The Biblical Worldview on Self-Defense and Retaliation | Classic Message

Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here. You're listening to the Greg Laurie Podcast, and my objective is to deliver, hopefully, compelling practical insights in faith, culture, and current events from a biblical perspective. To find out more about our ministry, just go to our website, harvest.org.

So thanks for joining me for this podcast. Today's message is the biblical worldview on self-defense and retaliation based on the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew chapter 5. Of course today is Memorial Day. A day that is dedicated to those who have served in the military and died at our nation's service. And how we should thank God for every one of these people and all who have served and are serving in the military today. But sometimes the question might arise among some. How does this work with the teachings of Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount? For instance in a few moments we are going to read that the Lord tells us to turn the other cheek and not repay evil for evil. But then when we think of the military and we think of those who are in law enforcement is that a contradiction to what the Bible is actually teaching? And what does Jesus mean when He tells us to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile? I mean should a Christian be a complete pacifist?

Should we never defend ourselves? How does this all work? Well it all fits here as we look at the worldview of Jesus Christ if you will. You want to know how Christ Himself sees the world. Read the Sermon on the Mount.

You want to know how His heart beats. Then study the Sermon on the Mount. You want to know how Jesus feels about life and living in general. Again study the Sermon on the Mount. Because the Sermon on the Mount is the official manifesto of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

But I must add this. This is for believers only. This is not for nonbelievers.

This is not even a set of principles to govern a society by. These are the words given by Christ specifically to those who have chosen to follow Him. Look at Matthew 5 verse 1 and 2.

We read, "'Seeing the multitudes, He went up to a mountain, and when He was seated, His disciples came to Him, and He opened His mouth and taught them, saying.'" A quick little aside here. Back in those days the teacher would usually sit and those who were listening would stand. I think we should bring this back. Because after three services you know I want to sit too. So let's just do that today.

I will sit here and you stand. What do you think? No.

It would be good because you fall asleep every service. No I am kidding. I just made that up. Ok.

But listen to what this says here. "'Seeing the multitudes, He went into a mountain, and when He was seated, His disciples came to them, and He taught them.'" See these words were given to His followers. Not to the masses.

Not to the crowds. They were given to those who were following Him. This phrase, He opened His mouth, is a colloquialism in Greek. It is used to describe something that is solemn, grave, and dignified.

In other words this is a phrase that is describing some weighty statements that are about to be given. These words were not addressed to fair weather followers. And Jesus had those. And they are still around today. You know there are people that have an interest in Christianity and interest in the teachings of Jesus.

But they haven't really committed themselves to Him. You know you may be surprised to know that there was a time in His ministry when Jesus was actually quite popular. We focus a lot on His betrayal, His crucifixion. But for a time Jesus was the talk of the town.

Huge crowds formed wherever He went. Because after all He was performing miracles. He was restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf and healing an incurable disease known as leprosy.

Even resurrecting people back to life again. But His most popular miracle without question was when He gave a free lunch to everyone and the feeding of the 5,000. But when the Lord addressed the topics of sacrifice and deeper commitment the crowds began to shrink and ultimately the crowds even turned against Him.

No. These words were given to committed followers here in the Sermon on the Mount. You know it is a funny thing some people will say, all the religion I need is found right there in the Sermon on the Mount.

Really? Have you ever read the Sermon on the Mount? Because I think these are some of the hardest teachings Jesus ever gave. I think it is harder to keep the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount than even the Ten Commandments.

And I will tell you why. Because the Ten Commandments deal primarily with external actions. Thou shall not commit adultery. Thou shall not steal. Thou shall not lie.

These are things we do. The Sermon on the Mount deals with a heart. Jesus says, you have heard that it has been said, but I say unto you if you do it in your heart.

So this is a much harder thing to deal with. So these are words that are given to people that have totally committed themselves to Him. People that understand what He was teaching in the Beatitudes you remember that start off with blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are they that mourn and so forth.

Blessed is the man of the woman who sees himself as they really are before God spiritually bankrupt and destitute and they mourn over their sin and they repent of it. These words are for believers only. Let's read some important introductory words now of the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew chapter 5 verse 17. Jesus says, "'Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.'

A jot or a tittle would speak of the crossing of a T or the dotting of an I." Verse 19. "'Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.'"

Let's pray. Now Lord as we read Your words here in the Sermon on the Mount as we understand how You want us to live help us to hear it and see it the way You want us to and help us to internalize it and live it out. Speak to us as we open Your Word we ask in Jesus' name.

Amen. Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees Jesus says, you will in no way enter the kingdom of heaven. I remember when I first read those words as a brand new Christian I thought, what on earth? How could my righteousness ever exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees? You see the scribes were men who had dedicated themselves to the study of the law of God.

They would carefully go over it, interpret it, copy it into manuscript form. And then the Pharisees they were a select group never numbering more than 6,000. And they spent their time going over the law, debating the law, quoting this or that rabbi to make their point.

And Jesus comes along and says, unless your righteousness exceeds theirs you will in no way enter the kingdom of heaven. Now first of all Jesus was setting Himself apart from all the rest. Because normally when a debate would ensue a rabbi would be quoted. Well you know Rabbi Gamaliel says thus and so.

Oh well wait a second. Rabbi so and so has a different view. Well there is this other rabbi. Jesus says, you have heard it said before but I say unto you.

Jesus was not recognized by any rabbinical school. He did not need the authority of another teacher to support Him. He was the authority. And He spoke in that manner. He says, I have not come to do away with the law but to fulfill it.

The word fulfill means to carry it out, to make it full, to get to the heart of it. Everything that the law was pointing to was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. All the Old Testament types laid out in Leviticus and Numbers were fulfilled in Him. He was the Passover Lamb. He was the burnt offering. He was the scapegoat.

He was now going to fulfill everything that the law was pointing to. But ironically they accused Him of breaking Sabbath day because He dared to help a person in need on that particular day. And that is because they had completely twisted and perverted what the Bible was saying on these topics. And Jesus was getting to the heart of the matter. So when He says that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees here is what He means. Their righteousness was based on their works. Their righteousness was not real. Theirs was a self-righteousness.

No He says that is not enough. You need real righteousness. And that is given to you when you put your faith in Christ. It is called imputed righteousness that is placed into your spiritual bank account as a result of you being justified by faith through your belief in Jesus. So He says, I am getting to the heart of the matter now.

This is the bottom line. And your righteousness needs to exceed theirs. And now He lays out what that actually means here in the Sermon on the Mount.

He deals with a lot of important topics helping us to form our world view. Topics like hatred and sexual sin and marriage and divorce and speaking the truth and retaliation and loving others. The Sermon on the Mount is not about giving the bare minimum but the maximum you can give as a Christian. To borrow Jesus' own words it is about going the extra mile. Taking it to the next level and being a radical sold out follower of Jesus Christ.

Listen. The Sermon on the Mount is heavy duty stuff for hardcore Christians. The spiritual light weights need not apply.

If you are a fair weather follower you are going to be blown away by what we are going to talk about today. If you are not really interested in living as a Christian this is going to be stuff that you will say, I can't do this. But if you want to be a real follower of Jesus this is what He has laid out for each of us to do. Again this is for believers only.

So let's read some more words. Matthew 5 verse 21. You have heard that it has been said of those of old, you shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of judgment. But I say unto you, whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. Whoever says to his brother Rocca shall be in danger of the council, but whoever says you fool will be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar and therefore remember your brother is something against you leave your gift there before the altar and go your way. And first be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift.

Agree with your adversary quickly while you are on the way with him lest your adversary deliver you to the judge and the judge hand you over to the officer and you will be thrown into prison. Assuredly I say unto you, you will by no means get out of there until you have paid the last penny. You have heard that it has been said of those of old, you shall not commit adultery. But I say unto you, whoever looks on a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your right eye causes you to sin we will pluck it out and cast it from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin we will cut it off and cast it from you.

For it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Wow. Now what does this all mean? I have no idea. God bless.

No. Jesus is getting to the heart of the matter as I said. The Sermon on the Mount is about the heart. The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. And here is what He is saying.

It has to be more than just external pressure. In other words let me ask you this. Why don't you go and steal something that you really want? Why don't you go ahead and kill that person that bothers you? Why don't you commit adultery?

Well sometimes if we are honest we would say because I don't want to face the repercussions. I don't want to be arrested for stealing. I don't want to go to prison for killing. I don't want that on my conscience. And I am afraid if I commit adultery I will get caught.

Ok. Well then let me ask you a follow up question. If a set of circumstances were to arise where you thought you could steal that something and get away with it would you then do it? Or if you thought you could get away with adultery would you go ahead and commit it? If your answer would be yes and we have a problem because really that means in your heart you still want to do these things. Our heart needs to change. And though there is a place for those external reasons we must have a change of heart where we won't want to do those things anymore. So instead of just dealing with hatred Jesus gets back and nips it at the body and says, let's talk about anger.

Let's talk about what is really going on deep inside of you. Verse 22. If you are angry with your brother without a cause you will be in danger of judgment. How many of you have ever been angry with your brother or your sister?

Get your hands up. All of us have. We all have been angry. The Bible is not saying you can never be angry. There is even a place for righteous indignation. But more to the point there are times when we are angry with one another.

You know kids get upset with their parents. And parents with their kids. And husbands with wives. And wives with husbands. And friends with friends.

And Christian brothers with Christian brothers. This happens. We get angry. Sometimes we say things we should not say. And we find ourselves apologizing for it.

This is normal day-to-day living. This is not what Jesus is dealing with. Someone who has a little bit of anger here and there. This is talking about a person who has become bitter. Who is developing a grudge.

Who is nursing and feeding it. The word that He uses here for angry could be translated a settled anger. Malice that is nursed inwardly.

You know what I have discovered. Some people like to fight. It is not even what they are fighting about. They just like to scrap. They like to mix it up. They like to debate. They like to argue. They always have to have their opponent. The person that they are upset with.

And the reason you know this is as soon as one issue is resolved another one takes its place. They just like to be in some kind of confrontation in some way, shape, or form. Jesus is talking about a person like that. A person that is nursing bitterness.

A person that is actually allowing the anger to grow. Where does this anger and hatred start? Sometimes it starts with envy. I think it was Shakespeare that called envy the green-eyed monster. And you remember that the first homicide that was ever committed was done by Cain toward his brother Abel. Why? Because his brother's sacrifice was accepted and his was not.

He was envious. Well how come his sacrifice is accepted and mine isn't. And that is how it often starts. You know one person gets that promotion. One person gets something you want. One person has something you don't have. And envy begins to develop. And envy turns to anger. And anger turns to bitterness. And bitterness turns to hatred. And effectively you are murdering that person in your heart because you are spreading lies about them and you are slandering them.

And that is what your whole life becomes about. So Jesus says, don't let this happen. It should not be true of a child of God. 1 John 3.15 says, everyone who hates his brother is a murderer. Notice it does not say they are like a murderer. It says they are one.

That is how severe it is. 1 John 2.9 says, he that says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness. Don't tell me you love God and you hate your brother.

If you hate your brother you hate your sister. If your heart is filled with this deep malice. The Bible is saying you are not really a Christian.

So we need to ask God to change our heart if this is the way we feel toward others. Now the Lord tells us in verse 22, if you say to your brother Rocca you will be in danger of the counseling. Rocca.

What is that? Well it is hard for us to understand what this phrase means because there is no modern equivalent in the English language today. A literal definition of Rocca means a brainless idiot. An empty head.

A bonehead. I think it is not so much about the word. It is about the attitude. This is speaking of a superiority over another person. It is the phrase that comes from an arrogant contempt. So if you say to your brother you are worthless or you say you fool which means you are a godless person both of these ideas convey the attitude of someone that sees himself above someone else and Jesus is dealing with that. Now he shifts gears and he talks about lust in verse 27.

You have heard it said of those of old. You should not commit adultery. But I say whoever looks on a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Now look. That doesn't mean if you see a pretty girl or a good looking guy as you are not seeing right now but we will probably see later outside of church. But it doesn't mean that you notice someone is attractive. You say, well there is a pretty girl. Oh there is a good looking guy.

That is not what this is talking about. This is talking about seeing that person but then allowing your mind to go to the wrong place. In fact the word that is actually used here to describe this phrase whoever looks on a woman isn't referring to a casual glance. It is referring to the continuous act of looking. Not an incidental or involuntary glance but an intentional and repeated gazing with the express purpose of lusting. This is the idea of a man or even a woman that would put themself in a place where they would look at others to stimulate, feed, and encourage their lust. And Jesus is saying this is like committing adultery.

Now sometimes you don't do this on purpose but you are exposed to something that you wish you had not been exposed to but then you have a choice as to what you are going to do with it. A good example is David the king of Israel who was up in his rooftop patio and he happened to notice a very beautiful woman named Bathsheba bathing herself. And he couldn't have helped noticing her I suppose. And I am not quite sure that Bathsheba did not know that he would have a good view of her and did not put herself in that place. There is a responsibility in her part too. She was culpable. She cooperated with David. She could have refused his advances of course. But David saw her.

So there it was. Now he could have turned away from it but instead he acted on it. You know how the story unfolded. He had her brought up to his chambers. They had sex together. She was pregnant.

And then instead of just coming clean and admitting it he wanted to make it look like her husband was the father of the child. So he called the husband Uriah in from the battle and wanted him to spend the night with his wife. But Uriah wouldn't do that. And ultimately David had Uriah sent to the front lines and he was killed in battle. Effectively had him murdered. And then David married Bathsheba. Thought he covered up his sin. And then of course Nathan blew his cover and confronted him and said, you sinned against God.

And then tragically the child died after it was born. It was just a mess you see. But it all started with a lustful look. And so we need to think about that. That is why Job said, I have made a covenant with my eyes not to look on a woman. But a better translation would be not to look lustfully.

You are going to see women and men but don't look lustfully. You actually sometimes have to literally turn away. Maybe you are walking down the street and approaching you with some gorgeous girl or some great looking guy and your mind is going to the wrong place. Sometimes you need to avert your gaze. Just look away.

Don't look that way. Maybe if you are watching television and something comes on the screen you know it is going to stimulate lust. You need to stop it. And there is a button on your remote control. It is usually red. If you push it images disappear. It is called the power button. Use it. Don't go on your computer and just Google random words and just click whatever sites pop up.

You might have images appearing on your computer screen you wish you had never seen before. Be careful. Guard your thoughts. Guard what you expose yourself to. This is the idea that is being conveyed. Let me add one thing to this.

Not only should men not be looking lustfully at women but women need to think very carefully about the way they present themselves so they don't encourage lust. Don't look at me that way girls. You know what I am talking about. The way you dress. What you wear. What you don't wear. Well what are you talking about?

You know what I am talking about. Well how should I dress? Do I have to wear sack cloth? I don't know. Sack cloth is nice. No.

I am kidding. You can still be stylish. You can still dress in a cool way. But just maybe apply this principle. Act as though Jesus were picking you up and taking you out that night.

Would you feel comfortable wearing what you are wearing? I am going home right now. And it is that thing that says, guys I am going home.

You say, Greg give me a break. Some guys would lust after a tree. This is true. But there is a responsibility in the part of the girl as well. There is a word that we seem to have taken out of our vocabulary.

We need to get back again called modesty. And Christian girls are to apply it. So here is the answer. Look at verse 29. So if your eye causes you to lust gouge it out and throw it away.

So there you go. And if your right hand sins cut it off. Because it is better to lose your arm or your hand or your eye than to not make it into heaven.

Now what does that mean? Well obviously Jesus is not speaking literally. Because if the problem is in the heart what good is gouging out an eye or cutting off a hand? If the right eye were gone the left one could still look lustfully. If the right hand were gone the left one could still carry on sinful acts. Let's understand what He was saying in the culture of the time. In the Jewish culture the right hand represented a person's best skills and most precious faculties. The right eye represented one's best vision.

And the right hand one's best skills. So here is what Jesus is saying. Do whatever is necessary to keep yourself from falling into sin. And sometimes you have to take drastic measures. Maybe you are in a relationship right now and you have allowed it to become sexual and it is dragging you down. You need to probably just cut that relationship off right now.

It needs to be a serious step. Maybe you have a problem with Internet pornography. Well you know what. At the very least put a filter on your computer.

But maybe you need to just stink and unplug the computer and stop going online. I am not saying for every woman. I am saying for some people if this is a weakness and a vulnerability you may have to take extra steps in the right direction. Do whatever it takes to walk right before God. That is the idea of gouging out an eye or cutting off an arm. Hebrews 12 says, "'Let us lay aside the sin and the weight that so easily besets us.'

Excuse me. "'Let us lay aside the weight and the sin that so easily besets you.'" And the weight varies from person to person. What may be a weight for one may not necessarily be a weight for another.

What brings one person down doesn't necessarily bring another person down. So we each have to make these decisions before God. Now having established this let's read some of the hardest statements Jesus ever made.

These may be easy for you but they are not easy for me. Verse 38. You have heard that it has been said. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you not to resist an evil person. Whoever slaps you on the right cheek turn to him the other also.

If someone wants to sue you and take away your tunic let him have your cloak as well. Whoever compels you to go one mile go with him too. Give to him who asks you and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. You have heard that it has been said you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say unto you love your enemies. Bless those that curse you. Do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Needless to say these are high standards. Turning the other cheek. Going the extra mile. Loving your enemies.

Now here is the question. Are these standards by which we govern society? And if so how can we justify having military and police? The 19th century Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy wrote a book entitled What I Believe. And once he gives the conclusions that he came to after reading and rereading the Sermon on the Mount Tolstoy said, and I quote, "'Christ forbids the human institution of any court because they resist evil and even return evil for evil.'" Tolstoy also believed that criminals love good and hate evil as we do. And he did not think that a Christian should be involved in the army or the police force or the courts of law. One man who was dramatically influenced by Tolstoy's teachings was Gandhi. Gandhi believed by practicing these teachings you could bring about a perfect state where punishment would end and prisons would be turned into schools.

Sounds good. But it is wrong. What? The teachings of Jesus. No. Their interpretation of them.

The Sermon on the Mount was not given as a set of principles by which we govern our society. So if somebody means harm toward another the police officer is supposed to turn the other cheek. If we are attacked by a foreign power who wants to destroy us we are supposed to just go the extra mile.

No. There is a place for self-defense. There is a place for standing your ground. The biblical teaching of the Sermon on the Mount was given by Jesus for believers to live by. But if you want to know how a society should be governed that is done in verse 38. You have heard that it has been said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. In Exodus 21 it continues on and it says, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, bruise for bruise, wound for wound.

A modern equivalent would be tit for tat. This was the Hebrew civic justice system. Its purpose according to Deuteronomy 19.20 was so that the rest will hear and be afraid and never again do such an evil thing among you. This was never carried out by the victim but by the legal system. It was a merciful law because it limited the judgment.

It matched the punishment to the offense. God has established government. He has established military. And He has even established the use of force when necessary. Because Romans 13 says, obey the government for it is God who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God so those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God and punishment will follow. For the authorities do not frighten people who are doing right but they frighten those who are doing wrong.

So do what they say and you will get along well. Then speaking of the soldier, or in our case the police officer as well, the Bible says he is God's servant doing good. And he does not bear the sword for nothing.

He is God's servant. An agent of wrath to bring punishment for the wrong doer. Now what is a sword used for? It is used to usually kill a person.

A modern equivalent perhaps would be a gun. God delegates vengeance or the enforcing of justice to the government. Otherwise evil people will dominate. And so according to Scripture government, law, enforcement, and military all have their place.

A God ordained place. In fact the Bible even uses a soldier as a model of what a Christian ought to be. Paul spent a lot of time around Roman soldiers and he analyzed their gear. We were in Rome after we went to Israel and I saw this little store that sold recreations of Roman armor.

And I was fascinated by it and was looking at various pieces. And these were actual reproductions of what it would have been like. They went back to the original drawings and designs. So they had the breastplate that you put on. They had a leather one. And then they had one made out of brass that was very heavy.

And they had the helmet, which of course I had to put on my head and try out. And then the sword you know. And the big large shield that the Roman soldier would carry and so forth.

And it was fascinating to study that armor. Paul spent a lot of time doing so because in Ephesians 6 he talks about putting on the armor of God. You know the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of righteousness and the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit and so forth. But my point is that God would never have chosen a dishonorable profession as an illustration for a Christian. He used the idea of the military to show how we should follow Jesus. Because 2 Timothy 2, three and four it says, endorse sufferings a good soldier of Jesus Christ. And as Christ's soldier don't be tied up again in the affairs of this life for then he cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army. See I bring this up because some would say the Bible teaches pacifism. Jesus was the ultimate pacifist. Jesus was the first hippie. Right. Peace and love man. No.

Actually that is not true at all. Jesus administered justice when He drove those money changers out of the temple with a whip and overturned their table. He told His disciples of coming dangerous days where they may need swords. And Peter mentioned that they already had two swords. Now why would they carry swords? For shish kebab later. No. For self-defense.

So this is important. God has established human government to administer justice. It is acceptable for a Christian to defend themselves and to exercise their rights. Even the apostle Paul when he was falsely charged and beaten he exercised his rights as a Roman citizen. The Bible is not saying that the Christian is supposed to be some kind of a doormat.

Now having established what this doesn't mean let's talk about what it does mean. This is the advice of Jesus for a specific situation in which a believer is being persecuted. These are not mechanical rules but principles for meeting the personal wrongs that come to those that follow Him. There are times for the sake of the kingdom and for the salvation of a soul will take the hit. Will turn the other cheek.

Will go the extra mile. The idea is do what you can to reach a person with the gospel. Paul said in Romans 12 19, "'Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Never take your own revenge. Leave room for the wrath of God for it is written, I will repay vengeance is mine says the Lord.'"

So the idea here is that we are doing what we can to influence a person. Jesus actually uses the example of turning the other cheek in verse 39. Now let's understand this is not so much about someone just coming up and punching you in the face. This is more the idea of an insult that is offered.

Because back in these days to be slapped in the face was a deliberate insult. A demeaning and contemptuous act. So someone comes up and they do something to offend you.

A modern equivalent. I don't know what it would be. Maybe the spit in someone's face. It doesn't physically hurt a person but it is insulting. And actually it can really anger you. It might be using certain words.

You know what. They say this to you or something else about someone you love. Or sometimes it is a gesture. You see these gestures on the road quite frequently.

I won't say what they are but they have something to do with birds. And we will leave it at that. And people are so quick to do this. They will cut you off and then do the gesture to you.

Like what was that all about? And when that happens you want to do it back. Or even worse no. Jesus is saying, don't do that. Now is this an easy one to live by? Absolutely.

Not. It is very hard. Even the great apostle Paul struggled with it. At one point order was given to hit him in the face. And he turned back and said to the high priest, got to smite you you whitewashed wall. Someone said, you speak that way to the high priest. Oh I didn't know he was a high priest.

Sorry. I think Paul being a member of the Sanhedrin knew who the high priest was. I think Paul struggled with this like anyone else does. But here is the point.

Even if you struggle with it the objective is to try to win a person to Christ. Verse 40. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic let them have your coat. The tunic was an undergarment.

Everyone would have one. The cloak was the outer garment that served as a blanket at night. It was indispensable for living in Israel especially in the cold evenings. Jesus is saying, go further than they ask. Don't just give them your tunic. Give them your cloak.

Go the extra mile. See back in those days a Roman soldier had the right to ask any citizen to carry his armor for a Roman mile. A Roman mile was a little bit shorter than our mile. And I already mentioned that armor I was looking at. And one thing I noticed was how heavy it was. The breastplate was really heavy as was the helmet.

As was the shield. And so a Roman soldier would see someone and say, here carry my armor. You have to do it. So Jesus says, you know what? If they ask you to carry their armor take it for the Roman mile then go an extra mile. Normally people say, take your armor. It is so heavy. I will go an extra mile.

By the way let me tell you about my faith. Kind of the idea of a captive audience. Go the extra mile. So you can do that at work. Instead of giving the bare minimum give more. Sometimes your co-workers will get mad at you frankly. They don't work so hard.

You are making us look bad. But you see you understand that your boss is not your employer. It is the Lord. So you do it for the glory of God. Go the extra mile. Go a little bit further than that which is required. Do it for the sake of the gospel.

To win the hearing of the person that you are trying to reach. Try to turn your enemies into friends. And know this. If you are a follower of Jesus you are going to have enemies.

Why? Because darkness doesn't like light. Jesus said in John 15, "'If the world hates you, no it hated Me before it hated you. If you are of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. But no we are told to love our enemies.'"

Verse 44. "'Bless those that curse us. Do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who spitefully use and persecute us.

Don't strike out. Don't give tit for tat. But love them in a positive way.'" Abraham Lincoln said, quote, "'The best way to destroy an enemy is to make them a friend.'"

End quote. Do you have some enemies right now? Try to win them over. Not just as a friend but as a follower of Jesus Christ. This attitude blows people's minds when they see a Christian willing to forgive. A Christian willing to turn the other cheek.

A Christian willing to go the extra mile. It was the attitude that Abraham had toward his nephew Lot when he offered him the best land. It was the attitude that David had when he did not strike back at King Saul though he was trying to take his life. It was the attitude that Joseph had when he extended forgiveness to his brothers who had meant him dead.

And it was the attitude that young Stephen had when he prayed for those that were stoning him saying, Lord don't lay the sin to their charge. Maybe as we have talked about some of these things you have realized that you are guilty of some of the things Jesus has addressed. Maybe you are harboring hatred in your heart toward someone right now. Maybe you are feeding lust and it is getting worse.

It is like a wildfire taking you over. Well we need God's help to live by these principles. No one can do this on their own. And who is a greater example of what Jesus taught than Jesus Himself? Everything Jesus told us to do He practiced. He told us to turn the other cheek.

He literally did that when they ripped the beard from His face. He told us to go the extra mile. He literally did that when He carried His cross through the streets of Jerusalem. He told us to love our enemies. And He literally did that when His first words from Calvary were, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Those words were so radical, so unexpected that they produced the conversion of a man who was crucified next to Him. A hardened criminal who had seen it all.

Done it all. And yet when He heard Jesus forgive the ones who had treated Him this way He believed on the spot and said, Lord remember me when You come into Your kingdom. And Jesus said, Today I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.

Yes. Jesus forgives. And maybe some of us need His forgiveness today. If we have broken some of these commandments, these principles given to us in this sermon this is the time to say, Lord forgive me for that and help me to live as Your child in a way that honors and glorifies You. Maybe some of you hearing these things would realize I am not a Christian at all. Because I do have hatred toward people. Or I have been a fair weather follower. I am a person that follows Him only when it is convenient.

I haven't really gone to that next level of total commitment. As we close now in prayer I am going to give you an opportunity to make a first time commitment or a recommitment to Jesus Christ. Let's all pray. Lord we would admit to You that we fall short of Your standards. We would acknowledge Lord that we have sinned against You. But we also would thankfully acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and paid the price for every wrong that has ever been done. And I pray for any person here Lord that does not yet know You.

Help them to see their need for You. And help them to come to You now we would pray. But our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying. Maybe God has spoken to your heart today and you have realized that you are not really a Christian. You don't really have Christ living inside of you.

But you want to be one. You want to change. You want to be forgiven of your sin. You want to know God in a personal way.

You want to go to heaven when you die. If you have never asked Jesus to come into your life pray this. Lord Jesus I know I am a sinner. I have broken Your commandments.

I have fallen short of Your standards. But You went to the cross and died for my sin and You rose again from the dead. I turn now from my sin. I put my faith in You. I choose to follow You Jesus from this moment forward. I want to be Your disciple and Your child and Your friend. Thank You for calling me and forgiving me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.