Man on a Mission: Keep Your Enemies Closer (God's Perfection)
Matthew 5:38-48 (NIV)
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 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. 43 “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 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. 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.
We live in a fallen world. Jesus Christ came to restore that world by reconciling humanity and all of creation to himself through the cross. Until he makes his return, there will be evil in the world which provides the opportunity for enemies. To live in the freedom of God in the midst of the wrongs that we will inevitably encounter, we must look to the watchful eye of God, be aware of our own proclivity for wrath and aspire to imitate Christ.
Why does it matter?
The Watchful Eye of God
Jesus is speaking to a culture with the law of revenge executed by civil authorities as its standard. This law was instituted to deter people in their wickedness from unbridled crimes that otherwise would go unchecked. It was also meant as a form of justice since in ancient societies, punishment was handed out without regard for individual cases with the penalty many times greatly exceeding the crime.
If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. (Deuteronomy 19:16-21 NIV)
This made them think again about the consequences of their actions, since they understood the equitable cost to themselves.
When speaking of an eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth, Jesus is still saying to leave just punishment to the authorities (Romans 13). However, in this exhortation, he is going further by giving us individual responsibility to reverse the dynamic. Instead of taking retribution, we are prompted to give grace as a reflection of God's overarching plan to redeem the world. The goal is to win people's hearts through this and see them come to repentance as they see our extraordinary response. The personal benefit is freedom in our own souls as we live in a posture of humble service (i.e. - how Jesus tells the people to respond in the midst of Roman abuses). You have the liberty to refrain from fending for yourself because you know that there is a God in heaven who will.
This is the clear example that Victor Hugo gives of the priest in Les Misérables, who turned Jean Val Jean's course by showing him grace after being the victim of Jean Val Jean's theft. As a recipient of this inordinate kindness, Jean Val Jean's heart is arrested by God and he is turned to a life driven to honor God and do good for his fellow man. Javert, who could not show such grace, was consumed by his judgments and self-righteousness, coming to a pitiable end under the weight of his own condemnations.
Why should we refrain from revenge?
One of the biggest issues that people have with God is why the wicked prosper while the righteous have lives filled with grief. God is a God of justice, and there will be justice done for the evil committed against you, your family and the victims of this world.
God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 NIV)
If God did not judge, he would not be loving in regards to those who are the victims of unwarranted crimes, abuse and evil.
Intrinsically, people know that there is a day of reckoning, even if disconnected from God. The idea of karma is a classic example of human reasoning attempting to explain God's recompense in the world, give encouragement to the downtrodden and hope to the helpless. Yet there is a real judge who will deal with it all. Psalm 37
Our Proclivity for Wrath
“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” ― Thomas à Kempis
In the workplace or in school, when you know that someone has gotten ahead unfairly or through deceptive means, what do you do?
God has a reputation for being wrathful, punitive and vengeful. These are characteristics that have secular, modern man writhe in disgust and disdain for the God who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord . Repent and live! (Ezekiel 18:32 NIV)
It is ironic, however, that those who so often have the greatest grievances with the idea of God's wrath, have the most of it in regards to others. It is in these moments that they deliberately forget Jesus' exhortation to love those who have done us the most harm, rather than mirror their sin. He is the God of the OT who revealed His glory to Moses in this way:
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord , the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” (Exodus 34:6, 7a NIV)
The Imitation of Christ
Jesus begins to provide a more positive and permanent deterrent to the evil amongst men by turning the thrust of our responses from taking to giving. He is calling us into the standard of the eternal Trinity, the perfectly contented God, who created not to receive love, but to give it. In doing so, he knew that anything created would be less than his perfection, and would, in this sense, fall short. Yet with that knowledge, he chose to create anyway and remained in the posture of giving to an undeserving and many times unappreciative world. This is how Jesus saved our lives, won our hearts and calls us now to do the same for others.
We are agents of God's grace in the world. Just as Jesus was of the same uncreated substance as the Father, so that he said, anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, so we as his adopted children are to reflect him in the world.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21 NIV)
One of the biggest tests of someone feeling like they've become your enemy is when an offense arises because the seasons and dynamics of your relationship change. The key to godliness is to remain a giver and not go into self-preservation mode. For example, the dynamics of relationships naturally change when two friends were working together, one becomes the boss and the other the employee. Additionally, the time that you were formerly able to spend with a friend when you both were single will understandably undergo a metamorphosis when someone finds their soul mate, gets married and has kids. The same is true when the demands of a job change. However does it mean that it needs to be the death of the relationship? No, Jesus instead instructs us that we are to remain in the humble place of grace, understanding and service to those that we love and with whom we interact. The alternative is a perpetual cycle of disappointment and loneliness when those who were once your BFF's become friendenemies in your heart.
It is not enough to ignore our oppressors. Sticks, stones and words actually do damage in the real world. How should we proactively deal with our enemies?
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21, 22 NIV)
Why can we do this for our enemies? Because we were once enemies of God, offered reconciliation through the self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ
“Thunderously, inarguably, the Sermon on the Mount proves that before God we all stand on level ground: murderers and temper-throwers, adulterers and lusters, thieves and coveters. We are all desperate, and that is in fact the only state appropriate to a human being who wants to know God. Having fallen from the absolute Ideal, we have nowhere to land but in the safety net of absolute grace.” ― Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew
How does this apply in the business world or at work when your goal is to make a profit or have bottom-line results?
Circumstances are allowed and used by God to shape us. Offense often reveals the shortcomings in our own hearts.
One of the regular questions that we must ask ourselves is, with whom am I offended? Is it valid in God's sight? If I were to step outside of my myopic perspective, do they really deserve to be considered an enemy? Even in the worst case scenario, following Christ's example, what can I do to serve and minister to them for their benefit?
Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:42 NIV)
It does not mean that we enable evil or allow everyone to walk all over us.
Something is always better than nothing. Do not succumb to the paralysis of perfectionism. It is like exercise, eating healthy and working out. Something is always better than nothing. Each decision counts and God is looking to see your progress. In your relationships, in your service, in your giving, progress. People should literally be able to find the breadcrumb trail to God's grace through our actions in society.
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” ― Winston Churchill
As we go into next week's final pre-launch, we can ask ourselves the question, not only who are our friends that we can invite, but also those who need Jesus who we have had broken family or romantic relationships, or owe us something. Treat it as an extension of grace. Who have been your downright enemies to whom you can show the grace that you've been shown?
Second City Church – Man On A Mission Sermon Series 2013