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Good morning, you may be seated.
If you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, I want to invite you to join us in Matthew
chapter 5, is where we will be here in just a moment.
We'll be reading starting in verse 43.
If you don't have a copy of a Bible, we do have some free ones that are available.
They are back at the Connections desk, and whether you are a first-time guest or a long-time
member, if you don't have a copy of God's Word, we want you to have one.
And so please stop by there after the service is over with and pick one of those up.
They are free.
We would love for you to be able to have one of those.
Well, I want to state a truth that I believe is difficult for all of us to actually apply
in our life.
that sometimes doing things that feel unnatural can benefit you greatly.
Doing things that seem unnatural can benefit you greatly.
I was sitting on my phone, full confession, this week, right?
Sitting on my phone, and I'm lost in this motion with looking at some videos.
And a video popped up, and it said, are you not a morning person?
I need to watch that video.
When Aaron and I, when we both wake up in the morning, if you want to know what that looks
like, the older we get, I just kind of picture like we kind of resemble getting out of bed
kind of looks like zombies, right?
Like, the hair's all over the place.
We're dragging a leg, you know?
And there's just grunts that are happening, right?
So I'm not a morning person.
It takes me a long time for my brain to get up and get going.
It takes me even more time to get where I feel like I'm ready to talk and ready to engage with people.
And so I thought, well, this may be beneficial.
Aaron's a lot quicker at that.
Like, once she gets up and gets going, like, the first sip of coffee hits her mouth,
and she's ready to go and tackle the day.
And for me, there's a lot more involved in the process to get me going.
And so here's what this video said.
In order to become a morning person, if you, if the first thing you do,
if you will brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand,
and I thought, there's no way that's true, but I got some time to kill.
So let's see what Google has to say about this.
Now, I'm not a dentist, a scientist.
I'm none of these things.
But through the help of AI and Google, I checked this out,
and there seems to be some legitimacy to it.
One thing that I read was said that brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand,
if you do it first thing in the morning,
it will cause your brain to wake up faster,
causing you to have more physical energy and mental energy throughout the course of the day.
Right?
Number two.
Oh, there's more.
There's four things.
Number two.
It engages the part of your brain that produces calmness.
So throughout the course of the day,
you have less stress in your life
if you will brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand.
Number three.
It forces the brain to break automatic routines
and therefore will help you in building both memory and focus throughout the course of the day.
If all you'll do is do this.
I'm right-handed, right?
All right.
Number four.
It engages brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand.
It engages the creative part of your brain.
And as a result, will spark more creativity in you.
The last thing it does.
From experience.
It will cause you to get a massive amount of toothpaste in your beard.
All right?
For some of us, that's a problem.
For others, not so much.
So you're asking me,
well, Bo, did you try it?
I did.
For one day.
And I was like, this just isn't worth it.
Right?
Like, I can't do this.
Right?
Like, this is not really what I want to be a part of,
what I want to be about.
Right?
What would have taken a certain amount of time.
I don't want to say how long it takes me to brush my teeth
because I don't want some of you to judge me.
Right?
It took longer than that in order to feel like I'd accomplished anything.
And even though the course of the day, it didn't.
Why in the world am I doing this?
Well, Jesus, so far in the Sermon on the Mount,
has been laying forth some kingdom characteristics
for those who choose to follow him as king.
Jesus already said, here's how you follow me.
Repent.
And now within that,
and this kingdom culture that he's calling them to,
what he's pressing into is that he's commanding them
to do things differently than what they've been taught
and what may seem natural to them.
And I would argue that verses 43 through 48
during the time of Christ and during the time of today
is probably one of those things
in the commands that he's called us to
that calls us to go,
but I don't know about that.
That's more uncomfortable than brushing your teeth
with your opposite hand.
So let's read verses 43 through 48.
You have heard that it was said,
you shall love your neighbor 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 heaven.
For he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good
and send rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if you love those who love you,
what reward do you have?
Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet only your brothers,
what more are you doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
You, therefore, must be perfect
as your heavenly father is perfect.
Now this is the last of Jesus' part
in the Sermon on the Mount
where he is saying,
you have heard it was said,
but I say to you.
And in this moment,
I believe that he cuts to the heart of his audience.
What Jesus is doing is twofold.
Jesus is placing emphasis on the heart of the law
of what God has given.
But Jesus is also drawing out
the improper teaching
of those who have incorrectly,
oftentimes knowingly,
mistaught the law of God.
We're back at verses 43 through,
about midway through 45.
You have heard that it was said,
you shall love your neighbor
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 heaven.
What Jesus is calling them to,
what Jesus is calling us to this morning
is a holy,
like God is holy,
and holy as in a fullness mind shift.
Jesus is moving them from,
you have heard that it was said,
love your neighbor and hate your enemy,
but I say to you,
love your enemy
and pray for those who persecute you.
And this is important
as we understand
what Jesus is stepping into.
Jesus is stepping into
an oppressed people.
And what I mean by oppressed,
I mean oppressed.
It's not a system of slavery,
but it's pretty close.
People have been beaten down
and taxed and cheated.
People have had their,
the temples,
their places of worship desecrated.
People who live in an area
where if I go against the government
who's at rule,
then they will crucify me
and leave my body hanging
as a reminder of those who are in power.
And at the time of Christ,
when people hear a Messiah is coming,
they're looking for a political Messiah.
It's easy to know in their mind
who the good guys
and who the bad guys are.
It's easy to see who's on God's side
and who's not on God's side.
And so Jesus comes in
and I bet in their mind,
they're thinking,
you shall love your neighbor
and hate your enemy.
And they're like,
oh great,
he's going to tell us
that our enemy is Rome.
And we hate him
and we hate him
and we hate him.
Man,
Jesus comes in
and before he turns over the table
in the temple,
man,
he flips up the table
in their mind.
You've heard it said,
love your neighbor
and hate your enemy.
But I tell you,
love your enemy
and pray for those who persecute you.
What Jesus is correcting
is an abuse
and a misteaching
that the scribes
and the Pharisees taught
of Leviticus 19.
We haven't done this
for all of these,
but I want to share with you
what happens
when culture and convenience
determine the teachings of God
versus God determining
the teachings of God.
The scribes did teach,
the Pharisees did teach,
love your neighbor
and hate your enemy.
Jesus is quoting
if you had gone to a temple,
if you had gone to a place of worship,
what you would have heard them teach on
as they were teaching
out of Leviticus 19.
They would have taught,
love one another,
love your Jewish brethren
and hate your enemy.
Hate them.
Here's Leviticus 19,
here's what this is based off of.
Leviticus 19, 17 through 18.
You shall not hate your brother
in your heart,
but you shall reason frankly
with your neighbor
lest you incur sin because of him.
You shall not take vengeance
or bear a grudge
against the sons of your own people,
but you shall love your neighbor
as yourself.
I am the Lord.
Now when the scribes and Pharisees
taught this,
here's what they mistaught.
They taught in Leviticus 19,
17 through 18,
number one,
that you define
who your neighbor is.
Well, who do I love?
I don't know.
Tell me who you want to love.
Then that's who you love.
But God never
gives limitations
to the word neighbor.
Number two,
they left off the command
to love your neighbor
as yourself.
They would completely
skip over that.
Why?
Because even within
who I choose to love,
but I don't have to love you
in depth that I want to love,
me.
And I'm good at loving me
some me, right?
They left that off.
And then they added
while you are called
to love your neighbor,
you hate your enemy.
You hate your enemy.
Man,
isn't that really reflective
of our culture today?
Who's for me is for me.
Who's against me is against me.
I'm for me who's for me.
And I'm against who's against me.
Here's what's ironic about this.
Like, well, Beau,
it doesn't necessarily say
in there,
in Leviticus 19,
17 through 18,
to love your neighbor.
Well, jump down with me
to verse 33.
When a stranger,
pause there,
stranger's not a friend.
Stranger's not a friend.
Stranger is an outsider.
Stranger is an enemy.
Stranger is someone
you don't know.
Stranger is someone
when you're suspicious of.
Stranger danger, right?
Right in here, right?
1933.
When a stranger
sojourns with you
in your land,
what does it say?
You shall not do him wrong.
You shall treat the stranger
who sojourns with you
as the native among you.
And you shall love him.
And you shall love him
as yourself.
For you were strangers
in the land of Egypt.
I am the Lord your God.
So here's what we see.
In the manipulation of God's word,
in the manipulation of God's word,
God never said,
love your neighbor,
your friend,
your brother,
and hate your enemy.
God says love.
You bless.
This is who we are.
Now this,
for you
and for me,
the people,
Jesus' time,
would have taken
a change
of their mind
that is reflective
of the holiness of God.
It comes from,
because this is what's best
for political reasons.
This is what's best
for strategy.
No.
Because I am the Lord your God.
What they taught
was you define
who you love.
And folks,
that's not what Jesus teaches.
It's very interesting.
The parable of the Good Samaritan
found in Luke chapter 10.
Oftentimes,
and in repentance with things,
you know,
you're reading back through,
I'm reading back through,
and man,
I realize,
man,
sometimes I don't put
the right emphasis
where it needs to be.
And so many times,
I know that I've done this,
you've probably done this
or heard this,
right?
We look at Luke chapter 10,
the parable of the Good Samaritan,
and we base all of it
off of how to love someone.
And can we do that?
Absolutely.
Like,
we can draw beautiful pictures
and beautiful pieces
of what it means
to love someone
and what that could look like.
But you know,
that's not,
the point of the parable.
That's not the point
of the parable.
It's a truth
we can draw from it,
but it's not what Jesus
at the heart of the parable
is addressing.
The purpose of the parable
is who is my neighbor?
Luke 10, 25,
and behold,
a lawyer stood up,
this is a scribe,
stood up to put him
to the test,
being Jesus,
saying,
teacher,
what shall I do
to inherit eternal life?
Jesus,
tell me what to do,
tell me what to do.
And he said to him,
what is written in the law,
how do you read it?
And he answered,
you shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your strength,
with all your mind,
and your neighbor
as yourself.
And he said to him,
Jesus says to him,
you have answered correctly,
go and do this,
and you will live.
But he,
desiring to justify himself,
said to Jesus,
and who is my neighbor?
Who?
And then Jesus taught.
Jesus taught.
Defining who is your neighbor.
Folks,
who is your neighbor?
Yep.
Did you encounter them?
Yep.
Did you not encounter them?
Yep.
Do you know them?
Yep.
Do you not know them?
Yep.
Do you love them?
Yep.
Do you not love them?
Yep.
They're your neighbor.
They thought that you would define
the standard to which you love.
Don't love as you desire,
as you love yourself.
Love is what you seem fit.
You are the judge.
You are the jury.
You decide.
Jesus says, no, God,
God teaches.
That you love
sacrificially
out of a response
to how you've loved.
And they taught
that for people
who want to live their lives
and honor God,
that hate
was acceptable.
It was norm.
It was expected.
And Jesus says,
but not for kingdom people.
Not for kingdom people.
Jesus says, you don't hate.
Jesus says,
you love
your enemies
and you pray
for those
who persecute you.
the passing down
of culture
rings true
in first century
Jerusalem
as it does today.
I love
who I want to love
based off of
what I determine
they should
or should not get.
And hate
is a natural response
because of what
they've done to me.
Jesus has already spoken
that blessing
of persecution
and the Beatitudes.
Matthew 5.10
Blessed are those
who are persecuted
for righteousness' sake.
For theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
Blessed are you
when others revile you
and persecute you
and utter all kinds
of evil against you
falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad
for your reward
is great in heaven
for so they persecuted
the prophets
who were before you.
And now,
now Jesus
ratcheted it up again
that as blessed people
who are enduring
the difficulty
of the world
that our response
as he just shared
is not an eye
for an eye
or a tooth
for a tooth.
It's not just
give them your shirt
it's give them your cloak.
Jesus says
love your enemy
and pray
earnestly
for those
who persecute you.
Why in the world
would he do that?
Why in the world?
Jesus
this doesn't even seem
to make sense
they're not doing
what you're asking
me to do
in return.
Why should I
reward their hate
with my love?
Verse 45
so that you may be
sons
of your father
who is in heaven.
Now,
what is Jesus saying?
Does Jesus mean
that if I do this
then certain
if I do certain things
then I will earn
my salvation?
That's not at all.
Is Jesus saying
that
I
in and of
myself
can obtain
a level
of personal
righteousness
that makes
salvation
obtainable
by works?
No,
not at all.
Here's what
he has said.
Here's what
he will continue
to say
is that
salvation
is possible
by faith
and repentance.
That's it.
But what
Jesus is getting
to in the
calling of
the people
of the kingdom
is that
when we are
saved
God produces
fruit in us.
God transforms
us.
God sanctifies
us so that
we become
more like him
and less like
us.
So what
do we need
to know
about the
love of
God
so that
we can
love in
the manner
and the
fashion
that he
does?
Let's
understand
that in
this
God
extends
love
to all.
God
extends
love to
all.
Look at
the second
half of
verse
45.
For
he makes
the sun
rise on
the evil
and on
the good
and sends
rain on
the just
and on
the unjust.
John Calvin
referred to
this as the
common grace
of God.
Right?
The sun
didn't just
come up for
you and me
this morning.
Right?
The sun
came up for
good and
bad.
Hopefully
that the
rain will
fall in the
next 60
to 90
days.
And when
that happens,
right?
It'll fall
for the good
and the bad.
That the sun
rises regardless
if you love
God or not.
That the rain
falls regardless
if you love
God or not.
But God
in doing
this extends
his love
to all
by the sun
and the rain.
God
loves
his enemies.
You're like,
okay,
well good.
Then I'm not
going to limit
the sunshine
for my enemies
and I'm not
going to limit
the rain
for my enemies.
Jesus is
teaching a
principle here.
The principle
is that
God
loves
his enemies.
And if
you are here
today
in the
saving grace
and work
of Jesus
Christ,
can I tell
you what
you and I
should sing
praises about
and what
you and I
should jump
around about
and what
you and I
should clap
our hands
about
and what
builds joy
in our
hearts
is we
should love
the fact
that God
loves
enemies.
Because
God,
when he
saved you
and when
he saved
me,
didn't
save his
friends,
he saved
his enemies.
Romans 5.8,
God
shows his
love for
us in
that while
we were
still sinners,
Christ died
for us.
Romans 5.10,
for if
while we
were enemies,
we were
reconciled to
God by the
death of
his son,
much more
now that we
are reconciled
shall we
be saved
by his
life.
Colossians 1.21-22,
and you
who were
once alienated
and hostile
in mind
doing evil
deeds,
like let's
pause it
just for a
second,
like when
God saved
you,
I don't
care if
he saved
you at
five or
at 95.
I don't
care if
he saved
you in a
bar or in
a Sunday
school class.
I don't
care if
he saved
you in
a prison
cell or
at youth
camp.
When God
saved you,
what you
and I
in the
heart of
the depravity
of who
we are,
we exuded
this,
we were
alienated,
hostile,
doing evil
deeds.
He has
now reconciled
in his body
of flesh
by death
in order
to present
you and
me as
holy and
blameless
and above
reproach
before him.
This is
how God
loves
enemies.
Next week
we're going
to gather
for Easter
and we're
going to
praise and
celebrate
that the
tomb
is empty.
But folks,
in order
for the
tomb to
be empty,
at one
point in
time the
tomb had
to be
full.
And
Jesus
did not
just die
for the
sins of
those
people.
Jesus
died for
your sins
and my
sins
because we
were enemies
of God
and God
loved
us.
You see,
the world
says you
love your
neighbor and
you hate
your enemy
but the
king
says we
love
because we
have been
loved.
So let's
talk about
reflecting the
king.
Reflecting
the king.
Verse 46
through 48.
For if you
love those
who love
you,
what reward
do you
have?
Do not
even the
tax collectors
do the
same?
and if
you greet
only your
brothers,
what more
are you
doing
than
others?
Do not
even the
Gentiles
do the
same?
You
therefore
must be
perfect
as your
heavenly
father
is
perfect.
Reflecting
the king.
Jesus
gives two
illustrations
here.
and in
the mind
of the
audience
who
would
hear,
Jesus
chooses
two
types
of
people,
who they
are in
their day
to day
life.
Jesus'
Jewish
audience
would have
seen them
as their
mortal
enemies.
The tax
collector,
the traitor,
the betrayer
of faith,
the one who
robs and
steals and
exudes
greed in his
life.
the Gentile,
the pagan
who has
come over
and conquered
and taken
over.
Jesus says
the world,
the tax
collector and
the pagan,
they even
love people.
They do.
They love
those who
love them,
who they
determine
deserves their
love,
but Jesus
loves all.
So is
your love
going to be
reflective of
the tax
collector,
the pagan,
the Gentile,
the world?
Or is
your love
going to
reflect
Christ?
Danny
Akin said
this in
his book,
Christ-centered
exposition
on the
Sermon
of the
Mount.
He said
returning
evil for
good is
satanic.
Returning
good for
good is
simply human.
Returning
good for
evil,
now that
is divine.
That is
divine.
That's
what Jesus
did for
us,
right?
We did
him evil.
He gave
us good.
He gave
us good.
He gave
us good.
The call
for our
life is
not to
live as
a reflection
of our
deprived
nature that
we've been
saved from.
the call
of our
life is
of the
divine,
of the
holy,
of God.
It's
human to
love those
who love
us.
It's
holy to
love those
who don't
love us.
The call
to perfection
is not
an obtainable
call this
side of
eternity,
but it's
a call
to set
our hearts
and minds
to,
to be
like
Christ.
folks,
there are
people in
your life
that are
easy to
love,
and my
guess is
you,
just like
me,
you're
loving
them
well.
But then
there are
those who
are hard,
who are
difficult,
and Jesus
this morning
is calling
you to
love them.
So how
do I love
my enemies?
Four
practical
ways.
that I
believe that
you and
I can
reflect the
work of
Christ in
the heart
of God
as he
calls us
to love
those that
we're
struggling,
that we've
determined
are our
enemies.
Number one,
seek to
serve.
Number one,
seek to
serve.
As
Jesus
washed
the feet
of the
dirty
disciples,
we should
seek to
serve
those
even
though
they
don't
deserve
it.
Number two,
number two,
speak in
kindness,
speak in
kindness.
Well,
fine,
but I'll be
kind to
their face
and nasty
behind their
back.
May we be
people of
kindness
and compassion
and empathy.
May we
be people
that what
is in
our
heart
is
reflective
on what
we
say.
Number
three,
straight from
Jesus'
own words,
pray for
them.
Pray for
them.
Okay,
that's,
Lord,
we just
need a
little dosage
of your
wrath to
kind of fall
here today,
right?
Like,
some misery,
some punishment,
some sickness,
like one of the
plagues,
like if that
could happen,
right?
Pray for
blessing.
Pray for
blessing.
Pray that
they would
be blessed
in their
family,
in their
life,
in their
career,
in their
pursuits.
They would
live in and
experience the
spiritual blessings
of the Lord.
Oh boy,
but maybe even
some of the
tangible blessings
as well.
Number
four,
number four,
share the
gospel.
Share the
gospel.
Share the
gospel.
Maybe,
theologically
speaking,
they are
enemies of
Christ.
And maybe
what God
has for you
to do
is to share
the gospel
with them
so that
they might
become
a brother
and sister
in Christ.
I'm going to ask
the praise team
and the prayer
encouragers to
make their way
on the stage,
prayer encouragers
on the side
of the room.
In closing,
I want to ask
you four
questions to
consider.
Four questions
as we take
and we look
at verses
43 through
48.
Number one,
who is the
enemy that
needs to be
your neighbor?
Who is the
enemy that
needs to be
a neighbor?
Who does
God need to
have in your
life so that
you see
them the
way that
God has
called you
to see
them?
Number two,
number two,
how can
you pray
that God
will do
a work
in your
heart
concerning
them?
What does
God need
to change
in you?
Bo,
they're difficult,
they're hard,
they're,
I know,
I know.
What does
God need
to change
in you?
Number three,
what act
of love
is God
calling you
to today?
What act
of love
is God
calling you?
How is
God calling
you to
serve them
right now?
And lastly,
how can
loving them
display God's
love for you
and your
love for God?
Would you pray
with me?
God,
we thank you
for the truth
and the power
of your word.
God,
the challenge
you lay
before us
is not
simple,
it is not
easy,
and Lord,
it is only
possible through
the work
of your
spirit.
Lord,
I pray
as we
wrestle with
the truth
of your
word,
Lord,
that we
would be
faithful
to seek
you,
to seek
your will,
to seek
your way.
God,
forgive me
where I
have failed
to love.
God,
forgive me
where I
have embraced
hate.
God,
forgive me
where I
have been
unkind.
God,
forgive me
where I
have been
selfish
and self-seeking
in my
serving.
God,
forgive me
when I
would rather
someone experience
the wrath
of God
than the joy
of salvation.
God,
thank you
that you
don't give
up on us,
that you're
working on
us,
or may we
respond to
you as
you lead
us.
It's in
Jesus' name
we pray.
Amen.
That's it
for this
week's
message.
Be sure
to check
back next
week for
a new
episode.
And in
the meantime,
you can
visit us
online at
willowridgechurch.org
or by
searching for
Willow Ridge
Church on
Facebook,
Instagram,
and YouTube.
Thanks again
for listening.