Epistle for November 30, 2001
Posted by: ccfmo <ccfmo@...>
Weekly ministry letter (successor to "The Whetstone") from Christian Civic Foundation
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Dr. Curt Scarborough, President November 30, 2001
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In This Issue:
Sermon Matthew 6:1-21
Bible Study: Matthew 7:1-12
Premarital Counseling
Devotional Lifeskills
The Troika of Christian Living
(Matthew 6:1-21)
A "Troika" is a light Russian sleigh pulled by three horses. In the Text, Jesus assumes as a "given" that His disciples will: (1) Do charitable deeds, (2) Pray, and (3) Fast. He doesn't say "if" but "when". (Like sinning or dying . . . giving, praying, and fasting are when's, not if's.)
THE NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A TROIKA . . .
a combination of all three of these horses:
good deeds, communion with God, and self-denial (sacrifice).
With each example in Matthew 6, Jesus' pattern was:
Don't do it that way, but do it this way, and you'll be spiritually
rewarded . . . with "treasure in heaven," verses 19-21.
Of course, true rewards presuppose a proper motivation for
service as taught in I Corinthians 13:1-3.
The reward (treasure) is the Troika (sleigh) pulled by three horses
named Charity, Prayer, and Fasting. These three all run side-by-side,
not in single file.
IF ONLY ONE HORSE PULLS while the other two are dead-weight in the
harness, it's tough sledding!
1. Charity without Prayer and Fasting is like a United Way Campaign.
2. Prayer without Charity and Fasting is empty religious ritual.
James 2:15, 16 says, "If a brother or sister is naked and destitute
of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace; be
warmed and filled,' but does not give them the things which are
needed for the body, what does it profit?"
3. Fasting without Charity and Prayer is a Weight Watchers Diet.
EVEN IF TWO HORSES PULL while the other one is dead-weight, it's
still tough sledding!
1. A gift plus words without sacrifice is unworthy. David refused to
offer a sacrifice to God which cost him nothing, I Chronicles 21:24.
2. A gift with sacrifice without prayer is spiritually empty. Many
persons sacrificially give to the needy without even pretending
that it is a Christian act, bathed in prayer.
3. Prayer and fasting without a charitable contribution of some sort
also is devalued. The least that Christians should do would be to
donate to the poor the equivalent meal money they saved while fasting.
Typically in our churches, we take good care of two of the three "horses." We regularly give attention to Charity (giving) and Praying. The third horse, Fasting, usually is rather neglected, underfed, and weak.
Therefore, let me insert here a few words to encourage us to practice, teach, and recommend fasting.
1. Fasting is scriptural. The Bible makes it clear that fasting is a key
to spiritual power . . . breaking the bonds of evil and receiving
God's counsel (Mark 9:29; Acts 13:2,3).
2. Jesus taught fasting. By word and example, our Lord witnessed
to the benefits of fasting. If the Son of God needed to fast and
profited from fasting, how much more necessary is it to us?
(Matthew 14:2; 6:16; Mark 2:20).
3. What fasting is not. It is not a hunger strike by which we twist God's
arm to make Him do what we want. It is not an exercise to attract
His attention . . . His eye is always upon us. It is not to earn His
blessings by tipping the scales of His grace and mercy in our favor
by enduring pain. And finally, fasting is totally worthless if it is
done to win man's praise.
4. What fasting does. It establishes the priority of our spirit over our flesh.
It demonstrates self-control and discipline. It develops from deep
concern for a particular situation or need. And, it frees-up unspent meal
money for charity.
Isaiah 58 is devoted to the subject of true fasting which pleases God. This passage deserves an entire series of teachings, but a quick glance reveals the benefits and realities of true fasting.
DO YOU WANT THESE BENEFITS OF TRUE FASTING?
1. Continual guidance and protection of God - 8,11.
2. Satisfaction of all your needs - 11.
3. Healing and strengthening of physical body - 8, 11.
4. Radiance and enhanced reputation - 8, 10, 12.
5. Assurance of God's presence and answers to prayer - 9.
6. Joy and abundant blessings without ceasing - 11, 14.
7. Purpose in life; sense of divine destiny - 12.
IF SO, THEN "TRULY FAST!"
1. Bring freedom to captives and oppressed - 6, 9.
2. Meet physical needs of persons who are hurting - 7, 10.
3. Worship God His way (in spirit and in truth) - 13.
The reward of Christian service is not an add-on, unworthy of our consideration as an improper motive. In fact, Jesus speaks of reward (treasure in heaven) as an integral part of His profound teaching on self-denial, cross bearing, and following Him (Matthew 16:24-27).
In this familiar passage, Jesus emphasizes again the "Troika" we noted earlier from the Sermon on the Mount:
1. "Deny self" easily can be applied to fasting.
2. "Take up your cross" is a daily spiritual exercice
of communion with God occurring during a time
of prayer.
3. "Follow me" means more than merely walking in
Jesus' footsteps. It means doing what He did . . .
including charitable deeds of practical ministry
and service to hurting people.
Combining the ideas of Matthew 6 and 16:
1. Charity without Prayer and Fasting is like following
Jesus without taking up the cross and denying self.
It is spiritually unworthy.
2. Prayer without Charity and Fasting is like taking up
the cross without following Jesus and denying self.
It is spiritually emply.
3. Fasting without Charity and Prayer is like denying self
without following Jesus and cross-bearing. It is
spiritually unprofitable.
Following Jesus (doing charitable deeds), taking up the cross (in daily times of prayer communion with God), and denying self (by fasting, for example) . . . all three are vitally important; absolutely essential. All three horses need to be equally strong, harnessed together side-by-side to pull the "Troika of Christian Living"!
The Golden Rule in Proper Perspective
(Matthew 7: 1-12)
I. Concentration (Observations):
1. The Golden Rule (v. 12) begins with "Therefore," referring
to the eleven verses preceding it.
2. This passage teaches the necessity of balance between
criticism, perception, and discrimination/discernment, 1-6.
3. This passage argues from an earthly father providing for his
son to the "how much more" heavenly Father caring for us.
4. "Good things" (v. 11) includes the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13).
II. Meditation: We are to "do unto others" because . . .
1. Our actions (judging others, vv. 1-2) will result in those persons
treating us in the same way we treated them.
2. We are blinded by our own short-comings . . . therfore, we are
incapable of truly finding fault in others . . . of correctly
pronouncing judgment upon them as a judge passes sentence
upon a condemned felon.
3. God blesses us, not because we deserve it, but because He loves us.
We are to treat other underserving people the same way God treats us.
4. Old Testament law and prophesy demand that we live this way.
III. Revelation:
1. There is a spiritual law about action and reaction, v. 2.
2. Hypocrisy is a major sin; God demands sincerity and integrity.
3. Witnessing the gospel to contemptuous blasphemers cheapens
the gospel, and also is dangerous to us (v. 6). Have spiritual discernment!
4. The Golden Rule applies to all people/situations which we encounter.
IV. Applicaitons: As a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Avoid a fault-finding, judgmental spirit.
2. Remove the "plank" from my own eye by repentance and confession.
3. Excerise spiritual discernment in witnessing to others.
4. Always, and in every way, live by the Golden Rule.
Premarital Counseling
by Dr. Bruce Morrison
"We live in the age of the disposable. From the throw-away can we've 'progressed'
to the throw-away marriage. The pill, legalized abortion, and the age of 'meaningful
relationships have invalidated the need for marriage, 'respectable' sociologists claim.
But marriage is not disposable in any age or society. It is the pastor's responsibility to
see that people understand the importance of marriage and to underscore its
God-determined durability in his preaching and by every other appropriate means."
(Eyrich, 1978)
So begins a wonderful resource for premarital counseling entitled "Three to Get Ready: A Christian Premarital Counseling Manual". A normal part of the pastoral ministry to your church and the community is to perform marriages. I believe that much of the divorce in America today can be attributed to little or no premarital counseling by the ministers that perform the marriage ceremony. Over the years, I have had many divorced people tell me that they received virtually no premarital counseling. In fairness, I should say that I know several individuals that had good, solid premarital counseling and still had their marriage end in divorce. The point is that no one is immune from the ravages of divorce. Good premarital counseling will, however, go a long way to help marriages survive the pressures that are bound to come.
We must understand from the beginning that marriage is a divine institution, established by God Himself (Genesis 2:22-23). In Genesis 2:24, we find that the husband and wife "cleave" together in a "one flesh" relationship. In the Greek language, the word "cleave" literally means "to glue one thing to another." What a picutre of the marriage relationship. If you were to take two pieces of different wood, say a piece of white ash and a piece of cherry, and glue them together, the only way you could separate them would be to literally tear them apart. Divorce is just that; the tearing apart of two lives that have "cleaved" together. Premarital counseling has the potential of helping the couple avoid this very destructive process. In Proverbs 2:17 and Malachi 2:14, God speaks of the marriage relationship as a covenant. In the Scriptures; a convenant is a solemn agreement between a ruler and a subject. In a "covenant marriage," the agreement is between a husband and his wife as equals in God's eyes, but each assigned roles in the marriage relationship. God's primary provision in marriage is companionship. Procreation and intimacy are strong elements of marriage as well.
A full and complete theological understanding of marriage is required for the pastor before he conducts any premarital counseling with a couple desiring to be married. All things any Christian is involved in should have a Biblical and theological basis and marriage is no exception. One opportunity you have to impart these foundational truths is in the premarital counseling process. Later, we will look at the basis of the premarital counseling process and some of the many resources available to you and to those you are counseling.
(Eyrich, Howard A., "Three to Get Ready: A Christian Premarital Counseling Manual", Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1978, Page 3).
PERSONAL & PRACTICAL
Devotional Lifeskills
1. Fasting: at least one meal each week
Matthew 6:16-18; Matthew 17:20-21; Isaiah 58:3-7
2. Praying: confession and intercession, "without ceasing" . . .
at least three times daily . . . using the Model Prayer
Psalm 55:17; I Thessalonians 5:17; Matthew 6:9-13; I John 1:9
3. Singing: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs . . .
making melody in your heart continually
Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; James 5:13
4. Praising: speaking words to magnify the Lord,
at least seven times daily
Psalm 119:164; Psalm 150:1-6; Hebrews 13:15; Revelation 19:5
5. Reading: God's word daily . . . through the entire Bible annually
II Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12
6. Meditating: daily on the spiritual truths and implications in each
chosen Spricture passage
Psalm 19:14; Philippians 4:8
7. Receiving: the Holy Spirit's fullness, enlightenment, revelation,
renewal, refreshing, and power daily
John 14:26; Ephesians 1:17-19; 5:18; James 1:5; I John 2:20, 27
8. Journaling: daily writing personal reflections, revelations, experiences,
and spiritual applications
Deuteronomy 17:18-20; Jeremiah 30:2; Habbakuk 2:2
For more information contact CCF at [email protected] or phone us at (314) 739-1121
Pastor: As you lead your church in planning the annual budget for 2002, please remember to
include an amount in your "missions" allocations for CCF. Just a small amount per month to this
work would be a tremendous help to our mission of "Christian character building and lifeskill
development for successful living" . . . in the public sector (schools and communities) as well as
in the Christian community (churches and homes). If "e-pistle2equippers" has been a blessing to you,
perhaps you, in turn, could be a channel of blessing to us . . . just as Paul encouraged the church
in Rome toward giving and receiving mutual support and encouragement, Romans 1:11-12.
Blessings! Curt