https://www.bible.com/events/49044074

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

Tough Sayings of Jesus Part 2

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away…Tough Sayings of Jesus

Throughout this series we are committed to navigating our way through some of Jesus’ most challenging declarations. We believe that Jesus wasn’t just saying these things to draw a crowd, we believe that he was communicating truth, painting pictures of life in his kingdom. He was giving guidance for his followers.

Often these sayings are tough for us because they shine light into the dark corners of who we are, they take us places within our hearts that we would honestly rather not go… they show us our great need for healing.

So, our goal is not to do some fancy footwork and somehow make these texts easy- we believe that the bible is God’s whole truth, and we are committed to working through the tough parts too.

Today we wrestle with Jesus’ words “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭27‬-‭30

‬‬“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

That is a tough and even gruesome saying- it’s shocking and quite honestly, hard to even hear. But we need to hear- that’s how seriously Jesus took sin.

Here is the hard truth: WE sometimes struggle to take sin seriously

We tend to want to wait to deal with it…Or to only address it in small and comfortable intervals

Or maybe, we don’t want to deal with it at all because we like it, or it feels good in the moment.

But, for followers of Christ- that’s not how Jesus said we should treat sin in our lives.

Our teaching text today is found in Chapter 5 of Matthew’s gospel in what’s known as the sermon on the mount. Jesus has been teaching in the local synagogues, healing all kinds of sickness and infirmities and now, large crowds are following him.

Matthew 5, 6, and 7 record Jesus’ teaching about his kingdom. It’s important to consider, this was Jesus’ teaching to his disciples, people who had were following him. This was NOT Jesus teaching on how to ENTER the kingdom of God.

The call of Jesus to deal so explicitly with sin in our lives, will cause some discomfort- It may be hard, uncomfortable, or costly.- It may mean the loss of some relationships- It could mean the withdraw from a substance- The long struggle of breaking free of bad habits.- It may mean saying a hard NO to our body desires and sexual desires

Jesus understood that cuts across the grain of our natural self. But Jesus urges us to deal with sin NOW, to suffer any loss any inconvenience NOW rather than allowing that to separate us from God for eternity.

Our perspective about sin is almost always about the NOW, But Jesus has a bigger perspective- and eternal perspective of sin.

The one who bore the whole world’s sin on the cross sees and knows the immediate gruesomeness of sin, the pain and suffering that it can cause now, but he also has all of eternity in mind.

To be clear, this is not Jesus saying every mistake you make you are in danger of hell- that’s not it at all. But there is danger every time we knowingly choose sin over what we know God desires for our lives.

So, anything and everything you do in your life to combat sin by his grace is worth what you do. Every step, every sacrifice.‭‭

Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭2‬‬

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

I hope that it has become clear enough that Jesus was not talking about literal body parts. Our teaching text in Matthew 5 was framed around dealing with adultery specifically, but to be sure, Jesus well intended the principal to extend beyond just that.

So not in the literal, but in the fullest sense that Jesus meant- to cut off sinning- What would that look like for you today?

We need Jesus to do that deep heart cleansing, to forgive and restore our hearts. We need his spirit to enable and empower us to live holy lives.

Along with that prayer and his Holy Spirit’s leading, we need to take action.In whatever it is God is calling you to, will you trust that his perspective is best? That he has your eternal good in view as he is guiding your heart?

In prayer and reflection, I would invite you to confess and repent- that can be a simple prayer.“

Lord, I am confessing to you today that I agree with you, this area of my life is wrong. I am sorry Lord. I want to repent, I want to stop doing that and live in right relationship with you”

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http://bible.com/events/49046169

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

Tough Sayings of Jesus Part 2

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away…

Tough Sayings of JesusThe desire of this series is not to take some difficult sayings of Jesus and turn them into not-difficult sayings of Jesus. They will be difficult before and after this sermon series. The purpose of the series is for us to more deeply understand the Lord’s purpose in saying these difficult things and how we are to think and behave accordingly.

Often these sayings are tough for us because they shine light into the dark corners of who we are, they take us places within our hearts that we would honestly rather not go…they show us our great need for Him.

However, it is important that the church teach the whole truth of the Bible – the ideas that are pleasant and those that are terrifying and make us uncomfortable.

Today we look at Christ difficult declaration, “Cut off your hand…”‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭27‬-‭30‬‬

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

John Stott

What he was advocating was not a literal physical self-maiming, but a ruthless moral self-denial. Not mutilation but mortification is the path of holiness he taught, and ‘mortification’ or ‘taking up the cross’ to follow Christ means to reject sinful practices so resolutely that we die to them or put them to death.‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭7‬-‭9

‬‬Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

Note the words ‘eternal fire’ in verse eight.

For most of the history of the church, some have asserted either some form of ultimate universal salvation for everyone or ultimate annihilation of the lost.

But for the entire history of the church, the vast majority of Christians and the vast majority of the church’s most eminent and reliable theologians have affirmed that what Jesus and the apostles taught about hell is eternal, conscious punishment.“

The devil doesn’t care if you read your Bible or go to church, as long as you don’t apply it to your life.”

Sin is gruesome and deadly – not laughable and light hearted‭‭

Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭24

‬‬So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

The moment you think sin is acceptable, cut that thought off!‭‭

1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬‬

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD

John Stott continues: Jesus was quite clear about it. It is better to lose one member and enter life maimed, he said, than to retain our whole body and go to hell.

That is to say, it is better to forgo some experiences this life offers in order to enter the life which is life indeed; it is better to accept some cultural amputation in this world than risk final destruction in the next.

Of course this teaching runs clean counter to modern standards of permissiveness.

It is based on the principle that eternity is more important than time and purity than culture, and that any sacrifice is worthwhile in this life if it is necessary to ensure our entry into the next.

We have to decide, quite simply, whether to live for this world or the next, whether to follow the crowd (the culture) or Jesus Christ.

Today is the day, choose to obey God whatever it cost.

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know:

finance@abeaconofhope_pbz6m2Thank you for your partnership in the Kingdom of Christ!

https://www.cotnaz.org/giving/EXTRA:

Proverbs 14:27

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.

1 John 1:8-10

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

Hebrews 12:1-4

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.“

St Ignatius of Loyola notes that, ‘Sin is unwillingness to trust that what God wants is our deepest happiness.’ Until I am absolutely convinced of this, I will do everything I can to keep my hands on the controls of my life because I think I know better than God what I need for my fulfillment.”

https://www.bible.com/events/49041612

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

Tough Sayings of Jesus

“Love your enemies”

Today, on our way to passion week, we begin a 4-part teaching series called “The tough sayings of Jesus.”

Throughout this series we want to navigate our way through some of Jesus’ most challenging declarations- yes, the uncomfortable ones too. Jesus wasn’t trying to create likes and follows on his social media account when he said controversial or uncomfortable things. He was communicating truth, guidance and direction for his followers.

Our goal is not to somehow transform these texts into something easier to swallow. They were challenging 2000 years ago when Jesus said them, and they will always be that way, long after this series.

Today we begin with “Love your Enemies”.‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭43‬-‭48

‬‬“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Before we consider how we relate to our enemies, perhaps we must first consider how God relates to us.

-We began as God’s enemies. Because of sin, we were all his enemies. And what if the story ended there?

-Through Jesus, we were reconciled and forgiven. This is how God treated his enemies.

-When Jesus tells you to love your enemies, what he is actually saying is: “Love like God”.”

God befriended you while you were still His enemy. In that case, He loved His enemy: You.”-John Piper‭‭

Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭10

‬‬For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

We tend to love according to what feels reasonable to us

We love those who love us.

We love those who deserve our love.

Jesus said, anyone can do that.

What these words of Jesus don’t mean:

-We don’t allow someone to abuse us or someone we love. Loving your enemy doesn’t mean you allow yourself to be a victim of abuse. You don’t allow yourself to be a doormat.

-It doesn’t mean to just blindly agree with everyone, accepting sin or never standing up for injustice. Remember that just before Passover Jesus cleared the temple of corruption and hypocrisy.

‭‭Jonah‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭4‬‬

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Jonah believed the people of Nineveh did not deserve the grace of God.

Simply put: Jonah does not want to love his enemies.

The question the Lord asks Jonah, in response, is so poignant:

“Is it right for you to be angry?”

Bottom Line:

Love like God loved you.

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know:

finance@abeaconofhope_pbz6m2

Thank you for your partnership in the Kingdom of Christ!

Giving

Tough Sayings of Jesus

Love your enemies

Today, on our way to passion week, we begin a 4-part teaching series called “The tough sayings of Jesus.”

Throughout this series we want to navigate our way through some of Jesus’ most challenging declarations- yes, the un-comfortable ones too. Jesus wasn’t just trying to create likes and follows on his social media account when he said controversial or un-comfortable things. He was communicating truth. Guidance and direction for his followers.

Our goal is not to somehow transform these texts into something easier to swallow- They were challenging 2000 years ago when Jesus said them, and they will always be that way, long after this series.Today we begin with “Love your Enemies”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭43‬-‭44‬‬

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

I think how compact and short this teaching is, essentially 3 words, makes it easy to read over without feeling the weight of its significance.

i.It’s easy to blow past this without taking it into our daily lives.

That’s really what we want to do within this teaching and within this series.

Slow down. Reflect. Pray. Repent

The word for love here is agapao (Ah-gah-pa-oh)

The love Jesus commands of our enemies is active, pursuing, seeking the good of the other person. Its sacrificial, it’s long suffering, its perseverant.(And this is what might be most important) In its most basic sense- it’s the way God loved YOU.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners (while we were opposed to God, disagreeing with him, fighting against him, resisting him), Christ died for us.

He says just a few verses later in 10For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

The call of Jesus to love our enemies, is a call that his followers would love others with the same love that they have received through Him.

Jesus is simply saying “love like God”‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭45‬-‭46‬‬

that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

In the shadow of tough sayings of Jesus, it’s all too easy to offer ourselves a concession.

Something in us wants to appeal to a lesser standard of love. We want to make ourselves feel better by comparison with the world, rather than comparison with God’s truth.

But we have to be careful because Jesus cuts that off immediately in our text. He essentially says “If you love those who you can readily get along you’re showing no signs of being a true disciple”

Perhaps the greatest challenge of this text is that Matthew doesn’t take a 6-page sidebar to tell us how we are to apply this truth to every situation we encounter. But what is clear for the follower of Jesus, is that we are to be people of mercy and people who don’t seek vengeance. Our default posture toward our enemies not even to be neutral- its to be an active and gracious love of our enemies.

Over the next few weeks we are going to take a look at a few other challenging sayings of Jesus.

Sayings like:

– If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away…

– You cannot serve God and Money

– You must take up your cross and follow me.

The point of all this is not so we all leave feeling terrible about ourselves or think that Jesus sees us as failures- that’s not it at all. We want to hear Jesus’ teaching and yes expectations for his followers so that we might live differently- that we might live our lives as children of the King.

The invitation of following Jesus is to be transformed, to live a radically different life. A radical life where you love even your enemies…

Will you humble yourself before this tough teaching of Jesus and his love to define your relationships?Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@abeaconofhope_pbz6m2Thank you for your partnership in the Kingdom of Christ!

Giving

http://bible.com/events/49038730

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

The Relationship Keys: Forgiveness

Forgiveness comes with a promise: forgive and be forgiven.

Having the right keys is important isn’t it?

Just talk to someone who has been locked out of their house or who locked their keys in their car.

Throughout the month of February we are focusing on relationships.

What is the key to healthy, life-giving, God honoring relationships?

We’re not talking about car keys or house keys, but rather, “relationship keys”.

Today’s focus is forgiveness.

Jesus had some very poignant and very powerful things to say about forgiveness.

As we read these words today, the question is: Are we willing to do what Jesus says?

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭21‬-‭35

‬‬Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

There is an obvious and crazy disparity in the story. To those listening, it would have been obvious.

The master forgave the servant in such a remarkable way. A debt so great it is incomprehensible.

And yet the servant was unwilling to forgive someone else. Someone else with an offense that pales in comparison.1. Forgiveness will heal your heart.

-“Unforgiveness is like drinking poison yourself and waiting for the other person to die.”

-The person who has hurt you deserves your vengeance. But vengeance doesn’t belong to you anyway.

-God really places no limits on His command to forgive.

-When we choose to no longer hold onto an offense any longer, it frees us to truly live.

2. This forgiveness leads to your forgiveness.

-Our own willingness to forgive dictates the level at which we will be forgiven. That’s what Jesus said!

-Many of us read these words of Jesus about forgiveness and yet live as if they aren’t true.

-It’s as if we know this is true, We know Jesus said this. But we live our lives filled with unforgiveness anyways.

The bottom line:

Forgiveness comes with a promise: forgive and be forgiven.‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬-‭15

‬‬And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. ’ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Scriptures for Further Study/Reflection:

Ephesians 4:32

Mark 11:25

Matthew 18:21-22

Colossians 3:13

Luke 17:3-4

Giving at COTN

If you have ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@abeaconofhope_pbz6m2

Thank you for your partnership in the Kingdom of Christ!

Giving