What More Are You Doing Than Others?

Mt 5:43-47

What a sobering question.  Jesus asked, "What more are you doing than others" while He was teaching a lesson on the high standard of loving our enemies.  He used the practical workings of the Law of Moses when He said, "eye for an eye..." Mt 5:38 In contrast to that He said, "love your enemies..." Mt 5:44  Wow, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  That makes the question He asked even more sobering!  Remember, Jesus exemplified this teaching when He was on the cross. Lk 23:34  We must follow Jesus and imitate Him.  What should we do more than others, love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  This is essential to show our resemblance of our Father who gives to the righteous and unrighteous. Mt 5:45

Some say and think this is impossible for a human to accomplish.  It may be extremely hard, but not impossible.  Jesus makes it possible.  He does so by not just saying it, but by living it.  Paul says a similar thing when he writes the Romans and is instructing them to behave like Christians. Rom 12:17-21

In verse 46, Jesus said that even tax collectors love the ones who love them.  These tax collectors were commonly known for theft.  If a thief can love those who love them what praise is found in this kind of love?  NONE!  Listen to me now, a Christian should have a love that distinguishes them from sinners! Lk 6:32,33  Jesus asked, "What more are you doing than others?"  The answer He is looking for is,  "Loving others like the example you gave, my Lord."  Instead, we are trying to love others, like sinners.  A Christians love should distinguish them from sinners.   I once read about a father teaching his son about being a gentleman and said, "My son, speak kindly to everyone, even those who do not speak kindly to you.  You must remember to show courtesy to others not because they are gentlemen, but because you are one."   Jesus wants us to love, do good for, and lend to our enemies while expecting nothing in return. Lk 6:35  We must love our enemies not because of who they are, but because of who we are, Christians.

This question Jesus asked teaches that Christianity is of little value if it doesn't make us better than those in the world.  At their baptism, a Christian is raised up to walk in the newness of life (Rom 6:3,4) not the oldness of life.  At their baptism, a Christian has buried their old self and put on a new self. Col 3:7-10  This newness of life and new self is harder than memorizing book, chapter, and verse of God's Word.  It is hard to do!  The Pharisees were Law abiding men.  They tithed down to the mustard seed.  All of this wasn't sufficient.  Jesus said, our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees. Mt 5:20  If we memorize the entire Bible and give all we got at tithe and offering time but fail to love our enemies we are no different than the world.  

Jesus asked, "what more are you doing than others?"  Jesus is our standard not other people or denominations.  It's a shame that Jehovah's Witnesses circulate literature filled with error, we should circulate more to preach the truth.  If a Mormon can give ten percent to support error, we should give more to support the truth.  If a denomination can meet to worship in error for three hours, we should meet to worship for four hours in truth.  I know, now I have gotten personal.  Jesus asked, "What more are you doing than others?"  

Don't be caught up in the trap of being average!  Most people are satisfied when they have accomplished what is considered average.  Jesus didn't call us to be average!  The average was "eye for an eye" but Jesus demands more.  He demands love and not to resist an person who is evil. Mt 5:39  The average was "thou shall not kill"  but Jesus demands more.   He demands us to love our brothers. 1Jn 3:15; 4:20  The average says that "one faith is as good as another" but Jesus says worship can be in vain. Mt 15:9  One more, the average is "drink but don't get drunk" but God's Word says abstain forms of evil. 1Th 5:22  These examples vividly show that Jesus demands that we excel beyond average.  We were not called to be average.  We were called to be Christians!  We are called to follow Jesus' example even in suffering. 1Pe 2:21  Jesus leads us to the Father.  Jesus leads us home. Jn 14:6  

Jesus asked, "What more are you doing than others?"  May we never measure what we are doing to anyone other than Jesus.  Today, are we willing to love and pray for our enemies?  Are we willing to answer the call to go beyond average?  Are we ready to be a Christian?  Are we ready to follow Jesus?

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

We must hear the Word of God:  Rom 10:17; Acts 4:4

We must believe or have faith:   Heb 11:6; Acts 16:31

We must repent of our sins:  Lk 13:3; Acts 17:30

We must confess Christ before others:  Mt 10:32; Acts 8:37

We must be immersed into Christ (baptized) Mk 16:16; Acts 2:38

We must be faithful:   Rev 2:10; Acts 14:22   

Bible Firsts

WHO WAS THE 1^ST?

 1.  WHAT KING HAD THE FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY?  ____________

 2.  WHERE WAS THE 1^ST BEAUTY CONTEST IN THE BIBLE, & WHO WON?  ____________

 3.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST CHRISTIAN MARTYR?  ____________

 4.  WHAT IS THE 1^ST DREAM MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE?  ____________

 5.  WHAT IS THE 1^ST WAR MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE?  ____________

 6.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST DRUNK?  ____________

 7.  WHERE WAS THE 1^ST PIGGY BANK?  ____________

 8.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST PERSON TO FALL ASLEEP DURING A SERMON?  ____________

 9.  WHAT IS THE 1^ST COMMANDMENT IN THE BIBLE?  ­­­­­____________

10.  WHAT IS THE 1^ST PURCHASE OF LAND IN THE BIBLE?  ____________

11.  WHAT IS THE 1^ST INSTANCE OF BOOK BURNING?  ____________

12.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST PSEUDONYM?  ____________

13.  WHO BUILT THE 1^ST CITY?  ____________

14.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST HUNTER?  ____________

15.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST MURDERER?  ____________

16.  WHAT IS THE 1^ST BOOK OF THE BIBLE NAMED AFTER A WOMAN?  ____________

17.  WHO IS THE 1^ST PROPHET MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE?  ____________

18.  WHERE DID JESUS WORK HIS 1^ST MIRACLE?  ____________

19.  WHAT WAS THE 1^ST OF THE 10 PLAGUES OF EGYPT?  ____________

20.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST KING OF ISRAEL?  ____________

21.  WHO WERE THE 1^ST FOREIGN MISSIONAIRES?  ____________

22.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST SHEPHERDESS?  ____________

23.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST SINGLE MAN TO BE EXILED?  ____________

24.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST JUDGE OF ISRAEL?  ____________

25.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST DISCIPLE CHOSEN BY JESUS?  ____________

26.  WHO WORE THE 1^ST BRIDAL VEIL?  ____________

27.  WHO TOLD THE 1^ST LIE?  ____________

28.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST PRIEST MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE?  ____________

29.  WHO WORE THE 1^ST RING?  ____________

30.  WHAT WAS THE FIRST CITY CALLED?  ____________

31.  WHAT WAS THE 1^ST ANIMAL OUT OF THE ARK?  ____________

32.  WHERE WERE THE DISCIPLES 1^ST CALLED CHRISTIANS?  ____________

33.  WHO TOOK THE 1^ST CENSUS OF THE HEBREWS?  ____________

34.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST SHEPHERD?  ____________

35.  WHO WERE THE 1^ST EXILES?  _____________

36.  WHO WERE THE 1^ST TWINS?  ____________

37.  WHO CONSTRUCTED THE 1^ST ALTAR?  ____________

38.  WHO BUILT THE 1^ST JERUSALEM TEMPLE?  ____________

39.  WHO PLANTED THE 1^ST GARDEN?  ____________

40.  WHO WAS THE FIRST METAL CRAFTSMAN?  ____________

41.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST FARMER?  ____________

42.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST POLYGAMIST?  ____________

43.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST APOSTLE TO BE MARTYRED?  ____________

44.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST CHILD TO BE MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE?  ____________

45.  WHO WAS THE 1^ST DAUGHTER MENTIONED BY NAME?  ____________

46.  WHAT IS THE 1^ST COLOR MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE?  ____________

47.  WHO PLANTED THE 1^ST VINEYARD?  ___________

What saved him?

Rocky was swimming in a lake one afternoon.  He became fatigued and began to drown.  Bobbing in the water and crying out for help Joshua hears his cries as he is rowing near Rocky.  Joshua rows over to Rocky and struggles to pull him into his boat.  By now a crowd has gathered on the shore intently watching this situation unfold.  As Joshua is rowing to the dock Rocky passes out.  Another man, on the dock, pulls Rocky out of the little boat and administers CPR and Rocky appears to be fine.  Rocky is shaken up but he will be OK.  Shortly after it is all over Rocky walks over to the little boat, and holds the oar in the air and yells, "I love this oar.  It saved me, and he kisses it several times."


This sounds absurd doesn't it?  I mean, the oar played apart in his salvation that is clear.  Without an oar Joshua could never have rowed Rocky to safety.  The same could be said about the boat, Joshua, The dock, and the man on the dock.  To say the alone saved Rocky is just ridiculous.  All these things played a part in Rocky's salvation.   


The Bible says several things save us as well.  Belief or faith saves us. Jn 3:16,17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 
   
Repentance saves us. Acts 2:38-40 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”       


Confession saves us. Rom 10:9  if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved
Baptism saves us. Mk 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.


Faithfulness saves us.  Mt 24:13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.  To "endure" means to hold fast to one's faith in Christ.  See definition 2a.  


To stand up and say, "Faith alone saves you." is as equally absurd to say as it was for Rocky to say the same thing.  We must be living a lifestyle that fits in the Bible.  If the way we life our lives cannot be found in the Bible; do we change our lives or the Bible?  


The Bible lays out a plan of salvation for us to "be saved."  It is not a buffet where we can pick and choose what to obey.  To say, "I'll take faith and confession, but I'm not paying attention baptism and repentance" is living like Rocky swims.  It leaves you sinking in life!


Have a red letter day,
Chad   

Jude 1:17-25

JUDE 1:17-25

I had a friend in Pa that came out of a Baptist Congregation and he said before he left the congregation he had a dinner with the preacher about some concerns he had with their practices.  He asked the preacher why he didn’t bring his Bible.  The preacher responded, “There is nothing in that book that I already don’t know.  What are your questions?”  He said he didn’t really trust a person who claimed to have that much confidence in himself.  I AGREE!  A year later that guy was no longer a preacher, and had moved to a life of crime.  Apostasy, often times, sets in when we feel like God cannot or will not meet our needs!  CONSIDER EVE- God held back from Adam and Eve. What He had provided was no longer enough.  She desired more.  CONSIDER JESUS- God wouldn’t supply food.  God wants you to suffer and die, worship me and I can show you the easy way.  Let’s see what we can learn from Jude!

Vv17,18 These verse are so much like 2Pe 3:1-3 that many scholars feel Jude is merely repeating Peter and he actually sent his letter to the same people.  2Pe 3:1-3 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,

V17- This is a good idea in aspects of life, not just concerning apostasy. 

        But you- This is a plural word.  It is contrasting the brethren to the reprobate.

        remember the words…-  The same is said today.  We say, “No book but the Bible; No creed but Christ.”  We must always remember the Word.  Whatever a man teaches must be compared to the Word.  If a man intentionally teaches something other than the Word he must be avoided.

V18- Time- This word literally means "a space of time," whether short or long.  WHAT SPACE OF TIME IS REFERRED TO HERE?  Clark says, “The conclusion of the Jewish polity.”  We must always understand the “last time” or “last days” in the Bible:

        PATRIARCHAL

                Gen 49:1 And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days   (Then he proceeds to talk about each tribe ending.)

        MOSAIC

                Isa 2:2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it.  (“House” is a reference to the Church)

        DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM

                   Acts 2:16-21 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.  19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.  20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’     (We can see that Peter quotes the prophet Joel concerning the last days.  All the things promised here are fulfilled by 70 A.D. “All flesh” is fulfilled in Acts 10:32-48.  “Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord” is NOT a reference to the Second Advent, rather to the destruction of Jerusalem.

        CHRISTIAN

                Rom 2:5-8 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath  (This is the Second Advent.  We MUST make sure we know what “last days” or “end of time” we are talking about to avoid tremendous Biblical confusion.  Not understanding to whom, by whom, for what reason, and what time frame the Bible is speaking is how denominations start! )

V19- cause divisions(separate themselves)KJV  The older manuscripts are split on the word “themselves.”  Some have it and some don’t, but the focus is in the division that is happening.  Whether separating themselves or dividing a congregation.  Either way there is separation.  SEE Rom 16:17

        Sensual- Literally “natural” or “animal”; It is referring to the fact that an animal does not have a spirit which enables it to converse with God! 

        not having the Spirit- When Jude declares that the false teachers are without the Spirit, he leaves no doubt as to their eternal destiny. They are merely worldly persons and do not belong to God.

vv20-23-Encouragement and Instruction

 v20- We see somewhat of a contrast to verse 19.  Instead of division or separation we must “build up” or strengthen.  Instead of “not having the spirit” we must “pray” in the spirit.  Paul says a similar thing in Eph 6:18. 

        But you- AGAIN!  This is a plural word.  It is contrasting the brethren to the reprobate.

V21- keep yourselves in the love of God- Jesus tells us to abide in him. Jn 15:4,6,9   If we do not abide or keep ourselves in God we are separated and will receive the consequences of that decision. 

        Mercy-  This is no doubt referring when he returns to receive his people to himself.  Christian mercy is unique.  The world says, “It is his fault” or She brought that on herself.”  That should not be the final case in Christian mercy, what if God said that of us? Rom 5:8

V22,23-   making a distinction(making a difference KJV; who are doubting NASB; those who doubt NIV)  There is much debate about what is being communicated here.  The word in question can be translated all the ways listed.  You can find these words directly in the definition.  This verse is saying we must judiciously decide how to help others abide and show them mercy and compassion.  Every person is different and responds to different treatment!

        hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. This is alluding to staying wary of sin, even the remotest contact with sin.  I see this as  someone avoiding the coat of a leper or someone who had the plague!  In my house if someone gets the flu we wash the sheets immediately after recovery and throw away the old toothbrush in order to avoid contact again.  That is how we are to avoid sin!  Sin is that garment!

Vv24,25 Praise to the Lord

Vs24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling-   If Christians heed the instructions of their Lord and walk in the light as he is in the light, they will not stumble; and, for those who thus walk, the Lord indeed can and does guard them from stumbling.  God is able to keep us from stumbling Ps. 37:23, 24; 121:3; Pr 4:11,12

V25   To God our Savior- Who has provided Jesus and by his blood washed us from our sins, and with obedience we are acceptable to God the Father

          Who alone is wise- Who alone can teach, who alone has declared the truth; that truth in which we now stand. Rom 16:27

CONCLUSION:

        We must be aware of men who do not teach the whole truth!  A HALF TRUTH IS A WHOLE LIE!  Stay in the Word and in the fellowship of fellow Christians.  Keep in mind, in order for us to stumble, we first must start to walk or run the race!  Make sure we are in the race by abiding in God!  Someone once said, "A journey of one thousand miles begins with the first step."  Are you ready to make that first step in walking with Jesus?