Three sections
Command that’s often misquoted and misunderstood
Command that’s overlooked
Command that’s too good to be true

Let’s look at them
See how Jesus continues
Kingdom of heaven over against the passing kingdoms of this world

Judge not, lest you be judged
Not karma
Karma - if you get what you give
Justice - same measure will be used for you

Judge
Not just making a decision
Condemnation, executing a sentence

Clue
Story
Jesus uses a hilarious exaggeration
Problem isn’t the determination that something foreign is in the eye
Problem is when try to rip it out as I have an entire forest in mine

Command #2
Odd little one
Easy to pass over - was this connected to the other one

Pigs and Dogs
Ancient understanding
Not pets, pack animals, destructive, unclean, scary
Pigs destroying crops and killing children

Be wise
Don’t scatter good and holy things to them
It’ll have the opposite effect - only make them devour you

Jesus wants us neither arrogant nor nieve

Command #3

Ask/seek/knock
Way of relating with God
Seek!
    Pursuit

Rooted not in our ability
God our Father

Father
Even bad ones don’t hand out snakes when asked for bread
We know how it is supposed to work, even if we don’t do it

Because of God’s great love for us
We are free to ask
Question
Investigate, be curious, wonder

Current kingdom vs. the coming kingdom
2 questions
Kind of person? - Character
How do we understand truth?

Religious - judgemental
Moving through the world determining who is in and out
Secular religious - on the right and the left
    They love to figure out who is in and out
    Categories
    They love to just tear people apart who don’t fit
    Truth is not something used to convince, only to conform, or be bludgeoned with 

Character of that person
Closed off
Disconnected from God - because they don’t need him

Naive
Haphazardly, moving through the world, devoured by the evil that is real and all around
Truth is to be treasured - not hidden, but also not treated haphazardly

God’s design
Us, rooted in who God is for us
Move into the world with questions
Wonder
God, what about this? What is going on over there? how come this is happening?

Ask /seek /knock
we can approach the cosmos with Wonder and humility because in Christ Truth is now known personally!