Category: Imago Dei Class

How to Store Up Treasures in Heaven (Matt 6:19-24)

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Devotionals, Imago Dei Class1 Comment

We are natural accumulators. We get and want more, so we get more and then want even more. This is true even at the subconscious level of the human mind. It is a proven fact that when we inhabit a space, whether it is a 2,000 sq. ft home or an 8,000 sq. ft home, we will accumulate enough things to fill the space whether we need those things or not. This is why Netflix series like ‘Tyding Up’ with Marie Kondo entice us. They promise to help us break free from the enslaving cycle of accumulation. The modern ‘minimalist’ movement seeks to do the same. These solutions are temporary at best, acting as band-aids on a fatal wound. But for those who want true freedom from the harsh master of materialism, there is hope in the words of Christ.

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Nine Lessons on Prayer from the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 6:5-14)

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Discipleship, Imago Dei ClassLeave a comment

The Sermon on the Mount is all about the kingdom-righteousness that Jesus creates in the lives of His people. In Matthew 6:5-14, He teaches us how members of His kingdom should pray. What lessons can we glean about prayer from this section? Let’s take a look.

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A Secret Spirituality that Shines: Living for God and Not for People (Matthew 6:1-18)

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Imago Dei ClassLeave a comment

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes the righteousness that characterizes the members of His kingdom. Is a divine righteousness that only He can work in the hearts of His people by the power of the Spirit. It is a righteousness altogether different than that of the religious leaders of the day. It is the righteousness of the redeemed heart that is evident in the words and actions of one’s life. It includes loving one’s enemies, reconciling friendships, making peace, giving generously, and going the extra mile.

In Matthew 5:16, Jesus commands[1] His followers to let their light shine before others, so that people may see their good works and give glory to the Father in heaven. Throughout the rest of Matthew 5, He describes what these good works look like in the context of personal relationships. However, He knows the human heart. He knows that as we progress in righteous living, we will begin to desire glory and praise for ourselves. Thus He warns, in 6:1 “Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.”

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What Does It Mean to ‘Turn the Other Cheek?’ (Matthew 5:38-42)

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Imago Dei ClassLeave a comment

This week we are getting into some of the most famous lines of the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus continues describing true righteousness by critiquing the religious leader’s interpretation of the law (or oral tradition regarding it). As He did with murder, adultery, divorce, and making oaths, Jesus exposes the religious leaders’ hypocrisy and describes the true righteousness that will characterize the members of His kingdom. He does that by revealing the true nature of the law by applying it to the heart.

Jesus continues this method of teaching by quoting Exodus 21:24 in v.38-42, “You have heard that it was said, ‘eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you” (Matt 5:39-42).

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Telling the Truth: A Testimony to *The* Truth (Matthew 5:33-37)

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Imago Dei ClassLeave a comment

In Matthew 5:33-37, Jesus continues to define the righteousness of his kingdom in the context of personal relationships. In previous verses, He addressed the issues of murder and adultery with their accompanying heart motivations: anger and lust. According to Jesus, true righteousness is not simply avoiding outward expressions of sin such as murder and adultery. True righteousness is doing the hard work of repenting of the sin in our hearts (such as lust and anger), loving what is pleasing to God, and by the power of the Spirit, seeking to live that out in our lives.

In this passage (5:33-37), Jesus transitions from pursuing righteousness in marriage relationships to pursuing righteous speech in all our relationships,

“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ But I say to you, take no oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God, nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. Nor shall you take an oath by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. But make sure your statement is, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil origin.”[1]

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A Thirst for Righteousness: The Antidote to Lust, Adultery, & Divorce (Matthew 5:27-32)

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Imago Dei ClassLeave a comment

Last week we looked at the subject of anger in Matthew 5:21-26. The main idea was that true righteousness is not characterized by outward behavior but a pure heart. Therefore, simply avoiding murder isn’t a defining mark of righteousness, but cleansing our hearts from underlying anger and putting on love, forgiveness, and compassion is. This is the kind of righteousness that Jesus is calling us to. It is the righteousness that the Spirit will create in the members of God’s kingdom.

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes what true righteousness looks like in the context of personal relationships. To do that, he quotes the law and shows where the religious leaders only obey the tradition at the surface level. But he also reveals how the principle should be obeyed at the heart level, where almost all of us stand guilty. This is exactly what he did with murder, revealing that the heart behind murder is anger. Thus, anyone who is angry is, in some sense, guilty of murder. This revelation is painful, but we must remember that the righteousness described in the SM is not a prerequisite for salvation. We are saved by Jesus, who has paid the penalty for our unrighteousness and has given us his righteousness. He has also cleansed our hearts and given us his Spirit, by whom he will flesh out the righteousness that the SM speaks of in our lives.

In Matthew 5:27-32, Jesus continues his discourse on relationships by addressing the relationship of marriage. What does true righteousness look like in the relationship between husband and wife? Jesus points to two aspects of the law to answer that question: adultery and divorce.

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Murder in the Heart: Jesus’ Teaching on Anger (Matthew 5:21-26)

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Devotionals, Imago Dei ClassLeave a comment

In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus begins his commentary on the traditions of the Law by defining his relationship to the Law. His definition is staggering. Not only does he claim that he did not come to abolish the Law, nor that he has perfectly kept the Law, but that he is the fulfillment of the Law.

What does this phrase mean? It means that the Law points to and culminates in Jesus. It means that he is the righteousness that the Law points to. It means that his life and his work are the epitome and the completion of the Law. He himself, who he is and what he does, is the fulfillment of the Law.

As the Law’s fulfillment, Jesus can free his people from the demands of the law (Galatians 3:24) and enable them to live in accordance with the true intention of the Law. What is that true intention? To possess a genuine righteousness that is a light to the world and brings glory to God (Matt 5:6, 14). This righteousness, Jesus says, must far surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt 5:20). How can it do that? Because it is a different kind of righteousness altogether.

In Matthew 5:21-47, Jesus begins to unpack the meaning of the true righteousness of the Law in the context of relationships. This should not surprise us, because Jesus himself describes the law as loving God and loving our neighbor. The two go hand in hand! Consider 1 John 4:20, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar.”

Jesus begins by quoting the law and confronting the religious leaders’ surface-level adherence to them. I believe He does this for three reasons. First, to expose the false righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. Second, to help us be poor in spirit by revealing our lack of true righteousness. And third, to motivate his people to pursue true righteousness (i.e. to be those who ‘hunger and thirst’ for it; Matt 5:6). Let’s consider these reasons in light of murder and anger in 5:21-26.

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