The Ultimate Consequence

Scripture:

"Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me." Psalm 51: 11

Observation:

David really messed up. The consequences of his actions are beyond what I can comprehend. A women was pregnant. A husband was murdered. The King exposed before the people. So much was at stake. David's greatest fear was that God would remove His presence and His Spirit. That has me thinking this morning, what is it that could cause God to retreat from my life?

Application:

Losing my connection with God scares me. As I have thought about David's words this morning I have read through chapter 23 in Matthew. When I read through Jesus' woes to the religious leaders I see four warnings. These four are not the only four in the chapter, but they are the four God is speaking to me about this morning.

The first warning is do not love my image. Power and success are intoxicating. I remember walking through Graceland when I was a kid. There was just something mesmerizing about being in Elvis' house. I got the same feeling when I walked through the Biltmore Estate and I feel the same thing when I see a profile done on a celebrity or successful person. There is just something alluring about it. But it is bait that leads down a nasty path. Jesus says in Matthew 23: 1-12 to stay humble. Don’t get caught up in trying to live up to an image. Your title does not matter. Your own advancement does not matter. It is how you live Your life. When I think about humility, it requires two things. First, I have to do something great. There has to be something in my life worthy of praise. Second, I have to be keep that great thing in proper perspective by looking at the greatness of God. It is to Him that I am compared. If I walk in obedience with Him, great things will happen for me. I must not make the mistake of thinking it happens for my honor.

The second warning I see this morning is to not keep people at my level. I hate to get passed by. It does not matter the circumstances, I really do not like someone getting ahead of me in anything. I remember running track in high school. I would get angry when someone would catch up to me. Since I was running as fast as I could, I would actually resent someone running faster than me. The race would have been much easier if they would just slow down. Racing does not work that way. Neither does following Christ. In Matthew 23:13-14, Jesus confirms this. I must not give into the temptation to dumb things down. I need to constantly pursue a greater depth of relationship with God and I must also encourage other people to reach higher levels as well. My life shuts off the kingdom of God to others when my growth stunts. I need to live each day of my life with the intent and purpose of getting closer to God and hopefully helping someone else advance their journey as well.

The third warning I see this morning is a warning to not be fake. I sin. Actually, I sin a lot. There are days that I feel like it is my best skill in life. It breaks my heart and it also embarrasses me. It is tempting sometimes to put up false fronts. To hide behind lies of comparison. Comparing my life to another is a great way to deflect attention and stay hidden deep in my own weaknesses. In verses 25- 28 of Matthew Jesus addresses this with the Pharisees. He uses the comparison of cleaning a drinking glass. I hate washing glasses by hand. Especially glasses with small openings. It is hard to get down to the bottom of the glass and clean it. But it is essential. It would be crazy to just wash the outside of the glass and put it in the cabinet, yet that is the very thing that I am tempted to do in my personal life. It is much easier to confess anger than it is to deal with my roots of bitterness. It is much easier to confess of lust than it is to work on my relationship with my wife. It is much easier to confess to many other things rather than have to deal with their cause. Especially in front of other people. But I have found that the more open I get with someone regarding my sins, the more I realize that I am not alone. Being genuine is the life to which God has called me.

The fourth warning I see in this passage from Matthew is to keep the playing field level. In verse 15 - 24 Jesus hit the Pharisees hard with this one. They had a really great skill in being able to change the rules of the game to fit their own benefit. I can remember some friends I grew up with that were like this. When ever we played a game, they would change the rules as they were getting beat. I can remember one particular guy who always waited to remember the "5 run rule" once he saw the opposing team scored their 5th run in an inning. He also wanted to cancel the same rule once his team scored 5. If anyone argued, he took his ball and went home. It is easy to do this with my sin. I create classes of sin so that I can focus more of my attention on the ones that I can overcome and feel less guilty about those I want to hang on to. Sin is sin. I also find it interesting that Jesus points out that it is not just about succeeding in purity. In verses 23-24, he hammers the fact that they were neglecting the needy. Part of keeping the playing field level also means that we take care of those around us who are lacking.

Prayer:

You are so gracious. Your name is something that is beyond all that I can imagine. There is no way that I can follow after what You have called me to without Your strength and wisdom. I pray that You be my protection. As I lay my life open be others and be real with my struggles and the victories You have won in my life guard my from those You would be quick to judge. Protect my self image. Give me the courage to risk exposure in order to be an encouragement to others. Surround me with people who can push me to move further along in my walk. Allow me to look upon those stronger than me and not be threatened nor allow me to give in to jealousy. I want to never be guilty of trusting in image, power or position. Everything that I have and everything that I am is all a free gift from You. The only thing I have to boast of is Your great love. Never let me forget that same love given to me is free to all.