Reconciliation

For weeks, I have been saying that God's work in our lives begins on our inside and then flows to the outside. This week, we begin to see what those "outside" words and actions will be like as Jesus discussed six specific ways our lives will change when we surrender to his rule. The first area he addressed was our relationships with people we find difficult. What Jesus said, when we take the teaching out of context, seems to be... Well, most people find his words impossible. When I quote Mt. 5:22 and say, "Anyone who is angry with someone else is subject to God's judgment," the response is "You've got to be kidding. No one can possibly live like that!"

This weekend, we will look at his words and, with God's help, seek understanding into why this teaching from Jesus is both beautiful and practical. As you prepare to worship and hear God's Word today, consider the following:

1. Jesus said that the Ten Commandments can be summarized in two statements: 1) Love God (the first 5 commands) and 2) love others (the second 5 commands). Today, we will be looking at the first of the commands that tell us how to love others, i.e., "you shall not murder."
2. Over the centuries since God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, people have repeatedly tried to minimize them, focusing only on the narrowest external manifestation of them. But, God never intended that. God wants us to look at the intent of our hearts and see how we think of people. God wants us to see people as he does, i.e., that each one is infinitely precious because each human life is made in God's image.

Bottom line: We will learn from Jesus that lovelessness destroys lives made in God's image. And the opposite is true, too: Sacrificial acts of selfless love shown to people will reflect the work of God in and through our lives. People will see our good deeds of love and then give praise to our Father (Mt. 5:16).

May our worship together today result in our Father's receiving praise.

To His Glory,

Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor