The New Lens

Introduction

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Matthew 5 is a series of dichotomies. (Salt of the earth- means part of the world isn’t salty. Light of the world- some of the world is dark, be a peacemaker- means some people stir up trouble, LAW vs. LIFE UNDER JESUS!) And now, Jesus moves into a time where He is going to show us THE LAW UNDER THE NEW LENS THAT HE BRINGS! THIS IS GOING TO GO FROM VERSE 21 until the end of the chapter!

Main Point: We no longer live under the law, now we live a KINGDOM LIFE!

Flow-we see EARTHLY LIVING, then a KINGDOM SAYING (Jesus’s response to sin), which leads us to KINGDOM LIVING!

Body

As we jump into our passage today, let me just briefly remind us what we have seen over the last few weeks.

The Sermon on the Mount could be divided into 3 parts. Chapter 5 teaches us WHAT CAN SAVE US, chapter 6 teaches us WHAT OUR FAITH SHOULD LOOK LIKE (how to pray, etc), and Chapter 7 challenges us that we can EITHER HAVE FAITH IN JESUS, or IN THE WORLD!

And so as we continue in chapter 5, we are seeing what KINGDOM LIVING SHOULD LOOK LIKE!

That’s a big idea for us in our series looking at the Sermon on the Mount. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO LIVE FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN EVERY SINGLE DAY?

So let’s start off by looking at our first of three examples that Jesus gives of the difference between EARTHLY AND KINGDOM LIVING!

Matthew 5:21-26

We are going to walk through this verse by verse, but first, let me read verses 21-26 for us.

Matthew 5:21–26 CSB

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. Whoever insults his brother or sister, will be subject to the court. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire. 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.

Before we talk about each verse, let me summarize this for you in three statements.

First, we see earthly living- we see that people hate one another. We see that people look down on each other and that people are angry with one another and we see that people are committing grievous sin against one another.

Second, we see that Jesus rebukes hate and anger that is out of control and compares it to MURDER! That’s a big deal!

Third, Jesus is challenging us to LIVE IN PEACE! We are called to MAKE PEACE and further to EXERCISE SELF-CONTROL! There’s a HUGE SELF-CONTROL SHORTAGE IN VERSES 21-22!

So let’s dive into those verses.

Last week we talked about how Jesus specifically rebuked the Pharisees and scribes in verse 20 and in many ways verses 21-32 are rebukes of the Pharisees and what they teach.

Here’s what I mean- the Pharisees would NEVER Murder someone by going up to them and actually killing them.

But, as Jesus challenges, this command is about more than ACTUALLY killing someone and that is where the Pharisees fall short.

See, Jesus does not just say that we shouldn’t kill someone. Jesus also rebukes ANGER towards our brother and sister! Jesus rebukes people aCTING OUT OF ANGER AND TAKING OUR ANGER OUT ON PEOPLE!

And understand- the pharisees and the scribes were not right when they were calling people raca, or another form of FOOL! It’s NOT A COMPLIMENT! I can’t really give an english equivalent in service honestly.

Remember, that is what they thought about JESUS! They thought that Jesus was a FOOL!

And so Jesus warns us about acting out of our anger and using our anger as an excuse to lash out at people!

And Jesus warns us like this- Jesus compares murder and facing judgment to what we face when we ACT OUT OF ANGER!

And the result of these actions? YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF IN COURT- just like you would for murder.

Or similarly, if you call SOMEONE a FOOL (and they are not)- that’s an important distinguishing feature here- then you will be subject- or to use another translation- LIABLE to GEHENNA, or literally ‘THE HELL OF FIRE!”

This is a big start to the passage. Jesus is really warning us of two things.

Jesus is warning us to check how we approach our brothers and sisters. Are we approaching them in love or anger? Even when we are upset, HOW DO WE APPROACH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS- that is, the people around us?

Secondly, Jesus is warning us to watch our words!

WATCH WHAT YOU ARE SAYING!

I don’t know about you, but sometimes my words can get me in some hot water.

Especially when I was a child, my words would often land me in HOT WATER! James 3 talks about this and says that our words are like a wildfire! They seem small, but they can do GREAT HARM!

This matters on a daily basis. Do you want to POINT PEOPLE TO JESUS?

START WITH THE WAY THAT YOU SPEAK! Start with the way that you interact with people when you are frustrated!

As we keep looking at this stretch of verses, we see Jesus give some words of wisdom about how we should handle anger, hurt and frustration when it comes to worshipping God.

Jesus tells the crowd that if they are at the temple and they realize that they have sinned against someone to go and make it right!

GO SOLVE THE PROBLEM- OWN YOUR SIN- and then come back and worship!

And the same thing is true for us.

Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians when he talks about communion. It matters that we come before God with a CLEAR CONSCIENCE AND A CLEAR HEART!

Let me challenge you to consider this- how do you PREPARE FOR SUNDAY?

What does that look like?

See, we all prepare for Sunday one way or another. Maybe we prepare by going to bed a little earlier and by reading through the sermon text for the next day. Maybe we prepare by praying for God to move and for God to bring our friends and neighbors that we have invited.

Or maybe, our preparation looks more like this- and this is me being totally real about something from my own life. This was my Saturday nights in Downey Hall in Laramie, Wyoming.

I would stay up until well after midnight after hanging out with friends and playing WAY TOO MUCH 2k! Then, I’d go to sleep- and often forget to set an alarm. Then, I’d wake up at 9:15 for our 10:15 service at which point I’d rush to get ready, skip breakfast, and come to church having rushed! My entire life would feel out of control and I’d show up with church not having thought at all about God that morning.

And that was of course assuming that I actually made it on time.

Now, this seems small. But, notice what I never did. I didn’t take time to prepare my heart before God. I didn’t take time to seek out the people around me that I had hurt that week, or sinned against to make those things right.

Honestly, I hadn’t even taken time to talk to GOD!

I just showed up at church hoping that God would POWERFULLY MEET ME THERE and all the while, God was saying, “I’m HERE EVERY SINGLE DAY!”

See, one of the challenges of Matthew 5:21-26 is the importance of us living EACH DAY TO FOLLOW GOD!

Think about what a POWERFUL EXAMPLE OF KINGDOM LIVING IT WOULD BE IF ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON YOU WALKED OVER TO THE COWORKER YOU’D ARGUED WITH ON WEDNESDAY AND YOU APOLOGIZED!

That’s DIFFERENT!

And Jesus keeps going with this warning about us choosing togo to court.

Let me be clear. Matthew 5:25-26 is not about the Israelites avoiding justice.

That’s not it AT ALL!

Instead, let me read it again. Matthew 5:25-26

Matthew 5:25–26 CSB

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.

Jesus is giving us a really clear challenge.

Jesus is challenging us to be the SALT OF THE EARTH, the LIGHT OF THE WORLD AND TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY!

We are to live FREED FROM THE LAW! And here, this means that we should PROACTIVELY SEEK OUT RECONCILIATION!

Have you hurt your brother or sister? MAKE IT RIGHT! Don’t argue the case, MAKE IT RIGHT!

It isn’t our job to be RIGHT, it is our JOB TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY AND TO POINT PEOPLE TO JESUS!

And that includes us taking OWNERSHIP OF THE PLACES WHERE WE SIN AGAINST OTHER PEOPLE and MAKING IT RIGHT!

Matthew 5:27-30

Matthew 5:27–30 CSB

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. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Our second example that Jesus gives comes from Matthew 5:27-30. The Earthly Living view is that it’s not ACTUALLY sin if it’s just in your head!

Jesus tells us though that is not the case! To be specific, Jesus tells us that LUSTING IS THE SAME AS ADULTERY!

And then as we seek to live KINGDOM LIVES, WE SHOUDL RESPOND TO THIS BY FLEEING FROM SIN!

We need to be RADICAL about removing sin from our lives!

This is probably one of the most quoted statements that JESUS makes!

And the question we encounter when this passage is quoted is- “Should we have a church full of handless, armless, eyeless people?”

And there’s the issue with that. That’s not what Jesus is saying. What Jesus is saying is that we need to RUN FROM SIN!

Listen- the Pharisees and the scribes did whatever they could to avoid PUBLIC Sin. But internally, they lusted, they sinned, they did all sorts of things. They just “hid them.”

Jesus is calling that out. Jesus is telling us to RUN FROM SIN!

And why? Because it’s better to lose something that is temporary than to be in hell!

Let me give some examples.

Does your phone lead you into temptation with sexual sin? GET OFF YOUR PHONE!

Does being on your phone lead you into comparison because of social media? GET OFF YOUR PHONE! Maybe you need to trade it in to avoid being on it!

Does driving on one road always make you upset because of traffic? AVOID THAT ROAD!

Does being around Alcohol make you want to drink? THEN DON’T HANG OUT AT THE LIQUOR STORE! Don’t go to the bar!

Remember, the theme of this passage is simple- we are called to KINGDOM LIVING! WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY! Whatever we need to cut out to do this is worth cutting out!

And i can promise you this- if you’re worried that friend might not like you if you don’t see their post, or that someone may look at you differently because you don’t go out after work, or because you have a flip phone- then I can promise you this: THAT PERSON ISN’T WORTH YOUR ATTENTION!

It’s that simple!

Listen, if someone would rather that you walk in sin than that you FOLLOW GOD, then that person doesn’t actually love you!

Nothing is worth holding us back from living a KINGDOM DRIVEN LIFE!

I know it can be hard to take that step to cut things out, but I promise, it is worth it to live for GOD NO MATTER WHAT THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU THINK!

George Liele example (Slave- so it was seen that none of this was worth his time- who led so many to Christ, had to flee the country, started another church while battling so many other trials, which led to churches ALL ACROSS THE WORLD BEING STARTED!)

Matthew 5:31-32

Matthew 5:31–32 CSB

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.

This is our final example that Jesus gives us.

Like our other examples, let’s start with what the EARTHLY LIVING part looks like.

In this situation, the Pharisees and Scribes and Sadduccees even were preying on something that was a cultural tradition from Deuteronomy 24.

Deuteronomy 24:1 CSB

1 “If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, he may write her a divorce certificate, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.

See, in this specific instance, God allowed divorce, not because it was God’s design, but because of sin.

And let me be clear- it was not supposed to be used often.

But in the 1st century, this was used for just about anything. Burn your breakfast? DIVORCE! Didn’t clean the house like you wanted? Divorce. Didn’t make the bed how you wanted? Divorce. Said something that hurt you? Divorce.

Or, there’s even some sources that suggest a more sinister use by the Pharisees.

This would go something like this. A pharisee sees a more attractive woman that he is lusting after. Instead of cheating on his wife, he divorces her over something and then goes and marries the other woman, who he will then divorce, and so on and so forth.

Listen, that is NOT KINGDOM LIVING!

That is very much earthly living.

And Jesus gives us a Kingdom saying- His statement is to NOT DO THIS!

Stop divorcing your wives because you are bored and you want something that is self-pleasing.

Instead, Jesus is challenging us to view marriage as we should- a covenant before God going all the way back to Genesis 2.

And that brings us to our kingdom living response.

I really wrestled this week with this. I wrestled with how in depth I wanted to go on talking about divorce and God’s design for marriage. After praying about it for weeks honestly, I wanted to leave our KINGDOM RESPONSE as something simple.

LOVE DIFFERENT! That’s what our response is! LOVE PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY!

If you’re married, LOVE DIFFERENTLY! If you are single, LOVE DIFFERENTLY!- LOVE AGAPE! LOVE SACRIFICIALLY! LOVE SELFLESSLY UNLIKE THE PHARISEES!

EVERYWHERE THAT WE GO WE KNOW PEOPLE, WE SEE PEOPLE, WE ARE WITH PEOPLE! LOVE THESE PEOPLE SACRIFICIALLY! LOVE THEM AGAPE!

Recently we rolled out the CORNERSTONE CHURCH MAP!

AND LISTEN, it is 4 I’s. INVEST, INVITE, INVOLVE, IGNITE!

Can I give you a theme of all of these?

THEY REQUIRE THAT WE LOVE PEOPLE!

You want to invest? YOU BETTER LOVE PEOPLE!

YOU WANT TO INVITE SOMEONE INTO YOUR LIFE?

YOU BETTER LOVE THAT PERSON!

You want to INVOLVE SOMEONE IN DISCIPLESHIP? YOU BETTER LOVE THEM!

I PROMISE, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DISCIPLE SOMEONE YOU DON’T LOVE!

Finally, you want to IGNITE WITH SOMEONE AND MULTIPLY?

THEN YOU BETTER LOVE THE NEXT PERSON YOU ARE GOING TO REACH!

Application

KINGDOM LIVING STARTED AT THE CROSS

EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE SEEING IN THESE PASSAGES TODAY MATTERS BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS DID ON THE CROSS!

GOSPEL!

KINGDOM LIVING CALLS FOR OUR WHOLE LIVES

We can’t be half-in, half-out if we are going to LIVE FOR THE KINGDOM!

What I love about Jesus’s examples here in Matthew 5 is that they are BIG DEAL EXAMPLES and they are EVERY DAY EXAMPLES!

We get frustrated with people around us, we get upset, we get angry.

We deal with temptation, we deal with sexual sin all around! It’s rampant.

And we see divorce. We see couples divorcing and we see it because of SIN!

And I’m going to be honest- we are always going to battle sin. But, we can’t live a half-in, half-out form of Christianity if we want to follow Jesus!

Jesus is calling for us to live ALL OUT for HIM!

And I want to give you three practical ways that you can do that this week.

NEIGHBOR- INVEST IN A PERSON AROUND YOU!

PEACEMAKER- BEFORE YOU ACT, CONSIDER WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT GOD! (WHEN CONFLICT COMES UP THIS WEEK, BE A PEACEMAKER!)

LOVE YOUR FAMILY/ YOUR DORM FLOOR! (Love the people around you)

KINGDOM LIVING TRANSFORMS THE WORLD

Kingdom living is different than what our world does. That’s why we’ve

I saw this great post by GenSend recently. GenSend is a branch of the North American Mission Board and their post was about revival.

They made the point that REVIVAL IS about DAILY LIVING IN OBEDIENCE AND IT IS ABOUT US DESIRING HOLINESS!

Friends, that’s what Kingdom LIVING IS ALL ABOUT!

If you want to see revival, if you want to see lives being changed, it STARTS WITH HOW WE LIVE!

And I’m going to be honest that this takes a boldness from us.

Living a KINGDOM LIFE is guaranteeing that you will be looked at differently.

It’s saying, “I IDENTIFY WITH JESUS AND I AM GOING TO DO EVERYTHING THAT I CAN TO OBEY HIM!”

And friends, I want to give you three practical things that you can do RIGHT NOW to help transform the world.

A- LET YOUR LIFE SHINE TO THE WORLD! (Following JESUS IS BEAUTIFUL! LET THE BEAUTY OF IT SHOW as you OBEY!)

B- Baptism. We are about to celebrate with Sarah today in BAPTISM! It’s her PUBLIC DECLARATION OF FOLLOWING JESUS!

So we have two things we should do- first, we NEED TO SUPPORT HER! WE NEED TO CARE FOR HER!

Second, maybe you’re here and you have put your faith in Jesus but you haven’t made that public… I’d love to talk after our service today about what it would look like for you to BE BAPTIZED which is our PUBLIC declaration of FAITH!

C- DISCIPLE SOMEONE- WHO IS SOMEONE RIGHT NOW THAT YOU CAN INVEST IN? SPECIFICALLY, WHO IS A CHRISTIAN RIGHT NOW THAT COMES TO MIND WHO YOU CAN POUR INTO? SOMEONE THAT YOU CAN HELP WALK CLOSER TO GOD?