Change of Heart

Message Transcription

Well, if you have your Bible, invite you to turn over to the sermon on the Mount. As we're in our series, The Good Life, this is our text. This is going to be the text that we're going to walk through together this month and, and think together about what are those pillars, those things that help us to live the life that's truly life. Today we're going to look at what Jesus says is the number one pillar, the fundamental pillar to living the good life. He begins his sermon with this incredible invitation as he invites those who have gathered around to listen to to take a seat, he begins talking and and opens up with this invitation that God's kingdom blessing is not just reserved for the religious elite and powerful and those who are the smartest. Instead, he says, this blessing, this blessed life. It's available to to the poor in spirit, to those who are mourning, to the meek, to those who hunger and thirst for the good life, the righteousness, the righteous life. It's available to the merciful and to the pure in heart, to peacemakers, to those who are persecuted because of righteousness, those who are insulted and who are maligned. And in this message was incredibly different from anything that they had heard. In fact, it was so different that I'm sure many of them started to wonder, is Jesus saying that the law doesn't matter anymore? Is that what this means? That that all of a sudden I know I'm not living up to God's law? It's I'm not living the way that he would want me to live.

And in fact, the religious leaders of the day loved to remind me of that at every single moment that they can. But it sounds like all of a sudden now there's there's a blessing that's available to me still. Does that mean the law isn't important? I think that's why Jesus turns around, and the next thing he says in the sermon is, I didn't come to to get rid of the law. I came to fulfill it. You see, Jesus understanding of the law was very different from the understanding of the scribes and the Pharisees, the rulers of the day. The law, according to those leaders, as Dallas Willard writes, is is a version of religious respectability Jesus termed for this was the goodness of the scribes and the Pharisees. You're going to hear that terms as he gives his sermon. He's going to actually compare. He says, your goodness has got to be better than the goodness of the righteous, or of the scribes and the Pharisees, which I know was confusing to many, because that had been the standard up to this point. And Jesus is saying, it's not good enough. You see, for Jesus, the law was essential to life in the kingdom. In fact, Jesus said, the law is good. It's actually what helps humanity thrive.

So now that's the basis. That's the that's the foundation to which he's going to begin unpacking. So what does it look like to fulfill the law? To live a life that's better than the goodness of the scribes and the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day? What does that actually look like? Jesus sets up a series of six contrasts here in chapter five of what? The goodness of the scribes and the Pharisees, what that looks like, that good life versus what Jesus knows is the true good life. And notice, listen to these contrasts. You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, you shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment again. Anyone who says to a brother or sister Raqqa is answerable to the court, and anyone who says, you fool will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there, remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them. Then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who's taking you to court. Do it while you're still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.

Truly, I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. And one of the things that that Willard in his book The Divine Conspiracy, which has been such a help to me as I've thought through this sermon in the last many years, is he says, Jesus wrote this sermon with one block building on the next. So if we're going to understand what Jesus is teaching, we're going to have to understand how he is moving us from one point to the next. He is intentionally taking us from the deepest roots of evil in the human heart, this anger and obsessive desire. And he's moving us to the pinnacle of human fulfillment of God's law. And that's love. He's moving us from from the greatest challenges to what it actually looks like to live the good life. You see, he does this on purpose because often when we think about the good life, when you think about the good life, when I think about the good life, I tend to focus on the external right, the outside of the resources and the opportunities and the vacations and, and all of those wonderful things that I want to have in my life. And I forget, I fail to see what Jesus says is actually the key to a good life. It's the inside. It's our hearts. So each of these contrasts that Jesus is going to set up for us, it's it's going to reveal to us the temptation for at least me and maybe you, of how I tend to look at things through, through the external, the way the religious folk looked at them as this behavior that's supposed to be curbed or stamped out.

In fact, they designed this incredible system of laws and rules designed to to take care of your behavior to help cut things out of your life. We call it today behavior modification. We to develop laws and rules about how we're supposed to be. We don't act that way. We don't do that kind of stuff. I think of my dad, uh, grew up in northern Nebraska or central Nebraska and, uh, in this little tiny Lutheran church that he would go to with his grandma. And she was about as German as could be. She was about five foot nothing, pushing three bills. I mean, this was an incredible woman, right? And, uh, one day my dad and mom were in church and my dad reached his arm over, as many husbands do, and just kind of rest his arm around my mom's shoulders at church. And all of a sudden, my grandmother just pinches the fire out of him, and he pulls that arm back and she goes, we don't do that in this church, right? We all have this system of rules of we don't do that in this church, right? We don't behave that way.

That's not how we're going to do it. What Jesus demonstrates is that if this is the only level at which we address the reality of the human sin problem, what we're going to end up finding is we'll fail miserably at living a good life because it doesn't work. Jesus says, we have to go to the source. We have to go past the behavior, to the motivation of that behavior. Actions are a symptom of the problem. They're not the problem. In Luke six, Jesus says it like this good people do good things out of the good that's stored up in their hearts. But bad people do bad things because of the evil in their hearts. Your words show what is in your heart right out of the overflow of the heart. The mouth speaks. We can't help it. That's what we've been storing up. That's what we've been treasuring. Jesus consistently teaches that to learn to live the good life, we have to become the kind of person through whom the good life could naturally flow. The kind of people who would think of those kinds of things. And this was the fundamental mistake of the scribes and the Pharisees. And if we're honest, it's ours too, that we focused on the actions the law required, and then we use immense social pressure to get people to conform to our understanding of what that law requires. We want to be right.

And not only that, we want to be seen as being right. But the inner dimension of their lives and ours is often left untouched. Unconfirmed. Their heart, their character. It still remains contrary to the heart of God. You see, as it turns out, hearts will trump intentions every time. Now I know that drives me crazy. Right. Hearts will trump intentions every time. So Jesus says, we have to go to the heart. And the first of his contrasts situates us right here at one of the most familiar places, at least for me in my life. And that's anger. Right. I'm a nine on the Enneagram, so if you know anything about that, you know, anger is like breathing. It's just so easy. I don't even have to think about it, right? Someone can just cut me off in traffic. How dare you? Right. You have ten things in the line. It's seven items or less, right? I don't have to think about it. It's just happens, right? That's. That's in me. That's the source. I have to do something about the source. You see, anger begins as the thwarting of our will, but it quickly pricks our ego, which then, if we indulge, it begins this idea of self righteousness. You see, Jesus says it's not enough to not kill someone, right? That's not the standard anymore. It's how do we deal with our anger? What do we do? How do you respond? In Jesus day, the Aramaic terms Raqqa.

It's a terme of contempt. Like in our day, it's you idiot! You're such a moron, right? Contempt is so much more dangerous than anger. Anger? We get mad and we want to hurt somebody. Contempt. It's like, well, I don't even care if you exist anymore. I just. It wouldn't bother me if you just disappeared off the planet. It denies the worth of someone. And we can express contempt in multiple ways, nonverbal as well as verbal. But it's this. Our attempt to isolate and to ignore people. Filthy language and name calling is often how it's expressed in our day. I think it was the same in Jesus, and that's why he he names a couple of terms. If you if you call someone Raqqa or you fool, he says, you don't realize it, but but out of the overflow of your heart, your mouth is speaking contempt and anger. So he says, if you're on your way to worship and you're standing at the altar ready to give your sacrifice your gift, and you remember that someone has a beef with you. Not. If you remember that you have a beef with someone, it's you. Remember that that someone has a problem with you. Leave your gift. Leave worship, go reconcile. Now think about that for a minute. What would you think of a community who regularly practiced this? And if you showed up here on a Sunday and you remembered, man, I really hurt this person.

I need to go. Yeah, but you're supposed to know. I need to go. How different it is. Jesus says when we think about. Our lives. We've got to think about the source, he says. If you're on your way to court, work hard to settle it before trial. I know some people are thinking, well, what if they won't listen to me? What if they won't reconcile? What if they're just not interested in settling? We can't control outcomes. Right. We're not responsible for those. All we're responsible for is what's your part? What are you contributing to the situation? You see, the good life seeks the good for all life. Jesus. Second contrast, verse 27, you have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, 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. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, 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 go into hell. Again, the aim that Jesus is is pointing us toward is not just don't sleep in the wrong bed with the wrong person.

Jesus wants to retrain how we see others. Now let's be clear Jesus isn't saying that if you see someone who's attractive, if you desire them, that you have sinned. Even if that desire stirred in you. That's not a sin. Temptation is not a sin. You can't control that. What you can control is how do you respond? What do you do with that temptation? Do you nurture it? Do we cultivate it? Do we recognize it and offer it up to God? Willard offers a better, I think, translation of this passage. He says, rather than the typical passage translation of anyone who looks at a woman and desires her, or everyone who looks at a woman with desire. Those aren't helpful. They miss the point. Rather, it's it's looking at a woman with the purpose of desiring her. Desiring to desire what's what's on the inside. What's the source? What's the motivation? See, the woman loses her personhood. Then she becomes an object. The man loses his personhood. He becomes an object. It's not enough to not commit adultery. Jesus said, we've got to learn not to objectify one another. And we don't ultimately do this through passing laws. Right. We have tried and failed over and over and over again at this. We don't ultimately do this through laws, right? Otherwise we have to all enter heaven with no eyes and maimed bodies, right? That was kind of the logic of the Pharisees.

Stamp it out, cut it off, get rid of it. You rather be one handed and go into heaven. Then then both hands and go to hell. And Jesus is saying it's it's not going to work, you're just going to end up blind and maimed. We have to go deeper. If morality were just a list of laws to follow. We'd all be maimed. See, the deeper question always concerns the kind of person that you are. Now, we've said this. How many times in the last several months. The best thing God gets out of your life is not the stuff you do. It's the person that you're becoming, the person that you become. You see, Jesus concern is not not just what did you do, it's what would you do if you could? What would you do if you could get away with it? You see, that question penetrates at a deeper level than, well, did you commit adultery this week? No. All right. You're good. Third contrast, verse 31 has been said, anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce. But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Right in Jesus day, there were two schools of thought on this. The school of Shammai says, you can't get divorced only if there's infidelity. The School of Hillel said, any reason? Burnt toast? Adios.

Somebody looks better. Adios, right? In Jesus day, the common practice was the School of Hillel. Women knew they were in a very precarious situation. Jesus argued that marriage was intended to be a stronger union than than even parent to child. It's the strongest union there could be. Divorce was never God's intent. If you flip a few chapters forward to Matthew 19, Jesus goes into a little bit deeper teaching on this idea of divorce and and and that it was allowed. Right. It's just it's crazy to me that God still allows it, even though it wasn't his intent right over infidelity. But but Jesus points to the problem. He says the reason Moses let you do this was why? Your hard heart. You see, some people say, well, if there is infidelity in the marriage, then you can get divorced, like you should get divorced. And and Jesus is going, you know what? If it's two people who are pursuing the kingdom of God who are really trying to love each other sacrificially, who are trying to learn how to forgive and reconcile that, that God can do an amazing thing even in that situation. Jesus is the reason that we hurt each other is we're mean. We're mean to each other. Our hearts are hard. It's not God's intent, you see. It's not enough to just not divorce your wife or not divorce your husband. How do you. How do you live with them? How do you treat them? How do you respond to them? Right.

The fourth contrast he gives concerning oaths or swearing before God in verse 33. Again, you have heard it said to the people long ago, do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made. But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all, either by heaven, for it's God's throne, or by earth, for it's his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it's the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you can't even make one of your hairs white or black. All you need to say is simply yes or no. Anything beyond this comes from the evil one. All right. Jesus says we don't manipulate each other, but we allow them to make decisions on what they think is best. Might we say our peace? And then we give space for people to remain autonomous, right? To have their own thoughts and ideas. Right? We don't try to manipulate or or manage them into a particular response. Simply learn to say yes and no. I will do this. I won't do that. How we treat each other. Are we learning to be people of integrity? That's a hard issue. The fifth contrast concerns retaliation when you've been harmed. Now remember what Jesus has taught up to this point, right? These are these are blocks being built one upon the other.

He begins with, don't be controlled by anger and contempt or mismanaged desire, and don't try to objectify or use other people. Don't try to manipulate them. And we arrive here at what about when people harm you? You've heard that it was said, eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek. Also, if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them to give to the one who asks you. And do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You see, when we're personally injured, it's hard not to see life completely absorbed in that injury. Right. I'm hurt. And that's my. My world ends right here at my heart. And Jesus says, can we look beyond. Can we can we see God and recognize that we're in his hands? See, it's only then that we could begin to to form a prayer. Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing. And isn't that true? Let me think about this for a minute. It's so often true. People have no idea what they're doing to us. Right. They may think they know. They don't know, right? As parents, when we speak harshly to our children, we don't know what we're doing.

Right. We don't know the impact that our words carry on them. When someone mistreats us in the office or when someone does something to it, they don't often know God. Would you forgive them? Jesus offers four alternate possibilities. Would you turn your other cheek? Would you give me your coat? Would you go that extra mile? Would you just give? Just give it. Willard argues in his book that these words, more than any other in Jesus sermon, have caused more people to throw up their hands in despair or sink into legalism. It's so different from what our culture admires. It's so different from what the culture says. Is the good life, right? Good life is independence, autonomy. Do what you want, when you want, where you want, with who you want. You got to fight for your rights. You've got to stand your ground. And Jesus offers a very different perspective. The Kingdom Heart operates from a different perspective. It's always aimed at the other's good. Even those who may not be, who may be trying to hurt us. Now, again, we got to be careful of what we're not hearing. We're not hearing. Therefore, you just be the the heavenly doormat to whoever and however. Right. There may be times when not to respond in one of these ways is for the good of the other, to not allow someone to continue in an abusive or mistreatment. That's why Jesus isn't instituting these as laws.

He's offering us a different way, a perspective. We may need to leave or ask someone to leave for a little while. But that's not the same as responding in anger or content. Contempt or manipulation or objection. You see the Kingdom heart. It's different. Now, are you feeling any pressure yet? Is it just. Is my professor right before a test would say, do you hear that giant sucking sound in the corner of the room? Like it feels like it's coming for me. It's not easy, right? It takes incredible strength. What Jesus says it's going to take more than what you got. You're going to need a little help. You're going to need some Holy Spirit help. Last contrast concerns our attitudes toward our enemies. You have heard it said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than the others? Don't even pagans do that? Be perfect therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect. All right. We've heard this rhythm throughout all the contrasts. You have heard it said.

But I say. You've heard it said. Love your neighbor and hate your enemies. But I say. Love everybody. You see, that's the way God has treated us. And when we learn to live that way, we learn to live in the way of of our Heavenly Father. You see, loving those who love us back. It doesn't require a whole lot. I don't know about you, but I find it really easy to be around people who like me, like I thrive, I flourish in that. Please tell me more, right? It's really hard to be around people who don't like me, right? And as a people pleaser, it's extra hard. How do we learn to love people who might be against us? You see, to love people who are against us. That takes some to love people who love us. Like you don't have to know God to do that. And you don't have to follow Jesus. You don't have to be open to the Holy Spirit, right? That's easy. Jesus says, but a kingdom heart loves everybody. And if that's going to happen, it's going to take some work. It's going to take some Holy Spirit work in your life. That's a new way of being that's going to require a change of heart. So what Jesus teaches culminates right here. These behaviors, these contrasts, are illustrations of love expressing itself through a kingdom heart and a kingdom heart that's marked by love, not just for those who love us, but for those who don't love us.

Now, I invite you to think about how would his audience be hearing this in that day, right? The Pharisees? How would they hear love those who don't love, who don't believe, who don't treat you, who may want? Ill for you. Right. The Pharisees, they they hated those who didn't live like they did. They were the enemy zealots. They hated the Romans. They wanted to overthrow the occupiers, the riff raff of the day. They hated the religious people. Why? Because they always told them, you're wrong. You're going to hell. Fill in the blank. Whatever. What about you? Who are the people you hate? I. Oh, God. I don't hate anybody. All right? That's not me. I love them. Doesn't mean I have to like them. That was Democrats, man. They're ruining, ruining this country. Those Republicans, man. They don't care about anybody. Just the rich, those longhorns. Who do you hate? Who's on your list? Who is that group? We all have one. Friends. Jesus says, the good life is powered by love. That's the fuel. Choosing to live in the kingdom means we're opening ourselves up to this power. It's available to us. We don't have to rely on our own anymore. God will will fill us. He will strengthen us. He will encourage us. Jesus said, you see, or rather, Paul said about Jesus at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Jesus died for the ungodly.

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person, someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. For if while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through his. Through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved in his life? My Paul says that if that's the kind of love that's available, and if we're willing to walk into it, is now operating in our life, nothing can separate us from it. So we don't have to take so personally that little jab at work from that coworker who's always pointing out our mistake, right? Or that friend who just finds a way to weasel their way into the situation. The good life is powered by love. A love that once again Paul describes this way is patient. It's kind. It doesn't envy. It doesn't boast. It's not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self-seeking. It's not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres. Love never fails. Now this amazing love. But all too often we read it the way that so often we've read Jesus words in the sermon on the Mount is that love? Is this. So? We have to be that.

Well, how do I be that? We. It's not the point, right? Paul doesn't say you do this. You are patient. You are. No, no, no, Paul says love. Is patient if you want to be patient. Dwell in love. When I was doing my marriage and family therapy degree, I had a professor, my first class on marriage counseling. All right. I'm 22, unmarried, not even seriously dating anybody. But somehow I'm supposed to counsel these men and women in marriage, right? And so he says, look, Carl, if you want to be a good therapist and you really want to help couples have a good marriage. Then you have to become a student of marriage. But you have to to know it. To understand it, to pursue it, to immerse yourself in it, to spend time with people who are doing it really well and ask them about it and listen and learn like you have to pursue that. You got to be passionate about it. If you're going to be good, you're going to have to be passionate about it. Jesus is telling us the same thing if you want the good life. You've got to pursue it. You got to be passionate about it. You got to spend time with people who are trying to live it and watch and learn, right? You have to pursue love, to open ourselves up to it first and foremost and say, God, would you enter into my life? Would you love me in such a way that I remember I'm always in your hands, and no matter what happens to me, no matter what danger or diagnosis or relationship struggle I encounter, that I am with you and you are with me, so I can begin to interpret things not in the sense of this person offended me.

This person is out to get me. This person wants to harm, but instead of God, what would you what would you have me do in this? God, can you help me to remember your presence with me? All right? Because if we've been reconciled to him by his death, as Eddie reminded us at the table, then we don't have to worry about being right. Instead, we can worry about being loving. I have loving. To learn to live the good life. We need a change of heart. So, church, how is God challenging you to get heart transplant this year? Where is he asking you to stop and reconsider? Lord, where have I been? Trying to take my own life into my own hands? Maybe it's an anger and contempt, right? You see people you don't like and it's just overflow of the heart. Maybe it's obsessive, mismanaged desire, right? Contempt. Maybe it's belittling. Demeaning. Maybe it's manipulating people, not allowing them to make their own decision. Where's God asking you to have a change of heart this year? So it's I. I'll tell you, I believe it.

But my heart.

Trumps that sometimes. And maybe yours does too. So what I need is a new heart. How about you? God this year we want to live a life. That's the good life. Life that's truly life. We want to live in such a way that that your kingdom kind of life just. It flows out of us. It can't help but overflow because we've been we've been storing it up and treasuring it in our hearts. And we know to live that kind of life, we're going to need some renewal. We're going to need your love to flow through us. So, God, I pray today that whether whether we're here, listening online, wherever we may be, God, that you would meet us in a powerful way and remind us of your incredible love for us. Hello. Would you help us to respond to take our next step? Maybe it's in a relationship. Maybe it's in a situation at work or school. Maybe it's in a family, wherever it may be. The invitation is the same that there is blessing waiting. It's available to us no matter what circumstance or place we find ourselves in, that your kingdom. It's ready. It's available for us that that good life. It's right in front. Would you give us the courage to step into it? Whatever we need to do. God, if it's a decision to to put our life in your hands and to put you on in baptism, God, would you give us the courage to make it today? God, it's cold outside, but it's warm in here. The water is warm. Maybe a great day. To begin this year by giving our hearts to you again. Father, whatever needs to be. Would you give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and courageous feet ready to follow? Thank you, father, that while we were still sinners. You sent your son for us and he died willingly. And because he had to. Because he wanted to. That was the overflow of a heart of love. God, would you give us that kind of heart? A changed heart, a renewed heart. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.