Sermon on the Mount -04- Handling Problem People

Reading: Matt.5:38-47

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,

Matthew 5:43-44 (NIV)

I.   Generosity in place of retaliation

     A.  Who Started it?

           1.  “He hit me first.” “Uh-uh, he pushed me.” “Well he was in my way” “He was sitting in the wrong place.”

           2.  We all have a tendency to justify our acts of retaliation by saying we were provoked.

           3.  The people of Jesus’ day even used a Bible quote to justify their desire for retaliation: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”

                 a.  An instruction given for those who judged a civil case — meant to demand that sentence be proportionate to the crime.

                 b.  Never meant for vigilante justice.

     B.  Staying out of Control

           1.  Instead of allowing our response to people to be determined by those motivated by anger, petty greed or personal power, Jesus asks us to respond to everyone in the same way — with love.

           2.  A kind of holy detachment helps us to love people in spite of themselves.

                 a.  Parents sometimes have this of their children “I don’t care if he did. He’s still my son/She’s still my daughter.” (Too often parents don’t love this way enough of the time.

                 b.  We are given the command by God to love our neighbors. There aren’t any conditions on that (...if they deserve it. Or, if they’re lovable, etc.)

           3.  Detached love seems like a contradiction, but it’s not — if love is seen as a chosen course of caring action rather than simply an emotional response.

     C.  Giving to the Undeserving

           1.  When we suffer a minor physical injury, instead of striking back “tit for tat,” we simply prepare for another minor injury — a slap on the face is not a blow to the solar plexis.

                 a.  It stings but causes no real damage. No one has been really hurt yet.

                 b.  Retaliation won’t gain me much and might provoke greater injury.

                 c.  It serves me no purpose to strike back. The slap stings the same either way.

           2.  To those who have suffered by a minor loss of property, respond in generosity — It is the loss of a shirt, not a home.

                 a.  To loose a shirt is not a big thing. It can be easily replaced.

                 b.  It is easier for me to stay out of the courts than defend the cause of a tunic.

                 c.  It affords me an opportunity to be generous toward someone intent on doing me some petty injury.

           3.  To those who suffer a temporary loss of freedom — and it is temporary walking a mile takes the average person about 20 minutes.

                 a.  Losing 20 minutes is not losing a year.

                 b.  Even conscripted service is an opportunity for service freely offered.

           4.  The petty irritations of others aren’t reason enough to get me really irritated.

II.  Loving like God

     A.  Unconditional Love

           1.  Did you ever notice that it rains just as much on the good as the bad, and the sun shines the same for both too?

           2.  This is the pattern Jesus holds out to us for our love — it is to be given to people. How deserving they are has nothing to do with it.

           3.  This begins at home by loving our spouse and children, our parents and brothers and sisters — whether they deserve it or not is beside the point.

     B.  Self-Giving Love

           1.  Loving when we feel loved in return is easy — it’s how it’s supposed to work.

           2.  But love that only gives when there’s love in exchange isn’t self-giving love, it’s a trade-off.

           3.  The love word in Greek is the one that means that the love goes from the heart to the one being loved — it is the love of the loving, not love toward the loveable.

     C.  Transforming Love

           1.  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21

           2.  A book I’m reading talks says that we all have a love tank.

                 a.  We are at our best when it’s full and at our worst when it’s empty.

                 b.  Problem people are changed when we start filling their love tank.

           3.  Isn’t this amazing! This is just what God expects will happen to us when he puts grace first and doing good as a response.

                 a.  Do you think maybe our designer knows something about human behavior?

III. Grow up

     A.  “Perfect” means Whole

           1.  The English word “perfect” has shifted its meaning over the years. It used to mean complete, whole, mature. Now it tends to mean what is the fruit of being complete, whole, mature — namely, without defect.

           2.  When Jesus says “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” He isn’t after moral purity as much as a love rooted in wholeness — a love which isn’t challenged by petty offenses.

           3.  Read this passage from The Message

     B.  Moving toward Perfection

           1.  Perfection or wholeness is our goal.

                 a.  Forget that “it’s only human” to be bothered by problem people.

                 b.  Learn to love them anyway.

           2.  Choosing our measuring stick has everything to do with knowing how we measure up.

     C.  Grown-Up Children of God

           1.  We are identified as “sons” or children in verse 45, but that doesn’t mean immature.

           2.  Quite the opposite to be a child means to be like, to follow in our Father’s footsteps.

           3.  We’re supposed to “grow up” take up the serious responsibilities of godly adulthood.

The Bottom Line:

.