Welcome to our series, Rethinking Our Faith.  Why should we rethink our faith?  

Because if our faith hasn’t transformed us to wake up every day with the purpose to please Jesus, we missed it.  

And we should rethink everything.  The point of the Sermon on the Mount is heart transformation.  The kind of heart transformation that changes how we live day to day.  

It’s so important to understand that when God’s kingdom is established in our hearts, it shows up practically in our lives.  It’s not a fuzzy, spiritual, unattainable feeling.  It’s real.  It shows up in our choices.  It shows up in how we treat people.  It shows up in how we live out today in view of eternity.  We wake up every morning with the purpose of pleasing Jesus, not ourselves. 

Today, we get to see how practical Jesus is.  We are jumping into a section where Jesus talks about six practical areas of our lives.   Anger.  Lust.  Divorce.   Being honest.  Revenge.  And how you deal with your enemies. 

Let’s pick up where Sam left off.

Matthew 5:20 I warn you - unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! NLT

Last week, Sam explained that the religious leaders viewed the law as an external to-do list they struggled to live out.   And we can do that today.  We can struggle with the law and begin to wonder, what a lot of people ask today, ‘What is the least I can do and be okay with God?’  Then he gave the best analogy.  How would that work in your marriage?  Imagine every day you woke up wondering, how can I do the least today and stay married?  Would that make your marriage hot?  No.   Your constant, day-to-day decision to do nothing will lead to a stale, and maybe broken, marriage.  Sam explained that Jesus views the law through the lens of love.  It's not a struggle at all. 

The Pharisees were the church people of Jesus’ day.  They were extremely careful to follow the over 600 rules.  They prayed, fasted, tithed, and lived out every detail.   They were the standard of what it looked like to be righteous.  Jesus shows up and says, ‘Hey, if you can’t surpass the Pharisees in righteousness, you can’t enter heaven.’  That was a shocking statement because if that is true, no one has a chance to get into heaven.

Jesus was saying, You can appear as if you are living out the rules, but what is more important are the motives and the attitudes in your heart.  And unless you get your heart right, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Then Jesus applies what He taught in six practical areas.  Here we go, buckle up.  

Matthew 5:21 You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. NLT

Jesus says, You know that you can’t murder someone.  But I am telling you, if you are angry, you have committed murder.  That sounds wild.  What is Jesus saying?  Murder is the final stop of anger.  The real issue isn’t murder; the real issue is that you have anger in your heart that leads to murder.  Jesus is going to the root of the problem: the attitude and the motives in the heart.   

What is the problem with keeping anger in your heart?  In anger, you fail to honor the dignity of others.  We have a way of living where we are comfortable thinking that others are less than us.  We can be comfortable putting others down.  And it makes us feel good to put others down.  So we can be comfortable living with junk in our hearts, contempt, jealousy, and gossip.  When we keep this junk in our hearts, it ruins us and ruins how we view and we treat others.  You can say, I don’t murder people.  But Jesus is saying, the real problem is that you keep the wrong motives and attitudes in your heart.    

How do we get rid of anger?

Matthew 5:23 So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

25“When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny. NLT

Notice, Jesus didn’t say pray.  Why?   Prayer can be a cop out.  Prayer is good, but have you noticed that when you pray, you can pray while at the same time hold onto contempt, jealousy, and gossip?  Jesus said, go do something.  Take action.   Go to the person and deal with it.   That is how you get anger junk out of your heart.  That is how you purify the wrong attitudes and motives in your heart. 

Who do you need to deal with?

Matthew 5:27 You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. NLT

We can think, I’m good, I haven’t had sex with someone I’m not supposed to.  Jesus is saying adultery is the final stop of lust.  The real issue isn’t adultery; the real issue is lust that leads to every kind of sexual issue.  Jesus is going to the root of the problem: the attitudes and motives in the heart.  

What is the problem with keeping lust in your heart?  When you lust, you are treating the person like an object to be used instead of honoring them.  You take what is healthy and good and turn it into a self-centered craving that doesn’t lead to intimacy.  You treat others like objects. 

How do we get rid of lust?

Matthew 5:29 So if your eye - even your good eye - causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your hand - even your stronger hand - causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. NLT

Notice, Jesus didn’t say pray.  Prayer is good, but it can be a cop out.  You can pray that God removes lust while at the same time continuing to stare at pornography, videos on Instagram, and TikTok.  Jesus used the analogy of cutting out your eye or cutting off your hand.   Plainly said, get ruthless and deal with lust.  Cut it out of your life.  If you are in bondage to lust on social media, cut it out.  If you are flirting with someone you shouldn’t be, cut them out of your life.  Do not stay the same.  Do something.   Be ruthless and change whatever you need to change.

What do you need to do today to radically cut lust out of your life?

Matthew 5:31 You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ 32 But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery. NLT

In Jesus’ day, the men were treating marriage carelessly.  If they didn’t like something about their wives, they would quickly and easily get a written notice of divorce.  They were hiding their selfish motives behind a divorce decree.  Divorce is the final stop in our inability to love well.  The real issue isn’t divorce; the real issue is the attitudes and motives in our hearts.   It’s our inability to listen to our spouses, love them, build them up, and protect them.  

To have God’s kingdom in your heart, we fiercely protect our marriage.  Again, prayer is good, but it can be a cop out.  You can pray for a better marriage, but a better marriage begins when you take action.  You ask your spouse, "What can I do to bring you to life?"  And then, without excuses, with a positive attitude, you do it. 

As a pastor, one of my biggest struggles is watching people not take care of their spouses and then being surprised, years later, when the marriage goes stale or ultimately is broken.   A great marriage happens on purpose.   It takes work.  It takes action.  It demands we make the right choices.  

What do you need to do today, with no excuses, with a positive attitude, to engage your spouse?

Matthew 5:33 You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ 34 But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. 35 And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. 36 Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. 37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one. NLT

Jesus is saying be honest.   Live with integrity.  Let your yes be yes and your no be no.  Don’t try to look good to others and make a promise you aren’t going to follow through on.  The real issue isn’t how you look when you make a commitment; the real issue is how you follow through.  It’s exposing the real motives and attitudes in our hearts.

What is the problem with little white lies or not following through?  We all have a tendency to be people pleasers.  We want to look good to others, so we say yes to things to look good to others.  It’s easy for us to say yes when what we really mean is no because we think people will like us.  That is a lack of integrity.  It breaks trust.  It’s fake.   It’s manipulative.  And it ruins relationships and communities.  

What do we tend to do when we cancel plans?  We come up with a long story, half mixed with truth, as to why we can’t.  We call this being nice.  And it’s not nice at all.  It’s fake.

Notice, Jesus didn’t say pray that God will give you integrity.  Prayer is good, but it can be a cop out.  To have God’s kingdom in your heart, you live with honesty and integrity and follow through on what you commit to.  Stop saying yes when you really mean no.  Remember what Jesus said, Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

Is it common for you to want to look good or be a people pleaser so you say yes when you really mean no?   Do you come up with long stories mixed with truth?

Matthew 5:38 You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. 40 If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. 41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. 42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. NLT

Revenge makes sense, doesn’t it?  We love revenge because we are getting the justice that we want.  You hurt me, so I am justified in hurting you back.  What happens?  Revenge, or living tit-for-tat, leads to a cycle of retaliation.  It becomes a loop we cannot get out of.  Over time, it only gets worse, and it leads to a complete breakdown of relationships.  Revenge can show up in aggressive ways, like fighting, yelling, or rage.   Revenge can show up quietly, almost nice, like being passive-aggressive.  Regardless of how we do revenge, we try to get back at the person who hurt us.  We want justice.

Revenge is the final stop to our selfish demand to get what we want.  The real issue isn’t revenge; it’s our motives and attitudes in our hearts that lead to revenge.  

Notice, Jesus didn’t say pray about it.  Prayer is good, but it can be a cop out.  Jesus taught that the only way to stop the cycle of retaliation is to absorb the hurt and give back love.  To have God’s kingdom in your heart, you get rid of revenge.  When you are hurt, you love back.  Not only do you absorb the hurt, but you go further, you walk the extra mile. [Disclaimer: We are not talking about abuse.]   

Are you in a relationship where you are living tit-for-tat?  Is revenge common for you?

Matthew 5:43 You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. NLT

Jesus is saying that thing in your heart that loves people who love you; that’s normal.  That thing in your heart that is nice to people because you can get something from them, that’s normal.  That’s easy.  That’s not a challenge; evil people do that.  But what it means to have real love in your heart, God’s sacrificial love, is to love those who hate you.  The real issue isn’t being nice to people who are nice to you; the real issue is how you treat your enemies. 

You and I are made to be image bearers of God.  That means we wake up every day with the purpose to please Jesus.  And because we gave our lives to Jesus, we live in this world living the way Jesus asked us to, regardless of what it costs us.  That’s how we are able love our enemies.  That’s why vs 45 says,

Matthew 5:45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. NLT

Notice again, Jesus didn’t say pray about it.  Prayer can be good, but it can be a cop out.  Jesus said do something.  Take action.   Love your enemy.  And if that costs you something, then you are living out what it means to be a child of God.  That’s when you are acting like true children of God. 

Who is it that you struggle to love?

Last verse.

Matthew 5:48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. NLT

Some people read this and think, ‘Well, I can’t be perfect like God, so I will continue to sin and live in God’s grace.  I will continue to wrestle with anger, lust, a stale marriage, being honest, getting revenge, and hating my enemies.’  That’s not what Jesus is teaching. 

What does ‘perfect’ mean?  

The word perfect in Greek is: τέλειος.  

It can mean perfect like you, and I think of perfect, like a flawless diamond.

It can also be translated to mean mature, complete, a whole image bearer of God.   

We don’t give up and live in our sin and hope for grace.  No, we surrender.  We surrender the junk in our hearts.  The motives and attitudes in our hearts.  It’s our goal to be mature, complete, a whole image bearer of God.  True righteousness is purifying what is in our hearts.

Remember, Jesus started today with this.

Matthew 5:20 I warn you - unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! NLT

Let me close and ask you, what is your heart condition?  What are your motives and attitudes behind following Jesus?  

Remember, to do heart work, we do something; it’s not just prayer.  Angry?  Go reconcile quickly.  Lust?   Cut it out.  Stale marriage?  Listen to your spouse and do something.  Struggling with honesty?  Let your yes be yes and your no be no.  Want revenge?   Absorb hurt, give love, and go the extra mile.  Hate your enemies?  Love them, and yes, it will cost you.