Sermon 26th January 2014

Today, Ben Hughes, Assistant Minister, continues our study of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. 

Not wanting to be out of step with the theme of last week’s excellent sermon …

What flies through the jungle singing opera?

The parrots of Penzance, of course!

Hopefully it is not just bad parrot jokes that you have learnt from Gill!

Well the overriding message of Matthew’s Gospel that we have learnt so far is this ‘seismic’ message of change that points to Jesus as the new way of doing things!

Jesus who demands nothing short of our perfection. And what type of perfection is that? Perfection that derives from the transformation of the heart!

Before Jesus came, you have law and the prophets to guide the way, the Old Testament. But what Matthew is saying now is that in this new order that is  Jesus we have grace; and grace means that our hearts can be changed by the transforming nature of Christ in our lives. That is the deal and the new way! That is why the message of Matthew’s Gospel was so difficult for the Pharisees and priests to hear – because they knew it made their priestly old ways redundant!

What Matthew was telling the Jews of his day is the same message for us today! That is:

Jesus is the truth, the way and the life and in that, the only way forward for anyone from now onwards – which is Matthew’s message. In Christ alone our hope is in found. In him and by and through him we can be saved and it is this principle of grace which underpins our message of Matthew and our series on the Sermon on the Mount!

So because we are under Grace we can be forgiven and although we will make mistakes and no doubt do the things that Jesus is telling us not to, nothing that we ever do is unforgiveable because of Grace and the Love of God.

So it is not just about what we do or do not do: it is about how we are being transformed inside – and that is heart that matter! The battleground is in the heart! And certainly not appearances! The Old Testament order of the Law – which is a guide for doing this and not doing that – is still relevant; but in this new order in Christ it is inside us that matters. And it is about writing the Law upon our hearts, so that the spirit of sinning does not sit comfortably within us anymore!

Jesus says Yes! Murder of course is always a crime; but it is as bad to have hateful thoughts: adultery is still a sin; but we should not have lustful thoughts. Jesus lifts the laws out of the book and puts them right into our hearts today, in the here and now. And in doing so, Jesus is making everything the ‘heart of the matter’ within us. And as he later teaches in the John’s Gospel, if the heart is well then everything else follows, like the roots of a tree! John 15 v 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing”. So Jesus says don’t get hung up on the laws and the all the complications of their application; but get your hearts right in God! Remain in me and I in you!

In verse 33 of today’s passage he says “Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.” Jesus says do not swear by anything on earth or in Heaven. In other words, know your place in the great scheme of things. You are just a human, yes loved by God, but never think you are greater than God because you cannot even change the colour of your hair. So keep your language smart, because God knows your heart already and he respects and demands worship and honour!

Jesus also says do not fill your heart-space and mind-space with unsuitable and dangerous clutter. Instead that space should be filled with God and is the space that should be set aside for the Holy Spirit to reside.

That means God’s love and life becomes the core of your very being! So how do you keep God at the forefront of your thoughts and heart when life is so busy and where there are so many challenges and temptations? The big question of course! I believe it to be with prayer, good Christian fellowship, singing, and reading the Bible on a daily basis. That is the heart of the matter! And that is where it is all decided: in the heart!

And Jesus helps us achieve this by giving us a model for  prayer “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us, lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil”.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: what does that exactly mean?

In the book of Proverbs, 6:16-19 lists sixth things God despises in a person … very interesting to read, if you get the chance. The Chapter in Exodus that Jesus references regarding an eye for an eye (Exodus 21. 22-23) is also a very worthwhile read on sin. You may have also heard of the seven deadly sins listed by the early church - which are anger, greed, laziness, pride, lust, envy and gluttony.  These deadly sins are often referred to as ‘capita’ sins as they engender other sins and vices within us. And they can start as venial but can become mortal sins if not checked.

But all sin – as Jesus says – can be distilled down to rebellion against God; and if there such a thing as the root of all evil then it is probably the evil of wanting to make ourselves God! And that desire of Adam within us all drives self preservation and self grandiosment!  And revenge, lust and greed that Jesus is teaching us about in this passage today is as ever just an extension of the basic sin. Again it is Jesus putting its finger on the heart of the matter.

So, revenge, let us look at that first!

Getting your own back … standing tall … no one  get one over me … I will show them … I always do the best for me and my family … nobody will take that away from me … looking over your shoulder … rubbing salt in the wound … one-up-manship ... bullying … seeing justice done!

Revenge is a dish best served cold! Say the poets.

Or and old Chinese proverb. When one embarks upon the journey of revenge, best dig two graves!

So how does revenge work in the Bible?

Well simply put, there is no real need for revenge post-Jesus, because he died on the cross enabling us to be forgiven and to forgive! And the ‘to forgive’ bit in the Lord’s prayer “forgive us our sins as we forgive those that sins against us” should cancel out the necessity for revenge! In other words: if you have genuinely forgiven someone, how can you then take out revenge on them? So the antidote to revenge is the cross of Christ! Because all forgiveness hangs upon those pieced hands.

It is also the case for us, that as believers and Christian converts we come under the judgment of God which means that we accept God as Judge of ourselves and others. And in that, it is His prerogative to judge. And he is a loving and fair judge. And so we must never take the law into our own hands! The old eye for an eye, tooth for tooth is over and the turning the cheek is in!

But we are all people: we are human and we hurt! If you cut me do I not bleed? And our hurts are real and for the victim of any crime we do need recompense and to see that we get justice! That is only fair. We as Christians might be able to forgive but we will always feel the pain because we are human! But God will always hear the cries of broken, for example Exodus 22-23:  “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. ²³ If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry”.

Jesus, as ever, understands people: he understand our hurts before they have happened. That is why he is so great in the way he gives practical solutions to our problems.  Jesus is also a realist; he understands that human beings will fall out and that they will hurt each other. He knows the primitive instinct to lash out! He understands that our hearts will wander and our eyes and hands will cause us to sin. We can remind ourselves that Jesus was also human and is there to help and that we can call on him even in the white heat of temptation. And He of course understands our need for dignity and a sense of integrity when we are hurting from the sin of others. Jesus knows that people need to get justice and that someone or something has to pay. He understands that so much because it is the very thing that put him on a cross! His deep understanding of injustice and any thought of retaliation was never on the cards as he turned the other cheek and gave his last breadth.

Turn the other cheek therefore! Go the extra mile; gives to anyone who asks; lend without seeking return; and if you have two shirts, give one away! Quite explicit: does what it says on the label: give me away if not needed; wash at 90 degrees, iron dry! And it works. If you have ever tried doing any of this when people are having a go at you, turning the other cheek, going the extra mile stops the action of revenge in its tracks. Bang!  People are amazed it floors them; their jaws drop. Even if they do not take you seriously, God will take you seriously; and in Him he will heap burning coals upon their hearts so that they have nowhere to turn and burn up inside in shame.

Romans 12.19-20 says "¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD."

And turning the other cheek and going the extra mile is a great method of preventing escalation. I remember seeing a number of events in my younger days where a relatively small incident over words or something like that ended up as very serious crimes whereby the action of revenge bought another and more serious event at each turn  And the hatred and anger took over people and sucked in the innocent, their children and homes. And it could all happen so quickly! Like road rage, usually over nothing.

And these words of Jesus in Mathew were not spoken lightly either. As mentioned, Jesus allowed himself to be tortured and abused! He experienced first-hand people’s out of control cruelty. Offering his life to corrupt officials to judge and his body for soldiers to beat; his cheeks were turned over again by the crunch of Roman fists and lots were cast for his clothing. He stood before Pilate wearing a crown of thorns and was presented to the people as an alternative to a committed criminal – Barabbas. Jesus leads by example, by his own teaching, and again sets the perfect example for us! Because he was innocent the grave could not hold him and he burst out of hell riding his motorbike of glory!

And for the people listening to the Sermon on the Mount at the time, these people were not just gentle people and law-abiding citizens. No, many were probably terrorists with revenge and anger in their hearts. Their sworn revenge, aimed at Rome and the occupying soldiers! Israel at the time was on the doorstep of revolution and anarchy and within 70 years, had torn itself apart in blood and slaughter. If only they could have listened and understood Jesus words instead: history would have been so different!

And that takes me our final point for today.

I was talking recently with a newly converted Christian friend who said that he cannot watch extreme horror films anymore. They sicken him he said. I too remember the point when I struggled to listen to certain albums and watch certain films because the spirit in them stopped resonating truth within me. I found them troublesome and dispiriting and longed for the real spirit which is that given by God - the Holy Spirit, of course. My thirst had been awoken in faith and now there was no turning back!!! I was and am hungry for more – the thirst for righteousness. And thirst is the beginning of perfection in Christ. We are on our way! We are running the race of Glory!

Perfection in Christ: God has fashioned us in His own image (Psalm 139) and not necessarily our looks and brains, thank God for that. But that thing which is essentially us, our very core being which is the part of us that will live forever either in God or not! The perfection that Christ enables us to be is a beautiful thing, a wonderful thing so precious that his son Jesus died for us and now is working for us in the court of heaven. Pleading on our behalf: “Don’t give up on him he’s alright; give her a break she so worth it!” And we get glimpses of it in ourselves, as we change and come to know Christ as Lord and Saviour; and we begin to see it in others too, who are being transformed into his likeness: that transformation, that shaping and forming, refining and forging that takes us from being doomed earth-bound creatures to the children of light with an eternal hope: Brilliant, amazing, and life changing!

So the question for all of us is: freedom or slavery? Is the Gospel of Matthew and the Sermon on the Mount rubbish, to restrict your conscious and appetite for the pleasures of life; or is it the crowbar that will break the shackles of slavery that bind your feet and that prevent you running the race that God intended?

I leave that with you, and, of course, the Holy Spirit’s conviction of your heart …

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord? Amen.