Questions from Matthew: What does it look like to follow Jesus?

When I was a kid my dad told me not to play in the street. It’s a good rule. Maybe you were taught a similar rule. Right. The street is dangerous. You could get hit by a car. That’s why you’re expected to look both ways before crossing the street. You need to know if anyone is coming before you walk out in the middle. It is a perfectly reasonable expectation to tell your children “don’t play in the street”. Here’s my problem. What constitutes play? So after being taught this rule, I really didn’t have much intention of breaking it. I don’t exactly go out of my way to break the rules when I don’t have to, that’s not really my style. So one day my dad comes home and finds me standing in the street, throwing rocks at a railroad sign with my brother. He reminds us of the rule and says to go inside. Well, throwing rocks isn’t play in my mind, its target practice. This is a practical skill. This is self-defense training. This is serious stuff, not play. But nonetheless I go inside. The very next day. Dad comes home, where are my brother and I? We’re in the street. But this time we’re laying out some bubble wrap and running it over with our bikes. Surely this isn’t considered “play” this is bike riding. Where am I supposed to ride my bike if not the street. Naturally, we both get dragged in side and get our tails whipped. For playing in the street. Here’s the problem. It doesn’t matter what my definition of play is, the point is, the street is dangerous and should be avoided when possible because I could get hurt. My father understood this on a level that I did not. I can make all kinds of arguments about what is and what isn’t considered play. But the point is stay out of the street. Because when a car comes along, the front bumper will not be able to decide for itself whether I was playing, standing, sitting, riding, or dancing in the street. It’s just going to kill me.

Now, if you’ll remember from last week we are doing a miniseries called Questions from Matthew. Two questions that you should always have in your mind when you read the book of matthew any time between now and the day you die, always ask these 2 questions when you read Matthew. Who is Jesus? What does it look like to follow Him? Tonight we’re in Matthew 5-7. We are continuing through the sermon on the mount. This is Jesus primary teaching, something that He almost certainly repeated in every town He visited.  And we’re not going to walk through every line, we’re not gonna come anywhere close to finishing this, we’re just going to get the lay of the land, and learn how to read this text. but here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna start at the end and then we’re gonna drop back to the beginning and work from there. So get ready. Start at Matt 7:24-29

Matthew 7:24–29 CSB

24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.” 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.

Ok so lets be clear. This is about to get dangerous. Following Jesus isn’t just about praying a prayer and having your sins forgiven. That’s where it starts. But the expectation is that you live your life for Him. He died for you so you live for Him. So read verse 26 again. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. So we’re going to jump into these words of Jesus and that comes with certain expectations. If you stay in this room for the next half hour or so, you’re going to be expected to live up to what you hear. So if that scares you at all, I would highly recommend you leave now. I won’t be offended. If you aren’t comfortable with Jesus’ expectations for His people, then you don’t want to hear this.

OK. If you’re staying then buckle up. As we said last night, we’re in the book of Matthew and any time we’re looking at the book of matthew you should be asking “Who is Jesus? And What does it look like to follow Him? And we’re going to answer one of those questions right now. From verses 28 & 29. 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes. So who is Jesus? He’s the Law giver. The people hearing Jesus speaking realized that He wasn’t teaching like an expert in the law. He wasn’t talking like one of their usual teachers. Jesus isn’t an expert in the law in the way a lawyer is. Jesus is an expert in the law the way a legislator is. He hasn’t spent His whole life studying the law. Jesus has spent His whole life writing the law. When He teaches the law, He teaches like the person who created the law. When He says “this is what is expected of you” it is not a suggestion it is an expectation.

So if you want this entire sermon, right off the bat, right up front, here it is. Jesus’s followers are expected to love others more than anyone thinks they deserve. And that’s what it looks like to follow Him. Listen to that again, Jesus’s followers are expected to love others more than anyone thinks they deserve. Not encourages to love people, expected as a bare minimum. That’s it. That’s the lesson. Now we’re going to get immensely practical on how to do that in a few different situations. With that in mind, let’s back up to chapter 5 verse 17.

17 “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Pause right there. A lot of us are familiar with the sermon on the mount and we like to think that this is just to prove to us that we’re all sinners and we’ve all broken God’s laws, and there’s no way to keep it, so its ok if you break the rules sometimes. We all do it. You’ve likely been told at some point that this is simply Jesus expounding upon the Ten Commandments and proving that we’ve all broken them even if you haven’t killed anyone or robbed your neighbors house. We like to think that this is just Jesus proving how sinful we all are and that it’s impossible to live up to this, even as believers. But right here Jesus is saying that that isn’t true. Jesus is saying “this is what is expected of you. Don’t brush this off. Don’t water this down. This is actually what is expected of you, and you’d better not tell anyone else otherwise. Or there will be dyer consequences”. Look, you’re a sinful person. I get it. I am too. And part of that means that you and I naturally want to come up with excuses for why what you did isn’t that bad. Or that you weren’t wrong for what you did. But Jesus doesn’t say “don’t break these commandments unless you have a good excuse” He says don’t do it. Let’s read on. Verse 20.

20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

We have this idea that the Pharisees in Jesus’ day were the most strict about the law. But really that doesn’t hold true. Really they had created their own definitions of the law and defended those to the very end. Right, if you tell a Pharisee “don’t play in the street” the Pharisee will create a rigorous definition of what is and isn’t play, but he misses the point, which is “stay out of the street”

21 “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. 22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment.

So the Pharisees say “Don’t murder means don’t murder.” Jesus says, don’t even harbor anger in your heart. Don’t give in to the emotions that lead to murder. He goes on to say, don’t even insult anyone. It’s not just about murder. Not murdering anyone is easy, if you’ve done the hard work of forgiving people when they’ve wronged you. Jesus says, I don’t even want you entertaining the thoughts that lead to murder. That’s hard. Not staying mad at someone is hard. I’ll give you an example. You ever have a disagreement with someone and in the moment you don’t know what to say, but a week later, you’re driving alone, or your standing in the shower, and you’re just dwelling on that argument. And you’re winning that argument in your mind even though you lost it in person a whole week ago. Ok. That’s harboring anger. And Jesus says don’t do that. And that’s hard. But that’s the expectation. Don’t try to justify your actions and brush that away. Jesus says don’t get angry and don’t insult someone. Because that’s the first step towards murder. Further, Jesus goes on to say that when you’ve given someone reason to be mad at you, fix it now. Read verses 23 through 26

23 So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny.

Hear the urgency in this. If you’ve given someone else reason to be angry with you, you are absolutely, actually tempting them towards sin. And we don’t do that. Under any circumstances. Right. This isn’t a mess in the garage, this is a fire in the kitchen. And this needs to be fixed NOW. If you’ve done someone dirty and you know their mad at you. Go fix it. If you need to step out and make a phonecall right now, do it. Because in letting that person fester in their anger, you are allowing them to sit in sin, and we don’t do that here. Let’s read on.

27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

So the Pharisees will say “what exactly is adultery. What acts can I and cant I do. Where’s the line”. We did this too when we were teenagers. How far can I go with my girlfriend or boyfriend before it’s considered sin. Right. You thought that way before you were married. Every adult in this room remembers trying to work through that in their mind. Where is the line where it becomes sin. But what Jesus says is, don’t even think about it. It’s not just a matter of “don’t sleep with anybody unless it’s your spouse.” rather, Jesus expects you not to do the things that lead up to sin. Don’t put yourself in a room alone with a man who isn’t your husband. Don’t have private text conversations with a woman who isn’t your wife. Don’t do the things that are going to take you down the road that leads to adultery. It is really easy not to cheat on your spouse. Anybody can do that. That’s a bare minimum expectation of human society. Even the unbelievers can do that. But Jesus says don’t even joke around with your buddies and say “Man, if I wasn’t married…” or “If I could have a hall pass with one celebrity” or whatever else. That is a staple of pop culture. Every sitcom in the last 30 years has done a celebrity hall pass episode. My favorite was the show “Friends” they did that episode in 1996. Those jokes are normalized in our society, but Jesus expects more of His followers and that’s hard. But that’s the expectation because Jesus has the authority to make the laws here, and to interpret them. You don’t. I told you this was gonna be dangerous to listen to. Verses 31 and 32

31 “It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce. 32 But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

So Jesus teaches on how serious marriage is, and how seriously adultery should be taken, and that flows directly into divorce but lets be clear here about what Jesus is saying. He is absolutely saying that there is no excuse for divorce other than adultery, and we’ll see why in just a minute, but he is absolutely not saying the penalty for adultery must be divorce. And you know that. If you know just this much about Jesus, you can look at His body of work and His collected sayings and you can figure out “Yeah I don’t think that’s what He meant.” because with Jesus, reconciliation of defrauded parties is always the goal absolutely every single time. Lavish forgiveness is the standard for Jesus’s followers. Going above and beyond to forgive and serve those who wrong you is absolutely always what Jesus wants you to do, even when you don’t have to.

Now there is no excuse for divorce other than adultery because when you got married you didn’t just sign a contract with the state. You made a covenant oath. You gave your word that you would do X,Y, and Z, whatever your vows said, til death do us part. And Jesus values people keeping their word more than anyone else.

Let’s go to verse 33

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors,You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord. 34 But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, because it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. 36 Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.

So there was a practice at the time where people would swear by different various things and the more important the thing you’re swearing by, the more bound to your word you are. If you say I swear by the lampstand outside the Holy of Holies in the Temple, that’s like signing a contract. But if you swear by the lowest stone on the outer wall of the Temple court, you basically just made a pinky promise. Right, this is the one I’m most guilty of and I own it and I need to get this straight. I am the king of saying “I’ll see if I can make it.” Instead of just telling the truth and going “I don’t want to attend that event with you.” but if I say “i’m putting that in my calendar right now” there’s still only about a 50-50 chance I’m gonna show my face when the time comes. I’ll find an excuse to get out of that. Or maybe it’s saying I’m on my way, I left 5 minutes ago, when I know full well that I don’t even have my watch picked out yet and I still have to change my shoes two more times. I’m gonna be in the house for 10 more minutes. And it’s funny but its not funny. that’s a problem. And that’s sin. And The God of the Universe, who gives the Law expects more of His people than that. Me included. Yall know I don’t preach anything that I don’t need to hear just as much as everyone else.

Let’s continue Verse 38.

38 “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

Ok you’ve probably heard this before. This is the argument for capital punishment. But we have misread this since Moses first said it. For 5,000 years people have been trying to use this as an excuse for revenge. I’m reminded of the classic movie the Godfather. “They put one of ours in the hospital, we put one of theirs in the morgue.” or “they take out one of ours, we take our ten of theirs.” The concept of an eye for an eye was meant to prohibit that kind of thinking. An eye for an eye is a maximum penalty, not a minimum. This doesn’t says give a command in favor of revenge. This says “you’d better not do anything more than this.” But Jesus is going to go on here to raise those standards in a way that only He can do. Read with me starting in verse 39.

39 But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

That’s the standard. And that’s the theme of every command we’ve read tonight. If you are going to call yourselves children of your Father in heaven, you are expected to forgive abundantly, and go out of your way to serve those who have wronged you, just like he does. Not get back at people as much as humanly possible. But rather serve them as much as humanly possible. That’s the point of Jesus words on anger, adultery, divorce, oath keeping, the whole thing is about loving others more than they deserve even when they’ve wronged you.

And that is expected of Jesus’s followers. Not encouraged, but expected. Remember the response of the crowds who heard this, in Chapter 7

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 because he was teaching them like one who had authority,

Jesus has the authority to expect this of you, because who is Jesus? He is the Law Giver. And What does it look like to follow Him? It means radically loving others far more than they deserve.

But here’s the question you should be asking right now? Why? Why are the expectations so high. Why would I ever love someone who did me wrong? Why would I serve them so relentlessly? Why would I go out of my way to take care of them and reconcile with them and lift them up when they hurt me so much? And the answer is simple, because that’s what He did for you.

See because Jesus is the Universal Law Giver, these are actually His expectations for everyone and not one person has done this, and not one person can do this under their own power. You have sinned. You have rejected the Law that Jesus made for you to live by. You ignored Him, rejected Him, and hurt Him. But rather than harboring anger against you, Jesus came to restore the relationship. He made a covenant promise with you and even though you rejected it and ran away from Him, He kept His word to you. In fact, Jesus went so far as to lay down His life. He died an real literal death out of pure service to you, who have hurt Him in so many ways. And then He actually, physically, bodily came back to live of His own accord and under His own power so that you could be reconciled to Him, because He loves you. And now He expects you to treat others the way He treated you.

If you don’t know Jesus tonight, the most important night of revival is tonight. I don’t care if you’ve just walked in here for the first time recently or if your name might as well be carved into the pew you’ve been here so long, if you don’t have a reconciled relationship with Jesus then please do not leave this building tonight without talking to me or Jeremy. That is something that you need to fix now. It’s not a mess in the garage, it’s a fire in the kitchen and it needs to be taken care of immediately.

Maybe you’ve known Jesus for days, months, years, or decades but you’ve been slacking on these commandments. You’ve been reading this wrong. You’ve just viewed this as an impossible list of rules so why try. Brother. Sister. Whoever you are, if you have the power of the Holy Spirit in you then not only is everything on this list doable but it is expected of you. How radically did Jesus love you and you’re not passing that message on through your actions. If that’s you, I have to call you to repentance here tonight. It is time to make a change.

And now, there is much more here. There’s two more chapters of Jesus’s sermon here and I want every one of you to read it tonight and read it with fresh eyes, take it seriously. Take it to heart. And teach others to live up to it with you.