In The Footsteps Of The Master: The Life and Times of Jesus Christ The Sermon on the Mount Personal Relationships June 14, 2009 Matthew 5:

Oath/Word Of Honor 33"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King

Vows continued 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil. –Matthew 5:33-37 ESV

Father of lies? Truth is in jeopardy all the time “You better get that in writing!!!” The evil of lying and falsehood and deceit that pervades the human heart and society has been restrained by oaths What evil ruins trust? Selfishness and/or ill-will If we love, the truth will hold sway. Selfless and loving vs selfish and unloving

Retaliation/ Vengeance 38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.

Slap When you got kicked out of the synagogue is, the last thing they would do is slap your face John speaks of the disciples being thrown out because of Jesus –John 9:22 This is suffering because of our obedience to Christ To be thrown out of the synagogue is to be thrown out of pretty much all social networking that you had. It was to truly be ostracized

Revenge Cont… 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. – Matthew 5:36-42 ESV How do you think this plays out in nations? Give to Caesar what is Caesars-Mat 22:21 Let’s look at our personal responsibilities.

Love Your Enemies 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

Authenticate the message 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?– Matthew 5:43-47 ESV By loving someone who has nothing but animosity towards me right now, he might see the grace, love, mercy and forgiveness of Christ In order to authenticate the message of the gospel in the eyes, ears, hearts and minds of people

Unpacking the Love This kind of love stands in such contrast to the world Viewing it creates an understanding in the heart of the seer that, “If there is a God, this person knows Him, because this is not natural When you attack somebody, they attack back. When you bless somebody, they bless back. This is the yin and the yang, how the world works God says, “That is Not how I designed it. Somebody hates you, you do good to them. Somebody curses you, you bless them. Somebody abuses you, you pray for them. Somebody mocks you, jabs you, pushes you because of My name, you don’t retaliate.

Lord’s Prayer But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you – How? 14 verses after this He tells us what to pray. 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11'Give us this day our daily bread. 12'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.' –Matthew 6:9-13

Prayer for enemies…. We should ask God that our enemy first and foremost come to hallow God’s name, and that he value God above all else. That our enemy would love to do the will of God on earth as it is in heaven Also that God would supply our enemy with all the physical resources of food, clothing, shelter etc. Everything he needs to fulfill God’s calling for his life

Enemy prayer… We should pray that his sins would be forgiven Finally, that God protect him from temptation and from the destructive power of the devil The most compelling example???? Luke 23:33-34 Father, forgive them…. Jesus demands that His disciples be forgiving people

Why? To tell us what God is like!! Not to throw us into despair over our failure to achieve perfection To impart to us God’s ideal toward which we should NEVER stop striving This Sermon forces us to recognize the GREAT distance b/w God and us It also proves that we are all on the same level ground: murderers and temper throwers, adulterers and lusters, thieves and coveters.

Grace Having fallen from the absolute ideal….. We have nowhere to land but in the safety net of grace Jesus said “Matthew 5:48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. and “Love the Lord your God with all you heart…… Not anyone has completely fulfilled these commands Jesus forgave an adulteress, a thief on the cross, disciple who denied Him…...

Good News Romans 8:1 says?? Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:8-9 says?? 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Giving to the Needy 1 "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2"Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Merciful Deeds Greek word of “Acts of Righteousness” meant "mercy" or "merciful deed” The point is clear. Drawing public attention to one’s merciful deeds is hypocrisy.

19 Next Week The Sermon on the Mount The Lord’s Prayer