Becoming Who God Created

So I have to say I missed everyone last week, but I have to tell you it was such a relaxing week.

I mean it was so nice to be in warm weather by the beach.

The only issue was on the way back the relaxation got ruined by trying to get our kids through the airport.

Because if you have ever been to the airport with a baby and toddler it is very stressful.

Because going through security is normally stressful, but when you add on kids that do not want to listen it adds to it.

Not only that, but once we got to our gate somehow Liam figured out how to take out all the air vents in our area of the airport (which you think an adult wouldn’t be able to do) but somehow he figured out how to rip them out.

Meanwhile you look at some other kids in the airport and they are trained,

I mean they are standing in line patiently, they are not ripping out air vents.

And I remember standing next to a mom and I go wow! Your kid is amazing in the airport.

And she mentioned they fly all the time so he is used to it.

But you know I was thinking about that and our walk with God this past week.

And a lot of times when we are new in our walk with God or we just began a relationship with God, there are things we do that might seem unnatural at first.

Its kinda like if you start a diet, its healthy for you, but man does it feel unnatural.

Because you do not want this green stuff, but you want this the deserts

But once we keep at that diet eventually we go wow, I used to eat that?! That makes me feel disgusting!

but really when we begin our walk with God things might seem unnatural

giving seems kind of unnatural

telling people about God can seem unnatural

But as we grow in our walk with God those things begin to grow on us

And we become more aligned with God’s will in our life.

And really if you were with us last time I spoke (so a couple weeks ago) Jesus was giving this message called the sermon on the mount, and in this He was telling everyone, He had come not to abolish the law that had been around, but to actually write that law on their heart.

And so really like I mentioned as we begin our relationship with God, these laws begin to be written on our heart.

And so today we are going to be jumping around Matthew 5:27-48 and will be seeing just a few areas this affects us.

So we will be starting in the first section witch is Matthew 5:27-30 and it starts with this:

Matthew 5:27–30 (NIV)

Adultery

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

So in Biblical days adultery was considered a really series offense.

But the religious leaders were only concerned with the actual physical act of adultery.

but Jesus actually tells them that I want to take it a step further.

where He say if you are in a relationship with me its not as much the outward action that is the problem, but its the heart.

Meaning if you are married and looking at someone lustfully its wrong

If you are entertaining sexual thoughts about someone it is wrong

If you are watching pornography

And this is kind of hard isn’t it? because how are we supposed to have this type of self control?

I mean how do we control where we look or what we think?

But I want us to understand that this is really important for us to get, because these things impact our relationship with our spouse and family, but they also impact our relationship with God.

But Jesus gives a solution in the second part I read

Because Jesus says if your hand causes you to stumble cut it off.

If your eye causes it gauge it out.

Didn’t think you would come to church and hear that did you?

But here is the thing because Jesus’s teaching is not meant to be literal here, but it is meant to be extreme.

Because Jesus is saying if there is somthing in your relationship with God and even others that is causing you to stumble it needs to be cut off.

Regardless of if its a lust issue or even a gossiping issue.

But Jesus places this with lust because He knows it was an issue in this culture.

And its an issue in ours.

In fact in America a survey was done that suggested 68% of Christian men actually view pornography

Not just that but if we looked at marriages that end in divorce (almost 50%) roughly 88% of divorces are in part because the partner was unfaithful.

And if we just looked at those statistics I think we could agree that this is a pretty extreme issue, and because of that Jesus is saying its going to require a little bit of (what for us) seems like an extreme solution.

Because Jesus saying we need to deal with this- because it is causing a lot of damage in our life.

And that may mean there are things that we might need to cut from our life

I mean I know some guys where they realized pornography was an issue in their life and they say I need to get rid of my smart phone, because there is easy access to a lot of stuff I shouldn’t be looking at

I have heard of people who have quit their job, because they would rather have a job they don’t like with a healthy marriage, then a a comfy job that has someone they feel tempted to cheat on their spouse with.

I personally actually purchase something on my phone called covenant eyes that filters and blocks things like pornography (and whats crazy is we pay more then Netflix for it)

And its not even because I have an urge that I am constantly fighting, but its because no one is above sin

And I value my marriage and relationship with God so much that that I do not even want to allow the possibility for sin to creep in (especially in an area that could cause so much destruction)

I mean do we value our relationship with our family and our God to do whatever is necessary to avoid sin to creep in

And whats so neat is as we cut these things in our life, a lot of times our heart begins to change.

And lets look at the next area because in verses 33-37 Jesus moves to talking about oaths. He says:

Matthew 5:33–37 NIV

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

So its really interesting because in this culture they had oaths they would make, but the only way that they actually would have to follow through on those oaths is if they would swear either on God or heaven.

other then that they could say things but would not need to follow through.

And this was an issue because the people who were considered the “people of God” were starting to become people who you couldn’t trust.

And Jesus is saying you should not swear on heaven or God, because if you have accepted Christ you should be living a life of integrity in general.

Because when you accept Him its not about fulfilling a contract, but you are actually a representative of Christ.

Its kind of like how in college there was one time they let me be a mascot for a basketball game (I got to be Toby the tiger)

And during halftime I challenged two little kids to a basketball game.

Now if I played these kids and just destroyed them and then ended up making them cry

The college probably would discover we do not want to use this guy as a mascot right?

Because I am representing the college

But you know if we are following Christ we need to be people who represent Him well and that means being a person of integrity.

And look at whats next because we talked about lust, oathes and now Jesus moves on to love in verses 43-47 and more specifically then that even loving our enemies. It says this:

Matthew 5:43–47 NIV

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

So Jesus reaches this subject of love and there were a few greek words that could be used for love, but the word here is “agape” which means “Christlike love”

and He says right now a lot of you love your neighbor, and thats great! But this is really the surface level of whet we are supposed to do.

Because when you enter a relationship with God you are supposed to love even the people who do you wrong, even the people who have different thoughts and ideologies then you, even the people that you might consider an enemy.

And this is really difficult. in fact in the section we skipped above Jesus is talking about people who humiliate you.

He mentions people who slap you or take your things?

Have you ever been slapped?

If you have ever been around a toddler you have.

Liam went through a phase of that and it makes your skin boil and imagine it from someone who is not a toddler.

But Jesus is saying these people who do these things are people you need to love.

In fact Jesus says if I give rain to the righteous and the unrighteous (basically if I care for the righteous and the unrighteous) shouldn’t you?

Because the person who has done wrong whether you think they are just a bad person or they have wronged you personally, they are actually your brother or sister

If there is a person who has stole from you they are someone created in the image of God.

That person who’s view is different then you is someone God created

There may be things that need to be addressed, but we need to be people who love.

I love this story that came our of Ukraine and maybe you have seen the video, but some of the troops attacking them (show picture)

and they captured them and instead of taking their lives or treating them poorly, they actually fed them with there limited food supply and let them call their family’s

And you see the people of Ukraine loving this person who is considered the enemy.

And if you watch the video the man begins sobbing as he talks with his family in Russia,

And I don’t k now if these people were Christians or not, but I have to believe if they can love someone who is attacking them, then we can love that person who has wronged us.

Because they are our brothers and sisters created in the image of God.

Well let me finish on the last verse (verse 48) because we have looked at three areas that showed where we should be, but this last verse kind of sumerizes it all:

Will you read it with me it says:

Matthew 5:48 NIV

48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

You know this verse might be kind of uncomfortable, because its telling you to be perfect.

Thats a little scary. I mean if I had you raise your hand how many of us would say I am perfect?

but here is the thing would Jesus tell us to do something that is not capable of being done?

Some of you might remember the illustration Lenny Wiseheart shared with us during our revival last year where he said its kind of like when a kid plays the piano.

They play hot cross buns and you go that is perfect, but then if an adult does it who has been playing for years you say “what are you doing?”

But you know really what Jesus is telling us is He is calling us to live a life where not just sexuality, integrity or how we love people is aligned with God,

But He wants us to live a life where every part of who we are is where God desires it and it is fully surrender to Him

And this morning I can guarentee you know fully where your life is.

You probably know if there are some steps of faith that need to be taken this morning

Maybe you are playing hot cross buns when God has called you to somthing more

Maybe God is calling you to lead a ministry

Maybe God is saying your next step is getting baptized

Maybe it is accepting him

Maybe there is a Character issue whether its lust, integrety or even just our ability to love that needs dealt with.

But this might be an area we need to give to God.

And as we close I want you to listen to the words of with song, because it talks about this being accomplished through Jesus and no one else.

Will you pray with me?