Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Introduction: You are on trial
Ever since God gave us His Law people have been passing judgment on it. Every year the ultra-liberal wing of Bible scholars gets together in what they call the Jesus Seminar and pass judgment on all the various things Jesus taught. And they let us know whether a particular statement is worthwhile or not. There are people who say the Bible is outdated, or irrelevant, or too violent, or too intolerant, or too judgmental, or boring, etc. And what those people do not realize is the Bible is not on trial.
There is an old story of man who went to a museum and looked at the great works of art and said, “I don’t think much of these paintings” And the curator responded, “These paintings are not on trial, you are. The paintings have already been found to be great. That is not up for debate. If you don’t like them that just shows you don’t know anything about great art.” That may or may not be true about various works of art, but it is most certainly true of Scripture. The Bible is not on trial; we are. What you think of the Bible says nothing about the Bible – it just reveals what sort of person you are. The Word of God is the ultimate standard against which our worth is measured. A great man, who does not think much of the Bible, is an absolute oxymoron. There is no such thing because greatness and smallness is determined by your relationship to the Word of God.
The Goodness of Greatness
Before we look into this verse let’s just take a moment and ask ourselves a question. What kind of impact does this verse have on you when you hear it?
Matthew 5:19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Do you ever obey a command of God out of a desire for greatness in the kingdom? We have a lot of reasons for obeying God. We do it because we love Him, because we want to please Him, because we know His way is the best way, because we want to avoid the consequences of sin, because we hunger and thirst for righteousness, etc. But do you ever obey because you are working toward becoming great in the kingdom?
Greatness defined
That term “great” refers to rank. Someone who is great is someone who is of high importance, has great power and authority, who is dignified, famous, honorable – someone who is eminent. A great person is someone who is distinguished, who surpasses others in excellence or station, and who is worthy of high esteem. So is that what is motivating you? Are you out there obeying God because in your mind you are thinking, I want to rise to eminence and high rank and great fame and honor and dignity in the kingdom of God?
Self-seeking?
It just does not sound quite right, does it? We have a name for people who seek that kind of greatness in this world – we call them megalomaniacs, and being called that is never a compliment. I looked up megalomaniac in Webster and it said, “a delusional mental disorder that is marked by feelings of personal grandeur.” There is something in us that recoils a little bit from this – especially since such a major part of godliness is humility.
So it does not seem quite right to seek personal greatness. And yet, Jesus is offering greatness as a motivation. He is warning us about being least and offering us greatness as a carrot. So if that does not motivate us, that is a problem. We might as well throw that verse right out of the Bible. If the King of kings offers me some great treasure as an incentive, and I do not see that treasure as having any real value, I have got a real problem, because that means I do not see things the same way He sees them.
God sees things the right way. So if He sees greatness in the kingdom as a good thing that ought to be motivating; and if I do not, that means my value system and my affections are twisted and distorted and messed up and sick and broken.
But praise be to God – His Word does not just command things – it also supplies the grace needed to heal and repair what is broken in us! So my goal all week has been for the Lord to use His Word to heal and repair what was broken in my affections, and my prayer this morning is that He will use this sermon to do the same thing as needed in your affections.
God–Given Appetite for Greatness and Honor
The good news is, probably none of us has to worry about generating an appetite for greatness and honor. Our problem is not that we are not motivated by greatness and honor; our problem is we tend to look to the wrong source for it. We want greatness and honor in this world. Most of us do pretty well at hiding our megalomania. We are not out there trying to become famous or become dictators or whatever. We just keep it real subtle. We just want to make sure people realize how good a job we are doing, and give us credit for it.
We all have different personality types. Some people love being up on stage in the spotlight with a big, loud standing ovation. Others would be mortified at that. The absolute last thing they want is to be the center of attention. However even those people have an appetite for honor and greatness. Maybe you do not care for the big, loud applause, but you do want to be thought well of and respected. And if you doubt that, just ask yourself how you would feel if you were walking past a room and overheard a conversation about you just in time to hear someone say your name and the other person says, “Oh, is he the one that everyone says is such a buffoon?” “Yeah, that’s him.” “What a dingbat.” “Boy, that’s for sure – no one would argue with you there.” I am guessing even if you are a humble person you would not walk away smiling and feeling happy and saying, “Oh good, they hit the nail right on the head. It is so good to have people who know me so well and can make accurate assessments of me.” I think if you heard people talk about you like that you would probably walk away sad – either because you think they are wrong, or because you know they are right but wish they were not. Either way, the reason you are sad about having that reputation is because of the appetite God gave you for greatness and honor. And just like all your other God-given appetites, the desire for greatness and honor is a good thing.
The good kind and bad kind
The appetite for greatness is good – but just like all our other appetites, there are good ways to satisfy them and bad ways. You can do it in a God-glorifying way or in a self-seeking way.
Romans 2:7-8 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking … there will be wrath and anger.
If you are self-seeking you get punished, but if you seek glory and honor for yourself, you get rewarded. So clearly there is a way to seek glory, honor, and immortality for yourself that is not self-seeking.
How do you do that? If we want to know how we can seek greatness and honor in a way that is not self-seeking and that does not detract from God’s glory, we need to first understand how it is that God can honor us without detracting from His own glory.
How God honors us without detracting from His own glory
God does honor us.
1 Corinthians 4:5 wait till the Lord comes. … At that time each will receive his praise from God.
Romans 2:29 Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.
When Christ returns we are going to be praised by God, honored by God and glorified by God.
But how is God going to do that without committing idolatry? Is He going to shift attention away from His glory on that Day? Is He going to put man above his own glory or imply that there is a value or a beauty or a virtue or goodness or honor that comes from outside God Himself that constrains God to honor something other than Himself? No way.
Isaiah 42:8 I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
Isaiah 48:11 For my own sake I do this. … I will not yield my glory to another.
God will never, ever exalt anyone or anything above His own name.
He would be doing everyone a massive disservice if He did. The best thing that could ever happen to you or anyone else is to have your attention fixed on the glory of God. And so it would be cruel and evil for God to distract your attention away from His glory to some lesser glory.
So when Jesus Christ returns, God will praise us and glorify us and honor us in a way that draws attention to, rather than away from, His glory. God might honor you on that day by evaluating your ministry, exposing all you did in His power and through faith in Him, and then say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” And you will shout for joy.
Being shown as the only one whose opinion matters
And that will glorify Him because it will show Him to be the one whose opinion matters. If the whole world says to you, “Well done!” but God says nothing, you will be shamed. And if the whole world thinks you are worthless, and God says, “Well done” you will be highly honored and full of joy; and that joy that you have at that moment will show the entire universe just how much more important God’s assessment is than anyone else’s.
You honor whoever’s opinion you care about. If I do not care about what so-and-so thinks of me, but your approval or disapproval means everything to me – that honors you because it shows that your opinion is what matters. Greatness is when God says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” And the more we love God the more we will desire His approval, and the more we desire that the more we honor Him as the one whose opinion is all that matters.
If John Piper came to Colorado on vacation and happened to attend Agape one Sunday, and after I preached he came up and said, “Nice job, Darrell. If anyone ever asks me about your preaching, I will definitely endorse you as a faithful expositor.” If that happened and I responded by saying, “So what? I don’t care about your endorsement” that would be an insult to him. But if I was ecstatic over it, that would honor him. And if you never heard of John Piper before, but you saw me all excited because he endorsed my preaching, you would think highly of him even though you do not know anything else about him. We honor God by caring about His praise, and by regarding His praise as the definition of true greatness.
Being glorified by a glorious entourage
Another way I can think of that God will be honored and glorified by honoring and glorifying us is the fact that we will be serving as His entourage. When a great king would travel to some place he would be surrounded by large numbers of mighty warriors decked out in full, formal uniforms and riding white horses and all the pomp and circumstance that went along with the arrival of a great king. The gloriousness of the servants was part of the glory of the king, so when the Lord Jesus returns to judge this world He is going to come in power and great glory. And part of that great glory comes from all the mighty angels and glorious saints who will be traveling with Him as His glorious entourage.
Colossians 3:4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
2 Thessalonians 1:8-10 Those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord … 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.
If the king wants the people to be impressed with all his attendants, He will spare no expense in the uniforms and horses that he supplies for them. So if our purpose is to bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ by being His attendants when He returns, how glorious do you think the Father will make us to fit us for that task? Do you think the Father will scrimp on that which is designed to honor His Son? Do you think He will get the wedding dress for His Son’s Bride at a garage sale? No. One thing we know for sure – the Father is not going to hold back when it comes to honoring His Son on that Day.
Is God going to commit idolatry by exalting us? No, because our joy in being exalted by Him will glorify Him as the one whose commendation matters, and also because His exaltation of us is for the purpose of displaying all the more brightly His own glory.
Being the source of what brought you honor
And thirdly, when He honors us it will glorify Him because it will show Him to be the source of everything we are being honored for. Every good thing you ever do that gets a “well done” will be something that God enabled you to do, and that you accomplished through faith in Him and reliance upon Him, and that you did for His sake. You will be praised and honored, but the very thing that makes it praiseworthy and honorable is the fact that it was done for God’s glory and in God’s strength and by means of faith in Him.
Your life now determines your rank in heaven
So is it good to seek greatness in the kingdom of God? Yes, it is not just good – it’s great! Should that be a motivation for us? Absolutely – especially when you realize the fact that greatness in heaven is determined in this life.
In the world you can start out low and work your way up the ladder and go from being a nobody to being great. But we have no indication that there is any upward mobility like that in heaven. The indication we have from Scripture is that your rank in heaven, for all eternity, is determined by how you lived in this life.
Luke 19:12 A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.' … 15 "He was made king … and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. 16 "The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' 17 'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'
So Jesus compares Judgment Day to a king who rewards his most faithful servants by setting them over ten cities, and then others with lesser honors. And the level of greatness in the kingdom is determined by what kind of servant he was prior to the king’s return. I do not know of any place in the Bible that talks about reward depending on what you do after you arrive in heaven. But I can point you to quite a number of passages that talk about reward being determined based on how you lived in this life.
God’s assessment of you on Judgment Day will not just evaporate the next day and be forgotten. It will define your existence forever! The assessment made on your earthly life on Judgment Day will be stamped on you and will define you forever.
Now I know what you are thinking. And no, you are not going to be walking around heaven with “LOSER” stamped on your back forever. Unless your righteousness exceeds the Pharisees and teachers of the Law you will not even enter the kingdom of heaven, so if you are a genuine Christian there will be plenty for God to commend in your life. 1 Corinthians 3 talks about a judgment in which your life’s work is put through the fire and if it is gold, silver, and precious stones you will be rewarded, but if it is wood, hay, and stubble it will be burned up and you will be saved but only as one escaping through the flames. But even those who have a lot of wood, hay, and stubble will have some gold, silver, and costly stones - nobody will enter heaven with only wood, hay, and stubble. That is impossible, because in order to even go to heaven you have to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and faith always results in good works. So all of us will have considerable reward.
But some – some among us, will be great. When their lives are examined on Judgment Day huge roars of praise to God will go up when their lives are shown to be full of things that point to His glory. And at the end they will get an enthusiastic, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” from the Lord. And for all the rest of eternity no one will forget it, because they will see the rewards that came from it. And if the enthusiastic pleasure of God on your life is not enough to motivate you, you probably have good reason to question whether you even know God at all.
Greatness Forfeited
“OK, now I’m motivated – I want to be great in the kingdom. How do I do it?”
Lawbreaking
Before telling us how to be great in the kingdom Jesus tells us how not to be great – how to be least.
19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven
So the way to fail at greatness is through lawbreaking. It all depends on your relationship to God’s law. The word translated breaks is actually the Greek word luo, which literally means to loose. The idea is to cut someone loose from what was binding them. You take a law that is binding and treat it like it is non-binding.
Back in verse 17 where Jesus says Do not think I came to abolish the Law, that word translated abolish is a form of this same Greek word luo. It is kataluo – luo with a preposition on the front to intensify it. So luo just means to loose or to break a command; kataluo means to utterly, completely, abolish or demolish the command. So think about what Jesus is saying here. “Do not think that I have come to utterly demolish and destroy the Law altogether… but if you so much as loosen up one of the least little parts of the Law you are doing something I did not come to do, and you will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.”
There are no unimportant laws
“Which commands are the least?” I don’t know, but whatever they are they are of great importance. You break even those and you are least in the kingdom. The past couple weeks I have talked about the weightier matters of the Law and the shadow laws, and which commands are greatest and most important, etc; but it is vital that we not get confused and imagine that the less important matters are unimportant. We sometimes think if it is a small matter, then it is no big deal. It is always, always a very big deal to disobey the sovereign King of the universe.
James 2:10 whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
If you kept every single command in the entire Bible perfectly and then stumbled one time by disobeying one little law, you would be guilty of breaking the entire thing. God’s law is not like bowling, where you can knock down some pins and leave others standing. It is more like shattering a picture window. It does not matter if you put your baseball through the corner or the middle – it does not matter if it is a golf ball or a bowling ball – the end result is the entire window is shattered. That is how it is with disobeying God, and here is why: obedience or disobedience to the law of God is not the same as disobedience to a government law. If you break a civil law it means you must suffer whatever the penalty is – that is all it means. But disobeying a person is different. When you cross a person you have broken the relationship.
Suppose you said to one of your kids, “Go clean your room.” And your child responded by saying, “I’ll clean my room when I jolly well please, so get lost.” And after saying that to you, suppose he reasons this way: My dad has about one hundred rules, and I just broke one of them. The other ninety-nine I didn’t break – I didn’t run in the house, didn’t lie, didn’t leave the dinner table without being excused. Therefore my relationship with him right now is still 99% good. Would he be correct in that kind of math? No. As soon as he tramples your authority underfoot by refusing to obey what you said, he is 100% disobedient at that moment. He is 100% at odds with your authority, and the closeness of relationship he has with you at that moment is completely broken. That is not to say you no longer love him. Of course you still love him, but if he thinks everything is 99% fine between the two of you he has got another think coming.
When we disobey God we place ourselves in a rebellious, adversarial relationship to God. We are rejecting His authority at that moment which makes us 100% lawbreakers. That is why James says if you stumble at any point you have broken the whole Law – because the Law is not a list of rules; the Law is the authority of God in your life. Disobeying is not just a matter of breaking a rule. It is a matter of thumbing your nose at God’s authority and telling Him to get lost. And that kind of attitude toward God requires some reconciliation before you can restore intimacy and closeness with Him. That is why Jesus says “even if you break the least commandment” – it does not matter how big the commandment is, disobeying God is disobeying God. If you tell your 5-year-old to do something and he tells you to get lost, the spanking should be just as severe whether you told him to do something big or something little. Because the issue is not the size or importance of the task you gave him, it is the attitude of obedience or disobedience.
Least in the kingdom
So, Jesus says if you break the least command and teach others to do the same you are least in the kingdom. The way you treat His Word is the way God will treat you.
Degrees
But hasn’t everyone broken a command of God? And haven’t we all had negative influences on others? So what are we to make of what Jesus is saying here? Is every single one of us tied for last place in the kingdom? I do not think that is what Jesus is saying. If we are all in exactly the same boat it would be pointless to talk about some being great and others least. I think Jesus means for us to take this word in a comparative way, not a superlative way – not “least,” but “lesser” or “very small.” In fact this same word is translated “very small” in Luke.12:26, 16:10, 19:17, and 1 Corinthians 4:3. So I think what Jesus is saying is, to the degree that you break the commands you will be lesser or small in the kingdom, and to the degree that you keep them you will be great in the kingdom. The more frequently you thumb your nose at God’s authority in your life, the more you move in the direction of insignificance and uselessness in the kingdom.
Greatness Obtained
That is the negative side – greatness forfeited. But then Jesus gives us the positive side.
Mathew 5:19 …whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
You become great by obeying and teaching the Law of God. You achieve worldly greatness by accumulating a lot of money or political power or physical strength or fame or worldly success, but you achieve kingdom greatness by two things: 1) your own personal obedience to God, and 2) the influence you have on others.
Obedience
First let’s think about obedience. That is not a word the people normally associate with greatness. In fact, just the opposite. Very often in the world people think you have reached greatness when you do not have to answer to anyone. If you can be your own boss and never have to be in a submissive posture to anyone, then you have reached greatness.
Matthew 20:25-26 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
Greatness in the world is marked by being served. Greatness in the kingdom is marked by being the greatest servant. Greatness in the world is all about exercising authority; greatness in the kingdom is all about submissiveness and obedience to the ultimate Authority. Greatness in the world is a position of pride and self-esteem. Greatness in the kingdom is a position of humility.
Matthew 18:1-3 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The truly great people are people who are in a posture of humble, submissive obedience to God.
Influence
That is half of it. The other half is teaching others to obey. Both the negative and the positive include what you teach.
Matthew 5:19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others [to do] the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus is very concerned not just with our obedience but also with our influence. And whether you are a preacher in a church or a little kid going to school – you are teaching the people around you by the things you say and the way you live. In fact, probably a more accurate translation of verse 19 would be
Matthew 5:19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and so teaches others will be called least in the kingdom of heaven…
So the idea is you break the command, and by doing so you are actually teaching others by your example. Everything you do and everything you feel teaches by example.
You and I have a role to play in each other’s obedience. We live in an individualistic culture where we worship privacy and rugged individualism and we imagine that we stand or fall on our own, and we do not really need anyone else. But that is as wrong as it can be. Your success or failure in your walk with the Lord depends in great measure on the people sitting around you right now. And much of our failure is due to the fact that we do not take that seriously. We think we only need help when we are especially weak or in some special trouble. But God designed us to need help all the time. Even if everything in your life is absolutely peachy – you are healthy, you have a great job, great marriage, all the money you need, everything is going smooth as silk – still you need the rest of the body of Christ to successfully live the Christian life. You cannot make it on your own any more than a body part could survive if severed from the body. And even if you could, what would be the point? What good does a body part do by itself?
So we each play a significant role in one another’s success or failure in obeying God. Which means when Judgment Day comes the only question is not going to be “How well did you do in obedience?” – it is also going to be, “What was your influence on others?”
It is a very serious thing to be the influence that leads someone into sin.
Matthew 18:6 if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
You would be better off dead than to be the one who draws someone into sin. I always think of that verse when I hear women try to rationalize immodest dress. Or anything else that creates temptation unnecessarily. And if you think, “If I don’t do it, someone else will – so what does it matter?” Jesus answers that in the next verse.
Matthew 18:7 "Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!
We need to remember that when we are tempted to do things that we know will provoke our spouse to anger. How about when we rationalize some sin, and the people around you see that and think, “Oh, I guess I can rationalize that too”? Or how about when some unbeliever is presented with the gospel, and part of him is considering becoming a Christian, but another part of him is resisting, and there is an internal struggle, and then he sees some hypocrisy in my life and that seals the decision for him against the gospel? Is my sin a valid excuse for him to reject the gospel? No, and those things will come – but woe to me if I am the one through whom it comes.
There are a lot of ways we teach. Every time a trial comes into our lives, we teach the people around us. We either trust God, which teaches those around us that God is in control and is perfectly good and worthy of our trust, or we fret and worry or get angry or scared, which teaches that He is not trustworthy.
Every time we suffer a financial setback, or lose something of value, the way we react teaches the people around us that earthly treasures are of supreme importance, or we teach them that we have a generous Father in heaven who has promised to lavish true riches upon us.
Everything you do all day long is teaching people about God, the question is – how accurate is your teaching? The things you spend your free time on; the way you react to the news; your desires and feelings and words and attitudes; does your life teach people about God who is worthy to be rejoiced in - who is the greatest treasure, to be preferred over all earthly pleasures?
Do your reactions teach people about a God who is holy and righteous and powerful and sovereign and supreme and loving and patient and wrathful and gracious and merciful and just and generous and wise and satisfying and desirable and beautiful?
This is especially sobering for those of us who are parents. If your influence on others is a big deal in the way your life is evaluated by God, then being a parent is a staggering responsibility because parents have so much influence on their children. And your kids see you all the time –when you are most relaxed, when you are tired, when you are sick, when you are irritated – they see it all. And they learn from it all. And whatever your attitude toward Scripture is, that is what their attitude will tend to be. If they grow up with the Bible as something that collects dust all week and then gets hauled off the church for show, that is what they will learn the Bible is for.
The greatness of teaching
So the responsibility is great and the danger is great – but do not let that deter you from teaching or having children, because just as the danger is great, so is the potential reward. The positive side is that those who obey and teach the Law will be called great in His kingdom. Called great by whom? By God! Teaching the Bible is a high calling and a high privilege. And if it is done well it is a mark of greatness.
1 Timothy 5:17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those who labor at preaching and teaching.
If God has given you an opportunity to teach, and He has given you the ability, do not pass it up. Just make sure you do it well, and you strive with everything in you to practice what you preach.
Conclusion
The Law and God’s Way
If you are the type who likes doing word studies – finding all kinds of rich insights from looking into how particular terms are used in Scripture – one of the best kept secrets in the whole Old Testament is the word “way” (Hebrew: DEREK). A person’s way refers to his characteristics, mannerisms, nature, and the path he takes through life. And the really cool thing about a person’s way is it is an exact, full-color, high quality photograph of that person’s heart. It shows you exactly what that person is. If you look at my way, it will show you exactly what I love, what I hate, what is good about me, what is bad about me – what I regard as important, unimportant, what I am committed to – everything about me. Or if you want the vernacular – how I roll – that is what “way” means.
So now that you have an idea what the term “way” means, what do you think about this – how would you feel if you had an opportunity to see – God’s way? That would be amazing because if you could observe God’s way you would be actually beholding the very heart of God? You would be looking at a high quality, full color photograph of the very nature of the Almighty!
Well, that photograph exists, and it is called the Law of God. God’s way – His heart, is revealed perfectly in His law. In fact many times the words “law” and “way” are used interchangeably in the Bible.
Isaiah 42:24 … Israel would not follow his ways; they did not obey his law.
Deuteronomy 30:16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws
When the writer of Psalm 119 goes on and on and on about how much he loves God’s law – this is why. It is not because he is enamored with rules; it is because he loves God. The laws of the State are nothing but restrictions. But the Law of God instructs us about what God’s desires and affections are – to show us His will and His way.
The fellowship of obeying God
We all desire fellowship with God. But what is fellowship? Fellowship involves a personal interaction, and that is easy to understand when you have it with another human being. You talk, and they talk back. You can see them, touch them, hear them. But God is invisible. Sure you can pray to God, but He does not say anything back audibly. And you can read things He wrote thousands of years ago. But how do you have personal interactions with Him – where you do something, He responds, then you respond to that, and you are interacting in real time?
There are a number of ways. One way is when He promises something and you trust what He promises. You come to Him with fear or worry, His Holy Spirit, at that moment, responds by directing your attention to one of His promises in His Word, then you respond by trusting that promise. That is a personal interaction in real time. When that happens you are communing with God. You are having what people call “a religious experience.” A true religious experience, or a true encounter with God, is not when you see strange visions or have an out of body experience or go into a trance or anything like that. An encounter with God is simply a personal interaction with Him in real time in which you and God are interacting and responding to each other. And one way that happens is when you worry, then He promises, then you trust.
Another way to personally interact with God is when He commands and you obey. And what I would like to leave you with this morning is the fact that that is a wonderful and glorious religious experience. When you have an encounter with someone, depending on the type of relationship you have, certain kinds of interactions are more or less satisfying. For example, when you are young, the most satisfying and delightful kind of interaction with your best friend might be competition – playing basketball one on one, or having a race, etc. If you are married, you might be delighted by an interaction that involves snuggling on the couch together and holding hands and speaking tenderly to each other. But you have zero desire to do all that with your best friend, nor are you especially interested in getting into a foot race with your wife. The most satisfying kind of interaction with your grandma is something completely different than either of those. And the most delightful kind of interaction with your boss is something else again. My point is, depending on who the other person is, and what kind of relationship you have, various different kinds of interactions are more or less appropriate and satisfying and delightful. And the same is true for your relationship with God. Between you and God, one of the most satisfying, delightful, appropriate, pleasing, and beneficial kinds of interactions is when He is commanding and you are obeying.
There is so much that is good about that. In those moments when He is commanding something that reflects His way, and you are obeying in eager, willing trust, what is happening is He is providing wisdom and you are receiving it. He is providing instruction and you are learning. He is opening up the way of life before you and you are stepping into it. He is in His ideal role and you are in your ideal role. When He is commanding and you are obeying that is the one time when you are perfectly safe from any ultimate harm. Some temporary painful things can happen to you while you are obeying God but nothing can do you any eternal harm at that moment.
God is a perfect king, and it is a wonderful experience to be reigned over by a perfect king. And that is what is happening when He is commanding and you are obeying. When you are having that kind of interaction with Him, all is well. It is not only guiding you in the way you should go in life, but it is improving your soul. It is edifying and strengthening and sanctifying you. It is giving you access to greater grace. It is changing your affections and desires and will and attitudes to be closer to what they should be. And it is making you great in the kingdom of God.
Benediction: Joshua 1:7-9 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
