Keep The Way

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Scripture Reading by Lady Pepper (Show Slide)

(Show Slide) Thank you Lady Pepper for the announcements and the reading of God’s Word.

Welcome! to everyone and especially those who are joining us for the first time. My name is Pastor Doc, and I will be sharing the Word of God with you today.

Please have your Bibles ready and Take Note’s

Title of the message this Morning

Keep the Way

Week 3 - Matthew 5:21-37

Main idea

The yoke of Jesus may be easy and His burden light, but the path of being made holy as He is holy is a difficult one.

The old self dies a painful death as we are conformed into the image of Christ.

In this passage Jesus reforms some of the primary teaching coming from the Rabbis of His time.

He calls us to consider the posture of our hearts in matters of sin and righteousness.

It is so important that we keep the way of Christ with perseverance and steadfastness.

As the apostle Paul says, “...I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

Prayer:

“The journey of faith is a marathon not a sprint.

Give us the courage and energy to run the race well, to keep the faith,

and to lead others along the Way to salvation.”

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-37, Philippians 3:10-14, 1 Timothy 6:12

Introduction

Welcome church, we’re halfway through our 4-week series, The Way.

In weeks 1 and 2 we introduced a new way and learned that we are to light the way for others.

Today is a pivotal teaching continuing through Matthew chapter 5, as we’re encouraged to keep the way of faith and righteousness as we press on to take hold of all that Christ has for us.

And as we pursue this new way, it’s imperative that we fight the good fight and keep our word to others.

Who we are is just as important as what we do.

Have you thought recently about the true motives of your heart?

Or how important it is that your actions align with your motives, values, etc…?

To some, the discrepancy between the two may be seen as hypocrisy.

The idea of saying one thing and doing another.

Have you ever done anything like that?

Story -

This could be a great place to share a personal account of saying one thing and doing another or acting hypocritically…

What was the situation, what was going on in your heart/mind?

The truth is that we’re all hypocrites from time to time.

One minute you’re singing worship songs and the next minute you’re yelling and screaming at the guy who cut you off on the freeway.

On some level, this is what it means to be living as a human in a fallen world where we are being formed and sanctified as we follow Jesus.

We will mess up, it’s going to happen, and for that we seek forgiveness from God and others.

On the other hand, we are told to “be holy as Christ is holy.”

We are called “new creations” and we know that “greater is the power in us than the power at work in the world.”

The yoke of Jesus may be easy and His burden light, but the path of being made holy is a difficult one.

The old self dies a painful death as we are conformed into the image of Christ.

In our passage for the day, Jesus reforms some of the primary teaching coming from the rabbis of His time.

He calls us to consider the posture of our hearts in matters of sin and righteousness.

It is so important that we keep the way of Christ with perseverance and steadfastness.

As the apostle Paul says, “...I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

Main Teaching

This is a long section, let’s read it altogether at once to get the general flavor for what Christ is saying.

Read Matthew 5:21-37

Wow, we just covered a lot of ground.

If you’re only looking at section headings, you’ll see that Jesus addresses anger, adultery, divorce, and oaths.

Any one of these four sections would be more than enough for an entire sermon, so what are we doing tackling all of them at once?

We’re looking for the heart of what Jesus is saying to the crowds.

We’re trying to understand how His teaching two-thousand years ago may impact our lives today.

We want to know what it means to “keep the way” of Christ.

Let’s jump in.

Fight the Good Fight

The phrase "fight the good fight of faith" comes from 1 Timothy 6:12, which says: "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

This verse encourages Christians to remain steadfast and strong in their faith, despite any challenges or persecution they may face.

It is a call to persevere in living out one's faith and to hold fast to the eternal life that has been promised to believers through Jesus Christ.

It is also a reminder that the faith journey is not easy and requires effort and determination.

(See Notes: Through It All lyrics, by Andrae Crouch)

In our passage from Matthew we see that many of our issues stem from our heart, mind, and mouth.

Anger is often a heart issue.

Adultery and divorce also stem from the heart, but have a lot to do with what we allow to live in our minds.

Making oaths, or promises, is a matter of the heart, mind, and the mouth.

What we say matters, and the New Testament writer James says, “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

All that to say, if we are to fight the good fight of faith and keep the way of Christ, we must be mindful;

- Of the heart

- Of the mind

- Of the mouth

In Matthew 5:21-37 Jesus helps us to see that it’s not just a matter of following rules but it’s a matter of keeping vigilant watch over our hearts, minds, mouths, and motives.

After all, what does it matter if your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees but your heart is wicked and evil?

We’ve got to be willing to fight the good fight, to keep the way of Christ, and to press on through every trial and adversity.

That’s the heart of what Jesus is saying in this passage.

Keep Pressing On

In the book of Philippians Paul says this;

Read Philippians 3:10-12

What Paul is saying is that yes, He wants to know Christ more deeply and intimately, but that also, it’s a journey and a process. So he says, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

He pushes through the trials and adversity.

He weathers the storms, sometimes literally, and He continues in His pursuit of Christ.

For some of us here today, this teaching from Matthew 5 is a difficult one.

Some of the things Jesus is teaching sound impossible to do…

Making friends of enemies, curbing anger, gouging out an eye, and simply saying yes or no!?!

Many commentators on the scripture in this passage believe that Jesus makes such hyperbolic statements to point out our need for help.

These aren’t things that people can typically do on their own…

which is why they seem so impossible.

We need a savior, we need redemption and healing… We need Jesus.

He’s the reason we press on.

He’s the reason we fight the good fight of faith, even when it seems ridiculous to everyone around us.

He’s the reason we keep a watch over our hearts, minds, mouths, and motives.

He’s the reason for all of it, and guess what, He’s worth it all.

All For Jesus

Two thousand years ago when Jesus was sharing these truths the people listening didn’t know yet who exactly Jesus was.

There may have been some suspicion and speculation about this miracle working rabbi from Nazareth, but the full extent of His identity was yet to be revealed.

However, we now know exactly who Jesus was and is.

We know that He came to trade His life for ours.

We know that “all things are possible through Him.” (Phil. 4:13).

We know that “He is with us always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).

We also know that “Apart from Him, we can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

It’s because of Him that we have the power to do the impossible things mentioned in Matthew 5:21-37.

We can keep the way of Christ not in our own power, but in His power.

He is the way and He provides the way.

This reality helps us to understand why our section ends with this statement, “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one…”

We are to live as people of integrity.

Let us be people of our word, who keep our word, and who honor THE word.

The yoke of Jesus may be easy and His burden light, but the path of being made holy is a difficult one.

The old self dies a painful death as we are conformed into the image of Christ.

We’ve got to trust the process of salvation and sanctification.

Conclusion

Our passage for the day is an historically difficult one.

Oftentimes readers will discard its instructions and say, “it’s too hard.”

Or, “why would a good God make it impossible for us to follow Him?”

And yes, the teaching of Jesus in this passage is difficult, but with Him, there’s always hope.

As I said earlier;

Jesus helps us to see that it’s not just a matter of following rules but it’s a matter of keeping vigilant watch over our hearts, minds, mouths, and motives.

After all, what does it matter if your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees but your heart is wicked and evil?

What does it matter if you “gain the whole world but forfeit your soul?”

We’ve got to be willing to fight the good fight, to keep the way of Christ, and to press on through every trial and adversity.

That’s the heart of what Jesus is saying in this passage and that’s what the people listening to Him needed to hear.

So consider this coming week;

- Do I love my neighbor? Do I care for them?

- Am I harboring anger towards others in my heart and mind?

- Have I been careless with my eyes and emotions?

- Do I covet what others have?

- Am I a trustworthy person?

- Do I follow through on my promises?

- Is there any hypocrisy in my life?

In Christ, we are called and empowered to live consistent lives of faith.

We are called to fight the good fight, to press on, and to keep the way.

And when the going gets tough just remember, you have Him. You have Jesus.

Let’s pray together.

Salvation:

The Word of God says in:

John 3:16 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:13 NKJV

13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you’d would like to receive Jesus today, please pray this prayer with all of us:

Lord I believe that Jesus is the son of God, and that He died On the cross for my sins and His resurrection from the dead gives me eternal life. I ask forgiveness of my sins, and I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

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(Show Slide)

***Leave slide up until Pepper gets in position***

Lady Pepper Please Join Me

Pepper: Any comments or thoughts?

Pepper Praise Reports

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Lady Pepper do we have any prayer request

Let us pray (P/P)

Knee Knee / Omaree - Grief

Vidria -

Ray - Relationship / General

Daniel - stroke

Kim Dad - Michael

David - Son Passed

Gregg - Healing

Sonny - Stroke

Vadrea - Healing

Rachel - Neighbor - Pregnant

Faith Vision Family & Friends

See you next Sunday @ 10:55 on Facebook Live!!

This is Pastor Doc & Lady Pepper with:

Faith Vision Christian Ministries

Closing Blessing

Colossians 3:16–17 NKJV

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Have a Great Week! GOODBYE !