Sermon Responding to Enemies Tom Yardley
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Transcript of Sermon Responding to Enemies Tom Yardley
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8/6/2019 Sermon Responding to Enemies Tom Yardley
1/21
"THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT"
Over the last few weeks we have had a number of people preach
to us on the
Given it has taken these few weeks, and the help of Philip Hunt,Warren Honkey, Brian Allen as well as Ken Holt to get us this
far, and we are only about half way through the Sermon on the
Mount was really quite a sermon. Not even Ken with his usual
triple-decker sermons can match the Sermon on the Mount for
content. My father used to speak of the old style Scots ministers
of his youth going on for two or three hours at a stretch. Even
they couldnt match the Sermon on the Mount for content.
Obviously no ordinary human being can match Jesus in this orany other way. So although the subject of my message could
justify at least two normal sermons, youll be pleased to know
that I will take less than three hours to cover the subject.
I prefer to think of the Sermon on the Mount as the Seminar
series on the Mount. It was like the intense training the first
disciples underwent to initiate them into the righteous life of a
servant of Christ. However, Christ did not book a function roomat a big city hotel to run his training program. In those days he
would have taught often in the open air, and this would have
allowed for a larger group of the curious, the cynical, the bored,
and the potentially threatened to gather at the edges of the circle
of disciples as Jesus taught. Some of us have travelled far
enough to be like those disciples in the inner circle, others of us
are still a bit further out on the fringes, not entirely sure what to
make of this fellow Jesus, and some may even still be resistantto what he has to say. Over my life Ive been in all these various
positions. Today Ill share some thoughts on one small part of
the Sermon on the Mount.
A few weeks ago Philip and Ken opened up the journey through
this important material in the New Testament by showing us
how back then and still today, the Christian life set before us in
the Beatitudes is very challenging to our comfortable cultural
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assumptions. Jesus and the life he set before us to follow in his
footsteps goes against so called realism and common sense.
And Warren and Brian both clearly challenged us to come to
grips with the disturbing news that you dont have to be a
murderer or a sex criminal to fall short of Christs demands on
our commitment to do right. We must be pure in thought, word
and not just the most visible deed. They challenged us in the
same way challenged the disciples and others listening with the
six but-attitudes. But-attitudes? Yes, the six contrasts, or
antitheses, set forth by Christ to contrast the attitudes of the
traditional interpreters of the Law, and his affirmation of the old
Law in that he declared (1) clearly in Matthew 5:17-20.
Part 1 - Taking Revenge (Mt 5:38-42)
INTRODUCTION
As we continue our study of Jesus' "Sermon On The
Mount," bear in mind that we are still discussing the "The
Righteousness Of The Kingdom"We have seen Jesus contrast this "righteousness" to that of
the scribes and Pharisees, in how they interpreted and applied
the Law to such matters as:
Murder (21-26)
Adultery (27-30)
Divorce (31-32)
Swearing Oaths (33-37)
Today we will see how Christ completes the six but-attitudesby interpreting the law on revenge and how to respond to
enemies
What do I mean by the but-attitudes?
Christ says six times something like You have heard it
saidbut I say to you1. In Matthew 5:21, 22. You have heard it said to the men
of old You shall not kill, and whoever kills shall be liable
to judgement. But I say to you that everyone who is angrywith his brother, shall be liable to judgment
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2. In Matthew5: 27, 28. You have heard that it was said,
You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that
everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already
committed adultery with her in his heart.
3. In Matthew 5: 31, 32. It was also said Whoever
divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.
But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife,
makes her an adulteress
4. In Matthew 5:33, 34, and 37. Again you have heard that
it was said to the men of old, You shall nor swear falsely.
But I say to you, Do not swear at allLet what you say
be simply Yes or No5. In Matthew 5:38, 39. You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to
you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes
you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.6. In Matthew 5:43, 44. You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those
who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your father
who is in heavenNote well Jesus did not say you have read that He said you
have heard that.. If he was criticising the old law of Moses, the
law of the Old testament he would have said you have heard that
it was written, or you have read, or you have heard it read, not
you have heard it said. Why? Because he was criticising those
who interpreted the Law, not the Law itself. He was pointing to
the erros of the Scribes and Pharisees, and softening the law,
and providing realistic ways for people to bend the rules to suittheir hard hearted ways.
1.1 THE LAW OF MOSES AND "THE TRADITIONALINTERPRETATION AND APPLICATION"
In this message, we shall consider what Jesus taught
concerning "vengeance"
[First, by comparing...]
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1.1.1 Concerning The Statement: "An Eye For An Eye,And A Tooth For A Tooth"...
1. It is found in Exo 21:24-25
2. A parallel passage is Deu 19:21From The Context, It Is Seen These Statements Were
Actually Laws For The Civil Courts To Apply
Notice carefully Deu 19:15-21; Exo 21:22-23
They were given to guide the priests in meting out
proper punishment
It Appears That The Scribes And Pharisees Had...
Interpreted these statements so as to justify PERSONAL
retribution!
Applied them by frequently taking matters of revenge into
their own hands
Just As Many People Do Today!
But The Law Of Moses Repeatedly Forbids "Personal"
Vengeance...1. Consider Lev 19:18; Pro 20:22; 24:29
2. Both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, the
matter of vengeance was to be left up to God and His duly
appointed agents: CIVIL GOVERNMENTS - cf. Ro
12:19; 13:1-4
[Therefore, there is really no difference between what the Lawtaught and what we find in the New Testament; there is no place
for personal vengeance in the lives of those who the children of
God.
Now let's examine more closely...]
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1.2 THE "RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE KINGDOM" ASTAUGHT BY JESUS
Jesus Proclaimed Two Principles...
1. DO NOT RESIST AN EVIL PERSON (39a)
a. Not only should you not take vengeance into your ownhands...
b. But don't even oppose (resist) the evil person when the
evil is being done!
2. REACT TO THE EVIL BEING DONE, BY DOING
GOOD! (39b-42)
a. This principle is illustrated by Jesus with several
examples...
1) Reacting to PHYSICAL ABUSE (39b)
a) "Turn the other cheek"
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b) This may refer to offering the other cheek as an
expression of love
2) Reacting to a CIVIL SUIT, by giving more than
what the person is suing for! (40)
3) Reacting to GOVERNMENT OPPRESSION, by
offering to do more than what is being demanded of
you! (41)
4) Reacting to THOSE ASKING FOR HELP, bygiving them what ask for! (42)
5)
6)
7)
8) In each case, the principle is the same
9) We are not to resist the person...
a) Who would mistreat us
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b) Who would try to deprive us of our possessions
10) Instead, react in a positive manner...
a) Demonstrate love towards them
c) Do so by giving them freely MORE than they werehoping to gain by force, oppression, or manipulation!
Is This To Be Taken Literally?
1. Why not?
1. We have several O.T. examples...
1) JOSEPH, in forgiving his brothers - Gen 45:4-
15
2) DAVID, in sparing the life of Saul - 1 Sam
24:8-15
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3) ELISHA, in feeding the army of the Arameans
- 2 Kin 6:8-23
b. We also have several N.T. examples...
1) JESUS, our prime example - 1 Pe 2:20-23
2) STEPHEN, when he was being stoned -
Ac 7:59-60
3) THE HEBREW CHRISTIANS, who
"joyfully accepted" the plundering of their goods -
He 10:32-34
2. If not, then how do we apply these words of Jesus?
a. What does Jesus mean?
b. Give some examples of how to apply these
teachings... ???
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1.2.3 Are We To Apply It "Unconditionally"?
1. I.e., must we decide who is "worthy" to receive this kind
of treatment?
a. Jesus does not give us any indication that we are to use
"discretion"
c. Paul does give some qualifying instructions (e.g., 2Th 3: 10)...
1) But it applies to those who are Christians
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2) And we have a responsibility to "judge" those in the
church, leaving those outside to God - 1 Co 5:9-13
3. I find striking the attitude of the Christians of the
second century, A.D.:
a. "Do good, and give liberally to all who are in need
from the wages God gives you. Do not hesitate about to
whom you should not give. Give to all. For God wishesgifts to bemade to all out of His bounties." (Hermas, 135
A.D.)
b. "And he said to love not only our neighbors but alsoour enemies, and to be givers and sharers not only with
the good but also to be liberal givers towards those who
take away our possessions." (Irenaeus, 185 A.D.)
c. "Do not judge those who is worthy and who isunworthy, for it is possible for you to be mistaken in your
opinion. In the uncertainty of ignorance it is better to do
good to the unworthy for the sake of the worthy, than by
guarding against those who are less good not to
encounter the good. For by sparing and trying to test
those who are well-deserving or not, it is possible for you
to neglect some who are loved by God, the penalty for
which is the eternal punishment of fire. But by helping all
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those in need in turn you must assuredly find some who
are able to save you before God." (Clement of
Alexandria, 190 A.D.)-- These statements were written at
a time when Christians were constantly mistreated,
abused, and manipulated by others!
1.3 CONCLUSION
1. Summarizing the teachings of Jesus concerning vengeance...
a. Do not resist evil
b. Respond to evil by doing good in turn
2. The teachings of Jesus in this passage are admittedlychallenging, and opposed to what what we might call "human
nature"
3. But we are called upon to be "partakers of the divine nature"
(2 Pe 1:4); in other words, to be more like God than men
4. And as we will see in the next lesson, it is in order to
be truly "sons of your Father in heaven" that Jesus
teaches a standard of righteousness that far exceeds
that of the Scribes, Pharisees, and most people today!
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"THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT"
2 Responding to Enemies (Mt 5:43-48)
INTRODUCTION
1. The last section on the subject of "vengeance" (38-42)
contained teachings of Jesus that are certainly challenging
2. Taken literally, it would require radical conduct on the part
of those who are Christians
3. Perhaps we can glean some insight into why we should act
in such a manner, when we consider what Jesus says in
this section concerning the "treatment of enemies" (43-48)
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[First, let's examine...]
2.1 THE LAW OF MOSES AND THE "TRADITIONAL
INTERPRETATION AND APPLICATION"
2.1.1 NOTICE THAT THE O.T. DID NOT REALLY SAY"HATE YOUR ENEMY"(43)
1. It did teach to "love your neighbor as yourself" - Lev
19:18
2. But, it also taught that kindness was to be shown to your
enemy - Exo 23:4-5; Pro 25:21-22
AGAIN, THE TRADITIONAL INTERPRETATION HADMISAPPLIED THE LAW!
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1. Though it did enjoin the command to "love your
neighbor"...
2. It inferred from this command that one had the right to
"hate your enemy"!
[In contrast, consider...]
2.2 THE "RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE KINGDOM" ASTAUGHT BY JESUS
IT DEMANDS THAT CONCERNING OUR "ENEMIES"...(44)
1. We "love" our enemies (i.e., show "active
good will" towards them)
2. We "bless" those who curse us (i.e., speak well of them)
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3. We "do good" to those who hate us (i.e., treat them kindly)
4. We "pray" for those who spitefully use us and persecute us
a. Notice, we are to pray FOR them, not just about
them
b. I.e., pray for their well-being, salvation, etc.
THIS IS AN EXPANSION OF THE PRINCIPLEILLUSTRATED IN VERSES 39-42
1. Don't seek vengeance!
2. Instead, react by manifesting aggressive love!
[Why respond to our enemies in this way? Jesus explains...]
2.3 THE UNDERLYING REASON TO REACT IN THIS
WAY
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"THAT YOU MAY BE SONS OF YOUR FATHER INHEAVEN" (45)
1. That is, to demonstrate ourselves to be truly His
children!
2. What is our Father like?
a. He gives material blessings to both the evil and the
good, both the righteous and the unrighteous - Mt 5:45b
b. He is kind to the unthankful and evil - Lk 6:35-36
c. He offered His Son while we were yet sinners and
enemies!
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d. Ro 5:8,10
e. He loved us before we loved Him - 1 Jn 4:10
3. As taught elsewhere, we are to imitate our Heavenly
Father -1 Jn 4:11; Ep 4:31-5:2
OTHERWISE, WE ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN THE"TAX-COLLECTORS" (46-47
)
1. In Jesus' day, they were despised by the Jews,
because they made themselves rich by collecting taxes
from their fellow-men for the Roman government
2 And yet, they would...
a. Love those who loved them
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b. Greet cordially those who greeted them
3 We are no different if our love is
limited to our "brethren" or "friends"!
ONLY THEN WILL WE BE "PERFECT, JUST AS YOURFATHER IN HEAVEN IS PERFECT" (48)
1. The word "perfect" means
"brought to completion, full-grown, lacking nothing"
2. In this context, it has
reference to the matter of showing love and mercy (cf. theparallel passage in Lk 6:36)
3. When we display love and mercy to our enemies...
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a. We are "complete," "full-grown" in demonstrating
love
b. Just as our Father in heaven is when He shows
kindness to evil and unthankful men!
Consider Peters advice to us in I Peter 3:8-12. Suffering fordoing good.
Peter says being kind to people entails five things: love,
humility, unity, sympathy and compassion. But Peter doesnt
just stop here with these nice qualities. He pushes us on to
something that is often even more difficult in verse 9 when he
says, Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with
blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherita blessing.
There are very few things that are harder than keeping our cool
when we are attacked or criticized. But Peter tells us that this is
a big part of what it means to be kind to others. Over and over
again we are told in Gods word not to seek revenge, to let God
take care of things, to not get caught up in trying to even the
score. One of the reasons why God tells us this is becausetrying to even the score is almost always a futile endeavour.
Why? Because we seldom, if ever, keep score the same way
that our enemies do. Their slights and insults always seem to be
greater than ours. And so the result is an endless cycle of the
proverbial Martins and McCoys. And in the process, we do as
much harm to ourselves as to the one(s) we are trying to hurt.
Someone has said that holding on to anger and hostility is like
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grasping a hot coal with the intention of throwing it at someone
elseyou are always the one who gets burned.
So how can we resist the often-overwhelming urges to exact an
eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth? Peter hot tempered
Peter, following his Master Christ, says that you do it by
fighting back with love and kindness. Instead of evil and insult,
you give a blessing. You look for ways to make life easier on
your enemy. You try to love him out of his hostility. You try to
bless her in spite of her hardness. In other words, you do
exactly what God did for us in Christwhile we were yet
sinners and his enemies, Christ died for us.
There is a story about the time when the Berlin Wall was still
standing. Tensions were high over some incident, and the East
Berliners responded by throwing garbage over the wall onto the
West Berlin side. Rather than picking it up and throwing it
back, the West Berliners responded by tossing food (not rotten
tomatoes, or week old pizza, or truly sour sauerkraut, but food
that could really be enjoyed). One person who wrote about
the occasion concluded by saying, Each side gave what it had.
Thats a picture of what Christ wants us to do in those tough
situations when it is easy to lose our cool. We have been given
something greater that God asks us to give in return: Gods
blessing. And we give it, not just to our friends, but to our
enemies, we imitate God and disarm our foes.
So try it. Theres no guarantee that everything will gosmoothly; you may, in fact, just open yourself up to further
ridicule or criticism. If that happens, you can take comfort in
the fact that Christ suffered in the exact same way for choosing
the higher and harder path of forgiveness and reconciliation.
But something else may also happen: you may find your
enemy becomes your friend. And then you will have the
opportunity to share about the greatest blessing: the forgiveness
of God that is offered to us in Jesus Christ.
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At the very least, let us expend as much energy in seeing how
we can apply this passage to lives, as many spend in trying to
explain it doesn't really mean what it appears to say!
2.4 CONCLUSION
1. This section of Scripture is just another vivid
demonstration of how the "righteousness of the kingdom"
EXCEEDS the "righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees"
2. The principles presented in this sermon are
certainly challenging to our understanding, and to the
application of them in our lives
3. But if we really want to be:
a. "sons of your Father in heaven"
b. "perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect"...
4. ...it is imperative that we be influenced:
a. More by the teachings and example of the Son of
Godb. Than by the attitudes and example of the "tax-
collectors"!
In the next lesson, we shall begin to consider the righteousness
of the kingdom "with respect to man's relation to God" (Mt 6:1-
33)