SERMONOUTLINE:
• THREE MISTAKES THE JEWISH LEADERS MADE;
• Mistake #1: They qualified God’s law.
• Mistake #2: They omitted God’s law.
• Mistake #3: They added to God’s law.
• THREE TRUTHS THAT JESUS EMPHASISED:
• Fact #1: Love is a command.
• Fact #2: Love is shown by action.
• Fact #3: Love comes from God.
SERMONBODY:
Ill:
• A reporter was interviewing an old man on his 100th birthday and asked him:
• "What are you most proud of?"
• The old man thought for a moment and replied;
• "Well, I don't have an enemy in the world."
• "What a beautiful thought! How inspirational!" said the reporter.
• "Yep," added the centenarian, "outlived every last one of them."
Quote: Oscar Wilde:
“Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much.”
I have been asked to speak this morning on a few verses from The Sermon on the Mount:
• This sermon is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus,
• Which emphasizes his moral teaching.
• It is one of the most widely quoted elements of the four Gospels;
• It includes some of the best known teachings of Jesus,
• Such as the Beatitudes, and the widely recited Lord's Prayer.
Ill:
• Now not a lot of people know this;
• But Mahatma Gandhi read from the Sermon on the Mount twice every day;
• For over 40 years of his life -- and he was not even a Christian!
• He considered this passage of the Bible;
• The greatest writings on nonviolence in the history of the world.
• And since he wanted to become a person of nonviolence,
• He treated these teachings as a basic primer, as the catechism of nonviolence.
• The Sermon on the Mount is revolutionary stuff;
• So different to anything else in literature or philosophy.
The context of our verses (this morning) relates to Jesus dealing with the Old Testament law:
• Now Jesus did not come to destroy the law but to fulfil it.
• Perhaps an illustration makes it clearer.
• i.e. An acorn can be destroyed by placing it on a rock and hitting it with a hammer!
• That is one way to destroy it.
• i.e. Or an acorn can be placed in the ground;
• And left to fulfil itself by becoming an oak tree
• In a similar way Jesus did not come to destroy the law but to fulfil it.
• And in doing so he revealed the true message of the law;
• What we might call the heart of the law.
• So in these verses we get behind the letter of the law;
• And we see the true meaning, the heart and spirit of the law.
Note:
• At the time of Jesus the law had been corrupted in its interpretation;
• The religious leaders had interpreted over the years;
• But their explanations had become twisted to fit their mown ideas.
• And inn his sermon Jesus deals with some of those important misinterpretations ;
• Just scan the chapter and you will see:
• i.e. Verses 21-26: On the subject of murder:
• "You have heard (this is what others have incorrectly taught)........
• But I say unto you." – this is what it really means!
• i.e. Verses 27-30: On the subject of Adultery:
• "You have heard........ but I say unto you."
• i.e. Verses 31-32: On the subject of Divorce:
• "You have heard........ but I say unto you."
• i.e. Verses 33-37: On the subject of Oaths:
• "You have heard........ but I say unto you."
• i.e. Verses 38-42: On the subject of Retaliation:
• "You have heard........ but I say unto you."
• i.e. Verses 43-47: On the subject of love:
• "You have heard........ but I say unto you."
Now this morning we will see what Jesus said, regarding loving your enemies:
• And I guess we all have one or two people we cannot get on with;
• People who may try to bully us or intimidate us;
• People who have been hostile towards us.
Ill:
• I met a former neighbour of mine this week in the local shops;
• He said; “Do you remember that family who lived next to you?”
• Now because he a white man was married to a black woman;
• He told me he had to put up with racial abuse and a hostile attitude,
• Every time he encountered that neighbour and his family
• In life at some time or other;
• We will all acquire enemies, people we do not get along with;
• And not everyone is good at how they deal with an enemy.
Ill:
• My former neighbour told me he just swore back at him;
• And when threatened he threatened back,
• But that reaction only escalates the problem it does not solve t!
Ill:
• I read a prayer this week that went like this:
• 'May those that love us love us,
• Those that don't love us may God turn their hearts,
• And if He doesn't turn their hearts may He turn their ankles;
• So we'll know them by their limping'.
Ill:
• By contrast it was said of Archbishop Cranmer:
• 'If you would be sure to have Cranmer do you a good turn, you must do him an ill one',
• For though he loved to do good to all,
• He especially loved to do good to those who did him evil!
• I would guess if we are honest we are more like the first person in the humours prayer;
• Rather than the saint like Archbishop Cranmer.
• When it comes to loving our enemies?
Note:
• Now as we look at these verses;
• Remember that Jesus never ever opposed what the Old Testament law taught:
• His primary goal is not destruction, His goal is development.
• He wants to bring our understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures;
• To the goal and the development that God intended it in the first place.
• What He did oppose and oppose with great vigour and force;
• Was the unauthorised additions to God’s law made by the Scribes and the Pharisees;
• The religious leaders of Jesus day.
THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS GOT IT WRONG IN THREE WAYS:
Mistake #1: They qualified God’s law.
• The religious leaders didn't just leave the instruction as: 'Love thy neighbour',
• But they defined for you who your neighbour was.
• In other words, your neighbour is somebody of the same colour as you,
• The same religion as you,
• The same creed as you,
• In other words your neighbour also has to be a Jewish!
• So they defined this Old Testament command;
• As love your Jewish neighbour but don't love anybody else.
Ill:
• This again shows to us why the parable of ‘The Good Samaritan’.
• (Luke chapter 10) made such a dramatic impact.
• Remember:
• To the hearers of Jesus the words ‘good’ and ‘Samaritan’ did not ever go together:
• They were seen as opposites:
• i.e. It would be like me talking about ‘an honest thief’;
• i.e. Or a ‘faithful adulterer’ i.e. or a ‘generous Scotsman’ (only joking!)
• Remember that this parable of Jesus is told in response to a ‘trick’ question;
• That was asked by an expert in Jewish law (Luke chapter 10 verse 25):
Ill:
• This expert in Jewish law would have been a professional Bible student;
• A man who had memorised Genesis to Deuteronomy;
• The first five books of the Bible (The Torah – The Law of Moses).
• He was a man who would have participated in seminar after seminar of learned debate;
• Sharpening his arguments, clarifying the finer points.
• His daily life was dominated by the study of the Old Testament scriptures.
• He was a man who had not only examined countless real legal cases;
• But had dreamed up thousands of imaginary ones.
• You could be sure there was no conceivable ethical problem;
• Upon which he could not pronounce and authoritative opinion.
• In short he was a man with all the answers.
• And yet he did not know the simplistic truth of who his neighbour was!
So in reply to the man’s question Jesus defines the word ‘neighbour’ with a story:
• We often refer to it as a parable but Jesus did not call this story a parable,
• But it could easily be the report of an actual occurrence that had taken place.
• Instances of this type were common.
• The journey from Jericho to Jerusalem was well known for its danger.
• It was very steep and treacherous because of the many places for robbers to hide.
• In fact it was so bad that the road had a nick-name:
• It was called “The red way” or “the bloody way” – “the way of blood.”
• To the hearers of Jesus:
• This is a very believable & commonly known scenario.
The point of the story that struck in the heart disturbed both the man and the crowd is surely this:
• I’m sure this Priest/Levite would have helped a fellow priest if they were injured;
• I’m sure this Priest/Levite would have helped a family member if they were injured;
• I’m sure this Priest/Levite would have helped someone they knew if they were injured;
• But the tragedy of the story is that the priest saw this injured man as a ‘nobody’;
• He was just a “certain man”!
• He was a Samaritan! An enemy!
• He was not one of us; he was an inconvenience into a busy day;
• Therefore they passed him by!
• So Mistake #1:
• The religious leaders didn't just leave the instruction as: 'Love thy neighbour',
• But they defined for you who your neighbour was.
• They defined it as love your Jewish neighbour but don't love anybody else.
Mistake #2: They omitted God’s law:
• Notice that then there was omission,
• They changed the law of God by omitting some of the truth within it.
Question: What part of the law did they leave out?
Answer:
• Is not found in verses 43:
• You will find the missing part in Leviticus chapter 19 verse 18;
• When that law was first given.
“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbour AS YOURSELF. I am the Lord”.
• They omitted a few small words, two in the English language: “as yourself”
• But those two small words define the extent of the law of love,
• They are huge words because we are to ‘love your neighbour as yourself.’
• Notice: that YOU are the subject in the verse;
• This is something you are commanded to do!
• Just as you love yourself instinctively without needing a reason;
• So we are to love others without needing reasons.
• Notice: The object of the verse is you neighbour;
• As we have noted not just our fellow Jews;
• But according to this verse “ANYONE” we encounter!
• Even people we would naturally shun or hate;
Now in the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ Jesus defines those unpleasant ‘neighbours’ might be:
• i.e. Look at verse 11 of this chapter (5):
• ‘Blessed are you when people insult you,
• Persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”
• i.e. And again in verse 44:
• “…love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
Ill:
• When we visit Christians in Turkey they literally face persecution of the type described.
• i.e. Example from recent newsletter.
• So Mistake #2:
• They omitted God’s law by leaving out some important words.
Mistake #3: They added to God’s law:
“ ‘You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.”
• As we have noted already the first half of that verse “Love your neighbour”
• Is taken from the Old Testament scriptures (Leviticus chapter 19 verse 18);
• But the second part of that saying in verse 43: “and hate your enemy.”
• Is not found in that Old Testament verse or passage.
• That was added by the religious leaders and taught as if it were equally true!
In reality this was a gross distortion of the law;
• Twisted by the manipulative hands of the religious leaders
• They had put two and two together and in their wisdom made it 5!
• They reasoned God had said: “Love your enemies”
• Therefore the opposite must be true as well, “Hate your enemies!”
• And in time they had come to that conclusion;
• Even though elsewhere in the Old Testament;
• i.e. God said (Proverbs chapter 25 verse 21):
• “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink”.
• i.e. Another example Exodus chapter 23:
• Tells you how you how to behave toward your enemy,
• That is to behave toward them in benevolence.
• These verses instructed God’s people;
• That if their enemy's ox or ass was stolen or lost and you found it,
• You could not keep it! You had to be kind to him, you had to return to your enemy.
• The law of God is full of these benevolent instances;
• Towards both your neighbour and toward your enemy.
Sadly there are three ways to misquote the word of God:
• Add something to it.
• Take something away.
• Change what's there.
• And if you read carefully, all three things take place in these two verses!
• So Mistake #3:
• They added to God’s law:
• Ok we have noted three negatives;
• Let’s look now at three positives:
JESUS TELLS IT RIGHT IN THREE WAYS:
Fact #1: Love is a command
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
• Love is a command and not a feeling!
• It is the type of loved that God demonstrates towards people.
• i.e. verse 45b: “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,
• and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”
• In other words God does not show favouritism;
• He shares the warmth of his love without discrimination.
• He extends common grace to the righteous as well as the rebellious.
• Love here is an act of the will not a feeling or an emotion!
• It is a choice that we choose to make.
Quote: Nelson Mandela:
"I have never yet met an enemy whom I did not try to turn into a friend."
• Nelson Mandela is a great example of a man who lived by these principle.
• He choose to love his enemies and not to hate them.
Notice: that phrase in verse 45:
• “that you may be children of your Father in heaven”
• Both Hebrew and Aramaic were languages not rich in adjectives.
• So instead of saying; “He is a peaceful man”;
• A Hebrew person would say; “He is a son of peace”.
• Instead of saying; “She is a godly woman”,
• A Hebrew person say, “She is a daughter of God.”
• Consequently that phrase; “Children of your Father”,
• Should be interpreted as “Father-like” or “Godlike.”
• So the command in this verse is to emulate God the Father;
• By following his example and not showing favouritism.
• To love without discrimination.
Ill:
• In San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
• There is a 4.2 acre complex known worldwide as "The Alamo."
• At one time it was a Catholic mission and fortress complex,
• Which became the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836
• Today the site has been turned into a museum.
• Near the main entrance into the Alamo museum on a wall,
• Is a portrait with the following inscription:
“James Butler Bonham—no picture of him exists. This portrait is of his nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased, who greatly resembled his uncle. It is placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of the man who died for freedom.”
• So the command is to be; “Children of your Father”,
• So the command is to be; “Father-like” or “Godlike.”
• May people look at us and see God in us and through us!
• So Fact #1:
• Love is a command
Fact #2: Love is shown by action:
• Verse 44: “Pray for those who persecute you”
• In other words “Do something!”
• And praying is a big something!
Quote: In Pilgrim’s Progress John Bunyan writes,
“You can do more than pray after you’ve prayed,
but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.”
Love is always demonstrated shown by action:
• i.e. Think of God’s love - John chapter 3 verse 16;
• Because he “Loved” then he “gave his only son” – love leads to action.
Ill:
Think back to the story of the Good Samaritan;
“He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him”
• Unlike the Priest and the Levite the Samaritan does not pass by on the other side.
• In fact he is moved toward the injured man.
• You must move toward people to express love and compassion,
• In order to build relationships.
• Loving people, especially people who are different to us;
• Does not just happen, it takes concentrated effort and determination and desire!
Ill:
• In the story of the Good Samaritan;
• It is full of practical action by the Samaritan.
• “He went to him”,
• “He bandaged his wounds”,
• “He poured oil and wine on his wounds”,
• “He put him on his donkey”,
• “He brought him to an inn”
• “He took care of him”.
• In simply, practical ways;
• That anyone of his listeners (and anyone here today) could do;
• Jesus spelled out love in action.
• In other words - demonstrating love is not complicated;
• It starts with simple practical action and a desire to make a difference!
And don’t forget:
• That the Samaritan is moving toward someone;
• Who if he was conscious would despise and scorn him;
• Someone who no doubt would not do the same for him;
• If the situations were reversed.
• Fact #2:
• Love is shown by action:
Fact #3: Love comes from God.
• Verse 48:
• “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”
Ill:
• Story of a little boy who went down to his chicken hutch;
• When he saw how small the eggs were he was really disappointed.
• So he went up to his bedroom and returned with a shoebox;
• In the shoebox was lots of straw and an ostrich egg.
• The boy held the ostrich egg up to the chickens and said;
• “Take a good look at this and try harder!”
Now humanly speaking:
• There is as much chance of us consistently displaying perfect love for our enemies;
• As a chicken laying ostrich eggs.
• Therefore we need help and God has given us help.
Look at verses 46 & 47:
“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
• Verses 46 & 47 remind us that we can meet human standards:
• “We love those who love us…we greet those who greet us”
• But to love an enemy requires external help.
• Which is why we are commanded to be; “Children of your Father”,
• That is to be; “Father-like” or “Godlike.”
• In other words it is the love of God in us and working through us.
Ill:
• One evening, an old Cherokee Indian;
• Told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
• He said, "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.
• One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, greed, revenge and arrogance.
• The other is Good - It is peace, love, hope, humility, compassion, forgiveness and faith."
• The grandson thought about this for a while and then asked his grandfather,
• "Which wolf wins?"
• To which the old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
• Our strength to love, our motivation to love, our desire to live;
• Comes as a result of feeding on God;
• Allowing him to work in us and through us and make us strong.
Note:
• The word translated as ‘perfect’ in verse 48;
• Does not mean perfection, for that is impossible in this life.
• The word actually means ‘completeness’, ‘whole’, ‘undivided’ or ‘maturity”
• Our strength to love, our motivation to love, our desire to live;
• Comes as a result of feeding on God allowing him to make us mature;
• Allowing him to work in us and through us and make us strong.
• So Fact #3:
• Love comes from God.
