Chestnut Ridge Church
The Greatest explores what really matters to Jesus – love – and it will answer questions such as: Why does love matter so much? What does it mean to love? How can we grow in our capacity to love? Together, let's learn what it really means to love well.
Music from today
The Lion and The Lamb, Overcome, This I Believe, Death Was Arrested
The Greatest - Part 5 [May 21, 2017] Tim Haring
Love Your Enemies—love means overcoming evil with good.
Matthew 5:43-48 HCSB
“The ancient Babylonian text Counsels of Wisdom…advises: ‘Do not return evil to the man who disputes with you; requite with kindness your evil- doer… smile on your adversary.’”
-Dr. John Nolland
“The Egyptian wisdom text Instruction of Amenemopet advises: ‘So steer that we may be able to bring the wicked man across.…Fill his belly with bread of thine, so that he may be sated and may be ashamed.’”[1]
[1] Nolland John. (2005). Preface. In The Gospel of Matthew: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 265). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
The best option is to take ‘enemy’ in a quite general sense at the individual and personal level, and to think in terms of how one should orient oneself to someone who is hostile.[1] - Nolland
[1] Nolland John. (2005). Preface. In The Gospel of Matthew: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 264). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
Leviticus 19:18 HCSB
Matthew 5:43-48 HCSB
We are not to treat people the way they mistreat us.
WHY?
We have an opportunity to prove we are children of God.
That we are, indeed, sons of God will become a settled fact when our likeness to our Father in loving our enemies as he loves his furnishes the open evidence.[1]
[1] Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (p. 248). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House.
The meaning is, “that you may show yourselves to be such by resembling Him.”[1] - Jamieson
[1] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 24). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
WHY?
We have an opportunity to prove we are children of God.
We have an opportunity to receive a 'reward' from God.
Matthew 5:46 HCSB
Matthew 6:1 HCSB
Matthew 6:3-4 HCSB
We are not to treat people the way they mistreat us.
WHY?
We have an opportunity to prove we are children of God.
We have an opportunity to receive a 'reward' from God.
We have an opportunity to do something extraordinary.
Matthew 5:47 HCSB
Matthew 5:47-48 MSG
We are not to treat people the way they mistreat us.
WHY?
We have an opportunity to prove we are children of God.
We have an opportunity to receive a 'reward' from God.
We have an opportunity to do something extraordinary.