1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:17,000 There are times in the scriptures where we read the words of Jesus and we're kind of 2 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:25,580 awestruck or maybe just left amazed, scratching our heads and wondering is he really saying 3 00:00:25,580 --> 00:00:27,360 what he is saying? 4 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:31,760 Admittedly, some of the words of our Lord are very tough. 5 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:39,000 I think this passage, if we take it seriously, is one that just absolutely levels us. 6 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:43,400 Beginning in verse 38, the Lord Jesus speaking to that great crowd who had gathered on that 7 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:51,360 day, he said, you have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 8 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:53,880 He's quoting the law. 9 00:00:53,880 --> 00:01:02,760 What I tell you, not to resist an evil person, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, 10 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:05,400 turn the other to him also. 11 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:11,520 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, that's your inner garment, let him 12 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:15,680 have your cloak or your coat, the outer garment as well. 13 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:24,400 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him too. 14 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:29,560 From him who wants to borrow from you, do not turn away. 15 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:31,600 Let's pray. 16 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:35,520 Father, help us. 17 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:40,520 For Jesus has spoken, he's the king of his kingdom and this is the ethic. 18 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:43,800 God give grace this morning, we pray in Jesus' name. 19 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:44,800 Amen. 20 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:49,880 This text this morning is very familiar and it's also very misunderstood. 21 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:56,520 It was actually upon this particular text that the famed Rushland novelist Leo Tolstoy 22 00:01:56,520 --> 00:02:00,520 based his famous novel, War and Peace. 23 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:07,580 As Tolstoy was reading this, he believed that nonviolence was the only way to ultimate peace 24 00:02:07,580 --> 00:02:09,360 and justice. 25 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,520 This was a utopia, is what he was looking for. 26 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:18,800 And he saw in this particular passage our text, a support for his view. 27 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:24,720 So now my aim this morning is to look at exactly what our Lord was teaching or spousing and 28 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,080 what he was not espousing. 29 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:32,480 As always, it is imperative that we keep in mind the context and remember where we are 30 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:34,680 in the scriptures. 31 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,680 This is based on part of the Sermon on the Mount. 32 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:42,560 Our Lord is preaching there on that great mountain to a group of his followers and he 33 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:47,200 was letting them know what life in his kingdom looks like. 34 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:53,720 So the sermon, Matthew 5, 6, and 7, is an exposition of kingdom living. 35 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:55,040 And we know how it began. 36 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:59,320 Before anything ever the Lord starts telling what his kingdom is like, he pronounces a 37 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:05,400 blessing upon his people and we looked at that for a few months, verses 3 through 11. 38 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:09,880 These are the type of people, he said, are inheriting the kingdom. 39 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:16,040 Now it is of utmost importance to remember those blessed people, the Beatitudes, are 40 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:20,120 not the way that one enters into the kingdom. 41 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:26,200 They simply describe the person who is already in the kingdom. 42 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:31,400 His kingdom, the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, all are synonyms. 43 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:38,560 They are made up of this type of people, poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are 44 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:45,440 meek and that will be very important today, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, 45 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:52,840 those who are merciful, the pure in heart, those who are peacemakers, and those who are 46 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:57,000 willing to be persecuted for the sake of righteousness. 47 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:02,760 Now at the very same time that our Lord was telling his disciples about life and his kingdom, 48 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:08,840 he was also using this opportunity to expose the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of 49 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:10,360 his day. 50 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:15,920 Jesus was very upset with the religious leaders, particularly the Pharisees, because they had 51 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:21,000 so perverted and twisted and maligned the law of God. 52 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:22,560 They were hypocrites. 53 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:24,480 They were duplicitous hypocrites. 54 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:25,720 And here's why they were. 55 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:31,520 They prided themselves on their devotion to God's law, yet they never considered its true 56 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:32,640 intention. 57 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:36,360 They only wanted to look at the letter of the law and never the spirit that lay behind 58 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:37,760 the law. 59 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:43,560 Moreover, these same religious leaders, they gave incredible weight to the rabbinic traditions 60 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:48,600 that had been handed down through the generations, which also had twisted and misinterpreted 61 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:50,720 the law of God. 62 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:55,640 And because they had twisted it, they were now teaching a perverted view of it. 63 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:57,400 So our Lord has had enough. 64 00:04:57,400 --> 00:04:59,440 He's tired of the hypocrisy. 65 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:04,800 In verse 20, he tells everyone listening to him, he said, unless your righteousness goes 66 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:10,960 beyond that of the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter into the 67 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,640 kingdom of God. 68 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:15,900 That's a strong statement. 69 00:05:15,900 --> 00:05:20,720 You don't enter into God's kingdom without a righteousness that is greater than the religious 70 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:22,940 leaders of his day. 71 00:05:22,940 --> 00:05:26,920 He goes on to give six examples of what he was talking about. 72 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:29,680 And four of those we've already looked at. 73 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:37,600 Today in our text is the fifth example of how God demands that our righteousness surpass 74 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:40,600 that of the scribes and Pharisees. 75 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:42,760 And it's a hard text. 76 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:49,800 Today the Lord is going to speak about what does a believer do when he is personally wronged. 77 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:51,180 You were done wrong. 78 00:05:51,180 --> 00:05:52,180 That's the backdrop. 79 00:05:52,180 --> 00:05:58,360 Now, John MacArthur, he says, probably no part, go to the next slide, probably no part 80 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:03,960 of the Sermon on the Mount has been so misinterpreted and misapplied as this one. 81 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:08,040 It has been interpreted to mean that Christians are to be sanctimonious doormats. 82 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:14,080 It has been used to promote pacifism, conscientious objection to military service, lawlessness, 83 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:18,000 anarchy and a host of other positions that it does not support. 84 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:19,360 I would agree with him. 85 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:26,080 A lot has happened or been based upon this text that the text cannot and does not support. 86 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:27,080 So what does it say? 87 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:29,000 Well, let's go back and look at it. 88 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:35,080 You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 89 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:36,920 Now this did not originate with God's law. 90 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:40,320 You can go find it in the Babylonians even to the law of Hammurabi. 91 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:44,960 It is known as the lex talianus, lex law talon claw. 92 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,080 It's the law of the claw, lex talianus. 93 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:55,680 And here's what it refers to, the legal principle of exact retaliation. 94 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:58,920 Now we're going to explain this before we understand what Jesus is saying. 95 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:01,760 Now this is found in the scriptures on three different occasions. 96 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:02,960 You find this law. 97 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:06,080 The most extensive is in Exodus 21. 98 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:10,320 If men fight and they hurt a woman or child, so you have a pregnant lady, so that she gives 99 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:16,240 birth prematurely, yet the baby's fine, no harm follows, he shall be punished accordingly 100 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:21,840 as the woman's husband imposes on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. 101 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:23,280 That's an important part. 102 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:30,080 But if any harm follows, meaning the child dies, then you will give life for life, eye 103 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:35,760 for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, 104 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:36,760 stripe for stripe. 105 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:39,000 Okay, that's the first place. 106 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,480 In Leviticus, we see it again. 107 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:47,120 If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor as he has done, so shall be done to him. 108 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:49,840 Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. 109 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:54,200 As he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall be done to him. 110 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:57,200 Then the other place is in Deuteronomy 19. 111 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:01,560 Your eye shall not pity, life shall be for life. 112 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:05,960 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. 113 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:08,360 This was the lex talianus. 114 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:12,800 It's an ancient law code, and what is it requiring? 115 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:15,960 It's requiring that the punishment fit the crime. 116 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:18,520 We might say a quid pro quo. 117 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:22,160 The purpose of the law, and I get this, this is so important or we'll miss it. 118 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:29,800 The purpose of this law was to control excessive retaliation or excessive punishment. 119 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:35,940 The punishment that was meted out was to be meted out by judges, a court system, not by 120 00:08:35,940 --> 00:08:38,080 individuals who had been wronged. 121 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:41,160 It's not as though if you take my eye out, I can come and take yours out. 122 00:08:41,160 --> 00:08:42,600 That's not what the law said. 123 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:49,440 The law was not designed in any way to encourage retaliation, but to limit it. 124 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:53,920 But the religious leaders of Jesus' day had so perverted these scriptures and twisted 125 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:58,640 them that they used them as a justification for revenge. 126 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:01,600 Now we look back at the law. 127 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:02,680 God knew man was sinful. 128 00:09:02,680 --> 00:09:04,100 He knew his heart was sinful. 129 00:09:04,100 --> 00:09:11,680 He knew that his actions needed to be limited or curbed, especially when he was done wrong 130 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:13,680 and he would want to retaliate. 131 00:09:13,680 --> 00:09:20,160 So God gave this law to control anger, violence, and a desire for personal revenge. 132 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:23,680 The law did say eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, et cetera. 133 00:09:23,680 --> 00:09:28,960 So example, let's say if I caused you to lose your eye in some way through a fight or an 134 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:33,400 accident, you could not come and immediately take off my hand. 135 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:35,640 You could not come and kill me for it. 136 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:40,800 Rather, you would take the case, go before the magistrates, go before the courts, and 137 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:46,960 the magistrates would then issue a just penalty, but it could not go beyond. 138 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:50,400 If I had taken your eye, you don't get a cut off my arm. 139 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:52,520 It's eye for eye. 140 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:58,000 And this also was designed so that you don't take justice into your own hands. 141 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:02,240 You don't exact personal retribution. 142 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:07,120 The law never said, let me just say this, the law never said or demands it has to be 143 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:11,520 an eye for an eye, but it couldn't go beyond that. 144 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:15,840 So it couldn't be a life for an eye or a hand for a tooth. 145 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:17,600 They wouldn't allow you to do that. 146 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:21,560 So again, if someone lost an eye, it didn't mean that the assailant then automatically 147 00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:25,080 got his eye gouged out. 148 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,620 Usually you can go through the Old Testament, usually there were financial compensations 149 00:10:28,620 --> 00:10:31,000 attached to each of these things. 150 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:34,200 Because a lot of it was done in a fight or done in an accident. 151 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:37,960 So if I call Shane to lose his eye, Shane takes me to court, they don't necessarily 152 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:40,800 take out my eye because that's not going to help Shane. 153 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:44,800 They're going to attach a financial compensation that I have to give to Shane that would be 154 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:47,440 commensurate with losing an eye. 155 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:50,120 Now why is this important? 156 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:56,420 The whole purpose of this law was to maintain order and justice. 157 00:10:56,420 --> 00:11:02,200 But the Pharisees, the religious leaders of Jesus day, they turned it upside down. 158 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:06,080 They made it a matter of personal vigilante justice. 159 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:10,200 You take my eye out, well now I have mandate to take yours out. 160 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:11,200 Eye for eye, right? 161 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:12,200 Tooth for tooth. 162 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:16,280 You punch me in the ass when it's on tooth, you're getting yours knocked out, buddy. 163 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:18,800 That's not what the law ever said. 164 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:21,480 The law was meant to curb all of that. 165 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:22,900 Two things that the law did. 166 00:11:22,900 --> 00:11:25,200 First of all, it was used as a deterrent. 167 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:31,200 When evil is punished speedily and appropriately, it serves as a deterrent to keep people from 168 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:33,620 doing evil and harming others. 169 00:11:33,620 --> 00:11:36,280 We could learn something from this again today. 170 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:40,760 This is how you maintain order and justice in a fallen society. 171 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:43,600 Punishment fits the crime and punishment is meted out speedily. 172 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,960 I think that's one of the problems that people have in the school system today. 173 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:48,680 Teachers' hands are tied, administration's hands are tied. 174 00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:50,400 There's not a lot of deterrent. 175 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:52,080 We have a problem here. 176 00:11:52,080 --> 00:12:00,960 Secondly, though, this law was also used to prevent excessive punishment based on personal 177 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:01,960 revenge. 178 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:07,080 So, when man is wrong, because man is sinful, man, we always want to get revenge, right? 179 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:10,560 But when we get revenge, we want to do it in a greater way. 180 00:12:10,560 --> 00:12:11,560 That's the temptation. 181 00:12:11,560 --> 00:12:14,960 It's to hurt them more than they hurt you. 182 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:19,160 And again, this would be the law of the jungle or vigilante justice. 183 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:21,440 And God said no. 184 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:22,920 That's forbidden. 185 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:26,000 You don't just get to take matters into your own hands. 186 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:27,200 There's a court system set up. 187 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:33,360 You have to go before the judges and they issue a punishment that would fit the crime. 188 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:38,200 Martin Lloyd Jones says this, the object of that law was not to urge men to take an eye 189 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:42,720 for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and to insist upon it every time. 190 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:48,560 It was simply meant to avoid the horrible excess, this terrible spirit of revenge and demand 191 00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:52,920 for retribution and to check it and hold it within bounds. 192 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:57,320 Do you see how badly the religious leaders had twisted this? 193 00:12:57,320 --> 00:13:04,200 Because even in the Old Testament, many times you see God encouraging mercy and forgiveness. 194 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:05,200 Because God's the same God. 195 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:06,200 He's always been merciful. 196 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:08,400 He's always been forgiving. 197 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:13,960 In Proverbs 24, we read this, do not say, I will do to him just as he's done to me and 198 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:17,160 I will render to the man according to his work. 199 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:18,640 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, right? 200 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:21,320 The Proverbs says don't do that. 201 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:27,080 Proverbs 25, if your enemy's hungry, give him bread to eat. 202 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:30,080 He's thirsty, give him something to drink. 203 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:33,520 For so you will keep coals of fire on his head and the Lord will reward you. 204 00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:38,480 Now again, this does not mean burning sulfuric rocks are falling on that guy's head. 205 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:42,000 It simply means his conscience is going to bother him. 206 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:47,800 Our God has always encouraged mercy. 207 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:51,160 But fast forward to the Jesus time, you have religious leaders. 208 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:55,520 They were teaching the people and they were using this law that we just read about, but 209 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:57,400 they're perverting it. 210 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:06,000 They said, they insisted it gave them a right, a mandate to exact personal revenge. 211 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:11,800 So in essence, they became their own judge, jury, and executioner. 212 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:12,800 That was forbidden. 213 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:15,960 They missed the whole point. 214 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:19,760 The law said let's restrict retaliatory excess. 215 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:22,600 Let's restrict revenge. 216 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:29,320 So now you have the religious leaders teaching the people, espousing revenge, encouraging 217 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:36,600 vigilante justice, and Jesus our Lord comes with a totally different perspective. 218 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:43,360 Verse 39, I tell you don't resist an evil person, whoever slaps you on your right cheek, 219 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:46,240 turn to the other, turn the other to him also. 220 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:48,720 Now notice it says do not resist an evil person. 221 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:54,160 Again, this is speaking of retaliation in personal conflicts. 222 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:58,520 This does not teach as some claim that evil is not to be resisted at all. 223 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:01,680 The Lord's words are not to be absolutized. 224 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:04,480 He is speaking in rhetorical overstatement. 225 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:09,480 He's using what we know as hyperbole, which is causing us to challenge us in our thinking 226 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:10,480 here. 227 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:13,120 So let me say, he's not addressing any civil matter. 228 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:14,520 He's not addressing the state. 229 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:16,120 He's not addressing the government. 230 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:20,600 So you cannot take this passage, verse 39, and then take from that that we ought to have 231 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:25,880 a national pacifism, that there should be no military, there should be no police force. 232 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:27,040 No. 233 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:28,960 That's not at all what he's saying. 234 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:31,180 That's going way beyond what the text says. 235 00:15:31,180 --> 00:15:34,680 That's an extrapolation that cannot be proven. 236 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:36,120 You don't know what the role of government is. 237 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:37,540 We don't have to wonder about that. 238 00:15:37,540 --> 00:15:42,520 We are told specifically in Romans 13, this is government. 239 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:46,660 Let every soul, that's a you and I, be subject to the governing authorities. 240 00:15:46,660 --> 00:15:49,560 For there is no authority except from God and the authorities that exist are appointed 241 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:51,040 by God. 242 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:56,320 Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God. 243 00:15:56,320 --> 00:16:01,120 And those who resist, yeah, you bring judgment down on your own head. 244 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:05,680 For rulers, look at verse three, for rulers are not a threat or not a terror to good works, 245 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:06,680 but to evil. 246 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:08,880 Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? 247 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:10,280 Well, do what is good. 248 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:12,320 You'll have praise of the same. 249 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:18,240 For he, the authority, the government, is God's minister, servant to you for good. 250 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:21,080 But if you do evil, be afraid. 251 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:23,960 For he, the government, does not bear the sword in vain. 252 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:29,800 Again, he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 253 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:31,760 And we see the same thing in 1 Peter 2. 254 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:34,360 I'm not gonna take the time to read that. 255 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:41,160 The scripture, suffice it to say, clearly teach that government does have the right 256 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:46,160 and the ability to mete out punishment for those who break the law. 257 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:52,160 In fact, God calls the government his minister, his servant. 258 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:55,480 He says it bears his sword. 259 00:16:55,480 --> 00:17:00,440 As long as human hearts continue to be depraved and wicked, the law will always be needed 260 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:02,800 to restrain evil men and evil women. 261 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:07,160 But so our Lord says, well, don't resist an evil person. 262 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,000 He's not talking about an attack on the country. 263 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:15,240 He said, if someone does you wrong personally, you don't then go get revenge on them. 264 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:19,880 You don't seek to then turn to them and do the same thing. 265 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:21,480 This is what Paul taught in Romans 12. 266 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:25,640 Do you remember after Paul takes us through that glorious gospel? 267 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:29,340 And then in chapter 12, he starts to explain the ramifications of the gospel. 268 00:17:29,340 --> 00:17:32,840 He says, repay no one evil for evil. 269 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:36,240 Have regard for good things inside of all men. 270 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:40,760 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 271 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:42,160 Look at verse 9. 272 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:44,760 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves. 273 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:50,280 Don't get revenge, but rather give place to wrath for it is written, vengeance is mine, 274 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:51,280 I will repay. 275 00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:52,280 It is the Lord. 276 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:58,440 Now, Jesus is going to give us four illustrations of this law of non-retaliation. 277 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:02,080 The first one is an attack on your dignity, and this will be hard. 278 00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:05,360 Notice he said, whoever slaps you on your right cheek. 279 00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:07,440 Most of the world is right-handed. 280 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:10,080 So if you're going to be a right-handed man and slap someone on the right cheek, what 281 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:11,080 are you going to do? 282 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:12,080 You're going to backhand them. 283 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:13,560 That's what it's not like. 284 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:17,920 It's not like this, but rather this is one of those things where in all cultures, in 285 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:21,600 all languages, in all places in the world, if you stand before someone and you backhand 286 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:26,200 them across the face, that is an attack to their dignity, isn't it? 287 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:27,200 So demeaning. 288 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:31,640 So this is not a physical attack where you don't defend yourself, or worse yet, where 289 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:35,000 you see your family getting attacked and you don't defend them. 290 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:36,000 Let me just say this. 291 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,720 If you or your family are being physically attacked, you have the moral imperative to 292 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:41,000 defend them. 293 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:43,280 You must do it. 294 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:48,760 But in this verse, the Lord is talking about insults, humiliation. 295 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:49,760 Someone backhands you. 296 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:55,600 It's not a punch in the face, but this is a sign of great disrespect. 297 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:58,280 The backhand was not intended to cause personal harm. 298 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:00,880 You're not going to knock someone out. 299 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:02,500 It's meant to demean. 300 00:19:02,500 --> 00:19:04,760 It's meant to degrade. 301 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:08,040 To the Jews at that time, it was one of the most degrading acts because they felt it was 302 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:10,760 an attack on their honor. 303 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:13,080 It's to be treated with contempt. 304 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:18,560 In fact, slaves would say that they would rather take a whip across the back than to 305 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:21,840 be backhanded in the face. 306 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:24,640 So Jesus said, now listen. 307 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:25,640 Listen church. 308 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:27,040 He's speaking to us. 309 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:31,120 What should we do when we are treated with indignity? 310 00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:40,400 Whether a literal backhand or a figurative backhand, as kingdom citizens, we don't retaliate. 311 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:43,800 He said, turn the other cheek. 312 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:48,440 You and I are not to retaliate in kind when we're treated with contempt or in some degrading 313 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:49,760 way. 314 00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:53,480 In other words, you do not return an insult with an insult. 315 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:55,040 Why not? 316 00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:56,040 Because you're a citizen of heaven. 317 00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:57,040 That's what he's saying. 318 00:19:57,040 --> 00:19:58,040 You belong to heaven. 319 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:05,000 Kent Hughes says, we are to set aside our petty ways of giving even. 320 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:09,840 The kind of living that punishes others by returning their own sins to them. 321 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:12,560 If your spouse is messy, then you say, well, I'm going to leave things messy in return. 322 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:14,560 I'll show them. 323 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:16,280 If your friend is late, you're like, well, I'll tell you what. 324 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:18,840 I'll be late for them next time. 325 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:23,520 In effect, Jesus asked us in turning the other cheek to make the other person and his or 326 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:26,820 her well-being the center of our focus. 327 00:20:26,820 --> 00:20:30,940 We think of them and we adjust our actions according to what we think will point them 328 00:20:30,940 --> 00:20:32,800 to Christ. 329 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:34,240 Wow. 330 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:39,580 The ethic of the kingdom of God is vastly different from man's kingdom. 331 00:20:39,580 --> 00:20:40,580 In man's kingdom, you get even. 332 00:20:40,580 --> 00:20:42,440 They're not going to treat me that way. 333 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:45,320 I don't know who they think they are. 334 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:50,160 But in God's kingdom, blessed are the meek. 335 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:53,440 You allow God to bring justice and he will. 336 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:54,440 J.C. 337 00:20:54,440 --> 00:21:00,240 Ryle says, a readiness to resent injuries, a quickness in taking offense, a quarrelsome 338 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:05,600 and contentious disposition, a keenness in asserting our rights, all are contrary to 339 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:07,080 the mind of Christ. 340 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:11,240 Do you see what the Pharisees were doing? 341 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:12,800 They were saying, hey, you get backhanded. 342 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:15,640 Well, you better backhand them. 343 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:17,680 You don't let someone treat you like that. 344 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:21,480 Now, that's only going to cause things to escalate. 345 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:24,240 Our Lord says, no. 346 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:26,040 You turn the other cheek. 347 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:28,560 Endure that insult. 348 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:30,680 Now, this is not natural. 349 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:32,880 Bruce Hurt says that and I think he said it well. 350 00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:34,280 It is not a natural response. 351 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:35,920 No kidding. 352 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:39,720 It is a supernatural response representing the work of God's spirit in the new heart 353 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:45,520 of a citizen of the kingdom of heaven who is controlled by a gentle, meek spirit that 354 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:50,360 chooses not to respond. 355 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:53,680 When you're done wrong, do you believe that God will avenge that and one day bring all 356 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:54,840 justice to light? 357 00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:59,840 Or do you feel like, no, I better take care of it now? 358 00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:04,480 Friends, we have a tremendous example of this in Christ. 359 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:06,520 One of the evidences, we know he's the divine one. 360 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:08,280 We know he's the son of God and son of man. 361 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:09,280 He's the God man. 362 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:13,440 I look at his character and this amazes me. 363 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:17,200 In 1 Peter 2, Peter says this, for to this you were called. 364 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:23,080 This is you and I, church, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example 365 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:24,320 that you should follow in his steps. 366 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:26,000 What's the example? 367 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:30,040 Who committed no sin nor his deceit found in his mouth. 368 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:37,480 Look at verse 23, who when he was reviled, did not revile in return. 369 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:45,240 When he suffered, he did not threaten, but he committed himself to him who judges righteously. 370 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:52,360 The divine one, the king of heaven, allowed himself to be insulted and degraded and he 371 00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:56,360 never defended his own honor. 372 00:22:56,360 --> 00:22:59,160 He never said, don't you know who I am? 373 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:00,440 He never wore that title. 374 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:05,360 Now, if the name of his father was being abused or blasphemed, then you would see Jesus springing 375 00:23:05,360 --> 00:23:06,360 into action. 376 00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:08,560 Do you remember he goes to the temple and he sees the money changers there and they're 377 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:13,600 making a mockery of all the religious worship there and Jesus drives them out with a whip. 378 00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:17,360 He's upset not for his honor, but for the name of his father. 379 00:23:17,360 --> 00:23:21,160 Do you personally insult him? 380 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:22,600 He remains silent. 381 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:25,080 See, this is what it is. 382 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:30,800 Burning the other cheek is simply dying to self and our personal rights. 383 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:35,280 Now, I'm not saying you should be unconcerned about law or justice. 384 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:40,360 You should, but you can't be concerned about your own personal honor. 385 00:23:40,360 --> 00:23:41,680 I told Sandy I was going to say this. 386 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:46,360 Several weeks ago, I told you about the car wash incident that someone caught me off and 387 00:23:46,360 --> 00:23:49,360 I'm like, I felt compelled to tell them that they were the problem with the world. 388 00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:53,480 Literally, I had them roll down the window and I did and I'm so not proud of that. 389 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:56,520 I thought about this, it just really bothered me. 390 00:23:56,520 --> 00:23:57,520 Why was I so upset? 391 00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:02,000 Well, I could say, well, Sandy and the kids are in the car, but the truth is he cut me 392 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:03,000 off. 393 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:10,240 I didn't like it and I thought that he's been a jerk and I wanted him to know in that moment, 394 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:16,520 but I was sinfully angry and what I did was absolutely sinful and it was a terrible reaction, 395 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:18,520 it was a terrible example. 396 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:21,600 I thought about this today and I told Sandy, I want to apologize to the church as your 397 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:23,280 pastor, forgive me. 398 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:28,800 I was wrong in doing that because someone did me wrong, I'm going to make it right. 399 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:31,760 That goes against the spirit of this passage. 400 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:35,520 The second thing is, look, he said, if anyone's to sue you, if anyone's to take your tunic 401 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:37,000 away, we'll let him have your cloak. 402 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:40,280 Again, I said the tunic, that's your inner garment, that's what you wore next to your 403 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:43,680 skin, the cloak, that's your outer garments, like the coat, but he's not talking about 404 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:47,640 someone robbing you, he's talking about someone suing you, they're taking you to court, but 405 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:50,440 the law said you could never sue for the outer garment. 406 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:51,440 Why? 407 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:55,320 Because that kept the person warm and it also served for his blanket at night. 408 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:59,280 You have to keep in mind, at this time in history, people probably only had two or three 409 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:02,920 inner garments and one outer garment, that's it. 410 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:05,440 So they didn't have a blanket, they only had one coat, you took it away, they're going 411 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:09,200 to be cold, exposed to the elements. 412 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:14,960 So the law said if a person had no money or possessions, yeah, you could be fined by clothing, 413 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:20,080 you don't have any money, we might take your clothes, but we can't ever take your coat. 414 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:24,120 Our attitude as citizens of the kingdom of God should be a willingness, this is what 415 00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:27,480 it says, to surrender even the outer garment. 416 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:32,320 The law wouldn't even do that, rather than cause an offense with an adversary. 417 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:36,480 Again, the word Jesus is using graphic language to shock his listeners. 418 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:37,480 Why? 419 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:40,020 Why would he want to shock them? 420 00:25:40,020 --> 00:25:43,980 Because they value personal rights more than the kingdom of God. 421 00:25:43,980 --> 00:25:46,060 This is a call to die to self. 422 00:25:46,060 --> 00:25:49,560 Once more you surrender your rights. 423 00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:52,920 Never injustice if need be. 424 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:58,000 Life in the kingdom of God goes beyond what is minimally required. 425 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:00,840 The bare minimum, well that's the kingdom of man. 426 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:04,480 You and I go beyond that, we're citizens of heaven. 427 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:09,980 Look at the next one, verse 41, whoever compelled you to go one mile, go with him too. 428 00:26:09,980 --> 00:26:13,160 Most of you know the backdrop, but if you don't, you have to remember Israel was an 429 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:18,160 occupied nation, they were being occupied by Rome at that time, and the law said, Roman 430 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:24,000 law said a Roman soldier could commandeer an Israeli citizen to carry their baggage 431 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:31,440 and their supplies for a mile, and the Israeli had to do it and they could not say no. 432 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:37,360 Now this caused, needless to say, a deep hatred to exist between the Jews and the Romans, 433 00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:39,200 because I'm sure this is being abused a lot. 434 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:42,520 So think about it, you're an Israeli, you're out there working in the field, you're doing 435 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:47,280 your job, and suddenly you see a Roman soldier approaching you, and he tells you, you have 436 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:51,160 to stop what you're doing right now, and you have to come over here and carry my bags to 437 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:53,160 the next station. 438 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:56,120 And the law said you had to do it, up to a mile. 439 00:26:56,120 --> 00:26:59,320 Once you've gone a mile, you didn't have to do it anymore. 440 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:05,160 Your personal freedom, your sense of dignity and rights were being trampled on. 441 00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:07,880 You were being treated as a slave of Rome. 442 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:11,960 Legally, you had to go one mile. 443 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:16,040 Let's Jesus tell his followers, go too. 444 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:18,320 What? 445 00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:20,520 Go beyond what was required. 446 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:21,800 And by the way, they weren't doing this for friends. 447 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:24,040 I'd be willing to carry something for my friends. 448 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:25,960 No, you do this for your enemies. 449 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:28,200 Go two miles. 450 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:31,080 And by the way, don't do it begrudgingly. 451 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:34,000 Joyfully surrender your pride. 452 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:35,000 Walk the extra mile. 453 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:40,520 Now can you imagine, this is the natural man, he would begrudge the entire mile in his heart 454 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:45,560 and be bitter at the Roman soldier the whole way, probably cursing under his breath. 455 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:49,840 And after they had gone one mile, I'm not going one step further. 456 00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:50,840 Do you understand? 457 00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:52,600 I fulfilled my commitment. 458 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:53,600 This is what the law required. 459 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:55,680 They're not going to go any farther. 460 00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:59,360 And Jesus says no, to his followers. 461 00:27:59,360 --> 00:28:02,640 He said, surrender your personal rights. 462 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:04,800 Gladly go the extra mile. 463 00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:10,280 And the result for his followers will be the ability to testify about God's grace that 464 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:11,760 is active in your life. 465 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:16,440 Friends, all people were required to go one mile, but to willingly and cheerfully go two 466 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:20,800 miles can only be explained by the presence of God in your life. 467 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:22,600 But why would we do it? 468 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:25,800 Why should you do this? 469 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:30,760 Because God has saved you and rescued you from your sin. 470 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:34,960 God has gone the extra mile with you when you were his enemy. 471 00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:41,960 See, you adorn God's doctrine and the gospel when you walk the extra mile. 472 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:42,960 Let me talk to you. 473 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:43,960 Let's make this practical. 474 00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:44,960 What about at work? 475 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:48,440 Do you go the extra mile or do you only do what is required of you and not one eye at 476 00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:51,040 a more because I'll stick it to the man? 477 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:52,040 They wouldn't do it for me. 478 00:28:52,040 --> 00:28:54,040 I'm not going to do it for them. 479 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:57,640 Let me ask you husband, wife, what about chores and responsibility? 480 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:02,320 Do you only focus on an equal distribution of labor and you refuse to help the other 481 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:03,320 with their work? 482 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:05,400 Oh, by the way, that's not my job. 483 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:08,000 That's her job. 484 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:10,000 What about in relationships? 485 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:11,000 Reconciling. 486 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:13,920 You said, well, I've already said sorry. 487 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:21,240 Will you go the extra mile and move toward that person that did you wrong? 488 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:24,400 Do you know how many marriages could be saved if the husband or wife was willing to forgo 489 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:29,280 one's rights and simply go the extra mile cheerfully? 490 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:30,280 So many. 491 00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:34,640 See, friends, as long as you and I are focused on our rights and what is fair, you will never 492 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:39,640 do this because Christ's agenda is not about fairness. 493 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:42,760 It's not even really about justice right here. 494 00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:48,400 You go the extra mile because it shows off God and His grace that rescued you. 495 00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:53,240 God will take care of justice in His own time and in His own way. 496 00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:55,400 You leave that to Him. 497 00:29:55,400 --> 00:30:00,760 And fourthly, look at verse 42, give to Him who asked you and from Him who wants to borrow 498 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:01,760 from you. 499 00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:03,420 Don't turn away. 500 00:30:03,420 --> 00:30:06,520 This is about generosity, kingdom generosity. 501 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:08,480 Share what you have with others. 502 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:13,840 See, the natural man, the one who doesn't know Christ, he by nature is sinful and naturally 503 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:15,560 possessive. 504 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:17,080 He holds on what belongs to him. 505 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:18,080 It's mine. 506 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,640 I can do with it whatever I want. 507 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:27,080 But as Christians, nothing is truly ours, all we have belongs to the Lord. 508 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:28,080 We're merely stewards. 509 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:30,200 That's what we're talking about on Wednesday nights. 510 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:32,120 We're merely stewards. 511 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:36,280 You and I think, we assume we can do with our property as we see fit. 512 00:30:36,280 --> 00:30:43,800 But the Lord says, hey son, hey daughter, surrender that personal right. 513 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:48,080 You don't have the right to hang on to what is yours. 514 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:50,880 Really lend to others. 515 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:52,760 Money, yeah. 516 00:30:52,760 --> 00:30:54,840 Time, yeah. 517 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:56,960 Other resources, yes. 518 00:30:56,960 --> 00:30:57,960 Why? 519 00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:02,680 I hope you don't have to ask that question, but here's the answer. 520 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:06,160 Because God has been so generous with you. 521 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:09,960 Those in God's kingdom share His likeness. 522 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:12,600 Our God is patient with us and He's generous with us. 523 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:17,320 He goes beyond the bare minimum. 524 00:31:17,320 --> 00:31:20,640 And we are to be like Him in this world. 525 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:22,800 So let me summarize this. 526 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:25,720 We don't need revenge. 527 00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:28,560 We don't need security. 528 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:32,080 We don't need money. 529 00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:38,440 Because we have Jesus and He has given to us His kingdom. 530 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:41,760 All these examples that our Lord is using is calling for death. 531 00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:45,480 It's a death to self. 532 00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:49,400 You give up your right and you seek the glory of God alone. 533 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:52,760 But friends, I'll tell you, this takes faith. 534 00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:55,520 Faith that believes that Jesus' way is better than yours. 535 00:31:55,520 --> 00:31:56,520 Do you believe that? 536 00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:57,520 Do you believe what this text says? 537 00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:00,280 Yes, this is better than my way. 538 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:04,720 Faith that any insult you're required to take or whatever sacrifice you're required to make 539 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:10,200 is worth it because God's way is best and He doesn't lead His children astray. 540 00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:15,200 See, it's not primarily about just turning the other cheek or lawsuits or walking two 541 00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:17,280 miles or even lending to others. 542 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:22,200 But rather it is dying and dying to self. 543 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:26,040 It's a dying to our own way of thinking that we assume we know. 544 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:28,880 We have faith that God's way is better. 545 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:32,560 Lord Jesus is talking to His followers and He says, you want to come after me? 546 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:35,000 Well, you deny yourself and you take up your cross. 547 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:37,440 You follow my example. 548 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:39,520 What did He do? 549 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:44,360 He left the glory of heaven and He humbled Himself, the one who should have never been 550 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:53,520 humbled, humbled Himself and became a servant who's obedient unto death, not just any death 551 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:56,720 but the cruel death of the cross. 552 00:32:56,720 --> 00:33:05,200 He joyfully submitted to the will of His Father, didn't matter the cost, knowing that His Father 553 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:07,800 would vindicate Him. 554 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:12,800 This is what I say to you, church, to me. 555 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:18,320 Trust God completely and leave the results with Him because in time He will vindicate 556 00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:19,320 His own. 557 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:26,500 Luke 18, 7, and shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him though 558 00:33:26,500 --> 00:33:29,160 He bears along with them? 559 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:31,760 Even that's a death to self, right? 560 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:33,020 A death to our own time. 561 00:33:33,020 --> 00:33:36,920 We want God to vindicate us now. 562 00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:38,800 He calls us to patiently wait. 563 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:40,600 The time of vindication will come. 564 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:45,480 But He's also telling you, don't value what the world values. 565 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:48,000 Everything I've said today is not honored in the kingdom of man. 566 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:52,600 The world says, oh, look at the aggressive man, the man who asserts himself, the man 567 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:56,500 who's always ready to defend himself in his own honor, the man who's going to stick it 568 00:33:56,500 --> 00:34:00,320 to them and not let anyone get anything over on them. 569 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:02,240 That's not life in the kingdom of God though. 570 00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:07,020 If you're going to live as the Lord calls us to live, you must be born again. 571 00:34:07,020 --> 00:34:10,120 If you don't know Christ, you cannot do any of this. 572 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:11,280 It's an impossibility. 573 00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:12,280 You can't do this. 574 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:18,280 You are dreadfully and I am dreadfully unable to live up to this high calling. 575 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:20,400 I know that. 576 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:21,920 I need to be changed. 577 00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:23,320 You need to be changed. 578 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:26,480 You must be born the family of God. 579 00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:33,160 If you're going to live like this, you need the Holy Spirit of God. 580 00:34:33,160 --> 00:34:37,280 In other words, you've got to become a new you. 581 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:39,800 You've got to be a new person. 582 00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:45,800 You've got to have a new birth if you're going to live as a citizen of heaven. 583 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:47,160 How do you do that? 584 00:34:47,160 --> 00:34:48,800 All you can't. 585 00:34:48,800 --> 00:34:51,360 You can't birth yourself. 586 00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:53,640 But I say this. 587 00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:59,120 Today if you will humble yourself and you understand your own inability and your own 588 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:06,920 sinfulness and you come to Christ admitting your sin, admitting your weakness, and you 589 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:14,440 see in Him glory and you see in Him the answer for your need, He will receive you. 590 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:16,520 You call upon Him. 591 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:19,880 Call upon Him today while He may be found. 592 00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:23,400 Today the doors of salvation are open to you. 593 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:24,800 Don't wait. 594 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:26,200 Hear the law of God. 595 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:31,480 Hammer you and let it hammer you and lead you to Christ, the one who has obeyed in our 596 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:32,480 place. 597 00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:33,480 Look to Him. 598 00:35:33,480 --> 00:35:35,480 I want to close with this quote from Martin Lloyd-Jones. 599 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:36,480 I thought it was excellent. 600 00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:37,480 I loved it. 601 00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:43,880 The cross of Christ is a supreme illustration and the argument of the New Testament is this. 602 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:48,680 That if we say we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe that He has died for our 603 00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:53,760 sins, it means that our greatest desire should be to die to self. 604 00:35:53,760 --> 00:35:56,640 That is the final purpose of His dying. 605 00:35:56,640 --> 00:36:01,360 Not merely that we might be forgiven or that we might be saved from hell. 606 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:07,840 Rather, it was that a new people might be formed, a new humanity, a new creation, and 607 00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:13,040 that a new kingdom set up consisting of people like Himself. 608 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:19,520 Not the life of self-defense or self-sensitivity, but such a life that even if we are insulted, 609 00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:21,100 we do not retaliate. 610 00:36:21,100 --> 00:36:24,920 If we receive a blow on the right cheek, we're ready to turn the other also. 611 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:30,000 If a man sues us at the law and takes away our coat, we're ready to give our cloak also. 612 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:32,080 If we're compelled to go a mile, we go two. 613 00:36:32,080 --> 00:36:34,880 If a man comes and asks something to me, I do not say this is mine. 614 00:36:34,880 --> 00:36:39,440 I say rather if this man is in need and I can help him, I will. 615 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:42,040 I have finished with self. 616 00:36:42,040 --> 00:36:45,320 I have died to myself. 617 00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:52,120 And my one concern now is the glory and honor of God. 618 00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:54,520 This is what our Lord is calling us to. 619 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:55,520 Let us pray. 620 00:36:55,520 --> 00:37:06,120 Let us pray.