What if Jesus was serious about justice and enemy love?

Bottomline: If we fail to love our enemy we will fail to be forgiven.

Intro- tell a story about a childhood nemesis

If we took Jesus seriously we would be known more for what we are for than what we are against.

Enemy love is the ultimate test of transformation.

Matthew

The New International Version (Chapter 5)

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ w 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.

Jesus is painting a picture of what we do to Him and how He responses.

-Eye for an eye was to prevent retaliation

-The slap would have been an insult

-the coat would have been something part of you and soemthign everyone was entitled to…so its is a bit of an overstatement to give up

-roman soliders could ask people to carry their things for a mile

The old way was about preventing retaliation but Jesus is inviting people into His way which is ultimately about righteousness, which is all about being in right relationship with God.

The New International Version (Chapter 5)

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor z and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

Jesus is addressing unsaid assumptions that nobody would say but most of the hears would believe.

In prayer, our vision of the person is transformed as we see him in the light of God’s presence.

-Skye Jethani

No one can pray for others and still hate them. When we take ourselves and those whom we are tempted to hate to God, something happens. We cannot go on hating others in the presence of God. The surest way of killing bitterness is to pray for those whom we are tempted to hate.

-William Barclay

Prayer can always change our perspective.

Colossians

New Living Translation (Chapter 1)

19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

God’s grace is something we all need but none of us deserve.

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

To be apart of God’s family is to extend God unconditional grace.

To love our enemy, therefore, is to actively seek what is in our enemy’s best interest, even if he does not agree, which may explain why he is our enemy in the first place. Ultimately, this call to love our enemy is no different from the many other commands of Scripture. Jesus always insists that the citizens of His kingdom put the interests of others ahead of their own, even when that other person is our enemy.

Jethani, Skye.

If we don’t take Jesus seriously about loving our enemies, then we don’t take seriously His grace.

The Sermon on the Mount isn’t just about how to behave. It’s about discovering the living God in the loving, and dying, Jesus, and learning to reflect that love ourselves into the world that needs it so badly.

-NT Wright

The New International Version (Chapter 6)

11 Give us today our daily bread.12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, sbut deliver us from the evil one.’14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

If we fail to love our enemy we will fail to be forgiven.

It is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.

- Corrie Ten Boom

If we forgive other people, our hearts are made fit to receive forgiveness.