Love People - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. I don't know too many other places where even our culture.

We misinterpret say we just make up another thing is that we jump out of an airplane a parachute on the verse and everything Jesus said before, doesn't matter. I miss Chris look at this note does matter because this is the context in which Jesus was speaking. Today's interpretation of the judgment. Jesus, I do not judge people savages Caesar context. This joining us today on this additional fellowship in the world Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us God's word meets our work and that is based on the words of Jesus said that we are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and by and large, I think we really try to do that but we often just ignore the second part we just ignore completely in love your neighbor as yourself. Went to good and the reason is if you think about it. It's a lot easier to love God and it is the love you make perfect and shockingly you're not this becomes hard for us so what we find here that I find so interesting is that Jesus, what I call disturbing sermon on the Mount, and I mean disturbing in a sense I don't think anybody liked what he said except a few people the words he said were not like anything any of them ever heard before and while he was preaching he knew something about a group that none of the people did. He knew that the scribes and the Pharisees had no righteousness at all. None.

In fact, he actually says in the beginning of the sermon unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees will not see the kingdom of God and I said at that time. I think people gasp. I think people were befuddled. I think people like that's impossible. We all know that the scribes and firsters of the most righteous people we know and here's a guy that says if you don't surpass them.

You not you not to go to heaven.

Just that simple.

And so, what's interesting about it is that he knew that by and large, the scribes and Pharisees that affected Israel so much that almost everybody believe that if I would go through enough religious activity I be fine with God and that really was tragedy for Jesus. He didn't like anything about it. Everything about the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus point of view was wrong just flat-out wrong. And so he starts out with the Beatitudes. If you remember we talked about. He's because his view was scribes and Pharisees only and emphasize outward religiosity seek that's what they did. He said I will never get in a relationship with God so restarts of the Beatitudes and says you have to be blessed are the poor in spirit who are spiritually bankrupt before God.

Blessed are those who mourn over their own sin. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for God's righteousness.

Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are the peacemakers. Everything Pharisees word.

It's all inside. None of its outside is when Jesus finished that part of it. It's interesting he must've stop and he has a few of his disciples. There are not all there yet. And these guys are fishermen and he turns them and says you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The commands with the crowd thought. Who were those guys who are they, I think some fishermen I think of something.

What he said there the salt of the earth.

These guys know the light of the world. Yeah, then Jesus goes right back one theme again and he said look, let me explain some to you. It's always what's going on inside never on the outside. He said whenever you give whenever you pray and whenever you fast, make it as private as possible. You see when you do any of those things give, pray, fast. Make it as private as possible between you and God. Well, this is the exact opposite of the Pharisees, you see this exact everything they did. They not only gave with public display, but they prayed on street corners out loud so everyone could hear them and think the righteous. When a faster date charcoal their cheekbones and under the rise put on the role closing just stood around like this, Jesus said, none of that a work that won't work at all and so he told him that and then when he ends up doing right after that is, he says, look, let me get to the heart of this. You can't worship God and money. And I think most of their people thought just like most of you think. I think I can. I I can I can do both. And Jesus said no you can't do both. Jesus said, in fact, they may go even further. Your loved one, and you hate the other that the choice, so if I love money. I hate God. He said you can do it so he said now I know what you think and I can handle it. I'm good with its is a note, let me give the test. Here's the test. Have you ever worried about sustenance. If you ever worried about getting your needs met. Have you ever worried about money. Now we know that when the minute. That sounds like me he's again that's the test that tells me you put trust in money that you don't put in me so he talks about the birds and flowers aggressive. I'll take care of you already told you that you see you gotta learn to trust me and then what he ends up doing is what I think is interesting is that he now goes to this whole idea of what I call the horizontal plan. Jesus wants to get to the point of the second point love the Lord your God love your neighbor as yourself and do you love people. That's the question you love people and know in order to understand how this works in Matthew seven, you can open your Bibles to Matthew seven. Let me read these first two verses and then hold your place will go to another verse that explains this.

Matthew seven verses one into do not judge so that you will not be judged for the way that you judge, you will be judged, and by your standard of measure is can be measured to you.

Do not judge anyone to get and it will be eulogizing your standard now he's speaking here to a specific group, the scribes and Pharisees, especially the Pharisees. They made their living. They every day of their life. They charged people. That's what made him feel so self-righteous now hold your place and go with me. Once again we look at this earlier. Luke 18 Luke 18 in verse nine, Luke 18 verse nine it says and he also told this parable to some people I love knows who these people are who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and they viewed others with the content as Pharisees.

They trusted in themselves and they viewed other people with contempt.

He says two men went into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself God. I thank you that I'm not like other people, swimmers, unjust, adulterers really like this tax collector. Thank you God I'm not like these people know I could paraphrase that and the shorter version got I thank you that I'm not like these other people sinners please. Thank you God for I'm not like them as swimmer well. He said let me let me impression I fast twice a week I pay ties living I get is there's a godly man right that's a really godly man. He said the tax collectors, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift his eyes to heaven, was beating his breast, and he said God have mercy merciful to me, the center I tell you this man.

One way to his house justified rather than the other. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, you humbles himself will be exalted. That's the context of Matthew seven that's on the Pharisee so everybody I'm better than all of you people are all sinners, not me member Jesus was so upset by this that he earlier in the sermon, said look you say that it is written, thou shall not commit adultery but I say if you ever looked to the woman on with lust in your eyes you're an adult or you said Jan shall not murder but I say if you've ever been angry your murder and it Jesus took the sin world away from what you doing me outside what you think on the inside. They had understand they all had sent. See miming that the tax collector who was considered the lowest form of life in Israel. If you were tax collector. Most choose viewed you as lower than a prostitute because you were a traitor against her people you you became rich with Roman taxes and you betrayed your brothers and sisters who were Jews and he just said, have mercy on me, the center that's the sinners prayer. So now back to this Romans, I mean. Matthew seven says do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way that you judge you be judged, and by your standard measure will be measured to you. Now today were going to see twice these of the two of the most misunderstood passages in the New Testament. I don't know of too many other places where even in our culture, we misinterpret what these passages say we just make up another think it's it's as though we jump out of an airplane and parachute on the verse and everything Jesus said before, doesn't matter. I'm disgusted look at this verse know it doesn't matter because this is the context in which Jesus speaking I give you today's interpretation that who are you to judge me.

You judge me, we hear that all the time. Who are you to judge me Jesus. I do not judge people that were Jesus said Caesar context.

This seat you can judge me for what I believe you have to accept what I believe you can judge me on that's that's the words of our culture you accept everybody's belief as though it's fine and anybody's behavior is so it's fine. It's gone so far in America, but it's amazing to me that we have people in America who have behavior that is incredibly licentious from a sensual or sexual point of view. They not only want me to accept that they want me to celebrate it. You have to celebrate this with me. Why, how, what I why would I celebrate sin. See, why would I do that we can judge me well I mean this think about that for just a moment just ahead.

In chapter 7 study in verse 15 Jesus said, beware of the false prophets that come to you in sheep's clothing.

Inwardly they are ravenous wolves. He says you will know them in verse 16 he said, by their he said by their fruits. Graves and I gather from thornbushes nor figs from thistles, every good tree that bears fruit, but the batteries bear bad fruit sit a good tree cannot produce bad fruit. The bad tree cannot produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire. So then you will know them by their fruits is in the judging is not judging Jesus just tells the judge them. He said you you got what judge the fruits see if there of God are not Jesus in the same context is telling us the judge. Think of every prophet who ever showed up in the Old Testament today ever judge anybody. I mean come on, what's a prophet do do they judge the behavior of the people. Yes they judge the beliefs of the people. Yes that's why everyone hated them you see they judged everybody think of Paul, the great apostle. In acts chapter 20 Paul was giving a final goodbye to the elders at Ephesus, the leaders and it's a very emotional chapter.

There's a lot of crying and hugging between Paul and knees elders from Ephesus and it's interesting when Paul ends up speaking to them what it what it one of the things he says it is amazing he said you remember when I was with you in Ephesus.

I did not cease from admonishing each of you with tears what's admonishing me judging, correcting us these are the elders. He said you know that I did that with all of you and I did it with you. I had tears why we have tears because he saw himself just like them see just what the Pharisees can do. Remember, the apostle Paul said, I am the chief of sinners. That didn't stop him, admonishing the Bible was full of this idea that we stand for the truth Jesus that I'm the way the truth and the life knowing it's the truth. So we are to be judging, but only things that we can judge or only things of God is spoken to what the Pharisee did as he made.

He judged everybody as inferior to him based on his activity so is that I think I do not like these people. Of course you are. Everybody is so your Sony says this is and how can you is why do you look at the spec that you and your brother's eye, but you do not notice the log in your own now that really is a hyperbole. There pretty hard to get it wagoner I I Jesus did intentionally.

And it's not a splinter. It's a long so is Megan's point, the word I cannot at this this work in the Greek is respecting some really tiny, so some pretty small and to begin respecting right is it irritating it is right and then you know that you have your eye open.

Someone has a clean exit. I don't see anything its Arab pockets. You know we do all this but just imagine doing that with the logging orders.

I mean it's just it's it's a ridiculous statement that is making the question is what makes the person is judging have a log in there.

I judging that's a sin himself. That's a compound send over your regular sin.

When you judge other people like this that your sin so he goes on after he says that any makes it real clear verse five you hypocrite. By the way, it's Jesus favorite word to describe all Pharisees scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, Jesus is causing that over and over again. What are these men.

These are hypocrites. Never he said your blind leaders of the blind your whitewashed sepulchers, your beautiful and the outside you're dead inside. Jesus had nothing good to say about him ever nothing to how Jesus spoke to a prostitute. Kindly tax collector kindly woman at the well. Kindly woman caught in adultery kind Pharisees, you brood of vipers. You see, that is, there is public enemy number one why they have built a religious wall around a relationship with God.

They will never have a relationship with God. And worse, Jesus said you stole the kingdom of God for the nation. The Pharisees had so much influence that they had countless other people would never come to Christ because they believed religion was the way to go. So Jesus had nothing good to say he called him a hypocrite.

He said, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye, and then sort of out of nowhere he says some of the first time I rented it shocked me to try to put it in this context, do not give what is holy. The dogs do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet and nail turn and tear you to pieces. I go we were talking about judging at this conclusion is conclusion has to deal with this. What is he mean by this. Now let me say before ice make some comments here.

I've had dogs our whole lives. Okay, we've had as many as for the time. I like dogs okay but the Bible has virtually nothing good to say about the nothing. There's nothing good in the Bible by dogs. The reason is people didn't have pet dogs you could have a guard dog once in a while outside the mostly shepherds use dogs but most the time they were not pets. They were wild dogs and so when you see dog in the Bible. It's never usually a kind word about and he's talking about these pack animals who were scavengers probably disease carrying in all that and notice what he says.

He said do not give what is holy to dogs what is holy with think of this I going to make a sacrifice of the Temple. I have a major sacrifice some of his bird some of its given to the priest and the rest is given to me.

The priest we didn't, so why this is. This is an offering see an offering that I have an offering that is called holy every time once it's offered, it's holy, so I now have some holy meat and I have a holy ribeye and I have something holy. Now, would it make sense to take what's holy and then find a pack of wild dogs and give it to them using their point of view that the knots Debbie crazy you don't give you what's holy to dogs is making this point as he goes on here many goes the next section, and he says do not throw pearls before swine. The please understand for you pork lovers in the Bible is forbidden in the Old Testament. If you want to say what is unbelievably unclean to a Jew. What would he say swine forks when I ligated member when Jesus took the Legion of demons out of the man. Major zines he took all the demons on the exercise of any put them all and that the swine and the swine ran off the cliff and into the into the lake whether it was killing two birds with one stone.

You see what these guys in the garrisons were doing is they were bootleggers.

Okay, they raise pigs and then it's meet the pigs in the Israel and the people in Israel by the pork so Jesus got just got rid of the demons be government of the pigs. You see, that's the whole thing behind the swine. Now here in America for the first time were starting a learning what how dangerous wild pigs are. It's interesting to watch on the TV and anything there someplace. I think Texas has a bounty on them. You go and unamended it's amazing why they destroy your crops. The dangers the smart you know. But he said why would you would you give one a pearl.

What would a pig do with a pearl nonowner pig.

You probably eat it inadvertently. But the point is, what would you do with that you wouldn't do that. He said just trample under the feet and then if you think of a big bore. He just turn and attack you. Who is he talking about here. Pharisees don't waste time waster time.

These are not these are not perspective. Perspective there and adamant enough to be against the pastoral number the radio ministry or fellowship nor if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like to listen to the message one more time. Remember the little green website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio program, had Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make his broadcast possible with all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry. Continue with broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly fourth is the one time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word.

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