Facing the Challenge

Matthew 5:38-48

 

Matthew 5:38-48 38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do tha t? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

 

I love this story. In 1912 two Irish singers were spending the afternoon in a English pub drinking a few pints. The two were extolling the musical traditions of their beloved Ireland. They boasted they could write and perform a song in the same day. One of the patrons challenged them. He didn’t believe they could write and perform a song in the same day. The news of that challenge spread throughout that community. That evening a crowd gathered to hear the debut of their song. They named it, “It's a Long Way to Tipperary.” The rest is history. Their song became an overnight success and was used during World War I as a marching song for the Allied troops. Can I ask you a question this morning?

 

What is your greatest challenge you are facing in your life today? Everyone I know is challenged by something. What is yours? Is the greatest challenge you are facing today your spouse? He or she frustrates you to tears. You just don’t seem to be on the same page. Is anyone here challenged by your children. You did your best but something went wrong. Is anyone here paying for their adult children’s lifestyle? Is anyone here challenged by education? The new school year is starting and the class load and work load will be heavy. Is anyone here challenged by health issues? You have that cough that just won’t go away! Is anyone here challenged financially. Everything is more expensive everyday. Are you going to pay your entire electric bill or fill your entire prescription? Do I have to go on? If you have lived more than ten minutes you know that life is challenging. Everyone is faced with some kind of challenge. Edmund Hillary once said, “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” I think that is true.

 

Let there be no doubt about it. The faith, itself, can be very challenging. The words that Jesus has for us today in the fifth chapter of Matthew are challenging words. I have read them a million times and I wish he would not have said them. These are not Paul’s opinions or something Moses said in the Old Testament. These are Jesus’ words so they need to be taken seriously. These words are found in the of the middle on the of the passage of scripture called the Sermon on the Mount. He is warning the crowd and us that living out the faith will not be easy. It will be a challenge. If you really want to thank Jesus for saving your soul then you must take these words seriously and apply them to your daily life. If you apply these words to your life then Jesus will be pleased with you. But if you apply these words to your life then the people in your life will think you are a nut. That is what makes these words so challenging. What the Master is really doing is drawing a line in the sand with his well-worn sandal and challenging you to stand with him. The question is are you up to the challenge of the Christian lifestyle? I hope your answer is yes. Let us look at the challenge together.

 

Love Unconditionally

Are you up to the challenge of loving unconditionally? Verses thirty-eight and thirty-nine in the scripture lesson says, “You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” It is easy to love likeable people but it is not so easy to love the unlikable. It is not easy to love someone unconditionally who hurts you but that is exactly what Jesus expects from you and me. That is expects what Jesus expects from all disciples. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

History tells us one of George Washington’s closest friends was a pastor by the name of Peter Miller. He served a Baptist congregation in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Within that congregation there was a man by the name of Michael Wittman, an evil-minded sort who did all he could to oppose and humiliate the pastor. One day Wittman was arrested for treason and sentenced to die. The hero of the story was the much maligned pastor, Peter Miller. He traveled seventy miles on foot to Philadelphia to plead for the life of the traitor, the evil minded Wittman. The plea was heard by his good friend George Washington. "No, Peter," General Washington said. "I cannot grant you the life of your friend." "My friend!" exclaimed the old preacher. "He's the bitterest enemy I have." "What?" cried Washington. "You've walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in different light. I'll grant your pardon." And he did. Peter Miller took Michael Wittman back home to Ephrata--no longer an enemy but a friend. Would anyone here beg or plead for the benefit of an enemy? How I hope you would because that is exactly what Jesus expects from you. If you want to cross the line in the sand and really be a disciple of Jesus then you must love unconditionally. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Let me warn you, if you love unconditionally the world will think you are a nut. I hope you are up to the challenge!

 

Forgive Unreservedly

Are you up to the challenge of forgiving unreservedly? If you were to read the entire Gospel of Matthew, then you would discover near the end of the story Jesus is hanging on the cross. The question is why is Jesus on the cross? Jesus did nothing wrong. He was only guilty of loving everyone. The Romans executed people in public to make them an example. Law breakers were not tolerated. However, there was only one problem. Jesus wasn’t a law breaker, he was guilty of only one thing, loving everyone! Think about this for a moment. As he hung on the cross he could have said all kind of things. Jesus could have said, “I will get even!” He could have said, “I am innocent.” He could have said, “I will see you burn in hell.” But Jesus didn’t say any of those things. What did Jesus say? The Master did say, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” It is not easy to forgive unreservedly but that is what Jesus expects from you and me. That is what Jesus expects from all disciples. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

Several years ago a young Korean exchange student was attacked and killed going to the post office near the campus at the University of Pennsylvania. The news of the attack spread quickly. The entire city of Philadelphia was outraged. A teenage gang was accused. The District Attorney wanted them tried as adults, so they could be given the death penalty. Then suddenly something shocking happened. A letter came from Korea that confused everyone. This is what the letter said:

 

To Whom It May Concern:

 

Our family has met and has decided to petition your government so those guilty of this crime maybe treated generously within your law. In order to give evidence of our sincere spirit, we have decided to save money for a fund to be used for the religious, educational, vocational and social guidance of the boys once they are released. We have learned about such forgiveness from our Savior, who forgave us.

 

Those Koreans were not just setting up a fund. They were crossing the line in the sand. They were disciples of Jesus Christ and forgave unreservedly. Would you be able to forgive those teenagers? If you really want to cross the line in the sand and be a disciple of Jesus then you must forgive unreservedly. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Let me warn you. If you forgive unreservedly the world will think you are a nut! I hope you are up to the challenge!

 

Serve Unselfishly

Are you up to the challenge of serving unselfishly? Verses forty through forty-two say, “And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” It is not easy to serve unselfishly but that is what Jesus expects from you and me. That is what Jesus expects from all disciples. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

On a dreary winter day in 1943 nine hundred and three troops and four chaplains boarded the SS Dorchester. World War II was in full swing and the ship was headed across the icy north Atlantic. At midnight on February third the ship was hit by a German U-boat’s torpedo. The word went out the ship was going down. One of the chaplains was a man by the name of George Fox. A young GI crept up to one of the chaplains and said, "I've lost my lifejacket. "Fox said, "Take this," and handed the GI his lifejacket. Before the ship sank, each chaplain gave his life jacket to another man. The heroic chaplains then linked arms and lifted their voices in prayer as the Dorchester went down. Lt. Fox and his fellow chaplains were awarded posthumously the Distinguished Service Cross.

 

In a way it is sad. Those chaplains never had the opportunity to receive their metals but they did cross that line in the sand. No one questioned that they were disciples of Jesus Christ! They served unselfishly. Would you have given your lifejacket away to save someone else. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Let me warn you. If you serve unselfishly the world will think you are a nut. I hope you are up to the challenge.

 

Let me end with these words. The choice is yours. Are you going to accept the challenge and cross the line in the sand? If you do you will be standing with Jesus, who loves unconditionally, forgives unreservedly and serves unselfishly! Or are you going to stand with the ways of this world. The choice is yours. I hope you are up to the challenge.

 

The other night I was up late channel surfing because I couldn’t sleep. I came across the movie, A League of their Own. Perhaps, you have seen the movie? It is about a women’s major league baseball league during the Second World War. Geena Davis is the main character in the movie, who is the best player in the league and the catcher of the Rockford Peaches. As the season drags on Davis’ character gets tired and decides to quit the team. She tells her manager, played by Tom Hanks, that she is going to quit because baseball is too hard. Hank’s character responds, “Baseball is suppose to be hard. If it weren’t hard everyone would do it.” Then he said, “Hard is what makes baseball great!”

 

The same thing is true of the faith! The challenge is what makes the faith so great! If you are going to cross the line and stand with Jesus it is going to be hard. But that is OK because hard is what makes the faith great! And all of God’s people said, Amen!”