MATTHEW 5:43-48
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT
#15 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Ramon Navarez, the nineteenth-century prime minister of Spain, was dying and was asked by a priest, ‘Does your Excellency forgive all your enemies?’
“‘I do not have to forgive my enemies,’ replied Navaez, ‘I have had them all shot.’” Haddon W. Robinson, The Christian Salt and Light Company, A Contemporary Study of the Sermon on the Mount (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Discovery House Publishers, 1988), p. 174
Believe as I believe, no more, no less;
That I am right, and no one else, confess;
Feel as I feel, think only as I think;
Eat what I eat, and drink but what I drink;
Look as I look, do always as I do;
Then, and only then, will I fellowship with you.
Source Unknown – R. Kent Hughes, The Sermon on the Mount, The Message of the Kingdom, (Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 2001), p. 141
Two shopkeepers were bitter rivals. Their stores were directly across the street from each other, and they would spend each day keeping track of each other's business. If one got a customer, he would smile in triumph at his rival.
One night an angel appeared to one of the shopkeepers in a dream and said, "I will give you anything you ask, but whatever you receive, your competitor will receive twice as much. Would you be rich? You can be very rich, but he will be twice as wealthy. Do you wish to live a long and healthy life? You can, but his life will be longer and healthier. What is your desire?"
The man frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Here is my request: Strike me blind in one eye!"
Thomas Lindberg, Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Leadership, Vol. 6, no. 4. Biblical Illustrator
Yowee! What bad attitudes! Talk about pride. Talk about hatred! Talk about narrow-mindedness!
And do you know what makes these bad attitudes even worse? Although we will not readily admit it, we have had similar bad attitudes as well. There have been times when we have refused to be friendly towards those who have hurt us or have disagreed with us. There have been times when we have refused to be kind to those whom we dislike.
I think that you would agree with me that the prime minister who had his enemies shot, and the man in the poem who would only fellowship with those who agreed with him, and the two businessmen who hated each other, all needed attitude adjustments. They needed to view their enemies, their rivals, those who disagreed with them in a different way.
And all too often we too need attitude adjustments when it comes to the way we feel towards and treat those with whom we are at odds.
As we conclude Matthew 5 in our series on The Sermon on the Mount we find Jesus telling us that we need an attitude adjustment towards them with whom we dislike.
One of the phrases which Jesus used several times in Matthew 5 was “Ye have heard that it hath been said”. Jesus would tell them what they had been taught in the past and then give them a clearer understanding of what God actually required. Again Jesus uses these words. He gives them:
AN HONEST APPRAISAL – Vs. 43
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Jesus tells His audience what the teaching of the day was. Those listening would have related to what Jesus said, because they had heard it often before.
The Pharisees and scribes of Jesus’ day taught that neighbors should be loved and enemies hated.
For starters, the average Jew had two enemies.
His first enemy was the Gentile, or the non-Jew. Even the half-breed Samaritans were hated. Of course this hatred would especially include the Romans who had rule over their land at this time.
The other enemy was anyone who was a publican or tax collector, or who did not adhere to following the law. Those Jews who collected taxes for the Romans were considered traitors. And to make matters worse, the tax collectors were often dishonest.
The Old Testament definitely stated that the Jew was to love his neighbor.
Leviticus 19:18 - Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.
It is interesting that the Jews in Jesus’ day left two words out from their saying of “Thou shalt love thy neighbor”. They left out the words, “As thyself”.
And, as we have just shown, the Jews had a very narrow idea as to who that neighbor was. To them, the only people that they needed to love as their neighbor were those fellow Jews who followed the Law.
Today many people have a similar view concerning who they should love. Many feel that they should love those whom they know and like.
Nobody else needs to be loved to the point that they would go out of their way to help a person.
Let me warn you against having too narrow a view as to who your neighbor is.
One day Jesus was asked to define who a “neighbor” was.
Jesus responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan.
According to the story a man was robbed and beaten by thieves and left dying in the road. Two religious people passed by and did not help. A Samaritan, a half-breed Jew, hated by the Jews, came by and nursed the man, took him to a local inn and paid to have him cared for.
According to this story, our neighbor is anyone who is in need that we have the ability to help.
Jesus gives an honest appraisal of the teaching of his day. They were taught to love their neighbors and hate their enemies. But now Jesus gives a:
A HIGHER STANDARD – Vs. 44
Matthew 5:44 - But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, the Lord Jesus expects you to live by a higher standard than others. His higher standard is to even love your enemy.
The principle of loving one’s enemy, was not new, but was ignored. It is taught in the Old Testament.
Exodus 23:4-5 - If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. [5] If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.
It is good that we express love in words, but more importantly we are to express love by our actions.
When we take care of the physical concerns of our enemies, we are saying by our actions, “I love you”.
And don’t wait for feelings of love towards someone before you take action. Take the action that love would take, and the feelings just might come later.
Kent Hughes told of a family that came home from the mission field “…and had rented a rather nice townhouse – at least it was very nice compared to what they’d had on the mission field. She is a very creative person and did a wonderful job of decorating the place, and they settled in. only one thing was wrong – the family who moved in next door. They turned the front yard into a desert, broke the windows out of their house, were always using foul language, urinated in the front yard, and generally caused havoc in the neighborhood. The final straw was when one of the boys climbed into our friends’ yard and threw a whole can of orange paint over the patio walls.
“My wife’s friend was really angry. She did not like her neighbors. She was not happy with the Lord for putting her where he had put her. Realizing that her heart was not right, she got down on her knees and said, ‘Lord, you know that I do not like these people at all. God, help me to love them’
“She did not feel any different, but she resolved to exercise love. She baked her neighbors a pie and took it to them, thus beginning a caring relationship. Those neighbors did not change, but she did. She had begun to love them. When those neighbors moved away, she wept. What an example of intelligent, volitional love that says, ‘I will love by the grace of Christ within me.’” R. Kent Hughes, The Sermon on the Mount - The Message of the Kingdom (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2001) p. 143-144
I see somewhat of a formula in Jesus’ words in Vs. 44.
How is it that you need to have an “Attitude Adjustment” towards?
1. Chose to love the person, no matter how you feel.
2. Bless the person. You can bless them verbally by speaking well of them when you can, and by asking God to bless them. You can bless them physically by showing kindness towards them.
3. Do good towards the person whenever you can. That may mean helping the person do something or meeting one of the person’s needs.
4. Pray for them. If the person is not saved, pray that he or she will be saved. If the person is saved, ask God to help him or her grow in the likeness of Christ.
And remember this: that person will answer to God for how he has or hasn’t loved you.
But you will answer to God for how much you have or haven’t loved your enemy.
AN HONEST APPRAISAL – Vs. 43
A HIGHER STANDARD – Vs. 44
A HEAVENLY EXAMPLE – Vss. 45
Matthew 5:45 - That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Is Jesus saying that if you love your neighbor you will become children of God?
No, He is not saying that.
Jesus is saying that when you love your neighbor, you are showing who your Father is, because you are acting just like Him.
Many of you are gardeners.
When the sun comes up in the morning, whose garden does it shine on?
Does the sun just shine on your garden, or does it shine on everybody’s garden?
It doesn’t matter whether it is a righteous man or an unrighteous man who owns the garden, God’s sun shines on all.
The same is true of the rain. When it rains it rains on everyone’s garden, whether the person is righteous or unrighteous.
These are just two of the many blessings that God sends on the righteous and unrighteous alike.
A man can believe that God does not exist, but God blesses him.
A man can take God’s name in vain and God still blesses him.
A man can hurt one of God’s children, and God still blesses him.
Why is God so good to those that hate Him and resist Him?
Romans 2:4 - Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
If you have acknowledged that you are so sinful that you could never earn your way into Heaven.
If you have trusted that Jesus Christ, God’s Son died for your sins, was buried and rose again.
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, your only hope for eternal life.
You are saved.
Not only are you saved, but your life has been changed because you are now a child of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
John 1:12-13 - But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: [13] Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Part of your new life as a Child of God means acting like your Heavenly Father. Just as you imitate your parents, you are to imitate God. When you do, you are proving that you are his child.
God blesses those who are evil and those who are good.
Do you?
God helps those who are evil and those who are good.
Do you?
God blesses those who curse Him and those who bless Him.
Do you?
It is time for us to follow our Heavenly example and to act as if we are God’s children.
AN HONEST APPRAISAL – Vs. 43
A HIGHER STANDARD – Vs. 44
A HEAVENLY EXAMPLE – Vss. 45
A HEART-WRECHING QUESTION – Vss. 46-47
You call yourself a Christian.
That’s great!
As Christians who know Jesus as Savior and Lord, we should be living by a higher standard.
Matthew 5:46-47 - For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? [47] And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
The publicans, tax collectors were considered great sinners.
Even those that we consider sinners, love, greet, and take care of their own.
Members of the Mafia greet their fellow Mafia brothers warmly.
Members of the Mafia love their fellow Mafia brothers.
We are doing nothing uncommon or worthy of commendation when we love and greet those who love and greet us!
Christian, you can’t earn your way into Heaven.
But, Christian, you show that you are a Christian by the way you behave.
God has promised judgment and reward to each Christian.
2 Corinthians 5:10 - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Don’t expect reward for loving and greeting those who love and greet you.
Expect reward for loving and greeting those who don’t love or greet you.
So, here’s the heart-wrenching question, “How much better are you than the average non-Christian?”
You are no better than the heathen if you just greet and love those who greet and love you!
AN HONEST APPRAISAL – Vs. 43
A HIGHER STANDARD – Vs. 44
A HEAVENLY EXAMPLE – Vss. 45
A HEART-WRECHING QUESTION – Vss. 46-47
A HOPEFUL CHALLENGE – Vs. 48
Matthew 5:48 - Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
I call this a hopeful challenge because God will not ask me to do anything that is impossible.
It may well be impossible for me to do it myself, but with God, nothing is impossible!
We know that we cannot be perfect, that is sinless, as God is sinless. However, as we just saw, as Christians we are to be imitators of our Heavenly Father.
Ephesians 5:1 – Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children. NASB
1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
As I abide in the Lord Jesus, that is stay close to Him through the scriptures and prayer, I will walk as He walked.
I will be an imitator of God.
When Jesus tells you and I to be perfect here in Matthew 5:48, He is referring to how we treat our enemies.
It is impossible for us in our own power to truly treat our enemies well, but when we rely on God’s power, we can bless our enemies just like God blesses His.
So do you need an attitude adjustment?
AN HONEST APPRAISAL – Vs. 43
A HIGHER STANDARD – Vs. 44
A HEAVENLY EXAMPLE – Vss. 45
A HEART-WRECHING QUESTION – Vss. 46-47
A HOPEFUL CHALLENGE – Vs. 48