Standards

We are going to be talking about standards today, and our habits good or bad stem from our standards, so as Christians where should our standards come from? This is the question I pray we answer this morning.

The portion of text we are looking at today is part of the Sermon on the Mount. It has a verse in it that you all have heard me use many times and today we are going to look at it in detail. I just want to for warn you that today I will probably step on some toes, I know I did my own getting this message ready.

“Love your enemies” this goes against everything in our society today, just as it did in Jesus day this section of Scripture is also known as the antithesis because it was contrary to the social norms of 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. The vaccinated hate the unvaccinated and vise versa. People who wear masks hate those who don’t, and vise versa. Not to mention the racism that runs rampant. And the saddest part of all of this is that the church is falling right into this trap. We need to ask ourselves what is the second greatest commandment according to Jesus- Love your neighbor as yourself. Now lets dive into the text.

Matthew 5:43–48 ESV

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.

Matthew 5:43 ESV

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

Verse 43

Jesus uses contrasts in these verses to make His point. “you have heard--but I tell you”

Jesus starts out with what they had been taught was incorrect. The first part is correct, but then the Jews had added the second part, they wanted to extend love to only those they already liked. Jesus sets the bar higher with His teaching.

Matthew 5:44 ESV

44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Verse 44

We are not only commanded to love our enemies, but to pray for them as well. We are to pray for those who persecute us. Are we praying that they will leave us alone or that God will strike them down, NO we are to whole heartedly be praying for their salvation, because God is the only one who can change people. Look at Stephen in Acts 7:58-60 his final words were for the salvation of those who were killing him. Look at Jesus on the cross we see the same thing.

Acts 7:58–60 (ESV)

58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Verse 44

Matthew 5:45 ESV

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.

Verse 45

This verse gives us the reason for Jesus statement in verse 44, this is the reason why we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. This is how the world will know that we are true Christians. This verse also shows us what theologians call common grace, God’s universal love--rain on the unjust and sun on the evil. This is different than the everlasting love God has for His children. This common grace will one day end and they will face judgement.

Matthew 5:46 ESV

46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

Verse 46

Jesus now drives His point home, that it is easy to love those who love us. He uses the tax collectors because they were considered the worst kind of people in the eyes of the Jews. If we only love those who will reciprocate that love then it is a selfish pointless love. Don’t get me wrong I am not saying not to love those who love us, but Jesus is making the point to love our enemies. Even sinners love other sinners.

Matthew 5:47 ESV

47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

Verse 47

Jesus is trying to show us we are to be different than the world. Even the gentiles great each other and they were considered even worse than tax collectors. Jesus went against the social norms of His day, and we should do the same. We live in a world of divisions, fear, and hate, so we should be showing the world Christ’s love through unity, courage, and love for all.

Matthew 5:48 ESV

48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Verse 48

So, remember anytime you see the word therefore in Scripture we must back up and see what we are there for. Because God’s love is perfect and God is perfect we must be perfect, this is from Lev. 19:2. This sums up what the law itself demanded. This is an unattainable standard, and this is the only standard that can be set by a perfect and holy God. Just because we know we cannot meet this standard is no reason to stop short, as Paul tells us we are not to sin that grace may abound (Rom. 6:1). There is only one way to meet this standard and that is Christ (2 Cor. 5:21. He meets this on our behalf and that is the gospel message, the good news of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Verse 48

Standards

Closing

How can we apply the text that we have looked at today? First off we need to ask ourselves are we following these commands, are we loving God with all our being, and loving our neighbors, do we pray for those who persecute us. If you don’t today is the day to make the change, to go against our society and love our enemies. 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. Our standards as Christians come from God’s word, and the example we have through Christ.

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