Twisted - Money is the root of all evil

 This month we have been looking at well-known verses that often get twisted to mean something other than what God intended.  When Jesus said we can ask for anything in His name and we will get it, I’m not sure He was talking about the winning Powerball numbers.  When Jesus said we are not to judge, He didn’t mean that we never judge anyone, anywhere, on anything, but that we are to judge in appropriate, faithful, and loving ways. When God says He has a purpose for us that is filled with prosperity and no harm, it doesn’t mean we will never go through pain or problems.  When we untwist these verses, we not only have a better understanding of what God is saying to us, but it helps us live out God’s word faithfully.   

Today we are going to finish our series by looking at what might not be a misunderstood verse but is probably the most misquoted verse in the Bible.  When we read the verse properly, it gives us a better understanding of what God’s desire is for our lives and how we can be more faithful.  My guess is that at some point you have heard that the Bible says:  Money is the root of all evil.  

If that is what God is saying, then the answer to all our problems and to all the evil in the world would be to avoid money or get rid of all we have.  But that can’t be what God is saying because God is the one who gives us money and wealth in the first place.  Scripture is the best means of helping us understand any single verse.  When we look at the idea of money being evil, we need to look at what else the Bible says about money.  In the Old Testament it says, 

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.  Deuteronomy 8:18

So if God gives us the ability to get wealth and money, then money can’t be inherently evil.  If God gives us the means to make money, then money can’t be the root of all evil.  And it’s not.  Here is what the verse says; For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  1 Timothy 6:10

So, it’s not money we need to watch out for, it’s not money that leads to evil, it is the love of money that we need to guard against, and this is in line with what Jesus told us.  Jesus said, 

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24

If we love money, Jesus says, then we can’t fully love God.  If we serve money, if we spend our lives in the pursuit of money, then there is no room left to fully love and serve God.  Once again, Jesus isn’t saying that money is bad or evil, but if we love money, then we cannot fully love God.  

The Bible says that God gives us the means to make money and God is the one who blesses us with wealth so money in itself can’t be evil.  But if we love money, if we are devoted to it, and serve it, then we cannot fully live for God and that is what leads us into all kinds of evil.  

The other thing we have seen that helps us understand what a difficult Bible verse means is to look at its context.  Who wrote it or said it?  To whom was it said?  What is recorded before and after the verse?  All this helps us understand the verse more faithfully.  The context of this verse is also important for us to consider because this is not a teaching about finances and money, this is a teaching about life and faith.  

1 Timothy is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to a young man that Paul thought of as his son.  Timothy was a companion of Paul’s who went on several missionary journeys where they took the gospel of Jesus to people who had not yet heard it.  Timothy was devoted to Paul, and Paul to Timothy. The letter to Timothy begins: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, to Timothy my true son in the faith.  1 Timothy 1:1-2a

Paul trusted Timothy above all others to carry on the work that he started in all the churches.  Paul eagerly wanted the churches to reflect the life and mission of Jesus, so Paul gave instructions to leaders and advice on how to live and lead faithfully.  It is in the context of this teaching that Paul talks about the love of money, but his real message is for Timothy and others to be content.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  1 Timothy 6:6-10

Contentment is the goal because contentment with godliness, or contentment with faith, is great gain.  If we can be content with what we have and if we can be content with God who will give us all we need, then we are rich. If we aren’t content with what we have, then we will always be looking for more, wanting more, and telling ourselves that we need more.  This is a never-ending cycle.  

Studies show that no matter how much someone makes, they always feel like it would be better to make more.  More money will always make my life better.  More money will make my life more secure.  I won’t worry about the future if I have more money to put away.  The problem with this thinking is that it never stops.  Whether someone makes minimum wage or a million dollars a year, they all say that a little bit more is better.  

That’s the trap Paul is talking about.  Once we think money will make life better, there will never be enough.  We will never be satisfied, and we will always be looking for more.  And it is that pursuit of more that leads to temptation and all kinds of evil.  

The best definition of what it means to love money comes from the man who was once considered the wisest man on earth - Solomon.  

Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.  Ecclesiastes 5:10a

This is the trap of loving money.  The more we love it, the emptier we feel.  The more we love it, the more we need, because money cannot satisfy us, money can’t bring meaning or purpose into our lives, money can’t make us feel secure because no matter how much we have, we will always want and feel the need for more.  When we love money, the pursuit of money will never end.  

The irony is that this verse was written by Solomon, who was known for his wisdom and for his great wealth.  Some believe Solomon may have been the richest man who has ever lived, and yet right after this verse on wanting more money and never having enough, Solomon said, this too is meaningless.  Ecclesiastes 10b 

We will never be content if we think money will make us happy.  We will never be content if we think our money will bring us security or make our lives meaningful and full of purpose.  Loving money is a trap, and it leads to all kinds of temptations as we plot ways to gain more money and figure out how to hold on to all we have.  Loving money this way can cause us to wander away from the faith and that is Paul’s primary concern.  

In fact, Paul is so concerned about the power of money and wealth to draw people away from God that later on in this letter he makes this strong statement.  

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  1 Timothy 6:17

Now before you think that this passage is speaking to someone else because we aren’t rich, let’s not look at this passage in the context of how we live in our country where we might not see ourselves as rich, let’s look at this in the context of all God’s people.  If you drove here today in your car, you are wealthy.  Only 9% of people in the world have a car.  By any standard we might want to use, we are rich and so this command is for us.  

We cannot be arrogant and think that our money can provide us with the things that God alone provides.  Money promises to provide things like happiness, security, significance and purpose, but these are things God provides.  We would be fools to think that our money can provide better than God, and yet we often do.  

Paul doesn’t just warn Timothy about not loving money and placing his hope and trust in wealth and the things of this world, he shows him, and us, the way out.  

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  

1 Timothy 6:17-18

The antidote to loving money isn’t less money, it’s more generosity.  Money isn’t bad.  Money isn’t the root of all evil, money is what God allows us to make and earn and spend.  What keeps us from becoming a lover of money is to be generous with all that we have.  Generosity is the key and when Paul talks about generosity, he isn’t just talking about giving our money, he also talks about giving our time and energy.  I love that Paul commands us to be rich in good deeds, not just in financial giving.  Not everyone can give more financially, but everyone can be rich in good deeds.  Everyone can share more of their time, their gifts, their talents and their prayers.  This generosity helps keep our hearts from loving money in ways that draw us away from God.  

Pastor David is going to come and lead us in some thoughts on how we can grow in generosity and invite us to think of some specific goals we can set to be rich in good deeds and generous and willing to give and share.

 

Next Steps

Twisted - Money is the root of all evil

What do the following Bible verses tell us about money?

• Deuteronomy 8:18

• Psalm 50:10-12

• Psalm 112:3

• Ecclesiastes 5:19

How do these passages shape our understanding of: the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  1 Timothy 6:10  

• Before today’s message, how would you have rated your love of money on a scale of 1 to 10? 

• What impact did the message have on how you would rate yourself now?

• Have you thought about how much more money you would need to feel secure? What does that say about your heart?

The antidote for the love of money is generosity.

• When has someone’s generosity made a difference in your life?  

• What are some ways you’d like to be more generous?

• What can you do differently with your money to make a greater difference in the church, community, or world?  

• How can you give this week to make that difference?

Pray: God, it’s so tempting to fall in love with money and the things that it promises. Help me to seek these provisions only from You.  I trust You alone for my contentment and security. Help me to seek significance and fulfillment from You and not my possessions. Forgive me for the ways I’ve let the love of money grow in my heart and help me to love You more and more each day.  AMEN

Twisted - I know the plans I have for you

 We are in a series looking at familiar Bible verses that often get twisted to say something other than what they were meant to say.  Today we are going to look at a verse that is often used on graduation cards, but you can also find it on mugs, magnets, pens, t-shirts and just about anything else you can put a Bible verse on.  You may have heard it and my guess is that if you have heard it, then like me, you love it.  

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11  

I’ll be honest with you, I love this verse.  It is one of my favorite verses in the Bible and I love it for all kinds of reasons, but does it mean what we think it means?  It would be easy to hear this and think that God’s promise is that we will have a glorious future free of any kind of problems or persecution.  We will be blessed, never be harmed, and have a wonderful future.  To hear that our future will be free from any kind of problem or trial would be to twist what God is saying here.  So what is God saying?

Through this series we have learned that there are three things that are important in understanding any verse in the Bible.  The first is context.  What is the context of the message?  Who said it?  To whom was it said?  When was it said?  What was the setting?  Context is important.

The second is to interpret the verse in light of other scriptures.  No Bible verse is supposed to stand on its own and the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible.  What else does the Bible have to say about the message found in this one passage?  

The third thing that helps us understand God’s word is to apply it.  God’s word is not a document to study but a letter to be lived.  We are not to be hearers of the word only, we are to be doers of God’s word, and as we do what it says, as we follow it with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, we learn more about it. 

When it comes to Jeremiah 29:11, what really helps us understand it is the context. Jeremiah 29:1 gives us a lot of information.

This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.  Jeremiah 29:1

So Jeremiah was the prophet giving this message and he was giving it to the surviving Jewish leaders who were living in exile throughout Babylon.  Jeremiah was writing after Israel had been defeated by the Babylonians and most of the people had been forced to live scattered all through Babylon.  Jerusalem was in ruins, the Temple and city walls had been torn down, and with all of the Jewish leaders scattered, Nebuchadnezzar’s plan was to utterly destroy Israel so it would never rise up again as a nation.  

It’s important to know that this promise was given from a place of destruction, devastation and hopelessness.  The people were struggling and suffering, they were experiencing real harm and hardship and that persecution was going to continue for the foreseeable future.  The promise God makes here can’t be that there is joy without pain, blessing without trials, and prosperity without problems because they are facing pain and problems.  We can’t read this verse and think that we will never experience any kind of struggle because the promise was given to those struggling.   

This message was given to people living in exile.  They had been defeated and forced out of their homes and they were struggling to keep their faith and trust in God.  But there is still more for us to understand when we look at the context of this verse.  If we go back one chapter in Jeremiah, we read about a prophet named Hananiah who told the people that their exile would last for only two years and then they would be able to return home and rebuild Jerusalem.  This sounded great.  Their time of suffering was going to be short, and God’s prosperity and blessing was going to come quickly.  

While it all sounded good, Hananiah was a false prophet giving people false good news.  Jeremiah confronted Hananiah and told him that he was not speaking God’s word accurately and that the trials that God’s people were facing were going to continue for a much longer period of time.  Because of his false teaching, Hananiah was going to die within the year.  

Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’”  In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died. Jeremiah 28:15-17

Hananiah was trying to tell the people that prosperity and peace were coming quickly, but that wasn’t God’s plan.  Jeremiah told the people God’s plan.   

This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.  Jeremiah 29:10

Do you remember who Jeremiah is writing to in Babylon?  The elders.  The elders weren’t young men.  The elders weren’t going to be around in 70 years.  In fact, most of the people who heard the promise of a future with hope would not return and prosper in Israel.  So while there is great hope and encouragement in this verse, it doesn’t mean what we think it might mean.  No one hearing this was going to prosper back in Jerusalem.  The hope for the future was literally for a future generation.  The people first hearing this promise were still going to face problems and persecution in exile.  God was not going to save them from all the trials they faced, but God would see them through it so their children and grandchildren could be blessed.  

The context of this verse tells us something very different than what we read on the surface.  God did have a plan to prosper His people, but that blessing wasn’t going to come for 70 years, long after all the people who first heard this were gone.  This context needs to shape how we read this passage.  Does God have a purpose and plan for our lives?  Yes.  Does that mean we will never experience problems and trials along the way?  No.  God’s promise isn’t to keep us from all trials but to see us through them.  

That is the message of hope we hear throughout the Bible.  God doesn’t save us from all trials.  God doesn’t keep all harm and hardships away, but He will see us through them.  The Apostle Paul even said that we will face problems in life.  

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.  2 Timothy 3:10-12

God’s purpose and plan can’t be life without harm when we are told that if we follow Jesus we will be persecuted.  Jesus even told His disciples that while their future would be glorious, because He is victorious over all things, there will still be trials.  

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33b

This is also the message we hear in the Old Testament.  In another very familiar passage we hear that even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we don’t need to be afraid because God is with us. Psalm 23 tells us we have a future with hope; God will prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, but we will still have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death.  

Jeremiah 29:11 doesn’t mean we will never face problems in this world, but it does mean that in the end, in the final victory, we will overcome it all.  This promise of blessing, and a future with hope, doesn’t mean God will keep us from all struggles, but it does mean God will save us from our sin.  The ultimate prosperity, purpose and plan God has for us is salvation.  God’s desire is that we will all be saved and that we will dwell with Him in His kingdom forever.  When we couldn’t make that plan work because of our sin, God made the plan possible through the gift of His son Jesus.  

We will all face moments when we will have to read this promise and understand that the blessing and prosperity will only come in the kingdom of God.  Some problems might never be overcome here and now, but with God, there is always the hope of eternity.  God makes us that promise.  

God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.  Revelation 21:4

No matter what we are going through now, through Jesus there is the hope of a glorious future. The Apostle Paul, who faced all kinds of persecution and problems, boldly tells us that none of those problems can separate us from the love of God.  

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35, 37-39

Does God promise to keep us from all harm? No.  Does God promise that no harm can keep us from His and power?  Yes.  

And with our faith and trust in Jesus, even our sin can’t separate us from that future with hope.

What is great about Jeremiah 29:11 is that not only does it give us God’s promise, but it tells us how we can experience that promise.   

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:11-13

This tells us how to apply the passage.  How do we experience God’s blessing and the purpose, plan, and future God has for us?  Call on God.  Cry out to God.  Pray to God.  Seek God with the confidence that if you seek God with all your heart you will find Him.  Actually, the truth is that God will find you.  

That God is there for us when we call and that God comes to find us in times of need is what we hear all through scripture.  In what is to me one of the most powerful passages of the Old Testament, we hear that when we cry out to God, God not only hears us but He comes to rescue us.  

In my distress I called to the Lord; 

I cried to my God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice; 

my cry came before him, into his ears.  

The earth trembled and quaked, 

and the foundations of the mountains shook; 

they trembled because he was angry.  

Smoke rose from his nostrils; 

consuming fire came from his mouth, 

burning coals blazed out of it.  

He parted the heavens and came down; 

dark clouds were under his feet.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; 

he drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy,

from my foes, who were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

but the Lord was my support.

He brought me out into a spacious place;

he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Psalm 18: 6-9, 16-19

We call on God, and God comes to rescue us.  We turn to God and God is there to save us.  We seek God with all our heart and we will not only find God but we will find that His love and power will walk us through all the storms we go through. 

To read Jeremiah 29:11 and believe that we will never face another problem is to twist what is being said.  Don’t misunderstand, God does have a purpose and plan for us, and God will see us through any storms we face as that plan is fulfilled.  If we turn to God in faith and trust, we will find Him, and if we cry out to Him in times of need, He will help us.  Trouble may come but our future is secure.  Trials may come but there is always hope because God is with us and always will be.   

 

Next Steps

Twisted - I know the plans I have for you…

Read Jeremiah 29:11.

● When have you read or heard this promise of God?  

● What did it say to you then?  

● What does it say to you now?  

● Do you think this promise means we will never experience harm or hardship?  Why or why not?

Context 

● What does Jeremiah 29:1 tell us about this promise?  

● Was the promise for a specific group of people or for all people of all time?

● What does Jeremiah 28 and the competing messages of Hananiah and Jeremiah tell us about how to interpret this promise of God?

In Light of other Scriptures

What do the following scriptures teach about this promise?

● Jeremiah 29:10

● 2 Timothy 3:10-12

● John 16:33b

● Revelation 21:4

● Romans 8:35, 37-39

Apply It

● How does Jeremiah 29:12-13 teach us to experience this promise?

● Read Psalm 18:1-19.  When have you called on God and found Him there?

● When has God found you before you turned to Him?

Twisted - Do Not Judge

 Today we are in the second week of a series looking at verses that often get twisted so they end up saying something other than what God wants them to say.  The verse we are going to look at today is particularly troubling because it is often used when people talk about why they don’t attend worship or belong to a church.  When asked why people don’t attend worship, they often say they don’t feel welcomed, which when translated, often means they feel judged.  

While serving as a pastor in Lewisburg, I had the opportunity to talk to many college students from Bucknell.  One young man talked about attending a church in our community and he told me about walking into the sanctuary and sitting in one of the pews.  A person who wasn’t sitting that close to him looked him up and down and then got up and moved to a pew farther away.  Let’s just say, he didn’t return.

Many people feel that Christians are too judgmental and their response is to always quote these words from Jesus.  

Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  Matthew 7:1

Does this verse really mean that we can never judge anyone or anything?  Tolerance and acceptance are some of the highest values in our culture today and while these are things we should value, when we hold place them at the top, it makes it difficult to say anything and provide any kind of guidance or critique.  Are we really not to judge anything?  Is that what Jesus is saying?  

If we take this verse at face value and say that we can never judge, then what does that mean for our judicial system?  Can judges and juries never rule on crimes?  What about teachers who need to grade papers so we can evaluate how and if students are learning? Do we do away with judges, referees and umpires in sports?  Are we forced to say that all actions and behaviors are appropriate and acceptable?  Can we never speak into a friend's life when we see them making poor choices?  Can we never provide guidance and direction to our children for fear of being judgmental?

It’s easy to see how judgment is needed in the world and it might be helpful for us to look at this verse and realize that Jesus isn’t telling us not to judge period, but to judge appropriately and faithfully.  So how do we make sense out of this verse?  How can we understand this teaching faithfully?

Last week we learned that there are three things that are important to our understanding of any verse in the Bible.  The first is context.  What is the context of the verse?  Who said it?  When was it said?  What was said before and after it?  The answer to these types of questions helps us interpret the verse correctly.

The second thing that helps us understand any verse is to interpret the verse in light of other scriptures.  No verse stands on its own.  We have to read all of God’s word and allow the fullness of the message to help us understand any one part of the text.  And then we need to be doers of God’s word and not hearers only - apply it.  

The more we live out the word of God, the more we understand the word of God.  God’s word was not given for us to just read, but to live, and we won’t understand the fullness of God or His message to us until we begin to live it out.  

These three things can help us untwist verses that we might struggle to understand, so let’s go back to Matthew 7:1 and look at its context. In Matthew 6, Jesus talks about hypocrisy.  He tells His followers that when they are living out their faith through prayer, fasting, and giving, they shouldn’t do it for show or recognition.  The goal of prayer, fasting and giving isn’t for the world to see us and say, wow what great people they are.  The goal is for God to be glorified and people to be cared for.  If we say we want to live for God first, we can’t look for attention and make ourselves look good.  

We can’t judge others in order to make ourselves look better than we are.  We can’t judge others so that people will see us as being holy and righteous.  But does this mean we can never judge anyone or anything?  If we keep reading in Matthew 7, Jesus says this:

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Matthew 7:15-16 

If Jesus says we are to watch out for false prophets, then we have to be able to critique and judge the teaching of others?  We have to judge what they say and see if it lines up with what we know God says.  We have to judge between what is a grapevine, a fig tree, and a thornbush.  So some kind of judgment must be appropriate.

Jesus also calls us to judge properly right in this passage.   

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.  Matthew 7:1-5

Jesus doesn’t tell us to ignore the speck of dust in someone else’s eye, but He does say that we need to examine our own eyes first to make sure we are speaking to others from a place of humility and grace.  Before we judge others we have to examine ourselves.  We have to take a good, long, honest look in the mirror and deal with our own problems and struggles before we jump into someone else’s life. And the way we judge others will be the way we will end up being judged.  

The context of Jesus’ teaching on judgment doesn’t rule out all judgment, but it begins to show us how to judge appropriately and with humility.  This is also what we find in other teachings on judgment found in scripture.

While the Bible has lots to say about how to judge others, we are going to look at 4 things it says about how to judge faithfully.     

1. Never judge superficially.  Jesus said, Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.  John 7:24

So much of our judgments are based on appearance.  We judge others based on what we see and what we think we see.  If you remember back to the story of David we looked at last month, his father and brothers all judged him by what they saw.  They saw the youngest in the family who was only good enough to watch the sheep.  They judged by appearance, but God judged his heart and anointed him King of Israel.  

It is so easy for us to judge by what we see and the assumptions we make when we look at people.  Many people will look at those who are rich and make the assumption that they have all that money because they are selfish and corrupt.  They make judgements without knowing that the person might be outrageously generous.  Or maybe we pass judgment on those who are poor and assume they are lazy and have mishandled all the money they have ever had in life.  What people might miss is that they are hardworking, faithful and generously gave away all they had.  

I know a man who is in his 90’s and struggles to make ends meet.  He worked well into his 80’s and felt the need to keep working because he needed the money.  I also know for a fact that this man has given away tens of thousands of dollars to those in need.  He has quietly helped more people than anyone could possibly imagine.  When others may have been putting money aside in savings and investments, he was paying the bills of people he knew that were struggling.  We cannot judge superficially.  

2. Never judge hypocritically.  Not only did Jesus talk about this when he talked about taking the plank out of our own eye before we address the speck of dust in someone else’s eye, Paul said the same thing in his letter to the Romans.  

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.  Romans 2:1

Paul seems to know us all too well.  It is easy to see a problem in someone else and accuse them but then excuse the same problem in our own life.  We accuse others of not living healthy lives while we are picking up BK at the drive through for the 5th time this week.  We justify our actions by saying that we have been so busy that we haven’t had time to get to the store.  We accuse others and excuse ourselves.  We judge others but justify ourselves.  

What would it look like if we excuse others and accuse ourselves?  Or justify what we see in others and be willing to judge ourselves.  I am not suggesting that we need to be overly harsh and beat ourselves up when we make mistakes, and I’m not saying we excuse away everything we see in other people.  What I am saying is that we need to look in the mirror before we start looking at others.  We need to give others the benefit of the doubt and extend them grace when we see things just as we want people to be gracious with us.  

Accusing others and excusing ourselves is the hypocrisy that those who don’t follow Jesus struggle with.  Too often they experience those in the church pointing out their sin while ignoring their own.  I know many of us feel this is an undeserved reputation we have because most of us would say that we are sinners who stand in need of God’s grace, but like it or not, we have to be aware that those outside the church have had their view of Christians shaped by those who have judged hypocritically.  Which is why we have to guard against this at all costs.  

3. Never hold non-Christians to Christian standards.  Again, the Apostle Paul said, What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  

1 Corinthians 5:12

This is where Christians also get into trouble because too often we want to impose our morals and values on everyone else and judge the world by our own standards.  In a free and democratic society we are free to hold our views and share them and even encourage others to see the value in them, but we harm our witness of Jesus when we start passing judgment on those who don’t follow Jesus, for not living like they are following Jesus.  We are better off to love people unconditionally and help them to know and experience the love of God for themselves because it is that love which calls people to change.  

The place for us to hold others accountable is IN the church.  As brothers and sisters who love and care for each other, we should want to speak into people’s lives and encourage each other to live more faithfully.  The Bible says that as iron sharpens iron we should help one another become more faithful.  Iron sharpening iron, takes honesty and gentleness.  If you work the iron too hard you can destroy it, but if you don’t press hard enough, you’re not doing any good.  Jesus said that he came to bring grace and truth and both of these are needed in proper proportions for accountability and growth.  

Let me also be clear that even in the family of God we cannot judge superficially and we cannot judge hypocritically.  In the family of God we have to speak into peoples’ lives with humility and grace, and we have to make sure our motives are pure and that we are seeking to strengthen both faith and relationships.  This leads to the fourth teaching the Bible gives us about judgment.   

 4. Always help restore those who have fallen.  

If we are going to speak into someone's life and help them grow or make changes, then we have to be willing to walk with them in love and extend them the same grace and compassion God has shown us.  

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  Galatians 6:1-2

There is no passing judgment, or speaking into someone’s life without also being willing to walk with them and carry their burden.  It is never ok to judge and walk away.  It is never ok to point out problems and not be willing to work for solutions.  We have to be willing to work for restoration and new life.  

Judging others should be something we do with great compassion and prayer.  We need to be clear about what God is asking us to do and spend some time checking our own lives and motives before we speak, but to say we can never judge is to twist Jesus' words to say something He never intended to say.  Jesus told us that we need to point out the speck of dust in someone else's eye, but we have to do it after we have taken the plank out of our own eye, only then can we reach out to work in the eyes of others.  

I love that the image Jesus gives us here is the eye because you don’t go taking a speck of dust out of someone’s eye the same way you would take a splinter out of someone’s finger.  The eye might be the one part of the body that requires the most gentleness, precision and care.  That’s what Paul said, restore that person GENTLY.  Judge others gently.  Speak into people’s lives with the same compassion and mercy that God has spoken into our lives.  

Do not judge is not the hard and fast teaching of Jesus.  Instead, we are reminded not to judge harshly, superficially, or hypocritically. We don’t judge others to make ourselves look better and we don’t pass judgment on those outside of the family of God the same way we might with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  And in all ways, we judge in order to restore and redeem both ourselves and others.  We judge to improve relationships and grow in our own faith.  We judge with grace and compassion and mercy because that is how God has judged us through Jesus Christ.  

Next Steps

Twisted - Do Not Judge

Read Matthew 7:1-5

Does this mean we are to never judge anyone or anything?

Where are places where judgment is needed?  

Context: Read Matthew 6

● Why does Jesus talk about hypocrisy BEFORE judging?

● What has it felt like when you have been judged by someone who has a “plank” in their eye?

Other Scripture on Judgement

What do these scriptures teach us about how to judge?  

● John 7:24

● Romans 2:1

● 1 Corinthians 5:12

● Galatians 6:1-12

Application

Reflect on a recent time you made a judgment about someone or something.  

● How did it line up with Jesus’ teaching and the witness of scripture?  

● What could you have done differently? 

● Is there a friend or fellow believer that you feel the need to speak to?  How can you speak with grace and truth?

Who do you know that has been turned off by the hypocrisy and judgmental attitude they have experienced from Christians and the church?   

● Pray for them.

● Look for opportunities to bring healing & show grace.

● Invite them to join you in worship so you can show them the love of Jesus.  

Twisted - Ask for Antyhing

 This month we are going to look at 4 verses that often get twisted around to say something that they were never meant to say.  Don’t feel bad if you have twisted these verses in the past or still struggle to understand them today, we have all been there.  What we are going to do during August is try and understand what God is saying to us through these verses so we can accurately apply them to our lives.  Today we are going to start with a verse on prayer that maybe you have gotten twisted up in the past, maybe even in the past week.  

The verse is from the gospel of John where Jesus says, I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:13-14

Twice Jesus says that He will do whatever it is we ask of Him if we ask in His name.  I wonder how many prayers God heard recently that sounded something like this…  Dear God, let me pick the winning numbers in the Mega Millions. When I win a billion dollars I will give millions to you and the church.  I ask this in Jesus' name. When the jackpot is over a billion, I’m tempted to pray this myself.  

Jesus said, whatever you ask for in my name, I will do it.  Does that include the lottery?  Is Jesus agreeing to be our genie in the bottle and give us whatever we want if you simply use the right words?  Or have we twisted this verse.  To help us interpret any Bible verse correctly, there are two things we need to look at.  

The first is context.  What comes before and after the verse we are looking at?  What is the larger context of the teaching in the scripture?  Who wrote the words?  Who spoke the words?  Who was it written to, and who heard the message when it was first said?  These questions help us understand what is actually being said.   

The second thing that helps us understand the true meaning of a verse is to interpret the verse in light of other scriptures.  It’s important to remember that no verse stands alone in scripture.  

The Old Testament shapes and gives meaning to the New Testament.  The letters in the New Testament expand and help us understand the teaching of Jesus.  For example, both the Old and New Testament say a lot about prayer so how does that teaching help us understand what Jesus says in John 14?  We need the entire Bible to help us understand one part of the Bible, even one verse.

Untwisting and understanding God’s word is not enough, we also need to apply what we learn.  When we live out God’s word in our daily life, it gives us an even deeper meaning of what God is saying to us.  So each week we will look at these difficult verses in light of their context, what other verses in the Bible say about them, and how we apply them to our lives.  So let’s go back and look at what Jesus said about prayer.  

I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.  John 14:13-14

What is the context of this verse?  If we look at the entire chapter of John 14, we see that Jesus is telling his disciples that He is going to go away but that they do not need to be afraid when He leaves.  Jesus told them that He was going to the Father but that He would still be with them through the Holy Spirit. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would give them power and that their prayers would be heard and answered.  Jesus shared this verse on prayer to help prepare His disciples for the time when He would not physically be with them.  He wanted to let them know that they could still call Him for help.  

We also see in these 2 verses what the purpose of prayer is supposed to be.  I will do whatever you ask in my name, SO THAT the Father may be glorified in the Son.  John 14:13

Jesus says that the purpose of prayer isn’t to get what we want but so God will be glorified.  Too often we think prayer is about us.  It’s asking God for what we want and need, but we are to pray in Jesus’ name so that the power and glory of Jesus is revealed.  Prayer isn’t about opening the door to what we want but opening the door for God’s glory to be seen and for people to draw closer to Him.  

That’s some of the context we find in John’s gospel, but what else does the Bible say about prayer that can shed some light on our understanding of this verse?  The Bible tells us that there are at least four things that God cares about when we pray.  The first one is our relationships.  

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.  Mark 11:24-25

We can’t faithfully ask God for the things we want if we aren’t willing to live the way God wants.  It even sounds absurd when we say, God help me get a job to care for my family, but I am never going to forgive my past employer who fired me.  Even in the Lord’s prayer we ask God to forgive us AS we forgive others.  Jesus teaches us that our relationships matter in prayer so we need to make sure we are doing all we can to be reconciled to one another before we pray.  God also cares about our motives when we pray. 

 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.  James 4:3

Our motives matter when we pray.  Jesus was critical of some of the religious leaders who stood outside praying in a loud voice so that everyone would notice them.  Their motive wasn’t to honor or glorify God, their motive was to get noticed.  Our motives matter and we can’t fake our motives when it comes to God.  We can’t tell God we want to win the billion dollar lottery to honor and glorify Him when what we really want is to be rich.  The Bible tells us that God knows what lies in the deepest part of our hearts.  

All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.  Proverbs 16:2  

So when it comes to prayer, relationships matter, motives matter, and so does our faith.  Jesus said if we have faith the size of a mustard seed we can move mountains.  When we pray we have to pray with the belief and conviction that God can do what we are asking God to do.  

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  James 1:6-7

When Jesus healed people, He often told them that their faith had made them well.  They asked Jesus to heal them because they believed He could. Some believed if they just touched Jesus they would be healed.  They had faith and our faith is an important part of prayer.  

So you might be asking yourself, if we have a strong faith and believe God can do what we ask Him to do, and if we have pure motives, and all our relationships are healthy, will God give us whatever we ask for in His name?  If all those things are in place then if I ask to win the lottery, will I win the lottery?  Well, there is one more thing that matters to God when we pray and that is God’s will.  

God’s will matters when it comes to prayer.  God’s nature, plan, and purpose all come into play when God answers our prayers.  It only makes sense that God is not going to go against His own nature and plan just because we ask Him for something.  The Bible tells us that God’s will is important.  In fact, the disciple John said, This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.  1 John 5:14-15

On one hand John said that if we ask for anything in Jesus' name we will receive it, but he also said that we have to ask according to God’s will.  Maybe asking in Jesus' name really means asking according to God’s will.  

Praying in Jesus’ name doesn’t mean we just add, “in Jesus’ name” at the end of our prayer.  It’s not a magical saying that assures us that we will get whatever we want.  Praying in Jesus’ name means being in line with God’s will and asking for things according to the heart of Jesus.  Using the name of Jesus in prayer should not only humble us because we have been given His name for prayer, but it should cause us to ask, is this what God wants for us?  Is this God’s will?  If we can boldly say yes, then we have been given the authority to pray in the name of Jesus.   

So how do we apply this to our lives?  Does all this mean that if all our relationships are healthy and our motives are pure and our faith is unwavering and our prayers are in line with God’s nature and plan then we will get whatever we ask for?  Is this how we apply this?  Is this what we expect to happen?     

Let me answer this from my own experience.  As a pastor for 30 years, I have prayed with the faith and conviction that can and wants to heal people.  I believe it is always God’s desire to bring healing and wholeness because that is what we see in Jesus.  So with healthy relationships, a sincere motive, a strong faith and the conviction of knowing what I am praying for is in line with God’s will, I pray for healing.   

In Jesus’ name I have prayed for physical healing, people to come to know the saving grace of Jesus, for marriages to be healed, jobs to be provided, relationships to be reconciled and people to know the fullness of life and faith.  I have prayed in Jesus’ name believing all these things are possible and in line with God’s will.  And I have still seen people get sick and die, marriages fall apart, people lose jobs, friendships fail, and people suffer.  

I have prayed in Jesus' name and haven’t always gotten what I asked for, but I still pray.  I still have faith.  I still trust God’s will and try to align myself with God’s heart and make sure I am in healthy relationships with others, and I still pray in Jesus’ name.  I keep praying because if I stopped praying when I didn’t get what I asked for, then I have made God my servant.  

God is not my servant.  I am God’s servant and when I pray after I didn’t get what I wanted, it shows my faith and trust in a loving and all-powerful God.  Our faith, in the midst of prayers not always answered the way we want them to be answered, shows the world that we trust God no matter what and that we will continue to love and trust God no matter what.  Our continued prayer glorifies God and that is the purpose of prayer.  

Ask me for anything in my name and will do it.  It’s easy to get that twisted and think that whatever we want, God has to provide.  But the larger context of this verse, and the teaching on prayer we find throughout the Bible, reminds us that prayer isn’t about getting what we want but about our hearts and lives coming in line with God’s will.  It’s about trusting God so completely that if we get what we ask for or not, we will still pray and give glory to God.  

 

Next Steps

Twisted – Ask for anything in my name…

To accurately interpret scripture, we need to:

1. Understand the context.  What comes before and after this passage? Who wrote it?  To whom was it written? 

2. Interpret the verse in light of other scriptures.  What else does the Bible say about the topic?

3. Apply what you learn.  Living out God’s word helps us understand it better.  

Read John 14:13-14

What is the context of these verses?  Read all of John 14.

What else does the Bible say about prayer?  

• Mark 11:22-36, 1 Peter 3:7

• James 4:3, Proverbs 16:2

• James 1:6-7, Matthew 9:29-30

• 1 John 5:14-15, Matthew 26:36-39

What do these passages teach us about prayer?  How do they shape what Jesus said about prayer in John 14?

What has been your experience of praying “in Jesus’ name”?

When have you prayed for things with faith and conviction, but they didn’t happen?  Did that cause you to question God?  Your own faith?  The way you prayed?  

When we keep praying after we don’t get what we ask for: What does that say about our faith?  

What does that say about who we believe God is?  

How and why do those continued prayers glorify God?  

What do you need to pray for this week?  

What prayers might need to change?  

What relationships might need to be healed before you pray?