Cities Of Refuge: A Kindness, To Keep You From Bloodguilt (Deuteronomy 19:1-13) Series

This sermon marks the second Sunday we've talked about the cities of refuge. What I'd like to do this morning, because I love you, is start by messing with your heads a little.

Normally, people think of the OT as the "half" of the Bible that's full of wrath and justice, while the NT is the "half" of the Bible that's all about love and forgiveness and mercy.

There are times when the passages about wrath and justice really bother us. They make us nervous, and we find ourselves running to the NT to counter them.

But there are also times when we read the NT, and passages about love and forgiveness and mercy really bother us.

Usually, the passages we like best in any situation, depends on what happened to us. When you hurt people, you want love and forgiveness and mercy. You want to be able to crawl to people, and you want them to be reconciled to you. You feel terrible; you want to make things right. You don't want there to be consequences because of what you did.

But when someone wrongs you, you don't want to show love and forgiveness and mercy. You want payback. You want revenge. You want justice. You want an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life.

When you want mercy, you find yourself running to specific verses in the NT. When you want justice, you find yourself running to specific verses in the OT. And when you do this, you're assuming that the NT, and Jesus, are countering something in the OT. You think the OT doesn't believe in turning the other cheek. You think the OT doesn't believe in loving your neighbor as yourself, and not taking vengeance. But sometimes, you "need" the OT, so you close your eyes to the Sermon on the Mount, and you play the two testaments off of each other.

When we do this, and view the OT and NT as contradicting each other, are we doing this right? Is Jesus changing the OT?

Let's turn to Matthew, and talk about Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount a little first.

How does Jesus teach us we should treat each other?

Jesus says, don't be angry with your brother. Be reconciled to him (Matthew 5:21-26).

Jesus says, don't retaliate when someone wrongs you (Matthew 5:38-42).

Jesus says, don't hate your enemy. Love the one who persecutes you (Matthew 5:43-48).

Jesus says, forgive others their debts against you, so that God will forgive you (Matthew 6:14-15).

Jesus then wraps up the Sermon on the Mount by talking about serious he is about all of this. The only people who enter the kingdom of heaven are the ones who do the Father's will. Specifically, the only ones who will be safe are the ones who obey Jesus' words. Matthew 7:21-27:

(7:21) Not everyone saying to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but the one doing the will of my Father-- the One in the heavens.

Many will say to me on that day,

"Lord, Lord, did we not in your name prophesy?,

and in your name demons cast out?,

and in your name many miracles perform?,

and then I will declare to them that,

"Never I knew you.

Depart from you, the ones practicing lawlessness.

(24) Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and does them, will be like a wise man,

who built his house on the rock,

and the rain came down,

and rivers came,

and winds blew,

and they beat against that house,

and it didn't fall.

For its foundation was laid on the rock.

And everyone hearing these words of mine and not doing them will be like a foolish man,

who built his house on the sand,

and the rain came down,

and the rivers came,

and the winds blew,

and they beat against that house,

and it fell,

and its fall was great."

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Jesus expects his people to obey his words. Obedience to the law, as Jesus fulfills/interprets it, is necessary to be safe on the day of judgment. Acting like you are lawless, and you can ignore Jesus, will lead Jesus to reject you. If you've never taken on Jesus' law, he never knew you. Jesus is King; you can't come to him unless you submit yourself to him and his will.

But when people wrong you, you don't want to obey Jesus. You like Jesus better as a Savior than a Teacher. You don't want to forgive. You don't want to show mercy. What you want to do, is hate, and retaliate. And you think the OT is your friend in this.

But let's turn to Leviticus 19:17-18:

(17) You shall not hate your brother in your heart.