Matthew chapter 5 verse 38 and if you'll
stand with me together well I'll just read
these few verses out of it and ask
you just to kind of follow along.
You have heard that it hath been said,
Matthew 5 38, an eye for an eye
and a tooth for a tooth, but I
say unto you that she resists not evil,
but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right
cheek turn to him the other also.
And if any man will sue thee at
the law, and take away thy coat, let
him have thy cloak also.
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a
mile, go with him too.
Give to him that asketh thee, and from
him that would borrow of thee, turn not
thou away.
Let's pray.
Father we thank you and we praise you
for your word and Lord we thank you
that your great desire, your great longing, the
longing of heaven is to fill our lives,
to bring every one in the world, but
most obviously of all every child of yours
that you have redeemed into a full experience
of who you are.
Lord we pray that would be our longing
too, that we would not want to miss
anything of you.
Jesus I thank you for this wonderful sermon
that you've given to us.
Lord I ask that you would make it
alive to us.
Your Holy Spirit just to lift it off
the page and into our heart in such
a way as the things Lord that we
ought to really be longing for in our
life, the victories that you want to give
to us and the battlefields that we have
around our lives Lord that we would see
them and understand them and Lord our lives
would enter into greater blessing, greater fullness, greater
joy.
Father we ask it in Jesus name, Amen.
You may be seated.
Here once again and I'm making it as
brief as I can but a few things
just to remind ourselves.
The Sermon on the Mount is one message,
one flowing message.
It doesn't change topics, it doesn't go from
here to there and jump around.
There is a tremendous flow to it.
Sometimes we look at it and we just
take bits and pieces of it and it's
almost like Jesus just giving us a little
shopping list of different things that come up
in his mind.
Oh yes and I don't want to forget
to tell you this and then another thing
and another thing but every one of these
they're in a sense almost to me like
dominoes you know that that one is to
follow the other the other.
It begins of course in the Beatitudes which
is simply the the story laid out very
simply of the exchange of my life for
Jesus Christ.
They're realizing I was born a sinner, I've
lived the life of a sinner, I run
my own life, I have this nature within
me that wants control, it sits on the
throne and I'm finally tired of it.
I'm longing for God to take over.
I wish that he could just come and
oftentimes how many of us say Lord I
just wish you could just come and take
my life and you can have it and
please and and we give it to him
and maybe we have some wonderful experience but
it doesn't last but here in the Sermon
on the Mount Jesus tells us the secret
of a lasting on how when it's exchanged
if it's exchanged through a a poverty of
my own spirit a longing and a realization
I'm poor you're rich mourning over my sinfulness
producing a meekness of it in my heart
God would you please come and fill me
take over my life I give it to
you and then as he does he fills
it with his life his love his spirit
and the evidence of it again is the
next domino would fall is that there's somebody
that is now merciful and they're pure in
heart and then that they're a peacemaker and
he is just taking a you know person
and through the beatitudes I am just surrendering
my life and I'm giving it to him
now so often we can come to church
we can you know pray and we can
seek the Lord and we can have that
and he'll fill us and he'll do many
wonderful things but yet immediately after that there's
a number of things that just simply reverse
the whole process take us right back to
square one and here Jesus he did knowing
that as our nature as he continues the
Sermon on the Mount he tells us there
there's some things you're gonna have to deal
with if you want to keep me enthroned
it's one thing to get me enthroned within
your life to make me the Lord of
your life to make me the master of
your life but there's other things that you
can turn right on around and do and
I'm not gonna fight you I'm gonna let
you do it and if you want to
go and do it don't be surprised when
you win where'd he go you turn around
and you're right back on the throne Jesus
is a wonderful gentleman the ultimate one and
if he is asked to step down because
I want to take over he'll do it
he's there by invitation he's there by love
he's there by choice he's there by desire
and if I desire something more he says
have it and thus he goes on and
he says there you have heard that I
have been said by them a whole time
thou shall not kill and whosoever shall kill
shall be in danger of the judgment but
I say unto you that whosoever is angry
with his brother is in danger of judgment
here Jesus said one of the things will
dethrone me quicker than anything else is that
when you have a different heart towards people
than I do you look there I'll God
has he loves the world that Christ died
for our sin not our sins only but
for the sins of the whole world the
Bible tells us there's not a person that
the love of God isn't isn't desire of
capturing in there when when I you know
you give him my life sit on the
throne take over I've ruined it I've made
a mess of it and then I walk
right out and there's somebody I am angry
at there's somebody I look at is a
worthless fellow there is somebody that I just
write off and say that person's a fool
and at that point it has this little
way of just nudging him off I'm taking
over all solve this problem and then I'm
wondering what went wrong and here she's saying
it's one thing to get me enthroned it's
another thing to keep me but if you
want to keep me in the right place
you've got to come to grips with the
fact that I love and I love the
world and I want to use you as
a vessel through which I will love them
you are to be salt and you are
to be light as he has said earlier
that we there he said if you want
to be salt you want to be light
and you wanted me to be enthroned and
you want to truly blessed happy life then
you got to let me love through you
let me let your life be a vessel
through much my love will flow in as
soon as you take over and and your
anger and your hatred there's a whole dimension
of our nature that just writes off a
whole bunch of the planet then he goes
on you have heard that have been said
by them all time now should not commit
adultery but I say in you that whosoever
looks at a woman with lust after is
committed adultery with her already in his heart
there's this you want to know another way
just to take me off the throne another
way just to remove me another way to
where you just take over all you've got
to do is either start off or there's
a whole bunch of the world you write
off and you're done with or there's another
part of the world that you can't live
without that your passions and your love and
your lust or your desires or your covetous
heart it's your you're gonna run your heart
and if it's angry it's gonna be angry
and if I want something you're gonna go
get it and here he says if you
want me to be enthroned it isn't gonna
work you're in an amazing how many times
we come and God does wonderful things and
we don't know what went wrong when we
find ourselves you know mysteriously without his power
and without his presence well the old thing
what feel far from God gets a mood
we're the we move by by our heart
our heart moves away and then he said
you know you have heard that if a
man put away his wife let him give
her give her a riding a divorcement and
you know but I say to you that
if any man put away his wife saving
for the cause of fornication he caused her
to commit adultery he looks there and he
says the next thing there you want to
know how to get me off the throne
you want to know how to take it
over yourself either you're right off a whole
segment or you grab another segment of the
world that you can't live without or else
you make commitments and relationships and you build
them and then you don't want to maintain
them years there's a world in a life
of commitments out there and and that when
you're committed to them it takes your heart
and you just don't casually just kind of
enter in and walk away from them their
covenants and the word of God you know
it's yay and amen there's no shadow of
turning in a minute doesn't lie and when
there's a commitment there that has been made
in this body on which he is on
sits on the throne of it he takes
it sincerely and he says you hold on
to those relationships you build them you maintain
them you take them casually you write off
people you're gonna be in trouble and you're
gonna be alone you know very quickly you
have heard that thou shalt not forswear thyself
but I say and you perform thy nose
he looks there and he says every time
you open your mouth every time that you
speak let your yay be yay and your
nay be nay not just sometime when you're
taking us an oath and a solemn thing
he says all the time every time you
speak as David said let the words of
my mouth and the meditations of my heart
be acceptable in thy sight O Lord he
looked there and he says God I want
everything that I say to be something that
people can look at it is a sign
sealed and delivered commitment that it's a yay
just because I said it and Jesus said
if you say something you don't mean it
you say something and just solve the problem
for the moment honey I'll take care of
it don't worry about it it's all done
consider it finished only to get honey off
your back let me tell you honey you'll
come back and you'll be looking for Jesus
again you know you'll be are these are
the things that life is all about these
are the things there that with a simple
and yet profound things in life the battles
of life these are the real trials so
often of the Christian that we really have
to fight we think you know that the
travel that the battles of these huge issues
of of health and the world and finances
and those are all part of it but
there is a much greater daily battle that
goes on to maintain the throne the kingdom
of God within us and that is where
Jesus is King when I'm opening my mouth
when I'm building relationships when I'm looking at
people whether to write them off or to
draw them in into lust after them these
are the things he says there were the
where the battles really are and he says
you want to keep me in throne the
he knows us fully well he knows exactly
what he's talking about he's watched nobody has
seen himself come and go I suppose more
than Jesus it's amazing what a gracious gentleman
he is how many times is he come
back and forth on the throne of our
life you know you think there's one point
you just say listen listen we've been through
this at least a thousand times by now
the longer you're a Christian the more times
you know Jesus please I'm sorry forgive me
now come back and sit down and I'm
gonna make it up to you you know
or whatever else and then we got all
these things and then immediately we get our
peace back in our joy this is so
wonderful you know and this is this is
so great then somebody walks by and there's
that idiot that there's that idiot goes by
somebody else there's the there's the whatever you
know but the and all of a sudden
we're drawn in and out he is I
it's wonderful to you that I'm not him
for everybody's sake I'd sit there and give
you one or two shots at it and
then I'd slap you silly and say forget
it I'm done with you I'd pick you
up I'd bounce you off the wall and
throw you around and you know just flick
you to China just once maybe or something
and then maybe I'd get some obedience or
some surrender instead of all the time quiveling
over if I get to be master but
he is so patient he is about a
journey that is more important even more important
than than mastering our lives he is about
the business of mastering our heart he is
looking there to where he allows me to
go through this and fail and go through
this and fail have all these trials and
temptations or struggles or burdens or open my
mouth and blow it or make a commitment
and not maintain it and have what he'll
allow all these things that go on because
one thing is that more I grow and
the more I learn they realize Lord without
you I can do nothing without you or
that you on the throne every every time
I open my mouth the moment you're not
on it I'm in trouble and that when
we begin to realize Lord they discernment amount
is this wonderful sermon that if we really
listening to it and longing for it ought
to be something that every time we go
through it Lord this is an area I
long to see you bring me into victory
in and here when he turns now in
verse 38 and he says to us you
have heard that it has been said an
eye for an eye and a tooth for
tooth but I say to you that she
resists not evil and here once again now
we have the fifth area that he's looking
at where he easily just gets dethroned gets
driven out we take over and that he
says in the and here's where the Pharisees
each one of these things they they they
turned it around all of them and but
if and if they stay turned around he's
you'll be dethroned if I just live by
an eye for an eye and a tooth
for tooth hey that's what the Pharisees told
me that's what that church told me well
as he's gonna be dethroned I'm gonna drive
him out if that's how I think and
he so here he's always clarifying the misinterpretations
of the Pharisees but here's the fifth one
now that he looks at and he says
you have heard that have been said an
eye for an eye and a tooth for
tooth now actually here he is just to
give you the the verses that Moses that
he's referring to and they're referring to the
Pharisees Moses did in Exodus 21 24 he
said an eye for an eye at a
tooth for a tooth a hand for a
hand and a foot for a foot Leviticus
24 20 says breach for breach I for
I tooth for tooth as he has caused
a blemish in a man so shall it
be done to him again you just brew
somebody you know bruising in a sense Deuteronomy
1921 and I and I shall not pity
but life shall go for life I for
I tooth for tooth hand for hand and
foot for foot and here once again the
it's the same issue that Jesus has been
dealing on you know previously with the misinterpretations
of Moses Moses at the time that he
gives these things in Leviticus or Exodus 21
he is speaking first of all to the
judges he is speaking to those in authority
there same thing as well in Leviticus 19
those are given to us you know Moses
is actually speaking there to the leadership he
is and and he is not dealing with
life in its in the ideal way when
Moses is talking he's looking over here at
the judges society is in chaos people are
hurting people and wounding people and there there's
all sorts of chaos and of struggles and
he's establishing some parameters for the judges there
that he's turning over the Lord the leadership
and the judgment of people when they abuse
people when they hurt people when they take
advantage of people when they kill people or
they whatever it is that they may do
here is is telling the judges how to
judge justly and righteously is telling them in
a sense that whatever you measured out he
measured back he's an eye for an eye
and a tooth for tooth he's telling them
that you know you just can't go out
and and and do something that is out
of balance that when somebody does things and
borrow some money and they don't pay it
back you don't go down and you blow
his house up it's not you know you
don't there's there's a fair system of judgment
when human beings fail and this is what
you know what Moses is dealing with you
know everybody and when you get hurt there's
always kind of you get offended or somebody
does something wrong to you there's a kind
of a knee-jerk reaction that we all
have get even vengeance immediately when somebody does
something wrong there is all of us in
nature for wrath or anger hostility that just
our own nature that says that isn't right
somebody's got to deal with them somebody's got
a hand you know go out and do
something who in the world did this to
me and Moses he's dealing with a chaotic
environment and he's just giving laws there for
the judges to just rule over sinful people
that are living rebelliously he's not talking about
how people ought to be living he's talking
about the outside parameters that when somebody is
living rebelliously all right you got to step
in you got to do something then this
is how you'll do it there'll be an
eye for an eye and a tooth for
tooth and a hand for hand and a
foot for a foot he's telling them how
to execute judge you know judgment and justice
he wants crime and punishment to be in
an equal balance secondly also you need to
know I mean he's not speaking here of
how people ought to be living he isn't
telling somebody by the way this is the
way that you need to be living no
this is judgment that when people aren't living
the way that they ought to be and
secondly also notice that Moses he's not giving
these laws to individuals I mean when he
is giving them back in Exodus and Leviticus
he is giving these to the judges he
is telling the judges what how they are
to handle this was to stop people from
taking the law into their own hands this
was they were to go and he's laying
out to the judges there in Exodus in
the Leviticus how they are judged now the
problem what had happened is the Pharisees had
basically taken and they had ignored entirely the
real line that Moses was dealing on and
the outer perimeters here of behavior when it's
gone wrong this is what you got to
do to solve it in the end then
what the law commands that you do now
to deal with the thing this isn't how
people are to live ideally this was again
not for the individual but the tragic thing
is the Pharisees had taken this and made
it to the individual and they had taken
it and they had spiritualized it to the
degree that that essentially there that if something
has gone wrong God is a God of
law and he's a God of justice and
if somebody has done something wrong to you
you aren't even spiritual if you're not dealing
with it it is an eye for an
eye and it is a truth for truth
and if somebody has done something to you
you're you don't have the courage to stand
up for the law and what's right if
you don't follow it through it's almost like
you they found a way to just be
so angry and be so hostile they did
this to me then I've got the right
to be there and so it's almost as
if you with the Pharisees that if somebody
has done something make sure it happens that's
one extreme that's what they had done with
it interestingly enough in this very context as
well I just need to hit it for
a moment I suppose because it's been misunderstood
I think is that another issue here Jesus
tells us in the text here he says
resist not evil as he tells us I
say and you resist not evil and and
this too has been taken out of context
just like the Pharisees in the Old Testament
I mean took out the Moses's law and
they abused it this verse is famous where
a lot of Christians and have taken this
to the degree when it says resist not
evil they want to say you know no
soldiers no police no judges you know or
something no prisons or some may say well
prisons and police are okay but no war
no you know no nation should go to
battle whatsoever no capital punishment and the variations
of this thing and people be over this
become conscientious objectors there may be evil happening
but I'm not to resist it and I'm
not going to get in part of the
war issues but that also here has nothing
to do with with what Jesus is talking
about Jesus here is not he's not speaking
to nations he's not speaking to governments he's
not speaking to cities he's not speaking to
groups of people that by law God gave
the law there for nations and for governments
to hold and maintain and establish to protect
their people to provide a stable peaceful environment
and so that the law does lay out
for these things he isn't speaking now you
know in the Old Testament Moses was speaking
to the legal matters not to the individual
but here in the New Testament Jesus is
speaking to the individual but he is not
speaking nationally he isn't telling the nation how
this is he's talking here to a person
that's been through the Beatitudes a person that
wants Christ to made me enthroned a person
that wants that daily walk and that communion
with God in their relationship how to maintain
it and their attitudes towards God and towards
other people personally but he's not speaking you
know people go out and they want to
say Jesus said resist not evil and they're
anti you know anything that has to do
with law and and when law even tries
to deal with anything that's unlawful or immoral
or evil as soon as law stands up
they said resist not evil it's not the
Christian thing to do that's not what he's
talking about here at all but any rate
here he is talking here to the person
in the context of the Sermon on the
Mount is poor in spirit they mourn over
their sin they've asked Christ to be enthroned
I want to walk with you I don't
I don't want to drive you out by
my anger towards other I don't want to
drive you out by my covetous lustful heart
towards others I don't want to drive you
away from the throne of my heart because
the fact I I make commitments I don't
keep them I open my mouth and I
and I say words and don't mean them
and now he is he is now taking
it on to another personal level within our
own life and on how you know in
that daily walk in communion with him and
he's not talking here even about me as
a citizen if there's something that has been
happening to me if the IRS comes along
and tells me I own a bunch of
money and I don't know to him there's
no problem going with it you know to
fight it if you don't know it and
there's no problem you know that it did
Jesus here isn't talking about that he's not
talking about you know my dealings with the
government or dealings you know in a broader
scale he's talking about my heart my fellowship
with God and with man in the attitudes
of my heart and this is what he
is dealing with here and essentially here now
in the second the section we're in here
he simply has one issue almost though it
he comes at it from about three different
illustrations of verses and that is essentially now
not only what my attitude towards people I
don't like people of attitudes I shouldn't like
and do in the wrong way or things
or the world that I'm covetous or lustful
about or commitments that I won't maintain that
I've made or words that I take lightly
now he looks at now what is my
ongoing attitude towards myself and the best way
to find out what your attitude towards yourself
is is just to find out how it
responds when other people how other people deal
with it best way you can more you
want to find out anything of what kind
of a person you really are don't ask
yourself and don't ask your mother you know
they are something and you know in but
here you ask the people that you struggle
with just look in a sense it's your
own life and because here now he looks
and he says to us there he says
I send you the resist not evil but
whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek
turn to him the other also and he
gives us four little you know things here
that he tells us on how to examine
your own heart how do you think and
you know about other people essentially and the
first one is what do you do when
somebody puts you down that's essentially what he's
saying and you know you've heard you know
that that I send you resist not evil
whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek
turn to him the other also now this
by the way just to put it in
context here what Jesus talking about is somebody
you know you know he walks up to
you on the street and hauls off and
just slugged you because they want to rob
you and give me your wallet and then
you turn there well excuse me we got
a little piece of scripture to finish first
man turn the cheek you know something here
so you can hit me again you know
what this actually the concept here that he's
talking about there is not against somebody protecting
you know in a physical sense that's not
what he's talking about here this is when
he talks about you know turning the other
cheek maybe you remember it's like some of
the old swashbuckling or three musketeers type of
stories you know or d'artagnan you know
and you know and there where they'd go
and they'd challenge somebody and they take their
glove off and they would slap somebody in
the cheek I mean it's humiliating you know
sort of a thing and and there when
when somebody does something that puts you down
and somebody there humiliate you because now when
they do that that's the way that they
challenge you to a duel when somebody there
wants to you have a sword fight or
we're gonna watch you know that 15 paces
or whatever and turn around and I'm gonna
kill you but in order to do it
we have to have a duel I want
to take you down I don't like you
or whatever else and they so they come
up and they slap you and now you
there's that just any self-respecting human being
is now forced to do I mean now
you're you're not a man any longer you've
you you've given up your masculinity you're a
wimp you know you're a fool in everybody's
eyes and you don't look good and here
at this point you know if you turn
the other cheek there now you know you're
a wimp and so you now have to
when they do that everybody's looking at you
and and so all right pick your weapon
you know or whatever else and we're going
to battle and this oftentimes has been misunderstood
I heard a story of a fellow one
time he's sharing Christ with a friend or
somebody and probably not a friend obviously but
he told him he's a Christian the guy
says you're not a Christian he said I'm
too Christian he says you're not and he
said yes I am he said why do
you say that he said well I have
a very simple way to test it and
he says what's that and he says do
you mind if I do it he says
no go ahead he hauls off and he
slugs and the guy says the Bible says
that you're to turn the other cheek he
looks at him for a moment turns the
other cheek guy hauls off slugs him again
the fella starts rolling up his sleeves down
he says hey what are you doing he
says after that my Lord my Lord gave
no further directions and but the but this
is a challenge though this is when somebody's
pride is being attacked when it's being when
it's being put down and here Jesus is
simply saying there that one of the things
there about a man who supposedly is poor
in spirit he mourns over his own sinfulness
he hates his ego he hates his pride
he hates his self-sufficiency he hates his
self-respecting nature anyplace he's lost in God
he wants to give his life fully over
to him he has no identity he wants
to protect supposedly anyway that's the life that
Jesus is enthroned in and so now when
somebody comes and they do something that just
would get to you something there that just
kind of smacks at your pride and and
it can be you know they they put
you down and something inside would want to
rise you realize wait a minute Lord because
even as that rises the throne goes Lord
I don't want that I want you to
stay on the throne more than I want
my pride to be defended I want you
to stay in power and enjoy and in
peace within my heart more than I want
to put them down you know in return
more than I want to deal with them
and when we realize that that is what
it is that we ought to want so
often something happens and we can just get
so offended and everything in us rises up
and we got to deal with them remember
one time I was in college and I
was coming home from Cal Poly Pomona on
the 10 freeway and I had my little
Volkswagen I'm driving along and I must have
been daydreaming or something I don't know what
I was doing but all of a sudden
I hear this horn an 18-wheelers horn
no less behind me that just I shocked
me and I looked in my rearview mirror
and there seemed like right on my bumper
was this grill you know as I'm looking
through my rearview mirror this great big 18
-wheeler I don't know where he came from
and the first shock was is when you
see that you don't know if they're about
to hit you or where they come from
and you got one second before you're dead
you know and then after I realized after
a moment no he had control of his
truck he just didn't want me in front
of him and he didn't need a Volkswagen
in front of his 18-wheeler well after
I did a moment later I got you
know I sat there and thought of that
made all of a sudden that made me
mad and I'm there sitting there so I
decided you know I all right I don't
I mean just stupid no justification for it
but I just saw so I would just
slow up a little and then I'd speed
up a little and I kind of slow
off and just let this guy then he's
just little his lights in his horn everything's
going I'm just having the greatest time getting
back at him you know sort of a
thing there you know you want to ruin
my day I'm gonna ruin your day and
then the next thing the lights are blinking
horn and then he's sitting there and he's
waving pull over pull over you know and
stuff he wanted to take me on and
I so then I decided at that point
all right we'll do that and I wait
back pull over so he starts to pull
this is on the 10 freeway distance to
San Marino so he pulls I pull off
and I was really I was by this
time I was so mad I was so
living I why I was you know I
don't know whether he what he thought was
in there but I'm I'm a college guy
and I'm tough buddy and you're gonna you
know or something whatever I thought but I'll
never get I get out of my car
and I'm walking back and his truck is
there and this 80 the door opens up
and you know I was waiting for this
guy to step down but he didn't step
down he just stepped out I mean this
guy was so huge he didn't he didn't
come down he just I just well foot
went down and I'm saying this guy I'm
I'll never forget this because I'm there you
know at least I'm getting in the first
blow or something all I looked at this
as soon as I saw that how big
I turned right around got my books why
I went off this I made some gesture
probably to let him know that I wasn't
afraid of him but I was gone but
but me but pride gets us into these
stupid things all the time we and and
somebody and then but but the great cost
of it isn't just that isn't just the
fact that the blessing of the beatitudes oh
how happy the happiness goes the throne goes
the salt of the earth loses its savor
the light of the world is about to
get its own lights punched out you know
or something in there you realize everything that
I longed to have in my life has
just been in the last you know five
minutes on the freeway destroyed and then you
drive it home and all the time you're
explaining to somebody or whatever it is or
you're nobody's there but you're going through it
all in your mind in your own misery
and here Jesus says this is precisely what
happens to people somebody comes along and some
little thing all the time and I think
nor you they put you down or they
don't feed your ego or something happens and
you find yourself in trouble and in here
and you know Jesus looks and he says
these are the battles these are the issues
they confront everyone not just you this is
written two thousand years ago hundreds of millions
of people that are made exactly the same
as you and me have the same struggles
and Jesus knows the battle and he says
here's the plan here are the issues that
the Christian looks at these are the battles
I want to fight and I want to
win not the ones on the road and
not the ones with other people they don't
I'm tired of even thinking I might have
won some of those because every one of
them cost me the life and the power
and the flow of my Lord reigning as
King and then he says if any man
will sue thee at the law and take
away thy coat let him have that cloak
also now back then a lot of people
they wore what were almost two coats or
two new garments one was you know a
kind of a fitted inner vest which is
called a coat here and then there's the
cloak which is more of you know an
outer garment and in here do what happens
is is that somebody comes along now and
they sue you at the law in a
sense and I don't think necessarily that Jesus
talking about somebody actually filing suit although it
definitely could be that as well but essentially
somebody wants something that you have the right
to have by all legal rights by all
of what it is it is yours and
somebody comes along and they infringe upon your
rights on what you know to be your
rights that are your space whatever it is
it belongs to you and and they have
no right to it at all but they're
going to get it they're gonna come along
and you look and there's somebody that they
that they do something and and there an
injustice is happening again right then something comes
up within us that we just gotta make
it right that is wrong that is dead
wrong there's no way in the world I
mean any self-respecting human being is to
let people like this live like this and
do this sort of stuff you know way
in all a world I'm gonna stand by
and let that happen in here Jesus essentially
looks there and he says when somebody finds
there that they did that they so desperately
think they need your rights your space your
something and that's gonna make him happy he
looks at it and he says as a
matter of fact give him more and give
him your cloak also he wants your shirt
give him your jacket when there is somebody
there that comes along in a sense of
rather than saying but you don't have it's
not your shirt to my shirt and but
here you know the thing is he looks
there when somebody's gotta have some that isn't
what made you happy hopefully having it what
made you happy was the Beatitudes what made
you was the life of Christ in throne
what made you happy was having him rule
and reign and now you found a greater
happiness oh you used to have to have
all that stuff you used to have to
fight for your rights and I want this
I want that and I'm gonna get this
thing and you did that never made you
happy you were the same way that they
were to you but now he said when
somebody is that way because you're salt and
because you're light because you're happy and because
your joy is doesn't even require that space
or this thing and somebody's gotta have it
give it to him you don't need it
you don't need it at all I think
the most wonderful thing that can ever happen
to a Christian is when they come to
our Lord I don't need anything for but
you that's it and to have you in
throne that's what I want and to have
you there is King within my heart within
my life and and we live in a
day and age now where anything goes wrong
anybody infringes on your rights just so you
know sort of a thing and and that'll
get their attention you know in fact the
weirdest thing today I went home and there's
in my mailbox there's a letter from an
attorney and and it just had my address
on it and I open this thing up
I wonder what it is well there's an
attorney down the street that had written a
letter to all the neighbors and they're having
water problems at their house and they don't
know where it's coming from but anybody this
is kind of gradually up the street they're
serving them warning you better turn off your
sprinklers and because there's damage being done and
who knows who it's coming from and every
I read that thing and something inside of
me says you know I haven't killed an
attorney all week you know I mean the
first thing I mean that it can happen
there I mean I'm said where's an attorney
why didn't the guy come over and knock
on my door I am your neighbor I
got a water problem can you help me
but instead you know on their legal paper
they're just suggesting I mean it was written
in such a way between the lines though
you didn't have any problem figuring out what
they want in you say well sue all
through the world all through the neighborhood and
you wanted to say boy would you I'd
love you to come to our next block
party you know or something because we need
a block like you you know or something
almost the immediate response I looked at that
thing and instead I walked down knocked on
the door and in find myself Lord this
I said hey I see you have what
you didn't I can do to help you
and he said well where do you live
I said just a few doors up here
and I said I don't know what could
be going on if there's anything I can
do or with anybody you know I'd sure
love to just see us all do great
he ended up being the nicest guy all
of a sudden and for at least a
few minutes till he finds us coming from
my house but the which I don't think
it is but the he said well you're
probably too far away but the thing some
happens today soon just soon and you know
you slip on a banana just get an
attorney just get one will you will just
start with Chiquita bananas you know we'll get
the banana farm we'll get the banana fold
both you know we'll get them you know
the the dock workers will give the guys
that delivered the bananas to the grocery store
will sue the grocery store and the box
boy they put the banana and your trunk
is somebody there is going to be responsible
for your problem and and when we have
that type attitude that anything goes wrong I'm
gonna find somebody that's the world we live
in and here Jesus saying essentially there that
when you're around people like this disarm them
disarm them find out what you can do
to help them in this that in he
says you'll find also I'll remain in throne
I'll give you the words to share with
them I'll help you through these difficult awkward
times and and you'll be salt of the
earth you'll be the light of the world
and you'll be happy when when when you're
done with it when you walk away from
it and but when we finally can learn
these things when not to say you never
in court and you know I'm a I'm
things I know he's talking about relationships here
my own heart he goes on in verse
41 he says whose service shall compel thee
to go a mile go with him to
there's something once again inside of us there
Jesus saying you want me enthroned these are
the things that happen to you all day
long somebody put you down somebody wants to
take advantage of you somebody wants to come
along you got your agenda you got your
plans somebody comes along infringes in your your
space and says hey take this for me
under Roman law back there at that time
any you know Roman authority could come up
to you centurion you just come and and
compel you to carry a stuff for a
mile for him no matter what you are
what you're doing minding your own business whatever
else he could just come right up you
carry this and that the Jews were very
bitter about that they were so angry you
know this whole thing and maybe they would
do it but they sure had one miserable
mile walking with that guy and that guy
sure had a miserable mile walking with him
and they would make that no and here
Jesus said you know when somebody takes advantage
of you when somebody comes along and uses
you and they mess up your agenda and
they mess up your plans how do you
react are they just an intrusion in your
life saying hello what are you doing here
you know I don't need you and I'm
trying to he said right then as soon
as this happens there's this you can just
sense the throne being vacated you can just
senses you know in the Jesus just saying
okay you want to run it you go
run it and you know the thing that
he looks at us that because as far
as Jesus concerned he loves doing stuff for
people he loves you know you look at
him all day long wherever he was people
coming up and grabbing and in pushing and
shoving and and where the disciples said stay
away leave him alone and they're shoving off
the kids and everybody and here Jesus he
just looked there his life he just people
relationships friendships they were so so wonderful dad
to have and when we stop there and
we realize there and you know that we're
here for people a lot of times they
don't seem to be here for us but
a Christian ought to be here for people
where you going what are you doing how
can I help you a couple weeks ago
I went into the DMV needed to get
my address changed for my license and things
and I walked in there and found my
way around to the information booth and I
work my way up to it and there's
a lady sitting there at a desk and
I come up and so I'm just I
stand there and she's looking down but I
knew she could see me but she kept
looking down and I'm and I could see
well I wanted to hello yeah I just
come but I just well wait here for
a moment she may be busy with something
but I didn't know whether she was what
she was doing maybe a little quiet time
you know or something but anyway she's there
and I knew she knew I was there
and I just had this feeling that I
don't know if they get very much but
what they don't get in money they get
in power you know sort of a thing
and they make up your wages with authority
you can make people wait you know or
them so I just thought well I'll wait
here you know and so I waited I
just wonder how long until and I'm just
kind of having this little thing going on
within me so I'm gonna outwait her you
know and sort of a thing here and
and then finally after a little while she
looked up and she had that look on
her face like all right you outweighed me
big deal you know or something what do
you want you just and I just said
I just need to know what I got
to do to change my address I'm new
down here and she points over and she
says there on this thing over there you
know you there's and there's the forms and
I saw thank you that's so wonderful you
that did not in and I just kind
of smiled and she she almost smiled it
was this kind of it but I'm sitting
there and realizing I actually thought about what
I'm standing there thinking you know something your
own heart is you'd like to just sit
there and just pick up the desk and
just roll you then she'll turn it over
oh excuse me I didn't know you know
there's something or you want to sit there
and say you know I'd like to change
your address you know or something they're going
but you sit there and just realize Lord
is this worth the price is it worth
the price because the price is is the
witness is gone just my luck she goes
here you know or something but the no
I don't know I'm just I mean I'm
just saying that would be my but here
Jesus Jesus simply say life can be so
simple if you want me in throne if
you really want me as king he says
give to him that ask of thee when
somebody wants to borrow some just do it
he looks there and here because he says
if you really want me to be king
you can handle any of these other things
anyway you want to but the cost is
always the same you'll lose my Lordship and
if you're willing to pay that price then
go ahead and let your eyes chase after
that cute little gal or that thing you
gotta have and you covet this or you
you don't care that much if I'm king
and Lord and you care more about it
being hostile and angry then be hostile and
angry until you're tired you know one of
the wonderful things about life is getting old
it's really a wonderful thing I honestly I
think some people think I'm weird about this
but I like getting old I really do
and I find a lot of things that
I used to have the energy you know
to do dumb stuff about I'm getting you
you know you just figured out Jesus this
is not worth it used to be worth
it somehow another I'd blow a whole day
you know on this thing and my fellowship
with you but I'm done I'm getting too
old you know for this I and I
just want to stay in communion with you
I just want to stay in fellowship with
you isn't worth it to me Lord forgive
me and help me these are the battles
these are the real issues of life when
somebody is looking there and saying Lord in
Jesus he loves he didn't know I don't
if he loves but he doesn't mind the
competition he looks there and he says I'm
willing to compete with your heart whether you
want it to hate or you want it
to love and I'll let you choose and
whether you want to lust and covet or
whether you want me and whether you want
to make really commitments and keep them and
or or or and forget them or you
want my presence and power to help you
keep those commitments and if when you open
your mouth you want to speak the truth
or you want to make up stories or
you want me these are the issues that
so often we are constantly making choices and
when I sit there and say Jesus I
want you as my king and I want
it so bad I don't want to hate
anymore I want it so bad I'm so
sick and tired of coveting and lusting I
wanted so bad I'm tired of making commitments
and not keeping them I'm tired of opening
my mouth and just saying stuff that isn't
true and I know it but I'm just
buying myself some time and then when I
I want it so bad that when somebody
puts me down that this pride that ought
to be dead anyway Lord help it stay
dead and when somebody wants some space let
him have it let him have it when
these are the things that we want most
of all this is the sermon of the
mount this is the battle of life these
are the battles you and I are fighting
day by day and as Jesus lays it
out he simply looks he says what do
you want because once I'm enthroned if you
want to keep me enthroned these are the
things that get me off these are the
things that remove my my power my spirit
the flow of my love these are the
battles every one of us ought to be
longing to fight and win the victory in
Christ amen father we thank you for your
word Lord we thank you for your wonderful
love for us and that you see these
battles Lord that you look at us and
then you tell us this is exactly what
the Christian life is all about these are
the real battles and Lord I pray that
if tonight maybe we have something about us
that are just pride are somebody just couldn't
say some little thing that puts us down
somebody doesn't acknowledge us and all of a
sudden we're picking weapons we're ready to duel
it out Lord may we realize it isn't
just the friend that we've got or the
enemy or whatever else that we're dueling in
with we already really lost the battle with
you we already just set you aside said
I'll take over or Lord when somebody comes
into our space steps in line in front
of us in the store and for whatever
reason instead of having to defend or what
do you think you're doing or maybe I'll
just look and smile and opportunity just a
smile and say how are you give him
the space and then also Lord give him
something extra give him some love give him
some peace give him some joy give him
a word from you being able to say
that's all right I'm not in that big
a hurry just love to have a moment
tell you how good God's been to me
have a great day Lord that in the
sense of having to protect and defend our
life and our image and our identity Lord
that we can just look and say Lord
everything I am belongs to you help me
learn just to see that my life is
being poured out given away surrendered to others
Lord that we can truly be salt and
light and that we can have the continued
blessing of you being enthroned within our lives
in Jesus name