Radical Love: Pursuing the Father's Perfection

RADICAL LOVE: PURSUING THE FATHER’S PERFECTION: Matthew 5:43-48 – MHAFB, 12 July 20 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------Series: Sermon on the Mount / Topics: Jesus; Life and Teaching of Jesus Christ; Teachings of Jesus; Sermon on the Mount/Plain; An Enemy; Love; God’s Love Before Worship: Pray with leaders! Openings Verse: Psalm 143:8–11 Songs: Your Love is Amazing; Good, Good Father ----------------------------------------------------------------------------SLIDE-Transition to Sermon Introduction Attention: 1. A man came to visit his pastor one day during a particularly difficult season with his wife… a. “Pastor, I think my marriage is done, I cannot love a woman like this.” i. “Well,” the pastor shared, “The Bible says we are to love our wives—no matter what.” (Ephesians 5:25, Colossians 3:19) b. “Pastor, I don’t think you understand, we might be married, but we aren’t really connected at all.” i. The pastor gently replied, “You and your wife have been in our church for a while now, you are united in Christ and the Bible tells us to love our brothers and sisters.” (Psalm 133:1; John 13:34, 15:12-17; Romans 12:10; Ephesians 5:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; Hebrews 13:1; 1 Peter 1:22, 2:17, 3:8, 4:8; 2 Peter 1:7) c. “Honestly, Pastor, I question if my wife is even a Christian these days; things have gotten so bad at home that we don’t even sleep in the same room anymore—she’s more of a neighbor than a wife!” i. “Well, the Bible does say to love your neighbor,” continued the pastor. (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 19:19, 22:39; Galatians 5:14) d. “Pastor, it’s not that easy. It’s become so bad it’s like I don’t even know here—she’s like a foreigner to me!” i. “That’s quite hard,” replied the pastor, “But the Bible does tell us to love foreigners!” (Deuteronomy 10:18-19) e. “No, no, no—it’s even worse than that, Pastor—things are so bad that she acts like my enemy—I simply cannot love her!” i. “Hmm,” the pastor reflected, “Jesus even teaches us to love our enemies. Don’t you think He can help you love her?” (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27, 35) 2. Hopefully none of us are at such times in our lives, a. But this short story does remind us of an important lesson which is the focus of today’s message— 3. Today we are looking at… a. SLIDE-Title: Radical Love: Pursuing the Father’s Perfection b. From Matthew 5:43-48 Big Picture: 1. We are in the final of Jesus’s six ‘antitheses’ in His Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43 a. Some key moments Jesus takes to correct some commonly confusions of His day and ours, i. Helping us understand God’s heart & His high calling that He works within us. 2. As we go through this today, I hope that you will see that... a. SLIDE-Thesis: Jesus calls us to mirror His Father by practically loving others, even our enemies. 3. A love… a. That was “Radically Shown to Us” b. And that is to be “Practically Lived by Us” Passage: 1. Context: With that said, I invite you to now join me in Matthew 5:43-48… a. As we see Jesus finish this large section of the Sermon on the Mount. 2. Verses-2 Slides: I invite you to stand with me in honor of God’s Word as we read… Matthew 5:43–48 CSB “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. a. May the Lord bless the reading of His Word! 43 Transition: 1. Please be seated and join me in prayer… a. Heavenly Father, i. You have shown us a radical love ii. And You have given us a radical call iii. Help us learn to emulate You in this way. iv. We love You & thank You for Your love for us. v. In Jesus Name we pray—amen. 2. Now, let us turn to consider… Main Point 1: God’s Love, Radically Shown to Us Explain: Let us start by simply considering this fundamental question of our faith: 1. MP1: What is love? a. In short, you can summarize biblical love as i. MP1: “Unselfish, loyal, and benevolent intention and commitment toward another.” (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 2003) ii. This concept well described and demonstrated throughout the Bible b. Well over 250 times the Old Testament talks about God having ‘cHesed’ love for His people (first seen in Genesis 24:12-27) i. This love includes a true affection and desire for its object, 1. It goes far beyond a mere emotional feeling… ii. This is a devoted, loyal, faithful, steadfast, covenantal love— 1. It loves no matter what, through thick & thin, even when the love is not deserved iii. Furthermore, this love is expressed through kind actions— 1. It demonstrates mercy and goodness toward 2. It is actually the foundation of the mercy & grace seen in last week’s verses c. Hundreds of times, the New Testament uses the Greek word ‘agapao' to describe God’s love for His people i. To have this love is to greatly cherish, take pleasure in, & have affection for something. ii. It is undeserved & unconditional (thus faithful & long-lasting) iii. Remember how Paul describes this love in 1 Corinthians 13? 1. Patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not arrogant, not rude, not self-seeking, not irritable, not keeping record of wrongs, not finding joy in unrighteousness, rejoicing in truth, bearing all, believing all, hoping all, enduring all, never failing 2. Those are lofty concepts… So, what does this love look like practically? a. MP1: What did Jesus say in today’s passage— How did God demonstrate this love? i. MP1: By providing the sun to rise and the rain to fall on both the evil & good! ii. This wasn’t based on their merit or qualities—it was based on God’s love b. If you know much about Christianity you know this was by no means the greatest example of God’s love; i. MP1: God ultimately demonstrated this love through Jesus’ sacrifice. ii. As Jesus said in... 1. John 3:16, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (CSB) and… 2. John 15:13, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” (CSB) iii. Or as John reflected in 1 John 4:10, “Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (CSB) c. Interestingly, while God loves us all so greatly, not everyone receives the benefit of this love… Illustrate: I am reminded of an old Fed Ex Superbowl commercial that poked fun at the movie Cast Away… 1. In it, the Fed Ex man who was marooned on an island for 4 years had, as a means of preserving his professionalism and hope, preserved one undamaged Fed Ex package to deliver to it’s intended recipient if he was ever rescued. a. Upon being rescued and delivering the package, he asks the recipient what was in it. b. Her response? A Satellite Phone, GPS locator, fishing rod, water purifier, & some seeds… 2. While he had the means of salvation, he never opened it to receive it… Expand: 1. Such is the case for many throughout history… a. While God has revealed His great love to us, b. many never receive the actual benefit of this love 2. Like a child who receives the genuine kindness of his parents so as to keep doing what they want to do— a. As humans we will not not receive God’s radical love unless we come to Him rightly… b. MP1: Indeed, God’s love is only received in full when we come to Him in repentance & faith! i. Our sins are forgiven ii. And the righteousness of Jesus is placed upon us! (see Romans 8:35–39) 3. This is the radical love that God has shown to us and is available to us! a. And if we have received this love… b. we should mirror it to others! Transition: 1. So, let’s consider… Main Point 2: God’s Love, Practically Shown by Us Explain: 1. This is the practical application of Jesus’ focus on God’s love. a. Because He loves even those who are his enemy— i. Those in His family, those who truly love Him— ii. ought to also so love others, even their enemies! b. MP2: As 1 John 4:19-20 shares, “We love because He first loved us." i. and “If anyone says, “I love God.” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar...” 2. And this love is not a theoretical love, some lofty idea without true expression— a. MP2: Instead we see that this love is tangibly demonstrated! 3. Consider again how Jesus puts it, a. Matthew 5:43-44, “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. i. MP2: But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (consider the examples of Jesus & Stephen in Luke 23:34 & Acts 7:60; also see Romans 12:14) ii. A love that is far greater than simply loving those who love you or greeting those who greet you (vv46-47)! 4. A few important notes… a. While the Old Testament says to “Love your neighbor,” (Leviticus 19:18), it never says to “hate your enemy.” i. Perhaps contemporaries of Jesus thought that this was a ‘natural implication’ of loving your enemy… 1. Perhaps they had even tried to defend it from certain passage that highlight God’s or Israel’s distaste for their enemies (Deuteronomy 23:3-6, 25:17-19; Psalm 137:7-9, 139:21-22) 2. But the truth of the matter is that this was never taught by God. ii. On the contrary, the Old Testament taught Israel both 1. That God was displeased when they gloated over their enemies failures (Job 31:29; Proverbs 17:5, 24:17-18; Obadiah 12) 2. And that they should even care for their enemies, to include... a. Feeding them when hungry, giving them drink when they were thirsty, (Proverbs 25:21-22, also see Romans 12:20) b. Returning their lost possessions when we found them, (Exodus 23:4-5) c. And even not killing a military enemy when you can catch them alive! (2 Kings 6:22; 2 Chronicles 28:15) iii. However, people were back then as they are today… 1. They wanted to defend their hatred for those who opposed them Illustrate: 1. Have you noticed that in the world of politics? The way of the world is clear… a. When you disagree with someone that has deep personal meaning & value to you… b. You are justified to hate & disparage them, to mock and ridicule them! Right? c. Have you ever fallen into that trap? It is a common one for humanity. 2. But this is not the way of our Father in heaven! a. He loves & cares for even those who are His enemies! 3. Jesus asserts that we should do the same a. And he does this using examples from some of the most hated people in Israel… i. Tax Collectors: Men who seemed to have betrayed their fellow Jews by working for the oppressive Romans and even taking more money than legally required, in essence they stole from their fellow Jews. ii. Gentiles: Foreigners that Jews hated and found disgusting and offensive; they wouldn’t even enter their houses! b. Consider who your cultural groups say you can view as an offensive, devalued, and disgusting enemy… i. Is it a political group? A racial group? A type of sinner or criminal? A foreigner? That difficult family member? c. You are called to love these people. Expand: 1. And Jesus asserts that we must practically & tangibly express this love a. It’d be easy to say “Oh yeah, I love those people.” i. But to simply have this be some lofty idea in my head that never truly takes form… b. But building on Old Testament principles mentioned a moment ago, i. Jesus says this love must take practical form through such things as… 1. MP2: Prayer for them and kind words to them 2. Such tangible expressions of love... a. MP2: Shows that we are God’s children (v45, “children of our Father in heaven”) i. It demonstrates that we are progressing toward our goal to “be perfect, … as our heavenly Father is perfect” (v48) ii. It even leads to a heavenly reward! (v46) Transition: 1. “Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.” (1 John 4:11) 2. Will you join me in this pursuit? I pray that you will! Conclusion: Conclusion Reiterate: Jesus calls us to mirror His Father by practically loving others, even our enemies. 1. This is the love that was radically shown to us 2. This is the love Jesus calls on us to practically show to all others—even our enemies. Apply: So, how should we respond? I suggest these points for your prayerful consideration… 1. Con: Genuinely love & pray for your enemies. a. Consider who may be like your enemy… i. Is it a family member (even a parent or child)? a frenemy? ii. A coworker? a supervisor? iii. Someone you see daily, weekly, monthly, yearly? iv. Someone you haven’t seen for many years? v. A political adversary? Personally known or simply seen through the news? vi. A religious rival? Locally or abroad? vii. Someone who cruelly belittles you? Coldly ignores you? b. Ask God to reveal to you this week who He wants you to better love and pray for. c. Follow the examples set by Jesus & Stephen, who prayed for their enemies & persecutors even as they were being killed (Luke 23:34 & Acts 7:60). i. Pray for their welfare & good ii. Pray for your heart to grow in godly love for them and wisdom in how to both treat and pray for them d. Consider even how loving God is to His enemies— i. Remember, at one point you even fell into this category! 2. Con: Be sacrificially thoughtful & kind to all you meet. a. While Jesus takes us to the extreme by highlighting our enemies— i. We know that this references everyone in between… b. Remember His teaching about Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37)? i. He taught even then that this Old Testament law to “Love your Neighbor” references everyone we meet in our sphere of influence. 1. From your family to your friends— 2. From your coworkers to your neighbors— 3. From the strangers you meet in stores, along the highway, or elsewhere— ii. Also, consider how sacrificial the Good Samaritan’s love was. 1. Consider how sacrificial Jesus’ love for us was. 2. Are you willing, as obedience to God, to sacrifice your time, energy, and resources to love those that He brings into your sphere of influence? c. Related to last week, realize that this means we are showing radical grace & mercy to them, even when they do evil to us! d. Finally, I encourage you to… 3. Con: Rely on God to do these very things! a. In Romans 7:7–13 Paul points out how the Law revealed what sin was to him i. In a much more concise and powerful way, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount highlights our utter inability to “be perfect, … as our heavenly Father is perfect” (v48) ii. It shows our great need for help to become who God made us to be b. Will you humble yourself to seek & receive this help from God by the means He provides? i. It may be through a brother or sister in Christ, a new spiritual discipline, a dramatic change of life habits— 1. But whatever the cost, I guarantee that it is worth it! ii. As you walk more and more into this, you will show yourself to be “children of your Father in heaven” (45) 1. Increasing your own confidence in salvation 2. And magnifying your witness of Jesus to all those around you! iii. Work hard & earnestly seek God’s His help to desire & do the very things He has called us to today, 1. For as Philippians 2:12–13 shares, “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.” Appeal: 1. As Jesus said, let us seek this goal: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (v48) a. Some seem to hear this & think it grants a sort of permission to not take seriously everything that came before. i. The thinking and emoting seems to go like this, “Well, that’s certainly impossible. Jesus knows we can’t reach such a standard, so He must not really be serious or care if we fall short…” ii. But such thinking does injustice to Jesus’ words, discounting their actual meaning. b. This side of heaven, can we actually become perfect? No. i. But Jesus challenges us to consistently get closer to that end. ii. A pursuit that requires His help! c. There are deep strongholds in our lives that He alone can see and bring down i. Will you join Him in the conquests of these strongholds? ii. We are to be in an unending pursuit of Jesus’ standard. 2. As those who have received Jesus’ salvation, we are to live like children of God a. Live in such a way that people will see the family resemblance… b. Fix your eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1–3), i. Be transformed more and more into His likeness (Rom 12:1-2), ii. From glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18), iii. Until we enter into final glory (Philippians 3:12–17)! Conclude: 1. Pray with me now...