WEBVTT 00:00:05.910 --> 00:00:07.809 Well, if you have your Bibles, we'll be in Matthew 00:00:07.809 --> 00:00:12.150 chapter five this morning. Continue our series 00:00:12.150 --> 00:00:16.250 in the Sermon on the Mount. One winter day, not 00:00:16.250 --> 00:00:20.690 so long ago, a man went to the local shopping 00:00:20.690 --> 00:00:24.769 mall to get a gift. And when he returned, he 00:00:24.769 --> 00:00:28.129 began to notice that there was a smell coming 00:00:28.129 --> 00:00:31.120 from his car. not knowing what it was. So he 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:35.140 popped open the hood and he found the culprit. 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:39.920 A cat had crawled up into there and got caught 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:42.359 up in the belt and was just splattered everywhere. 00:00:44.820 --> 00:00:48.079 So luckily for him, the shopping bags that he 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:52.299 had were this heavy duty plastic and so he emptied 00:00:52.299 --> 00:00:56.130 the contents of those bags into His car and he 00:00:56.130 --> 00:00:59.229 began to scrape and pull and push the cat corpse 00:00:59.229 --> 00:01:04.609 into the bag And then he closed the hood and 00:01:04.609 --> 00:01:07.870 and he walked off to wash his hands because let's 00:01:07.870 --> 00:01:11.629 be honest. That's gross As he was walking away 00:01:11.629 --> 00:01:13.909 he realized that he left the bag with the cat 00:01:13.909 --> 00:01:16.909 in it on his hood And so he was going to walk 00:01:16.909 --> 00:01:19.829 back so he could go then dispose of it But as 00:01:19.829 --> 00:01:22.549 he was walking back he noticed this lady was 00:01:22.549 --> 00:01:25.379 acting suspicious And she was looking all around. 00:01:26.019 --> 00:01:29.599 And then she snatched the bag and put it in her 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:34.359 cart and then took off towards the mall. Well, 00:01:34.379 --> 00:01:36.560 the man thought, man, this is too good to be 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:40.019 true. We got to see. We got to see what happens 00:01:40.019 --> 00:01:42.459 with this. And so she went to a restaurant and 00:01:42.459 --> 00:01:46.379 proceeded to open the bag to see what she had 00:01:46.379 --> 00:01:49.640 gotten. And to her surprise, there's a mangled 00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:55.140 cat in the bag. And so she screams and then passes 00:01:55.140 --> 00:01:58.819 out. Of course, the management of the restaurant 00:01:58.819 --> 00:02:01.739 was equally alarmed because a customer had just 00:02:01.739 --> 00:02:03.700 fainted in their establishment, so they called 00:02:03.700 --> 00:02:07.980 the paramedics. The woman in no time was strapped 00:02:07.980 --> 00:02:10.620 to a cart and ready to be hauled off to the ambulance. 00:02:11.740 --> 00:02:14.659 But the man just couldn't resist. He said, hey, 00:02:14.659 --> 00:02:21.020 lady, don't forget your package. And he goes 00:02:21.020 --> 00:02:24.020 and he puts it on her chest as they're wheeling 00:02:24.020 --> 00:02:27.620 her to the ambulance. I mean, sometimes revenge 00:02:27.620 --> 00:02:32.400 is pretty sweet, isn't it? As we continue our 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:34.000 journey through the Sermon on the Mount, our 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:37.879 passage today addresses revenge and how we should 00:02:37.879 --> 00:02:42.840 react personally to people who attack us. Many 00:02:42.840 --> 00:02:44.939 commentators have written about this passage 00:02:44.939 --> 00:02:47.280 and they've written that this is probably, if 00:02:47.280 --> 00:02:50.960 not the worst, misinterpreted and misapplied 00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:53.580 passage in all of the Sermon on the Mount. It 00:02:53.580 --> 00:02:55.439 has been interpreted to mean that Christians 00:02:55.439 --> 00:03:01.120 are to be sanctimonious doormats. It's been used 00:03:01.120 --> 00:03:05.460 to promote pacifism. It's been used to object 00:03:05.460 --> 00:03:09.020 to military service. lawlessness and anarchy 00:03:09.020 --> 00:03:11.919 and and a host of other positions that this text 00:03:11.919 --> 00:03:15.419 does not support so so let's keep in mind an 00:03:15.419 --> 00:03:18.159 open mind this morning as we read our passage 00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:20.639 let us look at it with fresh eyes let's not bring 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:24.419 any to any preconceived ideas as what as to what 00:03:24.419 --> 00:03:27.319 Jesus is trying to teach his disciples in this 00:03:27.319 --> 00:03:29.759 text I'm going to invite Matt up here to read 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:31.580 our passage out of Matthew 5 he's going to start 00:03:31.580 --> 00:03:33.860 in verse 38 if you're able we'd love for you 00:03:33.860 --> 00:03:38.770 to stand and honor the Lord's Word together You 00:03:38.770 --> 00:03:41.110 have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye 00:03:41.110 --> 00:03:44.009 and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do 00:03:44.009 --> 00:03:46.969 not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone 00:03:46.969 --> 00:03:49.509 slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him, the 00:03:49.509 --> 00:03:52.849 other also. And if anyone sue you and take your 00:03:52.849 --> 00:03:55.789 tunic, let him have your coat as well. And if 00:03:55.789 --> 00:03:59.050 anyone forces to go one mile, go with him two 00:03:59.050 --> 00:04:02.310 miles. Give to the one who begs from you and 00:04:02.310 --> 00:04:05.090 do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. 00:04:05.289 --> 00:04:07.580 Amen. Father, thank you for this text. Thank 00:04:07.580 --> 00:04:09.520 you for your word. I pray father that you will 00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:11.300 just open our eyes and open our hearts to hear 00:04:11.300 --> 00:04:13.699 from you this morning I thank you for Matt and 00:04:13.699 --> 00:04:15.120 I thank you for his willingness to read your 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:17.339 word in this place I pray God that you continue 00:04:17.339 --> 00:04:19.259 to give him a strong desire to know you and pursue 00:04:19.259 --> 00:04:21.579 you and all that he does We ask all these things 00:04:21.579 --> 00:04:28.040 in Jesus name. Amen Now if you're to take this 00:04:28.040 --> 00:04:32.300 passage 38 through 42 And you were to literally 00:04:32.300 --> 00:04:35.199 read it with no understanding of the rest of 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:36.920 the Bible, no understanding of anything else. 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:39.660 And you just take this passage literally, you 00:04:39.660 --> 00:04:41.660 would assume that what Jesus is telling us to 00:04:41.660 --> 00:04:46.500 do is just to die and lie down. We should just 00:04:46.500 --> 00:04:49.100 take whatever life is dished, whatever's dished 00:04:49.100 --> 00:04:52.980 to us and just like it. We need to be a doormat 00:04:52.980 --> 00:04:57.480 for people to abuse us. and it's ideas like that 00:04:57.480 --> 00:05:00.899 that this is why this passage has been misinterpreted 00:05:00.899 --> 00:05:05.360 and misapplied so many times again we see Jesus 00:05:05.360 --> 00:05:09.360 addressing this issue because the Pharisees and 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:11.939 the Sadducees had gotten everything all confused 00:05:11.939 --> 00:05:15.180 in how they were supposed to treat people when 00:05:15.180 --> 00:05:18.800 the Old Testament law is referenced here by Jesus 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:23.019 that the context of that law an eye for an eye 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:26.040 in regards to how what was in regards to how 00:05:26.040 --> 00:05:28.959 people were to treat their slaves It was a way 00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:31.240 of giving them some rights as they worked off 00:05:31.240 --> 00:05:35.339 their debt if you killed a slave You were then 00:05:35.339 --> 00:05:38.879 put to death as well if you harmed a slave Not 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:41.759 only did your slave get to go free but that harm 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:44.839 could be done to you as well And all of this 00:05:44.839 --> 00:05:49.319 was was to be decided by a judge not an individual. 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:52.980 The Jews once again took it too far, and they 00:05:52.980 --> 00:05:56.680 used this law to apply to everyone, regardless 00:05:56.680 --> 00:06:00.500 of what the relationship was. If you were accidentally 00:06:00.500 --> 00:06:03.980 injured by someone you were working with in the 00:06:03.980 --> 00:06:07.439 field, the Jews interpreted this law that meant 00:06:07.439 --> 00:06:11.220 you could harm that friend in the same manner. 00:06:11.579 --> 00:06:14.860 that the heart of this law was not to give you 00:06:14.860 --> 00:06:17.860 the freedom to cause injury to someone else, 00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:21.279 but was to provide some rights to those who were 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:25.199 indebted to you. Now in his sermon, there on 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:28.279 the mountainside, much of what Jesus was teaching 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:31.800 was brought about because the Jewish people had 00:06:31.800 --> 00:06:34.420 gotten the letter of the law, but they completely 00:06:34.420 --> 00:06:37.439 missed the heart of the law. Today's passage 00:06:37.439 --> 00:06:41.509 is no different. That they had taken what was 00:06:41.509 --> 00:06:44.850 the responsibility of judges and were taking 00:06:44.850 --> 00:06:49.370 pride in handing out punishment and revenge individually. 00:06:50.850 --> 00:06:53.329 That there is a nature that is within all of 00:06:53.329 --> 00:06:57.649 us that wants to lash out when we've been humiliated, 00:06:57.889 --> 00:07:00.410 that wants to lash out when we've been hurt. 00:07:00.769 --> 00:07:03.509 That's what Jesus is talking about in this text. 00:07:03.769 --> 00:07:07.060 In verse 39 he says, but I say to you, Right, 00:07:07.220 --> 00:07:09.420 so again he's referencing the Old Testament law, 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:12.759 do not resist the one who is evil, but if anyone 00:07:12.759 --> 00:07:15.439 slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the 00:07:15.439 --> 00:07:18.860 other also. Now, the slap on the face, I was 00:07:18.860 --> 00:07:21.540 going to have somebody come, let me give an example 00:07:21.540 --> 00:07:25.220 of what this looks like, but the slap on the 00:07:25.220 --> 00:07:28.480 face has always been a form of humiliation. I've 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:30.500 heard many men say over the years that they'd 00:07:30.500 --> 00:07:33.120 rather me just curl up my fist and knock them 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:36.459 square in the mouth than have them be slapped 00:07:36.459 --> 00:07:40.990 in the face. It was humiliating. It was humiliating 00:07:40.990 --> 00:07:43.730 in Jesus's day just as it's humiliating today. 00:07:43.949 --> 00:07:46.350 What Jesus is saying is that we need to learn 00:07:46.350 --> 00:07:50.569 to show God's grace to those who humiliate us, 00:07:50.910 --> 00:07:54.050 to those who persecute us, to those who hurt 00:07:54.050 --> 00:07:58.629 us. One summer evening a weary truck driver pulled 00:07:58.629 --> 00:08:01.750 into an all -night truck stop and as you can 00:08:01.750 --> 00:08:05.470 imagine he was tired and he was hungry. The waitress 00:08:05.470 --> 00:08:08.970 had just served three tough -looking, leather 00:08:08.970 --> 00:08:12.670 -jacketed motorcyclists, and these men decided 00:08:12.670 --> 00:08:16.310 to give this truck driver a hard time. Not only 00:08:16.310 --> 00:08:18.569 did they verbally abuse him, but one of them 00:08:18.569 --> 00:08:22.129 just snatched his hamburger off his plate. Another 00:08:22.129 --> 00:08:24.829 one grabbed a handful of French fries. The third 00:08:24.829 --> 00:08:26.730 one grabbed his cup of coffee and started to 00:08:26.730 --> 00:08:29.769 drink it. I mean, put yourself in that situation. 00:08:30.250 --> 00:08:32.950 How do you think the trucker responded? How would 00:08:32.950 --> 00:08:36.549 you respond in that moment? Well, this trucker 00:08:36.549 --> 00:08:39.870 did not respond as one might expect. Instead, 00:08:39.970 --> 00:08:43.549 he calmly rose, he picked up his check, he walked 00:08:43.549 --> 00:08:46.929 to the front of the room, put the check and his 00:08:46.929 --> 00:08:49.029 money on the counter and then went out the door. 00:08:50.129 --> 00:08:52.629 The waitress followed him to put the money in 00:08:52.629 --> 00:08:54.950 the register and she just kind of stood there 00:08:54.950 --> 00:08:57.470 for a moment and watched him as that big old 00:08:57.470 --> 00:09:01.350 truck drove into the night. When she returned, 00:09:01.429 --> 00:09:03.899 one of the men said to her, well, he's not much 00:09:03.899 --> 00:09:07.059 of a man, is he? Pretty cowardly, had nothing 00:09:07.059 --> 00:09:10.019 to say, not much of a man. And she replied, I 00:09:10.019 --> 00:09:12.399 don't know about that, but he sure isn't much 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:15.240 of a truck driver either. He just ran over three 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:19.200 motorcycles on his way out of the parking lot. 00:09:21.539 --> 00:09:24.759 Now, while these guys did not physically slap 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:28.610 this truck driver, they did humiliate him. His 00:09:28.610 --> 00:09:31.649 actions were what most of us would want to do, 00:09:31.769 --> 00:09:34.509 right? Maybe in our minds we even applauded what 00:09:34.509 --> 00:09:36.830 the truck driver did. Yeah, that makes sense. 00:09:36.889 --> 00:09:39.730 I would do that. Jesus says that when people 00:09:39.730 --> 00:09:43.370 try to humiliate you, when they try to persecute 00:09:43.370 --> 00:09:47.090 you, just turn the other cheek. Show to others 00:09:47.090 --> 00:09:50.529 the grace that God has shown to you. Now as disciples 00:09:50.529 --> 00:09:54.950 of Jesus, we are called to endure pain, but not 00:09:54.950 --> 00:09:58.620 inflict it. We're called to suffer but not make 00:09:58.620 --> 00:10:02.419 others suffer. In Deuteronomy 32 the Lord says 00:10:02.419 --> 00:10:08.779 vengeance is mine. I will repay. Now in the moment 00:10:08.779 --> 00:10:11.899 that we have been humiliated or hurt we have 00:10:11.899 --> 00:10:15.019 a hard time believing that verse don't we. We 00:10:15.019 --> 00:10:17.860 want to take matters into our own hands. We want 00:10:17.860 --> 00:10:20.080 to make sure that we are the last to get the 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:22.940 word in. But when it comes to the issue of revenge, 00:10:23.240 --> 00:10:26.460 it is once again an opportunity to decide whether 00:10:26.460 --> 00:10:30.019 or not you trust the Lord. Earlier here in the 00:10:30.019 --> 00:10:32.360 Sermon on the Mount, in what we call the Beatitudes, 00:10:33.100 --> 00:10:35.779 Jesus told his disciples that they should be 00:10:35.779 --> 00:10:39.440 happy in their persecutions. In verse 10, it 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:41.940 says, blessed are those who are persecuted for 00:10:41.940 --> 00:10:44.879 righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:48.570 of heaven. When you are slapped, Jesus says, 00:10:48.950 --> 00:10:52.149 turn the other cheek or to put it another way, 00:10:52.470 --> 00:10:55.929 show the person who's trying to humiliate you 00:10:55.929 --> 00:11:00.149 the same grace that God has shown you. I mean, 00:11:00.190 --> 00:11:02.129 we see this in the life of Jesus all over the 00:11:02.129 --> 00:11:05.110 place. He could have easily overthrown the government 00:11:05.110 --> 00:11:09.100 that was trying to kill him. He could have multiple 00:11:09.100 --> 00:11:12.399 times put the Pharisees in their place. He was 00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:17.059 humiliated on multiple occasions and yet he still 00:11:17.059 --> 00:11:21.279 chose the cross because he trusted that his father 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:24.899 was going to win the war. You might lose a few 00:11:24.899 --> 00:11:29.299 battles, but remember that vengeance belongs 00:11:29.299 --> 00:11:33.559 to the Lord. Those who are persecuted for righteousness 00:11:33.559 --> 00:11:37.220 are blessed. Then we move on in verse 40. Jesus 00:11:37.220 --> 00:11:40.299 addresses our obsession with possessions. He 00:11:40.299 --> 00:11:42.700 says, if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, 00:11:42.860 --> 00:11:47.000 let him have your cloak as well. Jesus is teaching 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:49.960 in that passage that possessions are not what 00:11:49.960 --> 00:11:53.700 matter. Possessions do not matter. When he talks 00:11:53.700 --> 00:11:57.879 about someone taking you to court, to take your 00:11:57.879 --> 00:12:01.500 shirt, that's what would happen if someone owed 00:12:01.500 --> 00:12:04.779 a debt that they could not repay. They would 00:12:04.779 --> 00:12:07.700 be taken to court, and if they had no other means 00:12:07.700 --> 00:12:11.299 of restitution, the court could give them the 00:12:11.299 --> 00:12:14.820 shirt or the tunic right off your back. What 00:12:14.820 --> 00:12:18.659 they could not take is your cloak. The cloak 00:12:18.659 --> 00:12:21.539 was what you used to cover yourself during the 00:12:21.539 --> 00:12:24.899 day. It was your blanket at nighttime. Now most 00:12:24.899 --> 00:12:30.220 Jews had only one cloak. Jewish law allowed that 00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:33.600 a man's tunic might be taken as a pledge. but 00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:36.899 not his cloak. In Exodus chapter 22, it says, 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:40.740 if you ever take your neighbor's cloak and pledge, 00:12:41.340 --> 00:12:43.620 you shall return it to him before the sun goes 00:12:43.620 --> 00:12:46.720 down, for that is his only covering. And it is 00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:50.059 his cloak for his body. And what else shall he 00:12:50.059 --> 00:12:55.960 sleep? So a man's cloak was the possession that 00:12:55.960 --> 00:12:58.980 he needed more than anything else in this culture. 00:13:00.330 --> 00:13:05.289 Jesus is saying what's important to you things 00:13:05.289 --> 00:13:09.129 your stuff or your relationship to your fellow 00:13:09.129 --> 00:13:13.669 man giving someone your cloak meant that you 00:13:13.669 --> 00:13:17.429 valued your relationship more than you valued 00:13:17.429 --> 00:13:21.210 your possessions now if you have kids you understand 00:13:21.210 --> 00:13:26.210 this hopefully but my children have cost me a 00:13:26.210 --> 00:13:29.990 lot of money over the years because of things 00:13:29.990 --> 00:13:32.730 they have broken, because of things they have 00:13:32.730 --> 00:13:36.669 ruined, my tools get left outside and rusted 00:13:36.669 --> 00:13:42.389 all the time. I came home yesterday and I find 00:13:42.389 --> 00:13:46.190 my 50 -foot tape measure just laying out in the 00:13:46.190 --> 00:13:51.549 grass for who knows what reason. If we ever go 00:13:51.549 --> 00:13:55.250 on a long road trip, which we do often, If you 00:13:55.250 --> 00:13:58.250 go to the backseat after the road trip, it looks 00:13:58.250 --> 00:14:01.009 like somebody opened up a box of cereal and just 00:14:01.009 --> 00:14:06.870 started shaking it all around. And we didn't 00:14:06.870 --> 00:14:13.990 even bring any cereal. The problem is I can't 00:14:13.990 --> 00:14:18.809 sue them in order to make myself whole. So I 00:14:18.809 --> 00:14:22.429 have a decision to make. Do I ban them from ever 00:14:22.429 --> 00:14:25.929 touching my tools again? Do I ban them from eating 00:14:25.929 --> 00:14:29.970 them in the car anymore? I mean, I could. And 00:14:29.970 --> 00:14:32.990 I have every right because they have proven that 00:14:32.990 --> 00:14:35.450 they can't be trusted to take care of our things. 00:14:36.629 --> 00:14:40.509 But my relationship with them is more important 00:14:40.509 --> 00:14:43.470 than the things that they have ruined. I'm going 00:14:43.470 --> 00:14:47.870 to give them enough things to be bitter about 00:14:47.870 --> 00:14:52.330 with me throughout their whole life. I never 00:14:52.330 --> 00:14:56.090 want them to think that the things that I own 00:14:56.090 --> 00:14:59.429 are more valuable than they are to me. As disciples 00:14:59.429 --> 00:15:03.070 of Jesus, we need to always value the relationship 00:15:03.070 --> 00:15:08.529 over things. Do your possessions define you? 00:15:09.629 --> 00:15:12.289 Or does your relationship with Jesus and your 00:15:12.289 --> 00:15:16.620 fellow man define you? Would you be willing to 00:15:16.620 --> 00:15:18.879 give up your possession or possessions that are 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:21.779 important in order to show God's grace to your 00:15:21.779 --> 00:15:25.340 fellow man? Are your relationships with your 00:15:25.340 --> 00:15:27.980 neighbor important enough for you to give up 00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:30.220 your most prized possession in order to help 00:15:30.220 --> 00:15:35.000 them? Jesus says not only are we to give people 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:38.860 the shirt off our backs We're to give them our 00:15:38.860 --> 00:15:43.960 entire wardrobe What defines you? Then Jesus 00:15:43.960 --> 00:15:46.179 moves on in verse 41. He teaches another principle 00:15:46.179 --> 00:15:49.019 for us to live by He says if a soldier demands 00:15:49.019 --> 00:15:51.480 that you carry his gear for a mile carry it two 00:15:51.480 --> 00:15:55.960 miles Now this was very familiar to Jesus's listeners 00:15:55.960 --> 00:16:00.299 the Roman occupiers of Israel Had a law that 00:16:00.299 --> 00:16:04.179 said a if a Roman soldier told you to carry his 00:16:04.179 --> 00:16:07.639 pack for him You were obligated to carry that 00:16:07.639 --> 00:16:13.470 pack for one mile now a mile in Rome was 1 ,000 00:16:13.470 --> 00:16:17.850 paces. A pace is determined by how many times 00:16:17.850 --> 00:16:21.750 your left foot hits the ground. So every two 00:16:21.750 --> 00:16:26.009 steps was a pace. It's a little shorter than 00:16:26.009 --> 00:16:28.370 what we would consider a mile, a little shorter 00:16:28.370 --> 00:16:32.549 than 5 ,280 feet. The Jewish people hated this 00:16:32.549 --> 00:16:35.610 law. It was demeaning to them. Most would have 00:16:35.610 --> 00:16:39.120 gone in all directions from their home and marked 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:41.679 out all the different mile markers. And whenever 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:43.440 they got to one of their mile markers, because 00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:46.639 they've been forced to carry a Roman soldier's 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:48.700 stuff, they would drop it and they wouldn't even 00:16:48.700 --> 00:16:52.759 move it one more inch. Jesus's point here is 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:56.080 be willing to go and be above and beyond the 00:16:56.080 --> 00:16:58.940 call of duty in order to demonstrate God's love 00:16:58.940 --> 00:17:03.539 and generosity. Do more than the minimum. In 00:17:03.539 --> 00:17:05.740 context of this verse, we need to understand 00:17:05.740 --> 00:17:08.900 what Jesus is saying to his disciples. What he's 00:17:08.900 --> 00:17:13.420 saying is the first mile is our duty. What is 00:17:13.420 --> 00:17:17.920 expected of us, we should do. Now I used to work 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:21.140 for an electrician. And so we had a crew of guys 00:17:21.140 --> 00:17:24.079 that would go out and do a variety of jobs every 00:17:24.079 --> 00:17:27.299 single day. Sometimes it'd be a remodeled home, 00:17:27.380 --> 00:17:29.440 sometimes it'd be new construction, other times 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:31.799 it might be that we need to go and help diagnose 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:34.640 whatever problem they were having. Now I don't 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:36.779 know if you know this or not, but electricians 00:17:36.779 --> 00:17:41.619 have a reputation of being messy. There's this 00:17:41.619 --> 00:17:45.480 mindset amongst electricians that you hired me 00:17:45.480 --> 00:17:49.359 to fix your power, not clean up the mess. And 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:52.140 so if I get drywall dust on your floor because 00:17:52.140 --> 00:17:55.019 I had to drill a hole to fix your problem Then 00:17:55.019 --> 00:17:59.140 you can clean up the dust Now I worked with a 00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:04.259 guy that lived his life this way If we were getting 00:18:04.259 --> 00:18:08.980 paid by the job and not the hour We would get 00:18:08.980 --> 00:18:11.480 the job done, but he would leave the mess behind 00:18:12.049 --> 00:18:15.210 If we were getting paid by the hour and not the 00:18:15.210 --> 00:18:17.029 job that was the cleanest work site you've ever 00:18:17.029 --> 00:18:19.670 seen in your life Because he was getting paid 00:18:19.670 --> 00:18:27.829 to actually do that His name Was Dustin and he 00:18:27.829 --> 00:18:30.029 would always say this whenever he get in trouble 00:18:30.029 --> 00:18:32.410 for not cleaning up He would always say Dustin 00:18:32.410 --> 00:18:39.000 ain't going to be doing no Dustin What the point 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:41.940 of this text is the first mile is your duty. 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:46.740 But the second mile is your calling. This is 00:18:46.740 --> 00:18:50.500 a call to do more than the minimum. More than 00:18:50.500 --> 00:18:52.859 just doing what you're paid to do. Doing more 00:18:52.859 --> 00:18:55.119 than what is required of you. Now I'm afraid 00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:58.319 that many Christians in our churches today only 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:02.220 want to go the first mile. They hear the words 00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:06.170 of Jesus Christ. They accept the sacrifice that 00:19:06.170 --> 00:19:10.230 He gave up for them on Calvary. They are true 00:19:10.230 --> 00:19:13.109 believers and yet they are not willing to go 00:19:13.109 --> 00:19:16.210 the extra mile for Jesus. They come to church, 00:19:16.309 --> 00:19:20.089 but they don't serve. They're kind and loving 00:19:20.089 --> 00:19:23.650 to people as long as they agree with them, but 00:19:23.650 --> 00:19:25.609 they have no patience for those who are hard 00:19:25.609 --> 00:19:29.250 to get along with. We accept Jesus Christ as 00:19:29.250 --> 00:19:33.279 our Savior. and just sit down and not go the 00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:35.480 extra mile that Jesus is talking about here in 00:19:35.480 --> 00:19:39.180 this text. The Bible tells us that we were created 00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:41.980 for good works. In Ephesians chapter 2 verse 00:19:41.980 --> 00:19:44.759 8 it says, for by grace you have been saved through 00:19:44.759 --> 00:19:47.640 faith. And this is not your own doing. It is 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:50.759 the gift of God, not a result of works so that 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:53.660 no one may boast. for we are his workmanship, 00:19:54.140 --> 00:19:56.880 created in Christ Jesus for good works, which 00:19:56.880 --> 00:20:00.519 God prepared beforehand that we should walk in 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:04.200 them." Now we love to quote this scripture, right? 00:20:04.519 --> 00:20:06.940 We love to quote this scripture in regards to 00:20:06.940 --> 00:20:10.509 salvation, and we should. These passages give 00:20:10.509 --> 00:20:13.950 us a definition of grace. It's God's unmerited 00:20:13.950 --> 00:20:17.329 favor. It says right here that our salvation 00:20:17.329 --> 00:20:20.769 is a gift from God. You can't work for it, you 00:20:20.769 --> 00:20:24.970 can't earn it, but we tend to overlook that sentence 00:20:24.970 --> 00:20:27.750 where it says that we were created new, that 00:20:27.750 --> 00:20:30.089 we are His workmanship, that we were created 00:20:30.089 --> 00:20:34.539 for good works. That's the extra mile. There's 00:20:34.539 --> 00:20:37.740 more than just the acceptance of this gracious 00:20:37.740 --> 00:20:41.740 gift of God. He has plans for you. He has plans 00:20:41.740 --> 00:20:44.819 for me. And we need to be willing to do more 00:20:44.819 --> 00:20:49.980 than just the minimum. Now, I was told earlier 00:20:49.980 --> 00:20:52.319 that I got this wrong, but apparently parent 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:54.059 -teacher conferences were last week. I thought 00:20:54.059 --> 00:20:58.500 it was this week. It is this week? OK, good. 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:01.880 But anyway, we have parent -teacher conferences. 00:21:02.359 --> 00:21:05.380 coming up for the schools. It's an opportunity 00:21:05.380 --> 00:21:09.359 for us as parents to go visit our kids' teachers 00:21:09.359 --> 00:21:11.980 and see how they're doing when we're not around. 00:21:13.299 --> 00:21:15.460 Making sure they're behaving themselves. Now 00:21:15.460 --> 00:21:19.039 as a parent, I'm not as concerned about their 00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:22.220 grades because I can see those online. I can 00:21:22.220 --> 00:21:24.259 see where they're missing things. I can see what 00:21:24.259 --> 00:21:26.299 they did on tests. I can see all of that thing. 00:21:26.519 --> 00:21:29.339 What I am concerned most about is their behavior. 00:21:30.849 --> 00:21:35.150 Are they reflecting who we have raised them to 00:21:35.150 --> 00:21:39.990 be? If we hear from the teachers that my kids 00:21:39.990 --> 00:21:43.150 are smart and they're very capable, but they 00:21:43.150 --> 00:21:46.190 only seem to do the bare minimum. We're going 00:21:46.190 --> 00:21:48.930 to have a talk after. We're going to have a sit 00:21:48.930 --> 00:21:51.490 down conversation with our children afterwards. 00:21:51.690 --> 00:21:54.950 It's hard to be successful when all you put forth 00:21:54.950 --> 00:21:58.500 is the bare minimum. Now I don't think any Well, 00:21:58.500 --> 00:22:00.319 maybe not any, but I don't think many parents 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:03.839 would have a sense of pride if that was the report 00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:07.700 they got from their teachers. Look at us. Our 00:22:07.700 --> 00:22:12.000 kids are just barely getting by. I mean, they 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:14.420 are hitting that low bar. They're crushing it, 00:22:14.460 --> 00:22:16.920 right? I don't think we take a lot of pride in 00:22:16.920 --> 00:22:20.119 those things. So if I have those expectations 00:22:20.119 --> 00:22:23.500 on my kids, why wouldn't I have the same expectations 00:22:23.500 --> 00:22:27.269 on myself? We were created for good works that 00:22:27.269 --> 00:22:31.630 God has already prepared for you. How can you 00:22:31.630 --> 00:22:34.750 go the extra mile this week once you're off the 00:22:34.750 --> 00:22:38.390 clock? How can you go the extra mile when people 00:22:38.390 --> 00:22:42.230 are hurting? How can you show the grace and generosity 00:22:42.230 --> 00:22:45.990 that Jesus has shown to you? Go the extra mile. 00:22:46.170 --> 00:22:49.369 It's your calling. Finally, in verse 42, we give 00:22:49.369 --> 00:22:51.730 to the one who begs from you and do not refuse 00:22:51.730 --> 00:22:55.339 the one who would borrow from you. What Jesus 00:22:55.339 --> 00:23:00.240 is saying is don't let your money be a hindrance. 00:23:00.900 --> 00:23:04.039 Now the argument could be the verse that's in 00:23:04.039 --> 00:23:06.400 second Thessalonians that says if a man is unwilling 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:11.859 to work let him not eat. And we do need to be 00:23:11.859 --> 00:23:14.220 wise with the money that God gives us. But that 00:23:14.220 --> 00:23:16.559 is not the point Jesus is making in this text. 00:23:17.380 --> 00:23:20.920 This is a culture. this moment. This is a culture 00:23:20.920 --> 00:23:24.299 that created somewhat of a caste system for people 00:23:24.299 --> 00:23:27.859 that were considered sinners. If you were a leper 00:23:27.859 --> 00:23:31.039 you were banished outside the city and the people 00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:35.079 were told to avoid you. If you were blind they 00:23:35.079 --> 00:23:37.680 believed that it was because of your sin or your 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:41.140 family's sin and you were looked down upon. So 00:23:41.140 --> 00:23:43.980 even in this culture if you were willing to work 00:23:43.980 --> 00:23:48.109 the Jewish culture wouldn't let you. So they 00:23:48.109 --> 00:23:51.670 ended up becoming beggars. What Jesus is saying 00:23:51.670 --> 00:23:54.109 is not to give your money away to people who 00:23:54.109 --> 00:23:58.529 are too lazy to put in today's work, but instead 00:23:58.529 --> 00:24:01.369 be open handed with what you have received from 00:24:01.369 --> 00:24:05.640 the Lord. The Jews didn't understand this. They 00:24:05.640 --> 00:24:07.680 looked for ways to hold on to their resources. 00:24:08.119 --> 00:24:11.799 They created a whole system of laws against people 00:24:11.799 --> 00:24:14.579 so they wouldn't have to give to the poor and 00:24:14.579 --> 00:24:17.180 give to the needy. And if they did help somebody, 00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:19.779 what happened a lot of times is they just made 00:24:19.779 --> 00:24:22.299 them their slaves until the debt could be paid 00:24:22.299 --> 00:24:26.500 off. It would be like me not allowing my children 00:24:26.500 --> 00:24:29.180 to move out of my house until they pay me back 00:24:29.180 --> 00:24:31.519 the hundreds of thousands of dollars that I've 00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:34.339 invested in them in their food and their shelter 00:24:34.339 --> 00:24:37.940 and their clothing and medical care Like from 00:24:37.940 --> 00:24:39.819 the moment. I just started keeping a tab from 00:24:39.819 --> 00:24:42.420 the moment. They were born They say once you 00:24:42.420 --> 00:24:44.640 get these hundred thousand dollars paid off, 00:24:44.640 --> 00:24:47.599 then you can move out of my house They couldn't 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:49.599 earn any money themselves, but now they have 00:24:49.599 --> 00:24:53.440 to pay me back The heart of this text is how 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:56.039 we are supposed to treat others and how we are 00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:58.660 supposed to view the resources that God has given 00:24:58.660 --> 00:25:02.519 us. Not only are we not to be hindered in our 00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:04.700 giving, but we should also expect nothing in 00:25:04.700 --> 00:25:09.539 return. We give away a lot of money here at the 00:25:09.539 --> 00:25:11.059 church through our Deacon Fund. Every single 00:25:11.059 --> 00:25:14.500 month we give out some money. And we collect 00:25:14.500 --> 00:25:16.319 thousands of dollars every single month from 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:19.119 you. And we put it in the checking account. And 00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:20.900 as needs come up throughout the week, we give 00:25:20.900 --> 00:25:22.799 away thousands of dollars every single month. 00:25:24.319 --> 00:25:27.039 And there's been many times that somebody will 00:25:27.039 --> 00:25:29.480 say, I'm going to pay you back. I'm just in a 00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:32.599 tough spot right now. I lost my job. I can't 00:25:32.599 --> 00:25:37.660 pay my mortgage. I'll pay you back. And if they 00:25:37.660 --> 00:25:42.319 do, that's great. But it's not expected. We don't 00:25:42.319 --> 00:25:45.160 ever give away money expecting it to be returned. 00:25:45.500 --> 00:25:48.539 We want to be wise and generous with the resources 00:25:48.539 --> 00:25:53.099 that God gives us. The burden of this passage 00:25:53.099 --> 00:25:57.140 is that Christ will not tolerate tight -fisted 00:25:57.140 --> 00:26:00.480 penny -pinching attitude which could be interpreted 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:04.460 as a legalistic attitude as in an eye for an 00:26:04.460 --> 00:26:07.640 eye. If you give me this, then what do I get 00:26:07.640 --> 00:26:10.819 in return? If I help you out with this, then 00:26:10.819 --> 00:26:13.480 how are you going to help me out later? For those 00:26:13.480 --> 00:26:16.619 of us who have been transformed by the love of 00:26:16.619 --> 00:26:19.819 Christ, we must not ask ourselves what's in it 00:26:19.819 --> 00:26:24.720 for me. What can I get out of it? Instead, we 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:29.180 must ask how can I bless with the money that 00:26:29.180 --> 00:26:32.579 God has entrusted with me? How can I show that 00:26:32.579 --> 00:26:35.559 my trust is in the Lord and not in my savings 00:26:35.559 --> 00:26:38.920 account? So the question I have this morning 00:26:38.920 --> 00:26:44.579 is, is what if you were to have a parent -teacher 00:26:44.579 --> 00:26:50.460 conference with Jesus about your effort? Could 00:26:50.460 --> 00:26:53.220 you say to him that you went the extra mile? 00:26:54.200 --> 00:26:56.599 That you did the good things that he had planned 00:26:56.599 --> 00:27:02.039 for you? Or would he say to you, you should have 00:27:02.039 --> 00:27:04.380 gone the extra mile. You should have done more. 00:27:05.220 --> 00:27:09.130 You just did the minimum. Jesus says be strong 00:27:09.130 --> 00:27:14.589 when people try to humiliate you. What would 00:27:14.589 --> 00:27:18.049 your grade be? How have you been a witness in 00:27:18.049 --> 00:27:22.009 those moments? He tells us not to let our possessions 00:27:22.009 --> 00:27:28.170 define us. What would your grade be on that question? 00:27:29.309 --> 00:27:32.630 Give graciously. Go the extra mile for the Lord. 00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:37.039 The main point of this text is showing us how 00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:42.220 we are to treat others and to remind us how we 00:27:42.220 --> 00:27:49.980 are to trust the Lord. Vengeance is his. So I'm 00:27:49.980 --> 00:27:51.460 going to pray for us. We're going to invite the 00:27:51.460 --> 00:27:55.859 worship team to come lead us in another song. 00:27:57.099 --> 00:27:59.180 And I don't know what your heart is on this. 00:27:59.259 --> 00:28:04.019 I don't know where your heart is on this. But 00:28:04.019 --> 00:28:09.700 as we worship and as we sing, maybe you'll just 00:28:09.700 --> 00:28:12.519 pray that the Lord would reveal where you're 00:28:12.519 --> 00:28:16.140 failing to trust Him and where you're failing 00:28:16.140 --> 00:28:24.859 to represent Him well and be better. Let's pray. 00:28:25.359 --> 00:28:27.400 Father, I pray right now that as we close our 00:28:27.400 --> 00:28:32.599 service this morning, I pray, Father, that Your 00:28:32.599 --> 00:28:35.000 Holy Spirit will just move freely in this place. 00:28:37.960 --> 00:28:41.200 I thank You for the words of Jesus on that mountainside. 00:28:45.480 --> 00:28:47.279 I thank You that He's always after our hearts 00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:51.299 and not after our actions. I pray to God that 00:28:51.299 --> 00:28:56.119 You will just empower us with Your Spirit, that 00:28:56.119 --> 00:28:57.920 You will change us, that You will convict us, 00:28:57.920 --> 00:29:00.809 that You will... Remind us of how good and gracious 00:29:00.809 --> 00:29:02.490 you have been to us and help us show that to 00:29:02.490 --> 00:29:07.089 others. I pray God that you have your way in 00:29:07.089 --> 00:29:08.930 this place, in this moment. It's in Jesus' name 00:29:08.930 --> 00:29:10.150 I pray. Amen.