WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.740 Okay, opening your Bibles to Matthew chapter 5. If you're a visitor today, we're going through 00:00:09.740 --> 00:00:16.519 ! The Gospel of Matthew. We want the Bible to set the agenda for what we teach, and so we're 00:00:16.519 --> 00:00:24.980 just taking a section after each section. Matthew chapter 5 and verses 43 to 48. There's 00:00:24.980 --> 00:00:29.160 a story of a guy speaking at a temperance meeting, you know, one of those meetings trying 00:00:29.160 --> 00:00:36.760 to convince people of the evil of drink. He's got two glasses, one with water in it and 00:00:36.760 --> 00:00:43.920 one with alcohol in it. He takes a worm, he drops a worm into the water, nothing happens. 00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:49.460 And then he takes another worm and he drops it into the alcohol and the worm shrivels 00:00:49.460 --> 00:00:56.620 up and dies. At that point, he asks the audience, what do you infer from this? What do you get 00:00:56.620 --> 00:01:02.200 from this? Somebody put their hand up and said, if you have worms, you shouldn't drink alcohol. 00:01:03.579 --> 00:01:10.579 Oh, this is it. No, sorry. The point is this, it was a completely wrong inference, wasn't 00:01:10.579 --> 00:01:18.039 it? They'd drawn the wrong conclusion. And there were some people in Jesus' time that 00:01:18.039 --> 00:01:25.500 were like that. They looked at the Old Testament, and they looked at passages like Leviticus chapter 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:29.799 19 where it said, you shall love your neighbour. And they said, yes, we're all for loving our 00:01:29.799 --> 00:01:35.340 neighbour. You should love your neighbour, you should love your fellow Israelite. But you 00:01:35.340 --> 00:01:38.159 can hate your enemy. The command is love your neighbour, but it doesn't say anything about 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:43.500 enemies. And Jesus says, no, no, no, what I'm saying to you is the purpose of that command 00:01:43.500 --> 00:01:50.219 was love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. And I think it's important 00:01:50.219 --> 00:01:56.379 that we realise what we've seen all the way through Matthew chapter 5, that Jesus is not 00:01:56.379 --> 00:02:03.780 correcting the Old Testament. But he is correcting how the Old Testament had been taught and distorted. 00:02:03.780 --> 00:02:08.939 It was the Old Testament, actually, that Jesus is affirming here from the third book of the 00:02:08.939 --> 00:02:14.479 Bible, Leviticus 19. That said, you shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:21.400 reason with your neighbour, lest you bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:26.080 or bear a grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself. 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:36.380 And some people said, well, Leviticus 19 and 17 did mean that, but it just really meant our neighbours. 00:02:36.820 --> 00:02:42.880 It meant the people around us. It means your fellow Israelite. And that was right, but you go to the end 00:02:42.880 --> 00:02:51.240 of Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 33 and 34 and it tells us that when a refugee, when a sojourner, when 00:02:51.240 --> 00:02:58.659 somebody from outside of Israel joins with you in your land, you shall do him no wrong. You shall treat 00:02:58.659 --> 00:03:08.500 the stranger who comes in among you and you shall love him as yourself. For you once, people of Israel, 00:03:08.719 --> 00:03:16.100 you once were refugees. There was a time when you were strangers in the land of Egypt. And so the Lord 00:03:16.099 --> 00:03:21.019 was saying through Moses that you not only love the Israelites, but you love the foreigner. 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:25.879 You love the foreigner who lives among you. And that is the Old Testament teaching. 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:31.799 It was the Old Testament teaching in Exodus chapter 23, the second book of the Bible, that said when 00:03:31.799 --> 00:03:39.859 you meet an enemy's ox or donkey that's gone astray, you don't say, well, I don't care about that, 00:03:39.860 --> 00:03:46.000 he's my enemy. I don't care whose ox, I don't care whose donkey it is, let it go. No, actually, you bring it 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:53.200 back to your enemy. And when you see your enemy's donkey that's collapsed under a heavy load, you don't just 00:03:53.200 --> 00:04:00.860 go by and say, well, I don't care about that, I couldn't care less. He may be your enemy, but the Bible says 00:04:00.860 --> 00:04:09.840 you get that donkey back on its feet. And you take it back. Proverbs 25, from the Wisdom Parish, 00:04:09.860 --> 00:04:18.220 of the Bible, says if your enemy is hungry, then feed him. And if your enemy is thirsty, then give him a drink. 00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:27.680 And that's what Jesus is reaffirming here. He's saying love your neighbour. And not hate your enemy, but love your enemy as well. 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:36.040 And he's reaffirming what the Old Testament law was taught. Rather than its distorted teaching, which said, well, you can love 00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:41.879 certain people, but it's fine to hate others. And so our concern here is to understand what is Jesus 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:48.500 saying. And Jesus is saying, listen to me very clearly, love your enemies, pray for those who 00:04:48.500 --> 00:04:56.580 persecute you. And when you do that, you show that you are like your Father in Heaven. You show that you are 00:04:56.580 --> 00:05:03.259 like the God you trusted in. And if you show your likeness to your Father in Heaven, you will be different 00:05:03.259 --> 00:05:09.300 from the world and the culture around you. And if you're not different from the culture 00:05:09.300 --> 00:05:13.099 around you, then you're not going to show likeness to your Father in Heaven. 00:05:15.039 --> 00:05:18.060 So I want to see three things as we look at this. 00:05:19.199 --> 00:05:23.180 That will encourage us to obey this command. First is consider 00:05:23.180 --> 00:05:27.079 the authority of God's Son. Consider the authority 00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:30.019 of God's Son. Just look with me at verse 43 and verse 44. 00:05:30.019 --> 00:05:35.060 Jesus says, you hear that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 00:05:35.319 --> 00:05:40.259 But I, I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. 00:05:42.539 --> 00:05:49.180 Notice that when Jesus lays this command on us, that he commands you, doesn't he? It's 00:05:49.180 --> 00:05:51.740 really interesting. He commands you to love. 00:05:51.740 --> 00:06:04.060 Love your enemy. Sometimes you hear the idea, don't you, that you can't force love. You can't 00:06:04.060 --> 00:06:12.840 command people to love. And the idea is as if love grabs you. And love has been defined, 00:06:12.980 --> 00:06:17.740 doesn't it, as an itchy feeling around your heart that cannot be scratched. It's something 00:06:17.740 --> 00:06:25.600 that just happens. You can't control it. I'm not against that. Maybe emotional or affection 00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:32.819 or an attractive element about it, which is certainly there. But Jesus is assuming his 00:06:32.819 --> 00:06:40.560 need. That love doesn't come from a mushy heart, but from an act of will. And he commands you 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:46.420 as followers of the Lord Jesus to love your enemies. And that is a command. The Bible assumes 00:06:46.420 --> 00:06:54.720 you notice that in Deuteronomy chapter 6, that when you've got the great confession of Israel's 00:06:54.720 --> 00:07:00.480 faith that the Lord is our God and the Lord alone, and the very next words are, and you 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:04.680 shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and your whole life and everything you've 00:07:04.680 --> 00:07:11.759 got. He commands you to love this God that you confess. And love is a command. And Jesus 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:18.879 commands us here to love our enemies. And he gives us some help here. He shows us the shape 00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:25.680 of that love. He doesn't just leave it hanging. He says, love your enemies and pray for those 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:32.279 who persecute you. He says there's a very particular way that you can express your love towards your 00:07:32.279 --> 00:07:39.719 enemies, and that is by praying for them. So he doesn't just leave it general. But he tells 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:45.120 you, where do you begin to obey this command? Pray for those who persecute you. And you 00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:54.240 might say to me this morning, that is totally fake. I don't feel like I love them. I think 00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:59.300 the Lord, if he hears me starting praying, will think that's just totally funny. But wait 00:07:59.300 --> 00:08:06.860 a moment. What is prayer? If prayer is that you realise this morning that you come into the 00:08:06.860 --> 00:08:12.879 King of Kings presence, and when you're about to pray and you realise that the one thing 00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:17.259 that there needs to be above all else when you come to pray before a God who sees everything 00:08:17.259 --> 00:08:21.620 is there needs to be complete and total honesty, doesn't there? With your Heavenly Father. 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:30.879 And part of praying is that you realise you can't deceive him at all. And so if you enter into 00:08:30.879 --> 00:08:35.340 prayer that way and you bring this difficulty even to him, you know how I feel about him, 00:08:35.439 --> 00:08:44.220 Lord. Then why can't you even make a beginning? Why can't you struggle with that in prayer? 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:50.399 Why can't you say, Lord, I don't even know if I can do this, but on the command of the Lord 00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:56.340 Jesus, I need to pray for this person who is my enemy. And I'm seeking to be obedient, 00:08:56.340 --> 00:09:01.320 but I find his heart. And I don't want to be a phony father, and I don't want to be a fake. 00:09:01.800 --> 00:09:09.500 But we bring that struggle to him. And we begin there, we start there. And that's something 00:09:09.500 --> 00:09:16.399 very specific that you can do, isn't it? That it's sometimes actually when you're trying 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:23.379 to do something and you're acknowledging before God, I don't want to be a fake, I don't want 00:09:23.379 --> 00:09:28.860 to be a phony. But when you throw yourself into something and you seek to love someone 00:09:28.860 --> 00:09:39.320 and do something towards that end, sometimes you begin to just actually care for them. 00:09:40.139 --> 00:09:46.059 You maybe don't find them easy. But you begin to find that your heart is slightly changed 00:09:46.059 --> 00:09:51.759 towards them. And you'll notice in this verse, I don't need to tell you, that the object of 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:57.240 the love that Jesus commands is your enemies. Who is the enemy? What kind of enemy? Well, 00:09:57.240 --> 00:10:00.840 you'll see in the next phrase, Jesus assumes that the enemy is somebody who will persecute 00:10:00.840 --> 00:10:09.399 you. Pray for those who persecute you. The particular enemy that Jesus is talking about 00:10:09.399 --> 00:10:16.120 here is not just somebody you might happen to envy. So we've got animosity to them, and 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:20.860 jealousy and so on. But it's an enemy who actually inflicts some sort of wrong on you, 00:10:20.860 --> 00:10:27.860 or injury on you. And they do that because you are a disciple of Jesus. Love your enemies, 00:10:28.019 --> 00:10:32.560 pray for those who persecute you. And they inflict some kind of wrong or some kind of 00:10:32.560 --> 00:10:39.860 injury. They express some kind of hatred or dislike or animosity towards you. Because 00:10:39.860 --> 00:10:47.840 you belong to Jesus. And you see that Jesus assumes, doesn't he, that his people will always 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:56.840 be a suffering people. More or less. That if you live in the way that he's outlined in 00:10:56.840 --> 00:11:03.680 Matthew chapter 5, the world will notice, and some in the world will not like that. And they 00:11:03.680 --> 00:11:11.480 will even hate you for his sake. And we are to love those enemies. We are to love and pray 00:11:11.480 --> 00:11:17.240 for those who persecute us. And when the bottom line comes, and the obligation to love that Jesus 00:11:17.240 --> 00:11:23.940 gives, and there is no escape from it, is there verse 44, I say to you, but I say to you, Jesus 00:11:23.940 --> 00:11:31.060 says, love your enemies. And you cannot escape from that authority. You cannot turn that down. 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:36.039 We would like to, don't we? I have a way of doing that in my own life, like you do. 00:11:36.039 --> 00:11:43.099 Well, we might say, I'd like to think Jesus is giving really good advice here. That if 00:11:43.099 --> 00:11:46.559 you can get yourself to this level, if you can do this kind of thing, it would be really 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:53.659 great. But he's not giving good advice. He's giving a command. And we might like to think, 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:59.699 oh, it's for the kind of spiritual high achievers. It's for the more gifted. It's for the more 00:11:59.699 --> 00:12:03.599 mature that Jesus is talking about here. It's for those that maybe have an aptitude for that 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:10.680 kind of thing. The Christian all-stars. But Jesus doesn't have a gifted program. Jesus doesn't 00:12:10.680 --> 00:12:18.340 have high achievers. Jesus doesn't have all-stars. He's talking to all his disciples. And he says, 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:23.040 I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. And so we are left with no 00:12:23.040 --> 00:12:32.379 option this morning. We are not left with an option. Jesus says, you will do this. You will do it. 00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:38.680 And we do it simply because he commands us to do it. 00:12:40.560 --> 00:12:46.480 R.C. Sproul, who has just recently died, he's a great preacher, tells us when he was in seminary 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:50.159 being trained to be a minister, there's quite a famous man called John Gerstner, who's quite 00:12:50.159 --> 00:12:56.860 a formidable figure. He was, R.C. Sproul was in John Gerstner's class. And by all accounts, 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:01.320 Gerstner was very stern. And Gerstner raises this question. He says, here is the issue. 00:13:01.320 --> 00:13:08.620 He says, if predestination is true, why bother with evangelism? If it's true that according 00:13:08.620 --> 00:13:13.360 to Ephesians 1, that God really has chosen a people before the foundation of the world, 00:13:13.520 --> 00:13:20.660 if he's chosen a people to bring to his son before the foundation of the world that he 00:13:20.660 --> 00:13:26.380 will bring to effect in time, then why should we be bothered? And why should we be worried? 00:13:26.379 --> 00:13:30.879 And why should we be concerned about us telling people about the Lord Jesus, if God is going 00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:37.299 to do it anyway? Why should we care about winning people to Christ, if God has already chosen 00:13:37.299 --> 00:13:41.259 people before the foundation of the world? And so that was the question. He went around 00:13:41.259 --> 00:13:47.179 the class, and he got the answers. It beats me. I don't know, and so on. And finally, he 00:13:47.179 --> 00:13:52.179 came to R.C. Sproul, and he asked R.C. Sproul. Sproul was sweating. He was totally intimidated. 00:13:52.179 --> 00:13:57.799 And he kind of apologetically said in a stuttering manner, this is probably not what you want to 00:13:57.799 --> 00:14:04.179 hear, Mr. Gerstner. And it's not really a significant answer at all, but Jesus did command 00:14:04.179 --> 00:14:10.539 us to do it. Gerstner's eyes lit up. He shrugged his shoulders. And he said, yes, yes, yes, 00:14:10.599 --> 00:14:15.199 Mr. Sproul. The fact that Jesus, your saviour, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the Lion of 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:19.920 Jude and the Rose of Sharon, the Captain of your salvation, the Lord God, Omnipotent 00:14:19.920 --> 00:14:24.120 and Incarnate, should command your obedience. What a paltry reason for doing anything. 00:14:27.460 --> 00:14:32.800 Sproul said, I've got the point. There are some things you do or you put yourself in the 00:14:32.800 --> 00:14:40.840 way of doing simply because Jesus commands you to do it. And he's the Lord. And anyone 00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:49.620 who says to you, but I, they are in charge. They are the Lord. And I think this is really 00:14:49.620 --> 00:14:57.040 important for you and I in our seeking to follow the Lord Jesus. What we don't have with Jesus, 00:14:57.160 --> 00:15:06.920 if I can say this, we don't have a schizophrenic with Jesus. That is both saviour and Lord in 00:15:06.919 --> 00:15:12.819 two packages. That's sometimes how it's been presented. Maybe you've heard this. Jesus can 00:15:12.819 --> 00:15:17.819 be your saviour and you can get all the benefits and all the goodies, but you don't have to 00:15:17.819 --> 00:15:25.279 know him as Lord unless you want to take that option. It's like, it's like buying a washing 00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:28.799 machine. You can buy a washing machine, but you don't have to take up the maintenance option. 00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:33.860 You don't have to take up the year long guarantee. You can if you want to go down that route, but 00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:39.240 you don't have to. And sometimes the way the gospel is presented is you can know him as 00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:48.800 your saviour, but you don't really have to make him your Lord. The big problem with that 00:15:48.800 --> 00:15:58.080 is this. You don't make Jesus Lord of anything. Do you? He is Lord. He is Lord whether you 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:05.379 submit to him or not. You don't make him Lord. I'm not saying that I don't have problems 00:16:05.379 --> 00:16:08.780 and you don't have problems in trying to submit and submit ourselves to his Lordship and his 00:16:08.780 --> 00:16:14.340 bossship of our lives. I know that's a huge struggle for me and for you, but Jesus is Lord 00:16:14.340 --> 00:16:20.040 and if you are his disciple, you don't make him that. It's not an extra option you can take. 00:16:20.139 --> 00:16:24.860 And so when he commands, but I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute 00:16:24.860 --> 00:16:31.000 you. You must do it because of the authority of God's Son. And secondly, you've got another 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:34.700 consideration and that is secondly the wideness of God's mercy. You love your enemies. You 00:16:34.700 --> 00:16:41.580 pray for them. You see it in verse 45, verse 48. And there Jesus says, you do this so that 00:16:41.580 --> 00:16:49.320 you may prove yourself so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. Because 00:16:49.320 --> 00:16:53.540 he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good and he sends the rain on the just and 00:16:53.540 --> 00:17:04.720 on the unjust. Do you see what Jesus is saying? He's not saying that you do this in order to 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:09.940 be or to become. He's not saying you love your enemies and you will be a son of the Father. 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:16.480 That's not the case. But the word there is to prove to be. And what Jesus means is as you 00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:22.259 do this, you show yourself or you prove yourself to be sons or daughters of your Father in heaven. 00:17:24.220 --> 00:17:28.200 How? Well, in that you reflect his likeness. And that's what he's like. And he gives you 00:17:28.200 --> 00:17:33.339 the reason. Look at the end of verse 45. He makes the sun rise on the evil and on the 00:17:33.339 --> 00:17:38.880 good. And he sends rain on the just and on the unjust. And that last part is so important 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:44.240 for you and I. It's really important that you get hold of this. It's what theologians sometimes 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:50.339 call the common grace of God. It says that God is merciful and kind. And he shows his 00:17:50.339 --> 00:17:56.980 kindness not just to the disciples and followers of Jesus. Not only to those who are wanting 00:17:56.980 --> 00:18:03.120 to follow him and have been justified as righteous. But God shows kindness to the good and the evil. 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:09.640 He shows his goodness and his kindness and tokens of his love to those who are righteous and 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:16.660 those who are unrighteous. To those who are Jesus' disciples and those who are not. To those 00:18:16.660 --> 00:18:22.920 who love God and those who reject God. To those who believe in God and those who deny his existence 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:29.200 with the very breath he gives them. He shows them kindness and goodness. This verse isn't 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:36.680 saying that God will never judge them. God will never judge those who hate him and so on 00:18:36.680 --> 00:18:46.299 or turn from him. But it does say that now, today, in their lives, those who can't stand God and don't 00:18:46.299 --> 00:18:52.880 want to live for him. And they're outside of the kingdom of God. God shows them kindness and love 00:18:52.880 --> 00:19:02.560 and kindness and mercy. And you and I are to be God-like in our embracing kindness and mercy. 00:19:02.559 --> 00:19:14.599 Even your enemies. Because God is kind to his enemies. God makes the sun to rise on the evil and the good. 00:19:16.299 --> 00:19:23.779 God doesn't just put a cloud over the house or the farm of an unbeliever and put the sun shining brightly 00:19:23.779 --> 00:19:30.740 over the house or farm of believers. No, he makes the sun shine on both. And he makes the rain 00:19:30.740 --> 00:19:37.819 fall on the righteous farm and on the unrighteous farm. And he makes the rain fall on Christians and on atheists. 00:19:39.500 --> 00:19:43.359 Can you imagine where we'd be if the rain only fell on Christian farmers? 00:19:44.859 --> 00:19:54.160 We'd have Christian wheat, Christian barley. And we'd eat Christian cereals. And we'd have Christian lambs eating Christian grass. 00:19:54.160 --> 00:20:02.140 It's ridiculous, isn't it? But God shows his mercy and his goodness on all. 00:20:04.700 --> 00:20:09.140 That's true in your life. Maybe you're a dear, a small, and you're not a follower of the Lord Jesus. 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:15.180 And you maybe have got issues with God, you say. I've got things I'd like to ask him. 00:20:15.259 --> 00:20:16.920 Well, God has got some things to ask you as well. 00:20:16.920 --> 00:20:22.080 God has been kind to you whether you admit it or not. 00:20:24.660 --> 00:20:27.380 There are people that couldn't give a staff about Jesus Christ. 00:20:27.740 --> 00:20:29.100 And yet they're really well-adjusted people. 00:20:29.700 --> 00:20:30.800 They've got great families. 00:20:32.140 --> 00:20:32.920 God is good to them. 00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:36.340 Isn't the Father merciful to them? 00:20:38.100 --> 00:20:39.620 You travel on the tomb each day. 00:20:40.460 --> 00:20:42.340 And you get to work safely. 00:20:43.340 --> 00:20:44.500 And you get home safely. 00:20:44.500 --> 00:20:49.400 The pagans and the Christians on the tomb, the same. 00:20:50.059 --> 00:20:50.740 Isn't the Lord good? 00:20:51.539 --> 00:20:53.440 He's good to the righteous and the unrighteous. 00:20:55.599 --> 00:21:01.660 Doesn't he give unbelieving atheists who are angry at him well-being jobs to support themselves and their families? 00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:02.759 Isn't the Lord kind? 00:21:04.700 --> 00:21:07.180 Doesn't the Lord give health to unbelievers? 00:21:07.799 --> 00:21:08.279 Isn't he good? 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:15.160 Christians and people who aren't Christians go through surgery and they recover. 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:16.680 Isn't God kind? 00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:23.440 We hear of someone who's a Christian brother or sister and their cancer went into remission. 00:21:24.619 --> 00:21:25.839 And we pray for them. 00:21:26.539 --> 00:21:28.519 And we're really thankful for that. 00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:34.160 But don't you know that there are unbelievers whose cancer goes into remission too? 00:21:35.480 --> 00:21:36.220 Isn't God wonderful? 00:21:37.740 --> 00:21:42.160 That's the kind of God and Father we have, Jesus is saying. 00:21:42.160 --> 00:21:46.640 And that is why you love your enemies and you pray for those who persecute you. 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:52.720 Because the Lord your Father in heaven treats both believers and unbelievers with his common kindness and his common mercy. 00:21:54.380 --> 00:21:58.980 And we are called, every single one of his followers, to reflect that likeness. 00:21:59.860 --> 00:22:01.759 Because that's the way our Father is. 00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:11.339 Occasionally in our home, someone will say to me, you're just like your Father. 00:22:12.359 --> 00:22:15.039 That isn't meant in a positive way at that point, alright? 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:17.960 My dad's great. 00:22:18.140 --> 00:22:23.440 But when it's said like that, you're just like your Father, that's not normally said in a really positive aspect. 00:22:24.700 --> 00:22:30.980 But there must be a sense where people look at Christians' lives and they say, you are just like your Father. 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:36.099 The end of verse 45, again I think it's really helpful. 00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:39.900 He doesn't say, do this, don't show love and kindness because it will make you feel better. 00:22:41.859 --> 00:22:43.960 It may make you feel better, it may well not. 00:22:44.879 --> 00:22:46.400 But he doesn't say do it for that reason. 00:22:46.519 --> 00:22:51.299 He doesn't say love your enemies because it will reduce stress and blood pressure and tension. 00:22:53.119 --> 00:22:56.200 That may be what your doctor says, but that is what Jesus says. 00:22:56.200 --> 00:23:02.519 He says you do it because that is the way your Father is. 00:23:03.180 --> 00:23:07.700 The story I've told you before about the holy man who's kind of meditating under a tree by a river. 00:23:07.799 --> 00:23:10.080 And he happens to notice that the river's rising really rapidly. 00:23:10.580 --> 00:23:15.460 And he notices that the roots of this tree that kind of went out into the river, over the river itself. 00:23:15.539 --> 00:23:17.880 There's a scorpion that's caught in the roots. 00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:21.500 And the river's rising, the scorpion is going to be destroyed. 00:23:21.500 --> 00:23:24.359 So the holy man decides that he will try and rescue it. 00:23:24.680 --> 00:23:31.319 And so he creeps onto the roots of the tree and he reaches down safely to try and free the scorpion. 00:23:31.619 --> 00:23:33.200 And the scorpion tries to sting him. 00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:39.319 And an observer comes past at that point and says, don't you know that's a scorpion? 00:23:40.299 --> 00:23:42.579 It's the nature of a scorpion to sting. 00:23:43.140 --> 00:23:45.559 And the man looked at him and said, well it may be a scorpion. 00:23:45.559 --> 00:23:48.059 And it may be the nature of a scorpion to sting. 00:23:48.419 --> 00:23:50.099 But it's my nature to save. 00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:53.059 And do I need to change my nature? 00:23:54.019 --> 00:23:56.359 Because a scorpion does not change his nature. 00:23:58.859 --> 00:24:03.480 There's an element, isn't there, in the kindness and mercy of God towards the righteous and the righteous. 00:24:03.619 --> 00:24:06.659 Towards those that are in the kingdom and those who are out of it. 00:24:07.019 --> 00:24:07.919 And people notice. 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:17.039 There was an emperor in the 300th, 300 AD called Julian the Apostate who wanted to bring back the old religions. 00:24:17.340 --> 00:24:18.920 And he wanted to eradicate Christianity. 00:24:19.480 --> 00:24:26.500 But even Julian the Apostate recognised how the Christians acted in ways that reflected their father in heaven. 00:24:26.640 --> 00:24:27.279 He said this. 00:24:27.900 --> 00:24:30.400 He said this atheism by which he met the Christian faith. 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:35.759 This atheism has been specially advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers. 00:24:36.340 --> 00:24:38.580 And through their care of the burial of the dead. 00:24:38.700 --> 00:24:39.060 He said. 00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:43.180 It is a scandal that there is not a single Jew who is a beggar. 00:24:43.640 --> 00:24:46.080 And that the godless Galileans, that is the Christians. 00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:48.759 Care not only for their own poor but for ours as well. 00:24:49.180 --> 00:24:52.680 While those who belong to us pagans look in vain for the help we should render them. 00:24:52.680 --> 00:24:54.580 You see. 00:24:54.820 --> 00:25:00.320 What he saw was he saw that the Christians reflected the image and the likeness of their father. 00:25:00.560 --> 00:25:01.940 Who was merciful and kind. 00:25:03.299 --> 00:25:04.920 And that is what Jesus means in verse 48. 00:25:05.740 --> 00:25:08.320 Where he says you should be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. 00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:11.960 That idea there is not kind of sinless perfection. 00:25:13.340 --> 00:25:16.200 I believe God is perfect in that sense of being without sin. 00:25:16.259 --> 00:25:17.640 But that is what Jesus means here. 00:25:18.019 --> 00:25:20.519 He means in the light of what he says in verse 45. 00:25:20.519 --> 00:25:26.039 This image of wholeness and completeness and comprehensiveness. 00:25:27.339 --> 00:25:28.519 And what Jesus is saying. 00:25:28.660 --> 00:25:30.379 You must be complete in your mercy. 00:25:31.019 --> 00:25:32.720 As in what I talked about in verse 45. 00:25:32.839 --> 00:25:34.119 An all embracing mercy. 00:25:35.579 --> 00:25:37.579 That puts both the righteous and the righteous. 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:39.160 Both your friends and your enemies. 00:25:39.740 --> 00:25:41.500 And so there is a wholeness and a perfection. 00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:46.740 Just as your heavenly father shows his goodness over the righteous and unrighteous. 00:25:46.740 --> 00:25:50.779 And I think we have got a clue in how we are to do this. 00:25:50.839 --> 00:25:52.079 Verse 45 and 48. 00:25:52.380 --> 00:25:56.000 Jesus refers to the disciples father as your father in heaven. 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:57.740 Your heavenly father. 00:25:57.940 --> 00:25:59.880 How are you going to demonstrate this? 00:26:01.460 --> 00:26:02.460 Who is so different. 00:26:02.559 --> 00:26:04.180 How on earth will we do this? 00:26:04.259 --> 00:26:07.859 Will we do it because we have experienced that mercy ourselves haven't we? 00:26:07.859 --> 00:26:10.219 We were. 00:26:10.459 --> 00:26:13.479 I was in the category of the unrighteous. 00:26:13.819 --> 00:26:16.879 I was in the category of the evil one. 00:26:18.279 --> 00:26:20.119 But when we put our trust in Christ. 00:26:20.219 --> 00:26:21.839 We are no longer an enemy of God. 00:26:21.919 --> 00:26:24.099 But he has brought us to the place through the Lord Jesus. 00:26:24.479 --> 00:26:26.919 Where I can call God in heaven. 00:26:27.059 --> 00:26:28.419 My heavenly father. 00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:33.259 And in place of enmity and war and strife and anger. 00:26:33.420 --> 00:26:35.440 There is now peace and reconciliation. 00:26:37.360 --> 00:26:40.980 And God is not some distant mechanic of the universe. 00:26:41.420 --> 00:26:42.320 For the Christian. 00:26:42.900 --> 00:26:44.019 But an intimate father. 00:26:45.940 --> 00:26:48.620 And you have experienced his mercy in the way. 00:26:49.900 --> 00:26:51.259 That he has treated you. 00:26:51.380 --> 00:26:52.440 And that should leave its mark. 00:26:52.519 --> 00:26:54.019 So that we show that mercy to others. 00:26:54.019 --> 00:26:56.879 And that's why God says. 00:26:56.960 --> 00:26:57.319 Doesn't he? 00:26:57.839 --> 00:26:58.420 To his people. 00:26:58.500 --> 00:26:59.660 We are as sure as upon. 00:26:59.740 --> 00:27:00.400 For we ourselves. 00:27:00.619 --> 00:27:01.720 We were once foolish. 00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:03.319 And we were led astray. 00:27:03.460 --> 00:27:05.259 Slaves to various passions and pleasures. 00:27:06.259 --> 00:27:08.220 We passed our days in malice and envy. 00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:09.200 We were hated by others. 00:27:09.240 --> 00:27:10.200 And we were hating one another. 00:27:11.220 --> 00:27:13.799 But when the goodness and kindness of our loving saviour appeared. 00:27:13.799 --> 00:27:14.440 He saved us. 00:27:14.599 --> 00:27:16.759 Not because of works done by us in righteousness. 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:18.099 But because of his own mercy. 00:27:18.519 --> 00:27:20.180 And if we've received that mercy. 00:27:20.379 --> 00:27:22.940 We use it as a launching pad to show it to others. 00:27:25.019 --> 00:27:25.740 The third thing. 00:27:25.779 --> 00:27:26.500 And the final thing is. 00:27:27.579 --> 00:27:28.660 Jesus lays before us. 00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:30.379 Not only the authority of God's son. 00:27:30.599 --> 00:27:32.119 And the wideness of God's mercy. 00:27:32.319 --> 00:27:33.160 But thirdly. 00:27:33.200 --> 00:27:34.500 The uniqueness of God's people. 00:27:34.599 --> 00:27:36.160 Look at verses 46 and 47. 00:27:37.660 --> 00:27:38.639 He argues that. 00:27:38.779 --> 00:27:40.440 They must have the same likeness to their father. 00:27:40.759 --> 00:27:42.079 For if you love those who love you. 00:27:42.139 --> 00:27:43.139 What reward do you have? 00:27:44.319 --> 00:27:46.180 Do not even tax collectors do the same. 00:27:46.579 --> 00:27:48.039 And if you greet only your brothers. 00:27:48.460 --> 00:27:49.660 What more are you doing than others? 00:27:49.740 --> 00:27:51.440 Do not even the Gentiles do the same thing? 00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:56.039 The inland revenue service in Jesus' day was crooked to the core. 00:27:56.960 --> 00:28:00.860 But he says even the crooks love those who are like them. 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:03.960 Someone scratches their back. 00:28:04.120 --> 00:28:05.660 And they're happy to scratch their back. 00:28:05.660 --> 00:28:08.580 So if you love those who love you. 00:28:08.759 --> 00:28:11.900 If you only show mercy to those who show it to you. 00:28:11.900 --> 00:28:13.920 How are you any different from the crooks? 00:28:16.560 --> 00:28:17.740 What is so great? 00:28:17.740 --> 00:28:21.660 If you greet your brothers or sisters only. 00:28:23.180 --> 00:28:24.900 How are you doing more than others? 00:28:25.779 --> 00:28:27.200 Don't even verse 47. 00:28:27.420 --> 00:28:28.740 The pagans do the same thing. 00:28:29.079 --> 00:28:30.079 The Gentiles do the same thing. 00:28:30.359 --> 00:28:31.220 Jesus is saying, isn't he? 00:28:31.259 --> 00:28:32.539 There's certain camaraderie. 00:28:33.180 --> 00:28:34.059 There's care for one another. 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:35.960 There's great friendship in the world. 00:28:37.859 --> 00:28:40.779 My five-a-side guys who I play with on a Tuesday night. 00:28:40.960 --> 00:28:41.980 They're kind to each other. 00:28:42.059 --> 00:28:43.259 They show care for each other. 00:28:44.779 --> 00:28:45.839 There's nothing Christian about that. 00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:49.119 But he's saying to my followers. 00:28:49.240 --> 00:28:50.439 There ought to be something different. 00:28:51.179 --> 00:28:51.779 About a Christian. 00:28:51.879 --> 00:28:53.399 There should actually be something extraordinary. 00:28:55.419 --> 00:28:56.740 There ought to be something that is. 00:28:57.259 --> 00:28:58.659 That is unexplainable. 00:29:01.240 --> 00:29:03.099 You see the Christian faith and the Christian life. 00:29:03.099 --> 00:29:06.259 Isn't just a reflection of a polite society of 50 years ago. 00:29:07.319 --> 00:29:10.779 It's not just aping the best of British culture. 00:29:12.419 --> 00:29:13.500 It's not about being nice. 00:29:13.699 --> 00:29:15.480 Church life is not about smiling at one another. 00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:17.319 And keeping our criticisms to ourselves. 00:29:18.339 --> 00:29:19.759 No, there ought to be something different. 00:29:19.900 --> 00:29:20.880 Because God is different. 00:29:22.039 --> 00:29:23.160 Because in verse 45. 00:29:23.339 --> 00:29:25.720 The father sends his sunshine on the evil and the good. 00:29:28.339 --> 00:29:29.980 If he is that way with his mercy. 00:29:30.079 --> 00:29:31.980 Then there ought to be a distinctiveness about you. 00:29:31.980 --> 00:29:38.819 The Christian life is not just a souped up version of kind of polite society. 00:29:41.480 --> 00:29:43.120 You know, you've been on a plane. 00:29:43.319 --> 00:29:44.279 And I was on a plane yesterday. 00:29:44.660 --> 00:29:48.000 And now they show you the safety video, don't they? 00:29:48.019 --> 00:29:48.380 The BT. 00:29:48.500 --> 00:29:50.380 You've got all these kind of famous celebrities to do it. 00:29:50.420 --> 00:29:50.819 Have you seen it? 00:29:50.819 --> 00:29:52.240 It was funny the first time you see it. 00:29:52.360 --> 00:29:54.279 It's unbearable after about five times. 00:29:54.279 --> 00:29:57.660 But it used to be that the air stewardess. 00:29:58.160 --> 00:29:58.899 Or air steward. 00:29:59.059 --> 00:30:00.220 They'd stand there, wouldn't they? 00:30:00.259 --> 00:30:01.200 And they'd go through it. 00:30:01.279 --> 00:30:02.279 And if it comes down. 00:30:02.399 --> 00:30:03.240 And put it on yourself. 00:30:03.319 --> 00:30:04.240 Before you put it on your child. 00:30:04.359 --> 00:30:04.740 Buckle up. 00:30:04.799 --> 00:30:05.440 Those sorts of things. 00:30:05.940 --> 00:30:07.299 So dull, wasn't it? 00:30:07.339 --> 00:30:07.639 You just. 00:30:09.039 --> 00:30:09.680 Nobody's watching. 00:30:09.779 --> 00:30:11.700 Everybody's reading their newspaper on their phone at that point. 00:30:11.700 --> 00:30:17.440 But just occasionally you'd have a comedian as the pilot, wouldn't you? 00:30:18.200 --> 00:30:20.620 Who would tell jokes in the middle of it. 00:30:20.799 --> 00:30:21.640 Or who would wind up. 00:30:21.680 --> 00:30:24.900 I was on one month's where he got a standing ovation at the end of the flight. 00:30:25.720 --> 00:30:27.380 Because people were so thrilled with it. 00:30:28.120 --> 00:30:31.819 You know the boredom of the poor air steward or stewardess. 00:30:33.019 --> 00:30:33.900 Got tedious. 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:35.080 Got me over the same thing. 00:30:36.640 --> 00:30:39.299 And somebody took what was routine. 00:30:39.299 --> 00:30:42.259 And made it different from convention and distinct. 00:30:43.139 --> 00:30:44.579 And so you remember it, don't you? 00:30:46.019 --> 00:30:47.839 And Jesus is saying the Christian life ought to be like that. 00:30:49.619 --> 00:30:52.180 There should be some distinctness. 00:30:53.399 --> 00:30:55.899 That is different from the rest of the world. 00:30:56.220 --> 00:30:58.480 And that's what Jesus is getting at all the way through chapter 5. 00:31:00.039 --> 00:31:02.240 The Christian life is one that is extraordinary. 00:31:02.240 --> 00:31:03.819 It's not just abstaining from murder. 00:31:05.200 --> 00:31:08.799 But they care and they want to eradicate a sinful and justified anger. 00:31:08.799 --> 00:31:10.779 And all the things that give rise to that act. 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:14.619 It's not just about keeping a servant's commandment and not committing adultery. 00:31:14.839 --> 00:31:18.579 But actually that person wants to avoid lust. 00:31:19.559 --> 00:31:21.180 And live in a pure way. 00:31:22.299 --> 00:31:23.980 And it's not just about the outward act. 00:31:24.059 --> 00:31:25.240 It's about the state of my heart. 00:31:26.680 --> 00:31:28.339 And when we don't meet those standards. 00:31:28.500 --> 00:31:29.960 We mourn over our sin. 00:31:31.099 --> 00:31:32.240 And we're poor in spirit. 00:31:32.240 --> 00:31:33.500 And hear Jesus saying. 00:31:33.819 --> 00:31:36.279 In the way that we show kindness and consideration. 00:31:38.559 --> 00:31:39.720 We must be different. 00:31:40.759 --> 00:31:43.140 Not just people of our own age who are like us. 00:31:45.680 --> 00:31:48.620 But to reach out to those who we consider our enemies. 00:31:50.339 --> 00:31:53.359 To the neighbour who just is really difficult. 00:31:53.460 --> 00:31:55.880 To the work colleague who you just cannot stand. 00:31:55.880 --> 00:32:00.480 To the person who can't stand everything about what you stand for. 00:32:00.800 --> 00:32:01.720 And we reach out to them. 00:32:01.780 --> 00:32:02.680 And we start to pray for them. 00:32:02.720 --> 00:32:04.040 And we seek a relationship with them. 00:32:05.980 --> 00:32:08.960 Because we want to show them the kindness and mercy of our Heavenly Father. 00:32:11.060 --> 00:32:12.860 And so there's a uniqueness of God's people. 00:32:12.859 --> 00:32:17.719 I find myself more and more when I speak to people about the Gospel. 00:32:18.079 --> 00:32:18.359 Saying. 00:32:19.219 --> 00:32:21.039 You try to use the best arguments. 00:32:21.219 --> 00:32:22.799 You try and convince them of the evidence. 00:32:22.959 --> 00:32:25.219 You want to show them the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:32:25.359 --> 00:32:26.359 And you end up saying. 00:32:28.039 --> 00:32:28.839 Come and live with me. 00:32:30.439 --> 00:32:31.159 You end up saying. 00:32:31.259 --> 00:32:32.399 Come and be part of my church. 00:32:32.919 --> 00:32:33.459 It's not my church. 00:32:33.539 --> 00:32:34.539 Come and be part of this church. 00:32:36.339 --> 00:32:39.099 Because as they see the life of God. 00:32:39.099 --> 00:32:40.500 In the soul of man. 00:32:41.099 --> 00:32:42.779 There's something extraordinary about it. 00:32:42.859 --> 00:32:50.959 Because we are under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:32:52.339 --> 00:32:56.079 And we are meant to live after the likeness of our Father in Heaven. 00:32:57.459 --> 00:32:59.819 And we are meant to go beyond the practice of our culture. 00:33:00.299 --> 00:33:00.799 Let's pray.