Sermon: Love Your Enemies (Matthew 5: 38-48, The Message)

Love Your Enemies
Leviticus 19: 1-2, 9-18; Matthew 5: 38-48 (The Message)
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
February 23, 2020

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God.

You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another. And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the Lord.

You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning. You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling-block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

You shall not render an unjust judgement; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. - Leviticus 19: 1-2, 9-18

38-42 “Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

43-47 “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.” - Matthew 5: 38-48 (The Message)

Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount may not have been so great to some of his hearers. Jesus’ words pushed the envelope as he raised the stakes of living in right relationships. Following Jesus meant following high moral and ethical standards and that required some self-reflection and personal examination.

But Jesus’ sermon was not to condemn the crowds or the disciples. Jesus’ sermon was to reorient his followers to the foundational truth of God’s kingdom – the Law of Love.

The last two comparisons Jesus made in our text today don’t just meddle – they reach beyond human logic.

In Jesus’ day everyone knew the Law of the Old Testament made room for the law of retaliation; an eye for eye and tooth for tooth [1]. My commentary states its purpose in the ancient judicial system was to “curb the tendency to unlimited private revenge” [2].

And yet Jesus preached if we are living for and in the kingdom of God then the Law of Love commands us to renounce our right to get even for the sake of living generously.

Who else lives generously? It may not be anyone else that we know, but God does.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus presses the limitless love for one’s neighbor with the parable of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10: 25-37). You see, Jesus reinterpreted the Samaritan, Israel’s perceived enemy, as their neighbor – a fellow child of God. And according to Matthew’s Gospel this is how Jesus gets his point across; you are to love your enemies and let your enemies bring out the best in you, not the worst (Matthew 5: 44, The Message).

Who else gives his best to both the nice and the nasty? It may not be anyone else that we know, but God does.

Can you imagine what the world would be like if we actually lived according to the Law of Love?

When Derek Black made the decision to go to college, he kept his private life to himself. Derek had been home schooled by his parents, Don and Chloe Black. His godfather was David Duke, former grand wizard of the Klu Klux Klan. Derek was raised with a white nationalist worldview; meaning “America would be better off as a whites-only country and that all minorities should eventually leave” [3].

As a teenager Derek had his own radio talk show called Stormfront which promoted the white nationalist agenda. At the age of eleven, he even created a Stormfront website for children. By the age of nineteen, Derek had been a leading voice of numerous white nationalist conventions across the country. He had his eyes set on a political future to further, in his words, “the survival and continued dominance of the great white race” [4]. Derek’s public arguments were not emotional, but rather stated what he believed were facts of racial science, immigration, and a declining white middle class” [5].

But first – college. Derek wanted to live on a small college campus with a diverse student body to see a different part of life. Therefore, he chose to attend the most liberal college in his home state.

For a while Derek lived under the radar as he hosted his daily radio show from the privacy of his college apartment. “He knew if his views were discovered at college he would be vilified and ostracized on campus” [6].

Derek struck a few unlikely student friendships from classes. There was Rose who he began dating and she happened to be Jewish. There was Juan, a native of Peru. Moshe as a transfer student from Tulane. And there was Matthew, who had converted to Judaism. Their friendships were genuine, but these diverse relationships began to create some friction within Derek’s worldview.

Mathew hosted a weekly Sabbath meal every Friday night. It was a “rotating group of six or seven Christians, atheists, whites, and Hispanics” [7]. Soon after Derek’s secret was made public on campus, Matthew invited Derek to join them for the Sabbath dinner.

A few students backed out. But not Juan, Moshe, and Matthew. It is amazing that these young men did not denounce Derek as their enemy. They did not feel threatened by Derek or cut him off. They simply lived generously, loved their neighbor as themselves, and gave their best.

One dinner soon became a weekly gathering where the three young men began to have genuine conversations about their different backgrounds and beliefs. And those Friday night Sabbath meals were the beginning of Derek’s radical inner transformation.

Not only did Derek begin learning how to love his perceived enemies, he was ultimately moved to renounce racial hatred. But it cost Derek everything, including his parents forsaking him.

When Jesus says, “Love your enemies and let them bring out the best in you,” he is pointing us to a hidden truth: Giving our time, energy, and authentic selves to another who is completely different from us is the most Jesus thing we can do.

It is in that space that we have the opportunity to really see and hear one another as fellow human beings whom God created. That is what it means to love. And loving like Jesus loves is the kingdom key to breaking down walls of hate and hostility. But as long as an enemy remains impersonal then fear promises to breed hate and hostility.

Let me be clear – hate and hostility have no place in the kingdom of God.

I want you to close your eyes. When I say the word “enemy” what image comes to your mind?

What would it look like to for you to share space, to love your enemy, and to let them bring out the best in you? What would it look like for you to live generously and graciously as God already lives towards you? This is absolute foolishness to the world, but it is the wisdom of the cross.

The truth of the matter is that you and I have long been enemies of God because of the human condition of sin. As enemies of God, our Maker did not give us what we deserve. Jesus took what we deserve.

As Jesus fulfilled God’s plans for salvation the Romans – Israel’s oppressor and perceived enemy – flogged Jesus, mocked him, spat on him, and nailed him to a cross. It was public humiliation. And according to Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus did not retaliate or try to get even. Jesus renounced his divine authority and completely humbled himself. Jesus did not hate his enemies. He loved them without condition and with the fullness of God’s grace.

Jesus died for you and me and the one we have loved the least. On the third day God raised Jesus to new life to prove that God’s love is greater than hatred; to prove God’s forgiveness is beyond human logic; and to prove God’s kingdom is built on the Law of Love, a divine foundation that will never be undermined by the kingdom of this world.

Living out this gift of faith and being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not for the faint of heart. And yet we do not follow Jesus alone. The Spirit gives us the mind of Christ and teaches us all that Christ commanded (Philippians 2: 1-3; John 14:26).

God gave his best so that we might have hope to give our best. You and I are not called to judge the hearts and minds of humanity, but rather leave judgment to God alone. We are called to love like Jesus loves. We are called to turn our backs on evil and work for the good.

May we love our enemies for in doing so we are truly living out our God-created identity.

In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.

Sources Referenced:

[1] Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21
[2]New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, “The Gospels and Narrative Literature: Volume VII” (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), p. 123.
[3] Eli Saslow, “Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist” (New York: Doubleday, 2018), p. 7.
[4] Eli Saslow, p. 8.
[5] Eli Saslow, p. 7.
[6] Eli Saslow, p. 29.
[7] Eli Saslow, p. 74.
New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary Volume VII: “The Gospels and Narrative Literature” (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), pp. 123-126.

Sermon: When Jesus Meddles (Psalm 119: 1-8; Mathew 5: 21-37)

When Jesus Meddles
Psalm 119: 1-8; Matthew 5: 21-37
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
February 16, 2020

Happy are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord.
Happy are those who keep his decrees,
who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways.
You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
O that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous ordinances.
I will observe your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me. - Psalm 119: 1-8

‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
Concerning Divorce

‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Concerning Oaths

‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one'. - Matthew 5: 21-37

The text today from Matthew’s Gospel is from Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, which spans from Matthew Chapters 5-7. The great crowds and the disciples gathered to hear Jesus preach. The meditations from Jesus’ heart and the words from his mouth were reinterpreting the Law, the Ten Commandments which God gave to Moses (Exodus 19-24), and the Torah, which is the first five books of the Bible attributed to Moses.

Jesus revealed the kingdom of God holds our faith to high moral and ethical standards. Just before our text began this morning, Jesus said, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Sobering words, aren’t they?

Jesus pushed the envelope as he preached about how we relate to one another. Within his comparisons of anger, adultery, divorce, swearing oaths it seems like Jesus is meddling, doesn’t it?

I once had a colleague that would say, “Do you ever get something in your craw?” He meant when you experience something that aggravates you and you don’t know what to do about it.

Well sometimes what Jesus says gets in our craw. But our Savior and Teacher of the faith was striving to use that friction to restore us to God’s goodness regarding right relationships.

Have you ever considered angry words stealing the life of another?
Is being reconciled to another a requirement to worship God?
Are wandering eyes in violation of marriage vows?
Is seeking divorce because of a spouse’s minor faults unfaithful?
Is the virtue of honesty greater that taking an oath?

If we take courage to allow the gravity of Jesus’ words to weigh upon our hearts and minds, then we will likely answer these questions with “Yes.” However, the gravity of Jesus’ words urges our faith to dig deeper. When Jesus meddles he is stirring our spirits to become reoriented to the Law of God’s Love.

The Law of God’s Love calls us to righteousness – or right relationships. God’s love is rooted in the Greatest Commandment: to love God with all our heart and mind and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22: 37-40). Our neighbor is both the one we know and the one we don’t know.

The first letter of John tells us, “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us” (1 John 4: 8-12).

Friends, Jesus is the One who "calls us to righteousness" [1]. Jesus is the One who calls us to live into higher moral and ethical standards than any worldly influence does.

Therefore, the love that Jesus preaches of seeks to reconcile. Love seeks the image of God in the other. Love seeks another way forward when it is wounded and betrayed. Love seeks to live truthfully.

We are blessed when we seek the Law of God’s Love with our whole heart, as the Psalmist say (Psalm 119:2).

Some of you have heard me talk about Brene’ Brown before. She is a researcher on human behavior. She shares what her research has revealed about what it means to live with our whole heart.

People who live with a whole heart have three things in common: courage, compassion, and connection.

They have courage – which the original definition in Latin means to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. These are the people who had the courage to be imperfect.

They have compassion to be kind to themselves first and then kind to others because the truth is we cannot practice compassion with others if we don’t treat ourselves kindly.

And the last is they have connection. And this is the hard part – connection is a result of authenticity. These people were willing to let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they are – which you have to absolutely do that for connection.

We are not perfect people. We do not always live up to God’s ways and God’s will. You and I know this all too well. And Jesus knew this too.

But Jesus did not come to condemn the world; God sent his Son so that the world might be saved through him (John 3:17). When Jesus calls us to right relationships he is calling us to let go of who we have been – letting go of our behaviors that do not honor God. We are to have the courage to let them go in order to be who God created us to be.

So when we find ourselves in complicated situations that test the authenticity of our faith, may we let Jesus’ words create some friction in us and remind us who God created us to be.

We are created and named as God’s beloved child.
We are created by God’s perfect love that will never let us go.
We are created to reflect God’s truth, God’s goodness, and God’s righteousness.
We are created to be connected to God and one another. We are created to be an instrument of grace and an agent of God’s love in the world.
And if we bear the scars of humanity’s brokenness, then God is at work to create us to be wounded healers that shine the light of God’s grace into the darkness.

Is Jesus getting in your craw? Is Jesus meddling in the ways you relate to others? Then Jesus just might be grabbing your attention to guard and reorient your heart to the only thing that brings life: God’s love.

In the name of God of Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.

Sermon Preparation Influenced by the Following Resources:

[1] Eric Barretto, "Commentary on Matthew 5: 21-37," Working Preacher
[2] The New Interpreter's Bible Commentary: Volume VII - Jesus and the Goosples - Matthew, Mark (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), pp. 117-122.
[3] Dan Herrinton, S.J. "Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Matthew" (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1991), pp. 85-92.

Sermon: Why Do you Follow? (Micah 6:8; Matthew 4: 12-25)

Why Do You Follow?
Micah 6:8; Matthew 4: 12-25
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
February 2, 2020

The Son of God was following God’s purposes. How do we know God’s purposes? They are rooted in Scripture and revealed in God’s timing.

According to the prophet Isaiah, the Maker of heaven and earth was at work to reveal a new light for the people who sat in darkness (Isaiah 9: 1-2). This light of God’s love, justice, and humility would be seen in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to Isaiah, God’s light would first be revealed in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1).

Therefore, Jesus set out to Galilee to lead God’s people into the light of God’s kingdom. And as Jesus began to proclaim God’s kingdom had drawn near in his presence, he expected the people to follow with a response of repenting – to have one’s past sins and mind changed by God’s purposes (Matthew 4:17).

It is in this framework that Jesus’ ministry begins. Let’s hear more in Matthew’s Gospel chapter 4: 18-25.

As [Jesus] walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And [Jesus] said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Matthew tells us that Jesus Christ had quite the following. When Jesus called the first disciples to follow him, they left their nets immediately. The text does not say why Peter, Andrew, James, and John followed.

I wonder if these brothers had heard about Jesus when he came to Galilee and they were curious to meet him. I wonder if these brothers believed Jesus could use their skill sets to catch people for God. I wonder if they had a childhood dream of following a renown Rabbi, as was the pinnacle of the Jewish tradition, but they never made the cut. I wonder if they had a hunger for a life with deeper meaning and purpose.

Needless to say, Jesus’ pull was so strong that the first followers immediately left everything behind to go. And they went with a growing assurance that through the gift of faith God can do far more than they could hope, ask for, or imagine.

Matthew's Gospel tell us that the disciples saw firsthand just how the kingdom of God changed people’s lives in the first century. Jesus’ teaching, preaching, and healing resonated with countless people from a span of over one hundred miles. Word of mouth travels fast.

A recent Gallup research statistic shares that great leaders have a rare combination of five key components. These leaders (1) motivate others, (2) assert themselves to overcome obstacles, (3) build strong, trusting relationships, (4) hold themselves and others accountable, and (5) make informed, unbiased decisions for the benefit of others. As we read through the gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry, he has that rare combination of qualities as only the Son of God could.

All of this makes me wonder what is it about Jesus that moves us to follow him today?

Greg Faile is a 38-year-old Lancaster native who has wrestled with drug addiction for 20 years. Throughout his life he was looking for acceptance in the wrong places. He got hooked on drugs in college. When he and his wife married and began to have children, addiction nearly destroyed it all.

For years Greg was in and out of rehab, but nothing could satisfy the hunger for the next fix. However, a shift happened the night his wife called the police and Greg was taken to jail. Greg’s wife Taylor realized she could not fix her husband. And Greg’s eyes were opened to see he was hurting his family and himself. Taylor talked with a friend at Ground 40, a faith-based ministry for men seeking freedom from addiction. It is an environment practicing accountability with an emphasis on biblical discipleship and community. Greg agreed to go and talk with the guys at the addiction ministry.

After being a part of the Ground 40 community for a few weeks, Greg thought about throwing in the towel. But then another shift happened within him. Greg prayed to God for the first time. He said, “I told God that I couldn’t do it any longer and I asked him to come into my life. It was like all of that weight just lifted off of me.” That is why Greg follows Jesus Christ – Greg knows he cannot break the chains alone. As Greg follows Jesus his whole life is being changed by God’s purposes.

Patrick Mahomes is the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs. In a recent interview the 24 year-old was candid about the importance of faith in his life and career. Patrick said:

“My mom and dad raised me in the church. Coming up through the church I built a great relationship with God and I try to keep that as I have gotten older. Faith is huge for me, as far as staying on the right track and living life knowing that I can be free and God will always accept me.”

Regarding the intersection of faith and his career, Patrick said, “The team provides Bible study to help us keep up and not lose track with our faith. We have chapel every Saturday night before the game and that is huge for me. Chapel gives me the message and helps me keep up with God and every opportunity God has given me. Before every game I walk the field and I do prayer at the goal post. I thank God for being on a stage where I can glorify him. And I pray that whatever happens, win or lose – success or failure - that I glorify him and that I do everything the right way, the way God wants me to.” Patrick Mahomes follows Jesus in order to glorify God.

Some follow Jesus because the love of God completely changed their lives and gave them a sense of belonging and hope. Some follow Jesus because they resonate with Jesus’ teachings. Some follow Jesus simply because they know Jesus as Savior and they want to know him more through prayer, worship, Bible study and serving others.

Friends, we need to encourage one another as to why we follow Jesus. We need to encourage one another as to why the gift of faith is so meaningful. It is significant that following Jesus changes our lives according to God’s purposes. But Jesus also calls us to follow him and join God in changing the world. And Jesus will teach us how to use our strengths and failures for God’s purposes, that God may be glorified.

Scripture tells us that the Lord requires us to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:16). And Jesus Christ shows us the way to live more fully into God’s intentions.

Why do you follow Jesus? What is it about Jesus Christ that motivates you to do life with him?

Every day Jesus gives us a new opportunity to come and follow him. How will you and I follow Jesus today?

In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.