CH 5 The Kingdom of Heaven: Its Constitution Part III
A method of teaching that most great communicators use is that of repetition, (2 Peter 1:12). Jesus is no exception. Comparing the four gospel accounts we see portions of this constitution given in Luke chapter six, the so-called Sermon on the Plain, as well as Luke chapter eleven. In this next section we will draw from the Teacher words, not only found in the Gospel of Matthew, but as he repeats these important truths at various sites and to differing audiences.
Judgement & Insight
Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: And with what measure you use, it shall be measured to you again. And why do you behold the mote (splinter) that is in your brother’s eye, but consider not the beam (larger splinter) that is in your own eye? Or will you say to your brother, let me pull out the mote out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then shall you see clearly to cast out the mote of your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:1-5 (italics added)
We humans are especially good at judging others. We’ve got that one down pat. We put labels on most everyone. He’s a Democrat, she’s a gossip. He talks too much, she’s a holy roller. On and on it goes! Jesus says not to do that! As I’ve heard Pastor Jon Courson preach; it is better love people and let God do the judging. So often we have that one backward. It is more natural in our present earthly state to judge people and leave the loving to our Maker!
But you see, he has all knowledge about people, their motives, their life experiences, what makes them do the things they do, I don’t. When I label and judge people based on my limited information about them, well, I’m really just displaying my foolishness. Best not to judge, best not to label. Instead, just love, love, love!
Now the type of judging our Lord is speaking of is judgment unto condemnation. Later in this discussion we will see that it is actually important to evaluate, to judge, for identification, (Romans 16:17). We need to be able to discern between right & wrong, between good & evil, between fruit & poison!
After imploring us not to judge others, our Leader gives us a motivator for good behavior. That is, however we judge will be the measure with which we are judged! No, God won’t judge me to condemnation, as I’m positioned in Christ, but people will. If I spew judgment around, that is what I can expect to receive from others. We’ve all witnessed this. That harsh person in your family or group is not the one you want to spend much time with.
In Luke’s reporting of Jesus’ later Sermon on the Plain, Jesus extends the boomerang effect of judgment to also include mercy, forgiveness and giving.
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged: Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: Forgive, and you shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you: Good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that you mete withal (give out) it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:36-38 (italics added)
This is huge! Life is one big garden. As I plant crops, whether they be potatoes, carrots or tomatoes, later a harvest will come forth of those same vegetables. Likewise, as I sow mercy or judgment, forgiveness or condemnation, bounty or leftovers, these are what I can expect in return. Friends, choose the good, subsequently you will receive the good in great measure!
Before leaving this article of the constitution, Jesus cautions those of us who often feel the urge to help others who have a problem. Those who want to help others who have the so-called splinter in their eye. I must do it in the spirit of meekness realizing that I too have splinters, have blind spots, that if not acknowledged, only reveal my hypocrisy. Jesus added in the Sermon on the Plain the fallacy of restoration without meekness. “And he spoke a parable to them, can the blind lead the blind? Shall they both not fall into the ditch?” (Luke 6:39)
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. Matthew 7:6
Here we see an example of judging for identification. In this case foolish and scornful souls are compared to dogs (common term in Jesus’ day for Gentiles) and swine (common term for non-practicing Jews). Jesus preaches to be wary of with whom you share your treasure, (Proverbs 9:8, 14:7 & 23:9). In his day those two groups were generally not open to the things of God and actively belittled true believers. In our day, dogs would be lawless pseudo Christians who have turned the grace of God into lasciviousness and swine are the legalists who say Christ is ok but you really have to sacrifice to reach God, (2 Peter 2:22). Remember, in the context of the constitution, holy things & pearls are my treasure that I store in Heaven. The time, talent and money I offer to advance things eternal. To help people into the Kingdom by calling upon the salvation offered in Christ. Jesus teaches that identification is important in deciding to whom to share the gospel. In the next verses he tells us the how of witnessing truth.
Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matthew 6:7-11
In Luke’s account, Jesus points to the best gift of all which we can ask for from the Father.
…If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Luke 11:13
The how of sharing truth is to ask for the Holy Spirit to give guidance when to speak & with whom to share. As I walk in the spirit, I want to listen for nudges from his Spirit speaking to me. Then act upon those impressions. This is effective kingdom ministry. Without the spirit, I may share with an open person but at the wrong time. It’s four dimensional. The who & when of speaking truth. Our prayer is for the tongue of the learned.
The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakens morning by morning, he wakens mine ear to hear as the learned. Isaiah 50:4
The Law & the Prophets
Therefore, all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them: For this is the Law & the Prophets. Matthew 7:12
Here we have the Golden Rule our parents taught us when we were little. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” And this famous statement, that even the most spiritually unschooled has heard of, is preceded by the word “therefore.” When we see the word therefore, we must always ask “what is it there for.” In this case, in light of our Lord’s preaching about the need to avoid judgment unto condemnation, restoring a person in the spirit of meekness and asking him with whom he wants us to share truth, we are to flip the switch. That is, we are to interact with all people in the way we would like them to relate with us. Kindness, mercy, generosity, forgiveness are the things that come to my mind that I like to receive from others. These are just some of the components of love. What I want is love from others. That is what I must dole out, with the help of his Spirit, of course. Jesus taught here that love is the sum of the Law & the Prophets.
This was a revelation to his listeners. Still is to us today. All of the teachings of the Torah and the prophetical writings can be summed up in love. This is a different way than most read the Bible. We often see rules and regulations, rebellion & stubbornness in the words and stories and sort of get mixed up, distracted, and off track. Jesus wants to bring his followers back to center. It’s all about love!
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment of the Law? Jesus said unto him, thou shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shall love your neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all of the Law & the Prophets. Matthew 22:35-40
The entire Bible hangs on, hinges on these two commandments…love God & love your neighbor. Live a life of love. No walls, no pretense, no masks! Obviously, I can only do this with the help of his Spirit. But this should be my mission statement. Love everybody, just like I want to be loved. Treat people just like I want to be treated.
Paul echoes this same concept to the Galatians;
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this; thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. Galatians 5:14
This makes all of the difference in my life, but also in my reading of the Word of God. You see, when I read the Bible, it is reading me. I often see only what I want to see. And at times, it may not be lovely. I might use God’s word to justify harshness and judgmentalism. Or possibly to rationalize lasciviousness or divorce. But Jesus said, on these two commandments hang all of the Law and the Prophets. So, the question is, do I love more after reading his Word? That’s what I need to be getting out of my devotional time in reading. If it’s not love, then my understanding is flawed. For all of the Law and the Prophets is summed up by and in love. Indeed, Love did hang. He hung on the Cross!
The Strait Gate
Enter you in at the strait gate: For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in therat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13
Here near the end of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus circles back to the beginning. That is, we need a Savior. Just like his statement calling for righteousness which exceeds the scribes and the Pharisees, now our Lord insists that those who would find life will enter in at the strait gate. The strait gate would be clearly understood by his listeners. You see, in Jerusalem there are two types of gates, each with differing purposes. The strait gates were narrow and reserved for nobility. Herod’s gate, the Lion’s gate and the Eastern gate were examples of strait gates. The masses entered the city from gates called Fish, Dung, Tanner’s & Fountain among others. These gates were known as wide gates.
So, gates were doors into the city. Jesus, using a metaphor, calls for those who would find life to enter in by the narrow opening. What does this mean? Well, comparing scripture with scripture we see that Jesus is equating himself with the strait gate, (John 3:14-16, 10:7 & Revelation 3:20). He is the entrance into life. He is the Way, (John 14:6). When we come to the chapter entitled “The New Birth” these scriptures will be discussed more fully.
But we must speak of one important concept now. Really, this is a principle which is far above my pay grade though. As you read the upcoming discussion realize that God is the ultimate arbitrator of the meaning the strait gate.
Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not where you are going; and how can we know the way? Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: No man comes unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
Here we come to the great Christian truth that seemingly causes many unbelievers to stumble over Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life and no one, absolutely no one can come to the Father except by him. The answer to the question above my reach is summarized by two terms. Christian exclusivism & Christian inclusivism. You see, it is clear that Jesus died for the sins of the entire world, (John 3:16). It is also clear that if a man or a woman, a boy or a girl, confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead, they are saved, (Romans 10:9 & 13), that they are heaven bound and going to be with the Father. Christian exclusivism says that these are the redeemed. Those who believe in Christ’s atoning work, the narrow way, the strait gate, and no one else.
But what about those who have never heard the Gospel or have never heard a cogent presentation of the Gospel. Are they damned? Christian inclusivism says, not necessarily. This impression of John 14:6 says that Jesus indeed died for the sins of the world but the choice of salvation rests with God instead of the sinner. That is, God, who sees into the heart of men and women is free to give salvation to those who would have called upon the name of his Son had they been given an adequate chance & choice. This understanding would allow those poor souls brought up and steeped in the wrong doctrine of Eastern religions, etc. to be offered eternal life from God should they in sincerity seek after God. This type of heart can be summarized by two statements people can make. “Thy will be done” or “My will be done.” In Christian inclusivism, those meek of the world can also enter in by the strait gate at God’s choice.
To summarize, the only difference of the two is that in Christian exclusivism, the sinner chooses Jesus. In Christian inclusivism, Jesus chooses the sinner! Which is correct? I have no idea. We will have to wait and see. But this I do know. God, who sees all, and knows all will make the proper determination. We will all say on that day, “true & righteous are thy judgments” to the Lord, (Revelation 16:7).
On a baser level though, why not just choose Jesus? That bypasses this entire argument. By choosing him, I enter through the strait gate into the Father presence. Those masses in the West who have heard the Gospel but refused to repent and believe wouldn’t be included in the second interpretation anyway as they have heard but rejected the good news. For indeed, it is also clear that the definition of an unbeliever or an unsaved person is one who will not repent, one who persists in saying, “My will be done.”
Constitutional Warnings
Lastly, we come to three landmines on the road to the Kingdom of Heaven. Three groups of people who may feel they will be included in the Lord’s kingdom but tragically will not be. False prophets, those who call on Jesus for the wrong reasons & those who hear the Word but do not act upon it. As Paul cautions all of us who are walking by faith, “Wherefore my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear & trembling,” (Philippians 2:12). We must make our calling and election sure in the fear of the Lord.
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28
Clarifying, the fear of the Lord is not being afraid of him, no, it is being terrified at the prospect of being separated from him, of being away from him, of disappointing him. The fear of the Lord is a wonderful thing as it causes a man or a woman to hate & depart from evil, (Proverbs 8:13 & 16:6).
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. Matthew 7:15-20
Once again, Jesus tells us to judge for identification. We are to be fruit inspectors! Is the man of God, the prophet, sowing love, peace, gentleness, kindness, etc. or is strife, anxiety, discontent and discord the crop coming forth? We must look at the fruit, not the person. For the person may be gifted and charismatic. He may look like one of the sheep, but inwardly, as Jesus points out, he or she is a wolf! And what do wolves do? They eat the sheep! Remember, Satan himself can transform his appearance into an angel of light.
The New Testament, as far as I can tell, gives five characteristics of false prophets. First, they seek to draw men to themselves verses pointing the sheep to the Shepherd, (Acts 20:29-30). They also will seek your money, (2 Peter 2:3a). They twist & turn the grace of God to allow, teach & preach that lasciviousness (sexual immorality) is acceptable, (Jude 4). They speak doctrines of devils, i.e. they question God’s Word forbidding things God has allowed, (1 Timothy 4:1-5). And lastly, they have a form of godliness, but deny the power, they ever learn but do not come to the knowledge of the truth, and they seduce & deceive themselves & others, (2 Timothy 3:1-13). This last evil fruit is what makes this so sad. That is, they deceive even themselves! They are often not even aware that they are living a lie. Of course, we have seen this in past historical figures. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day, including Paul before he was converted, as well as the historical leadership of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages come to mind. They led men away from the truth while many times believing they were in God’s will. Let that not happen to us. I must walk in the spirit, judging the prophets, not blindly following.
Not every soul that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name have cast out devils? And in your name done many wonderful works? And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: Depart from me, you that work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23
Here we have the second people group that miss the straight gate. Those who come to the Lord for the wrong reasons! That is, they did not do the will of the Father.
This is important! What does the Bible say is the will of the Father? For in making my calling and election sure, this is what I want to be doing. Here is what it says…Christ is to be the center (Ephesians 1:9-10), we are to be thankful (1 Thessalonians 5:18), we are to avoid sexual immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4) and we are to live well (1 Peter 2:15).
Those who did not the will of the Father on that day will have three faulty arguments. They prophesied, cast out demons and did good works in the Lord’s name. How could this be if they don’t know him? Well they could be lying, they could be operating in demon power, they could be used by God despite their unbelief, e.g. Ballam, Caiaphas & Saul or they could have followed Jesus for the wrong reason, such as personal gain, like Judas.
Heartbreakingly, the Lord will tell those workers of iniquity to depart, as he never knew them. A better rendering of workers of iniquity is those who practice lawlessness, those who are not submitted to God. Fortunately for us, Paul gives a promise that allows us not to fear these warnings from Jesus as we work out our salvation. “But if any man love God, the same is known of him,” (1 Corinthians 8:3). The Old Testament prophet Nahum also has words of comfort. “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knows them that trust in him,” (Nahum 1:7).
The third group of unfortunate souls are the foolish ones of the world who hear his message but fail to act. Like the movie, “Twenty Feet From Stardom,” they are so close yet miss it all. They watched the game but failed to get off of the couch! You see, the wise man not only hears the Word, but he does the Word. It’s not enough to agree if I don’t live it out. Moses’ words to Joshua before he was commissioned should be underlined in all of our Bibles.
The book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. Joshua 1:8
The key word is DO! Life is a verb, it is action, it is motion. No sitting still. It is running through the tape, it is finishing strong.
In the case of the Sermon on the Mount, it is coming to the right conclusions concerning the Savior. That is realizing that I need a Redeemer. That I need the Lord. For I have a choice. There are two gaits, wide & narrow. There are two foundations, sand & rock. For the rains will fall, the floods will come and the wind will blow. We all will die. But before that day, I need to choose, not from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil, but from the Tree of Life!
So, we end Jesus’ formal words concerning his kingdom principles. The Kingdom life that we can live even now while we wait for him to return and formally establish that wonderful reign. We saw that what the World values and esteems is often contrary to his ways. We can seek peace, righteousness, purity, mercy & meekness. We want to be salt & light. We want to deal violently with our own sin while always being truthful & loving, even to our enemies. We must not be showy but forgiving and we want to store up our time, money and talents in heaven as we support and build up eternal things, i.e. people. We are not to judge for condemnation but only for identification and we are to live the Golden Rule, loving God and people as ourselves. In so doing we fulfill all of the Law & the Prophets. Lastly, we want to build our house on the rock, that is the Rock we know as Jesus the Christ.
Next we will look at a few parables which Jesus spoke illustrating in living color the nature of his Kingdom.
Summary:
The measure I use in judgment, mercy, forgiveness, etc. will be the measure others use for me.
The Word of God is anchored on the two great commandments, love God & love your neighbor.
The strait gate is Jesus. He is the Way. No one comes to the Father except by Him.
False prophets can be discerned by looking at the fruit they produce.
It is not only important to mentally ascent to God’s Word, but also to act upon it.
For Further Study:
What does “casting your pearls before swine” mean to you? How do you know a swine when you see one?
Would you consider composing a personal Mission Statement which includes the two great commandments?
Do you have an opinion on whether Christian inclusivism or exclusivism is the correct interpretation of John 14:6?
What does the term “the fear of the Lord” mean to you?