Christianity Behind the Curtain

Spots Mr. so you just see what you notice he wants to perform surgery to get out of your Jesus is pulling the curtain back showing us ourselves. We have an amazing blindness to our own sin and an amazing perceptiveness of this, another for home in a different one for social settings. In other words, you have different masks that you where based on the setting urine. As believers we can even find ourselves going to church with a mascot. We hide our own issues and focus on the problems of others.

Jesus encouraged his true disciples to examine their own lives. Honestly and thoroughly for sin and we do that before confronting another believer with their issues.

This is wisdom for the heart here. Stephen debuted with the message called Christianity behind the curtain, the more I studied the text that's before us today. It struck me that what Jesus is doing here is is stringing together some pearls that collectively will call back the curtain on us all. He's essentially describing very realistic terms.

The characteristics of growing disciples.

There there there is no smoke and mirrors here. There's no impressive you know, sound effects just just the real thing. What is it look like what does it sound like to be a growing disciple so you pick up this the string of pearls, as it were, and as we work our way through it all to you before characteristics of growing disciples characteristic number one is this just simply call it genuine generosity when on verse 38 give, and it will be given to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be put into your lap.

For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Now Jesus is using sermon illustration here that this audience would've immediately understood they'd seen this a thousand times. So let me describe it for you, Becca, Marie, Darrell box paragraph on this in his commentary as he describes this for centuries seen you wrote the measuring of corn would be carried out according to an established pattern seller would crouch down on the ground with the measuring container between his legs.

He would fill a three fourths fall and then shake the container around with a rotating motion to make it all settled down. Then he filled it to the top and he gave it another series of shape. Next he press down on the corn with both hands squeezing it all together. He didn't borrow a hole in the middle of the pilot for even more kernels. In doing padding it down periodically until there was no room for one more kernel. In this way, the purchaser was guaranteed and absolutely fall measures simply couldn't hold it anymore. Even though Jesus is pulling out this very common experience.

He changes ever so slightly, which would've gotten their attention. He adds a couple of things in in his changing of this illustration. First, the Lord says here that the measuring vessel is not just all to the Brown due notice it's actually running over it spilling over into the recipients lap that work for lap lap run was a pocket created by the fold it in the rope so he's receiving this, it is just a fall measure happiness is running over now. Secondly, he changes it here so this is really about selling grain or corn or flour or anything that the word cell is not found in this passage Jesus is using the word give notice gear not sell and it will be given to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over so he sees presenting a picture here of not so much a generous seller.

Although we love it when we get a good deal from some salesman right. Jesus is commanding a generous salary here.

He's commending a generous giver.

This is how were to give fact.

Keep in mind he doesn't use the word money either doesn't this because he's describing something deeper is describing the characteristics of a growing disciple that does deeper than your debit card goes way deeper than your portfolio. He's talking here about our spirit. Our attitude is it is stingy. Is it tightfisted or is it open and generous we live with the spirit. This is how we willingly meet the needs of others so we give our time so we share our talent which so many here on this platform did in fact today. This is how your spiritual gifts as so many of you volunteered teaching working variety of ways as you serve the body. This is the use of your home. This is indeed the use of course of your finances but a growing disciple is described here as someone who was this spirit of overflowing genuine generosity. Secondly, Jesus describes in an parabolic form a parable.

What what I want to label his cautious conformity notice. He asks all rhetorical question.

Verse 39 cannot blind man lead the blind man will they not both fall into the pit and is expecting the course not, you know you in a blind individual leaving blighted visuals or were there. Not sure whether going now in Matthew's much longer sermon notes of the Lord's message connects this morning with the false prophets in Matthew chapter 7 verse 15 that Jesus will again connect blindness with the religious leaders over in Matthew chapter 15 a repeat. In fact, the same parabolic state Hill Hill referred down to religious leaders. This is the idea of spiritually blind people trying to leave spiritually blind people just wonder where and in the darkness he helped see this is the fatal delusion of the scribes and Pharisees in Jesus's day they they represented the religion of the day and there there deliberately choosing the darkness there choosing to refuse the light of the CA as it were of Christ's gospel. So this is a rather devastating condemnation on on the religious world of Jesus's day there pumping out disciples, I mean there disciple making their producing disciples, but there disciples are are no better off than the teachers. They were religious system as well.

To put it producing graduates as blind as their professors so the point here is you very cautious you very careful.

If you want to grow as a disciple. Who are you listening to you following your not just listening to them, you're actually becoming like that's the warning. Jesus gives observers 40 notice disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher, did you notice Jesus doesn't say that every disciple will end up as smart as their teacher as eloquent as their teacher is widely used as their mentor. Jesus says something far more frightening here.

This is why you want to line up to be a teacher. James says you can have a stricter accounting. Why, because he says students become like their teacher seaweeds we we would typically say this wife like father like what son Jesus as well that certainly may be true, but what about areas like Prof. like people like disciple or like disciple like teeth sure like student in the ancient world that student teacher relationship was different from ours is much more personal was oral it was. It was the transmission of verbal instruction.

There was an ally pretty good on the street and Jacob always publication your teachers. I need a radio 3000 pages will there that in the Kirk you virtually lived alongside them. You walked with them. That's all we talked earlier about picking up the dust of the from the samples of your teacher, your disciple or you. You are picking up there to their nature. Even in our educational system is still in many ways the same. If we had time to get everybody back about you tell us gives the name of a teacher from elementary school in a middle school, high school, college, grad school, whatever that made a great profound impression on your life. More than likely without this constant theme running to that had nothing to do with the intellect of your professor, but their disposition, their attitude, their love for their students.

Their love for the subject that impacts you so growing disciple is worn here you get a pick up on that stuff you might forget that academic science that proficiency where they were brilliant, but you walk away with having had them rub off on you and attitude. Jesus says here that your you're not just gonna learn from them you are going to become like them. So you say you're not just you know picking up a podcast you're picking up a personality perspective. Be cautious because conformity is taking place.

Thirdly, I'll call it honest humility. Verse 41 passage we all know why. Do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye can see. The law that is in your own this other Jesus is audiences probably smiling at this point is rather exaggerated. This is hyperbole, but let's get the scene here is a guy with a log sticking out of his eye so you can imagine wherever he goes. He turned his eyes is knocking people over the guns you know in our culture becomes the church and everybody docs under the peer here he comes.

It is interesting to me. This guy is perceptive. Jesus says he sees his brother over there. He's got a suspect in design the hot even see your brother, much less suspect in her eye but he does. Speck of sawdust and applying are identical in nature. The only difference is the size of the issue. So both guys have this issue. They got this problem white guy has a rafter sized problem and the other guy made it supply these and get started, and Mr. plank had spots Mr. sawdust on the other side of the synagogue, and so you know he he is to be satisfied with just seeing it.

Would you notice he wants to perform surgery to get that's back out of your trying to get him cornered his audience. No doubt, smiling like we are. We were smiling, but were also smarting because Jesus is pulling the curtain back and showing us ourselves in a growing disciple will get the point. We have an amazing blindness to our own sin and an amazing perceptiveness of the sin and others and most often it's the same thing that Jesus does not want here to say to his disciples like don't worry about that propensity just the way this is the way you it's okay now verse 40 do you hypocrite, how much first take the log out of your own eye as relates to repentance and confession and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's which means that a growing disciple is going to adopt this kind of honest humility about themselves. How do they miss is how do we miss Willie gives us a clue. Back in verse 41 for just a moment he's getting used to different verbs you might underline them in your text.

They might be translated differently or they should be. Jesus is why do UC the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice different for the first verb for to see means to see with understanding and again this is this this is secretly missed Mr. plank. It can can actually discern a true problem. It's a real problem. It's all real speck. It's a real sin.

He can see. But then Jesus asked why don't you notice that the different verb that means to see with reflection to to see them so you know what I'm seeing something, but it didn't make got the same problem. So this man is this failing to reflect on his own life, his own struggles his own failures his own sin.

It seems that the we prefer to get a look at his brother across the synagogue and a look at the speck rather than the plank.

It is so nice and so here's the action point that leads a growing disciple in the holy living is honest humility. Or you might say realistic reflection reflecting, honestly, openly, humbly before� You need to do a work in my life, especially when I look around and others I can so easily spot the same problem. I got Jimmy's father sent you.

Can you discern the weakness you can can you can use even the smallest speck. Yeah but guess what, the next time you spot the sin in the life of your brother or sister. Jesus wants to use it so that we asked the question, do I see that sin in them. Do I sense that spiritual weakness in them.

Do I discern that personality problem that moral compromise, whatever it might be do I see it in them because it is the that's how you grow as a disciple. It's interesting that with that counsel or confrontation here, the Lord goes on to tell us take care of it and her allies but I want to because we often forget the last part will help your brother lives in verse 42 then you will see clearly that is after confessing dealing with in your life to take out the speck that is in your brothers.

I now you ready to perform constructive surgery and you're not the guy out with applying to help him. John Chrysostom writing on this text in the fourth century said now you are ready to correct your brother not had as a foe but as a physician. She got a very well want to use you to go help that brother that sister because your you're spotting something in their lives you've gone way down river, you've got it right and you see there just starting out a growing disciple is marked by genuine generosity, cautious, conformity, honest, humility. We give you one more internal integrity. Verse 43 for no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again is a bad tree bear good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit first for his are not gathered from thorn bushes nor our grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Jesus is pulling back the curtain and he's exposing here in this illustration to issues. What are the works coming out on our hands so to speak, and what are the words coming out of our mouths. You can't produce what you're not. So I believe that disciple into this� It don't work producing integrity. Internally we we get all hung up on were doing Jesus is saying, and of the issues who you are becoming is why is this discussion did you notice you my circle words, the heart or deal the center of who you are what's in our heart is going to show up on her hands what's in our heart is going to come out of her mouth's what's in us internally eventually shows up extra. There is for everyone to see and hear the curtain was pulled back in the fruit is hanging out there on the limbs of our lives as words or floating through the air.

Having come from our mouths. Every once in a while I watch one of his crime shows it or the person is caught by me make they did it.

They pull the trigger.

Whatever the evidence is all there. The trial takes place there guilty, and then there interviewed by some reporter and I mean over and over and over again that that person says the exact same thing. It wasn't me. That's not who I am as I start talking back to the TV guys as you like it.

This is irritated.

I think that's exactly who you are to use you as a sermon illustration on such a day who you are. That may not who you were. But that's who you became we do what we do because of who we are and so whatever we do something. Whatever we say something Jesus is saying there's no straight.

I need to do something internally in our lives because our hands and deeds and words have given us away. They open the curtain we are can his rights convicting words on the same Texas. Is this what if a person's life is ungodly.

It's because her ungodly if if their words are graceless because there there ungracious if they speak profane only because they're profane. Their conversations were always because the worldly. If the words are mean it's because their main fix every one of us. By the way there's no good if you hear that go out best way I am not really me what we say and do externally is a reflection of who we are and more importantly what we are becoming as a disciple to the growing disciple get serious about this route issue is hidden issues. This heart issue. This need for internal integrity would develop by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit through his word and that's daily because we fail daily.

That curtain gets pulled back, we are shown publicly.

What we are becoming privately and we asked the Lord all right. We need to reset.

We confess and want to turn from it in repentance and thank him for his grace as disciple disciples are not perfect right but we want to progress. How do we progress well do we reflect genuine generosity or we tightwad's we reflect that with cautious conformity or we just listened and that everybody without discernment. Following anybody. Are we honest in our humility.

Are we reflecting on what we see so easily. In other is there internal integrity regarding private is making us deserve to be more and more like Christ. Let me encourage you disciple of Christ don't don't stop, don't give up.

Don't quit. Don't believe the lie, the enemy will that failure was fatal done.

Now here's the promise. Paul delivered to the Philippian church, the one who began this good work. Can you guess what is going weed is gonna bring it to completion. When the day of Christ when you on that day finally arrived and perfected in holiness, glorify with the new body finish which means we didn't finish it here following. One day see face-to-face wisdom for the today's message is called Christianity. Behind the curtain.

It comes from Stephen series out of Luke six called the sermon on the plateau working to bring you the final lesson in that series tomorrow. In the meantime, we'd like to hear from you. If you have a comments question or would like more information you can send us an email simply address it to info@wisdomonline.org we have a special place on our website were Stephen answers questions that have come in from listeners like you.

If you come across the passage that's confusing. Or maybe you encounter a teaching you need to have clarified Stephen would like to help anytime you have a question regarding the Bible or the Christian faith send that question to info@wisdomonline.org that's all for today. Join us next time here on wisdom