Sermon On The Mount - Part 8 — Duane Troyer

Amen hallelujah. For the blood and the lamb that was slain. Just want to greet everybody in Jesus name, and it's good Good to be assembled again. Yeah, I was blessed blessed with that opening. Micah I guess that's okay.

It's kind of interesting because I've I've Thought through the years or I remember long ago thinking about this and every now and then since like I think it I think if I take time like I could draw a comparison with each plague and And a certain bondage that applies spiritually and how.

And I just never took the time to. So that was nice. All right. Well we Like to take another look here at Sermon on the Mount continue through this through this teaching Jesus gave The next teachings that he gave the next two teachings that he gave is is The teaching one the first one what we call the teaching of non-resistance.

Jesus Teaches Non-Resistance to Evil

The second one Love loving our enemies and they're Really closely related and they kind of overlap. But we're only going to look at the first one it's it's a it's such a big subject there's so much to talk about and And they are different.

They are a little different, too and I've already been trying to weed The lesser important things that we could talk about The portion today just to hopefully not make it too late. So we're gonna look at Matthew 5 verses 38 to 42, why don't we stand and we'll read these and pray and then we'll get started.

You have heard that it was said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you Do not resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on the right cheek Turn the other to him also and if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt Let him have your coat also.

And whoever forces you to go one mile go with him, too. And give to him who asks of you and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. Let's pray our Father in heaven. We thank you for this word From the Lord Jesus Christ, and we believe that there is life truth grace Spirit found in these words and I pray Lord that you would help us as we look at them and and Explore them that you would help us to see why why you gave these things to us and and And help us to To live this out, you know in a real way and and to find To find the blessing that you've that you've given with with this teaching as as hard as it might be.

So we pray that you would help us today and be be with each one of us and And Be with those who can't be with us today and minister to their needs and bless bless them as well in Jesus name. Amen so What one of my goals in in going through this sermon on this this has been to?

The Sermon on the Mount as the Constitution of God's Kingdom

Jesus address. Why did Jesus address the things he did? If if he came if he came and his purpose was to lay the axe at the root of problems. Why did these subjects that we've been looking at and that we'll be looking at as we go through the sermon?

Why did these subjects make it into this and to this first sermon? As the king of a new kingdom. We could we could call this teaching this It call The constitution of a new of a new nation of people under God's rule.

I've been I've been wanting to recognize us to recognize like The solutions that Jesus gives are the only true ways to overcome the problems He he's addressing and and also why? Salvation is found in in these teachings.

They are the way of a new creature that's been born again to a new life. They are grace and truth. And that's that's what I'd like to To look at today in this teaching as well. So it seems seems to me.

It's been a while since we've Done done the last message. It really hasn't been all that long. There's just a lot of things that have happened Here between then and now and So so let's remember the settings we have we have we have Jewish people Israelite people they have it's been ingrained in them that someday a Deliverer would come and he would sit on the throne of David and he would he would restore to what they used to have and That that kingdom would last forever Forever and every generation of Israelite people has been waiting and waiting and and thinking maybe maybe maybe in my day this this deliverer longed for the return of the glorious days of King David and Solomon when They lent to many nations, but didn't borrow when the enemy came in one way and fled seven ways and when they were the head and not the tail and.

Roman Oppression and the Peace That Jesus Gives

And so when Jesus comes here That the Israelite people are under the iron rule of the Romans. They were they were debt slaves in their homeland. They were they were working as slaves In the vineyards and the olive groves that their great-great-great-great-grandfather had owned now.

They're the slave working this same land these same fields. It's not it's not a good thing. Now this this era in in the history books. This era is called the Pax the Pax Romana era and it's sometimes referred to as a golden age.

It's it was a long period of time with no major wars. It was it was considered a time of peace. But it was the kind of peace that the world gives it was a peace that was established by force and power and So it you know, the Romans the Romans were way too powerful.

For for anyone to mess with and so it created an outward appearance of a peaceful era but Not it already of the people in this era. Already of the people were slaves and Therefore those who were in authority were harsh and strict in order to prevent revolts from taking over.

There's a Matthew Arnold wrote a wrote a long poem describing Describing this era of the Romans and then its fall. It's a long poem. But but here's a couple verses out of it and he he's describing how things were in that in that era.

He says Stout was its arm each few Poisoned and alive, but ah its heart its heart was stone and so it could not thrive on that hard pagan world. Disgust and secret loathing fell deep weariness and sated lust made human life a hell.

And so it's in it's in that kind of an environment that kind of a world that Jesus came and he proclaims Peace on earth Goodwill to men but Jesus. I Think maybe we had this verse already. Somebody read this verse already this morning.

Jesus described his peace as Not as the world give I peace but my peace passes understanding. It's it's it's something that is beyond Your Jesus's his way is not necessarily common sense. It's Uncommon-sense his way is something that passes common understanding and and Hardly anywhere.

Overcoming Evil With Good Rather Than Force

Is that more evident than in today's text that we read and yet If we if we embrace this principle of non-resistance to the evildoer. It's a liberty and a freedom and a peace that surpasses any freedom that we could gain.

We're fists and the other person by having a longer sword or a quicker gun or a Stronger military or anything like that? We can we can find a peace that that is not established by having force or more power or a more dangerous weapon or Or making the other person Are too afraid because of because of our strength.

Jesus did indeed come to free us. He came to deliver us but not from the Romans and not from King Herod and he didn't come to deliver us from Isis or China or Russia or Or Any angry neighbor or any thief or any other evildoer?

That's not what he came to deliver us from. But he came to free us from evil itself. The only way to overcome evil is to overcome it with good. The only way to conquer violence is to absorb and. And in history history just is.

It tells us over and over. It's in the Israelites histories. It's a nation people in power Oppress the less fortunate. They will oppress the weaker people and and so there's people that are. There's always people Under the injustice of other people, but but hit what history tells it.

Tables turn around and the and and the people who are oppressed gain their footing and they Get to this place where they have power. They become the oppressor Over the over the people or other people instead of being the oppressor.

Through power they claw their way up and it's always at the expense of others. Our natural tendency is to hate those who hate us. To curse those who curse us to treat others the way they treat us with just a little bit extra for.

That's our natural tendency and. The startling truth is that if we follow our natural inclinations, we will become like the person we despise. So God wanted Israel we just heard in the opening about about about Israel being in bondage under the Egyptians and.

When it when when God led them out He led Israel out there and he gave them a place to rise up and guess what happened with some generations they became the oppressors of the poor and prophets after prophets had to rebuke them and.

And but but if you look at the laws that God gave to them He wanted them to remember that they had been bondmen in Egypt and he wanted them to. He wanted them to keep this this vengeful spirit that's in us to keep it in check and so.

And so in the Mosaic law he he dealt with this a little extra for Problem he dealt with that and he he wanted Israel To govern with with a fair and square kind of punishment. And so he he gives them this teaching that it shall be life for life.

I Tooth for tooth hand for hand foot for foot burn for burn wound for wound stripe for stripe fracture for Donkey for donkey just just have it fair and square. If somebody is mad at me and he chops off my hand you chop off his hand.

But only his hand not his two hands or not the finger on the other hand more or something like that. Fair and square you gouge out one eye you get to gouge out one of his eyes, but not more not both of them.

Okay, and so. That that is how they were to respond. And it is how they were to punish the evildoer a man that allowed for vengeance vengeance in check and and this command is Actually a reasonable way for a government To govern civilians with evil hearts.

But it never solves the problem it never solves the evil heart. Even even if the violent action gets stopped because of it it never solves the desire to do violent actions and As we've been seeing Jesus has been teaching over and over that that whether the problem is murder.

Whether the problem is adultery whether the problem is swearing oath the root of the problem is in the desire of the heart and The root of violence is no difference violence begets violence and it is not conquered with more violence.

Jesus’ Cross as the Pattern for Conquering Evil

I Think it was Gandhi who said an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. So here here on the sermon in this Jesus addresses this problem. And he gives a really profound solution. He quotes the Torah in verse 38.

He says you have heard that it was said and I for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you don't resist an evil person and then he follows it with some some hypothetical scenarios that might and could and and and How the people in his kingdom should respond?

When this kind of violence or evil happens and so he says Instead of someone smites you on one cheek. You offer him the other. If someone comes and takes your coat away forbid him not to also take your cloak away and if someone Demands you carry or walk with him a mile or carry a pack a mile or whatever.

Just go two miles with him. And if someone Asks you for something give it to him and if he would like to borrow something don't turn away from that man. What do you think is going on in the minds of Jesus's audience.

I Mean these these are people who've deeply longed to be delivered from oppression. I'm sure there were people who just who just kind of grit their teeth under the Dead whatever the minimum was that they had to do whatever.

That they grittingly and begrudgingly. Did that there were some who? Who kind of worked the system a little more and they became somebody like a tax collector or somebody who? Who could kind of get into favor by by pleasing the Romans or serving them in some way?

There were others who joined little bands and they became the zealots and they they hoped to overthrow the Roman government and I'm sure there were many many people who just who wished that this large population of slaves could just unite together and and Government, I'm sure there was many people like that there and what is Jesus saying?

He's he's saying here's what you do you give more To the oppressor then he's even asking or demanding. This is so contrary to our flesh. It is so contrary to our natural tendency, but somehow I Think I think in spite of the fact that is so contrary to our flesh somehow this concept has a ring of truth That echoes in our hearts it's an other a worldly problem, but While I don't I expect I expect the same thing went on in these people's minds that go on in the people's mind who introduced we introduced this this this teaching to for the first time and In spite of the fact that there's a ring of truth that echoes in our hearts.

Our brain is doing all kinds of what if what if what if such-and-such? What if this scenario? What if what if that scenario? I mean there is no passage in Scripture that raises as many what-if questions as this one.

Well, what if I turn the cheek and he he hits that one, too. Should I just turn the first one again? What if he hits that one? Do I just what if he knocks my head off? What if what if I give him my coat and and then he takes my cloak and and then he wants more.

Do I just keep giving more what if this what if that and it keeps going and keep going it keeps going. We we think of all kinds of scenarios that could happen. And I think I think it is good for us to think through some of these possible scenarios, but but instead of trying to come up with the right answers to all the Areas that never never quite happened the way we think of many way.

Let's let's today think about Why did Jesus teach this? And What what what what is the purpose of? Why he taught this and and let it Let the the basic principles of that guide us through All the what-ifs that we could think in our mind so Jesus came to teach and to show humanity.

That the way of life is through the is through the cross. Now that's paradoxical because the cross. Jesus knew that the cross was the only way to the throne of God and and he invites us to take up our cross and Follow him.

This is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved. It's the power of God. This is this. This is an important part of Of Maybe we it's more than just important like This is such an and an all-encompassing part of what the New Covenant is about.

Early Christian Witness to Nonviolence

Irenaeus wrote something like this. He said the New Covenant that brings back peace together with the law that gives life. Have both gone the whole world as the Prophet said Christians. And Their spears into pruning hooks for reaping grain that is into instruments for peaceful purposes.

So now they are strangers to fighting when they are struck. They offer the other cheek. So think about this Jesus Jesus over. We all believe Jesus overcame evil, but he overcame evil through this principle of Non-resistance.

He conquered evil and he proved himself to be more powerful than it by resisting against. That was done. Thing against the evil that he was smitten on taken from him and it didn't end there. They kept going.

They spit they they they mocked they cursed they Put crowns of thorns on his head. They nailed him to a cross they Plunged that cross into a hole. They ran spears into his side. They didn't end with those couple things and he bore it all patiently and in the end Through through what he did and how he how he dealt with all the evil that was coming at him.

He defeated the violence of Satan by not bowing to violence himself and That's the way of Jesus and he says follow me that is follow my example. When Jesus. When Jesus gives this teaching here on this in the Sermon on the Mount He's taking he's taking a broad stroke that that That Reaches into just about every area of our life a life That is willing to suffer Injustices and not only suffering justices but to offer more to the evildoer than he expects.

That that includes as we see the way Jesus worded this it includes suffering whether it's bodily pain. Like a like a beating on the cheeks. It includes the loss and it's like your coat or your cloak it includes our work and our service like It includes our money when someone asks from us.

I know I know the passage doesn't probably isn't just as narrow as money. But I get the impression. By the way, Jesus says that if someone asks money from you give it to them if they want to borrow money from you.

I'm sure it doesn't just include money. But um, but it seems like that's what he's implying, too. It also it also seems to me that the way Jesus worded this that that he creatively just about took in every every Every class of people that could do some violence to us so so whether it's just an angry neighbor or stranger or somebody that's just angry and just Just takes his fist and gives us blowin cheek or whether it's Whether it's the thief the robber who just wants to take something from us.

Now in Matthew's account It says if you at the court. So it's almost like a court setting if someone wants to sue you at the court and do something. But but in Luke's account it doesn't it sounds like if somebody by force takes your takes your coat away and so so we've got You know, we've got just the angry person who's angry at you for no reason.

You've got the you've got the thief. You've got somebody who wants to drag you to court. You've got You've got the person that's in authority over you like an officer or somebody who demands that you Take his load and carry it Authority over you it includes those people and then it includes the beggars the person who just says hey Can you can you give me?

Give me my the person that's under you. It includes all those people God. So so in any situation in any and all situations do good to those who do evil and suffer the pain and loss that The evildoer inflicts and God God wants all people to be treated as Someone that he created he wants all people to be treated as if as If they deserve to have salvation Offered to them.

He wants all people to be treated as If they have the right to know the knowledge of truth. There's someone who deserves to know that the way is Through the cross and guess what? There's no louder sermon.

There's no more powerful message that can be preached than the one that is lived out. Jesus. Jesus is way of non-resistance to evil is not Just a passive do-nothing. Just let me be run over. A Type of mentality, that's not what Jesus is saying here.

He is he is rather Telling us the only solution to active Overcome evil and it's it's not based on a do-nothing mentality. It's based on a do-something mentality. It's it's a finding within ourselves the ability no matter how the pain and the loss hurts.

Finding it within ourselves the ability to love and to have compassion on the aggressor. Seeing him as a man who is in need of the Lord self in a position To show that to him even if it costs you your life.

Spiritual Warfare and the Christian’s Weapons

When the Israelites came through the Red Sea They sang that song it's called the Song of the Sea and in that song it says The Lord is a man of war. The Lord is his name That has not changed he still is but We wrestle not against flesh and blood But against principalities against powers against rulers of darkness and against spiritual with wickedness and for that reason Our weapons of warfare are not carnal.

They are not they are not guns and spears. They are not the kind of weapons that would destroy someone's flesh and blood, but they are mighty through the pulling down of strongholds. There was because they have the ability to pierce a man right into his soul and Bring him to repentance.

I So so don't when Jesus says here Resist not the evil person don't don't don't take that to mean like so so the Could mean withstand. In fact, the word gets translated as with stand in other places in the scripture We are to resist the devil as James says resist the devil and he will flee from your or when Paul writes in Ephesians about taking on the armor of God.

He says so that you can with stand. And so and so and so we withstand these these these Spiritual forces these powers these principalities. But our war is not against flesh and blood and for that reason We do not.

It's the evil do conquer him so that his soul could be saved when we When we have in our hearts when we have a love of Christ towards an aggressor and We we we genuinely desire. Oh God we genuinely Desire that someday We could sit beside this man At the Lord's table.

See that's that's the heart of Jesus. That's what he that's that's why he was able to go through this because he He wanted to win these people and he ended up doing it. I I believe that many of the people who who were there in that mob and we're saying Crucify him crucify him.

What was it 40 days later? Something like that. I believe many of those same people were there at Pentecost and they heard Peter preach about Jesus. And who he really was and it pricked him, too. What shall we do if we if we have this kind of a love for the aggressor.

The man who's making us suffer the man who's making my family suffer we we have a weaponry are more capable of undoing his evil heart and harming him from his disruptive behaviors than any sword gun police jail or prison and We we are able Possibly able to get to the heart of the problem and this this doesn't work.

This doesn't work if we have some self-righteous attitude and we come to a person like here I come this great saint to you wicked sinner doing for you what you don't deserve. That's not going to cut through there.

But if we can come because we really really do believe this and we feel this and we want to know the love of God. That is powerful. You know as we as I think my experience for my thinking as I think through the many what-if scenarios I Don't know exactly what I do.

Neither does anybody else but if if I love that person as Christ loved me and And and and with the love of Christ in it. It certainly rules some things out. I Person's life. I Someone else to take that person's life.

It rules out doing violence back to him because violence just begets more violence when we when we and for people to. To just say something like well, would you just do nothing? And here's here's the thing brothers and sisters.

We're not reduced to two options. We don't just have the option of either do nothing or do violence. That's not the only two options we have. First of all, we have the power of prayer. The shadow of God's hand is more powerful than all the world's militaries put together.

We have the power of the gospel that can be preached in word and deed. Do we believe in prayer? Do we do we believe? That. Do we believe that we can be armed in prayer. Tertullian wrote said something like this he said.

Prayer, Surrender, and Trust in God’s Judgment

Prayer is the wall of faith. Her arms and missiles against the foe who watch over us on all sides and so never walk we unarmed by day. Be we mindful of station by night of vigil under the arms of prayer guard.

We the standard of the our general. Await we in prayer the angels trump. Origin said something like this none fight better for the king than we do. Indeed, we do not fight under him. Even if he demands it yet.

We fight on his behalf forming a special Of godliness by offering our prayers to God. And so we have that but and here's. Here's just the reality in spite of that. In spite of the fact that we believe in prayer.

We believe in God's power. We believe in his ability to protect and save. We also know that the ways of God are above our ways and his judgments are not our judgments. And we do not know the judgments of God and the truth is that many good men Get killed by evil men.

Why? Someday, we'll know. But for now our knowledge is in part we we. We only see through a glass darkly. And someday that'll change. But but for now, that's that's all that we can see and the only thing that will carry us through into eternity is love.

Because we because we don't know the judgments of God it is even that we do not fight back. And that we do not resist the evil doer. Paul talks about this in Romans 12. Starting in verse 17. He says it never pay back evil for evil to anyone.

Respect what is right in the sight of all men if possible. So far as it depends on you be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge beloved, but let room for the right Odd. For it is written vengeance is mine.

I will repay save the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry feed him and if you give him a drink. For in so doing you will keep burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Notice that he says there if it's possible. Live peaceably with all men as much as you are capable of of doing in this situation live peace. But this is not that this is not always possible, but then he follows it up with this but never.

Take your own revenge. Leave that to God. Vengeance is mine saith the Lord. I will repay when we commit ourselves to Christ. We commit ourselves to Christ even unto death. We count the cost and we prepare To follow his teachings the way cost says father mother brothers sisters wife children lands houses and our own life and Once once we give ourselves up in such a way as a child of God and we recognize that our life.

And our death are in the hands of him. We experience a freedom and a liberty that passes understanding if we can if we can surrender or just release ourselves ourselves and our families and our possessions into the hand of God.

We know. Nothing can happen, but he does not allow to happen. We are released From a burden that was never meant for us to carry anyway. It's a burden that belongs on God. Dean Taylor wrote and in his book the change of allegiance.

He says the more I studied the life of Christ and the testimony of the Saints who have gone before us The more I realized that the Christians most ultimate weapon his most formidable instrument of force his most indestructible Garrison against all attacks and his most fierce arsenal against all enemies is the cross as It is the power to salvation and those those who belong to Jesus to Christ.

The Cross, Suffering, and Christian Freedom

Jesus have crucified the flesh with its possessions and desires With its passions and desires. He says if you if you are living according to the flesh you must die. But if by the Spirit you are putting to death Body you will live.

In other words if if you have already died if we've already died to ourselves. In other words if if we live this cross-bearing life willingly and joyfully. Suffering and death has no power over us. We can we can see.

We can see beyond The bodily pain of a blow on our cheeks we can see beyond the fleshly arm that dealt the blow. And we can see other forces at work and we can receive it. Like Jesus did he seek and to save That which was lost.

We can suffer joyfully the spoiling of our goods if we've already forsaken them in our hearts. We could if we've committed our time and energy to the service of God. Jesus did not come to deliver us from suffering.

He came to give us a life and a purpose worth suffering for He came to give us. That no amount of suffering can separate us from neither tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword.

But for his sake we are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. We are accounted as sheep that in itself a lot. Tertullian writes around 190 AD. He says the Lord will save them in that day even.

No one gives the name of sheep to those who fall in battle with arms in hand or those who are killed when repelling force with force. Rather it is given only to those who are slain. Yielded them yielding themselves up in their own place of duty.

And with patience rather than fighting in self-defense. Non-resistance. Against evildoers has been a mark of true Christianity through all the ages. Beating our swords into plowshares has been a mark of the true church ever since the Apostles started preaching the good news of the gospel in the revelation of John.

John saw there. I think it's chapter 12 or 13. John John saw this war. Heaven where Michael the archangel was making war against the dragon and the dragon was cast out and was came and came to the earth and and then.

To those on the earth it says they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives even unto death. Lay down your swords and spears. Or your walls or whatever kinds of things you use to defend yourself.

When Jesus said when Jesus said he that lives by the sword dies by the sword. He's again putting forth a broad principle. You might think well, well, I. Okay, I won't keep a sword, but maybe can I keep some other weapon just not a lethal weapon.

Can I can I keep a dog to guard me? Can I can I shoot some shots into the air to scare people off? Can I use tear gas? Brethren we need to accept this theology of Dying of being willing to suffer for the sake of Christ.

This is not the way of Jesus and those things are not the way of Jesus and the Apostles. We could not imagine that James James and John and the Apostles were once Wanted to go through Samaria. How was that?

They were on the way to Jerusalem they wanted to go through Samaria and Samaria shut the doors to him or something like that and James and John were like Are they gonna do that to us? Why don't you fire down from heaven and destroy these?

Did you did. Jesus said you don't know what spirit you are of I? Didn't come to destroy life. I came to save it when when when Jesus. When John writes in the Revelation about this prince. He see Jesus had said he that lives by the sword dies by the sword and John.

John writes in the Revelation in chapter 13. He says it Here let him hear and he and he makes it broader, right? He says he that leads into captivity shall go into captivity. He that kills by the sword shall be killed by the sword.

And then he says here Send the faith of the Saints. Some of the translations would say For perseverance or for patience of the Saints the only way to overcome evil is to. Lactantius wrote when provoked by injury if a man returned silence to his assailant.

He is defeated. The the early Christians took a really straightforward approach to these teachings of Jesus. One of them wrote we have learned not to return blow for blow. Nor to go to law with those who plunder and rob us to those who smite us on one side of the face.

We have learned To offer the other side to those who take away our tunic. We have learned to give them robe also. Clement of Alexandria. All Christians are not allowed to use violence to seize of sin concerning concerning the teaching.

Give to him who asks of you and from him who would borrow of you turn not away. Hermas gives this counsel freely. Give to all the needy. Not hesitating as to whom you are are to give and not to give. Give to all.

For God wishes his gifts to be shared among all. Those who receive will revenge will render an account to God for what they have received. The needy who received will not be condemned, but those who received it on false pretend meant yet he who gives is guiltless.

There's more quotes with a similar with a similar Counselor or advice giving Without Over. I know if you all find it the way I find it like. You can't. There's so many people that that ask that you can't.

You can't even give to everybody that asks. And so and so if a person uses some judgment on which is the better place to give like I don't I don't I? Can't fault that. I mean, how can you not if you if if.

If you're being asked for more more than what you can give but but I've just found like when we over concern ourselves. You know in trying to well is this for sure a good cause. Is this guy possibly lying to me.

What if he's going to use it for something? He's not saying like I? Just I've just found. I Just found it to be super freeing to not overburden myself with trying to figure those things out a few more things before we wrap to not embrace this teaching of Non-resistance is to reject one of the very core teachings of Christianity.

Mission, Witness, and the Cost of Following Christ

It is to reject one of the foundation stones on which Christ like life is built. Jesus sent his disciples out into the world. Out into a world that was full of evil and that was full of violence, and how did he send them out?