Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18, Psalm 119:33-40, Matthew 5:38-48
I remember still being a fairly young Christian when I took my first position as an associate minister. That was about the time when I really started asking questions about God and theology. Who is God, and what is our relationship with Him supposed to look like? Now I know that this seems a little backwards, becoming a pastor then learning about theology. But I have realized that Christians must start with faith. That is the sole requirement for salvation.
We believe. We believe that Jesus rose from the dead. We ask him to forgive us our sins. We ask him to make our life new and to be our Lord forever. This is that epiphany moment that we have in our lives. There is more to life than what we have been living. There is something very wrong in our hearts, and it is killing us. For perhaps the first time in our lives, we realize that sin is real, and there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. It is that moment in our lives that we finally figure out that there really is a God, and we’re are not him.
So that moment of realization…that moment of understanding leads us to call out to God in faith. We embrace the one whom we have never seen. Our faith leads us to Christ, to forgiveness, to new life, a new hope, and a new beginning. This new beginning is similar to what the people of Israel were experiencing in the book of Leviticus.
The Lord had brought the Israelites out of slavery and out of Egypt. He was making them into a special group of people. They would be set apart from all the peoples, all the tribes, all the nations of the world. They would have to be. The Lord, the God of their forefathers was no ordinary god. God was showing himself to be the one true god. At the time of the book of Leviticus, God was demonstrating himself to be real. God was there at the tabernacle as a cloud by day and fire at night.
As God was set apart from all the false gods and deities, his people must be set apart from the ideals and values of the world. God loved his people, but he knew that they could be easily led astray. They could not allow their faith in the Lord to be compromised…to be contaminated with beliefs and practices of pagan gods. The Israelites must be set apart from these influences that might bring evil into their lives and jeopardize their relationship with God. This being “set apart” is what we know as being “holy”.
The threat of being led astray to worship false gods was so real, that the book of Leviticus was written as guidelines and rules of live and love and worship, to insure that this did not happen. Leviticus may not be what most Christians find to be an easy or even interesting read. However, it points repeatedly to how much God cared about his people. God wanted nothing to come between his people and himself.
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
This was not the first, last, or only instruction for the people of Israel to be holy. At times, the people were to consecrate themselves, to remove whatever dirt or filth that might exclude them from worshipping their perfect, powerful, and holy God. You see, the unholy cannot stand in the presence of the holy. To enter into the presence of the Lord in an irreverent or unworthy could bring judgment and death on the person.
But there is more to holiness than following a bunch of rules or being ceremonially set apart for worship. If being spiritual is a matter of the heart, holiness is the other side of that same coin. Holiness also begins in the heart. Let’s take a look in our bulletins at the Call to Worship this morning.
Psalm 119:33-40 Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes, and I will observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain. Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways. Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you. Turn away the disgrace that I dread, for your ordinances are good. See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life.
You see, even in this Old Testament relationship with God, the people weren’t just supposed to understand these laws and agree to follow them with their minds. (Sure, Lord..why not.) The people were supposed to wrap their hearts around them. The Laws were not only set up as fences around the Israelites, they were instruments of love through which the people of God could love God, their families, and the people around them.
In Leviticus 19:9-18, there were statutes that would allow for the feeding of the poor. There were laws providing justice for all, no favoritism toward the poor or the rich, and no place for hatred toward others. 18 "'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.'". The people were to dedicate their hearts to the Lord. In doing so, they would help their fellow Israelites.
Yes, these passages are all wrapped up in chapter after chapter of how to do this or how not to do that. But the key to God’s relationship with man is holiness, and the key to holiness is love. The passage from Leviticus 19:18 seems to lead right into what Jesus was teaching in Matthew 5:38.
38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
It is in Exodus 21:24, that we first hear of “eye for an eye”, but that law “lex talionis” was not established to set the standard of the law, but to prevent people from overzealously seeking revenge. “If you kill one of my sheep, I’m gonna kill two of yours.” Although sometimes it did mean death, “eye for an eye” sought for just means of repaying someone for their loss.
By the time of Jesus, people were using that law as means of revenge. In his teaching, Jesus tells us to surrender our right to anger and retribution. They hit you on the right cheek, let them hit your left too. They want to sue for your tunic, let them have you cloak too. If someone asks you or forces you to walk a mile with them, be willing to walk an extra one. Why? Because anger does not own you. God does. Because vengeance does not hold your heart captive. Love does.
I am reminded of Matthew 10:28, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." If someone harms you twice, takes what does not rightfully belong to them, or makes you work twice as hard. So what? Life is not a series of boring, painful, experiences of suffering that we are to endure. Life is our relationship with God, period. If you endured suffering without reason or loss without compensation…if you lived a miserable life here on earth, but held onto your love for God and for others, there is still an immeasurable reward ahead of you. We cannot allow anger, jealousy, or vengeance here on earth to jeopardize our reward in eternity. That is why we must love even those who harm us.
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
Anyone can love people who love us back. Pagan, Christian, atheist…we can all give what we get. That’s easy. "Love me? I’ll love you. Hate me? Right back at you, pal!" But that is not Christian, and it most certainly is NOT holiness. If holiness is being different than the rest of the world…set apart from everyone else, then hatred can have no place in us. Love must reign in the hearts of God’s holy people…and that love must continue to grow.
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
In John Wesley’s writings, Wesley described the total surrender of heart, mind, and soul as “entire sanctification”. Sanctification is the process by which we are made more like Christ, more humble, more loving, more pure, more forgiving…more holy. This view of holiness is a complete contrast to what the world would like us to be. The world would like Christians to be more vengeful, more angry, and more bitter. The world wants the church to be just like it is. But God has called us to holiness…to perfect love.
1 John 4:7-8 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love
In order to be holy, we must love. In order to love, we need God. In order to love perfectly, we must surrender ourselves. We must empty ourselves completely and let God’s Holy Spirit fill us with love, new love, and more love than the day before. So what’s the hold up? Why aren’t we all perfect? Why don’t we all have this perfect love within us? It’s us. The problem is you, and the problem is me.
Because we live in this world, we let the world into our lives. We let all the anger, bitterness, jealousy, rage, bitterness, and vengeance in our hearts. Earlier I said that the unholy cannot stand in the presence of the holy. It’s like pouring water into a bowl full of oil. Eventually, we allow these things to displace our love for God and our love for others. And many times, our souls are in worse shape than they ever were because now we know that we are created to be holy…but we are not.
How is it with your souls today? Are they humble or hateful? Are they holy or hellish? If you want to stop living a life full of garbage, you need to ask God to pull you out of the trash can. Let God do the work that you cannot possibly do. Surrender. Throw your hands up in the air. "You’re under arrest!" Too many people want to go down fighting, but they usually wind up hurting themselves. Surrender every aspect of your life to the Lord and let him fill you with his holy and perfect love.
Be holy…set apart different from the rest. Be perfect...filled completely with the gift of God's love to be shared with others.
No comments:
Post a Comment