Complete Discipleship

Intro: Its a good thing that bumper stickers with Christian messages have become less popular over the years. Some taught bad theology “God is my Co-Pilot”

Others could send mixed message--

“Christians are not perfect, Just forgiven”

—If talking about Justification by faith, yes....but does is square with the teaching of Jesus?

Is the teaching of maturing disciples—don’t worry, you are not perfect, just forgiven

Does it start to sounds like Mr Rogers theology “I love you just that way you are”

Or is something missing?

Here, we see Jesus pressing his disciples to a deep maturity—perfection (v48!)

If perfection is throwing you, think in terms of “mature, complete—loving without limits” (Bloomberg)

**This should not surprise us; It’s consistent with the OT

—(Lev 19:2) Be holy (that’s a perfect standard)

—(Dt 18:13) —Be blameless

*Big Idea: By God’s enabling grace, he expects our discipleship to be a complete discipleship lived in a total love

The Lord Jesus does not want our discipleship to be incomplete, looking like an unfinished project.

As we tie up this chapter in SOM, note how Jesus’s teaching touch on so much of our lives.

—-The heart (lust and anger)

—Our speech (commitments, vows, covenants)

—And now, presses pretty concrete actions: hands an feet

There also seems to be an escalating difficulty-challenge--

*Also, keep in mind that Jesus teaching is centered on what life in the Kingdom Looks like--

Everything in the SOM reminds us: this is how to identify where our citizenship is.

First, complete discipleship:

LEAVE NO ROOM FOR REVENGE (38-42)

Jesus alludes to another passage from the law— (Ex 21:24)

The point f this law—was to promote true justice and limit personal revenge;

We know this by going up on the playground our natures are not wired like this. Instead You hit me once, I have to hit you back harder, or twice. .

Citizens of Christ’s kingdom are not going around trying to seek personal revenge, or get even

Retaliation is not in the vocabulary of a disciple

Test cases:

—physical (v39)

What’s in mind here is probably a backhanded slap that was insulting and humiliating; not necessarily the punch that will knock you out if hit again; this was characteristic of a Jewish insult.

The point Jesus is making—don’t seek revenge when you are insulted or humiliated....

—This in fact was the way of Jesus himself,

Isaiah 50:6 ESV

I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.

—legal (40)

Again, don’t go into the situation with an attitude of revenge, be willing to give up/lay aside

—cultural (41)

We can already see a pattern develop in the examples: Jesus calls his followers to act more generously and graciously than expected.

So we have now the proverbial “go the extra mile”

This example Jesus brings in the government—and this would have may have provoked outrage among the followers—some may have even turned away at this point

What Jesus was referring to was called impressment: A Roman soldier could stop an ordinary Jewish citizen and say—he carry my gear for the next mile.

Now maybe for disciples like Matthew the tax collator, being helpful to Rome would not have been much of an issue…but for the political Zealots who followed Jesus—this would have been like drinking a glass of vinegar

Apply: Now in the last two years, a lot has been demanded of people throughout the world in terms of COVID responses. We all have diverse opinions on protocols.

Some of the demands come from government, business, some from your employers,

But if we draw the principle from Jesus…how do we react when we are asked to do something we don’t like or agree with? It is that much different than a Roman solider telling a Jewish man: carry my gear

How do I react when someone, in some delegated position of authority, tells me to do something I don’t want to do...

What’s our attitude and actions--Revenge? Revolt? Hatred?

Apply: Situations like these are meant to press us into the reality that are ultimate citizenship is not of this world.

I’m concerned and hate government overreach just as much as many of you—but has Jesus ever been overly concerned with government overreach, or growing us as complete disciples, being perfected in love, who are fit for his kingdom?

—personal (42)

Essentially Jesus says that his followers must be marked by a generous spirit.

Now we have likely found ourselves in situations where people pick up on, and even abuse a generous spirit—and we have the book of Proverbs to guide us in wisdom…..

Maybe the wisdom of Augustine is helpful “Jesus said to give to everyone who asks, but does not say give everything to him who asks” (in other words, discern the real need)

But the point of Jesus teaching here: Is your heart generous? Does it reflect the heart found in:

Psalm 37:26 ESV

He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.

Psalm 112:5 ESV

It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.

Sum: Complete discipleship is often marked by a willingness to give up and let go of self

LOVE IN THE DIFFICULT AND DEMANDING (43-48)

Here is a clear example of “scripture-twisting” (v43) First, there is nowhere in the OT every commands to “hate your enemy”

The OT teaches to love neighbor….but some Jews thought that implied only fellow Jews—

…And if we take in all of scripture, there is strong language directed against God’s enemies

Psalm 139:19 ESV

Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me!

Do we ever picture David dropping his sling and giving Goliath a hug?

We can see how a popular understanding was: love you neighbor, but hate your enemy

Now at the most basic underusing—love is: Denying self in concrete action regardless of how we feel

A few examples

—Prayer (v44)

One way to discern how well we do in this: look at your prayer list. Who’s is on it? Only people you like and who like you?

If we are living consistent/gospel lives of godliness, we will encounter enemies…..we don’t seek them out, but they are unavoidable as Christ clashes with culture

2 Timothy 3:12 ESV

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

**Jesus’s enemies made his prayer list (Lk 23:34); *even the tense of the verb suggest this was ongoing prayer ....

There is something about prayer—that can tend to soften us; soften our hearts. If we intercede for someone, we tend to sympathize and suffer with them.

If we ignore peoples needs, our hearts tend to become calloused.

Same with praying for an “enemy” —do you think

Apply: As we’ve focused some prayer at TRB in recent weeks on Sanctify of Life—in one sense we are a praying justice for the unborn. But also praying for all involved in the horrific industry.

If Roe is overturned this summer, look for people to hate evangelical Bible-believing Christians even more. Be prepared for more polarization, anger, and hate...

What are we going to do? How will we respond?

—Common Grace (v45)

This is connected to the fruit of prayer: “so that” —

In a sense, this reflects the principle that the thing that often changes most in prayers is the one praying

Prayer is a means that God uses to turn hearts and situations….and yet transformation often happens inside of us when we pray.

The picture here is that God’s common love for humanity is impartial; he does not show favoritism.

Reformed Theology has a category of “Common Grace”

Now God has a special, saving love for his elect—but there is also a general loving treatment of humanity impartially by providing essential needs….that’s what Jesus is stressing here

—Loving the unlovely (v46)

Again, grounded in the previous idea that God’s love is impartial…which means he loves a lot….billions of people…who do not love him in return…..

God could justly withhold every good thing, all favor for all people…he could stop the sun from shining…and let all humanity die.

How long would it take for everyone to die if the sun stopped shining?

…and still be just, good, and holy…..but he chooses not to

Apply: And so Jesus teaches that God the Father himself provides a model for the disciple—a perfect model

Now the easiest thing to do is love the lovey; be friendly to our friends

Apply: And honestly in these days, even that has been a massive challenge. Some friendship have broken down due to different political or perspective on how to navigate a pandemic.

It’s so easy to gathering within a very narrow tribe of very like-minded people we feel comfortable with, treat each other well—live self sacrificially

But as the late preacher John Broadaus said:

“In loving his friends a man may in a certain sense be loving only himself—a kind of expanded selfishness

Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke

And that is what Jesus us pushing against, over and over again: our expanded selfishness

Folks with an expanded selfieshness don’t make good disciples, and it may be they don’t even make it as citizens of the Kingdo,

Apply: Brothers and sisters. We are going in one of two directions. Either we are expanding selfishness, or being perfected in love?

Conclusion:

As we close, I want to point us back to the fact that Jesus came to fulfill the Law (Mt 5:17)

Just reflect on Jesus:

—He turned the other cheek, didn’t he?

—The final day of his life, he was stripped of his clothing

—He willingly loved his enemies (you and me)

—And oh, a Roman soldier demanded that Jesus carry his equipment…it happed to be the cross he would die on:

1 Peter 2:21–24 ESV

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.