Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:19-20 

Jesus continues expounding the meaning and application of the law here in this passage which is in the beginning of the sermon on the mount. He is driving home the point that there are no harmless sins. There is no such thing as a little sin that doesn’t matter. The law not only applies to your actions but applies to your thoughts. A little whining, a little discontent, a lustful thought may seem harmless in the moment, but it has eternal consequence. And the way you act and the way you think both will come across to those who are around you. You are teaching all the time, especially to your family. 

But likewise here, Jesus promises real blessing and real reward for those who follow God’s commands all the way down into the minor details. All the way down into your toes. 

This goes against what I would call country music Gospel or down-home nominal Christianity. The kind who believes in the good Lord up above, but doesn’t make it into church, that hasn’t been praying like he knows he should. That doesn’t know or work to know much past John 3:16

That is not Christianity. That is a false religion. For true religion, true conversion and true faith has real fruit. The tree is known by its fruit. Real Faith is obedient Faith, real faith is working faith.

But the instruction is not left off here. Yes, obeying God matters in the smallest command, to the very smallest detail. And yet Christianity is not legalism. Why? Well, because you following the rules cannot save you. You can’t be that Holy. The Pharisees strained the gnat, but we would need to strain the amoeba. But that still wouldn’t get us there. The only righteousness that saves is perfect righteousness. Which is only found in Christ. 

And that righteousness has been placed upon us in our justification. This gift we have already received by grace. Our duty is to act like it.

Zach Browning – November 19, 2023

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Sacrifice is reasonable (Rom. 12:1). But the mindset of most people is that self-preservation is more reasonable. We think that sparing ourselves difficulty & discomfort is sensible. We’ve built a framework that incentivizes selfishness. From the smorgasbord of the entertainment industry, to the twisting of the medical field to drug and carve and indulge the patient’s imagined vision for themselves, we are a culture consumed with self. But this is unreasonable; like trying to grow a crop of corn by planting popcorn.

Both Moses’ Law and throughout the Psalms we see that thanksgiving is expressed through sacrifice. The sacrificial system was the way in which Israelites demonstrated their gratitude for God’s covenant mercies. The Psalms further revealed the ethical reality that thankfulness is demonstrated by sacrifice (Ps. 116:17). 

If we put this together with Paul’s instruction to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice we can see the necessity of the material discomfort of obedience. Thankfulness ought not to be merely in an inwardly felt affection; but rather it is to be manifested in the actions of obedient sacrifice. Preparing a feast, raising children, supporting a ministry financially, caring for aging parents, protecting your nation from invasion, and feeding the impoverished all require your material expense and physical exertion.

If you insist on self-preservation you are insisting on self-ruination. That’s just how God made the world. He made it such that sacrifice reaps glory. Scattering seeds in the soil looks momentarily like wastefulness; but in the harvest those seeds have multiplied. So, in the end, selfishness, in all its forms, is the truly unreasonable ethic. The Lord’s wisdom turns our sensibilities upside down. True reasonableness is to sacrifice yourself. As you celebrate Thanksgiving this week, decide beforehand to not begrudge the physical, financial, and relational sacrifices you must make. Those sacrifices will soon become glories. 

Ben Zornes – November 19, 2023

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One of the mistakes we make when it comes to our worship is thinking that it is merely an exercise in which we are refilled. We have spent ourselves for Christ and here we are on the day of rest to be repowered by the Spirit in worship. There is truth in the sentiment for “from him, through him, and to him are all things.” So there is a “from him” in worship. 

But, Paul says that we “present our bodies as living sacrifices unto God.” And he adds that this is our reasonable service and worship. Worship, then, is a very active endeavor. You are presenting yourself to God, and you are doing so as a sacrifice. 

The sacrifices of the Old Testament were quite passive. Their job was to be taken to the altar and killed. But, those sacrifices could never take away sin. Christ was the only sacrifice that could cancel sin entirely. And He was not taken to the slaughter by another but laid down His own life willing.

In the new covenant, we don’t need any more blood sacrifices, for Christ was the once for all time sacrifice who paid for our sin completely. 

But, where does that leave us? Aren’t our bodies sacrifices as we worship God? Yes, indeed. But we are not sacrifices for sin. We are living sacrifices. And as we offer up our very selves to God it should be a lively endeavor. 

So sing robustly. Pray fervently. Hear the Word attentively. Confess sin diligently. Receive assurance of your forgiveness gladly. Eat and drink at the table with a lively faith. 

Be done with dead and dreary words, attitudes, and works. You are very much alive. So alive, you will never truly die. So alive, you can go sacrifice yourself on an altar and go right on living.

Jared Longshore – November 5, 2023

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