Weighed in the Balances

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. We greet you this morning in Jesus' name. I'd like to turn to the Sermon on the Mount this morning. I'd like to think this morning of balance. And my thought went to a little apparatus that they use in El Salvador [00:00:33] And I wonder how many of us have ever seen something like this I got this out I didn't do a thing to it except I had to straighten out the chains in one of them They were kind of tangled up Would you like to buy something out of a balance that balances in that way? I haven't used, we haven't used this for years. If I remember correctly, we may have had some flowers in them. But as I think of balance in the Christian life, [00:01:05] maybe we should just show you a little bit of what they do in El Salvador. I brought some things along for a little bit of an object lesson. This stone here weighs a little bit over a pound. We'll put it over on the other side because that's the one that, I'm not sure how much that scales is off. But I tried to move this fulcrum over. Let me see, am I thinking right? Yes. It wouldn't budge. I didn't have enough time to spend there. But some of us have been in a marketplace and we have boughten potatoes and they would put a pound in one side and you know what they do. [00:01:42] They put potatoes in the other side until it balances. The goal is to get this thing balanced. And I have purchased potatoes at a market where I watch somebody do this. As I was studying for this message, it occurred to me that sometimes balance is what we're seeing here. You know, that's about as good as I can do in balancing that. There are times when balance is different in the spiritual sense than that. [00:02:16] There are times when balance in God's economy is more like that. Everything in one. And I'd like for you to remember that as we proceed. Sometimes, like I say, balance is this. But sometimes it's having all our potatoes in one side or all of everything in one side. As I think about balance and what I was thinking of, I read in our Goshen News, I read Dr. Wallace's column that he writes, and I mention him for a reason. [00:02:59] Dr. Wallace, I'm not sure what his profession is as far as Christianity is concerned, but Dr. Wallace writes between 12 and 20, so it's a column for teenagers, And this is what he says about alcoholic beverages. He said there is no room for them. You stay absolutely, you stay away from them. Everything in one side. That's the balance that's correct, Dr. Wallace is saying. And he's right. We agree with that. When it comes to the use of tobacco, I trust that we're agreed that everything on one side, that's the balance that is correct for us as God's people. [00:03:39] Illicit drugs, immorality, you could name any number of those things And we know where the balance is There are some things that where I think a balance where both sides are equal I think that's the right approach For example, it's right for us as God's people to eat, right? It's also right to find a balance in how much we eat and maybe in what we eat. [00:04:13] I'm going to leave the what we eat because that could be a controversial subject. But how much we eat, I think, is something that we find a balance. And I think, if I'm correct, and I want to be open to correction, but I think we may balance the scales in how much we eat. I think that's right. And there are other things that are correct to balance things out. Work. [00:04:45] Is it right to balance our work? To make that? I think so. Because the Bible says that we should work, but it also gives a warning about having our hearts in the wrong place. And so I think the scales need to balance when it comes to work. And we could mention a number of other things Sleep We need our sleep And I've heard some of you say that I didn't get very much sleep last night And they were saying not going to function at the best level [00:05:17] So in sleep we need a balance There are many things that we need a balance in Recreation Is recreation right or is it wrong? I think we would agree that there is some recreation that is right Right, but we do need a balance in that. We can get involved in recreation to our detriment, to the detriment of our family, to the detriment of our church, to the detriment of our standing with God. And I'm not looking at recreation only in what I think of playing ball. I think of a number of different things. I think there are a number of things that we can do and be at peace with God. [00:06:00] Hunting, fishing, I think they have a place, but I think we need to look at a balance in those things. And in order to find a balance, we need to look at principles in this, and I'm going to leave that for another message, not by myself, but I think we will be hearing another message on that. But we do need to find balance in some things where we need to get the scales to where they're right for us. [00:06:32] And I think we need to, there are a number of things that enter in as we look at recreation. One of the things that enters in is the issue that we're talking about on Wednesday evening right now, the stewardship issue. It is something that enters in. As we look at, and I invite you to just have your Bibles open. I'm not going to be reading a lot of the Sermon on the Mount this morning, but I would like to consider a few things with you as we look at the Sermon on the Mount. [00:07:05] The introduction is what we call the Beatitudes, and just looking at these very quickly, in the first Beatitude in verse 3 it says, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Poor in spirit. What is a person that's poor in spirit? I know that I found it difficult to know what is it saying exactly. What is a person that is poor in spirit? I think another translation says something like this. [00:07:37] Blessed are those who recognize their spiritual poverty. And I think that gets really close to helping me understand what it's saying. Of myself, I am a pauper spiritually. And the person that recognizes that is blessed if he reaches out to find that fullness that comes in Christ Jesus. There is a blessing in recognizing our undone-ness. The second one talks about mourning. [00:08:10] Blessed are those that mourn, and it says, for they shall be comforted. And I think it is referring to God or Jesus that is our comforter. The third one talks about the meek being blessed. If that would say, blessed are the meek, for great is their reward in heaven, it would make sense in a humanly speaking way. It doesn't say that, does it? It says, blessed are the meek for what? [00:08:45] They shall inherit the earth. Is that who you think of as inheriting the earth and the things of the earth? Meek, a person that doesn't stand up for their own rights. Brother Tim talked to us this morning about, and he didn't feel really good about a time when he felt that he stood up for his rights. And I think this is what this is talking about. I don't know, have you ever heard a person talking about a situation where they, maybe they had a business transaction or some other transaction [00:09:21] and then you find out what happened and you kind of feel like this. A person was taken advantage of. I have. Are they going to inherit the earth? the things that are in the earth I personally can think of several situations where I had just that kind of feeling and because of my connection with the person that was speaking to me [00:09:52] I felt a certain amount of protectiveness now listen, that's not right but as God's people, is that what we do? we stand up for our rights? Or, do we do as it says further on, there is something else that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, when a person sues you at the law and takes your coat, be sure you hang on to your cloak, right? He doesn't. He says, give him your cloak too. [00:10:26] Give him more than he asks, is what he is saying. Now, I am not sure what all that Jesus had in mind here. But I am just going to say this. You heard me say what I did about a person that I felt a certain amount of protectiveness. I thought this can't be that this happened because of this person himself and because of the other person. When one person was clearly taken advantage of in a business deal, that's what I'm referring to, what was done, if you would hear what I have to say, you'd say it was not right. [00:11:04] But you know this person that I am referring to has had food on the table and they have had enough. They still have inherited the earth, if you please. And I don't think that we, I think we need to understand what it is that Jesus is saying to us. But I don't think that it's up to us to rewrite the Beatitudes. But I think we need to understand what it is that God is saying to us. And I'm not saying that, okay, let yourself be taken advantage of and you're always going to have all your needs supplied. [00:11:40] That is too broad and sweeping a statement to make. But, I think God's word, I know God's word is true And when it says that we're going to inherit the earth I am happy to just simply accept that And if you please, if I would hold the balance up here I would have to put all of the things in the one side And the balance is not going to be level [00:12:11] It's hanging like you saw it with that crossbar nearly vertical there. I think that that's where we find a correct balance, a balance that pleases God as we deal with people and as we are with others as well. Now, the next Beatitude says something about hungering and thirsting after God. I don't know what it is that you think of. The words of a chorus came to my mind that we sing sometimes. I think we do. I think it's a chorus that you will recognize. [00:12:45] The chorus has words that say something like this. I want more of Jesus, more and more and more. I want more of Jesus than I ever had before. I want more of his great love, rich and full and free. I want more of Jesus, so I'll give him more of me. That, to me, is a beautiful word picture of hungering and thirsting after God. [00:13:16] And I trust that we find that true for us. The next beatitude that we read of says the merciful are blessed. because they shall receive mercy is what it says here. And I don't know what you think of. I think of the law of sowing and reaping. The Bible tells us that what you sow, you are going to reap. And there are principles in sowing and reaping. And we haven't heard a message on sowing and reaping recently. [00:13:48] But I remember a brother, I don't remember his name, at Hebron, who addressed this subject one evening. And he said some things that I have never forgotten. He said, you reap more than you sow. You reap the same kind of seed that you sow. If you plant corn, you harvest corn. If you plant radishes, you harvest radishes. Do you ever think of how wonderful that law is? That we can predict what we reap. [00:14:20] You may think, well, duh. But no, that's a creation of our God, a loving God and Father. The next beatitude says, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. By implication, what is that saying about the impure? Not very comforting for the impure, is it? And the next one is similar to that. Peacemakers, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called God's children. [00:14:53] And again, by implication, what are the agitators called? It doesn't say that. I recognize that. But by implication, I think it does. And I think we do well to remember that. And the last three we could take together. They say that we are blessed if we are persecuted for righteousness' sake. And I think maybe one of them says for the kingdom of heaven's sake. And then verse 10, I think, balances that out when it says, for great is your reward in heaven, I think is what it says. [00:15:31] That is the balancing thing for us here. As I look at the Sermon on the Mount, and as I think of balance, looking at chapter 6, We have just heard this scripture read to us, the first four verses, I believe, and other scriptures with it, the giving of alms. But I'd like to just simply take the first eight, no? Yeah, the first eight verses together. [00:16:01] And notice that what Jesus is saying here is that it's pretty important that there is some kind of balance here. And Jesus is saying that you don't give. You don't pray to be seen of men. In other words, what Jesus is saying is we don't do things so that people will see what we're doing. [00:16:31] And I think that is correct. Do we then shy away from doing something? And if somebody is there that might see us? No, I think we need balance here. But nor do we do good deeds to be seen of men. We need to do them as much as possible secretly. and I think the balance that we have is that our God sees in secret and he will reward us in the way that pleases him and he will reward us openly I think is what it says here. [00:17:04] There is one thing concerning balance that to me and I have, we have talked about this and I appreciate it. In the next part, the part about the Lord's Prayer, Jesus tells us the Lord's Prayer here. He says this is the way that we should pray. And then he says in verse 12, to me that is maybe the one that, well, it's the one that I picked out. I don't know that it's more important than any of the others. But it is important in that it relates to my fellow men. [00:17:38] How do I relate with my fellow men? And verse 12 says, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. I suppose all of us could say we have prayed that prayer many times and all at once what we prayed really grabbed a hold of us. Jesus made sure that we notice that with verses 14 and 15 here. If we want forgiveness from our Heavenly Father, we forgive our brother, is what he is saying. [00:18:12] Balance there is pretty much equal, isn't it? If I am going to be forgiven the way I forgive, and I think there we have, if we want to be forgiven, we will forgive others. In verse 24, we could say more about this, but in verse 24, again here, I see the balance here with everything on one side. I don't know how you see it, but I see the balance here with [00:18:42] there's no room for anything on the opposing side because notice what it says, no man can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other that's the balance with everything on one side the cross member is vertical that's the only way to be there And that in God's economy, my friends, is balance. That is the right balance. That's the balance for which I want to reap on that day when I stand before God. It's not a balancing act where it's as level as we can make it or maybe just a little bit heavier. It's everything on one side. [00:19:27] And I trust that we are agreed to that. Verses 25 through 30 here talks about where we put our confidence, where we put our trust. And I don't think that these verses are an exhortation to carelessness or recklessness or just simply saying, well, I really can't do much about it, so we're just going to trust in the Lord. I don't think that's what Jesus is saying to us. [00:20:02] Rather, I think he wants us to place our full confidence in him and do what we can. I don't think that we are to worry about the things of this life, but I don't think that God is calling us to a careless stewardship either. We have studied about stewardship, and I have appreciated what we have heard about stewardship, But I don't think this is encouraging us to recklessness. I don't think it's just, well, I don't know, I was going to say a blind trust. Maybe it is a blind trust. But I think God expects us to do what we can. He expects us to do our part in providing for our families. [00:20:44] As I thought of what I have just shared with you this morning, I was trying to think, Brother Daniel reminded us last Sunday of the fact that in the Sermon on the Mount, many times Jesus said, It hath been said unto you, and I would like to say that it hath been said unto you perhaps refers to, maybe we could just say that it's a fence around a certain area. Maybe you're on the inside, and that's a fence around it. [00:21:15] That fence is for safekeeping, to keep us in God's will, if you please. Now, what I say unto you, what is that doing? Is that adding another fence on the outside? And there, I'm not sure. Maybe you can think of a better way of describing that. You know, it hath been said that he that commits adultery is guilty before God. We know what it says here. But Jesus said, but I say unto you, and he puts the, he makes it more all-inclusive [00:21:50] He said, your thoughts, what you ponder in your heart, I'm going to have to give account for You're going to have to give account for We could say that's another fence I would like to think of it as the power to keep ourselves where we belong More than another fence Because somehow to me that is more in keeping what I think of. Maybe we should turn to John. I thought of this just this morning. My wife looked it up for me. The first, not first John, St. John, chapter one, perhaps says it as well. [00:22:25] And I could quote the verse, what I wanted in the verse. I couldn't think of what some people call this address, the reference. First John one, I'm sorry, John 112, the gospel of John 112. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. He gave them power to become the sons of God, but not only that, if we would turn back to another scripture that I thought of, 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17, Paul writes here, [00:22:59] Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. The power is given to us to live above the law, to stay where we belong in God's will. And that is the blessing of the new dispensation. That is possible only in Christ Jesus. That is not possible in my own strength or in your own strength. But in Christ Jesus, I am grateful that that is possible, to keep ourselves in the will of God, to keep ourselves subject to him, to live as he wants us to live, and even to think as he wants us to think. [00:23:46] A while ago I used the term ponder. I did that with a reason, with a purpose. Because sometimes thoughts come to us, but if I refuse to allow those things to stay here, I'm not pondering them. But once I ponder, then I mull over that thing And that is where thinking wrong thoughts becomes a very dangerous thing I'm not saying that it's right to let these things flit in and flit out [00:24:19] But I am saying that we dare not keep them there We dare not ponder these things that will draw us down, that will take us down Matthew chapter 13 and I've used this scripture a number of times maybe it's my hobby horse I know that preachers sometimes have a hobby horse but Matthew chapter 13 verse 44 we again get the picture of the balance [00:24:50] where the cross member is as nearly vertical as it can get where it says Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field, the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth, and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. What does he sell? All that he hath. Is that what it costs to follow Jesus? That's right. [00:25:22] It costs all that we have. And I have to think of what C.S. Lewis wrote in the Screwtape Letters about our Heavenly Father, and he didn't call him that. But he said God has this, and he called it an abominable practice because it worked against him. It worked against Satan. Screwtape Letters were written as a person that is writing, as a senior devil writing to his junior. and he said you have to watch out when you deal with this God and with Jesus Christ [00:25:56] and he said that this God has this abominable practice of requiring his children to give things up to him and then when they have given it up and relinquished all control he has this abominable practice of giving it back to them and more besides. Isn't that a picture of our God and Father? We give things up and he turns around and he gives us all of that back and more besides Or maybe it's something that is so much better that we are blessed beyond measure [00:26:31] Even though we gave this up to gain a better and enduring crown I am glad that we serve a God of balance And whether that balance is found in one way or another Whether that balance is found like you saw here, where it's, I think sometimes I think this is right, but I think you will agree that sometimes this is right. That everything is on one side. Everything. [00:27:04] That's my goal. To have everything, to give up everything to gain what a person cannot lose. May we bow for prayer. Our Father God, we come to you this morning's hour and we are grateful for the balance that is found in Christ Jesus. We thank you, God, that you ask only what is good for us. And we pray, Father, that you would help us to see that. [00:27:37] Whether it is giving our all or whether it is finding the right way to balance life and the activities of life. We pray that you would give us your wisdom, guide us with your spirit. Father, we pray that you would help us to find that balance that will bring glory and honor to your name. We pray that you would help us to give you gladly what you have, what is your due, remembering what it is that you have done for us. [00:28:12] We thank you, God, that you gave your all on our behalf and that we can be blessed because of that, that we are blessed because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. May we be willing to give our all as well. And we pray that you would guide us, Father, in finding the balance that you have for your people, for your glory. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.