But I Say - Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ leaning up the mall, but you do believe me, but not I swear like all that's holy your time.

In a sense is that you should believe me now that's not as crazy because the Beatitudes they were to be pure in heart, but he goes on, and he says that your statement yes yes or no. Not beyond that is a pure heart.

Joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our work looked at any woman with lust just like I'm already at my heart.

I hope you start feeling uncomfortable because I think you start thinking that's me. You see, that's me. Yes, what this point here. Point is your issue is your inside of you. Your issue is that your poor in spirit, your issue is that your dating sing, and no amount of externals will ever stop this. You can't stop it with external religiosity. It's never going to work. He goes on after that to some kind of interesting is if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you and it would be better to lose one of you park your body then your whole body be thrown into hell.

And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut off, throw it from you, for it is better for you to lose one of the party abiding whole body to going out not I read all kinds of bizarre stuff about this verse. None of it true, but pretty bizarre, but the point of it is what's going on here. First of all he speaking in hyperbole. There's no doubt about that.

He's not advocating turnout your eyes and cutting off her hands by the way religious people do that thou take Islam even today. If I get caught stealing economy. I thought about that in a few moments, but the point is Jesus saying some that the Jews understood the Jews would use this term to say that what's best if you what's best for Bill was my right eye or my right arm you seek. My right eye gives me the vision for life and in my right arm represents all that I do physically right I am right arm meant a lot to the Jewish people and it's kind of an interesting thought from their point of view is sort of might represent everything about me and Jesus says let me explain to you how serious sin is your be better off with one eye and one hand, and assuming your heart. That's what he means. Sin has to be radically dealt with, which is exactly what the crosses see it's radical white as an innocent man. After climbing across and die for the sins of the world's radical party does not doesn't change a standard. You see, Jesus met the standard he justified God was propitiated, God was satisfied with the sacrifice that took place. He moves on that and says it was said whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce but I say now that looks pretty benign, but it's not. I've said this before and you probably have heard it but the Jews of Jesus day had every bit as bad or worse, a view of divorce than we do today and is probably more meant Jewish men could force Jewish women for any reason, any reason I don't like the way you look like the way your mother talks.

I don't like the way you cook out you go, Jewish women, by the way could almost not divorce her husband's for any reason. Talk about a set up.

Why is how would a Jewish woman. Supporters can't so it was totally totally a male dominated society, and what they came up with. By the time of Christ was it's okay to divorce your wife as long as you legally give her certificate sees the poorest. They said Jesus like while see the whole problem with religiosity is you gotta find loopholes you know you gotta find loopholes that deal with your own sin so you make up things that are local. There's a loophole I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife except for the reason of unchastity which is poor and the we get the word pornography from fornication, except for that reason Jesus gives. The exception is not God's ideal.

By the way, God's ideal for you for no reason for the law allowed for unchastity because the one flesh was broken. The one flesh relationship was broken so you could divorce, but Hosea and Gomer teach God's ideal and was was Gomer on Chase absolutely and Hosea forgive her and take her back every time. That's the ideal, but he says divorces his wife except for the reason of unchastity. He makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorce woman commits adultery. Now I gotta believe right there. The men in the group listening all look at each other.

What is what. What is he saying now is not saying it's an unpardonable sin is saying this it sin understand that it's what Malachi say last book of the last book of the Old Testament God hates divorce is immutable. He hasn't changed behaving divorce than he hates divorce. You see, now we live in a culture by the way, that is not this loose but one of the funniest things and one of the great words I think in our culture is we added the word witness a certificate. We have a better word no-fault is a no-fault we just got a divorce will fall. We just did.

That's kind of an interesting interesting way to look at it you know but from our point of view it's very common and so the whole idea is Jesus makes them uncomfortable by saying this is wrong. This is wrong again you have heard the engine saying this goes right together. You shall not make false files, but you should fulfill your vows of the Lord. This is about loving culture. They love the house they take vows for everything they have little vows and big bows. I mean I do. They have vows for everything, but you have to think of something about about what Jesus exposes this. He says I say to you that no oath at all, either by heaven and fridge the throne of God or by the earth is the footstool of his feet or by Jerusalem is the city of the great King, nor shall you make an oath by your own head, for you cannot make one hair white or black seat while you take a bow and I'm not talking about the courtroom followed him say that in a minute of the wedding vow, but a regular file. Let me put it this way, here's a kind of things we say I swear on my mother's grave. What you say you have to believe me.

Up to now, but now you do believe me, but now I swear by all that's holy, what you doing see your time in a sense is that you should believe me now she's like that's not that's crazy effect. Notice what he does. He goes on because the Beatitudes they were to be pure of heart, but he goes on. He says let your statement be yes yes or no. No. Beyond that, it's evil to say yes or no to pure heart. You have a problem with that. An honest person you have integrity to be careful about that. We take vows even a file that is important in the sense of the commitment were making but think of this. We all take wedding lost only now I noticed a lot of them even on TV. There's a part missing involves now and that death there was part thing is off okay because how many people have taken I make in about a day before God and all you till death do us part and how that worked out to somebody didn't keep your vow so we just don't say that part. I mean, inevitably, for a lot of people in our culture with a really saying is look. I want to marry you as long as you make me happy.

Stop making me happy. You see, that's the Jesus I will that be better. Mr. honest say yes or say no, but you have to go beyond this, seek this whole point is an external file doesn't reveal a human heart yes or no reveals your human heart, so he says moves on to the next area that aptly finishes that you heard it was said, and I for nine, a tooth for tooth right out of the Bible. Exodus 21 Leviticus 24, Deuteronomy 19 and I for nine, a tooth for tooth was a Bible say that for justice we mean that Old Testament law was set up that whatever you do is a crime or punishment should fit your time. It should be more than your crime. It should be less than your crime.

So when I for nine, a tooth for tooth.

That's the way the punishment once it was set up that way, but he got a little bit distorted along the way. He says I say to you know what's in this change. Do not resist an evil person from here on in Irving. I tell you today is not a bother you as much as a bothered that audience is nothing like why because you're an American, right now. This is against you. This is against the way you think, he said, do not resist an evil person, whoever slaps you on your right cheek. Turner uttered him also. Where all you have to understand Jewish culture was the single greatest and so you can do to a Jewish person, especially Jewish man slapped him on his face.

The only thing I can think of equipment and our culture spit in his face, spit in his face. See what a mockery that makes him see how offensive it is usually from that point of view. That's what a slob was by the way when they arrested Jesus.

Whether they do slap them over and over demonstrates their insulting see their insulting them at that level, they are attacking his dignity as a human being by what with the Jesus to reset the beckoning.

Not good. What yell back at him. Nothing. Nothing is honor was attacked.

It was on, says if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt let him have your code also is a lawsuit and up in the schedule but opposite of ours. Those two words are interchangeable codes and inner garment that asserts out a in a court of law.

If you don't have anything they could take your shirt with a cryptic for the other way line. Whatever your inner garment was no corporate say take that off. Jesus said if someone sues you, and then when you're out of garment community. What she won the world is that mean how does this work is the only beatitude person would do this is if someone was doing that to you. Would you do something extra. See, this is really hard. Even the idea of the slap on the face member Paul addressed this in Romans 12 if someone does something terrible you all. The Bible says if you're forgiven okay and what else he says vengeance is mine, don't you doing that made she let me do it.

Jesus never uttered a word, let's think about this and God's big plan. He never uttered a word, they crucified him as about as bad as could happen that God exact any kind of justice on Israel or yen 70 A.D. the moments kicked them out of the land, they were distributed around the world for 2000 years, says a pretty dress punishment got so I got this statement from our point of view, that's not the way it is you slap me off slap you, you insult me I'll insult you. You sue me I'm regular. The least I cannot. This I see it, we just will operate this way is the way we think.

He then goes on and says he says whoever forces you to go 1 mile, go to as a direct response to Romans Roman soldiers occupied the land. Roman soldiers had the right to any citizen of the land that their margin from one town to another town or city Roman soldier could come up you as a Jewish person and give you his armor and said you carrier for the next mile and you had to choose hated. They hated me and bears for Romans who they hated in the land. So Jesus said what if he says you gotta go. Mayawati assayed I'll go to start thinking who can do this. Who can do this. Jesus he did. Jesus can do this all people for the Beatitudes can do this they can do this as they follow Jesus notice, then he goes on after that and says give to him to ask if you do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. Well, someone wants to borrow short to take a deal want me they could still some of my money, but if you think of the rest of the Bible whose money uses anyway. This is becoming a more problematic issue. Only someone who follows Christ. Only Christ can do this. I hope you come away with this.

I can do these things. I don't think that way because that's part of the poverty of spirit I can do this. I'm not righteous enough, then he goes on, and he says you heard it was said, you shall love your neighbors and hate your enemy. It does say in Exodus 23 your love, your neighbors, it doesn't say hey your enemies. They added that they added that because they hated the Gentiles, so that's what our tradition teaches us to love and hate to see that's what tradition can do is an amazing thing it doesn't never go away. I mean if you read like foxes bought book of martyrs is an amazing thing, but it's hard to understand when you read the New Testament that for hundreds of years, especially through the Middle Ages that if you didn't agree to the tradition of the Roman church. They killed you, they executed where would you find out in the New Testament.

Nowhere but our tradition says that's what you do. If they don't agree with you will kill them miss the whole thing behind the Crusades, the theology of the Roman church in a theology of Islam with the same when it came to that nest of the fighting over Jerusalem see the same idea. It's just the way it works.

He said, but I say to you, love your enemies and love, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. We have families live enemies in this country.

Yes, I would not be persecuted more in the future, less a lot more.

It's coming see a lot more okay. What does Jesus say about that when I stand up and fight to get back for us, Jesus, and love them, pray for us and against our natural fiber in it. Now the Vantage rehab as long as as a political process we get engaged in at vote, but whatever the outcome is the optimal matter to us.

That's the Jesus standard is love them all.

By the way when they crucified what was the first thing you said on the cross, father forgive them. While, to be miss treated like that, and by the way you talk about yourself privacy of any reason have a little self pride that sees the son of God. He's God incarnate, he's there the safer since he says forgive see he can do that in our flesh. This is not the way we operate.

So he says, so that you may be sons of your fathers in heaven. You want to prove your son of God. Okay, pray for them and love them all. That's right, by the way God loved you when you were at enmity with God while for God so loved the world he says when we were always enemy.

So God says look I love my enemies for their benefit. Now if you're my child, you love your enemies, for their benefit to this is hard in our flesh difficult for us. He said that one of the reasons you want to do this he causes the sun to rise on evil on evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous is a God blesses everyone does and only rain on the farms of the believing farmers or is it rain on unbelievers farms about the business world.

Only believers are successful in the business world.

Unbelievers don't get any success. They really do a substance on 73 it's hard for me to look at the prosperity of the wicked here that's is the way this works got to bless everybody he then says if you love those whom I love this. If you love those who love you, what reward you have looming tax gatherers do that.

I just look and it is natural.

I like people who like me and I love people who love me notice the me word how do you feel about people that have let you know in one way or another they can stand when you me she is hard.

He said look, even attacks together the most despicable person in Israel. They all love each other.

They have cats gather parties.

See no one else may like them, but they like each other. He said even they do this he goes on, then it's as if you greet only your brothers, what more you doing then others don't even Gentiles do the same. See the whole test for us is how do we treat everybody those of the faith and those not of the faith those who are friends of those who are enemies using it's all the same for us and I hope you come away.

The point like this is really hard for me or gets worse. The last verse. Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect.

There's the standard it's never been anything else but that once God standard perfection point why he's God is perfect. Remember the passages by written Peter you need to be holy as I am holy. Mosher first got you got to begin is not a chance to be as holy as God answered. I'm maybe troop as my standard. My standard is perfection.

Seller try to see that's the were telling us by the way, Jesus said it is finished on the cross, telling us and so they said maybe that's what it means complete, finished one writer said it means mature now. I don't think so because look therefore you are to be mature and be nice but therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly father's perfect is God mature or see perfect. See that's what he said when he said just as what's the point he's making of your flesh. You can do you can. External religion will never make you righteous enough, you'll never make it. No matter what one sends enough to eternally condemn all of us.

Our only hope is to put our trust in the one who fulfilled the law that would Jesus talk about our only hope is to admit were spiritually bankrupt.

Our only hope is to go to God with empty hands and God says that's fine. You put your faith and trust in my son and I'll give you the gift of eternal life.

It will be filled with my mercy and my grace and my forgiveness and all you can do is receive it using that's the point that he's making. I am sure by the end of the chapter. He's got a very, very angry. But starting in chapter 6 is going to make him a lot more angry with Brent father. The standard of Jesus Christ makes us uncomfortable, but it's only because we know who we are.

We know our limitations, but the important thing fathers we need to know who he is and his lack of limitations. The apostle Paul figures out he said I can do all things through him and strengthens me.

That applies to all of us, the standard it seems so remote to us so difficult in our flesh is a standard of Jesus Christ can readily meet the needs and thinking father for the Lord Jesus Christ and his words that comfort the afflicted and afflict pastoral give our on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like a list of the method one more time.

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