Sermon Tone Analysis

"Just Do It”

You know when we’re real little and our parents tell us to do something, we have a sense that it is for our own good.

But when we get up in our teens, we get the urge to question everything they tell us.

We may still feel like they have our best interests at heart, but we also want the freedom to make our own choices.

We test their love and patience when we start asking them, WHY?

Given how parents don’t always have “ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD,” rather than trying to sit us down and explain the benefits of following their instructions, we get the command to, “Just Do It.”

I have to be honest, I’ve always felt like this Scripture was one of those “Just Do It” moments.

Jesus is telling me to “love my enemies,” but WHY?

The raw pagan response was to pay such actions back tenfold—“You slap me, I’ll break your neck”—

“You take my shirt, I’ll chop off your hand.”

Many people today feel the same way.

The ancient Hebrew response was lex talionis, the law of retaliation…’Eye for an eye…’

At the time of Jesus, those who struck you on your cheek or took away your coat were masters or soldiers.

Striking the cheek was the way a master disciplined a slave or servant; the way he asserted his authority; the way he put you back in line.

And at the time of Jesus, there was a proper way to do this.

You would stand facing your master, and he would strike your right cheek with the back of his right hand.

Someone once said, ‘Always forgive your enemies.

Nothing infuriates them more.’

True forgiveness requires a radical kind of love.

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?

· There are too many “Good Christians” in this world running up bad credit—spiritually.

True forgiveness requires a radical kind of love.

There is simply no credit for natural love.

There is eternal credit for radical love.

First, it will be “great”—literally, “much”—and Jesus meant what he said.

Are we mercenary or selfish if we love our enemies with an eye to great reward?

No.

As C. S. Lewis once pointed out, a man is mercenary who would marry for money, but if he marries for love, he is not.

Why? Marriage is the proper reward of love.10

Similarly, love for God and others has a proper reward, which is God himself (cf.

Romans 2:7; 2 Corinthians 6:16b–18; Revelation 21:7).

Second, as a fitting corollary Jesus adds, “and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

When we do good to our enemies, we are like Christ.

When we bless those who curse us, we are like Christ.

When we pray for those who abuse us, we are like Christ.

And that likeness is our reward.

“Give more than is necessary.”

· According to Jewish law, if a man could not pay a debt, he had to give his inner garment in place of the money he owed.

But he did not he did not have to give up his outer cloak.

Jesus is saying, “Give more than the law requires.”

“Do not try to keep things for yourself, even if the law says you can.”

41 “Go the Extra Mile”

According to Roman law, a Roman soldier could demand a resident of a colony to carry his baggage as far as one mile.

Then the soldier was supposed to find another man to carry his things for the next mile.

Jesus taught that if a Roman soldier forced someone to go one mile, that man should happily go with the soldier an extra mile.

We must be willing to do more than our duty.

HEART IMPACT

We see this in the Upper Room when, after washing the disciples’ feet, he lovingly reached out to Judas, whose heart was set on murderous betrayal (cf.

John 13:18–30).

Jesus began reaching for Judas’ soul by quoting Psalm 41:9, “He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me” (John 13:18), a reference to Ahithophel who betrayed David and then committed suicide.

Evidently the Savior’s voice broke with emotion as he further explained what he meant, because verse 21 records, “After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.’ ”

His emotion was not for himself, but over the loss of Judas and the yawning abyss that awaited him.

Then Jesus dipped a morsel of food and gave it to Judas.

In the Palestinian culture, to lift a morsel from the table, dip it in the common dish, and then offer it to another was a gesture of special friendship (cf.

Ruth 2:14).

Jesus’ gesture said in effect, “Judas, I know what you are up to.

But here is my friendship.

Here is my loving heart.

All you have to do is take it.”

1 John 4:16

How can we love as God loves, and be merciful as God is merciful?

· Paul said: I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).

o Paul also said: And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

"Are you praying for those who mistreat you?

If so, you are like Jesus."