Illogical Love
The Story of Jesus (A Study of the Book of Matthew) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Opening ILL: Les Mis
In Victor Hugo’s classic French novel turned broadway favroite, Les Miserables, Jean Valjean steals silver plates from a local bishop. Valjean is stopped by the police, and when they find him in possession of the silver, they bring him to the bishop’s residence. Instead of pressing charges, the bishop demonstrates amazing grace to this thief, claiming the plates were a gift, even giving Valjean some silver candlesticks that he had “forgotten.” The law was in the bishop’s favor, yet grace guides the bishop’s actions.
At the close of the scene, the bishop explains his actions to Valjean: “Don’t forget, don’t ever forget, that you promised me to use this silver to make an honest man of yourself.… Jean Valjean, my brother, you belong no longer to evil but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you. I am taking it away from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I am giving it to God.”
The rest of the story beautifully demonstrates how Valjean embodies the grace shown to him by pursuing a life obedient to God in love toward others.
Transition: What an impact is made from a single moment of grace by the bishop toward the man who had stolen from him!
How do you respond when someone wrongs you?
Loving those who have harmed us is difficult, even unnatural.
When someone hurts us, physically, verbally, emotionally, financially, in the moment, the only response that makes sense to our heads or in our wounded hearts is hate.
Hate sometimes makes a lot more sense than love.
This morning, from God’s Word, we’ll discover 3 reasons Christ calls us to love, even when hate makes more sense.
TURN: Matthew 5 (1st in NT, btw Malachi and Mark)
In this section of teaching, Jesus calls his followers to a greater righteousness.
Matthew 5:17, 20- 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them... 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17, 20- 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them... 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Not a righteousness that comes from following a bunch of rules blindly, but a righteousness of the heart that truly yearns to please God.
He gives some examples of what this greater righteousness looks like...
Matthew 5:21–22a- 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment...
Matthew 5:21–22a- 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment...
Matthew 5:27–28- 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:27–28- 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:31–32- 31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Matthew 5:31–32- 31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Matthew 5:33–34a- 33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all...
Matthew 5:33–34a- 33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all...
Matthew 5:38–39a- 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil...
Matthew 5:38–39a- 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil...
In today’s text, Jesus gives us another example of this greater righteousness.
READ
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
PRAY
Transition: Let’s discover why Christ calls us to love, even when hate makes more sense.
Matthew 5:43- 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
Matthew 5:43- 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR- OT Reference
NEIGHBOR- OT: Israelite community
Jesus: Broader Use
ILL Good Samaritan
36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
HATE YOUR ENEMY- a popularly inferred point, not in the text
LOVE- more than emotional but an attitude that causes us to act for the good of another
HATE- does not carry the same meaning it does in the English language
Better translation would be to “not love” or even “love less”
Matthew 5:44- 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Matthew 5:44- 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
BUT I SAY TO YOU- Jesus’ greater righteousness
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES- personal enemies or political enemies not specified,
The plural form seems to highlight the comprehensiveness
PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU- who seek your harm
Not pray for your enemy to act for your good, but desire and plea for God to act for their good
39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
Transition: Christ calls us to love, even when hate makes more sense...
1. Because of our Dad
1. Because of our Dad
Matthew 5:45- 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 5:45- 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
SO THAT...- here is why
SONS OF YOUR FATHER...- Jesus isn’t laying out conditions of salvation and becoming children of God, but describing how such children are to live
Sons were a representation of their father in the ancient world
Jesus calls for God’s children to be a reflection of the gracious character of God
SUN- necessary for food, for vision, for warmth, for work
RAIN- you might think that it has a negative meaning, but that’s not what Jesus is communicating here
In this arid culture, without the rain, rivers, streams, and wells could dry up, crops fail, and famine devastate the people
Like the sun, rain was a blessing only God could provide
Because God gives grace to the deserving, we are to reflect the love of God to a lost world.
Transition: Christ calls us to love, even when hate makes more sense because of our Dad and...
2. Because of our distinctiveness
2. Because of our distinctiveness
Matthew 5:46–47- 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Matthew 5:46–47- 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
TAX COLLECTORS…GENTILES- notorious sinners and pagans
GREET- not a polite “What’s up!”, but an expressed desire for the other person’s welfare
DO THE SAME- everyone looks out for their own, those that benefit them
ILL Craig Blomberg Quote: “The true test of genuine Christianity is how believers treat those whom they are naturally inclined to hate or who mistreat or persecute them”
Followers of Christ are to be distinct, not blend in.
Transition: Christ calls us to love, even when hate makes more sense because of our Dad, our distinctiveness and...
3. Because of our destination
3. Because of our destination
Matthew 5:48- 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48- 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
PERFECT AS YOUR…FATHER- “mature, whole”
It may be comforting to compare our level of obedience to another’s level of obedience, but that is not the standard.
God calls us to a greater righteousness and we are judged with a greater standard in mind.
ILL J Walvoord quote: “While sinless perfection is impossible, godliness, in its biblical concept, is attainable.”
The righteousness of Christ is imputed to those who believe as we are declared righteous upon conversion, but this greater righteousness is not instantly achieved by practice.
Believers are growing into this righteousness sanctification.
For those who are in Christ, this perfection is our destiny in glory.
Paul wrote of those who believe...
Romans 8:29a- 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son...
Romans 8:29a- 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son...
Transition: In Christ, we are destined to love as Christ loved sinners like us.
To love, even when hate makes more sense is to embrace that destiny and the ongoing work God is doing in our lives.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Closing ILL: Tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
As King fought for racial equality in the Deep South, he was surrounded by enemies seeking to destroy him.
If anyone had reason to respond to hate with hate, it was him. His life and even his family was under constant threat.
But somehow, Luther found the strength to love in his faith in Christ. He once explained, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”
Gospel Connection: Jesus Christ embodied this illogical love by dying on a cross, taking the punishment for those who had hated and rebelled against God. It was this love that made it possible for enemies of God like us to become His children.
