Extremes

Sundays Message June ,13 2004 By Harold Pitts

Extremes

Many times, humans resort to living a life of extremes. The actual will of God's must be understood in the manner He intended it to be. If this life of extremes is recognized then we begin to understand the problems of the Pharisees. They had everyday life defined to the point where it was hard for a person to live.

For instance on the Sabbath day, they had problems with different concepts such as "work." On the Sabbath, you were to close down work, and the Pharisees decided to define what God intended by this. Here are a few examples:

1. You could not turn over in bed more than seven times or that was considered work.

2. If you wanted to borrow something from your neighbor, you could not put your hand through the threshold of the door to receive it, nor could the neighbor do that. This would be considered work. If you both met halfway, it was not considered work.

Jesus said in Mat_15:6, speaking to the Pharisees, "...And thus you invalidated the Word of God for the sake of your tradition." For the sake of their extremes, they made null and void the Word of God. We laugh at the Pharisees and wonder how they could have been so ignorant. However, if Jesus were here physically today, what would He say of us? Be careful of your extremes, especially applying them to others; let us seek what God intended and do that. Either extreme of a truth is no longer truth.

(Mat 15:1-20)

After that, Pharisees and religion scholars came to Jesus all the way from Jerusalem, criticizing, "Why do your disciples play fast and loose with the rules?" However, Jesus put it right back on them. "Why do you use your rules to play fast and loose with God's commands? God clearly says, 'Respect your father and mother,' and, 'anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.' However, you weasel around that by saying, 'whoever wants to, can say to father and mother, what I owed to you I have given to God.' That can hardly be called respecting a parent. You cancel God's command by your rules. Frauds! Isaiah's prophecy of you hit the bull's-eye: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart is not in it. They act as if they are worshiping me, but they do not mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy." He then called the crowd together and said, "Listen, and take this to heart. It's not what you swallow that pollutes your life, but what you throw up." Later his disciples came and told him, "Did you know how upset the Pharisees were when they heard what you said?" Jesus shrugged it off. "Every tree that wasn't planted by my Father in heaven will be pulled up by its roots. Forget them. They are blind men leading blind men. When a blind man leads a blind man, they both end up in the gully." Peter said, "I don't get it. Put it in plain language." Jesus replied, "You too? Are you being willfully stupid? Do you know that whatever thing is swallowed works its way through the intestines and is finally defecated? However, what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart. It is from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing. That is what pollutes. Eating or not eating certain foods, washing or not washing your hands--that's not the more important things."

Nine Mistakes to Avoid

1. Regret over yesterday's failure.

2. Apprehension over today's problems.

3. agonize over tomorrow's uncertainty.

4. Procrastination with one's present duty.

5. Bitterness of another's success.

6. condemnation of a neighbor's imperfections.

7. intolerance with youth's imperfection.

8. Skepticism for the future of Gods children.

Unbelief in God's providence.

The Mind stores up impressions for a lifetime, the things you see or the things you actually partake of yourself may never be forgotten. The only way to protect the mind is to expose it to only the best, and God and His ways are always the best! If you were speaking to the flesh and blood body of Jesus today, He would tell you that no other human being nor any entity or creation, is in control of your happiness but you! If you are angry, sad, in bondage, or controlled by any spirit or creation, it is because you yourself have chosen, or actually invited that control to rule you. You yourself made a decision to take that path or direction. Guess what if you are not happy today you can make another decision right now. Choose Jesus and His actual ways, walk in Him, quit living like you believe everyone else thinks you should live, and just live for Him!

I apologize if these scriptural interpretations are to extreme for you. They are my presentation of the living word written in my heart by Jesus. I do not intend to cause you mental anguish with them but believe, as with all interpretations they are understandable only if God Himself lives in your heart. Please let Him live in your heart!

A blind man sat on the corner of a city street with a lantern beside him. When asked why the lantern was there since light and darkness were the same to him, he replied, "I have it so that no one may stumble over me." Can I get an Amen?

Jesus

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