From Recognition to Righteousness: Christ's Call to Authentic Worship | The Book of Matthew: Sermon on the Mount | Matthew | Pastor J.M. Lee

Good Morning. If I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you ....my name is John and I serve Mission Church as the Lead Pastor. The mission of our Church is to partner with God to see His Kingdom come in Las Vegas as it is in heaven…and we believe that this will happen as we pursue a life devoted to Jesus....as we faithfully obeys Jesus’s commands…and as we make and multiply disciples who are also devoted to loving Jesus, living like Jesus, and leading others to Jesus.

I am excited to be back in Matthew..........and in our text this morning...... Jesus provides us with the sixth and final illustration of what a righteousness [that] surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees looks like.

These six illustrations have informed us of the kind of righteousness that supernaturally flows from the poor in spirit (5:3), the meek (5:5), the merciful (5:7), and the pure in heart (5:8). It is a righteousness that supernaturally emerges from within citizens of the kingdom of God who are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (5:13-16). And.....all of this is a work of divine grace....not a result of our efforts.

This morning ......our need for grace will become even more evident as we are faced with Christ’s command to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us.

Now.....go ahead and grab your Bible and open it to Matthew 5:43-48…when you find it and if you are able to…please stand for the reading of God’s inspired and authoritative Word.

Matthew 5:43–48 (CSB)

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. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

This is the Word of the Lord

Let’s Pray

We live in a culture fixated on the idea of love. And.....despite the variety of definitions that coexist…our society’s love obsession is unmistakable....it permeates the movies we watch....the music we listen too...and the literature we read…and this concept of love has captivated our hearts for generations.....from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the Beatles' anthem "All you need is love" and the latest Taylor Swift breakup song....these cultural artifacts....in their own way..... attempt to define love or describe love through longing, affection, and heartbreak.

But…this idea of love is confusing........think about it.....If I were to ask the question, “What do you love?” …well…there would be a ton of different answers…for you can love a family member....and…you can love an “In-N-Out Burger” ....and I do love and In-N-Out Burger …with double meat, tomato, chopped chilis, and grilled onions......but to say that I love In-N-Out Burger and I love my wife…well…there better be a difference in what I mean when I say “LOVE.” You see.....the semantic range for the word love is massive …for it can describe anything from a favorite sports team to a romantic relationship.

This concept of love...along with the universal human longing for love and the different expressions of love.....well.....it is challenging to comprehend.....especially in our current cultural context. And....surprisingly..... for a society so obsessed with love.....it's astonishing to witness the level of hate, divisiveness, and angst that permeates our world. And.....this vitriol ......isn't just confined to politics…but....it's ever-present in our relationships.... manifesting in the breakdown of families and the dissolving of marriages.

The truth is.........it’s our natural....fallen.....and sinful inclination to love selectively and conditionally. We reserve our love for those who we believe deserve it…and our natural tendency is to harbor resentment…to seek revenge....and to withhold our love from anyone who might oppose us or mistreat us… .....and so....despite our culture’s rhetoric about love…our society doesn’t feel marked by love at all. Rather...... our culture and society is defined by broken relationships, animosity, hostility, disagreements, and division.

And friends.....this heartbreaking truth isn’t exclusive to the world out there....but unfortunately …it describes the church as well. The modern American Church is not widely recognized as a community of love....and....I don’t have to tell you....that’s not the way it’s supposed to be.

Now.....in our text this morning Jesus contrasts our conditional love with God’s unconditional love....and He calls us to be a people marked by a distinct love ....one that differs from our natural sinful tendencies. And we see this unfold in our text in three movements:

1. God's Command v.43

2. Jesus' Exposition v. 44-45

3. Christ’s Principle Applied v. 46-47

1. God’s Command

Matthew 5:43 (CSB)

43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

Once again Jesus is addressing an unlawful narrowing and change to what God’s law required....in other words.....the scribes and the teachers of the Law had wrongfully interpreted God’s command and were.... for generations..... incorrectly teaching what God meant when He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Consider the command that’s in question.......

Leviticus 19:18 (CSB)

18 Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

This verse is a part of a series of instructions that God gave His people for the purpose of guiding them in how they were to live together........and these instructions encompassed a wide range of prohibitions..... laws against things like..... theft, dishonesty, deceit, exploitation, and slander....while also emphasizing justice in their dealings and displaying compassion towards each other.

And the success of all of these laws hinged on a heart issue...which was a foundational love for both God and ones neighbor. And so....recognizing this…God directed the Israelites not to bear a grudge...or to seek revenge .....but rather.... they were encouraged to Love their neighbors as themselves.

But.....over the years....the scribes and the Pharisees made significant adjustments to God’s instruction.... not only did they exclude the phrase “as yourself”.....but to make matters worse…they added... "and hate your enemy." …which is absolutely nowhere to be found in the Old Testament!!

Perhaps they thought..... “Well....If I am supposed to be loving my neighbor....then .....naturally.... I should be hating my enemy” .... a seemingly logical deduction.....but this interpretive leap only led them to a flawed perspective that stands in stark contrast to....not only God’s command but to God himself!

So.......to counter their error......Jesus provides us with a twofold corrective....which leads us to our second movement.

2. Jesus' Exposition v. 44-45

Matthew 5:44 (CSB)

44 But I tell you, love your enemies....

What?! Love my Enemies?! This seems crazy, right? Well, it gets even more mind-boggling when you dig into the original Greek word Jesus uses for "love.” …and find that it doesn’t imply a one-and-done mentality....... instead......Jesus speaks of a constant and continuous action. In other words, Jesus isn't just asking for a one-time heroic act of love. He expects an ongoing, continual obedience.

Let's put it into perspective. Suppose you visit the doctor, find out your cholesterol is high, and the doctor advises, "John, you need to stop eating fatty foods." So, you leave the doctor's office, skip In-N-Out for lunch, and opt for a salad. Great, right? But what if the next day and the days thereafter, you indulge in In-N-Out again? What's going to happen when you get your blood test taken again? Your cholesterol will still be high. You see, the doctor's instruction to stop eating fatty foods is continuous and ongoing—no more In-N-Out!

In the same way.....Jesus instructs us to live a life of continual love for our enemies. It's not a one-time heroic effort.....it's a transformative lifestyle. Just like skipping In-N-Out is a continual choice for better health, consistently loving our enemies is a constant commitment that transforms our hearts and aligns us with the radical life we have been called to live as followers of Jesus.

The Apostle Paul, in his profound depiction of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, provides a vivid portrait of the love with which Jesus calls us to love our enemies ....

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (CSB)

4 Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, 5 is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. 6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

This is how God loves us and how He wants us to love others. In essence.....Jesus transforms our enemies into our neighbors…a truth that reminds me of the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. In this narrative.....the Samaritan.... typically seen as the enemy of the Jewish people....he defied societal norms and displayed a love that surpassed expectations.

The Samaritan didn't harbor hatred or ignore the needs of the beaten Jewish man......no....instead.... he exemplified the very attributes Paul outlines in 1 Corinthians 13. He was patient and kind, he did not boast or keep a record of wrongs, and most profoundly... he bore the burdens of a stranger....he believed in the possibility of restoration......he hoped for the well-being of the wounded man... and he endured the challenges of helping.

And…this is the exact love that Jesus is calling us to.......a love that challenges us to transcend societal prejudices and preconceptions…a love that helps us to see our enemies..... not as adversaries to be defeated but as neighbors to be loved. And…ultimately the story of the Good Samaritan points us to Jesus.... who.....in His boundless love......loved us ....His enemies.....despite our brokenness and sin…in spite of the fact that we were actively rebelling against him as enemies....He still loved us…and now …as we pursue a life that Loves Him and Lives like Him...we are called to love our enemies with that same transformative and divine love.

Now…Jesus doesn’t stop here......rather ....He extends our response a step further…look back at Matthew 5:44.

Matthew 5:44 (CSB)

44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Not only are we to love our enemies but we should also be praying for them.....you see..... in the same way that we are to be continually loving our enemies....Jesus is calling us to habitual prayer for those who persecute us.

Now....isn’t it enough to love our enemies?!?! Why do we need to be praying for them too!? Well.... I don’t think it’s possible to truly love an enemy if we’re not praying for them......in fact....when we are intentional to pray for our enemies…we are …in an extremely profound way.....extending love to our enemies and moving them from the place of an adversary in our heart to that of a neighbor. You see....God's clear instruction is for us to love our enemies, and when we pray, God changes our hearts to match His will, which results in us embracing His command to love even those who may be against us.

Think about it........ when you go before the Lord God Almighty and sincerely pray for your enemies......that alone is something special.....but.....as you pray for them…here’s what happens......the animosity in your heart will begin to decrease as compassion increases. Also.... consider the fact ....that some of your enemies might not know God or believe in God...so... when you stop and pray on their behalf.....you’re not just asking God to bless them but you are showing love to them by praying for their salvation........in other words.....your prayers become a way of bringing God's transforming power into the lives of those who may be against you.

You see.....God’s love is the source and the model for how you and I are to love our enemies. Augustine said it like this

God’s love is incomprehensible and unchangeable in that he began to love us before we were reconciled to him through the blood of his Son. Our sin made us his enemies. Yet because our iniquity had not entirely consumed his handiwork, “He knew … how … to hate what we had done, and to love what he had done [in creating us].”

Augustine, Homilies on the Gospel of John, trans. John Gibb, in The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, vol. 7 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956), 411

In other words...... the reason why we love our enemies…the reason why we pray for those who persecute us is because we are well aware of the great love ...in which God has loved us and as His adopted Children…we long to pursue a life of obedience to our Father.....and loving one’s enemies is to live like a child of God. Look back at v44

Matthew 5:44–45 (CSB)

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...

Now …understand…loving your enemy doesn’t mean that you somehow qualify yourself to become a child of God. Jesus is not saying, “If you would just love your enemy then you can earn God’s love....God is watching and judging…and well…you are close to qualifying for His adoption…and....if you want to become His children …well....then you've got to love your enemies"

NO! Jesus is not saying this.....rather....Jesus is speaking to Israelites…who are already God’s children…and He’s telling them.....You look nothing like your Father......in our context....Jesus’s words are for those who have trusted in Jesus and Jesus alone for Salvation…those who by grace through faith have been adopted by God…and He is telling us .....look.....loving your enemy as the Father has loved you is an evidence of salvation......and proof that you are a child of God.

You see…to love your enemy and to pray for those who persecute you is to pursue a life that is patterned after Jesus.....which reminds me of one of our core values as a church.

Live Like Jesus

Brothers and Sisters......God is holy....and His love for us is holy. And as followers of Jesus...... we find the greatest joy in living holy lives....we find pleasure in doing what is right and pleasing to God in everything we say and do.

And......It's not about trying to earn God's love..... because.... in Christ....we are made new. You see......Since Jesus gave his life for us......the best way we can respond is by living our lives for Him. This means continually turning away from things that go against God's ways…and we do this so we can live more like Jesus in our homes, relationships, jobs, church, and in how we use our time and resources.

As Children of God.....it is our destiny and our obligation to be conformed to the character of God.

Consider Ephesians 4:32-5:2.

Ephesians 4:32–5:2 (CSB)

32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

1 Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, 2 and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.

And the good news is....we are not called to imitate God in our own power or ability......rather…we pursue a life that lives like Jesus with the help of the Holy Spirit's power!

And as we live this way....as we aim to live as God's people, in God's place, under God's power.....as we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us......we give the world a glimpse of a better kingdom.

So.....God is our pattern for how we are to love and pray for our enemies. And God........look at verse 45....

Matthew 5:45 (CSB)

45 … he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Everything in our world is under God’s sovereign control..... and we can get a glimpse of his character by observing the world around us.

Psalm 145:8–9 (CSB)

8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and great in faithful love.

9 The Lord is good to everyone;

his compassion rests on all he has made.

God creates and sustains all things.....the weather man may predict rain or sunshine in next week’s forecast but the Bible call’s that rain and that sunshine God’s gift to mankind.... you see....when God gives the rain and the sun that we need for life.....it demonstrates his love for all people....the righteous and unrighteous....and if we believe in a good God who loves without condition....then as HIs children we should shower …not only our friends but also our enemies with acts of loving-kindness with no expectation for reciprocation..

Alfred Plummer says it like this

“To return evil for good is devilish; to return good for good is human; to return good for evil is divine. To love as God loves is moral perfection.” -Alfred Plummer

Now…here’s the question? Is this even possible? Are we even capable of loving those who are hostile towards us? I mean.....It runs right up against our human nature …and the truth is....if you are living by the principles of the kingdoms of this world....this life is not possible…for....you will at best ignore your enemies and at worst retaliate against them…BUT ....if you are pursuing a life that loves Jesus and lives like Him.....if you are pursuing life as a citizen of the Kingdom of God....then the answer is…Yes.....for the gospel is sufficient to provide the motivation we need to love the unlovable. Think about it......our Father in heaven shows love to his enemies every day in giving the sun and the rain to the righteous and the ungodly alike. And let’s be real....... He has every right to retaliate against sinners for the dishonor they have done to his creation. But....instead we serve a God who is patient…He is full of mercy and grace…and as His children we are to do the same.

Which leads us to the text’s third movement

3. Christ’s Principle Applied

In this next movement....Jesus defines divine love and helps us to apply it by comparing it to a lesser standard of love.... look at verse 46

Matthew 5:46 (CSB)

46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have?...

As followers of Jesus we are to live lives that are distinctly different than the world around us.....we are to radiate the character of God as we live as salt in an impure world and as light in a world darkened by sin.

If you and I only love those who love us in return…how is that different from the the rest of the unbelieving world? Friends…God is calling us to something so much more than self-serving pragmatism…but…let’s be honest.... How quick are we to congratulate ourselves for small....commonplace....acts of kindness

For instance,.....let’s say that you decide to help a neighbor by offering to pick up groceries for them during a hectic week. As you feel a sense of satisfaction for your helpful act, you learn that your neighbor, without hesitation, not only picked up groceries for you but also prepared a homemade meal and left it on your doorstep. Suddenly, your small act of kindness doesn't seem as noteworthy, and you realize you were merely reciprocating the decency you received. It's a reminder that true kindness goes beyond self-congratulation and encourages a spirit of continually outdoing one another in love.

And in our text…Jesus is saying… “Look....returning a favor with a favor is human....there is nothing particularly commendable about returning a favor with another favor...... virtually everyone does it....the worst of the worst will reciprocate a favor.

Brothers and Sisters.....God is calling you to recognize that you are a new creation in Christ Jesus…at one time....your standard of love was no different than the rest of the world....But as a child of God you are now to love in a new kind of way.......and Jesus helps us understand this by putting two examples before us for consideration… look back at Matthew 5:46.

Matthew 5:46 (CSB)

46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?

In the time of Jesus.....tax collectors were the outcasts....they were despised and loathed. Their collaboration with Rome labeled them as traitors among their own people.....they were nothing more than opportunistic thieves manipulating taxes for personal gain. The common Hebrew person regarded them as nothing short of "licensed robbers."

As a result......a devout Jew…who was committed to righteousness and the law…well they would have distanced themselves from tax collectors because they believed they shared no common ground with them. Yet.... Jesus....He disrupts this perspective and challenges them by saying, "Hold the fort! Hold on a moment! Even tax collectors have their own circles of friends........How are you any different from a tax collector who loves his tax collector friends....if you too only extend your love to those who love you back?"

Now.....no doubt…Jesus is stepping in some toes here......this illustration would have undoubtedly left Jesus's Jewish audience both stunned and infuriated.....But ......Jesus.....He doesn't stop here.......rather he proceeds to further kindle their anger with a second illustration. Look at Matthew 5:47.

Matthew 5:47 (CSB)

47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same?

Jewish hatred for the Gentiles was even more than their hatred for the tax collectors! In fact many considered Gentiles to be beyond God’s mercy and care ....so why would they waste their time on a people who …in their eyes…were deemed fit only for destruction?

And as you can imagine....this deep seated hatred for gentiles was evident in how they interacted with them..... In the ancient world.... greetings typically conveyed blessings…similar to us saying..."Good morning."

However, some of the Jewish people.....they refused to greet Gentiles…they had a posture of superiority that kept them from even saying hello.....in fact …their greetings were only reserved for those within their circle of belief and ethnicity.

And…here in v47 Jesus…says.....your rude behavior is far from commendable.....instead it mirrors the conduct of a lost Gentile rather than reflecting the love of your Father in heaven

In other words......Jesus is saying...... that our actions..... especially how we treat our enemies.....they reveal whether or not we truly belong to God's kingdom and are His children. You see.....If there's nothing distinctive in our behavior..... it suggests that we might not possess the righteousness that exceeds that of the Scribes and the Pharisees. Which is why He finishes this section of His sermon by say this…in v48

Matthew 5:48 (CSB)

48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

And here is the point where all of the air gets sucked out of the room.....we read this verse…and hear Jesus’s instruction to be perfect as God is perfect…and well…for each one of us ....memories of past mistakes....and present failures flood our minds…and I don’t have to tell you…but God’s expectation is not only overwhelming ....but..... seemingly impossible.

This is especially true when we realize that Jesus…in his call to be perfect....He's not just talking about loving our enemies.......rather....he is pointing us back to everything that He has said since verse 17…you see....as Jesus talks about all of the requirements of the law…He finishes by telling us… “If we going to do what God requires of us......... if we are go to measure up to the standards of God....then we have to be perfect in every way.

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:20

Matthew 5:20 (CSB)

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

Brothers and sisters....you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless you are prefect as your heavenly Father is perfect......And I don’t know about you....but this makes me tremble.

[pause]

And in this moment of fear and this reality of failure....here is what the human heart does......our hearts begin to look for loopholes..... and we begin to justify our failures…we think things like, “I'm not that bad! I may have failed in one area but I’m doing really well everywhere else!....Surely God wouldn't ask more of me. Right!?!”

But again....Jesus responds...and walks us through the Laws expectation and He reminds us..... “You must be perfect in your anger, in your lust, in your marriages and your oaths and vows, and in how you love your enemies.....You must be perfect, as God is perfect. That's the standard. There is no way around it.”

And so......what do we do....well…we respond in two ways....we either try to work really hard to obey…and maybe we do well for season....but it’s not long before we trip over the extremely high bar that God has set for our lives....and its in that moment that we realize that we are not enough...... and so we try to lower the bar and we attempt to justify ourselves and wiggle out from under the crushing weight of the Law and the reality that God’s Law condemns us where we stand....everyone of us has failed.

But God…you see…He has provided us with a third way in which we can meet His standard of moral perfection.....and that’s the way of the Gospel. And.....the Gospel declares that Jesus Christ came into this world to meet the standard for us. The perfect life we are called to live Jesus lived on our behalf......and so…for all that have trusted in Jesus as savior and surrendered to Him as Lord....you have been gifted with the perfect righteoussness of Christ.

And as we sit under the weight and the burden of the Law ....you and I have no reason to despair because of our own inability to keep the Law....but rather He is giving us the Law so that as we pursue a life of Holiness we do so from a posture of complete dependence upon Christ.

Brothers and Sisters.... Jesus met the standard of perfection for you…and the promise of the gospel is that Christ gives his righteousness to those who look to him by faith. And all of us who do…we are to pursue a life of moral perfection....knowing that we will fail....knowing that we will miss the mark....but trusting in the perfect work of Christ and trusting that Jesus promises that in all the ways that you and I fall short ........by grace.....God's Holy Spirit is in our life to renovate us from the inside out.

And now ....we are free to pursue a life that lives like Jesus ....and as we do.....we see that everything God demands of us He provides for us in Christ....in fact....everything that Christ has demanded from us so far in the sermon on the Mount He has provided for us.

Think back to verses 17-20…and how Jesus reveals that he didn’t come not to make our lives more manageable but rather He calls us to pursue a life of righteoussness that surpasses that of the religious elite........but the good news is ...although we have failed ....Jesus lived a live of perfection…and provides us with the righteousness we need but cannot achieve on our own.

I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 5:21

2 Corinthians 5:21 (CSB)

21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

It’s true…we have failed…but Jesus did not....and Jesus took our failure upon Himself on the cross…paid the penalty we deserve for our failure and He has gifted all who trust in Him with His perfect righteousness and now you and I can stand confidently before a holy God who sees not our mess…but the blood of His Son that covers our sin and blankets us in His righteoussness.

Jesus then called us to flee from anger for it is equal to murder....in fact all of us who harbor resentment deserve the death penalty....…But Jesus ......He suffered and died under our murderous anger in order to reconcile us to God, forgive us for our sin, and to enable us through His power to live lives of love and peace.

After anger....Jesus addressed sexual ethics, lust and divorce…and He reminded us that He has come as the faithful bridegroom to reclaim His wandering bride.

When Jesus addressed the issue of dishonesty concerning oaths and vows, he subtly alluded to the fact that he had entered this world to fulfill every aspect of what God had promised in the covenantal oaths He made to His people.

And then when He addressed the issue of retaliation.....those moments where the conventional wisdom says, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," Jesus advocated for turning the other cheek and going the extra mile for those who request it…and then...,Jesus lived out this teaching by personally turning the other cheek and going the additional mile....ultimately going to the cross to die for the sins of His enemies

And finally as He ends this portion of the sermon .....He tells us… Matthew 5:44.

Matthew 5:44 (CSB)

44 ...love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

And his command points directly to the cross where Jesus cried out to the Father on behalf of His enemies

Luke 23:34 (CSB)

34 ... “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing” ...

Brothers and Sisters …Jesus was the one Paul wrote about in Romans 5:10.

Romans 5:10 (CSB)

10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.

Mission Church.....it’s ok to find rest in the tension here between God’s infinitely High standards and the richness of God’s Love and Grace......yes......we are called to be perfect as God is perfect....do not miss the truth that the Law of God is uncompromised....…but......also…do not miss the truth that on the cross of Christ.....God's righteousness and His love converged as Christ endured God's wrath for our sins.

Friends.....we cannot perfect ourselves......but Christ has done what we cannot. And so ....as we close this morning ......my call to you is to find that your hope lies not in your efforts but in trusting Jesus to provide the righteousness you need to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Repent of your sin and trust in Jesus this morning....turn away from trusting in your self and in your abilities and trust in Christ alone for He is your only hope for righteoussness.

Let’s Pray