This morning we turn our attention once again to our consideration of our Lord's Sermon on the Mount as Matthew records it in Matthew chapter 5, 5, 6, and 7. Considering this morning verses 38 through 42, 38 through 42 of Matthew chapter 5, Once you have found that, if you would also then turn to 1 Peter 2. Read a few verses there and a portion of chapter 3. In many ways, in these portions of 1 Peter, I believe he picks up on what our Lord teaches in the Sermon on the Mount. And the particular focus of 1 Peter is on that I would like to draw our attention to is the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ and our suffering as a pattern of the suffering of Jesus Christ. Reading 1 Peter 2, beginning at verse 13 through the end of chapter 2 and then picking it up at verse 8 of chapter 3 as we now give our attention to God's holy, inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word. Verse 13 of 1 Peter 2. Hear now the Word of God. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men, whether to the King as the supreme authority, or to governors who are sent by Him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil. live as servants of God, show proper respect to everyone, love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the King. Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God, but how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it. But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth. When they hurled insults at Him, He did not retaliate. When He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. By His wounds, you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. Moving down to verse 8 of chapter 3 to verse 17. Finally, all of you live in harmony with one another. Be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good. He must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear. Do not be frightened. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. And turning to the text in Matthew 5, verses 38 through 42, You have heard that it was said, eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. May God add His blessing to the reading and consideration of His Word this morning. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, growing up with my younger brother, if in the midst of a conflict, or let's call it for what it was, a fight, if my parents asked one of us, well, why did you hit him? Or why did you do that to him? Most likely, the answer that either one of us gave, and I suspect that you know it, is because he hit me first. Because he did that to me first. You see, as a child, it seemed reasonable. It seemed logical. It made all kinds of sense. And now for those of us who are parents who have children of our own, we realize now that we must have been on to something as children, right? Because children still use that very same logic today. But actually, the truth is, as parents, now that we're older and wiser, we try to explain to our children that it takes two to tango, using that nice dance analogy, which means that it takes two to fight. And if the one who is attacked in the first place wouldn't fight back, would restrain themselves, then there would be no fight because it takes two. Yet we must also confess, beloved, that the art of retaliation, the art of getting back at another is not only the problem of boys and girls and that we outgrow it once we get older. We're all guilty of this, aren't we? Indeed, it shows up at a very young age. And you know what I'm talking about is if a very small child gets a toy or something taken away from them, whether it's taken away by another child or by an adult, that child gets mad and that angry, determined look comes over their face and they go after it and they are going to get it back or at least they are going to make the one who took it wish that they had never taken it away from them. However, this attitude is played out all around us by people of all ages. Maybe a little more subtly as we get older or more underhandedly. But because it's the natural, sinful instinct of man to hit, to hit back, to make them pay. But not just to return one hit for one hit, but to hit two or three times. To make them feel it. They're going to know what they did to Me. That's the natural sinful instinct of man. And that is why our Lord's instruction in this text is not for the common man, because what our Lord calls upon His people to do is against one's nature of sin. And therefore, this instruction is for those who are called blessed in the Beatitudes for those who have been transformed by the grace of God through the powerful work of the Holy Spirit. Those who have set apart Christ in their hearts by the grace of God. And they are now poor in spirit. They understand their sin. They understand the ugliness of themselves in sin. Their unworthiness before God. And they hate it. They mourn because of it. They don't want to sin. Instead, they have been transformed to hunger and thirst for righteousness. They now have a pure heart. They are peacemakers. And therefore, those who are also persecuted for righteousness' sake. And so here, just like with the other examples that our Lord has given us so far with regard to the law and righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees, Jesus here shows the spirit of the law demonstrated in how the believer relates in a sinful world when sinful behavior is carried out against the Christian as our Lord teaches of the kingdom citizens' self-denial. And that self-denial, first of all, as intended by Moses. You have heard that it was said eye for eye and tooth for tooth. Indeed, this is what Moses had said. We find it in Exodus 21, verse 24, in Leviticus 24, verse 20, and we find it in Deuteronomy 19, verse 21. Those words with the addition of life for life, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise, hand for hand, foot for foot. I trust you get the point. And the reason that Moses gave these instructions, gave this law to the nation of Israel, was to control excessive retaliation. Going overboard in retaliation. It was given to control anger and violence and to control a desire for revenge. Because just like the whole situation as we had talked about with the divorce had gotten out of hand, in the same way it had become a chaotic situation where small injuries were repaid with great injury. For example, if someone broke another's arm, the one who broke it might end up dead. Or for example, boys and girls, if you hit your brother or sister, they hit you back again two or three times. We think of Cain. Cain became angry because of Abel's sacrifice. Abel himself really didn't do anything to Cain, did he? And Cain kills him. We think of Genesis 4, verse 23, where Lamech said, I have killed a man. Why? For wounding me. This law was given so that the punishment would fit the crime and no more. The offended party, the one who was hurt, had a right to fair and equal justice but could not demand more. And the authority to administer that justice was given to a system of judges to maintain equity among the nation and to protect from excessive retaliation and revenge and to protect from blind rage. And the same is true today, isn't it? Paul says in Romans 13, God has established the governing authorities to be God's servant for good. Peter kind of points to that as well. And Paul goes on to hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Today, still in our nation, and in our nation, we know, we have courts and judges and lawyers. We have a judicial system that is set in place to carry out just sentences. To handle cases. Even though sometimes it's hard to see that justice in our day when we see some of the dollar amounts that are handed down as fines for pain and suffering. Yet the judicial system is set in place to carry out fair justice and judgment. And also to keep the people from taking the law into their own hands. That was Moses' intent, which was a problem with the Pharisees and the teachers of the law in Jesus' day who were guilty of excess. They were using the words of Moses as a reason for going after vengeance. They, we might say, turned the law into a right to be capitalized on. If harmed, not only may you have the same done to the offender, but you must in a sense. They have it coming. So go for it. This is your chance. And they would take matters into their own hands. There was no need to rely on the judges. We know what Moses said. We know the letter. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, it's very clear. Do it yourself. And we might say that they were really majoring on the minors because they were using this law for every little private offense that came along. And that's not at all what Moses prescribed. Yes, one had the right to have a judge decide the matter and to provide fair compensation, yet the law of love did not encourage this right. It was the very opposite. The law of love encouraged one not to claim that right. Because right along with what Moses said in those three places that I pointed out to you in Leviticus 19, verse 18, he says, do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. And Solomon picks up on that as well in Proverbs 24, 29 when he says, Do not say, I'll do to him as he has done to me. I'll pay that man back for what he did. And Paul puts this in the terminology of love in 1 Corinthians 13, 5 when he says, Love is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. How difficult that is for you and me, isn't it? because we are so good at keeping a record of wrongs. And oftentimes, the first words out of our mouths are, I'm going to do it to Him because He did it to me. I'm going to pay Him back for what He did. We think we have a right. And in a sense, according to Moses, we do. But the law of love says don't cash in on it. Love keeps no record of wrongs. And that is what Jesus teaches characterizes kingdom citizens who desire to follow Him. Who says in Matthew 16, to deny yourself and to take up your cross and follow Me. Kingdom citizens practice self-denial in the second place by suffering injustice. But I tell you, Jesus says, do not resist an evil person. What an interesting statement. Do not resist an evil person. A difficult statement really because of its misapplication. There are some who take that to mean that there is to be no police or no judges or no courts or no armies or no just killing because all of those things resist the evil person. And there are others along with that who say that this is to be a rule for the nations. It is to be a rule for all people indiscriminately so that we adopt some sort of a pacifistic attitude. They make it to be a blanket application for everyone in all circumstances. And if that's the case, it can only be applied in a legalistic way and in an out-of-context way. But as we have already pointed out, because of sin and evil and unbelief in the world, God has established the governing authorities to restrain evil and to punish unlawful deeds. Jesus is not contradicting the rest of the Word of God. He is not talking here about doing away with all of those governing authorities that the Bible teaches us of. But he is talking here about responding to personal attack. The believer responding to personal attack. How the child of God deals with personal vengeance. Again, this is, it can only be for the believer, one whose heart is transformed, only for the kingdom citizen. Because to not resist means do not be hostile toward. Do not go after. Do not repay. And in this text, Jesus gives us examples of injustices that believers might very well face personally. And He teaches of the self-denying spirit with which we are to handle these things. Following the spirit of the law, bear patiently. Don't demand your rights. Give up of yourself for the sake of others. Do not even want to harm or get even with. This is to be the rule of kingdom life, of the Christian life. This is what is natural. To be natural for the child of God. To characterize the kingdom citizen. To put it another way, the believer is called to impose resisting revenge upon himself. You and I are to impose that attitude on ourselves. To resist revenge. to resist getting back at. Now before we consider these examples one by one briefly, we need to understand, I think in a general way here, what Jesus is not saying. He is not saying in these examples that we are not to defend others. We are. He is not saying that self-defense is wrong. It's not. He is not saying that we are to indiscriminately allow the wicked to take complete advantage of us and take whatever they want and to impoverish His people. He is not saying that all lawsuits and that capital punishment and that war is wrong. Jesus is not saying any of that here. As citizens, we are called to uphold and defend the law and rule and order in this world. But he's talking about how you and I relate to others one-on-one in daily life when things happen that are not punishable by the judicial system. Do not return evil for evil that is practiced against you. Do not return insult for insult that is spoken against you. Do not bear a grudge or get even. Instead, be willing to suffer a certain loss. Be forgiving. Remembering, as David says in Psalm 103, that God does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. We were the ones who offended Him, who insulted Him, who struck out against Him. and He has not repaid us in kind. You see, very much the golden rule applies here. Do unto others as you would have them, like them, want them to do unto you. And notice the examples of self-denial. Turn the other cheek. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Now in the culture of that day, and still today in parts of the Near East, that slap is not so much considered to be a violent crime, again, one that would be punishable by the civil magistrate. Not so much a violent crime as it would be considered as an insult. An attack on one's reputation. And the only recourse was to take one to court, kind of like today suing in court, suing another one for libel or defamation of character. Now, when Jesus says turn the other cheek, He is not saying that the wicked can demand to hit or insult you and me a second time. They cannot demand to have their way with you and me. They cannot come up to you and me and say, well, your Bible says that you must let me do that again. But very simply, Jesus is teaching don't hit back. Don't insult back. Don't do whatever back, which is our instinct as we said. Don't stoop to the same level of sin and wickedness. And this also applies among us as fellow Christians, doesn't it? When you are ignored, when you are made fun of, when you are left out for some reason, don't do the same back. don't adopt that attitude that says well he or she treats me this way so I'm going to treat them that way right back and see how they like it that's contrary to what Jesus teaches instead he says be prepared if necessary to suffer additional personal abuse again remember it's okay to defend oneself from attack it's okay to defend others it's okay we must keep one from breaking the law against us by them committing some sort of criminal act that is punishable by the judges. But be prepared to give up for lesser things. Be prepared to give up personal rights. Do not seek, as the illustration from that day says, to have your dignity or reputation restored in public. The second one, give away your coat. Verse 40, If someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. That one's a little bit more difficult, but the tunic there is talking about the undergarments that are up against the body and the coat is the outer garment. And you may remember in Exodus chapter 22 that if the coat was given to another as some sort of a pledge, that the one who received it was not allowed to keep it overnight because the owner needed that coat back to keep warm during the night. Now Jesus deals here with possessions And again, he is not saying that we have to allow the wicked to demand to take all that we have and leave us impoverished. That's not what he is saying. He is not saying that we need to give in to illegal activities of some sort that would deprive us of our possessions. There are times and places for the judicial system. But with those things that we might say, again, are not illegal according to the civil law, with matters that are fairly small and insignificant on a personal level, maybe where someone is trying to cheat you or maybe where there is a disagreement over some sort of previous agreement that was made. Be willing, if necessary, to give up your rights and to suffer loss. I believe in part Jesus is expanding somewhat on what He said in verse 25. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge may hand you over to the officer and you may be thrown into prison. Come to an agreement. Even if it costs you something. We are not to take advantage of others but instead to strive for fairness and equity, putting others first in our relationships even if it means my disadvantage in some way. And the third one, Go the extra mile. Verse 41, If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Now the Roman army had the right to commandeer labor. To force people to assist them at least to a point. So many paces, which turned out to be about a Roman mile. And we have a vivid example of this, one that I suspect that we all remember in Scripture that of Simon of Cyrene who was called upon to carry the cross for Jesus. Now, of course, the Jews hated this Roman right because it reminded them that they were under the authority of Rome. But Jesus is talking here about an injustice of the governing authorities, those who may govern you and me, whether it's the government or whether it's employers or landlords or teachers or maybe even parents, Those who are in a position of authority, yet who abuse it. Jesus says, don't rebel. Don't protest. That's what Peter said to the slaves as well. Instead, be willing to do more than is asked. Be willing to pay your taxes. To submit to the government in all things, of course, that are lawful according to the law of God. Indeed, we have every right to try to change the laws that are not for our good to do it legally. But submit to the governing authorities. And if your employer pushes upon you to do some overtime and isn't willing to pay you for it, be willing. I know I say that, it's dangerous to say that. But be willing to go the extra mile. Boys and girls, a way that you can practice this even at home, I trust your parents are not abusive. I am not implying that at all. But when your mom or dad asks you to do your chores, when you're finished, go to them and say, now what else may I do for you? I won't ask you parents to raise your hands to find out how many of your children have ever asked that of you. But that's what Jesus is talking about. And of course, so many other things. And then the fourth thing, which is really not an injustice, but give to others who beg and borrow. Verse 42, Give to the one who asks you and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Indeed, we know that we are called to be stewardly with the gifts that God has given to us. And again, Jesus is not talking here about giving indiscriminately to all who come along, to drunkards and those who are lazy. We are not to be enablers, to enable some who refuse to work or those who are content to live off the welfare system. That's not what Jesus is talking about. This is not a blanket rule for every single circumstance. When it comes to giving and to lending, the Proverbs gives us much wisdom. There is wisdom to be applied. Now Luke, in his parallel account of the Sermon on the Mount, as he talks about these things that we are considering this morning, he mixes that with what Matthew is going to consider next time, love for enemies. And Luke says, if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. the word of God makes it clear that Jesus condemns here a tight-fisted, penny-pinching, if I give, I may not have enough for myself attitude and a what's-in-it-for-me or what-will-I-get-out-of-it attitude. As one commentator says, there is a distinction between charity, true charity, and carnal friendship. That carnal friendship is more like you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. But Jesus is talking here about a true charity, true charity to those with real legitimate needs, those who cannot return the favor. With all of these examples, Jesus teaches the kingdom spirit of self-denial, of charity, of forgiveness, of returning good, or as Peter says, returning blessing for evil. With a purpose in the third place, very simply, for pointing to the supreme example. For pointing to Jesus Christ Himself. You see, all of this not for personal gain, not for personal applause, not for personal merit, but to point to the supreme example of Jesus Christ Himself. As those who are being remade more and more in the image of God, To imitate Jesus Christ of whom Paul says considered others better than himself. Of whom Peter says when they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate. When he suffered, he made no threats. Kingdom citizens, those who are citizens by the grace of God, called to deny ourselves just as Jesus Christ denied His rights, His divine rights in a sense, for us. When He was hanging on the cross, He didn't cry out, not fair, you sinned, not me. He didn't do that. And the punishment that He bore fit the crime. He suffered every bit of the curse and the punishment that your sin and my sin deserved. for all of our insults, for all of our hatred, for all of our striking out against Him and the striking out and the insults that we still commit day by day. He suffered for all of it. He paid for all of it. The King of the Kingdom sacrificed for His citizens. Each and every one. Is there a greater motive than our salvation and what Jesus Christ has done for us than to be those who desire to imitate Him. You see, through self-denial, the believer is called to demonstrate in the midst of insult and abuse that his reputation and his life does not depend on what man thinks, but that his reputation and life is secure in Christ Jesus. When others try to cheat him, the kingdom citizen is gracious and giving, in a sense, saying, well, you can't cheat me because I willingly give to you. I think some of you remember the movie years and years ago, The Cross and the Switchblade, based on a true story of Nicky Cruz. And I think it's in that movie, if I remember right, as the preacher was finally getting to him and others were getting to him. He went in to try to rob a store of someone from the church and that person from the church, you may have whatever you want, just take it. No, I'm stealing it. No, you're not. I'm giving it to you. No, I'm stealing it, he said. No, I'm giving it to you. I want you to have it. When those who govern are oppressive, the believer goes above and beyond the call of duty, demonstrating that he serves the heavenly master, the real master who works all things for the good of those who love Him. And the believer gives freely and generously to those who have nothing to give in return just as Jesus Christ gave Himself. For those who were so spiritually poor that we were dead. Dead in sin and could not even respond apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. Yet by the grace of the Holy Spirit's powerful work, now the believer is empowered and enabled to control those natural resentful and revenging instincts and to love instead. To demonstrate love for the enemy that Jesus will speak of next. Beloved, this kingdom attitude and action will by its very nature demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ from whom all our blessings flow. And the world cannot help but to notice because this is so radically different than what comes naturally. That natural revenge and demanding my rights and making them pay. And also by nature, people are curious, aren't they? People are curious. And therefore, what an opportunity that God gives when they ask why. What an opportunity to heed the Word of God through Peter. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. That hope is yours. Share it. Be ready to share it. That only hope that can save one from eternal hell. Ah, beloved, may there be no greater joy, no greater desire for you and me than that others see the love of Jesus Christ and Him alone in and through us. Amen. Let's pray together. Dear Heavenly Father, we hear Your Word. We recognize these things in our own lives. And we must confess that we have a long way to go and we can only get there by the strength of Your Spirit. And we are comforted that You will continue to work in our hearts and lives that more and more we would desire to imitate our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who did not return insult for our insults or hurt for our hurt against You. But He took it all upon Himself. He gave and gave and gave some more until all of our sins were paid for for each and every one of Your people, those who have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And Father, we pray that You would give us such a love for You and for our neighbor that that love may flow forth. That indeed we would recognize that love coming from us and thereby recognize the work of your Holy Spirit in our hearts and lives. We praise your name for giving to us beyond compare. Lead us and guide us by your Holy Spirit that we might live as grateful people to you. In Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen.