A Biblical Moral Compass
Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.
“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
“But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
Love for Enemies
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Judging Others
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.
“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, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
A Tree and Its Fruit
“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
The Wise and Foolish Builders
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
Dr. Margie Clayton
A graduate and resident fellow of B. H. Carroll. And author of Recalibrate Your Biblical Moral Compass: Living a Sanctified Life in Christ
Transcript
Erin Newton
Good morning, everybody. It is, a lovely Tuesday morning at ten a. I know those of us in Texas are really looking forward to this cold front so we can move from 108 to just a plain 100. but for everybody else that’s joining us, and that will be kind of logging in in the next few minutes.
We’re so happy to be together. to spend this time in prayer, being uplifted by the word of God and through message by, Doctor Clayton here.
Join me now. as we read the Word of God. It’s Ephesians 610 through 20. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand, stand firm. Then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God, and pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. And with this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Pray also for me that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should, and this is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. We are, just really honored this morning to have one of our own, doctor Margie Clayton.
She’s not only a graduate, but one of the resident fellows here. and she recently published a book. book publishing is dear and near to my heart. I think this is a wonderful avenue of how we express, the gifts that God has given us in theological education. so she recently came out with a book titled if I Get This Right, Recalibrate Your biblical Moral Compass.
And what a needed topic that is for us today. So we are more than honored. to hear from Doctor Clayton. And, we’re so happy to have you with us this morning.
Margie Clayton
Good morning. Good morning to everyone. And thank you for inviting me to chapel. I tell you, it’s a joy to be here. And yes, I’ll be focusing on, the significance of a biblical moral compass in our daily lives. we’ll be guided by scripture today. taken from Luke 620 through 49. I won’t read all of that, but, we’ll just lift some scriptures, out of that passage.
The sermon on the plane. Just a short prayer. Father, we thank you for this gathering today. We know that you are an awesome God and you do all things well. We know that your word is already blessed, but may it touch someone’s heart and that a change may happen. Today we pray in Jesus name this sermon on the plane, which I love so much.
I like the sermon on the Mount as well, but looking at Luke’s gospel, can glean, I guess, a lot from that. that gospel as opposed to the Matthew version of, the sermon on the Mount, this one on the plane is a powerful. And it’s a transformative message that speaks directly to the heart of every individual.
And I like that. This morning, as, we go through the scriptures, just keep our minds on what Jesus is saying. Now, in Matthew, there were references saying that, Jesus would say, you’ve heard it and say it, but I say it this way. So even in Luke, didn’t reference that. Jesus say it’s not the same thing.
So let’s see what Jesus has to say. His message doesn’t just guide us to do the right thing. And we’ve heard that just about all our lives, even as children, our parents would tell us do the right thing. But many times we didn’t know what is the right thing to do. But it is we, those of us who were, able to attend Sunday school and all of the other youth services, we learned what the right thing to do was.
And that was according to God’s Word. So, in this, as we delve deeper into our moral cells to reveal spiritual areas of growth and development to the professors and administrators and students, we need to follow a biblical moral compass. I know there’s a moral compass. I’ve seen the books, but I just like the idea of a biblical moral compass, because that is, those standards are found in the Bible, in the Word of God.
What does the Word of God have has to say about this? like the sermon on the Mount? Matthew five through seven, which emphasizes spiritual poverty and righteousness. Luke’s account focuses more on social justice and social justice in a way that which is out there to help, help people, whatever area you see your need. I love missionary race.
I love the work of a missionary. In fact, I’ve been on several trips with missionaries, one to Africa that I would never forget to Nigeria. When I saw this child standing on a mound of stress where trash was dumped and that little girl was looking for something to eat, and I say, Lord, am I so far removed that I didn’t see this going on?
Nationally. And I know that many of you, you’ve gone on your mission trips, you’ve lived in foreign countries, for years. And you understand what I’m talking about, but it touches your heart. You begin to have a passion for people, kind of passing. You never thought you would have, baby. And beyond yourself. Okay. God, what can I do now after seeing this?
What is required of me? So our students, our professors and administrators, we’re going to follow that standard, that biblical moral compass which is found in the Bible, local, focuses more on social justice, compassion for the marginalized and unconditional love for one’s enemy. In this setting, on the plane, Jesus relates to all people, whether rich or poor, Jew, Gentile.
His sermon reaches those often overlooked, making everyone feel included and valued as a part of a larger community. In the passage Luke six 2222 and this is from the English Standard Version. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said, blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and spurn your name as evil on the account of the Son of Man. And I’m that can imagine. We’ve all been through one. some of us we’ve been through all of this. But Jesus highlights those who are poor, hungry, and grieving.
Unlike unlike the fortunate, the satisfied, and the proud Christians who are blessed beyond measure, the marginalized are often neglected. Where is the justice and mercy? It is indeed the responsibility of the fortunate to provide resources for the unfortunate, a duty that should be carried out with compassion and understanding. Although now our opinions may be different, and they may very well what God?
What does God have to say about this? What does he have to say about justice and mercy? One answer, as you well know, can be found in Michael six six through eight. And this is in our version, where God spoke to the Israelites, he questioned the Israelites about their reverence toward him. That’s a big word.
Now, reverence without reverence. God, I’m not talking about you. Don’t reverence God. But on the whole, even as I’ve seen Christians in my walk, they don’t reverence God as they once did. we just when we would walk in the sanctuary, you know, it was complete reverence toward God. We knew that we were in a holy place. But I noticed now, and please don’t look at Facebook in those reels.
We see all kinds of things going on in the church. And I say, God, no, what is going on? But I understand, I understand our role, I understand I will said it now we are to spread the word, to preach the gospel, to teach the gospel to those who don’t quite know God as we know him. Thank God for that this morning.
So this verse eight, he has shown you, oh, model what is good and what does the Lord require of you to add? Just learn to love mercy and to walk with your God. This is our responsibility, our calling and our motivation to live a life that reflects God’s love and justice. And I, in light of this passage, take some time today to reflect on your life and consider where you stand as it relates to justice and mercy.
One of the most challenging commands of Jesus sermon on the plain is to love your enemy. Loving in this way requires the believer to go beyond the limits. But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who abuse you. Is it easy to love those who hate you?
Of course not. But I’ll tell you what we’re required to do. So in Proverbs six six through 19, God shares his thoughts about an evil person. He said that there are six things the Lord hates seven that are distressed about a young, haughty eyes, a little hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes big that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
And I’ll say, I’ll add this now this is just mad. As well as conflict in the church, an enemy, an evil person, does not have another heart. and interests. They don’t care about people. I agree that it is not easy to love this kind of person, but it’s necessary. The Lord Jesus commands Christians to love beyond. They are capable.
It is God’s character is love. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Some say everlasting life. Saving humanity from eternal death is God’s, reason to love. He loves all of us, even our enemies. A beautiful example of love and forgiveness is between a prisoner and a victim.
My husband, was in prison. in the prison system, as a state chaplain, for about 20 years. And one thing, they did, think it was bridges to life where they would bring the victim and, the, perpetrator together. And that moment that they were able to forgive one another was such a beautiful thing.
And that’s what God wants us to do as a wise builder. And that’s found in Luke 646 to 49. We build all God’s truths. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. John 14 and six. Let us continue to be allies on a solid foundation, which is Jesus Christ.
Others need to see our strength and witness. The Apostle Paul says, here’s to you about a wise builder according to the grace of God given to me. Like a skilled master builder, I lay the foundation as soon as someone else is building up on it. Right, Carol? Let each one take care of how he builds upon it. No one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
When we follow the standards of the Holy Bible, we become wise builders. Our foundation will remain firm even when the storms of life, and they do come. A biblical moral compass is available for all of us to follow. The Word of God will guide us to have compassion for those who need it the most. Believe it through the power of the Holy Spirit to love our enemies unconditionally and learn how to become wise builders by building a foundation in Christ Jesus that cannot be shaken.
So do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is. His good is pleasing and perfect will. I want you to hold tight to the truths of God in these difficult times, and they are difficult. I want you to know, Carl, that I love you.
And I also want you to know that, doctor H. Clayton is listening in. May God bless you and keep you is my prayer. Thank you so much for having me.
Erin Newton
Thank you so much. a good word and an encouragement and a charge that, that I know that we’re going to think about all day. And, so let’s let’s take that moment and, and let’s join in prayer. I’ll guide us through some topics. we’ll close out in just a few minutes. Lord, I thank you for just your word, that it is a double edged sword and that it consistently sharpens us and that it cuts to the core of who we are.
And just about the moment that we feel like we kind of have it figured out, Lord, that you use the word to help us, become more like you and that, it’s a wonderful charge. Lord, I pray that, we can take a few minutes now or a few moments, really, to ask ourselves, what is it that you have required of us, in our personal lives?
Just meet with the Lord for a moment. Now, with that question.
And, Lord, we know that you have called each one of us. That you have good works, set before us that you want us to join you, in doing for for your creation and for your people. Lord, I pray that, you will bless Carol. And so take a few moments now to pray for, the seminary, for the staff, for the professors, for the students, everybody that’s involved, in continuing this work.
And ask God to bless that and to make it known where your place is in that.
Let us take a few moments to, pray for not only the efforts that God has called us here at Carroll to do, but for our partnership with TBU and, the ministry and the work that’s going on there that we can embrace, this cooperation with love, knowing that we are all striving for the same goal, to glorify God.
As the new semester has started, we want to take a moment to pray for students, And professors. Everybody that’s involved in the day to day semester work. pray for students just to be able to manage their time, to manage their finances, the commitments they have to their family, and to their ministries.
Let us pray for the friends and family. of all of our students and our professors and our, just the whole community around Carol. these lifelines that we rely on to help us, we want to pray and ask that God will, bless those, with encouragement, with fortitude to be, supportive of the work going on here.
And now we’re going to take a moment to pray for, our ongoing prayer requests for those who have been on long journeys. we want to continue to pray for Nate Davidson as he, is on his cancer journey. And recent results. didn’t look as favorable as probably was hoped. so we ask for time for miraculous healing.
For peace, for the family and for himself. we also want to pray for Lori Howell and, Natalia Berry, who are, are continuing on their journeys, Lord, off of in different areas of remission and, and radiation and things of that nature. We want to pray that God will continue to give them perseverance, and peace and, to continue to keep their health.
Well, during this time.
Lord, it is a pleasure to intercede for one another, to take moments to not only pour out our own hearts before you, knowing that you hear that, but God. To then take time to pray for one another. knowing that it is the bonds of Christ, that bring us together. It is the same spirit in each one of us.
So we can we could really cry out with one voice, when we pray for one another, I pray that you will, continue to keep this message on our mind to know that that you have given us the charge to love a beyond our abilities. to look to your word, to know where to set the compass of our hearts.
And so I pray that you will renew that passion within each one of us to give us perseverance, to, go beyond what is really able for us to do alone. But we know that you are with us. We thank you for Doctor Clayton. and we pray that her book and her message continues to bless others. and that your work will continue to be done, within Carol and, as each person goes out into all the world and all the people that they could touch and they can reach, and we’re so thankful for this opportunity.
And we ask that you keep each one of us, safe today and, just be with us throughout this day. And it’s in your name that I pray. Amen. All right. You are free to go on to the staff meeting, which is a different zoom call. It was wonderful to see everybody this morning. Doctor Clayton, thank you once again.
For wonderful. And we will see you again in a few weeks. In a couple of weeks, we’ll have, a more informal prayer time and you’ll get an email about that. So thank you all for being here this morning. It’s good to see you.