Early Sunday morning thoughts...
What rules did you grow up with in church that you later learned were not really in Scripture, some of the principles to make the rule are there but it was taken to the extreme rather than explain the reasoning behind it? I have a few that I am going to share this morning from my upbringing. I am not bitter about finding out about them later (kind of like finding out there really isn't a Santa Claus or Easter Bunny) but I am sad about how I saw them used within the body of the church. Many times those rules became weapons to use against others to judge them or keep them as "them" and not "us."
At the same time we were imposing a rule of man, lots of time a commandment of God was being broken. That is what Jesus is bringing out in the passage this morning in Matthew 15. The Pharisees and scribes were focusing on the right way to wash hands (a man made rule) while ignoring the care of their elderly parents (a God given command).
Another thing this does is to make our holiness based on what we do and what we don't do rather than our holiness based on what God has done. Our outward actions should reflect an inward transformation but they do not bring upon that inward transformation. The order is so important here. I turned my eyes to Jesus when I saw my need as a sinner for a Savior and accepted His work on the cross and the grave and because of that action that He did I have salvation. Now my life is a reflection of that act. My convictions and guardrails are put in place to honor Him and not myself.
How do I do this and not put myself above others or use it to make myself feel better about myself because I feel I am farther along than others? How do I hold convictions but not let them turn into weapons to use against others? I think one way is to always remember and act upon the facts that God loves "them" that you are pointing at or comparing yourself to and that you were a "them" at one time (even though it would be good not to make that separation or distinction). As soon as I go into the act of pointing fingers at someone else I lose the opportunity to really help them.
Just some thoughts leading into the sermon this morning...
Adam
At the same time we were imposing a rule of man, lots of time a commandment of God was being broken. That is what Jesus is bringing out in the passage this morning in Matthew 15. The Pharisees and scribes were focusing on the right way to wash hands (a man made rule) while ignoring the care of their elderly parents (a God given command).
Another thing this does is to make our holiness based on what we do and what we don't do rather than our holiness based on what God has done. Our outward actions should reflect an inward transformation but they do not bring upon that inward transformation. The order is so important here. I turned my eyes to Jesus when I saw my need as a sinner for a Savior and accepted His work on the cross and the grave and because of that action that He did I have salvation. Now my life is a reflection of that act. My convictions and guardrails are put in place to honor Him and not myself.
How do I do this and not put myself above others or use it to make myself feel better about myself because I feel I am farther along than others? How do I hold convictions but not let them turn into weapons to use against others? I think one way is to always remember and act upon the facts that God loves "them" that you are pointing at or comparing yourself to and that you were a "them" at one time (even though it would be good not to make that separation or distinction). As soon as I go into the act of pointing fingers at someone else I lose the opportunity to really help them.
Just some thoughts leading into the sermon this morning...
Adam
Comments
Post a Comment