The Ethics of God's World (1)

The Ethics of God's World (1)

Matthew 5:21-24; 27-28; 33-37   |   2/16/2014

The Church of the Wayfarer

Norm Mowery, Pastor

         

          Rules. There are rules for everything.

          This morning we will see that Jesus has a different take on rules.

          We grow up with rules.

          We live with rules.

          Rules rule.

          They're at home,

                   they're at the office,

                             they're at school

                                      and they're on the road when driving a car.

          On this Presidents Day weekend it is appropriate to remember the rules of our country.  We like rules so much that we even elect people to do nothing but make up rules for us!

          The family that I was raised in had rules—lots of them. One was that I could not ride my bicycle on the street in the evening after the street lights came on.

          What were some rules that you were raised with? In just a moment I will give you an opportunity to share.

          Here are some rules of the House—
                   If you sleep on it -- make it up.
                   If you wear it -- hang it up.
                   If you drop it -- pick it up.
                   If you eat out of it -- wash it.
                   If you spill it -- wipe it up.
                   If you turn it on -- turn it off.
                   If you open it -- close it.
                   If you move it -- put it back.
                   If you receive it -- give thanks for it.
                   If you broke it -- repair it.
                   If you empty it -- fill it up.
                  

          Linda and I had a rule when our children were babies that whoever found the dirty diaper had the change it.

          What are some rules that you were raised with?

          Today’s Adult Forum just happens to be, “No Rules during Recess Makes Students More Engaged in Classroom.”

          When pupils at Swanson Primary School in Auckland, New Zealand, go out for recess, they can play as they wish, including climbing trees, riding skateboards and scooters, sliding in the mud, playing bullrush (a running and chasing game) and doing whatever other activity they dream up!

          That's because there are no longer any playground rules at the school.

          Since the rules have been eliminated, the school has seen a drop in bullying, vandalism and serious injuries, and an increase in concentration levels in the classrooms. The kids, in fact, were so engaged during playtime that fewer teachers were needed to be on patrol.

                            

          It's no surprise that in God's world we're going to find some rules.

          This is the third in a series of messages on the Sermon on the Mount. We've been looking at Jesus' character sketch of the kind of people whose lives reflect the kingdom of God.

          The Beatitudes, that I spoke about two weeks ago, give us a picture of the internal character of the people of God's world.

          Jesus' teaching about being salt and light from last Sunday describes the outward focus of God's people.

          One of the greatest compliments a pastor can get is to have someone comment about the sermon a day later. Judy Eichhorn did just that after last Sunday’s message. In it I talked about the importance and value of salt but she reminded me that too much salt is a bad thing and sometimes too much spirituality or miss directed religiosity is bad.

          This morning we ask, “How will the people of God's kingdom know when they're doing it right?”

          What are the ethical implications of living the life of God's new world?

           In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gets specific regarding some of the rules of conduct for those who would follow him.

          There will be rules
          We're all familiar with rules.  

          When we were still in onesies or doing a furniture walk, we knew, even then, that there were some things that were "no-no's."

          In fact, "no" is one of the first words a toddler learns. It's usually said by a parent whose child is painting the wall with strawberry jam or is on the floor eating the dog's food.

          "No" is a word that establishes boundaries.

          When the child goes to elementary school and learns how to read, the rules are usually posted on the classroom wall.

          Of course, the child soon learns that there are also exceptions and loopholes in the rules.

          A rule like "No chewing gum," for example, can be interpreted by a fifth grader to mean, "I can have gum in my mouth as long as I don't chew it."

          You have heard that one, haven’t you?!

          By the time children get to high school, they have the legal experience of lawyers who know the rules and all the ways to get around them.
          That doesn't mean the rules aren't important;

                   it's just that the rules alone aren't enough.

          Jesus knew that.

          An ethical person not only understands and obeys the rules,

                   he or she also knows—and embraces—

                             the purpose behind the rules.

          When Jesus wanted to lay out the ethical agenda for God's world,

                   he didn't ditch the rules that were handed to Moses.

          For Jesus, the rules were still important,

                   but the principles behind the rules were even more important.

          It wasn't just about what was written in stone; it was about the law of God written on the hearts of God's people.

          The scribes and Pharisees knew the law backward and forward, and, as the self-appointed legal conscience of Israel, they were bound and determined to make sure everyone obeyed the law to the letter.

         
          The problem with that approach is that the Pharisee evaluated himself and others based on compliance to the rules, not on the basis of compassion toward others or the needs of the community.

          This is why Jesus drops the bombshell of a statement in the previous verse: "For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

          The law points to the way of living as the community of God's new world.

          So, Jesus establishes a pattern in the Sermon on the Mount that points to the stated Law of Moses

                   ("You have heard that it was said ...")

and the compassionate, community-building intention behind it

                   ("... but I say to you ...").

          The law of Moses was designed to show Israel how to live together in

                   a world of human authority;

          Jesus wants to discuss what it means to live in

                   a world of divine authority,

          the kingdom of God.

          Jesus takes the old law and radicalizes it,

                   shaking it down to the roots of the law's intent.

          Jesus is rooted in the law, but he calls his disciples to live a life with a much deeper rootedness than the legalism.

          The Pharisees were concerned with what people did (or did not do) with their hands.

          Jesus was more concerned about what people had in their hearts.

          Look at the first of these statements: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not murder'".

          "Do not murder" was one of the original Ten Commandments; a law set in stone.

          Murder is something to be avoided, which most of us are able to do.

          How many times have we heard people say something like, "Well, what I did was bad, but at least I didn't kill anyone?"

          And yet while it's clear that we should avoid murdering the body of another, Jesus radicalizes the old commandment and goes down to its root.

          "But I say to you, that if you are angry with a brother or sister you will be liable to judgment."

          Jesus understood that the dehumanizing act of murder has its roots in the dehumanizing of another person through our anger.

          And not only does anger dehumanize the other, it dehumanizes us, too.

          Every time we decide to allow anger to smolder inside of us, we become less than the people God created us to be.

          It's the difference between following the rule

                   and engaging a relationship—

          the difference between avoiding doing something with the hands and doing something with the heart.

          Anger is a useful diagnostic tool.

          When anger erupts in us, it is a signal that something is wrong.

          Something isn't working right.

          There is evil or incompetence or stupidity lurking about.

          Anger is our sixth sense for sniffing out wrong in the neighborhood.

          What anger fails to do, though, is tell us whether the wrong is

                   outside us or inside us!

          We usually begin by assuming that the wrong is outside us -- our spouse or our child or our God has done something wrong, and we are angry.

          But when we track the anger carefully, we often find it leads to a wrong within us—wrong information or inadequate understanding.

          The Bible says, "Be angry but do not sin."
          Sounds strange!

          The reason that statement sounds so strange is that most of us have been taught, from a very early age, that anger is always un-Christian.

          Most of us have been taught that the defining characteristic of a Christian is to be nice.

          Don't make waves, smile a lot, and be soft-spoken.

          Some take it to the furthest possible extreme: Be a doormat.

          Many of the great reforms in human history would never have happened, were it not for righteous anger.

          Think of where the descendants of African slaves might be, were it not for the righteous anger of William Wilberforce, who labored tirelessly for much of his life until the English Parliament finally abolished slavery.

          The second statement: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart".

          Lust dehumanizes people into objects that we use for our own pleasure.

          God's new world is characterized by faithfulness, and when we embrace fidelity in our hearts and in our relationships, we will learn how to embrace it forever.

          In these verses, the ethical pattern for the people of God's world emerges.

          It is a pattern that goes beyond the letter of the law, to the spirit of the law. It goes beyond what we do with our hands, to who we are in our hearts.

          The people of God's world follow an ethical program that requires a purity of intention beyond anything people had heretofore been taught.

          One's ethical deeds must come from clean hands and a pure heart.

          The scripture today calls us to look inward, not outward. It is there that we will come to the root of what it means to live as a follower of Jesus in the kingdom of God.

Children's Sermon

          Show the children a winter coat, hat and gloves, and ask them to tell you why it is important to dress properly on a cold winter day. Have them explain what would happen if they neglected to put on their coat or their hat or their gloves. Stress that we have to take care of little things, such as dressing properly, to avoid big problems such as frozen bodies, ears and fingers. Tell them that Jesus knew this, which is why he asked his followers to follow certain rules.

Prayer

          Here is a powerful prayer for President’s Day using the words of George Washington, the first President of the U.S.

Almighty God,

          We make our earnest prayer

          - that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection,

          - that thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government;

          - and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States of America at large.

          And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all

          - to do justice,

          - to love mercy and

          - to demean ourselves with that charity, humility and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of The Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation.

          Grant our supplication, we beseech thee, through Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Amen

George Washington, First President of the United States

April 30, 1789

Please bless our country's Presidents,
Of the past, future And with he who leads the nation today.