Shocking Advice to the Selfish and Strong-Willed, Part 2

What does Jesus expect from His followers? Go beyond what is expected or demanded. That's all part of being salt and light.

Let me tell you something, when you do that you will stand out like nobody's business. When you are this kind of salt and that kind of light, what a difference you make in a world that's selfish. When Jesus delivered His Sermon on the Mount, listeners were surprised by His shocking, counter-intuitive teachings. For instance, Jesus told victims of insulting behavior to, quote, turn the other cheek. And He advised those who were violated by their enemies to love them rather than retaliate. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll helps us understand the implications of the Jesus commands. This is especially relevant in a culture where meekness is seen as weakness.

Our text is Matthew 5, beginning at verse 38. Chuck titled today's message, Shocking Advice to the Selfish and Strong Will. Today is an object lesson. This is our one opportunity to do it right. And I know you realize and want that. Let's pray that we'll do it well. That our influence will be marked by balance, truthfulness, encouragement, affirmation. Remember we often ask you to give us men for this country. Give us women who will stand tall and strong.

But you don't give us men and women. You give us children, little boys and little girls who grow up to be the men and women we need. Remind each one of us, even those today without children, remind each one of us of the value of the adult role in the life of children.

And send a message that's honest, that's worth following. Oh Lord, we struggle with our old nature and all the things that flare up within us when we get irritated and short. We pray you'd give the children the ability to forgive us and bring us to the place where we can model for them an authentic life that they may never forget. And then we release them to you as they are released from our home. To go into the world that you've designed for them.

Their years in further schooling, perhaps in a business, perhaps in the military, perhaps even to live abroad away from our touch and our shadow. We do such a job of that, that it has impacted them for life. May they be better men and women as a result of our being better guides, guardians, parents, grandparents. Give our money today, our Father, because we trust you to use these funds through our releasing them with integrity, carefully scrutinizing all expenditures. Give us a trustworthiness behind the scenes when no one is watching in how we handle the funds that are entrusted to this church.

May even that be marked by unquestioned integrity. We ask these things and we give these gifts in the name of the Lord Jesus, who has given us these children to rear, to guide, to love, even Jesus himself. In his name we pray, everyone said, amen. You're listening to Insight for Living. To study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll, be sure to download his Searching the Scriptures studies by going to insightworld.org slash studies. And now Chuck's message titled, Shocking Advice to the Selfish and Strong-Willed. These words in Matthew 5, 38 to 48, in my opinion, are the most challenging words that appear in all the sermon. This is tough information to hear and to heed. There's not a person listening to me right now who, if your heart is really open to the truth, does not feel conviction. When you read of what Jesus says and how we have fallen short of this again and again. This is not advice to help us become a nation of pacifists. This is not telling us what to do when we're attacked by those who would take our freedom from us. Remember that or you will misapply, as many have, the teachings of Jesus.

Please remember the disclaimer. See if I can bring it all into balance as we deal with two different groups. You see them both named in these verses. Your Bible is open to Matthew 5, look at verse 39. I say to you, do not resist an evil person.

I've underlined that in red. Verses 38 to 42 are dealing with an evil individual. The disclaimer notwithstanding, we are dealing often with people who have evil motives, who would hurt us, who would do us wrong. That's verses 38 to 42. When you get to 43 down through 47, notice the last word in verse 43, your enemy.

I've marked that in red. And in verse 44, pray for those, he says, I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, the enemy. So we have enemies mentioned in 43 to 47. We have the evil person mentioned in 38 to 42. So with evil people in the context, let's see what Jesus teaches. And I suggest there are four segments in these verses, 38 through 42. First, he's telling believers who wish to operate under the power of Christ in a lost world, release your right to personal dignity and respect. Release your right to personal dignity and respect.

Leave it up. Look at verse 38 with verse 39. You have heard it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Now Jesus describes the spirit of the law. But I say to you, do not resist an evil person, whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. The old expression turn the other cheek comes from that 39th verse.

What does it mean? In the days of Jesus being slapped on the cheek was an insult. Later in days that passed, sometime a person would put a glove off and with the glove slap you across the face.

That would come on into our own times. It's the whole idea of being insulted. Where ugly things are said to you, often to your face. Now what do you do? Do you retaliate?

If you're operating under the power of the spirit, no, you don't answer back. Charles Spurgeon taught, we are to be the anvil when bad men are the hammers. Let me take that a step further. We're to take the insult. Let it glance off of us. Overlook it, ignore it, look past it. You turn the other cheek when you refuse to take it personally, when you refuse to retaliate.

Remember my disclaimer, we're not referring to national defense, we're not referring to criminal acts done against us or attempted against us. We're dealing with individuals who insult us. In response to Spurgeon's example of being the anvil, that's one thing.

Being a person's doormat is another. Be assured, and hear me well in this, nowhere in Old or New Testament is anyone instructed to be submissive to a rape. Nowhere in the Scriptures are we to be silent victims of sexual or physical abuse. We are not to be helpless pawns in the hands of brutal terrorists or murderers or psychopaths. You can take this to such an extreme that you can make evil out of anything. Martin Luther described a pacifist in his day as, quote, the crazy saint who let lice nibble at his scalp and refused to kill any of them on account of this text saying he should not resist evil.

Please. If you have lice, find a way to resist them. And don't sit next to me. If you have roaches and spiders, attack them.

Hire a company that does that. If you have rats, poison those suckers. Get rid of them. Don't think that Matthew 5 is teaching to let all the rats run free. I heard about a guy that bought an island that wouldn't even kill the mosquitoes because he doesn't want to cause anyone, anything harm. Really? Somebody breaking into your home?

Don't sit back and think that Matthew 5 applies to that. Some time ago our family was being threatened and we felt the need to get advice from the police force of our city. And we made a call and two very fine plainclothes gentlemen arrived and showed us their badge and they came in and we told them what was happening. We told them the things we noticed that were making us uneasy.

This was a previous experience where I'd received some pretty frightening mail anonymously sent. Anyway, we described this and they were very careful. Do you have an alarm? Yes, we do. Do you set it? Yes, we do. Do you set it every time you're gone? Yes, we do. Do you set it every night? Yes, we do.

Good. Do you have a gun? Yes, I do. Do you have it nearby? Well, I have it on the top shelf in the closet in a pulled up package zipped up. Oh, really? You don't have it by your bed? No. I said, you want me to put a round in the chamber?

He said, well, let me put it this way. If someone breaks in, alarm and all, and they're going to hurt your wife or your children or your grandchildren, you're not going to want to get out of bed, go to the closet, open the door, reach up, unzip the package, find the bullets, put it in the chamber, and then go. By then, they've killed someone. I've never heard this congregation so quiet.

That's good. Because you seldom hear sermons like this. Because you will often hear a twisting of Jesus' teaching.

We're all to be pacifists, and no matter what, the Lord will take care of us all. Really, does the Lord put gas in your car? Did the Lord dress you this morning? Does the Lord fill out your income tax?

You say, absolutely not. He has nothing to do with that. Does the Lord discipline your children? Well, in some ways, but as a parent, does he do your job? He can't. That's your job. Oh, he'll do it later, and it'll hurt a lot more, and that'll be tragic.

Because then they will not know what being disciplined was about. You see, every great text of scripture can be twisted. Think. Think. Put your thinking cap on when you read the Bible. Don't toss out common sense. Jesus is the greatest teacher of common sense. What else is wisdom?

He says, if you need it, ask of me and I'll give it to you. But, let's face it. I've experienced it, and you've experienced it. We've been insulted. We've had the ugliest things said to us, often to our face. The best way I've learned from Jesus in handling it is to stay quiet. And I'll tell you, that's not easy to do.

I have a very creative old nature, and I can come up with some real insults to give back. Churchill was the best. He didn't have much love lost for Lady Astor. She got in the elevator one evening and she looked at him. They'd both been to the same ball, and she said to him, Sir Winston, you are drunk. And he said, my lady, you are ugly tomorrow. I'll be sober. Now that's an insult following an insult. That doesn't help heal the relationship. How much better to say, you're right, I'm drunk.

And it ought to be a shade to myself. You're right. And by the way, when you ignore insults, you often miss a truth that's hidden within them. If you're so busy defending yourself, you won't learn from those who even have evil motives when they talk to you.

Jesus is so wise. Don't insult back. Release your right to be respected. You're not going to be respected by the majority.

I don't care what your work is or how pure your motive may be. Some will find fault. So Jesus helps us know how to deal with those kind of people.

Here's a second. Release your right to cling to personal comforts. That's in verse 40. Anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Stop. This is not courtroom counsel. This is not saying to all people who are lawyers, get out of that profession. This is not saying all lawsuits are wrong. 1 Corinthians 6 addresses lawsuits. You can read that for another context, and you should.

These are instructions to individual followers of Jesus regarding releasing our individual rights. Here's a guy who's fairly well off. He's not only got an under tunic, he has a coat.

And he's around someone who really could use warmth. Don't cling to everything you have. Be willing to release it.

That's what he has in mind. Here's a third, verse 41. Release your right to your own private schedule and lifestyle.

What does 41 say? Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him too. Now who would force you to go a mile? In the first century, there were Roman soldiers. They were an authority over all the Jews because they ruled over what they called Palestine.

We know it as Israel. And they would say often to a citizen, carry that load, carry my pack. The citizen could answer back in an ugly way and pay a price for that. Jesus said, no, carry it. He says, go a mile, go two miles. This is where we get the idea of an extra mile. Go the extra mile. Demonstrate an attitude of willingness. Don't be so tight with your own plans and schedule.

Can I apply it a little broader? Stop being a clock watcher at work. You don't have to leave just because it's quitting time. They may need you there a little longer. Be willing to do that.

Go the extra mile. Or you maybe should get back from watch a little earlier because there's a stack of work that needs to be taken care of. Come back earlier. You don't have to be there the full hour. Give up that right.

Don't worry about draining every second of your time because it's your lunch break. Go beyond what is expected or demanded. That's all part of being salt and light. Let me tell you something. When you do that, you will stand out like nobody's business.

You'll have very little problem with being promoted. A boss may be tough, but he's not blind. He sees diligence. Many of our professions, and mine is one, we don't punch a clock. We're just expected to do our work when nobody's around. Most of my work is when no one is present. I'm responsible to do it to the maximum. I'm to be diligent in it, passionate about it. I'm not to remind someone who calls me at 1230 or 1 o'clock in the morning that, you know, I was in bed. My time is not my own.

I'm a shepherd. But it isn't about me. It's about you as well. It's all part of being salt and light. When you are this kind of salt and that kind of light, what a difference you make in a world that's selfish, a world of clock watchers, a world of people who care about their schedule, their rights. Be different, says Jesus. I'll give you the power to be different. There's a fourth.

Look closely. Verse 42. Give to him who asks of you and don't turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. You have something someone else could use and needs?

Do you really need it that badly? Quit guarding every position. I read about a family who had reared their children. They had in their backyard a really great swing set. And they realized one day the neighbor didn't have a swing set. And they said to the neighbor, we'd like for you to have our swing set. We used it for a few years, but we don't need it now.

And even if we did, you need it more. You have even more children than we've had. And the neighbor could hardly believe it.

I wanted to know more about a family that would do that kind of sharing. Now, I can just hear some of you cynics thinking, they'll take advantage of you. You know the answer?

You're right. There are a number of books with my name in it on somebody else's shelf right now. You know how I live with that? Other people's books with their names in it are on my shelf that I forgot to give back. We borrow and we forget to give back. Don't let that deter you from loaning, from releasing.

Don't let that make you bitter because you've been ripped off a few times. Cynthia tells a wonderful story. It might embarrass her to have me tell you this, but her mother made earrings, beautiful sets of earrings from little shells and other things. She had whole sets of them. Cynthia had a lady at work where she was working that needed a place to stay. And she asked her if she'd like to come home with her. I was away in the military and she was staying with her folks. And so this lady said, sure, I'd be glad to.

And they woke up the next morning and the lady was gone and so were most of the earrings. But the wonderful thing about it is I don't think I've ever known anyone more generous than my own wife. It didn't make her bitter. I think she learned a lesson about bringing people home and letting them stay there. But at the same time, we've had unwed mothers live in our home. Some of the best things we ever did were for unwed mothers. How helpful to share a family, and our children were little.

They grew up with them. It's just part of being salt and light. Well, there's much more from this illustration Chuck Swindoll wants to tell you, so please keep listening. He titled today's message, Shocking Advice to the Selfish and Strong-Willed. You're listening to Insight for Living. And if you'd like to learn more about this ministry or these messages, please visit us online at insightworld.org. Well, as Chuck included today's message with a personal illustration about Cynthia, it's fitting to call your attention to a wonderful message presented by Chuck and his wife on a similar theme. It's contained on a CD, or it's available as an MP3, called Finding Healing Through Forgiveness. In this message, Chuck exposes the barriers that often get in our way and keep us from giving and receiving forgiveness. And his message is followed by an emotion-filled testimony from Cynthia, in which she openly describes her pursuit of a broken relationship. In this rare moment of public speaking, Cynthia explains how forgiving according to God's plan ultimately restored her extended family. To purchase a copy of the CD or MP3 titled Finding Healing Through Forgiveness, call us. If you're listening in the U.S., dial 1-800-772-8888.

Or it might be quicker if you go directly to insight.org slash store. And then as God leads you, please remember the influence of your donation to Insight for Living. Our website and our email inbox are filled with affirming notes from grateful listeners.

They often describe God's faithfulness as they learn to activate the power of God's word. People from all walks of life are benefiting from the gifts you send. We hear from school teachers and church leaders, even incarcerated folks who find solace in this program as part of their recovery. So thank you for your donation. The chunk delivers the sermons. Our staff puts together this program.

But it's people like you who give flight to Insight for Living. To give a donation right now, call us. If you're listening in the U.S., dial 1-800-772-8888. You can also give online at insight.org. Join us again Monday when Chuck Swindoll continues Shocking Advice to the Selfish and Strong Will.

Tune in for Insight for Living. The preceding message, Shocking Advice to the Selfish and Strong Will, was copyrighted in 2015 and 2021. And the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.