Being One

Hello: 

Our text for today is: 

Matthew 5: 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing Yesterday we talked about anger and how Jesus compared anger with murder in the sense that it is anger in the heart that leads to such acts as murder. 

Today, Jesus tells us what to do when we know that we have anger towards someone or if someone is angry with us. 

Let’s look at the text.  The setting is the temple or synagogue.  Jesus teaches that when you come to the “house of God” and when you bring your act or worship (your gift) to the alter and when you remember that a person has aught against you then you are to leave your gift at the alter and be reconciled to your brethren.   

Let’s look at some historical context first.   In the ancient world when you presented a gift it was considered an act of worship.  True worship to God is a “heart thing.” 

When we get into the presence of God, we realize and acknowledge our flaws and sins and ask for forgiveness so that we may go before him in pureness of heart.  Jesus teaches that if during this “self evaluation” we remember that our brethren have aught against us, we are to leave and be reconciled.  Notice the text, it refers to someone that you know has aught against you, this could be legitimate or not, whatever the case, you know that there is a problem. 

So often, we feel that if we have not done anything wrong that we should not have to be the one that reaches out to reconcile, after all we can’t control an opinion a person has formed justly or unjustly.  

The text teaches that if you know that your brethren is troubled by something that you did or just may be angry with you with or without reason, you are the one that should reach out to reconcile.  Jesus asks us to do this before we present our acts of worship to God and then we are free to offer up before him in a clear conscious that not only have we sought forgiveness from God for our sins but we are in harmony and peace with our brethren.   

Again, God wants our heart pure and HIS desire is that we would be one.   One of the problems that we face in Christianity is that the church is loosing insight on what it means to be “one body.”    Jesus desires that we would all be one.   

Let me close today with the prayer that Jesus prayers for his disciples and also for the ones that would come after his disciples which are us.   I know it’s a lot of verses but they are so powerful, take the time to read them.  Listen to the heart of Christ as he prays that we all be one:   

John 17:1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

6 ”I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.

11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name–the name you gave me–so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 ”I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.

15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. 20 ”My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 ”Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.  

25 ”Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” 

God Bless. 

Make sure you pray and read God’s word daily.

This entry was posted on 10. June 2008 at 13:19 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.