Hurt

Series: Sermon on the Mount

Message Title: The Kingdom is Available in Hurt

Author: ZP

Key: Media Scripture Slides Personal Stories

Intro.

(SP NOTE: Share a personal story of being offended and feeling like you’re out of control and you didn’t know how to get back under control.)

Have you ever been so offended by someone or something it makes your blood start to boil? I mean you are wanting to rage, you’ve never wanted something worse than to tell that person off or get your get back. I’m sorry, I know I’m too old to say that, but have you ever been there?

A wild story I saw in People magazine about a couple that went out to an Italian restaurant, but their server kept forgetting drinks and left them waiting too long. Frustrated but still fair, the man left a 10% tip. Instead of thanking him, the server looked at it and said loudly, “Seriously? This is it?” — even calling him a cheapskate. Embarrassed and annoyed, the man calmly reached over, took the tip back, and walked out.

Turn.

No matter how you were offended, the most I’ve ever felt challenged in my life have been the moments where I felt the most hurt and had the least control over my emotions.

Maybe someone made up a story about you that was not true but they’re telling everyone like it is…

Maybe someone insulted you right to your face and didn’t expect you to do anything about it…

Maybe someone in authority used their power over you and took advantage of you in some way…

Maybe someone promised you something and then went back on their promise in a big way…

Setup

Have you ever had a moment like that and wondered… how is anyone supposed to respond in these moments? If you’re anything like me, I will feel like it’s impossible to not say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing…

When I’ve been hurt, I have really struggled to navigate what to do with my emotions. And if you’ve ever been there, tonight is for you.

I believe that Jesus actually experienced moments like this, and models for us how we are to handle our emotions. I know you might not believe me… but Jesus was hurt and offended by people on earth and shows us how to respond.

In fact I want to show you what it might’ve looked like, but first I want to give you the necessary context for it.

In Matthew 5:41, Jesus says - If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.

And what Jesus means by this, is that while he was alive Roman soldiers were allowed under the law to make you carry their stuff for one mile. But after one mile, they couldn’t force you to carry it any further. It was against the law. At the time no one wanted to be forced to carry someone’s stuff, it felt like they were taking advantage of you, it felt like they were belittling you.

In the tv show, the Chosen they have a clip of what this might have looked like and I want us to watch it together because it’s really practical for us today.

Play the video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3FmYv9uOJk

Tension

When you watch this, how do you feel? Do you relate to the followers of Jesus that are offended at first, and are plotting a way for them to get the soldiers back?

Does the response by Jesus feel like it would be easy for you to respond that way?

I could not imagine a world where the response by Jesus would be how I would respond. If you’re like me, I’m glad you’re here. And I think the heart that Jesus has is actually available to us here today.

TRUTH

In fact that’s what we’ve been talking about this semester, that the Kingdom of God is available to YOU and NOW in so many different ways including like this… It’s available to you in your hurt. We’re going through the sermon on the mount, and remember it’s one teaching by Jesus and the whole time he’s trying to help us access the Kingdom of God here and now, which is the way he lives his life.

So let’s read this whole section where Jesus is addressing how we are to respond when we are offended:

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[h] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Have you ever heard, eye for an eye before? Well the people Jesus is teaching have definitely heard it before.

And if it’s your first time hearing it, it can sound harsh… but do you know it was not actually serious? It wasn’t like a bunch of people back in the pre-Jesus times were walking around with one eye each because they just had to take out each other’s eyes.

It was intended as an obvious statement… like if someone hurts you or offends you… what are you going to do? Go take their eye out?! Obviously not… that’s ridiculous!

It was said often, to help people do one thing:

Don’t take revenge into your own hands.

All you do when you exact revenge is perpetuating the cycle of them offending you.

So as Jesus is teaching this… he’s not trying to disagree with this… he’s actually attempting to take it even further!

He gives 4 different examples that would’ve been familiar to everyone listening AND extreme to them. Maybe you remember this when we started the sermon on the mount, but it’s

He gives 4 different examples that would’ve been familiar to everyone listening AND extreme to them. Maybe you remember this when we started the sermon on the mount, but it’s similar to what Jesus was doing with the Beatitudes.

Except here, I want to be very clear that Jesus is not being prescriptive here, he’s being descriptive with what the heart posture should be for a follower of Jesus.

To help you understand the heart of what Jesus is saying here, I have to help you understand what he is NOT saying… because that’s what gets most confused from this passage!

Jesus is NOT saying, if you’re getting bullied at school for the 15th day in a row, suffer in silence and turn the other cheek.

Jesus is NOT saying, if someone at school didn’t bring a shirt that you should give them your shirt.

Jesus is NOT saying, if your coach makes you run a mile go two miles. Idk some coaches might like that, some coaches wouldn’t.

Jesus’ heart here is to encourage the people listening to translate this into their own life, examine where you get offended and how you can respond in an upside-down kind of way. A way that the world would be so confused and not understand because they don’t understand the Kingdom of God. He’s also saying it in an extreme way, so that they get it! It’s not intended that you would do exactly what he says…

So similarly, here are some modern ways of saying what Jesus said…

(Production notes: all of these on one slide.)

If anyone makes fun of you on Snapchat, offer them your Instagram.

If anyone wants to take your starting spot, offer them your jersey too.

If anyone would make up a story about you, don’t deny it!

If anyone would insult you to your face, give them a compliment back!

These are ridiculous statements, that I’m not expecting you to actually do… But I’m wanting to get your heart stirring so that you would actually consider doing something radical in your responses in the future.

The truth is you could fight back in two ways: exert your strength/defend yourself or you can use your strength to suffer well, trusting that God will avenge what’s being done wrong. Suffering well changes something about the way they view you. It forces them to dignify you when you don’t retaliate. You hold up a mirror to them in their offense to you.

It reminds me of the show on Netflix Quarterback with Patrick Mahomes, he talks about how when he gets hit by the defense he likes to pop up and say “good play big dawg”. He complements someone who’s intending to harm him. It’s taking their power away.

I think it helps when you start to take on this heart posture, your approach changes how you experience being offended changes. To be even clearer with it, this is what I mean.

Here’s the actual heart posture to have in this:

(Production Note: all of these on one slide.)

If anyone would offend you, you are not owed anything.

If anyone would break a promise, you’re not entitled to what they promised.

If anyone in authority would mistreat you, you’re not entitled to justice.

If anyone would be picked over you, you’re not owed being picked.

Jesus’ intention is that we would look inward, and examine ourselves with lists like this to check ourselves. To affirm that we have a different way of doing things altogether.

Truthfully, I find this incredibly challenging.

Jesus is saying some radical things, that would have surely made them all say something similar to what we all said earlier… How am I supposed to do that?

Like Jesus doesn’t know how hard it is when your best friend spreads a rumor about you to the entire school. Jesus doesn’t know how hard it is when someone cheats on you. How am I supposed to do that?

APPLICATION

I want to be practical tonight, because I believe the best thing to do for you is to give you some tools that would help you work this out in your life.

To do that, I have to remind you of what Jesus did in the video from “The Chosen.”

If Jesus stopped after one mile, it literally does nothing. If he had just stopped, it doesn’t do anything for his disciples, it doesn’t do anything for the soldiers, and most importantly it doesn’t do anything in him. He took their offense and instead of throwing it back in their face, or fighting back, he used his strength to keep going farther than they intended it to go.

The practical next step for us in the room is great if you’re following Jesus. Because this truth is for children of God, it’s a belief and hope that my dad will take care of it.

This is what Romans 12 says about that:

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.In doing this, you will

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e]

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We believe that God will take care of it.

If you’re not a Christian, of course you have to fight for yourself because who else is going to fight for you?

So I want to pray for all of us that God would begin to give peace in this room and confidence to us that He will take care of it.