The Sermon on the Mount (16)
Notes
Transcript
Today as we move on to the next section in the sermon on the Mount, we are going to be talking a little bit about standards. Now we must know that all of our habits good or bad stem from our standards. So, as believers where do our standards come from? This is something I pray we answer this morning. The standard we are looking at specifically today is love. I am going to give a little disclaimer this morning, I am probably going to step on some toes, I know I did mine as I prepared this. “Love your enemies—this phrase goes against everything in our society just as it did in Jesus day. We live in a country that is divided, and so full of hate. The democrats hate the republicans, the republicans hate the democrats. If you don’t agree with my viewpoint you are a bigot, never mind the racism that is still so prevalent in our wold today and one of the saddest things is that the church is falling right into this trap. The question we should be asking ourselves is what is the 2nd greatest commandment. Now when we look at sections of Scripture —especially ones that go against the norm— we must put all our preconceived notions aside and let the text say what the text says.
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.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
Jesus again quotes the OT, but only partially, the last part of this verse was added by the Jews. They were convinced that Leviticus 19:18 defined a neighbor a fellow Israelite, and thus would not tolerate any extension of the term to anyone else. They would only show love an hospitality to their fellow Jews. As with all the verses we have covered so far Jesus sets the bar higher. Through the example given in Luke of the Good Samaritan Jesus shows us any person in our sphere of influence is our neighbor.
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
This is where Jesus sets the standard higher “you have heard but I say”. Not only are we to love our enemies, but we are to pray for them as well. And what should that prayer be, that they stop, for them to be punished—NO it should be for their hearts to be transformed. Look at Stephen in Acts 7:58-60. Our desire for our enemies and for those who are persecuting us is for their salvation, for God to change their hearts. Jesus beaten and tortured, hanging on a cross dying chose love (Luke 23:34) and so should we. Well you may ask why should be do these things, and Jesus answers that question in the next few verses. Jesus commands a love without limits, that loves everyone regardless of what they say or do.
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.
If we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us—truly loving them and caring about them we will be sons of God. Now Jesus is not telling us that by loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us that we will be saved. Our salvation comes from God through our faith in Christ. It is a gift from God you can not earn it. Well then what does He mean. It is through the demonstration of these acts that true believers will be recognized as God’s children. As James tells us we show our faith by our actions. The second part of this verse shows us the type of impartiality we are to show. God’s common grace is given to both the evil and the good. God desires for everyone to come to a saving faith in Him. He loves even those who do not love Him. This is the first reason we are to love and pray for our enemies. It is a true test of a genuine relationship with Christ, for us to love those whom we are naturally inclined to hate, or to those who persecute us.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Here is the second reason we should love an pray for our enemies, in verse 46 and 47. It is to distinguish us from the world—the sheep from the goats. What He tells us in verse 46 is that it is easy to love those who love us. The example of the tax collector—now in their day the tax collectors were hated as much as the Romans, or even more, they were considered traitors to their own people. The Romans required so much in taxes, but if the tax collector could squeeze his own people for more that what was required he could keep the excess, so many of them were crooks. So if you love only your friends you are no better than a swindling tax collector.
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Jesus next example uses another group of people the Jews hated. Again if you only show love to those who love you, well you are no better than a Gentile, a dirty unbeliever. We have to remember at this time Gentiles were not included as believers. He is telling us that as believers as followers of Christ we should do more than what is common among nonbelievers in the way we show love. We are to show them deliberate, determined love, an invincible good will towards our enemies. It is generous, warm, costly self-sacrifice for another’s good. Jesus is calling us to stand up and be different—to go against the social norms of our day. We live in a world full of divisions, fear and hate, so we should be showing Christ’s love to the world through unity, courage and love for all. We must all ask ourselves is there a “more” in my love, is there something about my love that cannot be explained in natural terms.
48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Why must we be perfect—because God’s love is perfect, and God is perfect, so we must be perfect (Lev. 19:2). Jesus is not trying to frustrate His hearers with an unachievable ideal, but challenging them to grow in obedience to God’s will, to become more like Him. The standard is perfection and this is the only standard that can be set by a perfect and holy God. There is only one way to meet the bar, and that is to become utterly dependent on Christ. To become spiritually bankrupt knowing He is the only way. (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus meets this standard on our behalf.
The Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount
We need to ask ourselves are we following these commands, are we loving God with all of our being, and loving our neighbors, do we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Does Christ’s love flow out of your relationship with Him, because trust me it has to go somewhere. We are to be holy set apart from the world, we are to be that light on a stand a city set on a hill. We are to be different in the world full of our Lord and Savior.
