An Eye for an Eye: What does True Righteousness Look Like?

Thank you, everyone who led here in singing.

What a joy to be here today singing praises to King Jesus.

It's such a joy for my wife and I, Carol's right here in the first seat, to be here with

you all this morning.

And just a quick introduction.

We're both from Brazil, Belo Horizonte is the name of our city.

My father, about 15 years ago, he started a ministry called Escali, which aims at equipping,

training lay Christian leaders and pastors in Brazil.

And that's what we feel called to continue doing.

That's why we're here having our education at Trinity.

I know Dr. Tully is not here today, so I feel a little bit more off-campus.

And it's a great privilege to be here with you all today.

And I would like to invite you all to open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 5, Matthew chapter

Matthew 5 · chapter mention Matthew 5 · chapter mention

5 and verses 38 to 42.

I'll ask you to please leave it open there for a second.

And I just want to situate us on where this text is located.

You know, chapters 5 to 7 of Matthew are a collection of the Sermon on the Mount, which is Jesus' most famous teachings.

But however famous it is, there's also lots of confusion about what it means and how we should relate to it.

It doesn't take a long time for anyone who's reading through these chapters to see that the Sermon on the Mount paints a picture of a way of life,

which is totally upside down to us.

The meek inherit the earth.

The persecuted rejoice.

The enemies are loved.

This is not at all how the world around us operates.

It's foreign to us both conceptually, like how could I even begin to think about living life this way?

And practically, how can I begin to take steps towards this?

But this is what God's kingdom is like.

It is what true righteousness looks like and what men and women were ultimately made for.

And it is what a blessed life looks like.

And as we read Jesus' words and meditate on them, we're deeply confronted with truths that go against every inclination of our bodies.

There's a disconnect between the way of life in God's kingdom and what we often desire.

Isn't there?

I know that's how I feel sometimes.

And if you've never been confronted or convicted by the teachings of Jesus, you really need to evaluate if you're being honest to your life or to the text in front of you.

So what is the point of the Sermon on the Mount?

Is it just Jesus' way of frustrating us with things that we can't ever do?

Or is it actually a way that we can live our lives?

So I believe we can summarize what the Sermon on the Mount is with three statements.

First, it is a declaration of what true righteousness in God's kingdom look like.

It's Jesus' big manifesto of what people will look like in this kingdom.

How they will talk to each other.

How they will walk.

How they will interact.

What kind of community it is.

But the Sermon on the Mount is also like a big mirror that makes us look at ourselves and compare our way of living with true righteousness.

Chapter 5, verse 20 says,

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Verse 48,

You, therefore, must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Strong words from Jesus that really makes us sit back and reflect,

How do I compare to the way of life in God's kingdom?

And lastly, the Sermon on the Mount points us to a fulfillment in Jesus.

Matthew 5, 17,

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets.

I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.

And to make the point clearer, the sermon ends with this note,

And when Jesus finished these saints, the crowds were astonished as His teaching,

for He was teaching them as one who had authority and not as the scribes.

So, having this big picture, let us now read this text and how Jesus is accomplishing all that in these few five verses that we're going to read right now.

So, follow along with me.

Matthew 5, verses 38 to 42.

Matthew 5:38–42

Matthew 5, verse 39.

Matthew 5:39

We have all probably heard this text or parts of it several times growing up, right?

And even if we didn't go to church, we know that we're supposed to give the other cheek.

Many of us have used this text to say that in God's kingdom, there is no place for punishment, justice, or violence of any kind.

Others have taught that this text is about nothing more than not giving revenge.

But as we'll go on, we'll see that vengeance and retaliation are only part of the issue.

And Jesus is trying to get to the heart of where these things actually come from.

So, as we go over this text, we'll spend most of our time first trying to gradually understand, with all the examples that Jesus is giving,

what is true righteousness in this text and how we compare to it.

And then, finally, we'll spend the last minutes of this sermon seeing how this text points us to Jesus as the fulfillment of all righteousness

and why that actually is good news for us as God's people.

So, what is true righteousness and how do we compare to it?

Jesus begins this passage by quoting a part of the law that God had given to Israel through His servant Moses.

Verse 38, He says,

You have heard that it was said in the law, an eye for an eye and a two for a two.

Now, I don't know about you, but many times I forget that even though the law of Moses was something pretty far removed in the past,

for us, it was already very ancient even in Jesus' day.

I sometimes have the tendency to think that all the characters in the Bible are just like people living in different villages,

as if Jesus could say,

You know, Moses, when he came with those two big pieces of stone, he told us a good story.

You know how it goes. Here it is.

But that's not at all the case, right?

They live centuries apart.

And just as it is for us, it was also hard for them in Jesus' day to keep fresh in their minds what was the true intent of the law.

That's why in verses 21 to 48 in this chapter 5, Jesus says it several times.

You have heard that it was said this, but I tell you that.

It's not as if Jesus is saying that the law is useless and they're not correct anymore.

He's just trying to address the issues of people's current misunderstandings of the law and to show them what is the true righteousness that it pointed to.

So what's the correct understanding of an eye for an eye and a two for a two?

It sure sounds very violent, to say the least, right?

However, if we go back to the text on the law that addressed this issue, we'll see that far from being something the law was encouraging people to do,

this phrase, which was intentionally easy to remember, was placed as a limit to the extent of punishment a crime should have.

It was a provision in the law, much like the provision of divorce, which became allowed in some cases because of the hardness of people's heart.

And this provision was supposed to restrict vengeance and to limit vindictiveness.

The question was, have you been wronged by someone?

And if so, whoever wronged you will be punished.

And the punishment, it must fit the crime.

You can't put a person in jail for stumbling on your foot,

and we're not going to let someone who robbed your house just go away with a written warning.

Instead, it will be like an eye for an eye and a two for a two.

So, for example, Leviticus 24, 21 says,

Whoever kills a person shall be put to death.

The punishment fits the crime.

Verse 22,

You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the Lord your God.

This was a law for the land of Israel and all of those in it.

It was supposed to be applied not by the person who received the crime, you see,

but by the government officials, by the governors, or sometimes called princes or elders of the people.

And they were supposed to make this judgment based on the evidence of two or three people.

That's what the law said, and it was commonly summarized in an eye for an eye and a two for a two.

Now, fast forward several hundred years,

and how were the people in Jesus' day actually practicing this law?

Instead of limiting it to the court of law,

they were applying this principle without thinking about any intention of justice and righteousness.

They didn't care if there was an investigation or not, witnesses or not.

They just thought of this law as a concession to take vengeance into their own hands.

They thought,

Okay, he got a chicken for me,

so I'll go ahead and grab two from him,

and then three,

and so on and so forth.

Things just piled up without any control

because they didn't care for justice.

Then what does Jesus say

the citizens of God's upside-down kingdom

should do instead?

Beginning of verse 39,

But I say to you,

do not resist the one who is evil.

For him,

when it comes to our relationship with other people,

it's not up to us

to offer the proper retribution to evil.

And please hear me well here.

Jesus was not saying,

forget about all that punishment

and forget about retribution.

People should do just whatever they want

whenever they feel like it.

No,

not a chance.

The law was intended for good.

What Jesus is saying

is that we don't take vengeance

into our own hands.

The governments and authorities

are the ones set up by God to do so.

Romans 13, 4 says that

the human's authority

are the servants of God,

an avenger who carries out

God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

Not us.

Even more than that,

the Bible says that

God is the ultimate retributer.

1 Corinthians 3, 17 says,

If anyone destroys God's temple,

that is our body,

God will destroy him.

Do you see how this language

fits with the goodness of retribution

that the law was actually pointing to?

But when it comes to our daily lives

and our personal interactions,

we should have a certain orientation

about life

that does not seek to repay offenses

and that does not desire

to preserve our honor

and our pride at all costs.

So we got the principle down.

Do not resist the evil person.

But the question then comes,

how does that look like in real life?

And that's why Jesus

wants to make it clear

with four different examples

of how we should apply it.

And as we go along,

we'll get a better understanding

of what Jesus means

by not resisting the evil person.

Because that is only part

of the picture

of what true righteousness is

in this text.

And the examples are set up

in such a way

that we're supposed to look

at each of them

and ask ourselves,

how do I compare to this?

Verse 39 again,

second part of it now.

If anyone slaps you

on the right cheek,

give him the other also.

We tend to think of this

as a physical attack, right?

Slap on the cheek.

But if we read carefully,

he says on the right cheek.

That may not seem like much,

but it means it wasn't

a full right-handed slap,

not a sounding and impactful,

hurtful slap to the face,

but an ironic, humiliating slap

with the back of the hand.

It was the kind of thing

that you would do

to make the person feel

like the scum of the earth.

It was an assault

on the person's honor.

And what does that look like

for us today?

I mean,

a slap on the face

is still pretty humiliating.

But our lives

are filled with things

usually that are

much more subtle

and much more nuanced

that are nevertheless

damaging to our honor.

Sometimes it can be

as obvious as a boss

yelling at us

across the room

for everyone to hear.

Or a joke

that someone tells

to the whole group

about a flaw that you have.

sometimes just a look,

depending on how it's done

and by whom it's done,

can be very humiliating

and hurting

deep down on our pride.

I'm certain that we have

all experienced this

to one degree or another

at some point in life.

And how do we typically respond?

With a strike back

at their honor.

Right?

We don't absorb the blow,

much less give the other cheek.

No, we need to make

things right again.

It almost seems like

a socially accepted idea.

Right?

Think about

a random guy

at the end of his

bar fight story

saying,

I just

didn't let my kid

think I was a loser.

Or

think of the response

of her friends

after a girl says

what was her sarcastic reply

to the inappropriate comment

she heard at work.

Yeah, girl.

You showed him.

has become

socially accepted

and valued.

And unfortunately,

this socially accepted

practice

has infiltrated

many of our own

families.

Our very houses.

Whenever we feel

attacked

by the words

of our spouses

or of our parents,

these are the people

that we know

most intimately.

Right?

We know what

ticks them.

We know what

could hurt them

back.

It's easy

to

vindicate

ourselves

and the family

because we can

hurt them back.

Instead of

doing that,

Jesus tells us

to show

no concern

at all

for the

maintenance

of our honor.

Give the other

cheek.

Give them grace

instead of

any payback

that you're

thinking of

giving

and that

you're

able

to give.

Verse 40.

And if anyone

would sue you

and take your

tunic,

let him have

your cloak

as well.

Now,

the tunic

was someone's

first layer.

In my case,

it's this shirt

underneath.

And the cloak

was the outer layer.

So,

in other words,

he's saying,

if anyone wants

to sue you

for your shirt,

let him have

your coat

also,

or something

like that.

And I want

to emphasize

that he says

if anyone

wants to.

Because if they

actually do

sue you

for your shirt

and win your shirt,

which is not

something common here,

but it was more

back then,

you don't just

give your coat.

But if they're

threatening you

to sue you

for something

small like a shirt

and they're using

that to provoke

you to anger,

then show

that in your heart

you could do

even more than that.

Like your coat,

for example.

we all have

the tendency

of thinking,

are we supposed

to literally

do this?

Right?

And we proceed

to try to draw

a line

of where

good is good enough.

Hey, Jesus,

this is the most

I can do.

But that's not

the point that

Jesus is aiming at.

So,

imagine for a second

that you're preparing

your wedding.

I don't know

how many of you

have gone through that.

My wife and I

went through that.

A couple years ago.

In Brazil,

we usually have

big weddings.

At least compared

to what I've heard

is the common

here in the US.

So,

we really need

to make sure

that we count

exactly how many

people are coming

because otherwise

we'll pay more

for the buffet,

which is the most

expensive part.

Imagine that

you're at the

final stages

of your preparation,

you and your wife.

And one day

you're in the middle

of a random

family gathering

that you're having

and your cousin

turns to your wife

out of the blue

and just says,

so,

since you brought

your little girlfriend

or your little boyfriend

to my birthday party

a couple years ago,

I'll just bring

some of my friends

to your wedding.

That's okay, right?

This is a clear

challenge to you.

Much like the one

who wants to sue

someone else

for their shirt,

the situation

just begs the answer.

What are you going

to say about that?

Your cousin

obviously wants

to see you

and your wife

lose your mind

over this.

Now,

imagine instead

of saying,

no,

what's wrong

with you?

You guys responded

as if this person

didn't just offend

and expose you

in front of

the entire family.

Imagine instead

that you said,

you know what,

cousin,

I know there aren't

going to be too many

people that you know

there and it's

really just our goal

that everyone

has a good time.

So yeah,

definitely bring

as many friends

as you want.

I don't want you

to be feeling

left out.

Now,

I don't know

if Carol and I

would have the composure

to have that kind

of answer

if this actually

happened to us.

But if I were

the imaginary offender

in this case,

the cousin,

I would have no idea

how to respond.

Right?

I would be puzzled

and surprised.

Like,

how can someone

be so loving?

And Paul says

in Romans 12

that this type

of loving response

puts burning coals

on the heads

of our enemies.

They are now

the ones ashamed

and probably convicted

by their own selfishness.

now,

again,

how do we compare

to this kind

of righteousness?

How do we compare

to this kind

of really

it's not a big deal

type of attitude

to the offenses

and threats

against us?

Verse 41,

And if anyone

forces you

to go one mile,

go with him

two miles.

It was a common

practice in the Roman

Empire for soldiers

to ask random

civilians to carry

their military

equipment for them.

Of course,

there was no other

option.

You could only

obey.

But the most

they could ask

for was one mile.

Now,

we don't have to be

experts in the culture

of that time

to know

that the Israelites

didn't like

the Romans

very much.

I mean,

they invaded

their country,

taxed them,

and abused them

in several ways.

So,

you can imagine

how they felt

about these

mile-long heavy lifting.

Now,

how do we deal

with those

who have authority

over us,

especially

when things

seem to go

against us

in a discomforting

way?

Are we more

inclined

to submit

and endure

with patience

and grace,

even if it seems

unfair at the

moment?

Or are we

too concerned

with reclaiming

our rights

to even think

about submitting,

let alone

walking the extra

mile?

Again,

it's not about

making little rules

for every situation

where we can't ever

deviate from them,

but it's a matter

of the heart,

a desire

and posture

of fighting

against

all inclination

that tell us

to fight back

and to hold

our ground

when we feel

attacked by others

in our pride.

And with the

examples we've

seen so far,

we can start

to sketch out

a better understanding

of what true

righteousness is

in this text.

You see,

it's not really

just about

not resisting

the evil person,

as verse 39

seemed to indicate,

but true

righteousness

abandons

sinful impulses

of self-preservation.

What do I mean

by that?

Not only are we

to let go

of vengeance,

but all

sinful,

that is,

all the wrong

impulses

towards

self-preservation.

By implication,

there are

such things

as good

impulses

of self-preservation.

Right?

It's good

for a mother

to protect

her life

and health

so she can

take good care

of her kids,

whether it be

her life

from the attacks

of others

or her health

from fat,

trans fat,

fat trans,

I don't know

how to say that.

You know,

eating well.

It is not good,

however,

for a mother

to yell

at a stranger

who cut her

off in traffic

so her daughter

will see her

as the strong

independent woman

she always

dreams for her

kid to be.

That's not

the type of

impulse

to preserve.

Of course,

too,

we should all

be concerned

for justice

and for those

who are abused

and afflicted.

Isaiah 1.17

says,

Seek justice,

defend the oppressed,

take up the cause

of the fatherless,

plead the case

of the widow,

and so on.

And these things

are especially relevant

here in the U.S.,

and I don't want to

downplay them

at all.

But the question is,

what are you really

trying to preserve

or fight for?

Are you standing

for those

who are suffering

justice

or just for your

personal honor

and in some

twisted way

making everything

about your pride

and your personal

self and pride?

The point

is simple

to understand

but is

so hard

to apply.

What heart

inclination

are you going

to listen to

before your next

step?

Is it one that

simply wants to

reclaim your honor,

your time,

your energy,

your rights,

your self-esteem,

your social status?

Don't listen

to that anymore.

Verse 42.

Give to the one

who begs from you

and do not refuse

the one who wants

to borrow from you.

Now,

what does this verse

have in common

with the ones

that came before it?

It does not follow

the same pattern

of if this,

then that.

And it's not really

about vengeance

like the previous ones.

So,

what brings all

these verses together?

What do they

have in common?

If we look closely

at these examples,

we'll see that

in all of them,

without exception,

the controlling

impulse

from our sinful nature

is to fight

to preserve

something.

Think about it.

The person

who slaps back

instead of giving

the other cheek

isn't really trying

to hurt

the other person

in their face

but to put them

back on equal

grounds of honor.

The heart

is begging

to have its

treasured honor

back.

The one who

fights back

against those

who want to sue

them

do not necessarily

want something

from that person

but they want

to say,

hey,

I'm no pushover.

I don't care

if it's a shirt,

a blouse,

or even a sock.

I will not let you

go out there

as if you're

somehow above me.

The one who

resists the

inconvenience

of walking

the mile

requested

is saying

in his heart,

why me?

Why am I

always the one

who needs to

put up

with this

kind of stuff?

Ask Steve

or Pastor Mike

or something.

Don't ask me.

And finally,

of the one

to whom

people are asking

and to whom

they want

to borrow from,

what are they

seeking to preserve?

Money.

Right?

I mean,

they think,

it's my money

after all

and I can do

with it

whatever I want.

And if you're

going to get

any money

from me,

you better give

me a pretty

good reason

why I should

trust you

and I will

treat you

like you're

beneath me

the whole time

until you

pay me back

every cent.

Obviously,

just like

the other

examples,

this does not

mean that we

must give

money to

everyone

who asks

every time.

demanding

this

is making

the same

mistake

as the

person

who says

that there

is never

space for

retaliation

and justice

just because

Jesus told

us to give

the other

cheek.

We are

instead supposed

to have a

certain view

of our

money

that is not

striving to

preserve it

at all times

just for the

sake of it

or for the

love of it.

We are to be

generous people.

on the

other hand,

it's not

because someone

asks for

money.

That money

is what

they need

or even

what's the

most loving

thing to

give them.

Right?

Let's say

it's summertime

and you're

eating outside

at one of

the restaurants

downtown

and a

disheveled

man smelling

like alcohol

comes up to

you and

asks for

five bucks

to get

something to

eat.

In this

instance,

how does

want to

obey what

Jesus is

requiring

in verse

42?

What is

the best

way to

help this

man?

Is it

to give

him the

cash?

Well,

here's what

you could

do.

You could

say to

them,

sir,

I'm not

going to

give you

any money

but I'll

do something

better.

Just pick

something off

the menu

here and

I'll buy

it for

you.

In doing

so,

you obey

Jesus by

not refusing

the one

who's asking

and you

avoid unwisely

contributing to

something that

might be harmful

to the person

that is

alcohol.

You help

him without

hurting him

and that's

true righteousness.

So,

you see,

this whole

section is

not just

about not

giving vengeance

or revenge

and at this

point it's

clear that

true righteousness

also does not

stop at

abandoning the

sinful impulses

of self-preservation.

true righteousness

also embraces

a lifestyle

of mercy

and grace.

Mercy

does not

give what

the person

deserves.

The person

who offends

you deserves

punishment.

You don't

give that to

them.

Grace

gives even

when they

don't deserve

it,

especially

because they

don't deserve

it.

Our offenders

and those who

beg from us

are not entitled

to anything

from us,

but we give

it to them

anyway.

As imitators

of God

himself who

does the

same thing

for us.

As Jesus

will say in

a few

verses,

love your

enemies so

that you may

be sons of

your fathers,

that is,

imitators of

your fathers.

For he

makes his

son rise on

the evil

and on the

good,

and he

sends rain

on the just

and on the

unjust.

So,

what Jesus

is saying

in all these

five verses

is that

true righteousness

both abandons

sinful impulses

of self-preservation

and it

also

embraces

a lifestyle

of mercy

and of grace.

And I think

we can all

agree that

in one degree

or another

we all fall

short of this.

So,

with that in

mind,

we come to

our second

and final

point.

How does

this teaching

point us

to Jesus

as the

fulfillment

of all

righteousness

and why

is that

good news

for us?

So,

friends,

the thing

about these

early chapters

of Matthew's

gospel is

that when we

look at the

Sermon on the

Mount,

we're only

getting a

glimpse of

the whole

story.

We're taking

a peek at

the guest

room when

he's building

this whole

house in

the book.

He's inviting

us,

Matthew,

the author

of this

gospel,

to continue

reading so

we can fully

understand what

Jesus means

with being

the fulfillment

of the

law.

If you

remember a

few verses

earlier,

verse 17,

he said,

do not

think that I

have come

to abolish

the law

and the

prophets.

I have

not come

to abolish

them,

but to

fulfill

them.

We need

to understand

that Jesus

was the

center of

everything that

God's law

pointed to.

In fact,

Jesus was

such a

turning point

to the

way people

needed to

see and

relate to

God and

his law,

that he

said things

like this

throughout

the whole

sermon.

You heard

that it

was said,

this thing

on the

law,

but I

tell you,

this is

no ordinary

teacher,

and Matthew

makes it

clear by

the end

of the

sermon

just how

unlike

the other

teachers

of Israel

Jesus

was.

The

crowds

were

astonished

at his

teaching,

for he

was teaching

them with

one who

had

authority.

What

kind of

authority

is this?

What

does it

do?

What is

it for?

Matthew

wants us

to keep

reading.

On chapter

9,

Jesus is

going to

heal the

paralytic,

and the

reason why

he does

that is,

verse 6,

so you

may know

that the

Son of

Man has

authority on

earth to

forgive sins.

Likewise,

chapter 10,

verse 1,

Jesus gives

his apostles

authority to

drive out

impure spirits

and heal

every disease.

And if we

keep reading,

later on we'll

see Jesus

suffering without

taking revenge

into his own

hands and

dying a shameful

death though he

lived a sinless

life.

But by his

authority he

defeated the

grave and

raised to

life as he

said he

would.

And right

before he

went back to

the Father he

said to the

apostles,

all authority

in heaven and

on earth has

been given to

me.

Not just

authority to

teach, to

heal, to

cast out

demons, but

all authority.

Go therefore

by his

authority and

make disciples

of all nations

baptizing them

in the name of

the Father, the

Son, and the

Holy Spirit.

Teaching them to

observe all that

I have commended

you.

And behold, I'm

with you always

to the end of

the age.

So for

Matthew, the

pathway towards

true righteousness

is not first and

foremost to strive

to be a

citizen of

heaven.

By ourselves, any

such effort is

vain.

As we've seen

today looking at

this text and as

we know from

experience, true

righteousness is

only found in the

one who holds all

authority, even to

fulfill the law and

even to make

disciples out of

people like us who

once lived according

to the values of

this world and not

of his kingdom.

And the

my friends, we

are the

benefactors of

this authority.

He's making

disciples of all

the nations to

this day.

He has not

abandoned us, but

has included us

into his kingdom.

If we by faith

desire to be his

disciples.

And he will

remain with us

always to the

end of the age.

And that is a

reason for great

hope.

especially for

those of you

who like me

have been at

times actually

discouraged by a

text like this.

Not because it's

hard to understand,

you see, but

because it's so

difficult to live

out.

The way of life in

God's kingdom is so

beautiful.

But for me, it

seems so distant

at times because of

how poorly I

compare to it.

But then I'm

reminded of this

promise.

the one who

has all authority

and who is the

fulfillment of all

righteousness has

called me himself

and guaranteed that

he will be with me

always to the end

of the age.

That's what gives me

confidence to wake

up every morning to

follow his footsteps.

And what gives me

confidence at all to

preach this this

morning.

So friends, as we

conclude, I really

want us to read one

last text as we wrap

it up.

You can open it with

me or not.

It's 1 Peter 2, 21-24.

It's a really

important text and the

echoes to our passage

in Matthew 5 are just

too obvious to ignore.

So let's read the

words of the Apostle

Peter who wanted to

encourage those

Christians who were

suffering under

persecution to remain

faithful to this

teaching and maybe it

served as an

encouragement for us

too.

1 Peter 2, 21-24

says,

For to this you have

been called, because

Christ also suffered

for you, leaving you

an example so that you

might follow in his

footsteps.

And look at the

example he left to

those whom he called.

He committed no sin,

neither was deceit

found in his mouth.

When he was reviled, he

did not revile in return.

When he suffered, he

did not threaten, but

continued entrusting

himself to him who

judges justly.

Friends, things don't go

unnoticed in God's

kingdom.

God takes vengeance for

us so we don't have to

take it.

And thankfully, he's much

more just than we'll ever

be.

Verse 24, he himself

bore our sins in his

body on the cross that we

might die to sin and live

for righteousness.

By his wounds you have

been healed.

What a blessed hope.

Friends, isn't it amazing

that we can be assured

that our wounds have

already been healed?

In Christ, we can find

forgiveness of our sins

and all of our

unrighteousness.

Christ died for us so that

we might die to sin and to

enable us to, in fact, live

for righteousness, which we

can't without him.

Because of the nature of

our calling and what Christ

has done for us, we can

abandon sinful impulses of

self-preservation and embrace

a life of mercy and grace.

And this can be true for any

of us if we only take up his

calling with faith and follow

him.

It is for this that we have

been called, to follow his

footsteps.

And that's why he healed us, to

be like him.

And he empowers us to do so by

his abiding presence with us.

That's what a blessed life truly

looks like.

Not what the world has to offer

with all of its advertisements

and career plans and diets and

exercises and retirements in

Florida.

No.

True righteousness in Christ.

That's the blessed life that I

want for myself, for my family,

for each of us today, and for

God's people worldwide.

And I hope you want it too.

Let's pray.

Dear God,

we are both convicted and

encouraged by this message,

Lord.

Thank you because you have not

left us for our own efforts.

But you have empowered us,

Lord, through your Holy Spirit

in us.

Jesus' presence with us.

To live in a life of true

righteousness.

It will not be perfect here,

Lord.

We know that.

But we know that you're working

with us.

And one day, you'll bring us back

to glory with you.

Where we will, in fact, forever

reign in righteousness with you.

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Help us to live out this life today

as we walk out.

And be with us, Lord,

because we need you.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Thank you.