Crucial Truths, Rarely Understood, Part 1

Tragically, millions of church attenders of come to the conclusion that the Bible contains little more than tedious instructions how to follow the rule manual for good behavior and those who follow the rules will experience their reward in heaven today on Insight for living.

Chuck Swindoll helps us understand the error of this notion by listening to the actual words of Jesus in his famous sermon on the Mount.

Yes, following the law of God is essential there something deeper something fuller to be embraced. Chuck titled today's message crucial truths rarely understood for verses are tucked away in Matthew five. John would like for you to look at and for us to consider as we think about crucial truths rarely understood you learn some things today that you do not now know that's one of the exciting things about the teaching of the Scriptures is always something new to discover today is no exception.

What you have found Matthew 517. Please stand with each other for the reading of God's word not think that I came to abolish the Law or the prophets. I do not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then unknow is one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever keeps and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll.

Be sure to download is searching the Scriptures.

Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies and now Chuck's message titled crucial truths rarely understood.

We knew something was missing but we just didn't know what it was the longest time Cindy and I felt there was something we weren't getting from the church we were attending understand that there was a Bible used every Sunday we had carried a Bible all our lives.

We were raised in families love the Lord and believe the Bible. Same for our grandparents on her side in mind the same for great-grandparents, but in our courtship and then our engagement for those 18 months we would say to each other from time to time. There's just something that isn't satisfying. Something is missing all our lives we been involved in the religious life of that particular denomination and we went to the activities and and we do the preachers we knew the evangelists we would hear them special meetings, we would hear missionaries are familiar names and and we were aware of that world that was altogether familiar a lot of predictions connected with it, but get this, we we we were strangers to this book, this Bible seems funny doesn't it. We we carried a Bible we read from it.

We heard one gospel message after another gospel message after another gospel message we already see we Artie knew the Lord we needed we needed truth to live by not information that would help us know how to be saved. So we remained hungry. We know what to do in order to turn we knew something was missing. When you're in a context like that you become familiar with that world and you hear all kinds of sermons are topical sermons and devotional sermons and textual sermons and Longhorn sermons point here in a point there a lot of bolding between and and and you get all that stuff a and you finish you go go to lunch or you go home and it's like so what. And then through a series of circumstances. I'll not get into. We were led to a place where the truth is we had never heard it was being taught.

No denominational tie, no, no long traditional trappings. Nothing wrong with tradition. If the traditions are part of the truth and who and went when we were exposed to that. We realize this is what we have been missing interesting same Bible same purses that we have looked at all through our earlier years. Same no different voices new voices voices that were that were from people who had made a deep and a consistent study of the Scriptures so that it made sense and we found ourselves satisfied. We made a tough decision, the first in our family to pull away from the dog long routes. It would been a part of our lives and some warned us some photos.

We were moving into trouble. We certainly were in a new group of people and we had not known was a remarkable change that that came over its we found ourselves excited about going to classes that the word of God was taught and and and hearing different people that would open the Scriptures. It can help us help us see what is really there and that is how we hundreds would say we moved from pablum to porterhouse we move from baby food for we were spoonfed Sunday after Sunday Sunday after Sunday Sunday after Sunday where we were offered me truth to live by.

Suddenly we learned of the doctrines of the Scriptures we learned of justification and sanctification.

We learned of the prophetic plan of God for the future that it is all sort of up for grabs through the will wind up the same place at the right time and it would also cannot sing, glory is not like that at all. But the world is not going to get better but worse because the Scriptures teach in the last days, savage times will come miserably OR so we were disillusioned we were hopeless. God's word was being fulfilled what was happening was the authority of the Scriptures took hold of us and we wanted that regardless of who the speaker may be we have been in churches where the pastor was sort of the prima donna you never questioned the pastor, but we learned in this new setting. There's no church boss pastors were the boss of the church. Corporations are run by bosses. The churches of the corporation. The church is a family and God is the head. Christ is the Lord of the church. Christ is the one we worship, the pastor is under the authority of Christ just as the people are and we could rest our case it was magnificent. Removed from the opinion of preachers to the authority of the truth of how great it was and all of a sudden the truths had a new flavor had a great taste. I have a friend who doesn't enjoy fish never goes to a fish restaurant will be found in the fish market doesn't like. Even the smell of it will. Doesn't that greatest mental but I mean you like it, no matter what.

And then he went with us and we were with the group when our Alaskan cruise we went to an illogical talk to lodge for the fixed salmon out on the grill and if you invite the Bears away long enough you can get enough salmon together, come inside and enjoy makes my jaws hurt just thinking about salmon and talking lodge and my friend knows this is great. Suddenly he's eating salmon, but not your garden-variety sin. He's eating salmon like no other place and we caught the truth like never before and you know what Nothing Else Satisfies My Way, Lord of the soul.

First, to satisfy exhaust the spring the waters free all of the streams are dry and young men say to me, following the first service today as he named the particular church. He came out of an and he said I'm not here talk about that he doesn't want tell you I went to a similar situation and he said difference. It is made is like night and day just lit up as I was born for the first 2025 years of my life and now that I've gotten a whole. Digging into the word for myself and seeing that it speaks to me with authority.

A.

I can't describe the changes made now use the word several times that we need to define it for you I mean by the authority of holy Scripture. Now, I did just what you can do so let me give you a tip.

I have no corner on truth, you can study just as I study you have Webster's dictionary just like I do get your dictionary lookup authority. This is the definition you will find excellent the right and power to command to exact obedience to influence thought, opinion, or behavior that's great definition when the Scriptures speak they have the right to command to exit to to exact obedience from the reader to influence my thought, my opinion what behavior and it's done.

The Scriptures have done that for years and years and years of my life. I have no corner on the truth. I advise like you have.

It's in English like you read and you and I can read through this and is the authority of the Scriptures comes over us. We realize that that is for the power is not in me, not in us. It's in the word.

I love the way John RW Stott put it here then is the preachers authority.

It depends on the closeness of his adherence to the text he's handling that is on the accuracy with which he is understood it, and on the forcefulness with which it has spoken to his own soul in the ideal sermon.

It is the word itself which speaks a rather God and then through his word, the less the preacher comes between the word and its hearers the better he goes on expository preaching is a most exacting discipline. Perhaps that is why it is so rare the systematic preaching of the word is impossible without the systematic study of it. Like you I read it verse by verse and sometimes word by word and Ice Age of the Lord.

I need insight here and I don't have it in myself. Show me what this is saying and let me read what you have written for my life and for those I'll be teaching now. Why is this important, why am I on the subject is were dealing with the sermon on the mountain. Jesus word here is the reason because without the holy Scriptures.

We have no standard is is like building a house with with with no measuring mark with no slide ruler with with a no level the word of God gives me the measuring marks of my life, thy word is truth and otherwise we do what seems right in our eyes, you do what your parents told you to do. I do what my parents told me to do and a lot of other things beyond. No, no disparaging comment about any parents what parents are not omniscient everything they taught us is not right.

Much of what they taught us is magnificent, but my parents were wrong in some areas if I operated my life according to that I would operate my life of Ian, in contrast to the Scriptures so as I grew up. I need my parents less just like you and I needed the truth more so that now my authority rests here.

And if this book says it, I adjust my life to it, may have a temper, but when the Scripture says it, that has no place in the Christian life than my rage is to be kept under control or I'm in sin have a lust or I may covet or I may be selfish. The reason I know that is because the Scriptures teach me that lusting in covetousness and selfishness are sins, and doesn't matter how I feel about it.

That's what the Scripture teaches and if that's what Scripture teaches. I need to adjust my life right now.

What is all this had to save us from amount something the people who came in her Jesus teach that day had been raised in the church. They called a synagogue and they listen to the scribes and the Pharisees. They listen to the rabbis year after year, year after year, year after monotonous year and much of the cheesy was based on tradition. Tradition like fiddler on the roof tradition. Tradition is everything. No, the tradition of men and women is not authority but it is impressive and it is also on occasion absolutely wrong. So these people who have been raised in the synagogue sit down and they listen to someone who speaks not like a scribe or Pharisee and it's like half what will look for yourself. Look at the end of the sermon. Chapter 7 verse 28 verse 29.

You'll see it right here. 728 when Jesus had finished these words, that is the finished's message we call it the sermon on the Mount what happened. The crowds were amazed at his teaching.

I remember having that experience.

When I that he became exposed to the truth. I said back and I would say to Cynthia. That's what we've been missing. Is this magnificent or what not.

Isn't he great. It wasn't about the preacher. It was about seeing the true and these people heard the truth and they had never heard anything like it, they were amazed, for he was teaching them as one having authority, not as described. He was teasing them as one who was true and then everything like it is a member member. The us the at the crucifixion met with the centurion reports back.

No one ever spoke like this man.

He's like none other. He represents something we've never heard before. So when we get into the sermon and when we work our way through it.

We shouldn't be surprised that there have been critics at even early on in his ministry was that he's abolishing the law he stands against the prophets because he took on the scribes and Pharisees, and he called a spade a spade. In fact, he called them hypocrites which they were but like in my younger years.

You never criticize the pastor he he's the boss you never criticize the Pharisee hazy about no no no no way you've already forgotten. This is the authority, so we place ourselves under the rule of Scripture.

And if I did something that cannot be backed up in Scripture I am wrong. You have no business following the teaching. However, if I do based it on the Scriptures. After careful study. You are wise to follow the teachings of Scripture. Now that's the group of people. Jesus is talking to Dave heard the criticism. So for the first time Jesus changes all the use to. I verses one through 16 of chapter 5 it's you.

You including you are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world overtake us to verse 17 he says do not think that I so it changes from second person plural. We would say here all y'all. Y'all want to do this don't want to do that. Nobody gets to verse 17 he says I I came not not come to abolish the law, I did not come to abolish it, but to fulfill it.

CI twice in verse 17 regulating for truly I say to you. Verse 24 I say to you now is let me tell you a little bit about me personally I'm not here to abolish the truth. I'm here to uphold the truth to fulfill it in every way personally, ethically and in in every possible way on her to fulfill it.

That's why the father sent me but the fact was, they were surrounded by people whose tradition tromped the Scriptures so that what they talk about keeping the Sabbath, went further than the law taught not only were you to be clean, but they had a way of washing hands that that was meticulous and time-consuming, and you watch this hand in a certain way with the fist on the farm and that you watch that had a certain way and then you let the water drip of the elbows and the at the water drip of the man of that is in Scripture is the tradition of man, but if you did not do that you're criticized just like when we were in the church I mentioned we were given a list you know dance no play cards. There's there's no mixed bathing. I think you meant mixed swimming but there there there is no mixed swimming. If you do that and and and Sunday you don't want the lawn on Sunday Scripture say that that's the Sabbath Sabbath is Saturday and I will always be walking around with rules for Sunday and the Sabbath survive me in seventh, the seventh day of the week all that took place on the Shabbat and they added to the show in chapter 15. Look over there likely older place, to get to chapter 5 know where I get that but you gotta see it in light of all of this and then you can understand and appreciate the 15th about this passage, some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said why your disciples break the tradition, the owner drawn some officious wives of the four. They do not wash their hands when the bread really is nothing in the commandments about washing it. But there is something in their commandments.

See, they added hundreds of things to the law became a part of their books that they talked. So why do they do that and he answered and said, why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition. Now you understand what you give the people this long list of things that they do and do not do would God's word does not teach that God sent honor your father and mother, and he who speaks evil of father mother is to be put to death, but you say whoever says to his father, mother, whatever, whatever, I have that would help you has been given to God. It was a way to keep things for themselves and not help their parents as they age is not to honor his father, his mother's what they taught by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition got it you see it now, go to the next verse down at verse 12.

I love this verse.

Then the disciples came to him and said, you know, the Pharisees were offended really really yummy when I called them hypocrites.

They were hypocrites, but nobody had the guts I use the word guts. Nobody had the guts to call them hypocrites. But Jesus could because he understood righteousness, which had nothing to do with external living, all with internal's not what goes into the man that corrupts them.

It's what comes out from the inside about chapter 5. So much more lunacy about that. I will get to this passage so Jesus and the law of verses 17 and 18. In case you think he's soft on the law. Look at verse 18.

One of my favorite verses in the sermon on the Mount, you'll see why. Truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is account was Jesus. Often the Scriptures, not about believers 18 known on your life. I will change one thing I will remove one part of one letter of one verse you're surrounded by those who teach otherwise I will not do that. I believed you would to the truth.

The word is true, please make a mental note of the stopping point today, tomorrow on Insight for living will resume Chuck Swindoll's teaching at this very spot in Matthew chapter 5 Chuck is midway through a two day message titled crucial truths rarely understood. To learn more about this ministry. Visit us online@insightworld.org just before half hours gone for today. This is my first occasion to bring to your attention the check is written an in-depth book about Jesus sermon on the mount. And if you're prepared to dig deeper into this topic on your own. We highly recommend that you secure a copy of simple faith through this study.

In Matthew chapters 5, six and seven were learning that Jesus famous sermon was only 15 minutes or so in length, but his radical word stand is the most influential in history from his opening Beatitudes through his story about building our house on solid rock. The sermon on the Mount is one for the ages.

Chuck's insightful book is called simple faith discovering what really matters and to purchase a copy right now. Call us if you're listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 or go directly to Insight.org/store. In addition, you might like to add the CD and MP3 message called shake and shine. This is a complete and unabridged recording of the message.

Chuck finished on yesterday's program. In this study, Chuck helps us understand the mandate from Jesus to become salt and light in our world especially relevant right now. When our world seems to be spinning out of control. Jesus said don't run away from the world nor embrace. Instead, he taught us were to shake and shine our way through it. So to resources at your disposal today. First textbook on Jesus sermon of all sermon called simple faith and second Chuck's message on CD and MP3 called shake and shine to purchase either resource or both colors listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or go online to Insight.org/store window continued scribe crucial truths rarely understood. Listen Wednesday to Insight for living. The preceding message. Crucial truths rarely understood was copyrighted in 2015 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. all rights are reserved worldwide. Application of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited