Jesus on Retaliation and Rights (Part 2)

Matthew 5:38-42

We are all about our rights. If anyone threatens our rights or takes what we think belongs to us, we are inclined to retaliate.  All of us have been wronged, and all of us have wanted to get back at the one responsible.  Has that attitude really helped us?  Is there a better way?

I. The Interpretation of the Lex Taliones – Matthew 5:38

The basic function of law is not revenge but consequence and retribution. Lex Taliones limits the level of revenge to equal to loss or injury. The purpose was to provide mercy.

II. Jesus’ Interpretation of the Believer’s Rights 

A. Don’t retaliate for insult - Matthew 5:39

B. Don’t go to court over clothes - Matthew 5:40

Relationships are more valuable than property.

C. Serve with a smile - Matthew 5:41

The easiest thing to hoard is our time. 

Christ is advocating setting boundaries.

Setting Healthy Boundaries - How can we love others and deny ourselves, yet not be taken advantage of or controlled?
  The Bible teaches covenant relationship with two sides of love.
  A boundary is a fence line that denotes or defines where one
  person's space ends and another's begins.  It clarifies, shapes and
  defines who we are and our sphere of control.
  Jesus taught us to meet someone’s needs not take
  responsibility for another’s life.

D. Be graciously benevolent - Matthew 5:42

Benevolence begins by realizing our wealth in relation to others needs.

Few real needs are met in a single contribution.  A commitment to meet a need requires a spirit of giving, not just an act.

III. Overcome Evil With Good  Romans 12:19-21

Three Reasons For Ruling Out All Attempts At Revenge.

1.     Revenge is God’s work  v19

2.     There is better way to respond  v20

There is no grace in revenge.  There is no peace in revenge.  There is no love in revenge. 

3.     God will reward  Proverbs 25:22b

Don’t seek “rights”; seek “opportunity.”

Life Smart

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, Philippians 1:9-10
This week, in honor of graduates everywhere, we are considering living intelligently.  This is a special kind of wisdom that you cannot earn a diploma for, but you certainly may save yourself some painful experiences! 

This week we have been looking at characteristics of wise people.  The first characteristic of a wise person is: a wise person can discern the difference between right and wrong.  He or she makes the right decisions. Second, a wise person discerns the difference between truth and lie.
The third characteristic of a wise person is that a wise person understands the difference between that which is important and that which is insignificant.

Society too often attaches its tags of highest worth to things that ultimately do not matter much, while other issues of urgency are all but ignored and deemed unimportant.

Consider what we are willing to pay and to whom - Scientists who labor in laboratories seeking cures to everything from arthritis to AIDS frequently live on shoestring budgets.  Professional athletes who happen to have been born tall or fast make multiple millions per year simply to shoot baskets or hit baseballs.  Social service workers labor in undeveloped countries and inner-city ministries and fight for funds to survive while actors demand multi-millions for the next blockbuster.  Our society values entertainment over feeding the hungry masses - It is obvious that we have switched the price tags, overvaluing things of little lasting significance and undervaluing the things that matter most.

Smart people know the difference between that which is unimportant and that which is of supreme significance.  They know the difference between material possessions and personal relationships.  They can discern between things and love. They acknowledge the gap between fame and faith. And they are wise enough to make the right choices

The fourth Characteristic of a Wise person is that they understand how to become "life smart."

Prior to becoming President of the U.S.A., Woodrow Wilson was the esteemed president of Princeton. He was asked once what it meant to be well educated. He replied: "A well educated person simply knows where to look to find information."

When dealing with the countless issues of daily life, we need more information than any one individual intuitively possesses. A wise person knows where to look to find it.

·      To successfully navigate life's waters, we daily look to the Bible for instruction and inspiration.

·      We become involved with the church, the gathered community of people of faith, where we share ideas and find support.

·      We develop and maintain the discipline of prayer (reiterating that prayer involves silence, reflection and listening to God).

·      Many find journaling to be of inestimable importance as we seek to understand our own personal lives.  Often by looking back over personal journals (quite like daily diaries) we can see patterns and attitudes that we were not aware of at all.

·      Small group involvement is essential. There is rarely such an animal as a solo Christian. When we become part of Bible study groups, prayer groups, support groups, and so forth, we find collective wisdom, strength and insight virtually unavailable in any other way. Two heads really are usually better than one. Three, five or ten are all the better.

You can be intelligent. So can I. It is ultimately a matter of discernment -- knowing the difference between right and wrong, truth and lie, importance and insignificance.

And that wisdom comes to those like Solomon who appeal to the proper Source. "God appeared to Solomon and said, 'Ask what I shall give to you.' And Solomon answered, 'Give me now wisdom and knowledge ....'"  The gift is still available to those who seek and ask. 

Scripture to Claim:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

Difference Between Truth and Lie

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8
This week, in honor of graduates everywhere, we are considering living intelligently.  This is a special kind of wisdom that does not require a diploma, nor will you necessarily earn a diploma or rewards for living intelligently but you certainly may save yourself some painful experiences! 

There are some definite characteristics of wise people.  The first characteristic of a wise person is: a wise person can discern the difference between right and wrong.  He or she makes the right decisions.

Second, a wise person discerns the difference between truth and lie.
One of the more famous stories surrounding the life and wisdom of Solomon is about two women in conflict who came to him for judgment. Each lived in the same house. Each had given birth to a son. One rolled over on her son during the night, suffocating the baby. So, stealthily she exchanged infants while her friend slept. When morning came, the second woman found a dead infant in her bed but knew it was not her own. The first, of course, claimed innocence and protested that the living baby was hers. Solomon quickly surmised the situation and asked for his sword. "I will give each woman half of the living child," he decreed. One woman protested. "No, let her have him. By no means slay the baby." The other said: "Fair is fair. Kill the child." Solomon immediately awarded custody to the first woman, knowing that a real mother's heart would do anything to save her baby. He was wise enough to discern between truth and lie.

The world is forever campaigning that we accept lies as truth.

1. "Morality is personal, and the rules thus change from individual to individual."

2. "Don't get mad, get even."

3.  "Safe sex." "Soft drugs." "White lies." "New age."

4. "I can worship God just as effectively hiking as I can in church."

5. "It's okay as long as no one gets hurt."

6. "It's not really stealing if their insurance covers it."

7. "Everybody does it."

8. "I'm only human."

Having been heard long enough, those phrases become palatable…Accepted… Baptized by society as the new truth even if they are essentially the old lies.

 What is truth, and how can we know it? We find the answer in Christology. "I am the way, the truth and the life," said Jesus.  Do our catch phrases resonate with his teachings? Is our new ethic consistent with the ethic he taught and preached as recorded in scripture?

Is the bumper sticker, "This vehicle insured by Smith and Wesson," compatible with his words, "Love your enemy, and pray for those who despitefully use you"?

Is our Golden Rule, "Do unto others before they get the chance to do unto you," synonymous with His, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?"

If we want to live wisely, we need to determine the difference between truth and lie. That is only accomplished by listening carefully to Him who said, "I am the way (and) the truth ...."

Scripture to Claim:

One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.
Proverbs 14:16

Should I?

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.  James 3:17

This week, in honor of graduates everywhere, we are considering living intelligently.  This is a special kind of wisdom that does not require a diploma, nor will you necessarily earn a diploma or rewards for living intelligently but you certainly may save yourself some painful experiences! 

There are some definite characteristics of wise people. 

First of all, a wise person can discern the difference between right and wrong.  He or she makes the right decisions.

As an undergraduate at a small denominationally supported college, a young pastor had the good fortune to know a man named Owen Weatherly. Dr. Weatherly, formerly pastored some large urban congregations and had moved south to become Chair of the department of Religion and Philosophy at the school. He was a man who took a personal interest in his students, always (if asked) providing counsel that was timely, usually spiced with humor and particularly spiritual. Prior to the student’s departure for seminary he offered the following advice: "Son," he began, "remember three things when you go off to that big university. First, it's just as easy to fall in love with a rich girl." (The same is true with a girl finding a rich boy.)  "Second, when you are confronted with ideas contrary to your own, listen to them. At worst, you will find them entertaining. At best, they will help you grow. Third, I have found that whenever I am faced with a major decision -- whether personal or professional -- it helps immensely to go off alone and ask the question, 'What would Jesus do?' If I can answer that," he concluded, "then I know what I should do, as well."

Throughout the years, that third piece of advice has proven inestimably valuable. Daily we are confronted with dilemmas to resolve. Daily for us, in Frost's words, "two roads converge in a yellow wood" and we stand wondering which avenue to follow.

·      "Should I accept this job or look for another?"

·      "Should I pursue this romance or end it?"

·      "Should I practice tough love or be gentle and nurturing with my child in this situation?"

·      "Should I take this risk? What would it cost? Who could it hurt?"

·      "Should I retaliate?" "Should I give this person yet another chance?"

·      "Do I follow head or heart?"

The list is endless. Frequently we find ourselves faced with difficult choices, often not choices between good and bad but rather between bad and worse. Resolutions are never easy to come by. Unfailingly, however, if we can discern what Jesus would do in a similar situation, we know what we should do, as well. What Would Jesus Do? What He would do is not, of course, always the easiest of options. Often Jesus maintained a difficult and unpopular course. But of this much we can remain certain - He always did the right thing. Consulting and following His will, we can too.

"So, how do I know what Jesus would do?" The answers are available in three words: scripture, prayer and consultation.

1.    When ethical decisions must be faced, read the Sermon on the Mount.

2.    When relational difficulties demand action, read of his dealings with publicans and prostitutes, the lame and the lost. Read the 15th chapter of Luke and its stories of reclamation and grace.

3.    Spend time in prayer, remembering that "prayer is essentially listening to God."

4.     Seek the counsel of a trusted Christian minister or friend. In those ways we can usually determine what Jesus would have done had he walked in our shoes.

Scripture to Claim:
“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.”
2 Thessalonians 3:3