than I did— and he just stood by, and waited patiently for me to ask, seek, and knock— to admit that I couldn’t do it on my own. To put myself in to the posture of a son— a child who comes back home like the prodigal son. And God is waiting to welcome us.
James has some great reflection on this — it’s 4:2-3 (You have not because you ask not— and when you ask you don’t have the right motives.)
For some of us— we only see God as this harsh, grumpy, cold creator who somehow expects us to clean ourselves up and do the right things— check off all the right boxes and jump through the right hoops in order for him to give us what we want— or even to love us. But that's not how God is.
This is what most of the world thinks God is— if they believe he is there at all.
***You are not like everyone else...
We believe that--Sometimes God says “Yes”— sometimes God says “no”, and sometimes God says “not yet”. And all three answers are appropriate and acceptable to us, because we trust our heavenly father more than we ever trust ourselves. That’s what childlike faith looks like.
And then he states the Golden Rule!
12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
There is a wonderful distinction here that’s worth noting:
Nearly all other world religions and philosophies have a version of this type of command.
Buddah said something similar, Confucious also something similar, Islam, Hinduism, many other religions— but there is a major difference.
All the others place this statement into the “negative” — meaning they look like this:
“Do not do to others whatever you do not want done to you.”
They reduce life to “do no harm”. Which sounds good at first— but
Jesus, and his teaching, places this statement into the “positive”.
“DO to others what you would want them to DO to you.”
Much more powerful— much more impact. It’s not just the absence of harm— it’s the presence of Good!
We are not like everyone else. We will love God, and Love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
Alright— hang with me— this next section is a wonderful metaphor:
The Narrow Gate vs. the Wide Super Highway
The Narrow Gate vs. the Wide Super Highway
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Jesus teaching on the narrow gate: (v. 13-14)
There are only two gates: wide and narrow
There are only two ways: easy and hard
There are only two groups of people: the many and the few
There are only two final ends for your spirit: destruction or everlasting life
If we really heed this--It should shape all our decisions.
In a world that tells us that there are a multitude of choices, whatever you want— have it your way— but with Jesus there are only two. The world tells us to take the easy way— the wide and smooth way. You can take as much baggage as you want! No need to search hard. Be like everyone else. Go with the crowds.
What a wide and free way to go through life! But God, in His love, wants more for you. He wants the best for you. — You see Jesus isn’t talking about just being different for the sake of being different. I know how hard this can be— especially for you young people. But “EVERYONE” does this, or that— every one of my friends are on that wide path— going through the wide gate— Two bits of advice for you:
-Do what Jesus is telling you to do— which might make the biggest impact on those friends.
-Find friends who have entered through the narrow gate— those who can encourage you and travel along with you— instead of leading you away from the call of God on your life.
John Bunyan lived from 1628-1688, was an English Puritan pastor and author of his most famous title “Pilgrim’s Progress”.
It is an allegory— a fairy-tale of sorts describing the journey of Christian, a simple man who makes an epic journey from the City of Destruction where he lives to Mount Zion, where God resides. There is a wonderful section near the beginning of that story concerning the little “wicket-gate”. I can’t resist, and I need to read it to you as we close:
Have you passed through the narrow gate? If you have, you’re not like everyone else. Don’t be distracted by being judgmental, or striving for things that God never wanted for you--- You’re loved and called to something drastically different that what this world has to offer.
May we all tremble and rejoice. Lets pray.
“I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.”-